Nightfall

The Big Black Horse lived in the Daqing Mountain this winter.

Without Ning Que’s companionship, he did not feel upset or encounter any problems in his life. Instead, he enjoyed his freedom by chewing flowers, eating meat, seeking quietness, sleeping late, and basking in the sunshine. How happy life was! Even the dark cloud that enveloped Chaoyang city did not annoy him for over a half day.

However, countless powerhouses gathered in Chaoyang city recently like the clouds in the sky. Especially since this morning, the aura in the city became chaotic. The big black horse realized that his happy time was about to end. He had to find the thicket, endure the sharp thorns and break up the ground covered with thick fallen leaves.

His forehooves were very strong. With full strength, they were much more powerful than the hoe used by ordinary labors. It did not take long before he kicked off all the fallen leaves and dug a hole.

The black carriage was laying in the hole quietly. There was no damage on it except for some dust. The lariat and shafts in front were erected slightly. Everything had long been ready for this moment.

After heaving a sigh, the Big Black Horse bowed his head and positioned himself into the noose with resignation. Then, with utmost strength and lightning speed, he pounded on the slope with four hooves. Finally, he managed to drag the heavy carriage to the ground.

As he dragged the carriage out of the thorns and through the jungle, there was not a single soul on his way, so he felt less worried. However, on figuring out the reason for so few tourists, he became worried again. After arriving at the grassy slope at the south foot, he gasped slightly and waited there nervously, looking toward the direction of Chaoyang City.

He did not know how long he had waited there before hearing the familiar whistle.

Soft as the whistle was, the Big Black Horse could hear it clearly. As to him, the whistle was a summon to death. To his annoyance, he had thought that he hated it, only to find himself involuntarily excited when hearing it now. Thus he could not help but feel ashamed.

With such complicated emotions, the Big Black Horse bellowed and began to drag the heavy black carriage along the grassy slope of the south of the Daqing Mountain, rushing furiously toward the open country outside the Chaoyang City.

When he rushed to the open country, the scene of at least hundreds of cavalries dashing out of Chaoyang City to chase that figure filled him with even more rage. He panted heavily and speeded up again.

On the vast open country in the north of the city, hundreds of cavalries from the Yuelun Kingdom came with dust swirling in the air, forming a huge fan shape. The hoofbeat was as loud and vigorous as the pitter-patter of a heavy shower.

More than a thousand feet away in front of the sector, Ning Que kept running with Sangsang on his back. He was extremely nervous when he looked at the approaching black carriage while hearing the clear and thundering hoofbeat.

Looking at the dangerous scene, the Big Black Horse neighed violently and speeded up again. With the heavy carriage behind him, he turned into a cloud of black smoke, reaching the figure before it was devoured by the Yuelun Kingdom cavalry.

Ning Que lowered his body and jumped into the carriage with lightening speed.

At this time, hundreds of cavalries of the Yuelun Kingdom also arrived. They were heading towards the black carriage, which was going to be surrounded by them if it could not stop at once.

The Big Black Horse neighed again, its thick lips trembling violently in the air. Its big white teeth had some shredded rabbit meat stuck in it from last night looked ghoulish. Suddenly, he leaped to the left.

The war-horses at the front felt somehow chilly when they saw the Big Black Horse and heard his neighing. They suddenly felt cold and fell to the ground with a thump, splashing up a large cloud of dust.

When the Big Black Horse forced a turn, inertia caused the heavy carriage to move ahead. With the powerful force brought by the inertia, the rope sling was tightened, leaving a blood-red mark on his strong and smooth neck and even pulling out some hair on his mane.

With another furious neigh, the Big Black Horse spared no effort and managed to stop the forward movement of the carriage. The carriage toppled and almost fell to the ground. The Stainless-steel wheels penetrated deeply into the earth, splashing up dirt.

The dirt fell like stones squarely onto the face of those horses at the front who fortunately did not fall. At the time, the startled neighs rang continuously.

The sector shaped by hundreds of cavalries was gradually disrupted.

The carriage tilted when Ning Que ran into it carrying Sangsang on his back. He tumbled twice before he could finally stabilize himself. Then he tapped on the wall of the carriage.

The crystal in his palm was embedded into the array on the wall. Then a talisman paper between his fingers turned into a plume of smoke, which started the array on the wall at high speed. As a sound that was as slight as a feather floating in the air rang, the heavy carriage suddenly became much lighter.

The wheels made by stainless-steel floated out of the ground. The Big Black Horse was the first to discover the change and gave a joyous neigh. He pushed off the ground quickly, dragging the carriage toward the north like a streak of dust.

The speed of the Big Black Horse was uncomparably fast. Once the array on the carriage wall was initiated, no one or horse in the world but cultivators at the Limitless State could catch up with him. The hundreds of cavalries of the Yuelun Kingdom were completely stunned by the black smoke, let alone run after him.

As he sprinted wildly, the Big Black Horse looked back at those silly horses and cavalries left far behind and neighed complacently. He thought to himself that how foolish they were to compete with him on speed.

