Chapter 665: 291. Target, Dragon Tiger Mountain Altar of Wanfa Sect! (Chapter Combined)_4

Various signs indicated that it was High Merit Elder Xu Yuanzhen from the Celestial Master Mansion.

As a result, a huge battle erupted at the Void Gateway, distorting the Void Realm. The shockwaves affected the surrounding seas and even approached land. Off the coast of Mingzhou, the sea surface almost formed a vast void. The space at the original location of the Void Gateway twisted, and within it seemed to be a fierce battle.

The Tang Imperial Court responded without delay, immediately dispatching a large number of people led by Chu Yu to rush to the aid of Mingzhou and Yuhang. Fang Yue, who was in Jianye, had already taken the initiative and rushed there.

The situation was unclear, and everyone originally intended to observe before acting, just like the previous reemergence of the Southern Wilderness Jiuli. But with Xu Yuanzhen so decisive in lighting the fuse, after some hesitation, most people chose to make a prompt decision and follow through. Thus, for a time, it seemed that the Great Tang was one step ahead in countering the Heavenly Principle.

"...It’s not impossible," Lei Jun and the others exchanged glances.

At the moment, they could only hope that Xu Yuanzhen was safe. The Celestial Master Mansion was also currently short-handed.

After consideration, Yuan Mobai and his disciple Lei Jun decided to stay on Dragon Tiger Mountain. Only Shangguan Ning, as a representative, went to Yuhang and Mingzhou to join the Tang Imperial Court, acting as an intermediary and coordinator. At the same time, they reached out to Sect Leader Tang Xiaotang, who was also away, allowing her to decide her next course of action herself.

After Sumi and the Earth Sea, Guicang, or rather the Heavenly Principle, had also reappeared in the Mortal World. The entire Great Tang was paying close attention, both inside and out.

In the Northern Lands of Youzhou, Ye Moquan once again met with Lin Huan, the leader of the Youzhou Forest Clan. Upon meeting, both had serious expressions.

"It’s a time of turmoil, and the common people are suffering," said Ye Moquan in a calm tone. "But the fickle nature of the world may well be an opportunity in the making."

Lin Huan nodded slightly.

Some things did not need to be spoken aloud, but those with insight understood: The surging of Global Spiritual Qi was beneficial for cultivators. Yet, the more this was the case, the less favorable it was for Noble Clans. The more difficult cultivation became for ordinary people—to the point where a significant portion of talent was consequently buried—the easier it was for Noble Clans to establish their status by leveraging their years of accumulated resources.

Currently, although the Great Tang Dynasty was not in a state of complete disarray, internal strife and external enemies were noticeably more frequent than in previous years. Western Region Buddhism aside for the moment, the remaining forces, whether Jiuli or Heavenly Principle, clearly posed a destabilizing threat to the Great Tang’s territory. In such circumstances, the Ye Clan and Lin Clan needed to be even more careful and secure their own positions.

"Shi, about the Xumi Vajra Sect and the Mortal Tao Country..." Lin Huan asked softly.

Ye Moquan replied, "Discontent festered between them due to the matter of the Celestial Master Robe. However, the Mortal Tao Country had gone into seclusion, and the Xumi Vajra Sect was nowhere to be found. For now, their attention had shifted to the Blood River Sect and the Great Demon of the Southern Wilderness."

Master Sang Ji had fallen because of the Great Demon of the Southern Wilderness, the Four-eyed Python Emperor, and Wei Ancheng of the Blood River Sect. Jiasheng Upper Master had not left the Southern Wilderness and, during this period, was intensifying the search for Wei Ancheng and the Four-eyed Python Emperor.

"The latest news is that the Xumi Vajra Sect seems to have picked up on the trail of the Four-eyed Python Emperor, resulting in their experts going all out to surround and eradicate that Great Demon," Ye Moquan said.

Lin Huan pondered, "So it is. That’s good."

Ye Moquan warned, "Don’t let your guard down. In my view, the Xumi Vajra Sect has more up its sleeve than it seems."

Lin Huan replied, "What you say is true, Shi. If the Buddhist scriptures are correct and the Vajra Division is just one of the Five Vajra Sects, then..."

Ye Moquan remarked, "Then the current Emperor’s attitude towards them will indeed change drastically."

Lin Huan nodded. The Tang Emperor Zhang Wantong’s current stance towards Western Region Buddhism was not particularly good, but not too bad either. If the true strength of Western Region Buddhism turned out to be astounding, her change in attitude would most likely not imply growing closer to them. Rather, it would mean heightened vigilance and caution.

"Yujing..." Ye Moquan softly called out Lin Huan’s name.

Lin Huan turned to look but saw Ye Moquan remaining silent. The elder stood with his hands behind his back, gazing into the distance, his eyes seemingly unfocused.

Lin Huan was slightly surprised, wondering what matter could be so significant as to affect Ye Moquan in such a way.

After a moment, the elder seemed to regain focus in his gaze. He coughed lightly and said, "Speaking of the Buddhist Sect, there is another matter concerning the White Lotus Sect."

Lin Huan knew that the Cangzhou Ye Clan had some arrangements within the White Lotus Sect. "Has there been some change? Is it related to the Future Maitreya?"

About three to four years ago, the Future Maitreya had made a world-shocking appearance in the Southern Wilderness. He demonstrated astonishing Buddhist Law, effectively establishing himself as the foremost Buddhist talent, surpassing even Abbot Yuanmie of the Great Void Temple. As a result, the Future Maitreya’s prestige within the White Lotus Sect greatly increased.

And as far as Lin Huan was aware, there were indeed some issues within the White Lotus Sect. These problems, to be precise, also stemmed partly from the efforts of the elder beside her in recent years...

"The conflict between the Demon Monk Jingshan and the Future Maitreya had become increasingly untenable, and at that time, the White Lotus Sect was already on the verge of splitting," Ye Moquan explained.

Lin Huan nodded. As the contemporary White Lotus Holy Master had been in seclusion for many years and rarely appeared in public, in the early years, most of the White Lotus Sect’s affairs were managed by other Elders. The leader among them, and the most distinguished, was Monk Jingshan, the Holy Master’s disciple brother, known as the second-highest expert in the White Lotus Sect. But with the rise of the Future Maitreya over the past thirty-odd years, different voices emerged within the White Lotus Sect.

After more than a hundred years of influence, Monk Jingshan had garnered numerous supporters within the Sect; his authority almost rivaled that of the White Lotus Holy Master himself. The outside world knew little of this, but Ye Moquan had his sources of information. He had known early on that, to a certain extent, the Future Maitreya actually had relatively fewer supporters within the White Lotus Sect.