Chapter 745: Obstacles Will Always Exist in Life
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
Earth and Human Immortals were separated by just a realm. However, to the Blue Stair Assassin, this was the difference between life and death. This truly demonstrated the importance of accurate intel, whether for heroes or assassins. Those who had outdated intel or maps would die a painful death.
Master Lu’s breakthrough was unknown to anyone but Meng Qi and “Ice Fairy” Ye Yuqi. Even some of his direct disciples didn’t know about it. They were mostly just happy that Kong Wen’s imprisonment had led to their Master leaving the straw hut and re-entering the world.
As Meng Qi shot the Blue Stair Assassin a “pitiful” glance, he made a sudden noise of surprise. He had not scrutinized the assassin earlier but upon closer look, he noticed that the assassin was in a peculiar condition.
Earlier, he had destroyed the assassin’s body and shadow, leaving only the latter’s Vital Spirit. It was normal for the assassin to exist in an illusory state but with the assassin being a grandmaster, it ought notto have been so hazy. His body and other elements should have had a preliminary fusion and made it so clear that it seemed tangible.
The assassin’s Vital Spirit seemed to be inflated and was blurry from within, giving the impression that it might burst. However, the Sword Qi entered his body like threads of silk, changing continuously to become finer and finer. They extended to every crook and cranny of the Vital Spirit, binding him until he was solidified.
Meng Qi failed to sense it even when the changing of the Sword Qi ended, only vaguely feeling the remnants of the assassin’s power.
“Is this another kind of change garnered from the ‘World of Dao’?” Meng Qi stared thoughtfully at Master Lu.
With a calm expression and ordinary tone, Master Lu said, “The Unrelenting Tower has existed over several millennia. Naturally, they have no shortage of mysterious secret techniques. When I first found him, he inexplicably self-detonated. Fortunately, I have learned the refinement of sword lights, allowing me to firmly freeze his explosion.”
“Freeze his explosion? Isn’t that the ability of the descendants of the Heaven Sovereign’s Time lineage?” Meng Qi was not the only one stunned. Master Lu’s direct disciple, Luo Yaokun, wore a similarly shocked expression. But this was not what Meng Qi was curious about. “The refinement of sword light? I already got that ability when I first enlightened my Acupores. What’s the difference between these two abilities?” he asked.
It was the first time he had heard of the term “sword light refinement”. Of course, it was also possible that it was at such a high level that not even Jiang Zhiwei had come across it. Thus, he was ignorant of it as well.
Master Lu explained earnestly, “The so-called difference—that is, the depth of the refinement—from the enlightenment period is that I can now perceive the fragrance of the soil, the movement of insects, the growth of trees, as well as every speck of dirt, seed, and weed. Even every pore in my enemy’s body is clearly illustrated in my mind. That’s what I refer to as ‘refinement’.”
“Once you reach the Exterior realm, your level of ‘refinement’ increases. You will be able to clearly perceive the undulations of the sea of Vital Qi, the rules as well as Dharma and Logos that lie behind visible things, every drop of blood, every part of your muscle, and every inch of your skin.”
“But is that true ‘refinement’? If the likes of meridianmake up the flesh and blood, what makes up a drop of blood? Where do the different rules and Dharma and Logos come from? Until we achieve complete enlightenment, the ‘refinement’ will never end. Sword light refinement is both an illusory and concrete practice. It deeply penetrates every part of one’s Vital Spirit and every part of the source that produced the self-detonation. I bound each and every one of them separately, thus freezing his explosion.”
Meng Qi listened with his mouth slightly agape. Master Lu using sword light refinement to bind the source of the explosion had left him in awe.* “If Master Lu continued to improve his control over this technique, he would be able to resurrect someone from a single drop of blood in the future. Is this the ultimate form of the Living Propagation technique?”*
“If an Earth Immortal who merely possess the legendary features is this powerful, how much more powerful would the true almighty legends, as well as the Five Emperors and Nine Primogenitors above them, be?”
Though Luo Yaokun was more knowledgeable than Meng Qi, he was just as surprised after hearing his Master’s explanation.* “Master’s realm and strength seemed to have improved by leaps and bounds! Or is this the way a Dharmakaya master should be and this skill is merely something not usually shown to others?”*
Master Lu continued, “You’re an expert at transformations and your grasp of ‘refinement’ has actually surpassed your own understanding of it. When you claim Dharmakaya, I believe your skill wouldn’t be weaker than mine.”
