The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

The atmosphere outside the ancient home of the Wang family was tense and cold. Zhuo Chaosheng shouted instinctively, “You old crook, you…”

Before finishing his statement, the Sage of Arithmetic waved his hand to cut him off, “I will inform the rest about Wu Daoming as soon as I can.”

Then the Sage turned around, and stepped through the great doors that were eroded by time and use.

“Ah, that’s how the Wang family from Jiangdong is so cryptic and weird,” Zhuo Chaosheng sighed after a pause.

Meng Qi frowned slightly. His thoughts were a chaotic jumble. There was a lot more to the Wang family than he thought.

With a slam, the doors to the Wang family’s ancient home were closed. The sun’s rays shone through the leaves, scattering golden patches across the ground. There was a mysterious tranquility that came with the afternoon sun, which Meng Qi and Zhuo Chaosheng basked in as they contemplated their individual puzzles. Without another word, they left in different directions.

After returning to Luocheng and stepping into his hideout, Meng Qi’s eyes fell on the green-robed Su Wuming. He had finally made his way to Luocheng.

Eh… Meng Qi was about to greet him when his mind uttered a noise of surprise. Su Wuming’s mysteries of heaven were no longer murky, with clearly identifiable paths running through it. It seemed genuine, unlike his own which was altered by the Principles of Karma.

This murkiness was a result of being an outlier in an environment not meant for them, it was not a characteristic of the Middle Ages. The change in Su Wuming’s mysteries of heaven meant that he had found his previous incarnation, which forged an unmistakable link between him and the Middle Ages.

An expert was indeed an expert, he was even quicker and more accurate than Brother Doubi. Since Brother Doubi’s mysteries of heaven were still murky, that meant that even his link was still in the process of forming.

At this moment, He Qi spoke up, “I bumped into Friend Wuming in Luocheng a few days ago, but I was unfortunately captured by the Taishang Demon right after. It was only today that I had managed to contact him to come here for a gathering.”

As Su Meng’s surname was Su, and Su Wuming was also surnamed Su, they were referred to as Senior Su and Little Su in private. However, it was inappropriate to act so casual in public, thus for the sake of differentiating them, He Qi had changed his nickname for Su Wuming.

“Senior Su is indeed punctual, since you were the first to arrive,” Meng Qi said with a grin as he bowed.

Su Wuming’s legendary ability came from understanding his additional self, leading to an evolution in ability. However, since he traveled to the Middle Ages, he could not sense his additional self without the Principles of Karma. Despite that, he could still use his ability, but he no longer retained the special characteristic of invincibility as long as at least one projection of himself existed. Nevertheless, Meng Qi was unsure if Wuming would wake up in the future if he committed suicide, via one of his projections.

Su Wuming had a longsword in his grip. He nodded slightly as he said, “After coming to Luocheng, I’ve had to eliminate two white-haired imposters.”

He was never one for beating around the bush, instead he preferred to cut to the core of the matter.

“It seems like they heard about us and are trying to take advantage of the situation,” Meng Qi was no longer as concerned about the white-haired imposters. With the Buddha of Moonlight watching over them, there’s not much the imposters can do to stir up chaos.

Seeing that Meng Qi was steady and confident, Su Wuming did not continue with meaningless conversation. He changed the topic, “Even though your paths are special, not requiring a previous incarnation, nevertheless if you do find it, try to observe his interaction with the River of History. Identifying the link would leave a mark on yourself, and serve as a reference to forge a link.”

He was slightly more talkative when it came to this topic.

Meng Qi glanced at Mister Luda. With a self-deprecating smile, he said, “My previous incarnation is unusual. I’m afraid he doesn’t exist in the Middle Ages, but Senior Lu and Senior He Qi can give it a try.”

He was an earthling, thus his previous incarnation had perished on Earth. However, in the real world, only the previous incarnations of his original self existed, Ananda and the Invincible Tyrant. He had met both of them before, but the difference in ability caused him to be unable to identify their involvement with the River of History. In addition to the dissimilarities between the previous incarnations of his established self and original self, he had to start by laying down the foundations of his legend in the Middle Ages.

