The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

Translator: Larbre Studio Editor: Larbre Studio

The future has many possibilities, and just a wrong step could lead to a difference between heaven and hell. But the Devil Master Han Guang, who was a powerful and authoritative figure of heterodoxy, actually became the next internally decided leader of the Xuantian Sect. This made the mainstay of orthodoxy and also Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei who were familiar with his style feel disillusioned, as though they were dreaming.

"An object is neither good nor evil, but its action can be either good or evil, conscience distinguishes good from evil, doing good and removing evil is understanding it… maybe it's like what the Heart Sage said, there's no natural sage and also no devil straight from birth. Whether a person is good or evil is affected largely by extrinsic factors. If this was the case, then what is one's nature…" Meng Qi's thoughts went wild, sending messages as he pondered. Maybe a reincarnated soul itself has its own characteristics, possessing the residual nature when it was born into the world.

Jiang Zhiwei was also thinking over this profound question, but throughout the ages, who would be able to have a thorough understanding of it at once? Without corresponding experiences and accumulation, how could one comprehend the truth?

As such, she kept the question inside her and pressed her lips into a smile, "I would really like to meet the Devil Master who is the mainstay of orthodoxy, a Devil Master who is modest and compassionate."

Meng Qi gave it a thought before saying, "The Devil Master usually has the looks of a cultivation expert, calm and composed, and seldom show emotions on his face. If one doesn't have prior knowledge, it would be difficult to treat him as a demon from heterodoxy just by looking at him. So, we can imagine peaceful appearance of the Xuantian Sect.

As he spoke, Meng Qi looked at the little Jiang Zhiwei drag the sword that was longer than her to a corner and placed it properly, looking as though it belonged to her. Then, she took a small wooden sword and practised introductory swordsmanship under her seniors' guidance, looking very serious. Her eyes gradually brightened and her whole body radiated a feeling of joy, with no more grievance from before this.

Nothing made her happier than learning sword.

Jiang Zhiwei looked at her past self with soft eyes. Her expression was quiet and tranquil as she enjoyed the pureness when she first started learning sword — a pureness that she still hadn't forgotten.

Meng Qi smiled and watched at the side while he listened to the disciple talk nonstop about the current situation and the Heavenly List, etc., as he secretly sent a message about his speculation on the difference between the Universal Fragment and the real world, "Being the one and only of all realms, there wouldn't be another legend even with the separation of the Universal Fragment and we can infer many things from this. For example, Senior Su who had Legendary characteristic will not be born again in this Universal Fragment; supreme heavenly weapons and legendary things will only leave behind legends without physical residues, just like the Scorpio Axe and the Deep Sea Sword. These two points have already been proven and can preliminarily confirm our thinking."

"Thinking on from this angle, Mister Lu Da wouldn't exist, and Senior Chonghe's real spirit would have returned to the List of Deification and wouldn't exist, too," Jiang Zhiwei continued saying.

Meng Qi gave a slight nod and cut the disciple's narration with a smile, "Have you heard of Priest Chonghe from the Pure Yang Sect and Mister Lu Da from Huamei Heights?"

The disciple was stunned for a moment, "Of course I have. During the calamity forty years ago, Priest Chonghe who was second on the Heavenly List had a fierce battle with the Living Buddha Hatogtu who was first on the Heavenly List. He was attacked by surprise by the Wild Buffalo Demon King and died on the mountain between the two realms. Hatogtu and the Wild Buffalo Demon King were seriously injured by him just before his death. The former has not fully recovered since then and fell to third place on the Heavenly List. As for the Wild Buffalo Demon King, he hasn't appeared for the last forty years."

The calamity had brought continuous turmoil and was not far from now. Many things hadn't been lost and there were always storytellers narrating it, so even ordinary disciples roughly knew about it.

"Senior Chonghe died forty years ago…" Meng Qi was puzzled. Senior Chonghe didn't disappear straight away, but died forty years ago like Su Wuming.

Jiang Zhiwei moved her lips to the name Hatogtu, "This was the Living Buddha who was an unstoppable figure in the western region and the grasslands in the past, the teacher of Secret Buddha Sect's Living Buddha of Rotary. He had gotten a Tantric Buddhism weapon and achieved a 'Trailokyavijaya form' and almost developed the Secret Buddha Sect to a top power. He indeed had had a deadly battle with Senior Chonghe, but it coincided with Mister Lu Da achieving the Gengjin Indestructible body and, together with Abbot Kongwen, restrained the demonic race who sprung a surprise attack. Daman didn't intervene due to some reason, and both parties were merely injured."