When passing by the Daqing Mountain, his complacency turned to reluctance and exclamation. He thought to himself that it would be impossible for him to enjoy such happiness again after leaving here, whether he would go into exile with Ning Que or return to the back mountain of the Academy.

At the thought of it, he could not help sighing and let out a long neigh.

The birds and animals in the Daqing Mountain had been humiliated and harmed for a whole winter. On hearing the neigh, they could not help but tremble with joy. They prayed that this big boss would never come back after he finally left.

When the black horse carriage left the Chaoyang City, the dark cloud that hung over the city through the winter also left gradually, floating toward the north high in the sky.

The cloud was very high, so the seemingly slow move was in fact astonishingly fast. Master Qi Mei averted his eyes from the sky and then took over the bridle beside him. He rushed toward the north with dozens of ascetic monks, but he was very clear about the speed of the black carriage. He knew that they would probably not be able to catch up.

As the dark cloud had already left, bountiful sunlight that was absent for many days finally floated down the Chaoyang City. However, people in the city who hardly saw the blue sky did not look happy at all.

Under the clear blue sky, the white tower was extraordinarily beautiful in the light. The lake reflected the image of the trees. The ground was still spattered with blood after the corpses had been removed.

On the open space beside the lake, the Eldest Brother appeared. He was coughing so desperately and painfully that he bent down as if coughing up his lungs.

Lungs could not be coughed up, but blood could. Within moments, the snow-white handkerchief in his hand covering his lips became red, looking as if it was red right from the start.

The Eldest Brother from the Academy was a legend in the cultivation world.

Few people have seen him fight, but Ye Su and Tang, the two world wayfarers, regarded him as their goal of cultivation. So one could imagine how profound his state was. However, his opponent today was Chief Preaching Monk of the Xuankong Temple, the Buddha of the world and a legendary figure.

Legends, after all, were not myths.

It was incredible that the Eldest Brother could break the Chief Preaching Monk’s words and force him to remain where he was so as to create a chance for Ning Que to escape.

However, he did not rest much this year. He was exhausted from looking for Ning Que and Sangsang in different Buddhist temples, Taoist temples, and cities through Limitless State. So his state was unstable now. In addition, he was seriously injured in today’s fight, which might even affect his cultivation in the future.

Even so, he still looked gentle and cool. His eyes were so clear that everyone wanted to get close to them. There were no extra emotions on his face except a slight frown caused by coughing.

The combat today between the leader of the Buddhism Sect and Mr. First of the Academy was indescribably amazing. It was fully qualified to be recorded in the annals of cultivation or the Buddhist myths.

As a Buddha indestructible both physically and mentally, the Chief Preaching Monk was not injured at all though he was defeated again and again. He was still a myth as well as a winner. But since Ning Que managed to escape with the daughter of Yama, he was also a loser.

An ordinary person would probably be angry and fight again. But the Chief Preaching Monk looked as calm and gentle as the Eldest Brother, without any sign of sulking.

He looked at the Eldest Brother and praised, “Being resolute and dull is benevolence.”

The Eldest Brother made a bow to return the favor, “You flatter me.”

Thinking of the several crucial scenes during the combat, the Chief Preaching Monk said with a smile, “I should have thought that the Headmaster would know such old means as the Power Follows Words.”

He looked at the Eldest Brother and asked, “But I do not know when he taught you that.”

The Eldest Brother rubbed the blood away from his lips and said slowly, “My teacher never taught me that.”

The Chief Preaching Monk looked at him quietly and asked suddenly, “Did you learn it by yourself?”

Eldest Brother nodded.

As his silver eyebrows fluttered slightly, the Chief Preaching Monk asked, “Buddha’s words have not been heard for a long time. When did you learn it?”

Eldest Brother answered honestly, “When you spoke them.”

After hearing the answer, the Chief Preaching Monk fell into a long silence. As his silver eyebrows slowly flapped down, he looked at the scholar and sighed, “Hearing the truth at dawn, knowing the destiny at dusk. Now I believe it is true.”

Chief Preaching Monk got up with one hand on his staff and plodded toward the carriage.

When he went to the front of the carriage, he turned back to look at Eldest Brother and said, “Ning Que and the daughter of Yama went toward the north, with black crows to guide and dark clouds to shield. You cannot help him anymore. Go back to the Academy to have a rest.”

After a moment of silence, the Eldest Brother said, “There’s still my teacher.”

The Chief Preaching Monk said slowly, “It is said that you, Li Manman, are so benevolent and good that you do not even know how to lie. I did not expect you to lie today for the sake of your Younger Brother.”

Then he sighed, “What you said on behalf of the Headmaster is not his ideas, but only your own conjecture. So I did not agree with you.”

The Eldest Brother told him what the Headmaster’s idea was: only if Sangsang died, would the imprint on her be released, thus exposing the position of the world to Yama. Therefore, she could not die.

Now the Chief Preaching Monk said that that was not the Headmaster’s idea, but only his own conjecture.

The Eldest Brother froze slightly. He did not know how the monk had seen through him.