The moment Chen Kuang struck with his palm, he immediately sensed something was off.
Although the strike was somewhat hasty, it still carried the strength of three layers of force, this was now an effortless feat for him, easily achieved with a mere movement, far from the difficulty he had experienced when he first started learning Descent from Tusita Heaven.
This triple-layered force, if applied to an ordinary Tower Ascension Realm cultivator below the fifth level, would have left them gravely injured on the spot.
Yet when his palm landed on Jiang Wuya's body, it felt as though he had struck nothing at all, it was completely devoid of any sensation!
It wasn't even like hitting cotton, but rather like punching into thin air.
And yet Jiang Wuya was flung backwards as if struck hard, flying through the air.
There was no faker display than this.
Chen Kuang immediately understood, his heart sinking. This guy clearly couldn't be some mere mortal!
As Jiang Wuya slammed into a beam of the ruined temple mid-air, Chen Kuang stepped through the sparks from the bonfire and the swirling dust and debris, and saw that the leper-headed Daoist had arched a brow, on his face was an unexpected smile.
That smile was entirely different from the usual lascivious look he wore.
It was a faint, detached expression, and yet seemed full of interest.
Even more bizarrely, his expression actually contained a trace of... inexplicable gratification?
Jiang Wuya's entire aura also shifted in that moment. Accompanying that smile, it became something entirely different.
Chen Kuang had the vague sensation that this man's aura was... inexplicably familiar?!
But he had no time to dwell on it.
Because at the same time, a powerful wave of dizziness and disorientation hit him.
It felt like being hurled into the air and dropped, over and over again, until his brain was nearly scrambled.
Everything before his eyes warped like a crumpled painting soaked in water, colors bled and merged into one another, turning into swirling stains of every hue.
Voices calling him, first distant and then close, gradually became clear in his ears.
"!!!"
Chen Kuang jolted awake, like someone breaking the surface of water, gasping for fresh air, panting heavily with his chest heaving violently.
His awareness quickly snapped back together, and when he looked up, he met the gaze of a middle-aged man in front of him.
It was Zhang Zhizhou.
Seeing Chen Kuang awaken, Zhang Zhizhou immediately let go of his shoulders, which he had been shaking vigorously. He turned to look at Su Huaiying, who had also come to, and finally let out a sigh of relief.
Frowning, he looked sternly at Chen Kuang and said:
"Who did you encounter? Even with my abilities, I couldn't wake you."
Chen Kuang took a deep breath and rubbed his forehead. He found himself sitting against a stone pedestal on the dusty ground.
There was still a lingering sense of disembodiment in his mind as he looked around.
They were still in that dim, broken temple, but there was no bonfire in front of him, only a mess of footprints.
Which meant that in reality, the two of them had fallen asleep the moment they entered the ruined temple.
And what they just experienced... had all been a dream?!
Chen Kuang tilted his head back blankly. The stone pedestal behind him supported a statue of some unknown deity enshrined in the temple.
From this angle, he could see the deity's indistinct face appearing to gaze down at him.
He hadn't sensed at all when he had entered the dream.
Piercing Insight allowed him to see through illusions and disguises, but dreams weren't seen with the eyes; they were subjective images generated by the brain.
And thus were outside the domain of what could be seen through with just eyes.
This passive skill isn't all-powerful.
That's a fatal flaw. In a high-martial world like this, there's no telling what strange powers might exist. I still don't have enough Passives, still too few, still not comprehensive enough... I really do need to be even more cautious.
Chen Kuang thought to himself.
If this were some wuxia world, with his collection of passives, he'd already be invincible under heaven.
But here in Cangyuan... at best, they were barely enough for self-preservation.
This dream had been a harsh wake-up call.
If Jiang Wuya had harbored any murderous intent, Chen Kuang's unconscious body would've been killed ten thousand times over.
Or perhaps... the old bastard shouldn't even be called "Jiang Wuya" anymore.
I never imagined this.. But then, who would?
Chen Kuang muttered under his breath, brushing the dust off his rear as he stood.
Zhang Zhizhou had already helped his young lord up. Su Huaiying, still shaken, said in a low voice:
"We encountered Jiang Wuya, the missing Grand Preceptor of Liang..."
"No-"
Chen Kuang let out a long breath and shook his head. "That wasn't Jiang Wuya."
Su Huaiying and Zhang Zhizhou both turned to look at him.
Chen Kuang narrowed his eyes and continued, "That was the 'Sage of Music'-Xi Mengquan."
Su Huaiying's eyes widened. Zhang Zhizhou also showed a look of surprise.
Su Huaiying opened her mouth. "The 'Sage of Music'?! How could he possibly be Jiang Wuya..."
This time, she was truly unsettled.
