Unlike Hanging Temple, Eastern King Valley, and Sea-Fishing Tower, which are almost independent entities on equal footing with surrounding nations, the Temple of Flourishing and Decay was established within the territory of the State of Qi from the beginning.

After Emperor Wu of Qi restored the kingdom and subdued the world, the Temple of Flourishing and Decay, like all other sects within Qi, was subject to the Qi court’s control and acted according to its decrees.

However, the difference was that at that time, the Temple of Flourishing and Decay far surpassed other sects in strength.

Within the State of Qi, there was even a trend of Buddhism dominating all.

The power of the Temple of Flourishing and Decay was deeply rooted, extending to all levels of society.

Prince Jiang Wuliang of Qi, in his devotion to Buddhism, besides faith, was also relying on the power of the Temple of Flourishing and Decay.

And did the Emperor of Qi’s deep disgust for Jiang Wuliang’s devotion to Buddhism stem solely from dissatisfaction with the Buddhist school? Wasn’t it also a fear of this power?

The reason why the war between Qi and Xia had already settled and Jiang Wuliang’s political views had been proven wrong, yet his position as crown prince could be dragged out for five years before being deposed by the Emperor of Qi, wasn’t because the Emperor of Qi was so soft-hearted, but because Jiang Wuliang truly possessed the power to contend with the Emperor of Qi for a time!

The entire power of the Temple of Flourishing and Decay was practically at Jiang Wuliang’s disposal.

The political dispute between advocating peace and advocating war was actually a power struggle behind the scenes. It was even regarded by some as Crown Prince Jiang Wuliang’s first direct challenge to imperial power!

And the result…

Was Jiang Wuliang’s deposition and the Temple of Flourishing and Decay’s leveling. All core scriptures were burned, core monks were killed, and ordinary monks were all forced to return to secular life.

A generation of Buddhist sect vanished like smoke.

The ruins of the Temple of Flourishing and Decay, located in the western city of Linzi, were once filled with incense and prosperity, but later became broken walls and rubble.

Perhaps out of fear of something, or perhaps feeling it was ominous, no one in the vast city of Linzi had bothered with this piece of land for so many years, leaving it to be abandoned.

Twenty-five years had passed, and how much wind and rain had it endured?

Linzi had no curfew, and there were countless places to drink until dawn.

But the vicinity of the Temple of Flourishing and Decay ruins was, after all, quiet.

Many people dared not come here even during the day, let alone at night.

Popular rumors said that the sound of monks chanting scriptures could often be heard here at night, saying that the resentment of the monks who were burned to death in the fire was hard to dissipate, and their souls turned into vengeful ghosts, lingering here.

Jiang Wang, as a cultivator, naturally did not believe this.

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe in vengeful ghosts and resentful souls, but that he didn’t believe that any vengeful ghosts and resentful souls could openly exist under the eyes of the Qi court.

No matter how many souls there were, they would be dispersed. What hundred-year grudges and thousand-year hates were all useless.

When they were alive, they were leveled by an order from the Emperor of Qi. Even if everyone’s souls remained after death and everyone turned to cultivate the path of gods, for the Emperor of Qi, it would be nothing more than issuing another decree.

The main temple of the Temple of Flourishing and Decay in Linzi didn’t occupy a large area, not much different from ordinary Buddhist temples.

Its strength was largely based on the branch temples that once spread throughout the State of Qi. Of course, most of those places no longer had even ruins.

Jiang Wang, Chong Xuan Sheng, and Shi Si came at night, seeing the moonlight pale and everything silent.

It was said that there used to be a golden Buddha statue tens of feet tall outside the Temple of Flourishing and Decay, standing on the original mountain. Later, the Emperor of Qi ordered the mountain to be cut off, and the golden Buddha statue was melted and added to the national treasury.

Now, few people even remember the name of the mountain.

But the pool of sudden stagnant water outside the temple seemed to be clear evidence that the Buddha and the mountain had once existed—it was originally just a deep pit, and the water was accumulated rainwater. Because there was no living source, it was calm and without waves. Apart from some water insects, there were no creatures living there.

The dark water with black moss was extremely unsightly.

The remaining bricks and stones vaguely outlined the approximate shape of the temple gate.

