Chapter 529 43: Traversing the Void, Extreme Jade Heaven

They traveled in silence.

In less than two hours, the Golden Lotus, a construct of Buddhist Divine Techniques, had crossed tens of thousands of miles of void and arrived before a towering mountain.

Along the way, Monk Haideng was a man of few words. He showed little warmth toward a Demon Cultivator like Fang Cheng, even appearing somewhat aloof.

Fang Cheng couldn't be bothered to make small talk either.

Dragon Elephant Wanderer had sent him to Extreme Jade Heaven primarily to lie low and temporarily avoid the cutting edge of the Demon Lord's incarnation.

As for the matter of the Taichu Divine Stone, it was a case of doing one's best and leaving the rest to fate. In the end, it would depend on Monk Haideng, this newly ascended Tribulation Realm Great Power.

For him to have stood out among the many peak Dharma Cultivators in the Mingxiao Domain and be the first to break through to the Tribulation Realm, his talent, fortune, opportunities, and sect's foundation must all be far beyond the ordinary.

At this moment, the auspicious light of the Golden Lotus covered the sky, bathing the world in its glow as it hovered silently outside the mountain. Monk Haideng whispered a few words into the void.

A clap of thunder echoed from the mountaintop, and a bolt of lightning streaked through the air, arriving outside the Golden Lotus in an instant.

The Thunder Light dissipated, revealing an Ancient Evil Race being several zhang tall. It had the head of an elephant and the body of a man, with eight arms growing from its sides and its entire body covered in lightning patterns.

Standing on the shoulder of this Ancient Evil Race being was a Human Race Cultivator. He wasn't tall, with a gaunt face, slightly sunken eyes, and a plain-looking Gray Mist Weaving Sun Daoist Robe.

It was none other than Yang Yi, who had once competed with Fang Cheng for the Red Profound Order.

Rumor had it that he was the Dharma Cultivator in the Mingxiao Domain most likely to break through to the Tribulation Realm.

Yet now, Monk Haideng had beaten him to it.

However, considering his personal strength and various techniques, he was no weaker than a Cultivator who had just entered the Tribulation Realm.

He could be considered a Tribulation Realm expert in his own right.

No wonder Monk Haideng wanted to bring him along to Extreme Jade Heaven.

"Hm... it's you?"

Yang Yi's gaze landed on Fang Cheng, a flash of surprise in his eyes.

Monk Haideng explained calmly, "The Heaven Crossing Hall Master instructed me to take Donor Fang to Extreme Jade Heaven."

Fang Cheng looked at Yang Yi and cupped his hands. "Fellow Daoist Yang, it's been a while."

Yang Yi nodded slightly, a sharp glint in his eyes. "Fellow Daoist Fang, your Divine Techniques are astounding. Failing to properly experience them that day is one of the great regrets of my life. I am overjoyed to meet you again today."

Fang Cheng's sharp eyebrows rose as he smiled. "If you're interested, Fellow Daoist, why don't we have a little spar?"

A powerful and sharp aura suddenly erupted from Yang Yi. "Fine," he said.

"Amitabha Buddha."

Monk Haideng, clad in robes whiter than snow, showed no expression on his handsome face. He only said in a deep voice, "On this journey, this humble monk is in charge. As for the grievances between you two, you can settle them after you return from Extreme Jade Heaven."

As he spoke, he took out a Purple Alms Bowl. With a casual flick of his wrist, he trapped Fang Cheng, Yang Yi, and the Fifth-rank Ancient Evil Race being inside.

Although Fang Cheng and Yang Yi were exceptionally powerful in the Dharma Realm, they were unable to dodge this unexpected move from a Tribulation Realm expert.

A show of force!

The two of them felt a chill in their hearts. Just as they were about to react, they found that Monk Haideng had also appeared inside the alms bowl.

The interior of the alms bowl was a hundred zhang in circumference, with high walls and auspicious light swirling around.

Haideng casually sat cross-legged to one side. He pointed, and two jade mats appeared on the ground.

He said, "Please, have a seat, you two donors."

Fang Cheng and Yang Yi exchanged a look, temporarily suppressing their competitive urges, and sat down before Haideng.

