Daily Intelligence: From Water Snake to Jinghe Dragon King

The Queen Mother of the West was somewhat worried and advised, "Senior brother, you should not interfere anymore. In the face of absolute power, all your schemes are useless."

The Jade Emperor coldly retorted, "What do you, a mere woman, know? All you need to do is hold a successful Peach Banquet and win over the powerful beings of the Three Realms for me. You don't need to worry about anything else."

"Is it just the Primordial Dao Fruit? Hmph, once I've finished planning the Journey to the West with Buddhism, that overwhelming fortune will surely help me break through to the Great Luo Realm and reach the Primordial Dao Fruit!"

"When the time comes, we will repay Tongtian tenfold for the humiliation we have suffered today!"

With a thought, the Jade Emperor summoned the gods of the Jie Sect in the lower realm through the Investiture of the Gods. There was a Daoist named Yu Yu, but he only notified them, instead of directly commanding their souls to return as before. If they were slow, divine punishment would befall them.

The Jie Sect gods in the clouds above Dasanguan immediately sensed it. They initially ignored it, determined to fight Buddhism and settle the score of karma.

But then he heard Yu Yu Dao Ren's voice: "Don't be impatient, now is not the time for reckoning, go back first."

"I just went to the Heavenly Court. Haotian will no longer dare to humiliate you. Please wait patiently, and you will be free soon."

All the gods of the Jie Sect were overjoyed, and hurriedly bowed respectfully before returning to Heaven.

Seeing that the great battle had ended, the Buddha couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. He then quickly sent a telepathic message to Guanyin, Samantabhadra, Manjushri, and Julusun, instructing them to leave immediately.

The four of you are objects of hatred for both the Chan and Jie sects, so you dare not stand here any longer, or things will not end well.

The three great Bodhisattvas, including Guanyin, fearing that the Buddha would leave, hurriedly transformed into Buddha's light and departed.

Guang Chengzi snorted coldly and flicked his fingers in the air. Immediately, a series of bell sounds rang out. In the distance, Guanyin and the other three people groaned, clearly having taken a blow from Guang Chengzi.

The Buddha's eyelids twitched, but he dared not retaliate.

Guang Chengzi's cultivation is profound, no less than his own. If they fought, he wouldn't come out on top. Besides, several of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect are watching this place, and he dares not provoke them all.

Guang Chengzi vented his anger and was in a great mood. He bowed to the Holy Mother Wudang, parted the void, and returned to Kunlun Mountain.

Seeing that only Buddha remained, the Buddha interrupted the other two and slowly said, "Senior Sister Wudang, Junior Brother Pilu Xian, you two have previously shown interest in approaching Buddhism, so you must be quite familiar with our grand plan of the Journey to the West."

"Since this is the origin of our story, we have no choice but to be frank. This Journey to the West is a grand plan spearheaded by Buddhism and aided by the Heavenly Court. It absolutely cannot be stopped. Isn't that Liu Qing your junior brother from the Jie Sect?"

"Since your Jie Sect has also interfered in the Journey to the West, then Buddhism has no choice but to intervene personally."

The Holy Mother of Wudang raised her eyebrows, about to question him, but suddenly heard the Taoist Yu Yu transmit his voice, so she changed her words:

"Alright, it's fine for Buddhism to take matters into its own hands, but remember, my junior brother from the Jie Sect is only at the Dharma Realm level. Your Bodhisattvas and Buddhas cannot bully the weak, otherwise, don't blame the gods of the Jie Sect's Heavenly Court for descending to the mortal realm."

The Buddha glanced down and saw Liu Qing refining the Buddhist thoughts of the five hundred Arhats one by one, and his eyelids trembled.

The secret passage could even refine the Buddhist thoughts of five hundred Arhats at the Divine Realm level. Its true strength was probably no weaker than that of the Three Flowers Realm. It was far from being just a mere Dharma Realm Realm cultivator.

However, this is similar to provoking the gods of the Heavenly Court of the Jie Sect to descend to the mortal realm and jointly attack Buddhist disciples.

Furthermore, the two teachers, Jieyin and Zhunti, are still in the Outer Heaven and cannot return, while a wisp of Tongtian Sage's soul has descended to the mortal realm.

