“Your flying magical weapon is very unique.”
Riding on the black motorcycle, Golden Cicada propped up the unconscious Sweet Sound, with one hand on Ding Hao’s shoulder. Fathomless darkness whistled past them on their sides. There was a strange vrooming noise as Ding Hao revved up his magic motorcycle, the Black Whirlwind. It really appeared like a black whirlwind, advancing at top speed into the vast wilderness.
Unfairly maligned, they had become Public Enemy No. 1. Clearly, there was no place left for them in Jin City. They did not want to be like rats on the streets that everyone wanted to curse and beat, so Ding Hao simply took Golden Cicada and Sweet Sound to the wilderness.
He revved up Black Whirlwind with all his might. This flying magical weapon, built like a motorcycle using inscription weaponsmithery, accelerated at top speed, zipping through the night sky.
Since beginning to build this flying magical weapon, a large part of its frame had already been formed. Black Whirlwind was indeed becoming more and more like a real motorcycle.
Its front and back tires were both extremely fat, made out of the bones and tendons of Zhuhuai, the Divine Big Dipper Beast, which lived on the first section of the ancient westbound road. They were like real tires, save for the fact that they did not need to be pumped. The oil tank was a large storage space, while the seats could accommodate three people, fashioned out of the skinned fur of a Demon Royal. The four-cylinder exhaust pipe spurted out scarlet flames. The front bump was constructed out of six interlinking gigantic swords, while the other parts were also refined from rare precious materials.
In order to build this contrivance, Ding Hao had really put in a great deal of effort.
Now, it could finally be regarded as a semi-finished product.
Although experts above the Primordial Realm could fly in the air, long-distance flight consumed a lot of Qi, so most would choose to use a flying magical weapon. However, most ordinary warriors would forge flying magical weapons out of metallic swords, other weapons, pavilions, or flying ships. This was the first time Golden Cicada had seen such a strange contraption of Ding Hao’s.
But he had to admit that this strange flying magical weapon was very comfortable to ride on, and gave him a whole new visual perspective.
Moreover, it was really very fast, and could easily make all kinds of difficult twists and turns in the air.
Hearing his compliment, Ding Hao started to guffaw.
As he revved up Black Whirlwind with all his might, he had the same kind of excitement he felt while racing on the highway in his former life.
Evil Moon’s four paws were clutching Ding Hao’s shoulder tightly, its beautiful white fur and wings flapping backward in the strong wind. Meowing madly as the wind streamed into its mouth, it seemed extremely excited. Clearly, it was enjoying the exhilaration of racing.
In the end, Ding Hao stopped at the top of a hill.
“Let’s rest here tonight.”
Ding Hao put away the motorcycle and took out the camping appurtenances. Soon, he settled everything on the hill and had pitched a tent.
Golden Cicada lit a bonfire in front of the tent.
Given their strength, they would naturally not feel cold in the wilderness. However, humans after all were animals who liked light. It would always be cozy building a fire. Besides, both were elite fighters, so they did not have to worry about getting discovered and attacked by demons.
Golden Cicada carefully examined Sweet Sound’s condition and said, “Her Power of the Origin has indeed been extracted. If it weren’t for that Ultimate Buddha Power of the gatha you implanted in her body, helping her to preserve her vitality, I’m afraid she would have been dead by now, Brother Ding.”
He narrated to him what happened after he went on the Golden Boat that night.
It turned out that after Golden Cicada got on the Golden Boat, he quickly located Sweet Sound who was hidden in an obscure cell, using his secret Buddhist sixth sense. Just at the moment when he rescued Sweet Sound, he was attacked by an absolute master hiding in the dark.
His attacker was a great demon, powerful and brutal, using the black fog as its weapon. Since it was a sneak attack, were it not for his profound strength, Golden Cicada would have been smashed in the head by its claw, instead of having just a large part of his bloodied flesh ripped off from his neck.
However, he also sustained an injury because of this. He had no choice but to use the Great Leiyin Monastery’s divine technique, the Mahavairocana’s Golden Body Shield, to escape.
No one knew what happened afterward, but the entire Golden Boat suddenly exploded without warning. Innumerable young masters and hundreds of female disciples of Miaoyu Bordello were instantly blown into powder. Almost everyone died. Only a few who were well-prepared, such as the Moonlight Fairy, had managed to survive thanks to their strong cultivation.
