The Sage Who Transcended Samsara

The blazing sun hung in the cloudless sky, shining directly on the hills and the plains. The intense heat made the surroundings seem distorted and twisted. Strange colors even appeared in the sky in some places, engulfing the area in mist.

“The rainy season has arrived again…” Yuan Wen hid in the shade and squinted.

Even though he had been living here for a good 20 years, he still could not get used to the rainy season of Southern Wilderness. Apart from the rainy days, he felt like he was always covered with a layer of moisture even on sunny days, giving him immense discomfort.

“Yuanyang said the north is different…” His tone was both of envy and admiration as he had great respect for his sister. She had not only removed her horrifying birthmark and slimmed down by consuming the weird grass but was also full of courage, daring to adventure north alone. She had many strange encounters and stories that drew envy and jealousy from all the teenagers in the tribe.

Just as his sister crossed his mind, he saw Yuanyang returning from the hills. She was breathing heavily, and sweat covered every inch of her white skin. It was apparent that she had just completed a difficult training session.

“Sis, you are already the best among the teens of several tribes, why are you still working so hard?” Yuan Wen asked from the shade.

He hated training in the rainy season because it made him sweat more easily.

Yuanyang laughed in response. “Bro, the art of Kung Fu is like sailing against the current. If you don’t advance, you will retreat.”

The pressure of Samsara and its dangers made her unable to relax. Even if she had already opened seven apertures and completed her Inner World, she was still far behind real Enlightened Master Pros.

Upon hearing that, Yuan Wen became slightly annoyed. His sister had become very different from the other women in the tribe after her journey to the north, and many seniors complimented her, making him seem especially useless in comparison.

Yuanyang’s adventures had made her much more mature, and she guessed her brother’s emotions correctly. She refrained from speaking and returned to her hut to clean herself up.

She had become less attentive to the affairs of the town upon seeing the greater world outside. She decided that they were mostly trivial matters that weren’t worth her time.

She glanced over the room as she opened the thick wooden door. Suddenly, she squinted in surprise as she saw a Young Master in a white shirt roasting sweet potatoes by the fireplace. The fragrance of the sweet potato filled the room.

“Young, Young Master…” She exclaimed in excitement and then immediately covered her mouth in fear of attracting unnecessary attention. However, the people of her tribe seemed to be turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to the man.

Yuanyang suddenly turned and closed the door. She was about to bow when she remembered something and exclaimed in panic. “Young Master, please wait.”

Walking around hurriedly, she mumbled to herself. “Oh sh*t, I haven’t even washed and I’m full of sweat. How can I see a guest like this…”

Compared with women of the Central Plains, she was more forthcoming.

Meng Qi smiled at the scene and didn’t say anything. He peeled the skin off the sweet potato and started eating.

After Yuanyang bathed, she came out of her bedroom. She had multiple plaits on her hair and she stared at Meng Qi with shimmering eyes.

“I’m here to ask you about the situation in Southern Wilderness.” Meng Qi smiled at Yuanyang who had sat on the other side of the fireplace after dispensing with the formalities.

Yuanyang was delighted that she could be of help. “There are thousands of mountains in Southern Wilderness and each of them posts their own danger. Poisonous mist, insects, monsters, and wild beasts are all around, making travel difficult. Furthermore, information travels slowly here, and there are many from the heterodox path ruling over the hills. Tribes nearby have succumbed to their power and are protected and abused by them at the same time. However, this ensures that the tribe survives. All tribes do this except for the few strong ones…”

She pondered over her words and spoke using the more elegant phrases she had learned in the Great Jin Dynasty.

Meng Qi did not interrupt and listened quietly, only speaking after Yuanyang had finished. “What about the Blood-robed Cult?”

Those three words were enough to make fear appear in Yuanyang’s face as if she had been instilled with their horrors day and night.

She took two deep breaths before replying slowly. “The Blood-robed Cult is the cruelest of them all. They love cultivating using human bodies and are even cruel to themselves. They are extreme and love killing. They are responsible for most of the genocide in Southern Wilderness.

“Even those from the heterodox path do not want to provoke them. If one is killed, many would come for revenge. However, information is scarce in Southern Wilderness and the wild beasts lack intellect, so they dare not be too arrogant.”

Otherwise, if someone truly angered a master, the master could catch the culprit and throw him to the beasts. No matter how strong the Blood-robed Cult is, they would be unable to find the master.

“The Head Altar of the Blood-robed Cult lies deep within Southern Wilderness, but many of their Elders and Disciples love to hold mountains and enslave tribes.” Yuan Yang continued.

Meng Qi had two motives in coming to Southern Wilderness today. One was to find out the true identity of the mysterious skill of the Blood-robed Cult so that he would be able to deal with them during the Death Tasks. The other was to inquire about the matter concerning Reincarnated Soul Boy. It would be best if he could use Du Huaishang to sever the infiltration of the other world by Blood Sea Rakshasa!

Thus, he asked directly, “Have you heard of any reincarnation matters in Southern Wilderness?”

Yuanyang’s face turned pale as if she had recalled a creepy event. She paused for a while before saying, “I’ve heard elders mention it before. There was a tribe on Long Snake Mountain called “Everlasting”. Everyone from their tribe can reincarnate. They would leave clues and tokens behind for the tribe to find their reincarnations. It worked all the time, and the reincarnated body would have all the memories, personalities, and habits of the dead, except for being a child.”

“However, their birthrate was extremely low—they don’t have children unless one of them dies and becomes reincarnated.”

This inexplicable event gave her nightmares in the past!

“Seems like a tribe of living buddhas…” Meng Qi almost laughed.

He was familiar with this sort of situation, so he would naturally be unafraid.

Yuanyang knew that Meng Qi was powerful and did not fear ghosts and monsters. She smiled wryly and continued speaking. “However, Everlasting Tribe died by genocide.”

“Genocide?” Meng Qi was a little surprised. He seemed to have caught on to something.

Sure enough, Yuan Yang nodded. “More than ten years ago, His Eminence of Blood-robed Cult suddenly attacked, killing them all.”

Meng Qi had already finished eating the sweet potato. His right hand slowly knocked on his left hand as he was lost in thought.

“Blood Sea Rakshasa killed the Everlasting Tribe and Du Huaishang is his Reincarnated Soul Boy!” Meng Qi was sure that the two events were connected.

“Did anyone survive?” Meng Qi asked.

Yuan Yang frowned and shook her head after a while of thinking. “It was said that the Blood-robed Cult searched for survivors for a while, but I heard nothing afterward.”

“Yes.” Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully. After enquiring about the location of Long Snake Mountain, he patted his shirt and rose slowly.

Yuan Yang’s eyes glistened. “Young Master, I can bring you to Long Snake Mountain!”

“Not necessary. I want to find trouble with the Blood-robed Cult before going to Long Snake Mountain. Would you like to follow me to teach the Blood-robed Cult a lesson?” Meng Qi smiled.

He had come to Southern Wilderness alone, and he need not be afraid as long as he controlled himself and did not provoke the top masters of the Blood-robed Cult.

Yuanyang was unable to respond. She believed in Meng Qi, but her tribe would be affected if she followed him.

Meng Qi laughed and disappeared from the hut.