How can there be such a strong superpower?

As for why I had such a reaction, it was mainly because our Longhu Mountain’s 42nd generation Heavenly Master once left a message…”

Xia Yue paused: "Words?"

225. Chapter 225 The Daotong is in Jing and in Li Nu

225.

2023-11-21

"talk?"

Xia Yue was slightly surprised.

...Did Chen Lusi really come true?

"Correct."

Zhang Xiufeng had a strange expression on his face and explained, "Lay Buddhist Xia Yue..."

Xia Yue interrupted, "Speak human language."

Zhang Xiufeng felt helpless and could only change the subject and ask, "Xia Yue Tiance, you are aware of the severance of our Taoist lineage, right?"

"know."

Xia Yue nodded. "As one of the most important power systems in the country, you could have formed your own sect, just like Buddhism. However, due to the severance of the Taoist tradition, you can no longer control the Taoist system. The power has flowed out and been incorporated into the fiction system. This has caused the power of many of your Taoists to be even less powerful than that of ordinary empowerers."

Zhang Xiufeng laughed bitterly, "That's right, even my power isn't that great... and the 'Marshal' that Yu Zhou of your Tiance Mansion possessed was originally a power that belonged exclusively to Taoism..."

"I think it's a good thing."

Xia Yue glanced at him and said, "Of course, if you have any objections, you can try to recruit Yu Zhou into your Taoism."

"That was not what I meant."

Zhang Xiufeng shook his head: "I have been cultivating my character and secluded myself from the world for decades, and I have long been indifferent to it. Several generations of Heavenly Masters before me have failed to solve this problem, let alone me. Besides, I don't really have any complaints about the current situation.

We are monks in prosperous times and Taoists in troubled times. We are different from those old bald donkeys. We are willing to help the world.

This is just an introduction. What I want to say is that before our orthodox lineage was broken, the situation was not like this."

This time, Xia Yue did not interrupt him again.

And the other side.

Luo Shan and Tai Shan also came over.

"...or more accurately."

Zhang Xiufeng continued, "Before the founding of the Ming Dynasty, it wasn't like this. Back then, our Longhu Mountain was in charge of all Taoist affairs in the world. All the power and authority related to Taoism was centralized. Even the Heavenly Master could grant Taoist authority to others. At that time, there were many Taoist sects, and it was truly a prosperous scene. As you said, at that time, we were like Buddhism, a truly independent school.

However, the situation changed afterwards... I don't know the specific circumstances, because the records left by the 42nd Heavenly Master are vague. The only thing I know is this.

The orthodox tradition has been broken, or rather, it has become the orthodox tradition of the people of the world... The authority of the system has been leaked, and we have completely lost control. This is not a big deal. After all, the authority and power have been leaked, and others can still obtain it, and it can be passed on no matter what.

But the problem is that other things like talismans, prayers, fasting and offering rituals, etc., have been cut off as the Taoist tradition has stopped. Not only can we not use them, but others can't use them either. Even if they force themselves to use them, they can only use them in a pretense.

This is the most troublesome thing. For us, the severance of the orthodox doctrine actually refers to this aspect. The power and ability are okay. Whether it is the feudal dynasty or now, we are not without enablers from other systems within our country. We can fully accommodate enablers from other systems.

But things like talismans, prayers, and rituals can no longer be used... Then what's the difference between us and ordinary empowerers?"

"..."

Xia Yue looked at Zhang Xiufeng and frowned slightly: "I know about this kind of thing. What I'm curious about is why you knew that Jing turned into a cat, and what the 42nd generation Heavenly Master said."

"I see……"

Zhang Xiufeng asked, "But isn't Xia Yue Tiance curious? Why did the orthodoxy disappear? Why did it disappear after the founding of the Ming Dynasty?"

"You know? And are you sure the Taoist tradition was cut off after the founding of the Ming Dynasty? I remember that the relevant Ming Dynasty texts mentioned the flourishing of Taoism, as well as the use of talismans and the holding of fasting and offering rituals, right?"

