Chapter 373: This Was All a Setup

‘Motherfucker, is Kunyun a blind fool?!’

In that instant, this was Wang Ping’s only thought. He simply could not comprehend how the Ascetic Monk standing before him had managed to drag him out of the Grotto-Heaven.

Worse yet, the monk seemed to have already seen through his disguise, displaying the same absolute certainty as Tianxing. This was unbelievable. The profound body manifested by the Xuanyi Calamity-Crossing Ring was virtually flawless. Even a Qi Refining practitioner would struggle to see through its mysteries, so how could an Ascetic Monk from the Brahma Nation manage it?

“There is no need for such shock, Benefactor.”

Seeming to read Wang Ping’s emotions, the monk—who bore a swirling tuft of white hair between his brows—spoke softly. “When you were conversing with Benefactor Tianxing, I was right beside you, observing.”

Wang Ping froze, even more caught off guard by this revelation.

Combined with the self-introduction the monk had given upon appearing, Wang Ping instantly realized the man’s background. ‘Baohu’s master... He’s also a cultivator serving under a Bodhisattva...’

‘The Master of Secret Traces!’

Just like Water Qi, this Brahma Nation Bodhisattva specialized in the profound mysteries of concealment and stealth. Baohu had previously deployed similar techniques during the Immortal-Brahma Sword Battle.

However, Wang Ping had never imagined that after a lifetime of hunting geese, he would get his eye pecked out by one. An Ascetic Monk serving a Bodhisattva had been hiding right there in the Gongshun Grotto-Heaven, eavesdropping on his entire conversation with Tianxing, yet neither of them had noticed a thing. This proved the monk’s Divine Powers were profoundly superior to those of an ordinary Brahma Cultivator!

‘The direct lineage of a True Monarch...?’

The Bodhisattva Position was equal to a True Monarch. An Ascetic Monk serving beneath a Bodhisattva likely held a status in the Brahma Nation comparable to that of a Qi Refining Tier Dao Child of the immortal sects like Tianxing.

His strength was probably on that exact same level.

Otherwise, given the cultivation Tianxing had previously displayed, Wang Ping absolutely refused to believe that some random Ascetic Monk could have hidden right under his nose.

Which brought up the real problem.

‘Is this unexpected twist because the Master of Secret Traces is scheming against me in a way that exceeded the True Monarch’s expectations, or is it purely due to the influence of my life tribulation?’

If it was the former, then he was in deep trouble.

If it was the latter, there was still room to maneuver.

Wang Ping’s thoughts raced, and he ultimately leaned toward the second possibility. His reasoning was simple: he didn’t believe the Water Qi True Monarch could be outplayed by a Bodhisattva.

‘Water Qi excels at concealment. It’s his signature skill. How could he lose to a Bodhisattva of the Brahma Nation? Rather than assuming the Bodhisattva bypassed the True Monarch to scheme against me, it’s far more likely that the True Monarch set this board up from the start. It’s a test for me as the Xuanyi Dao Child. Only if I survive this will I be considered a true Dao Child.’

Wang Ping didn’t think this way without reason.

In fact, once he calmed down, he wasn’t really afraid. Because even though Shasheng had dragged him out of the Grotto-Heaven, the monk couldn’t actually threaten his life.

An Ascetic Monk was not a True Person.

‘At worst, I’ll just kill myself.’

The only problem was that if he committed suicide to escape, he wouldn’t be able to take the Xuanyi Calamity-Crossing Ring with him. And if he didn’t switch to a new identity, he would just resurrect right here on the spot.

‘In other words, if I can’t survive this tribulation and choose to escape by swapping identities, then I will forfeit my status as the Xuanyi Dao Child. The True Monarch likely anticipated this. After all, my resurrection mechanism isn’t hard to guess once you know the details.’

Thinking up to this point, Wang Ping decided to put up a fight.

