Chapter 733: Converting the Hu to Buddhism

Time passes unnoticed in the vast wilderness, a jug of fine wine to drown one's sorrows.

The celestial palace sings aloud, calling true names, while endless rivers yearn for the eastern flow.

Li Changshou sat in seclusion on Fang Cun Shan, and another one hundred and eighty years slipped by in a flash.

He was increasingly embodying the essence of a reclusive master beyond the mortal world.

Yet, he wasn't without concerns; he often thought of You Qin, worried about Du Xian Men, and fretted over the situations of Long Ji and Jin Peng.

In comparison, he felt more at ease about Ao Yi.

After all, Ao Yi bore the hope of the dragon clan's revival and had understood his clan's mission from a young age. Even without altered memories, he wouldn't easily make decisions that could implicate the dragon clan.

On the other hand, Jin Peng was different.

Jin Peng was inherently arrogant and wild; without Li Changshou to keep him in check, he might act recklessly.

He also wondered how You Qin was faring.

In recent years, Li Changshou had rarely ventured out, and whenever he heard news from Tian Court, it mostly focused on the matters of the Feng Shen Bang.

Someone like You Qin Xuanya, the female war god of Tian Court, had her importance diluted amid the grander events, and her appearances had become far less frequent, so mentions of her grew scarce.

Li Changshou truly wished to use Xu Bodhi's perspective to check on You Qin's current state.

In Nan Continent, the Zhou Guo had endured a century of chaos following Di Xin's death, but things had stabilized. The former Shang people had been forcibly relocated and scattered, and most had now integrated as Zhou citizens.

Li Changshou dared not inquire about the whereabouts of "Wu Geng," as that was beyond what Xu Bodhi could reasonably do.

Fortunately, aside from You Qin, most of the Xiao Qiong Peak group had already hidden away in the outer heavens.

The friends who remained in the world were either serving in Tian Court or cultivating in seclusion in the mountains, with no connection whatsoever to his false identity.

"The greater situation must take precedence."

Li Changshou was only concerned for You Qin's safety and didn't feel lonely because of it.

After all, his true self was accompanied by Yun Xiao and Ling E, along with various uncles, aunts, and grandmasters. In his spare time, he could even chat and share affections with his future dao companion.

Of course, things like playing cards or drinking were off-limits; the matters of Xu Bodhi were too important to delay.

Since he was idle anyway, and couldn't openly tamper with the Great Dao on Fang Cun Shan, Li Changshou began to ponder what else he could do.

"All I can do is delve deeper into comprehending the Great Dao."

Li Changshou murmured softly. From the start of his cultivation, he had rarely devoted so much attention to enlightenment.

He had previously found that Xu Bodhi's Dao of Emptiness was quite intriguing.

This dao explained the principle that all things originate from emptiness and ultimately return to silent void. The essence of the tangible realm is merely a projection of the intangible.

When this dao collided with the doctrines of Western Teachings, it led to the conclusion that one need not mind the sufferings of the present, nor care about current honors or humiliations, for everything will eventually dissolve into nothingness.

It was utterly pessimistic, with no redeeming core.

Li Changshou had been pondering this dao for quite some time, mostly to maintain his role as Xu Bodhi, but gradually, he began trying to interpret its deeper essence.

As he pondered...

After an unknown period, a wave of Tian Dao tremors suddenly arrived.

Li Changshou flew out of his secluded cave and looked up at the sky, only to see the deep blue firmament turn into a dark red, as if an endless blood sea was about to pour into the five continents of the Hong Huang.

Jiu Wu Quan?!

He was startled at first, but in an instant, he realized what was happening and prepared his escape techniques to flee the five continents.

That day, anomalies erupted across the five continents.

First, the sky turned dark red, as if stained with blood, with boundless filth threatening to fall as bloody rain.

Then, the four seas shook, and roars of dragons echoed from the sea eyes of West Sea, North Sea, and South Sea.

Soon after, countless ghosts in the underworld wailed, and all living beings in the world trembled in unison, overcome by an instinctive fear that quietly spread in their hearts.

Tian Court revealed itself at the center of the heavens, with countless immortal lights and uncountable immortals. Boundless heavenly soldiers and generals surged in all directions, forming a net of heaven and earth, linking together to create a great protective array.

The dragon clan received aid from East Sea Dragon Palace and Tian Court, with dozens of righteous gods leading heavenly soldiers and generals to suppress the raging sea eyes of the three seas.

This turmoil lasted a full twelve hours.

