“Qi?”

Reverend Jue Chen furrowed his brow slightly.

Qi is synonymous with 'air,' a term in Daoism with various profound and mysterious interpretations. Some say it's the energy that constitutes and sustains the human body, while others claim it's a fundamental element of the universe.

There are even those who believe it to be a form of void energy, a strange energy existing between existence and non-existence.

Various interpretations abound, with no truly unified definition.

"Indeed, between essence and spirit, qi is needed to connect them. Only then can essence, qi, and spirit unify and manifest in reality. Daoism speaks of heaven, earth, and man, with the heart as heaven, reality as earth, and the physical body as man. Then, qi is the necessary factor to integrate heaven, earth, and man..."

An Qisheng took a sip of tea and set it down.

In the ancient and modern books of Jiu Fu Realm, there are many hypotheses about qi, many of which are based on the human body, and some are conjectures about the existence of such energy in the void.

Naturally, there are also statements that coincide with his own.

He guessed that this point was a doctrine left by time-travelers who had once come to Xuan Xing.

However, Xuan Xing is a land of spiritual desolation. It would be a fool's dream for later generations to find it. If the path is wrong, even the most talented genius cannot reach the correct path.

"Essence, qi, and spirit, heaven, earth, and man..."

Reverend Jue Chen was somewhat dazed.

Such insight, bearing, and spirit made it difficult for him to believe that the person in front of him was a young man who had only broken through to the Hua Jin realm a year ago.

He couldn't help but get up, pacing back and forth with his hands behind his back. The more he pondered and chewed, the more he felt that every word was precious.

"Then, what is qi?"

After a long while, Reverend Jue Chen stopped and looked at An Qisheng, who was leisurely sipping tea.

He only felt unfathomable.

Unfathomable.

It had been a long time since Reverend Jue Chen had felt this way about someone. Not even Mu Longcheng.

But at this moment, he had this feeling.

An Qisheng smiled slightly:

"I was just about to discuss it with the Reverend."

........

In a void, it seemed as if specks of light and shadow flickered past.

A lifetime of experiences flowed before his eyes: bare walls, poverty, the first pot of gold... being bullied, beaten until covered in blood, mastering kung fu, wearing a suit and tie...

Wealth, luxury, earthly pleasures, seeing the gods and remaining uncorrupted, living Buddhas on earth...

A lifetime is very long, so long that it seems to have no end.

A lifetime is very short, as if it passes in an instant.

The light and shadow gradually disappeared, the void gradually faded, and the darkness peeled away before his eyes...

Mu Longcheng slowly opened his eyes.

Welcome to the Blessed Land of Reincarnation】

The voice flowing from the bottom of his heart and the many pieces of information that appeared in his mind wiped away the last trace of trance in his heart.

"Between life and death, it's nothing more than this..."

Mu Longcheng spoke calmly.

His indifferent gaze swept around.

Huge white jade steps, like a plaza, rose layer upon layer, reaching a gate at the end that radiated light.

The gate was majestic and tall, like a mountain or the sky, exuding an ancient and desolate aura.

Behind him, around the steps, was a boundless void, completely dark, without a trace of light, like a black hole, even stealing one's gaze.

Not far away, a substantial white light slowly brewed in the void, and a bandit carrying a short knife walked out of it.

Blessed Land of Reincarnation, endless steps?

A ripple appeared in the depths of Mu Longcheng's eyes:

"When falsehood is taken as truth, the truth also becomes false; when truth is taken as falsehood, falsehood also becomes true. Such a place is indeed interesting..."

He murmured to himself.

In that glance around, he had already penetrated his surroundings. The steps, the light, the floating dust, were no different from the outside world. The clothes, the material of the short knife, and even the muscles and bones of the bandit walking out of the white light were exactly the same.

Such a place, such reality.

Even if it is fake, the cultivation of the person who created all this must be above his own.

Since that's the case, why bother with truth or falsehood?

And why care about life or death, or where one is?

Crack~

With a thought in his mind, he raised his hand, passed through the light of the knife that was slashing at him, crushed the neck of the bandit named Su Er, and with a flick, threw him into the void behind him.

This void and the gate were the only two things he couldn't see through.

Buzz~

The corpse fell into the void.

A beam of white light leapt out and flew towards Mu Longcheng.

Mu Longcheng remained calm, allowing the white light to enter his body.

A strange set of knife techniques that he had never learned before flashed through his mind.

"Telepathic connection? Spiritual transmission?"

Mu Longcheng's expression did not change.

Such methods would naturally seem strange and magical to ordinary people, but to him, it was nothing more than that.

Because he could also do it.

"If it's just this, it's nothing..."

The steps trembled and rose, Mu Longcheng raised his eyebrows and looked at the heavenly gate at the end of the steps, his expression indifferent.

He didn't care about his situation, only whether there was anything worth learning.

As for how he got here, or whether he had fallen into the hands of others, there was no need to think about it.

Because that was meaningless, and he wouldn't do useless things.

The steps rose layer by layer.

Bandits, swordsmen, heroes, swordsmen—on each step, there was one person, but none could withstand Mu Longcheng's casual pinch.

