The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 209: Sword Shadow of the West Sea
It was after Zhao Ti advanced to the sixth level of the Huan Yin Sutra that he began to ponder the finger gestures left by Gao Taotao.

This finger gesture was not recorded in the scriptures. When Gao Taotao died, he kept this gesture with one hand without moving, which was obviously for him to see.

After leaving Tianshan, Zhao Ti gradually gained a thorough understanding, but he also became more and more confused.

Gao Taotao had obviously practiced the Huan Yin Sutra to the sixth level of perfection, otherwise she wouldn't have known about the illusions that appeared while practicing. But how did the injuries on her body come about, and who could hurt her?

As for this extra finger, I don’t know whether Gao Taotao figured it out himself or the Huanyin Sutra itself is incomplete. In fact, there are subsequent exercises.

However, he had not expected the unexpected change in his temperament. Although he had comprehended this extra finger, he did not find anything special at the time. It was only until he used it just now that he revealed the temperament of dream and reality, form and formlessness, truth and falsehood.

At that moment, his internal strength seemed to have sublimated to a new level, his skills were extremely pure, and the illusory Yin Qi became more boiling than ever before, not only covering the meridians and acupoints throughout the body, even his mental thoughts seemed to be obscured. When the false becomes true, the true becomes false, and when inaction becomes existence, there is nothingness.

Not only can it prevent the outside world from distinguishing between truth and falsehood and illusion, it can also conceal one's own thoughts.

However, after using this finger, that aura slowly disappeared, and the sublimation slowly fell, leaving him confused.

The extra finger of the Phantom Yin Sutra made his temperament sublime, and disappeared after he finished practicing. Does it mean that only the power of this finger can enter that state?

However, his own Huan Yin Sutra was incomplete and lacked follow-up. Gao Taotao left this finger not only to pass on the power to himself, but also to remind himself of this matter?
Zhao Ti was lost in thought. At this moment, Jiumozhi came over, his face full of envy, and he put his palms together: "Congratulations, donor, for making further progress in martial arts and entering a new realm."

Zhao Ti shook his head: "There are still some things I don't understand. It's not what the monk thinks. Let's talk about it in detail later."

Jiumozhi nodded, and everyone came forward. They saw that the monk named Youlou had been torn into pieces by Zhao Ti's pointing and was scattered everywhere. The golden skin was gone, and the bloodstains had turned dark in color, covered with a thin layer of ice.

This is the power of Huanyin's finger. This finger was extremely yin and cold, and it directly destroyed the opponent's body with its extremely cold aura. The opponent's palm method with the old and new temperament could not resist it, and even the Vajra Indestructible Body could not resist it.

Huo Linglong picked up a piece of the demon monk's corpse and looked at it, but could not see anything unusual. Jiumozhi also looked over for a moment, frowned and shook his head. Under his Huanyin finger, the body was already frozen terribly, and it was impossible to tell whether there was anything wrong.

At this time, everyone surrounded the person in black robe who fell from the evil monk. The person had long hair exposed and was lying on the ground with half of her face exposed. It was obviously a woman.

Zhao Ti said: "See what her aura is like and wake her up to ask her."

Everyone worked together to turn her over, and saw that she was indeed a pretty woman, but now her eyes were closed, her face was pale, and she was in a state of unconsciousness.

Huo Linglong walked over and felt the woman's breath, then checked her pulse. Then she took out a small bottle from her body, took out a green pill the size of a fingernail, pried open the woman's mouth, and put it in.

After a while, the woman woke up slowly, looking panicked, and cried out in Kucha language: "No, let me go, I am not the reincarnation of the ghost mother..."

Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows when he heard that. Huo Linglong stretched out her hand and slapped her twice: "Why are you yelling? That monk is already dead. Did he say that you are the reincarnation of the Demonic Kingdom's Ghost Mother?"

The woman could understand Uighur language. She was stunned for a moment after hearing what was said. Then she looked at everyone carefully. When she saw Jiumozhi, she couldn't help but tremble and shrank back.

