Day and night tour

Chapter 472 The Abnormal Incense-Offering Taoist Priest

The Buddha warrior's body swelled dramatically. He was already enormous, and after a period of rapid growth, he became as large as a small mountain, quite majestic.

The strongman's hands reached deep into his own abdominal cavity, and with a forceful tear, he actually opened his abdomen.

Five figures emerged from the body of the Buddhist warrior.

These five people all looked very strange. One of them had "ghostly eyes," with his left eye looking up at the sky and his right eye looking down at the ground, but in reality, he was looking straight ahead.

Some people don't have heads on their heads; instead, they hold their heads in their hands.
The most eye-catching person was a woman with deathly pale skin—not only was her skin white, but her eyebrows and hair were also completely white.

The woman walked at the front, waving to Zhou Xuan and greeting him: "Great Master of Jing Kingdom, your name has resounded throughout the Buddhist Kingdom. Even our supreme Buddha has praised you highly."

The woman did not refer to Zhou Xuan as "Grand Master of Mingjiang Prefecture," but rather as "Grand Master of Jing Kingdom," which is enough to show the importance that the people of the Buddhist Kingdom placed on Zhou Xuan.

“The monk Xunbo died because of you, the three-headed stone Buddha also died because of you, and the Mother of a Hundred Demons was lost. But it seems that it has a great deal to do with you… You are a capable person, unlike the other weak people of Jing Kingdom.”

The woman smiled and said, "I am the Medicine Buddha Bodhisattva of the Five Forms of the Buddhist Kingdom, and I have also reached the Ninth Stage Bodhisattva level in the Buddhist Kingdom. My level is comparable to those six Supreme Masters of the Art of Escape. They couldn't withstand the rules of the stage, and neither can we."
However, we Buddhists are fiercely competitive, but we can't match the quick wit and agility of those six sages. The infighting among us is quite spectacular.

Her words were so sarcastic and sarcastic that they made the gourd-wielding Taoist priest blush with embarrassment.

The Medicine Buddha did not turn around, but looked ahead, issuing commands and shouting, "Where is Six Ears?"

The six-eared warrior stepped forward from behind.

The Medicine Buddha said, "Right now, the most important thing for us is to win the life-or-death battle with Zhou Xuan."
However, after observing Zhou Xuan's methods, we realized that this great master of Jing State lived up to his reputation, and we might not be able to defeat him.

The Medicine Master Bodhisattva and the people of the Dunjia Sect held completely opposite views on Zhou Xuan's strength.

"If we cannot win, we will all perish in Mingjiang Prefecture. Six Ears, you are our mount, and because of your exceptional hearing, you are an outstanding spy for our Buddhist Kingdom."
Now, however, we must fight the Great Master to the death. There is no need to gather intelligence anymore; what we need is our strongest fighting force.

"I don't care about dying, I only ask the Medicine Buddha to send me on my way."

The Six-Eared Warrior was fearless in the face of death; his courage and heroism surpassed even those extremely ugly ancestors of the Dunjia Sect.

On the second floor of the arena, Yun Ziliang sneered and said, "Hmph, the Daoist sect has always had some integrity, but today, all of that integrity has been completely lost by the cowards of the Dunjia sect."

"The people of the Buddhist Kingdom, putting aside everything else, are indeed superior in terms of toughness, far surpassing the people of the Dunjia Sect."

Li Changxun also spoke up from the side.

The two men began praising the Buddhist kingdom's refined manners, and the Taoist priest, unable to resist joining in, chimed in.
"Such demeanor explains why the Kingdom of Well has been gradually weakening over the past few hundred years, while the people of the Kingdom of Buddha are rampaging through the starry sky, seemingly poised to become the overlords of the cosmos."

"I'm angry at their lack of ambition, I'm angry at their lack of ambition!"

The Taoist priest, who was burning incense, was so angry he was puffing out his beard and glaring.

His words resonated with Yun Ziliang and Li Changxun, but Zhou Xuan perceived them differently.

Zhou Xuan felt that the Taoist priests were unusually talkative today.

"He's so secretive, he doesn't even look like himself anymore."

……

The Five Forms of the Buddhist Kingdom consist of five people, plus the Six-Eared Warrior, bringing the total to six.

Even though the Medicine Buddha had specifically requested that the Six-Eared Warrior sacrifice his life, they were still one person over the limit.

The last person, who should they choose to die?
The Medicine Buddha remained resolute and continued to issue commands, saying, "Vajra Subduer, you are the weakest in combat. If you sacrifice your life, the rest of us will have a better chance of winning."

