Secret Realm

Heading west from the Greater Yuezhi Kingdom, Zhang Xuezhou could hardly tell what kingdoms they passed through.

He rode a horse the Buddha Son had found, treating him as they traveled and riding along behind him. Only after a full six days in the saddle did Zhang Xuezhou hear the Buddha Son say a word.

"We're here!"

Zhang Xuezhou looked around.

Besides galloping across grasslands, they had passed through riverbanks, wastelands, and mountain forests.

The region before them was a vast, deep mountain range.

Autumn sunlight fell on Zhang Xuezhou, but he felt no warmth from it. Instead, waves of chill swept over him.

"Did you take me on a detour to the Northern Kuru Continent?"

Zhang Xuezhou looked at the snow blanketing the mountainsides. The scenery seemed remarkably like the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains.

He had traveled through many such regions and was all too familiar with the mountain scenery before him.

"This is the border region between the Southern Jambudvipa Continent and West Ox Hezhou. It isn't part of the Northern Kuru Continent," the Buddha Son said, leaning forward as he dismounted.

"Will we reach West Ox Hezhou if we ride a little farther?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise. "We've only been on horseback for a few days. We crossed from one continent to another in such a short distance?"

Within the Han Dynasty, a fine horse would have to run for a full fifteen days to travel from south to north. The horses they were riding now weren't particularly good, either. Zhang Xuezhou hadn't expected them to get close to another continent in just six days.

"Did you gallop through the night too?" Zhang Xuezhou asked doubtfully.

"I didn't gallop at night, but this really is the border region," the Buddha Son said. "It's just that this