Chapter 716: Before the Death Task

Snow still fell in February as the freezing wind blew. Hearing the sound of children reciting “Tao that can be described is not universal and eternal Tao” and seeing the flawless white snow scattered on the mountain, Meng Qi found himself in a tranquil state of mind. He wandered in the cold wearing only a thin blue shirt.

The sky behind him became dark as if everything in the world was changing as it clotted into a dot, without past, present or future. The virtuality collapsed vaguely in here, and time slightly solidified. Everything started from this dot and all fruits originated from this dot.

Upon closer inspection, this dot was more like a Taoist priest who was dignified, bold and vast!

After studying morality for more than half a year and educating children, Meng Qi had become more proficient in sensing and grasping the laws of the world than when he traveled around. His Dharma Form had improved to a higher level with his strength at sixfold heaven.

Surely this was because Meng Qi was in a state of being exceptionally dynamic. Once he kept a static state, he would gain results beyond his imagination. If he wanted to cross the second step of the Celestial Ladder, he could barely count on the static state.

Yin and Yang, vitality and quiescence—they are all morality!

Meng Qi exhaled and gained more confidence for the death task.

In the past year, he had thought that on his own, he could achieve the fivefold consummation at most. Due to his dual cultivation with Gu Xiaosang, however, with the balance of Yin and Yang, he had stepped into the fivefold heaven in a short time, leaving enough time for the reconciliation of vitality and quiescence. Now, he had stepped into the sixfold heaven!

In today’s world, all the masters and grandmasters were no longer so terrifying!

“I should go to the Immortals and take the Supreme-wisdom Tree…” Meng Qi counted the remaining time and descended from the mountain. There were a lot of variables in the death task, and the Supreme-wisdom Tree was the most bizarre and mysterious item in his hands. He had to take it with him in case of an emergency.

With the pervading cloud and air looking so bright and transparent, Meng Qi saw Samsara Square. He saw Jiang Zhiwei in her yellow dress, Qi Zhengyan in a fluttering blue gown, and Ruan Yushu in her white petticoat. Zhao Heng wore the crown that he had already inherited.

Once Meng Qi saw them, he was reminded of all the rumors. He suddenly felt a burst of guilt. In order to recover from his difficulties and eliminate his dilemma, the demoness had tricked him into having relations with her. Though he felt neither regret nor guilt about it, he somehow felt as if he had betrayed them. He did not have the confidence to face his team.

Somehow, he had always felt like Jiang Zhiwei, Qi Zhengyan, Ruan Yushu and Zhao Heng looked at him with a faint smile.

“Illusion! These are all illusions!” Just as he was going to ask about the cultivation progress of their team in order to divert the topic, Ruan Yushu sincerely said, “My brothers all admire you very much.”

“Huh?” Meng Qi looked at her doubtfully.

Ruan Yushu’s skin was as bright as the light of the moon. “They are used to advocating all kinds of feelings that defy public judgment and thought that those feelings are as gentle as melody. You’re not overwhelmed by the differences between the orthodoxy and evil, not frightened by the chasing murder from Luo Denomination, and moved the demoness. You’re truly an outstanding person who does unusual things,” she said calmly.

Meng Qi’s expression suddenly froze. He gave a hollow laugh, not knowing how to answer.

Jiang Zhiwei smiled. “Don’t tease him with rumors. The wise ones can tell that it was Han Guang purposefully spreading the news because of his unwillingness. He has suffered a lot because of Demoness Gu. Even if they cooperate, it won’t last.”

Chong He had made it known that Han Guang was in the Immortal Realm as well but had been impeded by Meng Qi’s interference.

“Zhiwei, you really know me well.” Meng Qi gave her a compliment but was quite diffident deep inside.

He then glanced at Qi Zhengyan, finding him expressionless as usual. Meng Qi could not find any signs of him falling to the Devil Path.

Qi Zhengyan telepathically told him, “I will explain it to them in person after the task, exchange for items, and then leave the team. I don’t want to ruin everyone’s mood now.”

Meng Qi thought for a while and then decided to slowly persuade him during the course of their task. The most important thing to do now was to exchange for weapons and armor. “I will remind them that the task will be even more difficult because of Blood Sea Rakshasa.” Meng Qi replied.

