“Pot?” The mature and cold Ye Yuqi looked dumbfounded. She felt as if her question and Meng Qi’s response were on entirely different wavelengths.
Meng Qi immediately stopped smiling and said earnestly, “It’s a countryside saying. It means ‘to take responsibility’.”
He gave her a quick explanation, saying, “Considering the time, the movement of the Heaven-killing Axe coincides with my exploration of the Ninth Heaven. There had been many accidents while I was there, resulting in the collapse of the Celestial Judgment Gate, which birthed the Heaven-killing Axe. Gu Erduo becoming an Earth Immortal is more or less my responsibility.”
Ye Yuqi’s attention was immediately diverted, causing her to ignore the so-called “pot”. Her eyes were a pit of darkness with hidden gleams like a night sky filled with stars. “The Celestial Judgment Gate that birthed the Heaven-killing Axe collapsed, causing the movement of the axe that Gu Erduo took advantage of. Since the time matches, this should be true. Looks like Gu Erduo has really become an Earth Immortal.”
Her tone carried an emotion that Meng Qi could not quite decipher. It seemed as if she was feeling indignant. Though Gu Erduo became an Earth Immortal ahead of her brother-in-law, he was still no match up for the latter as long as he did not obtain the Peerless Godly Weapon. Her brother-in-law finally found a way forward after spending many years toiling and suffering, yet a stroke of good luck fell on Gu Erduo’s lap while he was lounging in the Golden Tent. How could she not feel aggrieved?
“The Nine Evil Paths have such contradicting views that it’s nearly impossible for them to work together short of having a leader who can command them. Gu Erduo becoming an Earth Immortal is akin to solving their greatest problem. Moreover, this is such a great conspiracy with an incredible amount of thought put behind it. Coupled that with Gu Erduo’s sheer audacity and ability to pull strings and network, as well as Evil Master fanning the flames—ah, it might be the Luo Denomination’s handiwork as well. It’s not an outrageous idea that they’re taking turns to formalize their treaty in the Golden Tent,” Meng Qi said, analyzing the second piece of information.
Based on his limited knowledge of the Nine Evil Paths, “Evil Master” Han Guang and the Demoness Gu Xiaosang were the only ones with the capability, imposing attitude, and motivation to catalyze a treaty among the Nine Evil Paths. Judging from how Housekeeper Zhou was killed, Meng Qi was more inclined to think that it was Evil Master. But after this incident, he believed that the Demoness Gu was likely to interfere and add fuel to the fire. She would take advantage of the matter to achieve her own objectives.
The more chaotic the world was, the happier the evil spirits would be!
Ye Yuqi’s delicate face was as serene as still water. She slowly said, “If the Nine Evil Paths are colluding with the Golden Tent, then there would be Gu Erduo and the shaman in the north, Blood Sea Rakshasa in the south, ‘Prime Asura’ Meng Nan in the west, and Dharma King Dushi and Evil Master in the middle. They would have as many Dharmakaya masters on their side as the orthodox path. If they recruit the grassland tribes, the southern barbarian tribes, and the masters in the many states within the West Regions, even attracting the authoritative evil spirits of the Southern Jin Dynasty and East Sea, their numbers of grandmasters and Peerless Master Pros wouldn’t be far from off from the numbers of the imperial court, sects, and aristocratic families.”
The six powerful societies, the three Taoist sects, the four Buddhist temples, the six sword sects, the fourteen aristocratic families, excluding the Lanke Temple that was located just around the corner—in total, there were thirty-two parties. If they worked together, they would be formidable enough to contend with the world. Even if they were divided into the South Jin and North Zhou Dynasties, their individual high-level military power were superior to the grassland. The West Regions and Southern Wilderness, coupled with their five Dharmakaya masters, appeared comparatively stronger. On the other hand, the Nine Evil Paths had been dragging each other behind. So they were able to firmly stabilize the situation and stop the heretics from fighting or forced them to retreat to places like the Southern Wilderness.
Gu Erduo was now an Earth Immortal and once again regarded as world number one. Moreover, he also had a realm superiority to other Dharmakaya masters as well as ownership of a Peerless Godly Weapon. Though it would be farfetched to say that he had merged the Nine Evil Paths, he was at least formidable enough to keep them from internal conflicts and more or less assimilate them into a single voice. Under the circumstances whereby someone was pulling the strings and building bridges, the counterattack of the heretics began to vaguely take shape.
