Chapter 9: The Hidden Imperial Fortress

Qi Zhengyan of the Huanhua Sword Sect nodded slightly and said, "Although my knowledge is limited, I also believe that what Miss Jiang said makes sense"

It seems to be a reincarnation world that complements this immortal hero martial arts world... Meng Qi quietly exhaled.

"The Emperor's Sword, forged by the Emperor, the foremost of the royal way, missing, exchange price: 900,000 merits." Jiang Zhiwei recited along and then laughed, "This page is missing a lot."

"If we wish to escape the cycle of reincarnation, what should we do?" Suddenly, Zhang Yuanshan asked.

She turned her head to Mengqi and smiled, saying, "Little monk, would you like to join me in completing the task?"

"Hmph, this is definitely a conspiracy by the Shaolin Temple!" Qingjing's face was twisted with anger, "I absolutely refuse to undertake this nonsensical task! What exactly do you want to achieve?"

He stared at Mengqi, not understanding how there was really a mission

Meng Qi had heard from Xuan Xin that after the Middle Ages, the noble families united to resist the oppression of the sects, thus establishing a dynasty and jointly promoting the strongest noble family to the imperial throne. This caused the world to take notice, and a storm of change ensued, with the noble families and sects achieving a balance of power. However, later on, the noble family that ascended to the imperial throne seemed to have gained tremendous benefits from sitting on the exalted position of the Nine-Five, and with the instigation of the sects, other noble families grew greedy, leading to several changes in the dynasty. Currently, stability is maintained between the two great empires of Da Jin and Da Zhou (Northern Zhou)

Qing Jing laughed heartily and said, "Of course, who does not know that 'Time's Blade' belongs to my Xuantian Sect? Time is like a knife, each cut hastens one’s aging"

"Life and death are both determined by fate." Zhang Yuanshan smiled upon seeing everyone united in purpose

The "Heart Stillness and External Objects" by the Chang Le Gao family and the "Divine Fist of the Heavens" are also available, with exchange prices comparable to the "Shocking Book," both around 150,000 merits, which is a full 250,000 less than our sect's "Heavenly Emperor's Jade Register," and this is still the incomplete version of the "Heavenly Emperor's Jade Register"

"These are actually all here..." Meng Qi felt as if he were dreaming again, all the myths and legends were gathered!

Meng Qi glanced at him, unable to connect this burly yet timid man with the "Flying Night Demon" Yan Wuwu, the master of the "Zombie Fist" who had caused the calamity of "Red Earth Hundred Miles" as mentioned by Xuanxin. They both belonged to the Yan family, yet the disparity was so vast.

This is the unparalleled divine weapon described in the third line: "The Blade of Time, suspected to be forged by the Heavenly Emperor, is the most unpredictable of all, with a defect, exchange price: 900,000 merits."

Meng Qi took a gentle breath and, before anyone else could speak, said: "I believe we should first rescue the four great masters, and then go to encircle and kill the lord of the 'Hidden Emperor Fortress'"

"Accumulate three hundred thousand merits to exchange for the 'Crossing Over Talisman', and you may distance yourself from the cycle of reincarnation." The voice of the "Lord of the Six Realms of Reincarnation" remained as indifferent as ever, "Source of merits: task rewards and item exchanges. If the item is not lacking on the list, the price is only thirty to fifty percent of the original. If it is an item that is lacking on the list, the price will increase based on the situation from the original price."

The Zhao family of the Divine Capital, one of the fourteen great noble families, is the current royal family of the Great Jin dynasty

The Ruan family of Langya, one of the nine great families of the Jin Dynasty

She is tall and slender, with a fitted dress that accentuates her graceful figure. Although her skin is wheat-colored, it appears delicate and tender to the naked eye. Coupled with her refined appearance, she embodies the charm of a young woman from the water towns of Jiangnan.

However, Meng Qi had just completed the "Hundred Days of Foundation Building," knew a bit of Luohan Fist, and had low martial arts skills, so he really did not want to take any risks at this moment

In this state, Meng Qi hardly looked at the "Catalog of Divine Weapons and Treasures," "Catalog of Treasures and Weapons," "Catalog of Sharp Weapons," "Catalog of Forged Weapons," and "Catalog of Common Weapons" that he had flipped through later. It was only at the end that he heard Qixia from the Jiang Gang express his confusion and seriousness, saying, "I haven't heard that the 'Duren Qin' of the Lu family in Langya was lost. Why is there no mention of 'missing' in the 'Catalog of Divine Weapons and Treasures'?"