The heavenly soldiers and generals didn't even know what enemy they faced, and the dragon clan was clueless about why the sea eyes had erupted.

It wasn't until a golden pillar of light shot from the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall in Tian Court that the blood-red sky rapidly dissipated, restoring its clear blue.

The three sea eyes quieted once more, with the filthy karmic forces within greatly diminished.

Strands of pure energy appeared throughout the world, making the entire Hong Huang realm seem more stable.

The cultivators were baffled;

In the mortal world of Nan Continent, tales of ghosts and spirits surged;

Many ordinary people were so frightened by the anomalies that elderly folks departed early for the underworld.

Soon, news spread rapidly across the realms.

In the underworld, the blood sea had vanished, replaced by a pagoda at the former edge of the blood sea, suppressing half of the netherworld.

That pagoda was the Wheel of Reincarnation Pagoda, which had somehow been moved from outside Fengdu City, subtly confronting the Six Paths of Reincarnation Disk. The master of the pagoda, King Dizang, appeared at its top, reciting the laws of rebirth and guiding the wronged and resentful souls of the underworld.

Half a day later, veteran great powers like Zhen Yuanzi, Xiaoyao Zi, and Gui Xu Dao Ren publicly confirmed that the power of Jiu Wu Quan in the world had dissipated, though the exact reason remained unknown.

Three days after that, a message spread throughout the three realms:

A great teaching favored by Tian Dao was about to emerge in the five continents.

Speculation ran rampant; some said it was Tian Dao's time to greatly prosper Western Teachings, while others claimed it was a sign of the Dao Gate's resurgence.

After all, the supreme figure ruling this world was known as "Dao Ancestor," so he would surely bestow benefits to the Dao Gate.

Yet, no one had seen...

In Dou Shuai Palace, Lao Jun and his green ox had disappeared, along with the plump senior brother of Jie Jiao.

On the high platform of Ling Xiao Hall, the Emperor of Heaven in his yellow robes looked somber, but was reminded by the old man beside him of the Emperor's duties.

On Ling Tai Fang Cun Shan, that old daoist lay reclined on his bed, sensing the changes in the world, a light smile in his heart.

What a move by Hong Jun Dao Ren.

After brewing for so long, he had used Tian Dao's power to resolve the hidden threat of Jiu Wu Quan in one go.

Why? Simply to destroy the trump card Li Changshou had once used to threaten Dao Ancestor.

From this day forward, Jiu Wu Quan no longer existed in the world, and Li Changshou could no longer directly invoke its power to destroy Tian Court.

In Hong Jun Dao Ancestor's eyes, his wariness of Li Changshou had lessened somewhat.

But one mustn't be careless; it might not be that straightforward.

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, his true self activating the Empty Bright Dao Heart and entering a deep state of sage-like clarity, carefully analyzing the situation.

He wondered if Dao Ancestor might be laying a trap.

But after calculating repeatedly, the possibility was extremely slim, and for Tian Dao, the cost would be too great.

In this move, Dao Ancestor had lost the excuse to incite future great calamities among living beings and expended considerable Tian Dao power, all just to prevent Li Changshou from using Jiu Wu Quan—it was like "losing eight hundred to injure a thousand."

It was as if, to stop Li Changshou from blowing up the septic tank of the Hong Huang world, Dao Ancestor had secretly exerted great effort to empty it in advance!

Hmm...

This analogy was quite apt.

Had Jiu Wu Quan been relocated or purified?

If relocated, where had its power gone?

Li Changshou didn't take this lightly. His mind returned to the Kun Peng Secret Realm, and he immediately sent a message to Yun Xiao, instructing her to recall the Kun Peng ship and ask the Great Mage and others to investigate the outskirts of the Hong Huang world.

They had to confirm the location of Jiu Wu Quan to prevent it from becoming a tool for Dao Ancestor's counterattack.

Another remote confrontation unfolded.

More than a decade later, Li Changshou received definitive feedback—the original power of Jiu Wu Quan had been evaporated by Dao Ancestor.

However, to neutralize the karmic forces within Jiu Wu Quan, Dao Ancestor had used a method to decompose true spirits, creating an equivalent amount of merit, which he then used to fill Jiu Wu Quan and divert those karmic forces into the Chaos Sea, far from Hong Huang.

This was essentially relocating Jiu Wu Quan, ensuring it could no longer affect the Hong Huang world.

As for the impact on the endless Chaos Sea, Dao Ancestor didn't care.