Chong Xuan Sheng walked over and stepped on a plaque that was half-buried under the bricks and stones, making a creaking sound.

Looking down, only a faint “Ancient” character was visible, and the other half should have been erased by wind and rain.

“This is my first time here,” Chong Xuan Sheng suddenly said.

“I knew about this place when I was very young and always wondered what it looked like now. But I never came to see it.”

Shi Si was habitually silent.

Jiang Wang was also silent, because he knew that Chong Xuan Sheng probably just needed to confide at this time.

The three walked inside, stepping on broken bricks and tiles. The Temple of Flourishing and Decay, which had been burned clean by a fire, actually had nothing to see.

“I didn’t just become smart now. I was very smart since I was a child. But being smart is very fragile before you have a certain amount of strength.”

Chong Xuan Sheng said, “Because there are many ways to make you a fool without leaving a trace.”

“Jiang Wang, Shi Si,” he said, “I feel very lonely.”

As the direct descendant of the Chong Xuan family, he learned to hide his cleverness at a very young age. This sensitivity, fragility, and caution were not innate.

If the word “sensible” is judged by the standards of most adults, generally speaking, the more “sensible” a child is, the unhappier their childhood is.

And all of Chong Xuan Sheng’s childhood misfortunes almost all came from the man named Chong Xuan Futu.

He had always been afraid to come to the Temple of Flourishing and Decay.

After coming, even with two friends by his side, he still felt lonely.

Shi Si silently took a step closer to him. The Burdened Mountain Armor on his body was plain in appearance, but it gave people a reliable feeling.

Jiang Wang looked up at the moon, which was a bright but distant source of light.

Lonely—who wasn’t?

Walking to what was roughly the main hall of the Temple of Flourishing and Decay, Chong Xuan Sheng stopped.

“I’ve always wondered why he repeatedly made such foolish decisions, betraying his relatives, friends, subordinates… betraying so many people who trusted him, even harming the family.”

The “he” in his mouth, whom he was unwilling to mention and only referred to indirectly, could only be Chong Xuan Futu.

The fatty looked around. The darkness didn’t affect his vision, but the dilapidated walls and rubble didn’t seem to hold any clues—even if there were any, they should have been destroyed in the fire that year. Not to mention the wind and rain of the past twenty-five years.

Chong Xuan Sheng asked, “Will there be an answer here?”

He, who had recently gained a certain advantage in the battle for the head of the family, showed a rare moment of confusion.

Twenty-five years… or even longer, how to find the answer?

The two people who became friends here back then, one had already had their soul scattered, and the other was imprisoned in the Azure Stone Palace, having not seen the light of day for a long time. Even the Temple of Flourishing and Decay itself had nothing left but ruins.

To find the answer, it seemed that one could only ask the person in the Azure Stone Palace. But the Azure Stone Palace was inaccessible, so…

Jiang Wang realized it now. Chong Xuan Sheng’s request for Xu Fang to plead guilty outside the Azure Stone Palace, in addition to overturning the Gathering Treasure Commerce and striking at Jiang Wuliang, was also intended to force Jiang Wuliang out of the Azure Stone Palace.

However, Jiang Wuliang had remained silent from beginning to end.

This deposed crown prince seemed to have completely lost heart…

“Do you have an answer?” Jiang Wang asked.

Chong Xuan Sheng was about to say something.

“Wait,” Jiang Wang interrupted, his ears twitching. “Did you hear any sound?”

Chong Xuan Sheng concentrated for a while. He knew that Jiang Wang was not one to joke at this time, and his expression became serious. “I didn’t hear anything.”

Shi Si also slowly shook his head, even reaching out to remove the black heavy sword he was carrying on his back.

Jiang Wang was very sure that he had indeed heard something just now, but the sound was very vague and he didn’t hear it clearly.

It was definitely not a hallucination.

At his current level of cultivation, his control over his body was meticulous, and it was impossible for him to have auditory illusions or mishearings.

Why was he the only one who could hear it?

What was that sound?

Jiang Wang stood still, pressing his sword, calming his mind, and surrendering his hearing to the silent night.

Then he heard the sound gradually becoming clearer—

“Namo, Amitabha… Buddha!”