The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Meng Qi has no reservations in allowing the Supreme-wisdom Tree to absorb the mysterious gigantic tree. There have not been any vast repercussions when he had let the Supreme-wisdom Tree to do the same during his exploration in the Shard of the domain of the Celestial Court, the Southern Heavenly Door, although they had triggered the change of Snake Dang when their interests conflicted. Then again, he had done it so at the hint of the Dominator of the Samsara of the Six Realms. And now, he was at first confident that his sworn brother, Gao Lan, the Evil Master and the Dharma King Dushi knew nothing of the truth about the gigantic tree. The sight of the tree withering before them would, at most, pique their interest to find out more while it would be hard for them to detect his presence and his involvement.

Given the considerable clamor and upheaval ravaging every level of the heavenly domain, it would be impossible for anyone not to notice that the tumultuous quake happening now was because of the gigantic tree dying.

Meng Qi was sure that the violent shocks were started by his hand when the Supreme-wisdom Tree began ingesting the energies of the mysterious giant tree, more so when the tremors did not stop but instead grew stronger as the Supreme-wisdom Tree feasted more and more on the vitality of the withering tree.

“The upper three levels of the domain of the Ninth Heaven are different to the entrance of the domain of the Southern Heavenly Door? Will the bloody Tree cause the fall of the entire level of this heavenly domain?” Meng Qi dreaded with horror. He would have been drenched with the sweat of fear if he had not an active control of his own body. Keeping a low profile seemed to be an impossible feat for him for trouble looked to follow him everywhere.

A line of verse stood out in his mind suddenly, “You are one who attracts interest and attention, glowing like a firefly in the dark wherever you wander. You cannot run away from it; you cannot hide from it!”

“Boom!”

A translucent piece of white jade rubble fell and hit his shoulder, triggering his protection enchantment to show itself, glowing in gold faintly.

“The last attempt which was fruitful have caused my miscalculation!” Meng Qi screamed within himself. He tugged hard at the Supreme-wisdom Tree, trying to separate the Tree from the bark of the mysterious gigantic tree. But not even his strength could move the Tree even an inch as he could only curse in vain through his gritted teeth.

There was nothing he could do save to lament his brashness,

“Even experience can prove to be a hindrance sometimes!”

The extensiveness of his experience and the similar parameters of the situation helped him in making quick decisions. Thus the common belief that one should never underestimate any experienced member of the Jianghu. But changes occur daily. No experience will help if one has replied fully on experience and not fully comprehending the entirety of an actual situation.

Meng Qi had not felt any mistake about his hastiness in leaving suddenly from Gao Lan. There was hardly time for him to truly ascertain Gao Lan’s condition at the time for he could have been dead if things had turned out poorly. But Meng Qi should have predicted of triggering the destructive tremors that shook the entire domain. The gigantic tree had reached deep into every corner of the domain including the Peach Garden, the Monster-slaying Stage, and even the Fairy-banishing Pool. He should have known that draining the life of the tree would inevitably cause such upheavals, but the hubris of his experiences blinded him.

“I will remember this lesson forever!” Meng Qi bewailed with regret. He could not leave behind the Supreme-wisdom Tree, watching helplessly as it continued its ferocious ingurgitation of the vitality of the giant tree. But he felt an unknown presence with the sudden tingling sensation from his senses and looked to his side.

From the thick of the mists, he saw the Animated Peach peering to him, shining in vivid red like blood. The veins lining the surface of its flesh gave off an eerie and yet intriguing appearance.

“Come here.” Meng Qi called to it in a low voice.

The Animated Peach slunk swiftly out of his sight.

“Boom!”

Energies in the form of dark fumes flowed ceaselessly into the Supreme-wisdom Tree. Meng Qi could now see cracks appearing on the clouds of solid substance around him; the vast tree was nearing its end.

Meng Qi covered his forehead his with palm and waited patiently.

“Boom!”

The Three-life Temple shook violently, the foundations of its structure beginning to give way. Down in the Ashram Hall, Gao Lan and the others could faintly detect the disturbances above.

“Is this the name of an ancient legendary entity? This Yang Jian of the Jade Virtual Palace?” Despite being well-learned in lore, Gao Lan had never heard about the name of this ancient entity which attained the Realm of Legends.

