Chapter 1100: Treasure Fang Affairs

However, within the Golden Hall, there was only the incessant sound of weeping. The words of the black-robed monk only left the assembly of monks bewildered and unable to comprehend. Meanwhile, golden light continually crisscrossed in the sky, then fell.

Fachang came up from the front of the hall.

Within the Buddhist realm, there were many factions, some seeking ancient ways, others embracing new techniques. This Mahā, clinging to old ways to protect the interests of the Buddhist realm, found himself pleasing neither side. Even within the Buddhist realm, he was often alone, and now, entering the grand hall, his face was drenched in cold sweat.

Even though Fachang was not particularly close with Guangchan—the one suffering the loss was the entire Damu Buddhist realm!

‘Guangchan has been harmed by the South!’

This sent a chill from head to toe. He knelt beside Kongshu, both sorrowful and horrified, and said:

“Revered Martial Uncle!”

Kongshu continued to stare at the residual image, remaining silent for a long time.

Fachang quickly swept out the numerous monks who were prostrate in the hall, wailing and staggering about. He tightly shut the hall doors, and instantly, candles lit up, isolating all the clamor outside. Only then did Fachang kneel on the ground, weeping:

“Revered Martial Uncle, what should we do!”

Only then did Monk Kongshu turn his head and sigh:

“What should we do? When Li Jieyi descended south to plot against lives, he should have foreseen this day! How can one plot to take others' lives and then expect to keep one's own?”

Fachang was sweating profusely. Even stubborn as he was, he could no longer afford to debate this with Kongshu, and merely lowered his gaze, saying:

“But... though he may have died due to karma... what about Baoya!”

Not to mention the entire world, the entire Buddhist cultivation community—at least within the Damu Buddhist realm, which high-ranking figure didn't know their own Realm Lord's schemes for the Golden Land! On a small scale, this meant Guangchan lost his life, but on a larger scale... it meant a major affair of the Damu Buddhist realm had been sabotaged!

Seeing Kongshu remain silent for a long time, Fachang could only grit his teeth and say:

“Our lives are insignificant, our cultivation shallow; we cannot grasp the full implications of this great matter... nor can we discern Heaven's will. I only wish to ask, Revered Martial Uncle... what exactly has happened to Baoya now?”

“It's already lost contact, what else could it be!”

Kongshu's reply left Fachang speechless.

Losing contact with Golden Lands was not a new occurrence; more recently, there was the Qinling Golden Land, which was even more significant than Baoya! It was once the seat of governance for the great masters of both Demonic and Buddhist paths, and though it was pierced through by a single word from Emperor Wei... its remaining legacies were still terrifyingly abundant!

When this Golden Land was in the hands of the Wrathful Avatar, it was considered the sharpest blade, its reputation known to all. After the Wrathful Manifestation collapsed overnight, the renowned Dao lineage of Qinling could only sense a pitiable position of compassion. Neither their own Realm Lord nor the other Avatars' lords could do anything about the hidden Qinling Golden Land, and to this day, it remains unchanged.

The monk understood how severe the loss of contact was, and wept:

“This matter... The Donor Lord has always been indifferent to it, but I fear... it will anger the Realm Lord. Among the Five Peaks, not only will they blame Baoya, but the calls for southward expansion are also growing louder...”

“Now, not only will we be unable to suppress the other paths, but even we ourselves will be drawn in... How much more negative karma will we accumulate!”

Seeing Fachang's distraught appearance, Kongshu shook his head and said:

“It's not as bad as that.”

He shifted his gaze to the face of the Victorious Name All-Enlightened King in the center and quietly said:

“Back when the Great Wei Dynasty existed, Emperor Wei and the Six Kings of Guanlong often feasted in Longzhong Garden, where white qilin were raised. When Wei fell, Longzhong Garden was opened by the Shangguan family, and the white qilin scattered, though most were captured by powerful cultivators. One of them, at Qingliang Terrace, was named 'Shengming' (Victorious Name) by the abbot at the time, who hoped it would achieve great accomplishments.”

“Later, when the Victorious Name All-Enlightened King achieved his enlightenment, this white qilin was given to him as a mount, and they died together. What is unknown, however, is that this senior white qilin escaped all the way and died at Qingliang Terrace—leaving behind many words.”

Fachang paused slightly, raised his brows to look at him, and said in alarm:

“If that's the case, the truth behind Emperor Liang's drowning back then... Qingliang Terrace...”

Kongshu was silent for a moment, then cast a somewhat warning glance at Fachang before saying:

“This senior passed away in the mountains, and his last words were that the successor to Baoya would be a descendant of the Cicada King. He then transformed into endless heavenly light and parting fire, incinerating himself, leaving behind a relic on the terrace, shaped like a white cicada, called the Victorious Name Baoya Stone.”

“These words of his... preserved a descendant of this lineage of the Victorious Name All-Enlightened King. At that time, this descendant hid with the Tao family, and to avoid war, they all changed their surname to Tao, falsely claiming to be members of the Tao family.”

