Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio

Clouds piled up in layers, like black curtains pressed against the heads and heavy on the hearts. The pedestrians in the city of Langya accelerated their paces, fearing that they would be drenched to the skin if they got caught in the storm.

In the City God Temple, Gao Yun who was conferred by the emperor was standing on the altar table and looking up, and felt some kind of destructive atmosphere brewing.

Natural disaster? Or an enemy attack? He was anxious and bewildered as thoughts raged in his mind.

As the City God, he had the power to mobilize the region’s forces and to protect the living beings. Together with the provincial governor of Pengzhou and the yamen’s Golden-Stamped Constable, they formed the triangle of authority of Langya. At this moment, he was hesitating whether to report the anomaly directly to Changle.

Different from the past, the family forces in different places had become law-abiding under the awe of the demperor. Although they still had a deep influence locally, they could no longer contend with the court.

Although hesitant and doubtful, Gao Yun did not let his guard down. The ground surface shimmered and expanded upward, turning into a mulch that covered the entire city of Langya and the surrounding towns and villages, making it difficult for ordinary natural disasters to shake them.

At this moment, he clearly felt the destructive air concentrating, and seemed to be directed at some place in the city, and did not seem like a range attack.

Gao Yun frowned and muttered to himself, “Is there a thousand-year-old tree monster turning into a deity and accepting the test of heaven?”

With this thought, he suddenly thought of something that happened recently. King Jin Zhao Heng achieved Dharmakaya in Changle and was ranked on the celestial list. At that time, the dark clouds covered the city, the rain was heavy, and lightning struck, which was very similar to the current situation.

It’s the Ruan family!

Is someone in the Ruan family about to achieve Dharmakaya?

Old Master Ruan or Fairy Ruan?

Gao Yun suddenly saw the light and subconsciously made a judgment in his mind. It couldn’t be Old Master Ruan. He is old, and depends on the life-prolonging elixir to live until today. He had long lost the drive to break free from the shackles when attaining Dharmakaya. Fairy Ruan is born with great potential and is a famous figure in the pugilistic world for the past thirty years. She is now ranked third in the Ground List, and is said to be one of the characters most likely to break through the celestial boundary!

After figuring this out, Gao Yun couldn’t help but sigh. Dharmakaya, the free-spirited deities, unlike himself whose martial arts didn’t progress well and finally lost confidence. Because of having the convenience of the Gao family of Changle, he turned away from the celestial path and was conferred the City God of Langya.

His eyes showed slight envy as he stared at the Ruan family’s ancestral house separated by numerous streets and alleys.

In the Jade Mirage Palace of Kunlun Mountain hundreds of thousands of miles away, Meng Qi who was always watching the movements of Langya closely seemed to be at an infinite height and a far away distance, looking down on Ruan Yushu becoming a celestial being. The quiet room was secluded and the silhouette was blurry, like a Heavenly Lord hidden in the chaos.

He was very vigilant about this matter, because Ruan Yushu’s Sky-Splitting Song and Music Score of Dragon-Tortoise Longevity showed some anomalies after integrating. It connected to a strange place which could involve the ancient Fu Emperor, and mishaps might occur when attaining Dharmakaya.

No mishap was allowed to happen.

Meng Qi had long been prying, operating the Principles of Karma, following the link, examining suspicious or hidden karma lines on Ruan Yushu, and confirmed that she was neither a fish of any powerful character nor the marking of any influential figure. The karma brought about by the Sky-Splitting Song and the Music Score of Dragon-Tortoise Longevity were even simpler.

Where could the problem be? Meng Qi pondered as he listened to the sound of the zither penetrating the sound of thunder, and saw a celestial palace landing into the Ruan family, rendering it like a paradise on earth.

Bang!

A pure thunderbolt absorbed the lightnings that filled the sky and struck fiercely at the ancestral home of the Ruan family, sweeping away the darkness brought by the dark clouds, and raindrops the size of beans fell non-stop.

At this moment, a sound of the zither seemed to come from the sky. It was clear, resounding, and beautiful, it even attracted birds to sing along with it.

With this sound, a lifelike shadow of a phoenix formed out of thin air, with a sacred and uninvadable air, and with an invisible and colorless flame lingering around it. It plunged right over the thunderbolt and held it in the mouth, as though it was pecking at a long snake.

The phoenix spread its wings and dragged the thunderbolt into the clouds, disappearing without a trace.

Gao Yun was very focused looking and listening, and was extremely stunned. Is this the scene of becoming a celestial being? Is this the twelve celestial notes of the mythical realm?

After that, a series of heavenly punishments came down one after another ⁠- silver, gold, purple, and mixed colors, while the twelve celestial notes of the mythical realm sounded constantly, each showing their magical power and canceling out the thunderbolt. But when the eighth purple lightning bolt fell, Gao Yun’s eyes twitched a few times he broke out in a cold sweat, because the sound of the zither turned into a bell, and produced a long sound, causing a short delay but failed to slow down the speed of the lightning. Fortunately, the Phoenix-Perching Zither and the Zither of Limbo both blocked this calamity for Ruan Yushu and she barely held on.

The heaven’s trial is really terrifying… he thought. And so far, the thunder punishment has been quite consistent with the Heaven’s Trial of King Jin recorded by Changle. Looks like there wouldn’t be any mishap.

Although Phoenix-Perching Zither couldn’t be used for the time being and the Zither of Limbo wasn’t good at blocking and also suffered damage, but it was a heavenly weapon after all and did not hinder Fairy Ruan’s continuous usage. And even without them, she could still display the unparalleled Heart Zither Skill.

Suddenly, Gao Yun shuddered out of the blue, like there was coldness attacking from the outside. In his line of sight, the chaotic lightnings in the black curtain all disappeared, making it dark and lifeless, like the deepest death and eternal deep sleep.