Ding Hao already knew what happened after that.
“Why was there such a terrible demon expert hiding on Miaoyu Bordello’s Golden Boat? I’m afraid that he’s at the Demon Emperor Realm at the least. If it weren’t for the fact that he was in a human settlement today and wanted to camouflage his Demon Aura, I’m afraid the two of us wouldn’t be his match even if we fought with all our might.”
Ding Hao felt a little bewildered.
Ever since he left Snow Province, he had encountered many strange things.
The great Demon Clan uprising in Earth Province… the night the Demon Royal was planning to attack Guo City… Ding Honglei hiding some secrets… and the strange event today… All these mysterious, baffling events might seem unrelated, but Ding Hao’s keen Mind Essential intuition kept prompting him that there was some vague connection between them.
Under the seemingly tranquil surface of the Land of Infinity, there was an extremely horrific undercurrent.
“Is this world really going topsy-turvy?”
After letting his mind run wild, Ding Hao finally gave up. This was obviously still not something he should worry about.
Golden Cicada tried several times but failed to heal Sweet Sound.
“Let me try.” Ding Hao gently put a finger on Sweet Sound’s wrist.
A wisp of Heaven Fire Qi slowly and gently crept into Sweet Sound’s body, shuttling through her Qi meridian channels and apertures, giving a diagnosis of her physical injuries.
He could see that Sweet Sound’s Qi was indeed almost completely depleted. Having her Power of the Origin extracted would prove fatal for any other warrior and one would basically not recover. Fortunately, there was a strange latent power inside Sweet Sound’s body protecting her vitality, leaving some hope for her recovery.
Around Sweet Sound’s lower abdomen, Ding Hao could sense a peculiar Buddha Halo. The faint manifestation of a Buddha with vague features, no bigger than his little finger, was concealed in the halo. The strange, almost divine power that he had earlier detected, was slowly emanating from that faint manifestation of Buddha…
“Is this the power of the Buddhist gatha?”
Ding Hao did not expect that the Buddhist gatha he had recited would have such an incredible effect on a Buddhist cultivator like Sweet Sound.
“I have a way to treat her.” Ding Hao finally offered a solution.
Sweet Sound’s condition was similar to Ximen Qianxue’s in the past. She had lapsed into a deep coma because her Power of the Origin was damaged. She needed god-level elixirs to replenish her Origin in order to regain consciousness. When Ding Hao refined the 16 Mysterious Elixirs of Magic Horns, he gave most of them to Ximen Qianxue, but there were still three left in his possession.
Golden Cicada was overjoyed and thanked him immediately.
Sweet Sound had the Ultimate Buddha Nature and was highly thought of by the Great Leiyin Monastery. She was most likely going to be one of the successors of Western Desert Buddhism. This kind of nature was rare, so her importance to the Great Leiyin Monastery should not be underestimated. If she had remained in a coma forever, it would definitely be a big blow to them.
He had tried many times, but could not heal her. Just when he was about to take Sweet Sound back to the Great Leiyin Monastery for treatment by their eminent monks, he suddenly heard Ding Hao had a way to heal her. He was overjoyed.
“You don’t have to thank me. Reverend Sweet Sound is my friend too.”
Ding Hao smiled and took out the three remaining Mysterious Elixirs of Magic Horns, using his palm power to slowly transmit them into Sweet Sound’s mouth. Then he stuck a seal on Sweet Sound’s back, slowly injecting Qi to help her absorb the medicine.
With his former experience of healing Ximen Qianxue, Ding Hao handled the entire procedure very well.
In the blink of an eye, the medicinal properties of the Mysterious Elixirs of Magic Horns had been completely absorbed into Sweet Sound’s body. She was rapidly recovering her original vitality.
Ding Hao carried her into the tent and placed her on the small bed, covering her with the quilt, and then went out.
Golden Cicada was sitting cross-legged in front of the tent, his eyes closed. He was healing himself with his energy. A pale golden Buddha’s Halo enveloped his entire body.
At this moment, the young monk looked solemn and majestic, without joy, sadness or any other emotion. Faint Sanskrit incantations lingered around his body, and the aura of compassion and mercy radiated silently out of him. The flickering bonfire cast a dim yellow light on Golden Cicada’s face, making the young monk look even more handsome. He was completely different from those vulgar monks who indulged in meat and wine, looking more like an eminently enlightened monk.
