After leaving the Glazed Holy Land, Ming Qi walked through the air, amidst the towering mountains. He gazed upon the vast expanse of heaven and earth, the mountains like tigers and wolves, the rivers like dragons and snakes, the earth boundless and space infinite, and his mind suddenly broadened.
Sweeping the heavens and earth, riding the wind and traveling hundreds of miles in an instant—this was something Ming Qi hadn't even dared to imagine just a few years ago.
Thinking back to when he was struggling to make a living in Yanzhuang, he never imagined that soon he would be able to travel the heavens and earth, achieving the legendary immortal path.
Flying aimlessly, Ming Qi's thoughts swirled.
Just a moment ago, he had been full of vigor and ambition on his path to immortality, but in the blink of an eye, he was already feeling dejected.
Meng Ling was still in Young Master Wushuang's grasp, and he still lacked the strength to defeat him, to wrest Meng Ling from his clutches. He couldn't even protect the woman he loved, so how could he still be so high-spirited?
Unconsciously, Ming Qi clenched his fists and slowly raised them against the howling wind.
"Young Master Wushuang, I will defeat you!"
Bang!
The air exploded, and the muffled sound of his fist hitting the air echoed.
As he struck out, Ming Qi's eyes widened, his gaze fixed on the front. His swiftly flying body suddenly stopped.
Hmm...
Then his body lurched violently in the air, as if completely losing control, plummeting downwards.
Whoosh!
With a flash of light, the Wuxiang Boy swiftly emerged from the divine diagram.
"What's wrong with you?"
The Wuxiang boy shouted, then gently pushed his hands, launching a ball of colorful light. It lifted Mingqi's rapidly falling body and then floated lightly toward the ground.
"Oh, yes. Strong emotional fluctuations are a major taboo for cultivators. It seems you've suffered a serious injury."
The colorful light descended lightly, placing Mingqi on the ground.
The Wuxiang boy descended and set up a simple warning array around him, enhancing his awareness of danger. He then crouched down nearby, waiting for Mingqi to regain consciousness.
However, at this moment, Mingqi was unaware that he was unconscious.
Suddenly, he found himself in the midst of a vast array of swords and knives. Upon closer inspection, he saw it was the same sword formation he had used during the Biyou Sect's entrance examination at the ancient battlefield of Xihe. That had been so long ago, and he still vividly remembered passing through it with ease. But now, he was trapped within the vast array, perilous and threatening!
"How is this possible!"
Feeling the overwhelming threat, Ming Qi was horrified.
An unprecedented sense of crisis washed over him, and the thought of escape immediately overwhelmed him. But he soon realized he couldn't move at all. He watched helplessly as a barrage of swords pierced his body, blood gushing out like a torrent of water.
The blood on the swords hadn't yet faded, but the scene suddenly shifted. It was no longer the vast array of swords and knives, but a blazing flame illuminated the night sky above Bikong City!
With his hands, he wielded blazing celestial fire, striking repeatedly at the assembled Biyou Sect cultivators below Bikong City.
"Why am I here again?"
Before he could even think, Ming Qi saw a flash of light shoot out from the night sky ahead, like thunder, followed by a burst of sword energy as bright as the sun.
This was the sword energy of the Biyou Sect's Sword Elder, the Sword God Prince Xu!
Ming Qi instantly recognized it. Prince Xu had struck, and without warning, unleashing his celestial weapon, the Evil-Suppressing Divine Sword, in a single powerful blow.
The sword energy, imbued with destruction and punishment, rushed towards him with lightning speed, and in an instant, it was within a foot of Ming Qi's heart!
"I've blocked his sword energy before..."
This thought crossed Ming Qi's mind, but it had barely formed before the sound of the sword energy tearing through air and flesh was clearly transmitted to his nerves.
He couldn't block the sword energy.
Scene after scene, flashback after flashback, seemed like a replay of memories, yet it was definitely not a replay of memories, for each of these scenes, without exception, had altered its ending. Although these endings were unreal, Ming Qi remained uneasy.
This uneasiness was instinctive. Although he was still asleep, the thought was crystal clear.
Huh!
After Ming Qi was completely defeated by Gongzi Wushuang on Mount Osho in his memory, once again experiencing the process of "death," he suddenly woke up with a start and jumped up.
Touching his body, Ming Qi was horrified to find that, in this scorching summer and autumn season, he was icy cold!
The sky was filled with stars, and the night was deep.
Time slipped unnoticed, and it was already night. Ming Qi realized that he had been unconscious for nearly a day. And during that day, the strange replay of past events in his mind was still fresh in his mind!
Ming Qi had never encountered anything so bizarre before. Even though he'd woken up, he still looked somewhat dazed, sitting there blankly, his thoughts unsettled.
Nuxiang Tongzi, standing nearby, was also puzzled by Ming Qi's dazed state, worried that the intense emotional upheaval he'd experienced had caused irreparable trauma.
"What's wrong with you?"
After a moment's silence, Wuxiang Tongzi decided it was best to ask.
After several inquiries, Ming Qi finally snapped out of his dazed state.
"Was I unconscious the entire time?"
Ming Qi asked, puzzled.
"Yes, I was unconscious for quite some time. I was worried you'd sustained significant damage."
Confirming he was indeed unconscious, Ming Qi couldn't figure out why, so he recounted the entire situation to Wuxiang Tongzi.
"It's indeed strange."
After listening to Ming Qi's story, Wu Xiang Tongzi was at a loss for what exactly this hallucination could represent.
"Dead, but not truly dead. The established past has been altered. And so..."
Since Wu Xiang Tongzi didn't know the reason, Ming Qi resumed his own reflection.
Time slipped by, and before he knew it, the east gradually brightened. The next day was almost here.
"Could this be a sign of something awakening?"
Ming Qi, almost subconsciously, connected this strange occurrence to certain things he had experienced along the way. Suddenly, he noticed a difference.
The scene from the battle with the Hell Hydra in the Magic Corridor hadn't reappeared while he was unconscious!
"Could this be an instinctive attempt?"
Having guessed a possibility, Ming Qi was eager to verify it.
His Yuan Qi circulated, exploring the secret of immortality's origin gained from refining the Hell Hydra.
Upon investigation, Ming Qi was surprised to discover that the aura representing the secret of immortality, which he had once clearly sensed, had become faint. Rather, he could no longer pinpoint the location of that aura. Instead, he could sense a faint presence resembling the secret of immortality everywhere on his body.
"So that's how it is!"
After a brief moment of contemplation, Ming Qi finally understood. He had been refining the secret of immortality for some time. During this time, through continuous practice, the secret of immortality, once somewhat alien to his own strength, had been unknowingly refined and integrated. From then on, he possessed the same extraordinary recovery ability as the Hell Hydra.
Swish!
With a sharp sound of blade, Ming Qi, holding the knife in his right hand, swiftly cut a gash in his arm.
As he'd expected, the wound opened without bleeding. Instead, it healed at a visible speed. In just a few breaths, it was completely healed, leaving no trace.
"So that's really how it is, haha!"