Chapter 1147: Golden-winged Aquila

“So, you’re saying that the Buddha Emperor Blood Sutra is very valuable,” Ye Qing said.

But of course.”

Yi Pin answered affirmatively. “Only the greatest Buddhist sutra or art of the Mara Sect is preserved via the Buddha Emperor Blood Sutra and passed down to the next generation. Sutras or arts that are passed down this way could easily last a thousand years without losing its essence, not to mention that it could strengthen the mind, protect the practitioner, repel evil and suppress darkness as well.”

“But of course, nothing is perfect. Since the Buddha Emperor Blood Sutra is written using a Stranger’s blood, and the contents of the sutra or art themselves are extraordinarily evil, it could easily devolve into an object of ruination and massacre if not purified with Buddhism every once in a while.”

“Take the Arhat you just fought. It is very possible that he transformed into a Stranger because the Stranger blood in the Buddha Emperor Blood Sutra turned active and combined with the power of the Buddhist sutra.”

“Do you recognize this script, brother?” Ye Qing asked another question. He was growing even more interested in the contents of the Buddhist sutra after listening to Yi Pin’s explanation.

“This is the Mara Buddhist Script of the Mara Sect, and it’s saying... Vishnu... powerful benevolent rule... protector... something something sutra...”

While Yi Pin was doing his best to translate and recite the contents of the sutra, for whatever reason, the dim sutra brightened once more.

“Scree!”

It was at this moment an eagle’s cry resounded throughout the icy plains.

A shining, colorful eagle suddenly extended its wings and soared across the sky, and the next moment, it swooped straight toward the trio.

It wasn’t until the eagle came closer that the trio realized that it was way bigger than they initially thought. Its wings were as big as a cloud, its feathers looked like they were gilded by gold, its legs were as thick as an old trunk, and its talons were the size of tree branches. Its presence was formidable and terrifying like that of a Disaster-class Stranger.

“Young master, watch out!”

Old Man of Snowy Mountain blanched as he blocked in front of Ye Qing.

“It’s fine.”

Ye Qing remained calm, however. He placed a firm hand on the Great Trueman’s shoulder and stopped him from attacking the eagle.

As expected, the eagle suddenly flapped its wings and canceled its momentum when it was a short distance away from Ye Qing. Then, it landed beside them.

Boom!

The eagle was so huge that it was like an entire mountain had landed on the ground. There was a deafening boom as the entire plain shook a little.

“There are people on the eagle’s back!”

Old Man of Snowy Mountain cried out softly as his expression grew even more wary.

As it turned out, there were buildings on the eagle’s gigantic back. The buildings were as golden bright as they were exquisitely designed. Painted gold and silver and adorned with jewels, they looked both luxurious and beautiful. The trio also noticed that the architectural style of the buildings were similar to the Mara Sect ruins and temples trapped underneath the ice, foreign yet gorgeous.

Besides the buildings, several hundred people were standing on the eagle’s back. Most of them were clad in golden armor and carrying curved sabers on their waists. Their breathing and vigor were conjoined in a way, which caused the silhouette of a massive golden-winged

peng

to appear in the sky.

Besides the golden warriors, there were dozens of scarlet-robed monks standing on the eagle’s back. They were bald and barefooted like your conventional monk, but with one major difference. Nearly every part of their exposed skin—their head, face, neck, elbows and more—were covered in strange tattoos. Some tattoos described the Buddha suffering some sort of punishment, some described the Bodhisattva cutting her flesh to feed a beast, some described vile ghosts consuming Buddhas and humans, and more. In any case, all of the tattoos gave off an evil, violent vibe.

“This is the Golden-winged Aquila, a Disaster-class Stranger. It possesses the blood of the ancient Golden-winged Peng. Said to be capable of flying fifteen thousand kilometers or rising up the nine heavens in one flap, it is quite the powerful creature.”

Yi Pin moved closer to Ye Qing and whispered, “These people cannot be ordinary people. Be careful.”

