The Sage Who Transcended Samsara
chapter-53

Shaking his head, Meng Qi decided not to bother with them and continued his practice of Golden Bell Shield. It was none of his business anyway.

Sometime later, he once again heard steps from afar approaching and understood it was Zheng Chang and the others returning. Curious about what the traitor of Cui Family looked like, he opened his eyes and glanced over.

There came four men, followed by a staggering burly man whose long hair had covered his face. There was no trace of anything monstrous on him.

"There are actually no observable flaws in his transformation from a monster. In the future, how will we differentiate... " Meng Qi initially had this worried thought, but soon forgot it. Though the Demon Clan had a long history and once powerful, humans now predominated the world. Their predecessors must have definitely left behind knowledge of their rich experience in dealing with them.

Once again passing by Meng Qi, Xuan Ku, Zhen Chang, and the middle-aged man of Cui family did not pay him any mind. After all, there was nothing unusual with his practice.

Instead, it was the childlike young man who slowed down deliberately and approached the cell of the Frigid Tortoise to observe the untransformed demon.

He was very curious about these demons and had been looking for opportunities along the way. But he knew most demons trapped here were fearsome creatures. If he imprudently approached them, he could be easily hurt by their breaths. So he eventually decided on the Fire Swan and the Frigid Tortoise.

If a young, weak little monk could cultivate himself outside their cells, this meant they could not be particularly powerful and fierce monsters.

A purple glow emerged on the young man's skin to dispel the cold and got close to the Frigid Tortoise.

Roar!

Irritated by the human closeness and an unexpected intrusion, the Frigid Turtle rushed to the iron bars and spat cold air out with resounding roars.

Around the cell, the Ten Thousand Characters lighted up one by one. The chants of Sutras started ringing, blocking the coldness and evil air. Only a little of them escaped the cell.

Following this, the Fire Swan on the other cell also flapped its wings and flew from the inner corner. With the burning fire rolling through its body, it looked sinister and evil.

Though there was a barrier, the cell could not fully obstruct the growing evil air. The cold and heat once again tortured Meng Qi, triggering his fourth level of Golden Bell Shield. His body turned a dark golden color.

The young man who was unaccustomed to the evil air was instantly deterred. He felt weak at the knees and his purple skin was frozen little by little.

Having never encountered such an incident, Xuan Ku and Zhen Chang were also frozen, shocked by the evil air and the extreme cold and heat.

The long-hair monster's head was still lowered, as if nothing had happened. That was because the middle-aged man of Cui family was looking at it with a smile. With his right hand surrounded by purple Qi, he reached for his own child.

The pained Meng Qi slowly raised his head and glanced at the Frigid Tortoise and the Fire Swan. These two were the culprits!

His cold gaze stunned the Frigid Tortoise. As if remembering something, it returned to a corner and retracting its head and limbs back into its shell.

The flying Fire Swan had also calmed down and returned to its corner, keeping its back to Meng Qi.

"Eh... ?" Meng Qi was himself stunned by their response.

"Let's go, Hao," the middle-aged man said. Since the situation was no longer dangerous, his right hand was behind his back again.

Still frightened, the young man followed after his father quickly without a word.

Surprised and doubtful, Xuan Ku and Zhen Chang opened their mouths, but did not know what to say. So they too quietly moved forward.

After they left the prison, when Xuan Ku and Zhen Chang was canceling the Extraction Token with the monks guarding the Pagoda, the young man finally collected himself. He angrily said, "Dad, it must be that little monk who made the monsters scare me! Just look at how servile they were to him after. It's clear that they're trained by him!"

"It's not him." The middle-aged man sighed. "Hao, can't you tell it was not servitude but fear that made them retreat?"

"Fear?" the young man asked in disbelief. How could such strong monsters be afraid of a little monk?

The middle-aged young man looked at him carefully and asked, "Hao er, didn't you plan on accumulating some experience in your travel this time?"

"That's right." The young man did not understand why his father suddenly brought this up out of the blue.

The middle-aged man looked at coming Zhen Chang and Xuan Ku with his hand back, and solemnly said, "With your current insight, you'd better off staying home for a few more years. Your trip now is merely a way to your own demise."

