A journey of survival starting from Zhetian

Chapter 737 It’s time
Zhou Mingrui looked somewhat dazed.

The Buddha's light and Buddhist principles manifested in the mind were too unfriendly. Even if the Buddha sitting there was "oneself" and all the insights came from summaries of life, He still found it inexplicably glaring.

He raised his hand and patted his head, and the feeling of mental confusion slowly dissipated.

Zhou Mingrui organized his thoughts and unconsciously muttered to himself, "The Tathagata Palm: General Principles and the Tathagata Palm: First Form - I Alone Am Supreme."

"Indeed." The Buddha in front of him nodded, and looking at Zhou Mingrui's seemingly enlightened expression, his smile became even more serene. "As expected of a fellow Daoist, your Buddhist nature is profound. In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, you have comprehended ninety-eight percent of the Buddhist and Daoist techniques that I created."

"Unfortunately, I am currently only a non-Buddhist monk, and my strength is only equivalent to the weaker side. Compared with the orthodox side, I am still lacking in many aspects. At present, I can only create the 'General Outline of Tathagata Palm' and the 'First Form of Tathagata Palm: I Alone Am Supreme'. The technique is not yet complete."

Buddha clasped his hands together and looked at Zhou Mingrui, his expectation undisguised. "Fellow Daoist, I await your attainment of the other shore. In the coming new era, you and I will surely be true 'fellow Daoists'."

"Namo Amitabha."

The kind-hearted monk chanted Buddhist mantras softly, and wisps of translucent, crystalline Buddhist light emanated from his body, disappearing like dreamlike bubbles into the fragment of cosmic light that is "Jiuxiang".

Only after the Buddha completely disappeared did Zhou Mingrui fully wake up from his daze, his face turning somewhat pale.

He felt as if he had been "kidnapped," tightly bound by this Buddha to the great vehicle heading towards the future of Buddhism, with the doors completely welded shut, making it impossible to jump off.

Zhou Mingrui patted his chest, comforting himself, "However, it shouldn't be a loss. Although I was tied up in the car, this guy is like Buddha giving me a manual of the Other Shore Divine Skill, giving me more foundation for my future path to enlightenment."

But before this thought could fade away, Zhou Mingrui felt a great deal of cause and effect coming toward him, and each line of cause and effect was shining with brilliant Buddhist light.

Zhou Mingrui vaguely saw a college student in a school uniform hugging the leg of a gilded Buddha statue, praying loudly and passionately, "Buddha, I pray that you will bless me so that I don't fail abstract algebra tomorrow. I will come back to fulfill my vow the day after tomorrow!"

In a deserted temple, a wolf demon, a fox demon, and a rabbit demon, in their animal forms with traces of their former animality, stood before a stone Buddha statue placed on an altar and loudly swore, "From this day forward, Wolf One/Fox Two/Rabbit Three are brothers from different fathers and mothers, bound by blood and flesh, inseparable!"

In a thriving temple, a richly dressed lady, accompanied by her three husbands—each with an honest and simple appearance but unique characteristics—lit three incense sticks and knelt before a golden statue. "Buddha," she pleaded, "please grant these devout believers a few children! Preferably girls; we have longed for children for so long!"

Prayers, chants, and beliefs all silently converge upon one's being, as if all the myriad beings in the universe are inextricably linked to one's being, bound by an unbreakable karmic connection.

The prayers, which sounded increasingly absurd and ridiculous, darkened Zhou Mingrui's face. "Amitabha, what exactly do you want to do with me here? And what kind of Buddha position have you put me on?"

"Damn it, I seem to be unclean, the kind that I can't cleanse myself even if I jump into the underworld."
-
[Nanshan], inside a small Taoist temple.

Zhou Mingrui's projection of himself sat at the dining table, looking at the "Kitchen God" in front of him, who was cooking old hen soup in a large cauldron, with a gloomy expression.

"Fellow Daoist, Kitchen God, when do you think Zhenwu will be able to complete his resurrection?"

"I've paid a heavy price to cover for 'Zhenwu,' and even Amitabha Buddha is watching me."

"Furthermore, I don't believe that the moment when the [Tai Chi Diagram] unleashed its power from the river of time and destiny was a coincidence."

Jian Keng slowly ladled out a bowl of rich soup, then picked up a large chicken leg that was stewed until the meat was falling off the bone and presented it to Zhou Mingrui.

The rich aroma of meat instantly filled the air, and its warm, glossy color was a feast for the eyes. Even someone at the peak of their cultivation couldn't help but savor the aroma emanating from the kitchen. Jian Keng patted his apron and pointed to the ladled chicken soup and tender chunks of meat. "Fellow Daoist, would you like to try some?"

"This is the physical body of a great master of creation from the Caijin clan. After I cook it, it will be very beneficial to us who are about to attempt to attain enlightenment."

Zhou Mingrui hesitated for a moment, picked up the chopsticks on the table, took a piece of chicken leg meat and put it in his mouth. As he chewed it, his eyes lit up instantly.

He could feel a warm current full of medicinal power flowing through his body, nourishing his body at the Creation level, and causing the strength of his body at the Perfect Creation level to increase slightly.

Pick up the spoon, scoop up some soup, and put it in your mouth. The fragrance carries a hint of mild medicinal power, which slowly flows into your mind. It feels as if your spirit is being massaged by a pair of skillful hands, and a sense of relaxation slowly arises.

By the time Zhou Mingrui put down his chopsticks, the chicken soup was finished, and there wasn't even a bone left on the big chicken leg.

After a few moments of silence, Zhou Mingrui looked at Jian Keng, who had also finished his meal, and asked softly, "Is this 'medicinal cuisine' or 'elixir'?"

Jian Keng laughed and said, "If you think this is 'medicinal cuisine,' then it is 'medicinal cuisine.'"

He reached out and gently shook the bowl and chopsticks in his hand. Instantly, they transformed into a pill bottle. He then used a pill-collecting technique to collect dozens of large pills from the cauldron. "If you think this is a 'pill,' then it is a 'pill.'"

Jian Keng placed the bottle containing the "elixir" in front of Zhou Mingrui. "Now sitting in front of you is the 'Kitchen God,' and what has been buried is 'Zhenwu.' As for 'Zhenwu' wanting to return, it's too late in this era."

"As for some things, sometimes seeing them too clearly is not good. As the saying goes, it's good to be confused sometimes."

Jian Keng's words were loaded with hidden meaning.

Looking at the "Kitchen God" before him, Zhou Mingrui asked seriously, "Then, was the death of 'Zhenwu' part of the 'Kitchen God's' plan?"

The small Taoist temple fell silent.

Jian Keng walked to a memorial tablet inscribed with the words "Dao Zun" and respectfully lit three sticks of incense.

He said softly, "Don't worry, the Kitchen God will not go back on his promise to give you what he promised."

"In the original plan of the Kitchen God, the death of Zhenwu should have occurred in the next era, and the return of Zhenwu should also have occurred in the next era."

"The perilous situation of being besieged by more than fifty pseudo-Other Shores in the [Nine Netherworld] was something that 'True Martial' did not understand before he was attacked."

Jian Keng's aura of the Great Dao manifested, and it was extremely pure, namely the "Dao of the Kitchen Stove". There was no trace of the illusory Great Dao such as "Tai Chi", "Yin Yang", "Life and Death", or "Two Forms". However, the auspicious clouds rising from his head seemed to encompass all the heavens and myriad worlds.

He reached out and pulled out strands of shimmering silk threads, each a symbol of the "six desires," from his body, condensing them into a tangible form, and presented them to Zhou Mingrui.

"Fellow Daoist, the time has come."

(End of this chapter)