Footsteps sounded in the surroundings.
Dozens of people appeared in the fenced courtyard. They had almost blocked all sides. Each man was dressed in a white robe and had a powerful aura. Two of them were holding two children in their hands. An ordinary-looking woman had been tied up and was shivering.
“You’ve got the wrong person, Sir. There’s no Clay Bodhisattva here,” said Mr. Yang as his expression slightly changed.
The slender figure in a white robe laughed loudly and said, “If I hadn’t accidentally discovered the aura of the Golden Scale Disc, it would be really unbelievable that the legendary fortune-teller, Clay Bodhisattva, who used to claim that he could see through all the mysteries in the world through divination, is actually hiding in the slums district of Stone Mouth City. I have been observing you for many days. Please stop pretending.”
Mr. Yang continued to say, “You have mistaken me for someone else.”
The slender figure in a white robe stepped out step by step and said with a smile, “If you are not Clay Bodhisattva, I’ve found the wrong person? Well, it’s really disappointing that I have recognized the wrong person. Wouldn’t it be better to kill the two children to relieve boredom?”
As he spoke, he winked.
A master holding a child waved his hand and chopped down at the child, who looked about five or six years old, in his hand.
“Stop!” Mr. Yang was extremely anxious.
The slender figure in a white robe stopped his subordinate. He sneered and said, “If you are not Clay Bodhisattva, you have no value at all. Die with these two children and their mother. Anyway, people die every minute and every second in this city. It doesn’t matter if there are four more dead people.”
Mr. Yang took a deep breath. There was a hint of pain in the depths of his eyes. He sighed and said, “I don’t think I have offended your Nalan family. Why are you being so aggressive?”
The slender figure in a white robe came out of the shadow of the cabin, revealing a handsome face.
He was in his thirties or forties. His eyebrows were as sharp as swords and his eyes were as bright as stars. His skin was as smooth as jade. When he was young, he was definitely a handsome man who could charm thousands of girls. Time did not leave too many traces on his body, and the long black beard under his chin added a bit of mature charm to him.
This man was “Heavenly Wrath Sword” Nalan Xingde, the current head of the Nalan family.
If other people saw him, they would scream in surprise. In the middle of the night, the head of the Nalan family, “Heavenly Wrath Sword” Nalan Xingde, who was also the No.1 master in the family, appeared in such a slum.
“You saw through my identity at a glance, but you still said that you were not Clay Bodhisattva? I don’t want to make things difficult for you. As long as you come out of seclusion and use your Divine Artifact, the Golden Scale Disc, to divine once, the Nalan family will definitely pay you a tremendous reward. I hope you can forgive me if I have offended you tonight,” said Nalan Xingde with a smile.
Mr. Yang, namely Clay Bodhisattva, shook his head and said, “I haven’t divined for 20 years. I was out of practice a long time ago. I’m not as skillful as I used to be. I’m afraid you will be disappointed.”
Nalan Xingde laughed out loud and said, “In this world, everyone knows that Clay Bodhisattva, who is known as the most marvelous person in the world, once used the Golden Scale Disc to see through all the mysteries in the world in ten days before he turned ten years old. You could even tell the lifespan of the God Emperor of the God’s Palace. You are known to be No.1 in the field of divination. How can you be out of practice?”
“All skills are similar to martial arts. Once you stop practicing, you will regress. The skill of divination is even more so.” Clay Bodhisattva sighed and said, “I was hunted down because I had revealed too many secrets of heaven and had offended too many people. My relatives, friends, parents, wife, and children were all killed. Moreover, because of the rebound of raveling secrets of heaven, I became a monster neither a human nor a ghost. I am already a useless man. Why do you value a useless man like me?”
Nalan Xingde smiled faintly and said, “Once you activate the Golden Scale Disc, we will know whether you are a useless man.”
“If I could divine, why would I be trapped by you here?” asked Clay Bodhisattva.
Nalan Xingde stopped smiling and said, “You used to be so heroic. Why are you so afraid today? If you don’t want anything to happen to your wife and children, just cooperate with me. The Nalan family has nothing else to ask for, just one divination from Clay Bodhisattva.”
“They are just ordinary people. Why do you want to do something to them?” Clay Bodhisattva smiled bitterly and said, “Let them go. I’ll go with you.”
“Sorry, I can’t promise you that.” Nalan Xingde shook his head.
He could see that the woman and the two children did not have any power of Qi or any outstanding qualifications, but it did not affect his determination. Only by controlling these three ordinary people could he really control Clay Bodhisattva. In that way, Clay Bodhisattva would work for him.
After thinking for a while, Nalan Xingde made some concessions and said, “After you divine once, I can let you go and promise that I will never disturb your life from then on.”
Clay Bodhisattva chuckled.
He knew very well that the Nalan family found him at this time because they wanted him to divine something for them. He also knew that people’s desires were endless. Once they found him, they would never let him go. He had experienced this too many times.
“I really can’t divine anymore.” Clay Bodhisattva said sincerely, “I’ve divined against the will of heaven many times, so I’ve long lost my ability.” At this point, he took out a small gold and silver disc from his pocket. It looked very exquisite, covered with extremely dense inscriptions. After carefully touching it for a moment, he threw it over, saying, “This is the Golden Scale Disc. Take it. Find another fortune-teller, and he can help you divine where and when the Immortal Artifact and the immortal medicine catalyst will appear.”
