1094 The Different Paths In Life

The sky was lined with white clouds that curled and smoothed away every now and then. Meng Qi turned around with both of his hands at his back, gazing at the considerably aged Sun Junlin. He truly understood how much difference time could have on a person, "That's not bad. You can remember me."

As soon as he heard the familiar voice, Sun Junlin was excited. The many years of spiritual training failed to suppress his excitement. He spoke with his shaky voice, "After the visitation at Lanruo Temple with the Supreme Elder, this disciple has been significantly influenced and greatly benefited. I'll keep what I've learned for the rest of my life."

He became confused as he was speaking, "Supreme Elder, have you not elevated to the sky?"

Meng Qi smiled, "If I'm able to fly into the sky, I'm able to return to the ground. But, now I care very little about the matters of the world."

"I see," Sun Junlin looked weary, and his face had aged significantly. He asked out of curiosity, "Supreme Elder, have you really promoted the Divine Conjuration of Ether to the realm of the Fully Arisen Yellow Sky and formed a demon's body?"

As The Ether Dies, Yellow Sky Rises, this realm had been bothering him for more than a decade. After the incident at Lanruo Temple, he was no longer skeptical about it. However, he had never witnessed the Fully Arisen Yellow Sky with his own eyes. He merely heard of the tale that was retold by the Foolish Monk and the Taoist Master. Hence, his questions had not been answered.

Meng Qi replied with silence. He reached out with his right hand and a grin on his face. Instantly, Sun Junlin's sight experienced an abrupt change. Before his eyes, appeared an azure and vast ocean with the border nowhere to be seen. He felt as though he was blanketed by comfort and serenity.

Where is this? What is the Supreme Elder trying to do? Sun Junlin floated in mid air as he scanned his surroundings in confusion. He furrowed his brows, trying hard to look for a way to escape.

When he practiced his Air-Conveyance Technique just now, he was surprised that his speed of conveyance was tens or even hundreds of times faster than usual, as if he could enter and exit Qingming freely.

Just like how the lights of Vairocana brightened the sky, Sun Junlin flew toward the end of the ocean. He flew past innumerable irregularly shaped islands and the untainted blue that extended for hundreds of thousands of miles. Finally, he spotted the vast land that was filled with browns and greens.

As he continued along the route, there were lakes, highlands, yellow sands, and boundless seas. When Sun Junlin felt like he was about to break down and his Mana was about to be drained completely, five towering mountains appeared at the horizon. They soared through the clouds and the summits were covered by the white snow. Everything else appeared minuscule beside the mountains.

Subconsciously, Sun Junlin lifted his head to look at the peaks of the mountains. Suddenly, he saw the face of Ji Wuliang, the Supreme Elder. He was overlooking at him from the sky far away.

This… he studied his surroundings again, only to realize that the five enormous mountains had turned into fingers, while the lakes, highlands, sands, seas, and islands were lying in the middle of a palm.

There were heaven, earth and a universe in the palm!

Sun Junlin was aghast as he flew out of this heaven and earth unknowingly. He was once again standing on the cliff. The Supreme Elder was gently dusting his sleeve using his right hand with a peaceful, undisturbed manner.

Overwhelmed by surprise, joy and confusion, Sun Junlin stayed silent for a moment before he cupped his hands and made a bow, "Congratulations to the Supreme Elder for achieving divine skills and joining the celestial group!"

If this is neither the trick of a demon nor an immortal, what else can it be?

Meng Qi placed his right hand at his back, and slowly took a step forward, "You have never been a Great Guru."

"Disciple is ashamed for that," Sun Junlin said in a contrite tone.

Being in the Exterior Realm, he had aged so much within the past ten years because he was not able to go beyond the third level of the Heavenly Stairs to fulfill the Dharmakaya of Half-Step. That made him anxious and worried days and nights, ergo his rapid aging.

Meng Qi nodded gently without saying a word. He walked towards the cliff confidently and asked nonchalantly, "How's the current situation of the world?"

"After witnessing the Supreme Elder slaying the Ether, creating the Yellow Sky then elevating into the sky, the Taoist Master, Foolish Monk, and Female Monarch were greatly influenced. They were inspired to focus on martial arts instead of fighting for powers. Therefore, the world has become a more peaceful place," Sun Junlin said succinctly. "Rumors said that the Foolish Monk has found the entire legacy of the Ksitigarbha. After some ten years of practice, he will possibly achieve a Golden Body. As for the Taoist Master and Female Monarch, they're still searching for their respective paths."

Nonetheless, he is the Foolish Monk, the Great Guru that has stepped foot into the realm of Dharmakaya of Half-Step earlier than my master... Meng Qi lamented. For the past years, he frequently returned to Shaolin to visit Xuan Bei, his master, and talked to him about martial arts. He witnessed his master steady progress to approach his goal of achieving the Golden Body of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva. However, the time here was relatively slower than the time in Real World. The Foolish Monk, who did not have the martial arts and Dharma of immortal level, too, was close to achieving Dharmakaya.

