Simultaneous travel: I am proving the great way in the heavens.

Chapter 559 The Dao Beyond the Heavenly Dao! Even Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who merged with the Dao, will make his appearance!

In the ordeal at the Golden Gourd Cave, the actions of Tang Sanzang and his disciples cannot be excused. They broke into someone else's home, regardless of whether the owner was there, and wore someone else's clothes. This clearly violated the most basic morals, let alone Buddhist precepts.

Moreover, Luofu has no need to whitewash Tang Sanzang and his disciples.

He was indeed a Buddhist, and the patriarch of the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism, a lineage of Pratyekabuddha, and the true Buddha who opened the Heaven of True and Wonderful Dharma.

However, within Buddhism, the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism, specifically Pratyekabuddha Buddhism, is merely an insignificant branch.

The true leader of Buddhism is the World-Honored One, Tathagata.

Luofu, this so-called Buddha Ruzhen, is indeed of the Buddha's rank in name, but at most he is equivalent to the two attendants on the left and right, just like Guanyin Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva on the left and right of Amitabha Buddha in the Three Western Saints, and Sunlight Bodhisattva and Moonlight Bodhisattva on the left and right of Bhaisajyaguru Buddha in the Three Eastern Saints.

Why is it that Pratyekabuddhas are a very small minority within Buddhism?

The existence attained through the Pratyekabuddha vehicle, strictly speaking, cannot even be considered a true direct lineage of Buddhism. Compared to the orthodox Mahayana and Hinayana Buddhism, Pratyekabuddhas are more like wandering immortals from the Three Islands and Ten Continents.

Even the qualification to enter the Heavenly Court depends on the Jade Emperor's whim.

Given his status, and considering that Luo Fu, aside from being a disciple of Subhuti, hadn't yet gained many benefits from Buddhism compared to other powerful figures in the Three Realms, he was still relatively unknown.

Indeed, at the beginning, the Buddha from the East passed on the White Lotus Platform to Luofu and also bestowed upon Luofu the Dharma of the Bright King. The Tathagata Buddha also generously gifted Luofu a golden relic of his own body.

However, Luofu also received many benefits from the Taoist sect.

Among the Three Pure Ones, the Supreme Pure One directly used Zhang Ziyang to give Luofu a duster made of Yin and Yang energies, while the Primordial Heavenly Venerable even used Guanyin Bodhisattva to present him with the Jade Void Palace Immortal Sword.

Leaving aside the floating dust, the materials used in the refining process are all rare and precious natural treasures.

The Jade Void Palace Immortal Sword is no ordinary weapon. It should be noted that this immortal sword was the personal sword of Guanyin Bodhisattva during the time of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, before she abandoned Taoism for Buddhism.

Perhaps it cannot compare to those dazzling magical treasures, but that is because it was entrusted to the wrong person. After all, the most mysterious things that Cihang Daoren possessed were the jade bottle and willow branch in his hand, but he was not good at magical treasures such as immortal swords.

But this has nothing to do with the Jade Void Palace Immortal Sword itself.

It's no exaggeration to say that the value of this immortal sword is equivalent to that of the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff) before Sun Wukong borrowed it from the Dragon Palace of the East Sea.

It's not that the magic weapon was ineffective, but rather that it hadn't met its true master. However, this doesn't mean that the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic weapon) was just a piece of scrap metal before it met Sun Wukong.

The same principle applies to the Jade Void Palace Immortal Sword.

If Luo Fu can truly unleash the power of this immortal sword, it will likely possess the potential to surpass even the Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff).

The Ruyi Jingu Bang (the magic staff) was at most a tool crafted by Laozi during the time of Yu the Great's flood control efforts, specifically for measuring water levels.

If it weren't for his meritorious service in controlling the floods, which earned him some good karma, he probably wouldn't even be as good as the Nine-Toothed Rake, a ceremonial artifact of the Heavenly Court, held by Pigsy.

How can it compare to the Jade Void Palace Immortal Sword, specially crafted by the Jade Pure Primordial Heavenly Venerable for his personal disciples?

The mere fact that it's called Jade Void Palace guarantees that this immortal sword is definitely valuable enough to be ranked among the acquired spiritual treasures.

If one cannot even reach the level of a postnatal spiritual treasure, wouldn't that be a disgrace to the Jade Purity Saint, the Primordial Heavenly Venerable?

It can be said that, in comparison, Luofu received no less benefit from Taoism than from Buddhism.

The Buddhist community did indeed bestow upon Luofu the honor of being the patriarch of the Middle Vehicle Buddhism, but the reason why those Pratyekabuddhas were willing to serve Luofu as their master was not merely due to the Buddhist community's orders.

The vast majority of these three thousand Pratyekabuddhas were the three thousand mortals of the Jie Sect who were all taken to the West during the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods.

Without the approval of the Shangqing Tongtian Sect Master, who suffered a great defeat in the Investiture of the Gods, at most only a very small number of these Pratyekabuddhas in Buddhism would have listened to Luofu, this Pratyekabuddha. The vast majority would have simply gone through the motions without putting in any real effort.

