Chapter 781: No One Touches the Dark Rankings

His posture was imposing. The tanned man, Gu Erduo, stood still in his tent. As he breathed, the air around him seemed to swirl. The others in the tent started to feel suffocated by his presence.

Only Han Guang remained his usual elegant self as he smiled and said, “Khan, you are confident indeed.”

As he gazed into the distance, Gu Erduo’s eyes could not hide his intentions to go to war.

As his eyes met Mister Luda and Immortal Chonghe, he let out a laugh and said, “After we break through this place, we will reach the Heavenly Realm. With the awakening of the Scorpio Axe I was worried that no one in the world would be able to withstand a single blow from that weapon. Luckily, you two old friends carved out your own victories.”

“There hasn’t been a battle between the earth and the heavens in thousands of years. Just thinking of it makes my blood boil. I can’t wait to take action immediately.”

He did not answer Magician Han Guang’s words directly, but his words explicitly showed his sense of self-pride.

As his eyes darted around, Gu Erduo spoke in a deep tone, “You Dharmakayas, go to the back of the tent and discuss the plans for tomorrow.”

Han Guang was dressed in a large-sized robe and had a wooden hairpin on his head. He put his hands behind his back, stood up straight, and started to walk. In a flash, the man disappeared.

Da Man’s bright golden eyes glowed. The man dressed in a black robe carried a peculiar-looking greenish-black walking stick as he entered the tent looking old and haggard.

The interdiction started to take effect, separating the inside from the outside. The exponents from unorthodox origins expressed their displeasure, especially the abbot from the Temple of Joy, .

Although they were branded as unorthodox, as allies, they were bound to be categorised into different power levels. If they did not have any powers, they would naturally be at a disadvantage.

“Khan, if you did not ask, would we let the matter regarding Su Meng slide?”

An old voice sounded out amidst the slightly awkward atmosphere.

Before the old voice had faded away, every unorthodox exponent had somewhat identified the person who spoke. He was an aged man, dressed in a black robe. Evidently, he was one of the twelve G.o.ds of the Luo Sect. He was ranked fifth in the Dark Rankings, 26th in the Terrestrial Rankings. He was the epitome of seniority.

“Of course we won’t let it slide! My fellow comrade’s disciple from the Six Desires died a tragic death in Bayan. How could we let it slide?” A clean-looking, lanky monk announced his moniker with hatred in his words.

He looked about twenty years old. He was handsome and cultured, and gave off the airs of an aristocrat. However, deep inside, a sinister aura lurked within him. He was ranked fourth in the Dark Rankings. Other than the abbot of the Temple of Joy, the current Buddha of Joy, and the leader of the Heavenly Troops, no one was above him. Additionally, he was ranked 21st in the Terrestrial Rankings. He had harmed countless women before; his reputation was down in the doldrums. However, he had managed to live till this day, showcasing what he was capable of.

The current Buddha of Joy looked up, gazed deeply towards the crowd, and groaned, “Nine-Tuned Eagle, Holy Empress of Shaman, the Buddha of Vices, Fei Lian, the Living Dead, and the Vile Heavenly Demon. These people may not have been harmed by Su Meng, but they are definitely related to him. Does anyone have any thoughts? Does anyone want revenge? I’m talking specifically to Feng Dian and Zhang Deng. Elder Luo’s daughter is still at Bayan; she is in grave danger! Yet, all of you are sitting here hesitating, instead of providing swift reinforcements. What is this?”

As he spoke, the Golden Tent warriors, along with the gurus from the Longevity Cult, the Plain Girl Sect, and the Annihilation Sect, nodded lightly. Only the Life and Death Sect, along with the Luo Sect, remained silent. The former placed two coffins with red fog around it by the side of the tent and kept quiet; the latter remained calm and composed.

“The king has confirmed that his daughter has escaped danger,” Zhang Deng muttered in a light voice and continued, “She has her mother and the king to watch over her. There’s no need to worry over such a trivial matter.”

That was true. The Benevolent King would have bestowed a token-like object on Gu Xiaosang…

This thought flashed through many gurus’ heads as they noted down this point. In the future, if they were to spar against her, they would defend themselves against this.