Circumstances are beyond our control, so we have no choice but to accept it. It seems that this is the best outcome we could achieve.

"Fine, your Heavenly Court gods will not descend to the mortal realm, and our Buddhist Bodhisattvas and Buddhas will not directly attack Liu Qing. We will keep each other in check below the Great Luo Realm."

Even the Buddha had his own plans, saying that the scope of the battle should be kept below the Great Luo Realm. However, the only disciple of the Jie Sect on the other side was Liu Qing, who was only at the Dharma Realm Realm at the moment. And it had only been a few decades since the start of the Journey to the West. In such a short time, it would be impossible for him to break through from the Dharma Realm Realm to the Great Luo Realm.

Since Liu Qing is unable to break through to the Great Luo Realm, then any of his Buddhist disciples below the Great Luo Realm can make a move.

The five hundred Arhats are all in the Divine Realm, the various Dharma Protectors and Kings, the Eight Legions are in the Golden Body Realm, and the eighteen Arhats are in the Imperishable Realm.

These are not Bodhisattvas or Buddhas, and are not subject to restrictions. They can take action, but how can Liu Qing, with his current level of cultivation, possibly cope with them?
Ultimately, the immense fortune generated by this grand Journey to the West will still belong to Buddhism.

It's a pity that a portion has to be given to the Heavenly Court, which is a bit of a shame. However, the Jade Emperor has to help restrict the gods of the Heavenly Court who are part of the Jie Sect, so he has no choice but to share it.

The Holy Mother of Wudang was certainly not a reckless or thoughtless person. How could she not understand the Buddha's scheme? Immediately, her eyebrows furrowed, and she was about to lash out.

At this moment, the remaining Taoist priests used telepathy to stop him.

Helpless, the Holy Mother of Wudang had no choice but to reluctantly accept it.

With a smile on his face, the Buddha rose to leave, but the Holy Mother of Wudang hurriedly called out, "Buddha, where is my senior brother from the Jie Sect?"

The eldest disciple of the Jie Sect refers to Duobao Daoren. After the Investiture of the Gods and the Ten Thousand Immortals Formation, Laozi captured Duobao Daoren and took him to the West, where he transformed into Duobao Tathagata.

Despite repeated inquiries by the Holy Mother of Wudang, who was incarnated as the Old Mother of Lishan, and the treacherous Pilu Immortal, they could not find the figure of Duobao Tathagata, also known as Duobao Daoren, within Buddhism.

Therefore, the Holy Mother of Wudang asked this question.

The Buddha looked surprised: "Brother Duobao is not in Buddhism, and there is no Buddha Duobao in Buddhism."

“Senior Sister Wudang and Junior Brother Pilu Xian, you two have been investigating both inside and outside Buddhism for a thousand years. You must know that what I have said is true.”

The Holy Mother of Wudang frowned deeply, and the Immortal Vairocana remained silent.

What the Buddha said was indeed true, and there was no falsehood. The two of them had searched for a thousand years, but they had not found a trace of Brother Duobao in Buddhism.

Buddhism considers the three Buddhas—the Tathagata Buddha, the past Buddha Dipankara, and the future Buddha Maitreya—to have the highest spiritual attainment, but like myself, they are all in the Great Luo Realm, only differing in their level.

As long as one hasn't broken through to the Great Luo Realm, the three Buddhas of Buddhism—past, present, and future—cannot completely obscure the aura of Daoist Duobao.

In other words, the Daoist Duobao, who has reached the Great Luo Realm, possesses the strength currently displayed by Buddhism, capable of completely erasing all traces and energy.

Brother Duobao is not a Buddhist.

Where is Senior Brother Duobao?

Taking advantage of the moment when the Holy Mother of Wudang frowned in thought, the Buddha Tathagata hurriedly departed, not wanting to be involved in the matter of the disappearance of the Taoist Duobao.

To avoid being falsely accused by the Jiejiao sect, even the Buddha was heartbroken and couldn't help but mutter to himself, "You, the Sage Laozi, have already captured Duobao Daoren, but why did you have to spread the word that Duobao Daoren converted to Buddhism and caused Buddhism to suffer an unjust accusation?"

