Over the next few days, the black horse carriage encountered several groups of grassland cavalries in the Wilderness. Ning Que killed two of the smaller groups with extreme coldness. When he used his binoculars to observe that there were more than three hundred elite cavalries, he did not hesitate to take a detour to avoid them.
If there was anyone in the Wilderness who could organize three hundred elite cavalries, it would either be a cavalry unit under the direct command of the palace or the main force of a large tribe.
No matter how confident Ning Que was, he did not want to confront such an enemy head-on. One of the reasons was that the Big Black Horse was not wearing armor. More importantly, no matter how powerful he was after entering the Knowing destiny State, no matter how strong his body was, no matter how vigorous his Psyche Power was, he would not be able to withstand the waves of enemies.
His Psyche Power would eventually be depleted and his body would gradually become exhausted. If he was forced into such a situation by continuous enemies, there was nothing he could do but wait for death.
A thousand years ago, the Desolate lost the war with the Tangs. According to the surrender agreement, they gave up the Wilderness and moved to the Cold Region and Hot Sea in the extreme north. The people of the Central Plains could not adapt to the life in the Wilderness, so they did not migrate to the north in large numbers. After the Desolate left, the gap was filled by barbarians who moved from the extreme west and gradually evolved into the grassland barbarians of today.
The grassland tribes were scattered on the vast land in the north of the mainland like stars in the sky. Because of the natural boundaries of Min Mountain, they were divided into three palaces. Among them, the Golden Palace was the strongest, while the Right Palace was the weakest because of its small population and the fact that most of its herdsmen believed in Buddhism.
The several groups of cavalries that Ning Que met in the Wilderness were from the Right Palace or the tribes under the jurisdiction of the palace. He had already guessed that these barbarians who worshipped Buddhism must have received an order from the Xuankong Temple.
The cavalries of the Right Palace did not pose a real threat to the black horse carriage. However, thousands of cavalries came one after another and searched the Wilderness at all costs. In the end, the black horse carriage was slowed down.
One day, when the black carriage passed by a red and barren rocky mountain, snow suddenly fell from the cold sky of the Wilderness. The snowflakes were like cotton being torn into pieces, slowly falling to the ground. It seemed gentle, but because the temperature of the ground was too low, the snow accumulated very quickly. It didn't take long for the red rocky mountain to be painted white.
Sangsang found a large piece of white cloth from somewhere and used it to cover the walls of the black carriage. Then she used the rest of the white cloth to make some simple cuts and used it to cover the Big Black Horse.
Looking at the carriage wrapped in white cloth and the Big Black Horse, as well as its eyes that were exposed through the holes in the white cloth, Ning Que's mood changed slightly. He felt that he had seen such a naturally evil scene before, but he could not remember where.
The wind and snow became more and more blinding, and the road in the Wilderness became more and more difficult to travel. Ning Que drove the horse carriage around the Rock Mountain and found a slightly higher but hidden place to stop. He took out his binoculars and looked down at the Wilderness.
The Wilderness had become a monotonous world of black and white. Snowflakes fluttered down from the sky. It was completely silent. No sound could be heard, and no moving figures could be seen.
Ning Que held the cold telescope and looked at the Wilderness quietly for a long time. He did not lose his patience because of the desolate and boring world in the mirror. Finally, he saw what he wanted to see, or rather, what he did not want to see.
Ten monks appeared in the field of vision through the telescope.
Those monks were wearing thick, snow-white cotton robes, and shoes woven from dense grass. Under the shoes, there were slender wooden boards that were slightly tilted at the front and back. In their hands, there were two thin and hard iron staffs. Gliding in the wind and snow, their speed was as fast as a galloping horse.
Ning Que guessed that these monks were from Xuankong Temple. He could not help but frown. He thought that Xuankong Temple was far away from the human world and had experienced wind, frost, rain, and snow for a long time. It seemed that the monks in the temple had adapted well to the environment of the Wilderness. Even the wind and snow could not stop them. It was really troublesome.
What surprised him more was that these monks did not wear felt hats or leather boots. The cold and heat seemed to have lost their power to them. In terms of the concept of cultivation, these monks had already entered the Seethrough Realm!
Although he was vigilant, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he continued to sit in front of the window and observe. He observed the Xuankong Temple monks passing by and calculated the area of the surrounding Wilderness, the speed of these monk soldiers, and the frequency of their search. Then he told Sangsang in a low voice.
Sangsang wrote down the numbers on a piece of paper. After thinking for a while, she raised her head and said, "At least two hundred people are needed for their search in this Wilderness to be meaningful."
The holy land of Buddhism would naturally not do something meaningless. Her words revealed a fact. There were at least two hundred Xuankong Temple monks in the Wilderness where the black horse carriage was.
What did two hundred Seethrough Realm mean?
Even the Tang Empire could hardly gather two hundred Seethrough Realm cultivators. Ning Que was silent. He had thought that only the West-Hill Divine Palace could send out so many masters at any time and place. He did not expect that Xuankong Temple could also do so.
He did not have the confidence to defeat two hundred Xuankong Temple monks. He did not even have the intention to fight. If he was given enough time to roam and kill slowly for two or three years, he might really be able to kill all these ascetic monks. However, Haotian and Buddha would not give him and Sangsang that much time.
He did not understand why the grassland cavalry and the monks of the Xuankong Temple were always able to find the black horse carriage in the vast and boundless Wilderness.
Ning Que's puzzlement and vigilance were once again verified in the next moment.
