513 Ancestral Spirits

"Wasn't Merciless Tyrant possessed by Nether Spirits lurking at the dead entrance? Why would he die so tragically at the living entrance?"

Meng Qi wondered if he was mistaken in his judgment. "Could it be that the Nether Spirits or malice from the dead entrance faced restrictions at the living entrance and decided to just abandon the body that it had possessed to escape?"

Meng Qi allowed his thoughts to run haywire. Not daring to take any reckless action, Slayer Yaksh's expression darkened as he observed the scene around Merciless Tyrant's corpse.

He suddenly cried in surprise and said, "It doesn't seem like he was torn in half. The break is clean as if he was hacked by a saber."

"Hacked by a saber?" Meng Qi's eyes turned toward the corpse in alarm and saw that it was indeed true that there were no traces of Merciless Tyrant being torn apart. The wound looked like the result of a hacking.

"If I didn't know myself so well, I would really think that I'm the one who killed him..." Meng Qi suspected, for a brief moment, that the wound on Merciless Tyrant's corpse was a result of the Big Bang Technique. The same way he had done to Yang Zhenchan who eliminated his own traces.

The thought had just occurred to him when he froze in shock. Meng Qi could not completely eliminate the possibility that the murder was his own doing!

There were no signs or warnings of evil possession in the Zhenwu's Decoy Grave at all. Could the spirit occupying Merciless Tyrant be possessing him now? Did the spirit take control of his body while the illusory formation was clouding his senses?

Fear gripped Meng Qi's heart the more he considered this possibility. If not for the Vital Qi entering and leaving his body in a circulation as well as his firm self-control, he would likely be sweating by now.

Meng Qi, with his many experiences, took a breath and calmed his mind. He extended his mental energy to carefully inspect Merciless Tyrant's corpse.

Unlike Yang Zhenchan, Merciless Tyrant's body did not rot to form piles of mud. It was a dehydrated corpse, void of any moisture including blood. His skin and internal organs were both dried and shriveled. His body was cut cleanly in half.

Meng Qi, contrary to expectations, felt like heaving a sigh of relief to see this. Though it seemed like it was a result of the Big Bang Technique, it resembled an imitation instead.

"For the perpetrator to mimic the Big Bang Technique... Could someone have seen me killing Yang Zhenchan? That doesn't seem right. I've used the technique while escaping the dead entrance..." Meng Qi frowned.

Suddenly, Slayer Yaksh extended his hand to grab the putrefied black pouch on Merciless Tyrant's body. Even the gloves the latter wore had decayed but the item inside the pouch was intact thanks to the pouch taking all the damage.

No one objected to Slayer Yaksh taking away Merciless Tyrant's black pouch due to their relationship. Though Meng Qi was unwilling to relinquish the item, he knew he still needed the remaining two to explore the passage and fall into the traps for him.

He was also preoccupied with another problem: was he currently being possessed by the Nether Spirits or malice at the dead entrance?

The incident at the Zhenwu's Decoy Grave left a deep impression on him. He had no idea when he became possessed and the possibility was now hard to eliminate.

He calmed his mind and allowed his Vital Spirit to clamber up, overlooking the Celestial. He opened his Aperture acupoints and secretly triggered them to search for any abnormalities.

"There's no problem..." Meng Qi's Dharma Form emerged internally, faint and indistinct. The primal chaos opened up, giving birth to The Celestial. Universes and worlds appeared as usual.

He then visualized the first stance of Buddha's Palm, the large golden finger touching the sky dubbed the 'Big Golden Buddha', and pointed at himself in his mind. Nothing strange came out of him.

Since nothing happened even after using Buddha's Palm, then Meng Qi decided to believe in himself! He stopped suspecting himself. If there were still Nether Spirits or malice that could occupy his body without warning under the threat of Immortal Primogenitor Form and the visualization of Buddha's Palm, it would not be solvable by just a mere the Exterior expert. Then it was not worth worrying about it. Once he was done with his task, he would get the Six Realms to help!

He currently kept a Dharmakaya-level item with him at the moment. Which, was the wooden carving that Master Lu had gifted him. He had been holding it in his left hand for some time. The wooden carving felt the same. It was still the same wooden carving.

"Let's continue," Slayer Yaksh said, his expression gloomy.

Meng Qi and 'Primordial Chaos Devil' Jia Zhen said nothing and continued to move forward.

