The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 569 Five Paths United
Jianzhen recounted the story in detail.

"This person's name and identity are unknown. Although for a considerable period of time he replaced Zhuan Zhu as the universally recognized founder of martial arts, descriptions of him have mysteriously disappeared from historical records."

"It's as if someone deliberately deleted information about him."

He breathed a sigh of relief.

“I see that you have mastered all three of the cultivation methods on your own, and most of the Xuanlan cultivation method is similar to the one created by this person… This is very dangerous.”

"Does the benefactor know why Bodhidharma died at the hands of this man, while this humble monk can confirm that Zhang Sanfeng is not dead?"

"Because the Vajra realm that Bodhidharma cultivated was based on this person's techniques, while Zhang Sanfeng's six realms were all self-realized—this is very likely the reason that led to Bodhidharma's death!"

"It was only because one of the six paths of cultivation was related to this person that he died and his cultivation vanished!"

Li Miao suddenly clicked his tongue.

Oh shit.

What exactly is going on with this big deal?!

There are hooks everywhere, just waiting for someone to bite them!

It was one thing for the imperial court and the emperor to hunt down celestial beings, but after finally managing to destroy the emperor, it turned out that the celestial beings' cultivation techniques themselves were also problematic!
To be honest, when the war broke out with Yingzhou, he really wasn't prepared for this move! It was only because the eunuchs guarding Nanjing only left behind half of the manual that he was able to use his "salary" to deduce the complete manual and master Xuanlan.

That's it! They've already stepped halfway into the trap!

No, we cannot rest easy yet.

We need to find a way to uncover and eliminate the mysteries hidden within the Xuanlan Realm... otherwise, we might end up like Venerable Bodhidharma!

Li Miao pondered for a moment, then asked in a deep voice.

"Master, have you ever seen this person?"

"No, although Bodhidharma died in battle, he must have seriously injured him. Judging from the memories of the monks and Shinto priests that I have absorbed, he has never shown his face since the battle with Bodhidharma."

Jianzhen also frowned and pondered.

“But he must still be alive, otherwise Master Sanfeng would not have been trapped in the Ise Grand Shrine for two hundred years... No one but him could have done this.”

Li Miao breathed a sigh of relief.

The matter is basically clear.

Martial arts originated during the Spring and Autumn Period. Later, this progenitor of the Celestial Beings created the Celestial Being Realm and Celestial Being Techniques, and very subtly left a hook in the techniques.

A thousand years ago, Bodhidharma attained the six realms of enlightenment and also discovered part of this person's background. So he left a message and traveled east to Japan to try to resolve the issue and remove the shackles that had been hanging over the heads of future generations of celestial beings.

Eight hundred years ago, Jianzhen found the message left by Bodhidharma at Shaolin Temple. He then went to Japan to try to use Japanese Buddhism to fight against Shintoism, but he was betrayed and died.

Two hundred years ago, the Taoist master Zhang Sanfeng also came. He conquered Kyoto and Ise Grand Shrine in half a day, but then became trapped inside the Ise Grand Shrine and has not been seen since.

Three years ago, Ji Tianrui went to the East.

She infiltrated the Ise Grand Shrine, stole Jianzhen's body, and now her whereabouts are unknown.

Li Miao slowly shook his head.

This enchantress is almost a prophet.

He mobilized the resources of the entire Da Shuo court and joined forces with Shaolin and Wudang to search for two years, but he still knew less than Ji Tianrui.

There was also the first ancestor of heaven and man, or the old man on the river.

What does he want to do?
Why did he come to Japan?
He first left traps in the martial arts techniques, and then used the Jianwen Emperor and the emperor to suppress the martial arts world of Da Shuo. Was he trying to prevent any "heavenly demons" that could threaten him from appearing, or did he have other plans?
Li Miao pondered for almost half an hour, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper, his face so gloomy it looked like it was about to drip water.

Threat.

An unprecedented threat.

The information became clearer, and the figure of the old man from the river became more and more distinct, and a warning bell rang in his heart—at least in his current state, he could not possibly contend with him.

Seeing Li Miao's gloomy expression, Jianzhen suddenly laughed.

“Benefactor, there is no need to overestimate your opponent.”

He patted his knees, making a loud slapping sound.

“You are not fighting alone.”

"Bodhidharma left you with methods, Zhang Sanfeng is buying you time, you are the most outstanding genius in a thousand years, and the leader of the Ming Cult shares your goals." "At the same time, two celestial demons have appeared in the world. This is the Buddha's protection, to end this thousand-year-old feud in this generation!"

Li Miao sighed, shook his head, and smiled.

"That's the only way to think about it."

"I have two last questions."

Jianzhen smiled and reached out his hand.

"Donor, please tell me."

Li Miao also reached out his hand with a straight face.

"Since you traveled east to Japan, Master, your cultivation level must have been quite high back then. You must have some of the cultivation techniques left behind by Bodhidharma. Won't you let me take a look?"

Jianzhen was taken aback.

Then he burst into laughter.

"Hahaha—you are truly a man of few words!"

"If you and I were born in the same era, I would surely join hands with you to cross the sea to the East, fight against our enemies together, and drink and make merry!"

"Very well! This humble monk has two cultivation techniques, one called Xuanlan and the other called Jizhao. I will hand over the Jizhao technique to you as a small gift!"

"Listen carefully, benefactor!"

Jianzhen's expression turned solemn, and he murmured.

"A heart as empty as an empty valley can welcome the autumn wind."

"Its imagery is like the bright moon reflected in a cold pool."

"All things return to stillness, revealing the profound realm,"

"The divine mechanism is contained within, yet becomes formless..."

As Li Miao listened intently, he compared the two practices with the Silent Illumination Technique cultivated by the emperor. Sure enough, he found that the artistic conception, key points, and imagery were completely different, almost contradictory.

Perhaps Bodhidharma created more than one method of silent illumination back then, and after learning about the first ancestor of heaven and man, he deliberately chose the most different one to pass down.

After Jianzhen finished reading, he looked at Li Miao and said with a smile.

"Back then, this humble monk practiced the art of stillness and enlightenment, and it took me seven years to achieve some success. Your talent is naturally far superior to mine, but the realm of celestial beings cannot be reached overnight. Even with powerful enemies by your side, you must proceed step by step, and not—"

Halfway through the sentence.

Swish!
In an instant, the world changed!

Jianzhen felt a blur before his eyes, and the Buddhist hall vanished instantly, replaced by a pitch-black night sky, a salty sea breeze, heavy humidity, and the sounds of surging waves and crashing water filling the surroundings.

Before he could come to his senses and see his surroundings clearly, he was stunned.

Swish!
He then returned to the Buddhist hall.

Below is Li Miao, smiling at him with his hands behind his back.

“Benefactor, benefactor…”

Even a high-ranking monk like Jianzhen couldn't help but pause, his eyes widening and his mouth agape.

"you you--"

Li Miao smiled smugly.

"Thank you for transmitting the Dharma, Master."

"Ah, I had some understanding after listening to the master's words, but I didn't have time to ponder them. Fortunately, I succeeded in the end. I guess it can be attributed to the blessing of Bodhidharma."

"This Silent Illumination Technique is indeed quite difficult to cultivate, much more difficult than the Profound View Technique, haha."

He clenched his fist.

“Ji Zhao, I have achieved enlightenment.”

"Five paths are now combined; only the final one is missing!"

(End of this chapter)