Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 725 Sitting on the Lotus Throne
The bottom of West Lake.

Bai Suzhen poured Xu Xuan a cup of tea, then looked at the man opposite her with a complicated expression.

Why are you acting like a pervert again?

Actually, it wasn't Xiaoqing who got the Dragon Gate, but a teacher from a certain academy, right?
It's no wonder she thought that way. The day before yesterday, her younger sister and Xu Xuan came to talk to her about the Dragon Gate, including things like genetic mutations, physical evolution, and spiritual transcendence.

Two days later, the person's blood and energy soared, and it seemed that their spirit had also reached a higher level.

Bai Suzhen could feel the blood surging like a river beneath her fair skin and jade-like bones, roaring and still in the early stages of change, with the pressure from her body increasing day by day.

Isn't this the evolution that Xiaoqing keeps talking about? That kid's verbal tic of saying things like "powerful and strong" can now be used.

Xu Xuan, with a touch of pride, recounted how he gained the Yellow Emperor's approval and a stroke of luck while listening to "Qingjiao".

"You know I don't like to boast, but there's nothing I can do if you can see through it."

"It's a pity we didn't have enough time, otherwise we could have gotten a little more and chatted some more."

"Sigh, the seniors have such high hopes for me, it really puts a lot of pressure on me."

This statement was half true and half false, but from then on, no one could question the original intention of the Holy Father.

After all, he really goes when there's trouble.

"I see." Bai Suzhen nodded, fully confident that the Yellow Emperor would look at Xu Xuan differently.

From Guo Bei onwards, she knew that some people had very advanced ideas, very traditional will, and even some ancient mannerisms in their behavior.

This is quite a high evaluation; otherwise, they wouldn't have found such a guide for Xiaoqing.

Finally, let's return to the matter of intelligence.

"You mean the information you obtained from the souls of the Four Realms Demon Kings?" Bai Suzhen sensed something was amiss.

The final step in human life, described in Taoist terms, is refining emptiness and uniting with the Tao.

It has begun to slightly conform to the rules of Heaven and evolve towards becoming a celestial being.

Their mental fortitude is unimaginable; they will not abandon their beliefs even in death.

Unless one abandons the path, it is almost impossible to search the soul by external force.

"Well... I used a little trick." Xu Xuan spoke very modestly; as for the specific trick, well, let's talk about it.

Let's rewind a little.

Inside the White Lotus Palace in Etu.

Qingjiao had just recovered from the excruciating pain of the divine punishment from the outside world and barely opened his eyes when he felt a tightness on his scalp scales—something terrible was about to happen!
It was now inside a strange and mysterious temple!

There were no candles in the hall, yet the four walls shone with light. This was because "mayflies" lived between the beams. They were shaped like ice silk, born in the morning and dying in the evening. When they died, they burst out with a bluish-white light, which was then replaced by new ones, so the hall was always bright, day and night.

Beneath the crystal brick floor, one can see a thousand-petaled lotus blooming and withering, and between the blooming and falling of the lotus, the image of calamities for all living beings flashes by.

The most wondrous feature is the thirty-six-petaled lotus platform in the center of the palace. Its petals are closed like snow blades during the day and never fully bloom.

Eighteen Buddhist visualization images floated on the surrounding walls—neither carved nor painted, but purely formed from divine thoughts! Some were compassionate, some ferocious, some serene, and each one seemed to captivate the soul.

Just by looking at this scene, one can tell that one is in a very terrible situation. After all, how can there be a temple without statues of gods, Buddhas, writings, or offerings?

"Can we talk about Yun Zhongjun?"

The sound echoed in the hall, so faint as to sound unlike human voices.

Xu Xuan stood with his back to the Azure Dragon, his figure seemingly real yet unreal, merging with the small world around him.

The Pure Land is one's own sacred space, and the White Lotus Hall is the most fitting point within that sacred space.

The Azure Dragon, clinging to its last shred of pride, raised its head and said, "This king... will consider it."

Even though I was terrified inside, I had to be tough on the outside!

It secretly peered at the eerie White Lotus Palace, growing more and more terrified with each glance.

Temples cannot be built arbitrarily, especially in this land.

Xu Xuan's 'Pure Land Transformation into Calamity Land' was already terrifying enough, and now he's created this White Lotus Palace. This is completely beyond the limit!

The Azure Dragon's eyes darted around, and he decided to bargain: "If you can guarantee..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xu Xuan shook his head.

