Poor Taoist Qiu Chuji

Chapter 385 The Battle of the Outer Heavens

The bald-headed monk and the lame Taoist priest are two very mysterious characters in the original Dream of the Red Chamber.

It's almost fair to say that they were the ones who orchestrated and planned everything behind the scenes.

In the previous battle in the heavens, the lame Taoist was forced to reveal his true identity by Yang Jian. He used the Yin and Yang Qi with great skill. Although he did not take out his most treasured magic weapon, his identity was already self-evident.

He was born into the Chan Sect, but later betrayed his master and left the sect. He also mastered the Yin and Yang Qi.

Only Yin Hong, a disciple of Chi Jingzi, was involved in the Investiture of the Gods.

Yin Hong died beneath the Taiji Diagram, and by all accounts, he should have been reduced to ashes.

However, when the three religions signed the Investiture of the Gods, the true spirits of all disciples of the three religions who perished in the Investiture of the Gods calamity would be listed on the Investiture of the Gods.

In the post-hoc deification process, the number of legitimate divine positions was limited, and not all of those true spirits necessarily became deities in the Heavenly Court.

It is possible that Yin Hong will find an opportunity to escape.

And what about this bald-headed monk?

Is he really a monk?

Of course, the identity of the traitor to the Chan Sect can still be narrowed down to a certain extent.

However, they may not necessarily be those who betrayed the Chan Sect during the Investiture of the Gods.

Looking at the bald-headed monk spying on the Rongguo Mansion, Qiu Chuji had no idea what he was up to, but... it didn't matter!
Just say hello and ask!
He has just acquired a brand new physical body and his cultivation has greatly improved. He needs someone to help him stabilize his realm and state.

Look at this lazy monk, he looks so lazy and shabby, he's quite suitable to be studied.

Moreover, once the war begins, Yang Jian will sense it and come to his aid.

With Yang Jian in charge, the situation couldn't be more secure.

The moment the thought arose, Qiu Chuji appeared before the bald monk, beckoning him provocatively and tossing the magical jade in his hand.

Without saying a word, the bald-headed monk immediately turned red.

This was even harder for him to accept than being confronted by a minotaur.

After all, you can change your wife, but the opportunity to achieve enlightenment is something you can't find again once you miss it.

This Sky-Mending Stone was something he and the Lame Taoist had painstakingly found. They had been planning for a long time to refine it, attracting many celestial spirits and rare treasures to descend to the mortal realm and transform into human embryos. Within a limited area, they were supposed to gently 'soften' the Sky-Mending Stone and then redistribute it.

They had found the Sky-Mending Stone some time ago and already knew just how risky it was to refine it in a short period of time.

The refining method that Qiu Chuji used to actively merge with the Heaven-Mending Stone seemed fast and convenient, but in reality, it turned out that if Qiu Chuji hadn't been so lucky and had such a special foundation, he would have been assimilated by the Heaven-Mending Stone long ago and become its nourishment.

Now that Qiu Chuji has 'easily' refined the Heaven-Mending Stone and gained tremendous benefits, this is extremely insulting to the bald-headed monk.

"Not convinced?"

"Then come with me, beat me... and I'll give the stone back to you." After saying this, Qiu Chuji took off and flew straight into the sky.

The mortal realm of this world is too fragile to withstand a battle between immortals and gods.

If the aftermath of the battle were to spread and cause harm to the common people, it would be an extremely heavy karmic burden for both Qiu Chuji and the Lai Tou Dao Ren.

Sensing the lingering presence of Qiu Chuji in the sky, the bald monk's previously ferocious expression gradually calmed down. He took a few deep breaths and surprisingly did not give chase.

Spiritual practice is not about fighting and killing; it's about understanding human relationships and worldly affairs.

The cause and effect have already been established, and there will be retribution in the future.

Now that these scoundrels are rampant, and Buddha's belly can hold all things, let's be patient with them for now.

"Don't worry, I'm alone. Even if Brother Yang comes, he won't make a move," Qiu Chuji's voice rang out again.

The moment the sound rang out, the bald monk vanished from his spot.

The outermost heaven is the gap between the lower and upper realms.

Below lies the mortal realm of the Dream of the Red Chamber world, while above, beyond the vast void, one might reach the upper realm.

Qiu Chuji stood with his hands behind his back in the boundless void, looking at the slowly emerging bald-headed monk, and asked, "This humble Taoist is Qiu Chuji. May I ask your Dharma name, Master?"

The bald-headed monk put his hands together and said, "The name of a Dharma master is merely a superficial appearance, empty and vague... You may use any name you like!"

These words are vague, clearly indicating that the speaker does not want to reveal any clues.

He was even more cautious than the lame Taoist.

Perhaps it's because his true identity is harder to expose?
"If you won't tell, then let's see if you can keep it a secret!" Qiu Chuji said, and a phantom image of a giant sword appeared behind him.

But before the sword shadow could fall, it vanished like a bubble after the bald monk bowed deeply.