“I wonder if Evil Master and ‘Mad Prince’ Gao Lan are involved, seeing as they’re secretly colluding with each other.” With a heavy mood, Meng Qi gave Ye Yuqi a reminder.
It was as if there were rivers of stars flowing in Ye Yuqi’s pupils. She did not speak for a long time.
With this change, the initial setup of six-versus-six Dharmakaya masters would turn into a five-versus-seven setup!
The wind lifted Ye Yuqi’s hair, emphasizing her cold, ethereal temperament even more so. Meng Qi said, as if speaking to himself, “‘Prime Asura’ Meng Nan will travel from the south to the west, Blood Sea Rakshasa will be heading north. I fear the two Dharmakaya masters in the Great Jin Dynasty will be forced to stay and handle them. Ah, I don’t know if God of Venomous Vermin would be able to leave the Southern Wilderness. Oh, Abbot Kong Wen reaped the lion’s share in the Primary Instruction of Buddha’s Palm and he also had previously endured a great deal of suffering. I wonder if he has managed to materialize the Golden Body of the Dragon-subduing Arhat and claim the Bodhisattva’s Buddhist Realm…”
His thoughts were in a cluttered mess. He could only mention something as he thought of it.
Ye Yuqi shook her head as she gathered her thoughts. “God of Venomous Vermin has never left the Southern Wilderness ever since the rumors began.”
“Abbot Kong Wen visited Huamei Heights a month ago to discuss Buddhism and Taoism with my brother-in-law. Judging from his words, he has indeed reaped a great deal of benefits from the Primary Instruction of Buddha’s Palm. He has even reached the threshold of the Bodhisattva’s Buddhist Realm but it would take him several more years of cultivation before he could achieve a breakthrough. Internally, the Bodhisattva conduct secretly reigns inside him. Externally, he exudes vestiges of mercy.”
“In a time where evil spirits are plunging the world into chaos, saving the common folk is a great opportunity to claim Bodhisattva’s Buddhist Realm. But that’s useless in the current situation…” Meng Qi sighed and said, “I wonder which side will win—Senior He Qi, Senior Chong He, and Senior Lu teaming up against Gu Erduo who has become an Earth Immortal equipped with the Heaven-killing Axe, ‘Evil Master’ Han Guang, the shaman, and Dharma King Dushi. Gao Lan, who wields the Sword of the Human Sovereign, might even show up at any time…”
Then, that would mean two Peerless Godly Weapons on the other side!
Ye Yuqi pursed her lips. “We will have to see just how much the axe has awakened. If it’s at the level of the peak of the Earth Immortal realm, my brother-in-law alone can handle Gu Erduo.”
She meant that her brother-in-law would be able to win against Gu Erduo, not merely resist him!
Meng Qi had no doubt about this. Master Lu’s legendary features were not merely there as decorations. Even if he could not cause a change in the world with just a thrust of his sword here, unlike in the world of deities and demons, he ought to have the capability to emerge victorious against an Earth Immortal. For instance, his astonishing “refinement” ability.
“But what if the axe has awakened up to the level of the Divine Immortal?” Meng Qi asked. He wanted to come up with a countermeasure for the worst case scenario.
If the weapon had awakened up to the divine level, there would be no meaning to Gu Erduo forming a treaty among the Nine Evil Paths. He and his axe alone would be enough to dominate the world until another Peerless Godly Weapon felt the crisis and awoke.
There seemed to be twinkling lights appearing in the void around Ye Yuqi as if she was standing in the middle of a cosmo. She only spoke after a long while. “My brother-in-law will be able to resist him if he works together with Taoist Chong He.”
“She sure is confident in her brother-in-law…” Noticing a problem, Meng Qi suddenly asked, “Has Taoist Chong He become an Earth Immortal yet?”
Ye Yuqi began to communicate via telepathy instead. “I met the Primogenitor before returning to the heights. He knew of the urgency of the matter and was also on the verge of a breakthrough, so he used a Reincarnation Charm. Seconds later, I saw that the Immortal-slaying Sword Formation had reached the Earth Immortal level.”
