The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Following He Canshang, Huangfu Fei quickly flew to the door of the God-gathering Heights. She shot a glance into the door beholding the familiar figure.

Taoist Qingyuan looked dashing in the Taoist silk garb and priest hat, with the silk belt and the grass-woven shoes. No different from older times, he seemed to have dodged the test of time.

“I haven’t seen you in ages; you look even more handsome.” Huangfu Fei finally met with her mentor and was elated.

He Canshang bowed. He knew that apart from his hard work and Chances, his breaking through to the Exterior under dire circumstances had significantly been attributed to Taoist Qingyuan’s mentoring towards Huangfu Fei.

Complements to the True Five-thunder and Spell Clouds Spear Arts, descriptions of the Heaven-man Connection and the several levels of the Exterior realm, and the last ingenious stroke—it was like a Clouds Spear Arts performed flawlessly. The mentor had helped him make significant progress in strength and realm.

If not for the mentor’s help, he would have only reached the Half-step realm at most, with his shallow skill and understanding of the skill scripts!

The remaining guarding disciples were astounded by the scene. The lord of the God-Gathering Heights and fairy-like Miss Huangfu bowed to a strange Taoist with great respect.

“Who’s he? What kind of strength does he possess?” The guarding disciples thought.

Meng Qi chuckled. “You two are gorgeous as well.”

Huangfu Fei was no longer girlish and prettier. She smelled like blooms from head to toe. While the Heaven-earth Merged expert of the Exterior He Canshang, held himself in a harmonious manner. He was maturer and calm.

Huangfu Fei had been catching up with He Canshang in skills and also opened her Nine Apertures. Meng Qi had opened Eight Apertures and see through; now he was more refreshingly handsome and as unfathomable as the fleeting cloud.

“Has Taoist Qingyuan achieved the Exterior as well?” Huangfu Fei thought.

“Though he has been inferior to the Senior Brother in the realm, however, he was superior to Senior Brother in many aspects such as the aptitude, demeanor, vision, experience, and strength. It makes sense that he’s surpassed the Senior Bother and becomes one of the few experts of the Exterior.” Huangfu Fei thought.

“Where have you been these years, Taoist? We’ve been looking for you, but you seemed to vanish out of the world…” Huangfu Fei blurted out her questions.

Meng Qi waved his hand with a smile. “It’s a long story. Today it’s your big day, don’t be late because of me. We’ll talk after the wedding; I’m in no hurry.”

After reaching the Exterior, the duration of every Reincarnation Charm lasted for two months. Besides, it would not take long to arrive at the mausoleum since he could fly.

Huangfu Fei was just about to say something when He Canshang slightly nodded. “Yes, please be seated.”

The two of them led Meng Qi in a very respectful manner. The disciples and servants at present were all dumbfounded, all wondering who the young Taoist was.

When the three entered the lobby, the gaze of the curious Jianghu heroes went straight to them.

“Is it Taoist Qingyuan, who has single-handedly rescued Madam Huangfu and Miss Huangfu from the God-gathering Heights in that snowy night?”

“I suppose so. His realm of the Eight Apertures is higher than the Green-blood Dragon King’s and the Red-eyebrowed Saber King’s. He’s peerless!”

“He comes back after so many years, what’s he up to?”

Meng Qi had left a legendary tale in the Nine Villages World. The present Jianghu heroes started to remember the story.

When the young Taoist walked past the Jianghu heroes in grass-woven shoes, they whispered again.

“He was already quite powerful at the beginning. After so many years, his strength must have grown even more fearsome. I wonder if he will break through to the Exterior…”

“I can’t see his realm; he’s either in the Half-step or the Exterior realm.”

“In the whole wide world, the Exterior experts are numbered. Now we have one more Exterior expert…”

They chattered and agreed that the unfathomable Taoist Qingyuan must have been in the Exterior realm, and was promising to contest the Emperor of Tengen competition.

Meng Qi received Madam Huangfu’s salute and then sat beside Immortal Wuliang, Lady Hongxian, and Hunchback of the Wastelands. He greeted them. “How’s everything going?”