“However, let’s not be too hasty in trying to find your previous incarnations. With the exception of Immortal Yun He, our team is almost complete. We can look for the Dharmakaya of the Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Worlds to finally discuss our return.”

…

The next day, the Red Emperor Sun Chuci, the Perennial Deity Zhong Limei, the Deity of the Seven Seas Xun Ying, and the rest of the Dharmakayas of the Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Worlds gathered in the Valley of the Flying Deity located southwest of Luocheng.

Traveling past the scenic veil of mist and clouds, the first thing they saw was Meng Qi, who was dressed in green robes, as well as Su Wuming with his longsword in hand, not to mention Mister Luda who projected an aura of arrogance. Rounding out their party was He Qi, his eyes glinting with barely-suppressed blade intent, and lastly Gao Lan, who was perched atop a boulder in his golden emperor’s robes, looking upon the entire valley.

The Deity of the Seven Seas and the rest felt uneasy at the imposing aura that they exuded. They landed on the opposite side, guards up and hackles raised.

“Friend Su, since you summoned all of us here, did you intend to discuss your return?” the Deity of the Seven Seas was the first to speak, directing his question at Meng Qi. He was a member of the Four Oddities, one of the most powerful beings in the Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Worlds, inferior only to the Primeval Deity, and was on par with the Taixuan Son of Heaven.

Meng Qi smiled, “We have found a way to return. This meeting is merely to discuss if all of you are willing to assist.”

As he spoke, a Dao Yi Glaze Lamp in his eyes shone, observing his audience carefully to weed out any white-haired imposters who may have blended into the crowd.

“Found a way to return?” Xun Ying, Zhong Lime,i and the rest looked at each other, registering the shock on everyone’s faces. Coming to the Middle Ages was already out of their element, but Su Meng and his allies had already found a way back in such a short time? Wasn’t this something that could only be done by prominent beings from the Nirvana Realm?

The Dao Yi Glaze Lamp faded away after Meng Qi verified that there were no imposters. Despite hearing the questions that were brought up, he deliberately ignored them. Instead, he asked, “Have any of you seen the rest of our fellow friends?”

Suppressing his agitation and confusion, Xun Ying replied, “The Chaotic Golden Deity Qin Yue seemed to have become a follower of the Demon King Peacock. Qin Yue had tried to recruit me to their cause as well, claiming that they would go to the East Sea and return through the Palace of Demons and the Demonic Spear.”

“The antidote to the Nine-revolving Black Pill is with Tai Li, it wouldn’t be surprising if Qin Yue and the rest of the Dharmakayas followed him,” Meng Qi nodded. “However, I didn’t think that they would return through the Palace of Demons.”

“Right, Qin Yuan mentioned that he heard the Demon King Peacock say that the priest who kept rambling on about fate didn’t seem to have come to the Middle Ages. It’s slightly strange,” added Xun Yin.

The Priest of Destiny, not sent to the Middle Ages? After knowing that he was sent here by the Qing Emperor, while the others were sent here by the meddling of Lord Dao De, the reason why the Priest of Destiny was not here must be because he wasn’t sent here. The priest must have originated from the Wenshen Sect of the Exterior Dao Six Masters.The founder of the sect used to explore Taoism with the Buddhas, but had diverged from them due to a difference in beliefs. The teachings of the sect had been passed through countless generations, and they rarely concern themselves with the mundane matters of the world. Could it be that Lord Dao De wanted to respect this belief of theirs, thus he did not touch the Priest of Destiny?

“The Taixuan Son of Heaven and both of the other Dharmakayas had become subordinates of the Devil Master. I think they have found an alternative method to return,” the Red Emperor, Sun Chuchi repeated what he had told Meng Qi before.

Meng Qi exchanged a glance with the rest of his group. He nodded and said, “The Devil Master Han Guang definitely has something up his sleeve. It’s possible that there are certain time effects of using the Time Blade. We must be watchful of this.”

