Chapter 708: Boon or Bane

Little Ru was adorable and petite. She looked like she was in her teens and spoke naively and candidly. However, her maturity and her prowess as an Exterior practitioner made her all the more intriguing.

Rolling in the pile of bloodied gravel, she covered her head and moaned with anguish.

Meng Qi was about to check when he realized that Little Ru’s moans weakened as her convulsions slowed. There were no fluctuations with her aura. She seemed to have recovered. Meng Qi could not help but marvel at her abilities.

“Are you all right, Little Ru?” Meng Qi asked curiously, seeing that Little Ru was no longer suffering from the pain.

The details had not escape Meng Qi’s notice, despite the heat of the battle. He knew that her headache began when he used the “I, the Unique and Righteous” with his sword. Her injury had not occured in battle.

Meng Qi understood the effects of his own technique upon the minds of those with mental weakness. What Little Ru had experienced was perfectly normal. Even her teacher, Song Bingde was momentarily dazed by the technique.

It has been quite a while since the battle had ended. Even Song Bingde had recovered, but why was Little Ru in so much pain?

“Was she mentally hurt; in either her Vital Spirit or her mind?”

Her face was extremely pale and her expression was distant and lost; looking deeply shakened and confused.

She did not respond to Meng Qi and only looked blankly around her. Gradually, she put on a morose expression; her innocence instantly replaced with a renewed mellowness. Her behavior and disposition turned, transforming from that of a young and innocent girl into that of a young lady.

“Huh…” Meng Qi’s brows raised slightly, confused about the strange changes that had befallen Little Ru.

“Her former innocence was just due to the loss of her memories?” Meng Qi guessed subconsciously, remembering some of the trivial tales he had heard before.

Little Ru composed herself and stood up slowly, smiling. “I’m fine. My Vital Spirit was badly shaken when I saw the blow of your sword. I felt a tearing pain pierce through me; but I’m fine now.”

Her face was still pale and sickly after the ordeal.

“It’s okay.” Meng Qi could not intrude and asked about the pain inflicted to her Vital Spirit or her mind. He gave only a few gentle nods and inquired no further.

Song Bingde heaved a sigh of relief. “I didn’t expect you to be weaker than me considering your usual lively demeanor, Little Ru. I do not even have a headache now…”

Little Ru interrupted him with a groan of pain. “I think I will just return to the lair to recover, Master.”

“Very well.” Song Bingde looked at Meng Qi and the others and nodded vigorously, indicating his assent. The presence of the strangers of the outlands would not allow for any plunders for now, instead, he would best prepare himself for any sudden unwanted incidents.

Song Bingde and his disciple took their leave. After the duo left, Yi Xin, the “Silver Sword” took his leave with his brother’s corpse after healing himself. But the conclusion of his search was still too abstract for Meng Qi’s comprehension, making it extremely difficult to find his reincarnation.

Meng Qi decided to continue exploring the vicinity of Everlasting Valley. He sat down cross-legged on flat ground and recalled his sights and visions before his death, trying also to decipher the messages left by Yi Meng and Gu.

“The other me? The others? Was this alike to the Hall of Tomorrow, where I can see numerous versions of my futures from parallel universes?” Meng Qi was soon lost in his train of thought.

“However, why did Yi Meng only see one of himself? Why did he not fall into a deathly limbo? Why did Gu see many people? Why did he settle into limbo instead?”

“While it may be normal for Song Bingde and Little Ru to not notice the ‘inconsequential’ messages, but, how was it that they have not encountered any more Exterior practitioners in deathly limbo during their plunders?”

“Was it because that Gu possessed the greatest strength, being close to the Realm of the Half-step from the Dharmakaya? Or was it because of the site that he laid in?”

He was about to continue his search, when Huang had finished replacing Gu back into the coffin. With the magical tools mounted and carried on his back, he rose to his feet. “I am bringing my elder back to my tribe. Will you come along?”

He intended to thank Meng Qi properly for saving his life.

“No, thank you. I think I’ll continue exploring the Everlasting Valley.” Meng Qi declined calmly.

Hearing this, Huang could not help but ask bluntly, “But you said it was sad and miserable earlier, did you not? Why are you still seeking the secrets of the Everlasting Valley?”

