From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 389 Tianmen
The sky is bright and clear, and there is not a trace of filth in the world.

Wang Er and Daoist Ren looked up at the sky, while Lin Yan stroked his chin and looked around aimlessly.

Mo Tingyu paid little attention to the battle, only glancing at it from time to time, her mind entirely focused on Ning Qufei.

Others either lost their ambition in martial arts or didn't care much about cultivation, but Ning Qu watched intently, hoping to improve himself after witnessing this battle.

"Is the moon still in the moon palace?" Wang Er looked up at the sky with his hands behind his back. He saw that the Buddha's image was still majestic and the starlight was still faint. He knew that this battle was not like the battle between Li Weizhen and Wusheng Luohan, so he was not in a hurry.

Having received Ren Daoshi's confirmation, Wang Er set off.

Lin Yan immediately followed, and Mo Tingyu did not dare to fall behind. They knew that only Wang Er could protect them on this trip.

Upon arriving at the Moon Palace, one sees that the osmanthus tree is devoid of any blossoms. The bright moon stands beside the osmanthus tree, with a dozing little girl holding a whisk serving at her side.

When Mingyue saw Wang Er and the others arrive, she remained silent and continued to watch the battle.

No one spoke, but Lin Yan seemed to remember something, so he stepped forward and poked the girl's bun.

Huanxi, clutching his whisk, frowned as he looked at Lin Yan.

Lin Yan took out several letters from his pocket and said, "Miss Xiangling asked my junior brother to give you a message, but he had something to do and asked me to pass it on to you."

"Oh? A letter from Steward Xiang?" Huanxi tucked the whisk under her arm, happily took it, and examined it one by one. She saw that it was indeed Xiangling's handwriting. In addition to the letter to her, there were several other letters that she was asked to pass on.

Huanxi opened the letter Xiangling had written to her. The handwriting was crooked and messy, with occasional scribblings and typos, but at least the format was not bad. She first greeted him, and then talked about traveling with some close female friend and seeing many beautiful sights. She wrote a long and rambling letter without any focus. In the end, she even urged him to return the money, and that the young castrator would collect it on his behalf.

"..." Huanxi sighed, touched her purse, then put the letter away without mentioning the repayment. She took out her whisk, held it in her arms, bowed slightly to Lin Yan, and looked serious, like a little master. "Thank you for delivering the letter, fellow Daoist."

Huanxi then asked, "Fellow Daoist, where is Layman Meng Feiyuan?"

Lin Yan pointed to the sky.

Knowing that she wouldn't be chased for debt for the time being, Huanxi breathed a slight sigh of relief and muttered, "Maybe he'll forget about it once the fight starts. Sigh, Fellow Daoist Meng is in charge of exorcising demons one minute and chasing debts the next. Xiangling, really, I'll have saved enough in two more months!"

Lin Yan had no idea what Huanxi was thinking. Seeing how well-behaved the child was, he couldn't help but pinch Huanxi's bun and lift it up a bit. The usually carefree man even smiled and exclaimed, "The medicine girl will definitely give me a daughter who is a hundred times more well-behaved and cute than Huanxi in the future!"

Huanxi used her whisk to brush Lin Yan's hand away. She was too embarrassed to say anything to the messenger, so she ran to Master Ren's side.

Mo Tingyu, however, was moved by Lin Yan's words and exclaimed, "Senior brother, I'll give you a son!"

At this moment, seeing that the battle in the sky had not changed, Wang Er looked at the bright moon and said, "Meng Feiyuan's group has failed to live up to the expectations of the Third Miss. They can only win and cannot afford to lose."

"How could Meng Yuan possibly lose?" Mingyue had even more confidence in Meng Yuan than Wang Er and the others.

"As expected of someone who rode with you, he knows you best!" Wang Er clapped her hands in praise, her green skirt swaying slightly as she smiled and said, "However, he didn't respond at all to the message your brother asked me to pass on."

“He wouldn’t have agreed in the first place.” Mingyue shook her head slightly and said, “I had a deep talk with my brother. He was not bewitched by the mystical arts, but was trapped by his inner demons. He has gone mad and can no longer listen to what others say.”

"Yes." Master Ren sighed, patting Huanxi's head affectionately as he said, "In any case, since it is for the selfish desires of one person and the world of one family that Buddhism is brought into the capital, the Daoist and Confucian families will never tolerate the Dugu family again. Now Meng Feiyuan is the first martial artist to step forward. Even if he fails, the Daoist and Confucian families will produce a second and a third martial artist until the world is rebuilt."

"Old Taoist priest, according to you, Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism are all bad?" Lin Yan chuckled and pinched Huanxi's cheek, which made Huanxi furious.

“All laws are good laws, but when people cultivate the laws, they control the laws with their own power, and variables are inevitable.” The usually stern Taoist priest Ren had a kind smile on his face and gently pinched Huanxi’s cheek. This time, Huanxi did not show any displeasure as she did with Lin Yan; instead, she was very obedient.

Mo Tingyu wanted to go up and argue, but Ning Qufei stopped her.

"There's not much to say about the debate between the three religions. They've all produced sages, but they've also all produced demons. As for whether a sage or a demon will emerge, it simply depends on whether there are sharp blades in the world." Wang Er, a martial artist, though she had lost her ambition, still held the mindset of a martial artist. She pointed to the sky, "If Meng Yuan can slay demons and attain enlightenment today, then Qing Guangzi is a demon. If Meng Feiyuan fails, then the Holy King of Light can be called a sage."