"It seems I was too polite."

He had no intention of asking a second time; even the first time was just a formality.

After listening to "Qingjiao", I have gained new insights into the True Scripture of the White Lotus's Descent to Earth. It's a good time to test my skills with this dragon!
"Wait! I..."

The Azure Dragon's toughness crumbled instantly, but it was too late.

The Demon King's pupils contracted sharply, reflecting the unbelievable scene before him—

Xu Xuan slowly walked towards the closed thirty-six-petal white lotus. With one step, Buddhist light shone beneath his feet; with the second step, demonic energy filled his body.

Buddha and demon are one, gods and humans are intertwined!
The white lotus high above suddenly bloomed, its petals cascading down in three layers:
The twelve lotuses of the lowest grade—bloom with the good roots of the world, and reveal the scene of all beings' prayers;

The Twelve Lotuses of the Middle Grade—manifesting the Arhats and Pratyekabuddhas, reflecting the moment of sudden enlightenment for practitioners;
The twelve superior lotuses embody the fruits of Bodhisattvas and Buddhas, with each petal carrying supreme enlightenment.

A lotus platform of this size should not exist in the human world!
But it blooms so freely in this harsh land, as if mocking the laws of heaven and earth.

Xu Xuan calmly took his seat, his posture as familiar as if he were returning to his rightful place.

Knees like towering mountains, suppressing demonic realms in all directions; soles of feet still wet with morning dew, reflecting the dust of the three thousand worlds.
On the half-draped brocade robe, the red and gold threads concealed the flow of stars and rivers, where stillness and movement were both contained in a single thought;
The left palm is held up as if supporting nothing; the right fingers hang down as if just touching the wind before it rises.

Within the white light emanating from between his brows, causal light flows; within the halo behind his neck, eighty-four thousand colors flicker with each breath. Most terrifying of all are the lotus petals beneath his seat—

When one petal opens, the flames of hell are extinguished; when one petal closes, blood rains down from the heavens!

"Look." Xu Xuan's voice suddenly came from all directions, a grand, suffocating celestial sound interwoven with Buddhist nature, demonic nature, divinity, and humanity:
Do I resemble the Buddha or Bodhisattva?

Natural, relaxed, and languid, as if it were a little joke.

The remnant soul of the Azure Dragon trembled violently; the scene before it was completely beyond its comprehension. Like Buddha or Bodhisattva? Was this something to joke about?
Every word and action of a cultivator is subject to the scrutiny of the Heavenly Dao. If one has no attainment of Buddhahood but presumptuously claims to be a Buddha, at best one will suffer a backlash from the Buddhist community's fortune, and at worst one will be directly marked by the Heavenly Dao, with the annihilation of both body and soul being the best possible outcome!

But this person in front of me...

The Azure Dragon's soul trembled instinctively, finally letting go of its last shred of pride:
"Not like."

"You are the Buddha walking in the world."

Upon seeing this madman, it felt that it could actually lower its stance a little more.

Although this was already humble enough, it was clear that this attitude still could not satisfy the person sitting on the lotus throne.

Xu Xuan smiled faintly and lazily extended one finger.

In an instant, Qingjiao felt an unprecedented exhaustion surge into his heart, and his originally unbreakable mental defenses melted away like ice and snow, crumbling layer by layer.

A faint sound seemed to reach my ears, a sound that was both distant and intimate, coming from the depths of the void and resonating from the bottom of my heart.

The voice was soft and warm, a mother's whisper, a murmur of heaven and earth, carrying an indescribable peace and tranquility.

As the sound gradually calmed my mind, all distracting thoughts were washed away, leaving only a pure tranquility and joy.

The soul that could withstand the sudden blow could no longer hold on.

In a daze, I saw a divine bird fly into my mind from the sky, and then I couldn't resist the drowsiness and fell into a dream.

In the White Lotus Palace, Xu Xuan used all available means to construct a deadly technique, breaking through the opponent's defenses.

Now let's see what the once mighty ruler of Dongting Lake was hiding.

In a hazy dream, the Azure Dragon's soul began to recount its long life.

It was originally an ordinary big bluefish at the bottom of Dongting Lake, unaware of its surroundings and drifting with the current.

Until one day, a dragon blood grass was accidentally discovered among the reefs outside the Dragon Palace.

The herb was entirely crimson, with veins resembling dragon patterns on its leaves, and emitted a fragrance that drove the aquatic creatures mad.

