The Smiling, Proud Wanderer, becoming a disciple of Yue Buqun.

"Master Yue's intention is whether Master Fangzheng has sent someone to contact the leaders of our various sects to try and win us over to join Shaolin."

"what?"

Tianmen Daoist was taken aback and looked at Master Mo.

"good."

Yue Buqun made no attempt to hide anything; he intended to say these things to everyone, otherwise he wouldn't have so openly questioned the three sect leaders.

At this moment, he glanced at the expressions of the three sect leaders. Apart from Tianmen Daoist, who looked completely bewildered, Master Mo and Abbess Dingxian both had expressions of no surprise. Yue Buqun already knew the outcome in his heart.

"Sect Leader Yue."

Abbess Dingxian said, "The abbot did indeed speak with me privately."

This was originally a private matter, and Abbess Dingxian didn't have to mention it. But since Yue Buqun had already asked, and Master Mo was being so direct, she had no reason to hide anything.

"Master Fangzheng once said to me that the Five Mountains Sword Sect used to be a major righteous sect, and the five sects were one. But now they have fallen apart, and the Demonic Sect is powerful. Ren Woxing has returned to the martial world. I don't know how much trouble he will cause in the martial world. Our righteous sects should keep in close contact and share resources. If the Demonic Sect attacks any of the righteous sects, the other sects can come to our rescue in time."

Hearing Master Dingxian say these words meant that she had admitted that Shaolin had indeed tried to win over Hengshan.

Master Mo chuckled. “Although Master Fangzheng has not approached me, Master Fangsheng has indeed spoken to me in a similar manner.”

Upon hearing the words of the two sect leaders, Tianmen Daoist was completely dumbfounded.

He glanced at Abbess Dingxian and Master Mo, then at Yue Buqun.

You all know, but I don't?

"Then what are the thoughts of the two sect leaders?"

Yue Buqun ignored the Taoist priest's bewilderment and asked Master Dingxian and Master Mo about their thoughts.

Master Dingxian and Master Mo exchanged a glance, and Master Mo immediately spoke.

"My Hengshan Sect has always had a deeper relationship with the Huashan, Taishan and Hengshan Sects. Although the Songshan Sect incident happened, it did not affect the friendship between the sects. Now that the four sects and Emei are going to form a new alliance, Hengshan will naturally remain unchanged."

Master Dingxian put her hands together in prayer position.

“Amitabha Buddha, this humble nun thinks the same way.”

Tianmen Daoist understood and assured Yue Buqun, "Sect Leader Yue, please rest assured, the Taishan Sect will stand with all other sects through thick and thin."

The leaders of all three factions expressed their opinions.

At this moment, Master Mo looked at Yue Buqun and said, "Sect Leader Yue, did you bring up this matter today because Shaolin has also been in contact with the Huashan Sect?"

Yue Buqun did not answer the question, but said: "In early June, our four sects clashed with the Songshan Sect on Mount Song. My disciple Jiang Ning and Zuo Lengchan fought a decisive battle at the Fengchan Terrace on Mount Song. In the end, Zuo Lengchan was defeated by my disciple."

"When we arrived, Zuo Lengchan was already dead. However, before he died, he said some things to Ning'er, which I think is necessary for everyone to know."

"Ok?"

The three sect leaders looked at each other, glancing at Jiang Ning and then at Yue Buqun.

They were unaware of this matter, and Yue Buqun had not mentioned it during this period of time.

"Sect Leader Yue, what did Zuo Lengchan say before he died?"

Mr. Mo frowned and asked.

Yue Buqun did not answer, but said, "I will tell you what Zuo Lengchan said later, but before that, I want to ask Master Qingzhu some questions."

The group, unsure of Yue Buqun's true intentions, frowned slightly but held their tongues.

Abbess Qingzhu nodded: "Sect Leader Yue, please ask."

Yue Buqun stared at her intently: "Last year, when your disciple, Abbess Huiyin, came to my Huashan Sect to try to form an alliance between our two sects, she said something that told my Huashan Sect to be careful of Shaolin."

The side hall was quiet, with only Yue Buqun's voice heard.

"I would like to ask why your sect would warn me to be careful of Shaolin. Has Shaolin done something to my Huashan sect? Does your sect know something about this?"

Beware of Shaolin?

Upon hearing Yue Buqun's words, the leaders and experts of the three sects exchanged glances and looked towards Abbess Qingzhu.

At this moment, they were eager to know what the Emei Sect actually knew.

For some reason, they felt that what was about to be said would probably shatter their worldview, and they couldn't let it get out, otherwise it would cause a stir in the entire martial arts world.

When Yue Buqun asked her question, Abbess Qingzhu was not surprised, and had an expression that showed she had expected it.

"This humble nun knew that Sect Leader Yue would ask this question sooner or later."

Master Qingzhu smiled slightly and glanced at the people in the side hall.

Since Yue Buqun chose to ask at this moment, it means there's no need to hide it from everyone.

Master Qingzhu and the Emei Sect masters exchanged glances, then looked at Yue Buqun.

"Sect Leader Yue, do you still remember the sword energy dispute that occurred within your sect more than twenty years ago?"

A battle of sword energy?

The leaders of the various sects exchanged glances upon hearing this, but remained silent.

"remember."

Yue Buqun frowned and nodded.

Master Qingzhu said calmly, "A hundred years ago, your sect was known as one of the six major sects, along with Emei, Shaolin, Wudang, and Kunlun. Later, the Huashan Sect formed the Five Sacred Mountains Alliance with the four sects of Taishan, Hengshan, Songshan, and Hengshan, becoming a powerful force that once rivaled Shaolin and Wudang. However, internal conflicts arose due to differences in martial arts, leading to the death of many of the sect's masters and the decline of the Huashan Sect."

