Chapter 270: See You Again, Meng Qi, Lu Ya

Divine Capital, Supreme Ultimate Hall.

The illusory void shifted, and a figure stepped out from within—it was the human emperor's incarnation of Feng Yi.

Seated upon the imperial throne, the human emperor's incarnation gazed at the pale gold long sword in hand, countless trigrams flowing in his eyes, deducing his future path.

Now that the Heavenly Emperor has agreed to the deal, this is quite natural; for Him, being able to escape the fate of falling with the destruction of the era is already a stroke of heavenly luck, and now not only can He achieve His own goal, but also have the opportunity to go to the other heavens to continue seeking the path of the Great Dao, so He naturally cannot refuse.

With such great benefits exchanged, for me now, the Heavenly Emperor is one of my strongest allies, almost impossible to betray.

Thinking of this, the human emperor's incarnation saw in his mind a few of the other Five Emperors who represent the authority of the five directions of heaven and earth.

The Golden Emperor and the Demon Sage are my allies now, the Azure Emperor needs no mention, and only the Black Emperor, Zhenwu, remains.

Thinking of this being, the only one among the Five Emperors who failed to attain the Dao on the original timeline, the human emperor's incarnation couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

As a disciple of the Dao Sovereign, Zhenwu's background and foundation are top-notch; he also inherited the Dao Sovereign's legacy and possesses the Peerless Primordial Yang Ruler of the Other Shore for protection, making his cultivation path smooth sailing.

It can be said that, among the Five Emperors, Zhenwu was originally the one most likely to attain the Dao.

However, perhaps precisely because of this, Zhenwu's ambition is rather high, and he has developed a habit of relying on external objects.

He abandoned the Water Element Grand Dao as his foundation, instead using the Life-Death Origin of the Near Dao to sublimate his own Grand Dao, attempting to derive life and death from the Water Element, and using the two opposing Grand Dao of life and death as the foundation to condense his own Dao fruit.

Once successful, the two opposing Grand Dao will form a Taiji on their own, allowing his half-step Dao fruit to advance a great leap, and upon reaching the Other Shore he will surpass ordinary Othershore beings.

But, for every gain there is a loss.

Condensing his half-step Dao fruit from the two opposing Grand Dao yields great rewards, but the danger and difficulty involved far exceed ordinary cultivation.

Although Zhenwu entered the Life-Death Origin of the Near Dao, after years of cultivation he still could not fully sublimate his own Grand Dao.

Thereafter, amidst the mutual restraint of many Other Shore beings, he directly chose to break free from the sea of suffering, hoping to rely on the Primordial Yang Ruler, a peerless treasure of the Other Shore, to forcibly ascend to the Other Shore.

The final result is easy to imagine: it naturally ended in failure, instead leaving the world a warning that 'external objects can be relied upon but not depended on'.

Of course, in the human emperor's incarnation's view, perhaps the other Other Shore beings also secretly added fuel to the fire.

After all, as disciples of the Dao Sovereign, the other Other Shore beings are unwilling to see Zhenwu ascend to the Other Shore.

Otherwise, if the Dao Sovereign had left Zhenwu some special opportunity, they would have gained an extra rival contending for the Dao fruit in this era.

Zhenwu.

A hint of thought appeared in the human emperor's incarnation's eyes as he gazed into the depths of boundless Chaos, and within his pupils reflected an ancient palace entwined with purple vapor.

After a moment, he turned his gaze, and the vision in his eyes faded.

With Hongjun's incarnation present, there should be no problem; now that everything is ready, we should first retrieve these two items representing the Heavenly Emperor's authority—the Investiture of the Gods and the God-Beating Whip, heavenly Dao artifacts—to accomplish the plan of governing heaven through humanity.

As thoughts turned in his mind, the human emperor's incarnation's pupils flickered slightly, and the space within the hall grew hazy.

The next moment, a figure appeared within the hall.

Within the Divine Capital.

Meng Qi carefully surveyed this imperial capital of the dynasty, a hint of uncertain surprise appearing in his eyes.

Not knowing if it was an illusion, he always felt that the entire ancient city of the capital seemed to have undergone some special change.

Strange.

After a moment, Meng Qi found nothing, lightly shook his head, and silently thought he was being overly suspicious.

Hum

Just then, the void flickered, and the heaven and earth around Meng Qi seemed to become illusory.

An inexplicable undulation flowed between heaven and earth, and his entire body vanished on the spot.

People came and went around him, yet no one noticed Meng Qi's disappearance.

His vision darkened, then upon opening his eyes again, an ancient, solemn palace came into view, and he found himself inside it.

This is.

Meng Qi's heart jolted, and he instinctively looked upward toward the hall.

The next moment, his gaze was directly drawn to the figure in imperial robes upon the throne.

The figure in imperial robes had double pupils in his eyes, his aura both imposing and ethereal, as if he were the very center of heaven and earth.