"Later on, Hatogtu who had yet to recover from his severe injuries was killed by the new Dharmakaya Guerduo who took advantage of the situation, making him famous, and the Tantric Buddhism weapon was missing.

"Gu Erduo did not appear in this world because of the Scorpio Axe, so Hatogtu has yet to die," Meng Qi realized.

The Xijian Pavilion disciple continued, "Mister Lu Da of Huamei Heights had accumulated strengths and abilities. He was unknown in the beginning but started to shine later on, and was highly praised by Priest Chonghe and Abbot Kongwen who thought that he would be able to catch up later on and achieve Dharmakaya before the Cui brothers. Unfortunately, the calamity forty years ago made him breakthrough in advance and then disappear."

"Forty years again…" Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei sent messages to each other simultaneously. Too many changes took place during this time frame, resulting in differences between this world and the real world.

"Could this be the point of the Universal Fragment splitting up — the people who existed before that still exist, but those who were more deeply connected to the Legend died quickly, and those connected to the Legend after that wouldn't even be born," Meng Qi made a bold guess.

Jiang Zhiwei nodded and speculated further, "Maybe those who had already achieved Samsara during those forty years would also die one after another."

Because the Six Dao is beyond the Legend!

"This can confirm…" After Meng Qi sent his message, he asked again, "Did Priest Xuhe also enter the Xuantian Sect forty years ago?"

"Yes, how did you know?" the Xijian Pavilion disciple was shocked — he didn't say it!

Sure enough, Meng Qi laughed, "Because it feels like many things happened forty years ago, hmm, how's Huamei Heights now? Is the Ice Fairy Ye Yuqi still around?"

"After Mister Lu Da died, the Ye sisters also passed on one after another. Huamei Heights is still fine today with gurus sustaining it. It's not the best but not the worst either," the Xijian Pavilion disciple answered honestly without the least bit suspicious of the person who knew it all actually knew about the not-too-famous Huamei Heights.

"Forty years ago was indeed a crucial point." Meng Qi suddenly frowned when he sent a message to Jiang Zhiwei, "But you had felt the new additional self appear only just a while ago, the little fellow is obviously already six or seven."

Jiang Zhiwei's eye twitched, not knowing whether to laugh or cry, "Don't say little fellow."

It was a little shameful.

She paused and said, "I wonder where the Universal Fragment is being hidden, it would be impossible to find it without delicate sensing abilities. Maybe it is at a part of the Timeless River where the flow is faster, and a long time would have passed by the time the sensing reaches the real world."

"I wouldn't rule out this possibility," Meng Qi couldn't think of another explanation offhand.

At this moment, Jiang Zhiwei suddenly thought of something, "Since Legendary objects do not separate, where's our sect's true inheritance of 'Seeing True Self through Dao'? And the 'Taishang Sword Manual' true inheritance?"

"Seeing True Self through Dao" was one of the Seven Strokes of Heaven Interception and also a true inheritance, so it was beyond Legendary without any doubt. Although the "Taishang Sword Manual" was comprehended and slightly separated from 'Seeing True Self through Dao' by later generations, past experts from Xijian Pavilion had never attained Legendary Realm using it. However, it was assessed as being supreme by the Six Dao, which meant there was hope of attaining Legendary and that there was nothing wrong with the comprehended arts even though it didn't have much merits. It could just be the practicer being restricted by heaven and earth and thus couldn't attain the extreme. In other words, its true inheritance was also of Legendary level and wouldn't separate by itself unless some mighty people who were well-versed in this art of practice recreate it.

"It should be so, maybe this Xijian Pavilion already do not have 'Seeing True Self through Dao' and only left with hand-copied manuals of the 'Taishang Sword Manual,'" Meng Qi suspected this to be very likely the case.

As Jiang Zhiwei listened to her fellow disciples talk endlessly, she looked up at the familiar scenery and sighed, "No wonder the Universal Fragment seldom improves by itself and could only gradually become ordinary."

"These elders are all so lively and amicable, and the sect also seemed not too different from that in my memory. It would be a real pity if they really do not have the true inheritance."

This was especially so when among them were many elders whom Jiang Zhiwei respected but had already passed on. Seeing them now was as though they had come back to life, so she wanted very much to do something to make up for this feeling.

