Taoist Myth: I am the last true immortal in the world

Chapter 866 Venerable Vanavasin

After returning to his quiet room, Chen Yun originally intended to continue working on his ideas.

Suddenly, he sensed that Chai Rong's personally led army had arrived at Qingliu Pass.

Chen Yun noticed that after Zhao Kuangyin's great victory at Wokou, and the army personally led by Chai Rong joining forces with the army originally led by Li Gu, the commander-in-chief had been changed to Li Chongjin.

It must be said that Li Chongjin is indeed very capable.

Before Li Chongjin took command of the three armies, the commander-in-chief was Li Gu. However, with the cooperation of Liu Renzhan, the military governor of Shouzhou, Liu Yanzhen, the commander of the Southern Tang Northern Expeditionary Army, and Huangfu Hui, the support envoy, the Southern Tang army calmly surrounded and annihilated Li Gu's army in Zhengyang.

Subsequently, Chai Rong's personally led army arrived in time and replaced him with Li Chongjin as commander-in-chief.

They immediately launched a decisive attack and defeated the Tang army, killing Liu Yanzhen and more than 10,000 Southern Tang soldiers, capturing Tang general Xian Shilang and others, and seizing more than 300,000 pieces of military supplies and equipment.

After this battle, Huangfu Hui, the Southern Tang's envoy for reinforcements, and Yao Feng, the commander of the reinforcements, retreated to Qingliu Pass, twenty miles southwest of Qingliu County, Chuzhou.

Through this battle, the Later Zhou dynasty controlled Zhengyang, a key position on the Huai River front, and travel between the north and south banks of the Huai River became unimpeded; while the Southern Tang dynasty, having long enjoyed peace along the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, found its people unaccustomed to war, and was greatly alarmed by Yanzhen's defeat, finding itself in a very passive position.

This demonstrates just how influential Li Chongjin's battle was.

Chen Yun greatly admired this man, saying, "He truly deserves to be called the renowned general Li Chongjin of our time; he is indeed quite capable."

He continued to observe and learned that the main force attacking Qingliu Pass at this time was the army led by Zhao Kuangyin.

It should be noted that Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng commanded an army of 150,000 men, arrayed at the foot of Qingliu Pass, while Zhao Kuangyin led only 2,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry, making the disparity in strength between the two particularly stark.

Chen Yun was very knowledgeable about military affairs, so he naturally understood that under normal circumstances, it was impossible for Zhao Kuangyin's 12,000 cavalry and infantry to defeat the 150,000 soldiers of the Southern Tang, unless some strategy was used.

His gaze turned toward the back of Qingliu Mountain. "If Zhao Kuangyin leads his troops to encircle the area from behind the mountain, the 150,000-strong army of the Southern Tang will surely be defeated. However, there are holy monks guarding that area. If these two holy monks are not defeated, the Later Zhou army will not be able to get through."

Chen Yun could tell the cultivation level of the two holy monks at a glance.

One is at the early stage of the Earth Immortal Realm, and the other is only at the peak of the Human Immortal Realm.

As for the Arhat, he was stationed at Qingliu Pass, seemingly preparing to face the enemy head-on.

Chen Yun ignored the Arhat; this fellow was stationed at Qingliu Pass and would most likely not care about what happened behind the mountain.

Otherwise, if a supernatural being were to cast a spell at the front lines, the 150,000-strong army would be thrown into chaos and could be annihilated in an instant.

He felt that the more important thing now was how Chen Tuan, Yuan Chu, and others who were accompanying Zhao Kuangyin on the expedition could defeat the two holy monks guarding the back of Qingliu Mountain.

Indeed, when Zhao Kuangyin led 12,000 troops to the back of the mountain, they were immediately intercepted by two holy monks.

The holy monk at the summit of the immortal realm used a spell similar to "Buddha Kingdom in the Palm of Your Hand" to trap Zhao Kuangyin and 12,000 soldiers inside, preventing them from escaping.

