Chapter 75

Meng Qi raised an eyebrow slightly and followed his gaze to look behind him. At the side of the passage, in the dim light, a figure suddenly appeared. He wore a headband, a scholar's robe, had a gaunt face, and white hair. It was none other than Mr. Duan Xiangfei, the recluse.

His appearance did not seem abrupt or out of place. Instead, it gave Meng Qi the feeling that he had not noticed that spot before, as if the previously imperceptible mist had suddenly vanished.

With a snap, a transparent and crystal-clear jade disk fell from above the passage, separating Meng Qi and Duan Xiangfei.

"I always felt someone was following me, but I had no clue. I didn't expect it to be you, Mr. Duan. How have you been?" Meng Qi said, suddenly enlightened.

Duan Xiangfei, with his hands behind his back, exuded a calm demeanor. Even though he had fallen into the passage trap, he did not show any panic. He smiled and said, "It concerns my son's life, so I couldn't be too careful. I had to follow you, Mr. Shenhou, but I didn't expect you to be an impostor."

"Being an impostor doesn't mean I can't get things done," Meng Qi said, not panicking either. He sighed and continued, "So, the one who killed the Cold Envoys is you, Mr. Duan? I don't understand why you killed them to silence them?"

"It's simple," a clear and elegant voice came from the entrance of the passage. Cui Xu, dressed in plain clothes and a wooden hairpin, had already stood there. This was why Duan Xiangfei did not retreat quickly from the passage.

Cui Xu held a sword, his expression stern and his eyes calm. "Because he is the current palace master of the Snow God Palace."

Meng Qi clapped his hands. "No wonder, no wonder! Mr. Duan, your 'Illusory Transformation Technique' is truly amazing, allowing me to be followed without noticing."

"It's just a minor skill, not worth mentioning," Duan Xiangfei said, not denying it. "I killed the Cold Envoys because Old Ghost Cui was nearby. If he caught them and learned what they told you, he would confirm my identity."

At this, he turned to look at Cui Xu. "Old Ghost Cui, when did you start suspecting me?"

Cui Xu did not rush to attack. He said coldly, "When investigating Mingcheng's disappearance, all clues pointed to the Snow God Palace, but you were not very enthusiastic. You hastily investigated and then left, citing a strained relationship with your son. Others might believe it, but not me. At that time, I thought that unless you were sure it wasn't the Snow God Palace, you wouldn't act like that. How could you be so sure?"

"Considering Mingcheng's secret dealings with the Snow God Palace over the treasure map and his pretense of being a playboy to hide his high martial arts skills, I began to understand. However, I wasn't entirely sure, so I used the fake Shenhou to gradually draw you into the trap."

Duan Xiangfei smiled bitterly. "Indeed, only the actual master of the Snow God Palace could confirm it wasn't the Snow God Palace. I thought Mingcheng couldn't withstand the torture and told you this secret."

"Mingcheng is a tough man. If you weren't the palace master, you would have been a good match for him," Cui Xu praised, which was rare.

"At that time, I suspected you might have kidnapped Mingcheng, but I was afraid of exposing my identity, so I fled and used Shenhou to investigate. Alas, I didn't expect the Twelve Divine Beasts to be your creation. I lost by a narrow margin, and it's not unjust."

"You are also a master of strategy. If Shenhou hadn't exposed himself too early and posed a great threat, you might have escaped unscathed," Cui Xu nodded, praising Duan Xiangfei, seemingly wanting his old friend to die with clarity.

Duan Xiangfei chuckled. "How can I compare to your deep planning? Even when I incited Luo Qing to challenge you, I couldn't draw you away."

"Originally, Luo Qing was incited by you. No wonder the timing was perfect. If it weren't for True Dharma Master's ability to pose a threat to a grandmaster, I might not have escaped so easily. Relying on my brother alone probably wouldn't have stopped you from leaving," Cui Xu glanced at Meng Qi.

Duan Xiangfei made a look of realization. "Indeed, and the kidnapping of You Hongbo by Mao Tu made it even harder for me to guess you were the Twelve Divine Beasts. But when I left, although Luo Qing lost the initiative, he wasn't severely injured, right?"

"Later, I intervened, so Luo Qing postponed the duel by seven days," Cui Xu said as if it were a trivial matter.

Duan Xiangfei grunted. "Luo Qing just opened his mental secret store. How could he be your match? You must have opened another secret store, either your vital energy or mental energy."

"Yes, my vital energy secret store. Brother Duan, you always claimed to have opened both vital energy and mental energy secret stores. Now it seems you were lying. Your 'Illusory Transformation Technique' must be complete," Cui Xu nodded lightly.

Duan Xiangfei smiled. "With the 'Illusory Transformation Technique,' the mental secret store is relatively simple. I have opened both mental and mental energy secret stores."

