Xuanjian Xianzu

Chapter 1484 Guidance
The Great Black Heaven.

The hall was brightly lit. A monk in blue robes stood with his hands behind his back, holding a mysterious token in his hand. He paced around the hall for a few steps, tapped the blue lotus seal at his waist, and called a few people up.

Li Ximing's news arrived quickly, and Dangjiang sighed inwardly:
'This King of Wei has always been known for his swift and decisive actions, never delaying. Now that he has such a golden opportunity, he naturally won't waste a moment...'

This made Dangjiang ponder as well, his heart filled with a mixture of joy and hesitation.
'It's a great thing that the King of Wei didn't take Luoyang. He even said he would take the lives of those two men for me. But after thinking it over, if that Kong Wuliangli Zhelu could die first... that would naturally be the best...'

Just as he was pondering this, Liao Kong, dressed in black, came up. He had his own golden spot, surrounded by his own people, making it both safe and convenient. He practically lived there all the time.

Dangjiang already had a smile on his face, and now that he knew about his extraordinary opportunity, he became even more affectionate.

"Junior brother... how is the lineage?"

Liao Kongdao:
“These days I have visited various sects and brought some people back, but they are just to help out. It is not advisable to have too many disciples in the sect, as we are ultimately not at ease with outsiders.”

Upon hearing this, Dangjiang nodded repeatedly and said:
"We've received word from Mingyang that he won't be going to Luoyang."

"it is good!"

Liao Kong naturally understood his meaning, and his smile became more pleased as he said:

"I will go and tell Dayang Mountain that I will personally go to Luoxia to encircle them, along with the two protectors, leaving no room for retreat!"

Dangjiang hesitated for a moment and said:

"Wouldn't that seem too deliberate? We could simply leave Mount Xiao first and leave a disciple to guard the temple..."

Liao Kong shook his head and said:

"Although we scared away the Dharma form of the Compassionate Path last time, that person is still not giving up his evil intentions. I reckon... he is looking for an opportunity to send Wu Mu or Nu Yan away so that I can check things out myself. Although we are not afraid of him, we cannot give him this opportunity casually. It would be better to take them with us."

Upon hearing this, Dangjiang knew that Qin Ling's understanding was more thorough than his own. He stopped worrying and had her sit down beside him, saying:

“I’m thinking about things in the north, so you can give me your opinion.”

So a chessboard was set out, and the two monks pretended to make a few moves. Suddenly, Chi Luo and Ming Hui had already joined the game, but Ren Shi Jia was nowhere to be seen. Dang Jiang guessed that the battle in the north was fierce, and that this guy was most likely fighting a magic battle with a master, so he didn't urge him on, but simply said:
"Have you made any arrangements for the empty space?"

If you were to ask who among them was the most excited, wishing Zhelu dead, it would naturally be Kong Wudao's own Chiluo. He immediately bowed again and recounted the plan the three of them had discussed, saying:
"Now we only await the King of Wei!"

Dangjiang nodded in thought, exchanged a glance with his junior brother, and both agreed that it was appropriate. He then touched the Xuanling token in his sleeve and passed on the plan, only to see Minghui kneel down and respectfully say:
"My lord... in my humble opinion, we should first select someone who can contend with the Void Dao!"

Dangjiang frowned, wanting to say that the matter was still far from settled, but seeing that it was Minghui speaking, he knew that this kid was never a good person, so he said:
"Oh?"

Finally, he feigned looking away from the chessboard and looked down. Chi Luo was startled by this gaze and knelt down with a thud. He bowed and said:
"I only seek a position of great merit, and have absolutely no intention of competing or assessing my abilities!"

These were the truths – Chi Luo was ultimately just a pitiful being, and all he sought was the Maha position. If he were to actually obtain the position he was capable of, it would not be a good thing for him, given his recent breakthrough to the Maha level!
His mind was quite active:

'With heaven as your backer, you can have anything you want. How can someone who has just become a Mahayana practitioner be so vulnerable to open and covert attacks based on their own strength? It would be best if some unlucky soul went first, and I assisted from the side, so I wouldn't have to show my true form or attract attention...'

Dangjiang hadn't considered him either, and Minghui finally said respectfully:

"In my opinion, even the most brilliant schemes are at risk of being exposed by the Dharma Aspect. If something goes wrong, we will need to find a motive. In other words, if we can put forward someone to take over the Void, this person can assassinate Zhe Lu openly. Even if it falls into the Dharma Aspect's eyes, we will at least have a solution."

After pondering for a while, Dangjiang realized that this made sense. Sometimes, in the eyes of Buddhist monks, a motive was enough; even if it was open and aboveboard harm, it wasn't a big deal. He then laughed and said:
"It seems you already have someone in mind."

