Big Data Cultivation
Chapter 698 - Chapter 698 Chapter 698 Where is the Secret Place

Chapter 698: Chapter 698: Where is the Secret Place? Chapter 698: Chapter 698: Where is the Secret Place? Xu Leigang advanced to the rank of martial master, and it felt as if a great mountain had been removed from his shoulders, the pressure suddenly vanished.

At this time, the little princess of his household had also started school, and he volunteered eagerly to send the master on an errand.

This kind of situation was indeed quite rare, and Feng Jun didn’t have the heart to dampen his enthusiasm.

That afternoon, upon arriving at Magu Mountain, they were actually greeted by a local martial manor director.

Guan Shanyue was also a figure of some repute in the area, but compared to the director, who was also a standing committee member of the county, the official’s authority wielded a slightly greater heft.

The military director had no direct connection with Xu Leigang, but since an old cadre from the provincial military district had made a call requesting that he provide a warm reception, he had no choice but to be enthusiastic.

The next day, early in the morning, Magu Mountain was kissed by rain, but the rain of early spring in Jiangnan was very fine.

Guan Shanyue led everyone to the temple, and with a hint of apology, explained that due to the need for secrecy, no welcoming ceremony had been prepared, and she hoped that Daoist Feng and Daoist Xu would be understanding.

The words were said in such a way that they were warmly reassuring, and both Feng Jun and Xu Leigang expressed that such details needn’t be minded.

After drinking tea for a while, Feng Jun took the initiative to ask, “This secret site you spoke of, where is it located?”

Upon hearing this, Guan Shanyue stood up, “Please, Senior Feng, follow me.”

Then, Feng Jun and Xu Leigang were taken to a side room in the back courtyard.

The room was not large, merely about eight or nine square meters, furnished with a table and two chairs, and there were two sofas by the door.

Following into the room, Feng Jun was somewhat perplexed – could this small room be the secret site?

He had observed as he entered that the room’s age definitely did not exceed thirty years.

However, the next moment, his attention shifted to an old painting hanging on the wall above the table.

The painting was a landscape. Limited bold brush strokes outlined the main subject, supplemented by light ink wash, creating a vivid contrast between solidity and void, and giving a strong sense of depth and space.

Although it was a Chinese painting that emphasized artistic conception, one could immediately feel that this was not a fabrication from the void, but a depiction of a real place.

Feng Jun’s eyebrows lifted slightly, “Is this… Magu Mountain?”

He was rather unfamiliar with Magu Mountain, having only seen it from one angle, and with the misty rain, he couldn’t be certain.

“Yes,” Guan Shanyue nodded, “The secret of Danxia Heaven is hidden within this painting.”

“Hidden?” Xu Leigang was taken aback, “Couldn’t we just go there directly, why must Director Guan be so enigmatic?”

Guan Shanyue’s lips twitched slightly, followed by a wry smile, “This… really isn’t about being enigmatic.”

“A treasure map?” Xu Leigang grew interested and stepped forward to examine it closely.

Feng Jun also stared at the painting, but his gaze was unfocused, lost in thought.

After a while, he clapped his hands softly, “The painting is exquisite, but what’s more important is that a painting from eight hundred years ago has been preserved so well… that’s truly remarkable.”

When it came to appraising paintings and calligraphy, he had a certain level of expertise. Although he didn’t collect them, he could differentiate good from bad.

“Indeed, that’s so,” Guan Shanyue nodded with pride, “I’ve been to many museums, and for a painting of the same era to be preserved like this one, Magu could well be considered unique.”

Xu Leigang, who was searching for clues to the treasure within the painting, couldn’t believe what he heard, “You haven’t been hanging it up all the time, have you? If that’s the case, I wouldn’t believe it at all.”

“Of course not,” Guan Shanyue shook her head, “We usually keep it carefully stored away, and it is only because Daoist Feng visited today that I had it hung up.”

Feng Jun blinked and asked casually, “Oh? How do you normally store the painting?”

“It’s probably due to the painting itself,” Guan Shanyue didn’t answer directly but explained, “The painting isn’t opened frequently, hardly once a year.”

Feng Jun pondered for a moment before asking again, “Would it be possible to mention where the temple stores the painting?”

“That would be inconvenient,” Guan Shanyue smiled, knowing what he wanted to ask, “But I assure you, it isn’t placed where the earth veins converge, it’s just somewhere more private.”

Feng Junruo nodded thoughtfully, “It seems indeed that the painting itself is the cause.”

Guan Shanyue nodded silently, not saying anything more, as any more words could seem like an attempt to cover something up.

The room fell silent until after a long while when Xu Leigang spoke again, “Daoist Guan, what you mean is, you actually do not know where the secret site is yourselves and can only search for it using this painting… am I right?”

Guan Shanyue hesitated but then nodded, “We are aware of the general location, but the specifics are truly uncertain.”

“Now that seems a bit like a joke to me,” Xu Leigang said earnestly, not upset but simply speaking matter-of-factly, “Look, this painting has been in your hands for eight hundred years, and I presume you’ve traversed every inch of Magu Mountain by now, right? Yet now we are the ones to find the secret site?”

Guan Shanyue wasn’t offended but rather spoke with a smile, “Daoist Xu, that’s not the way to see it. The painting has gone undiscovered for eight hundred years, yet you are the one who found it… think how much face this gives you.”

