Conferred Gods: Start with a Phoenix clone

Chapter 1639 Tang Monk and the Goblet of Fire
Deng Chanyu did a very thorough job of preliminary preparation. There might be some deviations in the final stage of the journey, but there would definitely be no mistakes in the early stages.

Her enemies can only do so in the later stages if they want to cause trouble. They dare not take action in the early stages. It would be meaningless to take action now to remedy the situation.

The connection between the two time nodes was extremely smooth, and the Jinghe Dragon King, who had left the prehistoric world for many years, returned as Chen Guangrui.

Tang Sanzang's desire for his biological parents was only nominal. Everyone else had parents, so why didn't I? I wanted one too! When they finally had them, they found they were just that, nothing special. The three of them looked at each other in silence, with very little in common. The reunion of the family of three was brief, and they separated again.

Tang Seng returned to Jinshan Temple and was formally ordained as a monk. The appearance of his biological parents strengthened his determination to become a Buddhist and did not make him think of returning to secular life.

More than ten years passed quickly, and the entire political environment of the Tang Dynasty was respecting Taoism. They believed that the leader of Taoism was the ancestor of the Li family. Since Taoism was rising, the days of the temples became more and more difficult.

Tang Monk, who is over thirty years old, was sent out into society by Jinshan Temple. The temple is too small and the fields are too few to support you. You'd better make a living on your own.

Tang Seng wanted to find his biological parents, but found out that his mother had committed suicide several years ago, his father's whereabouts were unknown, and no one knew where Chen Guangrui had gone.

Tang Monk had nowhere to go and could only survive by begging. Thinking that Chang'an, as the imperial capital, might provide some opportunities, he packed his bags and set out from Jiangnan, heading west to Chang'an to join the "Western Drifting" group.

Chang'an City is the largest city of this era, without a doubt.

The stable political environment has led to a surge in the capital's population.

Tang Sanzang had a peculiarity: he loved to watch the action. He loved watching martial arts competitions, throwing embroidered balls to win a bride, or even watching fairies bathing. "You're a monk, don't you have any sense?" He would move forward, and even Sun Wukong and his three disciples combined couldn't stop him.

This time is no exception, go wherever there is excitement.

On the busy street, he saw several dignified monks. He wanted to say hello, but they were in a hurry and ignored him.

With many puzzles, Tang Seng followed the crowd to the intersection of East Market, where he saw a wooden wine cup more than half a person's height placed. Blue and white flames were coming out of the mouth of the cup, which looked quite strange.

He wanted to find someone to ask, and by chance, there was a tall old monk standing next to him. The old monk had bright eyes and was holding a nine-ring staff. His disciple was holding a rather gorgeous-looking cassock.

"I, Xuanzang, would like to ask you, Master, what is this wooden cup at the intersection? Why is it placed there?"

The old monk smiled faintly and said, "This object is called the Goblet of Fire. Its purpose is naturally to select the chief monk of the Buddhist sect for the current emperor."

As if noting Tang Sanzang's confusion, the old monk further explained, "The current emperor has issued a decree requiring all Buddhist monks aged between twenty and sixty to submit their names to the Goblet of Fire. The Goblet of Fire will then screen them based on various criteria and select the Chief Monk to manage all Buddhist affairs in the Tang Dynasty."

As they were talking, two old monks, one fat and one thin, limped to the Goblet of Fire and put pieces of paper with their names on them into it.

Tang Seng watched as a ball of blue fire emerged from the mouth of the cup without any signs of burning, and just rolled the note in.

Was this a magical treasure from the immortals or a Buddhist treasure? His imagination ran wild.

The old monk and his disciples closed their eyes and remained silent, but the passers-by on the other side of Tang Seng started chatting.

"Aren't those Elders Minghui and Mingfa? I heard that they rode out of the city on purpose yesterday, and their legs were broken when they came back." "Ah? You mean they did it on purpose?"

"Of course. The chief monk of the Tang Dynasty can't be a cripple, right? Is this the dignity of the great Celestial Empire? Humph, the monks are avoiding this chief monk."

Tang Sanzang wanted to hear more about the inside story, but suddenly the old monk beside him said to him, "Master Xuanzang, don't you want to be the chief monk?"

"Well." Deep down, Tang Sanzang was thinking, "Being the chief monk, how impressive! At least I won't be hungry, right?" He had gone hungry quite a bit on his way west from Jinshan Temple to Chang'an.

However, no matter how stupid Tang Seng was, he knew that there must be a trap among the chief monks whom all the other monks tried to avoid.

Without waiting for his reply, the old monk said softly, "Master Xuanzang, you meet the requirements of the Chief Abbot. You should throw your Dharma name into the Goblet of Fire. If the Grand Abbot knew that you were evading the imperial decree, your ordination certificate would be revoked. That's all I have to say. Farewell."

The old monk, holding a staff, and his disciple, holding a cassock, floated away.

Tang Seng thought about it and felt that the old monk's words made sense. With so many eminent monks, he would never be chosen. Since he would not be chosen, what was there to worry about?

He went to a nearby shop to borrow a pen and ink, and then threw a piece of paper with his Buddhist name written on it into the Goblet of Fire.

He didn't take this matter too seriously. Filling his stomach was the most important thing at the moment.

Three months passed quickly. Life in the west was extremely miserable. There were too many dignitaries in the city. When they wanted to perform rituals, they would find a large group of monks and Taoists to do it together. Some chanted scriptures, some beat wooden fish, and each did their own job, which looked very high-end.

Tang Seng is alone. It’s useless to tell others that my Hinayana Buddhism can help the dead to be liberated!
The "employer" requires rich work experience, and he is a monk without an employer, so he cannot prove that he has work experience.

He was hungry one day and full the next. Just when he was about to leave Chang'an City, a group of government runners and several big monks rushed into the dilapidated temple where he was staying.

The leading monk shouted at the top of his lungs.

"We've found the Chief Monk!"

"Finally found!"

"Buddha bless you, Amitabha, Amitabha!"

The crowd did not give Tang Seng any chance to argue and swarmed over him, some grabbing his arms, others pulling his sleeves, practically carrying him, running all the way until they finally arrived at the center of the empire, the Daming Palace.

The current emperor is named Li Longji, and he is considered the grandson of the empress. He also has another identity, he is the reincarnation of Huang Tianhua.

Huang Tianhua was able to worship Guangchengzi as his master, and he also had the fate of an emperor. However, in his time, whether it was Yin Shou, Ji Chang, or Ji Fa, they could firmly suppress him in terms of fate. When Deng Chanyu helped Deng Jiugong to fight for the tripod, and his biological father Huang Feihu chose to surrender, Huang Tianhua's fate became completely useless. In the end, he died and was listed on the list. His ending can be described as tragic.

Human emperors cannot practice cultivation, but they can take advantage of the situation to gain some merits. Huang Tianhua reincarnated into this era just to gain merits.

(End of this chapter)