“Eight Nine Mysteries, Living Propagation!” Meng Qi nodded inwardly.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t have had the time to freeze his explosion if you hadn’t eliminated his physical body and shadow in the first place, causing some inhibition.” Master Lu glanced at the Vital Spirit beside him. “For now, we can only carefully feel about and slowly attempt to find out the secrets of the Unrelenting Tower.”
“Eliminated his physical body and shadow?” It was the first time Luo Yaokun learned of this. He whipped his head around to look at Meng Qi. His movement was so quick and violent that one almost thought that his neck would snap.
“It was ‘Killing Blade’ Su Meng who heavily injured the Blue Stair Assassin?”
For Su Meng to heavily injure a Blue Stair Assassin meant that the day of him ascending the Terrestrial Rankings was about to arrive. Luo Yaokun reflected on how he had just crossed the second step of the Celestial Ladder and became a grandmaster after thirty years. He had yet to have the qualifications to ascend the Terrestrial Rankings, yet Su Meng was about to achieve that after spending a mere three and a half years in the Exterior realm!
“Is this the might of a person who received four divine punishments?”
Meng Qi sighed quietly to himself. He then gave Master Lu a rough explanation of the three encounters he had with the assassin without mentioning the styles or skills he used, only their effects. That was how he began asking guidance from Master Lu.
Since Master Lu had likely seen the final battle in its entirety, he might as well take the chance to seek some advice from the former. Otherwise, he would undeserving of his money-grubber reputation.
Master Lu was generous in providing his insight and guidance. He said little but made sure to include all the main points in his explanation, allowing Meng Qi to benefit from it and gain a better grasp of the essence of his movements. Despite diverging from the original explanation, Meng Qi could now vaguely link the boundless radiance and the “refinement” together.
Luo Yaokun listened quietly beside his Master but the more he heard, the more fearful he became. If he was in Su Meng’s position, he might be able to force the Blue Stair Assassin to retreat after the first two ambushes at great cost to himself. However, he might not be able to narrowly escape after the third ambush.
Lamentations involuntarily rose in him. “Everyone knows that Meng Qi has received the four divine punishments and that it’s only right for him to achieve such glory. Yet they neglect the hard work he put in as well as the danger he went through to obtain his achievements today. His own efforts are the key point. How many of those talented people have I met that refuse to suffer hardship out of arrogance?”
“Others only see him enjoying the fruits of his labor but are blind to the suffering he has gone through! Su Meng was the last to enter the sect yet managed to become the second best in terms of strength. The hardship and difficulty that he experienced in private greatly surpassed anyone’s imagination!”
“‘Killing Blade’ Su Meng certainly lives up to his name!”
Despite being a direct disciple of Master Lu, Luo Yaokun was unlike his Senior Brother whose mentality had become warped after spending years trapped in the Third Heaven realm. He had the pure heart of a swordsman and thus, felt a pang of sympathy for Su Meng.
When Meng Qi was done seeking advice from Master Lu, he pulled a straight face and said, “It’s very similar to Housekeeper Zhou’s condition when he died...”
He hesitated a bit as if unsure if he should finish his sentence: “This looks like the handiwork of the Myths. On an additional note, ‘Heaven Sovereign’ Han Guang of the Myths is secretly colluding with ‘Mad Prince’ Gao Lan.”
He shared deep ties and an affectionate relationship with his sworn brother. If the latter was truly involved and Meng Qi caused him to fall into a grave danger, how could he feel at ease about it?
Previously, the only reason he informed Taoist Chonghe was to avoid being the main target. He had been matter-of-fact about it as Gao Lan would not be endangered before the true conspiracy became evident. Right now, things might take a drastic turn if the matter turned out to be true!
However, the cool-headed Gao Lan was a different person from Meng Qi’s sworn brother. If he was truly involved—while harboring a shocking conspiracy—then all aspects dictated Meng Qi to speak out. Otherwise, the grassland would shift southward, the people would sink into depravity, cannibalism would not be just a tale, and his friends might just die. How could Meng Qi feel at ease?
Meng Qi finally knew what it meant to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. He could now empathize with Qi Zhengyan’s conflicted feelings and pain when the latter left the team. Despite sharing a deep affection, principles were invaluable.
