Ding Hao remembered that at that time, he had only exchanged glances with her through the white gauze and had almost succumbed to some kind of witchery. It was an extremely peculiar secret hypnotic technique. Had he not practiced the Mind Essential of the Invincible Fighting Method, he would not have come to his senses so quickly. At that time, he had already found this woman quite strange.

It seemed that Golden Cicada had also detected something abnormal, so he insisted on getting on the Golden Boat to investigate.

He had not expected to really discover such a secret.

“For her to converge several hundred streams of blood lineage power and integrate them into a subspecies of Chaotic Power, is already quite terrifying. But Buddhist Nature power is different from ordinary powers. I used a secret technique of the Great Leiyin Monastery to secretly extract that wisp of Buddhist power, just for you to see if it’s the same as Sweet Sound’s.”

Golden Cicada looked at Ding Hao, asking him this question slowly.

The two disciples of the Zero Thought Sect, Lei Tingchan and Sweet Sound, had both received the Buddhist gatha, causing shockwaves in the Zero Thought Sect. They had used a secret technique method to relay the message back to the Great Leiyin Monastery. This was why Golden Cicada had been sent to the Northern Region, to investigate what had happened.

Unfortunately, Sweet Sound and Lei Tingchan had disappeared after entering the Sage Battlefield, so Golden Cicada could not really see these two disciples likely implanted with the Ultimate Buddhist Nature in their bodies. Although the Zero Thought Sect had also provided him with some clues, he was not certain.

Which was why he had not made any move at that time. He preferred to wait and devise a careful plan only after Ding Hao had ascertained its nature.

Ding Hao reached out and grabbed the flaming golden ball. He nodded gently and said, “That’s right, I’m sure it’s the same aura as Reverend Sweet Sound’s. She seems to have made great progress in her cultivation.”

Golden Cicada slowly let out a sigh, chanting Buddha’s name in a low voice, and said with a slight smile, “That’s good. It appears that Sweet Sound has been captured by Miaoyu Bordello, or they would not have been able to extract her Power of the Origin so easily. Hehe, Miaoyu Bordello is getting really audacious. Now they even dare to fight the disciple of Great Leiyin Monastery. I must really interrogate their mistress!”

His tone was calm, but he was clearly livid.

Sweet Sound was a Buddhist disciple, while Miaoyu Bordello was a sensual house of pleasure in the Central Region. The two had nothing to do with each other. Their philosophies could even be said to be opposites, yet now, Miaoyu Bordello had secretly confined Buddhist disciples. It was undoubtedly a great insult to the Great Leiyin Monastery.

Ding Hao could feel the murderous intent in Golden Cicada’s heart.

Which was why Golden Cicada had inadvertently revealed his authority just now. It seemed that he occupied a high position in the Great Leiyin Monastery.

“What are you going to do next?” Ding Hao asked.

“Of course I must demand her release. How dare the trifling Miaoyu Bordello touch a disciple of our Great Leiyin Monastery? They must be asking for trouble.” Golden Cicada seemed to have changed into a different person, without the least temperament and bearing of an eminent monk. He spoke very harshly, yet Ding Hao felt that this Golden Cicada before him was more like a man of flesh and blood.

Ding Hao stood up smiling and glanced at Evil Moon, the fat cat snoring and sleeping soundly. He shook his head and said, “Well, it seems that we have to get on that Golden Boat again.”

The two got up and left the room.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they walked out of the room, they heard a loud fracas from outside the inn.

Ding Hao saw at a glance that in the lobby of the inn, a young man in snowy-white robes, with a long sword hanging at his waist, was striding in with murderous intent. It was that white-robed swordsman on the ninth story of Heaven Pavilion last night, the last entrant to the back hall of the Golden Boat—the one called the White-Robed King.

At almost the same time, the White-Robed King also saw Ding Hao.

Their eyes met, and there was a fiery invisible spark in the air.

“Ding Hao, so you’re really here.” The White-Robed King’s eyes were full of scorching, eager hostility.

“Are you looking for me?” Ding Hao frowned.

The White-Robed King laughed and said, “Yes. I heard the Moonlight Fairy commend your swordsmanship. I’m Wang Xianzhi from Brocade Province, and I would like to exchange pointers with you.” As soon as he finished speaking, a stream of energy burst out from his body and instantly, all the tables and chairs in the hall flew away, leaving a vacant space in the middle.

He drew out his sword with a backhand, the silvery sword body slowly emerging from the sheath inch by inch. Everyone in the hall narrowed their eyes unconsciously.

Because the body of the sword was like a cold beam of light, so dazzling their eyes that they could not open them.

What he was pulling out of the sheath did not look like a metallic sword, but a cold streak of light.

“Wang Xianzhi? The White-Robed King, Wang Xianzhi? Good heavens, it’s really him!” Someone in the crowd exclaimed, as if he had witnessed something incredible.

“The White-Robed King of Brocade Province, renowned for his Sword Qi! They say that he’s the greatest young swordsman of that province! His Iaido Sword Technique is said to be invincible! He’s the successor of the Mountain Sword Sect and seldom lost while roaming the martial arts world. Since he loves white robes and comes and goes like the wind, he’s also known as the White-Robed King, the supreme sovereign swordsman.”