In just an instant, a gap cracked open in the darkness, infiltrated with forces of life that were high-spirited, pure, and metamorphasizing. They turned into a celestial thunder that was like a Yin and Yang Tai Chi Diagram, which seemed to connect to a strange and hidden place that was beyond grasp.

What divine thunder is this? Gao Yun was stunned as he felt the majesty that was far above the eight heavenly thunders in front of him added up together, and he who kept himself out of the way shook uncontrollably.

Yin-Yang Divine Thunder?

But doesn’t look like it…

At this moment, he saw the edge of the stratosphere suddenly blown away by a strong wind, revealing a pair of eyes. They were dark and deep, without any other colors, very similar to the darkness in the strange divine thunder. They were both like the deepest death and eternal deep sleep, with only a tiny bit of vitality hidden in the deepest part, but yet formed a subtle and mysterious balance.

Seeing this pair of eyes alone made Gao Yun feel as though his soul had left his body and enter the dark vortex in the sky. His memory faded, and he experienced reincarnations and deaths again and again.

Just when he thought that his soul was going to be destroyed, he suddenly regained clarity and saw a clear glaze lamp lit up at the other end of the stratus. It was filled with eternity as it emitted black and white lights, and was surrounded by a flying purple blade.

As the light shone, death subsided. The two formed a temporary balance, delaying the falling of the strange divine thunder.

The Primitive Emperor? Gao Yun muttered in shock. The characteristic of the purple blade was really obvious!

“Emperor of Feng Du…” Meng Qi’s voice came out from the ancient glaze lamp, sounding like thunder which ordinary people wouldn’t be able to recognize.

The sudden interference turned out to be the Emperor of Feng Du who was in deep sleep. He landed a trace of his power!

Did the mishap come from him?

The mysterious Emperor of Feng Du did not strike but produced a deep and loud voice, “I have no ill intentions. I just want to leave a sensor. If you are worried, I can go through you.”

The moment he spoke, a hidden and faint karma line flew out of his eyes, drifting toward the ancient glaze lamp, and the faint force slowed down the falling thunder.

“Sensor?” as Meng Qi’s ancient lamp was the Principles of Karma, he took the karma line and burned it in the light of the Dao Yi Seal to examine the problem and eliminate hidden dangers.

“Yes, a sensor. If the Fu Emperor’s Sky-Splitting Song and Music Score of Dragon-Tortoise Longevity could be completed before achieving Dharmakaya, it would be able to connect to the mysterious life-and-death origin. After going through the heavenly calamity, I would be able to have contact with it and improve my cultivation to a certain extent, forming a link. With this sensor, I would be able to step into the life-and-death origin and pursue the supreme path,” the Emperor of Feng Du was straightforward and didn’t seem to hide anything. “I don’t wish to be your enemy, hence I’m going through the formalities to see if we could cooperate. You’re not a practitioner of the mystery of life and death, and would have little effect on me even if you enter the life-and-death origin.”

“The Life-and-death origin? The life-and-death origin’ that the Great Emperor Zhenwu jumped into?” Meng Qi was quite shocked.

He was not surprised about the attitude of Emperor Feng Du anymore. It was obvious that he didn’t want to make this matter known to everyone and have more powerful enemies to obstruct him. Under such circumstances, unless he awakened in advance, it was impossible for him to bypass or coerce Meng Qi. After weighing things out, it was natural for him to make such a decision.

Having reached this realm, he could have all sorts of emotions but he would never be reckless.

The Emperor of Feng Du said, “Indeed, and the last person who entered the life-and-death origin was the Fu Emperor.”

“No wonder the two celestial songs left by the Fu Emperor have such magical powers…” Meng Qi said upon sudden realization.

The Emperor of Feng Du continued, “Only a person born with the heart of a zither is able to successfully practice the two celestial songs before achieving Dharmakaya, as well as to combine life and death. Therefore, I pulled Ruan Yushu into reincarnation and gave her the Music Score of Dragon-Tortoise Longevity. This was the whole process, you make your own decision.”

The Emperor of Feng Du is indeed one of the Masters of the Six Dao of Samsara… Meng Qi confirmed his previous speculation, but still couldn’t understand who his real form really was.

Hah, he is willing to cooperate with me probably because he saw that I don’t have much desire for ruling the world with humanity, as well as toward the Heavenly Court and hell. But now that I want to spy on the secrets of Nirvana and give creating an underworld a try, this is an opportunity…

As thoughts ran through his mind, Meng Qi had already examined the karma line and attached the flame of Dao Yi Lamp onto it, before placing it into the strange divine thunder.

Bang!

The thunderbolt no longer stagnate but struck violently downward. To a normal person, it was a very short moment.

The sound of the zither was melancholic. After going through death and then returning back to life, Ruan Yushu created an illusory life-and-death origin and dashed into the strange divine thunder.

The two canceled out each other, celestial music sounded, and the moon shone. A cold and beautiful image of a fairy appeared in the Ruan residence.

Seeing that Meng Qi chose to cooperate, the eyes of the Emperor of Feng Du gradually disappeared, leaving behind a sentence, “Regarding the Wang family incident, I met the Fu Emperor, and there’s something very wrong with his state…”

Inside the Jade Mirage Palace, the ancient lamp in Meng Qi’s eyes faded as he muttered in doubt, “The Fu Emperor is not yet dead?”

At the Ruan family residence, the white-haired Old Master Ruan felt the presence of a celestial being and finally heaved a long sigh of relief. His eyes became cloudy, and tears flowed, “This is the day I’ve been waiting for…”

“Wonderful, really wonderful!”