They had taken the third step when mist once again shrouded them. Meng Qi carefully changed his direction instead of staying in his original spot.

The mist receded minutes later. Meng Qi saw that the ash-colored square was deserted, with only Slayer Yaksh standing some distance away.

"Did Jia Zhen die as well?" Meng Qi unleashed his mental energy and discovered a pile of mud-like bloody flesh. It was as if a great number of boulders had crushed 'Primordial Chaos Devil' Jia Zhen's body. Meng Qi was only able to determine the latter's identity through the clothing amid the rubble.

Everything on Jia Zhen's body was squashed into pieces.

"So even this familiar-looking middle-aged scholar that I can't recognize has died as well..." Meng Qi felt a sudden chill running down his spine. Indeed, this was the great Carefree Valley that had buried the entire country of Bomi. Fortunately, he had an examiner that he could drag into this mess!

Meng Qi and Slayer Yaksh's eyes met and they saw the deep mistrust held in each other's eyes.

"Do we continue?" Meng Qi asked.

"Of course," Slayer Yaksh replied in a low voice.

The entrance was only several steps away!

The two of them walked shoulder-to-shoulder and the mist once again befell them three steps later, clouding their senses.

Based on his understanding, Meng Qi took a horizontal step forward to leave his current position. In his senses, the mist had taken over the vast sea of Vital Qi around him and covered up what was natural.

Suddenly, a bolt of shadow-like lightning appeared, accompanied by an intense Devil Qi. It was like a centipede-like creature that attempted to tightly coil around Meng Qi.

Meng Qi, who was on guard all this while, transformed as swiftly as the wind, breaking away from the Devil Qi-infused centipede in a mystifying way.

Suddenly, a human-shaped silhouette jumped at Meng Qi from within the mist. It was uncertain whether he threw a fist, clawed, thrust a saber, flung a hammer, or formed a helix – but it was underlined with Dharma and Logos. The attack was earth-shatteringly strong, full of the feeling of decomposition. Feelings of degradation pierced sharply into Meng Qi's heart.

Without attempting to defend himself, Meng Qi thrust his sword while opening many of his Aperture acupoints. Overhead, the Grand Sun emerged.

The sword carried the intensity of the sun, bursting with seemingly illusory ten thousand rays of light that sometimes twisted and reversed. The light 'swallowed' everything within sight.

The boundless light of the Grand Sun illuminated all corners!

Clang, clang, clang! His sword clashed continuously with his opponent's fist and feet, ringing with sounds of gold and iron colliding and causing many shadows to scatter.

Suddenly, shadows gathered to form horns on his head. Devil Qi pervaded the air.

The silhouette slapped his hands together, seizing Flowing Fire right on its blade. The sunshine instantly dissipated.

Meng Qi felt a sudden colossal strength coming from Flowing Fire. His flesh, bones, soul, and Vital Spirit felt somewhat loose as if they were being drawn to his opponent!

The faint golden glow surfaced on his skin and the attractive force was rendered utterly useless, akin to an ant trying to shake a large tree,

The genuine Qi of Meng Qi's opponent abruptly changed, giving him a deep sense of danger. He instantly extinguished the restrictions on Flowing Fire and made corresponding changes to his movements.

Thud!

Flowing Fire, pinned by two palms, burst with an intensity akin to the descending of the Grand Sun. It exploded continuously, flaring with scorching heat and radiating sunlight all around.

The sword, relying on this force, slid through the two palms and stabbed the opponent in the chest!

The opponent's chest seemed as if it was made out of gold. However, Flowing Fire being a Precious Weapon merely paused for a brief second before piercing it.

Thud!

Intense heat burst forth from the sword like the force coming from the continuous explosions of the Grand Sun. The smell of scorched flesh drifted to Meng Qi's nose. The explosions even thinned the mist shrouding him.

The opponent took advantage of the brief second in which the sword paused to fly away, barely stopping the sword to pierce him. However, the tip of the sword had melted a huge cavity in his chest. Half of his organs liquefied while the other half became charred.

It was only then that Meng Qi felt an intense numbness in his limbs that extended all the way to his head.

"It's him! Extreme Bliss of Heaven and Demon!" Meng Qi nearly struck his opponent, who he finally saw through the thinned white mist. It was the person who could not be any more dead if he tried: 'Primordial Chaos Devil' Jia Zhen!

Meng Qi was able to recognize his true identity from the kungfu technique he had used. He was Old Zhong of the Myths, not any of the Samsara travelers!

