After carefully searching the Stone Chamber with the Fire Fold, Meng Qi found nothing else, but he was still completely satisfied. Obtaining the True Intent Inheritance of an Exterior-level saber art and comprehending the remnant form of the first saber strike was already an incredible stroke of good fortune!
As he returned along the way, Meng Qi kept hesitating over whether he should share this discovery with Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, and the others. Ordinarily, in a situation like this, anyone would choose to keep it secret and reserve the saber art as a final means of saving their life. That was perfectly understandable, and Jiang Zhiwei and the others would certainly be able to understand it. However, they would still have to join forces to complete future Samsara missions. This approach would do nothing to deepen their bonds. Besides, what he had obtained was a True Intent Inheritance—they could not snatch it away even if they wanted to. After all, he could currently only recite the remnant form of the first saber strike.
However, if he did this, then should any of them betray him in the future, all his martial arts would be laid bare to the enemy, leaving him without a trump card at all.
"Junior Brother Zhending, did you find any enemies?" Seeing Meng Qi return, Qi Zhengyan, who had been silent for a long while, spoke up. Zhang Yuanshan and Jiang Zhiwei were still meditating with their eyes closed, seemingly uninterested in the matter.
Meng Qi pondered for a moment before making his decision. "There were no enemies, but there was a remnant form of the first saber strike from the 'Ananda Breaking Precepts Saber Art' carved into the mountain wall."
He decided to conceal the True Intent Inheritance while being honest about obtaining the saber art. With this attitude of trust, he hoped to gain the trust of Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, and Qi Zhengyan in return, laying a foundation for them to work together in future Samsara missions.
"Ananda Breaking Precepts Saber Art?" Jiang Zhiwei opened her eyes and spoke in astonishment. Clearly, her earlier indifference had all been feigned. She had merely followed her own habits and the rules of the martial world by not asking what others had obtained during their solo actions, lest it provoke conflict. Meng Qi's frankness had therefore shocked her greatly.
Likewise, Zhang Yuanshan and Qi Zhengyan could no longer maintain their composure. They looked at Meng Qi in surprise.
"Yes, but it's only the remnant form of the first saber strike." Seeing their astonished expressions, Meng Qi nodded inwardly. This is exactly the effect I wanted.
"The remnant form doesn't matter. I remember there's an entry for 'completing a remnant form' on the exchange list. The less that's missing, the fewer Merit Points it requires. At the very least, it probably won't cost even a tenth of the original." Jiang Zhiwei smiled lightly. "Little Monk, there was actually no need to tell us about such a fortuitous encounter. Everyone has their own secrets. I do, and Senior Brother Zhang and Senior Brother Qi certainly do as well."
The remnant form can be completed? Meng Qi immediately grew excited. The "Severing Purity" he had comprehended was missing very little. It probably would not cost many Merit Points!
This put him in an excellent mood, and he said with a grin, "The few of us have already shared life-and-death experiences, and we'll inevitably have to join forces in the future. If I concealed the matter of the saber art, it would be easy to misjudge our strength when making plans beforehand. Besides, it's only a single remnant form."
He explained it from both the perspective of their friendship and their practical needs. Most importantly, he wanted to awaken everyone's recognition of the word "friendship."
"Little Monk, there really was no need. When making plans beforehand, you only need to say roughly what level of enemy I can deal with. There's no need to reveal all your specific trump-card techniques." Jiang Zhiwei smiled like a blooming flower. Although she felt it unnecessary, Meng Qi's frankness still made her very happy. At the very least, it proved that he truly regarded them as comrades who had endured hardship together.
Meng Qi froze for a moment. "I didn't realize it could be done that way..."
Jiang Zhiwei laughed until she trembled like a flower branch, and Zhang Yuanshan could not help shaking his head with a laugh. "Junior Brother Zhending, luckily it was us. If you had met someone harboring ulterior motives, your Ananda Breaking Precepts Saber Art would have lost its element of surprise. You're still too young, with too little experience in the martial world."
His gaze was gentle and his smile sincere. Clearly, he recognized Meng Qi a little more.