Lady Hongxian looked as brave as before. She had yet to turn into her 30s but already wore the guarding Upstanding Qi. As for Hunchback of the Wastelands, he looked older and more weather-beaten, only his genuine Qi felt more sophisticated.

The two rose up at once to return a salute. “The Taoist looks good as usual.”

Meng Qi smiled. “Am I looking better than before?”

The two did not know how to respond; then they remembered Taoist Qingyuan was always humorous.

Finishing the greeting, Huangfu Fei and He Canshang continue to propose toasts to other guests. Huangfu Fei said using the Secret-voice Sending, “Senior Brother, what realm do you think the Taoist is in?”

He Canshang’s brows furrowed. “I can’t see his realm.”

Even Senior Brother failed to see the Taoist’s realm? Huangfu Fei gawked.“What realm does the Taoist belong? Is he in the same realm as my father? Or is he in a higher realm than my father?”

Immortal Wuliang who was sitting next to Meng Qi failed to sense Taoist Qingyuan’s realm either. He thought about asking him directly but finally refrained himself since it was taboo to inquire about other people’s lives when you were not so close.

Between the small talks, Meng Qi ate and drank. He seemed not to have noticed that the person everyone was currently talking about was himself.

When the wedding ceremony was over, the Jianghu masters exchanged whispers and left one by one. Only Meng Qi and his table companions stayed.

Still dressed in their wedding clothes, He Canshang, and Huangfu Fei led Madam Huangfu to Meng Qi to greet him.

“Why does the Taoist return to Jianghu? Is there anything we can help?” After the greetings, He Canshang asked directly.

Upon hearing this, Immortal Wuliang rose up at once to leave them alone.

“It’s okay. You don’t have to leave.” Meng Qi waved his hand. “I have nothing to hide.”

He slowly said. “I’ve been cultivating hard for years and finally succeeded. I’ve found an article that can suppress the evil ghosts in the mausoleum. Thus, I decided to re-enter the mausoleum to finish those ghosts. I wonder if anything strange has happened to the mausoleum.”

The remaining guests were either friends of Huangfu Tao or among the inner circle of the God-gathering Heights. They had heard about the cause that drove the Nine Villages founder mad in his late years. Thus, they had been reluctant to mention those evil ghosts. Now they all gasped hearing Meng Qi’s words.

“Those evil ghosts have invaded the bodies of the expert of the Exterior and driven them into the mausoleum.” Thought all of the guests.

“How can he deal with such horrendous evil ghosts? What’s the article that can restrain the evil ghosts?”

After numerous speculations, they shared a deep conviction that Meng Qi “had succeeded” because when he said those words, he did not flaunt but only stated a fact.

“Well, something weird did happen in the mausoleum.” He Canshang was the first to collect himself and replied in a composed way.

“What exactly was that something weird?” Meng Qi asked calmly.

Huangfu Fei broke in. “Over the past year, there have been bright lights and screams in the mountains. Moreover, recently, the mausoleum reveals itself from time to time. Thus, Master Xiyue, Star-picking Immortal, Buddhist Monk Silence, and Sword Shaking the World gathered around the mountains, waiting for amazing treasures or great skills to appear.

“We know about the evil ghosts, and thus stay away from the mountains and re-commence the God-gathering Heights.”

The Evil Spirit of Zhen Wu was something; it could foresee contingencies out of nothing… Meng Qi slightly nodded and inquired more about the details of the evil ghosts. In the end, he decided not to wait but head to the mausoleum right away. He could not afford to let the Evil Spirit of Zhen Wu escape!

“Before it’s too late, I must go now.” Meng Qi rose up to leave.

He Canshang immediately followed. “I’ll guide the way for the Taoist.”

“It’s very dangerous in the mausoleum; you’dbe better not to.” Meng Qi shook his head.

If possession occurred on Meng Qi, he could have the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms exorcize the demons. What if He Canshang fell to possession? Besides, Zhen Wu’s Evil Spirit mastered the Art of Deception. It could manage a narrow escape, making Meng Qi’s mission fail on the verge of success.

“You may rest assured that I won’t rashly enter the mausoleum. However, I can’t wait for news at home when my master is inside the mausoleum.” He Canshang insisted. Huangfu Fei’s and Madam Huangfu’s eyes had misted over.