"You are quite honest," Cui Xu said, his expression unchanged.

Duan Xiangfei smiled calmly. "Since it's either you or me who dies, what's the harm in being honest?"

"You have no chance of winning. This passage is full of traps, with countless powerful crossbows. Each bolt is equivalent to my seven or eight-tenths of a sword strike. Originally, my brother deliberately created the incident of the lost darts, planning to bury three hundred Thunder Seeds from the Thunderclap Hall here. Unfortunately, to deal with Luo Qing, we had to use this incident to lure the unsuspecting Hongbo. To avoid arousing your suspicion, we had to abandon the plan," Cui Xu explained the trap calmly. "But with me here, the effect is the same."

These two old foxes! Meng Qi pursed his lips, realizing he had become a pawn in their mutual probing!

"Hmph, no matter how cunning or far-sighted you are, I'm not that easy to deal with!" he clenched his fists in his mind.

Just as Duan Xiangfei was about to speak, Meng Qi suddenly said, "Mr. Duan, confirm if the one lying here is Duan Mingcheng."

Cui Xu, Duan Xiangfei, and You Tongguang all looked at him strangely, not understanding why he cared.

"It's my son," Duan Xiangfei nodded slowly after a moment of surprise.

Meng Qi immediately smiled, showing a row of white teeth. "My mission is complete. Mr. Duan, what about the reward?"

At this, the three strange looks turned into looks of disbelief. Thinking about the mission at a time like this? You should worry about staying alive first!

The cold air in the ice chamber swirled, forming words again:

"Found Duan Mingcheng."

"Main mission completed, rewarded with 150 good deeds."

"In the midst of battle, cannot return. Can choose to return at any time within half an hour after leaving."

Meng Qi was slightly stunned, thinking he could return directly. However, this was expected, as he had considered similar situations before.

This is good. At least I can return immediately after the battle, without worrying about severe injuries or near-death situations!

Thinking of this, his fighting spirit surged, and he gripped the precept knife even tighter.

"True Dharma Master, do you think I would prepare a reward?" Duan Xiangfei replied with a laugh.

Meng Qi smiled brightly. "Actually, I don't want the rewards you promised before. I only want the 'Illusory Transformation Technique.' I suspect City Lord Cui kept you here talking so much because he wants it too."

Cui Xu was slightly surprised, then said calmly, "Brother Duan, repeat the 'Illusory Transformation Technique' and the secrets of the human-god boundary. Don't play tricks. You should know that with my understanding of the mental secret store, it's not hard to judge the truth. If you cooperate, your son will live when you die. Otherwise, both will die."

"I don't understand why you need these so much," Duan Xiangfei pondered.

Cui Xu's gaze passed over Duan Xiangfei and Meng Qi, looking at the coffin in the ice chamber. His expression softened. "The deeper my cultivation, the more I believe in the existence of the human-god boundary. The key lies in the mental secret store. If I can obtain the 'Illusory Transformation Technique' and deepen the cultivation of the Ancestral Aperture, I can break through the human-god boundary and ascend to the heavens. Then, I can control the wind and rain, and bring the dead back to life."

"Ah, you are truly devoted," Duan Xiangfei sighed.

Cui Xu收回目光：“你可以不说，反正藏宝图在我手上，到时候一样能得到。”

“原来锦华侄子还没去藏宝之地，我还想着派手下抓他当人质的。”段向非摇了摇头，“你行事真是谨慎。”

“他只是躲了起来，给你希望，让你能大胆进来。”崔栩难得地露出一丝微笑。

段向非回头看了段明诚一眼，自嘲地笑了笑：“唉，人老了，就舍不得儿孙，好吧，你听好了，‘垂帘明心，意守祖窍’……”

不仅崔栩专心倾听，孟奇和尤同光亦是同样的表现。

幻形大法乃专修眉心祖窍的功法，全书五个篇章不过一千多字，随着段向非徐徐道来，渐渐步入尾声。

“‘有物圆一，自混沌出’……”