Until now, Ding Hao was not very clear about the differences between the Buddhism in this world and the Buddhism he knew in his former life. Did they really not abstain from meat?
He sat down slowly beside the bonfire. Ding Hao fed it some dry firewood. Staring intently at the leaping flames, he was lost in thought.
After this incident today, it would be much more difficult for him to go to the Southern Land.
Those bewitched by the Moonlight Fairy would certainly spread all kinds of false rumors, especially the several dozen young superiors. They were all men of high status and background. If they joined forces to spread that false news, he, Golden Cicada and Sweet Sound would probably be like rats scurrying across the streets, shouted at and beaten by everyone.
In this way, it would be much more difficult to travel using the space gates of the various cities.
If he avoided the human settlements and traveled to the Southern Land through the wilderness, it would probably take more than five years to get there.
This was definitely not something Ding Hao could accept.
“If that doesn’t work, I will be forced to change my clothes and disguise myself. Golden Cicada said he has connections. After his wounds heal, he may have a way out.” Ding Hao was planning the next step of his trip.
While pondering, he suddenly heard the very faint sound of footsteps behind him.
Obviously, the person was very cautiously masking his footsteps in order not to be discovered.
Whoosh!
A strong wind assailed Ding Hao’s back.
“Reverend Sweet Sound, it seems that you have recovered.” Ding Hao smiled slightly and did not dodge the blow.
The fragrance of incense wafted in the air. A jade palm stopped less than an inch away from the heart region of Ding Hao’s back.
“You are… Ding Hao? Brother Ding?” A pleasantly surprised voice rang out. It was indeed Sweet Sound of the Zero Thought Sect, who had just regained her consciousness in the tent.
Half an hour ago, after regaining her consciousness, she had thought herself still a prisoner of Miaoyu Bordello, and so came out noiselessly to quietly explore the surroundings. Although Sweet Sound did not understand why there were only two guards with her in the wilderness, she realized that this was an opportunity to escape, so she sneaked out and attacked.
She was indeed a very composed warrior.
Unfortunately, their difference in strength was simply too great, and Ding Hao instantly detected her presence.
“Reverend Sweet Sound, you’re fine now. Don’t worry.” Ding Hao stood up and turned back with a smile.
Sweet Sound in the moonlight was wearing a torn black gauze skirt, her fair jade-like skin nakedly exposed. Perhaps it was because she had been imprisoned for too long, she looked a little thin and her pale face appeared even more pitiful, making one feel sorry for her.
She was originally a girl with very exquisite features. She used to wear a nun habit and a round hat, and her looks were not very astounding. But at this moment, as the night wind fluttered her short, ear-length hair, flapping her clothes, her face as flawlessly fair as a peeled egg was filled with pleasant surprise, stunning one with indescribably breathtaking beauty.
“Brother… Brother Ding, is it really you?” Sweet Sound had not yet recovered from her surprise.
She rubbed her eyes. The next moment, she had dashed over to embrace Ding Hao, like a weak and helpless deer. Ding Hao could even feel her heart beating violently in her slightly cold body, through the gossamer black gauze.
Ding Hao was stunned and patted her gently on the back.
Although she was one of the most outstanding disciples of Zero Thought Sect, she was still after all a girl of only 16 or 17. One could imagine how, after being teleported out of the Sage Battlefield, she had lost her way and fell into the hands of Miaoyu Bordello. Her Power of the Origin had been extracted. It must be a painful and horrible memory. How lonely and helpless Sweet Sound must have felt then!
After a long while, Sweet Sound gradually came to her senses. She blushed, let out an exclamation, and hurriedly stepped back.
Ding Hao took out a teal robe from his Storage Ring and covered her with it. Then, he pointed to Golden Cicada beside him, who was healing himself running his cultivation Qi around his meridians, and said, “This Reverend is from the Great Leiyin Monastery of the Western Desert. He was the one who saved you today.”
A strange brilliance flashed across Sweet Sound’s eyes.
“Amitabha, Sweet Sound, are you awake?” Golden Cicada had finished his self-healing and slowly got up.