Throughout the countless cycles in her dreams, she had never once seen anyone resembling Jiang Wuya, but she had seen a middle-aged musician who seemed to be Xi Mengquan.
That man's appearance was completely different from Jiang Wuya's, and his aura was ethereal... Well, admittedly that might've been a product of Su Huaiying's own rose-colored filter, but even if it was him, he couldn't be called ugly.
Jiang Wuya, however, was the sort of person whose face would make anyone avert their eyes.
Chen Kuang shook his head. "I'm not sure if Jiang Wuya was merely a form he used in the dream, or if Jiang Wuya is one of his incarnations, but..."
"At the very least, the person we spoke with just now, if there was no mistake, was Xi Mengquan himself."
After all, Chen Kuang had truly studied the zither under Xi Mengquan for three years, living, eating, and sleeping in his presence.
Aside from appearance, his familiarity with Xi Mengquan was such that he could recognize him by his footsteps alone.
And given that those three years were but a blink of an eye to someone like Xi Mengquan, who had lived for millennia...
It was precisely because the time had been so short that the chances of any personality shifts over the next ten years were close to zero.
In fact, because Chen Kuang had never seen Xi Mengquan's face, he could avoid being misled by appearances and perceive the man's essence more clearly.
From what was known of his behavior, Xi Mengquan... might be better called the "Sage of Amusement" rather than "Sage of Music." The man was a pure agent of chaos.
He acted as if without purpose yet somehow seemed to be operating on a level of calculation that others couldn't even touch.
Chen Kuang leaned toward the explanation that Xi Mengquan had simply borrowed Jiang Wuya's appearance and identity within the dream.
Zhang Zhizhou raised a brow. "You seem very certain. May I ask why?"
Chen Kuang considered for a moment, then nodded.
"It's nothing I need to keep secret. The Canglang Evaluation already dug up everything about my background anyway."
"Back when I was still a mortal, my family sold me due to famine and drought to a passing musician as an apprentice."
"I studied the zither with him for three years. Then he sold me to the imperial palace, where I became a court musician of Liang."
Zhang Zhizhou immediately understood. "That passing musician, was Xi Mengquan?"
Chen Kuang nodded.
"In other words, if Xi Mengquan is willing to acknowledge it... I could be considered a disciple of the 'Sage of Music'."
"That Kunpeng who aided me in battle before the Martial Saint... is my senior brother."
Zhang Zhizhou clicked his tongue in amazement.
"I'd wondered where a genius like you sprang from. As it rurns out, your origins are truly terrifying."
"'Disciple of the Sage of Music' -just saying that aloud would earn you some face, even with the 'Martial Saint' himself."
Chen Kuang curled his lips and said, speechless, "If it were that simple, would I still be in this situation?"
The problem was that Xi Mengquan's whereabouts were unpredictable, he came and went like a shadow, completely traceless. For the past few hundred years, no one had known his exact location.
Even if Chen Kuang claimed to be a disciple of the "Saint of Music," he'd still need some proof.
Otherwise, who would believe something like that?
In fact, Chen Kuang suspected that, given Xi Mengquan's personality, even if Chen Kuang pointed at him to his face and called him 'Master,' Xi Mengquan might not acknowledge it at all!
That man's temperament... was unfathomable!
Su Huaiying, however, felt a bit heavy-hearted. If it were just a case of borrowing an identity, that would be one thing.
But if Jiang Wuya was actually Xi Mengquan's incarnation... then the entire Liang Kingdom scheme became even more complicated and murky.
It wouldn't just mean another Saint with unknown motives entering the field, even everything that "Jiang Wuya" had said earlier might not have been the truth at all!
Zhang Zhizhou asked again, "So, what did he say to you?"
Chen Kuang recounted everything truthfully, then added, "I can confirm that what he said was all true. You'd best hurry back to Liang. Right now, the Zhou Kingdom is likely dispatching people throughout Liang to locate and suppress the dragon veins for their array setup."
"If the 'Eternal Life Lock' formation is successfully established, Liang will truly be doomed, with no hope of revival."
Zhang Zhizhou looked at Chen Kuang but shook his head: "I don't think that's the crucial part. As you said, the ultimate target of that formation is Liang's national destiny."
"And that national destiny... is currently upon you."
"Unfortunately, you've already exposed the fact that you swallowed the Elixir of Immortality."
"Ji Chengtian has no shortage of informants within the court and palace of the Yang Kingdom. He'll learn about this soon enough, and when he does, he'll definitely send people to hunt you down."
Chen Kuang could only feel helpless.
All this time, perhaps because he was confident in the fallback of the "Eternal Life Lock," Ji Chengtian had seemed to lose interest in the Elixir of Immortality, the ones pursuing Chen Kuang had mainly been from the Martial Saint Pavilion.