Ignoring the danger, it swallowed it whole.

The scorching dragon blood boiled within his body, the fish scales peeled off, and the dragon bones were reborn!
From then on, it was no longer a blue fish at the mercy of others, but a demonic dragon with dragon blood.

With its ferocious nature and extraordinary talent, it embarked on a bloody path to rise.

Devouring its own kind: It slaughters all the aquatic creatures that once bullied it, draining their life essence;

Contest for territory: Fight bloody battles against various demon kings in Dongting Lake, and finally claim control of a water area;
One extraordinary adventure after another: He found the remains of an ancient dragon deep at the bottom of the lake, refined its bones, and his cultivation level soared!

Yao Sheng's life was legendary, rising from a humble bluefish to become a powerful overlord of Dongting Lake.

Xu Xuan, transformed into the Birch Bird, continuously used his Dream-Eating Technique to guide the other party to continue evolving, and also learned many little secrets about Dongting Lake.

For example, the legend of Yunmengze has always existed. When the stars converge, the secret realm will let the demon race in and out, releasing opportunities.

As a lower-level secret realm, the Dragon Palace left behind many spatial rifts, from which some debris fell out and created some dragons.

However, in retrospect, these were all fishing bait.

During this time, they also saw the figures of Dongting demon kings such as the Stone King of Lishui, and were defeated and routed in their attempt to subdue the Azure Dragon.

Later, the Azure Dragon realized that the waters here were too small, and tried to enter the Yangtze River to run rampant. However, it was smashed by a giant wave, losing half of its body, and fled back to Dongting Lake in a sorry state.

"The Dragon Lord remains the same as always."

"As always what?" In his dream, a familiar figure seemed to appear in the Yangtze River, which frightened Xu Xuan so much that he flew away immediately.

Is the Yangtze River in my dream still the Yangtze River? Can its omnipresent nature extend here?!

Why didn't the Dragon King of the Yangtze River disappear with the immortals and Buddhas? This guy is beyond the template!

The Holy Father, still shaken, spread his wings and returned to Dongting Lake.

They continued to push Qingjiao's dream realm forward, and finally waited for him to enter the fourth realm, becoming a hegemon second only to Yunzhongjun.

Upon arriving here, the Birch Bird, which Xu Xuan had transformed into, felt immense pressure.

The Dao principles that were close to the Refining Emptiness and Merging with the Dao weighed heavily on his heart, and his dream began to crumble.

Seeing this, Xu Xuan spread his wings and relied on his own soul to hold everything up.

In order to continue to peer into the dream, they even used a very cunning tactic.

Refining the Void and Uniting with the Dao? Then I'll give you a chance to comprehend the Great Dao.

A wildflower blooms in my dream, and then I smile.

The core tenet of Zen Buddhism, "heart to heart," was transmitted, allowing the Azure Dragon to enter a state of enlightenment. At this moment, Xu Xuan was not an intruder, but rather its opportunity.

It was still the kind full of goodwill.

Thus, Xu Xuan, now disguised as Boqi, was finally able to view the remaining memories.

Several of the most important turning points occur during the fourth realm.

I also saw the two most famous legends about the Azure Dragon in the Dongting Lake basin.

The truth behind the provocation against Qin Shi Huang is gradually becoming clear.

Rumors circulated that the Azure Dragon was a reckless and arrogant demon who dared to provoke the Human Emperor. However, it was not foolish; it simply underestimated the First Emperor's domineering nature.

That year, it saw from afar the majestic imperial aura on Dongting Lake, with eight hundred miles of misty waves dyed in golden light—it was the imperial tour boat of Qin Shi Huang!
A wild ambition arose in his heart: If he could obtain an imperial decree from the Emperor and be granted the title of "True Dragon," wouldn't that be like ascending to heaven in one step?
But what kind of person was the First Emperor? From birth to death, he never "bestowed titles" upon any deity in his capacity as emperor.
At most, they worship famous mountains and rivers, as well as the eight gods.

The Eight Gods are eight deities worshipped in Qi, including the Lord of Heaven, the Lord of Earth, the Lord of War, the Lord of Yin, the Lord of Yang, the Lord of the Moon, the Lord of the Sun, and the Lord of the Four Seasons.

This reflects the imperial power's acceptance and integration of the local religious culture, incorporating the Eight Gods into the official pantheon of deities, which can also be considered a form of jurisdiction.

This means that whether it is a god or a human, they must all be under my rule.

(End of this chapter)