Chapter 744: Three-pronged Propagation Technique
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
The Saber of the Shattered Jade fluttered gently down as if there was neither power nor speed behind it. Yet it was also like the haze in one’s heart. Had he not recognized it and failed to withdraw, the sword would have attached itself to him. He would not be able to break away from it or resist it. Perhaps the sword might slip his mind someday but at a specific time and occasion, he would recall past memories and once again repeat the past.
The assassin raised his head with an unaffected look. He saw that Meng Qi was now as tall as a mountain that obscured the sunlight radiating in this direction. Meng Qi’s face was shrouded in the shadow, the contrast made his eyes look incredibly bright. Bolts of lightning flickered in his pupils as they concealed the Chaos within. In his eyes were a hint of mercy, compassion, and joy as if he was a god.
Meng Qi had used his saber to replace his palm in unleashing I, the Unique and Righteous, in order to interrogate the assassin’s mind!
Right at this moment, Meng Qi could feel brief sluggishness in the assassin’s movements. Thus, he roared in a voice that was like thunder in clear sky:
“Caught you!”
The voice, which had shaken Shi Xiaoxiu and the others so much that their minds came to a standstill, had barely faded when Meng Qi sensed that something was wrong. Using the subtle senses of One Heart Affecting Another, he noticed that there was no turbulence of emotion in the assassin. The assassin’s heart was like an icy lake, resembling the heart of a corpse more than that of a living human. The momentary sluggishness in his movements originated from another source!
Everything unfolded so quickly that Meng Qi did not have the time to ponder over the strangeness. Seeing that the assassin had shown a moment of sluggishness and was incapable of making a switch with his doppelganger, this was his chance!
Meng Qi forcefully suppressed the pain of having his skull shattered while accepting the fact that he could no longer afford distractions. He arrogantly overlooked the weakening of the combined assault of his sabers and swords and thrust Flowing Fire. The sword traveled in a way that appeared slow yet urgent at the same time. Its tip glinted with sunlight as streams of sword light burst forth. Each sword light split apart to form even more omnipresent lights that were all of equal strength. The lights surpassed even the reach of the Grand Sun. It was like the radiance of wisdom lighting up the whole earth. There was no gap in its coverage, meaning there was no shadow either!
World of Dao—a boundless light that echoed Buddhist melodies!
Without the Primary Instruction, Meng Qi could not fully unleash the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception technique. Thus, he incorporated it with the “Radiance of Wisdom” style of the Vairocana Swordplay to produce hundreds of traceless swords. The Return of the Ten Thousand Swords merged into those swords to form a “boundless radiance.”
The rays of light sprinkled all over them. Due to the clouds and Meng Qi himself, the shadow that the assassin created vanished in a flash, leaving no remnants. There was no longer any darkness in the heavens and the earth.
The shadow in front of him dissipated, revealing an assassin dressed in the dark clothes of the night.
Behind Meng Qi, the shadow was forced to reveal itself and the boundless radiance tore it apart. Though the shadow was able to withstand the light longer than regular shadows could, it was nonetheless helpless against it and was rapidly shredded.
That shadow was the assassin’s backup plan. Had he failed to ambush Meng Qi earlier, he would immediately switch positions with the shadow and land a fatal blow on Meng Qi!
Meng Qi’s Saber of the Shattered Jade floated gently downward. Meng Qi projected his will far and wide but failed to sense any emotion or surprise coming from the assassin.
His body was left with the remnants of a strange, distorted shadow. It seemed to be his Dharma Form that was helping him switch positions with his doppelganger shadows. It was a Dharma Form that bore a fearsome ability to conceal itself.
“Form of the Diabolic Shade” resisted the flare of the boundless radiance with great difficulty, dissipating the sluggishness in the assassin’s movements and allowing him to move his body. He abruptly detonated the Vital Spirit inside him without fear of damaging his Interior and destroying his internal organs.
Thud!
The assassin jumped backward, but under the boundless and radiant light, he was unable to produce shadows wherever he went. It made it difficult for him to propagate, switch positions with his shadows, and disappear.
Everything unfolded in the blink of an eye. Meng Qi lifted the Saber of the Shattered Jade and activated it. The radiance suddenly dimmed and the Void around them began shrinking and turning turbid.
