Journey West

Autumn in the Han Dynasty meant winter in the Xiong State.

As you travel westward into the Greater Yuezhi Kingdom, this seasonal change becomes even more pronounced, with lush vegetation everywhere.

As Zhang Xuezhou flew westward, he felt as if he had entered summer.

But when he reached the agreed-upon mileage and flew south, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the weather was cold and chilly, and the ground was even covered with layers of snow, making the climate extremely unusual.

Both the Xiong State and the Greater Yuezhi Kingdom were nomadic or semi-nomadic states. These states had vast territories but sparse populations and lacked settled cities.

Zhang Xuezhou had to rely on luck to even ask someone for directions.

Flying from day to night, Zhang Xuezhou looked down and felt that even landing and resting were difficult, and the difficulty of flying in the air was also increasing.

He grabbed a lotus flower, put it in his mouth, and chewed it, trying to restore as much of his strength as possible.

After flying 600 li westward, Zhang Xuezhou flew 800 li southward, and then flew another 300 li westward.

Below him were no temples or settled cities, but rather a variety of Gaogao mountains, many of which were covered in snow.

If flying back wouldn't have consumed too much of his Demon Power, and if it weren't for the high probability that Jie Tuo and Batuoluo would leave after waking up, Zhang Xuezhou felt he really wanted to stand in front of the two of them and let them confirm things again and again.

He saw no holy temple, nor did he find any nomadic tribes; his continuous flight seemed to be traversing uninhabited areas.

Of course, Zhang Xuezhou did not rule out the possibility that his excessive speed during the flight caused him to overlook the observation below.

He finally flew on his way in a sullen mood, trying to find a population settlement in the Greater Yuezhi Kingdom, and then use the yellow monk's robe that appeared from the Heavenly Robe on his body to reveal his identity and ask for directions.

"It's getting colder and colder as I fly. Could it be that I'm heading towards the North and South Poles of this world?"

Zhang Xuezhou is a great cultivator in the Divine Ability Realm. The Heavenly Robe can resist both cold and heat, and he also possesses the Water Avoidance Instruction and Fire Avoidance Technique, so there are very few climates that can make him feel cold.

In the air above him, not only did icy winds sweep across the sky, but the Heaven and Earth and earth seemed to be a cauldron that was being sealed tighter and tighter, as if to press him down into the snow-covered mountains.

"Those two scruffy monks might have lied to me!"

Zhang Xuezhou sensed something was amiss, but he didn't want to turn back. He figured it would be more convenient to find a settlement with human habitation and ask around.

He had a minor disagreement with the monks, including Ingatha, over his clothing, but since he had already changed his Heavenly Robe, it was impossible for him to have any further conflict with the people of the Greater Yuezhi Kingdom.

If he were mistaken for a Buddhist monk by the Greater Yuezhi people, he might even be treated with courtesy.

Zhang Xuezhou reflected deeply on the many mistakes he had made since entering the Xiong State, and felt that he must avoid such things next time.

Practice makes perfect, and he didn't have any particular emotions at the moment. He figured that suffering a loss was a blessing in disguise, and as long as he could reach the Kunlun Sacred Land and obtain the Nine Treasures Wine, everything would be worth it.

The hardships of the journey are nothing; they prove that he endured a difficult path and made unremitting efforts to return to the Kunlun Sacred Land, which will give him something to say when the time comes.

Zhang Xuezhou tried his best to think of the best possible outcome for the worst, while constantly flapping his golden wings and drifting with the wind towards a farther distance.

Although flying over this territory is very difficult, Zhang Xuezhou has only used more than half of his Demon Power, and he is still eating to recover. Flying another thousand miles is not a problem. Moreover, he has the Cloud Soaring Technique to continue, and the high-altitude wind is blowing in the direction he is flying, which also provides a boost.

However, searching for humans in such an area is destined to be very difficult.

Not to mention people, Zhang Xuezhou didn't even encounter a single bird, and there were few traces of life in the snow below. The light reflected from the snow made it difficult for Zhang Xuezhou to discern even the smallest details.

Of course, this is not a big problem. Even if the flight direction is wrong, Zhang Xuezhou can turn back once the direction is confirmed.

If we disregard the potential health risks he might face after traversing the world, there's little difference between Zhang Xuezhou arriving in Western Kunlun in twelve days and traveling Western Kunlun in thirty-six days.

"If we can't even get through this bit of icy snow, then finding the Mount Kunlun will be extremely difficult!"

Zhang Xuezhou abandoned his plan to search for inhabitants in the snow and spread his golden wings, focusing solely on flying forward.