Hearing Zhang Xiufeng's words.

Luo Shan on the other side showed an interested expression and immediately asked a question.

This is actually the direction of his research.

However, there are very few relevant records.

As for what Zhang Xiufeng said about the Taoist tradition being cut off after the founding of the Ming Dynasty... he remained skeptical, because he had indeed found records of Ming Dynasty Taoist priests using talismans.

"I do not know."

Zhang Xiufeng shook his head. "Even before, I wasn't sure whether the Taoist tradition was cut off after the founding of the Ming Dynasty... I've also read the records you mentioned."

Luo Shan frowned when he heard this: "Then you..."

“But I just made sure.”

Zhang Xiufeng sighed and explained, "This is related to a saying left by the 42nd Heavenly Master. He said: The orthodoxy of Taoism lies in Jing and in Li Nu."

It's been a long circle.

Zhang Xiufeng finally repeated what the 42nd Heavenly Master had said.

"The orthodoxy is in Jing, in Li Nu..."

Xia Yue touched his chin and said, "Li Nu...does it mean cat?"

"Correct."

Zhang Xiufeng nodded and said, "That's why I didn't find what you said strange. Restoring the orthodox tradition is what almost every Heavenly Master wants to accomplish, including me and the dozens of Heavenly Masters before me.

But it's incredibly difficult. More than a dozen generations have tried with no results. Not to mention the feudal dynasties, where no Jing could be found at all. And in modern times, with the last Jing appearing, my father and the new abbot of Jiming Temple traveled to the imperial capital, but still couldn't find a single clue. They were completely despairing."

"After the last feudal dynasty collapsed, there were no more 'Jing' in the world. We couldn't examine every cat in the country and ask them one by one if they knew the Daoist tradition... Given this situation, and the fact that the previous dozen or so Heavenly Masters hadn't yielded any results, we even began to doubt the words of the 42nd Heavenly Master."

"To be honest, I even thought he was playing a trick on us. That was completely nonsense... In fact, if you were in my shoes, after so much effort and still no results, you would probably doubt it too, right?"

"And because of this feeling, after my father passed away, I also became indifferent. I searched the source texts and found records of Taoist priests using talismans and holding rituals during the Ming Dynasty. I almost believed that the Heavenly Venerable was playing tricks on me."

"until……"

Speaking of which.

Zhang Xiufeng paused and looked at Xia Yue.

"I informed you to come to Jinling and told you that Yitou Jing turned into a cat."

Xia Yue took over and said, "Then you realized that the 42nd Heavenly Master didn't play tricks on you. It was just your own failure to live up to expectations, right?"

"Yes."

Zhang Xiufeng smiled bitterly and said, "You don't know how mixed my feelings were when I heard a cat called Jing. It turns out that my ancestor said that the Taoist tradition lies in Jing and in Li Nu... It's not about two creatures, but about Jing who turned into a cat.

Really...do you think he's sick? Can't he just say it directly? What the hell is he doing with all this pretentiousness?

Talking and talking.

He couldn't hold it in any longer and started complaining.

There seems to be a lot of resentment.

Xia Yue smiled and asked, "Even if the 42nd Heavenly Master explained it clearly, could you find it? One is Jing who turned into a cat, and the other is Jing who is in the real world."

"..."

Zhang Xiufeng shook his head somewhat embarrassedly: "I guess we can't find it."

Xia Yue shrugged: "That's it."

"wrong."

At this time.

Luo Shan suddenly interrupted, "This doesn't mean that the Taoist tradition was cut off during the founding of the Ming Dynasty, does it?"

Zhang Xiufeng turned around and nodded gently, "Indeed...but among all the generations of Heavenly Masters in our Longhu Mountain, the only one who left any clues about the Taoist tradition is the 42nd generation, and he...happens to be the Heavenly Master during the founding of the Ming Dynasty.

And no one mentioned it except him, so why would he know about it?Why him?The most important thing is that the records related to his role as Celestial Master are too vague, as if someone is controlling him.

