The Sage Who Transcended Samsara
chapter-254

Meng Qi gritted his teeth, nodding with force. "Senior Brother Qi, be careful."

It had only been an hour since Jiang Zhiwei consumed the Recover Pill. If she was to make a premature move, her chance of succeeding would be close to none. But Qi Zhengyan could draw the monsters and zombies away because those creatures weren't intelligent, giving him at least a 30 percent chance of escaping. That was nearly the same chances if he had teamed up with Jiang Zhiwei after she recovered. It could be considered as another option for their survival. Considering this, Meng Qi didn't stop him.

Naturally, this was under the condition that Qi Zhengyan's path would not harbor any other monsters. From the look of things at the moment, it seemed like a good choice.

"Go and draw them to the left." Murky's order was enough to draw the ire of Meng Qi and his friends.

Having passed a fork in the road, the mountain path was finally visible. It was obviously the best way to get deep within the Holy Mountain to find the monastery and treasures. That was why Murky ordered Qi Zhengyan to lead the creatures to the path leading left.

Qi Zhengyan took a few deep breaths before grabbing his Dragon Stripe Golden Sword and carefully approaching the creatures. The closer he went, the stronger the Demon Odor. It was so terrifying that he felt chills all over him.

Fortunately, he had the power of the dragon suppressing his fear, allowing him to move freely. As he inched closer to the creatures, Meng Qi's heart beat faster. He and the rest secretly prayed that the Gods would treat them kindly.

When Qi Zhengyan came within a few feet of the creatures, they began to move. The eyes of one zombie flashed red and its hands transformed into bear palms as the Demon Odor and the feeling of death around them flared.

A blast of white mist instantly filled the air, with him using the White Cloud Smoke for cover. He held his breath and jumped past the creatures, heading toward the little path on the left.

When he brushed past the creatures, he came into contact with the Demon Odor of a zombie that made a blood-curdling screech. The zombie threw a punch at him, where black gas gathered at its fist and sounds of the howling wind was reverberating. The strength of the zombie's punch was astonishing.

A red cloud emerged from Qi Zhengyan's body like a blooming water lily, wrapping itself around him to block the punch.

He bolted forward while constantly changing his directions.

When the black gas came into contact with the red cloud, it dissipated into a mass of smoke and dust that collapsed onto the ground, forming a deep and seemingly bottomless hole.

He staggered and cough blood, but never once slowing down. The creatures were right behind him, screeching in anger.

It was only at this point that Meng Qi could exhale in relief. If the zombies had any wisdom and didn't attack purely based on instinct, Qi Zhengyan would have failed to block the attack. How dangerous!

When Qi Zhengyan and the horde of zombies both disappeared at the mouth of the path, Murky instantly urged Meng Qi and the rest to keep moving.

When they passed the fork in the path, Meng Qi glanced at the path leading left and the black hole on it. He silently said, "Good luck, Senior Brother Qi. You could be the only one who can survive this…"

Even if Jiang Zhiwei could make a full recovery, they didn't have high hopes of killing Murky because she had lost her left hand. They could only try their best.

Passing the fork, they headed for the summit of the Holy Mountain.

The wind was unpredictable, sometimes blowing strongly on Qi Zhengyan's face and sometimes attacking him from behind. He felt like he was drowning in air.

He didn't pay those any mind, only focusing on running and dodging the black hole. He even used the wind to block the horde of zombies chasing after him. After a while, the distance between them started growing and he was close to ditching them entirely.

Just then, he suddenly stopped. A hint of hopelessness emerged in his typically expressionless face. There was a cliff in his way, so deep that he couldn't see the bottom. If he were to jump, his chance of survival was zero.

While he was running, he had to choose between several forked paths. Yet who knew he would ultimately choose a dead end!

"Is this my fate? Is this how my life ends?" He turned around to see the zombies charging at him.

He had been born average without any extraordinary talents. In his sect, he was an ordinary and inconspicuous disciple while his seniors and juniors were improving and gaining recognition and fame. Was he satisfied with this?

He scraped by for many years, finally managing his Apertures and becoming the inconspicuous, low-level ranks of the Jianghu. Was he satisfied with this?

He was trapped by the trifles of life, whether it was the lack of money and the complaints of his wife. He could only place all his hopes on his daughter and live vicariously through her. Was he satisfied with this?

It hadn't been easy but he finally earned an opportunity to enter the Samsara and attain the Divine Skills that he didn't dare to dream about in his past. With the elixirs and weapons, he was on the cusp of putting his name on the Ranking List of Young Masters. Just as he was about to make it and his future was bright, he was going to die here. Was he satisfied with this?

These questions echoed in his mind and inside him, a certain sense of perseverance gradually rose in him.

No! He wasn't satisfied!

If this was destiny set by the Gods, then he would fight all the way to the heavens! If this was his fate, then he would change it!

Qi Zhengyan's eyes were suddenly bloodshot.

...

The mountain path was besieged by typhoon-like winds on one side and a black hole on the other. The stones on the pure land of the Primogenitor of Buddhism were crushed to dust by the winds. Meng Qi and the rest climbed upward, avoiding the cracks in the path.