Although he did not actively emit an aura, the moment Meng Qi saw him, he felt his mind and spirit tremble uncontrollably, as if facing the apex of the food chain, a reverence rising from within, unable to muster any thought of resistance.

This stems from the vast gap in the level of life, not subject to his will.

Beside the figure in imperial robes lay a pale gold long sword, surrounded by the power of all beings, exuding a sacred and regal kingly aura.

Human Emperor's Sword

Present-day Human Emperor

These two names surfaced in his mind, and Meng Qi's heart jolted.

How could the Human Emperor suddenly bring himself to the imperial city?

Could he have discovered the secret of the Six Paths of Reincarnation space?

Thoughts raced through his mind, yet Meng Qi's movements did not miss a beat; he hastily bowed respectfully and said, 'Junior Su Meng, I pay my respects to Your Majesty the Human Emperor!'

Su Meng?

A faint voice sounded from the figure in imperial robes above the hall, somewhat casual, saying, 'It should be Meng Qi, right!'

Meng Qi's heart shuddered, his hairs standing on end all over, like a puffed-up little cat.

Did this Human Emperor see through his identity as a transmigrator?

No need to fear.

On the throne, seeing Meng Qi's expression change, the human emperor's incarnation showed a faint smile and spoke gently: 'The myriad heavens are countless; I can freely enter the other heavens. A transmigrator is nothing major, and there's no need to worry that I will act against you.'

His voice was not loud, yet it carried a hint of peace, instantly calming Meng Qi's panic and alarm.

Meng Qi's body instantly relaxed, and his mind also became somewhat at ease.

He did not doubt the words of the human emperor's incarnation before him.

Given the other's strength, if he truly wanted to deal with me, it would be no harder than crushing an ant; there's no need to deceive myself.

At the same time, Meng Qi's heart also gave rise to a hint of emotion.

"Not bad for the present Human Emperor—he can actually wander freely to the other myriad worlds!"

Thinking of this, a hint of reverence appeared in his eyes, and he bowed again, saying: "Young Meng Qi, I greet Your Majesty the Human Emperor; I don't know why Your Majesty has summoned me."

The Human Emperor's incarnation looked at him with a smile and said: "I mainly want to ask you about something concerning one of the beings behind the Six Paths of Reincarnation; since you are in the Divine Capital, I brought you here."

"Lord of Six Paths of Reincarnation."

Meng Qi's heart trembled; his just-relaxed spirit tensed up again, and his heartbeat instantly became extremely violent.

Past experience told him that once the secret of the Six Paths of Reincarnation Space was leaked, the Lord of Six Paths of Reincarnation would surely erase him directly.

Now

"Hehe, don't worry."

Apparently seeing Meng Qi's thoughts, the Human Emperor's incarnation chuckled lightly and comforted: "Within my Divine Capital, the power of the Six Paths of Reincarnation Space cannot seep in; what we are discussing now cannot possibly be known by them, so you need not fear being erased by the Lord of Six Paths of Reincarnation."

"So that's how it is!"

Meng Qi slightly relaxed his breath, feeling ever more strongly the might of this Human Emperor before him, whose power could even shield the unfathomably mysterious Six Paths of Reincarnation Space in his eyes.

Thinking of this, Meng Qi's heart stirred, as if he had thought of something; a hint of anticipation appeared in his eyes, and he cautiously asked: "Your Majesty, do you know which great beings stand behind the Six Paths of Reincarnation Space?"

After glancing at Meng Qi, the Human Emperor's incarnation did not conceal anything, smiling: "Since it is the Six Paths of Reincarnation Space, it naturally consists of six great beings: namely, the Water Ancestor, the Seven Kill Daoist, the Demon Lord, Lu Ya, the Great Emperor of Fengdu, and"

Upon reaching this point, the Human Emperor's incarnation paused briefly, then continued: "Demon Buddha Ananda."

"Ah!"

While intently listening to the Human Emperor's incarnation's narration, upon hearing the final name, Meng Qi's complexion drastically changed.

"The Great Arhat Ananda is actually the Demon Buddha who caused the Middle Ancient Calamity!"

Reflecting on his past experiences, a hint of understanding arose in Meng Qi's heart; he realized he was this Demon Buddha's guide, or rather, a pawn.

"Just as you thought."

The Human Emperor's incarnation glanced at Meng Qi and softly said: "You are one of the Demon Buddha's other selves, indeed the most special among them; originally he created you to break free from his seal."

He briefly explained how the Demon Buddha was sealed by the Buddha Ancestor, and in order to break free from that seal, he created this special other self, Meng Qi.

Afterwards, the Human Emperor's incarnation paused, then continued: "Now that the Demon Buddha has broken free of his seal, your purpose has been lost; instead you have become a flaw in him— the stronger your cultivation, the weaker his becomes, and vice versa."

"Therefore, what he most wants to do now is to completely assimilate you; however, a certain Buddhist great being behind you has temporarily severed your link with the Demon Buddha, which is why he has not yet been able to fully assimilate you."

"The Buddhist great being behind you."