Based on his own growth trajectory, it's impossible that Luofu truly had no selfish motives towards Buddhism.

After making his stance clear, Luo Fu, riding on a red lotus, floated in front of the One-Horned Rhinoceros King and said, "Today I will have a duel with you. If you lose, you will let the Sanzang master and his disciples go west. How about it?"

As for whether the Unicorn King won, Luo Fu didn't mention that at all.

Just kidding, the current fight between Luo Fu and the Unicorn King is nothing more than a formality.

Even if Luofu wanted to lose, the Buddhist sect would not allow it.

Didn't you see Guanyin riding a dragon? She's currently flying in the air, standing on a divine dragon, holding a golden gourd, ready to sprinkle golden elixir powder at any moment?

Luo Fu's publicly known identity is that of the True Buddha, the patriarch of the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism.

It doesn't matter if an ordinary monk, arhat, or even bodhisattva loses to the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, but the attainment of Buddhahood is something that absolutely cannot be lost.

The Buddhist community cannot afford to lose face like this.

Even the Taoist sect cannot bear such karmic consequences.

This was clearly an opportunity for the flourishing of Buddhism, a trend ordained by Heaven, but it was trampled down by Taoism. This is truly going against the will of Heaven. Perhaps even the Taoist Ancestor Hongjun, who merged with the Tao, will appear.

The One-Horned Rhinoceros King was not without his own background. He was also well aware of his purpose in making things difficult for the westward-bound group. Upon hearing this, he laughed loudly and said, "Then let me witness the supernatural powers of the True Buddha."

The moment he finished speaking, the King of the Unicorns grabbed with his large hand, and a steel-tipped spear twelve feet long appeared in his hand.

Immediately, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, wielding his spear, charged towards Luofu.

Close combat, though seemingly imposing, is in no way befitting the status of the dignified Buddha of Luofu.

He couldn't possibly disregard his status and fight against a mount like the Unicorn King.

Facing the One-Horned Rhinoceros King rushing towards him, Luo Fu simply waved his sleeve.

The Seven Emotions Crane Cloak instantly transformed into a vast, all-encompassing net, a net woven from the seven emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire, just like the bustling world of mortals, which descended upon us.

No matter how sharp and unparalleled the electric steel spear in the hands of the One-Horned Rhinoceros King was, how could it possibly cope with the vast net of the seven emotions of the mortal world?

Clearly, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King also knew how formidable it was.

As he tossed aside the spear, he flicked his wrist. A Vajra Bracelet, radiating the light of merit, suddenly flew out, instantly transforming into a vortex with astonishing suction power.

The overwhelming net of emotions and worldly desires instantly began to sweep towards the whirlpool. Despite its previous invincibility, having captured countless magical treasures and powers from Sun Wukong and his reinforcements, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King suddenly frowned.

This web of emotions and worldly affairs suddenly reminded him of the Seven Emotions Cloak that had been taken away but had mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

The Unicorn King would never forget that the only one who could hold his own against the Vajra Bracelet, but who vanished without a trace the moment it was taken away.

At this moment, this large net looks exactly like the cloak from before.

No.

To be precise, they are the same magic weapon, but the monkey in Sun Wukong's hands didn't know how to use it.

This large net is now the true manifestation of this magic weapon.

In the world of Journey to the West, if you don't know how to use the magical treasures, you won't be able to unleash any power even if you get your hands on them.

Before Sun Wukong, there were countless times when he obtained and used magical weapons through trickery and deception.

Putting aside other examples, characters like Golden Horn and Silver Horn were truly tricked by Sun Wukong.

As it was, after all, Laozi's mount, so the One-Horned Rhinoceros King could certainly tell the difference. The only magic weapon that had previously clashed with the Vajra Bracelet was the one that had caused the stalemate, which was entirely due to Sun Wukong's lack of understanding.

Seeing that the Vajra Bracelet was once again locked in a stalemate with the magical cloak, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King had a sudden thought.

With a swift movement, he transformed into a three-headed, six-armed form, multitasking as he manipulated the Vajra Bracelet while charging towards Luofu once more.

A simple contest of martial arts and strength was never part of Luo Fu's plan from the beginning.

But the Unicorn King carries the mission of Laozi and even the entire Daoist sect. Since the magic weapon cannot defeat Luofu in a short time, he can only use his most proficient area.

Seeing the Great King, now in his three-headed, six-armed form, charging towards him,
On Luo Fu's body, the two distinct primordial yin and yang energies, one black and one white, were immediately released. These two energies, clearly defined, swirled and circled like two agile fish.

The moment the steel-tipped spear of the One-Horned Rhinoceros King thrust towards Luofu.

Within the distinct black and white primordial yin and yang energies, as if stimulated, a long spear, appearing as dark gray as yin and yang chaos, resembling the electric steel spear of the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, emerged from the yin and yang energies and precisely collided with the tip of the One-Horned Rhinoceros King's spear.