Although both advocated for death, the Medicine Buddha emphasized "uprightness and incorruptibility," deciding that those with strong fighting power would live and those with weak fighting power would die. The powerful warriors and Vajra warriors of the Buddhist kingdom were quite convinced of this.

Without a word, the Vajra Subduer, thin and sickly, coughed once and slowly nodded, saying, "I don't mind dying. I beg the Medicine Buddha to guide me and not let me fall into the hands of the Plum Blossom on the stage. I hope I can die a peaceful death."

"nature."

After responding, the Medicine Buddha immediately gave a shout.
At the sound of the shout, a strong wind rose from the ground, and behind the snow-white Medicine Buddha Bodhisattva, a majestic golden Buddha statue appeared.

The golden statue holds a golden pestle in its left hand and a huge golden bowl in its right.

Against the backdrop of the enormous golden statue, the true form of the Medicine Buddha appeared extremely small and inconspicuous.

"Six Ears, Demon Subduer, I will guide you two."

The Medicine Buddha raised her hands high, and the golden body behind her moved, the huge golden pestle pounding down into the golden bowl one after another.

With each pounding sound, one after another, the golden pestle seemed to be pounding on the bodies of Six-Eared Vajra and Subduing Demons.

"Bang! Bang!"

With one dull thud after another, the bodies of the two men began to crack.

Zhou Xuan, standing on the second floor, had a clear view. He said to Yun Ziliang beside him, "Old Yun, something's not right, something's very wrong."

"What did you notice?"

Yun Ziliang asked Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan pointed in the direction of Six-Eared Macaque and the Demon-Subduing Vajra, and said, "Look at those two. Under the Medicine Master's pounding of medicine, both of their bodies were shattered, but the ways they shattered were completely different."
Six Ears' body shattered, emitting a faint golden light.

But the Vajra was being repeatedly chucked open, blood spurting from its wounds, just like an ordinary person being killed by a heavy blow.

After examining them closely for a while, Yun Ziliang said, "That Medicine Buddha Bodhisattva said they are the Five Forms of the Buddhist Kingdom. Perhaps this difference is precisely what distinguishes the 'Five Forms' from the rest of the Buddhist Kingdom."

"Why these five people are called the Five Styles is something we'll probably only find out when the second rule comes into effect."

Yun Ziliang mentioned the second rule, and the Taoist priest who was offering incense heard this and came over to ask Zhou Xuan, "Young Master Zhou, what exactly is the second rule you mentioned?"

Zhou Xuan sized up the Taoist priest offering incense, then said with a smile, "Actually, it's nothing much, just 'telling its origin and explaining its cause.'"

By the time he finished speaking, the Six-Eared Demon-Subduing Vajra had already been hacked to death.

From the eye above the stage, a sinister and terrifying sound emanated once again.

"The second rule is that everyone entering must clearly state who they are, where they come from, how they got here, and what their purpose is."

No lie may be uttered during the performance; failure to comply will result in being removed from the stage.

After announcing the second rule, the eye unleashed a chilling gaze.

Their gaze seemed to see through people's hearts, discerning whether everyone's words were true or false.

Why did you set this rule?

Li Changxun and the engineer were both puzzled, but the Taoist priest who was burning incense not far away had an uncertain expression. When his expression calmed down, he stared blankly ahead, as if he was deep in thought.

Zhou Xuan said to Li Changxun and the engineer, "The most important thing on this stage is to gain the support of the audience."

In a major production, whoever the audience supports gains more popularity. Furthermore, the sheer number of viewers can significantly boost the popularity of the "actor."

"To put it bluntly, my rule is to make everyone state their identity—they are either treacherous members of the Dunjia sect or ambitious invaders from the Buddhist kingdom. If they explain in detail why they came, where they came from, and what they intend to do, then..."
The audience will surely hate them and support us.

Winning the support of the audience in the theater is what Zhou Xuan wants to do most right now. Of course, besides support, there is another thing Zhou Xuan wants to do: to find out how the people from the Buddhist Kingdom entered the Well Kingdom through these "truths".

After listening, the engineer gave Zhou Xuan a thumbs up and said, "Boss Xuan, did you grow up in a graveyard?"

"What do you mean by this?"

"Otherwise, why do you have so many wicked ideas?"

"..." Zhou Xuan.

Zhou Xuan adjusted his top hat, glanced at the absent-minded Taoist priests, and said to the others, "Look at how troubled the Supreme Master of Dunjia and the Buddhist people are. I have to set an example for them."

The Taoist master and the Buddhist people are all scheming and harboring evil intentions. It is perfectly normal that they dare not speak their minds in front of tens of millions of spectators in Mingjiang Prefecture.

