Upon hearing about the Wonderful Technique that allows one to travel eight thousand miles a day, Zhang Chen’s eyes widened with anticipation.
If I could learn such a Wonderful Technique, my ability to escape in the future would greatly increase.
"What are you thinking? How could I have such Divine Techniques? It’s just that I have a way to let you hitch a ride on a storm," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon noticed Zhang Chen’s thoughts and said impatiently, "Quickly transform into a Vampire Bat and follow me."
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon transformed into a petal and took to the sky on its own, with Zhang Chen transforming into a Vampire Bat and closely following behind, the two soared straight into the clouds and flew above the cloud layer.
"Where’s the ride you mentioned?" Zhang Chen asked.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Just wait a moment," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon replied.
Zhang Chen’s curiosity was piqued when he heard this, unaware of what the Great Freedom Celestial Demon meant by a ride, so he could only shuttle through the clouds. After a moment, a powerful wind wave rose from a distance, blowing with such force that the sun and moon lost their light, and Heaven and Earth shook. Even the blazing sun was obscured by the dark wind.
The speed of the storm was too fast. Before Zhang Chen could react, he was already swept away by the storm, disappearing without a trace.
"This..."
In the storm, Zhang Chen was like a small boat in the ocean, losing all resistance against the raging storm, hearing only the howling wind, with the scenery around him rapidly receding.
Zhang Chen’s thirty-six Vampire Bats reassembled back into his own body, being swiftly carried across the clouds by the storm.
His clothes seemed about to catch fire, but fortunately, Zhang Chen drew vapor from the clouds to ice-seal himself; otherwise, he feared that a single touch could tear him apart or burn him to ashes by the terrifying friction.
"Is this the ride you mentioned?" Zhang Chen thought to himself, glaring angrily at the Great Freedom Celestial Demon.
"Just say if the speed is fast or not," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon replied with a smile of triumph.
The speed was undoubtedly fast, so fast that it nearly vanished from sight.
"I’ve been swindled by you! Knowing you’re unreliable, yet I still believed you," Zhang Chen cursed, wishing he could slap himself. He knew this guy was unreliable, yet he wasn’t cautious. He was completely ignoring the responsibility for his own life, mesmerized by the so-called mysteriousness spoken by the other.
As thoughts raced through Zhang Chen’s mind, the ice transformed into a bullet-head shape, and in the next moment, his speed increased severalfold, giving him a sense of surfing through the clouds.
"By the way, where did this strange wind come from?" Zhang Chen asked.
"In this world, there exists a gigantic beast that exhales and inhales each day, with its breath covering thousands of miles. Its inhalation can devour Beiming. The ride we hitched is actually from the exhalation of this beast," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon explained.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen was astounded. To exhale and inhale with such power, what kind of terrifying existence could that be?
"What rank is it?" Zhang Chen inquired.
The Great Freedom Celestial Demon shook his head without speaking, instead silently looking into the distance.
Seeing this, Zhang Chen did not pursue the question further. Instead, he quietly maneuvered the bullet-head’s flight direction within the ice. After about seven or eight hours, the Great Freedom Celestial Demon suddenly said, "Watch out for the majestic mountain ahead that reaches the heavens and earth. This mountain is called Buzhou Mountain. Be sure not to crash into it, or you’ll be shattered to pieces. Our destination is on that Buzhou Mountain, which has a restraining power. The storm will dissipate upon encountering Buzhou Mountain, so be attentive and do not glide on your own."
Hearing this, Zhang Chen quickly looked up to see an enormous pillar reaching the sky and earth.
The pillar soared to the heavens, stretching down to the earth. Its thickness spanned unknown thousands of miles, invoking awe just by looking at it.
As expected, the storm gradually dissipated without a trace as it approached the great mountain, while Zhang Chen’s bullet-head ice still moved towards the mountain due to inertia.
At such high speed, Zhang Chen dared not neglect. In the next moment, the bullet-head transformed into a parachute, continuously dragging Zhang Chen through the void to decelerate until, about ten miles from Buzhou Mountain, the speed reduced, leading to a descent toward the earth.
Then Zhang Chen dispelled the ice, transforming into a Vampire Bat to soar in the air, only to feel a noticeable discomfort due to proximity to Buzhou Mountain.
His body felt heavier, the power of the Vampire Bat within him weakened, and the whole person seemed to become laden with rust.
"Follow me," the petal-formed Great Freedom Celestial Demon led the way, guiding Zhang Chen to a ledge on Buzhou Mountain.
Buzhou Mountain spanned tens of thousands of miles in thickness, and the ledge where Zhang Chen landed was no less imposing than Huashan in later generations, yet within Buzhou Mountain, it was just an unremarkable cliff.
"Do you see that abyss?" the Great Freedom Celestial Demon’s true body emerged from the void, pointing to the abyss below the ledge.
"Of course," Zhang Chen looked down, seeing cold mist swirling within the abyss, like a giant beast’s mouth ready to devour everything between Heaven and Earth.
"At the bottom of that abyss lies the nest of the Innate Peacock I mentioned. The peacock guards Divine Objects there, lurking beneath the abyss unwilling to emerge. I need your help to attack its psyche," the Great Freedom Celestial Demon said.
"But wait, aren’t you a Celestial Demon? Can’t you attack its mind? How can I help you?" Zhang Chen asked, baffled.
"That Old Peacock has lived for countless years, its heart as calm as a still pond, polished without any flaw. Although I excel at psychic attacks, as long as it remains thoughtless and unruffled, there’s nothing I can do," replied the Great Freedom Celestial Demon, his tone filled with helplessness.