“He’s the top master amongst the younger generations of Brocade Province, and his swordsmanship is profound. The White-Robed King has never fought a nobody, and now he wants to challenge this young man?”

“There are numerous provinces in the Divine Central Continent, and Brocade Province can be regarded a large one. Wang Xianzhi is the only genius there who’s said to have the hope of reaching god-level in the future.”

There were heated discussions amongst the crowd.

Wang Xianzhi could be regarded as a superstar martial artist, a renowned master swordsman rarely seen and much pursued and admired by younger practitioners. It was rare for ordinary folks to see him. Yet he had appeared unexpectedly in such a small inn, and taken the initiative to challenge another man. It was an absolutely explosive piece of news.

The news traveled very fast.

After a great commotion, countless passersby had gathered in the inn. The entire lobby of the inn was surrounded by crowds, so tightly packed that not a drop of water could trickle through.

The company could hardly wait to see that elegant White-Robed King, and witness his legendary mystic swordsmanship with their own eyes.

The proprietor of the inn had originally looked despondent, worried that they might tear down his small inn if they fought. However, when he heard that one of them was Wang Xianzhi, the White-Robed King, his eyes suddenly lit up. He quietly retreated to one side to watch the fight like the rest.

Haha, even if the roof of the inn was knocked away, it didn’t matter! As long as they erected a sign at the door saying that this was the place where the White-Robed King had fought with his sword, it would surely attract numerous admirers to stay in the inn for experience.

This was called the celebrity effect.

Ding Hao descended the stairs step by step and said with a frown, “Did the Moonlight Fairy ask you to challenge me?”

“Haha, you think too highly of yourself! Why would the Moonlight Fairy bother about someone the likes of you? She just casually complimented your sword technique, so I came here to give you a chance to show it off in front of me.” The White-Robed King smiled proudly.

Ding Hao said no more.

That woman must have some tricks up her sleeve. Did she really mention it casually in the passing?

Even an unruly and intractable man like the White-Robed King was actually fooled by her, as if drugged by a laced soup. She had merely said a few words, and made the White-Robed King come to challenge him.

“Let’s draw our swords.” The White-Robed King stared at Ding Hao.

The night before, Ding Hao had displayed his extremely imperious strength, so he did not dare underestimate him. But today, he was not challenging him in palm or body movement skills, but in sword technique, which was why he had emphasized the words “sword technique”. He wanted to overwhelm Ding Hao with his swordsmanship.

Ding Hao no longer made any concession.

He turned his head to look at the crowd in the lobby and asked, “I wonder if any brother here can lend me a sword?”

Immediately, someone volunteered to lend him his sword.

Someone challenged by the White-Robed King would certainly not be incompetent. If his sword could be used by a real sword master, it would be a sort of capital once he disclosed this, causing envy amongst many.

Ding Hao gently flicked a finger on the sheath.

A metallic clinking sound could be heard.

From the sound, it seemed like a very common long steel sword, not even an ordinary magical weapon.

“If you can take ten strikes from me today, you win,” the White-Robed King said proudly. He believed in his great swordsmanship. If Ding Hao had not been so powerful the night before when he defeated Ding Desheng, the Single Slaying Palm, he might have said “three strikes”.

Ding Hao nodded.

His palm slowly grasped the hilt of his sword. His heart stirring, he drew out the sword in an instant.

A silvery light flashed and vanished in the air.

It was like a streak of Chaotic Light in the darkness.

Everyone instinctively closed their eyes.

When they opened their eyes again, they found the sword in Ding Hao’s hand had returned to the sheath, as if it had not been drawn at all. Just when they were still feeling confused about what happened, Ding Hao had tossed the long sword back to its owner with a smile.

“Thank you, brother. It’s a good sword.” Ding Hao cupped his hands in a salute and thanked him.

The man gripped his sword in his hand and did not know what had happened at all.

Ding Hao now totally ignored the White-Robed King and walked out of the inn with Golden Cicada, shoulder to shoulder. They parted the crowd and disappeared into the distance.

“What’s… what’s going on? Is it over?”

“Nothing happened. Did you see anything?”

“That beam of light… what on earth was that? It hadn’t ended so quickly, right? Where’s that promised sword fight?”

Everyone was puzzled. They were waiting to watch a wonderful sword fight—after all, such a duel between sword masters like the White-Robed King was not something one could see every day. They did not expect one of the competitors to turn around and leave before the duel began.

Even more strangely, the White-Robed King did not stop him.

Then someone discovered something strange.

The White-Robed King’s body was trembling.

He was trembling slightly.

They did not know whether it was out of anger or fear.

A breeze blew, and a lock of black hair on the right temple of the White-Robed King suddenly fell quietly to the ground, a sizeable amount lopped off. At almost the same time, a slit suddenly appeared in the lapel of his snowy-white robe, revealing a similarly white undergarment shirt. At first glance, the slit was like a cracked mouth, silently mocking something.