The native of the Southern Wilderness was still somewhat resentful of Meng Qi’s earlier remarks.

Meng Qi sighed and replied, “I meant no offense to your elder. I have experienced much in my recent years, that has culminated to my disdain on matters of reincarnations. It was a mere slip of my tongue with no disrespect meant to anyone.”

“No one is willing to die,” Huang said flatly. Standing at almost two heads taller, he towered over Meng Qi.

Meng Qi stroked the hilt of his sword with his right hand. “And none will want to be some one else’s reincarnation, no?”

The atmosphere around them tensed suddenly. Huang’s stare changed. He opened his mouth a few times and tried to speak but no voice came out.

There was no telling right or wrong in matters of this nature. But Meng Qi had just clearly displayed his repudiation towards the matter of reincarnation!

He wished not to be used as a pawn of reincarnation by others, and thus, he opposed the concept entirely!

Huang’s copper-bronze skin glistened lightly under the blood-red light. He adjusted briefly the coffin behind hin. Before he left, he asked, “Why still seek the secret of the Everlasting Valley then?”

“I cannot rest until I understand it.” Meng Qi answered flatly. He lamented in his heart, “I can’t truthfully tell you that it is because of my Death Task, can I?”

Then again, figuring out the secrets would surely help him free himself from the devious schemes of the ancient legends lurking in the shadows!

Huang remained silent. For once, he became doubtful about his beliefs in reincarnation. He began walking out of the valley, stepping on the fallen debris of the collapsed cliff. He suddenly stopped. “The pair earlier didn’t seem to be like plunderers. They seemed more like they were searching for something.”

“Searching for something?” An idea popped up in Meng Qi’s mind. He got up to his feet immediately and flew towards the place where Song Bingde and Little Ru had disappeared.

“I hope it’s not too late!”

The “nake tail” mountain peak on the outskirts of the Everlasting Valley, poisonous fog, venomous bugs, and wild beasts roamed freely around.

After flying into the mountains, Little Ru sighed suddenly with apparent pain and melancholy.

“Are you still feeling uncomfortable, Little Ru?” A mousy Song Bingde asked as he looked around suspiciously as if he was afraid of being discovered.

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“I’m fine, Master.” Little Ru replied. She had recovered back to health.

“Of course she’s fine. She’s just awakened.” Suddenly, a voice came from the distant, throwing Song Bingde into a frightful scare that he turned around immediately, a sword held in his right hand and a bell in the other.

A flash of silver gleamed across their sights. Yi Xin had come with a blow of his sword. His eyes were burning with hatred as he stared intensely at Little Ru.

“What awakening?” Song Bingde was confused.

Yi Xin snorted. “Your disciple is no ordinary person. She is a remnant of the Everlasting Tribe!”

“What?” Song Bingde blurted out with shock as he turned to stare at Little Ru with disbelief.

Yi Xin sneered. “I have visited the Everlasting Tribe to learn the methods of reincarnation but my requests were coldly rejected. They were powerful then and I could not afford to interfere with them. But now, you are all what is left of the Tribe. Hand over the method at once!”

His stare turned to Little Ru for the second half of his sentence.

“What are you talking about, Senior Yi?” Confusion was all over Little Ru’s dazed face.

“No more lies! The special feeling emanating from one of the Everlasting Tribe is familiar to me. I have observed your kind for over a year.” Yi Xin let out a devillish grin. “Tell me the secret, and I’ll let you go. If not, I’ll skin you alive before I slaughter you!”

Little Ru’s face darkened instantly. Her innocent expression and spirit faded, replaced by the complexion of an old hag who had experienced many lifetimes. In a clear crisp voice, she uttered, “The Oath of Venomous Vermins!”

The God of Venomous Vermin was extensively worshipped in the region of the Southern Wilderness. Everywhere in the outland bore traces of its unholy presence. It was rumored that the Blood-robed Cult has received the blessing and protection of the God of Venomous Vermin when the Cult was driven from the Central Plains.

“An oath?” Song Bingde stared at his disciple, then at Yi Xin, his mouth open and speechless.

…

Meng Qi calculated and traced the the trail of the pair. He had them within his sights after half an hour.

