Chapter 120: Preparation
At the front door of Great Buddha’s Hall, Duan Xiangfei, Luo Qing, Che Wanxiu, and the others watched Meng Qi take great strides forwards. Presently reconsidering their previous idea, they all focused on the battle before them.
This battle between Master Zhen Ding, who had already surpassed grandmaster status, and the Reincarnated Skyscraping Devil, who was armed with the three Secret Chambers opened, was sure to teach these grandmasters much.
They had all experienced the power of “Mortal Dust Fall” and had no doubt that Master Zhen Ding would win this battle against the Reincarnated Skyscraping Devil. Their only concern lay in the fact that they did not know how powerful he was after the three Secret Chambers were opened and were uncertain whether this would pose a threat to Master Zhen Ding.
They all hoped that Master Zhen Ding would fully displace his strength to end the battle quickly. They did not want Gai Yuan to have any opportunity.
“If Master Zhen Ding does not hold back with his Heaven-connecting strike, I will definitely be defeated. Even if Gai Yuan opens one more vital Qi Secret Chamber than he, this still will not be enough to help him block Master Zhen Ding’s strike. The only concern is we don’t know if the three Secret Chambers will unite and present a new challenge.” Duan Xiangfei said.
Luo Qing thought for a moment and simply stated, “One strike.”
As long as Master Zhen Ding was clear-headed, Gai Yuan would not be a match for his skillful and fatal bladesmanship.
Che Wanxiu inhaled slightly and said, “I also believe it will take one strike.”
She had experienced Mortal Dust Fall personally and knew that since Gai Yuan had entered the devil’s way, he was vulnerable to this sword technique.
She blushed, remembering how she had strayed from the straight path before.
“Amitabha, I acknowledge you donor Gai.” Meng Qi stopped in front of Gai Yuan and dropped his eyes to the ground. He recollected his mentality and internalized his previous intentions.
Gai Yuan laughed and replied coldly, “I’ve heard so much about this master. Now I want to test to see if what I’ve heard is true.”
His confidence had inflated after he had opened the three Secret Chambers and did not believe all he had heard about Master Zhen Ding. He knew Master Zhen Ding was strong but only viewed him as someone who had opened the three Secret Chambers. He was not yet able to break through space and move freely back and forth like an immortal.
After speaking, he transformed into a giant dark devil. He multiplied into two, and then into four bodies, and began to attack Meng Qi from all four sides.
Since he had opened the three Secret Chambers, the realm of his influence became much larger, occupying nearly the entire area. He struck fear into the hearts of all of the onlookers. It was as if a Skyscraping Devil had come down to earth!
Terrifying!
Truly terrifying!
Meng Qi put all of his energy, Qi, spirit, and will into Red Sun Evil Blade. It was as if his body were emptied like a wooden statue.
At the same time, the purple thunderbolt mark on the back of his left hand appeared as if the pressure of heaven were being released.
It was time to test the power of an ultimate sword strike!
Rumble!
It was as if the dark, cloudy sky responded by rumbling with a deep peal of thunder. Gai Yuan trembled, thinking the gods were punishing him and fell prostrate in repentance.
Duan Xiangfei took a step back as both legs went soft; beads of sweat formed on his forehead. Luo Qing trembled and held tightly to his sword. Che Wanxiu’s face turned pale, and she held tightly onto her husband’s hand. It was as if she had reverted back to the little girl who was terrified of thunder.
The others present were even more startled. Some fell from their perches in the trees, and some knelt to the ground because their knees could no longer hold them upright. This was their first experience of the Thunder God’s power!
Rumble!
In response to Gai Yuan’s attack, Meng Qi suddenly lifted his head. His eyes filled with light, ears began to twitch, and senses heightened. His mid-brow bulged, and he slowly began projecting his will.
Gai Yuan’s Skyscraping Devil illusion had no effect on Meng Qi who was now under Four Acupores and Transformation Strategy. Meng Qi concentrated his energy, Qi, spirit, and will and suddenly erupted with an attack.
The blade flashed and seemed to carry the desires of everyone watching.
Everyone began to lose control. The faces of some turned red and the ears of others turned red. Some began to laugh hysterically. Everyone manifested in different ways.
Rumble!
Another peal of thunder rumbled awakening everyone and bringing with it an even greater sense of terror and majesty.
Gai Yuan was frozen in terror. A golden robe fell from the sky, and Master Zhen Ding had disappeared.
What was going on? Everyone was frightened and looked over. In the center of Gai Yuan’s eyebrows appeared a thin trace of blood. It gradually grew larger and began to stretch toward his throat.
Thud! He stopped breathing and fell backward. His eyes were wide open and his body frozen as if he had no idea what had just happened.
“A blade-strike connecting heaven! A blade-strike connecting heaven!” Someone shouted and broke the silence.
“A blade-strike connecting heaven! Master Zhen Ding used a blade-strike connecting heaven to kill Gai Yuan. He broke through space!”
…
White smoke rose up and god-beasts circled. Meng Qi found himself in the Samsara Square again. His package had not been taken; it was still next to him.
This time there was no one else around. Meng Qi was alone in the Samsara Square. The silence made him feel as if he had been forsaken by the world.