“Good that she has escaped. But what about Su Meng?” the current Buddha of Joy continued to probe.

“The king has also said that Su Meng has not died yet,” Feng Dian answered in a hoa.r.s.e voice.

The current Buddha of Joy clasped her hands together and uttered, “Amitabha, I have an item that has been pa.s.sed down for many generations. Its name is Earth-Shattering Magic Shuttle. It only needs twenty breaths for us to rush from Golden Tent to Bayan. Su Meng has just exhausted himself from the big battle; he would not have escaped far. Does anyone want to venture with me, to find him and seek revenge? We can also accomplish the task that Khan has ordered us to do.”

As the warriors from Golden Tent and Longevity Sect’s Saman responded with affirmation, the Buddha of Joy suddenly laughed lightly, adding a little femininity into her voice and causing people of both s.e.xes to experience a slight blood rush.

“Do you know how many secrets Su Meng has with him?”

She had a seductive yet pure look on her face, smiling innocently as she asked.

“Buddha, how much do you know?” the leader of the Golden Tent warriors, Hasula, asked. He was ranked eleventh on the Dark Rankings and 49th on the Terrestrial Rankings. With Elder Ku’s death, he was moved up one position on each ranking.

The Buddha of Joy gave him a routine look in the eye and spoke in a enticing yet angry tone, “Su Meng’s cultivation was only at the state of the Sixth Heavens back then. Now that he’s a guru, it isn’t hard to catch a glimpse of him. In less than four years, he has scaled two flights of Heavenly Stairs and pa.s.sed the levels of the Sixth Heavens. Furthermore, he has gone through four trials. He possesses the most basic Water Mill kungfu, too. You say that he doesn’t possess the Secret Realm, Cave, nor the Universal Fragments, where time pa.s.ses at different rates . . . but I don’t believe it.”

“Of course, this is not important. If Su Meng has the ability or time to make another a.s.sault, he will do it only after he has attained the levels of the Eighth or Ninth Heavens. We do not need to worry about any sudden spike in his power.”

Feng Dian laughed hoa.r.s.ely as he replied, “Buddha, are you encouraging us to surround Su Meng? His background is the envy of others! The leader of the Heavenly Troops, the owner of the Secret Realm, Cave, and the Universal Fragments . . . He has the power of five to ten gurus, all while floating on water.”

Maybe he possessed a magical elixir that surpa.s.sed even the Eastern Longevity Elixir!

Although the people present were all gurus, they still felt their blood boil after hearing Feng Dian’s words. Their breathing turned heavy; all of them knew that Su Meng was riding on his luck. It was only through his miraculous experiences that he had the fortune to carve out moment after moment. After all, he had many enemies. He was constantly on the move and hard to track down. If they spent the effort to track him down, they still had to consider that their efforts would be rendered futile, due to Su Meng’s luck.

The Buddha of Joy sat on the lotus chair, giving off an aura of laziness. She laughed lightly as she uttered, “Feng Dian, you have matured greatly over the years, yet you are still so impatient. Let me finish my words.”

Each of her movements made her the centre of attention. She looked around charmingly and said, “Let’s not dwell on the fact that Su Meng may make an a.s.sault in the near future. Let’s try to predict his current prowess.”

“He’s able to instigate internal conflict, which means that he’s quite skilled. He’s on the level of the Heart Demon. The Vile Heavenly Demon must have been captured alive by him, in order to hide the truth from Han Guang. How many of you here are able to accomplish this task?”

Everyone looked around at each other, coming to a consensus that the only person who was able to do so was the mysterious leader of the Life and Death Sect, the Nether Ruler, the Buddha of Joy herself, and the abbot of the Temple of Joy. The certainty was only justified because of the Heavenly Troops. If not for that, the guru would still have a chance at escaping.

Feng Dian was the first to break the silence with his hoa.r.s.e voice.

“Since Su Meng has skills comparable to the Heart Demon, he has surely found a chance to influence the soul of the Vile Heavenly Demon, causing him to fall into his elaborate trap. Naturally, it would not be hard to capture him alive. If I had a similar chance, I would be able to do it, too.”