Han Guang seemed to be pondering behind his mask, not showing any visible display of emotions.

“Boom!”

The solid white clouds began to crumble and fall. Meng Qi waited until the last bits of the gigantic tree’s roots reduced to nothing but mush. The Supreme-wisdom Tree fell into a peaceful slumber after its colossal meal.

With a quick glance, Meng Qi found the lumps on Tree had grown into thin arms with two other branches protruding from its trunk. Seven green leaves were growing from the Tree which looked ordinary despite its unrevealed mystics.

“Boom!”

Meng Qi staggered to regain his steadiness as another rumble shook the ground. He quickly stowed away the Supreme-wisdom Tree and left the collapsing area.

“Boom!”

Cui Qinghe and his company watched as the twirling vortex caved in and disintegrated. The way up to the upper levels was gone.

His eyes quivered. Quietly, he spoke, “Back to the lowest level. There are still items that our enemies have not taken with them.”

They have misjudged about the situation within, allowing themselves trapped by the protective barriers defending the domain and has spent much of their valuable time. Additionally, their unfamiliarity with the geography of the domain of the Ninth Heaven has led them into a wild goose chase.

The vast quake continued shattering the levels of the heavenly domain to kingdom come. Meng Qi summoned the powers of the Eight Nine Mysteries discipline, slithering his way to safety amidst the rain of falling debris. It was fortunate that the Hall of Tomorrow had long collapsed. He was able to prevent himself from getting injured for there was no falling rubble from Hall and the solid clouds that formed the Hall’s foundations.

At length, the quake stopped, and everything returned to silence with only clouds of dust lingering about.

Back in the Ashram Hall, Han Guang and the others have tried all they could. But they have done nothing that could damage both the huge bronze door and the ordinary-looking stone stele.

“Let us explore elsewhere, lest the rest who come in after us have all the bounties instead.” The Dharma King Dushi croaked in his hollow voice.

The levels of the Ninth Heaven were all huge and vast that there were still be considerable parts of the levels intact despite the bulk of them collapsed. The abodes of Immortals and Deities should be scoured for treasures and relics.

“So be it then. I must admit my admiration for the powers of this Yang Jian. I will hope that I have a chance for a duel with him if I can claim the Realm of the Legends one day.” Gao Lan spoke proudly, dismissing his setback.

Han Guang had not uttered a word. He followed behind them with his hands still crossed at his back. Reaching the entrance of the Ashram Hall, he saw that the passage had caved in, where only darkness and chaos remained.

“This level has collapsed. We will explore the rest of the abodes and sanctuaries of the Immortals and Deities then.” He sighed, looking like a learned scholar instead of the harbinger of evil and unrest.

Saying this, he added, “The domain of the Ninth Heavens was known as the Abode of Deities. Many unexplained mysteries and secrets abound the nature of this domain. Time passes differently here. We can stay, but not for long. Heaven forbid that our longevity deplete if we are here for too long a period.”

He has been continually providing advice to his companions as if he had repented his evil ways.

Meng Qi patted the dust off his robes and picked up his weapons. He studied his surroundings, wondering where he should go now.

“Should I go back in the direction of the Hall of Tomorrow? No… the Hall of Today has collapsed. This would put Gao Lan’s group at the same level as mine… If the Evil Master still has purposes here, he would most likely return to the Hall of Today to move towards elsewhere to either search for treasures at the other buildings which are still intact; or he would be coming for me…”

“Should I instead go the other way? I can carefully climb over the fallen ruins of the Hall of Today and make it into the Hall of Yesterday. I can hide there for an hour before slowly looking for my way out.”

It was hardly a hard choice for Meng Qi to make. This way, he might also be able to find traces of his past incarnations. He had not seen anything helpful when he previously used the Supernatural Power of Shaking Heaven and Hitting Earth. That could have been due to unknown ancient entities at work to prevent him from finding the truth. Would it be different if he were to try the same technique in the Hall of Yesterday, the former abode of the Heaven Sovereign again?

