“Amitabha. You reap what you sow. Almsgiver Ding, Killing is reasonable when it comes to avenging the sect. Please don’t mind me saying that after you kill their leader, let go of those innocent people. After all, we’re all human beings,” Golden Cicada, who had been silent, suddenly opened his mouth and said with a solemn face, “Once the killing starts, karma will ensue. I’m concerned about you.”


  Ding Hao nodded and said, “I will keep this in mind. I am not a bloodthirsty person and will never kill innocent people, but I won’t let go of any evil person who has the blood of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect disciples on their hands. Buddhism stresses the law of karma. The Universe works in its way: good deeds will be rewarded while the evil ones will be punished. It is the cycle of cause and effect, isn’t it?”


  Golden Cicada nodded and said with a smile, “Almsgiver Ding, you have a profound understanding of Buddhism.”


  Ding Hao suddenly asked, “How long did it take you to get here from the Big Leiyin Temple of the Western Desert?”


  “Amitabha, Under the instruction of the Big Leiyin Temple, I set off from the east of the Western Desert and passed through 81 super-long-distance Transmission Formations to the Divine Land in the Central Plains. I then crossed some regions of the Southern Land without rest. It took me half a year to arrive at Snow Province.”


  Ding Hao couldn’t help but gasp.

  That was quite some distance.

  Golden Cicada was of formidable strength. It only took him two hours to reach the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect by flying from the Zero Thought Sect with the Immortal Nun and the others. If it had taken him half a year to travel alone from the border of the Western Desert to the Northern Region, all the way through the long-distance transmission formations, it must be quite a long distance.

  Ding Hao thought for a while and asked, “You have passed through the Southern Land? How long does it take to go from here?”


  Golden Cicada thought for a moment and said, “If there are no obstructions along the way, it will take about two months to reach the nearest city of the Human Clan. Why did you suddenly ask about it? Do you intend to go to the Southern Land?”


  Ding Hao nodded and said, “I do plan to go to the Southern Land, but I don’t know much about the world outside Snow Province. Venerable Golden Cicada, you are well-traveled and knowledgeable of the world. I have one more thing to ask you.”


  Golden Cicada smiled and said, “Go ahead, Almsgiver Ding. I will tell you everything I know.”


  “Thank you so much. I wonder, did you hear the name Muhuang Tianji when you passed through the Southern Land?” Ding Hao asked with some expectation. His sister Ding Ke’er had been taken away by the man named Muhuang Tianji. There had been no news of her since then. Golden Cicada was the only person who had been to the Southern Land. Although he knew that there was little hope, Ding Hao still asked.

  Golden Cicada thought about it carefully, shook his head, and said, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Almsgiver Ding. I’ve never heard of this name. There are very few people with the surname Muhuang in the Southern Land, but it is said that the Muhuang Family established the Immortal Dynasty. It is one of the super forces there. You can look into it when you are in the south.”


  The Immortal Dynasty established by the Muhuang Family?

  Ding Hao’s heart skipped a beat.

  With his brutal strength, Muhuang Tianji broke into the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect as if it were unguarded. The wretched old man Muhuang Tianshu who came later was also unfathomable. It should not be a coincidence that those two people showed up at the Swordsmanship-seeking Mountain one after the other. Maybe they were masters of the Immortal Dynasty.

  This was indeed a clue.

  “Thank you.” Ding Hao made up his mind to look into to this dynasty when he arrived in the Southern Land in the future.

  Golden Cicada hurriedly told him not to worry and then asked with some curiosity, “By the way, when are you going to the South, Almsgiver Ding?”


  Ding Hao made a rough calculation. There were still many things to be dealt with. In addition to the matter of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect, he also had an agreement with Frozen Peak which would take place in about 20 days. He had also planned to seek revenge against the Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship Sect. It should take at least two months to complete all of these.

  Ding Hao smiled and said, “Close to three months from now.”


  “That’s great!” Golden Cicada smiled and said, “I’m also going to return to the Big Leiyin Temple three months later. We can travel together if you’re interested. I’ve been to the Southern Land several times, so I’m familiar with the route. I have some friends who can help me.”


  Ding Hao was glad. He replied, “That’s great. Thank you.”


  The two talked for a while and agreed on the date. After three months, they would set off for the South Land together.

  Intuition told Ding Hao that this monk named Golden Cicada offered help purely out of kindness. There was nothing to be suspicious of. When he learned that this person came from the Big Leiyin Temple in the Western Desert, he had already figured out the purpose of his visit to Snow Province in the Northern Region—


  They were there for those Buddhist hymns.

  The Zero Thought Immortal Nun and the others had mentioned that the Big Leiyin Temple would send a saint to check if they noticed anything unusual about the Buddhist hymns. This handsome young monk surely had the intention to go with him to find out where he had learned Buddhist doctrines while they traveled.

  After talking for a while, the Zero Thought Sect members stood up and said their goodbyes.