Zhou Xuan casually waved his hand at the gourd-shaped Taoist priest and the Medicine Buddha, and said,

"If you are afraid to speak, then I will speak first."
My name is Zhou Xuan, the young master of the Zhou family troupe in Pingshui Prefecture. I've been staying in Mingjiang Prefecture recently. Today, I've come here with no ulterior motives; I only have two things to do.
My first task is to completely restore Mingjiang Prefecture, so that our prefectural city can once again recapture the bustling nightlife of Mingjiang, and every household can return to normalcy, living the same way they did before, and even better.

These candid remarks brought tears to the eyes of the people of Mingjiang Prefecture.

After Zhou Xuan took over the post-disaster Mingjiang Prefecture, the vast majority of the people of Mingjiang, who were of normal mind and had normal human emotions, were extremely enthusiastic in their support of Zhou Xuan.

However, there are always some people who are secretly slandering Zhou Xuan, speaking ill of him, and spreading rumors about him.

Some of these people who spread rumors and cause trouble are secretly sent by certain forces, just like the former Rat King and Little Rat.

Some people are foolish; they believe everything they hear, and just because others are talking, they join in the discussion.

But there are also some people who are simply bad.

They couldn't stand seeing someone do well. When they saw Zhou Xuan surrounded by admirers and receiving the support of all levels of society in Mingjiang, they always tried to slander and defame him.

Their most frequent tactic in slandering and defaming him was—"Zhou Xuan saved Mingjiang Prefecture, he must have gotten something in return! People aren't stupid, they don't do such a big thing for nothing."

This speculation has gradually gained traction in Mingjiang Prefecture recently, and it seems to be moving from the "underground" to the open.
Now, facing the pressure of "life and death," Zhou Xuan spoke his most sincere and honest words, decisively shattering these conspiracy theories.

After all, lying would lead to death, and the people of Mingjiang Prefecture had no reason to suspect that Zhou Xuan was lying.

It is precisely because Zhou Xuan cannot lie that his words are all the more moving.

"So the Master really doesn't want anything in return? He just saw how miserable Mingjiang Prefecture is and couldn't bear to see us like this, so he wanted to save us?"

“He’s from Pingshui Prefecture, and Mingjiang isn’t even his hometown. Yet he’s done so much for our Mingjiang Prefecture. I think the Master is more deserving of the title of Bodhisattva than that Medicine Buddha.”

"Mr. Da has the heart of a Bodhisattva, a reincarnation of a living Buddha. I support Mr. Da."

In an instant, as Zhou Xuan introduced himself, the eyes of tens of millions of viewers were moved by his sincerity and steadfastness, and they all supported Zhou Xuan from the deepest part of their hearts.

With this tremendous support, a single tear of fervent emotion shed from the tens of millions of eyes in the theater.

Tens of thousands of teardrops transformed into a continuous expanse of glistening water.

Then these teardrops gathered together and finally condensed into a single azure teardrop, which slowly flew to Zhou Xuan's front.

Zhou Xuan reached out and caught the teardrop in his hand.

The moment the tears touched his hands, Zhou Xuan felt a burning sensation.

This intense passion also stirred the incense within Zhou Xuan's body. He felt that his combat strength was constantly rising after acquiring the teardrop.

He was originally at the level of six incense sticks, but now, his incense-burning power has jumped two sticks, reaching the level of eight incense sticks.
This was accomplished by Zhou Xuan without any divine intervention.

The continuous increase in incense offerings also generated significant fluctuations in the number of worshippers.
The ancestors of Dunjia Incense and the Five Styles of the Buddhist Kingdom were all top-level masters in the human world, and their judgment of the fluctuations in incense smoke was exceptionally keen.

"It's over. Zhou Xuan has obtained that tear condensed by the audience. His incense-based combat power has already risen several levels."

The gourd-shaped Taoist priest spoke first.

The Purple Ox Taoist then asked, "Has Zhou Xuan already broken through to the Nine Incense Sticks level?"

"not yet."

“Then there’s nothing to be afraid of,” Purple Ox said.

The difference between nine and eight incense sticks may seem small, but the interval of just one incense stick represents a distance greater than that between heaven and earth.

"How could the four of us, who are at the level of nine incense sticks or above, be afraid of someone who is at the level of eight incense sticks?" said the Purple Ox Taoist.

The Calabash Taoist sighed and said, "What if Zhou Xuan still has a chance to briefly increase his combat power? If he enters the Nine Incense Sticks period, then we shouldn't fight anymore."
Back in Huangyuan Prefecture, Zhou Xuan was invincible within his realm.

