Unlimited employment

Chapter 141, Section 140: [Having obtained the Daoist scriptures, have I become a Buddhist disciple again?]

The bright firelight shone on the pine tree, casting its light and shadow on its face.

After connecting with the flames, he appeared to be lost in thought, immersing himself in recording his understanding of Taoist arts. In reality, his gaze was fixed on the deepest part of the flames, copying the information within with all his might.

Within the firelight, the first thing that catches the eye is the table of contents of the "Wanshou Daozang" (Taoist Canon of Longevity).

There are 63,214 first-order Dao techniques; 1,629 second-order Dao techniques; 271 third-order Dao techniques; 58 fourth-order Dao techniques; and 12 fifth-order Dao techniques in combination.

Their names flashed before Chen Sheng's eyes like a waterfall.

Just by looking at the names of the Taoist arts, one can see that the Wanshou Daozang does not only include Taoist arts.

Over the years, the Great Song Dynasty has exhausted all its resources and collected all the cultivation methods passed down from the various schools of thought during the pre-Qin period, through the Qin, Han, Wei, Jin, Sui, and Tang dynasties, up to the Great Song Dynasty itself, into this edition of the Daoist Canon.

Although, apart from Taoism, there are not many cultivation methods above the third level in other sects in the Taoist canon, there are a great abundance of methods for the middle and lower levels.

Regardless of their rank and efficacy, almost every Taoist technique Chen Sheng could think of could be traced back to the Taoist canon and its underlying concepts.

After quickly flipping through the long list of Taoist techniques, Chen Sheng soon found the Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend Technique that he had been longing for.

Of these, the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends are complete, while the Thirty-Six Heavenly Generals are missing a few.

However, this is not important. As long as we can gather all 72 Earthly Fiend Techniques and meet the prerequisites for the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts, this operation will be a success.

He chose to prioritize copying the Earthly Fiend Heavenly Gang Technique, followed by the remaining fourth and third-tier Daoist techniques, and the combination of several fifth-tier Daoist techniques.

After acquiring those more valuable Taoist techniques, he then turned his attention to the martial arts manuals collected in the Taoist canon.

Among the eight fourth-tier martial arts, thirty-one third-tier martial arts, five hundred and sixteen second-tier martial arts, and twelve thousand six hundred and twenty-three first-tier martial arts found in the catalog, the fourth-tier and third-tier divine skills were copied first.

Only then did they turn their attention to the remaining Taoist arts and martial arts, beginning the long process of copying them.

There are so many cultivation methods in the "Wanshou Daozang" that Chen Sheng could not possibly cultivate them all by himself. However, cultivation methods often contain the wisdom and innovative concepts of predecessors.

If one can absorb those sparks of wisdom, draw inferences from one instance to another, and embrace diversity, it will surely benefit the practitioner greatly.

Now that Chen Sheng had come to Shangqing Palace, how could he let go of this opportunity to enhance his own strength?

Time just passes slowly.

Chen Sheng was secretly frantically copying all the information in the Daoist canon, while still talking about his understanding of the Fiery Corpse Refining Technique.

"The peculiarity of this technique lies not only in using fire to refine zombies, but also in making their hearts beat again, thus giving birth to a new life force from their corpses..."

As the narration began, a middle-aged Taoist priest dressed in a vermilion robe suddenly emerged from behind a forest of bookshelves in the brightly lit Taoist Hall and approached Qingsong.

"Qingsong, I've discovered some issues with the corpse refining technique you entered an hour ago..."

The Taoist priests in Shangqing Palace were also divided into different ranks.

A first-level Taoist like Qingsong is responsible for initially reviewing the vast number of ancient books collected from all over the world and making preliminary assessments of their value.

If you encounter a first-order Taoist technique, you can try to deduce it yourself, but if you encounter a higher-order Taoist technique, you can only offer it up and let the second or third-order Taoists in the palace take care of it.

If a fourth-order Dao technique were to appear, a master at the Thunder Tribulation Realm would be assigned to take it over, personally cultivate it, and verify it.

Correspondingly, the cultivation methods and insights submitted by lower-level cultivators will be reviewed by higher-level cultivators, and only after they are confirmed to be correct will they be entered into the Daoist Canon.

Fourth-order Taoist techniques require cross-verification by multiple fourth-order Taoists before they can be approved.

This strict hierarchical system effectively ensures the high quality of the Daoist canon and prevents major errors.

"This isn't the first time such a problem has arisen. Let me explain to you where you went wrong."

The middle-aged Taoist patted Qingsong on the shoulder, interrupting his narration, and then pointed at the flames in front of him, causing a tentacle that emerged from the flames to penetrate his forehead.

However, what the Wind Tribulation Realm Taoist saw next was not the page he usually saw during the review process, but a massive amount of information stored in the flames that was rapidly passing by his eyes.

