Wet viviparity

Chapter 936 Stalemate, Silent Words
Unable to contain herself any longer, Na Zhenxian spoke up: “Brother Wuling, you are mistaken. The calamity of the Central Plains is about to begin, and the common people are in grave danger. The deputy commander, who is in charge of the Thunder Department, is trying to use the Buddhist opportunity to replenish his blessings so that he can cleanse the demonic atmosphere. Since Taiping Mountain is concerned about protecting the common people, why should it begrudge a connection with a heretical sect?”

Suddenly, the tiger raised its head and roared, its voice shaking the sky. "At the end of the previous dynasty, you, Wu Ling, painstakingly refined the superior spiritual treasure, the Slaughtering Thorn, intending to use it to assassinate the God Lord on the night when the Big Dipper hangs upside down, thus breaking the poisonous sore that has festered on Taiping Mountain for over a thousand years at the Cloud and Rain Temple."

Unfortunately, the mission failed, and the Cloud and Rain Temple was thrown into chaos. At that time, it was our lord who led the Thunder Department to flatten the great lake, helping Taiping Mountain to wipe out the demons and spirits in one fell swoop. Now, with calamity approaching, if we delay the lives of the people for our own selfish reasons, is that the behavior of the righteous Xuanmen sect?

"Stop speaking nonsense."

Qingnang Fairy shouted sternly, "The Thunder Department's task of eliminating demons is its duty. It is an order issued by the Purple Palace Department, and the merits will be assessed afterward. How did it become your family's favor in your mouth, you old demon?"

Ji Ming stood with his head bowed. He saw the spiritual water rippling beneath the flower boat of the Fairy of the Green Bag, noticed the sword sheath behind Master Lü trembling slightly, and felt the increasing pressure outside the cave heaven. He knew that if the stalemate continued, a battle would inevitably break out between the patriarchs and Zhao Tan.

Zhao Tan's voice seemed both near and far as he addressed Ji Ming: "Have you thought this through? Although I do not know what you seek through your Buddhist practice, unless there is an urgent need, do not implicate the entire sect for your own selfish reasons or momentary anger."

"Without the True Lord Ganxiong from the grotto-heaven, your ancestral masters are no match for my divine power."

Deep within the cave, a soft sigh suddenly came, as if it were the Old Ancestor Ganxiong giving a signal from afar.

Ancestor Wuling tapped the rock sphere three times with his knuckles, and a black light shot out from inside the sphere. Fairy Qingnang tossed the Star-Piercing Furnace upwards, and rumbled and roared inside. The other three ancestors also made their own moves, and the void was already tense.

Sweating profusely, he carefully crept up behind the patriarchs, looking as if he were about to defect at the last minute.

During the stalemate, Ji Ming's eyes were clear, but he sighed.

Others thought he was sighing because of his current dilemma, but in fact Ji Ming was sighing for something else.

"Let's take a gamble."

He silently made a grasping motion toward the three causal paths. The green-maned lion transformed into a wisp of green smoke and disappeared into the body of the treasure rat, while the treasure banner shrank into a golden particle embedded in the rat's eyes. Finally, the treasure rat transformed into a bead, and all eyes were focused on it.

“Since the deputy commander is concerned for the well-being of the people, then this junior is willing to offer this item.”

The bead formed from the three causes flew towards Zhao Tan, but Zhao Tan did not put it away immediately, waiting for Ji Ming to continue.

"As Master Nazhen said, my affinity with Buddhism is very shallow. Even if I have the opportunity, it is difficult to use it. However, Zhao Shuai may not really have this affinity with Buddhism."

"Be bold!"

With a roar, the tiger's true form remained still, but its black tiger spirit emerged and pounced on Ji Ming.

No one expected that this black tiger would dare to commit evil deeds in front of the patriarchs. Just as it was about to get close, Zhao Tan slapped its forehead and instantly pulled back the tiger's spirit.

The reason Ji Ming said those words was that his attainment of the first stage of enlightenment, the Stream-entry stage, was entirely due to his second primordial spirit body's cultivation of the Dharma of the Wealth King after obtaining the three conditions. It was already inseparable from the three conditions.

This is no longer something that Ji Ming can simply give away if he wants to.

This time, Ji Ming was going to take a gamble, betting that Zhao Tan couldn't foresee this matter, or at least couldn't for the time being, the matter that directly affected him.

Ji Ming possesses the Eye of the Wet Egg and Embryo, a treasure that suppresses his own mysteries. He is also quite skilled in divination, so he is fairly certain about which mysteries within him can be calculated, which are difficult to calculate, and which cannot be calculated.

According to the principles of divination, the most important point is that one can only calculate the past, not the future.

