Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

He knows not of the Han Dynasty, not even the Wei Dynasty and the present Jin Empire… Meng Qi thought suddenly at Immortal Yunhe’s question, feeling uneasy and bemused at the same time.

An actual enactment of the Fable of the Peach Blossom Spring this must be!

The Immortal’s somber expression on his face did not escape Jiang Zhiwei’s notice. “You were not informed, Master Immortal,” she related pensively. “His Holiness, Siddhartha Gautama the Great Buddha had come forth thereafter. With his powers, he had quelled the upheaval caused by the Demonic Buddha not long after its occurrence.”

“The Great Buddha?” gasped the Immortal. His right hand convulsed suddenly, dropping the horsetail whisk from his grasp. The whisk fell to the floor, its silky strands fluttered in its descent with the grace of sinking clouds.

Shock and awe crept across the Immortal’s face, his eyes filled with wonder and amazement.

The Great Buddha who has been a great legend of the ancient myths had emerged to intercede , thought the Immortal.

He lives still?

There has been indeed methods and ways to increase longevity and immortality?

Meng Qi’s reservations melted into nothingness instantly. Haha! The old, sly fox who had commanded the flow and pace of the conversation with his stature and bearing had been crumbled to such helpless shock , Meng Qi quipped to himself. His knowledge of the outside world had bolstered his inflating pride!

He emitted a gentle cough, “It is true. The Demonic Buddha had tried to eliminate the faith and creeds of Buddhism, only for the Great Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama himself to emerge out of the shadows and thwarted his malignant designs. The appearance of the Great Buddha had dispelled all doubts that immortality was but a distant and elusive illusion.”

“Thus showing that true immortality exists… To think that Siddhartha Gautama still lives…” murmured the Immortal, his gaze lost and distant as if in a trance. He looked nothing more but a doddering old man who was stricken with senility and senescence.

The unbelievable sight shocked Guo Feihu that his eyes were wide as he stared at his teacher. He had once entered the tutelage of the Immortal at the young age of ten. Countless years have passed since his admission into the sect to his ascendancy to the prestigious position as a Divine Master of the sect. Yet, never had he ever witnessed Immortal Yunhe, the most esteemed leader of their school to have such an unignorable display of frailty!

There have not been any traces of Buddhism teachings in the realm of the Grotto dimension. Access to the ancient archives of scrolls and manuscripts that chronicled the archaic history of their faraway past was reserved only for the head of the Plenitude Sect or members of the Sect who have achieved the levels of the Dharmakaya. Guo Feihu has not the slightest impression of how a monk would look like, more so for the Great Buddha and the very significance that he wielded!

The Immortal heaved a great and long sigh. “I can see that you speak the truth,” he said, “It was a pity that our forefathers had to destroy the Plenitude Gate, robbing us all the spectacle of the present splendor you enjoy and the answers to the great conundrum of our training and cultivation. A true regret indeed.”

All roads of training and practice lead to the very same conclusion: immortality. Be it the cultivation of Qi energies, the practitioners in the application of magical charms and talisman, or common students of martial disciplines; a great mystery laid awaiting by the end of the long journey of their training and cultivation, the enigma of Life and Death. It was a question that all have sought answers for, a painful and unavoidable hurdle that followed after long years of arduous training and grueling regimens lest they relent to the ignominious end of shadows and dust.

Many may harbor the doubts that they would never reach anywhere near the end of the long journey. Still, the absence of Hope and the absence of the End were, nevertheless, two different distinctions.

Meng Qi paused while he waited for the Immortal to regain his composure. “Still, since the incidents of the Demonic Buddha, great changes have occurred to the Heavens and Earth. There have been variations in the laws and order of Nature and the bulk of the Vital Qi in the atmosphere has all but dwindled,” Meng Qi revealed, “The teachings of the martial disciplines, no, the cultivation of Qi energies have also waned and withered with time.

“I see… As expected…” muttered the Immortal, nodding his head gently. “How many are there who possesses the levels of the Dharmakaya?”

This is to measure the standing of his present level and powers , Meng Qi thought. At the Immortal’s forthcoming question, Meng Qi softened his tone as he answered, “There are about ten in number, not counting the rest who might be in hiding and are still unknown.”