The horse carriage's camouflage was good enough. All traces on the snow had been erased by him, and the wind and snow obscured their vision. However, the two groups of ascetic monks on the Wilderness seemed to faintly sense something. They stabbed the snow with their staffs and walked towards the rocky mountain without hesitation.
Ning Que knew that he could not continue to hide. He punched the wall of the carriage heavily.
Hearing the heavy pounding coming from behind, the Big Black Horse's breathing suddenly quickened. The moisture exhaling from its mouth and nose passed through the white cloth and turned into white mist in the cold wind and snow. Its eyes that were exposed outside the holes revealed a violent and excited emotion. Its hind hooves kicked hard and pulled the horse carriage out of the rocky mountain.
The twenty Xuankong Temple ascetic monks on the Wilderness faintly saw a white figure in the wind and snow. Their expressions suddenly turned serious. The iron staffs in their hands were so fast that they seemed to turn into shadows. The wooden boards under their feet rubbed against the soft snow at high speed as they chased after the white figure, trying to stop it.
Ning Que did not sit in the carriage. He stood behind the Big Black Horse and looked at the ascetic monks gliding at high speed on the snowy ground. He waited in silence as the wind and snow hit his face.
There were fifty arrows in the quiver beside the shaft and two boxwood bows. He also carried a boxwood bow on his shoulder. If the monks of Xuankong Temple came near, the bowstring would make a series of beads.
The Ascetic Monks glided across the snowy ground at high speed, their expressions stern and determined. From time to time, they would let out a few low shouts. In their view, the sudden snowstorm today was the Buddha's anger towards the Daughter of Yama. In the snowy environment, no matter how fast the carriage was, it could not be compared to them.
However, these ascetic monks did not know that Ning Que's horse carriage was different from ordinary horse carriages in the world. The wheels touched the ground very lightly. No matter how soft the snow was, it could not affect it.
The Big Black Horse neighed excitedly. Its four hooves were as fast as lightning, splashing up countless snowflakes. The white cloth covering its body flapped in the snowy wind. It carried the seemingly heavy carriage forward at high speed on the snowy ground.
About ten breaths later, the carriage gradually left the ski-wielding monks far behind. The wheels of the carriage only left a very shallow rut on the snow.
It seemed that they would be temporarily safe after getting rid of these ascetic monks. However, reality and imagination were always very different. After that encounter in the snowy ground, the black horse carriage encountered several batches of Xuankong Temple Ascetic Monks in the Wilderness in a very short period of time. Although they managed to avoid them all the time, they had to adjust their direction and escape became more difficult.
The continuous encounters with enemies increased the pace of their escape. The atmosphere in the carriage gradually became tense. For the first time, the Big Black Horse's eyes, which were not covered by the cloth, showed anxiety instead of excitement. It even became a little uneasy.
Ning Que understood that the grassland cavalry they encountered a few days ago was only a prelude. Only when the Xuankong Temple monks joined in the chase in the Wilderness would their escape truly begin.
At this moment, he once again thought of the thing that made him vigilant and puzzled. His and Sangsang's whereabouts had been exposed, but Eldest Brother, who had entered the Limitless State, had never appeared. It was because Eldest Brother did not know where he was. Then how could Xuankong Temple accurately find his whereabouts every time?
He looked at the corner of the carriage and his eyes fell on the chessboard.
After thinking for a while, he picked up the chessboard and placed it on his knees. Then he took out the big black umbrella and tore a piece of cloth from the edge of the umbrella to wrap it around the chessboard.
During the escape, the black horse carriage stopped beside a withered, jade-like tree that had long been frozen by the snow.
Ning Que picked up the chessboard wrapped by the black umbrella's cloth and jumped off the carriage. He took out his podao and dug a deep hole under the tree. Without hesitation, he threw the chessboard in and filled the hole.
The black horse carriage moved again.
The snow and wind were strong. After a while, the ground under the withered tree was covered with a thick layer of snow. Even if someone stood in front of the tree, they would not be able to tell that it had been dug.
Sangsang said, "I think it's a pity."
Ning Que said, "If the Buddha's chessboard were to be auctioned in Chang 'an, it would definitely fetch a large sum of money. Who knows, it would be a pity to throw it away like this."
Sangsang whispered, "That's not what I meant."
Ning Que said, "I remember that you like to play chess. I'll make a good one for you in the future. How about white jade?"
Sangsang said, "It's a pity that a piece of the big black umbrella has been torn off."
Ning Que was startled and then laughed.
…
…
Half a day later, dozens of Xuankong Temple Ascetic Monks held their poles and skied to the snow valley where the black horse carriage had stopped. Their monk robes fluttered like snowflakes dancing in the wind.
Qi Mei, the president of the Hall of Respect of Xuankong Temple, stepped forward in silence. He looked at the Buddhist artifact that looked like a compass in his hand and the Buddha's finger relic inlaid on it. He frowned slightly.
The Buddha's finger relic could guide believers to find the artifacts and relics he had left in the world. This was the real reason why the black horse carriage could not get rid of the pursuit. However, at this time, the Buddha's finger relic was unusually calm and did not move at all. It seemed that it could no longer sense the whereabouts of the chessboard.
Qi Mei's expression was slightly solemn. He knew that the Buddhism Sect had missed the best chance to kill the Daughter of Yama. He secretly chanted the name of Buddha and silently prayed that this would not be the last chance.
A few miles away, a withered tree in the snow that looked like a jade carving trembled in the wind, as if it was nodding.
…
…
(I'm so sleepy that I immediately go to sleep. I hope that I can write it during the day tomorrow.) (To be continued.) If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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