At this moment, Yuan Chu stepped forward.

Chen Yun knew that although Yuan Chu's cultivation level was not as high as that of the holy monk, he had learned the "Heavenly Escape Sword Technique" and his combat power was exceptionally fierce. He possessed the ability to challenge opponents of higher levels and had a great chance of winning.

The next moment, Yuan Chu began to fight the chubby holy monk.

The two fought fiercely in a space created in what resembled a "Buddha's Kingdom in the palm of your hand."

The holy monk's cultivation level was indeed higher than Yuan Chu's, and he suppressed the opponent from the very beginning.

Yuan Chu was badly beaten, but he was still able to barely hold on.

Chen Yun had no intention of making a move; he simply watched quietly as Yuan Chu used the "Heavenly Escape Sword Technique" to fight the enemy.

Suddenly, a huge wheel of merit rose up behind the chubby holy monk, bursting with golden light, like billions of golden streams of light, and smashed fiercely towards Yuan Chu.

Not to be outdone, Yuan Chu used the second move of the "Heavenly Escape Sword Technique": "The sword heart must not be extinguished, the divine destiny is unyielding."

As he wielded the green sword in his hand, an invisible, immense power emanated from it.

In an instant, the invisible sword energy shattered the golden light, and the entire space, which resembled a "Buddha Kingdom in the palm of your hand," shook violently.

Even Chen Yun, who was watching from a distance, couldn't help but nod. "Yuan Chu has grasped the essence of swordsmanship. This move is extremely powerful."

Facing wave after wave of invisible sword energy, the chubby holy monk swayed precariously like a small boat in a stormy sea, as if he might be swallowed up at any moment.

His expression changed, and he began chanting Buddhist scriptures. The tangible Buddhist light surrounding him instantly transformed into a huge "wall" covered with countless swastika symbols that were rotating.

This is a very powerful defensive spell in Buddhism, called "Indestructible Vajra".

Unfortunately, the Heavenly Escape Sword Technique was simply too powerful. The invisible sword energy unleashed in the second move was extremely fierce. When it struck the "wall" formed by the Buddha's light, it still made a "crackling" sound as it shattered.

In less than a moment, the "wall" formed by the Buddha's light was shattered by the bombardment.

The chubby monk's face showed horror, as if he realized that he would die when the invisible sword energy attacked.

Fortunately, at that moment, another tall, thin monk stepped in.

This tall, thin monk possessed the strength of an Earth Immortal, which was naturally incomparable to the chubby monk.

With a flick of his monk's sleeve, the invisible sword energy vanished instantly, as if it had never existed.

Chen Yun noticed that Yuan Chu's expression had clearly changed, as if he was somewhat unconvinced.

This is actually quite normal; sword cultivators are generally quite proud.

If one loses that sharpness, it will actually hinder one's cultivation.

Unfortunately, Yuan Chu was far too weak compared to the tall, thin monk, so he had no choice but to accept it.

Fortunately, Yuan Chu understood this, and simply bowed and left.

The next moment, Chen Tuan appeared.

To be honest, Chen Yun was very interested in Chen Tuan's current strength.

To reach the Earth Immortal realm in just a few decades—Chen Yun has only seen such talent in Xie Ziran so far, and even he himself cannot compare to him.

Of course, Xie Ziran's talent was even more terrifying; he had already cultivated to the realm of immortals at the young age of twenty-seven.

As for why Chen Yun felt that his talent was inferior to Chen Tuan's,

It's very simple. He entered the Earth Immortal Realm earlier than Chen Tuan, but he did so by "taking drugs".

He was very self-aware. Without the help of the "Great Luo Spirit Soup," he would have had a hard time even reaching the Human Immortal realm, let alone cultivating to the half-step Great Luo realm. He might have spent his entire life in vain.

What about Chen Tuan?
The other party did have some extraordinary encounters, but these encounters were nowhere near comparable to the "Great Luo Spirit Soup".

This can only mean one thing: the other person's talent is indeed terrifying.