At this point, Wang Er looked at Mingyue and said with a smile, "In the past, Li Weizhen underwent a transformation from dragon to snake, spending forty years cultivating his power before unleashing the Dragon Sword. Now, Meng Feiyuan has only recently entered the Dao, and he has encountered Qing Guangzi, who has gone even further than the Arhat Wusheng. This battle will likely be difficult." Upon hearing this, Lin Yan, who had been teasing Huanxi, was taken aback. He clearly remembered that his good junior brother was still fighting desperately in the sky, and if he lost, his wife might have to remarry.

Lin Yan lost interest in teasing Huanxi. He quickly looked up at the sky, then at Mingyue, and said, "Miss Mingyue, you and your junior brother are deeply in love and have even witnessed his battle against Dugu Sheng. What do you think?"

"Li Weizhen's Dragon-Snake Transformation was merely a temporary measure; though its power was initially strong, it was unlikely to last. Meng Feiyuan, on the other hand, excelled in the art of fierce battle, following a path of unwavering courage and perseverance, even unto death. Therefore, Li Weizhen could easily kill a Wusheng Arhat, but if it were Meng Feiyuan, he might have to endure much hardship to defeat a Wusheng Arhat, yet he could still kill a second, and even a third or fourth one." Mingyue had accompanied Meng Yuan on his journey to distant lands and experienced many things together. When it came to understanding Meng Yuan's principles, she knew more than anyone else.

"So that's why Junior Brother relied on the method of fierce battle. No wonder." Lin Yan stroked his chin thoughtfully.

Wang Er frowned and glanced at Lin Yan, then looked up at the sky. Just as Mingyue had said, the sparks were becoming increasingly faint, yet their vibrant energy was undeniable. Even the great light that filled the world could not crush those sparks.

Before long, the Buddha image became increasingly radiant, making it difficult to look directly at.

Wang Er and Mingyue were naturally unafraid, but Ning and Mo were somewhat dazzled, and even Daoist Ren covered his joyful eyes.

Under the ever-growing light, that wisp of spark moved about, occasionally weaving through the Buddha's palm, but its power grew weaker and weaker.

Mingyue gripped the sword in her hand, knowing full well that this time was even more dangerous than in the Xiangji Kingdom, and that she could not help in any way. Therefore, although she cared deeply, she was powerless to do anything about it.

Soon, Mingyue saw the Buddha's palm light suddenly become much brighter, as if carrying countless lotus flowers, encompassing all the causes and effects of the past, present, and future, suppressing that wisp of starlight.

The spark was no longer as persistent as before; instead, it tumbled and fell like a falling star, but finally stopped in mid-air.

Then, sparks flickered, revealing Meng Yuan's figure.

Mingyue and Wang Er could see clearly that Meng Yuan was completely unharmed, with the blade still in his hand, standing motionless in mid-air, appearing like a drop in the ocean beneath the enormous Buddha statue.

At this moment, although Meng Yuan was in mid-air, he could already sense countless energies intertwining and pulling within and outside the capital, and he was clearly being watched by countless people. Among them were resentful malice, as well as exhilarating spirits; some hoped he would win, while others hoped he would die a horrible death.

Beneath the myriad energies, countless people are unknowingly indulging in the blissful world woven by the Great Light.

Meng Yuan fought with the Buddha for a long time and realized that this battle was different from Li Weizhen's battle against the Arhat Wusheng.

In that battle, Wusheng Luohan neither avoided the fight nor concealed his presence, and faced Li Weizhen's Dragon Transformation Sword head-on.

Today's battle is different. Although the Buddha image is grand, it is only a phantom. The real Qing Guangzi is nowhere to be found.

Or perhaps, Qing Guangzi has already used his great supernatural powers and is using someone's body, just waiting to deliver a powerful blow.

"Since we can't find Qing Guangzi's aura now, we can only go a step further and use our own flesh and blood and life fire to perceive the changes in heaven and earth." Meng Yuan looked up at the tall Buddha statue that reached the sky and stood on the ground.

"Junior brother..." Lin Yan wiped the sweat from his forehead. In his confusion, he suddenly felt a tremor in his heart, as if a great terror was about to fall, and he couldn't stand steadily.

"Meng Feiyuan knew that there was an insurmountable gap between a fourth-rank martial artist and a third-rank Arhat. Not to mention fighting him, he couldn't even find him. He was already about to open the Heavenly Gate and walk the path of death and life." Master Ren also felt this. He simply hugged Huanxi in his arms, covered Huanxi's eyes with one hand, and pushed away Huanxi's hand that was pulling his beard with the other.

The bright moon looked up at the high sky and saw that Meng Yuan was still the same, but his whole body was bursting with vigorous energy, as if he were immortal, and then there was a faint flame on his body.

The flames burned away the clothes, revealing the skin, which was then covered with crimson lines. Then the fire lines split open, and countless tiny flames emerged from the muscles, bones, and flesh.

The flames instantly engulfed his body, and then his bones, flesh, and blood were all engulfed in flames and burned.

In an instant, the world was no longer bathed in light, but filled with firelight. The enormous phantom of the Buddha was teetering on the brink of collapse, clearly unable to hold on for long.

People both inside and outside the capital felt the fire, realizing that it was not just about killing rats and demons, but about burning everything in the world, and even countless causes and effects, to ashes.

(End of this chapter)