I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 554: Return to the Cloud Sea
「One week later」
Outside the gates of the Tianjian Bureau in Suzhou City, a low-profile black military vehicle slowly came to a halt. The newly appointed director of the Tianjian Bureau, Zhang Ming, stood solemnly at the entrance with the heads of various departments to welcome their visitors.
The car door opened, and a military officer with twin stars on his shoulder emerged from the back seat. Wearing sunglasses and exuding a scholarly air, this man was none other than Major General Jin Minghui, the widely acclaimed strategist from the Ministry of Defense, director of its Third Bureau.
Mr. Jin stepped out of the car, smiling amiably as he greeted Zhang Ming and the others. Following him was an elderly monk with a long, silver-white beard, clad in a fiery red kasaya, his face the picture of compassion.
"Mr. Jin, good to see you. You must be tired from your journey. It’s our fault for not handling things properly; please feel free to critique our work," Zhang Ming promptly admitted fault, setting the right tone with his attitude.
Zhang Ming was well aware of Mr. Jin’s reason for coming: it was all because of the Evil spirit’s affair. An Evil spirit had appeared in Suzhou City, wreaking havoc. The Evil spirit left a mess before vanishing without a trace, and its potential danger caused nationwide alarm.
Regardless, the Tianjian Bureau of Suzhou City was set to bear the blame.
"Let’s not rush to admit fault and self-reflect. The most important thing right now is to find and eliminate the Evil spirit. Where is Wang Lan? Isn’t he in Suzhou City? Why isn’t he here?"
"Wang Lan... he’s watching a movie with his girlfriend..." Zhang Ming said, his mouth twitching slightly as he spoke.
"Oh? That’s understandable. However, this matter can’t be handled without him; let me give him a call," Mr. Jin said, pulling out his phone and expertly dialing a number. Witnessing this, Lige and others couldn’t help but twitch their lips, struggling to suppress their laughter.
Zhang Ming did indeed intend to subtly make things difficult for Lige; it wasn’t that he disliked Wang Lan, but Shouldn’t they share the burden? He alone couldn’t shoulder it all.
After all, Wang Lan had led the case. Although the Demon Cult in Suzhou City had been eradicated, the Evil spirit had escaped, so Wang Lan also bore some responsibility for its escape. But then again, people are treated differently.
Considering Wang Lan’s achievements, the crises he had resolved, and his current strength, he was regarded as a precious asset not just by Jade Country but also by the United Nations. The idea of him sharing the blame was out of the question.
Furthermore, Wang Lan was technically on vacation, and helping with the chase and investigation was a favor. Without Wang Lan, the Evil spirit would still have come to Suzhou City, would still have killed, and would still have vanished without a trace. Without Wang Lan, Suzhou City might not have realized what was happening until it was overwhelmed.
"Hello! This is Jin Minghui. Wang Lan, hope I’m not interrupting your date with your little girlfriend?"
Wang Lan, a bit bewildered upon receiving Jin Minghui’s call, glanced at Jiang Xinyu beside him. How could this be possible?
But he quickly replied with a serious expression, "Reporting to Mr. Jin, I’m ready at all times."
"Good. Come to the Tianjian Bureau in Suzhou City now."
"Yes, sir!"
"Are you leaving?" Jiang Xinyu asked, looking at Wang Lan.
"Yeah, Mr. Jin called me over. It’s probably about the Evil spirit, and there might be a new task."
"Okay, can I come with you?"
"Although you’re officially assigned to the Modu Tianjian Bureau, you’re still part of the Tianjian Bureau, so it should be fine. If you can’t participate, you can wait for me outside."
The two quietly left the cinema and headed straight for the Tianjian Bureau. Upon arrival, Director Zhang Ming directly ushered them into the conference room. Wang Lan now held the rank of Major General, equal in rank to Zhang Ming. Moreover, as a Titled Strongman, Wang Lan held a slightly higher status than Zhang Ming.
