One could not see the true face of Mount Lu only because one was in the mountain itself. Standing at the foot of Spirited Mountain, Meng Qi could only see the mountains in front of him, towering and majestic with hidden beauty. He could not see anything above.
Looking around, Mengqi didn't see the entrance, but he wasn't worried. Once the eighth day came, the Samsara task would be over, and he would leave this place.
"How should we go?" Jiang Zhiwei held the Sword of the Sun-Penetrating Rainbow, guarding against any sneak attack. If it was a normal Spirited Mountain, she wouldn't be afraid. However, the Spirited Mountain had been invaded by the Great Sage. Hundreds of years had passed, and no one knew how it had developed.
Among them, the only one who knew something about the Spirited Mountain was Mengqi, so everyone looked at him.
Mengqi held the horizontal board of the Big Leiyin Temple, sheathed the Whisper and the Meridian, and held the Purple Death in his right hand. He said confidently, "Let's climb the mountain."
After walking for five or six miles, he saw a large river running through the mountain range. It was eight or nine miles wide, and the waves were rolling.
"There's a bridge over there …" Luo Shengyi saw the single-plank bridge in the distance. There was a flat board beside the bridge, with the words "Cloud Crossing" written on it.
His voice stopped abruptly because the single-plank bridge was broken in the middle. Even though there was still half of it in the air, it was still four or five miles away from the other side. With their Lightness Skill, it was impossible to cross four or five miles in the air.
"Let's find a wooden block to stand on, or swim over?" Jiang Zhiwei asked Mengqi for his opinion. Since they couldn't fly, this was the only way.
Mengqi shook his head. "It's recorded in the Buddhist scriptures that the river is strange. We can't be careless. Let's try throwing a wooden block into the river."
Everyone agreed with his words. Qi Zhengyan found a piece of rotten wood and threw it into the river.
The wood sank into the water like gold and stone, without stopping. Luo Shengyi and the others looked at each other. How could they cross the river?
Whether they relied on the wooden block or swam over, they would sink to the bottom of the river.
Meng Qi had already expected this. He pointed at the horizontal board and said, "We'll rely on this. This is an item of Buddha and doesn't belong to the secular world. It can help us cross the river."
As he spoke, he put the horizontal board into the river. It floated up and down with the waves, but it did not sink!
"Can it hold five people?" The horizontal board was not big, so five people had to stand close to each other to fit. That was why Luo Shengyi asked.
Mengqi said seriously, "The Buddha saves all living beings. How can he not save the five of us?"
He took the lead and stepped onto the horizontal board. The horizontal board swayed and did not sink at all.
Seeing this, Ruan Yushu went up first, with her back against Mengqi. Jiang Zhiwei stood in front of her, with Qi Zhengyan behind her. Luo Shengyi jumped on and stood close to Qi Zhengyan, at the edge of the horizontal board.
The horizontal board did not sink even a little, even with the weight of the five of them.
Luo Shengyi released his genuine Qi and pushed the horizontal board forward.
As soon as the horizontal board left the shore, Mengqi felt refreshed, as if all the impurities in his body had been removed. The last Aperture acupoint related to the Mouth Aperture was naturally condensed. The Mouth Aperture opened by itself. His heart trembled and became strong and firm. It pumped blood and sent the impurities to his lungs, which were then expelled through the Nose Aperture and Mouth Aperture.
The liver contained vitality, the kidney stored Essence Qi, the lungs absorbed Clear Qi, and the heart delivered Origin Blood. With the initial expulsion of impurities, the small world in Mengqi's body was beginning to take shape!
With them as the core, the five viscera and six bowels harmonized, forming a "world" according to the laws of nature. Mengqi's lower abdomen and chest seemed to have two heavy doors opened. His Essence Qi and genuine Qi were endless and powerful.
The Inner World was at the primary level, and the two Secret Chambers of Energy and Vitality were opened!
Together with the Immortal Pressing Art and the vigorous genuine Qi, Mengqi could be called a fierce beast in human form who could fight for a long time!
