The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

“Kaboom!”

Clouds swirled around the soaring red flames, forming a mushroom cloud. Turbid air filled the sky as the explosions blasted tent after tent.

With his back turned against this scene, Meng Qi passed through the layers of protective spells and walked out of the gate. He made it to the river several hundred meters away from the camp with several large strides!

The patrolling Exterior experts and enlightened-Aperture masters on the heavily-guarded surface of the river were looking in the direction of the explosions with stupefied expressions. They had no idea what was going on inside the camp—whether it was the enemy attacking, some expert’s sacrificial ritual, or a strange skill going out of control.

Just then, Meng Qi’s cold coldly snorted, bringing them back to their senses. He said coolly, “There was an enemy who snuck into our camp in disguise. He is currently in the water, trying to make his way to the opposite bank. Won’t you hurry up and prepare a ship for me to pursue him?”

The turbid water several hundred meters under the surface of the river was shrouded by violent black gas. He had to be sure that he was in the best possible condition to respond to everything that would happen from here on.

“Yes, Divine Lord.” A bottom-tier master replied hurriedly. He gave up his own shallop as there was no time to prepare a better ship.

Meng Qi boarded the shallop with a single step. As his Vital Spirit soared, the waves on both sides began propelling the shallop forward. It sped along the middle of the river, leaving the turbid waters in the time it took several breaths.

Inside the camp of the Imperial Army, the violent explosions drew the attention of “Martial Monarch” Du Gushi, “Dissimilated Man” Wen Jing, the Crown Prince, and other experts. In a flash, they were gathered together. They saw that the tent, as well as the altar at the rear of the tent, had been entirely obliterated. The corpses that formed the strange formation had all been cremated. The ground that covered hundreds of meters had caved in, getting deeper toward the center. It was covered in luster in the color of recondensing melted glaze.

Fortunately, the cruelty of Lord of Shadows and his ruthless skills meant people usually stayed away from him. Moreover, he had his own system within the camp, and there were few tents near his. Otherwise, the number of dead enlightened-Aperture masters would have been unimaginable!

It was precisely due to this that the mysterious sect members he brought had died with him as well. Only nine Exterior experts had escaped the disaster. Those who were closer to the scene sustained minor injuries while those farther away were in a state of disarray. The two experts guarding the altar in the middle were instantly reduced to ash.

Du Gushi flicked his sleeve and the flames were instantly extinguished, leaving only soaring mist. Specks of light appeared in his dark, serene eyes as he addressed the Exterior experts. “What happened?”

Du Gushi’s imposing manner nearly paralyzed the Exterior experts, causing them to stammer. “His Eminence… His tent abruptly exploded… He…”

Wen Jing augured with his fingers and extended his consciousness. He then closed his eyes and said in a voice that had no trace of his typical languidness, “Lord of Shadows is dead.”

“Lord of Shadows is dead?” The Crown Prince sucked in a breath. The top-tier masters felt a sudden chill down their backs. They sensed danger.

Some of them were physically stronger than Lord of Shadows, while some were only barely stronger. Even so, no significant gap in power existed between them. Coupled with his strange skills and enigmatic tricks resulting from his mysterious Gu Poison Bugs, Lord of Shadows was indeed stronger than all of them.

Yet, such a character had inexplicably died in his own tent without making any sort of commotion!

If he was killed, then he was either caught off guard or the killer had an unimaginable strength or skill!

“Did someone else come before the explosions?” Du Gushi asked in a voice that was as steady as ever.

An Exterior expert raised his head to glance at Du Gushi. He took a deep breath before saying, “Divine Lord of Plenitude.”

“Divine Lord of Plenitude?” The Crown Prince followed suit in looking at Du Gushi. That was Du Gushi’s “good Junior Brother”!

“No good! The enemy used the art of transformation!” Wen Jing cried, realization suddenly dawning on him.

Du Gushi’s heart thumped and his consciousness, as boundless and tangible as the ocean, spread all around like flood. The condition of the whole camp surfaced vividly in his mind.

He found nothing abnormal!

However, he could not find the Divine Lord of Plenitude anywhere. That was, in itself, the greatest abnormality!

He spread his consciousness further still so it extended beyond the camp, all the way to the river bank, hills, and the surface of the Nu River. He saw a shallop sailing out of the range of the camp’s defenses, speeding toward the core of the river. Only one man occupied the shallop. He was dressed head-to-toe in a black armor made out of fish scales. His sword was pointed to the ground as he stood proudly at the bow of the shallop with a rather complacent look.

“Humph!” Du Gushi snorted. Standing in the middle of the camp, he made a fist with his right hand and threw a punch.

The sky suddenly turned dusky as winds and clouds gathered to form an incomparably massive fist. The fist flew, carrying with it a force that threatened to smash everything in its path.

“Splash!”

The waters of the Nu River turned increasingly turbulent and a surging wave suddenly flung the shallop high up.