Though the Zhou Kingdom never revoked their bounty, they hadn't been very aggressive. The Three Calamities Sect and the royal household of Zhou hadn't even shown themselves.
But this time was different, not only was Chen Kuang a walking Elixir of Immortality, he was also the central node of the "Eternal Life Lock" formation!
Once Ji Chengtian learned this... the scale and intensity of the pursuit would likely surpass even that of the Martial Saint Pavilion.
Su Huaiying nodded and said, "He's right. As long as you don't get caught, even if all of Liang's dragon veins are found, Ji Chengtian still won't be able to activate the 'Eternal Life Lock.'"
Chen Kuang let out a long breath and shrugged:
"Then all I can do is keep running."
Zhang Zhizhou pulled out a folding fan from somewhere, knocked it lightly against his palm, and said in a deep tone:
"If Ji Chengtian personally makes a move... you won't be able to escape."
Chen Kuang's heart sank.
Zhang Zhizhou had practically witnessed his escape from Liang and even knew that Chen Kuang had faked his death to slip away from the Martial Saint's hands.
He had a clear grasp of Chen Kuang's current strength.
Yet even he held Zhou's court in higher regard than the Martial Saint Pavilion...
Chen Kuang silently wondered whether he should mention his alternative plan, going to the Wugou Pure Land and impersonating a Buddha's child.
Though, with his current strength, impersonating a Buddha's child might be too difficult.
Not to mention, just getting to the Wugou Pure Land was already a major problem.
Before he could speak, Zhang Zhizhou suddenly changed the subject:
"Also, I must remind you of one thing-"
Chen Kuang was slightly taken aback: "What thing?"
Zhang Zhizhou looked at him and said, "Have you forgotten... that the true body of the 'Martial Saint' is about to emerge from the Ancient Battlefield of Meditation?"
Chen Kuang: "..."
Honestly speaking..
He really had almost forgotten about that.
Mainly because he'd been through so much recently, and having already cultivated a Fasting Body, his sense of time had become muddled.
For a moment, he truly couldn't remember when exactly the 'Martial Saint' was supposed to emerge from seclusion.
But now that Zhang Zhizhou mentioned it, he instantly recalled.
He had heard about this before.
Back then, someone said... the 'Martial Saint' would emerge in seven days?
Tss... Chen Kuang's eyelid twitched, and he suddenly felt an impending headache.
Why did he have a bad feeling about this...
He gave a dry cough and asked, "So, how long until the 'Martial Saint' comes out?"
Zhang Zhizhou calculated on his fingers, then raised an eyebrow, giving Chen Kuang a rather peculiar look.
He said concisely, "Tomorrow."
"Cough cough cough cough cough..."
That was the sound of Chen Kuang choking on his own saliva.
Tomorrow?!
Chen Kuang took a moment to recover, then couldn't help asking, "Are you sure?"
Zhang Zhizhou nodded: "I'm sure."
Chen Kuang took a deep breath and put on a dead-fish-eyed expression.
Great. Once the true body of the 'Martial Saint' emerged, he'd definitely receive intelligence from Ji Chengtian, learning that... Chen Kuang wasn't actually dead.
In other words, when the time came, the forces pursuing Chen Kuang would be a combination of the 'Martial Saint's' true body and Ji Chengtian's forces.
It could only be described with two words: utterly terrifying.
Not only had he failed to go into hiding... his enemies had doubled.
Chen Kuang was speechless. He just wanted to find a quiet place and collect himself.
When he looked up, he found Zhang Zhizhou tapping the fan in his hand, wearing a calm smile.
As if everything was within his grasp.
Chen Kuang's heart stirred. He cupped his hands and said:
"Mr. Zhang, please advise me!"
Zhang Zhizhou replied, "I wouldn't call it advice, but I do have a good idea."
Chen Kuang cupped his hands again, bowing even lower this time.
Zhang Zhizhou said: "Since the 'Martial Saint' is about to emerge from the Ancient Battlefield of Meditation... then why don't you go in?"
Chen Kuang froze: "Enter the Ancient Battlefield of Meditation? How?"
He vaguely remembered that the Ancient Battlefield of Meditation could indeed be entered.
Back when he was working at the Xuni Pavilion, he had overheard cultivators talking about it, in the final seven days before the Martial Saint emerged, young elites from major sects and factions would be allowed to enter the battlefield to temper themselves.
But the key point was: "major sects and factions." In other words, the slots were monopolized by those powers.
Chen Kuang turned to look at Zhang Zhizhou.
Zhang Zhizhou... happened to be the senior disciple of Liberty Mountain.
And Liberty Mountain was precisely one of those so-called great sects.