If it was before, before I knew that there really was a Jing who turned into a cat in Jinling... I would also be skeptical.

But at this moment, I am certain that the 42nd Heavenly Master must know something. Even if the Taoist tradition was not cut off during his time, it is inextricably linked to him."

Luo Shan nodded gently, then muttered to himself, "I see... Interesting. Did the Taoist tradition break down during the Ming Dynasty?"

"So...where's the cat-turned-Kei!?"

After Zhang Xiufeng finished explaining, he ignored Luo Shan and turned to Xia Yue again. With an excited look on his face, he finally asked about the real matter: "Can I go and take a look now? No matter what happened at that time, no matter what the 42nd Heavenly Master knew, it no longer mattered.

The important thing now is... Is the orthodoxy really in Jing? I want to confirm it."

"The cat isn't here."

Xia Yue glanced at Zhang Xiufeng and said, "If you want to go and see it, you can, but you have to wait until tomorrow."

Zhang Xiufeng was a little anxious: "Why...?"

"Because I don't want to bother others. I can't let a threesome become a foursome if no one wants it."

Xia Yue recalled the scene he saw when he left Jiming Temple and smiled: "Although it's unlikely."

"..."

Zhang Xiufeng didn't understand and became even more anxious: "No, Xia Yue Tiance, I've already explained it to you. We are different from those old bald donkeys. We are willing to help the world! I don't want to be like Buddhism and find the orthodoxy and then form my own system. I don't have such ambitions.

I also have absolutely no intention of getting involved in the power and authority of the Taoist system again. I just want to regain the lost abilities of Taoist priests, such as talismans, prayers, fasting and rituals... This is also a good thing for your Tiance Mansion.

I can promise you that as long as we can regain our lost abilities, and as long as Tian Ce Mansion needs us, all the Taoist sects in Longhu Mountain will cooperate with Tian Ce Mansion without reservation."

...to regain the orthodox tradition.

This should be Zhang Xiufeng's deepest obsession.

It is also the deepest obsession of other Taoists.

Although he said he was indifferent to it.

But how could they be so pessimistic about the actual situation? After all, they said they were Taoist priests...but they knew nothing. As a Heavenly Master, Zhang Xiufeng couldn't even draw Zhang Fu Zhuan.

Who can bear this.

And now hope is right in front of us, who wouldn’t be excited?

Also.

If Zhang Xiufeng can really find the orthodox tradition... then no matter in terms of fame or ability, he will become a true Heavenly Master.

This temptation is not small.

Upon hearing this, Xia Yue asked directly, "I'll take you to find someone now. Can you find the Taoist tradition you mentioned in one night?"

Zhang Xiufeng was stunned: "It depends on the situation."

"That means you can't find it. You've been waiting for more than a dozen generations, and now you can't even wait for one night?"

Xia Yue shook his head: "Let's do it tomorrow. It just so happens that the people from the Chamomile Alliance will also arrive tomorrow. The way they release their spells is indeed a bit hard to defend against. Although it is unlikely, we still have to be on guard against their tricks.

You, the Heavenly Master, just happened to be there, keeping an eye on them."

"Chamomile Alliance?"

Zhang Xiufeng was a little surprised: "What are they doing here?"

"Meet someone."

"Who?"

"Chen Lusi."

"Who? Never mind. You want me to protect him? No problem, but that doesn't conflict with watching the cat..."

"The cat is right next to him, and has already recognized its master. Otherwise, why do you think Jing turned into a cat? Why was he brought back to the real world? And you don't need to protect him. I will be there when the time comes. I want you to prevent the people from the Chamomile Alliance from unleashing some difficult-to-defend-against 'fixed spells' on him..."

"and many more!!!"

Zhang Xiufeng was stunned after hearing this and didn't hear the rest of the conversation at all. After a while, he suddenly realized what was going on and interrupted, "What does it mean to acknowledge the master?! And who exactly is Chen Lusi?!"

……

at the same time.

Night falls.