The five hundred Arhats, disregarding the loss of their Buddhist essence, followed the Buddha in fleeing the area. However, they stopped halfway and went to Jinyang. Without the original bodies of the five hundred Arhats present, Liu Qing was able to refine the Buddhist essence within the other Buddha-bodies much more quickly.

Soon, all the Buddhist thoughts within the twenty Buddha zombies were forcibly pulled out by Liu Qing and refined and crushed one by one.

After doing all this, Liu Qing glanced at the battlefield and saw that without the help of the Buddha zombie, the Sui army camp only had a few demon kings and some pro-Sui mountain gods and land gods left.

With his remaining clones and Yin God puppets sufficient to handle the situation, the Tang army's victory was assured. He then took to the clouds to greet his fellow disciples.

Liu Qing rode a cloud to the heavens and respectfully bowed to the three disciples of the Jie Sect: "Liu Qing greets Senior Sister Wudang, Senior Brother Pilu, and Senior Brother Jingu—"

The Holy Mother of Wudang quickly helped Liu Qing up, and looking at Liu Qing, she couldn't help but feel joy in her eyes.

"In the thousand years since our Jie Sect was founded, we have finally had a new member join us. Junior brother, your senior sister knows that you are not old and have not been on the path for long, yet you have achieved such success. It is clear that you have extraordinary talent. Your teacher did not make a mistake in accepting you."

Pilu Xian also said, "Just now I saw many river gods below, which must all be your avatars, Junior Brother. Not bad, not bad. Use the avatars to follow the path of incense offerings, and the main body to follow the path of authority, which is the path of immortals. The avatars and the main body support each other and cultivate both life and nature. This is a wonderful move."

The two newly met senior brothers and sisters showered Liu Qing with praise and genuine recognition, making Liu Qing feel a surge of pride.

He was proud but dared not be arrogant. When facing powerful figures from the Jie Sect whose cultivation far surpassed his own, he could not be too humble.

"You lot, come here to your master immediately."

Yu Yu Daoist transmitted his voice again in Liu Qing's ear. Liu Qing looked in the direction he was looking and saw a portal appear in the void in front of him, which was indeed Yu Yu Daoist's method.

"Junior brother, let's go to the teacher's vast world, so that we won't feel uncomfortable being spied on outside."

"Senior sister, please go first, senior brother—"

The Holy Mother of Wudang nodded with a smile and entered first, followed by the Golden Hoop Immortal and the Vairocana Immortal, while Liu Qing walked last.

After Liu Qing entered, the door closed automatically.

Liu Qing saw that this place was a grotto-heaven, with the sun, moon and stars in the sky, and many mountains and rivers on the ground, where flowers, trees, birds, beasts, fish and insects thrived.

He secretly released his divine sense to scan again, but could not detect the exact size of the cave. The Holy Mother of Wudang seemed to have noticed something and turned her head and smiled, "Junior Brother, do not explore any further. Your cultivation is not enough to detect the size of this cave."

"Let me tell you, teacher, this grotto has evolved into a true world, where the five elements are gathered, the four symbols are complete, the three powers govern the world, yin and yang cycle, and the oneness is eternal."

Liu Qing couldn't help but gasp, but thinking about it, it made sense. Although Yu Yu Dao Ren was only a wisp of the Tongtian Saint's soul, his cultivation was still unfathomable.

It's not unacceptable that a casually created grotto-heaven could reach the level of a vast world.

Afterwards, the four disciples paid their respects to Daoist Yu Yu. Daoist Yu Yu pointed to the ground, and several prayer mats appeared instantly. Liu Qing followed the example of her senior brothers and sisters and sat cross-legged on them.

"I have summoned you here today because I have recently gained some insights into the Shangqing Immortal Arts, and I will share them with you."

The Holy Mother of Wudang, the Golden Hoop Immortal, and the Pilu Immortal were all overjoyed. Liu Qing could not hide his excitement. When Yu Yu Daoist said that he had "recently had some insights," he was not referring to himself, but to the true Tongtian Saint.

The enlightenment of the Supreme Clarity Immortal Technique by the Sage of Heaven, and his subsequent sermon, is a rare and precious opportunity. Liu Qing was naturally excited and thrilled to have the chance to encounter a sage preaching for the first time.

