308: Heading west

Prefect Yang looked at Tang Ku, completely bewildered, his expression somewhat dazed.

Tang Ku smiled and pointed to the people standing blankly behind him. “That’s right, aren’t they all back? Heh, don’t worry, I’ve already checked. Their bodies and consciousnesses are perfectly fine. Without anyone deliberately controlling them, they will return to normal in seven days. Of course, those with a weaker Physique will inevitably fall ill, but with careful recuperation, recovery is only a matter of time!”

At this moment, Di Renjie stepped forward and said to Tang Ku, “Many thanks to the Holy Monk for saving us... Um, I have a question. Why was I able to wake up so much earlier than them?”

Tang Ku patted his shoulder and said, “Your soul is much stronger than theirs, and your willpower is firmer, so it would be abnormal for you to wake up slower than them... Hmm, I just added a spark to your soul and used some Buddha Power to give you a little boost!”

Di Renjie realized in a flash, “In that case, many thanks, Holy Monk... Well, I will properly settle these people. Once everything calms down, I will go to the capital to find you, is that alright?”

Tang Ku nodded and smiled, “Then we shall meet in Chang'an!”

As he spoke, Tang Ku stomped his foot and soared into the sky, disappearing without a trace under the watchful eyes of the crowd. The people of Bianzhou thought they had seen some sort of deity and kowtowed in prayer.

“Ugh... this time was really a bit of a loss. If I didn’t have the Kunpeng Mystic Skill to support me, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have been able to hold on long enough to scare that guy away... However, Darwin is too strong; he’s almost at a Realm infinitely close to a Saint. Tricking him really wasn’t easy.”

Tang Ku said with a wry smile while riding the clouds in the sky.

Darwin was naturally suspicious, and to trick him, Tang Ku had turned himself into a master of changing faces.

After this experience, Tang Ku’s control and expression of emotions had reached a level of perfection.

Tang Ku wasn’t unable to retract that finger, but to create an overwhelming shock effect, he had to point into the void to demonstrate the power of his move before Darwin.

This great scientist was always very cautious and never fought battles he wasn’t sure of, so he had to ensure his physical energy and strength were always in top condition to meet the challenges of Buddhism head-on.

Could one say that this move of Tang Ku’s was an open strategy?

It didn’t have much to do with strategy; it was primarily psychological warfare. Understanding the opponent’s psychology and breaking through their bottom line mentally was the fundamental purpose of this move.

In the blink of an eye, Tang Ku had returned to Chang’an. He didn’t intend to see anyone else, but went straight to the Si Tian Jian to find Yuan Tiangang and told him about obtaining the Nautilus. Hearing that this item fell within the category of high technology—the kind of technological power that was most grounded and easiest to grasp—Yuan Tiangang was intrigued.

Tang Ku had already used the Sleeve Universe Divine Ability to bring the Nautilus back, and it was currently stored in his sleeve.

Yuan Tiangang immediately found a spatial Magic Treasure and had Tang Ku throw the ship into it before letting him leave.

Of course, Tang Ku’s journey through the mortal world hadn’t ended. He felt that he was, to some extent, approaching the verge of a Breakthrough, but he still couldn’t grasp the key to it. His current state was like being separated from everything before him by a single layer of window paper; a little more effort would easily poke through it. Yet, he felt like a patient with severe myasthenia gravis, unable to even move a finger.

“If I experience a few more things across the mortal world, I will definitely be able to make a Breakthrough. I feel that my Opportunity is about to arrive!”

Tang Ku muttered to himself as he flew toward the west.

Before, he had headed south and ended up encountering Francis abducting humans for experiments. So, what would he discover by heading west this time?

Leaving Chang’an, Tang Ku lowered his clouds again and continued on foot, walking step by step toward the west.

He passed through the Hexi Corridor: the four commanderies of Wuwei, Zhangye, Jiuquan, and Dunhuang, and finally exited the Yumen Pass to reach the Western Regions. Speaking of which, he had encountered many merchant caravans of Hu people and Han people along the way, but surprisingly, there hadn’t been any heinous crimes of robbery or murder.

With few battles, the accumulated Iron Fist Points could be said to be near zero. Moreover, even if there were scattered bandits or outlaws, they were just ordinary people, and the Iron Fist Points generated from them were almost negligible.

Of course, as a monk, since he was passing through Dunhuang, he had to pay his respects to the Dunhuang murals and stone carvings. After all, there was so much about Buddhist culture there, and it was of great help to his comprehension of the Buddha Dharma. Tang Ku’s own power originated from the Buddha Dharma; it could be said that the Buddha Dharma was the foundation of all his Divine Abilities.

Before the largest sitting Buddha statue in the Mogao Caves, Tang Ku slightly closed his eyes but did not bow, because he had long since become a Buddha himself. Furthermore, he could say without modesty that he had, to some extent, established his own sect, so he was equal in status to Shakyamuni.

From these stone carvings and murals, he sensed a type of Qi, an Aura of profound weightiness unique to the history of Buddhism.

It sounds mysterious, but if you have even a little understanding of Buddhism, you should know that this is not an empty claim. In fact, when facing those huge Buddha statues, regardless of whether you are a Buddhist believer or not, you will unconsciously feel a sense of awe. This is the Aura formed by Buddhist deities affecting one’s spirit. The Master once said, “Respect ghosts and gods but keep them at a distance,” which is the reason for this. Because to some extent, you will be influenced by this Aura and lose your subjective judgment, causing you to become unclear and lose your sense of self. This is what is known as “superstition.”

Standing still for a long time, Tang Ku finally shook his head at the Buddha statue and smiled wryly, “You still haven’t undergone Reincarnation, which is why you have no reaction to me at all, right? All the Buddhist temples in the world worship you, and these Buddha statues are all containers for your Buddha Power, right? It’s truly a pity; such vast power, yet it bears your unique mark, and no one else can use it...”

Looking down at the foot of the mountain, a camel caravan was arriving from the east, covered in dust. It was a mix of Hu and Han people; it seemed that the Han people were accompanying Hu merchants to the Western Regions to trade.

This group consisted of about a hundred people, with a grand scale and plenty of supplies; they had clearly invested a lot. Although such a group had strength in numbers, it was also the most likely to attract the covetous eyes of desert bandits.

Sure enough, while passing through a nearly ninety-degree turn, a group of men in black, wielding scimitars and with their faces painted, swept toward the camel caravan. Their aggressive momentum showed they were definitely not kind-hearted people, as they would certainly kill everyone before looting all the goods.

However, seeing this scene, Tang Ku had no intention of interfering, because this matter was not yet his turn to help!