Ye Qing nodded, though he did not mouth a reply. Right now, he was wondering why these people dared to fly on a Golden-winged Aquila when there was a taboo about flying. Weren’t they worried that they would suffer divine judgment?

“Surrender your Buddha Emperor Blood Sutra, now!”

It was at this moment an arrogant voice containing disdain and indifference that would not accept no as an answer boomed from a main hall.

In response, Yi Pin immediately shoved the Buddha Emperor Blood Sutra into Ye Qing’s hands. His meaning was clear:

This has nothing to do with me!

Ye Qing barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the old Taoist.

Seeing that Ye Qing was ignoring his command, the voice boomed again with greater pressure. “Surrender your Buddha Emperor Blood Sutra! Do not make me repeat myself a third time!”

Ye Qing finally looked up at a certain direction and asked, “Why should I?”

Inside a main hall on the back of the Golden-winged Aquila, one man was sitting in front of a golden table on his knees. The table was covered in delicious food and drinks.

The man looked to be in his thirties. He boasted a rugged but handsome appearance. His face looked like chiseled marble, sharp and heroic. He was wearing a black robe with a massive golden peng. The combination of black and gold made the man look positively noble.

Suddenly, the man furrowed his brow and let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

It was because he could sense that Ye Qing was staring straight at him.

The main hall he was at was actually a high-grade Strange Artifact. Capable of hiding its residents from prying eyes, the man could look outside the hall, but no one could look inside. Right now though, the man could clearly sense Ye Qing’s gaze on him.

So, the man rose to his feet and exited the main hall.

When the man emerged, the golden warriors immediately crossed one arm across their chest and dropped to one knee. They were all wearing a respectful expression.

The man ignored the warriors and looked down on Ye Qing. He said coldly, “Because I am the prince of the Great Peng Dynasty. Because the Myriad Buddha Sect is the historic ruins of my Mara Sect. Everything on the Myriad Buddha Sect belongs to the Mara Sect.”

“Great Peng Dynasty? Sorry, haven’t heard of it!”

𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

Ye Qing shook his head, though it wasn’t because he was trying to provoke the speaker. He really had never heard of the so-called Great Peng Dynasty. “As for the Myriad Buddha Plains being the historic ruins of the Mara Sect, what is your proof? Would it answer you if you call out to it[1]?”

“How dare you slander the Great Peng Dynasty and the Mara Sect!”

Enraged, a golden warrior leaped away from the Golden-winged Aquila and attempted to take a swing at Ye Qing.

Suddenly, a palm appeared above the golden warrior’s head and swung downward, crushing the golden warrior into paste before he could so much as let out a scream.

The man moved his hand to the side, and a woman hurriedly came over and handed him a handkerchief. While wiping his hand, he said emotionlessly, “I hate it when someone interrupts me. I hate it even more when someone does something without my permission.”

It was clear that the man was the one who killed the warrior.

Not a single golden warrior on the Golden-winged Aquila reacted. It almost felt as if they were used to the man killing someone out of nowhere. Their heads were even lower than normal though.

“But of course, there is nothing I hate more than someone disobeying my orders.”

A terrifying power washed out of the man’s body, stirring heaven and earth and forming what looked like a humanoid figure with black and gold wings behind his back. He was wearing a purple gold crown and standing on top of countless demon gods.

As soon as the silhouette emerged, a flood of unstoppable power immediately streamed toward Ye Qing, Yi Pin, and Old Man of Snowy Mountain.

“Hmm!”

Old Man of Snowy Mountain let out a muffled groan and staggered back despite himself. His complexion was pale, and his expression was filled with astonishment.

The man was a Great Trueman just like him, but he was far, far stronger than he was.

On the other hand, Ye Qing was as immovable as a mountain. No matter how fierce and oppressive the pressure was, he took it all as if it was no more than a light breeze.

As for Yi Pin, the old Taoist had hidden behind Ye Qing’s back long before the man had taken action. Naturally, he was perfectly fine.

1. Probably referring back to when Su Bancheng took his Earthly Sovereign Bell. ☜