Ziwei Immortal Path

Chapter 77 The Age of Great Conflict

Chapter 77 The Age of Great Conflict
"So, isn't it that everything is ready, only the east wind is missing?"

Xu Boyang smiled and said, "Then you are probably missing a Fire God Yuan Pill?"

Monk Li's expression changed slightly and he said:

"That's right! My 'Li Dao Ren' has already cultivated the spiritual energy of the eight meridians of the Li Palace. The only thing missing is a Li Huo Shen Yuan Dan. Unfortunately, this elixir requires the fusion of all the spiritual energy of the eight meridians of the Li Palace before it can be tempered into Li and condensed into a pill. The elixir process is so complicated and time-consuming that it is no different from refining a top-grade Huang Ting magic weapon. My cultivation is low, so there is really no way I can do it."

"But Ding Qingliao of Qingshen has already promised me that I would exchange a three-year-old Huaiyi Binzhu for this pill. Unfortunately, I haven't received the pill yet. My efforts have been wasted at the last moment, and everything is ruined in one day..."

Xu Boyang's heart trembled, and he asked calmly:

"Who is Ding Qingliao? Why haven't I heard of him in Qingshen?"

“In Qingshen, the Immortal Sect is so powerful, who dares to speak his name?
Monk Li laughed bitterly and explained with a smile:
"The ancestor of the Yuchuan Ding family, the master of Samadhi Mountain, the Huangting Yushi 'Nang Ying Ying Xue' is him!"

"What you said doesn't make sense."

Xu Boyang was shocked when he suddenly heard the news from the Ding family, but he did not show any abnormality on his face. After thinking for a moment, he said slowly,

"As a Qingshen Feathered Priest, even though this Huaiyi Binzhu is extremely precious, it is not the right thing for him to be controlled by you like this. A cultivator who can become a Huangting Feathered Priest is not an ordinary person. Can't he see what you are trying to do?"

"Little friend."

Monk Li sighed softly.
"That's common sense, but you don't know the secret. Now that the way of heaven has collapsed, where is the smooth path to follow? Where is there anything to learn from the predecessors?"

"Like Qingshen Huaiyou's 'Firefly Reflecting the Snow' Ding Qingliao, 'Fiery Fire Identifying the Sun' Jiang Taiqing, 'Kunyu Qiufrost' Qi Fuling, 'Jade of Autumn' Qi Fuling, 'Jiangzuo Luyu' Pei Shaoyao, 'Water and Fire Not Yet in Harmony' Sun Guozhen, 'Water and Fire Not Yet in Harmony' Sun Guozhen, and so on, this group of Huangting Yushi, though of varying ages, all crossed the river by feeling the stones, gained different opportunities, and realized the fruit of the Dao."

"Among these people, only [Langfeng Dian] ultimately stood out, attained the Dao of Purple Mansion, and became a True Person."

"These people are all rare geniuses. With their abilities, can't they do what I can do?"

"Not really. They might think it's too much trouble and a waste of a hundred years. Or they might think the path I'm taking is wrong and that I don't necessarily need to cultivate on my own. These people are all hiding very deeply, trying their best to find the chance to attain the immortal path of the Purple Mansion."

"The four Qingshen sects appear to be in harmony on the surface, but in reality, they are secretly disloyal. It's a pity that after so many years, no one has yet discovered the secret of how to reach the Purple Mansion."

"You're probably wondering why Lang Feng Dian, who already achieved the Purple Mansion, didn't lend a hand. Actually, that's not the case. They were each exploring in different directions. Lang Feng Dian's achievement of the Purple Mansion might have been a matter of chance, destiny, or perhaps he simply couldn't do anything about it."

"Of course, the Immortal has lived for hundreds of years, and his thoughts are not something we can speculate about at will. However, considering that he has united with the various feathered disciples for so many years and worked hard to support the Qingshen situation, this person should have a kind heart, or perhaps a big heart that sympathizes with all living beings."

"To put it bluntly, I'm just a test subject. I've spent a hundred years exploring the secrets of the Ligong Immortal Technique. Why wouldn't the Yuchuan Ding family use me as a touchstone?"

