From a refugee to a martial artist

Chapter 390 The Holy King of Light
Above the capital, flames soared into the sky.

The solemn Buddha statue that had inspired countless people to worship it vanished like lingering snowflakes under the raging flames, turning into a lamp before being burned to ashes.

The ignorant people who had been kneeling and praying looked up in bewilderment, not knowing why the world had changed so drastically. Those who had been watching the battle with their heads raised were also bewildered, not knowing that the warriors' power had reached such a level.

The fire blazed brighter, and for a moment the sky and earth were vast, with only red clouds and rosy light, obscuring the great light that had previously illuminated all directions without casting any shadows.

The sky and earth were vast and filled with firelight, and occasionally one could see the high blue sky and thick white clouds through the gaps in the red clouds.

But inside and outside the capital, it was like an upside-down oven, being cooked by endless flames.

Qing Guangzi disappeared without a trace, shrinking back in fear. Countless eminent figures from Confucianism, Buddhism, Taoism, and martial arts, both inside and outside the capital, dared not speak aloud, for fear of inviting trouble.

"Is this the legendary 'living towards death, exchanging flesh and blood and life fire for the qualification to fight against the top three ranks'?" Zhao Ying'er asked blankly, looking up.

No one paid her any attention. Jie Kaiping and Dugu Kang dared not relax for even a moment, for fear of missing the opportunity for martial artists to prove their Dao.

Dugu Ying had already thrown off her bamboo hat, her petite figure still hidden in her red cloak, which was as red as fire, making her seem like a ball of fire that had fallen from the sky.

The fiery clouds in the sky grew thicker and thicker, eventually obscuring the blue sky, as if they were about to burn the heavens and earth, and even take over the power of the red sun.

Surrounded by fiery clouds, Zhao Ying'er couldn't see her good brother-in-law anywhere, but she couldn't help but recall the flickering of those tiny sparks just now.

Jie Kaiping and Dugu Kang couldn't help but wipe the sweat from their foreheads. Both of them felt that the sky was filled with firelight brought by Meng Yuan opening the Heavenly Gate, and the world was also steaming with heat, as if it wanted to burn their flesh and blood to ashes, and even burn away all the thoughts in their hearts and all the causes and effects from ancient times to the end.

“If Li Wei is truly a sword of thunder, then Meng Feiyuan is an eternal blade.” Jie Kaiping felt that this trip had not been in vain. He wanted to hear Dugu Ying’s insightful opinion, but Dugu Ying had already disappeared and no one knew where she had gone.

"Amitabha." Monk Juesheng put his hands together and sighed, "I only hope that this sword can cut out some peace and tranquility."

At this moment, Dugu Ying had already entered the capital city. Dressed in a red cloak, she moved like a ball of fire across the tall and dilapidated buildings, causing panic among those secretly watching the battle in the city, who thought that Meng Yuan had arrived in person.

Before long, Dugu Ying arrived at the Imperial Preceptor's residence. Seeing that all the disciples had awakened, she did not think twice and went straight into the Moon Palace.

Wang Er and Daoist Ren had already sensed something, but they ignored Dugu Ying and simply looked up at the sky.

"Sister Ying." Huanxi pried open Master Ren's fingers and saw a corner of the red cloak, so she quickly called out.

Neither Ning nor Mo were in the mood to speak, and Lin Yan was watching intently. Only Mingyue looked at Dugu Ying.

The fiery clouds in the sky grew increasingly thick, and as far as the eye could see, it was impossible to discern their boundaries, as if they had already encompassed the entire world.

“Meng Feiyuan is over there.” Wang Er raised his hand and pointed to a patch of fiery clouds in the south.

Everyone looked in the direction Wang Er pointed, but all they could see was thick, fiery clouds. They couldn't find Meng Yuan anywhere, and they couldn't even discern his aura.

Lin Yan shaded his eyes with his hand, about to ask a question, when he suddenly felt a stirring in his heart, as if some deity in the vast heavens and earth was firmly holding his aura in its grasp. Mingyue and Dugu Ying also sensed it; their auras had already been controlled by Meng Yuan high above.