“It will take the Immortal-slaying Sword Formation at the Earth Immortal level coupled with Senior Lu possessing legendary characteristics to contend with a Gu Erduo that was equipped with an Heaven-killing Axe that was awakened to the Divine Immortal level?” Meng Qi finally heaved a sigh of relief after hearing that Primogenitor Lingbao had made a breakthrough.
Ye Yuqi gave a small nod. “I have seen vestiges of Divine Immortal in many remnants. Just because there’s a large gap in realms, doesn’t mean that the weaker one can be easily annihilated.”
“‘Sword Manic’ He Qi alone against the three great Dharmakaya masters as well as Gao Lan, whose current stance is unknown?” Meng Qi took a sharp intake of a breath. He felt that things were becoming graver than expected.
“It wouldn’t be considered an impasse,” Ye Yuqi abruptly said.
“Hm?” Meng Qi’s knowledge of high-level offensive strength was limited.
“Gu Erduo, being a mere Earth Immortal at the moment, won’t be able to use the axe of the Divine Immortal realm for long. On the other hand, all the sects and families possess divine weapons, formations, as well as things like Buddha’s relics and Dharmakaya skeletons. Even if Sword Manic can only contend with one Dharmakaya master, the other two won’t be able to deal with the top powers of the world at once. They will just deplete their resources and the like. The core influences of the Jianghu will inevitably suffer great losses,” Ye Yuqi explained in a concise manner.
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It was likely so for any of the top forces of the world!
Prospective Dharmakaya masters either could not maintain their strength for long or possessed a flaw in being not agile enough. Under the circumstances whereby there were no genuine Dharmakaya masters around, one would not be able to kill even with dozens of such masters around unless one could accurately siege his enemy. Otherwise, it would be all too easy for such masters to be manipulated and beaten up. The more this was allowed to continue, the more dangerous it would be. Thus, “they” might be able to take advantage of the crisis on a Dharmakaya battlefield or get involved. However, in an open confrontation, it was only a matter of time before they suffered a defeat.
Even so, it was more than enough for the weapons to safeguard the sects and families.
Meng Qi nodded but then suddenly frowned “If a Dharmakaya master teamed up with the evil spirits of the Nine Evil Paths equipped with divine weapons, inside information, as well as grandmasters from the Southern Wilderness, grassland, and the West Regions, and tried to besiege a top power, would they be able to rapidly break into the latter?”
When it came to Dharmakaya battles, flexibility was an aspect that could not be neglected. That was where its intrinsic difference from regular battles could be seen.
Dharmakaya masters could basically penetrate the void while traveling. It was incredibly easy for them to kill scattered grandmasters one by one. This was also the reason why the grassland tribes going down south did not cause too much of a destruction. However, when an opponent Dharmakaya had the upper hand, the circumstances would be entirely different. It was to the extent that the grandmasters of South Jin Dynasty and North Zhou Dynasty would not dare to show themselves—they could only guard themselves!
Ye Yuqi contemplated Meng Qi’s question before replying, “There’s a certain possibility of that happening.”
Prospective Dharmakaya masters, no matter how strong they were, were nonetheless not genuine Dharmakaya masters. The sects and aristocratic families, except those in the flourishing ones, would not be able to resist so many strong enemies.
Suddenly, Ye Yuqi detected the faulty wording in Meng Qi’s question. “A Dharmakaya master, you say? What about the other one?”
“Naturally, he’d be ambushing the reinforcements.” Meng Qi exhaled. The standard siege point would prevent prospective Dharmakaya masters from displaying their expertise and expose their flaws.
“Then, every master can only protect their own sect or family and hope that Gu Erduo can’t endure for long. That’s the only way a sect or family under attack can soldier on. They can also set up traps and concentrate all their attacks to kill the two Dharmakaya masters.” Ye Yuqi and Meng Qi predicted the worst case scenario.
With this, the core layer of the righteous faction of the Jianghu would suffer a destructive blow and a huge gap in power would emerge!
If the faction was allowed to hide among the sects and aristocratic families, they might invite spies into their ranks.
Ye Yuqi hesitated for a moment before continuing, “We don’t know the exact condition of the Heaven-killing Axe for now and it’s hard to say what Gao Lan’s stance would be. We lack so much information still, rendering our discussions essentially meaningless. It’s a fine line between victory and defeat. We best investigate as soon as possible. However, we know for sure that we must guard against the collusion between the Nine Evil Paths. The evil spirits have received impartation accumulated over many generations and they don’t lack ways of concealing themselves among members of the top powers of the world. If it really turns out that all sects and families can only protect themselves, these spies will be the most dangerous factor. We must inform the sects and families immediately and have them find the traitors.”