"After all, his Ding family is a giant in alchemy, just like the Jiangzuo Pei family, but each has its own strengths. One family specializes in fire, the other in water. Once my method is feasible and I achieve the Great Dao of [Lihuo], I can successfully reach the early stage of Huangting through cultivation. As long as I firmly control the lifeline of the Lihuo Shenyuan Pill, the future prosperity of his Ding family is just around the corner."

"Little did they know that without my 'Lihuo Yuqi Xuandao Sutra', his Ding family would be nothing in the end! Hahahaha!"

Xu Boyang asked, "Aren't you afraid that he will kill you?"

"kill me?"

Monk Li snorted and laughed, his eyes full of disdain.
"Ding Qingliao is a mid-stage Huangting Feathered Cultivator. Even if I break through Huangting, what does he have to fear? He has so many Huangting Feathered Cultivators in the Qingshen Immortal Sect, as well as the Purple Mansion Immortal. How can I possibly turn the tables if I can control a casual cultivator like me?"

"What's more, he was originally trying to help me. If he wanted to kill me, he would have done it long ago. His family and the Ling family are not on good terms. If he hadn't secretly saved me back then, I would have been wiped out long ago. How could I still be alive today?"

"Don't you know that my Ling family's ancestor, Ling Xuanzhen, known as 'Fu Huo Ying Tian', is a late Huangting feathered scholar, half a step into the Purple Mansion, and the current head of the Yuchuan Lingxiao Sect?"

Xu Boyang shook his head, but his mind was not on this. His eyes flickered and he sighed softly:
"As the senior said, the Qingshen Taoist sect is having a hard time in this sea!"

"My friend, you are wrong. The Qingshen Taoist sect is in trouble, but other sects are not doing well either. To put it bluntly, the Guliang Confucian sect claims to have only one sect, the Confucian sect, but in reality it is divided into three branches, and they are all exploring their own ways, so the relationship is not good."

"They don't have a real person like us who hovers in the middle and balances the situation. Although there are constant external enemies, at least their own territory is stable. I heard that they have six great scholars of science and technology. They sound very powerful, but in reality, they can only be considered to have the cultivation level of half a step into the Purple Mansion. And they don't like each other, they are fighting among themselves, and fighting often breaks out."

"On the other hand, the Nanwu Lishan, Nanhuang Manyao, and Sihai Jinggong clans are all like this, all very similar. Only the Huangyang Buddhist clan, despite internal divisions between the north and the south, has remained relatively quiet and peaceful."

"To put it bluntly, today's world is full of heroes vying for supremacy. There is no one who is absolutely strong. It is a world of great contention."

"Of course."

Xu Boyang snapped his fingers and said calmly, "Tell me about the [Yin Shen Exchange] incident, starting from the beginning."

Monk Li sighed:
"It's a long story. Back then, I fled to Baima to avoid being hunted by the Qingshen Immortal Sect. I was seriously injured and had to hide from place to place. As a result, I was hunted by the Barbarian Demon Leopard Skin Tribe outside Wubi City. I almost died, but was later saved by my master, Monk Jingdu."

"My master was still young at that time, only in his thirties. He wasn't a high-ranking monk, but just a wanderer at a temple affiliated with Nanchan in Huangyang. However, he had been traveling for over twenty years, had achieved perfection in the Six Perfections, and was about to plant the seeds of Bodhi."

Xu Boyang grinned and said, "Senior, please tell us about the Buddhist concept of reincarnation and bliss first when you tell us stories. Otherwise, we're really talking about different things."

Monk Li's eyes were somewhat dull as he stared at the black stone wall not far away, as if immersed in memories from many years ago. He said lightly:
"Yes, the Buddhists were not originally from the mainland. They were an imported sect. Their techniques are very different from ours, and are mysterious and unfathomable. As for where they came from, there are many different opinions, and there is no evidence to support them."

"However, the two major sects occupying Huangyang are the Chan Ding Sect and Cihangzhai, known as the Southern Chan and the Northern Ci. Cihangzhai is located in the north of Huangyang, known as the "Thousand Miles of Yellow Sand Does Not Reject the City." It is said that most of the inhabitants are women. It's too far away, so I haven't been there." "I was rescued by my master and enlightened by him. In the end, I gave up my Taoist skills and converted to the Chan Ding Sect in the southern part of Huangyang, known as the Luoyi City of the Three Thousand Buddha Caves."