"This is... there's something wrong with the Daoist canon!"

The sudden rise in volume in the second half of the sentence caused Huang Shang, who was sitting cross-legged above the flames, to frown slightly.

He opened his eyes and looked at the Taoist priest on the ground.

"What went wrong this time?"

The flame used to store the Wanshou Daozang (a collection of Taoist scriptures) is a magical artifact crafted by the Mohists during the pre-Qin period. Due to its long service life and the fact that the Taoist community does not know how to repair it, it occasionally exhibits some abnormal conditions.

Huang Shang was already used to it having problems.

He pointed downwards, and a beam of fire connected to his finger.

After seeing the information flash by rapidly, he was startled and instantly realized that someone was copying data.

Huang Shang looked down at the two people who were still connected and said in a deep voice.

"Disconnect!"

The middle-aged Taoist in red robes broke free from the fiery tentacles as instructed and retreated rapidly, but the pine tree remained standing still.

"There's something wrong with this person."

Huang Shang's gaze fell on Qing Song, but the will of a fourth-level cultivator enveloped the entire Shangqing Palace, causing the void within several acres to collapse inward. A massive amount of spiritual energy converged here, squeezing into Shangqing Palace from all directions, turning the spiritual energy here into an almost solidified substance.

Click!

A dense burst of five-colored lightning crackled around Qingsong, constantly colliding with the solidified spiritual energy around him to prevent himself from turning into an insect trapped in amber.

However, this also caused his body to develop numerous blood-red cracks.

This was a sign that his mere first-tier cultivation was insufficient to withstand the aftershocks of a fourth-tier cultivator.

"Controlling the Five Thunders?"
Which fellow Daoist is secretly spying on the Daoist Canon?

It should be understood that the current emperor is the Daoist ruler, and the world today belongs to our Daoist sect.

"Fellow Daoist, once you enter the court, the emperor will treat you with high rank, and the Wanshou Daozang (Imperial Library) will be fully open to you. Why resort to such underhanded tactics?"

Seeing that the trapped thief was clearly a puppet and had used fourth-order lightning magic, Huang Chang knew that the other party's Yin spirit was definitely not here, so he opened his mouth and sincerely recruited him.

Upon hearing this, Qingsong raised his face, which was covered in cracks. After the last piece of text and pattern flashed through his pupils, he smiled and gave an irrelevant answer.

"Fortunately, I managed to hold on for a dozen more breaths, which allowed me to memorize all the contents of the Longevity Daoist Canon."

As he spoke, lightning surged into his body.

Crackling!

The lightning, reaching the fourth rank, instantly turned the pine tree into a pile of charred ashes, and Chen Sheng's last vestige of will was extinguished in his suicide.

Looking at the ashes on the ground, Huang Shang could only sigh helplessly.

The puppet was completely destroyed, making it difficult to find the mastermind behind it. After a while, two figures in purple Taoist robes flew into the palace and landed in the Shangqing Palace to begin investigating the theft of the Taoist scriptures.

……

Fifteen minutes ago, on Brothel Street.

The abbot of Dahuguo Temple held a small bronze bell in his hand, and led several monks dressed in yellow robes through the crowd filled with the scent of perfume.

The monks, however, remained unfazed, surrounded by the giggles of young women and their half-hidden, half-revealed, voluptuous figures.

Firstly, they are imbued with Buddhist teachings that can alter perception, so the surrounding patrons will see the bald men as ordinary men and won't attract onlookers because monks are visiting brothels.

Secondly, Zen Buddhism has always emphasized cultivating the Buddha's mind internally and the Buddha's body externally. When faced with female beauty, remaining calm and composed is the highest level of practice. If one were to reveal one's lustful side in front of one's master and fellow disciples at this time, wouldn't it be very embarrassing?

Among the group, one young monk clearly lacked willpower. Fearing that staying any longer would cause him to have an erection, he quickly spoke up.

“Master, although it is said that Buddha is not misled by appearances, how could a holy being like Buddha’s disciple, who descended from the Western Paradise, linger in such a mundane place? Let’s go look somewhere else!”

Before the abbot could speak, the senior disciple beside him shouted.

"Abandon ignorance and do not question the Buddhist bell in the temple."

This treasure is the foundation of Dahuguo Temple. If one is destined to possess it, they can meet even if they are thousands of miles apart. If one is not destined to possess it, they will not recognize each other even if they are face to face.

The bell now contains dozens of Buddhist protective energies and inauspicious influences, and the Buddhist disciple is someone with an affinity for these energies; therefore, the guidance of the Buddhist Bell is certain to be accurate.

After that, the monks fell silent, and the group continued forward amidst the gentle hum of the bronze bell.

Just as they were about to leave the brothel street.

clang!
As the melodious bell rang, the monks instantly beamed with joy.