The Ancient Evil Race being, seemingly wary of Monk Haideng, went off to a corner by itself.

In the sky, the Golden Lotus slowly dissipated. The Purple Alms Bowl silently ascended high into the air, gradually picking up speed. In the blink of an eye, it shot past the Extreme Heaven, passed through the Heaven-Defining Membrane, and entered the Outer Void, tearing through space in a certain direction.

"It has only been ten thousand years since Extreme Jade Heaven was born from chaos..."

Monk Haideng said slowly.

"Five hundred years ago, a Tribulation Realm Cultivator from another world unearthed a treasure called the Taichu Divine Stone from deep within this realm, causing quite a stir across the many worlds. At that time, this humble monk was traveling this realm with the Heaven Crossing Hall Master and was fortunate enough to obtain one Taichu Divine Stone. I later relied on it to break through to the Tribulation Realm."

The young monk in white spoke in a flat tone, and his words seemed to come out of nowhere, but both Fang Cheng and Yang Yi knew they were related to the purpose of their trip to Extreme Jade Heaven.

Monk Haideng continued, "The Taichu Divine Stone is a thing born of chaos, containing all sorts of rare and precious treasures. Our purpose in going to Extreme Jade Heaven is to find the legendary Demon-Suppressing Immortal Cicada. This item has appeared within a Taichu Divine Stone before."

He paused, then said to Fang Cheng, "Donor Fang, this matter was personally decided by the Heaven Crossing Hall Master and is of great importance. As a member of the Red Profound Association, you must do your utmost to search for this item."

Fang Cheng nodded and said, "I will naturally do my best to assist you, Reverend, in finding the Immortal Cicada."

Monk Haideng then turned to Yang Yi. "Donor Yang, by accompanying me on this trip, whether or not we find the Demon-Suppressing Immortal Cicada, you will have repaid your debt to this humble monk."

"Alright."

Yang Yi agreed, then asked curiously, "Fellow Daoist, could you enlighten me? What is so special about this Demon-Suppressing Immortal Cicada compared to ordinary demon-suppressing items? What is the Red Profound Association's purpose in seeking it?"

Monk Haideng shook his head. "That, I cannot say."

Yang Yi pondered for a moment, then asked again, "What rare treasure was inside the Taichu Divine Stone you obtained back then, Fellow Daoist?"

Just as Haideng was about to speak, a piercing Demonic Sound came from outside the alms bowl.

The three of them looked up to see a huge, ferocious insect appear at the mouth of the alms bowl, trying to force its way in.

Haideng gently flicked his sleeve. A wave of Buddha Light spread out, instantly surging out of the alms bowl and washing the strange insect into ashes.

"Be careful, you two donors. We've encountered Outer Celestial Demons."

He said this calmly as Buddha Light surged behind him. A thousand-zhang-tall giant Buddha slowly rose from his back and left the alms bowl.

Fang Cheng's brow split open, and the White Bone Relic spun rapidly, resembling a third eye.

In an instant, the walls of the alms bowl seemed to turn transparent.

In the dark, deep, and frigid void, countless giant, centipede-like Celestial Demon Insects swarmed from all directions, attacking the alms bowl.

This was an unavoidable part of crossing the void.

After all, things like void turbulence and winds of silence were inanimate and could be sensed and avoided in advance.

Only these Celestial Demons that lived in the Outer Void had bizarre Divine Techniques and were unpredictable. Sometimes, even a Tribulation Realm Great Power would find it difficult to sense their presence.

When encountered, there was no choice but to face them head-on.

At this moment, Monk Haideng acted alone. The manifested giant Buddha incarnation held a huge Jade Ring Saber. Countless scriptures flowed across the Precepts Saber, exuding a Zen-like aura, yet also carrying an air of slaughter that broke the precepts.

The giant Buddha swung the Precepts Saber in its hand with an artistic flourish, unleashing thousands of ethereal and transcendent blades of light.

For a moment, jade saber light flickered and filled the void, as ethereal as glazed glass. Wherever it passed, the Celestial Demon Insects were all slain.

Fang Cheng focused on Monk Haideng's saber technique, praising it silently in his heart.

