Taoist Master Xuanhuang

The Buddhist leaders, who rushed back at breakneck speed, never expected such a situation.

The subordinates who stayed at headquarters kept passing on messages, and they were all surprised.

While she was overjoyed, Minghui's bad premonition intensified.

Minghui and her team of high-ranking officials had intended to return discreetly, but they could no longer hide their presence.

From the moment they returned to Nanshi, all the way up Qingyun Mountain and into the Buddhist headquarters, they were met with all sorts of stares.

The small-time rogue cultivators didn't dare to be presumptuous, but the three major ones were different. Their eyes were filled with resentment and frustration. They never expected that the monk would take the lead.

Sun Hui, who was still fighting in the secret swamp, felt as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly.

These bald monks are so cunning. They accomplished the feat of killing a demonic saint without making a sound, making their own actions seem rather ridiculous.

To kill a demonic saint is one thing, but to destroy a secret swamp first is another. Those who don't understand this have already started to mock them, thinking that the Martial Alliance is being arrogant.

If they were like Buddhism, they would have already won first place.

The headquarters of the Buddhist sect is located in the Dajue Chan Forest.

Looking at everything familiar, but the headquarters had clearly changed due to the baptism of merit, Minghui and her group were filled with emotion.

"What?" Minghui's tone was clearly incredulous.

"The merit has increased by less than 15 percent," the subordinate confirmed in his report.

"This shouldn't be!" Minghui was confused.

Given the earth-shattering momentum and incredible displays just now, how come the merit increased by so little?

This is just too flashy!

"Even we, the sect leader, don't believe it, but that's the truth," a monk said with a wry smile.

"Alright, I understand. Let's proceed with the plan."

Minghui waved her hand.

As planned, we'll start editing and then announce the Buddhist sect's heroic act of slaying the demonized saint.

The reason for editing is that the power of the Pagoda of Cause and Effect needs to be concealed, especially its ability to convert forgetfulness; this needs to be handled well.

If not handled properly, it could cause public concern and turn a good thing into a bad thing.

"Yes!"

After his subordinates received their orders and left, Minghui went alone to a grand hall.

This is the core of the Buddhist temple. There is only one statue in the entire hall, which is Xuanhuang.

Minghui's worship of Xuanhuang was not performed according to the ritual for worshipping the Dao Lord, but rather according to the etiquette of a disciple.

In other words, the Xuanhuang statue here represents a space for a teacher and his disciples, not the Dao Lord from the outside world.

This is also the place that Minghui considers the safest.

Although the Mystic Master has not appeared in the world for a long time, all twelve of his disciples can still contact him.

Some disciples contacted each other through a portrait, others through a statue; either way was acceptable.

The most important thing is the spiritual meaning in the statue or painting; that's the key.

The statues or portraits of the twelve disciples are just like the visualization diagrams personally drawn by Xuanhuang, carrying Xuanhuang's own spiritual meaning and charm.

This was a form of protection for the twelve disciples.

If someone is not one of the twelve disciples, even if they obtain a statue or portrait, it will become just an ordinary portrait.

Upon entering the main hall, Minghui devoutly offered incense to the Xuanhuang statue.

Then he slowly sat cross-legged and sat at the very front of the statue.

He breathed a sigh of relief the moment he sat down, and the unease in his heart dissipated considerably.

Logically speaking, having just slain a demonic saint, and not just slain but calmly converted him, he not only shattered his realm but also gained a lot of realm origin, and even received heavenly merit.

This should have been the happiest moment, but this unease, which began with the Causal Pagoda's guidance of Wuchan, grew increasingly severe with each passing moment.

Minghui dared not be careless.

Having cultivated to such a level, his fortune and merit far surpass those of countless others. With such a foundation, the unease that stirs within him is no small matter.

It's definitely not a matter of feeling wrong; there must be a crisis brewing.

Minghui sat cross-legged, closed her eyes, and meditated to calm herself down.

We began to ponder where the crisis came from.

Perhaps it was with the help of the Xuan Shi statue that Minghui's wisdom, will, and everything else received the greatest blessing and clarity here.

The myriad causal threads that have accumulated within themselves are suppressed here, no longer chaotic, no longer entangled.

As one of the twelve disciples, I am entitled to this privilege.

Gradually, as his mind became clearer, the causal line was suppressed, and a clear causal line continuously emerged in his soul.

Following this line of thought, Minghui mobilized his will, and with the help of the Xuan Master statue in front of him, he finally grasped it.

"Amitabha, so that's how it is!"

About an hour later, Minghui finally discovered the source of the crisis.

“Amitabha Buddha, to you I am but an ant, why do you need to bring up this cause and effect?”

Minghui gave a bitter laugh. She had never felt this way before; she felt like she was being taken too seriously.

It's not just that, it's not just that.