Just as they were about to reach a flat spot, Meng Qi stopped in his tracks. Something massive was lying in the middle of their path. Upon a closer look, he saw that it was a python almost a large as a small mountain.

The python was enveloped in thick Demon Odor and a deathly stench. A yellowish fluid was seeping from its body, where parts of its bones were revealed. Black gas was emanating from its tapered body.

"Snake Dang..." Murky surprisingly recognized the python.

The python has been a friend of his old master, the nine-headed bug, and was close to attaining the Real Body of the Heavenly Snake. It followed Murky's old master to storm the Holy Mountain but then disappeared. Who knew this was where it had died.

The body of the python had decomposed so much that Murky couldn't tell the cause of its death.

"So this python has become a dead creature without a soul…" Even if Meng Qi wasn't any good, he was still a monk. He could tell that this python was just like the horde of demons earlier, a zombie.

But this was the pure land of the Holy Mountain. Yin Qi shouldn't be gathering at all. It was understandable that some demons became zombies due to their special powers, but why was every demon they met here like that?

Could the colossal battle back then change the rules of heaven and earth?

Murky's legs became soft when he saw Snake Dang. He didn't have the courage to fight the python and there wasn't any point to do so since it didn't possess any Precious Weapons. So he pointed at Luo Shengyi and said, "You. Go and draw the snake away."

It had only been an hour since Jiang Zhiwei consumed the elixir. Qi Zhengyan was also not around, drawing the horde of zombies away. Luo Shengyi's strength had recovered quite a bit and there was a better chance of simply drawing the python away compared to battling Murky. After weighing the options, he signaled for Meng Qi not to rush and stood out.

It was better to deal with this monster now. Who knew if they would encounter demons at the level of Monster King or Luohan level as they continued to climb up?

Seeing Luo Shengyi's determination, Meng Qi didn't say anything. He merely wished him good luck in secret.

Luo Shengyi's Lightness Skill wasn't outstanding. He didn't have skills like White Cloud Smoke or Rosy Afterglow Swing either. Thus he approached the python with exceptional caution.

When he got close to the python, he picked up a stone and threw it in its direction. The stone, enveloped in his genuine Qi, traveled through the air in silence. It flew past Snake Dang and landed on the ground with a thud.

Snake Dang moved suddenly, its frightening lantern-like eyes rolling to the black as it spat out venom. The rock decomposed into liquid, even burning a hole in the ground.

Luo Shengyi seized the opportunity and dashed past the python, heading for the path leading right.

The python uncoiled its body, its long tail taking up most of the path, and chased after him. It took awhile for the tail to completely disappear out of sight.

"Hurry up and go!" Murky yelled, not letting go of this chance Luo Shengyi created. He took the remaining three people and moved forward, where they could see the summit of the mountain.

Luo Shengyi continued to dash, changing directions when he saw a fork in the road. When he saw a hidden crevice, he jumped straight inside and held his breath.

Snake Dang closed in with its burning eyes. Luo Shengyi continued to hold his breath. Since all his Nine Apertures were opened, he could maintain his current state for a long time.

When the python came close to the crevice he was hiding in, his heart nearly stopped. But the creature went past him. Without any intelligence left in him, his senses had largely dulled.

It was only after the python was gone that he finally inhaled. His luck was really good this time. The last time too. He would be fine if he just stayed here and wait until it was time to return to the Samsara.

Suddenly, he felt a chill down his back and jumped forward without thinking. A monster with a head full of white hair stood before him, baring its teeth.

He was about to turn and run when he realized the monster had blocked his way. On the other side, he could still see Snake Dang's tail.

His luck was all exhausted...

He was a Rogue Cultivator that didn't belong to any sect or school. Having experienced so much hardship and finally making the Ranking List of Young Masters, how could he just die here?

How could he be satisfied?

His potential and resources had always been limited compared to disciples of reputable sects. So he had to give it his all in each and every Samsara task. He had to be selfish and put himself first. Was it all for nothing?

He wasn't satisfied!

Luo Shengyi screamed inside. He glared at the white-haired demon and swung his right fist with force.

This punch of his was so powerful, like the crushing pressure of a mountain, that the white-haired demon's legs were bent.

Thump!

The white-haired demon retreated as soon as the punch hit it. Every bone in Luo's right hand was fractured.

Opportunity! He was about to throw a punch with his left hand out of habit to force the demon to back off. But he had exhausted all his energy in his punch earlier. He could only swing his fist like he was play-fighting with his lover.

His injuries were not healed and his strength not recovered. What he had given what all that he had...

The white-haired demon roared in anger and threw itself at him, sinking its teeth into his neck.

The pain rushed to his head and everything seemed to go dark around him. But there was a voice reverberating in his mind.

"I'm not satisfied!"

Everything fell completely silent.

Though the top of the mountain was in their view, reaching it was another matter. Meng Qi and others walked for an entire hour before they finally saw a partially collapsed temple. Only the Great Buddha's Hall was still standing.

Murky's eyes lit up. He instructed Jiang Zhiwei, saying, "Go and search inside."

She did as ordered without a word. She made eye contact with Meng Qi and nodded ever so slightly.

She had recovered. It was time to fight!