Jiumozhi said: "Look carefully, lady donor, I am not that evil monk, I am Jiumozhi, the Great Wheel King of the Great Wheel Temple in the Great Snow Mountain."

Huo Linglong said, "We were asked by your Kucha court chief Mai Li to come and rescue you. We have already killed the evil monk, so you don't have to be afraid."

The woman looked shocked, and it took her a long time to recover. She showed a lingering fear, tears streaming down her face: "Youlou, is Master Youlou really dead?"

Huo Linglong said unhappily, "He died naturally. He brought you to this place, and you still call him Master?"

The woman stammered, "I didn't expect that he would think I was the reincarnation of the ghost mother, and even perform some kind of sacrifice to awaken my memories of my past life..."

"What kind of sacrifice?" Huo Linglong asked, "Can it also awaken memories of past lives?"

“I don’t know…” The woman shook her head. “He said he wanted to awaken my memory of being a ghost mother. He put me in the ghost mother’s coffin, drew some things on my body, chanted something, and performed a ritual outside the coffin…”

"Put it in the Ghost Mother's coffin? Is the Ghost Mother's body still there?" Huo Linglong asked.

"The corpse of the ghost mother..." The woman had just said this when the nine-story magic tower in the fire behind her suddenly made a loud noise, which scared her so much that her body shook violently.

Everyone looked over there and saw that the Nine-story Magic Tower was already crumbling under the raging fire. The flames were like ferocious fire snakes, climbing madly along the tower. Thick smoke billowed out of the tower like black fog, covering the sky and the sun.

After just a few breaths, there was a loud "boom" and the magic tower began to collapse. Huge rocks fell from the sky, causing smoke and dust to fill the sky. Hot sparks flew in all directions. In the blink of an eye, the magic tower collapsed to the ground.

All I saw were charred pieces of wood and bricks scattered around, with remaining flames lingering in the ruins. An unpleasant smell filled the air, and the sight was full of devastation, with black smoke rising, turning it into a ruin with remaining flames.

"I, I don't know. I dare not look. I don't know if the ghost mother's body is still in the coffin..." The woman was frightened by the sight of the collapse of the magic tower and burst into tears.

Zhao Ti looked towards the collapsed area and saw nothing unusual. He said, "Let's go and take her away from here first."

Everyone agreed, and Huo Linglong grabbed Princess Kucha, carried her on her shoulders and went out. Just as they reached the front of the low building, they heard the sound of ghosts howling in the distance, as if countless people were crying in sorrow.

Then I saw dense black shadows coming from all directions, all of them were the Demon Country's Youxuan, no one knew how many there were, their eyes were bloodshot, their bodies were swift, and they pounced towards me.

"Kill them out quickly." Zhao Ti ordered.

Everyone used various means, and the Demon Country's Youbian fell down in an instant, but they did not retreat in fear like last time. Instead, they were no longer afraid of death and attacked everyone madly.

"The Nine-Story Demon Tower is destroyed. These things have gone crazy." Jiumozhi shook his head: "The Buddhist scriptures say that if the Nine-Story Demon Tower does not exist, all the companion spirits will die. Even if they don't come up to fight to the death with us, they will die on their own in a short time."

"This kind of monster shouldn't exist in the world!" Huo Linglong said coldly.

At this time, everyone used all the means they could without holding back, using hidden weapons, bows and arrows, poison and powder together, and immediately cut a path forward.

Although these demon beasts are vicious, they are wild beasts after all. They have no martial arts and no weapons. The only thing they rely on is their speed. But when they gather together, they have no chance to take advantage.

After a while, they reached the edge of Guimu Beach and saw the thick ancient tree. At this time, the Demon Country Youxuan was no longer chasing them, but letting out bursts of tragic wails, the sound was extremely shrill and sad.

The group ran straight outside, and after coming out, the demons from the Demon Kingdom stared blankly at the ancient tree. Each of them looked like a stone or wooden sculpture, with dull eyes and unable to move.

The people outside Guimu Beach cheered when they saw them coming out, but when they saw the terrifying appearance of the Demon Kingdom's Youxuan over there, they were so scared that they retreated a distance.

