Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 351 You're too conservative!
"That's easy to say!"

"This is what I think!" Qiu Chuji then explained his plan to Liu Chenxiang.

After listening, Liu Chenxiang fell into thought.

"Why? Is it difficult?"

“Indeed! But if it doesn’t work out, there’s nothing I can do…” Qiu Chuji was planning to take the opportunity to decline the offer. After all, although there were many benefits, the difficulty was also really high. This kind of restrictive, targeted mission was actually the most difficult to handle. He still preferred the kind of world tour where he could let loose and do whatever he wanted.

"No! No! I just think your plan is too conservative!" Liu Chenxiang waved her hand and said.

“I know myself very well. Even he, though he may be cynical, is definitely very stubborn. The experiences of one world are not enough to change him.”

“Let’s be bolder. We can add a dozen or so such worlds. There are plenty of them anyway,” Liu Chenxiang said boldly, as if he were talking about a dozen watermelons in a field, not a dozen worlds.

At this moment, Nezha, who had been silent all along, finally interjected: "Generally speaking, if we put worlds with similar forms of existence together under one mythological world, we can only accommodate a maximum of three. Otherwise, the worlds will intersect, forming special boundary areas that will affect the balance of the entire mythological world."

"You can do whatever you want with things within the world, but if you ruin a mythical world, nephew Chenxiang! I'm afraid you can't bear the consequences!"

These words, which clearly carry a reminder or warning connotation, seem inappropriate coming from Nezha's mouth; they don't quite fit his character.

But he is, after all, a knowledgeable and experienced 'old' deity, and when he wants to be reliable, he can be!

"Alright! Three it is!"

"Then I'll have to choose carefully, pick three particularly crazy ones, and make him really wake up!" Liu Chenxiang said through gritted teeth, clearly having suffered greatly from this recently.

Seeing that Liu Chenxiang had made up his mind, Qiu Chuji stopped refusing and instead began to mentally deduce and refine the entire plan and process.

"Brother Liu! You should also explain this matter to your elders at home and ask them to be lenient with my actions. Otherwise, it would be inappropriate for me to be arrested by your uncle and imprisoned in the Heavenly Prison as soon as I come into contact with agarwood!" Although Qiu Chuji was quite confident in himself, he did not think that he could be a match for Erlang Shen... even if that was just a clone of Yang Jian in a mythological world.

That's right. Generally speaking, the same person in different worlds is distinguished by their 'true self' and 'other self'. In reality, they are each other's 'other self', so it's impossible to say who is the true self.

As for the Nezha before us and the Demon Child Nezha, it's not entirely clear who is the master and who is the servant. If the Demon Child Nezha surpasses the Nezha who can travel through the heavens, then when the Demon Child Nezha reaches the Great Luo realm, the Nezha before us will become one of his many unified incarnations.

Only those who have cultivated to the level of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, apart from themselves, have their scattered figures throughout the heavens collectively referred to as clones. The fate of these clones is fixed, and everything is predetermined, with no possibility of change.

The difference was explained to Qiu Chuji by Nezha during their conversation.

Clearly, Qiu Chuji's actions in saving Chen Tang Pass and Lady Yin in the world of Nezha: The Demon Child Conquers the Dragon King greatly won Nezha's favor.

“That’s natural! That’s natural!” Liu Chenxiang nodded vigorously, acknowledging Qiu Chuji’s caution.

After all, if someone takes on everything without mentioning the difficulties and inconveniences involved, they are either genuinely confident or a fraud.

"Once things are done, I'll show you my uncle's cultivation insights!" Liu Chenxiang once again inadvertently revealed his heroic spirit.

As I said before, no wonder he's a third-generation immortal; his family background is impressive and his connections are strong.

"Cough! Cough cough!!"

"Nephew Chenxiang! I can give you my cultivation insights, but be careful about the extent!"

“Remember what I told you before we came here,” Nezha immediately reminded him.

Yang Jian's cultivation experience consists entirely of orthodox Chan Sect magic and methods for tempering and refining the body related to the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts. If this were shown to Qiu Chuji without any omissions, what difference would it make from giving him a Chan Sect magic and supernatural cultivation manual?
The Celestial Venerable didn't send Qiu Chuji to follow the old path!
“Yes! Yes! Uncle Nezha is right!” Liu Chenxiang nodded repeatedly.

"Alright! Wait for my news. Once everything is arranged... I'll leave it to you, my brother!" Liu Chenxiang turned to Qiu Chuji and said.

Qiu Chuji nodded in agreement.

The three then had another conversation, chatting about some trivial matters concerning the Heavenly Court.

After about two or three hours, the event finally came to an end.