"Please, please don't let my combat power increase any further," Purple Cow prayed in his heart.

Perhaps his prayers worked, for Zhou Xuan's incense-burning combat power finally stopped rising when it reached the level of eight or nine.

Zhou Xuan gently moved his joints. He felt as if an ancient, ferocious beast resided within his body, ready to tear apart every living creature he encountered the moment he had the chance to unleash a bloodbath.

However, Zhou Xuan's introduction was not yet finished. He continued, "The second reason I came to Xiejia'ao to lecture is that after the reconstruction of Mingjiang Prefecture is completed, I will use my surplus human willpower to refine a golden elixir."
This golden elixir was refined for the sake of the Jing Kingdom's heaven and earth. If I can successfully refine this elixir and refine it well, then I will undoubtedly become the Celestial Pill Master.

Zhou Xuan's words once again aroused the support of the people.

This time, however, the people were not moved, but admired and genuinely happy.

Admiration goes without saying. Ordinary people don't know what "Dan Guan" is, but isn't there the word "Tian Qiong" in front of Dan Guan?

The words "Sky Dome" and "Dan Guan" together meant "rising to prominence" to them, which they naturally found extremely impressive and couldn't help but admire.

As for being happy?
In the hearts of many people in Mingjiang Prefecture, who had lived with Zhou Xuan for a period of time at Huifeng Medical College, their impression of this great teacher was that he was capable and approachable.

Many people regarded Zhou Xuan as a friend and family member.
Friends and family members who rise rapidly in rank and are promoted to high-ranking positions share in the glory; how could they not be happy?

Zhou Xuan's support on the stage is still rising, and his incense offerings are also quietly increasing.

However, the gap between sitting at eight and hoping for nine, and actually reaching nine incense sticks, is too far. Therefore, even though Zhou Xuan's support rate is still rising, there has been no progress in his combat power breaking through to nine incense sticks.

"Elders of Mingjiang, I, Zhou Xuan, am a man of pure heart. I have always acted uprightly and honestly. Even if the rules of this stage force me to speak the truth, I will not be afraid. If I want to speak, I will. What is there to be ashamed of?"

As Zhou Xuan finished speaking, he looked at the Supreme Being of the Dunjia Sect and coldly laughed, his tone full of sarcasm.

"Alright, that's all I'll say. Consider this a starting point... Calabash Taoist and Medicine Buddha, you should also hurry up and express your thoughts to the people of Mingjiang. Time is tight. If you exceed the time limit, this stage will be a place for killing people."

He spoke to a "peony" that was still blooming in the center of the arena.

The blooming speed of this peony is much slower than that of the wintersweet not long ago, which also means that there is much more time left for the Medicine Buddha and the Supreme Master of Dunjia.

But while there is plenty of time, it is not unlimited. If this continues, the stage will inevitably be erased.

……

"You go ahead and say it."

“You are from the Kingdom of Jing. Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. You should speak first.”

For a moment, even the Medicine Buddha and the Supreme Being of the Art of Concealment became humble and polite, deferring to each other the opportunity to "speak".

Instead of watching the show, Zhou Xuan said to the engineer, "Master Engineer, there's a problem with the incense offerings for my opera performers."

"What is the problem?"

"The engineer asked."

Zhou Xuan said, "My art of performing plays is just an inch away from reaching the realm of 'God of Plays in the Mortal World,' but that inch of incense has stopped burning."

"Not burning it anymore?"

"Yes, not only has it stopped burning, but the incense is also showing signs of going out."

Zhou Xuan said, "I felt that when that tear fell on my hand, my incense sticks were greatly blessed, but the incense just wouldn't burn down. What could be the reason for this?"

"This...this...I don't know either."

The engineer said, "In the past, Caixi Hall had many masters, but none of them reached the Nine Incense Sticks level. Now, after hearing what Boss Xuan said, could it be that the final incense stick burning method of Caixi Masters is different from that of other halls?"

"No matter how different they are, there still has to be a way of cooking them, right?"

Zhou Xuan turned his head and asked the incense-burning Taoist priest, "Old incense-burning priest, you are knowledgeable and experienced, can you give me some advice?"

The incense-burning Taoist priest's gaze was fixed on the Medicine Buddha. The two seemed to be locked on, and wherever the Medicine Buddha went, the incense-burning Taoist priest's gaze followed.

"What did you just say?" the incense-burning Taoist priest, snapped back to reality by Zhou Xuan, asked hastily.

Zhou Xuan smiled and said, "Hey, old incense master, you seem to be paying extra attention to that Medicine Buddha Bodhisattva in the Buddhist Kingdom today?"

(End of this chapter)