"Dad!" It was as if the young man was struck by lightning.

"I'll speak to your Third Uncle Qing Yu about this," the middle-aged man said, leaving no space for his son to refute.

...

"They're actually afraid of me?" After recalling what had happened earlier, Meng Qi ended up with the unbelievable conclusion that the two monsters, far superior in strength, were afraid of him!

"Is it because I was immersed in the fantasy meditation and they were still feeling threatened by Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship?"

Meng Qi thought deeply about the reason why this happened. If the met other masters with strength similar to the two monsters, they would feel threatened by him. Even if they were attacked by his sword will, it would not even leave an impression on them. The reason must be that the two monsters were trapped here and their power could not be demonstrated completely. What was more, they were mentally tortured by the chants of Sutras from Buddha's Relics Tower. The damage to their mentality could not be minor.

Since the Fire Swan, the Frigid Turtle and the Drooping Wings had retreated away from Meng Qi, the effects of cultivation had declined a lot. Without the Ganoderma Elixir of Restoration, he decided he might as well get up. Stretching and moving his limbs, he put his monk's robe on and left Buddha's Relics Tower.

It was a sunny day, with spring very much in the air.

"It's almost three months since I last saw the sun. I didn't think it would be so pleasing to my eyes." Meng Qi chuckled. Squinting and taking a deep breath, Meng Qi suddenly found life to be incredibly wonderful.

During this period, Meng Qi left early and returned late each day. Often, he would have breakfast and enter the stupa before sunrise and only leave after sunset.

Naturally, it was also partly due to the short daytime in late winter and early spring.

With brisk steps, Meng Qi walked towards the back mountain. The monks on guard along the way all looked at him in surprise, wondering why he had left so early today. Was he finally slacking?

Though they worked in shifts, Meng Qi had stayed here for almost three months. Not surprisingly, they all knew of a little monk who practiced in the stupa and left after dark each day.

Their gazes did not concern Meng Qi. He happily enjoyed the sunshine. Not even the red soil under his feet could not affect his mood anymore.

Through the narrow path between two hills, Meng Qi went back to the familiar place. He stared at the forest, a little startled.

Meng Qi did not know what was the link, but it was exactly the task of guarding here that enabled him to find Zhen Guan and improve his strength dramatically.

So he entered the forest to check on the secret passage and see if it was guarded.

As expected, he found two yellow-robed monks looking around by the big, red rock.

Afraid of being noticed, Meng Qi dare not approach them. He turned around and walked out of the forest.

Although he could freely enter the back mountain at the moment, he did not have the privilege of spying on places that were guarded.

While walking, he saw a familiar figure walking towards him.

"Senior Brother Zhen Yong?" Meng Qi said in surprise.

Zhen Yong was taken aback by the sound. After recognizing it was Meng Qi, he tapped his chest and said, "Junior Brother Zhen Ding, you scared me. Why are you here?"

"When I passed the forest, my curiosity about the secret passage led me here." Meng Qi did not bother finding an excuse since it was no big deal and he was not caught by any monk. "What about you?"

Clutching his stomach, Zhen Yong grinned. "We all have our needs. Today I'm guarding the place in front."

"Oh." Meng Qi remembered he had once used this excuse to practice his swordsmanship. Though he was a little skeptical, he bid farewell without saying anything else.

Unsurprisingly, Meng Qi found his master Xuan Bei practicing his bladesmanship when he returned to the yard.

"Why are you back so early today? Could it be you couldn't withstand the hot and cold torment?" Xuan Bei retracted his Buddhist Commandment Blade. His expression showed not a hint of blame.

Meng Qi had been wondering whether to tell his Master and how to tell him by the time he went back. When he remembered that people, including Xuan Ku and Zhen Chang, had seen his golden body against cold and heat, he made his decision. That was the demonstration of the completion of the fourth level of Invincibility Skill!

Meng Qi's hesitation made Xuan Bei smile and he comforted him by saying, "Haste makes waste. I'm too strict on you. Don't lose heart."

Meng Qi bowed his head and answered, "Master, I have reached the fourth level of Invincibility Skill."