The female official Mai Li and the female general Hasina led the soldiers to welcome everyone to the Xiaohei River. Everyone saluted. Huo Linglong threw the woman to the ground and asked, "See if she is your princess?"

The two men hurried forward and hugged the woman. After they had identified her correctly, they bowed again and said, "Thank you very much for rescuing the princess. The Kingdom of Kucha will surely reward you handsomely. Please return to the city."

Princess Kucha still looked frightened at this time, trembling and silent. Hasina carried her on the horse and took her to Yilulu herself.

Everyone followed him back and then entered the Kucha Palace and met the Queen of Kucha.

The Queen of Kucha was actually the mother of the Princess of Kucha. She was unable to handle state affairs due to illness, so she passed the throne to the princess. However, she did not expect that such a thing would happen not long after the transfer of power.

Then they had a banquet in the palace. When it was over, the queen took out gold, silver and jewelry to express her gratitude. Finally, she held out a pure gold box and said that it contained the Zhuchen Pearl and Phoenix Eye as the biggest thank you gift this time.

Zhao Ti gladly accepted it. The Phoenix Eye Pearl was one of the three great pearls in the Western Regions. It had been a top tribute to the Central Plains since ancient times and had many magical legends.

According to historical records, this pearl was offered five times since the Western Zhou Dynasty: twice during the reign of Emperor Zhou, once after Qin Shihuang unified the six kingdoms, once during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, and once during the reign of Emperor Zhenguan of Tang. A total of five pearls were offered.

However, these five beads were lost during the changes of dynasties and wars, or they may have been buried in the tomb of the emperor at that time, unknown to the outside world.

In short, no one in the Central Plains has seen this thing before, and they only recognized its shape from the books. Zhao Ti did not open it directly, but had to stay in this city for one night and prepare to go back to see it.

At this time, the white-haired and weathered Queen of Kucha said, "My dear guest, this Zhuchen Pearl is the last one in the entire Western Regions. Please cherish it."

Zhao Ti asked: "How come it's the last one? What's the explanation?"

The queen sighed, "The pearl was created by nature in ancient times and is no longer produced in later generations. Originally, various countries fought for it and there were nine of them in total. However, after the Han and Tang dynasties, the various countries were destroyed. Except for the one that was offered to the Chinese Empire, the rest disappeared. Only my country of Kucha still has this one."

Zhao Ti nodded, "There are only nine in total, and the rest are missing. This one is very precious." The queen said, "Indeed, and this one is a little different. The Zhuochen Pearl is shaped like a jade eye stained with gold, just like the pupil of a phoenix, and is also called a phoenix eye. Its color is golden with a jade luster. This one is like gold and blood, with two colors of gold and red, and a jade luster."

Zhao Ti said, "I see. I will go back and have a look. I'll trouble the Queen to explain my confusion to me."

The queen said, "You are too polite. You saved my daughter and continued the prosperity of the Kucha Kingdom. I think I have not repaid you enough. If the country does not exist, what is the use of the precious treasures?"

Zhao Ti smiled. The Queen of Kucha was a wise woman. She then led everyone back to the guest house. She did not look at Baozhu first, but called Jiumozhi over.

Jiumozhi chanted the Buddha's name, "Namo Amitabha, donor Zhao, I am just looking for you to solve my doubts."

Zhao Ti asked, "Are you asking about the realm of martial arts?"

Jiumozhi said, "After I saw you take action in Guimu Beach, my temperament changed drastically and I reached that level. But why did you disappear later? Did you hide yourself?"

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "Perhaps this unique temperament can be hidden, but it's not mine. I just entered that realm when I used that technique, but fell back after I finished it."

Jiumozhi said: "Donor, you mean that the real power is still a little short, so it can't be maintained? But if you use all your strength, you will enter. Does this count as one foot into that realm?"

Zhao Ti thought for a moment and said, "Perhaps, my cultivation of the technique is not completely proficient enough. If I want to maintain that state all the time, I have to take my technique to a higher level."

He pondered in his mind that the Phantom Yin Sutra was either incomplete, or even if it was complete, there were still more advanced techniques to follow, which led to this situation.