Yue Buqun remained calm, as if the matter was over, but his hand gripped the armrest slightly, proving that he was not as calm as he appeared.

Ning Zhongze made no attempt to hide her sadness, her eyes revealing a hint of melancholy. Feng Buping fared somewhat better than her, while Jiang Ning remained calm.

None of them spoke; they were all listening to what was to come.

Master Qingzhu continued, "At that time, your sect had a disagreement on martial arts philosophy. One faction valued qi over swordsmanship, while the other valued swordsmanship over qi. The two factions split into the Qi Sect and the Sword Sect. The two sects were hostile to each other, and the conflict grew day by day. In the end, the sword-qi conflict inevitably broke out. Sect Leader Yue, is that right?"

Hearing Qingzhu's detailed explanation, clearly demonstrating her extensive knowledge of the sword qi conflict, Yue Buqun's gaze changed.

"What do you mean by that, Master? Does your sect know something? Could there be something else going on in the sword qi dispute of my Huashan Sect?"

Yue Buqun stared intently at the other person.

Since the other party brought this up, they certainly weren't trying to reopen old wounds; they clearly knew some secrets.

Master Qingzhu smiled slightly.

"If I were to say that the sword energy dispute in your sect back then was not an internal struggle, but rather something deliberately orchestrated to tear the Huashan Sect apart, would Sect Leader Yue believe me?"

Chapter 453: Secrets (Bonus Chapter 14/26)

When Abbess Qingzhu said this, everyone was shocked. Yue Buqun also lost his composure, and Ning Zhongze stood up abruptly and exclaimed.

"What did you say?"

At this moment, among Ning Zhongze, Yue Buqun, and Jiang Ning, only Jiang Ning remained calm. After all, he had never experienced a battle of sword energy, so he was able to maintain his composure.

"Don't be hasty, Lady Ning."

Master Qingzhu offered a comforting remark, then looked at Yue Buqun.

Yue Buqun remained calm; he understood what Abbess Qingzhu meant.

"Does the nun mean that the sword qi dispute in my Huashan Sect was intentionally orchestrated by Shaolin?"

Master Qingzhu nodded: "That's right. Back then, the division of your sect into different factions based on sword energy, including the sword energy dispute, was all orchestrated by Shaolin."

At this moment, the leaders of several sects were so shocked that their hearts were pounding. Tianmen Daoist even asked directly, "Master, do you have any evidence to support your claim?"

It wasn't that Tianmen Daoist didn't believe it, but Master Qingzhu's words were too astonishing. Even if she said it was the Demonic Sect that did it in secret, they would believe it. But Master Qingzhu said it was Shaolin who did it. How could they believe that?

Master Qingzhu said calmly, "Whether there is evidence or not is no longer important. More than 20 years have passed, and even if there is evidence, it is useless. I will now tell you the whole story. Whether it is true or false, Sect Leader Yue can judge for himself."

Yue Buqun's face was already ashen.

"Please speak, nun."

Master Qingzhu glanced at everyone and slowly said, "Speaking of this matter, I must first explain, Sect Leader Yue, you are familiar with the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, aren't you?"

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Yue Buqun nodded calmly.

"nature."

He was naturally familiar with the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual, which was the Lin family's family sword technique. Lin Pingzhi, the only surviving member of the Lin family, was a disciple of Mount Hua.

Master Qingzhu nodded and continued, "Does Sect Leader Yue know the origin of the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual?"

Yue Buqun uttered four words expressionlessly.

"The Sunflower Manual?"

Abbess Qingzhu was somewhat surprised; she hadn't expected Yue Buqun to know.

"good."

"Sect Leader Yue, what are you talking about? The Evil-Repelling Sword Manual actually originated from the Sunflower Manual? Isn't the Sunflower Manual in the possession of Dongfang Bubai of the Demonic Sect? What is the connection between the two? What does it have to do with the sword qi dispute of your Huashan Sect?"

Tianmen Daoist has been in a daze ever since the discussion of the alliance leader's selection, and now he is even more confused.

Yue Buqun glanced at him, then at the equally shocked expressions on the faces of San Ding and Master Mo, and said.

"Since the nun has brought up the sword qi dispute of my Huashan Sect, I, Yue, will tell you the origin and details of the matter."

Abbess Qingzhu gestured for Yue Buqun to continue.

Yue Buqun took a deep breath to calm his emotions.

The conflict between sword qi has always been a tragedy for the Huashan Sect. Now, Yue Buqun is going to bring it up and even reveal its secrets to the public, which is extremely painful for him.

"A hundred years ago, the legend of the Sunflower Manual circulated in the martial arts world. It was said that this manual was created by a eunuch of the previous dynasty and was an extremely profound martial arts technique, but no one was able to master it. Later, the manual fell into the hands of the Southern Shaolin Temple."

As Yue Buqun spoke slowly, the secret from a hundred years ago was revealed from his mouth.

Everyone held their breath and remained silent.

"At that time, the abbot of the Southern Shaolin Temple was called Zen Master Hongye. Later, two people from my Huashan Sect visited the Southern Shaolin Temple and unexpectedly discovered that the Sunflower Manual was actually in the Southern Shaolin Temple. Later..."

At this point, Yue Buqun paused slightly before continuing.

"Later, the two took advantage of the darkness to go to the treasure pavilion of Shaolin Temple and found the manual."