He said that in order to cover up Qi Zhengyan’s problem.

Jiang Zhiwei smiled after she heard Meng Qi’s compliment. “The most important thing is who you want to be with. That’s your own business. We all believe that you wouldn’t go against your conscience and cross your own line. What’s more, even if you really have a crush on the demoness, I’d still fight her if she does something wrong. I won’t let her off just because you’re with her.

“I know what kind of person you are, and so does my family. Even if you start a relationship with the demoness, we believe you won’t help a tyrant victimize her subjects. One’s emotions and personality cannot be intertwined.” Ruan Yushu added, indicating the stance of the Ruan clan.

“That makes it sound like I have already married the demoness…” Meng Qi wiped his sweat and glanced at a smiling Zhao Heng who was acting like an onlooker. He then gave a concise explanation about Demoness Gu as well as about the rebirth of Blood Sea Rakshasa, the same way he had told Chong He.

Jiang Zhiwei frowned after hearing Meng Qi’s explanation. “The fisherman and fish? I feel like I have heard of it before.”

“You’ve heard of it?” Meng Qi was surprised. He then immediately thought of a big shot.

Jiang Zhiwei eased the frown on her face and replied. “Perhaps I heard of it when my Master mentioned it once before during a conversation, at that time I couldn’t figure it out and thought it was a profound description of Sword Principles. Now I realize it is related to self and external personality. It seems that my Master has indeed been to the Everlasting Valley, and maybe he gained something.”

“We still don’t know how Senior Su learned about the Everlasting Valley,” Zhao Heng said.

Something crossed Meng Qi’s mind. “Uncle Master killed ‘Patriarch of the East, the Azure Emperor’ from the Myths, and the Supreme Deity Mirror was the treasure that the Azure Emperor carried around with him. Maybe these two points are related.”

There was a slight shift in Jiang Zhiwei’s beautiful expression. “I plan to ask my master after the death task.”

She was direct, brisk, and straightforward!

“Well, we’ll try the secret movement when we have time. Let’s prepare for our death task.” Meng Qi proposed.

“Good idea. Let’s first exchange the items we’ve individually collected for Karma points,” Qi Zhengyan said as if nothing had happened. He telepathically said to Meng Qi, “The Devil Lord should have the corresponding explanation for the difference between the fisherman and fish. He will tell you after the death task.”

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“Of course! It would be such a waste if I don’t ask the Devil Lord who was an ancient Primogenitor!” Meng Qi was moved to tears. “Even if Senior Brother Qi falls into the Devil Path, he’s still my great Senior Brother!”

He deliberately made himself forget about the difference between theories and possible future conflicts. It was wise to be optimistic before the death task.

When he finished speaking, Qi Zhengyan walked in front of the central pillar and said calmly, “This time I encountered the abode of a fallen grandmaster and gained a lot.”

“Encountered another abode?” Jiang Zhiwei, Ruan Yushu, and Zhao Heng were all quite surprised. Qi Zhengyan’s luck was even comparable to Meng Qi’s!

Meng Qi understood that Qi Zhengyan made up an excuse on the spot because he was not worried about exposure. Never mind the items, just the skills that the Devil Lord had mastered could get Senior Brother Qi thousands of Karma points.

Qi Zhengyan took out the items and scripts and then threw them into the central jade pillar. After a while, he said, “With the surplus in the past, I have accumulated a total of 20,000 Karma points. At present, I have consummated the cultivation in the Third Heaven and am about to step over the first Celestial Ladder.”

“It seems that Senior Brother Qi has already stepped over the first Celestial Ladder…”Meng Qi understood him in his heart.

Jiang Zhiwei’s gentle eyebrow was slightly wrinkled. She vaguely felt that Qi Zhengyan was being quite strange. She brought out her gains during the past year’s finished tasks in The Immortals and said, “My Sword of the Sun-Penetrating Rainbow has already become an exquisite weapon. I did some tasks during my travel and received some fruits.”

After the exchanges and adding her remaining karma points, Jiang Zhiwei got 7,000 Karma points in total.