Qiu Chuji did not use any rules or power; he merely used his true qi to manipulate the primordial qi to create a massive sword of killing power. As expected, it had no deterrent effect in front of such a master.

If that's the case, Qiu Chuji's Five Elements Wheel on his finger trembled slightly, and streams of Five Elements Sword Qi began to condense and swirl around his body, locking onto the ten directions.

The bald monk, draped in golden light, transformed into a sixteen-foot-tall golden body and charged straight at them.

The void trembled as the two figures collided at close range.

Qiu Chuji's sword finger swept across the green blade, and the five elements of sword energy condensed into five elemental divine beasts, suppressing the five directions and splitting them into a small world.

The bald monk, barefoot, seemed to shatter space itself. The prayer beads around his neck emitted a crimson-gold Buddhist seal, and the swastika symbol imprinted the scriptures of life and death in the void, attempting to break through Qiu Chuji's Five Elements Sword Realm.

The rules of life and death are powerful, but also quite pervasive. It is impossible to determine the identity and origin of the bald monk through the manifestation of these rules.

For practitioners of a certain age, this rule is actually one of the easiest rules to grasp.

Because the cycle of birth and death is all too common in this vast world.

All the metaphorical changes that arise between life and death can be encompassed within the context of life and death.

Therefore, the threshold for implementing this rule is not high, but the upper limit can be very high and the lower limit can be very low.

These drastically different rules, carrying an immense amount of primordial energy that defies precise measurement, collided, tore, and converged freely in the void, drawing out brilliant and dazzling rainbows in the air.

If you don't get close to see it, the beauty of this battle is absolutely stunning.

Perhaps, a discerning mortal standing in the mortal realm, glimpsing a corner of the battlefield, would marvel at its beauty and splendor.

The five elements transform and alternate, and the cycle of life and death intertwine and permeate each other.

There was a subtle tendency for them to collide and completely exchange with each other, transforming into ordinary primordial energy that dispersed.

The monk Lai Tou certainly had more experience fighting against strong opponents of the same level than Qiu Chuji.

He concealed his true methods, employing a saturation-style offensive, as if constantly diluting Qiu Chuji's attacks with water.

Whether it's the Five Elements or life and death, they are all part of the rules of this world. Even if they are not completely compatible, they are not absolutely opposed to each other.

Numerous and continuous collisions will ultimately only lead to an increase in the magnitude of 'zero'.

Qiu Chuji flew down to the top of the Azure Dragon's head, stomped his foot, and the Azure Dragon transformed into a sword dragon.

The Qi of metal and wood converges and is then awakened by the workings of creation.

In an instant, the dragon was imbued with true spirit.

It became a temporary innate deity in this void, possessing terrifying power from birth.

"Demon!" the bald monk cursed through gritted teeth.

Qiu Chuji's ability to casually enlighten innate deities truly astonished him.

This also aroused his intense jealousy. Such methods and abilities should have belonged to him.

But now, everything has been stolen by Qiu Chuji, this 'thief'!

As soon as a distracting thought arose, the lazy monk cut off a large number of distracting thoughts, which transformed into layers of Buddhist illusions.

The illusion unfolded, covering the newly born Stegosaurus.

The monk with the bald head still did not intend to confront the enemy head-on. Instead, he used layers of Buddhist illusions to buy time, waiting for the innate deity he had conjured—the sword dragon—to naturally dissipate and perish after its creation was exhausted.

The Stegosaurus passed through several illusions, emitting an incredibly terrifying roar.

As the illusion tore apart, the nascent sword dragon transformed into an old dragon with a terrifying and ferocious aura and snow-white whiskers.

The old dragon returned to the heavens beyond the sky, and the remaining dragon bones transformed into a malevolent dragon bone sword, born of life and death, with metal and wood as its core, seemingly intent on destroying everything.

Qiu Chuji gripped the Dragon Bone Sword, and the balance of the five elements in the entire field began to deteriorate to an extreme degree.

In the blink of an eye, all five elements were destroyed!

It triggers the transformation of metal and wood, destroying the five elements.

The ferocity of the five elements exploding simultaneously transformed into an indescribable, terrifying wave that rushed towards the bald monk.

This time, he can forget about playing the zero-sum game again.

Qiu Chuji had already ruled out this possibility the moment he made his move.

Either this massive collapse of the Five Elements will be directly eliminated.

Alternatively, the bald monk would be crushed to death in the destructive wave of the Five Elements.

There is absolutely no third possibility.

In an instant, the tattered clothes transformed into a magnificent golden-red robe, billowing like Mount Sumeru hanging upside down.

However, this magical artifact only lasted for three breaths before shattering under the destructive force of the Five Elements.

The bald monk immediately raised another eight-treasure glazed pagoda in his palm, and the copper bells on the eaves of the pagoda rang out a grand Buddhist chant.

One after another, illusory images of Buddhas appeared from the void, revealing various kinds of rules and auras, attempting to cut the primordial energy of this place into various primordial energy collectives with different attributes.