He knew in his heart that just now, when the Buddha appeared, he almost suppressed the three disciples of the Jie Sect by himself. The Sage Tongtian did not blame his disciples for not making progress, but blamed himself for being trapped in Zixiao Palace and neglecting to guide his disciples, which led to today's lecture.

Liu Qing, the four Holy Mothers of Wudang, immediately calmed their minds and focused their spirits.

Daoist Yu slowly began to speak, explaining his understanding and insights into the Shangqing Immortal Technique. Perhaps to accommodate Liu Qing, he started with the most basic aspects of the technique.

Yu Yu Daoist began to preach, sharing his insights on the Shangqing Immortal Techniques with Liu Qing and the other three.

Since Yu Yu Dao Ren is not the original deity, there were no extraordinary phenomena such as heavenly flowers falling and lotuses blooming all over the ground, as seen when a sage preaches.

Therefore, there was no profound or obscure sermon by a sage; he simply explained the Shangqing Immortal Manual to Liu Qing and the other three, breaking it down into smaller parts and explaining it to them bit by bit, just like a mortal master.

As Liu Qing listened to Daoist Yu Yu's sermon, he compared it with his own understanding, corrected his own mistakes in time, and quickly wrote down what he had not yet grasped.

As Yu Yu Dao Ren explained more, Liu Qing's understanding of the Shangqing Immortal Technique deepened. In terms of proficiency in comprehending the technique, if Liu Qing's understanding of the Shangqing Immortal Technique was only at the beginner level before, he had now reached a minor level of mastery after the lectures.

Liu Qing was overjoyed. The Taoist Yu Yu's lecture was an immense blessing for him, and this one lecture alone was worth countless years of his own enlightenment.

The three, Wudang Holy Mother, Golden Hoop Immortal, and Pilu Immortal, also gained something. Even though they had already practiced what Yu Yu Daoren was explaining, the sage's insights were detailed and complete. By referring to them, they re-verified their own Dao foundation and further solidified it.

Seeing that all four had gained something, the Taoist Yu Yu nodded in satisfaction.

Then, the lecture continued. This time, Liu Qing didn't comprehend much of what was being lectured. Although a part of his mind was constantly helping him to comprehend it, there was simply too much time involved, and the Shangqing Immortal Technique was too profound.

But now it's all good. Master Yu's lecture saves Liu Qing the trouble of trying to understand it himself. He can just memorize the main points directly.

Liu Qing quickly memorized what Daoist Yu Yu had said, but soon he felt a bit strained as the content became obscure and mysterious.

But Liu Qing was prepared. He opened his five senses and had the hundreds of divine beings in the Divine Treasury silently memorize along with him.

In an instant, the content that the original body felt somewhat strained about became much easier with the support of hundreds of points of divine power.

Master Yu glanced over and nodded slightly.

I initially took him on as an apprentice casually, with more intention to use him than to be sincere. But now that I see his intelligence and adaptability, I've also developed a genuine fondness for him.

As Yu Yu Daoist continued to expound the Shangqing Immortal Techniques, several years had passed unknowingly in the vast world he inhabited, with the sun and moon turning and the seasons changing.

Liu Qing was so engrossed in his thirst for knowledge that he was unaware of the passage of time.

If you can memorize and digest the profound meaning immediately, then you can make it your own. If you can't understand it for the time being, then you can memorize it by focusing your attention on it and then absorb it little by little in the future.

Thanks to the profound mysteries of the Shangqing Immortal Technique expounded by Daoist Yu Yu, Liu Qing's proficiency in the Shangqing Immortal Technique improved by leaps and bounds. In addition, the Tiangang Disha Technique, which is derived from the Shangqing Immortal Technique, also made progress.

Then it was seen that Liu Qing's unknowingly released divine power sometimes manifested strange phenomena such as surging winds and clouds, sometimes used his divine power to simulate himself, rapidly increasing or decreasing in size, or transforming into birds, beasts, fish and insects.

That wasn't all. Liu Qing, using his divine power to simulate himself, suddenly manifested a three-headed, six-armed form. One of his hands pointed at the ground, instantly turning it into metal. Then, he flipped his palm, and the river nearby began to churn, its surface and depths shifting.
The Taoist priest nodded repeatedly after reading it. (End of Chapter)