Minghui knelt down with a thud and said:
"I have absolutely no selfish motives! It's just that there is a senior brother in the Buddhist realm named Mingzang, whose cultivation is extremely high. He has already lived six lifetimes and can take that step at any time. He cultivates the [Path of Ultimate Bliss Samadhi], which is inherently close to emptiness. He has been seeking the lineage for many years..."

'I see!'

Dangjiang and Liaokong exchanged a glance, and immediately understood.

To be fair, once Mingzang gains power, he can easily become the seventh generation. His cultivation and even his lineage could completely surpass that of Zhelu. With such a figure joining Xuantian, Dangjiang fully supports him.

Furthermore, in terms of personnel, there is indeed no one in Xuan Tian who can shoulder the heavy responsibility of Kong Wudao.

'Li Ximing also mentioned it to me, saying that those guys from Shanledao are all quite useful, and recruiting Mingzang is indeed a good thing…'

He secretly decided on this person without saying a word, but he was also very envious. His only unease was that Mingzang wasn't from Heaven, and he currently had no good way to bring him under his wing.
'If we follow the proper procedure for subjugation, King Wei would definitely have to give him a good beating!'

He had this slight concern, but he frowned and said:
"You're quite clever."

Minghui lowered her head, her heart pounding, and said respectfully:

“My senior brother has always been righteous and is the most benevolent in the entire lineage. Even our master is not as good as him. If you are willing to give him this opportunity, I believe he will go through fire and water without hesitation!”

Dangjiang nodded slightly, neither responding nor denying. Liaokong, of course, understood what he meant, and finally spoke, smiling:

“I have also heard of this man’s reputation for virtue. Senior brother, why don’t you give him a chance?”

Seemingly weighed heavily on Liao Kong's weight, under Ming Hui's grateful gaze, Dang Jiang finally nodded reservedly and said:
"Whether or not we are destined to meet is not up to us. Since you specifically mentioned him, and he seems to be a kind person, I will keep a closer eye on him. If things go well, there will naturally be an opportunity."

He only made empty promises, but Minghui believed him completely, thinking she had a chance. She thanked him profusely and bowed deeply, saying:

"I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

Only then did he leave. Liao Kong, as the most trusted person in this pure land, knew some of the inside story. He frowned and said:

"Does Senior Brother mean... that this Mingzang has no affinity with the Dharma?"

Dangjiang nodded and sighed:
"Wait a minute, I've already asked..."

He abruptly stopped speaking, his pupils dilated, and he pulled out the mysterious token from his sleeve, seeing it gleaming with golden light.

Liao Kong was taken aback.

Before anyone knew it, the palace doors slowly opened, and a Taoist official in flowing robes stepped in, stroking his beard and smiling as he looked at the two of them.

"Lord Liu!!"

Dang Jiang stepped forward, almost kneeling down with a thud, and grasped his other hand with both of his own, his face filled with undisguised joy!

The sound was earth-shattering, startling Kong. He had never seen his senior brother like this before, and seeing that the other's attire seemed quite similar to that of the celestial official from back then, he was so frightened that his soul almost left his body. He knelt down with a thud, his head pressed against the ground and he refused to get up.

As for Dangjiang, Lord Liu was his closest friend since he ascended to Xuantian. Earlier, Dangjiang thought he was just an ordinary celestial official, but since his posting to the outside world, he learned more and more about him and realized that Lord Liu was extraordinary. Now, he not only regarded him as a friend, but was as close as a brother.

When his old habit flared up, he kept muttering to himself, and the emptiness in his heart grew even brighter:

'His status is noble yet approachable, his surname is Liu… it really is him…'

It took Liu Xianguan a while to get a word in edgewise, and he sighed:

"You contact me through the Xuanling every day, and there are more messages than official reports, so I took advantage of this trip to come and see you..."

Lu Jiangxian was actually suffering in silence—this Xuanling had the ability to communicate, and Dangjiang wanted to ask Xuantian about the matter of release, which was originally just a matter of asking a question, but this monk was short of money and just touched the golden light without saying a word!
'He's clearly being stingy with those few points of immortal power, making me come looking for him... He just rings the bell but doesn't answer; he's truly going against the natural order!'

When he said that, Dangjiang naturally knew, but this guy's skin was thicker than a city wall. He just chuckled twice and said:

"This humble official is also afraid... In the past, when I left letters for you, sir, I never received a single reply, wasting all my magical power. Communicating with Immortal Official Li is already quite painful... This is what I'm afraid of..."

Liu Yu chuckled, no longer bothering to argue, and let him ask first before replying:
"I understand as well. The key to Xuan Tian's gathering lies in the True Spirit. Why break the Dharma Body? It's to expose the True Spirit to Xuan Tian..."

