He had never suffered such a serious injury before.
“I must find a safe place to recover quickly…” Ding Hao glanced around Yellow Crane Tower. It was dark everywhere under the dusky sky. There was a faint glimmer of light in the distant horizon, with thousands of warriors unconscious on the ground.
Ding Hao whistled.
“Meow. I’ve already said: don’t whistle if you want me.” Amid protests, a white flowing light instantly arrived, reaching Ding Hao. The light turned into a gigantic fat cat, leaving quickly with Ding Hao on its back.
In the blink of an eye, the man and the cat had disappeared into the distant horizon.
Around Yellow Crane Tower, there was a dead silence in the rubble.
A sensational piece of news was spreading wildly from Yellow Province City.
Ding Hao, the swordsman from the Northern Region, had challenged the martial artists of the Divine Central Continent within the surrounding millions of kilometers all alone, defeating hundreds of masters at Yellow Crane Tower with his sword. His strength was so amazing that he was said to be invincible.
On that moonlit night, destined to be the most horrible and unforgettable for countless people, several thousand martial artists of the Divine Central Continent who intended to crush this murderous maniac, had instead witnessed the rise of this peerless genius from the Northern Region.
His sword technique was as fast as lightning.
His saber technique was as fast as the gale.
This was the first time the Divine Central Continent had witnessed the twin blades of this Saber and Sword Addict.
On the spire of Yellow Crane Tower that moonlit night, this figure in teal robes, handsome as jade, had become a living legend. He fought nearly a hundred duels in quick succession—against the Black Spear King, against Luo Xiangcai of the God-slaying Sect, and against many other famous young experts. All were made to yield under his saber and sword.
“An invincible presence, a truly peerless genius!”
“I’ve never seen such a genius before. Any sword technique will be several times more powerful in his hands. He seems to have been born for the sword.”
“His saber technique is full of primitive aura, with a kind of magic power—a true devil saber!”
“The Ultimate in Saber and Sword!”
“It’s really hard to believe such a peerless genius could have come from the desolate Northern Region. Is the Human Clan of the Northern Region on the rise?”
“I won’t be his match, even if I practice for another 30 years!”
“A youth and a miracle worker!”
There were all kinds of appraisals everywhere. Every martial artist who had appeared on that moonlit night, even those watching the duels from several kilometers away, were terrified. Many warriors of the older generations sighed at their own inferiority, while the younger generations could only look up to Ding Hao in awe. On that moonlit night, this young man from the Northern Region planted the seed of a nightmare within the hearts of countless martial artists.
As soon as they remembered this teal-robed figure, countless people would admit themselves his inferior in their hearts.
The incidents of that night had proven Ding Hao’s innocence. The rumors about him being the perpetrator of those several hundred massacres, arousing the wrath of warriors of the Divine Central Continent, were reversed overnight. Ding Hao was now seen as the victim of unfair accusations.
“His Excellency Gu Qingyu has pronounced his verdict: the killer is not Ding Hao.”
“Humph, I knew long ago that Ding Hao couldn’t have been the murderer. That genius has come out of the Northern Region simply to toughen himself by roving about the continents. He’s like a divine dragon from the Ninth Heaven. Why would he massacre ordinary warriors?”
“That’s strange. Since the murderer isn’t Ding Hao, who on earth has been framing him?”
“Haha, who else but Miaoyu Bordello? That night, Ding Hao fixed a date at Yellow Crane Tower simply to draw out those people from Miaoyu Bordello. Unfortunately, the Moonlight Fairy—such an enchanting lady—insisted on fighting Ding Hao, and eventually died under his sword.”
“Is the Moonlight Fairy really dead?”
“Well, someone saw with his own eyes her heart getting pierced by Ding Hao’s sword. She almost exploded into pieces.”
“Miaoyu Bordello has now become like a rat scurrying across the streets, with everyone shouting and beating it. Those demanding revenge on Ding Hao are now even more insanely hunting down the disciples of Miaoyu Bordello. They say that the branches of Miaoyu Bordello in several dozen provinces, like in Yellow Province, Jin Province, and Chu Province, have all been raided and destroyed!”
“I’m afraid that only the surface forces have been uprooted. Their inside forces are still intact. I didn’t expect Miaoyu Bordello to be colluding with the Demon Clan. They were planning something big. It seems that the Super Heaven Pavilion has begun investigating this matter. However, every disciple of Miaoyu Bordello has fled its headquarters in Heaven Province, disappearing overnight.”
“This collusion between Humans and Demons—it’s the prologue to a Holy War. Is the world turning topsy-turvy?”
“Certain people are planning a revolt after so much peace!”
“By the way, is there any news of Ding Hao? They say that after the duels at Yellow Crane Tower, he has completely vanished. Could he have died from his injuries?”
“He has disappeared from everyone’s sight. This man is simply too mysterious.”
The repercussions of the duels at Yellow Crane Tower could still be felt. Many only saw its impact on the surface, but those really powerful forces of the Divine Central Continent obviously knew much more than these ordinary folks.
Especially at the last moment, that power used by the Moonlight Fairy to attack Ding Hao, as well as that mysterious expert who arrived amidst the endless dark crimson demonic fog, shocked many super forces secretly observing them. A terrible prophecy and legend began to spread within those factions.
