I Can See Your Combat Power

Chapter 927: Chapter 221: The Harlot of the Buddha

“It seems that losing faith is not enough to make you give up your life, so how about adding one more thing, sending your most cherished being to hell, is that enough for you to die immediately?”

Like a devil’s whisper, this information that drilled into his cochlea suddenly awakened Dongzhi, who suddenly thought of his sister.

If those revered as holy monks in the Krakho Temple were all such hypocrites, could the so-called Sacred City of Nede be a clean and pure place?

The youth always harbored a sliver of hope, maybe the Feitian Sect wasn’t wrong, maybe it was just that Jiuta’s deceits were too clever, the Holy Maiden should be an existence revered by thousands of believers.

The struggles of the gaunt boy were all seen by Tang Luo, lounging in the hot spring. He couldn’t understand, how can someone still harbor illusions about the Feitian Sect in times like these, how foolish must they be?

“Pine for fortune, hope for it, escape into it. As long as you don’t think about it, you can keep deceiving yourself, mistaking hell for heaven when giving up your kin. If there truly comes a day of reunion, how splendid it shall be!”

...

Resting his head on a protruding rock by the side of the hot spring, the hoarse voice was both grating and sharp, “I once read a travelogue when browsing through ancient texts, which said that during ancient times, a religious order within the Buddhist Sect known as the Brahman Sect, opened temples widely and allowed followers to make vows. Once a follower’s wish was fulfilled, they would have to send one of their daughters into the temple as an offering to Buddha to fulfill their vow.”

“In the ancient times of the Human Race, when Spirit Arts were on the decline and techniques were primitive, physical cultivation was widespread. Yet, there were no clear-minded techniques of Dao Heart, so even Zen warriors couldn’t abstain for long. Instead, they indulged in pleasures with women, and therefore, the teachings of the Brahman Sect attracted many physical cultivators and became predominant for a while.”

“Some of these women became dual-cultivation cauldrons, others became temple prostitutes, and even more were arranged to be in rooms around the temple, hanging colorful curtains and selling flowers on the streets. Any passerby willing to pay could play with them as they liked. All the money these women earned would ultimately not land in their own pockets; it was seized by the temple as resources for cultivators, historically known as ‘Buddha’s Prostitutes.'”

“I had always thought that Buddha’s Prostitutes were merely a legend recorded in ancient texts, yet who would have thought I’d witness it today. This Feitian Sect really does open one’s eyes!”

As if inadvertently meeting Dongzhi’s already vacant eyes, Tang Luo said lightly, “You say that once the selection of the Holy Maiden is complete, she will be welcomed by the Divine Guards into the Sacred City. Guess where the current procession has reached by now?”

“Ah!!!”

With a hysterical roar, Dongzhi, looking like a man possessed, turned and sprinted out of the hot spring, rushing madly toward the direction of Nede City.

But this was the peak of a mountain tens of thousands of feet high, not to mention the snow sealing the sky, the extreme cold, combined with his soaked clothes, would soon turn him into an ice block.

Shaking his head, Tang Luo rose from the hot spring, exerting a little force to shake off the water on his body, then transformed into a giant and breathed out a new robe to wear. He walked out of the spring with poise.

A few dozen feet away, he saw Dongzhi, who had already frozen into an ice sculpture. Approaching him, Tang Luo flicked his finger, the vibrational force shattered the ice, revealing the desperate lad inside.

“I can help rescue your sister, but she would have to do me a small favor, how about it?”

The cold had drained most of Dongzhi’s strength. The shivering young man lifted his head, his eyes bloodshot and filled with tears of blood, “You already knew, didn’t you!?”

“Heh.” Tang Luo chuckled as he squatted down, looking into the young man’s eyes, and said with a smile, “Who was it that was so intent on sending her to become the Holy Maiden? I did offer you other choices, did you forget?”

The greatest sadness in life is, the people you once detested, you come to find after being tossed about by the world, were right all along.

And those moments you thought were carefree and happy, in the end, they all turned into regret gnawing at your heart.

At this moment, Dongzhi despised himself immensely. Where had he gotten the courage to face the man before him, to refuse all offers, and yet push his own sister into a pit of fire with his own hands?

Grabbing Tang Luo’s ankle tightly, Dongzhi pleaded with a trembling voice, “Sir, I beg you, please save my sister. I will agree to anything.”

If reasoning were effective, there would be no one in the world who would make mistakes.

Tang Luo didn’t bother with Dongzhi’s hastily made promises, grabbing the back of his collar and giving a light kick.

The force turned into a ring that cleared the snow, and the two shot into the sky heading straight for Ned.

…

The Sukele Gobi Desert, carrying the holy maiden’s palanquin, headed straight for the Holy City.

Apart from several dozen Divine Guards, there was also the protector Gonfansina from the Keraho clan.

And the reason he accompanied her was not only to protect the holy maiden but also to report to the Feitian royal family that Keluta had died in Ned City.

But whenever he thought of facing the Xiushi Emperor, he felt an intrinsic dread. He wanted to flee, but he knew he couldn’t.

Keluta was a Feitian royal and had been appointed by the Xiushi Emperor to replace Judah as the temple head. However, he was struck dead by lightning in front of the Hyderabadi faithful for angering the protector deity.

That’s what Gonfansina had learned from the Divine Guards, but as the true core of the temple, how could he not know? The so-called protector deity was just a ruse to deceive the faithful.

That supposed miracle was nothing more than a blind made using Evil Qi from the Asura Path, yet the lightning could not be faked, nor could Keluta’s cultivation.

It must have been that Keluta arrogantly trespassed on the thousand-mile heavenly path and angered a nameless, powerful individual, who in front of the temple’s thousands of believers, reduced Keluta to ashes. A peerless powerhouse capable of wielding lightning to punish from miles away possessed enough strength to kill Keluta, who had just begun to master the Asura Path, with a single strike.

Even if Gonfansina said so, the arrogantly proud Xiushi Emperor would not believe him. In the eyes of the great Asura King, he was the strongest warrior in the world. He wouldn’t believe that someone could strike with lightning from a thousand miles away, much less that Keluta could be killed so easily.

Thus, this mission report was destined to be a bitter task. The only consolation was that beautiful snow lotus.

The thought heated Gonfansina’s heart, and he summoned the commander of the Divine Guards, instructing, “Recently, there have been bandits roaming the Wilderness. The terrain next to the Sukele is treacherous and easy to ambush. To ensure the holy maiden’s safety, you go and scout the area thoroughly. Once it is secure, then report back!”

The commander glanced at the vast expanse next to Sukele, voicing his concern, “Reporting back to the protector, the Sukele Gobi stretches tens of miles. With the limited manpower of our Divine Guards, if we scout in detail, won’t it delay the journey?”

“The holy maiden Sanglu represents the hearts of all the nobles in Hyderabad and the Feitian’s devotion to the protector deity. Her safety is the most important matter of this journey. If there aren’t enough people, then all of you go out to scout, and I alone shall protect the holy maiden.”