Chapter 108: Bodhi Tree Stump

This is the Little Thunder Sound Temple?

Lin Fan muttered to himself. At this moment, he found himself in an entirely unfamiliar setting, with the surroundings resplendent and extravagantly luxurious.

“It appears to be a courtyard, yet it is far too vast. Even the grand hall of the Heavenly Capital Gate pales in comparison, and it is even smaller.”

A sigh of emotion escaped Lin Fan as he murmured inwardly, his eyes flickering.

He began to probe the area around him, hoping to glean some useful information, but in the end, he found nothing.

“What is this?”

Just as Lin Fan was about to give up, a withered tree stump appeared before him, spanning dozens of zhang in size, with marks etched by the passage of time that could not be erased, indicating it had existed for an exceedingly long period.

“This tree stump!”

Suddenly, Lin Fan’s eyes lit up as he recalled a certain scene.

A fat Buddha, a roasted phoenix!

“Could this be too coincidental? Who is this fat Buddha?”

Lin Fan muttered, extending his palm to gently caress the cracked surface of the tree stump.

At that moment, an earth-shattering killing intent surged from the tree stump, exploding violently.

“Puff!”

Lin Fan coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered backward. Luckily, he had withdrawn his hand in time; otherwise, that strike would have driven him mad.

“What a terrifying tree stump. It seems to have been corrupted, which is simply unimaginable.”

Lin Fan gazed at the tree stump with solemnity and decided not to approach it again. Instead, he planned to circumvent the area.

“What a pity for the three great sacred trees. I never imagined they would ultimately fall into demonic obstruction.”

A voice rang out, and the Kunlun Bag around Lin Fan’s waist stirred. The Wild Mountain Ginseng leaped out on its own. Previously, he hadn’t dared to show himself at all, nor could his aura be easily detected.

“You’ve finally shown yourself. Why didn’t I see you speaking earlier?”

Lin Fan questioned in surprise. Since being taken away by that red cloud, the Wild Mountain Ginseng had remained hidden, leading Lin Fan to suspect it had fled.

“Before, how could I have dared to speak? Those were all great figures, particularly the two who appeared later—lawless beings even in ancient times. If I had emerged, I would have been captured instantly.”

The Wild Mountain Ginseng rolled its eyes at Lin Fan humanely, landing on the ground to carefully examine the wooden stake below.

“What you said is correct. I heard you mention the three great sacred trees earlier. What are they?”

Lin Fan inquired, not missing a single detail.

“Ah? Did I say it just now?”

The Wild Mountain Ginseng tried to feign innocence, waving its root tendrils, but its voice weakened as it saw Lin Fan’s vigilant stare.

“Between heaven and earth, there are three great sacred trees. The first is the World Tree, said to connect the mortal realm with the divine kingdoms. The second is the Phoenix Tree, where the phoenix perches and the dragon soars; the phoenix tree is the totem of the phoenix clan. The third, the most mysterious, is the Bodhi Tree. It is said that the Shakyamuni of the Buddha sect attained his enlightenment leaning against the Bodhi tree, taking that step to walk out.”

The Wild Mountain Ginseng shook its head and body, presenting the image of a wise elder.

“You mean this tree stump belongs to the Bodhi Tree?”

Lin Fan wasn’t a fool; after a brief thought, he had guessed the gist.

“Indeed. It seems you’re not entirely unthinking either. In ancient times, the Bodhi Tree was called the Tree of Enlightenment. As for whether the rumor about Shakyamuni is true or false, that’s another matter, but the Bodhi Tree undoubtedly harbors a great secret.”

The Wild Mountain Ginseng gave Lin Fan a sidelong glance and said nonchalantly, “The Little Thunder Sound Temple is actually the true origin of Buddhism. However, after Shakyamuni attained the Dao, he established the Great Thunder Sound Temple, resulting in people only knowing the Great Thunder Sound Temple and not the name of Little Thunder Sound.”

“There is also a Bodhi Tree in the Great Thunder Sound Temple, but it is merely a branch of the one in Little Thunder Sound Temple and cannot compare to the main trunk. In fact, it is very likely that Shakyamuni did this to preserve the last wisp of incense for Buddhism. Unfortunately, the ancient war ultimately erupted, and it was a failure.”

Here, the Wild Mountain Ginseng’s voice took on a somewhat desolate tone.

“It seems you know quite a bit. How so? Did you see the Bodhi Tree yourself back then?”

Lin Fan looked deeply at the Wild Mountain Ginseng, becoming increasingly convinced that its origins were extraordinary.

“You’re joking. These are all just hearsay. Do you think I’m an ancient being? If I were an ancient creature, even a pig would be king and ancestor.”

The Wild Mountain Ginseng rolled its eyes at Lin Fan, utterly disregarding him.

“What you said makes sense. Thinking about it, it’s impossible. Let’s set that aside. Now that the Bodhi Tree has lost its value, won’t I just return empty-handed?”

Lin Fan surveyed his surroundings, hoping to find something of value.

“You idiot, what is this? That’s the Bodhi Tree! One of the legendary three great sacred trees. As long as you can knock off a piece of bark, it will suffice for you to use for thousands of years, comparable to the defense of an ancestral artifact, and who knows, it might even revive its vitality like the one in the Great Thunder Sound Temple!”

The Wild Mountain Ginseng cursed profusely, jumping directly onto the tree stump and waving its roots energetically.

“Be careful…”

Lin Fan reached out to stop it, but halted because he noticed the Bodhi Tree stump did not erupt with killing intent as before.

“What’s happening?”

Doubt surged, and Lin Fan was left dumbfounded. He couldn’t help but grimace and finally covered his forehead.

He saw the Wild Mountain Ginseng somehow locate a stone and began striking the Bodhi Tree stump desperately, but in the end, achieved nothing.

“This is unscientific. How could it not break? This tree stump is clearly dead, or perhaps…”

The Wild Mountain Ginseng was so furious it twisted its body and stamped its feet, unable to overcome the Bodhi Tree stump.

“Boy, hurry over here. Take out the gun from your heart, and let’s topple this tree stump together, directly turning it upside down.”

The Wild Mountain Ginseng waved its root tendrils, beckoning Lin Fan to join in, and even suggested involving the Judgment Gun.

“You can keep your suggestions. The Judgment Gun isn’t with me.”

Lin Fan was completely helpless, not anticipating that this Wild Mountain Ginseng would behave in such a manner.

“This won’t do. Hurry and call that gun out, otherwise you’ll miss a great opportunity.”

The Wild Mountain Ginseng had completely lost its mind, pondering some method to deal with the Bodhi Tree stump.

Lin Fan averted his gaze, ignoring it. Suddenly, his eyes moved, and he picked up a black bead beside the Bodhi Tree stump.

This was an utterly ordinary bead, yet divine patterns were carved upon it, vaguely making it seem elusive.

A black shadow flashed by, and the Wild Mountain Ginseng appeared in Lin Fan’s hand. It extended its root tendrils to snatch the bead, but Lin Fan stopped it.

“Someone.”

Lin Fan’s expression changed drastically. Without hesitation, he stuffed the unreliable Wild Mountain Ginseng into the Kunlun Bag. If this unreliable fellow kept causing trouble, who knew what mess it might create. Better to make it behave.

“It’s you?!”

A familiar voice came from afar. Five figures walked over, each carrying a fierce killing aura.