After seeing the two off, Qiu Chuji returned alone to his small world to cultivate, organize and reflect on what he had learned, and only occasionally would he spend some time revisiting and re-analyzing the plan.

However, it doesn't really mean much. The information he has now, as well as the mission objective, are all provided unilaterally by Liu Chenxiang. This means that even if he deduces repeatedly, the direction and ideas he gets will be extremely similar and consistent.

As time went by, about two or three months had passed since Nezha and Liu Chenxiang's visit, but there was still no news.

Qiu Chuji wasn't in a hurry. He took some time to travel back and forth several times to explore the Condor Heroes world where his disciple Yang Kang lived, and the Condor Heroes world where his grand-disciple Yang Guo lived. In these two worlds, although Qiu Chuji did not replenish the primordial energy on a large scale to guide the world to upgrade, he still used some methods to transform Zhongnan Mountain into a true blessed land of immortals and left behind some inheritance.

When he returned to his secluded world once again, preparing for a long period of seclusion, Liu Chenxiang came to visit him alone again.

He didn't come empty-handed; he brought Qiu Chuji a small bottle of lamp oil for the Lotus Lantern, but he also brought some less-than-good news.

"What! You're saying that Erlang Shen in the mythological world I'm going to isn't under your uncle's control?"

"How is this possible!" Qiu Chuji's first reaction upon hearing the news was disbelief.

Yang Jian is a Great Luo Golden Immortal, a fact certified by Nezha. Even if Nezha is unreliable, he wouldn't joke about something like this.

As is widely known, the Great Luo Golden Immortal is the one who unites all realms and all selves, and infinite possibilities become eternal and unique.

In a practical sense, he stood at the pinnacle of spiritual practice.

The realms of the Dao Ancestor and the Buddha Ancestor, which are above this level, are realms that cannot be fathomed, understood, or measured.

The cultivation of those Great Luo Golden Immortals is nothing more than constantly increasing their own legendary status, and then using this to expand the world related to them, unifying more derivative possibilities, and increasing their own breadth.

As for the case of Yang Jian, where one of his clones is 'out of control,' Qiu Chuji has limited information and doesn't know if it's true or not.

But it's obvious that this is probably unlikely.

"I didn't believe it at first either. I thought my uncle was just trying to trick me."

“But he said that this was his other self in that world, who took an unconventional path, not only severing the Heavenly Laws but also the karmic ties between the various selves. It was a possibility that grew out of the impossible, and perhaps there is hope that a second Great Luo Dao Fruit will bloom on the same flower,” Liu Chenxiang said.

Qiu Chuji thought for a moment and said, "So... that matter is considered settled?"

After all, compared to Liu Chenxiang's minor grievances, if Erlang Shen could truly cultivate a second Great Luo Dao Fruit, it would have a completely different and extraordinary significance. No one knows whether a Great Luo Golden Immortal with two Great Luo Dao Fruits stacked together could rival the likes of the Dao Ancestor or the Buddha.

Even if it's still not as good as it, can it get any closer?
The opportunity for Erlang Shen's clones to sever the ties between all beings lies in revising the Heavenly Laws, which contradicts Liu Chenxiang's desires.

"No! My uncle said we should do what needs to be done!"

"The Heavenly Laws can be changed, but how to change them requires a new plan."

"For example, if immortals and gods or immortals and mortals fall in love and develop mortal desires, it would originally be a violation of the heavenly rules, and both would be severely punished, almost unforgivable. My uncle's idea is that after the heavenly rules are changed, immortals and gods can fall in love, but they need to have their immortal status revoked, their cultivation abolished, and be banished to the mortal world to live their mortal married life. As long as they don't interfere with others, it's fine no matter what."

"If a couple wants to become immortals again after being married for one lifetime, they must start cultivating again, overcome the three calamities and avoid the nine difficulties, and undergo thousands or tens of thousands of years of trials before they can obtain the right fate again."

“If someone wants to wield world-destroying power but is unwilling to be restrained, then they are not truly sincere and are simply blinded by desire. As for how to deal with them, just follow the old precedent.” Liu Chenxiang finished speaking in one breath, and Qiu Chuji understood the meaning behind it.

The Heavenly Rules still need to be changed, but they need to be changed to be more reasonable and justifiable. While leaving room for compassion, we must also prevent the emotions of the immortals and gods from running rampant and affecting all living beings in the Three Realms.

Now, it truly becomes a set topic for an essay.

Even the specifics of how the Heavenly Rules should be modified were restricted.

"Your uncle is really good to you. He lets you mess around with such a vital world!" Qiu Chuji said. Although he himself was also considered a member of the 'privileged' class, seeing Liu Chenxiang's face now made him even more despicable.