“And Guangchan was a descendant of that lineage. Li Jieyi, who studied the immortal path... was actually secretly serving under an old True Master from Zixie.”

Hearing this, Fachang was incredulous:

“Zitai Xuanxie Sect? The Dao lineage of the Shaoyang Demon Lord?”

The cold sweat on his face increased, and he belatedly replied:

“...Li Jieyi could indeed join the Zitai Xuanxie Sect... After all, he was a Tao family member. I heard that day he was humiliated by Bai Ziyu, and couldn't endure the insult after just a few words. So that was the reason. After all... for a disciple of the Zitai Xuanxie Sect, who most disdained Buddhist cultivation, to ultimately have to enter our Buddhist path...”

Hearing this, Kongshu's expression became slightly complicated, and he said:

“His master was merely a figure from the Zitai Xuanxie Sect.”

“As his cultivation gradually reached a bottleneck and he could not progress beyond 'Canzi', and his master also perished, he then met our Dao Lord, bowed to the Victorious Name Baoya Stone, and thus entered Buddhism to activate Baoya, but this matter was far from being so glorious...”

The black-robed monk let out a long sigh and said:

“And he... when he first entered Buddhism, his ambition was too great, even harboring a slight desire to transform into a demon. After all, from the perspective of these immortal cultivators... demons are at least the opposite of immortals; they wouldn't stoop to Buddhism.”

“With this intention, he insisted on refining a supremely beautiful Dharma body, unwilling to settle for something crude. Yet he feared that the refining process would take too long, leaving him without powerful combat ability in the short term, so he chose a head of an ancient sage from the Baoya Golden Land to use...”

“It was precisely because of his actions and his duplicity that the Baoya Golden Land did not fully acknowledge him. Apart from his core Mahā position, the other positions granted were pitifully few.”

“In this matter, the Lords were actually displeased with him, yet had no one else to use. Thus, they feigned an intention to reclaim Baoya and seek someone else... He was put on the spot, forced to urgently travel south in search of opportunities.”

Fachang then breathed a sigh of relief and replied:

“Buddha preserve us... Buddha preserve us... So, this should not be a bad thing. The Victorious Name Baoya Stone is still in our hands; although Baoya is temporarily lost, it will eventually return...”

He sighed in relief, appearing relieved, but Kongshu's expression before him was complex as he replied:

“You are mistaken...”

Fachang raised his eyebrows to look, seeing the black-robed monk say:

“The Seven Avatars don't necessarily need Guangchan, but without him, it's a very bad situation for the Buddhist realm... The Seven Avatars still hold leverage over Mingyang. If our Buddhist realm had Guangchan, we could have supported him to contend with the Seven Avatars and participate in matters. Now that Guangchan has fallen and has no descendants in the Tao family, he has lost this right!”

“Once Compassion and Great Desire successively make their moves, achieve results, and exert pressure through Dayang Mountain...”

“Doesn't the Path of Great Desire still hold a Mingyang bloodline? If they elevate him, and we have no one like Guangchan in our mountains... then for the sake of the greater situation, they might even take out the Victorious Name Baoya Stone for them to share... It would transform from something belonging to our Buddhist realm into a treasure to be jointly divided by the Seven Avatars...”

This black-robed monk was truly remarkable; not only was he intelligent, but he also wasn't confined by dogma. He managed to almost entirely deduce the future course of events by himself.

Fachang was speechless for a moment, kneeling blankly on the ground for quite some time before gritting his teeth and saying:

“Guangchan... Guangchan... greedy and wicked, without an ounce of self-cultivation, yet harboring a boundless ambition... now everything is ruined because of him!”

Kongshu did not commit to an answer; he simply helped Fachang up and sighed:

“Regardless, he was still the Mahā of the Buddhist realm. Send someone south once, to his body, and retrieve a section of his Dharma body so there can be a place for veneration...”

Fachang nodded silently, but Kongshu merely smiled:

“You need not worry... The one who should be most worried now is Qi Lanyan.”

“As for Baoya...”

The monk's expression was calm, and his eyes held a thoughtful look:

“It will ultimately reach the hands of the person it is meant for.”

Wangyue Lake.

In the sky, colors swirled and rolled, with a thick purple shroud at the horizon constantly clashing with the western hues, casting down layer after layer of shimmering light.

Wangyue Lake had frequently suffered calamities, which were always concentrated on its northern and eastern shores. After all, the western shore was backed by Xiping Mountain, and the southern shore by Dali Mountain, so for a long time, there had been no worries about external enemies. It was a peaceful and the most prosperous area.

The western shore, rich in mineral deposits, was already fertile. During the Qingchi era, Daoist He set rules when governing the shore, preventing much fighting. When the Li family reclaimed the western shore, the Yang family facilitated a bloodless takeover. This area had never even experienced the clan conflicts seen on the southern shore; at most, one or two demonic cultivators might appear, but peace had reigned for hundreds of years.

But today, on the usually cloud-piercing Xiping Mountain, countless banners fluttered. Amidst the swirling mists, the golden character for "Shu" could be faintly seen, massive flying ships shuttled forth, and countless cultivators descended from above, riding the wind.