It turns out that from the moment the Pagoda of Cause and Effect was born, and from the moment the Buddhist community blessed and converted the evil Buddha Wuchan, the Pagoda of Cause and Effect was given a new life.

It could also be described as a new beginning.

The Pagoda of Cause and Effect had never appeared in the world before. Its previous level was entirely due to the Buddhist rituals and blessings.

That is to say, there is not a single impurity.

To deal with the evil Buddha Wuchan, the Buddhist sect used this treasure for the first time. As for its power, it goes without saying that Wuchan was easily converted.

He killed a demon-possessed saint without shedding a drop of blood.

However, the branches and leaves represent a change in this treasure, transforming it from a pure and flawless Buddhist treasure into one involved in worldly conflicts.

In short, it has caught the attention of Heaven.

Strictly speaking, being noticed by the Heavenly Dao is a good thing. Only beings that can be called the treasures of creation are qualified to be noticed by the Heavenly Dao.

These are the most precious treasures of Xuanhuang.

The same applies to the Blood Moon in the Blood Moon Realm and the Throne in the Blood Soul Realm.

The evolution of the laws of Heaven will bless these treasures of creation, causing them to operate in accordance with the workings of Heaven and Earth, and to be transformed by Heaven and Earth.

Just like a treasure personally crafted by heaven and earth, it is called a treasure of creation.

It is a product of the creation of heaven and earth.

The Pagoda of Cause and Effect does not possess this qualification. Even if it were a treasure refined with all the efforts of the entire Buddhist sect, it would not reach the level of a supreme treasure of creation, much less be 'favored' by the Heavenly Dao.

They are not qualified.

But now things are different. At the moment when Buddhism kills the deified saint who has fallen into demonic possession, things are different.

"No wonder it went so smoothly, no wonder the conversion of Wu Chan was so successful that it was unbelievable. It turns out there was such an unexpected turn of events."

Minghui finally understood why the slaying of the demonized saint was so smooth, unbelievably smooth.

He converted the demonic saints without shedding a drop of blood, then obtained the origin of the realm, then a fertile land after the realm collapsed, and then heavenly merits descended upon him...

This looks like an incredible stroke of luck, and not just any kind of luck.

finally understood.

The moment I unleashed the Pagoda of Cause and Effect, it came under the watchful eye of Creation.

To have such good fortune afterward is the deserved treatment of a treasure bestowed by Heaven. Otherwise, why not call him Heaven's favorite son?
Therefore, a crisis ensued.

The strong train eagles, ordinary people play with birds, and the weak... well, let them play with their own birds.

In short, everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses; anything beyond your capabilities is a crisis.

For example, his teacher Xuanhuang was a master of eagle training. All his treasures were treasures of creation, allowing him to gain benefits from the Heavenly Dao without losing control. That is the mark of a strong person.

"This humble monk Minghui comes from a small Buddhist sect. What merit or ability do we possess?"

Minghui continued, her voice filled with sorrow.

Logically speaking, this should be a good thing, since the future of such a treasure is far beyond what the Buddhist treasures they refine can offer.

While I can't say the future potential of the Creation Treasure is the strongest, it certainly won't be low; there's at least a minimum guarantee.

And most importantly, one can grow on one's own. Even if the Buddhist community stops holding a ceremony to perform rituals and blessings for all its members in the future, one can still grow on one's own.

This should be a good thing.

But here's the problem: Buddhism is not qualified to possess such a treasure.

I'm afraid I won't be able to control it.

Especially the Pagoda of Cause and Effect. Since it is called the Pagoda of Cause and Effect, how could it be without all kinds of causes and effects in the future?
Although these causes and effects are the source of progress in the Pagoda of Cause and Effect, they are not easy to deal with.

"Amitabha Buddha, the process of guiding Wuchan is like sharpening a precious sword. If it is not controlled, it will definitely get out of control, ultimately harming others and oneself, until destruction."

Minghui sighed.

While this may be somewhat exaggerated, the severity of the crisis should not be underestimated.

Some people might wonder, if you know it's dangerous, why not just not use it?

Just do it the same way as before.

It's not that simple. Once some things are done, there's no going back.

For example, after these high-ranking Buddhist monks witnessed the power of the Pagoda of Cause and Effect, a seed of cause and effect was planted in their hearts.

In the future, when I encounter certain situations, I will quickly realize that I can rely on the Pagoda of Cause and Effect to resolve them.

Even if Minghui doesn't agree, they can at most temporarily retreat under Minghui's authority, but this thought of cause and effect will not be extinguished.

The more they are suppressed, the more they remember it.

This is cause and effect, affecting living beings silently and imperceptibly, without them even realizing it.

Once this happened, it meant the representative couldn't take it anymore.

Moreover, this is especially true for a Buddhist community that is in turmoil and divided.

