Free Web NovelChapter 537: Chapter 4: The Might of Daluo, Wanderer of Heaven and Earth, This Humble Daoist, Hongjun
A Qingyun materialized beneath her feet. In her hand, a Jade Ruyi and a miniature Daoist Palace appeared, while a Daoist Robe flickered into view around her. She shattered the Old Temple Master’s blockade, her attack arriving in an instant!
The Old Temple Master’s eyelids twitched furiously. He was fuming. ’Fine, just fine...’
’Is this what Second Master meant by "never spoil the younger generation"?’
With a helpless sigh, he raised his palm to block. He took the full force of the blow from the Jade Ruyi and the Jade Void Palace. His hand, as flawless as white jade, cracked and began to bleed.
Little Lu Nian’s eyes blazed with fury.
"Old fiend, die!"
With a flick of her wrist, the Jade Void Palace descended, suppressing the Old Temple Master within it with a resounding BOOM!
Immediately, Lu Nian’s consciousness swept outward, and one by one, the White Lotus Sect Members exploded into mist. She rushed forward to help, but saw that the four of them were already breathless, their souls having departed their bodies.
Zhuge Kongming, having also broken free from his restraints, walked over with a grim expression. He formed a Great Seal with his hands and performed a soul-summoning ritual, but to no avail.
"Their souls and True Spirits have already gone to the Nine Nether. There’s no saving them!"
His expression was grim as he clenched his fist. ’Fate is in chaos... utter chaos...’
"They can be saved!"
Little Lu Nian said through gritted teeth, though a hesitant look appeared on her face.
The three Zhang Jiao brothers snapped back to their senses. The aura that had merely leaked from the exchange between that porcelain doll and the Old Temple Master had been enough to nearly suffocate them.
’What level of Existence are these two?’
Just as Zhang Jiao was reeling in terror, he saw the porcelain doll stomp her foot hard.
"Ten Halls Yama, present yourselves before me!"
The boundary between the Human World and the Nine Nether was shattered by that one stomp. A childlike, yet grand, voice reverberated throughout the Nine Nether.
...
「Inside the Jade Void Palace.」
The Old Temple Master was suppressed by the entire Daoist Palace, with Cause and Effect manifesting as shackles that bound him tightly.
He turned his head to the side, his eye twitching.
"Not spoiling the younger generation?"
Pangu Daoist, who had been hiding in the Jade Void Palace and secretly following Lu Nian, gave a dry cough. He stared straight ahead and said with a guilty conscience:
"This is my own Daoist Palace. So what if I want to stay in it? ...Wait a second!"
He shot to his feet, indignant.
"I am your master! Are you, my own disciple, questioning me?"
Lu Xuan winced as if he had a toothache and bowed helplessly.
"This disciple wouldn’t dare."
"Wouldn’t dare?"
Pangu Daoist stamped his foot. With a flick of his finger, the fragment of Time that Lu Xuan was imprinting shattered. He then cracked his knuckles.
"Xiaoxuan, why exactly were you imprinting that fragment of Time?"
Now it was Lu Xuan’s turn to look guilty. He avoided Pangu Daoist’s gaze.
"Just a whim, just a whim. I certainly wasn’t planning on showing it to you, Teacher..."
"You!"
Pangu Daoist was so angry he rolled up his sleeves, but ultimately couldn’t bring himself to strike his disciple. He sighed in resignation.
"Fine. Although that girl Xiaonian is a symbol of the Unbreakable, Immortal, Indestructible, and Unending, this era is about to become a great maelstrom. It’s not entirely safe, after all..."
Lu Xuan winced again.
"Not entirely safe? The Jade Ruyi, the Jade Void Palace, the Golden Bell, the Qingyun, the Daoist Robe... I was caught off guard for a single moment, didn’t even use a Supreme Treasure, and I still ended up suppressed in here!"
Pangu Daoist coughed twice and chuckled sheepishly before changing the subject.
"Speaking of which, what is your plan? Those four youngsters each carry a great destiny, and two of them even show signs of having the ’Mandate of Heaven.’ So why..."
Now that they were on to serious matters, Lu Xuan’s expression grew solemn. He bowed formally.
"In reply to your question, Teacher, I do have a plan. To unify the Human Dao within these Years is not difficult, but it is by no means simple."
He paused, then said softly:
"After the fortune of the Han Dynasty is completely exhausted, I intend to personally establish a new dynasty. My court will have Three Dukes: one for Heaven, one for Earth, and one for Man. One Duke will govern Heaven, one will command the world of Man, and one will control the Underworld Department."
Pangu Daoist frowned.
"What does this have to do with those four youngsters?"
"My intention was for them to later serve under the Earth Duke. Letting them get a taste of the Nine Nether’s aura and a look at the Underworld would be beneficial. It’s just..."
Lu Xuan pressed his fingers to his forehead.
"What I didn’t account for was a certain someone who claims he doesn’t spoil the younger generation giving his entire arsenal to Xiaonian, which resulted in me being suppressed in this place..."
As he spoke, his gaze grew reproachful. Pangu Daoist’s old face flushed, and he laughed sheepishly again.
"I’ll get you out of here right now. There’s still time, there’s still time..."
"There’s no rush."
Lu Xuan, however, shook his head. Though he was suppressed within the Jade Void Palace, his Form Acupoint opened, and his gaze was still able to perceive the situation outside.