  They were Buddhist nuns, so it was not convenient for them to stay. The Swordsmanship-seeking Sect was safe and no longer needed their help. It was better to leave as soon as possible to avoid interfering with their internal affairs.

  Qin Ying and the other 20 experts from the Heavenly Sound Valley stayed.

  Their knowledge of sound and combat skills could help the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect treat the injured disciples. Moreover, Yin Zuimo, the head of the Heavenly Sound Valley, would soon arrive with Huang Rong and the others, so they weren’t in a hurry to leave.

  After assigning the rest of the tasks to Guan Feidu and the others, Ding Hao left for Li Lan’s residence.

  Wang Xiaoqi had been taking care of Li Lan for the moment.

  He didn’t suffer much in the catastrophe of the Swordsmanship-seeking Sect,

  His strength was inferior and was regarded as a businessman, so neither the Heaven-Splitting Swordsmanship Sect nor the Tranquility Academy took him seriously. After they took away his Heavenly World, this poor guy was thrown into the mine at the back mountain.

  It was Evil Moon, the Fat Cat, who rescued him. Evil Moon went back to the mine on the spur of the moment. When wandering around, he found this half-naked man, who had been starved for more than half a month and was only skin and bones, in a very hidden crack of the Great Abyss.

  Of course, many people believed the reason Evil Moon had been eager to go to the mine was to have a chance to devour the top-grade mysterious crystals.

  Ding Hao was in a much better mood after seeing Wang Xiaoqi.

  He told him the whereabouts of his father in detail.

  “Ma Liang is a son of a b*tch. I had long suspected that he wasn’t a good person. He’s a hypocrite. Unfortunately, my father didn’t believe me. This time he betrayed us. Damn him. He deserves it. Fortunately, my father and the others are fine. Otherwise, I would have dug him out of the grave and killed him all over again.”


  The afterthought frightened Wang Xiaoqi and he was grateful for being lucky.

  “Well, don’t worry. It’s all right now. I believe that Xiaoyao will come back with Uncle and Aunt Wang as well as Daying in a day or two. You will be reunited as a family then.” Ding Hao patted Wang Xiaoqi’s shoulder with a smile.

  While they were talking, Zhang Fan entered the room.

  “Xiaofan!” Wang Xiaoqi was overjoyed.

  He had heard other disciples discussing and knew that Zhang Fan had become one of the top masters in Snow Province. When he saw his old-time buddy again, he couldn’t help but rush and punch him with excitement.

  Zhang Fan scratched the back of his head and laughed.

  “Ouch, it hurts……” Wang Xiaoqi took back his fist, only to see his swollen knuckles. He grimaced and gasped. “How come your body is like a steel plate? It almost broke the bones of my hand!”


  Ding Hao laughed and said, “You deserve it. Xiaofan’s body is much harder than a steel plate.”


  The three of them used to live in the same courtyard, and they got to know Wang Xiaoqi through some fights. He was their oldest friend.

  They led quite different lives: Ding Hao rose like a hidden dragon; Zhang Fan had not made much progress because of his poor aptitude; Wang Xiaoqi stopped practicing martial arts and devoted himself to business. However, the friendship between them had never changed. Lu Pengfei had put them to the test, but it made the brotherhood more valuable.

  Zhang Fan had become strong enough to sweep the Snow Province, while Wang Xiaoqi had experienced a narrow escape from death and a great change in his identity.

  But when the sun shone in from outside the door upon the three of them who stood side by side, it revealed three similar figures.

  At that moment, it was as if time had flowed back to the old days.

  Ding Hao was still the big brother who loved smiling. Wang Xiaoqi was still the shrewd man who had never stopped thinking about how to make money to hook up with girls, while Zhang Fan scratched the back of his head and giggled. He was still the little hunter who was dull and slow as he progressed, but never gave up.

  The three of them couldn’t help laughing heartily.

  “Oh, what is so joyous about three troublemakers gathering?” a voice came from behind.

  Ding Hao and the other two turned around. It was Li Lan, who had been in a coma. She had woken up somehow; she sat up on the bed, and looked at the three of them with a slight frown.

  “Xiaolan, are you awake?” Ding Hao and the other two were thrilled.

  Li Lan slowly set her feet down from the bed, put on her boots, and slowly breathed. She looked around carefully as if she were observing something invisible. Then she stared at them and said, “I wanted to have a good sleep, but the three of you were here laughing and howling. Is it possible for me not to be awakened?”


  Zhang Fan just chuckled.

  Wang Xiaoqi curled his lip and complained silently in his heart.

  But he held some awe in his heart for Li Lan since the time he joined the Eastern Academy of green shirts, so he didn’t say more.

  Ding Hao didn’t care as much. He walked over with a smile, grabbed Li Lan’s wrist and carefully examined it despite her trying to shrug him off. Then he nodded and said with a little relief, “It seems to be nothing serious. By the way, Xiaolan, what on earth did you encounter in the 11th section of the ancient westbound road? I waited outside for a long time but you didn’t come out. I thought you……”