Prince of Zhou, Fragrant Army

The problem is significant.

It lies within Zhao Zhen himself.

Zhu Yuanzhang stared at the candle holder in Zhao Zhen's hand and took a deep breath.

A thick, cloying scent.

It was the smell of Corpse Incense Tribute.

"Then there is no doubt now."

Zhu Yuanzhang lowered his eyes, avoiding the white gravel rolling across the ground in the darkness.

"It is indeed the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique."

Yet, according to Yuanhui, since the founding of Imperial Awakening Temple, only Monk Zhao—who had already transformed into a Shadow Walker—had managed to master the True Technique within a single year.

And Zhao Zhen had entered the temple in the same year as Monk Zhao.

Like Zhu Yuanzhang, they had both been taken in as disciples by Gao Bin in the third year of the Zhizheng era.

However, Zhu Yuanzhang had only been a novice, while those two, due to their wealthy backgrounds and generous donations of gold to Imperial Awakening Temple, had been taken in directly by Gao Bin as true disciples.

Previously, no one had ever suspected a connection between Zhao Zhen and Monk Zhao.

After all, their birth dates, places of origin, and accents had nothing in common.

The only shared point was that they had entered the temple in the same year.

But now, Zhu Yuanzhang was almost certain that Zhao Zhen and that nameless Monk Zhao must share some sort of connection.

At the very least, both possessing the True Technique could not be a mere coincidence.

Zhu Yuanzhang narrowed his eyes slightly, watching the figure of Zhao Zhen walking ahead with the candle holder.

Zhu Yuanzhang believed he might be the person in this world who understood the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique best.

Through dozens of deaths, his understanding of the True Fire—his "attainment"—should be far superior to Zhao Zhen's.

Although the other party had the Corpse Incense Tribute to bear the cost, he himself had the Great Wisdom Zen Technique to reduce the depletion of the Three Treasures.

The advantage is mine!

However, Zhu Yuanzhang did not rush to act.

Even though he had a seventy percent chance of victory, it was still not safe enough.

Life only happens once; in the real world, Zhu Yuanzhang's principle was to always overestimate the enemy.

"When everyone is gathered later, I must ask Senior Brother to distribute the ordination certificates from the General Doctrine Office to everyone."

Walking in front, Zhao Zhen chatted idly with Yuanhui as they moved.

Zhu Yuanzhang walked in the middle of the group, followed by the two young monks Yuanhui had brought that morning, who had also entered the temple in the third year of the Zhizheng era.

"After all, there is only Master Gao Bin left in the temple who is a true cultivator, and what Senior Brother Zhao has been practicing is... alas... Abbot Gao Bin told me that if the crisis in the temple cannot be resolved for the time being, we should disperse the disciples down the mountain to seek refuge."

As Zhao Zhen said this, Yuanhui fell silent for a moment.

A moment later, seemingly reflecting on the current state of the temple, he nodded heavily and said with a melancholy expression.

"That is indeed the only way; after all, there is no other particularly good method."

Both sides ceased speaking, their footsteps quickening.

The cave was so silent that only the crackling of the burning lamp oil and the heavy breathing of the young monks could be heard.

The deeper they ventured into the Scripture Cave, the darker the surroundings became, until they could not even see their own fingers.

Only the light radiating from the candle holder in Zhao Zhen's hand illuminated the path for the group.

In the silence, Zhu Yuanzhang asked, "Senior Brothers, may I ask what the history of this Scripture Cave is? And what connection does it have to the abandoned Scripture Depository on the back mountain?"

The path beneath their feet was uneven, like a field soaked by a torrential rain—muddy and treacherous.

Relying on the purifying perception of the Great Wisdom Zen Technique's [Holy Wish-Fulfillment].

Zhu Yuanzhang "saw" blood—a vast amount of blood.

It was spread evenly beneath their feet, watering the black sludge, as if it were nurturing something.

This must be those senior and junior brothers Zhao Zhen spoke of who came into the cave to reunite.

Zhu Yuanzhang thought to himself, but on the surface, he remained as if he had discovered nothing at all.

Calm as a deep pool.

Since Zhao Zhen was determined to lure them deep into the cave.

It meant he was not confident in killing all four of them in one strike.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang wanted to see what kind of game he was playing.

The two young monks behind followed in Zhu Yuanzhang's footsteps, keeping close.

They instinctively sensed danger and tensed their bodies, yet they could never have imagined that the danger lay right beneath their feet.