"Have you seen any individual that resembles the Witch of Black Mountain? Have you heard any news of the Seven-Kill Tablet?" He continued asking.

If the answer is no, I'll have to look for them personally.

Sun Junlin shook his head, "The world is peaceful now. There aren't such rumors."

"Hmm." Meng Qi's green sleeve swayed as he spoke with a deep voice, "I returned for my unfinished wishes. When I escaped the world of mortals hastily, I didn't manage to leave the two levels of mental cultivation methods that were beyond the Divine Conjuration of Ether."

He had achieved Dharmakaya for many years. With the almighty Supreme Arts, it was not difficult for him to solve the subsequent realms that followed the Divine Conjuration of Ether.

Sun Junlin's pupils constricted abruptly as he was overwhelmed by the joy of anticipation and surprise. Then, the gray-haired Supreme Elder made a gesture with his finger, beckoning the radiance of light to enter his mind.

"These are As The Ether Dies, Yellow Sky Rises and the Fully Arisen Yellow Sky, the two levels of mental cultivation methods. The Sect of the Ether has risen for you," he said in a low voice. It was as though the fairy god was whispering, playing the music of the destiny while telling the tale of the future. Everything felt like a dream to Sun Junlin. When he was awakened, he was surrounded by clouds. The sorrowful man in green was nowhere to be seen.

"The Supreme Elder seems to be annotating destiny…" Sun Junlin looked at the mist surrounding the cliff with a complex expression. As The Ether Dies, Yellow Sky Rises, the two levels of mental cultivation methods, were the only thing occupying his mind.

...

The security was tight with many advanced defense facilities set up in the building. Nangong Chong, who was wearing the custom-made uniform that provided full coverage, went through one guarded door after another as he proceeded to the underground.

In order to prevent the centralized computers being hacked by supernatural enemies and losing their functions like the previous few incidents, the system here was not unified and controlled by one sole unit. Instead, they were separated by layers, leaving completely no link between them. They even applied the most primitive method to secure it with a fingerprint lock and a special squad.

"Good morning, captain!" Nangong Chong calmly walked toward the fingerprint lock as the members of special squad on both of his sides greeted him at the same time.

Nangong Chong was proficient in martial arts and favored the Buddhist Society. Hence, he had grown to be calmer than before. He gently lifted his head and replied, "Stay watchful. You have to make sure that I'm not a transformation of a supernatural creature."

"Yes, sir," smiling, a red-haired lady took out her portable equipment. She then asked Nangong Chong to provide a drop of his blood for genetic testing.

As the technology was unprecedentedly advanced, the universe had already been explored. It was common to encounter unexplainable phenomena either in space or other galaxies, their own planet was not excluded. Therefore, the government and the finance consortium had established a secret organization that specialized in the capture, surveillance, control, and concealment of the supernatural creatures or phenomena. The organization was introduced to the public as Approaching The Science Foundation.

Whenever something supernatural happened, it must be reported to Approaching The Science Foundation as long as it was not too dangerous and did not require to be immediately annihilated by the battleship. They would determine the value, risk level and formulate a specific capture plan. The assigned members of the organization would then proceed with further studies. The special squads, who were equipped with advanced tools, were responsible for the implementation of the capture plan. Nangong Chong, with his many years of experience, had already been assigned as one of the captains of a special squad.

Some of the team members admired their captain from the bottom of their hearts. As he was without any equipment, his skills were almost as perfect as the genetically modified future warriors, way beyond the capacity of other members. Undeniably, he would be more menacing if he was equipped. In his case, one plus one was greater than two. If it was not for him, they would have been killed in one of the supernatural phenomena, not having a chance to escape from the jaws of death.

In their hearts, Captain Nangong Chong was their role model.

He cleared the genetic matching. Nangong Chong walked forward calmly, reached out his right hand and unlocked the fingerprint lock. Then, he proceeded into a metal tunnel. He was welcomed by dead silence. The only thing he could hear was the echo of footsteps, as though he was engulfed by loneliness.

"Captain is so frighteningly composed. He will not even blink even if a mountain collapses in front of him," the red-haired lady acclaimed as the door closed. Her eyes were filled with intense adoration.

A black-haired guy replied with his lowered voice, "Captain was involved in one of the top-ranked supernatural incidents when he was a student. Obviously, we are no match for him."

Speaking of the top-ranked supernatural phenomena, a few of the members of the special squad felt a chill down their spines. The more they experienced similar phenomena, the more they dreaded, especially for those who were highly ranked.

In Approaching The Science Foundation, every supernatural object and their respective records were categorized into different levels and ranking, with respect to different codes. For instance, an E-ranked item was the smoke in the air and items of similar rank. The higher the ranking, the more dangerous the object was. The highest ranking was S, which contained twenty seven items, ranked according to their danger level from one to twenty seven. According to hearsay, the incident captain experienced when he was studying was one of the top five incidents in rank S!

Until now, the highest rank of the mission their team had accomplished was A-11. Their entire team almost got wiped out. The degree of destruction of a S-ranked incident was terrifying.