The entire western shore was in chaos, with shouts of killing reaching the sky and battles everywhere—Yang Ruiyi and the two Li family members had indeed guessed correctly: the Shu army had arrived!

The safety of Wangyue Lake was Li Ximing's utmost concern. After all, Guangchan had a terrible track record, and Li Ximing could not be sure that this person would definitely head north after leaving the Baiye Immortal Path—if he ventured south and attacked Wangyue Lake, wouldn't that shake their very foundation?!

Therefore, under Yang Ruiyi's arrangements, Li Ximing indeed initially stayed at Wangyue Lake. Unlike Li Zhouwei, who had prepared early to head north, Li Ximing personally witnessed the Baiye Immortal Path's ambush forces moving north instead of south from the river, and only then did he set off north, arriving in Baixiang one step behind Li Zhouwei.

And the one left here to guard was True Master Wenqing of Ziyan Blessed Land, specifically to defend against Western Shu!

At this moment, this True Master, holding a purple qi conch, was fighting with a white-robed True Master on Xiping Mountain. The white-robed True Master, holding a precious blade with a calm expression, was none other than the Grand Shu's Dingmo Army Commander—True Master Hongyan of the Ni clan!

This True Master was once a supporter of the Sun Dao lineage, had a close relationship with the Jianmen sect, and also knew Zi Qi. Now, leading his army, he appeared effortlessly skilled and clearly had the upper hand when dealing with Wenqing!

After all, Hongyan possessed two divine abilities, and not only had he inherited the Jianmen Dao lineage, but he had also acquired many techniques from Changhuai. With both endowments, his strength was considerable. He faced Wenqing with no pressure, even appearing to hold back somewhat.

True Master Wenqing in the sky, of course, knew that her opponent was holding back, and the complexity in her heart was inexpressible:

‘To think it has come to this today!’

Kan Ziyu, in her younger years, was also a direct descendant of Ziyan, held a high status, and was acquainted with Cheng Gao. Thus, she had visited the Ni clan, and even... True Master Hongyan had seen her then and placed his direct grandson under her tutelage for cultivation.

This child was named Ni Zan; he had long since returned to his clan and should now be in the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment. If the current situation were like it was a hundred years ago, Hongyan would be considered a very close True Master to her!

‘Now, however, we are here to fight to the death...’

Her heart was complex, little knowing that True Master Hongyan, who appeared calm and at ease, was also experiencing inner turmoil and immense panic.

Hongyan had not been a True Master for long; he attained divine abilities in the same year as Tu Longjian. His ability to do so was largely due to the Sword Gate's blessings; without a spiritual item from an old True Master of the Sword Gate, Hongyan would have long since turned to dust!

Ever since Qing Jifang sealed him in the desert, True Master Hongyan had felt something was amiss. Sure enough, now he was sent to cross Xiping and attack Wangyue Lake!

True Master Hongyan's mind was perfectly clear:

‘How many schemes can this scoundrel Qing Jifang have in his mind... He merely sees that I have always been close to the Yue Kingdom's Dao lineage, and so he sends me to attack, to forge a blood feud with the Li clan!’

His heart turned cold and trembled:

‘He is just like his father, pitifully narrow-minded. This is revenge... This is revenge for that day! This is killing the chicken to scare the monkeys!’

When the Great Song Dynasty was founded, Li Zhouwei was conferred the title of King Wei. Qing Jifang brought him and Li Muyan east.

True Master Hongyan had private ties with the Li clan of Tanshan. He actually knew a bit about Li Muyan; that old man, to protect his clan, had originally come with the intention of provoking Tingzhou. However, Li Zhouwei's divine abilities were terrifying, almost beating him to death in one go, forcing him to urgently call out to Qing Jifang, making this True Master of Changhuai Mountain come out to take a beating and lose great face.

Later, Li Muyan returned to the mountains to recover from his injuries, satisfied. Meanwhile, True Master Hongyan, who had always watched from the sidelines and refused to exert full effort, had long been secretly resented by Qing Jifang, leading to today's events.

Qing Jifang naturally knew that True Master Hongyan would not go all out, but the flying ships behind him and the cultivators beneath his feet wouldn't play along. Even if the Ni clan didn't want to offend Tingzhou, there would be no room for explanation on the battlefield; a flying sword meant either death or survival, and blood was already flowing like a river! It was almost explicitly saying:

‘Don't want to offend the Li clan? I'll make sure your family charges first!’

What left True Master Hongyan feeling even more empty and uncertain was... he knew that on the Dharma ship currently, there were not only his Ni clan cultivators and the desert guards, but also one or two detachments of personnel specially inserted by the Shu court.

True Master Hongyan could figure out what these people were doing with his toes. The cultivators on the lake wouldn't be able to distinguish the Shu cultivators, so it was simply under the guise of his Ni clan... to commit great slaughter on the western shore, targeting those direct descendants of the Li family!

He could only secretly curse in his heart, feeling a sense of bleakness:

‘After this battle... my Ni clan... will likely incur the hatred of Tingzhou!’