What will the various branches think?
First, they will become bolder, after all, they think, if I can't handle it, there are Buddhist treasures that can handle it, so I can be more daring.

Once this situation unfolds, what else could it be but a disaster?

Minghui is indeed the head of the sect, but that doesn't mean the Pagoda of Cause and Effect belongs to him. After all, the entire Buddhist sect is involved in refining this treasure.

Even if only the higher-ups know about the ritual to initiate the refining process, it still means that these higher-ups can use it.

Now that the various sects of Buddhism have split up, it will be an era of fighting for themselves. If they encounter a crisis, why would they leave the Pagoda of Cause and Effect unused?

Even for some powerful opponents and treasures, which one cannot obtain through one's own abilities, one can still summon the Pagoda of Cause and Effect.

Wait, there are so many things that can be achieved through the Pagoda of Cause and Effect.

In Minghui's view, this was a disaster for Buddhism.

Originally, he was a good Buddhist practitioner who knew his own abilities, had no attachments or delusions, and made progress little by little through his own efforts in cultivation.

But now that he knows the power of the Pagoda of Cause and Effect, he will definitely change.

Practicing cultivation steadily and slowly is not as fast as seizing opportunities and good fortune.

I didn't have this ability before, so I could feel at peace.

Now that I have this ability, how can my heart be at peace?
Minghui even imagined a scene.

In the future, the divided Buddhist sects will be scattered throughout the Xia Kingdom, and the Karma Pagoda will remain on Qingyun Mountain under its own care.

However, when Buddhist sects scattered in various places encounter problems they cannot solve, they will immediately initiate a ritual to summon the Pagoda of Karma.

He could only watch with worry as Buddhist temples across the land summoned causal pagodas.

This is still the best-case scenario.

Once some of the higher-ups who knew about the summoning ritual changed, for example, if they became possessed by a demon and went from being good people to demons.

When he summons the Pagoda of Cause and Effect to the past, it's unlikely to be a simple confrontation. Perhaps he'll be converting sentient beings on a large scale, turning them into puppets of faith, and even the Buddhist citizens of the Buddhist kingdom within the pagoda might be among them.

Moreover, once someone becomes possessed by a demon, they will naturally want to possess it for themselves, so... needless to say, things will definitely turn into a mess.

“Amitabha Buddha, no, this must not be done.”

"Even if these monks hadn't appeared, the higher-ups of our Buddhist sect are all compassionate people. But the sheer ability to convert evil spirits, even if it's just converting a lot of them, would cause concern among other forces."

"What if Buddhism were to apply this to them? Conversion can be either good or evil, and good and evil are separated by a single thought!"

Even if the bad things he imagined don't happen, Buddhism is best advised not to use the ability to simply convert enemies.

Some roads may seem like shortcuts, but they are actually wrong paths.

"It needs to be restricted!"

Minghui thought to herself.

However, a problem arises: the Karma Pagoda was refined and blessed by the entire Buddhist sect, and its level exceeds the highest level of Buddhist cultivation. As the sect leader, he has no ability to restrict the pagoda.

Not to mention that this is a treasure bestowed by Heaven.

It's something I can't do myself.

Minghui quickly stood up and then knelt down again in front of Xuanhuang's statue.

"Disciple Minghui..."

Minghui knew what she had said, but as she spoke, she only managed to utter four audible words before everything went silent, as if her voice had been censored.

He wasn't flustered, after all, it was a request made in front of the Xuan Master statue.

All things, including creation, cause and effect, no matter how strong you are, can be stronger than a mystical master.

Block my request?

You're overthinking it. You can shut me up, but you can't shut me up about the karmic ties between me and Master Xuan.

At the same time, he felt that he had done the right thing.

The power of the Pagoda of Cause and Effect had already begun to affect him, but he only wanted to limit its power. It actually tried to block him and even trembled his soul, wanting him to forget.

"Buzz!" Minghui's divine soul shone with a great purple light.

A beam of purple light pierced through all forgetting, shielding, and cause and effect.

Then, the purple light quickly condensed, transforming into a shooting star that shot towards the darkness.

"Wow--"

It was as if it had pierced through countless layers of obstacles, a network of barriers formed by threads of cause and effect, and a giant wave formed by rivers of oblivion...

Under this purple light, no obstacle can stand in its way.

Until the purple light struck a phantom, a phantom that terrified Minghui.

"This, this? This is Wu Chan? He, he, he?"

Minghui's hands and feet were ice-cold, a chilling sensation that went straight to his heart. An indescribable fear made him tremble uncontrollably.

I never imagined that the source of all these obstacles would be the very evil Buddha Wuchan, whom I had just converted.
"Wu Chan... Wu Chan Realm... Realm collapses... Wu Chan reminds us of an opportunity... Creation... Favored by Heaven... Wu Chan... This???"

...(End of chapter)