Rumor had it that in the dozen days after the duels at Yellow Crane Tower, the Super Divine Guards had begun appearing in higher frequency in various provinces of the Divine Central Continent, as if they were conducting some investigation.
Super forces like the God-slaying Sect, the Divine Hall, and the Eternal Palace, also reacted.
Of course, the successors of the major sects defeated by Ding Hao were also hunting for him everywhere, not resigned to defeat. They wanted to challenge him again. The more outstanding disciples of these sects also made it their goal to defeat Ding Hao, so as to win back glory for their sects and wash away the shame of those defeats at Yellow Crane Tower.
Some super forces were also searching for Ding Hao, hoping to take in this absolute genius from the Northern Region, or to befriend him. A genius like Ding Hao could no longer be treated as an ordinary expert of the newer generations. Most likely, Ding Hao would become the supreme master of this realm in the future—
At least he was showing such potential now.
There were also many conceited young masters looking for Ding Hao everywhere, seeking to challenge and replace Ding Hao as the continent’s new focal point and leading man, hoping to use him as a springboard for further fame.
“It’s because I wasn’t there, that was why this little barbarian from the Northern Region could hog the limelight.”
“Haha, since the real hero didn’t turn up, the ragamuffin has become famous instead!”
“Defeat Ding Hao and reclaim glory for the Divine Central Continent!”
A commotion suddenly broke out in the Divine Central Continent, with people making all sorts of comments. Ding Hao’s whereabouts were still the focus of everyone’s attention, but no one could locate him after the duels.
Orchid Province, the Divine Central Continent.
This was a province famed for its abundant, beautiful orchids, located in the southernmost part of the Divine Central Continent, close to the Southern Wilderness of the Five Regions. It was the smallest one among several dozen provinces within the Divine Central Continent. The power of the Human Clan here was weak, while the Demon Clan relatively powerful.
A mountain range called the Great Green Mountains was located at the southernmost region of Orchid Province, with evergreen vegetation all year round. Extending for thousands of kilometers, it was precipitous and lofty, stately and majestic.
The Demon Clan was prevalent in the Great Green Mountains. There were said to be 100,000 Demon Clan members here.
At the southern end of the Great Green Mountains was a 5,000-meter-high peak covered with ice and snow all year round. It was called the White-Haired Mountain, since it resembled a hoary old man.
The powerful gales here were piercingly cold, and snowflakes fluttered around like dancing blades.
A handsome teal-robed young man was standing by a steep cliff on the mountain peak, looking up at the somewhat chilly sunshine in the sky. He stretched himself lazily and exercised his limbs, the bones in his body making crackling sounds like fried beans.
It was Ding Hao.
Another three months had passed, since the duels at Yellow Crane Tower.
After being taken away by the fat cat that night, Ding Hao traveled south, recovering and cultivating along the way. Half a month ago, he arrived at White-Haired Mountain of the Great Green Mountains. He dug a hole in the thick ice at the summit, and holed himself up there to continue his recovery.
The “Moke Power” was indeed a very strange sort of demonic power. Even though the Scapegoat Doll had helped Ding Hao die half-a-death, it was still very difficult to expel its remnant energy. Ding Hao had been suffering every minute and second in the past three months.
Today was the first day he had completely expelled the residual Moke Power inside his body.
Which was why he had come out from the ice hole to stretch his muscles a bit.
The sun shone on Ding Hao’s body. The young man was much thinner now, his cheeks a little shriveled. Like a famished refugee, he had lost a lot of weight, but his eyes were now even brighter, full of vigor.
Throughout this period, in order to treat his injury, Ding Hao had been kept busy.
He directed his inner Qi around his body to expel the foreign power inside. Guided by the Saber Master and the Sword Master, he also refined some special elixirs using magical herbs and precious medicine from the Sage Battlefield. He could only completely recover by combining the effects of the two.
It was the first time Ding Hao had suffered such a serious injury since coming to this world.
If it weren’t for the Scapegoat Doll and Ding Hao’s own unparalleled constitution, as well as the guidance of those two elderly eccentrics—the Saber Master and the Sword Master—Ding Hao might not have survived at all.
But this was also a most precious period of trial and training.
In the past three months, Ding Hao’s temperament and mental acuity had improved a lot. The sufferings he endured due to his injury, his travels in the wilderness observing flowers bloom and fall, trees flourish and rot, great rivers, waterfalls, ancient forests that had lived for tens of thousands of years, as well as century-old withered bones… all these made a huge impact on Ding Hao.
Almost simultaneously, while he was recovering from his injury, his Mind Essential which had hit a bottleneck finally made a breakthrough—reaching the seventh level, the “My Thoughts and I Are One” Realm.
This so-called “My Thoughts and I Are One” Realm referred to the fact that the thoughts of his soul would be totally focused and unmovable.
After reaching this realm, Ding Hao could no longer be affected by the Moonlight Fairy’s hypnotism. He could injure others with his spiritual thoughts alone. According to the manual on the Mind Essential, once he reached the highest level of the “My Thoughts and I Are One” Realm, his soul could travel out of his body and shuttle between the heavens and the earth. Almost nothing could hurt it.
Moreover, his Spiritual Mind could move objects to injure his enemies, while his instinct for danger had become even more acute.