Among the Titled Strongmen, only Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun held the rank of Major General; the others were all Lieutenant Generals or higher. However, these weren’t Lieutenant Generals with direct command authority; their rank signified more their strength and honor. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
Jiang Xinyu was arranged to stay in the resting room, where Zhang Yeqiu and Zhang Xiaoxue would keep her company, so she likely wouldn’t be bored. Entering the conference room, he saw Mr. Jin and an elderly monk by his side.
"Mr. Jin, good to see you. And this master is...?"
"This esteemed master is Master Benyin from Putuo Temple. The emergence of the Evil spirit has greatly shaken Buddhism. Putuo Temple, a prominent sect of Buddhism, has orally passed down the account of the feud between Buddha Shakyamuni and the Evil spirit for generations."
"Amitabha. Is this benefactor the young hero who discovered the Evil spirit and uprooted its remaining evil?"
"Master, I dare not claim to be a young hero. The Evil spirit is still at large, so speaking of uprooting it is premature. All I know is that the Evil spirit can grant extraordinary powers to ordinary people and control their life and death."
"Amitabha! The Evil spirit was sealed by the Buddha for three thousand years. The secrets from those times have always been passed down orally by the Buddha’s four chief disciples. To this day, probably only the lineage of Putuo Mountain has preserved the transmission of those secrets. And after over a hundred generations of being passed down, those secrets have likely become distorted. By comparing our accounts, benefactor, we hope to complete the intelligence on the Evil spirit and avoid being misled."
"That suits me perfectly. I’ll start, then. The Evil spirit was a major offender among the Demon Clan, exiled to the Human World three thousand years ago. By gathering followers and expanding its influence, it allowed those under its control to dominate the Cloud Sea region."
"Three thousand years ago, when the Buddha came from the east, he was obstructed upon reaching the Cloud Sea region. There was a Demon Cult in the area called the Longevity Sect, whose initiated members could obtain an Undying Body. However, their immortality was won by usurping others’ lives. For every person they killed, they gained one life. The more they killed, the more lives they had. This doctrine, which defied heavenly principles, compelled the Buddha to manifest as the Furious Vajra. He then allied with the local resistance forces to combat the Evil spirit."
"The Buddha Sect’s sealing techniques work wonders against Evil spirits and their disciples. They don’t need to be killed; as long as they’re sealed, they won’t revive and, naturally, cannot cause harm in an area. In the end, the disciples of the Evil spirit were all sealed by the Buddha Sect. The Evil spirit itself was sealed within the Demon Subduing Buddha by a golden body that Buddha Shakyamuni personally shattered."
"Amitabha, that differs somewhat from the tradition. First, the Demon Subduing Buddha is not a golden body of Shakyamuni but the true body of His greatest disciple. This disciple used himself as a vessel to seal the Evil spirit, thus transforming into a flesh-and-blood bodhisattva. Secondly, the Demon-restricting Buddha Statue suppressed only the Primordial Spirit of the Evil spirit; its physical body was suppressed and kept by the Sect Union at that time."
"Oh? The Evil spirit still has a physical body?"
"Yes, the Evil spirit’s physical body is a monster covered in countless human faces and limbs. It has a grotesque and terrifying appearance, yet it is unkillable. Buddha Shakyamuni used half of his lifetime’s Cultivation Level to successfully extract the Primordial Spirit from the Evil spirit, but that was all He could do. Then Jia Nan transformed into the Demon Subduing Buddha to suppress Shakyamuni’s flesh. Back then, the White Lotus Sect of the righteous alliance suppressed the Evil spirit’s physical body and took it away. No one knows where the Evil spirit’s body has ended up."
"So that’s it. The information I obtained came from someone possessed by the Evil spirit. No wonder it needs to possess a human body to survive—it only has its Primordial Spirit left!"
"Amitabha—"
"Master, since the sealing techniques of the Buddha Sect are so effective against Evil spirits, I wonder if you could impart the technique to us, so we can deal with the Evil spirit."