The finger left by Gao Taotao might be the subsequent practice she had comprehended based on the existing Huanyin Sutra, or she might have deduced it herself because she knew that the sutra was incomplete, or she might have known that this was a partial sutra and knew about the remaining finger.

Jiumozhi couldn't help but fall into deep thought after hearing this. Zhao Ti looked at him for a while and said, "What did the monk mean by calling that evil monk an old Taoist? I have never heard of such a term before."

Jiumozhi smiled bitterly and said, "You are a Buddhist, so you naturally know that non-Buddhist disciples are called heretics. Buddhist disciples, even if they are not from the same sect, are called fellow practitioners."

Zhao Ti nodded: "That's right, so I wonder where the name of the old Taoist comes from?"

Jiumozhi said: "The name of the old way is originally a saying that has been circulated in my secret teachings. All sects have some records. Anyone who believes in the thousand Buddhas born in the past solemn calamities and respects Dingguang Tathagata and Dipankara Buddha is called the old way."

Zhao Ti pondered for a moment. The Buddha of the past, the Buddha of the present, and the Buddha of the future are the three vertical Buddhas in Buddhism. The past was Dipankara, the present is Sakyamuni, and the future is Maitreya. But this is a kind of rhetoric concerning the scales of Buddhism. It is not really old. And how can those who believe in the Buddha of the past be called old Taoists?
Jiumozhi continued, "There is a doctrine in the Tantric Buddhism that the old days are gone, and the power submerged in the old days will be corroded and changed. Although the Buddha's heart remains unchanged, the Buddha's body, disciples and power can only exist in the old days and cannot be displayed in the present. Otherwise, it will disrupt the scales and be regarded as a demonic path, called the old path."

Zhao Ti said slowly: "The past can only exist in the past, and the present can only exist in the present. Is that what you mean?"

Jiumozhi nodded: "Donor Huizhi, that's right, the balance has been set and cannot be changed. The power of the old Buddha cannot interfere with the present, the old way cannot exist in the present, the old way cannot be born, and it cannot be transformed into the new way, because faith cannot be changed. If faith changes, power collapses, and the old days turn into ashes."

Zhao Ti pondered and said, "I understand. So for now, I will just chant Namo Amitabha, Namo the Dharmakaya, the Incarnation, and the Sambhogakaya of the World Honored One."

Jiumozhi said: "That's right, because in this life... the Buddha holds the celestial plate."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "But what about the end of the Dharma? In the end of the Dharma, there will be as many evil teachers as the sands of the Ganges. The Dharma will destroy all the sutras, and the Shurangama Sutra will be destroyed first..."

"This..." Jiumozhi immediately broke out in a sweat: "Donor, the so-called Dharma Ending Age cannot be explained in that way..."

Zhao Ti shook his head: "The future will never appear, because once the future arrives, it is the present. The past will never disappear, because once the past has passed, it is also the present. Therefore, the end of the Dharma is really the end of the Dharma..."

"Donor, donor..." Jiumozhi's face turned pale: "Donor, do you think that now is the end of the Dharma?"

Zhao Ti said leisurely, "The Mahasanghika Sutra says that the Dharma lasts 500 years, the Dharma-image lasts 1,000 years, and the Dharma-end lasts 10,000 years. During the chaotic Five Dynasties, we had already entered the Dharma-end."

Jiumozhi said: "The Great Compassion Sutra, the Mahayana Three Saints Repentance Sutra, the Saddharma-pundit Sūtra, etc. have different records of the three periods at the end of the image."

Zhao Ti smiled and said, "Didn't those books mention the end of the Dharma earlier? Could it be that it is not the end of the Dharma?"

Jiumozhi said nothing, and his face became uglier as he chanted the Buddha's name, then he said goodbye and left.

After seeing him leave, Zhao Ti was silent for a while, then opened the golden box and looked at the only remaining Zhuchen Pearl in the Western Regions.

When the lid of the box was opened, a red and yellow light flashed, which was very bright and dazzling under the light. It turned out to be a narrow and long semi-circular gem shaped like a phoenix eye.

