A strange thing happened.
The aroma of wine exhaled by Golden Cicada did not dissipate, and flew a great distance like a projectile.
“Ah…” Opposite them, the young man with the queer high-pitched voice was hit by that breath of wine. He suddenly let off an alarmed cry, as if hit by a large invisible iron hammer. He could not help but rise from the ground and fall out of the window. Plop! He dropped directly into the frosty river with a splash.
All the laughter in the hall immediately stopped.
Countless pairs of eyes were staring blankly at Golden Cicada, looking somewhat fearful.
“That young man is a three-apertured Martial King Realm expert. How can he be blown away in one breath?”
“The strength of this young and diabolically monk is horrific, isn’t it?”
“Good wine.” Golden Cicada smiled and swept his eyes across the hall. Those who had laughed at Golden Cicada and Ding Hao immediately lowered their heads and did not dare look at this demonic monk with insane strength in the eye.
On the dance floor, the graceful dancers were still as dainty and alluring as ever, as if nothing had happened.
Golden Cicada laughed, stood up, and said, “Let’s go, Brother Ding. We had come to the wrong place. We shouldn’t be sitting here.”
Ding Hao thought that he was regretting visiting a house of pleasure, but Golden Cicada went on and said, “Human Pavilion One, hehe. Of the three pavilions—Heaven, Earth, and Human—the lowest is Human. It seems that this is the lowest-level hall on this brothel boat. We won’t find that woman here. Let’s go somewhere else.”
Black furrows suddenly appeared on Ding Hao’s forehead.
At this moment, a flurry of footsteps was heard.
Outside the hall, a few white-robed warriors had suddenly entered, the same young girls dressed as men.
The female warrior at the head of the company had a much more otherworldly comportment than the one who had brought them here just now. Her appearance was delicate and her looks peerless. Although she did not deliberately flaunt her prowess, Ding Hao could still sense that her strength had reached the acme of the Martial King Realm. She could not be underestimated.
“Sorry for our tardy reception, distinguished guests. Your servant is blind. My mistress has already prepared seats in the Heaven Pavilion. Your Eminence, please come with me.” The female warrior smiled and curtsied to Golden Cicada.
Golden Cicada nodded and said, “Brother Ding, let’s go.”
Ding Hao nodded and was about to follow them…
“Wait a minute, Your Eminence must be mistaken. My mistress has only invited Your Eminence. This little brother isn’t invited.” The female warrior explained in a low voice. As her eyes swept over Ding Hao, there was a hidden arrogance and contempt in them.
“He’s just a small fry at the Great Grandmaster Realm. What right has he to sit in the Heaven Pavilion? Does he really think that anyone can sit in the Heaven Pavilion on the Golden Boat of the Nine Heavens Mystic Fairies?”
Obviously, the female warrior did not esteem Ding Hao.
On the surface, Ding Hao’s Qi cultivation was indeed only at the Great Grandmaster Realm.
Golden Cicada immediately burst into laughter and teased, “Brother Ding, they’re belittling you. How do you feel?”
Black furrows appeared on Ding Hao’s forehead.
He suddenly felt in his heart, Golden Cicada’s image as an eminent monk collapsing in an instant.
“This wretch is obviously a meat-eating and wine-drinking monk. Given his temperament and his likes, I wonder why the Great Leiyin Monastery of the Western Desert felt confident enough to send him as a special envoy to Zero Thought Sect of the Northern Region. Could he be an imposter? Or was he actually exiled by Great Leiyin Monastery because he violated their rules?”
“Well, little almsgiver, your mistress really didn’t recognize the true Buddha in person. If Brother Ding is not qualified to sit in the Heaven Pavilion of this boat, I’m even less qualified,” Golden Cicada said with a smile.
If it weren’t for the scabs on his head and his cassock, he would have made an uncommonly handsome man.
Even with his status as a monk now, the smile on his face was enough to mesmerize many starry-eyed girls.
Indeed, this young monk possessed a kind of heretical charm.
The moment Golden Cicada said this, that female warrior leading the company was overcome with shock.
As she hesitated in a dilemma, she could not help glancing at Ding Hao a few more times.
However, after several confirmations, she still found Ding Hao’s Qi cultivation to be at the Six-apertured level of the Great Grandmaster Realm. He was extremely good-looking, and his bearing was extraordinary like an immortal’s. He could also be regarded as an uncommonly handsome man.
However, the seats in Heaven Pavilion of this Golden Boat weren’t reserved only for good-looking men.
“Well… since Your Eminence insists, please follow me, the two of you.”
The female warrior leader made a compromise.
After all, by blowing away a Martial King Realm expert in one breath, Golden Cicada’s strength was simply too astounding. The mistress did not want to miss a candidate who could be a Tao Guardian. So she must definitely accommodate this monk.
Therefore, under the envious and hateful stares of everyone in Human Pavilion, Golden Cicada and Ding Hao were led away by these white-robed female warriors from the hall.
“So this is the so-called Heaven Pavilion.”
Sitting on the highest story of the nine-story Golden Boat, Ding Hao sighed a little.
