Translator: Transn Editor: Transn

Yellow dust lifted into the air, circling the weather-beaten rocks as they rose. Yan Wuwo reserved his doubt and skepticism of the woman’s identity despite her outpouring anguish. Channeling his powers, his blood-shot eyes surveyed Qu Jiuniang as he conjured some spells to study her carefully, making sure that the Qu Jiuniang before them was not an impostor. The latter was stricken with grief and sadness even though she was consoled by her present safety at her comrades’ rescue. Silently she submitted to Yan Wuwo’s examination.

In truth, Meng Qi was quite certain that the Qu Jiuniang before them was her true self. The truth behind the Blessing-endowed Heavenly Official’s disguise has been inadvertently discovered, a truth that he would not have secured without his encounter with Qi Yanzheng in Luoyang the year before. Qi Yanzheng’s mysterious technique, that he had learned during his pilgrimages, have supplied him with the means of identifying the imposter!

This meant that the members of The Myths would not have any knowledge of this. It was, for all purposes, impossible that The Myths could have foreseen this incident and have devised such a scheme.

Yan Wuwo’s eyes reverted back to their normal form after a few moments of examining his quarry. He quietly asked, “Jiuniang, how did you end up in the clutches of The Myths?”

Qu Jiuniang woke to her senses with a start. Embers of burning anger glowed in her eyes. With renewed strength fueled by her rage, she seemed revitalized. “It was not The Myths,” she glowered, “I have never seen their members with such techniques and skills. Or not. It might have been techniques and skills of their true self, I know not of it. I was taken when I least expected it. It happened so fast. When I woke up, I found my Space Ring stolen from me. Accursed bastards, the band of them!”

Anger flared from her nostrils as she cursed and cursed with endless profanities. Her colorful swearing remarks hemmed her fragmented account of her experience. Meng Qi beheld her with silence, understanding that no one should further upset an already irate lady.

Yan Wuwo’s brows frowned as he continued, “How did they do it? Have you any recollections of appearances? Any traces of their breaths and aura?”

Qu Jiuniang paused as she breathed deeply. Her chest rose and fell in rhythm to her seething rage. “No,” she said. “I was closing my shop, getting ready to retire for the day when a hand with a great golden glow suddenly swung at me.”

“The strike had been swift, so fast that I could barely react to it. My artifact had hardly activated when I was hit and incapacitated. In a nauseous delirium, where I was unable to feel anything, I regained consciousness. I then saw the Crape Myrtle Star and realized that my Space Ring was stolen. It must be those wretched thieves!”

Once again, her tale had revolved back to the very point of her gravest concern: her Space Ring. This was her greatest loss and regret and had her flaring into a rage once more.

Qu Jiuniang’s Space Ring might not have contained the entirety of her possessions and wealth. As a Samsara traveler though, she carried within it her artifacts, talismans, elixirs, and exotic resources and minerals that would perpetually answer to her need immediately. The loss of her Space Ring implied that most of her wealth and possessions were forfeited.

“To use only one blow to subdue her, rendering all artifacts useless. It was either a most extraordinary technique, or the assailant was far overpowered for your level.” Yan Wuwo deduced aloud, running through his calculations and his reasoning with unusual verbosity. “One could only think of the Heaven Sovereign, the Goddess Houtu, the Divine Deity of the Polaris, or the Crape Myrtle Star. These are the four that could possibly best you in sheer strength and power. I couldn’t tell if it was an extraordinary skill or technique…”

Meng Qi’s Tri-gem Wish Fist would be one of the techniques which were extraordinary by definition. The channeling and concentration of the aura of the Five Virtues held mysticisms that allowed the strokes of the martial discipline to be essentially “unblockable”. Common artifacts and defensive measures would amount to nothing before its mystics. The techniques of the Tri-gem Wish Fist would be of immense potency and hold devastating effect if its command were to be refined to the levels of the Dharmakaya.

Additionally, Meng Qi held suspicions that the Ruyi Scepter of the Heavenly Primogenitor, which had killed the Ladies of the Three Stars in the Apotheosized dimension, was also forged under the very same basis. The discipline of his Tri-gem Wish Fists might have been devised and created in a similar fashion.