In truth, that karmic power was insignificant compared to the vast Chaos Sea; it was minuscule in volume and would slowly dissolve into the formless, attributeless chaos energy that encompassed all.

Thus, one of Li Changshou's trump cards was successfully neutralized.

At that moment, Li Changshou turned his gaze to the Hong Huang world and keenly detected the weakening of Tian Dao's power.

Had Hong Jun become afraid?

Li Changshou dismissed that thought from his mind; he preferred to believe that Hong Jun Dao Ancestor had a larger scheme in play, perhaps feigning weakness to mislead his enemies.

Better to play it safe, prepare more contingencies, and maintain twelvefold vigilance.

Neither he nor Hong Jun could afford to lose.

Perhaps it was time to venture out again.

With such changes in the world, staying in seclusion indefinitely wouldn't make sense.

Now that the power of Jiu Wu Quan had dissipated, the realms were welcoming a resurgence in cultivation.

It seemed that transforming barbarians into Buddhists was not far off, so he should go out, take on some disciples at Ling Tai Shan, and prepare everything for guiding the stone monkey.

And so, Ancestor Xu Bodhi rode an immortal crane out of Ling Tai Shan and once more set foot in Central Divine State.

Last time, he had acquired some classic texts; this time, he would gather some disciples...

A fine tradition of Western Teachings.

A few years later:

"Alas, have you heard?

That Ancestor Xu Bodhi from Western Teachings allegedly disguised himself as an ordinary cultivator and stole a large number of Dao Gate classics in our Central Divine State, even taking in over a dozen talented boys and girls."

"Jade Void Palace has already sent immortals to investigate, but it's probably going to amount to nothing."

"Hey, can you really call it stealing when it's among cultivators? That's too harsh, fellow daoist. Clearly, it's just enlightenment gained through discussion."

"Hahaha!"

In a certain market town in Central Divine State,

Li Changshou, using the form of Xu Bodhi as a middle-aged scholar, sat quietly in a private room of a tavern frequented by cultivators, sipping tea while listening to the various discussions.

This place wasn't far from the border of Nan Continent. Li Changshou quietly extended his immortal sense, observing a scene unfolding at a checkpoint in the northern part of Nan Continent.

More than twenty years ago, a scholar appeared in Nan Continent, traveling among the various vassal states and eventually joining the Zhou king's court to manage documents and classics.

Over these twenty-plus years, this elderly scholar had gained considerable prestige in the mortal scholarly circles and had guided countless aspiring students.

But two years ago, he resigned his position and rode a green ox, wandering through the prosperous lands of the human race.

He viewed the red dust without disturbance and expounded truths with natural ease.

The old scholar rode his ox toward the northwest of Nan Continent, with traces of human clan destiny gathering around him.

Today, he arrived at the formidable northwestern pass of Zhou Guo, known as Han Gu Guan. The gatekeeper, an official named Yin Xi, was essentially a half-disciple of the old scholar, having visited him in the Zhou capital during his youth.

The old scholar agreed readily, dismounted from his ox, fetched pen and ink, and wrote out a scripture from noon until dusk, finally walking away amid the setting sun.

That official was Yin Xi;

That old scholar was Li Er, the incarnation of Lao Jun.

This scripture, bearing the human clan destiny gathered by Lao Jun, became an eternal classic.

Its name: Dao De Jing.

At first, such a minor event drew little attention.

The story of Li Er leaving Han Gu Guan and the Dao De Jing would take time to spread throughout Zhou Guo.

But soon, a great event that could shake the heavens was about to occur.

Li Changshou watched this scene, awaiting it.

Once out of Han Gu Guan, the green ox carried Lao Jun for a while before their figures vanished into the sunset.

A moment later, amid the lingering glow of the setting sun, the green ox slowly reappeared in the southeastern part of West Niu He Continent, carrying Lao Jun to a high mountain, facing the direction of Ling Shan.

At that moment, at least four pairs of eyes were fixed on Lao Jun's every move.

These belonged to Hong Jun Dao Ancestor in Zi Xiao Palace, Yuan Shi Tian Zun in Jade Void Palace, Jie Yin Sheng Ren in Ling Shan, and Li Changshou, who was currently sipping tea in the private room as "Xu Bodhi."

They saw a golden light fly from Lao Jun's sleeve, transforming into a slightly plump daoist.

This daoist wore a golden-threaded kasaya, sat on a lotus platform, had a solemn expression and clear gaze, with profound dao rhythms emanating from him and layers of treasure wheels behind.