“Still, nothing is left of the former Hall of Yesterday save for the weak traces of lingering aura and shards of its Mirror…” Meng Qi remembered. But it was better than nothing at all.

Carefully, he traced his steps towards the direction of the fallen ruins of the Hall of Today, treading in the silent gloom for almost half an hour before he reached the site of the Hall of Yesterday.

The mists were still thick and heavy there. But no silhouettes or illusions were appearing this time, save for the strange sensation caused by the distortions in Time and Space flickering around him. Each of the anomalies seemed to have a version of him somewhere within, but none of his other renditions materialized; an apparent sign that the Mirror of Tomorrow has been destroyed.

Stepping forward, Meng Qi could hear an ancient and disinterested voice,

“My past is mine no longer for Reincarnation is nothing but the end of my quest…”

“The pursuit of Full Enlightenment seems impossible, but not without a sliver of chance…”

“All living things are born with three souls, one of which consumed during each Reincarnation…”

“But if the souls have completely disintegrated, the Reincarnation of one will be one no more…”

One by one, Meng Qi heard the verses uttered in a deep voice that came from the Heavens as if an ancient entity had spoken directly to him!

Meng Qi listened intently, astonished. “Did it mean that my reincarnation would be a completely new “me” after three reincarnations? The memories from the first three reincarnations will not go to the fourth?”

“But what about the reincarnation of Ananda? Had he managed to hold on to his souls and formed the ultimate Vital Spirit that allowed him to endure the decaying effects of reincarnation? Or had he used an unknown skill or technique to preserve himself and his one last soul?”

Slowly, Meng Qi began to feel that his former method of regaining the memories of his past incarnations to divine the intention of the ancient legendary entity hiding in his shadows was but a barely effective solution although he could not tell why.

“But the mere verses alone have convinced me that this exploration of the Celestial Court had not been for nothing…” Meng Qi sighed, beholding the aftermath of the great havoc that he had wrought.

Then again, he understood that one must not completely take the words of the unknown ancient entity to heart. It could be a ploy devised by the ancient entity who has had a hand in the destruction of the Hall of Yesterday and Hall of Tomorrow, or the unknown ancient entity himself might have a limited understanding concerning the matters of the reincarnation.

Radiant shafts of gold pierced through the thick mists suddenly, dispelling the darkness and bathed Meng Qi in naked brightness.

“What’s happening?” Caught by surprise, Meng Qi braced himself for any foes, leaping to the left with his Body Movement technique as he looked towards the source of golden light.

A thousand or more meters away, the form of a great tree appeared. A silhouette of another gigantic tree, melded together by two trees that supported each other, reaching up into heights that no naked eyes could see. The masses of leaves perched upon its boughs canopied over atop with immeasurable girth like a gigantic mulberry tree, glistening with the luster of gold from the pouring golden rays. Orbs of burning suns and golden crows sat atop its branches or floated weightlessly around the tree.

“The Ancient Mulberry Tree and the ancient Sun God?” Meng Qi felt his heart thumped loudly. He saw a towering figure draped in golden robes seated below the tree. A glance at the figure told him that the energies and power that pulsed in the deceased entity’s chrysalis could easily melt him to death as he felt the ends of his hairs burned!

This was several hundred and even thousands more terrifying than the chrysalis of the deceased Earth Immortal that he had encountered before!

Meng Qi could only thank his luck that the full powers of the deceased entity restrained within its remnants that have endured since the faded past, its nature yet peculiar and unknown; for it seemed to have been channeled through the distortion of Time from the past to the present. Otherwise, what escaped from within the chrysalis would be the raw energy of a star that could have instantly vaporized him!

“Is this the chrysalis of the actual Sun God of old?”

And before the gargantuan husk of the deceased entity, stood a figure of ordinary size, clad in robes of dark brown with his back facing at Meng Qi. It was Xi, the “Sun God” of the guild of The Immortals!

Noticing Meng Qi’s presence, he turned suddenly and took a huge step forward at his unbidden intruder. With the aura of Five Virtues circling into view around him, he cast another spell, allowing him to instantly close the distance between them both as he raised his right fist and smote furiously at Meng Qi!

The air between them quivered with the powerful force of his blow!

There was no need for further words or banter, only malice!