"How about perfecting their skills? Do some good deeds without leaving your name," Meng Qi suggested with a laugh. He took a look at his chest and touched his stomach before adding on, "Call me a Young Pioneer!"

Jiang Zhiwei frowned and said, "I can now create true inheritance prior to Dharmakaya, but I'm afraid I can't pass this in private as it involves the sect's commandments. Moreover, it's better not to let the sect in the real world know about the things here. Few are able to stay calm when faced with 'additional selves' that look exactly the same. Most would be confused and lead to the formation of demons in the mind."

Meng Qi said confidently, "Then just display it. There will always be new understandings from the foundation of the same arts. As for how much would be understood, it would have to depend on themselves."

Jiang Zhiwei had always been decisive, nodding her head in agreement after a short ponder, "But first we need to confirm that there is really no complete inheritance."

Meng Qi gave a faint smile, "Don't worry, leave it to me."

"You have a way?" Jiang Zhiwei lightened up.

"Of course, I'm the Primitive Devil," Meng Qi teased. He turned and walked toward the mountain peak with his hands behind him, waiting for the guru who was qualified enough to know the sect's secret to appear.

After the two walked for a while, Withered Tree Splendor Yu Wanli came along in front of them. Seemingly without Su Wuming's contrast, he didn't lose his confidence and was already a guru!

Meng Qi looked at Jiang Zhiwei before stepping forward and cupping his hands together, "Is this Withered Tree Splendor Senior Yu?"

"I am, you are?" Yu Wanli replied with a puzzled smile.

Where is this guest from?

Meng Qi laughed indiscernibly, "Who I am is not important, what's important is I know that the true inheritance of 'Seeing True Self through Dao' is gone!"

Yu Wanli's pupils suddenly contracted and his mind went blank for a moment.

An outsider actually got to know about the secret regarding the sect's survival?

How did he know?

After recovering from his shock, the sword in his sheath suddenly shot out.

Inside the hall dedicated to the founders of the Xijian Pavilion, the sect leader Zhou Taichong was looking at the "True Self Sword" with his face filled with melancholy. It had been forty years and things hadn't improved the least bit.

That day, the true inheritance of "Seeing True Self through Dao" and the "Taishang Sword Manual" were scattered inexplicably, leaving behind only the handwritten manuals by the past elders and founders, each showing their paths, lacking in inclusivity and making the inheritance more difficult.

The Xijian Pavilion had hidden this matter for forty years, afraid to let other sects find out. It had been secretly finding other supreme skills to replace it but had failed to do so.

He let out a long sigh.

At this moment, something struck him as he saw a pure bright sword beam surge into the sky. It seemed to come out from the heart, shining at the mountain, prohibited skill and flesh body until they looked illusory and transparent, and at the surrounding until it looked empty. It made him see his primordial spirit directly, as though he had discovered his real self!

"Seeing True Self through Dao?"

"Seeing True Self through Dao!"

Zhou Taichong's mind exploded. He couldn't control himself and shook all over.

Since the Xijian Pavilion started, although it had the true inheritance of "Seeing True Self through Dao", it didn't have Heavenly Interception framework. Hence, no one was able to achieve it and display the supreme swordplay again. He could only imagine it using the sword that the founder saw when he got the true inheritance.

But now, his imagination was shone into reality, displaying "Seeing True Self through Dao" right before his eyes!

The sword beam was bright and empty, enveloping the entire mountain and making everything look like a dream.

Zhou Taichong totally lost himself in it, only waking up after a long time due to the sound from the True Self Sword. As his spirits spread with the help of the heavenly weapon and formation, he looked out to see who exactly was displaying "Seeing True Self through Dao" for the Xijian Pavilion.

In the emptiness, he saw two silhouettes — one was wearing a green Taoist robe and had graying temples; one was in yellow with a long sword returning to its sheath. Behind them was a blank-looking Yu Wanli whose expression changed as though he was in a dream.

The two silhouettes didn't stop, disappearing in the sword beams and shadows in just a few moments. Only the green Taoist robe man had rubbed the head of his new disciple Jiang Zhiwei.

The silhouettes disappeared, and the "Seeing True Self through Dao" just now was like a fond illusion.

Zhou Taichong wanted to give chase but had already lost trace of the other party. He could only lament, "There are actually such deities in this world, doing things so casually, appearing and disappearing in quick succession. Could this be good karma planted by our sect in the past?"