His right hand was raised in front of his chest, his left hand formed a lotus mudra below it, a purple-gold alms bowl placed before him, and various spiritual treasures floated around.

It was Duo Bao, the former senior brother of Jie Jiao!

Lao Jun said:

"Begin."

Duo Bao sighed lightly, recited scriptures from his mouth, and lotus flowers bloomed around him.

Gazes from all directions converged on this spot, and dense Tian Dao power surged toward it.

In the residence of Jie Yin Sheng Ren on Ling Shan, Jie Yin calculated with his fingers, his face growing increasingly grave, his breathing even becoming rapid.

"This is bad!"

Jie Yin exclaimed lowly, his figure breaking through space and rushing toward where Lao Jun and Duo Bao were.

However, as soon as Jie Yin stepped out of space, a mass of gray energy coiled in front, forming a banner that blocked his path beside Lao Jun and Duo Bao.

It was the Pan Gu Banner!

Jie Yin's face darkened instantly like the bottom of a pot, but he didn't charge directly at the Pan Gu Banner. Instead, he appeared a thousand zhang away and said to Lao Jun in a low voice:

"Please, fellow daoist, show mercy! Do not seize the destiny of Western Teachings."

Lao Jun ignored him completely, his eyes slightly lowered as he sat quietly, waiting for Duo Bao to finish reciting.

High in the sky, Yuan Shi Tian Zun quietly appeared, gazing at Duo Bao's form with a faint smile on his lips, completely blocking Jie Yin's path forward.

Tian Dao showed no reaction.

Jie Yin narrowed his eyes, quickly calculating with his fingers. Seeing Duo Bao enveloped in lotus flowers, he snorted coldly, took a step back to Ling Shan, and began pondering countermeasures.

He had been outmaneuvered.

Lao Jun had struck first!

Jie Yin had only just realized what Lao Jun was doing when he saw it himself, understanding the path forward for Western Teachings.

Previously, Jie Yin had thought that with the true body of Tai Qing Sheng Ren suppressed, what could Lao Jun, even with strength approaching that of a saint, do to threaten Western Teachings?

Now, Jie Yin realized his oversight.

Lao Jun was using Duo Bao as a vessel to reshape the doctrines of Western Teachings, establishing a new great teaching and directly seizing the destiny of Western Teachings, negating their very existence!

From the current situation, Duo Bao's doctrines had Tian Dao's support!

Did they think he, the great saint of Western Teachings, was just for show?

Once Duo Bao finished proclaiming the doctrines and established his great teaching, Jie Yin could leverage the existing momentum of Ling Shan, declare that Duo Bao's doctrines were incomplete and inferior, merely the Lesser Vehicle, while his own were the Greater Vehicle, encompassing the former!

Thus, he could turn defeat into victory!

The prosperity of the West was not about Western Teachings thriving, but their doctrines spreading to influence living beings!

Jie Yin understood it all now!

Lao Jun's move was to steal the teaching destiny and dao fruits of Western Teachings!

This was supposed to be the benefit Tian Dao granted to Ling Shan!

He listened intently, not missing a single essence of Duo Bao's recitation, and finally...

The heavens echoed with the great vows Duo Bao had made, petitioning Tian Dao on how he would universally save beings, relieve the world, and propagate the Buddha Dharma.

With the vows established, Duo Bao proclaimed the new teaching doctrines, named it the Buddha Gate, and established it on the borders of West Niu He Continent near Ling Shan.

Jie Yin was full of confidence and was about to declare...

"I, the Buddha of compassion, save suffering beings, but must face challenges from spirits and false demons disrupting the Buddha name. Now, I appoint the Western saint Jie Yin as the Eternal Ancient Buddha to stabilize the Buddha Gate roots.

Any who proclaim superior, Greater Vehicle, Supreme Vehicle, or ultimate... various Buddha names are all false Buddha Gates.

I establish the Greater Vehicle Buddhism, propagating the Greater Vehicle Buddha Dharma to save the suffering and guide all spirits.

Those not from me shall not be called Buddha."

Jie Yin: ...

In that instant of hesitation, boundless golden light filled the heavens, and a substantial amount of Tian Dao merit gathered on Duo Bao, solidifying his form as the Buddha Ancestor, leaving no opportunity for Jie Yin.

Beside Duo Bao, Lao Jun shook his head with a smile and rode away on his ox.

In the market town private room, Xu Bodhi lowered his head with a long sigh, his expression twisted in conflict, his eyes filled with bewilderment...

Meanwhile, his true self in the Kun Peng Secret Realm was laughing uproariously.