“Yes,” a young Daoist nun beside her chimed in, “Ordinary people can’t even catch a glimpse of this painting, let alone city leaders. Even if provincial leaders came, we wouldn’t let them see the painting… You’re receiving treatment reserved for a central government official of high rank.”

“Stop!” Xu Lei Gang hurriedly waved his hand, “You’re scaring me.”

Feng Jun watched for a good while, then released his Divine Sense for a sweep, but he didn’t gain anything from it.

He wasn’t someone who underestimated himself, but he also didn’t believe that a treasure map undiscovered for eight hundred years by others could be deciphered by him in an instant– that would be sheer arrogance.

After thinking for a bit, he looked at Guan Shanyue and asked, “There should be some other stories about this painting, right?”

“No, there aren’t,” Guan Shanyue shook her head, looking pitifully at him, “Our ancestor only said that if someone in our sect achieves detachment, they could use this painting to enter the secret realm.”

Feng Jun took out a cigarette and lit it, puffing on it as he fell into deep thought.

At that moment, the male disciple who followed Guan Shanyue to Luohua Manor walked in.

He had changed into a Daoist robe and was holding a USB drive, “Temple Master, the scanned copies of the three scriptures have been copied.”

“Let me see,” Xu Lei Gang took the USB drive, tucked his hand into his chest and pulled out a tablet computer.

In fact, the computer was inside a Storage Talisman. He wasn’t trying to… be low-key, was he?

To be honest, nobody carries a tablet computer in their chest pocket. Fatty Xu had just gotten a Storage Talisman and wanted to show off, yet he also felt somewhat hesitant, which is why he ended up doing something so awkward.

While Feng Jun was deep in thought, Xu Lei Gang turned on the tablet computer, plugged in the USB drive and after looking at it for a bit, he held it out and said, “Master, take a look… I don’t quite understand.”

Feng Jun gave him a wry smile, “If you don’t understand, then why are you looking at it?”

He felt that Fatty Xu’s actions were somewhat embarrassing. If they couldn’t find the secret realm, taking their scriptures seemed rather undeserving. If they could find it– even if they couldn’t enter it, reviewing the scriptures later wouldn’t be too late. Why the rush to go through them now? Did it have any point?

However, Xu Lei Gang carefully responded, “Having received them, we should at least look at them, right? Seeing is believing.”

These words actually reminded Feng Jun, and after pondering for a moment, he asked, “Is it possible to take a look near the secret realm?”

Guan Shanyue was very accommodating to his request and immediately had the young Daoists bring several umbrellas, before they set off.

The early spring in Jiangnan had already become quite warm, and even in the mountains, despite the light continuous rain, the temperature was quite pleasant.

The path led by Guan Shanyue was not easy to walk; due to the rain, the mountain trails were slippery, and they nearly fell several times.

After walking for about two and a half to three kilometers, taking around an hour, they arrived at a mid-mountain area.

Guan Shanyue gestured in a circle with her hand, covering a range of almost one square kilometer, “The secret realm is within this area.”

Feng Jun looked around and, seeing no one else, couldn’t be bothered to hide his capabilities any longer. He took off into the air, floating about three to five meters above the ground, and began a meticulous search over this square kilometer of space.

“Wow, he’s actually flying,” a young Daoist nun exclaimed, immediately taking out her mobile phone and shrilled, “I’m going to post this on my Moments!”

“Cough, cough,” Xu Lei Gang coughed heavily, “Director Guan, could you please… help control this situation.”

“Okay, put it away,” Guan Shanyue said sternly, scolding the young Daoist nun, “If you embarrass us again, next time you won’t be allowed to come along.”

The young Daoist nun pouted and reluctantly put away her mobile phone.

After searching for about ten minutes, Feng Jun flew back down, “No findings. Is there a more precise set of coordinates?”

“There really aren’t any,” Guan Shanyue shook her head, a hint of regret visible in her eyes.

However, she had personally witnessed a man flying in the air for ten minutes– not something like a wire stunt, but actual flying. That was enough for her. This proof validated that she didn’t invite a fraud but a true expert.

She sighed and said, “It’s been eight hundred years, Daoist friend Feng. I’m not lying. To know that the secret realm is in this area is the result of many generations in Danxia Heaven– countless steadfast guardians… It truly hasn’t been easy.”

The historical periods of exterminating Buddhism and Taoism don’t even need to be mentioned. Just considering the intensity of the ‘Destroy the Four Olds’ campaign from the last century still sends shivers down the spine. This part of history is not long past, with many living witnesses who can testify.

Feng Jun pondered for a moment and said, “That painting, can we bring it here?”

If one is to enter the secret realm by relying on the painting and the painting isn’t here, how could one find the secret realm?

Feng Jun has not dealt with many cultivators from the Earth Plane, but he could somewhat sense that the cultivators here seemed to place more importance on proof of entry. The Ancestral Tablet from Maoshan was a Storage Magical Artifact; no need to further elaborate on that. The Spirit Plant garden of Weiyu Mountain also required a token to activate.

So… to enter the secret realm, one should bring the painting, shouldn’t one?

The young Daoist nun who previously wanted to post on her Moments spoke up, “It’s raining, would that be alright?”

An eight-hundred-year-old painting, and you want it to get rained on?

Guan Shanyue pondered for a moment and then spoke, “Daoist friend Feng, there have been quite a few who brought the painting to search for the secret realm…”

But then, she clenched her teeth, “But I believe you are different.”