Binding to Geniuses To Become Stronger

Fang Lang was being carried by the old monk. All he could feel was the air around him moving at lightning speeds.

There seemed to be countless lights and shadows flying past him at high speeds.

Traveling at that speed was an unprecedented horror. It was faster than even Chao Xiaojian’s flight sword.

Fang Lang understood that the old monk was much more powerful than Chao Xiaojian.

After all, this old monk managed to easily block the long-range killing attack from Zhao Taifeng!

He was not a transcendental realm warrior but he could block the attack of a transcendental realm warrior. He must be a warrior that belonged to the ninth-class realm.

Fang Lang was filled with awe and respect in the presence of a warrior like this.

The old monk’s speed never faltered. Even while carrying a passenger, he could maintain this divine feat of making the earth seem to shrink into inches. His might was unfathomable.

The winds around them howled, sounding as sharp and shrill as a steel saber. Fang Lang could not help but quiet down.

Fang Lang was not too worried about the old monk turning against him. After all, he had the Reincarnating Lotus Sword and the Blooming Lotus Swords on him with Xuanyuan Taihua’s divine sense hidden within them. If the old monk tried to harm him, his power would definitely trigger a reaction from the swords.

So, before the Battle of Pagodas mentioned by the old monk was over, Fang Lang should be safe.

As Fang Lang’s eyes narrowed, many thoughts went past his mind.

The old monk carried Fang Lang and the young monk without stopping to rest. He was like a gold dragon streaking across the mountains at awe-inspiring speeds.

…

The All-Seeing Buddha Sect.

The third sect in the Tang Dynasty!

It was also one of the rare true Buddhist sects that spread buddhist teachings, built the physique through harsh training. A huge number of senior monks were trained in both spell mastery and martial arts.

This was a sect with a history that went back thousands of years. Its foundation and teachings could rival the Main Path Guild. It had even surpassed the Main Path Guild in ranking in the past.

The ruling dynasty has changed hands multiple times. However, the All-Seeing Buddha Sect remained the same. It never wavered and was like a firm mountain, nor did it undergo much change.

The All-Seeing Buddha Sect did not engage in worldly strife. Even when the dynasties changed, the sect would heed the orders of the new dynasty without much opposition or struggle. Hence, the All-Seeing Buddha Sect has been able to endure for so long.

The All-Seeing Buddha Sect was located in the Southern Sea.

Multiple islands rose among the waves, surrounded by mist. On top of the island lay a temple. This strange scene was like a fairy realm, causing anyone who saw it to exclaim in praise.

The All-Seeing Buddha Sect is also known as the Southern Sea Buddhist Sect because it was located in the vast Southern Sea.

A gust of cool breeze surged.

The old monk carried Fang Lang and the young monk from the mainland and rushed straight into the vast ocean as soon as they arrived at the edge of the Southern Sea.

The old man’s vital energy surged among the huge waves as he crossed the ocean. Fang Lang and the young monk quietly followed behind him, carried along by his aura as they tread on the waves.

In no time at all, all three of them arrived at the All-Seeing Buddha domain.

Fang Lang swept his gaze around the area and noticed that there were ancient temples on each of the islands.

Fang Lang finally noticed a lofty mountain peak on one of the islands. This mountain peak was the main summit of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect, Little Wuliang Mountain.

The mountain has been excavated several times and there appeared to be a large statue of Buddha carved into the mountain face high in the sky.

This feat, this foundation… It was all slowly compiled and accumulated over time.

The old monk brought Fang Lang and the young monk to the island at the foot of the large buddha.

As they arrived on the island, Fang Lang noticed numerous warrior monks dressed in monk robes standing guard. These were the monks of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect.

There were upper fourth-class realm and lower fourth-class realm disciples among the warrior monks.

Boundless vital energy interweaved and almost seemed to turn the skies blood-red. Among the crowd, an old monk with a kind face stood, dressed in gold monk robes. He withdrew his vital energy and seemed to meld with the earth to form one body.

“Brother abbot, I’ve brought our guest,” said the old monk that brought Fang Lang to the All-Seeing Buddha Sect after he recited the buddhist chant and pressed his palms together.

The old monk dressed in gold monk robes smiled and nodded. “Brother Ci Yue, thank you for your troubles.”

“This is First Sword Taihua’s disciple, Fang Lang. In Linjiang City, he single-handedly killed An Fan, the top lower fourth-class disciple of the Main Path Guild. Hence, I’ve brought him to participate in the Battle of Pagodas,” said the old monk Ci Yue.

The abbot of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect merely smiled and nodded as though this was not a surprise to him.

The abbot looked towards Fang Lang and nodded his head. “Benefactor Fang, we hope for your help in this year’s Battle of the Pagodas.”

Fang Lang pressed his palms together and greeted him in return.