Indeed, experience came with age. With a few short sentences, he had restored parity with Meng Qi!

Many unorthodox exponents ranked near the forefront of the Dark Rankings nodded in agreement upon hearing the previous words. For matters regarding war, a decision was not to be made upon comparing realms or martial arts skills. The right moment of opportunity was of utmost importance. In a more ideal situation or if a chance presented itself, the exponents would have been hopeful of capturing the Vile Heavenly Demon.

“Alright, the Vile Heavenly Demon aside. Who is able to kill Elder Ku in such a short time?” the Buddha of Joy questioned, her face all smiles.

Everyone fell into silence yet again. Elder Ku, ranked 33rd in the Terrestrial Rankings, would have been incredibly hard to kill, if not for an incredibly skilled exponent or a semi-skilled exponent holding the power of the Heavenly Troops.

“If there was a mole by Elder Ku’s side, a two-p.r.o.nged a.s.sault at the critical moment would have been sufficient to kill him . . . ” the Demon of Disillusionment, who appeared composed on the outside, but was actually scheming on the inside, muttered as he frowned. This was purely from the perspective of a.s.sa.s.sination.

However, he was unable to speak further. According to Heavenly Mother Ruyi, Elder Ku and Sarenkova had joined hands, capitalising on the fact that the Buddha of Six Desires had been shocked by the murderous intentions of the Pitch-Dark Peculiar Sword. In other words, unless Sarenkova was the mole, no one would have been able to kill Elder Ku.

“Could the king’s daughter have given him the Vacuum Scroll as a means of help?” the Buddha of Joy questioned as she looked at Feng Dian and Zhang Deng.

Zhang Deng shook his head and replied, “The king’s power was not shared.”

“Did Su Meng really kill Elder Ku in such a short time? Or was it the king’s daughter?” a high-ranked member from the Longevity Sect questioned in a skeptical manner.

“Han Guang has explicitly stated that it was Su Meng,” the Buddha of Joy replied as she continued, “Also, I know the name of the stroke he used to kill Elder Ku. Only that stroke could have been so clean and effortless.”

“What kind of swordsmans.h.i.+p is that?” Zhang Deng and the other gurus echoed in unison. If they did not get to the bottom of the truth, they would not be able to eat and sleep in peace, fearful that they would follow in Elder Ku’s footsteps. After all, he was ranked 33rd in the Terrestrial Rankings. He was a true master of strength!

The Buddha of Joy was intent on giving a cliffhanger and revealing the issue regarding Meng Qi as she chose not to answer the question directly. Instead, she answered radiantly, “Although Su Meng used his sword, using the sword did not rival using the dagger. There are three ways in which he can use his dagger – the first was through brute force and tyranny, using the techniques of Complete Soul Annihilation and the Tyrant’s Six Decapitations as its essence. With his self-taught technique of the cycle of Yin and Yang, he is much more powerful than we think.”

Complete Soul Annihilation? Tyrant’s Six Decapitations? The Plain Girl Sect had suffered under Su Meng’s hands before. No wonder he had such a complete understanding! Feng Dian and the rest did not reveal their state of shock, but they had a sense of trepidation in their hearts. It was no wonder Su Meng’s swordsmans.h.i.+p was so strong. He had actually inherited the techniques of Complete Soul Annihilation and Tyrant’s Six Decapitations partially. He induced much jealousy and fear into others. He was not to be underestimated!

The Buddha of Joy pouted as she continued, “Secondly, the stroke he carved on the Wordless Tablet. It possessed the characteristics of swiftness and being able to penetrate through anything. It did not appear like magic, but was more powerful than that. The stroke was complex in nature, but retained its foundations.”

“Thirdly… it was the Shaolin specialty, the Ananda Oath-Breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p.”

Everyone knew these two points as they listened on quietly.

“The stroke that he used to kill Elder Ku was the Ananda Oath-Breaking Bladesmans.h.i.+p’s last stroke — Karma,” the Buddha of Joy finally touched on the main part of her speech.