Meng Qi did not move. His heart was as clear as a mirror, reflecting the terrifying force of the punch.

The hidden strands of the intent of fist were more frightening than the force that gathered countless winds and clouds. Taking advantage of the turbulence in the sea of Vital Qi and the chaotic environment, it soundlessly weaved a net to capture Meng Qi.

Yin and Yang, as well as toughness and gentleness, appeared in the fist. It was clearly superior compared to what Meng Qi accomplished after gaining a basic comprehension of the Yin-Yang Seal.

Meng Qi felt a sudden awe and respect for Du Gushi, who was truly worthy of his “Martial Monarch” title. It was a respect purely for his martial arts, disregarding his morals and position. Indeed, masters who could reach such a realm without relying on their lineage were worthy of Meng Qi’s respect. They represented goals that Meng Qi strove for as well as targets that he would attempt to win in the future!

However, this was not the time to learn from Du Gushi’s martial arts. If he allowed Du Gushi to pester him, the divine weapon and several top-tier masters would besiege him. In a situation where he could not rely on his secret treasures, the only thing he could do was drag one or two of those masters to death with him!

“You have come at just the right time!” Meng Qi roared, nearly exuding an aura of being able to support both heaven and earth in his attempt to belittle the enemy. His entire body seemed to be condensed out of the Dharma and Logos of heaven and earth. Meng Qi thrust the saber in his right hand with a heavy movement as if he was dragging a burden of several hundreds of thousands of catties. On the tip of the saber was a faint, black pinhole-sized vortex. In his right hand, Flowing Fire unleashed a great radiance that bathed all things in light. There was no place that the sword could not reach! There was no differentiation between weak and strong men before the sword!

The tip of the saber suddenly collided with Du Gushi’s fist and a vast expanse of whiteness immediately shrouded the surface of the river. The soldiers laying out the army’s defense nearby felt their bodies getting light as they were sent flying back to the river bank. Had a top-tier master not promptly stepped in, the force would have crushed those soldiers into pieces.

“Kaboom!”

The booming of violent explosions followed the blinding radiance. The waves of Qi ripped apart the soft, subtle net and collided with the massive fist condensed out of winds and clouds!

“Kaboom! Splash!”

The waters of the Nu River soared so high that it reached several hundred meters. The fist, mixed with high-temperature flames, scattered the shockwaves with sheer force. It was pure tyrannical power!

“Crack!” The flooring of the shallop under Meng Qi’s feet broke into many small pieces.

However, the massive fist had also become much weaker. Meng Qi took the opportunity to rapidly shrink his body. Smiling in the direction of the camp, he bowed in salute.

Then, he lowered his center of gravity and sank into the Nu River. He was going to escape before Du Gushi threw a second punch and before the top-tier masters arrive.

Du Gushi’s consciousness spread far and wide like tangible waves of the ocean, sensing the situation on the surface of the river. Earlier, he had already locked down on Meng Qi’s breath.

However, after he was done scanning the river, he did not make his move. He cried out in surprise that the assassin had unexpectedly entered the river.

Even though Du Gushi did not fear those river monsters, underwater battles were not his forte. Moreover, not only did the river monsters exist in abundance, they had grown to be fierce and resilient after engaging in mutual killings all year round. Given a choice, who would willingly provoke them?

That second of hesitation resulted in him losing sight of the breath that he had previously locked down on. Du Gushi had lost track of Meng Qi!

In the depths of the river, Meng Qi had morphed into a Blue-blooded Person. He partially turned himself into water, merging with the river, as he frantically swam forward.

“Splash!” Suddenly, a barbed tail came flying at him. Meng Qi barely avoided it.

Sensing the hideous-looking giant tortoise approaching him and its evil spirit-like breath, Meng Qi’s breath suddenly turned into a corrupted one that polluted and ruined heaven and earth. It was borne out of an overwhelming Devil Whelm. It was an evil that was far purer than the giant tortoise’s!

The giant tortoise trembled and slowed down, allowing Meng Qi to flit across.

“Imitation of Blood of the Evil Saint’s breath, thanks to Eight Nine Mysteries!

“Evil Saint is so much more superior to the deities and demons of this world!”

Relying on the imitation breath and Sun God’s true-yet-false feeling, Meng Qi swam past all the river monsters in a flash and moved forward at a terrifying speed.

By the time the Imperial Army finally came to their senses and began using tricks to entrap Meng Qi, he had rapidly swum upward and merged fully with the river. He evaded the seals and floated to the surface of the river.

After great difficulty navigating the Nu River, he finally managed to break away from Du Gushi and the river monsters.

Outside the camp of the Revolutionary Army, Immortal Wanshi and Hou Yue were waiting by the river bank and looking across. Due to the wide expanse of the river, they could only roughly estimate that something unforeseeable had indeed happened on the other side.

Just then, they saw a head breaking out of the surface of the river and gradually turning larger. It was none other than Meng Qi.