No wonder he did not suffer any external wounds earlier! Sky Devil's Golden Body was essentially a defensive Divine Skill that would make the user impervious to swords or spears!

Old Zhong, who had returned to his original appearance, had become even uglier with new lumps growing on his face. He retreated in succession, all the way until he reached the fringe of the ash-colored square.

Meng Qi tried to pursue him but was obstructed by layers of congealed mist.

The mist had largely disappeared by now, allowing him to see Slayer Yaksh whose whole body was radiating rays of Five Elements light. His body was being strenuously propped up by a translucent Nether Spirit.

This particular Nether Spirit had an aged appearance, with a black robe draped over his shoulders. His head of grey hair was thick and coarse, resembling thin serpents. They fell over his back.

He gave up trying to attack Meng Qi with the mist dissipating and merged with what remained of it.

"You!" Slayer Yaksh stared at Old Zhong, who was under the protection of the mist. His eyes were brimming with bitter hatred.

However, he did not make a reckless move. It was as if he was waiting for something.

Old Zhong gave them a strange smile, his state of mind clearly abnormal. "Well, it's your fault for inviting me."

"What is it that you want? Neither of us has entered the living entrance yet!" Slayer Yaksh was confused why would Old Zhong be so impatient to make a move.

The flesh in Old Zhong's chest wiggled as he developed and changed his internal organs. He glanced at Meng Qi and said somewhat crazedly, "I want to kill you all, of course!"

His words seemed to alert Meng Qi to something, prompting him to ask, "Did the Myths send you here to find clues of the Carefree Valley?"

"The Myths..." Slayer Yaksh had just found out that Heaven Sovereign of the Myths had killed the Emperor of the Great Jin Dynasty at the frontier trade earlier. Now that he had met the 'main owner' of the organization, he felt as if he had fallen into a dream.

Old Zhong delayed his reply delightfully, saying, "You're right. I didn't think you'd team up and find the living entrance so quickly, so fast that I didn't have time to pass on this news. I have no choice but to kill you all and suppress this matter."

Since everything happened so abruptly, he was not able to first notify the Myths out of fear that someone would get to the treasure in the Carefree Valley before they did. Thus he decided to assassinate them and destroy this treasure-hunting team. Who knew that he would fail on his first try? To make things worse, the first one to kill was not him but Meng Qi!

"Who's that Nether Spirit?" Slayer Yaksh asked.

Old Zhong snickered. "Based on the information that I've obtained, there would be ancestral spirits guarding the important points of Bomi. They'd bless you as long as you sincerely worship them."

"You didn't just kowtow just to open the entrance..." Realization dawned on Slayer Yaksh.

Typically, ancestral spirits that have not been worshipped for more than a century would disappear. However, this place was special in that it was sinister, damp, and full of dead air. It would still be reasonable for an ancestral spirit to have existed for more than a thousand years, but from the looks of it, it had lost all its wisdom and acted purely on instinct. Furthermore, it also had to rely on the mist.

Old Zhong's chest returned to its unscathed condition but his breath appeared weak. Glancing at Meng Qi and Slayer Yaksh, he sneered. "You don't dare to move because you're worried about triggering the illusory formation, isn't it? You're scared that the ancestral spirit would come attacking?"

"It doesn't matter. I'll trigger it for you!"

His voice had barely faded when he heard Slayer Yaksh's hearty laughter. "Jia Zhen, why did you think I'd invite an acquaintance like you?"

"You..." a stunned Old Zhong muttered.

Slayer Yaksh's expression turned cold. "I'd invited you because you're convenient for me to kill and I won't have to share the treasure with you!"

Suddenly, a figure materialized out of thin air with his two hands fashioned into claws. Dark blood poured like torrential rain as it dragged the ancestral spirit out of the formation!

The newcomer wore a black imperial robe, with his white hair tied in a top knot secured by a serpentine-shaped hairpin. With his wrinkled face, he quite resembled an ancestral spirit!

"Emperor of the Netherworld!" Old Zhong's expression changed dramatically. He took out an item and instantly turned to dash out of the exit.

Slayer Yaksh appeared calm and unperturbed, looking as if he had planned this all along. He did not bother pursuing Old Zhong. Instead, he turned to Meng Qi with a smile.

"You're really calm, aren't you? You're not afraid?"

Meng Qi showed him a brilliant smile, revealing his clean and straight teeth.

"Why should I feel afraid?"