He has actually mastered this stroke?” the wily Demon of Disillusionment could not contain his thoughts as he spoke. Since the establishment of Shaolin, the number of people who truly mastered the Ananda Oath-Breaking Blademans.h.i.+p was scarce. Those who had done so had broken the sect’s rules before and were re-initiated into the sect somewhere in the future. As for the last stroke, Karma, less than five people had truly mastered it!

The exponents who were present had only heard of this stroke before; none of them had witnessed it.

“Something’s amiss,” Feng Dian interrupted with a deep voice, “This stroke is a mystery indeed. It kills someone, then returns the karma. With all the acc.u.mulated karma, one would not be able to withstand it. He would be bound to perish together with the victim. Yet, Su Meng is still alive and well.”

During his younger days, Feng Dian had witnessed an old Shaolin monk perish together with an elderly unorthodox exponent because of this stroke.

The Buddha of Joy laughed twice and said, “Su Meng’s strokes are seemingly different and more terrifying from that of Shaolin, due to another mystifying experience. He has mastered it because he has the essence of the Buddha’s Palm.”

The origins of the arts of Buddhism could be traced back to the Buddha’s Palm. Much like how The Best in the World originated from Enlightenment, the origins of the Ananda Oath-Breaking Blademans.h.i.+p could be traced back to the Buddha’s Palm.

She looked around and whispered, “Su Meng’s Karma has only the most basic levels of karma. He might still be able to withstand it and break free. Who knows, maybe he had other miraculous experiences. He might be able to execute two or three strokes.”

“Anyone present here have any secret karma techniques or treasures to resist him?”

It seemed like martial arts, but the majority of its power came from sorcery. Much of their skills would be futile. Only a few gurus got the message. However, when they asked themselves, they were unsure of whether they could have withstood Karma. It was all up to fate.

“So, who wants to chase after him? Who dares to?” the Buddha of Joy questioned twice. None of the exponents from the high ends of the Dark Rankings responded.

They were all influential figures in the current world. Feng Dian, the Demon of Disillusionment… these names were sufficient to scare off a number of exponents. However, they were all silenced by the power of one stroke!

Who dared to use their own lives to try out this “Stroke of Impossibility”?

It was better for them to avoid Su Meng if they ever heard his name in the future. Unless it was a life and death battle, there was no need to fight it out with him!

Although the concerted efforts of a few people would solve this “Stroke of Impossibility,” who would actually sacrifice his own life to grant this privilege to others?

After a long while, a stern voice echoed out from one coffin at the side, “I possess the formation of Meng Po. It can be used to wash off karma temporarily. It can withstand the Stroke of Impossibility. Given his cultivation, as long as he holds the power of the Heavenly Troops, he can protect himself from the Stroke of Impossibility.”

“However, I have to lay out the formation. I can’t pursue him.”

The Buddha of Joy laughed, “Let him be then. He has the Stroke of Impossibility, and he can kill a few gurus during the big battle. How can we salvage the situation?”

She squinted and continued, “Unless everyone forms an alliance, I will not reveal such secrets. If I don’t see you guys getting hit by the Stroke of Impossibility, how would I be happy?”

Her words sounded like a curse, but appeared seductive at the same time.

…

The surface of the water was clear and pristine. Meng Qi spoke in a deep voice, “Sarenkova is connected to the Deep Sea Sword?”

The Deep Sea Sword — located in the first page of the Samsara’s Exchange Manual. It was one of the ten divine weapons of the world, on a comparable level with the Scorpio Axe, Time Blade, Emperor’s Sword, Spear of the Mythical Creatures, Devil’s Claws, and Tyrant’s Invincible Blade.

The person who molded this sword was another well-known figure, on a level with the Demonic Lord — the Cruel Priest, the leader of the nine nether spirits, who had been at loggerheads with Emperor Zhenwu for many years. In molding this invincible sword, he had used his own blood and combined it with the essence from the nether world’s deepest sea. The respected figures from Samsara addressed it as the “top weapon for murder.”

It was no wonder. A slight injury caused by that blade had almost caused him to lose his life.