This gem is surrounded by a lively glow, and its surface is scarlet with a hint of golden yellow, just like the rising sun or rouge at dusk. Red lines flow and spiritual charm surges. It actually looks like an eye, so beautiful that people are reluctant to look away for a long time.

Zhao Ti held the gem in his hand and felt a slight warmth, not as cool as other gemstones. He looked at it carefully and the more he looked, the more it looked like a real eye. Although he had never seen what a phoenix looked like, if it was really an eye, then it could be the legendary phoenix.

He played with it for a while, and felt that he wanted to see it more and more, so he shook his head, reached out and threw it into the box, closed the lid, and then went to rest.

The next day, everyone left the Kingdom of Qiuci and headed east. This time, after going around Qingtang City, they entered the country directly from Xihe Road and returned to the Song Dynasty.

After an unknown number of days, they arrived at a place south of the West Sea. Longyou is roughly bounded by the West Sea, with Qingtang to the north and the Tubo tribes to the south.

The West Sea is the largest lake in the world; even Taihu Lake and Dongting Lake cannot compare with it.

Standing on the bank of the West Sea and gazing into the distance, they saw the vast lake merging with the sky and plateau. The lake surface was like a clear mirror, sparkling and transparent without waves. The light of the sky and the shadows of the clouds wandered together. Everywhere they looked, there was purity and peace.

At this time of the morning, there were a few white clouds in the sky and the plateau in the distance looked majestic and magnificent, which made people feel relaxed and happy and their minds opened up.

Just as everyone was enjoying the beautiful scenery, they suddenly saw huge waves on the lake, followed by a loud "splash", and a person actually jumped out from the lake.

The man was soaking wet, holding a short stick in his hand. He was clearly swimming in the water before, and only jumped out of the water when he saw the shore approaching.

The girl shouted, "Another monk."

I saw that the man in the water was indeed a monk, wearing monk's robes. He was swimming on the water surface. When he ran out of strength, he dived into the water, and rose up with the help of buoyancy. After swimming a little further, he was almost at the shore of the lake.

Jiumozhi said: "Donor Wu, there are naturally many monks in the Western Regions, and the more south you go, the more monks there are."

The girl's dark eyes rolled around: "Do you recognize this monk, Master?"

Jiumozhi looked at the monk coming from the lake and shook his head. The monk seemed to have great martial arts skills, but he did not recognize him.

Just as the monk was about to reach the shore, suddenly a white light shot up into the sky from the lake behind him. It was actually a sword light, cold and sharp, like a silver snake, breaking through the air.

The monk seemed to feel the chill behind him and quickened his pace, reaching the shore in a blink of an eye.

He was startled to see so many people on the shore, but most of them looked at him curiously. No one tried to stop him, but they snorted coldly and went straight south.

Seeing his rude behavior, everyone started to scold him. The monk heard it, turned around and glared, then saw that the white light in the lake was almost reaching the shore. His expression changed and he suddenly sped up.

At this time, the sword light in the lake also reached the shore. It was a man in white clothes. He was not dressed like a Uighur or Tibetan, but rather in Chinese clothes. He was of middle age, with a clean beard and a solemn expression. The sword in his hand was shining coldly, and he chased after the monk in front.

The swordsman in white couldn't help but frown slightly and snorted coldly as he passed by the group of people.

Everyone was furious. The monk was rude, and this man was also rude. They couldn't help but scold him again.

The man in white turned his head and frowned, then he raised his hand and slashed with a sword. Suddenly, the powerful energy split the air and turned into several rays, rushing straight towards the crowd.

Everyone couldn't help but resist, but the white-clothed man's sword energy was so powerful that it whizzed towards them, and some of the weaker ones were almost hit, and they staggered and looked embarrassed.

The man in white looked disdainful upon seeing this and continued to fly south, chasing the monk in front.

Wu Xiong was furious and stepped forward and said, "Master, this..."

Zhao Ti looked at the two figures bouncing on the plateau like bullets, narrowed his eyes, and said lightly: "Chase them and see."

(End of this chapter)