With such unusual means, Yan Wuwo could hardly be certain that of the members of The Myths, only the four which he had already mentioned could be held responsible for Qu Jiuniang’s abduction. Even Meng Qi, who has barely stepped across the First Celestial Ladder, had succeeded in subduing Zhou Qiushan, the Blessing-endowed Heavenly Official of The Myths!

Once again, Yan Wuwo turned to Qu Jiuniang. “Jiuniang,” he asked her, “do you remember any of the characteristics of the hand that dealt the blow? Or anything else in regards to that technique?”

The hatred that Qu Jiuniang had reserved for the person who had attacked her and had taken her Space Ring was evident. She intently pondered as she tried to search her memory for any viable indications to the identity of her assailant. “It was only an ordinary hand,” she said, “White and fair. The joints of the hands are distinct. Five fingers, all normal, none too thin or thick…”

Sadness poured deeply into her as she continued her accounts of her mishap. It seemed that she was indeed taken in the whisk of a gale without hardly a trace left by the perpetrators.

“The Master Primogenitor himself might know of the technique used…” Yan Wuwo surmised, invoking their leader, the Primogenitor Lingbao. “Jiuniang,” he continued, “What was stored in your Space Ring? Are there any items that could have implicated The Immortals? Any items related to your tasks?”

“There is one. I will send word to everyone involved to have them all withdraw from the task. An ambush by The Myths might await.” replied Qu Jiuniang while she wistfully, longed for her lost possessions in the stolen Space Ring!

A long-time veteran of the Jianghu, Yan Wuwo’s appearance might have resembled a dead corpse, though he was not discompassionate. He avoided a further remark on the issue, steering the subject elsewhere. “What are your plans for now?” he asked, “I plan to first head for the Bosten Lake. I will venture near the Gobi Desert and try to free Chun Yangzi.

“Plans?” uttered Qu Juniang sadly. “My Space Ring is lost along with the rest of my artifacts, my stores of elixirs, my collections of exotic minerals and produce along with my wealth and riches! My inn can never be continued again. What plans can I possibly have?”

Her head hung over her shoulders heavy with sullen anguish, dejection, and grief.

Yan Wuwo and Meng Qi shared a thoughtful look. “Master Yan,” said Meng Qi hastily, “I plan to hunt for the deviant monks of the Merriment Temple. We might abduct one of them and torture him for secrets of the Prayer Beads of the Twelve Signs of Correlation.”

“The Merriment Temple? The perverted monks?” Qu Jiuniang’s head raised with a start, her eyes burned with rekindled flames of vigor as if a glow of sanctity had burned within her. “The Heaven’s Judgement should have been visited upon these perverted monks!” she exclaimed quickly, “I shall come with you to help, Su Meng!”

With equal swiftness, she dove beside Meng Qi and whispered, “The monks must have riches and valuables in their possession. Let’s divide the spoils of our lootings between us then? Six-four? I’ll have six and you’ll have four. How does it sound?”

“She has once again found her purpose in life.” thought Meng Qi, oddly.

Meng Qi could see that Qu Jiuniang was once again clouded by her usual greed for wealth and riches. In an attempt to be reasonable, he agreed to her proposition, “Very well!”

Qu Jiuniang broke into a wide grin. Delighted and jubilant, she said, “Let us first return to the Azure Heaven. I shall first report the incident to the Master Primogenitor. I shall borrow some Karma points as well. Added to the current surplus I have, I shall first redeem for some magical artifacts. One does not go into battle unarmed!”

“Is that even possible?” Meng Qi asked in surprise.

“Why not? One must honor their promise and return the amount in a prompt amount of time. The longest allowance is a year. Before the deadline of one year, the debtor will need to pay the amount of interest agreed upon. The interest will stack and continually increase after a year until you are executed…” said Qu Jiuniang. The reference to her former wealth once again brought grief to her.

Meng Qi nodded his acknowledgment. “This could be an avenue for urgent use in the future.”

Meng Qi hesitated. “Jiuniang,” he said to her, “You will first return to the Azure Heaven. I have to first visit the Bosten Lake. We shall meet here tomorrow at the same time.”

Meng Qi had decided to seek Jiang Zhiwei. He wished to hand a Reincarnation Talisman to Jiang Zhiwei in return for the Plenitude Gate. He would need the assistance of Immortal Yunhe as a hidden card up his sleeve in his oncoming skirmish against the monks of the Merriment Temple!

One does not go to a fight unprepared!