Han Guang, the Evil Master has not surfaced for many a great year. None could tell if the Evil Master has passed on or that he has been subdued. His sworn brother Gao Lan has been secretly cultivating his powers to achieve the level of the Dharmakaya, away from the notice of the masses of the outside world. There will hardly be any need to mention him for the moment.

“Ten?” The Immortal replied in amazement. “The disciplines of cultivating Qi energies have become all but spent and diminished,” he sighed with melancholy.

“Still, they have fared better than what we have here in the Grotto dimension,” he admitted weakly.

Better, you say , wondered Meng Qi, does that mean that there are not more than three here who wield powers of the Dharmakaya level?

“Can you tell me of the names of the ten who wield such powers?” the Immortal continued.

Meng Qi raked through his memory of the Celestial Rankings which have yet to experience any change despite the long years. “The first who reigns atop the list, Gu Erduo,” said Meng Qi, “The Great Khan of the grassland prairies of the North. He who wields the Heaven-killing Axe.”

“The Heaven-killing Axe? To think that the name of the Axe could still be heard in the Mortal Realm even after the scourge of the foul demons and the cataclysms that the Demonic Buddha had wrought,” expressed Immortal Yunhe with wonder. His astonishment has revealed his familiarity with the name of the Peerless God Weapon which had caused ripples in the ancient times!

The conversation had taken a turn more preferable to Guo Feihu’s liking in contrast to their former discussion about the Great Buddha of whom he has naught any knowledge of. He had once read about the Heaven-killing Axe during his study of some historical manuscripts.

“That is indeed the invincible Heaven-killing Axe,” nodded Jiang Zhiwei approvingly.

Immortal Yunhe pressed on with a few more questions of his own on the tidings from the northern grasslands whilst comparing the names of the locations to the ancient names he had once studied on. Silence followed until he gestured to Meng Qi to continue.

“The second, Immortal Chonghe of the Pure Sun Sect, and behind him, Abbot Kong Wen of the Shaolin Temple.”

“Kong Wen? He seems to be a Buddhist monk?” The tidings of the Great Buddha Siddhartha Gautama had piqued the Immortal’s interest in the powers of the Buddhist Dharmakaya.

“Indeed,” Meng Qi replied truthfully, “He has claimed the Golden Body of the Dragon-subduing Arhat.”

The news brought a smile to the Immortal who then asked, “There was no mention of any Shaolin Temple prior to the incidents of the Demonic Buddha. I believe the order was established thereafter. From which Buddha or Bodhisattva did their teachings and disciplines originate from?”

“It was more two thousand years ago when the Elder Patriarch Bodhidharma came upon a stroke from the disciplines of the Buddha’s Palm. From it, he came to discover many techniques and martial disciplines from the teachings of Buddhism. Thus he founded the Shaolin Temple atop Mount Liantai.” Meng Qi explained in brief.

The Immortal has great interests in the affairs of the outside world, as Meng Qi surmised through their exchange thus far. With confidence, Meng Qi was sure that he had not harbored any malicious intent of murdering them to keep the outside world a secret from the folk of the Grotto dimension.

Just then, the puzzled Immortal pressed with another question, “Elder Patriarch Bodhidharma?”

This young man is an associate disciple of the Shaolin , wondered the Immortal.

Meng Qi replied with a flustered smile, “To be honest, Master Immortal, I was from the Shaolin Temple until my expulsion due to my violation of the tenets of the Temple. But my Teacher is still present in the Temple, thus my respects to the Elder Patriarch Bodhidharma himself.”

The news swept Guo Feihu with shock, leaving him a shred of fear for his guest,his Teacher is still present… He was formerly under the tutelage of a Dharmakaya! That would explain his invincibility despite his young age!

Instead, Immortal Yunhe answered with laughter, “Fine tutelage produces remarkable students, indeed.”

His gaze hopped between Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei curiously, wondering if Meng Qi was expelled in violation of tenets forbidding lust.

His boring gaze left Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei abashed with embarrassment, especially Zhiwei, whose cheeks burned pink.

“Tell me where Mount Liantai is?” asked the Immortal shortly, lifting his gazes off the young pair.

He likes to ask about the geography of the outside world, comparing the sites with the ancient manuscripts he studied as he mentally mapped the outside world.

Without much knowledge prior to the upheaval of the Demonic Buddha, Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei explained the site of Mount Liantai as best they could by including details of the surroundings and landmarks nearby.