There were no partitions on the entire ninth story of the Golden Boat. Its area of nearly a thousand square meters was extremely spacious. The ground was covered with a thick scarlet rug spun out of the skinned fur of top demon kings, as soft to tread on as the clouds. At the southern end of the hall, there was a high platform with inscriptions, six meters high and looking like a temporarily vacated performance stage.
However, Ding Hao could see the men in this hall staring at the performance stage eagerly, as if awaiting something.
Ding Hao sat beside Golden Cicada.
In Heaven Pavilion, everyone sat on the floor behind a separate short table cast out of gold. Highly exquisite dishes were set on these tables, carrying extremely dense Spiritual Qi, all brewed out of rare precious medicine, and the flesh and blood of great demons.
To many martial artists, these foods were all extremely rare Spiritual Medicine. One mouthful was worth a fortnight of diligent cultivation, yet these precious blood foods were now lavishly offered to everyone seated.
On the two sides of each short table cast out of gold, young female warriors with delicate features were pouring wine and serving the guests.
These female warriors were all masters above the Primordial Realm. Were they in Snow Province, they would definitely be regarded as goddesses to be courted and fawned upon. But here, they were as docile as kittens. There were some experts in the hall who were casually embracing these female warriors, groping them at their pleasure.
Golden Cicada was given a special seat.
Clearly, Ding Hao was regarded as a follower. He was only allowed to sit by himself behind Golden Cicada. There was no food on his table, let alone any female warriors serving him.
“Why hasn’t it started yet?” someone shouted.
It was a burly young man with wiry black hair and aggressive eyes. There was a faint howl of wind and thunder around his body. He had caught a female warrior in his arms and was molesting her. The female warrior’s face flushed red. Obviously, she felt very humiliated, yet she did not dare to resist.
The black-haired young man smiled wickedly and enjoyed the humiliated expression on the female warrior’s face. He became more unrestrained and presumptuous, but his strength was truly unfathomable. Obviously, he had the right to be proud.
Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to his words.
Everyone present here was arrogant and unruly. The female warriors on the golden boat had also disappeared into the distance.
The burly young man snorted angrily and could only let it go.
Ding Hao shook his head with a smile and began looking around.
There were more than 30 men sitting in Heaven Pavilion, all young talents. They looked in their 20s, with even the lowest practitioner at the Martial Royal Realm. Their faces were all conceited and brimming with confidence. The closer their gold-cast tables were to the performance stage, the more powerful it meant they were.
Why had these young people gathered here?
Did they merely want to appreciate the beauty of the most popular courtesan of Chu River?
It should not be that simple.
Even the younger experts who had reached the Martial Royal Realm were strong-willed and possessed a resolute Taoist Heart. Perhaps there were some who were lustful, but they would never spend so much effort simply to court some popular courtesan. There must be something else happening here tonight.
Ding Hao suddenly felt that Golden Cicada must have known something, since he insisted on visiting the Golden Boat to have a look.
“Well? What right does a low-level practitioner have to show up in Heaven Pavilion? ‘Miaoyu Bordello’ is really getting more and more preposterous!” The young man who was roaring angrily just now recalled something, slammed the table suddenly, and stood up. He pointed at Ding Hao, cursing him.
Ding Hao was stunned. He did not expect to be targeted again.
The black-haired man continued to curse, looking disdainful, “What are you staring at? I’m talking about you. You moron with low strength, get lost! It’s an insult letting someone like you sit around with us here.”
For a moment, all eyes were focused on Ding Hao.
Some were gloating, some were in agreement, others were dismissive, and still others were looking at Ding Hao with pity. Sitting in Heaven Pavilion with such low strength meant that this boy had an exaggerated opinion of himself, and was inviting humiliation.
Ding Hao frowned.
“What’s the matter tonight? Does my face look like I deserve all these taunts?”
How could they look down on him and provoke him time and again?
Golden Cicada laughed out loud and looked at Ding Hao with a teasing look, as if enjoying the fun.
This made a few others sympathize even more with Ding Hao, finding him a little pitiful.
“Look, even your Master doesn’t seem to care about you. He’s going to let you die on your own.”
“Humph, you’re really heedless of danger. How dare you stay here! If you don’t get out, I’m gonna come and help you.” The burly young man sneered. He stretched out his big hand, raising a torrent of wind and thunder. A stream of energy streaked through the air towards Ding Hao. He wanted to throw Ding Hao out, and his strike was fierce.
Fury erupted in Ding Hao’s heart, and he could no longer stand it.
He suddenly stood up.
A divine dragon’s roar emanated from his body, and an invisible force radiated outwards. The wind and thunder of the black-haired young man could not reach within three meters of Ding Hao, disappearing like a clay ox into the sea, or like dissipating smoke and mist. Everyone only felt a blur before their eyes. Ding Hao had disappeared.
The next moment, many astonished gasps were heard.
No one knew when Ding Hao had suddenly appeared in front of the black-haired young man.
With one hand, he grabbed the young man’s neck like a golden hoop and lifted him up.