After all, with the Free and Unfettered Excursion empowering him, combined with his numerous other methods, and while still actively within his life tribulation, there had to be a path to survival. Giving up now would be entirely too early.

Moreover, he wasn’t willing to abandon the True Monarch’s backing that he had worked so hard to secure.

The Immortal Gate was extremely pragmatic. Whether it was Mingyou before, or the Water Qi True Monarch now, their attitudes toward their own disciples were exceedingly ruthless.

A useless disciple was no disciple of theirs.

Only by displaying strength and proving his worth could he earn their acknowledgment and support. Otherwise, he would inevitably be discarded like trash.

On the other side, while Wang Ping was lost in thought, Shasheng was also appraising the young immortal cultivator before him—the one who had killed Baohu and had now become Water Qi’s Dao Child.

In truth, he shouldn’t have intervened.

As a cultivator serving beneath the Master of Secret Traces, his designated contact was supposed to be Dashun Taizu. Yet, not long ago, he had sensed a ripple originating from destiny.

And then, he discovered Wang Ping.

After weighing his options extensively, he ultimately chose to act on his own authority, casting a spell to drag Wang Ping out of the Grotto-Heaven. After all, the opportunity had simply been too good to pass up.

Especially after learning Wang Ping’s true identity, he had become even more determined. The Seven Hearts Linked Gourd was still in this young man’s possession, and he absolutely had to retrieve that Spiritual Treasure. Furthermore, converting a Dao Child-level figure would be considered no small merit back in the Brahma Nation.

Though both of their internal deliberations seemed lengthy, in reality, only a fleeting instant had passed.

Therefore, the very moment Shasheng finished speaking, Wang Ping’s body was already brimming with surging magical power. Gathering his focus, he took a step forward.

‘Free and Unfettered Excursion!’

With that single step, only a phantom afterimage was left in his original spot. Wang Ping’s true body had already mounted a streak of escaping light, fleeing madly in a specific direction to break the encirclement.

Compared to when he had fled with Dashun Taizu earlier, his speed was even faster now, simply because the peril he faced was far greater than before.

At the same time, he didn’t forget to circulate the Xuanyi Calamity-Crossing Ring, combining it with the great divine ability ‘the gentleman should hide his implements at the right time’. He obscured his karma, evaded the numbers of fate, concealed his physical form, and severed all external divine sense tracking. In the blink of an eye, his silhouette was swallowed by layers of murky light, dissolving entirely into the pitch-black Cosmic Deep Space.

Seeing this, however, Shasheng only offered a faint smile.

Parting his lips, he began to slowly chant. “At that time, the Buddha emitted a ray of light from the tuft of white hair between his eyebrows, reaching everywhere without exception, illuminating the eighteen thousand worlds of the east.”

‘The Mark of the White Hair Between the Brows!’

In an instant, boundless light poured out from the tuft of white hair between the Ascetic Monk’s brows. It illuminated the entire Cosmos, dragging Wang Ping right out of the murky shadows!

Wang Ping wasn’t overly surprised by this.

Water Qi was strong—incredibly strong—but not omnipotent. Moreover, the gap in their cultivation realms was simply too vast. It would have been truly shocking if the monk hadn’t been able to break his concealment.

At the very least, that brief evasion had bought him a crucial split second.

Seizing the opportunity, his consciousness dove into the Taiping Sutra. Standing before the scripture scroll for ‘fate makes fools of people’, he made his wish.

‘I wish to escape with my life.’

Immediately after, Wang Ping’s mind snapped back to reality.

Looking up, he saw a glowing golden hand—warm, flawless, its palm lines distinctly visible—stretching across the Cosmos and snatching directly toward him.

The Kan Trigram pulsed with a warning: extreme danger!

In that instant, the boost from the Free and Unfettered Excursion practically doubled, reaching its absolute pinnacle. Simultaneously, the profound ring behind Wang Ping’s head roared to life.