He caught his breath and sat down. Closing his eyes, he harmonized his Qi-circulation. The last attack which combined his energy, Qi, spirit, will, and Mortal Dust Fall not only cost much of his energy but also had a serious countercharge. He felt depleted and nearly passed out.
Consequently, he had chosen to leave immediately using Yama Inviting and Sacrifice Formula. This way, he would avoid being attacked during his recovery. If he didn’t have these techniques, after inflicting a blade-strike connecting heaven, he would have returned as Master Zhen Ding. Everyone would have noticed how he looked at the woman coming to congratulate him. This would give himself away!
After a moment, Meng Qi got rid of such thoughts. Then he picked up the package, walked to the central light pillar, and threw it in.
“176 Karma points in total.” The Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms valued the pile of scripts just as an old man who collected used items.
With the help of Duan Xiangfei and the numerous helpers and pathways of Snow God Palace, in addition to these two months’ time, Meng Qi naturally had collected more scripts than Jiang Zhiwei. If there were not a limit on ordinary scripts, perhaps he would have collected even more.
Meng Qi thought for a moment and then threw in the Snowmelt Acupinning Hand script and Luo Qing’s notes. He didn’t need them anymore. He had already learned the content and was near achieving acupin technique.
“The enlightenment stage technique Snowmelt Acupinning Hand is worth 120 Karma points.”
“Luo Qing enlightenment stage notes on sword art and experience with the will’s Secret Chamber is worth 180 Karma points.”
Meng Qi had originally planned on sharing Luo Qing’s notes with Jiang Zhiwei and the others, but he thought for a moment and decided that time was of the essence. No one knew when the next mission would be assigned, and he was close to completing the fifth stage of Golden Bell Shield. He did not know the status of the battle between his Master and the Crying Elder. If he wanted to achieve the sixth stage, he would have to do it on his own.
He chose to exchange everything with the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms for 476 Karma points. Since he already had five, he now had a total of 481 Karma points. Then he spent 400 Karma points on the script for the sixth stage of Golden Bell Shield.
“I still have 81 Karma points left, what should I exchange them for?” Meng Qi still needed many items. He hadn’t yet reached the point where he could save Karma points. He thought hard.
At that moment, he noticed the Ice Portal Sword strapped to his hip. He thought, “Presently I use my right hand to wield my sword. If I want to learn Sword Blade Ambidexterity, I should start practicing with my left hand.”
He began searching for a suitable item. After searching for one hour, he found what he was looking for. He could take his time since he had returned early.
“Learning to use your left hand is a tremendous skill. To directly transfer the skill to you will be 70 Karma points.” Meng Qi took into consideration the fact that after returning he would face An Guoxie. He would likely need to use Yama Inviting and may have to switch to using the long sword. If he exchanged for Dharma Access, he would not be able to learn the skill in time. He would rather spend a little more and have the skill directly transferred to him. Of course, later on, he would still need to spend time practicing with his left hand to strengthen the fundamentals that the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms may have left out.
Learning to use your left hand was a more basic skill. In other words, Meng Qi could only learn to use his left hand by discontinuing use of his right hand. If he tried to use both at once, he would become disoriented. If he wanted, he could exchange for Left-right Self-battling technique. To transfer the skill would be 500 Karma points.
Meng Qi entered the god-energy filled light pillar and felt his whole body go numb, but the feeling quickly subsided.
He stepped out and drew his Ice Portal Sword. He tested his left hand. His bladesmanship was swift and beautiful.
“With one more day of practice, perhaps I can try using both hands at once.” Meng Qi made his decision and put his Ice Portal Sword in the light pillar to confirm its value.
“Ice Portal Sword. A refined weapon made from Frigid Crystal and Hundred-time Tempered Steel. It can blind with a glare. Its sharp edge has frigid power. After cutting an opponent, it freezes the blood flow. Valued at 140 Karma Points. You can exchange it for 70 Karma points.”
“Not bad.” Meng Qi took back the sword and meditated to harmonize his Qi circulation in order to recover.
After doing so, he spent a half-day practicing using his left hand. Afterwards, he took a sound nap and replenished his will.
When it was time to return, he changed his frock and asked the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms for a new disguise. He was disguised as someone whose stomach and right arm were seriously damaged. Anyone who gave away the existence of the World of Samsara would be destroyed, so the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms offered a free disguise. With his new disguise, he would not stand out for he was not too bloody nor was he too clean.
Last time when Meng Qi was injured with Prajna Palm, he had also returned with a disguise. Consequently, he was not discovered by the President of the Commandment Hall.
Seeing himself in this state, Meng Qi inhaled quietly.
In a low voice, he said, “I will put Red Sun Evil Blade and Ice Portal Sword under the incense table.”
“I will place Grieving Wind Softener on the other side of the temple and directly take the poison.”
The poison was complimentary from the Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms. It was worth ten Karma points. Meng Qi did all of this in order to mislead An Guoxie and make him think someone had used the poison to rescue himself. Hopefully, this would cause An Guoxie to overlook Meng Qi’s threat.
“Return.” Meng Qi raised the Grieving Wind Softener to his nose and inhaled deeply.
It smelled terrible!
His vision blurred and then everything went dark. When Meng Qi awakened, he was back in the temple. It was calm and peaceful. No animal was heard stirring. An Guoxie was meditating next to the incense table, just as before.