Nalan Xingde was stunned. He took the golden disc and carefully examined it.
He could feel the strange aura that was similar to that of chaos. After a long while, he nodded and sighed. “The Divine Artifact for divination that once drove countless people crazy is indeed extraordinary. But…” At this point, Nalan Xingde raised his hand and threw back the Golden Scale Disc. He smiled and said, “Everyone in the world knows that only you can activate the Divine Artifact for divination. Other diviners can’t divine where the Immortal Artifact is even if they have the Golden Scale Disc in hand… Well, let’s cut the crap. Please come with us. Otherwise…”
There was a hideous smile on his face.
This smile was so incompatible with his elegant temperament that he suddenly looked like a demon under the moonlight.
A master from the Nalan family pointed at the little boy’s arm.
With a bang, a bloody hole exploded on the little boy’s arm. Suddenly, he cried out in pain and struggled with a pale face, but he was covered by his mouth and could not even make a sound…
“You… stop!” The Clay Bodhisattva was shocked and said angrily, “He is just a child who has never learned martial arts. How could you hurt him? You are despicable!”
Nalan Xingde laughed loudly. With an impatient look, he said, “I’ve been tolerating you again and again for the sake of your high skills, but my patience is limited after all. If you say one more word of refusal, he will lose one arm!”
Clay Bodhisattva was shocked and angry. He said, “You, ‘Heavenly Wrath Sword’ Nalan Xingde, have been famous on the Eastern Continent for a long time. How could you be so despicable as to hurt an ordinary child… Fine. I’ll divine for you, so what? The Immortal Artifact will rise in response to the proper time and conditions. Only its real owner can get it. Even if others, who have no luck, know the detailed information, what can they get?”
“That’s the right thing to do.” Nalan Xingde nodded in satisfaction. Then, he waved his hand and said, “Please. A long night is fraught with dreams. The Nalan family has already prepared a place for you to perform divination. We are waiting for you to display your magical power.”
Clay Bodhisattva snorted coldly.
He knew very well that even if he could divine where the Immortal Artifact would appear, the Nalan family would not let him go. They would never allow a person who knew the secret of the Immortal Artifact to leave the Nalan family. His wife and children would still be in danger.
He could only judge the circumstances at each step.
Clay Bodhisattva sighed in his heart.
In the first 50 years of his life, he practiced divination on the Eastern Continent, and his divination skills were unmatched. All forces were trying to rope him in. Even the God’s Palace had been very respectful to him. But in the next 30 years, he was punished by heaven. He stopped performing divination and lived in seclusion. He was caught in a mess. He finally found an ordinary woman and wanted to live a peaceful life, but he was involved in such a storm.
He could see through the secrets of heaven through divination, but it could not protect him.
Clay Bodhisattva regretted that he didn’t learn martial arts when he was young. Instead, he was obsessed with divination. Although he had made a name for himself, he couldn’t protect his family at this time.
With anger and self-blame in his heart, he could only sigh and leave with Nalan Xingde and the others.
By the time Ding Hao returned to the Red Stone Manor, it was already late at night.
Ding Hao did not disturb other people and went straight back to the secret room to cultivate.
The battle with Ding Sha once again confirmed Ding Hao’s previous decision on his road of martial arts. He suppressed Ding Sha purely with the power of Sword Intent. This time, he did not use the Devil Saber or the Rusted Sword, but only used his own martial arts to defeat a young genius.
In this battle, Ding Hao’s understanding of the power of Sword Intent had deepened.
He couldn’t wait to take out the Sword Intent rush cushion he had obtained from the Heaven Sabre – Peerless Sword Tower. He sat down on it and started comprehending.
When he closed his eyes, he saw a starry sky in front of him again.
The stars twinkled in the dark and lonely night sky.
According to Ding Hao’s previous experience, each star might represent a kind of Sword Intent. It was hard to imagine how incredible the creator of this rush cushion was. It contained so many kinds of Sword Intent.
But Ding Hao did not intend to comprehend other kinds of Sword Intent.
He’d already comprehended the four Sword Intents of spring, summer, autumn, and winter, and they contained four different kinds of power. He still hadn’t comprehended them to the deepest level. He wouldn’t be able to comprehend too many Sword Intents fully. Comprehending other Sword Intents wouldn’t be able to improve his offensive strength. It might even be distracting.
“Spring, summer, autumn, and winter. The four seasons also form a cycle. It’s perfect as it has a beginning and an end. These four kinds of Sword Intent are enough.” Ding Hao concentrated on thinking. The cultivation of the Sword Intent was dependent on comprehending. The comprehension might equal many years of hard cultivation.
“Among the four kinds of Sword Intent, spring indicates vitality; summer indicates heat; autumn indicates harvest; winter indicates extreme coldness. They are enough to cover all the changes of power, but I always feel that they are not detailed enough. Numerous changes occur in a year. Among 365 days of a year, each day is different. There should not only be four seasons in a real cycle. More elements should be added to form a cycle perfectly.”