Just as the assassin was about to trigger his Dharma Form in an attempt to disappear, the Saber of the Shattered Jade ripped the darkness apart. With an indescribable speed and splendidness, the saber closed the distance to land on the assassin’s body.
This battle was unlike their previous exchange of blows. This time, the assassin was evidently well-prepared considering he was able to vanish into the void after Meng Qi unleashed the Big Bang Technique. All of a sudden, the assassin’s shadow turned semi-transparent as the saber struck.
“Pfft!” Under the might of The Big Bang Technique coupled with a divine weapon of exquisite quality, the saber radiance tore apart the assassin’s clothes in a flash and pierced through him. Out of the blue, Meng Qi’s figure emerged behind the assassin!
A drop of blood flowed from his midbrows and the network of blood marks that ran through his body rapidly emerged on his skin. Quietly and without fanfare, he was torn in half.
However, the assassin did not die. Blood gushed from the two halves of his body as they flew in opposite directions. He was about to disappear into the void and flee!
Meng Qi felt like he had not managed to slash the assassin’s Vital Spirit in one go and instinctively knew that something was wrong. Right then, he activated Heaven Inflicted Pain and swung the saber downward. All kinds of lightning condensed at the tip of the saber and turned into a ball of lightning the size of a pinhole. Meng Qi then struck a certain spot in the void with the saber.
“Kaboom!”
The ocean of lightning enveloped the two figures. Bolts of purple and green lightning emerged before swiftly disintegrating, repeating the process over and over. It was a splendid and dazzling scene with the unceasing roaring of thunder in the background. In a flash, both Meng Qi and the assassin were engulfed.
Meng Qi deliberately controlled the power of the Doom of Demons so that the effect did not reach Shi Xiaoxiu and the others. Coupled with Ling Yue putting up defenses, he was able to make sure that the battle did not harm the innocent.
The lightning slowly dissipated, leaving only a transparent dagger floating in midair and no sign of the Blue Stair Assassin. Meng Qi projected his will outward by drawing force from his saber, sensing far into his surroundings. He dared not relax.
“Did he die?” Ling Yue asked. On the surface, he appeared to be seeking clarification out of worry over their safety. In reality, he was full of shock and disbelief that “Killing Blade” Su Meng was able to kill a Blue Stair Asssassin—capable of killing Ling Yue in a strike and threatening a grandmaster—in just several moves.
In contrast, Shi Xiaoxiu, Shi Xiaodang, as well as the other Exterior-level Elders of the Shi Clan Citadel, did not show such agitation. They felt like they were in a dream.
They found that the performance and strength that “Killing Blade” Su Meng had displayed earlier were similar to that of the two grandmasters they had once met. Perhaps, he might even be superior! And to top things off, the Blue Stair Assassin was a true grandmaster!
Just then, Meng Qi replied in a solemn voice, “No.”
Meng Qi did not detect the existence of the assassin’s Vital Spirit each time he hit the latter, whether using his Saber of the Shattered Jade or Heaven Inflicted Pain. He could only feel the assassin’s icy lake-like heart.
“When I first probed his heart, the sluggishness seemed to be coming from a distant source...”
Recalling the details of the battle earlier, Meng Qi could faintly grasp the secrets of the Blue Stair Assassin. He was able to determine the characteristics of the assassin’s Dharma Form from their two battles. The Dharma Form’s “domain” was not the suppression of the enemy but the separation of one from one’s shadow to form a relatively independent entity as well as the seamless switch between the main body and the shadow body. Its changes were illusory and its concealment ability was so terrifying that not even a grandmaster would be able to detect the assassin until he makes his move. The combined elements formed a natural match for assassination. The Blue Stair Assassin truly deserved his title.
From the looks of it, the assassin’s Dharma Form also had the ability to hide in someone else’s shadow and even the capability to separate his Vital Spirit and the shadow of his physical body.
The assassin had separated his Vital Spirit from his body, turned it into an independent entity, and hid it somewhere. He manipulated his body and shadow to look as if they were two people. Thus, Meng Qi failed to come into contact with the assassin’s lake of heart in his interrogation of the latter’s mind. He only managed to follow the abstruse connection between the two to slightly affect the assassin’s Vital Spirit and produce sluggishness in the latter’s movements. Had he chosen to use the first two styles of the Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship, he might not even be able to create any sluggishness.