A layer of dark gold appeared on the surface of his body, making continuous crackling sounds as if the impurities were being refined. The sixth level, which was about to be completed under the "Raging Fire Forging Real Gold" of the flying bird monster, was finally completed.
First Rank!
The weak points of Mengqi's lower abdomen, Dantian, and Temple disappeared. Other than the throat, mid-brows, and the Nine Innate Apertures were his weak points.
The Eight Nine Mysteries was also improving. It rushed straight to the Ear Aperture, absorbing all the subtle sounds from all directions.
Mengqi looked back and saw five corpses flowing down the river towards the horizon. They were the five of them!
"This?" Luo Shengyi and Qi Zhengyan blurted out in shock and fear.
Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu were also shocked and confused. They could clearly feel the changes in their bodies and the improvement of their strength.
A smile appeared on Meng Qi's face. "Congratulations, everyone has shed their mortal bodies."
The improvement of their strength was the most obvious, but also the most insignificant. The most important thing was that they had shed their mortal bodies. Their Primordial Spirit and physical bodies merged, making them lively and agile. Their natural endowments had been greatly improved. If not for the fact that they had not gone through 81 hardships or taken the bottomless boat, their endowments would probably be the same as those Dharmakaya masters who had improved their physical bodies. Even so, Qi Zhengyan and Luo Shengyi, who had the worst endowments, seemed to have gone through a convergence of the inner and outer worlds. Their endowments were no worse than most of the geniuses in the enlightenment period.
Mengqi, who had been practicing the Bone Conditioning Chapter of Yijin Forging, felt that his endowments had been completely improved. He was probably not inferior to Jiang Zhiwei, so there was no point in continuing to practice this art.
Of course, Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu, who were already talented and had excellent endowments, were even more outstanding. Their bodies seemed to be a little clearer.
Moreover, many special arts and items were targeted at mortals, which meant that Mengqi and the others were immune to them.
Normally, to shed their mortal bodies, they had to cultivate Dharmakaya. One could imagine what Mengqi and the others had gained.
Although it was a trick and could not be compared to the real Dharmakaya masters, it was still extraordinary. Not to mention that they had the opportunity to achieve Dharmakaya in the future and be reborn!
Their physical performance did not have a qualitative improvement, so they still had to practice normally. But in the future, they would definitely get twice the result with half the effort!
This was the benefit of the pure land of Spirited Mountain that Mengqi could predict and grasp. As long as they crossed this river and shed their mortal bodies, this trip would be worthwhile. As for the future, if there was danger, they would not move forward. They would find a place to hide and wait. In the future, when their strength reached a certain level, they would explore again.
One should not be greedy.
Jiang Zhiwei suddenly understood. She pointed at "Mengqi" and "Jiang Zhiwei" who were floating on the river and smiled, "It's you, it's me!"
"It's me, it's me." Ruan Yushu showed a rare smile, like the first thaw of snow and the arrival of spring.
Qi Zhengyan and Luo Shengyi did not understand what she meant, but they could still understand it since they had shed their mortal bodies. Their own changes could not be wrong, so they could not hide their smiles.
"I have opened Seven Apertures. The Inner World has been formed, and the two Secret Chambers of Energy and Primordial Qi have been opened." Meng Qi briefly explained his improvement in order to prevent his companions from not knowing his level when they encountered enemies and not being able to cooperate well.
Jiang Zhiwei nodded, "I have condensed all the relevant apertures. I am only one step away from opening all nine apertures."
As long as all nine apertures were opened, she would be able to use the Anatta Sword twice, just like Su Wuming.
"Same as Mengqi," Ruan Yushu said briefly.
"I am half a step away from opening my mouth aperture and will soon master the Azure Blizzard," Qi Zhengyan described his own situation. He could vaguely feel the improvement of his aptitude.
Luo Shengyi smiled, "The Inner World and the Outer World are resonating more and more. My own will seems to be able to affect nature a little."