Qi Zhengyan had just rambled on about his own thoughts earlier. Now, he nodded at the candid Meng Qi. "Sometimes, if your companions know that you have a trump card, they'll be less flustered and more composed, which in turn makes the enemy wary and costs you the element of surprise. So long as your intentions are good, we won't mind you concealing things to a suitable degree."
He had also offered an explanation for concealing the Child-Mother Soul Separation Dart earlier.
After they had spoken openly, their relationship seemed to have truly drawn much closer.
"Senior Brother Qi, you really did become more talkative after getting injured." Meng Qi teased him, then changed the subject before Qi Zhengyan's face could darken. "Besides that, there's also a stone gate embedded in the mountain wall. On either side, it says, 'Affection, loyalty, goodness, benevolence—none may enter this gate'..."
He recounted all his other discoveries in full, watching to see whether Zhang Yuanshan, Jiang Zhiwei, and the others had any clues.
Du'er Cha lowered his gaze to the traces left by their hurried departure through the forest and gave a cold snort. "Just as expected of fledglings fresh out of the nest."
Following the traces Meng Qi and the others had been unable to erase, Du'er Cha advanced at an unhurried pace and soon reached the vicinity of the Crimson Boulder.
"Hm?" He noticed that the traces ended there, so he cautiously looked left and right.
The trembling of his body had still not stopped. Faint beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, making it clear that he was not at ease.
After confirming that no one was around, Du'er Cha knitted his brows in confusion. They could not possibly possess the ability to fly through the heavens and burrow into the earth, so how could they have vanished into thin air?
Could they have noticed the traces they left behind and deliberately erased them?
Du'er Cha paced back and forth a few steps before once again examining the nearby traces. He discovered that one trail vanished behind the Crimson Boulder, while another stopped before the cliff wall.
He thought silently for a moment, then walked expressionlessly behind the boulder and extended his right hand to search for a mechanism.
In a similar situation, how could it fool someone like him, who had roamed the martial world for many years?
Wasn't it just a Secret Passage?
The traces you left behind were far too obvious. You hardly looked like disciples of an orthodox sect who had been permitted to descend the mountain. You looked more like fledglings fresh to the martial world!
But these fledglings are far too strong...
"'Affection, loyalty, goodness, benevolence—none may enter this gate'... I've never heard of it." Zhang Yuanshan frowned and thought for a while before shaking his head.
As soon as he finished speaking, a clattering sound suddenly rang out. The four stared in astonishment and saw Du'er Cha, his face crisscrossed with scars, standing quietly outside and waiting for the entrance to the Secret Passage to open completely.
"How could he have discovered it?" Meng Qi's expression changed drastically.
Still shocked, Qi Zhengyan spoke with frustration and self-reproach. "We forgot to deal with the traces..."
At the time, lightning had flashed and thunder had boomed, while winds and clouds had surged. He and Meng Qi had been frantic as they dodged about, and neither had any similar experience before. They had actually forgotten to erase the traces.
Hearing Qi Zhengyan's words, Meng Qi's heart slowly sank. Did I just bring about my own death?
No. We can't give up!
Before the entrance had fully opened, Meng Qi pounced forward. On one hand, he tried to twist the mechanism inside and close the entrance again, defending from a position of advantage. On the other, he carefully observed Du'er Cha, thinking about how to deal with him if he could not stop him.
"He lost his left hand, left arm, and left shoulder, exposing white bone. His entire body is trembling, so his injuries are probably extremely severe, and he has little strength left..." Meng Qi's right hand touched the mechanism as he formed an initial judgment of Du'er Cha.
Du'er Cha gently waved his right hand. A fierce wind swept up and directly blew Meng Qi, who had lunged forward in panic and had not yet found his footing, several steps backward. He failed to close the entrance.
Pain flared through Meng Qi's chest and abdomen, and his breathing seized. His thoughts raced.
Even if he has little strength left, he's still not someone Senior Brother Qi and I can withstand. What should we do?
My strongest martial art is the Ananda Breaking Precepts Saber Art, but it's only a remnant form!
Wait, the missing part is only at the back. The front is complete, so it can still form the complete Saber Intent before the attack is unleashed...
Should I put on a show and scare him away?