The Immortal stroked his white beard as he took in their detailed elaboration before he asked, “Could it be that the Divine Weapon of the Shaolin Temple is none other than the Blade of Ananda?”

“Ah…” Meng Qi was taken aback by surprise, how had he deduced about that?

The Immortal’s sudden remark had also left Jiang Zhiwei frowning with disbelief. Evidently, she had no notion of the Immortal’s astonishing comment as well. They had made no mention of Ananda before!

Noticing their gasps of disbelief and bewildered speechlessness, the Immortal giggled as he revealed, “In the days when demons and devils roamed free upon the lands, Mount Liantai was formerly known as Mount Shaohua. The Great Arhat Ananda, for reasons unknown, had incurred the wrath of the Monster Saint. Minions doing her bidding pursued him everywhere, combing through fen and forest as they sought for him. Until one day, word came that he was slain by the Monster Saint at Mount Shaohua.”

“Since then, the incident had emboldened the foul beings and creatures. With bolstered courage, they trampled and wrought carnage with malice. Seeing this and fearing the worst, our Immortal Venerable moved us, the remnants of the Plenitude Sect into the Grotto dimension for our continued preservation.”

“The notion that the Patriarch Bodhidharma might have discovered the heirloom of Ananda had only struck me once I had made the association between Mount Liantai and Mount Shaohua,” remarked the Immortal.

Mount Liantai, Mount Shaohua, the slaying of Ananda by the Monster Saint, and the phrase “Enter not this portal, ye of compassion and virtues” … It was nothing but a tumultuous wreck in Meng Qi’s mind.

It was at that very moment, Meng Qi remembered: The mountain where the Shaolin Temple was at in the World of Samsara, the very site where he received the impartation of the Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship was called Mount Shaohua!

What is the relationship between all these? How could everything be so mysterious?

What secrets does the World of Samsara hold!

Meng Qi pressed on with a few questions of his own but it was apparent that the Immortal Yunhe knew naught of much as well. Repressing his swelling puzzlement, they continued with their brief explanation of the Celestial Rankings, the prominent sects and noble households as well as various factions of the outside world as well as the geography of the present world.

At length, Immortal Yunhe gave a short sigh when Meng Qi have concluded their tidings, “I know naught of the sects and noble households you mentioned. Their impartations these households have inherited, however, do seem familiar to me.”

“Not all, Master Immortal. The Wang Clan of Jiangdong endures still,” remarked Meng Qi with a giggle.

“The Wang Clan lives still?” gasped the Immortal, half surprised, half delighted.

Watching Meng Qi’s and Jiang Zhiwei’s muted but affirming gesture, the Immortal heaved a heavy breath. “During the ages of the ancient past, there have been dealings between our sect and the elders of the Wang Clan. I have never thought that we might have the opportunities of renewing ties…”

Regaining a cursory view of the outside world, the Immortal picked up the horsetail whisk he dropped. Propping it over his left shoulder, he thanked the young pair, laughing, “I thank you both for clearing the doubts of this old man.”

After which, he paused.

The climax ensues… Meng Qi thought warily, trying his best to feign indifference.

“For ages have we been confined to the Grotto dimension. We have been blessed with remarkable strength, albeit finite and modest. Still, the order and our disciples have been besmirched with pride and arrogance, much to my vexing concern. The continued delving of exotic natural resources has depleted the natural deposits of this realm as the days pass. Thus I am compelled by need and fear to ponder on our future,” said the Immortal solemnly, “I would like to renew ties with the outside world, I wonder what do you think of my intention, my friends?”

Ah, was that not the very former of my intent in coming here? With delight and amazement, Meng Qi answered, “And what does the Master Immortal have in mind?”

“A sudden huge preface would surely incite suspicion and doubt. I would like both of you to bring a few of our disciples to see for themselves the world of the outside and lead our messenger to Jiangdong, to commence resumption of ties. I would also like you to bring some exotic produce that the world of the outside lack and some elixirs and charms specially created by our sect to exchange for resources that we need,” said the Immortal slowly, “The automation skills of the Darkness Palace might still be conspicuous to the world outside, we shall not include them for now.”

Listening to this, Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei pursed their mouths hesitantly. “There shall be rewards in store for you both.” the Immortal added briskly.

The sale of the exotic produce would have already compensated us with ample dividends, and there are additional rewards too… Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei shared a knowing look between them both. Nodding gently in agreement, Meng Qi replied, “It is as I have hoped for. I shall not be able to thank you enough.”