Dangjiang seemed lost in thought, listening to Liu Xianguan say:

"Now that you have someone infiltrated the Seven Phases, it is easy to recruit any one of them. When Shi Xiu is reincarnated, he also needs to reveal his true spirit. As long as someone from Xuan Tian is watching closely, he will naturally be able to see into it."

He paused, then said:

"only…"

Dangjiang, however, already understood and said:

"Even among Buddhist practitioners, it wouldn't come to the point of revealing their true spirits. Either the two have an extremely close relationship, and they would act as protectors for each other when the other is reincarnated, or..."

"This person is a master of the Dao!"

Having been exiled to the Jiang River region for the past few years, his mind has become increasingly sharp. Seeing Liu Xianguan nod with a smile, he couldn't help but say:
"Therefore, the key lies in assessing one's own strength... Apart from the Dharma form, only by assessing one's own strength can one reach the true spirits of all Buddhist practitioners, large and small, throughout the entire Buddhist land..."

This realization filled him with joy, making him understand even more that his plan to seize the Void Dao had not gone astray. However, he quickly remembered something else, lowered his brows, and sighed:

"Thank you for your guidance, sir. I will certainly live up to your expectations!"

His words were quite meaningful. Liu Xianguan was not his direct superior, and the phrase "not failing the trust" naturally referred to Mingyang. Seeing Liu Xianguan smiling, he knew that he had guessed correctly, and he was both surprised and delighted.

Seemingly after hearing this, Liu Xianguan finally turned around and saw the black-robed monk kneeling behind him, and laughed:
"You're that... Liao Kong?"

Liao Kong quickly moved his knees forward and bowed, saying:
"This humble monk is Liaokong! Greetings, Your Excellency!"

Liu Xianguan laughed and said:
“I know you… Chunyang went out and enlightened you upon your return. We all praised you for your good fortune…”

Speaking of the celestial official who pulled him from the abyss of despair, Liao Kong was overwhelmed with gratitude and tears welled up in his eyes. He said:

"This humble monk is of lowly status... I have no use for you, and dare not presume to see you, sir. I only hope that you are at peace in heaven..."

The celestial official smiled, shook his head, and spoke:

"Chunyang is now my colleague, and you've become his subordinate. This is a rare coincidence, so I'll give you both some pointers..."

Dangjiang was overjoyed and quickly bowed. The celestial official then flicked his finger, and a stream of light flew into their minds, conjuring up images of an exotic landscape. The celestial official said:

"The matter of Liaokong has great potential. If you can achieve a Dharma form, it will be a great achievement for you. There is a golden land in Longdi, in the old Buddhist cave... called the [Bitter Cauldron]. It is currently ownerless and not difficult to find. If you can find it, with Xuantian's supernatural powers, you can take it in an instant..."

Dang Jiang's joy and awe immediately surfaced on his face, while Liao Kong stood there in disbelief, his heart pounding:
'What does this mean...? More than just one sacred site... a manifestation of enlightenment... does this mean I must establish my own sect?'

The celestial official before them merely shook his head slightly and said:
"There's another one, called [Heavenly Mandate], which should be in the hands of someone on Great Sheep Mountain. If you can gather both of them, you'll be on par with the Great Desire. It all depends on your luck!"

Dangjiang felt an immense shock and nodded repeatedly. When he raised his eyebrows again, the celestial official before him had vanished like smoke, but he still couldn't let it go and stood there for a long time.

Two prime locations!

'Dharma Image!'

'If I didn't have someone backing me up, who would tell me such a confidential matter!'

He understood that this was the reward for helping Mingyang and comprehending the adults' intentions. He was overjoyed and sat alone for a while before slowly calming down. When he turned around, Liaokong was already kneeling on the ground, his forehead pressed against the ground, quietly facing the other person's original position.

At that moment, an undisguised sense of pride and joy welled up in his eyes. Dangjiang rushed forward, helped him up in one breath, and extended his hand, saying:

"How about it? My connections in heaven are pretty impressive!"

Liao Kong nodded in deep agreement, but having spent many years navigating the world and seizing Qin Ling's lineage, he was no ordinary person; he was far more astute. He said softly:

"Does Your Excellency have any requests for you...?"

Dangjiang sighed and said:

"Of course there are... otherwise, where would we get such benefits now? Just look at what we're doing, and you'll understand!"

Liao Kong had warned him beforehand, so he showed no surprise at all. He sighed softly and thought to himself:
'In that case, I fear there will come a day when I must sacrifice myself to achieve my goal!'

He showed no unusual expression; on the contrary, he seemed to relax and smiled:
"I understand!"