The captain was able to survive from such an incident. It only made sense for him to grow into such an outstanding man.

Nangong Chong cleared one level of the security system after another and saw different rooms. Each room more or less was controlling or containing a supernatural item. He arrived at the lowest floor. There were twenty seven rooms, all separated from each other and all were heavily guarded.

He gently nodded his head. Nangong Chong, once again, used his authority to pass the security check and stepped into a room that was labeled 'S-03'. The interior of the room was painted in light blue. On the contrary, it was not protected exhaustively as there was no supernatural object in it. It merely contained the relevant evidence and records.

Record name: 'S-03: Leader of the Sect of the Ether'.

Nangong Chong took the file and read through the relevant content. A scientist who was studying about this wished to confirm some of the details in order to investigate the relationship between the Witch of Black Mountain's universe and his own.

"The master hasn't showed up in a decade," Nangong Chong heaved an abrupt sigh. With the aid of high-tech equipment, he had already gone beyond the nine orifices and activated the ancestral acupuncture points between eyebrows. But, due to the limitation of heaven and earth, he failed to manage to connect the interior and the exterior to achieve Exterior Realm. He always hoped that his master would suddenly show up and grant him a new opportunity.

He wondered which level his master had achieved for the Divine Conjuration of the Ether.

Right at this moment, he saw a silhouette appear on the silver-white metal wall, with a green gown, gray hair, and deep gaze.

"Master!" Nangong Chong blurted out with a joy that was difficult to describe.

That was his master, Liang Wuji, the Leader of the Sect of the Ether!

He managed to show up discreetly in the most heavily guarded place in Approaching The Science Foundation!

These security systems were built after the lessons they learned. It was aimed specifically to defend the supernatural creatures and strong people of the Exterior Realm. Yet, he managed to sneak to his back as though he was entering a No-man Realm!

Should one say, it is indeed the S-03?

The calm and composed captain in his team members' eyes finally lost his cool. His heart was racing madly and his facial expression began to change.

Meng Qi stood with both his hands behind his back. He gently lifted his head, "That's not bad. You haven't been slacking in the practice of your martial arts. But how did you end up in this industry?"

He casually picked up a file and flipped through it. It was a case of a citizen with the name of Laowang reported to the police for a few times, saying that his girlfriend was a serial killer. He failed every time he tried to philander with other ladies as his girlfriend would cut off that lady's arms and ate it in front of him. The records from police showed that it was just a customized cake, but Laowang never believed them. He would always be dragged by his girlfriend back to his room as he cried for help. Coincidently, a member of the foundation was present nearby and noticed traces of spirit influences. Hence, he investigated the entire case meticulously, suspecting that Laowang's girlfriend might be related to the World of the Witch of Black Mountain.

After obtaining Laowang's girlfriend's consent to work with the foundation, every report made by Laowang was transferred to the foundation.

Nangong Chong collected his emotions. He smiled bitterly as he said, "I got arrogant after I learned a few tricks of martial arts. Disciples often offer those in need a helping hand. As a result, the foundation, that has been watching disciples, has noticed my existence, leaving me with no choice but to join them."

"I see. Do you want to leave this realm and go to the ruleless heaven and earth to continue the path of learning the martial arts?" Meng Qi asked peacefully.

Nangong Chong suddenly became quiet. He thought of his beloved wife, his adorable children and his team members that had gone through thicks and thins with him. Then, he recalled the life that he was familiar with and the environment he enjoyed. He could bring along his wife and children, but what about the others?

After the age of thirty, the spirit of one to venture would be reduced. A significant change like this scared Nangong Chong, making him afraid to move forward.

He groaned lightly after a while and took a deep breath, "Disciple... disciple wants to stay in my hometown."

"Everyone has different aspirations and this cannot be forcefully changed." Meng Qi took out a piece of Myriad World Talisman, "You can consult me with this to obtain subsequent arts and purchase corresponding items for your practice. Your future will depend solely on yourself."

There were many diverging paths on the road of the pursuit of martial arts. There were doors that led to different ways and people who came and left. Only a minimal number of people were able to walk side by side to the end. Meng Qi sighed in disappointment. He leaped out from this universe after leaving the Myriad World Talisman behind. With the help of the link between the Myriad World Talisman and the World of the Witch of Black Mountain, he found the place where the body of Seven-Kill Priest rested. As long as he did not intentionally hide the link, Meng Qi would be able to find it.

"Why are you here?" the Seven-Kill Priest's delicate face was painted with tiredness.

Meng Qi smiled, "I'd like to borrow the Seven-Kill Tablet."

"Why should I lend it to you?" the Seven-Kill Priest asked with a low tone.

Meng Qi remained his smile, "Because as I become stronger, the Devil Buddha will become weaker. As the Devil Buddha becomes weaker, you will be more relaxed and might even be able to escape."

The Seven-Kill Priest stared at Meng Qi for a moment. He then took out the Seven-Kill Tablet suddenly and tossed it to him,

"Only once."

Meng Qi left with the Seven-Kill Tablet and returned to the real world, preparing to return to the previous Shaolin.