"This Scripture Cave is essentially a replacement for the Scripture Depository after it could not be rebuilt."

Zhao Zhen replied casually.

"Basically, all the books from the original Scripture Depository that weren't destroyed by the fire were moved here."

Oh?

Zhu Yuanzhang's eyes lit up.

If that were the case, did it not mean that the original copy of the Mountain-Shrinking Fist was likely here in this Scripture Cave?

The group continued to move forward, though at some point, Zhu Yuanzhang had drifted from the center of the formation to the very back.

"We have arrived... Senior Brothers Yuantong and the others are just ahead."

At the end of the Scripture Cave, a beam of piercing white light suddenly illuminated the space.

It was a Maitreya Buddha carved from fine White Jade, surrounded by a cluster of milky-white candles that emitted a ghastly, pale glow.

"What is that..."

Yuanhui pointed to the lotus pedestals covered in white cloth beside the White Jade Maitreya, each holding a life-sized statue of a guardian deity, and asked.

A flash of confusion crossed his brow.

He had never seen any statues other than the White Jade Maitreya inside the Scripture Depository.

"Those are the newly arrived guardian deities."

Zhao Zhen walked into the meditation room at the depths of the cave and pulled back a white cloth.

A pungent smell of blood instantly permeated the air.

"Senior Brother Yuantong!"

Yuanhui shrieked in horror.

Sitting upon the lotus pedestal before them was a man of blood.

His seven orifices had been sealed shut with gold thread.

Although he sat in the lotus position with his hands in the Fearless Mudra, his face appearing solemn and compassionate, his smile was twisted with unmistakable terror.

"Senior brothers, junior brothers, please take your seats."

Zhao Zhen pointed to the end of the meditation hall at several empty lotus pedestals that seemed to have been prepared specifically for them, a sinister smile on his face.

As his voice fell, the flame of the candle in Zhao Zhen's hand flickered without a breeze.

The next moment, several screams rang out as Yuanhui and the two young monks behind him began to burn out of thin air.

"Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique..."

Yuanhui rolled on the ground, trying to extinguish the flames on his body, and said in disbelief.

"You are—"

At this, Zhao Zhen held the candlestick and looked at the men about to be consumed by the true fire, not bothering to hide his identity.

"I am a disciple under the Prince of Zhou. Today, I have come to Imperial Awakening Temple to fulfill a prophecy and claim the century of fortune that my ancestor once stored within this temple."

Black winds swirled, buffeting the inextinguishable golden candlestick in Zhao Zhen's hand, causing the White Jade Maitreya behind him to radiate a brilliant, blinding light in the darkness.

"White Lotus heretic!" Yuanhui, already engulfed by the true fire, looked at his junior brother with despair and disbelief, uttering the final sounds he would ever make in this world.

"Hm?"

"What the hell is a disciple under the Prince of Zhou?"

Zhu Yuanzhang, who had just entered the meditation hall after using the resonance between the Mountain-Shrinking Fist and its original manual to locate the text, stood there with a look of confusion.

"Are you not practicing the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique of Yinglong Temple?"

"The Prince of Zhou has already raised his banner in Yuan Prefecture this past month; soon, he shall expel the Yuan barbarians and rebuild our Han world... For the sake of such a great cause, Junior Brother Zhu, please enter my lotus pedestal... Hm?"

The candlelight flickered.

Zhao Zhen stared at Zhu Yuanzhang, who stood at the entrance of the meditation hall as if he had just arrived and been frozen in place by the scene before him, seemingly terrified.

He revealed a look of utter disbelief.

Before the Maitreya throne, the true fire raged, yet it formed a perfect ring around Zhu Yuanzhang's body.

The true fire, capable of melting steel and iron, could not harm a single hair on Zhu Yuanzhang's head.

"Who exactly are you—"

"Petty tricks, daring to show off before an expert."

Zhu Yuanzhang felt the fragility of Zhao Zhen's true fire, which couldn't even break the defense of his Mountain-Shrinking Fist—a technique already in a state of perfection thanks to the Great Wisdom Zen Technique—and sneered.

In an instant, the Great Wisdom Zen Technique, the Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Technique, and the Mountain-Shrinking Fist began to circulate within his body.

"With my supreme talent, courage, and wisdom."

Zhu Yuanzhang clenched his fists.

In a flash, flames a hundred times brighter than those wielded by Zhao Zhen erupted and roared around Zhu Yuanzhang.

"Let me show you, you White Lotus heretic, what the true Dingguang Demon-Subduing True Fire looks like!"