The moment the two guns collided, the immense force even caused the One-Horned Rhinoceros King to stumble and stagger back several steps.

The primordial Yin and Yang energies, after experiencing the same backlash, only caused a fleeting ripple before returning to their previous state of mutual generation and restraint with the white Yin-Yang fish, endlessly cycling back to normal.

Like other powerful beings in the Three Realms, they were all focused on the battle between Luofu and the Unicorn King.

Upon witnessing Luo Fu's utilization of the innate Yin and Yang energies, Lao Tzu's eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in admiration, "What a wonderful example of Yin and Yang generating and evolving all things! This is not the way of Heaven."

The primordial Yin and Yang energies are the fundamental primordial Taiji that gives rise to all things.

But what Luofu is presenting at this moment is a kind of Tao and principle that has never appeared in the Three Realms before.

Even though the Heavenly Dao of the Three Realms itself could do this, Luo Fu's ability, which is so different from the Dao and reason of the Three Realms, still broadened the horizons of the true great powers of the Three Realms.

To outsiders, Luo Fu's methods could only be considered as the utilization of Yin and Yang energies, but the true powerful beings of the Three Realms knew that this was a completely different path and a different method.

Indeed, Luo Fu did kill the Golden-Winged Roc and took the Yin-Yang Two Qi Bottle from it, extracting the innate Yin and Yang energies from the bottle and refining them into his own supernatural power.

However, the innate Yin and Yang energies are comparable to, and even slightly surpass, the power of Kong Xuan's Five-Colored Divine Light and Five Elements.

Even if Luo Fu were able to refine it in a short period of time, the innate Yin and Yang energies would not be able to be transformed into supernatural powers, and would even become a burden.

Don't think that Kong Xuan's Five-Colored Divine Light is simply a divine light evolved from the power of the Five Elements. You should know that each of the five colors—green, yellow, red, black, and white—has the weight of an ancient mountain, which is many times greater than Sun Wukong's Golden Cudgel.

It is precisely because of this enormous weight that the five-colored divine light, which evolved from the mysterious power of the five elements, is able to sweep away and destroy anything.

The innate Yin and Yang energies are even more powerful than the Five-Colored Divine Light. This is why the Golden-Winged Roc abandoned the innate Yin and Yang energies and instead refined them into its own supernatural power. It then separated them and crafted a Yin-Yang Energy Bottle that was neither here nor there.

Even if the Golden-Winged Roc is indeed useless, it is undeniable that refining such a precious treasure as the innate Yin and Yang energies into supernatural powers is itself a massive undertaking.

With Luo Fu's current cultivation level of only Taiyi Golden Immortal, even if he refines Yin and Yang Qi into supernatural powers, he would not be able to easily unleash them.

At this moment, this seemingly Yin-Yang dual energy supernatural power is actually nothing more than Luo Fu's own supernatural power created by combining the shared Dao and principles with the innate Yin-Yang dual energy.

This is a principle and doctrine that should not exist within the Three Realms or the Heavenly Way.

This is why Lao Tzu commented that it was not the Way of Heaven.

In any world, the power of Yin and Yang, symbolizing the origin of the world, is extremely advanced. Perhaps its upper limit will differ due to the different underlying conditions of the world. But the distinction between Tao and Li cannot change the fact that they lead to the same destination.

What Luo Fu is currently demonstrating is a defensive method specifically designed based on the Yin and Yang energies of the Journey to the West world, combined with the Yin-Yang Release power of the Ninja World.

Simply release the Yin and Yang energies, and although it doesn't have much direct offensive power, any attack, whether it's a supernatural power, a magic weapon, a spell, or even a weapon, will trigger the Yin and Yang energies' instinctive counterattack.

This counterattack is not driven by any subjective intent. Just as forces are reciprocal, any attack, like a mirror reflecting the force used, will cause a counterattack of yin and yang energies to a certain extent.

Of course, there is indeed an upper limit to this.

After all, even the two Western Saints, though accidentally swept away by Kong Xuan's Five-Colored Divine Light, were able to tear through the Five-Colored Divine Light with their overwhelming magical power.

Similarly, if the person making the move has the cultivation level, spiritual power, and magical strength to break through the limits of Yin and Yang energies, then this mirror-like counterattack of Yin and Yang energies will have absolutely no effect.

However, it is clear that the mount, the Blue Ox with its self-proclaimed title of King of the Unicorn, is completely unable to break through the defense of Yin and Yang energies.

The moment Luo Fu released the Yin and Yang energies, he was already in an invincible position.

Luofu seemed to be armed to the teeth.

He stood on red lotus blossoms, draped in a crane cloak of seven emotions, surrounded by the energies of Yin and Yang, and wielded the Jade Void Palace Immortal Sword and the Yin-Yang Dust.

Even if it stood still, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King could not break through Luofu's layers of defense.

(End of this chapter)