“If it was so easy to find these traitors, we would’ve long found them.” Meng Qi thought it over before adding, “Gu Erduo didn’t immediately go down south after the news leaked. That proves that the treaty discussion between the Nine Evil Paths hasn’t been completely successful yet. I’m sure he’s still recruiting other heretical authorities. We can start with this aspect. Once we find someone to help us from the inside, we might even be able to ruin the treaty discussions.”
With an unchanging expression, Ye Yuqi said, “I have the same idea. I’m planning to leave for Peijing and request Cao Xianzhi to disguise himself and sneak in.”
The mention of Cao Xianzhi’s name triggered Meng Qi to recall something else. His frown turned even deeper. “When Senior Chong He and I were in Peijing, we discovered that the shamans from the Golden Tent and the Cao family were secretly contacting one another. I wonder if Cao Xianzhi knows about it…”
If the Cao family had been roped in and betrayed the righteous faction at the crucial point, so many top forces in the world would suffer!
There was a slight shift in Ye Yuqi’s expression. She exuded dignity as she said, “Then we must find a way to test him first. But we can’t make delays in choosing our own spy…”
She stared into Meng Qi’s eyes. “Why don’t you do it yourself while wearing Merciless Tyrant’s disguise?”
Ye Yuqi was clear about Merciless Tyrant’s death as well as Meng Qi’s ability to change his appearance. When she saw Merciless Tyrant appearing on the Black List, she was able to roughly guess what was going on.
Meng Qi smiled bitterly. “Demoness Gu of the Luo Denomination knows about Merciless Tyrant’s identity. The Sect of the Plain Lady would have a good guess as well. Using the Tyrant’s ability is essentially serving ourselves up on a platter for them.”
“Serving ourselves up on a platter…” Ye Yuqi could faintly understand what those words meant. She stood in contemplation, planning to come up with a different idea.
Just then, Meng Qi inhaled deeply and said, “But I can use Merciless Tyrant’s identity to come into contact with other heretical authorities. Then, I can use them as my disguises.”
“That’s still too dangerous considering your current strength.” Out of nowhere, Master Lu’s voice drifted to their ears. “Should a crisis happen, the hope of the righteous faction must not be extinguished. You’re the most promising one of your generation. When the time comes, cultivate in seclusion and slowly plan your scheme.”
Meng Qi was a little touched to hear Master Lu’s words. “How can anyone be spared in such a crisis? Evil Master and Blood Sea Rakshasa bear a grudge against me. Without the protection of several of my seniors, I wouldn’t be able to avoid them no matter where I run. Since death is beckoning and there’s no way out, then I might as well give it a good try!”
In his head, he calculated the number of enemies he had. Suddenly, a thought struck him. “Han Guang has rather deep ties with the demonic cult. When the time comes, they might just try to take advantage of the crisis.”
With this, the number of hostile Dharmakaya masters had truly reached an utterly terrifying level!
“If Gao Lan and his Sword of the Human Sovereign join forces with the demonic cult, there’d be a change in his stance. It’s also possible that his sword will come closer to an awakening under the pressure of the crisis. Our situation isn’t completely hopeless.” Master Lu’s voice traveled from a far away place.
“Damn it! Could this be the apathetic Gao Lan’s goal? To save the world from disaster? Since there’s no disaster, then he’ll create one just to achieve his goal?” Meng Qi’s thoughts were all scrambled up.
Master Lu continued, “If you had the grandmaster realm to complement your morphing ability, then the danger level of you sneaking into the ranks of the heretics would’ve been acceptable. But now…”
Ye Yuqi quietly nodded. That was why the first person she thought of was Cao Xianzhi.
Meng Qi grinned. “Then please excuse me while I go and upgrade my realm.”
The time had come for him to put the Reincarnation Charm to good use. There would be opportunities to obtain another in the future.
This was also the idea that struck him after defeating the Blue Stair Assassin. He would spread news of his strength via the Terrestrial Rankings so as to bait his enemies. Then, he would enter the Apotheosized World to cultivate. He would find another chance to get to the Jade Virtual Palace in the future!