Fortunately, Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship interrogated one’s heart with every strike and made a great impact on himself. With similar techniques in his repertoire, it would not be his first choice.
Now that the physical body and shadow of the Blue Stair Assassin was completely destroyed, leaving only his Vital Spirit behind, the assassin would certainly suffer a great reduction in strength. He no longer posed as great a threat to Meng Qi.
Even so, Meng Qi did not relax at all. Assassins had always excelled at being the underdog in murdering the stronger one and striking at the most unexpected moment. Thus, he maintained the Law Phenomenon and suppressed the dagger with a whip of his hand. “Let’s go,” he said.
Huamei Heights was not far from where they were. They would be able to reach it soon.
“He’s not dead? He has already failed three times...” Shi Xiaoxiu said, a little stunned.
Based on the rules of the Unrelenting Tower, a thrice-failed assassination meant it was the end of the assassin’s mission.
Meng Qi shook his head. “Believing in the rules of the enemy is like believing that you can definitely claim Dharmakaya.”
Rules were merely a form of restraint. Who knew if the Blue Stair Assassin would be so embarrassed and mad that he would make another assassination attempt at the risk of getting punished?
One must not pin one’s hopes on the rules of another party!
Shi Xiaoxiu and the others dared not continue the conversation. The three fleeing lights cut through the horizon as they speedily moved forward.
Moments later, they arrived in the vicinity of Huamei Heights. It was only now that Meng Qi took a deep breath of relief but he still kept his guard up.
Even if he trusted that Master Lu’s strength surpassed his own, there was a possibility that Master Lu was not even around to defend him!
By now, he had lost the strength to maintain the Law Phenomenon but all was well until they reached Huamei Heights. “Swordsman of Turbulent Skies” Luo Yaokun, who was currently presiding over the affairs of the heights, personally received them at the door and questioned them about the events that had transpired.
Shi Xiaoxiu gave him a concise explanation that focused only on the main points. She did not mention their escape.
Luo Yaokun’s expresion shifted ever so slightly and immediately said, “Let me first inform all the major sects and aristocratic families. That way, we can spread a wider net as it’s definitely insufficient to rely on the power of the grassland alone. Since this is a matter of utmost importance, please allow me to report this to my Master.”
He could have made the decision himself but upon thinking about this, he immediately headed for the rear mountain.
Shi Xiaoxiu and the others immediately relaxed. They got the feeling that a peaceful and calm environment surpassed everything. The intense and dangerous situation earlier was too painful for them to bear.
Ling Yue stared meaningfully at Meng Qi before sighing. “Earlier, even though I said that you surpass your Master and that the new generation excels the previous one, I wasn’t being very sincere. Now, I’m completely convinced that this is the truth. In only a few years, you will be ready to ascend the Terrestrial Rankings. Sigh! The grandmasters on the bottom of the rankings might not even be able to nearly kill the Blue Stair Assassin!”
The Shi siblings sincerely expressed their thanks to Meng Qi, their lamentations and shock no lesser than Ling Yue’s. It was said that Su Wuming climbed a layer of heaven each year, but “Killing Blade” Su Meng had already possessed the quality of a Terrestrial Rankings master in just a few years!
“Meanwhile, for us two siblings who are the same age as him...”
Meng Qi turned the assassin’s dagger, the Shadow-blending Sword, in his hands. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard Master Lu’s voice. “Come over to the straw hut to talk.”
When Meng Qi arrived at the straw hut, he saw Luo Yaokun standing beside a seated Master Lu. In front of Master Lu was a vague shadow that was being infiltrated with and tightly bound by strands of Sword Qi.
“That familiar breath and feeling...” Meng Qi’s heart suddenly jumped. “The Blue Stair Assassin?”
“Is that his Vital Spirit?”
Master Lu smiled at him. “How can I not know about this when you all caused such a great commotion?”
Realization hit Meng Qi like a ton of bricks. He had forgotten that Master Lu was already an Earth Immortal. Even without deliberately projecting his will outward, his perception greatly surpassed that of ordinary Dharmakaya masters.