He said with a faint smile:
"This coincidence might not be a bad thing. It may open up a new path. It just means that all my previous calculations will have to be adjusted..."
As his voice faded, Lu Xuan calmly opened his palm. The Great Treasure of the Buddha Path materialized within it, a thousand worlds rising and falling inside.
This was a Great Divine Technique of the Buddhist Sect: a Buddha Country in the Palm.
Gazing at the scene in his palm, Lu Xuan smiled.
"Master, in the history that will be born when the illusory future collides with the real one, who is this Hongjun Daoist?"
Pangu Daoist’s expression flickered. His gaze swept beyond the Great Heaven and Earth of the Current World, piercing through all truths. He spoke slowly:
"It is ultimately an illusory projection, without a fixed destiny, constantly in flux. But for now, at least, in the eyes of the Demon Ancestor and the others, Hongjun Daoist is a Wandering Immortal of this world."
"Thank you for the clarification, Master."
Lu Xuan gently shook his palm, and Pangu Daoist asked with curiosity:
"What are you doing now?"
"My senior brother and my student were stolen from me. I am not pleased."
Lu Xuan stated simply.
"So I’m stealing them back."
...
"We are about to arrive."
A serene-looking Zhang Buyi spoke with a smile.
"Ahead is the seat of our White Lotus Sacred Sect. The Saintess awaits you within."
Zhang Daoling raised his head, his expression impassive.
"The Saintess... who is she?"
"My mother."
"I see."
Zhang Daoling seemed to understand, yet the confusion in his eyes only deepened. After a moment’s hesitation, he asked:
"Are you and I related by blood?"
Zhang Buyi glanced at him and shook his head.
"You and I? No. By the time I was born, my relatives were all dead. My father perished long ago, leaving only my mother."
He paused, then said calmly:
"On the day of my birth, my mother was on the verge of death. Fortunately, she was saved by the Mother of Non-Birth... And what about you? Do you have any living family?"
Zhang Daoling nodded slightly.
"I was born of heaven and earth. I have no past life, no history, and no parents. But in my early years, I fathered a son, and that son in turn had a son. Unfortunately, my own son died young and entered into Reincarnation."
"And where is your grandson?"
"I ordered him to become the Daoist Lord of the Five-Dou Dao, to gather elites, accumulate Virtue, and win the hearts of the people, all in preparation to bring peace to the world."
"The Five-Dou Dao in the East?"
Zhang Buyi was surprised. He seemed to have heard of this sect, and he nodded.
"That is good. With the White Lotus Sect in the West and the Five-Dou Dao in the East, we can support each other and accomplish great things."
As they spoke, the two drew near the West Sea, heading toward a great city.
"Hm?"
Zhang Buyi frowned.
"When did five Divine Mountains appear behind White Lotus City?"
Zhang Daoling also stopped, studying the Divine Mountains with a look of utter confusion. He was about to speak when the five Divine Mountains suddenly closed in, enveloping the entire White Lotus City and the two of them within!
"Which Fellow Daoist dares?!"
A majestic voice boomed. Zhang Buyi and Zhang Daoling saw the Mother of Non-Birth approaching. The two were about to kneel in reverence,
but the world suddenly spun around them. The five Heaven-Reaching Divine Mountains contracted, snatching them up along with White Lotus City, the Celestial Vault, and the very Earth itself!
As for the approaching Immortal Mother, she was barred from entry, unable to advance a single step!
Zhang Daoling was horrified. ’What manner of Divine Technique is this?’
The entire White Lotus City erupted into chaos. The White Lotus Saintess emerged from within and, along with Zhang Buyi and Zhang Daoling, instinctively looked up.
At first glance, a Great Sun and a bright moon coexisted overhead. The Celestial Vault was vast, yet devoid of twinkling stars.
A second look revealed that the Great Sun was not a sun, and the moon was not a moon. They were a pair of enormous eyes.
A third look showed that the Celestial Vault was not a vault, but an ancient, majestic face.
A chill erupted down Zhang Daoling’s spine, spreading throughout his entire body in an instant.
"This is..."
He stared at the ancient face that was as vast as the Celestial Vault. It seemed somewhat familiar, and he suddenly realized where they were...
In the palm of a hand.
In a palm as vast as heaven and earth itself. And outside that world, the divine being who held them was looking down, gazing upon them.
Zhang Daoling’s heart trembled. He quickly looked around and suddenly realized it was not just White Lotus City resting in the divine being’s hand.
He gazed into the distance and saw the Luoyang Imperial City. He saw the Deserted Mountain Daoist Temple. He saw the East Sea, the North Sea, and the South Sea. He saw the entire Human World.
’All of creation, like a single grain of millet in the palm of a hand?’
’Can a living being truly possess such immense might?’
Zhang Daoling suddenly felt as though he couldn’t breathe.
In a daze, he heard the voice of the Mother of Non-Birth from outside this world-in-a-hand, questioning with thunderous rage:
"WHICH! FELLOW! DAOIST!"
An ancient voice replied calmly:
"A Wandering Immortal of this world. This humble Daoist is Hongjun."
’Hongjun?’
Zhang Daoling found the name familiar. He thought back carefully and had a sudden realization.
The Daoist Temple on that deserted mountain...
...was called Hongjun Temple.