"Although Buddhism originated from outside, the two major sects of Southern Chan and Northern Ci within Huangyang have, after countless years of subtle influence, actually converged with other schools in China. In order to spread their teachings, they gradually integrated and localized, discarding some things that were originally not suitable for local preaching."

"The path of samsara and bliss they practice is, to put it bluntly, a combination of the immortal techniques of the Thunderbolt lineage, one of the eight meridians of the Immortal Palace, combined with their own unique Buddhist teachings."

"But to be honest, Buddhist cultivation is too difficult, obscure, and torturous. I already yearn for the Great Dao in my heart, so in order to survive and for my next plan, I had no choice but to be submissive and give up my cultivation to practice the Way of Reincarnation and Paradise."

"But my heart wasn't in it. I only cultivated superficially, and eventually, after spending over thirty years, I achieved the perfection of the Six Perfections and became a practitioner. I eventually planted the seeds of Bodhi and mastered the secret method of [Yin Shen Exchange]. After that, I fled."

"So, I don't fully understand the Buddhist cultivation methods. I only know that their first realm is called the Paramita Realm, and that the Paramita Realm itself is divided into the six perfections of generosity, precepts, patience, diligence, meditation, and wisdom. These six perfections require arduous practice to comprehend the Buddha's teachings. There are no specific methods to describe them. One must constantly walk in the world, tormenting oneself, and influencing others. That's why they are called practitioners."

"Finally, when the six perfections are complete, you can return to the temple and plant the Bodhi. This Bodhi is planted in your Para. Once the Bodhi is planted, you can practice the secret method of [Yin Shen Exchange].

"After planting the Bodhi tree and becoming a bhikkhu, it seemed I could grow the Bodhi tree mentioned in Paramita and then achieve the Dharmadhatu. However, I wasn't interested in that. I hurriedly learned the technique of [Yin Shen Exchange] and took the opportunity to escape. So, even though my Bodhi tree has taken root, it hasn't sprouted. I'm not even a bhikkhu, at best, just a half-bhikkhu."

Xu Boyang sneered, "You must have learned that the Buddhist family has the secret method of [Yin Shen Exchange], so you planned to defect, right?"

Monk Li smiled awkwardly:
"I was forced by circumstances to become a monk. It wasn't my original intention. If I hadn't agreed, my master would have abandoned me, and I would have been eaten by the Leopard Skin Lord."

Xu Boyang's eyes flickered as he slowly asked, "So, as long as the Bodhi in your Paramita is not destroyed, you will not die, right?"

Monk Li narrowed his eyes and smiled, saying, "My friend, you are clever. For Buddhists, the physical body is nothing more than a bag of skin after the seeds of Bodhi are planted. It is of no importance. That is why there is the concept of reincarnation."

Xu Boyang laughed and said, "I've finally opened my eyes today. So this is how 'reincarnation' can be interpreted. Occupying someone else's body is also considered reincarnation? Isn't this a blatant act of murder and heartbreak?"

"No and no."

Monk Li explained,

"My friend, you don't know that this method of [Yin Shen Exchange] cannot be taken by force. It can only succeed if the other party is willing to go to the Western Pure Land of Bliss! If it is taken by force, it is what the Taoists call the art of seizing the body, not this method. This is also why Buddhists call the cultivation method the Way of Reincarnation and Bliss."

"Willingly?"

Xu Boyang laughed loudly and said coldly:
"Even if you were being chased by a savage monster, how could you not be willing to do it? I never thought that the dignified Pure Land of Buddhism would resort to such tricks. If I were a high-ranking monk like Huangyang Nanchan Beici, wouldn't I have prepared hundreds or thousands of Dharma bodies? By then, as long as my Bodhi is not destroyed, I will be immortal!"

Then he sneered:

"No wonder you use Monk Li's Dharmakaya whenever you go out. With such incredible skills, you can travel across rivers, lakes, and seas. What is there to fear?"

Monk Li sighed and said:
"My friend, you're overthinking it. The six families in the sea have been fighting for years, so how could they have any secrets? This [Yin Shen Exchange] technique, although it looks very powerful, is ultimately only for one's own immortality, not for being invincible. Furthermore, if a Buddhist monk cannot cultivate to the [Dharma Realm], his spiritual consciousness cannot leave the Paramita. Without cultivating the Bodhi tree in the Paramita and creating the inner and outer Dharma Realms, he is inherently very weak. When I say "in itself," I mean the skin."