“Very well,” replied the Immortal with a laugh, “I shall return to my sanctuary to prepare for the trade. I would suggest that you visit the Darkness Palace. The elders of the order might not be as interested as I am in the affairs of the world outside, but they do have little concerns of their own. You might be able to reap some benefits through the dealings with them.”

With Immortal Yunhe’s encouragement, Meng Qi would most assuringly want to visit the Darkness Palace!

He rose to his feet and saw their guests to the entrance as both the Immortal and the Divine Master took their leave when he remembered something, “Master Immortal. With your leave, I would like to leave the impartation of martial disciplines and the cultivation of Qi energies in this land.”

Beside Meng Qi, the Immortal glanced at him and nodded gently in approval without further questions, “Why not.”

……

Twinkling stars adorned the chilly night sky. Silent with doubt, Guo Feihu, Divine Master of the Plenitude Sect followed wordlessly behind Immortal Yunhe.

“You have something to say, Feihu?” asked the Immortal without turning back.

Guo Feihu breathed in the cool night air lightly. “Master Immortal,” he addressed his teacher and the leader of their sect, “I still believe there is hardly need for us to establish ties with the outside world. Our sect has endured for more than tens of thousands of years. We hardly lack in resources and need.”

“Indeed, there has hardly been any competition of influence in this vast land we have here. But this is a weakness which also has merits. We do not have to sustain merciless and bloody conflicts and carnage. We can live freely with ease here. With the magical arrays and barriers erected to protect us and spur the growth and harvest of the exotic minerals and produce here, we would not have a shortage not even in ten thousand years. I fail to see why need we risk association with the world outside. We should at least… at least wait till you have claimed powers of the Dharmakaya!”

A vast range of magical formations and arrays have been conjured by the Plenitude Sect in a great many sites of mining to spur and reproduce the growth of exotic minerals and natural products such as the Divine Sun Stone in order to replenish the exhausting resources. As a grandmaster who has the lifespan of three to four times of a sixty year, Guo Feihu deeply believed that there was hardly need for anxiety for events that would only be visited upon them in thousands of years, more so for any woe that would befall in tens of thousands of years.

His teacher heaved a great sigh in reply. “For four centuries I have lingered. I still hold certain beliefs in my ability to achieve the level of Dharmakaya. It is for this very reason, that I am compelled eagerly to renew ties with the world outside. Thus I have brought along with me the enchanted talisman, to show to them who hailed from the world beyond, the extent of our powers and capabilities to discourage any malevolent intent.”

The title of “Immortal” was a title bestowed to one who has achieved the level of the Dharmakaya since the old ancient, regardless of one’s position as the leader of an order or a sect.

“Eagerly…” muttered Guo Feihu, slightly perturbed yet puzzled,”But I hardly noticed any difference in the nature of the world outside and ours.”

“No,” the Immortal disagreed. He lifted his head up high, watching the blinking stars above, his voice airy and distant. “There are differences in the innate natures of both worlds.”

“Moreover, the disappearance of the Immortal Venerable has been a puzzling mystery for us.” continued the Immortal without waiting for Guo Feihu’s response, “By the accounts of our two newly-made friends, his tomb has been witness in some snowy mountain depths, as if being erected there to purposely contain and restrain something. How could we not examine the matter on our own, as the disciples of the Immortal Venerable we are?”

……

The martial artists, who have been kneeling outside, watched blankly as Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei retired to their rooms. Once more being thrown into the desolation of the night.

They have lost track of time when they heard the doors of the room creaked open. Joy and relief rushed through them. With jubilant anticipation, they braced themselves for an audience with their admired quarry when an automaton carriage screeched to a halt before the relay station. They watched as Master Su and Lady Jiang mounted the carriage, a property of the relay station, and left the station at the break of dawn.

The martial artists clambered to their feet. Fighting hard against the numbing cramp stinging their legs after their long hours of kneeling, they rushed to follow behind the wake of the trail of the departing carriage.

The carriage drove straight out of the city, heading straight for the mountains.

Noon came, Chang Huan came to the relay station. He had been bidden to deliver an invitation to Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei. However, he had come, only to find that they have both left. Only a small note was left for him, upon which it was written,

“We will visit the Darkness Palace when the time arrives.”