As she spoke the last half of the sentence, her head tilted slightly upward again

"There are many divine skills here that I have never heard of..." Jiang Zhiwei, seeing that her family's "Taishang Sword Classic" could only be exchanged for 250,000 merits, felt a bit gloomy and dissatisfied with the books, and quickly changed the subject.

Side quest: Rescue the four great masters trapped in 'Yinhuang Fortress'. For each person rescued, each participant will receive a reward of ten merits. There is no penalty for failing the task

He announced the rules one by one in a grand and solemn voice

Hmph, are you saying that if I steal the volume from the "Heavenly Emperor's Jade Register" to exchange for the "Other Shore Talisman," I will obtain it?" Qingjing shouted furiously, "So this is the idea you Shaolin have!"

She glanced at the crowd and said with a serious expression: "I believe it is best for us to complete the task. The expert who can change our positions at will is at least a top-tier terrestrial immortal of the法身 level. If they wanted to kill us, it would be very simple. Therefore, let us follow their instructions and see what happens."

Jiang Zhiwei nodded slightly: "The 'Slash My Sword' of the Sword Washing Pavilion has the character 'Deficiency' written on it, perhaps..."

Isn't this a waste of time? Qingjing still believes that everyone in the Shaolin Temple is a bad person

The List of Extraordinary Divine Weapons. Meng Qi squinted his eyes as he read the words at the top.

Subsequently, the light curtain displayed "Exterior Scene Level Mastery", "Enlightenment Level Martial Arts", "Qi Accumulation Stage Skills", and "Foundation Establishment Stage Basics". Meng Qi vaguely saw the "Ananda Breaking the Precepts Sword Technique", as well as the "Nine Yang Divine Skill" and the "Nine Yin Manual" among others

Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, and others nodded gently, as having four more helpers to understand the situation was naturally better, but they were concerned about wasting time and causing the mission to fail

Jiang Zhiwei instinctively said: "I will use the sword in my hand to contend for a share of destiny..."

This is the price for the exchange of the secret manual. If you wish to enter directly, the price will be doubled from the original, with a maximum of five times. The "Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation" spoke in a cold voice once again, and then the golden light disappeared, revealing a silver-white light curtain.

She seems to be somewhat inclined to believe in this inexplicable exchange chart

Of course, the experience of playing games and reading novels... Meng Qi quietly said to himself that he was not a sage, merely someone who had a bit more understanding of the "tasks" and similar "reincarnation worlds" like m.hetushu.com, perhaps right, perhaps wrong

Among them, the Great Jin has nine prominent families, comparable in strength to the sects, while the Northern Zhou has only five major families, which are significantly restricted by the religious sects

Jiang Zhiwei chuckled softly: "You may address me as Master Jiang."

This issue immediately captured everyone's attention. Although the items listed by the "Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation" are indeed very tempting, the dangers are likely just as great. Everyone is rather reluctant to risk their lives in pursuit of them. After all, Zhang Yuanshan, Jiang Zhiwei, Qing Jing, and Qi Xia are not like Meng Qi; they are all being nurtured as future pillars within their respective sects and are expected to eventually gain access to the sect's ultimate skills.

Meng Qi looked at Jiang Zhiwei, Zhang Yuanshan, and Qi Xia and said: "First, we are unclear about the strength of the 'Hidden Emperor Fortress' lord, and recklessly going there poses great danger. Second, I do not believe there are any side quests that need to be announced from the outset; they should only be released when we truly encounter them. I suspect the true meaning of this side quest is that the 'Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation' does not believe we can independently complete the main quest, hence asking us to seek assistance first"

They, not very old, momentarily forgot that they were in an unfamiliar environment, and instinctively compared the fundamental great laws of their respective sects through the "exchange prices," which resulted in Qingjing feeling very happy and proud

Hmph, you speak as if you are very familiar with the 'Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation', do you have much experience?

Main quest: Within three time periods, eliminate the lord of 'Yinhuang Fortress'. Each participant will be rewarded with fifty merits upon successful completion. In the event of failure, collective annihilation will occur

The "Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation" did not give them the opportunity to continue watching; the light screen turned, revealing the second page, which was inscribed with "Divine Techniques of the Dharma Body"

"Redemption is possible." The voice of the "Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation" showed no fluctuation, "Anyone who attempts to disclose the existence of the reincarnation world to outsiders shall be obliterated; anyone who kills companions or allies shall have their merit deducted based on the amount of merit awarded for the current main quest, with double that amount deducted; those who lack sufficient merit and books shall be obliterated; anyone who exchanges secret techniques with each other shall be obliterated; secret techniques obtained in the task world do not fall under this category..."