They looked at the two brothels on either side of the street and knew that the Buddha was in one of them.

At this moment, even the usually composed senior brother couldn't help but speak first.

"Master, let's get ready and go quickly to welcome the Buddha's disciple."

Unexpectedly, the thin, wrinkled abbot shook his head and said...

"Don't be impatient when things happen. Have you spent all those years cultivating your Zen mind on dogs?"

Our abrupt entry is not only extremely rude, but it could also disturb the Buddhist disciples. Before we meet them, we must ensure they understand our goodwill.

As he spoke, he unlocked the seal on the Buddhist bell in his hand and took out a Garuda Buddha aura from it.

He tossed the malevolent energy into the air from his palm, and the golden Buddhist malevolent energy transformed into a golden-winged roc the size of a pigeon.

Drawn by some mysterious Buddhist connection, it passed through walls and houses, eventually drifting into a dimly lit, low-ceilinged room.

……

In the room of the dewdrop.

Chen Sheng opened his bright eyes, and the words that flowed like a waterfall within them lingered for a long time before gradually disappearing.

It took him a long time to process all the information, which totaled tens of billions of words and contained a large number of images and videos, before he finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

This infiltration of the Shangqing Palace was an extremely low-risk adventure.

He only lost a wisp of his will, yet he managed to copy a complete copy of the "Wanshou Daozang," which can almost be described as a risk-free business.

Although he gained a great deal and acquired many Taoist and martial arts skills, Chen Sheng valued the Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Techniques the most.

Having gathered this set of Taoist techniques, one has taken the first step on the path of cultivating the "Eight-Nine Arcane Arts".

Although the cultivation process will certainly be arduous, Chen Sheng is able to reincarnate in other Jambudvipa fruits, and with long years of contemplation, he will eventually achieve enlightenment...

Having obtained the "Wanshou Daozang" and accomplished his main purpose for coming to Bianliang, Chen Sheng planned to leave.

After all, Qingsong had been to this brothel before, and the imperial court's people would soon find their way here; this was not a place to stay for long.

But at that moment, Chen Sheng suddenly frowned, his gaze passing through the walls of the house, and saw a golden bird flying into the courtyard.

His gaze followed the bird's movements until he finally watched it fly in through the crack in the door, circling around him in circles.

"This is... a Buddhist spirit? How could a Buddhist spirit be in a brothel?"

Chen Sheng, looking completely bewildered, raised one hand and let the golden-winged roc land on it.

Using [Insight Through Walls], I looked in the direction the birds were flying from and indeed saw dozens of Buddhist spirits gathered together not far away.

Beside Gang Sha was an old monk with fourth-level cultivation and a group of young monks with second-level cultivation.

"Interesting, this malevolent aura was actually deliberately released by these monks."

In an instant, Chen Sheng's mind raced. He first denied that they were pursuers from Shangqing Palace, and then thought that someone who presented such a generous gift upon meeting must be someone he could communicate with, so he stepped outside.

Using a trick of deception, he brazenly passed through the bustling lobby of the brothel and arrived at the main entrance.

Then he discovered that the monks were also using magic to make pedestrians on the street automatically make way for them.

Furthermore, none of the passersby paid any attention to the monks, seemingly finding nothing strange about a group of monks standing at the entrance of a brothel, and automatically ignoring their presence.

Upon seeing Chen Sheng holding the Garuda bird in his hand, the old monk led the way in prostrating himself in worship.

“Amitabha Buddha, your disciple Zhiyuan, along with the monks of Dahuguo Temple, has come to pay homage to the Buddha.”

"Hahaha, monk, you've mistaken me for someone else."

"With hair this long and having just visited a brothel, how could I possibly be your Buddhist disciple?"

Chen Sheng avoided the monks' prostrations, remaining wary of such undeserved honor.

The old monk raised his head and smiled brightly at him.

"There's no mistake. The Buddha's disciple has the destiny of the Purple Star, has achieved the fourth level with the Lesser Dragon Binding Hand Seal, and can be so close to the Buddha's Fiend. He must be our Buddha's disciple."

You are a true chosen one, a born Buddha King, who will absorb ninety-nine Buddhist evil spirits and condense into a golden Arhat.

He led the rise of Buddhism, overthrew the Song Dynasty which favored Taoism and suppressed Buddhism, established a Buddhist kingdom on earth, and universally saved the ignorant masses.

Chen Sheng toyed with the Garuda in his hand, remaining noncommittal to such mystical talk, but stared at the bronze bell in his hand that sealed dozens of portions of malevolent energy, and said.

"You say that absorbing the Buddhist Qi is my destiny, so can you give me this Qi?"

"Of course, they belong to the Buddha's disciples!"

The old monk smiled, reached out and slapped the bronze bell, and immediately all the dozens of streams of evil energy inside were released, flying towards Chen Sheng...

(End of this chapter)