Legend of Zhan Zhao

Chapter 119 Where did the Great Xiangguo Temple find such monstrous disciples?

"The Pure Tathagatagarbha".

Zhan Zhao provided an answer to this question.

No problem.

He indeed benefited greatly from it and even comprehended the Six Minds Clarity Technique.

"This old Taoist knows that all the monks who enter the Great Xiangguo Temple will practice the first part of the Great Sun Tathagata Mantra, which was simplified by the Venerable Master Wufa in the past—'The Pure Tathagata Treasury'!"

Xuan Yinzi said calmly, "Therefore, everyone in the Great Xiangguo Temple practices the Great Sun Tathagata Mantra, yet no one can master it!"

"what!"

Gu Lin was taken aback.

The "Pure Tathagatagarbha" distributed to each new monk in the temple is actually the first half of the temple's treasured scripture, the "Mahavairocana Tathagata Mantra".
Zhan Zhao was also somewhat surprised, but that was all.

Regardless of whether it is the first half of the "Mahavairocana Mantra", he has gained a lot from the "Pure Tathagatagarbha" and should continue to cultivate. Why think so much?
Xuan Yinzi continued, "You young man haven't been at the Great Xiangguo Temple for long, have you? You're not behaving like a monk. This old Taoist isn't asking about the 'Pure Tathagatagarbha,' but rather about what you've learned in your secular life!"

Zhan Zhao countered, "Why should I tell you?"

Gu Lin and Li Wuxing tensed up immediately.

It must be said that they were extremely nervous when facing a master.

As a result, Zhan Zhao was surprisingly impolite.

"what?"

Xuan Yinzi's eyes flickered: "So it's the Heart Sword Divine Technique. The junior's words were provocative, so he tried to probe my mind. He's really bold!"

'A grandmaster truly lives up to his name.'

Zhan Zhao was indeed using the Six Hearts Clarity Technique and the Heart Sword Divine Technique to sense the other party's emotional fluctuations.

But compared to Luo Shijun, who was seen through the whole time and looked like a transparent person, Xuan Yinzi instantly sensed it, and with a thought, his sensory awareness disappeared.

Fortunately, the energy of the six lines still permeates the surroundings, allowing one to observe the other party's every move.

It was this fluctuation of power that surprised Xuan Yinzi.

He was certain that the person before him did not possess profound mastery of the Heart Sword Divine Technique. The reason he hadn't noticed it earlier was because it was concealed by another martial art.

That martial art not only perfectly mastered the Heart Sword Divine Technique, but it was also something he had never seen before.

Xuan Yinzi came from Lao Jun Temple, one of the five major sects in the Central Plains and the most prestigious martial arts sect. He did not believe that there were any divine skills or unique techniques that he had never heard of or seen before, so he was particularly curious.

The key is that the cultivator is still so young.

Li Wuxing was over thirty, Gu Lin was twenty-five or twenty-six, but Zhan Zhao was the youngest, only sixteen or seventeen years old. Even he couldn't help but envy the youthful vigor he possessed.

This youngest member, who was also the least afraid of himself, had a fighting spirit blazing in his eyes, showing a sense of eagerness to try.

"Young man, you have quite the nerve! This old man will grant your wish!"

Xuan Yinzi sighed softly.

Boom!

Before they could see anything, Li Wuxing and Gu Lin felt a blur before their eyes, and the surrounding scenery instantly distorted—

The blue brick floor transformed into the bronze furnace walls, and the four beams and pillars became coiled dragon fire patterns. The entire hall seemed to have transformed into a cauldron that reached the heavens and the earth!
Li Wuxing felt as if every pore on his body opened up, and an invisible elixir of fire was forcibly poured into him from the Baihui acupoint, making his internal organs feel as if they were being burned by real fire.

"drink!"

He roared and activated the Iron Blood Wedding Dress Technique, causing his blood and qi to surge and condense into a scarlet armor on his body, just like innate true qi.

The blood energy surged like boiling water, clashing with the elixir fire to produce a metallic clang, with every inch of bone resisting the refining power.

"Zheng!"

Gu Linze was like a cold sword drawn from its sheath. Accompanied by a strange sword sound, the seven acupoints of his heart suddenly shone brightly, and the seven points of light and shadow were like the Big Dipper hanging in the sky.

Sword of Thoughts - A Thousand Thoughts Weave a Web!

This time, it's not for fighting enemies, but for defending ourselves.

