370 Returning to the Nine Villages

Progenitor Doumu… Meng Qi's heart dropped. It was Progenitor Doumu who became the pinnacle of the Exterior more than a decade ago?

In the Great Buddha's Hall of the Shaolin Temple, Xuan Yuanzi, the Zhenwu Sect's President of General Affairs had once mentioned his accidental encounter with Progenitor Doumu of the Immortals. After a fierce battle with Progenitor Doumu, he was forced to flee in defeat.

A great master in his own right, Xuan Yuanzi was ranked amongst the elites of the Terrestrial Rankings. Thus, it would be safe to hazard that Progenitor Doumu had reached the supreme levels of the Exterior. Given that the fight was more than a decade ago, he might even be just a half-step away from attaining Dharmakaya at the moment. Even if Progenitor Doumu had yet to achieve a breakthrough, he would still be stronger than his master, his uncle. He might be one of the top three masters in the Immortals who paled in comparison only to Primogenitor Lingbao.

Meng Qi was caught off guard to unexpectedly encounter such a prominent figure of the Immortals.

Progenitor Doumu was clad in a simple light green dress. The hems of her dress were designed to cling to her legs, making her look more aggressive than if she was in a conventional lady's garb. Her imposing presence impressed them all.

She was reading the notice on the jade pillar when she sensed Meng Qi and Bluecloud Progenitor approaching. She turned around slowly, surveying Meng Qi closely from behind her mask. In a clear and melodious tone, she said, "Finally, someone has chosen to inherit the legacy of Heavenly Primogenitor."

Her eyes were dark and distant, like a well of unknown depth filled with melancholic memories.

"My respects to the Primogenitor." Meng Qi greeted her cautiously with a bow.

Progenitor Doumu nodded in response and said, "I hope I'd have the pleasure of witnessing the Infiniteness, the First Dao, and the Heaven Opening Seal one day."

She then turned and left without another word to him.

"Progenitor Doumu seems a little odd..." Meng Qi murmured to Bluecloud Progenitor through the Secret Voice-Sending technique.

Bluecloud Progenitor smiled. "Being a strong and powerful person of noble rank, it's only natural that she can see 'things' that mere commoners can't."

Really? Meng Qi stared at Progenitor Doumu as she left in silence. Her breath was light and quiet. Like the center of the universe, sparkles of stars seemed to trail from her body and surrounded her.

"With her level of powers and skill, using Secret Voice-Sending technique is just like speaking loudly in front of her..." Bluecloud Progenitor mocked.

And he had just foolishly commented on her oddness... Meng Qi's expression stiffened. Since his arrival, he had picked a title that the others mocked and heckled about. Now he even had the impudence to babble behind the back of an important figure...

But wait, Jiang Niang was the first to use the Secret Voice-sending technique!

But she hadn't spoken ill of anyone yet. She was an expert of the Exterior. She… she induced him to use the Secret Voice-sending technique!

What a vengeful woman!

With the glow of contentment in her smile, the Bluecloud Progenitor pointed to the jade pillars. "You can choose your own tasks but you have to finish them within a year. Otherwise, you'd be violating the contract. After you finish all three tasks, you can apply for the test to become a full member."

Having completed the Death Task and having the required skills and power, Meng Qi was qualified to take the test to become a full member. But, being a new admission to the organization, he'd like to have a closer observation before making his decision.

Being the center of public scrutiny within the organization, Meng Qi attracted the stares of different parties bearing hidden intentions. He wandered around slowly in the Immortal-Tracking Alley to glance at the notices put up around him, trying to find tasks related to the Nine Villages so that he could finish his tasks simultaneously without making another trip and spending more effort.

There were many redeemable objects that piqued Meng Qi's attention. It was a shame that most of his skills and inventory have been redeemed for Karma points while the rest were indispensable. He didn't have any left to spare for exchange. Disappointed, he pinned his hopes on the future of his attainment of the Buddha's Palm.

His eyes suddenly lit up at the sight of two words: 'Nine Villages'.