If they could fly, they would have followed too.

Meng Qi hesitated for a moment. “You’ll wait for me at the outside.”

Then, he produced a piece of cloud under his feet, hopped on it, and ride on it like a flash of light rising to the sky. He Canshang followed him closely.

Taoist Qingyuan had indeed stepped into the Exterior realm! The remaining guests were all confident that they had figured out Meng Qi’s real realm.

…

Shaped like a True Dragon, zigzagging on the ground, the mountains appeared formidable. From time to time, bright lights flashed in the mountains. The mausoleum shimmered in the dark. Black gas rolled around the mausoleum. Underneath the black gas, there must have been numerous ghost and evil spirits that would strike a heavy blow against Meng Qi.

Master Xiyue Wen Haogu and Buddhist Monk Silence were hovering in the sky. Looking at such a scene, they felt both anticipated and worried. They had looked into the black gas, only to discover that there were zombies in the Exterior realm. Moreover, those zombies used to be the founders of the Nine Villages!

The founders of the Nine Villages went mad in their late years, gathered in the mausoleum, and became zombies? White lights seemed to flash over Master Xiyue’s eyes.

At this moment, they see two lights produced by the escape technique approach. They all scrutinized the lights closely.

One of them was He Canshang they knew, the other a young Taoist in a slick Taoist garb. The Taoist appeared refreshingly handsome and high in the realm. They could not see his strength and real realm.

“A newly-realized Exterior master?” Buddhist Monk Silence and others all presumed that they had not met the young Taoist before.

Only Master Xiyue was stunned and blurted out. “It’s Qingyuan!”

Though Master Xiyue had never really met Qingyuan, he heard about Qingyuan in his son’s and followers’ stories. He had imagined how Meng Qi would look like. Besides, Meng Qid did not change much from before.

“Has Taoist Qingyuan achieved the Exterior?

“How capable is he now?”

Between thoughts and speculations, he saw the young Taoist cast a look toward him. The Taoist saw through him, looked at what was behind his back and smiled.

“He sees my Real Body!”

“How can he see my Real Body?”

Master Xiyue was more than stunned. The skill of hiding the Real Body came into creation in Moon Village. He developed this unique kung fu based on what he had learned in the “Tai-yin Devil-Rinsing Scripture.” By this kind of kung fu, he could intensify his projection image through his genuine Qi combined with the force of the moon; then he would hide his Real Body in the unfathomable shadow of the projection image. It was a fascinating skill to master.

“Now I’m seen through at first sight?

“When did Qingyuan become so aggressive?”

In the very beginning, Meng Qi used to be chased after by Master Xiyue every day. Now, Master Xiyue could not compare with him at all. Meng Qi was not stunned as he could see everyone’s rankings as well as his progress in his original realm world. Thus, he remained calm at that moment.

He looked at Master Xiyue’s Real Body through the All-seeing Stare. Meng Qi just smiled. “Master Xiyue, I haven’t officially introduced myself yet.”

Master Xiyue looked solemn. He did not dare to ignore Meng Qi anymore since after all, Meng Qi had stepped into the Exterior realm. He replied, “If you didn’t take my son hostage, I wouldn’t have behaved that way.”

Buddhist Monk Silence, Star-picking Immortal, and the middle-aged swordsman Sword Shaking the World all stayed silent. They must have figured out that the young Taoist was Qingyuan.

“He’s reached the Exterior realm, can he compare with Huangfu Tao?”

Meng Qi did not dwell on the past. With hands behind his back, he stared at the rolling black gas and slowly said, “This is the mausoleum of the ancient Zhenwu Great Emperor, an evil ghost is entrapped inside.”

“What?” Everyone, including He Canshang, blurted out the word.

They have heard the rumor that the mausoleum belonged to a big shot from the ancient times. However, it never occurred to them that the big shot was among the Five Ancient Emperors!

“Really?”

Meng Qi turned around and fixed his eyes on Master Xiyue. “Whoever enters the mausoleum will be possessed, and he’ll lose his mind in the late years. His skill will be altered and can’t pass the Celestial Ladder after having reached the Exterior.”