"There would be no harm in it. However, after three thousand years of transmission and countless invasions by the Demon Clan that shattered rivers and mountains, our Buddha Sect’s sealing techniques have been repeatedly lost. Some minor sealing techniques have been preserved, like fading embers, but to seal the Evil spirit, the Diamond Seal Sky Dance Treasured Wheel must be used. This secret technique... has already been lost."
"The Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel? Deprivation of the six senses?" Wang Lan subconsciously asked.
"Has Benefactor Wang heard of the Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel? It’s not the deprivation of the six senses, but rather the obliteration of: clear awareness, sharp awareness, heavenly awareness, empty awareness, and life awareness. This seals all of the target’s perceptions, consciousness, life, and connection to space, thereby completely freezing them within the river of life. Buddha Shakyamuni indeed left behind the secret method of the Diamond Seal Heavenly Dance Treasure Wheel, but it was regrettably destroyed in the numerous fires of war."
"So, does this mean the Evil spirit that has resurfaced is just its Primordial Spirit, and its physical body is still under seal?"
"Amitabha. That should be the case. However, three thousand years have passed, and the world has changed completely. The righteous alliance and the White Lotus Sect have long since vanished into the mists of history."
"Regardless of whether the White Lotus Sect still exists, the Evil spirit will definitely try to find its body. As long as it hasn’t succeeded, we still have a chance. I’m not afraid of the Evil spirit wreaking havoc; I’m only afraid it will hide and not show itself."
Although the Evil spirit was analyzed to be terrifying and seemingly unresolvable, Wang Lan didn’t truly fear it. Knowing that, fundamentally, the Evil spirit was just a Demon Clan member and now only possessed its Primordial Spirit, Wang Lan felt his Netherworld Ghost Fire and Red Lotus Karma Fire could directly restrain it.
"Although the White Lotus Sect is long gone, the place where the Evil spirit’s body was sealed should be somewhere in the Cloud Sea region..." Wang Lan mused, speaking slowly.
"I was thinking the same thing," Mr. Jin said, his face alight with anticipation, his intentions practically written all over it.
"Mr. Jin, you want me to go to Cloud Sea Province to continue the pursuit, right?"
"Hahaha... I knew this task was perfect for you, Wang Lan. Since you’ve offered, I’ll gladly accept..."
Wang Lan immediately looked bewildered. Although I had been prepared, since when did I volunteer? And now he’s just nonchalantly agreeing with me? Are all big shots this shameless these days?
Leaving the Tianjian Bureau and getting in the car with Jiang Xinyu, Wang Lan fastened his seatbelt. "I need to make a trip to Cloud Sea Province."
"The Pioneer Space in Cloud Sea?"
"No, just Cloud Sea Province."
"I’ll go with you," Jiang Xinyu said with a hint of stubbornness.
"This... maybe it’s not a good idea. We’re chasing an Evil spirit, an Ancient Demon so troublesome that even the Demon Clan could only exile it. It’s incredibly powerful, and you could be in danger if you come..."
"When I was at the Star Cloud Stage, I wasn’t strong enough to fight alongside you. When you were at the Galaxy Stage, I could only stand by and watch you fend off the beast tide alone. But now, I’m at the Star Sea Stage. I know you want to protect me, but... how long can you protect me?"
Wang Lan’s hand paused slightly. Jiang Xinyu was already at the Star Sea Stage, and her true combat strength had reached the late Star Sea Stage. How long can I protect her? Those were not Jiang Xinyu’s words of challenge but rather a dawning realization for Wang Lan that Jiang Xinyu was also a remarkable talent.
A twenty-year-old at the Star Sea Stage, isn’t that strength enough? Even if she’s a bit weaker than me, self-preservation shouldn’t be a problem. Besides, I’ll be with her, right?
Thinking this, Wang Lan nodded. "Alright then, we’ll go to Cloud Sea Province together."
"Mm!"
「The next day」
An airplane cut through the sky. In the afternoon, Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu, dressed in matching outfits, merged with the crowd and exited Cloud Sea Airport.
