1542 Goodbye, Ashen Moon!
“This old geezer is Nine Province Buddha,” Traveling Buddha introduced him glumly.

Xia Fan was shocked. Nine Province Buddha was an ancestor of the Holy Buddha Clan, and one of the strongest war gods in Ashen Dragon Hidden Moon. After all these years, practically everyone from his generation had passed, yet Nine Province Buddha was still alive?

Speaking of which, Traveling Buddha calling his clan’s ancestor an old geezer was really disrespectful…

*Rumble*

All of a sudden, Nine Province Buddha puffed his chest out and released a powerful energy pulse. He was staring fixedly at Shaka as he rumbled in a deep voice, “You’ve already gotten what you wanted, so right now I hope you’ll leave this place as soon as possible!”

Shaka chuckled coldly, sweeping his gaze across the place, “Are you threatening me?”

Nine Province Buddha said it straight, “Yes, I am! Though I know you’re very powerful, none of us are cowards who are not willing to lay down our lives, if push comes to shove!”

Shaka thought about it for several seconds, then waved his left hand lightly. Blind Grandpa, Luolin, and all the Disasters suddenly lost the light in their eyes, and like a group of zombies, made their way in a neat file aboard Shaka’s warship.

Xia Fan could not hold back anymore. His eyes filled with rage, wild killing intent surged in his heart.

“Don’t act rashly, let them leave!” Nine Province Buddha shouted in a commanding voice, stopping Xia Fan from acting.

“Easy for you to say, none of them are your kin!” Xia Fan turned back and spat vehemently.

The color on Nine Province Buddha’s went pale as he whispered, “Drunken Buddha’s also on board.”

Now it was Xia Fan and Traveling Buddha’s turn to be shocked. Drunken Buddha was Traveling Buddha’s elder brother. Nine Province Buddha actually agreed to let Shaka take him away? Was there some big secret behind this?

Shaka let out a mirthless chuckle, “I see there’s at least some sense in you. All it takes is a slight wave of my hand and the Demonic Ant lairs all over Ashen Moon will open all at once, plunging this universe into an abyss of doom. At least now, you’ve bought yourself some time.”

“Don’t blame me for not warning you, but the Demonic Ants have entrenched themselves in Ashen Moon for a very long time. Even if I don’t open their lairs, it will not take long for those Demonic Ants who have been in hiding for so long to automatically do so themselves!”

*Buzz*

Xia Fan felt bursts of pulses in his head. Staring at the backs of the Disasters, he felt completely at a loss. During these last two years, Xia Fan had dreams of these familiar figures, but never in his wildest dreams had this hard-won reunion quickly transformed into a farewell. Shaka was taking them all away, and he was absolutely useless to stop this tragedy from happening.

A sense of helplessness overwhelmed him. Xia Fan hated that he could not save the lives of the people he was close to, and his impotent fury made his entire body tremble. Killing intent had completely clouded his every thought!

“Marionette Bugs have been implanted in their brains. If you act now, not only would you fail to save them, you would only end up getting them killed,” Nine Province Buddha said grimly.

His words caused Xia Fan to break out into cold sweat. Marionette Bugs? Did the brains of the Disasters really have such a terrifying insect inside? No wonder they looked completely in a daze, almost like zombies. This was all Shaka’s doing!

…

Even after a very long time, Xia Fan was still unable to walk out from the shadows. He watched as Shaka piloted the Flicker-class into the Cosmic Gate, forever leaving Ashen Moon. Xia Fan could feel his heart chill, practically stopping from beating.

Everything was now clear. Drunken Buddha had been tasked by Nine Province Buddha to investigate the truth behind the Murder Shrine. What he had uncovered was just one person: Shaka, a demonic lifeform who had broken through four Law Barriers. This was all a conspiracy he had orchestrated!

Not only were Blind Grandpa and the Disasters taken away by Shaka, he had also absconded off with countless bodies from Ashen Moon experts, including a fellow clansman of Xia Fan’s, Xia Chen!

Taking away so many dead bodies of these people, Shaka had to be be hoping to retrieve their genetic data and mix them up even more, so as to evolve into an even more fearsome monster.