With such terrifying talent, it's no wonder he was later called "Ancestor".

Chen Yun continued to watch the battle, wanting to see what Chen Tuan was capable of and whether he could defeat the tall, thin holy monk whose cultivation level was higher than his.

The holy monk took out his staff to meet the enemy. As soon as he activated it, the staff burst forth with multicolored divine light, like the aurora borealis turning into a dome that enveloped Chen Tuan.

Chen Tuan remained calm and gestured towards the multicolored divine light shield that was enveloping him. A pattern resembling chaotic energy immediately appeared before his eyes and met the multicolored divine light shield head-on.

Upon witnessing this scene, Chen Yun couldn't help but exclaim, "Eh!" "This Chen Tuan is only at the Earth Immortal Realm, yet he has actually comprehended the true meaning of the Limitless?"

As the core concept of ancient Chinese philosophy, Wuji (无极) generally has three progressive layers of meaning.

First, the ultimate and fundamental attribute represents the chaotic state before the formation of the universe, transcending time, space, and specific forms, and is the origin of the generation of all things.

Second, it possesses the characteristics of transcendence, having the essential attributes of being formless, colorless, and without beginning or end, which is highly consistent with the Taoist concept of "Tao". The phrase "returning to the limitless" in Chapter 28 of the Tao Te Ching emphasizes its return to the origin.

Third, dynamic inclusiveness, which includes both the potential energy of the universe's creation and the possibility of the return of all things to unity, as described in "Liezi: Tang Wen" as "beyond the limitless, there is no limitless again" with infinite extension.

Chen Yun cultivated until he reached the half-step Great Luo realm before comprehending the true meaning of Wuji.

Now that he saw Chen Tuan comprehend such profound mysteries while still in the Earthly Immortal Realm, he was truly astonished.

He now has a question: what level of understanding has Chen Tuan reached regarding the concept of Wuji?

Soon, he witnessed it firsthand.

The "Wuji Diagram" formed by the boundless Qi broke through the constraints of the multicolored divine light and enveloped the tall, thin holy monk as if it were in perfect harmony with all the heavens and the myriad worlds.

A terrifying force erupted, suppressing the tall, thin monk, whose once straight back had bent.

Despite the holy monk's desperate efforts to mobilize his Buddhist light, he was unable to escape the suppression of the "Wuji Diagram." Even as he struggled until he coughed up blood and his Buddhist light became scattered, he still had no chance to resist.

one move!
Chen Tuan defeated the tall, thin holy monk, who was a whole realm higher than him, with just one move!

It is not terrible to win against a stronger opponent.

What's terrifying is that they can overcome the strong with the weak and suppress the enemy in one move!

Chen Yun's admiration deepened. "Although Chen Tuan's understanding of 'Wuji' is not yet perfect, it is truly remarkable that he can use it to unleash strength far beyond his own cultivation level."

He made a basic judgment about Chen Tuan: with such extraordinary comprehension, if he had some fortuitous encounters in the future, it wouldn't be impossible for him to become a half-step Great Luo Immortal.

Of course, it's only a possibility.

After all, the conditions for achieving the half-step Great Luo are too demanding.

Although it is very difficult to attain the half-step Great Luo realm, Chen Yun believed that Chen Tuan would have no problem cultivating to the Heavenly Immortal realm.

As the ruler of heaven and earth, a half-step Great Luo cultivator generally doesn't act lightly unless there's a specific reason.

Therefore, the Celestial Immortal Realm can roughly represent the strongest combat power in all the heavens and myriad realms.

Let alone ordinary geniuses, even super geniuses like He Xiangu and Han Xiangzi, who have the guidance of famous teachers, have only reached the Immortal Realm so far. You can imagine how difficult it is to cultivate to the Celestial Immortal Realm.

As a half-step Grand Luo Immortal, Chen Yun judged Chen Tuan's upper limit to be half-step Grand Luo Immortal and his lower limit to Celestial Immortal. If this were to spread, it would be enough for Chen Tuan to brag about for a thousand years.