Secondly, in the person or matter being calculated, valuable treasures, supernatural powers, and Taoist cultivation are the three key elements that interfere with divination.

If one wants to deduce the past of a person with low cultivation and limited supernatural powers, but who possesses a great treasure, then the period in the past where this treasure frequently participated and had a significant impact will be the most difficult to deduce.

However, for Ji Ming, the Eye of the Wet Egg Transformation is even more complex. Because each reincarnation is successful only with its participation, its influence can be said to permeate the past and future. Therefore, even calculating some ordinary things in the past is quite difficult. Zhao Tan's knowledge of his shallow affinity with Buddhism has already demonstrated his profound level of skill in divination.

Furthermore, Ji Ming's identity has never revealed Buddhist teachings.

Even if Zhao Tan had some doubts about him, he should be able to calculate that the time it took for him to obtain the karmic conditions in this life was not enough for him to attain the first stage of enlightenment.

Of course, no matter how much he thought about it, he knew this was a gamble.

Asking him to abandon his attainment of the first stage of enlightenment (Sotapanna) to benefit Zhao Tan, the deputy commander of Shenxiao, would only happen if he were truly driven to the brink of despair. Right now, he's only resorting to this desperate measure because he's worried about harming the patriarchs who are protecting him.

Zhao Tanmo was inspired and resonated with the three karmic connections.

The lack of response from all three causes weighed heavily on his heart. His seemingly unyielding majesty finally cracked slightly, but he remained silent. He sensed that some powerful figure had intervened in these three matters.

"The White Lotus Dakini Ancestor, the Scorched-Faced Ghost King, the Golden Toad Immortal, the Three-Life Star Lord, or..."

Several names related to fate or having a karmic connection with him flashed through his mind, but he ultimately chose to put the matter aside for the time being.

Zhao Tan had no doubt about Ling Xuzi. Although Ling Xuzi was mysterious and difficult to fathom, he was ultimately just a mortal. However, he was born of a celestial being and was a junior disciple of the Goddess. Perhaps he would only get a second glance from Zhao Tan once he lived past this era.

These traces of karmic connection clearly transcend the realm of supernatural powers; they are neither Taoist nor Buddhist.

Zhao Tan temporarily set aside his doubts and showed no anger.

With his current level of cultivation, there are very few things in the world that can stump him. Now that he has secured the opportunity, it will be of use to him sooner or later. He looked at Ling Xuzi at this moment, his interest in bestowing the favor had greatly diminished, but since he had already spoken, there was no reason to take it back.

"Tell me what you want?"

Ji Ming knew that Zhao Tan had examined the cause and effect, and the change in his mind was revealed on his face just now. He thought to himself that he had indeed made the right bet. Just as he was feeling fortunate, he heard Zhao Tan's question and immediately thought of that divine technique.

"This junior wishes to request the Ji family's 'Three-Crow Falling Shadow Flower Demon God Technique.' I wonder if Commander Zhao is capable of doing so?"

"enough!"

Ji Ming was interrupted by Zhao Tan's thunderous voice. Anger appeared on Zhao Tan's face, and this emotion manifested as a dazzling divine thunder.

"When you attain the Earth Immortal rank, you may come to Thunder City to study the Divine Firmament Jade Pivot Scripture for three days." After saying this, he disappeared with a flash of lightning, along with the Wealthy Tiger, the Treasure-Gathering Immortal, and half of the Yin body of the startled ghost spirit.

"They're trying to take advantage of me?!" Ji Ming thought to himself, his mind reeling.

The Fairy of the Green Bag said to Ji Ming, "You don't know, when this person was reincarnated into the True Spirit Sect, his cultivation advanced rapidly, he overpowered all the heroes, and he was arrogant and domineering within the sect. He was known as the Four Ancestors of the Black Tiger. He not only seized one of the three Gouchu Ganoderma lucidum in the sect, the Dragon Immortal Ganoderma, but also borrowed the Book of Escape from the Ji family and has never returned it."

However, he later suffered a great loss at the hands of Wu Wanfang, who warned him not to touch the Ji family's property in the name of the True Spirit Sect Leader. Your unintentional request has touched a nerve with him.

He might have originally intended to give you a great compensation, but since you said those words, he probably has no intention of rewarding you anymore.

If you ever go to the True Spirit Sect to seek this divine method in the future, you must be extremely careful. Although your words were unintentional, Vice Commander Zhao may not be able to embarrass you, but the black tiger under his command has always been more protective of its master than of itself, and will definitely find an opportunity to vent its anger.

If Vice Commander Zhao later gave his subordinates some advice, that would be fine. But if he didn't intend to, his subordinates might think they had figured out his intentions and start making things difficult for you, making your future spiritual practice much more challenging.

(End of this chapter)