Qu Juniang gave no sign of a dispute. She turned to leave when Meng Qi called to her. He handed her a bulk of spoils that he had gathered, shining and gleaming with great value and expense.

“How… how Did you gather so much?” stammered Qu Jiuniang, her eyes fixed upon the Divine Sun Stone hovering before Meng Qi.

“Good fortune,” Meng Qi replied with a smile, “I would like to ask you to help me bring these back to the Azure Palace. Please display this list in the Immortal-tracking Alley. These items are for sale at eight-tenths of the prices of the Dominator of the Six Samsara Realm’s.”

Meng Qi produced a piece of paper from his robes. A list of the items that both the Plenitude Sect and the Darkness Palace had furnished him and Jiang Zhiwei with. They had then both divided the items amongst themselves to sell them.

Meng Qi quietly looked within the Space Ring which he had looted from the Blessing-endowed Heaven Official. There were three exotic ores and minerals, none of which would be of any use to him. In the ring, he had also found a purple-colored pearl and a purple-colored dagger. Without knowing much about the items, he stowed them away. He would need to find out more about these items later, or he could just identify the items once he had returned to the hideout of The Immortals.

Yan Wuwo eyed him and spoke in a flat tone, “There are members of my order who might have needs for the items you have here. I will exchange for some items that you need from the Dominator. Let us trade when this affair is concluded.”

“Very good!” replied Meng Qi delightedly. The completion of his first deal left him in an immensely good mood that he barely has any intention of profiteering further from the deal.

Yan Wuwo produced a black bag and lent it to Qu Jiuniang for her to bring the items back to the Azure Heaven.

Her gentle eyes gleamed with a tender craving as she admired the items as she stowed each of them in the bag.

“I trust in your character, Jiuniang,” Meng Qi added.

Qu Jiuniang clenched her teeth in annoyance as she nodded heavily towards Meng Qi.

“I would hardly fear that she would make away with the items, not when her soul lamp is in the keeping of Yan Wuwo.” sniggered Meng Qi.

……

Meng Qi resumed his disguise as Shen Bao, the Cultivator Grand Sun. The night was late as he flew back to Lake Bosten. Countless stars twinkled towards him as he flew through the peaceful night skies.

As he flew, his senses tingled, signaling to him that something was wrong. A dread that there were dangers, unknown and unseen, that lurked in the darkness and desolation of the desert night. He could sense that the ill will was not trained on him, yet nothing about his surroundings seemed to bode well for him.

It was still the wee hours of the morning when he had finally stepped back into the city of Lake Bosten. Xue Lengzhao was patrolling about in the dark alleys of the deserted streets. Amidst the darkness, Meng Qi could make out the outlines of sentinels watching the city, warriors of the Exteriors from the Snow Mountain Sect, the Ashura Temple, and the Jin Gang Temple. They guarded the city with spontaneity as if it was a sacred duty.

A sudden thought came to Meng Qi and he turned back to his own appearance while stowing away his sword, the Flowing Fire. Holding the Heaven Inflicted Pain, he flew towards Xue Lengzhao as emerald sparks danced along his blade.

“Ah… Young… Young Master Su.” stammered Xue Lengzhao with embarrassment. Her cheeks burned red at his sight, remembering that he had once held the Reddish-white Buddhist Pearl.

The Pearl held in it the Yin and Yang energies of the Amorous Monk and the many women he had defiled during their ordeal. The energies would be used by him for his training. Yet, the pearl reeked of the energies that seeped out of it, its lustful nature embarrassing and shameful.

Xue Lengzhao woke from her painful recollections, reminding herself that Su Meng was before her. Su Meng, the Killing Blade. The most remarkable of warriors from the recent crop of fresh saplings eager to make their mark in the Jianghu!

Meng Qi clasped his hands in respect as he bowed his head, “Lady Xue, I have a question I would like to ask.”

“Please ask, Master Su. I shall endeavor to help as best as I can, as long as your errand intrudes not on the secrets of my order.” replied Xue Lengzhao cooly. She breathed deeply, remembering the “kindness” he had formerly shown her.

“Lady Xue,” Meng Qi asked solemnly, “You had once counseled us to leave this place as soon as possible. You even hinted of impending upheavals and chaos. Still, I have not seen even the slightest notion of your message. What is going to happen here?”