"Don't try to break free. He's searching for Qing Guangzi's whereabouts." Wang Er also sensed something. It was as if his own life fire and Meng Yuan's fire were intertwined and connected, like two sides of the same coin. Therefore, once his energy was locked, he couldn't break free at all unless he died.

In a short while, inside and outside the capital, from ignorant children to the elderly, from beggars by the roadside to nobles, the auras of countless people intertwined. Then, the fiery clouds in the sky seemed to stretch out their palms, grasped the auras of countless people, and then examined them one by one.

However, after a while, Wang Er felt as if he had been seen through, but the fiery clouds in the sky made no further moves.

Concentrating and raising his head, Wang Er could no longer discern Meng Yuan's figure amidst the thick fiery clouds, but he sensed that Meng Yuan had not yet found Qing Guangzi's location.

"A fourth-rank martial artist sacrifices himself to prove his Dao, Meng Feiyuan must have sensed it and knew that Qing Guangzi was nearby. However, although Qing Guangzi is known as the Holy King of Light, he is most skilled in the art of concealment." Dugu Ying suddenly laughed out loud, "Meng Feiyuan drew his sword and looked around in confusion, not knowing where to strike."

Lin Yan didn't have much contact with Dugu Ying, and he was a reckless person. When he heard Dugu Ying say this, he immediately said, "Miss Ying, it seems that I have also hurt you."

Upon hearing this, Mo Tingyu quickly moved closer to Mingyue and whispered, "Did Meng Feiyuan also sleep with her for nothing?"

Mingyue had initially had a good impression of Mo Tingyu, but now, after hearing Mo Tingyu use the word "also" in her words, she couldn't help but feel that Mo Tingyu lacked the demeanor of a Taoist disciple, and even Ning Qufei seemed somewhat repulsive to her.

"Meng Feiyuan seems to be meticulously examining each page of a book. Such a thorough search, from the highest heavens to the deepest hells, must be extremely exhausting." The Taoist priest, having no interest in listening to Lin Yan and the others' bickering, simply abandoned the ever-commotion of Huanxi and looked at Wang Er, asking, "After a martial artist opens their Heavenly Gate, their momentum cannot be sustained for long. Without the Qi gathered from the upper three ranks to nourish themselves, they are simply awaiting death. I wonder what other methods Meng Feiyuan possesses?"

Wang Erchao Mingyue pouted, "Why don't you ask your partner instead of me?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at Mingyue. Unlike her usual blushing when she joked around with Meng Yuan, Mingyue gripped the hilt of her sword and said, "He wants to use the fire to find someone."

Sure enough, the fiery clouds rolled high in the sky, as if they were about to burn the heavens and earth to ashes. Then, everyone suddenly felt as if a thread was pulling their own energy. Then, a spark seemed to rise from their hearts along that thread and finally converged in the thousands of fiery clouds.

Wang Er immediately understood that Qing Guangzi was now hiding among thousands of people. Meng Yuan had just examined the changes in a person's aura but found nothing. Now, he would use the thousands of fires to observe the changes and find where Qing Guangzi was hiding.

As a result, the fiery cloud grew ever larger, and only red light filled the sky and earth, with no other light visible.

"Go!" Suddenly, everyone heard a vast voice from within the endless fire clouds, and then they saw the fire clouds churning, with a particularly conspicuous streak of fire heading straight for the imperial city.

"Amitabha." Suddenly, the fiery clouds between heaven and earth dimmed considerably, and a figure stood tall between heaven and earth, so tall that even the thousands of high walls and dilapidated buildings of the capital could not reach his knees.

The figure was draped in a kasaya, slightly hunched, with what appeared to be a few wisps of beard on his face. Although he had a solemn appearance, he was extremely ugly.

But as the Buddha opened his eyes, one felt a clear and bright light unlike anything in the world, without a speck of dust, without cause and effect, as if it were a world of pure light.

At this moment, those who look up at the Buddha's image feel that there is no one more handsome than him in the world.

(End of this chapter)