Yes! He's seriously injured. When faced with an opponent and technique he isn't confident about, he'll definitely choose to retreat for the time being. Then the Main Quest will be completed!
In that brief instant, one thought after another flashed through Meng Qi's mind, and he soon reached a decision. He planted his feet in an unassuming stance and gripped the Monastic Blade tightly in his right hand.
The entrance opened wide, but Du'er Cha did not attack directly. He silently walked toward the mountain wall.
His wordless, attackless advance placed immense pressure on Meng Qi and the others. Jiang Zhiwei and Zhang Yuanshan both stopped healing and struggled to their feet, preparing to fight to the death.
"You will all die." Du'er Cha's voice rang out with majesty as he raised his right fist,
Meng Qi replayed the remnant form in his mind. The Monastic Blade slowly extended, and the Saber Intent was on the verge of erupting.
But at that very moment, Du'er Cha suddenly flew backward, his right fist striking toward a towering tree.
Amid the raging wind, a silver-bell-like laugh suddenly rang out. A white figure darted from behind the tree, her form ethereal, like an immortal and like a song, dodging the punch.
Crack! The towering tree broke in two and toppled backward with a heavy crash.
The white figure stopped not far away. It was a peerless beauty in a simple white dress.
"I merely showed the slightest surprise when I saw the Secret Passage, yet you actually noticed." The girl smiled sweetly. "I was even planning to wait until you killed them before making my move."
Seeing the girl, Meng Qi blurted out in surprise, "Xiao Zi?"
The girl's appearance was unmistakably Xiao Zi's!
Indeed, the Xiao Zi from before could at most be considered pretty. But now, her features seemed to have matured, and she possessed a nimble, ethereal, unfathomable air. She had suddenly become a peerless beauty, no less striking than Jiang Zhiwei.
"Xiao Zi? Don't mention that fool." The girl's beautiful eyes shifted as she gave a half-smile. "I'm Gu Xiaosang."
Gu Xiaosang? Meng Qi had heard Xiao Zi mention that name before. Seeing almost the exact same face and hearing the name again now, he found it exceptionally eerie.
As they spoke, Du'er Cha's attacks continued, but the dark clouds, heavy rain, thunder, and lightning were gone. Only howling winds remained.
Gu Xiaosang, however, remained unhurried. Her clothes fluttered as if she were dancing in the wind, and she could even spare the time to talk to Meng Qi.
"Gu Xiaosang. So it really is her." Zhang Yuanshan spoke in a solemn whisper. Jiang Zhiwei also pressed her lips together, while Qi Zhengyan unconsciously took a step backward.
Gu Xiaosang clearly had quite a reputation!
After dodging for a while, Gu Xiaosang said with a sweet smile, "Great General, if you keep attacking me, I won't hold back. Why don't you wait until you've killed them, and then I'll kill you? How does that sound?"
"You?" Du'er Cha snorted coldly, and his attacks grew even fiercer.
"If you were in perfect condition, even two of me might not be your match. But now? Your left eye is blind, your head is being harassed by Sword Qi, and you've taken one strike each from Xin Ji's desperate Great Strength Vajra Palm and Nian Hua Finger. How much strength do you have left? Thirty percent, twenty percent, or ten percent?" Gu Xiaosang chuckled as she flew backward across level ground, dodging Du'er Cha's deadly blow.
"Even so, killing you would be as easy as killing a chicken." Du'er Cha still spoke with majesty, but his figure suddenly changed direction and dashed toward the outside of the forest.
He actually fled without hesitation!
As expected of a Barbarian warlord!
Gu Xiaosang's figure was like a ghost, like an immortal. Somehow, she appeared in front of Du'er Cha. Extending her delicate hand, she joined her index and middle fingers into a short sword and leisurely pointed them at the center of his brows.
At the same time, she slightly opened her mouth and began chanting. Ethereal voices suddenly descended around them:
"The mortal world is a prison, all living beings suffer, the cycle of rebirth never ends, worries and calamities never cease. Pity me, people of this world; let a god descend from heaven. Wusheng Laomu, Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!"
"Wusheng Laomu, Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss!"
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