Chapter 679: Well Versed in This

Lin Fan sized up the five before him, but they did not take him seriously at all.

Even Mu Manfeng, whom Lin Fan regarded highly, only let his gaze rest on Lin Fan for a second before immediately losing interest.

"In this secret realm..." Nangong Huang began to explain the situation, but was interrupted by Yu Liutian beside him.

Yu Liutian's expression shifted, signaling the others that there were two outsiders present, and even harbored murderous intent, asking if they should make a move.

Mu Manfeng looked at the group, a trace of disdain flickering in his eyes. He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Master, you have a strong Buddha nature. Are you from the Buddha clan?"

To Mu Manfeng, the four—Yu Liutian and the others—were not worth his concern despite their strength, but among the two unknowns, the one hidden beneath a robe, Venerable Shakyamuni, caught his attention.

"Benefactor, you can sense Buddha nature?" Venerable Shakyamuni, his head concealed under the robe, was slightly startled and showed a hint of interest.

Buddha nature is ethereal and elusive; unless one is from the Buddha clan, ordinary people simply cannot perceive it.

"I happened to study some Buddha clan techniques," Mu Manfeng said with a faint smile, naturally not mentioning that he had encountered the treasure of a Buddha clan great one during an adventure.

When Venerable Shakyamuni looked up at Mu Manfeng, he nodded in surprise. "I didn't expect the benefactor's Buddha clan techniques to be so profound. They must be from the lineage of the Great Free Venerable Buddha."

Venerable Shakyamuni was of the Buddha clan, well-versed in Buddhist scriptures, and thoroughly familiar with the various schools of the Buddha clan.

However, what puzzled Venerable Shakyamuni was that the lineage of the Great Free Venerable Buddha had fallen long ago; he hadn't expected someone to still be practicing its Dharma.

Mu Manfeng hadn't anticipated that this monk's insight would be so sharp—merely from the faint trace of Buddha nature he emitted, he could deduce the Dharma he practiced. This was unexpected.

"May I ask the master's Dharma name?" Mu Manfeng felt that this monk was definitely not ordinary.

"I..." Although these people were all sect prodigies, Venerable Shakyamuni's reputation was not insignificant; if he announced himself, it would surely cause a stir.

But just as Venerable Shakyamuni was about to state his name, Lin Fan got up and walked deeper inside.

"Ah, benefactor, where are you going? Wait for me!" Seeing Lin Fan leave, Venerable Shakyamuni dared not linger. He had finally found him; if he let him slip away again, where would he search?

"Into the secret realm."

...

"What background do these two have?" Nangong Huang, seeing Mu Manfeng take the monk so seriously, also grew cautious.

"Hmph, whatever their background, if they dare block our way, we'll send them to the Western Paradise," Yu Liutian said coldly, his eyes growing more vicious.

"Better be careful. This monk is no simpleton," Mu Manfeng said gravely.

His instincts were never wrong; he had fought his way up from nothing.

"Hmph, timid as a mouse. Since those two entered the secret realm first, let them scout the way. This place is full of dangers, and we might not be the only ones entering," Yu Liutian said, casting a disdainful glance at Mu Manfeng.

"Brother Yu, Brother Mu is my friend and our teammate. I hope you'll watch your words," Nangong Huang frowned.

Had Yu Liutian eaten gunpowder today? He was so hostile toward the person he brought.

"Hmph," Yu Liutian snorted coldly.

Xing Wanjun and Jia Yongye chuckled inwardly. They couldn't gauge Mu Manfeng's depth, but Yu Liutian's provocation might let them see Mu Manfeng's true strength.

"Yu Liutian, I've been tolerating you out of respect for Brother Nangong. But now you provoke me repeatedly. Today, I'll have a bout with you and see what you're really made of," Mu Manfeng said darkly, murderous intent rising in his heart.

"Brother Mu!" Nangong Huang hadn't expected things to escalate and found himself in a difficult position.

"Nangong Huang, I think you'd better not interfere. Since it's come to this, let him have a bout with Brother Yu. It'll show us if he's qualified to be in our group," Xing Wanjun said.

"Exactly," Jia Yongye nodded in agreement.

...

"Benefactor, why the sudden rush to leave?" Venerable Shakyamuni said helplessly.

"What, waiting for you to show off?" Lin Fan glanced at him.

He could see through this Venerable Shakyamuni's intentions at a glance.

"Benefactor, how can you speak of me like that?" Venerable Shakyamuni said sorrowfully. He hadn't expected to meet a benefactor who knew him so well—this was beyond his imagination.

As the saying goes, great minds think alike. Venerable Shakyamuni understood that this human emperor was also a veteran in the art of showing off, well versed in it.

"Benefactor, the atmosphere in this secret realm feels off, and with so many prodigies here, it must be fraught with danger. Perhaps we should retreat," Venerable Shakyamuni said worriedly.

"If you're scared, you can leave," Lin Fan said calmly.

He was determined to obtain the Primordial Wood, no matter what. He just wondered if there was anything else besides the Primordial Wood inside.

But given that it attracted so many powerful figures, mere Primordial Wood was unlikely. There must be other treasures.

"Benefactor, it's not that I'm scared. As the saying goes, 'If I don't enter hell, who will...'"

"Enough, enough, stop the nonsense. If you want to follow, follow. But don't get any ideas about the treasure, or I'll deal with you," Lin Fan continued forward, but suddenly noticed the bald donkey had stopped. He felt a flicker of joy—could it be that the bald donkey was scared and about to leave?

"Benefactor, you can insult me, but you cannot slander me. How could I ever stoop to coveting treasure?" Venerable Shakyamuni said with righteous indignation.

Lin Fan shook his head helplessly. This bald donkey was really messed up. He'd see if he could scare him off later.

Meanwhile, as Lin Fan passed through the woods, the tree demons were also discussing among themselves.

"What do we do now? More strong ones have come. Do we still swallow them?"

"The Tree King said, 'Swallow my ass.' Stay low. Every one of these strong ones could wipe us out."

"What's going on? This secret realm rarely sees living beings. Why have so many come recently?"

"Who knows? If we're lucky, we might pick up some corpses."

"I like corpse-picking. No effort, just wait by the tree."

...