Such chaos leads to disorder, and the violent energy changes its flow, shifting from a fixed direction of impact to aimless diffusion in all directions.

How could Qiu Chuji let him have his way?

The Taoist spun around and unleashed seven sword beams, which combined with the Big Dipper and drew upon the starlight of the heavens.

The starlight, like countless tiny vortexes, began to systematically clear away the chaotic and disordered aura of energy.

Zero sum!
Qiu Chuji learned it in no time from what the monk Lai Tou taught him.

Sometimes, it's not necessary to have a true and in-depth understanding of certain rules; it's enough to be able to leverage them and take advantage of their influence.

The wave continued to push towards the bald-headed monk.

He had no way to escape.

Because under the wave of the five elements destroying each other, time and space are distorted, and speed is expanded and diluted. Unless the bald monk can transform into one that escapes, he cannot escape this wave and can only face it.

This is the domineering effect that arises when the common 'Five Elements rule' is applied to an extreme.

It is common and doesn't seem difficult to master.

However, the laws governing all things in the world begin with the Five Elements and will also end with the Five Elements.

Only those beings who transcend the Three Realms and are not bound by the Five Elements can disregard it, regarding even the most terrifying waves as nothing more than a gentle breeze.

Suddenly, two relics fell from the ears of the bald monk, landing and transforming into the phantom of a celestial dragon. The dragon's claws tore open the gap in the Big Dipper Sword Formation, continuing to guide the power of all Buddhas to descend upon the world.

The power of the Buddhas began to manifest, and indeed cut off a portion of the power of the Five Elements' tide.

However, the opportunity was ultimately missed. The power of the current wave has already been formed. Even if it is cut in half, it will only turn the extreme terror of destruction into extreme destruction.

The wave of destruction was about to completely engulf them. The bald monk lost his golden body and sat back on the lotus platform, with layers of halos rising behind his head.

With each rotation of the halo, a new image of Buddha is revealed, simultaneously forming Buddhist mudras.

As one seal after another was cast, the images of Buddhas appeared, transforming into giant pillars supporting the sky and holding back the waves.

"Fancy and gaudy!" Qiu Chuji commented.

In a battle of equal skill levels, Qiu Chuji indeed lacked experience, but that was only because he had grown too quickly and hadn't had the opportunity to compete.

But his overall combat experience is quite good.

Regardless of the level of combat, it all boils down to the alternation of standard techniques and lethal moves.

Now, the rascal monk can't withstand his killer move at all; no matter how many tricks he uses, it's just a delaying tactic.

If he doesn't intend to show his true abilities, then this wave of shock will severely injure him, even if he doesn't die.

Boom!

The simulation echoed in my mind with a huge, terrifying volume.

The bald monk's multiple forms crumbled, and the lotus platform turned into scattered spots of light.

"Why haven't you revealed your true form yet?"

"Hide any longer? If you keep hiding... you'll die!" Qiu Chuji's voice arrived before the tide.

Then the wave of the Five Elements collapsing completely swept over, smoothing out the entire void and shattering it into something even more broken and fragmented.

This method, originally used by Qiu Chuji to temper the physical body and squeeze out potential, has become so terrifyingly destructive when used externally after being enlightened by the Qi of Creation.

It can be said that this technique was one of Qiu Chuji's trump cards that allowed him to use all the way up to the Golden Immortal level.

Of course, once it reaches the level of Great Luo... or even the top Golden Immortal, its status will plummet.

Because at that time, who would still fear the 'Five Elements'?

Bear···!
A dazzling flame rose from beneath the destructive waves of the Five Elements.

The shattered primordial energy of the five elements surged forth and transformed into burning fuel.

Amidst the five-colored light, five flames surged, surrounding a Buddha radiating five-colored light.

"So it was you!" Qiu Chuji looked at the scene and, combined with the fact that Yin Hong had transformed into a lame Taoist, finally realized who this bald-headed monk was.

His common name was 'Ma Shan'.

Originally the wick of the lamp in the Eight Treasures Glazed Lamp of the Taoist Ran Deng, he secretly ran away to White Dragon Mountain to become an outlaw.

When Yin Jiao passed by Bailong Mountain, he was subdued by Yin Jiao and followed him down the mountain to help the tyrant Zhou.

After the Taoist Ran Deng became a Buddha, he also completely broke away from the Chan Sect and became a Buddhist disciple, and was later conferred the title of Flame Five Lights Buddha.

Thus, Yang Jian truly lived up to his reputation as a 'traitor'.

Manifesting his true form, the Five-Colored Flame Buddha continuously absorbed the power of the fire element from the Five Elements' simultaneous destruction. Although he did not have as comprehensive a control over the Five Elements as Qiu Chuji, his mastery of the fire element far surpassed Qiu Chuji's.

Therefore, the fire element was "turned to the side" by him, and the remaining metal, wood, water and earth elements collapsed and destroyed, thus failing to form an absolute dominant force. The originally surging and boundless tide gradually began to subside.

(End of this chapter)