Meng Qi slowly made his way out of the water with a head of damp hair. His robe, however, remained as good as new. He smiled faintly at them.

“Fortunately, I haven’t failed you all. Lord of Shadows is dead.”

“Haven’t failed, Lord of Shadows is dead…” Immortal Wanshi stared at the man slowly walking away from the great waves. For a moment, he could not process his words.

Over at the imperial city, the imperial bulletin on the events happening at the frontlines was a popular conversation fodder. However, the bulletin was only for the eyes of the high-ranking officials and individuals.

Fortunately for the commoners, the evaluation list of the Erudite Hall also reflected the changes in the great war that affected the world. The updated list had everyone holding their breath in anticipation.

Inside the Erudite Hall, several youngsters of both genders were browsing the most recent evaluation list. Now and then, there would be exclamations coming from them.

“Who would have thought a Second Order master would come out of nowhere?” A youngster cried in amazement.

This prompted a laugh from an elegant and beautiful girl. “This world is so big. There would inevitably be strong outsiders.”

On the evaluation list in their hands, a page with lengthy text stated:

“Lord of Shadows, the leader of the Cult of the Gory Seas. His true identity is unknown. He possesses strange skills. He hails from the Shadow Demon lineage and has received the impartation of Blood Demon. He is incredibly difficult to injure thanks to his mysterious methods. His forte lies in curses and Gu Poison Bugs. Opponents could hardly defend against him. The battle at the Nu River propelled him to fame. He is the Demonic Monarch of the night, a rare Second Order master of the world.”

While the youngsters were caught up in their discussion, the managers of the Erudite Hall came out with the latest evaluation lists. All of them wore strange expressions.

The youngster who had spoken first earlier went up to them to get a copy of the evaluation list. He flipped to the page with Lord of Shadows’ description to get an idea of the current situation of the Nu River battle.

“Lord of Shadows, the leader of the Cult of the Gory Seas… Second Order master of the world.

“Dead!”

“Dead?” The youngsters looked dumbstruck and they could not find words to speak. How did someone who had just been recently named a Second Order Master die just like that?

“Lord of Shadows appeared out of nowhere and disappeared just as quickly…”

With a jolt, they turned to flip the page before it. “The one who can kill Lord of Shadows…”

The categories of top-tier masters, of which there were only three, now had an additional page that read:

“The Master of the Red Coat Army, nicknamed ‘Shi’. The details of his skills are unknown, as are his background and methods. He killed Lord Shadows within the vicinity of a divine weapon and top-tier masters like Martial Monarch and then escaped the camp of the Imperial Army. He is a First Order Master of the world!”

“There is a new First Order master…”  The youngsters gasped.

“For a master to enter hostile territory, kill the enemy with such ease, and escape just like that… How fascinating…” They could hardly suppress their many thoughts.

A dim light floated into the tent and entered the doppelganger. Meng Qi and the doppelganger then switched bodies.

He had used the Fruits of Karma without hesitation so that he would cause no commotion and kill with a single strike. He would bear his opponent’s karma if it meant taking his life!

His experience this time strengthened his Heavenly Golden Scripture and Jade Virtual Divination. He was beginning to get some clues from the Seed of All Karma. Though he could not increase the number of times he could bear someone else’s karma, he was able to deceptively exchange the large and bloody strand of karma for Lord of Shadows’ life and bear the karma in advance!

Otherwise, he believed the strands of karma might just link together. Blood Sea Rakshasa might have instantly locked down on Meng Qi’s location and stepped across the void to dispose of him!

The karma that Meng Qi was now bearing was the “Rage of Deities and Demons.” Under the guidance of Blood Sea Rakshasa, Lord of Shadows used problematic sacrificial offerings to deceive the gods of the Ninth Heaven and the evil spirits of the Ninth Hell. He managed to enhance his lineage without paying too great of a price and immediately leaped from the Fourth Order to the top-tier rank. Thus, he developed such a karma.

There appeared to be no time restriction for this karma as if Meng Qi could solve the “Rage of Deities and Demons” whenever he pleased. Yet, it was such a lax requirement that had the greatest pressure on him.

Things that appeared simple and easy were often the most impossibly challenging tasks!

Qi Zhengyan glanced at Meng Qi. Knowing that his friend had already returned to his real body, he said:

“I will now rouse Miao Cong’s obsession before his death.”

“Brother Qi, didn’t you say it was a lie? You don’t have any secret art like that…” Ruan Yushu said in astonishment.

Without a change in expression, Qi Zhengyan said matter-of-factly, “Those words were my actual lie.

“Had we revealed the truth at the scene, it was possible that it would implicate some grandmaster. Then, he would not be able to extricate himself with grace and the Revolutionary Army would truly split apart. This doesn’t bode well for our task. It is better if we find out the details in private and then make our decision.”

The corner of Meng Qi’s mouth twitched. “Senior Brother Qi, you are becoming craftier.”

He gave Qi Zhengyan a big thumbs-up.