“How is it possible?” Master Xiyue and Star-picking Immortal exclaimed at the same time.

He Canshang and others were surprised as well.

Meng Qi chuckled. “You all know better than me about the skills. For example, if the Tai-yin Devil-Rinsing Scripture is altering, the fire and water element of the skill will be out of balance. You either contain too much water element or too much fire element. Master Xiyue, you’ll feel a palpitation at noon, and an aching back in the early morning, right?”

He had been enlightened on the Primary Instruction of The Buddha’s Palm and the Six Strokes of the Overlord. Moreover, he exercised the Heavenly Golden Scripture and the Eight Nine Mysteries. He was more discerning than other people in the same realm. Thus, just now, he could tell the Tai-yin Devil-Rinsing Scripture’s problem solely by the script.

Master Xiyue’s eyes narrowed, his hands clenched, and his heart was pounding.“This skill is inside Moon Village only, no outsider should know. Has the script been altered by the evil ghosts?”

In fact, over the years, people in the Moon Village did found the problem in the script. Some issues kept occurring, but they failed to fix it. Thus, they could only study the corpse of the cultivators who died from cultivating the skill, to find a solution.

The refreshingly handsome Taoist who wore a linen Taoist robe and a silk belt, talked a lot about Zhen Wu, one of the Five Ancient Emperors. He spoke of vicious evil ghosts as well as the flawed script. Star-picking Immortal and others all found the young Taoist mysterious and unfathomable. Judging from his accounts, the young Taoist seemed to know a lot of secrets.

“Years ago, he just opened Eight Apertures. Now, what level has he reached of the Exterior realm?

“Has he managed to pass the Celestial Ladder like Huangfu Tao?”

The black gas rolled over; the screams underneath were intensifying. Meng Qi glanced at Master Xiyue one more time and told the crowd, “I’ll get rid of the evil ghosts. You might as well stay away.”

“Get rid of the evil ghosts? Does he want to do that? To confront the ghosts that even trapped founders from the Nine Villages and Huangfu Tao as well?” However, Meng Qi had descended near the black gas.

“Be careful, the Exterior zombies!” Buddhist Monk Silence could not help blurting out.

Just as Buddhist Monk Silence finished the words, all of them sensed the Exterior-expert-turned zombies’ strong breaths prevailing in the air.

At this moment, they saw Meng Qi raised his long saber, and Thunderclaps gathered around his blade tip.

“Kaboom!”

He struck the long saber hard at some point in the void; the gathered Thunderclap exploded at once. Iridescent rays lighted the eyes of the masters hovering in the sky.

“Boom!”

The Thunder Light turned purple and spread quickly everywhere. The sea of lights covered the land. The Exterior Zombies were shrouded, the mountains concealed. Everywhere the lights had reached they’d devoured everything.

“Kaboom!”

The mountains torn apart, the corpses charred, and the Vital Spirits vaporized. The mausoleum revealed its magnificent self!

“An unimaginable stroke!” Buddhist Monk Silence and others were frozen, and tingles shuddered through their bodies as if a burst of electricity had run through them.

“His realm is unimaginable as well!”

“The Thunderclap bladesmanship can be applied like that, how overwhelming…” He Canshang enchanted by the stroke.

“What a formidable stroke!” Feeling the breath and power of the stroke, Master Xiyue was breathing heavily. Had it been reversed with him in the black gas, he would have no means to escape. Even ten times of his strength could not have warded off the blow.

This was the strongest blow that he had ever seen!

“What realm is Qingyuan truly? He’s much stronger than Huangfu Tao!”

To think that he had hunted down a person like this, he felt dizzy; his Vital Spirit could not contain itself anymore. He flinched and wanted badly to run away.

When he was exerting the full Interior forces, Meng Qi’s warning crossed his mind. In an unstable state of mind, Master Xiyue suddenly feel his heart and back aching.

He began to see stars. Master Xiyue contained himself and spat mouthfuls of blood and barely managed to keep flying.

Before Qingyuan could lay a finger on him, he was nearly scared to suffer a Qi-deviancy Derangement.