'Urgent task: a woman from our team was embroiled in an emotional conflict with the master of the Heavenly Village in the Nine Villages World. He detained her in the Heavenly Village and barred her from leaving. Without knowing when she'd be released, our main task has been delayed indefinitely. We sincerely plead assistance from the senior members.'

'Rewards: a 500-year-old Qinghua Fruit.'

'Task Assignee: the North Underworld reserve team.'

Qinghua Fruit? The main ingredient of the Immortality Elixir of the East Pole? Meng Qi was lost in thought for a moment.

Noticing that Meng Qi's attention on the particular task notice, Bluecloud Progenitor elaborated in detail, "The North Underworld is one of our reserve teams but none of them passed the test and selection to be a probationary member."

"With their strength, they shouldn't have been involved with a master of the Nine Villages in their main task." Meng Qi found it amusing. Things seemed to have developed into a ludicrous love affair?

They weren't even probationary members and none were strong enough to be ranked within the top 25 of the Ranking List of Young Masters. On the other hand, there were surely Exterior masters in the Nine Villages World. The master of the Heavenly Village would be a Half-Step of the Exterior Scenery at the very least. With the team's current strength, there was no way they would be able to defeat enemies of such levels even if they attacked in unison. Meng Qi reasoned to himself silently.

"Of course not," Bluecloud Progenitor answered confidently. "It was likely that they were foolishly sidetracked halfway and became involved in the affairs of the Heavenly Village."

She laughed. "It was said that there's no time limit for their main task. They would have to remain in the world of the Nine Villages indefinitely until they complete their main task. So they're resorting to enlisting the aid of other Samsara teams to submit this task listing."

"Isn't it better to stay there? It'd take mere seconds to return to the main world. They can concentrate on training to reach the Half-Step of the Exterior Scenery since it'd never be late for them to save their teammate," Meng Qi replied, puzzled.

That was unless the woman was close to the team and they couldn't bear to see her suffer.

Bluecloud Progenitor snorted. "Do you think Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms would be so kind? The training would be much harder for tasks without time limit. After a month or so, it'd be almost impossible for them to finish their tasks. Meanwhile, their bodies would continue to age as normal. Once they have returned to the main world, they'd only find that their hair has greyed."

"I see..." Meng Qi made a mental note to avoid any potential ruse that Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms may pose. There was no telling what traps would be waiting for him.

After a moment of consideration, he said, "Progenitor, I'd like to take this task. Do you have a profile of the team and a detailed introduction of the Nine Villages?"

His real intention was the latter: the introduction of the villages.

"Of course." Bluecloud Progenitor motioned to Meng Qi to first tear down the notice of the task.

He had barely torn the notice when it was engulfed in brilliant, emerald-green flames. The notice and the flames turned into a wisp of green smoke that entered Meng Qi's Heavenly Primogenitor mask. Detailed information on the North Underworld team appeared before his eyes. The team currently has four members, two men and two women. The detained woman used the alias, Qin Qing.

Bluecloud Progenitor continued her introduction as Meng Qi read through the displayed information. "The Nine Villages are the Heavenly Village, the Earthly Village, the Peoples' Village, the Sun Village... Their kungfu are all gained from the secret mausoleum in the Thousand-Mile Mountains. But the founding masters of the Nine Villages were struck by a sudden madness and together, they retreated into the tomb in their declining years. The mausoleum remains a mystery and we have yet to locate it. It's probably dangerous so you're not advised to find it now."

They had already explored the place... Meng Qi listened closely in silence.

"No conventional imperial courts or governments exist in the Nine Villages World. The Nine Villages jointly govern the affairs of their world and elect an Emperor of Tengen as their ruler. The Emperor is either invincibly strong to command the respect and obedience of his citizens or chosen from amongst the Nine Villages. In short, the masters of the Nine Villages are at least a Half-Step of the Exterior Scenery..."

Bluecloud Progenitor explained all the relevant information the Immortals have collected about the Nine Villages. "The previous Emperor of Tengen was Huangfu Tao, the Conducting Punishment for Heaven of the God-Gathering Heights. However, like the founding masters of the Nine Villages before him, he had also retreated into the mysterious mausoleum in his twilight.