“Have any of you guys seen the Primeval Deity?” asked the Perennial Deity Zhong Limei.

Meng Qi did not hide anything, “I’ve met the Primeval Deity at Jade Emperor Mountain. If everyone sends out search parties, we might be able to track her down. Let’s hope that we can find her as soon as possible, to prevent missing this opportunity to return. Also, the Night Emperor had joined the Luo Sect, and has the protection of the Mother. We don’t need to worry about him.”

“Alright,” Zhong Limei agreed without hesitation.

“Friend Su, how are we going to return?” asked Xun Yin curiously.

Meng Qi smiled. No longer changing the topic, he explained, “All of us came to the Middle Ages because of the aftershocks that were caused by the clash between mighty people. At that time, the mighty people who were clashing were none other than the Great White Ape Sage Yuan Hong, who possessed the Core Fragment of the Eastern Emperor Bell, against the Qing Emperor who walked the Earth.”

“The Qing Emperor?” Xun Yin, Zhong Limei and the rest started to cause a commotion. Compared to the Great White Ape Sage, the name of the Qing Emperor was indeed a lot more prestigious, as he was one of the Five Great Emperors of the Ancient Times, one of the Almighty Nine Taoists, as well as the strongest force in the Nirvana Realm. The mere mention of his name struck awe and fear alike in everyone who heard it.

No one could have expected that he could still walk the earth!

Meng Qi pretended to not notice the change in their expressions. He continued, “My royal brother, Gao Lan…”

Saying these five words brought on a wave of melancholy. He paused before continuing, “…as the wielder of the Emperor’s Sword, he ascended the Dragon Terrace and got in contact with the estranged descendants of the emperor. He succeeded in laying down the Grand Array of the Universe, which would enable our return after it powers up by using Core Energy.”

“The Emperor’s Sword?” everyone instinctively looked towards Gao Lan, noticing the golden Emperor’s Sword in his hands. Their gazes turned awestruck.

That’s the Emperor’s Sword?

The Seven Seas and Twenty-Eight Worlds only came to be after demons and monsters appeared and devastated the earth. They were not unfamiliar with the Emperor’s Sword, which was notorious for being drenched in the blood of deities and demons alike, its sheer power and strength renowned throughout the world.

Who could have known that it actually existed?

Meng Qi cleared his throat, and said calmly, “Whereas I went to Vaiduryanirbhasa and met the Buddha of Moonlight. I also bumped into Bhaisajyaguru while I was there, and obtained an Azure pearl. It can provide the Core Energy for the Grand Array of the Universe.”

“Starting with the Qing Emperor, ending with Bhaisajyaguru, the course of karma is indeed like that.”

He extended his palm and opened it. A crystal clear pearl glinted in the middle.

Xun Ying and the others were enraptured, as if listening to a fairy tale. All of this Vaiduryanirbhasa, Buddha of Moonlight, Bhaisajyaguru and the like, they were entities that existed in myths and legends. Who could have imagined that Su Meng could actually locate them, and even interact with and converse with them?

“All the preparations for our return is complete, except for a single concern…” Meng Qi told them about how history would change. He ended with, “Therefore I would like to request that everyone pool our resources to construct a Chunyangzi mausoleum nearby Luocheng, to preserve history as it is. This must be kept absolutely confidential.”

“No problem,” the Red Emperor Sun Chuchi promptly agreed.

Since they were borrowing someone else’s effort to return, shouldn’t they contribute what they can offer?

After a thorough discussion, Zhong Limei suddenly asked, “Friend Su, what would you all do during this time, though?”

Meng Qi smiled and answered, “We have other pressing matters to attend to.”

Mister Luda and He Qi would be looking for their previous incarnations, while himself, Su Wuming, and Gao Lan, would await news from the Buddha of Moonlight. The moment Gu Erduo and Su Daiji were far enough from the Tyrant, they will strike and ambush them!

…

In the process of waiting, Meng Qi went to the Palace of Mohism, as laid out in their plans. He would be asking for guidance relevant to the Myriad World Knowledge Ball from the Sage of Devices.