“Beyond the three thousand azure heavens, within the four seas of the yellow earth.”

‘Azure Heaven!’

Chanting the profound mantra, Wang Ping took another step forward. His silhouette flickered like a phantom, narrowly slipping out from beneath Shasheng’s grasping Buddha palm.

This profound mystery from the Xuanyi Calamity-Crossing Ring now invoked the waters of extreme yin. Using the ‘Cloud Dragon Kowtowing to the Heavens to Spread the Rain Qi’, he condensed noble and pure energy into a torrential downpour. Rain battered the air behind him, plunging the pursuing Buddha palm into what felt like deep mud, drastically slowing its speed.

Striking while the iron was hot, Wang Ping pushed the profound mystery even further:

“I respectfully invite the Kan Trigram to take mastery! Walking the abyss brings esteem, advancing into the depths brings merit. When the heart is clear, one embarks on a Free and Unfettered Excursion!”

As his words fell, he took three consecutive steps, miraculously tearing himself free from the range of Shasheng’s magical power. Shedding the crushing weight, he had finally carved out the capital to maneuver.

“...Amitabha.”

Shasheng chanted the Buddha’s name in a low voice, a hint of astonishment leaking into his eyes. He had expected Wang Ping to be evasive, but he hadn’t realized the young man was quite this slippery.

However, he quickly regained his composure.

“Benefactor, you cannot escape.”

Saying this, he also strode forward. A ray of Buddhist light rose beneath his feet as he gave chase in Wang Ping’s direction. Seeing this, Wang Ping’s eye twitched violently.

‘Kunyun... that blind fool!’

Wang Ping couldn’t hold back and cursed again in his heart:

‘No, maybe that Biyang cultivator actually did this on purpose! After all, this whole thing is highly likely a setup by the True Monarch, so he deliberately let me get taken away.’

‘Goddamn it, zero loyalty!’

‘Once I escape with my life this time, I’m definitely going to make him pay!’

...

Inside the Gongshun Grotto-Heaven.

Kunyun stood with his hands clasped behind his back, quietly surveying the empty Grotto-Heaven. His mission this time had already ended the moment he killed Dashun Taizu.

Indeed, it was exactly as Wang Ping suspected.

He wasn’t a blind fool; he truly did it on purpose.

Although his cultivation was inferior to Tianxing’s, and Shasheng was an Ascetic Monk under the Master of Secret Traces who excelled at concealment and evasion, they were ultimately figures on the same level.

If Kunyun had kept his divine sense firmly locked onto Wang Ping from beginning to end, then even Shasheng couldn’t have pulled Wang Ping away into thin air without alerting him. However, Kunyun had deliberately withdrawn his divine sense, handing Shasheng the opportunity to sneak in and spirit Wang Ping away.

‘Fellow Daoist, may fortune be with you.’

Kunyun shook his head. Although he didn’t know exactly what the Mingxing Xuanyi Primordial Sovereign who arranged all this was thinking, he could be certain of one thing:

‘Only by passing this hurdle will he be a true Dao Child.’

‘If he can’t pass it, then he lacks the destiny for it.’

Regardless, based on past experience, that guy possessed a bizarre treasure and definitely wouldn’t die. Because of this, Kunyun felt absolutely zero guilt about throwing him under the bus.

‘It wasn’t me who harmed you, it was Water Qi.’

“Who told us to be of the demonic path?” he mused aloud.

Of course, whether Wang Ping escaped with his life or not, Kunyun fully expected him to come looking for trouble afterward. He, however, remained perfectly calm about the prospect.

After all, he himself was already a Qi Refining practitioner, whereas Wang Ping—no matter how formidable—had ultimately yet to step into Qi Refining Entering the Dao. The sheer disparity in their cultivation realms was absolute. If Wang Ping really showed up demanding an explanation, Kunyun could just stand there and let him land a beating to vent his anger. It wouldn’t harm a single hair on his head anyway.