“Thank you for saving my life, holy monk.” Sweet Sound returned the bow.
Even before entering the Sage Battlefield, she had known that the Great Leiyin Monastery in the Sacred Land of Buddhism had been shocked by that gatha incident. They wanted to send a holy monk to confirm this matter. Later, she had many strange encounters and was unable to return to Zero Thought Sect. Now, it turned out that this holy monk from the Great Leiyin Monastery had already arrived and had even saved her.
“If it weren’t for Almsgiver Ding, we would not have survived today.” Golden Cicada shook his head with a wry smile. He had not fully recovered from his injury.
The three of them sat down beside the bonfire.
“By the way, how did you end up in the Divine Central Continent? And got yourself imprisoned by Miaoyu Bordello?” Ding Hao asked, somewhat curious.
Sweet Sound sighed and related everything to him.
It turned out that she was teleported by the space-time fissure on the Sage Battlefield, and ended up in the southernmost province of the Northern Region, which was a little far from Snow Province but still inside the Northern Region. She had intended to teleport herself back using the space gates of the provinces, but unexpectedly met a woman along the way who claimed to be the Moonlight Fairy. Following that, she seemed to have been hypnotized, lost control of herself, was taken to the Divine Central Continent, and had her Power of the Origin extracted without her consciously knowing what had happened.
Later, the Moonlight Fairy also detected the god-level Buddha Nature power inside Sweet Sound’s body. She had wanted to appropriate it, but did not succeed.
“I was under the control of Miaoyu Bordello all that while. I couldn’t find a way to escape…” Sweet Sound narrated to him her experiences in detail.
Ding Hao said in surprise, “Miaoyu Bordello is a force of the Divine Central Continent. Most in the Northern Region have never heard of it. But why had the Moonlight Fairy suddenly appeared in the Northern Region? Have the authorities behind Miaoyu Bordello quietly infiltrated the North?”
“They’re hatching a great conspiracy,” Golden Cicada said thoughtfully. “Their influence is definitely not merely what we see on the surface. Last night, that fiendish demon’s strength was amazing, yet it was still under their control. Humans colluding with demons—they have violated a great taboo. Unless there are some enormous benefits to reap from this, most people would never do such a thing.”
“The Golden Boat of Miaoyu Bordello has been roaming the Divine Central Continent all these years, using women to seduce and enlist the services of young experts. I’m afraid most people don’t even dare imagine what benefits they have been reaping. The Moonlight Fairy seemed to have mastered some secret technique that can easily befuddle their minds.” Ding Hao remembered that night in the restaurant, the Moonlight Fairy exchanging glances with him from a distance. His mind had almost succumbed to her witchery.
“There’re always some ambitious people who aren’t satisfied with their present situation, and will fish in troubled times.” Golden Cicada sighed.
“How’s your injury?” Ding Hao asked.
“It’s worse than I thought. It’s a very rare kind of Demon Aura. I can’t expel it all at once.” Golden Cicada then said with a wry smile, “I can only suppress it for the time being. For this short duration, I can’t fight anyone.”
“It’s that serious?”
Ding Hao was greatly shocked.
“It seems that I must find a way to return to the Great Leiyin Monastery,” Golden Cicada said. “If Sweet Sound wants to completely recover her strength, she needs the help of Saints from our monastery. Almsgiver Ding, I’m afraid I won’t be able to accompany you to the Southern Land.”
Ding Hao smiled and said, “It doesn’t matter, I can go by myself. However, now that you’re injured and Reverend Sweet Sound hasn’t yet recovered her strength, I’m afraid there will be lots of dangers on the road to the Western Desert. Why don’t I see the two of you to the Western Desert first?”
“There’s no need to trouble yourself. You just need to see the two of us to Xiang Province, Almsgiver Ding. When we reach there, there will be someone else to receive us,” Golden Cicada said gratefully.
“Just as well, since I must pass through Xiang Province anyway on my way to the Southern Land.” Ding Hao did not pressure him. The Great Leiyin Monastery was one of the five supreme forces in the Land of Infinity. Its power must have extended to beyond the Western Desert, and there was likely a division of the Great Leiyin Monastery in Xiang Province.
After a discussion, they finally agreed to let Ding Hao escort them to Xiang Province. After that, Ding Hao would leave for the Southern Land alone.
