Chapter One Hundred and Two: The True Secret

Falling Blossom Young Master’s true name was Xiang Luohua. The Xiang clan was not native to the Ancient Buddha Domain; its origins were highly mysterious, and few people knew anything about them.

“I have heard that the Xiang clan came from the Ancient Road Prefecture, though I do not know whether that is true.”

Lin Fan smiled as he spoke, neatly sidestepping Xiang Zhenting’s question.

“What Brother Lin says is not false. My Xiang clan is indeed not from the Whirling Prefecture. If not for Luohua, I would not have come here. Two years from now, the Heavenly Response Prefecture will hold a grand gathering, and Luohua will be brought back to the clan. Otherwise, he can only serve as a mere foil at that event.”

Xiang Zhenting was a man of deep schemes, yet his conduct was open and upright. He was someone worth befriending.

“So that is how it is. Still, I do not understand why you were trapped in Mount Wangwu. The Ancient Road Prefecture ranks above the Whirling Prefecture, so your side should have no shortage of opportunities.”

At that moment, the city gates opened, and Lin Fan and the others had already stepped inside.

“It is not quite so simple. Mount Wangwu is no ordinary place; it is renowned throughout the entire Heavenly Response Prefecture. What you say is not wrong, but this time is different from before.”

Xiang Zhenting glanced at Falling Blossom Young Master. Only after seeing the latter nod did he continue.

“Brother Lin may not know this, but Mount Wangwu holds a great opportunity. We only came to try our luck. The ones who will truly make a move are someone else.”

These words left Lin Fan rather bewildered. From the rumors he had heard, only the younger generation’s experts were present in Mount Wangwu. Could it be that those people were not the ones making the move?

“Truth be told, I am from the Heavenly Martial Domain. I only arrived in the Ancient Buddha Domain not long ago, and I do not really know what has happened here. I hope Brother Xiang can explain it to me.”

Lin Fan was sincere, and he was not lying. To be exact, he knew almost nothing about Mount Wangwu. If not for Yi Xiaoxian, he would not have come here at all.

“I can tell Brother Lin is not lying. Let us find a place to sit and speak in detail.”

Xiang Zhenting’s face was pale, and he could no longer suppress his injuries. He was swaying unsteadily.

“Brother Xiang should heal first. I have been thoughtless.”

Lin Fan actually blushed a little. He had only been thinking of himself and had forgotten that Xiang Zhenting and the others were all seriously wounded.

They soon found a residence, one of the Xiang clan’s strongholds, with no outsiders present.

An hour later, Lin Fan was invited to the main hall. By then, Xiang Zhenting and Falling Blossom Young Master had both improved considerably, clearly thanks to some precious healing elixirs.

“Brother Lin, I want to know what you have heard about Mount Wangwu.”

Xiang Zhenting did not go straight to the point, but asked in this way instead.

“Mount Wangwu?”

Lin Fan was slightly startled, then went on. “To be honest, my understanding of Mount Wangwu is very limited. I only know that many strong figures of the younger generation have gathered here, so it can be counted as a grand assembly.”

“Since Brother Lin is not from the Ancient Buddha Domain, those are merely the things shown to outsiders. In truth, Mount Wangwu is a tangled and chaotic place. We youngsters are only the vanguard. The true experts are hidden in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. When that time comes, they will break through the barrier in one fell swoop.”

Xiang Zhenting drew in a deep breath and revealed a shocking piece of news.

“What?”

Sure enough, Lin Fan was stunned the moment he heard this. Everything Xiang Zhenting had said was utterly different from what he had understood before, as if the two accounts came from completely different worlds.

“That is how it is. It is not only the clans of the Ancient Buddha Domain; even our Xiang clan has sent an elder to lie hidden there. He is a great figure at the Void-Breaking Realm. In the face of such a powerhouse, do you think we can still count as the main actors?”

Xiang Zhenting smiled helplessly. Although he was now the leader of the Xiang clan, once that elder made his move, he would become the unquestioned overlord, commanding all the Xiang clan’s forces.

Lin Fan shook his head, no longer hiding his astonishment.

“I had some suspicion already, but I was still too shallow. I originally thought that a tyrant at the Heavenly Human Realm would already stand at the summit. I never expected a great figure at the Void-Breaking Realm to appear as well. In the presence of such a powerhouse, clouds can be turned and rain summoned at will. We truly count for nothing.”

Lin Fan was equally resigned. He had never imagined that he would end up merely an onlooker. In truth, he had already begun to suspect as much when he saw this small city. Young men are always proud and unruly, unwilling to submit to one another. How could they gather here without any conflict at all?

“Indeed. But the secrets within Mount Wangwu are simply too important. They involve a hidden Buddhist matter, one we cannot bear on our own. If that karmic burden truly descends, not a single person will leave alive. Only after a Void-Breaking Realm powerhouse appeared did we finally see a sliver of hope.”

Xiang Zhenting saw things very clearly. He had known this all along; he had simply not said it before. Judging from Falling Blossom Young Master’s equally dumbfounded expression, one could guess that much.

“Big brother, why have I never heard you mention this before?”

Falling Blossom Young Master looked rather grim. He had originally refused to return to the clan, but now it seemed impossible. With an elder at the Void-Breaking Realm here, even if he grew wings, he would never fly out of the palm of this mountain.

“It has always been a secret. It is only natural that I did not mention it.”

Xiang Zhenting remained expressionless, entirely unconcerned with Falling Blossom Young Master’s reaction.

“A Buddhist secret? Could it be that a Buddhist supreme figure is buried here?”

Lin Fan shook his head. He was only joking. True supreme figures were ancestors in the ancestral realm; they should not be here.

“Brother Lin is truly extraordinary. You guessed it exactly. A Buddhist supreme figure is indeed buried here, and Mount Wangwu is in fact the Buddhist Little Thunder Monastery. Rumor has it that within lies the secret method by which Shakyamuni once claimed imperial sovereignty.”

Xiang Zhenting’s words were astonishing enough to make one forget to breathe. The moment he spoke, Lin Fan’s mind surged violently. It was simply unimaginable, something he had never even heard of.

“That should be impossible,” Lin Fan said, though surprisingly calmly. He quickly steadied himself and began to consider the truth of the claim.

“Better to believe it than not.”

No further words were needed. Xiang Zhenting had already spoken the hearts of those great figures.

“So that is how it is. I understand now.”

Lin Fan let out a long sigh. He knew what those great figures were thinking. If there were even the slightest chance of claiming imperial rule, none of them would let it pass.

“Then what happened to you today? Why were you in such a sorry state?”

Lin Fan asked, still full of doubt.

“This is what happened. We went first to probe the true nature of the Little Thunder Monastery, only to be stopped by a formation. However, during this period, those great figures have already studied the method of breaking that formation thoroughly. I fear it will not be long before they choose to storm the gate.”

Xiang Zhenting answered Lin Fan very directly, for the matter of the assault on the pass would soon come to pass anyway; there was no harm in speaking of it.

“The storming of the gate is imminent. I fear another bloody slaughter is about to begin.”

Lin Fan seemed to be speaking to himself. His gaze was deep and unfathomable, clearly occupied with some thought.

In truth, he was also connecting the secrets he knew, faintly sensing that an earthshaking event was about to unfold.