The technique looked extremely simple and effortless, yet it contained countless variations and endless follow-up moves, making it difficult to fathom.

Among those Celestial Demon Insects, there were quite a few Tier Five beings, but even they couldn't dodge and were instantly "purified" by the saber light.

However, in the distant void, a ball of black Demon Fog over a thousand li in diameter suddenly appeared. It was condensed into a sphere that writhed slowly, its internal aura churning violently. It was impossible to know how many Celestial Demons were hidden within.

This mass of Demon Fog seemed to have been attracted by the fluctuations of the battle here, and it rolled toward them, appearing slow but moving with incredible speed.

Monk Haideng's brows furrowed slightly.

A strange light flickered in Fang Cheng's eyes. He clearly sensed that within this Demon Fog, there were no fewer than a hundred Tier Five Celestial Demons.

The other Tier Four and Tier Three Celestial Demons were even more numerous.

Fortunately, there were no terrifying Celestial Demons comparable to a Four or Five-Tribulation Great Power...

Yang Yi sat motionlessly, a divine light shining in his eyes. He asked, "Fellow Daoist, do you need me to act?"

Haideng shook his head and said softly, "This humble monk can handle it for now."

With that said, the clear, leisurely hum of the saber, carrying a tranquil Buddhist intent, echoed through the void.

A flash of saber light, like lightning, split the entire void in two. The magnificent Buddha Light reached to the ends of the universe, illuminating the dark void.

The enormous sphere of black Demon Fog was cleaved in two by the giant Buddha's single strike. The alms bowl crossed the void and sped away, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

Fang Cheng thought it a pity.

Monk Haideng had no intention of getting entangled in a fight... 'If the three of us had attacked together, with so many Celestial Demons, I could have lit up at least two more Thunder Pools for the Feather Divine Soldiers.'

"The Outer Void is fraught with danger. We must not linger in one place."

Monk Haideng seemed to have guessed Fang Cheng's thoughts and made this comment, either intentionally or not.

He then turned to Yang Yi and said, "Within my Taichu Divine Stone, there was a wisp of Chaos Demonic Thought. This humble monk used it to clash with a relic left by an ancestor in my temple, seized the opportunity to refine the ancestor's relic, then subdued the demonic thought to strengthen my divine soul, thereby breaking through the Tribulation Realm bottleneck in one fell swoop."

Yang Yi was speechless after hearing this.

He could not walk the path Haideng had taken to break through to the Tribulation Realm.

Fang Cheng thought to himself: 'No wonder he was able to pass two heavenly tribulations right after entering the Tribulation Realm. So that's the reason... I'm afraid Elder Dragon Elephant's guidance must have played a part in this.'

The three of them continued their journey through the void.

Along the way, they encountered many more Celestial Demons, but fortunately, all the situations were resolved without any real danger.

Although Haideng was a Tribulation Realm Great Power, he had been cultivating for a shorter time than either Fang Cheng or Yang Yi.

Moreover, he was truly worthy of being a great virtuous one of the Buddhist Sect. He had almost no hidden schemes; his words and actions were frank and sincere, gradually earning Fang Cheng's admiration.

Throughout the journey, Haideng alone dealt with all the Celestial Demons, not letting Fang Cheng or Yang Yi lift a finger.

During such a long journey across the void, besides Celestial Demons, the three also witnessed many immense natural dangers, especially a void rift as large as a World Heaven, which almost sucked Haideng's alms bowl into it.

Fang Cheng had already made up his mind. When he returned to the Red Profound Realm from Extreme Jade Heaven in the future, he would absolutely not cross the void again.

He would just teleport directly using the Ten Thousand Worlds Compass!

There is no concept of time in the Outer Void. The three of them didn't know how long they had been traveling when a pale blue dot of light finally appeared ahead.

That was the color of a Heaven-Defining Membrane!

Haideng had been piloting the alms bowl the entire way, yet his face showed no signs of fatigue.

Now that they were near Extreme Jade Heaven, the alms bowl suddenly accelerated.

As they drew closer, the pale blue color before them grew larger and larger, finally transforming into a boundless, vast curtain of light.

The alms bowl passed silently through the Heaven-Defining Membrane and entered Extreme Jade Heaven.