With the sword of thought as the guiding principle, all emotions are transformed into a fierce sword intent, weaving a fine yet impenetrable sword net within the divine consciousness, completely shredding the intention of the elixir fire.

Spiderweb-like sword marks quietly appeared on the blue bricks beneath his feet, his clothes fluttered without wind, yet his body remained upright.

What these two experienced was merely the aftermath, and it was just the extent that they could handle.

The first to bear the brunt was undoubtedly Zhan Zhao.

His senses were the clearest; the crimson-gold flames around the old Taoist priest suddenly receded, transforming into a wisp of dark purple elixir that emanated from between his brows and spiraled upwards like a dragon.

In an instant, the entire hall seemed to be dragged into the illusory realm of alchemy, with the air filled with the four flavors of alchemy: bitter, astringent, fishy, ​​and sweet.

This is still the outward release of innate true energy.

However, the true energy released by a master is already beyond compare. Each breath is like swallowing a scalding hot pill, burning one's lungs and internal organs.

As a result, the three of them felt as if they had fallen into a furnace, and heard the soft, rustling sound of countless cinnabar particles rubbing together. Their bones and flesh seemed to be decomposed, purified, and reshaped by the cinnabar fire.

In a daze, one's own existence is to be refined into a round, gleaming "elixir"!
But in that instant, Zhan Zhao slightly closed his eyes, and a pool of sword intent as clear as autumn water rippled from between his brows.

The Six Minds Clarity Technique arose in response to the thought, merging into the Heart Sword Divine Technique, permeating the entire body.

In terms of mastery of the Heart Sword Divine Technique, he was inferior to Gu Lin, but when the two were combined, they achieved a different level of mastery altogether.

The eye cannot see the illusion of the elixir fire, but only the clear and bright essence of the true mind;
He heard no sound of cinnabar breaking, only the sound of true qi circulating in his dantian;

When the breath is steady, all flavors—bitter, fishy, ​​sweet, and astringent—pass by without lingering.
The tongue touches the upper palate, as if holding a piece of ice, to suppress the scorching heat of the elixir;

My body is like a pine tree firmly rooted, unmoved by the fires of alchemy;

Like the moon reflected in a cold pool, it illuminates the illusion and returns us to our original state.

Thus, a silent standoff ensued among the four people inside the room.

Xuan Yinzi stood like a cauldron at the center, his true energy rising and transforming into countless wondrous forms;

Li Wuxing's iron-blooded wedding dress fluttered in the wind, his blood and qi clashing with the elixir fire, exploding into sparks; Gu Lin's seven emotions sword acupoints rotated, joy, anger, worry, sorrow, fear, and shock all transformed into sword qi, forming a sword aura around his body.

Zhan Zhao not only resisted, but also retaliated. Wherever his sword light shone, the realm of alchemy rippled, like a reflection in water being shattered by a pebble.

Grandmasters, with their profound understanding of heaven and earth and nature, possess mastery of the power of the mind and spirit.

'This person's mental techniques are even more profound than Madam Gu's, but in terms of threat, they are about the same.'

Zhan Zhao once faced the mental storm that erupted from Madam Gu in front of the Six Doors headquarters; that was the closest he ever felt to defeat.

Before reaching the Grandmaster realm, Madam Gu was already an absolute powerhouse, posing a threat to Zhan Zhao on par with the Wish-Bearing Monk.

The attack, unleashed with all its might, possessed the power of a grandmaster. Only with Zhan Zhao's Six Minds Clarity Technique reaching a new level, coupled with Jie Wen's Tathagata Palm strike from afar, was the attack narrowly averted.

However, on the other hand, while Madam Gu's attack was indeed powerful, it was just normal for someone at the Grandmaster level.

Grandmasters are also divided into different levels. For example, the four great grandmasters of the Central Plains in the past were the leaders of Lao Jun Temple, Da Xiang Guo Temple, Xiao Yao Sect and Qing Cheng Sect. The four swordsmen of Tian Xin Fei Xian were known as the pinnacle of swordsmanship. They were obviously much stronger than other grandmasters.

In other words, these individuals should be even closer to the legendary "realm of heaven and man".

It's impossible for every grandmaster to be like this; those who are new to this realm are definitely much weaker.

If Xuan Yinzi is not deliberately hiding his martial arts skills, the imposing manner he exudes is not much different from that of Madam Gu. Does this mean that he is only at the initial stage of the Grandmaster realm?