Until the steps rose to a hundred, he hadn't even moved his feet.

And after crossing a hundred steps, the gate was still infinitely far away.

But the figure that appeared next made Mu Longcheng slowly raise his eyebrows, a hint of interest in his eyes.

Buzz~

A white light slowly fell beside the middle-aged swordsman in a blue shirt with a purple beard, holding a long sword:

Maple Province's Summit, Qi Meridian Small Cycle, Shao Yu's Sword Wind Shakes the Sect】

And up to this level.

This white jade plaza was already a hundred times larger than the original, and in the void, there slowly appeared wisps of fluctuations that he had never felt before.

As the fluctuations emerged, he could feel his body stirring, as if every inch of his skin was issuing a greedy desire.

What is this?

Mu Longcheng was finally moved.

.......

Mu Longcheng, died in battle on Mount Wudang!

This news, like a storm, instantly ignited the entire martial arts circle!

On the Enforcement Martial Artists Forum, this post did not need to be pinned; it instantly became the hottest post, overwhelming Feng Mingtao's warning post in one fell swoop.

There were many witnesses to the battle on Mount Wudang. Although ordinary people could only guess and discuss because there were no images, they only thought that another big shot had been rumored to have 'died'.

But for the martial arts world, it was no secret.

The Enforcement Martial Artists Forum naturally knew this earth-shattering news as soon as possible.

Mu Longcheng was undoubtedly the number one master in the global martial arts world.

This point could be seen from the fact that decades ago, he was not only able to retreat overseas but also bring all his assets intact.

His death was a truly globally impactful event.

Even though the Dragon City Group was desperately suppressing this news for fear of a drop in stock prices, it did not affect the fiery discussions in the martial arts world at all.

In Shanghai, on the top floor of a certain building.

"He's dead, he's finally dead! Old thief Mu, you're finally dead! After killing so many people, you should have died long ago!"

"An Qisheng? My Da Xuan, has another Grandmaster who sees the gods appeared? Does anyone recognize him?"

"Such a shocking battle, I didn't even have the chance to see it! Where is Grandmaster An? I want to pay my respects to him!"

Looking at the layers of floors being built on the forum, the fiery degree was staggering.

Wang Zhixuan's finger trembled, snapping the pen.

"Xuanxuan, this, how is this possible? He, he actually killed Mu Longcheng?"

Jiang Shili widened her eyes, unable to stop her shock.

Mu Longcheng, that was...

That ordinary-looking young man actually killed Mu Longcheng?

How was that possible?

"It's true. I've confirmed this news with Shaolin Temple's Shi Xingwu. It was indeed him who defeated Mu Longcheng..."

Wang Zhixuan held the broken pen, her heart also full of shock.

When she first received the news, her shock was far greater than Jiang Shili's.

She clearly remembered that when they first met, he hadn't even achieved Dark Force. On that trip overseas, she had even guided him on the divine aspect of the fist.

The last time she went out to hunt down the Miao family's people, she heard that he had become a Hua Jin master, which had already surprised her greatly.

But, in just one month.

He was able to defeat Mu Longcheng in public!

No one would think that Mu Longcheng was holding back, let alone think that Mu Longcheng was holding back at the cost of his life.

"Unscientific, this is unscientific... Even cheating should have some basic rules! A year ago, he couldn't even beat this old lady. You, you must be mistaken, right?"

Jiang Shili unladylike used foul language, unable to believe it.

It was like someone who was poorer than you suddenly becoming the richest person in the world in just one year. How absurd was that?

No, it was even more absurd.

After all, with a good opportunity, one's assets could soar, but this fist technique and martial arts had to be practiced little by little.

"No, no, Xuanxuan, give me his phone number. I want to confirm."

Jiang Shili very restlessly picked up Wang Zhixuan's phone. Although they had gone overseas together before, she had not remembered An Qisheng's phone number.

Hu~

Wang Zhixuan snatched back the phone and shook her head slightly: "No need to call. It's turned off. You can't get through."

The first time she heard about this, she had called An Qisheng.

Unfortunately, An Qisheng was deep in the mountains and old forests, and his phone had long been turned off.

"Where is he now?"

Jiang Shili sat on the sofa. She couldn't be as calm as Wang Zhixuan.

That was a Grandmaster, a great master who even the president of a country had to make an appointment to meet, and even then, it depended on their mood.

There were no such masters in the current imperial court.

"He should be on Mount Wudang..."

As Wang Zhixuan spoke, her phone suddenly rang.

Ding~

"The second search and rescue team has also lost contact?"

Wang Zhixuan's expression sank, and she suddenly stood up.

Things were getting serious.

With the first search team as a warning, the second search team abandoned the high altitude and walked towards the Himalayan Mountains on foot.

Moreover, this search team had more personnel and was more comprehensive, with everything from wild survival experts, special forces teams, meteorologists, and martial arts masters.

But even so, it disappeared even faster than the first search team!

Almost as soon as they approached the Himalayan Mountains by ten kilometers, they lost contact, suspected of being due to magnetic field disturbances affecting data transmission.

The monster in the mountains was growing,

Or rather, awakening!