In Meng Qi's mind arose the image of Shakyamuni; faintly he realized that this great figure, suspected to be the Buddha Ancestor, had likely secretly helped him.

Thinking of this, his gratitude toward that great figure grew ever stronger.

However, thinking of his connection with the Demon Buddha Ananda, that great being, Meng Qi couldn't help but sigh.

He had thought that crossing over was an opportunity, but he never expected it to be merely a trap designed by someone else.

After a good while, Meng Qi finally came to his senses, hurriedly bowed toward the figure above the hall, and said: "Many thanks, Your Majesty, for clearing up my doubts; I don't know what I need to do to help Your Majesty."

The Human Emperor's incarnation shook his head and said: "You need do nothing; I merely need some of your karmic ties with the Six Paths of Reincarnation Space."

The instant his words fell, his double pupils flickered slightly, reflecting in his eyes an extremely tangled web of causality star lines, rising from Meng Qi's body and stretching into endless void.

Gazing at those illusory, mysterious causality star lines, the Human Emperor's incarnation's pupils turned slightly, deducing the hidden existence behind them.

After a while, his expression shifted slightly; he reached out, and a fiery-red causality star line fell into his hand.

After doing all that, the Human Emperor's incarnation looked at Meng Qi again and smiled: "For you, what matters most now is to continually raise your cultivation; although you are merely an other self of the Demon Buddha, once your cultivation surpasses his in the future, you will instead be able to devour him, making him nourishment for your further advancement—so cultivate diligently."

"Surpass the Demon Buddha's cultivation?"

Meng Qi's eye corner twitched slightly; is that possible?

However, feeling the goodwill shown by the Human Emperor before him, Meng Qi still respectfully replied: "Thank you for the reminder, Your Majesty; I understand."

"Hmm."

The Human Emperor's incarnation nodded: "If so, then you may go."

The moment his words fell, the space inside the hall became illusory again; when Meng Qi regained his senses, he found himself once more on the streets of the Divine Capital.

Everything around remained unchanged, as if what he had just experienced were an illusion.

But Meng Qi understood that this was no illusion; he had truly seen the Human Emperor and gained many secrets.

After a good while, Meng Qi finally came to himself, and his heart could not help but sigh.

"No wonder he is the Human Emperor who sweeps the universe and overwhelms the world!"

After glancing at his surroundings, Meng Qi chose a direction and vanished into the street.

"In the Hall of Supreme Polarity."

Playing with a crimson, illusory causality star line in his hand, the Human Emperor's incarnation's double pupils flickered slightly, reflecting the existence behind it.

"Hum."

The next moment, using that causality star line, he directly deduced the position of the existence behind it.

The void grew hazy; the Human Emperor's incarnation stepped forward, crossing infinite spacetime, and arrived at a special world along that causality star line.

"Investiture of the Gods World."

Upon entering this realm, a mysterious force enveloped all directions; the Human Emperor's incarnation felt his connection to the real world affected, making it impossible for him to freely mobilize the power of the Divine Capital's ancient city.

Such power has little effect on beings below the other shore, but it does somewhat influence powers at the level of the other shore.

"No wonder it is a world derived by Yuanshi Tianzun, who, to conceal Lingbao Tianzun's tracks, deliberately opened the origin of time and intercepted a segment of ages from the time source—truly extraordinary!"

This thought arose in his mind, and the Human Emperor's incarnation gazed ahead at the black nest that resembled a vast world.

"Daoist Friend Lu Ya, please come out and meet!"

The black nest was extremely quiet, as if its master had long since disappeared.

Seeing this, the Human Emperor's incarnation lightly tapped his pale gold long sword, causing it to emit a clear, resonant sword tone.

"Clang!"

As the sword hum sounded, the sacred and majestic King's Dao sword intent pressed down on the Black Nest, making the entire Black Nest tremble continuously.

"Human Emperor Fellow Daoist, why must you be so overbearing?"

A voice repressing anger rang out, and a vermilion little gourd leapt straight out of the Black Nest.

The little gourd glowed all over with a cold, icy fluorescence, filled with icy, sharp killing intent; at a glance it is clearly a supreme treasure of carnage.

Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger!

The killing intent around the little gourd swept in all directions, making the whole world a scene of solemn killing.

Clang!

It seemed to feel provoked; without the Human Emperor's body actively urging it, the pale gold longsword in his hand let out a deep sword hum, and the grand and majestic King's Dao aura enveloped heaven and earth, pressing all the killing intent back.

Obviously, before the true peerless other-shore treasure that is the Human Emperor's Sword, the Immortal-Slaying Flying Dagger cannot run wild.

Hum

The little gourd trembled slightly; divine light flowed over it, and it directly transformed into a short old man wearing a great red robe—indeed, it was Lu Ya.

At this moment, Lu Ya looked with a grim expression at the imperial-robed figure before him, suppressing the anger in his heart, and said: "Human Emperor Fellow Daoist, it seems we have no grudge between us; I don't know why you have sought me today."

(End of chapter)