At this moment, Jiang Zhiwei swiftly drew her sword with her right hand, the sound resembling a dragon's roar, and the light shining like autumn waters

Meng Qi quietly nodded, acknowledging that he had encountered a wealth of knowledge, yet he himself had not heard of more than half of the techniques.

At such times, one with limited martial arts skills like Meng Qi can only closely follow the strongest few in their actions, and he is very clear about this

"Luohan Quan, exchange price: two good deeds..." Meng Qi looked at the last few lines on the final page and suddenly felt very "impoverished".

She did not finish speaking, but everyone's thoughts were similar; perhaps the clan's divine weapon of the Ruan family had already been lost but kept secret.

I, I will follow Miss San's instructions!" Yan Wujing said nervously.

Qingjing tightly pressed her lips together, turning her head to look at the torch inserted in the stone wall beside her. After a few breaths, she maintained a stern expression and said: "I am not afraid of any task; if you die here, you cannot blame me."

"Hehe, the 'Shocking Book' of the Zhao family in the Divine Capital is also here." Qi Xia seemed to harbor considerable disdain for the Zhao family in the Divine Capital, and her tone carried a distinct sense of glee in others' misfortune

The light curtain continued to ripple, transforming from silver-white to a verdant green, revealing a catalog of exchanges for elixirs, rare treasures, and various miscellaneous items

Sister Jiang's words are indeed reasonable, " Zhang Yuanshan nodded in agreement

This page contains only ten divine weapons, yet there are as many as six items marked with the character "deficient"

Here, Meng Qi saw the "Great Luo Golden Elixir" (Price: 300,000 merits), as well as the ordinary "Qi-Enhancing Pill" and silver coins (one merit can be exchanged for fifty silver coins, but silver coins cannot be exchanged for merits)

Qi Xia pondered for a moment and also drew out a water-splitting spear that shimmered with a blue light: "Given the circumstances, we cannot sit idly by. According to the 'Lord of the Six Paths of Reincarnation,' after completing a task, we can return for a period of time. At that point, we can think of other solutions. For now, let us focus on completing the task!"

At this moment, the light curtain disappeared, indicating that the items available for exchange had come to an end. Meng Qi felt a slight disappointment with the *illustrated* book. Wasn't everything supposed to be exchangeable? What about the promised Gundam? The Super Saiyan lineage? The Sun God? The Great Saint Body? The Direct Death Magic Eye?

As soon as the voice fell, the light and shadow changed, and Meng Qi and the others were completely engulfed in darkness. When the light source ahead illuminated, Meng Qi realized that he had already moved from the White Jade Square into a corridor surrounded on all sides by stone walls.

The lord of the 'Hidden Emperor Fortress' devised the 'Heart Snatching Pill' to seize the throne, secretly controlling the leaders of various factions. The hero Ma Lianghan accidentally uncovered this conspiracy and invited three other masters to jointly infiltrate the 'Hidden Emperor Fortress'. However, they were momentarily careless and became trapped within the fortress by the mechanisms.

Meng Qi was quite touched, as others instinctively overlooked the opinions of this humble monk, yet fortunately, someone remembered: "Of course, I hope Miss Jiang will take good care of us."

Changlegao Clan, Northern Zhou Royal Family

The light curtain, which was over ten meters high, rapidly flipped through, taking a full three pages to complete the display of this level of divine skill. Although it all passed in a flash, Meng Qi still caught glimpses of the "Great Dream Scripture," "Indestructible Vajra Skill," and saw each move of the "Tathagata Palm" and "Seven Swords of Heaven" laid out. The exchange prices ranged from 10,000 to 130,000.

There are a total of four items on this page that are not missing any characters, namely the "Underworld Sword" marked as the first in killing, the "Reincarnation Seal" marked as the first in mystery, the "Demon Emperor's Claw" marked as the first in filth, and the "Bodhi Marvel Tree" which brushes away all things

Meng Qi shrugged his shoulders, remained silent, and thought to himself, I certainly cannot tell you a story about infinite flow like I do to deceive the junior disciple

As soon as the words fell, Meng Qi's eyes suddenly widened. He saw a dark shadow flying towards him and the others. "He" never touched the ground, continuously flying in mid-air, like a floating evil spirit

The faint greenish flames burned a line of characters on the stone ground, and after a few breaths, the flames extinguished, leaving everything as it was

At this point, she smiled and did not continue speaking. This reflects the differing insights derived from the "Seven Swords of Heaven" between the Washing Sword Pavilion and the True Martial Sect, representing a conflict of ideologies, and it is unnecessary to incite internal strife at this moment