"The Nine Villages have yet to elect a new Emperor of Tengen at the moment because there are at least two Exterior experts outside the villages. With the masters of the Moon Village and the Star Village, all four experts of the Exterior should first compete amongst themselves."

He knew the name… Meng Qi was overwhelmed with emotions at the mention of Huangfu Tao. It was his advice that had helped Meng Qi understand parts of the essence of the Dharmakaya techniques. It was imperative that he repay his kindness.

With great power, comes great responsibility and consequences as well. Having learned the virtues behind the Karma stroke of the Ananda Oath-breaking Bladesmanship, Meng Qi was more cautious with the retributions of karma. He tried his best to repay the kindness that others had extended towards him. He felt a deep gratitude for Huangfu Tao, more so with the fact that he had managed his mastery of the Five Thunder Bombardment of Sky technique from the God-Gathering Heights.

"This is a map of the Nine Villages." Bluecloud Progenitor handed Meng Qi a simple and crude map. The Thousand-Mile Mountains lined the center of the map and the Nine Villages, the God-Gathering Heights, and the Morality Temple were noted on the map as well.

Meng Qi examined the map and became a little worried when he saw that the Heavenly Village and the God-Gathering Heights were of considerable distance from each other. One month might not be enough for his plans.

"What's wrong?" Bluecloud Progenitor asked.

Meng Qi chose his words with care before answering, "The locations of the Nine Villages are scattered. I'm afraid that if we are sent to some faraway locations, we might not be able to reach the Heavenly Village in a month."

"Well, do you still have any Karma points left?" Bluecloud Progenitor asked briskly, not concerned about the issue Meng Qi had mentioned.

"I still have two or three hundred or so." Meng Qi was puzzled.

Bluecloud Progenitor pointed to one particular jade pillar at the center. "Normally, if you activate the Reincarnation Charm outside the Samsara World, you can't enter the Samsara Square. But we of the Immortals enjoy certain privileges. The jade pillar in the center is equivalent to half of the Samsara Square. You can go and exchange for another one or two additional months."

"Is that even possible?" Meng Qi asked in surprise.

With a brisk laugh, Bluecloud Progenitor replied, "Of course. Once you finished four more Death Tasks, you'd be entitled to even more privileges. This is one of them."

She didn't elaborate further. After all, Meng Qi was still a probationary member. Information about the Six Realms were all secrets.

"I see... Oh, right. Even weaker teams like the North Underworld have team names of their own. Why aren't we assigned names?" Meng Qi thought of his earlier confusion.

"Enlist as part of our reserve team and we'll name your team. Otherwise, you'd have to complete another Death Task." Bluecloud Progenitor sneered.

"Forget it." Meng Qi walked curtly toward the jade pillar at the center and stopped before it, exchanging for an additional month with 200 Karma points. He then activated the Reincarnation Charm.

He disappeared from where he stood in a brilliant green flash. A drawing emerged before his eyes. It was an illustration of the Zhenwu's Decoy Grave.

"There are different points of entry in all directions around the Thousand-Mile Mountains. You may choose any one of them..." The voice of Dominator of Samsara in Six Realms reverberated in his ears.

Meng Qi ascertained the position of the entry points and chose the one closest to the God-Gathering Heights. His own tasks took precedence, after all!

…

The green glow around him faded and vanished. Meng Qi found himself at a decrepit, shabby temple in the mountains. There was burnt firewood before him. Somebody had been here earlier. It was dark outside and no moon and stars were visible. They were all hidden by the dark clouds in the sky.

He removed his Heavenly Primogenitor mask. It was late, so he planned to set out the following morning. He started a fire and looked for a place to lie down. Rolling up himself, he tried to enact the first stance in the Muscle-Bone Strengthening Scripture.

Within minutes, he drifted into an ethereal and dream-like trance. He felt the warmth upon his body but his breathing had ceased. It was like returning to his mother's womb.

His senses seemed heightened in his current state, allowing him to hear sounds at extended ranges. The sound of rowdy footsteps alerted him, signaling that someone was approaching the rickety temple.