Ashen Moon was now at a dangerous and critical point. The Demonic Ants had arrived here a long time ago and laid innumerable eggs in the cores of many planets. The moment the signal was sent, the Demonic Ants would burst forth and swiftly conquer the universe!

With how dire the situation was, the three Federations very quickly came to an agreement to deal with the impending catastrophe together. Meanwhile, the descendants of the Four Great Clans also joined the Federations, and were now working hand-in-hand.

Xia Fan was confused. Shaka had left with the Disasters, and his heart had already flown into whatever lay beyond the Cosmic Gate, wondering what kind of world was out there, and whether this would change the balance of powers in the Great Chiliocosm. He also wondered if his father and his clan was even still alive out there!

Xia Fan did not participate in the meeting between the three Federations. He spent each day in the training center, wildly throwing his fists, exhausting whatever energy and hormones he had. Bright Pearl and Tamu both accompanied him, while only Traveling Buddha was nowhere to be found.

…

“Why is she not here yet? How annoying!” Traveling Buddha was wearing a neatly pressed formal attire, holding a bouquet of flowers in hand and stood outside the movie theater, muttering under his breath.

The date was a request from Hidden Water. She wanted to have a formal date with him before Traveling Buddha left, and though he agreed, he still found the whole affair to be bothersome, constantly checking his watch as he paced about.

Soon, a pretty figure appeared from the corner of the street. Hidden Water was wearing a long and flowing white dress, and had put on make-up. She was carrying a handbag that complemented her looks beautifully, and wore high-heels that only further accentuated her slender figure, drawing plenty of looks from around.

Traveling Buddha was instantly in a daze. He had never thought that Hidden Water would look so beautiful when she dressed up, and like a gust of refreshing yet sweet wind that carried a light fragrance, Traveling Buddha found himself momentarily in a stupor. He, who had been all annoyed a moment ago, now just had a silly smile on his face, his eyes unable to tear themselves away from Hidden Water’s delicate face.

“Did you wait for long?”

“Not really. I just arrived, actually!” Traveling Buddha ran his hand through his hair subconsciously.

Hidden Water blushed slightly, but nevertheless drummed up the courage to hold onto Traveling Buddha’s arm. The two of them entered the movie theater, looking like a normal couple. They bought drinks and popcorn, as well as two ice cream cones.

Traveling Buddha hardly remembered what the movie was about. All he remembered was the warm sensation next to him, and that slight fragrance that lingered in his nostrils. To a heartless fellow like him, this date was no different from a dream, and absolutely surreal.

A movie, a meal, a stroll, a boat ride, and the moonlit sky…

The two of them did not feel tired at all, almost as if they were doing everything they could to stop this date from ending, hoping that they could do a lifetime of activity with each other before the final moment.

…

There was no banquet that would not come to an end, and several days later, Traveling Buddha was once more by Xia Fan’s side. He had brought the Flicker-class warship with him, the very same one that Nine Province Buddha had inadvertently stumbled upon all those years back. It was a possession of his that he had not put down.

Tamu and Bright Pearl were very excited. With this Elven ship, they would be able to break past the powerful barrier and pass through the Cosmic Gate, something no common ship would be able to do.

“How was the date?” Xia Fan asked Traveling Buddha.

Traveling Buddha nonchalantly replied, “Who was on a date? We just shared a meal together. Who knows what will happen in the future, so who has the heart to bother with all that!”

Xia Fan sighed. Perhaps what Traveling Buddha had said made sense. The moment they went through the Cosmic Gate, they would enter into a tempest of space and time. Even if they could return to Ashen Moon again, there was no telling when it would be. Everything was shrouded in an air of unknowability. Given such circumstances, there was no way Traveling Buddha could admit all that to Hidden Water.

“Right now, all I want is to find that Drunken Buddha guy,” Traveling Buddha said, calling his own brother a ‘guy’.

Before boarding the Flicker-class, Xia Fan gazed at the starry sky of the Ashen Moon Universe one last time. There was no telling when he would be back after leaving on this voyage, but his desire to return to his family and clan triumphed over his feeling of reliance on Ashen Moon. Humans had to grow up sooner or later, and some things simply needed to be faced head-on, be it sooner or later!

“Goodbye, Ashen Moon,” Xia Fan mentally muttered to himself as he stood by the hatch door and watched it slowly close.