The question was direct and forthcoming. Meng Qi was confident that he could read something from Xue Lengzhao’s reaction, in regards to if she would give a truthful answer.

Xue Lengzhao pursed her lips as she hesitated. “I know not of it myself,” she admitted. “It was a warning by the elders of my order. I am to return to our sanctuary in the snow mountains three days from now. There will be no more need to patrol by Lake Bosten. From their demeanor, I can only surmise trouble and havoc await.”

Only the elders and seniors would know further… Is this related to the Exterior warrior who was mysteriously murdered and dismembered? Meng Qi wondered. He thanked Xue Lengzhao for her accounts on the matter. He pressed on with further questions about the Merriment Temple. The Snow Mountain Sect had extensive experiences of operating in the regions of the West, having ample understanding on the Merriment Temple. Their information would benefit him greatly in his pursuit.

Meng Qi took his leave from Xue Lengzhao and left. He resumed his disguise as Shen Bao and slipped carefully to the lodgings of the members of the Sword Washing Pavillion. He would speak to Jiang Zhiwei if she was alone, otherwise, he would need to leave a mark if there were other elders of the Exterior present. The mark would signal to Jiang Zhiwei for a meet at the courtyard at Guangling Street.

Meng Qi could feel the presence of the Reinvigorating Tree and Jiang Zhiwei as he crept closer to the courtyard where the members of the Sword Washing Pavillion lodged at. He turned to the corner where they had agreed upon and left his mark. He flew away going a distance and sought an empty house where he could rest and meditate, training his powers on the Abyss Stone.

The night grew older as the dawn loomed near. The obsidian-colored stone in Meng Qi hands felt heavier in his hands while he meditated. Dark fumes rose from the rock as if it was burning, the fumes slowly floated and funneled into the aperture in his palms.

Suddenly, from deep within himself, Meng Qi’s senses warned him of an impending danger! Cautiously, he drew and held the Flowing Fire in his hand.

He was fully prepared to unleash all of his powers and skills. The Flowing Fire burned brightly in his hands as if it were the great sun itself!

Clank!

A large saber, with purple sparkles of electricity crackling along its blade, appeared and hacked at Meng Qi. He parried the blow with his sword. His hand was throbbing with a stabbing pain at the force of the heavy blow, leaving him momentarily dazed.

Tongues of flames burst forth in retaliation from the Flowing Fire whilst bolts of electricity crackled in anger from the large saber. Just then, everything plunged into a sudden darkness around him as if a great sheet had blanketed them both into a vast gloom. It was separating the surrounding areas from the outside world. Instantly, his consciousness of the areas farther away was severed.

“The severance of realms!”

“The large saber, the vaguely familiar strokes of the blade, the aura that I have sensed before…” The identity of his assailant dawned upon him.

“The Thunder God from the Ninth Heaven!”

High up in mid-air stood the masked figure of the Thunder God from the Ninth Heaven. His cold eyes stared at Meng Qi with contempt and malice.

“It really is you!”

“Su Meng, the Killing Blade!”

“I have been hunting for you ever since the Mystic Fairy had made your presence known in Immensity Sea!”

“I have known that you possess great mastery in disguise and concealing your traces! I have hidden and watched Jiang Zhiwei while I examined each and every unknown the Exterior warrior that has come close to her!”

“Many have scoffed at the crudeness of my design, yet this is all I could muster!”

“I have been fortunate that my comrade, the Howling Lunar Hound is here to assist me, securing the success of my plans! Without his acute sense of smell, I could never have trailed so many people at once!”

Meng Qi quickly retreated a distance away. He drew his trusty blade, the Heaven Inflicted Pain, wielding the saber in his left hand and the Flowing Fire in his right!

By the side of the Thunder God from the Ninth Heaven, a dark figure emerged from the shadows. It had the head of a dog and the body of a man and wore black armour while wielding a long staff in his hand. He floated imperiously in the air, his aura emanated a frightening supremacy!

From the edges of his mask, the Thunder God’s lips began to curl with a ravenous malice and glee.

“Two months ago, I crossed the bounds of the First Celestial Ladder! With the assistance of Comrade Howling Lunar Hound who is an Exterior of the Fifth-fold Heavens and with this artifact which severs dimension and space, it shall be your end, Su Meng!”

“The legacy of the true Thunder God and the Overlord shall be mine and mine alone!”