Liu Chenxiang said, "It doesn't matter. Uncle has already made a save file. If it's messed up, at most it will waste some world origin and rewind time. That's not difficult for Uncle."

Upon hearing this, Qiu Chuji completely lost his temper.

This must be the difference in levels between practitioners!
Qiu Chuji couldn't use the technique of time travel within his own little world, but Erlang Shen could use such a method on a mythological world.

From the level of a near-immortal to a Great Luo Golden Immortal, the difference may seem to be only two or three levels, but in reality, the difference is far, far away.

"So...when do I set off?" Qiu Chuji did not intend to ask any more questions and risk further humiliation.

"No rush, there are a few more words I'd like to tell you on behalf of your uncle." Liu Chenxiang's expression became unusually solemn.

Clearly, although he was a third-generation immortal, he was not stupid. He knew who he relied on to gain his special status and power.

"He told me to tell you that you can be bolder and not hold back because of our demands, whether it's 'me' or 'him' in that world. If you're capable of handling it, then you don't need to hold back."

"You are important, far more important than you think."

"None of your speculations are the real answers."

Qiu Chuji was deeply moved after hearing these words.

What was his guess about the 'answer'?
The Quanzhen School's concept of "the unity of the three teachings" helps the Taoist school expand its influence while also accommodating some people in the Buddhist school, thus gaining more buffer space.

For example, Guanyin Bodhisattva is the most famous Bodhisattva in Buddhism.

One of the legends is that he was transformed from Cihang Daoren, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals, who turned to Buddhism.

In the past, He was considered a traitor and an enemy of Taoism.

The battle between Lü Dongbin and Guanyin has even become a legend, causing this powerful Buddhist bodhisattva to lose face.

The story goes something like this: A bridge needed to be built in a certain place in Luoyang, but the people there didn't have the money to build it.

To help people build this bridge, Guanyin Bodhisattva transformed into a beautiful woman and stood by the river, saying to everyone: Whoever can hit her with a coin, she will marry him.

So many people came and threw copper coins, gold and silver at the beautiful woman, but no one could hit her.

When Lü Dongbin, one of the Eight Immortals, and He Xiangu passed by, Lü Dongbin secretly used a spell, and a fisherman's copper coin hit Guanyin Bodhisattva's clothes.

Logically, Guanyin should have kept her promise and married the fisherman.

This was of course impossible, so the Bodhisattva revealed his true form. The crowd was so shocked that they dared not have any more romantic thoughts and all bowed down in unison.

The Bodhisattva immediately said, "I transformed into a beautiful woman hoping that everyone would contribute money to repair the bridge and accumulate good deeds." To keep her word, the Bodhisattva gave the fisherman a Bodhisattva statue, instructing him to recite scriptures diligently and do good deeds. The Bodhisattva herself then transformed into a gentle breeze and disappeared.

It seems like the situation has been resolved, but in reality, it was a matter of using some tricks to forcefully escape.

This is enough to show that although Lü Dongbin and Guanyin are both rare great powers in the Three Realms, they do not get along and even have some grudges against each other.

This is also related to their respective positions.

If the Quanzhen School's concept of the unity of the three teachings (Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism) were to prevail in many mythological worlds, then the position and definition of this Bodhisattva might be subtly shifted as a result.

Now, the few words that Yang Jian deliberately conveyed partially refuted Qiu Chuji's previous conjectures.

This pulled him back into the fog.

However, both Nezha and the Antarctic Immortal had clearly made such hints before.

So...who should Qiu Chuji believe?
"It seems that it's not easy to get along in the Chan Sect!"

"Indeed! The true heavenly courts are divided into many sections, much like the struggle for supremacy among feudal lords. How could the relationships between the disciples of the Chan Sect be simple?"

"The Antarctic Immortal is the Antarctic Longevity Emperor. He is a Heavenly Emperor and a king among the celestial lords. Yang Jian, on the other hand, stands under the command of the Western Mountain Emperor. Although he is said to obey orders but not summons, he still respects the Western Mountain Emperor as the Heavenly Emperor."

"If we consider the Chan Sect as a university, and the different factions as different large companies or corporations, then the infighting within them becomes much easier to understand!"

Qiu Chuji's doubts deepened, but he didn't speak again. Seeing that Qiu Chuji didn't press the matter, Liu Chenxiang didn't dwell on it and smiled slightly, saying, "It seems you're also impatient!"

"Then... let's begin!"

After saying that, he unleashed a beam of mysterious light, which directly opened a portal in Qiu Chuji's small world.

(End of this chapter)