When she stepped back, she said, “I have consummated my cultivation in the Fifth-fold Heaven realm and haven’t stepped into the Sixth-fold Heaven realm.”

Ruan Yushu took over. “I borrowed some Karma points and exchanged them for time. I consummated my cultivation in the threefold heaven. I once got an exquisite armor, the Guanghan Jade Robe, during my adventures. It could refresh my vital spirit as well as rebound and freeze the enemy. It is equivalent to the ten-story defense of the Golden Bell Shield. However, it consumes too much energy when it is triggered each time, and I can trigger it three times at most.”

Meng Qi had heard of this during his picking up of the Supreme-wisdom Tree. Ruan Yushu cultivated for almost a year when she finished the tasks in The Immortals, and gained more exotic minerals and produce from her families. She then exchanged some of her gained karma points for more time to ensure her consummation to get to the threefold heaven. Meanwhile, she exchanged all of her protection secret treasures from her family for karma points. Together with her remaining points, she finally exchanged for this Guanghan Jade Robe worth 9,200 Karma points, which amounted to the defense of Seventh-fold Heaven realm of Meng Qi’s Eight Nine Mysteries.

“Now I don’t have any Karma points left, but I borrowed an exquisite zither, the Zither of Seven Deities.” Improving the power of the Phoenix-perching Zither to the level of an exquisite treasure would be harmful to it without going through every step. Therefore, Ruan Yushu planned to temporarily use Zither of Seven Deities.

Zhao Heng forced a smile after hearing her words. “I have just touched the first Celestial Ladder and haven’t stepped over it. I got some elixirs and treasures because of some special adventure.”

The adventure that he was referring to was reaping the rewards from feeding intel to the Immortals.

He exchanged those rewards for Karma points and had a sum of 5,000 when all was said and done.

After everyone completed their transactions, they looked at Meng Qi and waited for him to speak.

Meng Qi coughed. “I have stepped into the Sixth-fold Heaven realm.”

“A little faster than I expected.” Jiang Zhiwei did not conceal her surprise and joy.

“Because of the balance between vitality and quiescence.” Since they were in Samsara Square, Meng Qi did not want to mention the Tao Te Ching. “Aside from the items, I now have over 24,000 Karma points.”

“Twenty-four thousand Karma points?” Zhao Heng was so shocked that his voice was shaking.

“How could the fruits he received in the Celestial Court be this much? No, he can’t directly get Karma points in Celestial Court!”

Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu were entirely unsurprised because this was the benefit from the second sense of the Supreme-wisdom Tree. Till now, they had failed to raise 6,000 Karma points because most of the members were still learning from the first sense. There were only four people who could sense again: Primogenitor Lingbao, Primogenitor Doumu, Primogenitor Nanhua, and Longevity Immortal Venerable.

“You have sensed this as well…” Meng Qi blinked at Zhao Heng as he took out the Supreme-wisdom Tree.

He had made Zhao Heng sense it once through “Primogenitor Guangcheng”.

Zhao Heng suddenly realized that he was a member of the same organization. No wonder he found the tree to be so familiar back then!

Everything unfolded all of a sudden during the Journey to the West. He had never carefully observed the tree. Later on, it even changed.

“Senior Brother Qi, don’t you want to take this opportunity to sense?” Meng Qi asked, smiling.

Qi Zhengyan thought for a moment before replying. “It’s not suitable for me at this time.”

Meng Qi exhaled and didn’t say anything else. He walked in front of the central jade pillar and placed all items including the salary he gained from the Six Fan School.

“Shang River Fairy’s Dual Cultivation skill… exchangeable for 3,000 Karma points.

“The five exotic minerals and produce including the Taiyin Jade Extract… exchangeable for a total of 8,000 Karma points.

“The broken Hook of Grandma Goodbye… exchangeable for 1,600 Karma points.

“Two exotic minerals and produce including the Profound Theory on Killing Soul… exchangeable for 8,000 Karma points.

“The Purple Lightning Blade… exchangeable for 2,500 Karma points.

“The Fruit of Deliverance… exchangeable for 1,600 Karma points.”

After all his exchanges, Meng Qi got a total of 43,890 Karma points.