话音未落，段向非突然前蹿，如一缕青烟，直扑崔栩，双掌泛青，身形飘渺。

他剑法虽强，但幻形大法才是根本！

所以右手五指被削并未让他实力有损！

正值幻形大法最后的核心篇章，不管孟奇，还是尤同光、崔栩都听得聚精会神，一时有点愣住。

但崔栩何等人物，祖窍凝练，精神强横，很快回过神来，脚下用力一踩。

甬道左右顿时有孔洞显露，一支支强弩电射而出，风声呼啸，箭雨如瀑，让人避无可避，挡得了一边，挡不住全部。

段向非身形如影，奇怪扭曲，在强弩箭雨中闪转腾挪，躲过了不少，可惜强弩实在太多，实在太密，他还是不断被洞穿，鲜血泊泊流出。

孟奇虽然和段向非隔开，但崔栩踩的是全部发动的机括，因此那一支支强弩同样从两面疯狂袭来。

这种时候，孟奇没有依仗神行百变，而是将身一团，缩成圆球，双手分别护住后脑等罩门。

嗖嗖嗖，一支支强弩射在了孟奇身上，哪怕暗金流转，依然贯穿了过去，将孟奇插得像只刺猬。

天长地久有时尽，强弩亦是稀少物，一轮之后，孔洞内再无弩箭射出。

段向非身中七八箭，血染儒袍，受伤颇重，已然和崔栩战成一团。

孟奇缓缓起身，背部、身侧是密密麻麻的强弩，鲜血不断流出，染红了箭杆，染红了白袍，加上脸泛淡金，不似僧人，倒像地狱归来的恶鬼。

他受伤颇重，若非金钟罩减伤效果极佳，怕是早就横死当场，犹是如此，金钟罩也处于破关边缘。

“给我开！”他怒目圆睁，狠狠撞向面前冰壁。

金钟罩虽摇摇欲坠，但孟奇内力尚存，修炼金钟罩增加的力气任在，砰一声将冰壁撞出了一道道裂痕。

啪啪啪，冰壁裂开，尤同光却不慌不忙地双掌拍出，就要趁孟奇重伤且立足未稳，取他性命！

就在这时，他看到孟奇手中多了一个黑筒！

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Cui Xu looked away: "You can choose not to say. The treasure map is in my hands, and I will get it eventually."

"Turns out Nephew Jin Hua hasn't gone to the treasure site yet. I was thinking of sending my subordinates to capture him as a hostage," Duan Xiangfei shook his head. "You are truly cautious."

"He is just hiding, giving you hope so you can boldly come in," Cui Xu rarely smiled.

Duan Xiangfei looked back at Duan Mingcheng, smiled bitterly, and said, "Ah, when one gets old, one can't bear to part with one's descendants. Alright, listen carefully, 'Curtain the mind, focus on the Ancestral Aperture'..."

Not only Cui Xu listened intently, but Meng Qi and You Tongguang also did the same.

The Illusory Transformation Technique is a cultivation method for the Ancestral Aperture, with five chapters totaling no more than a thousand words. As Duan Xiangfei slowly recited, it gradually came to an end.

"‘A thing is round and one, emerging from chaos’..."

Before he finished, Duan Xiangfei suddenly lunged forward like a wisp of smoke, directly attacking Cui Xu. His palms turned green, and his figure was ethereal.

Though his sword skills were strong, the Illusory Transformation Technique was the foundation!

Thus, the loss of his right hand's fingers did not diminish his strength!

At the core of the Illusory Transformation Technique, both Meng Qi and You Tongguang, as well as Cui Xu, were fully engrossed, momentarily stunned.

But Cui Xu, with his condensed Ancestral Aperture and formidable mental strength, quickly regained his senses and stomped his foot.

Holes immediately appeared on both sides of the passage, and a barrage of crossbows shot out, whistling through the air like a rain of arrows, making it impossible to avoid. Blocking one side was not enough to block them all.

Duan Xiangfei's figure moved like a shadow, strangely twisting, dodging many arrows in the rain of crossbows. Unfortunately, the crossbows were too numerous and too dense, and he was repeatedly pierced, blood gushing out.

Although Meng Qi was separated from Duan Xiangfei, Cui Xu's foot stomp activated all the mechanisms, and the crossbows also shot at him from both sides.

At this moment, Meng Qi did not rely on his Divine Speed, but curled into a ball, protecting his vital points with his hands.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, the crossbows pierced Meng Qi's body, even with the dark gold flowing through him, still penetrating, making him look like a porcupine.

Even the best things have their limits, and the crossbows were no exception. After one round, the holes were empty.

Duan Xiangfei, hit by seven or eight arrows, his scholar's robe soaked in blood, was heavily injured and already engaged in battle with Cui Xu.

Meng Qi slowly stood up, his back and sides covered with arrows, blood flowing, staining the arrow shafts and his white robe. With his face tinged with a pale gold, he looked more like a demon returning from hell than a monk.

He was severely injured, and if not for the excellent damage reduction of the Golden Bell Shield, he would have died on the spot. Even so, the Golden Bell Shield was on the verge of breaking.

"Open for me!" He glared and slammed into the ice wall.

Though the Golden Bell Shield was about to break, Meng Qi still had internal strength, and the increased strength from practicing the Golden Bell Shield allowed him to crack the ice wall with a loud bang.

Crack, crack, crack, the ice wall split, and You Tongguang, without panic, shot out his palms, ready to take Meng Qi's life while he was heavily injured and unsteady on his feet!

At this moment, he saw a black tube in Meng Qi's hand!