Based on his seniority, this person should be a veteran master, and he cultivates the Martial Morality Classic Dan Ding lineage, so why does he seem to be living up to his reputation?

Zhan Zhao didn't think much of it.

He only knew two words—

Can fight!

Moreover, at that very moment, the Six Lines Qi Mechanism sensed two more energies appearing on the sixth level.

Once those two arrive, they can at least support Gu Lin and Li Wuxing, so Zhan Zhao will have no worries. With a flash of light, he pointed at Xuan Yinzi.

"Young man, you..."

Xuan Yinzi was somewhat astonished. Before he could speak, he was already engulfed in a vortex of sword energy.

Zhan Zhao moved swiftly, like a streak of light, circling around Xuan Yinzi.

Xuan Yinzi's body was enveloped in a red-gold elixir that circulated and transformed into a perfectly round fire curtain that never ceased to burn. The invisible sword energies that approached were like mud oxen entering the sea, being swallowed and dissolved by the elixir fire, but they could still sense the infinite changes.

The sword light was sometimes as light and agile as a spring breeze brushing willows, sometimes as violent as thunder and fire crashing overhead, sometimes as gentle as autumn rain dripping on the steps, sometimes as unpredictable as viewing flowers through the mist, yet the sword's momentum was as warm and smooth as jade emitting smoke, combining strength and gentleness, constantly penetrating.

Li Wuxing and Gu Linze relaxed, retreating step by step until they finally exited the house, staring blankly at the two people fighting like a whirlwind.

The fight really started!
It's not that a fight is impossible, but the other party is, after all, the mastermind behind Luo Shijun. Now that Luo Shijun has been captured and the people of Tianxiang Tower have been rescued, if the other party gets angry and offended, they might bully the younger generation and teach them a lesson.

But now it's the other way around!

It was clearly Zhan Zhao who took action without warning.

Xuan Yinzi was somewhat bewildered.

This is wrong!

Who is the grandmaster?
It’s against Tiangang!
But he soon discovered that this young man was by no means a naive and ignorant fool.

On the contrary, the other party was far more difficult to deal with than expected.

Martial arts practitioners clash.

Strength and skill level are one aspect.

Combat strength is another aspect.

The strength of the person before them was already outrageous for his age, but his combat power was even more terrifying than his strength!
'Where did the Great Xiangguo Temple find such a monstrous disciple? This old Taoist priest, at his advanced age, can't subdue him in such a short time?'

'Indeed, I'm only slightly better than Madam Gu; I'm not the same person I was back then!'

Xuan Yinzi grew increasingly shocked as the fight progressed, while Zhan Zhao gained more and more confidence.

Without a doubt, he still couldn't beat his opponent.

But just as he couldn't beat Madam Gu back then, Madam Gu couldn't defeat him in a short time either.

This is the bonus brought by superior combat power.

I'm evenly matched with the Grandmaster!

Moreover, through the battle, Xuan Yinzi's current temperament has also been revealed to some extent.

Martial arts skills can directly reflect a martial artist's temperament.

For example, when Gu Lin was "Zhong Kui", his Heart Sword Divine Technique revealed a self-destructive tendency, and the Sword of Wrath in the Seven Emotions Sword Intent was far more fierce than the other moves.

Once Gu Lin let go of his obsession and understood Pei Handeng's good intentions in getting involved, his emotions began to flow smoothly and steadily.

The same principle applies to Xuan Yinzi.

This person's Taoist name doesn't sound like a respectable one, but his martial arts style is upright and honest, without any evil influence.

If the other party is not hiding their true intentions, then it means that after being expelled from Laozi Temple, they still practiced their original martial arts and did not switch to evil techniques, nor did they undergo any major personality changes or engage in any reverse martial arts practices.

As for the others...

Let's see how it goes after we start fighting.

Amidst the turbulent winds and clouds, the two sides had already exchanged more than thirty blows. Xuan Yinzi could no longer bear it and suddenly rose from the futon, his Taoist robe fluttering like clouds hanging from the sky.

As the sleeves overlapped, a golden-purple wave of energy exploded outwards.

Zhan Zhao had already returned to his post, but he was still violently thrown outside by the shockwave.

"The younger generation is too eager for battle! This old man is no longer at the age for fighting to the death!"

Inside the room, Xuan Yinzi stood with his hands behind his back, maintaining his masterly demeanor: "Besides, some people also have their own interests to protect. Chi Hui, since you've come, why don't you show yourself?"

(End of this chapter)