We crossed the rolling mountains and passed beneath towering peaks.

Zhang Xuezhou even chased after the light, the world behind him slowly sank into darkness, while the light of the setting sun still shone in front of him.

The world seemed to be divided into two parts, and he was constantly pursuing the light.

"The snow-capped mountains here stretch for thousands of miles; if I were to fall into darkness, I would have a miserable night!"

Zhang Xuezhou pursued the daytime only because the possibility of getting lost was higher when traveling at night. However, as he continued to fly, the Demon Power in his body began to be exhausted, and his Technique Within the Clouds was switched to Cloud Soaring Technique.

Compared to the Technique Within the Clouds, the Cloud Soaring Technique is undoubtedly several orders of magnitude slower.

As Zhang Xuezhou chased after the day and escaped the night, he felt the darkness behind him constantly chasing after him until it covered the bright world he was in.

The distant light was swallowed by darkness, and the Heaven and Earth returned to darkness.

"It seems that the cultivation Fortune Technique I use only works within the Great Han Dynasty. Once I leave the Great Han Dynasty, the aura surrounding my body weakens significantly, but I haven't seen any bodies of water nearby!"

Feeling the setbacks on his journey, Zhang Xuezhou realized that the limitations of his smooth-sailing Fortune Technique were beginning to show, and that the Power of Favor only worked in water, which made Zhang Xuezhou seem less fortunate.

The fact that Zhang Xuezhou would think of Fortune Technique at this moment only proves that Zhang Xuezhou lost his gamble. His plan to ask a Greater Yuezhi person for directions has completely failed, and there is a high probability that he went in the wrong direction.

He even turned to searching for a river, hoping to find some good luck by the water.

But Zhang Xuezhou, groping his way through the darkness, didn't see water; instead, he saw a flame.

What he could see as a tiny flame high in the sky would become a raging inferno on flat ground.

Where did such a big fire come from?

He became suspicious, feeling that the flames were indeed a bit too large.

However, the area where the fire started is highly likely to be inhabited by humans.

Despite the possibility of disaster, Zhang Xuezhou did not stop his idea of flying there to investigate.

He soared through the sky, feeling the coldness in the darkness recede, and as he got closer to the flames, he felt a warmth in his body.

Kosala!

Kosala!

As they drew closer, the flames grew larger and larger, eventually becoming countless points of fire.

Zhang Xuezhou looked down and saw that the houses in the entire area below had been set ablaze.

Hundreds of massive war elephants moved slowly forward like a city wall, while some shirtless warriors on the elephants held spears. Every now and then, a warrior would throw a spear, piercing through the bodies of those being surrounded.

Each hit and kill elicited shouts from the soldiers, as if they were counting their military achievements.

More people continued to set fires in various places, and the city was filled with desperate cries.

"Qutan!"

At the very front of the many war elephants, a leader dressed in leather armor and holding a five-colored shield stood up and shouted wildly, drawing a crowd of people to follow suit.

This sound most likely means 'victory' or 'triumphant return'.

Clearly, all sorts of things are constantly happening everywhere in the world.

In this region, a bloody war was drawing to a close.

Any able-bodied men who escaped from the city were killed by the besieging war elephant legions.

In the city, destruction, killing, looting, and death occurred everywhere, leading the city to rapid destruction.

"Kapilavastu Mahanama, Vipassas, Kosala Vivali, Gautama!"

When Zhang Xuezhou found a place to stay, a bald old man with his hands and feet cut off was dragged to the city gate.

The leader, holding a five-colored shield, stood atop a war elephant. He shouted at the bald old man, who was on the verge of death, causing the old man to raise his head with great effort.

"Tathagata..."

The bald old man spoke angrily, but all he received in return was a spear.

The spear pierced through the bald old man's body, pinning him to the city gate and killing the already dying bald old man instantly, which then triggered an even more frenzied cheer.

"Tathagata?"

Zhang Xuezhou's foreign language skills were limited, so he couldn't understand what these people were saying and remained in a state of mere spectator mode.

He was brought back to his senses when the bald old man called out a name.

"This seems to be the name of Rulai?"

If the Rulai in the Great Han Dynasty were called by his name in the local language, it would become "Tathagata".

Whether it's a transliteration or a translation, different languages can create a problem with names, leading to various forms of address.

Zhang Xuezhou Rulai, and had also heard Wu Chao mention Rulai's other names.

Having flown thousands of miles over mountains and valleys, Zhang Xuezhou felt that he might have arrived in the realm of Rulai senior brother, Buddha.