Since Chen Tuan and Yuan Chu have each defeated the two holy monks, the outcome of this battle is no longer a matter of speculation.

Chen Yun witnessed Zhao Kuangyin leading 12,000 troops out from behind the mountain, breaking through the formation of the 150,000 Southern Tang troops led by Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng, and routing them.

Seeing that things were going badly, Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng immediately spurred their horses and fled for their lives, displaying the style of the legendary charioteers of Gaoliang River.

Having finally gained the upper hand, Zhao Kuangyin was not about to let Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng escape so easily.

He led 12,000 troops and pursued Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng all the way to Chuzhou.

Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng hid inside the city, attempting to use it to defend against the attack.

Zhao Kuangyin's two thousand cavalry and ten thousand infantry were lightly armed and could not possibly have carried siege equipment.

Left with no other option, Zhao Kuangyin could only station his troops outside the city and send someone to report to Chai Rong, requesting the transport of some siege equipment.

Seeing this, Chen Yun turned his gaze to Luo Han, who was escorting Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng away.

He had clearly seen that if it weren't for this Arhat escorting Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng, the two would probably have already been hacked to pieces by Zhao Kuangyin's 12,000 soldiers.

"Zhao Kuangyin must defeat this Arhat in order to successfully conquer the city."

Chen Yun pondered to himself, his gaze falling upon a burly figure standing atop Qingliu Mountain.

That's right, that figure was Niu Dali.

Although Niu Dali only has the cultivation level of Earth Immortal, and his actual combat strength may not be as good as Chen Tuan who has comprehended "Wuji", he has the Binding God Staff given to him by Chen Yun. Once he uses it, that Arhat will be no match for him.

The Binding God Staff is a magical artifact crafted by Chen Yun using True Qi, and its power surpasses that of many other magical treasures.

"Niu Dali is in position, so there's no suspense in this battle."

Chen Yun withdrew his attention and decided not to watch any longer.

If you already know how it will end, why keep watching?
He would be better off using that time to figure out how he can attain the Great Immortal Dao.

"Continue to finalize the previous ideas."

Chen Yun closed his eyes, cleared his mind of all distractions, and began to mobilize the true qi within his body.

The true Qi within the nebula vortex was once again extracted, like peeling away layers, and began to swirl and entwine around the nebula.

This process is extremely time-consuming and energy-intensive; he often spends an entire day just to get a single thread wrapped.

While Chen Yun was meticulously investigating, Zhao Kuangyin received the siege equipment. At the same time, Huangfu Hui and Yao Feng regrouped and prepared to fight Zhao Kuangyin to the death.

……

In front of the battle.

A arhat holding a banana leaf fan stepped forward.

The moment he stood there, he exuded a terrifying aura of oppression.

Whether it was Zhao Kuangyin's 12,000 troops or Chen Tuan, Yuan Chu, and Yun Shidi, they all felt a heavy sense of being shackled.

Chen Tuan gazed intently at the Arhat holding the banana leaf fan from afar, his expression becoming particularly serious.

Yuan Chu mobilized his sword energy as much as possible to resist the terrifying pressure of the Arhat. He asked softly, "Mr. Chen, who is this Arhat...?"

Chen Tuan took a deep breath. "If I'm not mistaken, he should be the Banana Arhat, Venerable Vanavasin, who ranks fourteenth among the eighteen Arhats of Buddhism. He is very likely to possess the cultivation of the peak of the Immortal Realm, or even the Celestial Immortal Realm!"

Wha...what?
At the pinnacle of the Earth Immortal Realm, or even the Celestial Immortal Realm?
Yuan Chu, Junior Brother Yun, Mr. Geng, and Dragon Girl Sanjiu and the others' expressions changed drastically.

The strongest among them, Chen Tuan, only possessed the cultivation of an Earth Immortal, making him no match for Venerable Vanavasin.

This battle seems very uncertain.

(End of this chapter)