“Right, the Scorpio Axe changed due to it sensing the birth of the Deep Sea Sword, and fell into the hands of Gu Erduo. Hence, both parties no longer had any further contact,” Gu Xiaosang spoke with a serious look.

“The Deep Sea Sword can be exchanged at the Samsara,” Meng Qi questioned suspiciously as he thought of the past happenings at the Ruan family.

Gu Xiaosang appeared beautiful with her small dimples as she replied, “Maybe the Samsara could take it back anytime. It didn’t matter to them.”

There must be something behind this… As Meng Qi grappled with the meaning behind Gu Xiaosang’s words, he asked, “In other words, the secret between Sarenkova and the Scorpio Axe… Gu Erduo manipulated the situation on purpose, all because he could run his other errands and observe the things happening within the alliance at the same time?”

Gu Xiaosang nodded and replied, “Other than the few who have no other alternative, the majority who defected towards the n.o.bles can be considered to have no backbone. If the situation changes, they would swap allegiances anytime.”

Her words were detailed — she showed no signs of guilt at having divulged secretive matters. She seemingly derived joy from tarnis.h.i.+ng the Luo Sect.

“Okay,” Meng Qi nodded, determined to remind the sects and n.o.bles with no issues to be wary of them. They were not a threat at the moment; it was imperative to gather whatever forces they could for now.

Those who defected went towards the four big n.o.ble families from Beizhou, the office of Peijing, Gezhou Mountains, the Duke of Lulong, the General of the Vast Plains, and other aristocratic families. Other parties included were the elite Taiyue Sect, who were ambivalent in their att.i.tude towards this matter. If any forces were to be mobilised without consideration, Beizhou would surely collapse under internal and external instabilities!

To them, there was no difference to whoever ruled this land. What was of utmost importance was that power was adequately balanced.

Gu Xiaosang laughed and spoke, “They just go with the flow. With no power, they can’t accomplish anything. What’s more important are the moles planted within the elite sects, like the Faceless Heavenly Demon.”

“Who is he? Who is he?” Meng Qi asked.

“If I knew, the Annihilation Sect would be finished,” Gu Xiaosang laughed.

“However, the Faceless Heavenly Demon shouldn’t be a direct descendant of the Annihilation Sect. Instead, he seems more like a person designed to bring about the downfall of sects. Presently, he seems like the core of an unknown sect; a high-ranked operative. Only a mole of this nature can be of good use.”

“But, doesn’t he strike quite often?” Meng Qi asked suspiciously yet again.

The Faceless Heavenly Demon was ranked sixth in the Dark Rankings and 30th in the Terrestrial Rankings; his accomplishments were plentiful.

Gu Xiaosang laughed, “They say that he’s the one that strikes. Who knows whether that was actually the case? We have investigated before. There was a few instances that the Demon of Disillusionment disguised himself as the Faceless Heavenly Demon. In other words, the Annihilation Sect could have created a fake Faceless Heavenly Demon using the ident.i.ties of different demons and magicians. This was to hide the real Faceless Heavenly Demon.”

“Who could it be…” Meng Qi felt that this was a pressing issue.

Gu Xiaosang’s sleeves fluttered in the wind. And in a seemingly jovial manner, she said, “There’s a public case related to the Annihilation Sect if we pursue things further. It might be the real Faceless Heavenly Demon’s declaration of loyalty. The King and I both suspect that he could be affiliated with the Sword-Enshrining Tower.”

The Sword-Enshrining Tower… Meng Qi thought silently to himself.

Gu Xiaosang looked at the sky and said, “My lord, take your leave. There might be an exponent after you.”

She gave a shallow laugh and continued in a humorous yet stern manner, “I might claim your life the next time we meet.”

Meng Qi looked her in the eye and turned around. As he stepped out of the Sea of Duo La Su, he turned back and saw Gu Xiaosang strolling under the lights, looking elegant in her white dress. Her voice was serene as she hummed the following tune.

“The skies are dark, the roads are dangerous,

The paths ahead are long and full of obstacles.

Life and death are uncertain, I cannot see the next day.

Burn my body and light my spirit on fire,

In that radiant moment, I light up the day…”

As her voice faded, Meng Qi sprinted away.