“I will do my best in this battle.”

The surrounding warrior monks looked at Fang Lang curiously. After that, Master Ci Yue and the abbot asked the young monk to show Fang Lang around the All-Seeing Buddha Sect then bring him to his room so that he can rest.

Fang Lang had fought his way out of the Main Path Guild, then found himself surrounded by enemies in Linjiang City as well and was forced to continue fighting. He had not rested in a long time. Hence, he should take this opportunity to get some good rest.

The young monk led Fang Lang through the mountain gates.

Everything seemed extremely calm and peaceful within the sect.

“The Battle of Pagodas… is the most important event for the All-Seeing Buddha Sect. It allows us to maintain peace without shedding blood which had always been the guiding principle of our sect,” said the young monk as he walked.

He described some of the sights on the island while also telling Fang Lang about the Battle of Pagodas.

Fang Lang was extremely curious and could not help but ask, “How… how was the Battle of Pagodas fought?”

The young monk smiled so happily that his eyes narrowed into slits. He explained, “The Battle of Pagodas is split into three battles.”

“Three of the geniuses of the younger generation of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect will go up against three of the geniuses of the demon and devil tribe. Two geniuses will come from the demon tribe and one from the devil tribe.”

“The only way to keep our pagoda is by winning. Winning is the only way to maintain peace.”

“If we lose in the Battle of Pagodas, the demon realm will no longer keep their promise and will definitely send their armies to invade and attack.”

“The All-Seeing Buddha Sect is not weak but as soon as war breaks out, the infiltration of the demon portal energy will definitely affect the common people living in the surrounding area of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect…” said the young monk.

The young monk turned to look at Fang Lang with a serious and intent look in his eyes and pleaded for Fang Lang to strive with all his might in the Battle of Pagodas.

Fang Lang smiled and answered confidently, exaggerating his abilities.

The young monk showed Fang Lang to his room. After he said his goodbyes, the young monk rushed to leave. Fang Lang sat cross-legged in the room and entered the cultivation state.

He switched into binding partner mode and phantoms appeared around him. The System was still upgrading. However, that would not affect the functions of the various parts.

Fang Lang’s cultivation speed increased drastically in the binding partner mode.

Fang Lang treated the Battle of Pagodas with utmost seriousness. According to his agreement with the old monk Ci Yue, he needed to complete the Battle of Pagodas before the All-Seeing Buddha Sect would give him the opportunity to retrieve the sword.

Hence, it would be best if they won the Battle of Pagodas. Fang Lang would be too embarrassed to retrieve the sword if they lost.

Hence, Fang Lang had no other option but to give it his all in the Battle of Pagodas.

His cultivation recently advanced into the fourth-class realm belonging to the ten thousand sword intent of the ten thousand blade skill. He also possessed the time sword intent that was passed on to him by his master. They were both top-level sword intents which allowed Fang Lang’s power to increase by leaps and bounds.

Even though he had just advanced to the fourth-class realm, in a real fight, he would be no weaker than some of the fourth-class sword intent realm warriors that were of the fifth or sixth-grade.

Besides that, Fang Lang also had the inventory card that could boost his abilities. Hence, Fang Lang was confident about the Battle of Pagodas.

He sat cross-legged and took out a spirit crystal. A stack of spirit crystals sat around him. As he absorbed the spiritual energy within the crystals, the spirit crystal would turn into trash and be tossed aside, lying scattered all over the ground.

For the next five consecutive days, Fang Lang spent his time in the All-Seeing Buddha Sect in Closed Door Meditation.

He quickly advanced from first-grade sword intent realm into the second-grade.

He used up much of the cultivation resources provided by the System.

Fang Lang had initially planned to bind the young monk, Fa Jiao. After all, the young monk should be pretty strong since he could represent the All-Seeing Buddha Sect in the Battle of Pagodas.

It was a shame that since the System was in the process of upgrading, he was unable to bind a new genius partner.

…

The sky was bright as the sun rose from the horizon of the sea. The brilliant rays of the sun tore through the thick cloud layers and shone down upon the island.

Fang Lang opened his eyes. His entire body creaked as he moved. His spiritual sense surged and as it rippled, a gentle breeze stirred.

Fang Lang was a fourth-class sword disciple, a third-class ninth-grade spell disciple and his martial arts mastery was formidable.

Fang Lang stood up and moved within the room. Vital energy surged throughout his body as he practiced sword techniques.

The young monk Fa Jiao was extremely motivated. He clenched his fists as his eyes shone brightly.

Fang Lang was dressed in white robes with his scabbard on his back. He tightened his waistband and stroked the space ring on his hand. He smiled and said, “We will definitely win.”

The All-Seeing Buddha Sect was extremely calm and peaceful. Over the past few days, Fang Lang finally experienced what peace was.