Seeing that even the swordsman in white had arrived, Song Bingde let out a bitter laugh, “You must be here to find Little Ru, Brother Wuming! We will explain everything!”

Meng Qi was puzzled with the sudden change of attitude. Still, he pretended to know everything and said,

“Start from the beginning.”

Little Ru bit her teeth and began her tale. “Many years ago, the Blood Sea Rakshasa used the movement of the stars and the seismic changes of the geography of the Long Snake Mountain to break through the protective barrier of the Everlasting Tribe. I was dying then. I saw my reincarnated body but I died before leaving any hints behind.”

“I can vaguely remember my origins but nothing else; until I witness the blow you unleashed. I was awakened then.”

Song Bingde wore a bitter look. “I myself knew nothing of this, Brother Wuming. I have always been curious how a young girl of her age has powers of the Exterior Realms. Moreover, she knew of the Everlasting Valley in the Southern Wilderness, persuading me to come here.”

Meng Qi felt his blood pulsing anxiously within his veins as he took in the revelation with surprise and disbelief. He had his luck to thank that he had caught up with them, otherwise he would have missed the chance to finally meet the remnant of the Everlasting Tribe!

“No wonder Little Ru and Song Bingde were at the Everlasting Valley!”

Meng Qi looked coldly at Little Ru, as if he had long known of her tale. He continued without emotion, “What about your methods of reincarnation?”

Little Ru pointed down at the pond seated between the mountains. Its surface shimmered in the glow of the moon. “Everyone has a pond of their own and every fish inside is one of you. With the special perception of the Everlasting Valley, everyone can find each of their own.”

“The bond between one and the perception becomes extremely strong when Death comes near that one can easily catch his or her fish inside one’s pond and combine it with one’s crumbling soul. The soul will then be cast into a newly-reincarnated body.”

“Catching our spirit from our fishpond?” Meng Qi listened with dread.

Little Ru continued, “Swear by the name of the God of Venomous Vermin to let us go and I will tell you the secret method of reincarnation.”

“Huh, such a good deal?” Meng Qi was extremely puzzled but still, he maintained his composure and nodded faintly.

Later on, Meng Qi returned to the Everlasting Valley with a frowned expression. He buried himself again to simulate death.

This time, with the secret technique of the Everlasting Tribe, the blurry visions he saw earlier have finally became clear to him!

Only they were hardly of any use to him, for the visions contained the experiences of Meng Qi’s former incarnation. Everything he saw were his experiences of his daily life on Earth!

“It’s definitely me. But what about the other me? What about ‘them’?” In the midst of the epiphany, doubts crept into his mind.

With all his power, he used the secret technique once more but nothing seemed different. He made a few adjustments and felt his aura rising. Slowly, he felt as if he had left the Everlasting Valley.

At this moment, a shard of gold fragment came into view.

“Finally, something else!” Meng Qi exclaimed within himself with delight and flew straight over.

The gold fragment became bigger and bigger as visions familiar to Meng Qi crossed before his eyes. A huge iron rod came to into view, stretching far into the sky and into the earth below. Its girth was as large as a hill with golden bands at both its ends. Crackles of electricity danced along the length of the rod, a sign of life that has endured through aeons of time. And in the indication of its lingering vigor, one could almost sense the presence of a dimension of its own!

“I, Sun Wukong, do not care about my next life!”

The loud roar rumbled into Meng Qi’s ears, stunning him speechless with shock. “Am I related to the Great Sage Equal to Heaven!”

But something was not right. Due to the angle of his view, the vision that he saw did not show him to be the one swinging the staff in mid-air. Rather, the vision of the staff showed that he was witnessing the events from the depths of the Holy Mountain. Down at his feet, he saw his own shadow!

“Could this be the actual ‘me’ in the past?”

The shadow grew abruptly. The physical body of his past self that Meng Qi’s soul overlapped with suddenly turned around to stare at Meng Qi with a pair of lifeless and cold eyes. But the appearance of his face could not be seen!

“Arggh!”

Meng Qi felt a anguish pain assailing his mind. He leaped out of the soil with fright, the cold and aloof stare emblazoned in his mind.

Deep within the outback of the Long Snake Mountain, Yi Xin laid on the ground with his eyes wide open in disbelief.