The so-called knife will, fist will, and one's own will were actually a manifestation of the Exterior moves during the enlightenment period.
The reason why the Exterior could cause changes in heaven and earth was naturally because the Interior could be manifested externally, intersecting with heaven and earth and communicating with nature. Different Inner Worlds could sense and communicate with different Dharma and Logos of Heaven and Earth, so the Exterior displayed was also different. Some could summon wind and rain, some could summon thunder and lightning, some could perceive karma, and some could affect another with one's heart.
Why was the Inner World different? It was because of the different cultivation methods and understandings, so the transformation of the Inner World was different. Moreover, this transformation was subtle, so the Sword Emperor would think about metaphysical questions such as "what is a sword", "why is it a sword", "what is its position in one's life and Kung Fu", "what does it represent in the laws and Dharma and Logos of Heaven and Earth".
Only by understanding one's own answer could the Inner World be closer to a certain part of Dharma and Logos of Heaven and Earth. Only then could it resonate and open the Hidden Latch of Life and Death.
"Different answers, different paths, and different Interior."
Luo Shengyi's words meant that he had taken a solid step towards the Half-step Exterior Scenery.
The reason why Mengqi and the others could activate the Blade Will and Sword Will in the Exterior was because the Exterior or Dharmakaya heart sutras, moves, and artistic conception could quietly harmonize the Inner World into a state of resonance. Heaven and Earth would naturally respond to one's blade. Although it was not obvious, it was still much better than normal enlightenment of the Apertures. Otherwise, how could Mengqi use the Heart Affecting Another to activate the Purple Thunder?
"Everyone has improved. The hope of completing the task has increased a little." Mengqi exhaled.
Luo Shengyi continued to "row" the boat with genuine Qi. Not long after, they arrived at the other side of the river. They saw a neat row of mountain peaks and jagged rocks, reaching into the sky.
Mengqi picked up the horizontal board and the Purple Death and led the others to continue climbing.
On the other side of the river, a glazed Buddha light suddenly appeared and turned into an arc, revealing a big-headed fish monster. It was Penbo Erba.
Relying on the Buddha treasure it had guarded for hundreds of years, it entered the gate of Spirited Mountain invisibly and followed Mengqi and the others. It did not make a move and planned to let them explore the way for it. Who knew what dangers there were here!
However, when they reached the river, the Buddha treasure felt the breath outside of the mortal world and suddenly lost control. After a few struggles, it finally broke, revealing Penbo Erba.
"Shed the mortal body …" Penbo Erba had heard Mengqi's congratulations and was even more eager to cross the river, but it could not cross it.
"When they finish exploring the way, we'll take back the horizontal board and come back to cross the river again …" Penbo Erba dared not touch the water for fear of an accident, so he directly flew to the other side of the river.
…
Mengqi and the others walked for a while and saw a magnificent stone gate. It was already broken and out of shape, but there was something special about it. It blocked all gazes behind and blocked all sounds, making it difficult to see the situation of the main body of Spirited Mountain.
"After passing this gate, we should be able to see the Big Leiyin Temple and various Buddhist temples, as well as the Merit Pool, green lotus …" Mengqi guessed that it might be in ruins now.
As they approached the residence of the Buddha, everyone held their breath and carefully passed through the stone gate. Suddenly, their eyes went dark.
Yes, it was not a sudden light, but a sudden darkness. There were dark cracks everywhere in the void of Spirited Mountain, and the wind turned into countless giant dragons. Through them, they could vaguely see an iron rod, the top of which supported the sky and the bottom of which reached the ground. It was as thick as a mountain, and there were golden hoops on both ends!
Lightning snakes flew around it, and green lotus flowers bloomed and withered. In each lightning and each lotus flower, there seemed to be a world born and destroyed. The stars were densely packed, forming clouds that connected to the Milky Way, boundless and broad.
The roar rolled and echoed through the ages, drilling into the present.
"I, Old Sun, will not cultivate the afterlife in this life!"