When he was on a killing rampage in Linjiang City, Fang Lang felt as though a fog of blood was enveloping his mind. However, the last few days of peace and quiet in the All-Seeing Buddha Sect washed away much of the rage and killing intent within Fang Lang’s heart.

He exhaled deeply. Fang Lang then began to eat the steamed bun that Fa Jiao brought him as he walked out of the little courtyard that he had spent five full days cleansing the impurities from his heart.

He quickly arrived at the All-Seeing Buddha Sect practice grounds.

Master Ci Yue stood quietly on the practice grounds. He wore a kind expression as the sun shone down on him.

“Benefactor Fang, how has your rest been over the past few days?” asked Master Ci Yue with a smile as he looked towards Fang Lang.

Fang Lang clasped his hands together and bowed his head. “The All-Seeing Buddha Sect is truly an ancient temple with a strong and deep foundation. Over the past five days, my heart and mind have calmed down. I feel at peace inside. My body and mind have been purified and my heart is like a clear mirror.”

Master Ci Yue’s smile deepened.

Fang Lang’s words were extremely pleasing to the ear, even more so compared to Xuanyuan Taihua.

However, Master Ci Yue quickly became serious. “We hope that we can rely on you in the upcoming Battle of Pagodas, Benefactor Fang.”

Fang Lang waited on the practice grounds for a moment before another warrior monk finally arrived.

This warrior monk was tall and strapping. His body was covered in huge muscles and his aura was powerful. He was also a fourth-class but the oppressive feeling that he radiated was extremely strong.

The warrior monk was called Fa He. He was from the same generation as Fa Jiao. However, he did not merely train in martial arts, Fa He also trained his spiritual sense. Fa He was a pure warrior monk trained in the All-Seeing Buddha martial arts. He focused on cultivating his vital energy and strength.

Master Ci Yue brought the three of them out from the practice grounds towards the center of the mountain.

This was a mountain that had taken countless years to develop. There were numerous buddhist cave sights to behold and buddha statues that have been carved with various forms and expressions that appeared extremely lifelike. It gave one a deep sense of profoundness.

This demon portal was different from all the other demon portals that floated in the sky.

The All-Seeing Buddha Sect demon portal was at the peak of Little Wuliang Mountain. It was located at the heart of the huge Buddha.

The All-Seeing Buddha Sect had set the demon portal at the heart of the entire sect. If they lost control of the demon portal, the first place that would be attacked would be the All-Seeing Buddha Sect.

Perhaps this was in accordance with the buddhist teachings, ‘If I do not enter hell, who will enter hell’.

Master Ci Yue led Fang Lang and the others up an endless flight of ancient stone steps to arrive at the entrance of the demon portal.

Warrior monks stood guard at the demon portal entrance along with numerous ancient monks with an incredibly powerful aura. Since these old monks were residing over the area, the oppressive power radiating from within the demon portal lessened significantly.

Master Ci Yue bowed towards the old monks and clasped his hand together in greeting. When the warrior monks received their orders, they swiftly stretched out their palms and slammed it on the door. The tightly shut door slowly opened.

“Benefactor Fang, please go ahead,” said Master Ci Yue with a smile.

Fang Lang, Fa Jiao and Fa He did not hesitate and stepped through the door.

Beyond the demon portal entrance lay the space of the demon portal. Despite this, Master Ci Yue did not stop walking. Instead, he continued to lead Fang Lang and the others into the depths of the demon portal.

There were cracks between the earth. The clashing forces between the two worlds collided and slammed against each other relentlessly.

Fang Lang’s eyes froze. Was the plan to advance towards the demon world?

As soon as they entered the demon world, it would be dangerous beyond measure.

A powerful oppressive force suddenly descended upon them. It was the oppressive force of the two worlds. This oppressive force was extremely unbearable for third-class realm cultivators.

However, Fang Lang was now a fourth-class cultivator. Even though he could feel the oppressive force, it did not affect him greatly.

Fang Lang felt a ripple of emotion inside him. After all, this was his first time entering the demon realm, stepping into a different world.

Boom!

Master Ci Yue released a grueling amount of vital energy, wrapping it around Fang Lang and the others and entering the world behind the crack, entering a different world!

…

The demon world.

The moon was blood-red. It looked like two parallel spacetimes in direct contact.

They flew out of the crack in space. Fang Lang immediately began to assess his surroundings. He was surrounded by a vast ocean. The ocean was covered in ripples which grew to become huge waves. A gentle breeze blew past continuously, carrying a salty fish stench with it.

There was not much difference between this sea and the seas in the Tang Dynasty. The only difference might be the blood-red moon in the sky, which appeared weird and strange.

