Chapter 865

James had heard of the painting's origins before.

However, he scarcely knew anything about it

He sat motionlessly in the wheelchair and looked at the painting in awe

Tobias, whose gaze was also fixed on the painting, continued. “This painting was passed down by the

Prince of Orchid himself. He was a prince who failed to seize power for himself in the midst of a power

struggle In order to make a comeback. he went to great lengths searching for treasures all over the

world Sadly, he went to his grave unable to seize the imperial throne for himself. On his deathbed. he

gave each of his four major officials a painting and told them that the paintings held a great secret

within.”

James asked in response to the revelation, “What kind of secret?”

Bobby Caden once told him that the Moonlit Flowers on Cliffside’s Edge possessed the secret to

immortality. However, James found it hard to believe his words

Tobias shook his head morosely “The Prince of Orchid never revealed what it was. and the ancestor of

the Cadens had no idea either. It was only when the four major officials were sorting through the Prince

of Orchid's belongings that they realized something strange. The four paintings that the Prince of

Orchid left behind should possess his self-taught martial arts teachings. It’s possible to reach the ninth

rank if one perfected the Prince of Orchid’s martial arts.”

“The ninth rank...~

Tobias let out a disappointed sigh

“Since times of old, countless martial artists have devoted their lives in pursuit of reaching the ninth

rank. However, there have been no records of anyone actually achieving that vaunted goal.”

A line formed on James’ brows and he frowned. “Is it really that unattainable?”

“Legend has it that reaching the ninth rank is tantamount to attaining immortality.”

“Seriously?” James’ jaw went slack with disbelief.

Tobias merely smiled cryptically. “It’s just a legend. To our knowledge, no one has ever been able to

reach the ninth rank.

Perhaps the Prince of Orchid is the only person who managed to accomplish such a feat. Regardless,

he still died of old age.

This likely means that the legend was simply based in myth. What's real is that once you reach the

ninth rank, you'll possess unrivaled strength throughout the world. This is an extremely alluring

prospect to all martial artists.”

Tobias took a deep breath.

Then, he continued, “After the four major officials divided the Prince of Orchid's wealth among

themselves, they became the

Ancient Four of today. For thousands of years, the Ancient Four have lived peaceful lives. However the

tresspassing of the ancient tomb and the distribution of the items within, have caused alarm among the

Ancient Four.”

James looked at Tobias curiously. “The Ancient Four were the ones who found the ancient tomb. Isn't it

also entirely possible that one of them was behind the break-in?”

Tobias gave him a half-shrug. “Initially, the Ancient Four knew nothing about this as they never

concerned themselves with the affairs of the outside world. It was only recently that someone informed

the Cadens that you possessed an item that was unearthed from the ancient tomb. That was when I

sent Bobby to retrieve it.”

Was it truly not one of the Ancient Four?

James murmured quietly, “If it wasn't any of the Ancient Four, who else could it be?”

Apart from the Ancient Four, who else would have knowledge of the ancient tomb of the Prince of

Orchid?

Tobias gazed towards the ceiling. “That I do not know.”

James was lost in contemplation.

The Emperor sent his men to go after the items when the ancient tomb had been broken into. All he

had to show for this was a sealed box that had no key. With the box in hand, Floyd made his way to

Cansington and hid it in Sovereign Antique Shop.

Not only that, Sovereign Antique Shop seemed to have anticipated James’ arrival.

How did the Emperor know that someone had broken into the ancient tomb?

Who was the one who hired the mercenaries to break into the tomb?

Who was the man behind the Emperor?

“By the way. who was the one supporting the Emperor from the shadows?°

Tobias replied, “It should be Mr. Gabriel.”

“Mr. Gabriel?”

“Yes, he’s a powerful martial artist who possesses tremendous influence.”

“Do you think he sent someone to break into the tomb?"

Tobias took a moment to think before replying, “Most likely not. He doesn’t know anything about the

Ancient Four. There’s no way he would know the exact location of the tomb. Let alone deal with the

security measures that guarded it.”

None of this made the picture any clearer for James.

Who else could it be then?

It was obvious that the one who stole the items was trying to hand them over to James.

Was this person was related to him in some way?