"The Buddhists are just skin bags. Not to mention the barbarian monsters, Li witches, and water monsters, these three are different species. They are not even a little bit inferior to the Taoists and Confucianists. The Taoists and Confucianists have their spiritual energy spread throughout their bodies, tempering their bodies, while the Buddhists' spiritual energy is all in the Polo before they achieve the Dharmakāya. Therefore, in a battle, the Buddhists will not be able to get any advantage in the early stages."

"This is also the reason why, although the Buddhists are out and about, they rarely interfere in the Thousand Stars and Ten Thousand Islands Lake. Otherwise, there is the Dharma-Appearance Zen Master sitting on the mountain. This is also the reason why I couldn't defeat the two Confucian scholars from the Three Thousand Academy."

"Alas, I've been at the Three Thousand Academy for several years, and I've never seen Guo Diyun in action. I never imagined his family actually practiced the [Heavenly Thunder]. I used the Buddhist [Thunderbolt] technique, 'Water Rising Thunder', to draw down thunder from the lake, but I never imagined that the Guo family member's magical weapon would leverage the force against me, drawing it up to the sky, where it transformed into heavenly thunder, which then descended again, severely injuring me. This is truly unfortunate! No wonder Guo Diyun sent this man to capture me!"

Xu Boyang suddenly heard the names of Guo Diyun and Sanqian Academy, and his heart was secretly startled again:
"How come the person Ding Tianshi asked me to find is related to Sanqian Academy?"

However, this matter was not urgent, so he did not ask about the inside story. He just stared at Monk Li and asked:
"From what you said, the Buddhist school itself was very weak in the early stage, but you, Monk Li, cultivated two Dharma bodies, the Confucian scholar Li and the Taoist Li. Isn't that a perfect match, impeccable?"

"No, no."

Monk Li shook his head slightly and said with a wry smile:
"This [Yin Shen Exchange] is a secret Buddhist technique. If I exchanged it with a Buddhist monk, there would be no problem. But I exchanged it with someone else. He doesn't have Bodhi in his Paramita, so how can it last?"

"If I use Monk Li's method of [Yin Shen Exchange] to possess Li Rushi or Li Daoist, once the Bodhi in Monk Li's own Paramita loses its spiritual nourishment and withers, I will never be able to return to Monk Li's original form, and will forever become Li Rushi or Li Daoist."

"Given my current situation, I can only leave for three days at most, otherwise I won't be able to return. If that weren't the case, why would I occupy Monk Li's body for so long?"

Xu Boyang smiled and said, "According to your wishes, after I help you exchange your body, you will seek revenge. After you have done so, you will also need to find a Buddhist disciple who is willing to offer his body and possesses Bodhi among the Pala to exchange bodies again. Then, you, the monk Li, will be able to recover as before."

Monk Li didn't expect that he could guess what he was thinking. He could only sigh and say:

"That's right. Originally, there were quite a few Buddhist disciples following me in my Fireworks Sect. There were one or two who had Bodhi. Unfortunately, their skills were too low, and they were all killed by these damned Confucian scholars!"

Xu Boyang stood up and clapped his hands gently, saying with a smile, "What you said today really opened my eyes. I never thought that the world is so vast and full of wonders. It's a pity that the words you said are so eloquent, but it's hard to tell whether they are true or false."

When Monk Li saw him stand up, he panicked and said hurriedly:
"My dear friend, everything I said is true. The reason I said so much is not because I want to die, but because I hope you can give me a way to live. You and I are both Taoists, and we both cultivate the way of Lihuo. If you can spare my life, I will definitely accompany you in the future, serving you at your side. If I can achieve some merits in the future and absolve myself of this crime, wouldn't it be wonderful for you and I to walk the great path together?"

After Xu Boyang stood up, he crossed his arms and supported his chin with one hand. After a moment of silence, his eyes moved and he said calmly:

"My surname is Xu, and my given name is Boyang!"

Thanks to book friend 0695 for the monthly ticket!
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(End of this chapter)

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