Master Ci Yue brought Fang Lang, Fa Jiao and Fa He to land upon an island. There was a gold buddhist pagoda on top of the floating island. It glowed with a brilliant golden light that extended across hundreds and thousands of meters, tearing through the blood-red moonlight and the fog that rose from the ocean.

“This is the last buddhist pagoda of the All-Seeing Buddha Sect in the demon world.”

Master Ci Yue’s eyes were deep and filled with a complicated light.

“If we lose in this Battle of Pagodas, this buddhist pagoda will topple and the demon world warriors will be able to invade the world behind the All-Seeing Buddha Sect with no qualms, bringing harm and threat to the people living within a 10,000 mile radius of the area.”

Master Ci Yue sighed.

On top of the island, warrior monks stood guard. They were all warriors of the fourth-class realm and above. Their vital energy was linked together and each of them wore an expression of utmost seriousness.

Fang Lang raised his eyes and could see an astoundingly gigantic sea beast in the distance galloping towards them, causing massive waves that reached as high as several hundred meters!

It was a humongous demon beast that looked like a giant turtle. A terrifying demonic energy hung in the air. It felt as though it was about to raise a storm!

“The warriors of the demon and devil tribes are here,” said Master Ci Yue solemnly.

Fang Lang focused his eyes on them and could see that warriors were standing on top of the demon beast that looked like it was carrying a mountain on its back.

“The demon tribe and the devil tribe… are the two biggest tribes of the demon world. They control the voice of the demon world and there is no one above them,” said Master Ci Yue.

“Fortunately, the demon and devil tribes have been reasonable. They’ve not tried to cheat. The clash between the Tang Dynasty and the demon world completely stems from the hostility between the two worlds.

“The true danger is actually a tribe of demon beasts within the demon portal at the barrier between the two worlds who have disordered ideas and are incomparably vicious and violent.”

Master Ci Yue explained a lot to Fang Lang. Fang Lang seemed to be deep in thought.

In the gap between his words, the warriors of the mountain-like back of the demon beast floated over.

There was a tall jet-black tower on the back of the demon beast. It was the demon tower that would oppose the buddhist pagoda.

There was only one demon tower left and only one buddhist pagoda left.

“You old donkey, Ci Yue. We’ve battled for hundreds of years. Today… let’s come to an understanding.”

“Our demon realm values rules. According to the rules, if you lose, the buddhist pagoda will self-destruct and our kind will invade the All-Seeing Buddha Sect…”

“However, if we lose, we can never invade the Tang Dynasty through the All-Seeing Buddha domain,” said an old man with a smile as he stood on the back of the giant demon beast.

His voice was loud and rang across the realm. It even suppressed the waves and caused them to settle down.

Master Ci Yue pressed his palms together and merely smiled in response.

“Hahaha! You’re going to lose for sure this year! The sacred maiden of the demon tribe is personally taking part in the battle. You’re definitely going to lose!”

“Besides that, the devil of the devil tribe is willing to help the demon tribe in this battle. You group of donkeys might as well wait for death to strike!”

The old man on the back of the giant beast laughed jubilantly.

However, Ci Yue was not angered. He wore a gentle smile and said, “Amitabha. What a coincidence… I’ve invited Xuanyuan Taihua’s personal disciple to help us in this year’s battle.”

As soon as Ci Yue spoke, the smile on the old man’s face instantly froze.

The aura of all the warriors of the demon world instantly trembled.

Was that a joke!?

Xuanyuan Taihua’s personal disciple!?

What the hell was going on!?

When the old man recalled the true terror of Xuanyuan Taihua, the arrogance on his features instantly disappeared and was replaced by an extremely grim expression.

The All-Seeing Buddha Sect was taking this seriously. They actually invited Xuanyuan Taihua’s disciple!

However, the old man swept a glance over them and instantly noticed Fang Lang, who was standing beside the two monks.

Since Fang Lang was not a monk, he was quite noticeable among a group of monks.

As soon as he saw him, the old man was stunned.

A moment later, the old man burst into laughter.

“He’s just entered the fourth-class realm!? So what if he’s Xuanyuan Taihua’s disciple since he’s just advanced to the fourth-class? What can he change?”

Beside the old man, a sharp-eared, veiled girl with a graceful demeanor stood. Her blue eyes gazed downwards from the back of the giant beast. When she heard about Xuanyuan Taihua’s disciple, her eyes were filled with curiosity and fighting spirit.

She was a sacred maiden of the demon tribe.

To the other side, there was a tall guy dressed in black armor. His hair billowed around him as he overlooked the situation.

He was an archdevil of the devil tribe.

The two of them focused their attention on Fang Lang.

Fang Lang seemed to sense their gaze on him and looked up to respond in kind. Their gaze clashed in the sky.

At the exact moment that their eyes met, the voice of the System prompt rang out in Fang Lang’s mind.

‘Ding. System upgrade is complete.’