Having spent some time grappling between conflicted feelings, hesitation, and pain, Meng Qi finally bit the bullet and decided to treat the cold Gao Lan and his sworn brother as two separate individuals for now. He said plainly, “Housekeeper Zhou’s death seems to be the handiwork of the Myths. I suspect that they had a hand in the grassland incident, pulling the strings and fanning the flames. Moreover, ‘Evil Master’ Han Guang is secretly colluding with ‘Mad Prince’ Gao Lan. Gao Lan’s ambitions have been getting wilder ever since he obtained the Sword of the Human Sovereign. If the Myths were truly involved in the grassland incident, he’s also likely to be involved.”
Once he laid it out in the open, he felt as if he had removed himself from the situation. How great would it be if all things in life could be cut off using a sword?
“Gao Lan? If they are just trying to cast a wide net, the influences of the grassland are currently incapable of that. However, if he’s involved, then it’s as good as a done deal...” Luo Yaokun blurted out.
“I have heard of this, but if you didn’t mention the Myths, I wouldn’t have thought of them,” Master Lu said with a nod. “However, we can’t blindly assume that Gao Lan is involved. Yaokun, inform the Pure Sun Sect so we can team up and quickly begin an investigation into the casting of the web. Have Qinghong of Changle find Housekeeper Zhou’s wife and children.”
They would eliminate the possibility of other sects and aristocratic families being involved in this affair for now.
Luo Yaokun accepted the order and immediately departed the straw hut to begin making arrangements.
“Stay here for the time being. Leave only when the matter is clear and there are no problems,” Master Lu said.
Meng Qi agreed as he was curious about the grassland incident.
While leaving the straw hut, he stared longingly at the Blue Stair Assassin’s Vital Spirit. “What a pity that even Master Lu has to carefully probe the spirit! I will wait for him to be done and shamelessly come to obtain some benefits! That way, I can also get a better understanding of the secrets and skills of the Unrelenting Tower.”
Suddenly, a floral fragrance entered Meng Qi’s nose and his body abruptly relaxed. His mind and muscles had been stretched taut earlier. It was much worse than his experience being hunted down by the Blood Sea Rakshasa. Back then, he was able to determine the time difference and easily enter the Lanke Temple. This time, the assassin possessed a terrifying ability to conceal himself, so much so that Meng Qi had no idea where he was at all. Meng Qi kept up his guard even when talking to Ling Yue and the others because he knew he might just die on the spot if he was even a little distracted.
Inside the Red Attire Villa, the headquarters of the Six Fan School in Luo Yang.
Sima Shi was meditating as he waited for tea leaves in his cup to steep. His every movement carried a natural charm to it.
Just then, a Gold-badge Arrester requested to meet him.
“Chief Arrester, something major happened in the north,” the arrester said, immediately handing Sima Shi a paper.
Sima Shi put down his teacup and accepted the paper. He gave the paper a quick scan before finally landing on the matter of the Shi Clan Citadel, as well as the description of it:
“The Blue Stair Assassin, an expert at self-concealment and splitting of his shadow, Vital Spirit, and physical body, is so dangerous that it makes one guarded...”
Sima Shi tapped the desk with the forefinger on his right hand and said, acting as if he was muttering to himself, “It’s rare for the Blue Stair Assassin to slip up. There are nearly no records of him exposing his traits. Now, we finally have some understanding of him.”
Gold-badge Arrester’s expression turned somewhat strange. He seemed to be hesitating about saying something.
Sima Shi continued to scan downward and saw the final writing on the paper: “The assassin failed thrice at the hands of ‘Killing Blade’ Su Meng, who destroyed both his physical body and shadow. Only his Vital Spirit escaped. It’s unknown whether he’s dead but there has been news to confirm so.”
“He died as soon as we discovered some clues about him...?” Sima Shi lowered his head as he looked at the paper. It took a while before he finally lifted his head again and sighed. “This really reminds me of the Wolf King incident,” he said, smiling faintly.
“Only three and a half years later, he’s about to ascend the Terrestrial Rankings. In another three and a half years, what new heights will he reach?”
Emotions were surging behind his eyes as if he was thinking about himself. The past seven years for him had been a repeat of the seven years before it. His dreams of claiming of Dharmakaya had remained just that.
“Reassess the Terrestrial Rankings and spread this news far and wide,” he ordered, putting down the paper in his hand.