Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 816 Yushan Reunion
He knew Xu Xuan too well, having personally witnessed this scoundrel's shamelessness and utterly unscrupulous methods.

It's estimated that whenever that guy encounters a difficult situation during this period, he will definitely bring out the "Yangtze River Dragon King" brand.

"Fine... let him use his power to bully others for once."

Even though Xu Xuan knew he would be detected, he didn't care and kept adding more and more pressure on himself.

He established Baoan Hall because he sensed Yun Zhongjun's wolfish ambitions.

Converting Xiaoqing into a guardian of the mountain gate, and using the demon of Taihu Lake to subdue the demon of Dongting Lake, was also a brilliant move.

If he hadn't only had three years to cultivate, Xu Xuan could have really boasted something like, "A great undertaking for a thousand years cannot be accomplished by the efforts of one person; a plan for a hundred years can only be judged by the hearts of the common people."

In short, he devoted all his efforts and racked his brains for the sake of all living beings. He possessed great benevolence, courage, virtue, and wisdom, all of which he used to build a golden image for himself.

With so many layers of gilded statues, it's not unreasonable to lend them to others or borrow their treasures.

Little did she know that these words were just a joke to Bai Suzhen, who knew her true nature, but to the old monk of the Pure Land Temple... he believed them almost entirely.

Think about it, a monk who has been practicing Buddhism for three years.

The first thing he did was to have the patriarch perform a ritual and bestow a Dharma name upon him. Then he helped his junior brother, who had fallen into demonic possession in the Tranquil Pool, to be reborn. A few months later, he converted a golden Arhat from Buddhism and brought him back. A few days later, he rebuilt Jinshan Temple and made it a great success. A few months later, he captured dozens of ghost kings from the underworld and threw them into the Demon-Suppressing Land.

Apart from rebuilding Jinshan Temple, which was somewhat "simple," which of the other projects wasn't a heroic act of "putting life and death aside"?
This incredibly virtuous monk from the Third Realm comes along and says he's encountered a major calamity, a calamity that will affect the entire Nine Provinces. Believe it or not.

The old monk solemnly lit three incense sticks in front of the Ancestral Master Hall, knelt for a long time, as if whispering to the Ancestral Master.

After a while, he slowly stood up and said to Xu Xuan, "Take out the brocade cassock."

When the tattered robe was shaken open, the entire Ancestral Hall fell into an eerie silence.

Xu Xuan and the old monk looked at each other, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

This Buddhist treasure accompanied Xu Xuan in his battles across the Yin and Yang realms, enduring countless fierce battles and already "weathered the storms".

Although the magic treasures possess their own spirit and can be slowly repaired... it's no match for the level of Xu Xuan's fighting.

The "scars" left on the kasaya were enough to terrify any ordinary cultivator.

The Yin-Yang Dharma King's life-and-death mystical light eroded half of the golden thread; the Shu Mountain sword energy left by the long eyebrows cleaved three Sanskrit characters; the primordial aura of the Two Elements Micro Dust Array stained the cuffs gray.

There are also fragments of vows, lingering resentment, lingering dampness, and residual thunderous energy...

It even carried a hint of calamity, like a persistent, intractable disease.

The old monk looked at Xu Xuan, then at the cassock.

Finally, he sighed deeply: "They say that only through hardship can one's true nature be revealed..."

"Master Fahai is about to undergo the eighty-one tribulations!"

Without another word, he solemnly took out the seven treasures from his bosom: the Wish-Fulfilling Pearl, the Mani Pearl, the Dust-Repelling Pearl, the Wind-Calming Pearl, an Emerald, a Red Agate, and a Purple Coral.

The seven treasures shimmered and, with a light touch of the old monk's fingertips, embedded themselves one by one into the torn parts of the robe.

In an instant, the brocade robe radiated boundless light!

The chanting of Buddhist hymns filled the air, and the phantom image of a lotus flower appeared from the void, illuminating the entire Ancestral Hall as if it were a pure land of crystal.

This is the "Seven Treasures Adornment," and only practitioners with great aspirations and who are not afraid of calamities can bear its weight.

If one lacks virtue, even coveting this treasure... at best, one will suffer calamity; at worst, one's cultivation will be completely destroyed.

For example, Elder Jinchi in Journey to the West tried to seduce it but ended up going mad, which is a living example of what not to do.

The old monk held up his robe with both hands and solemnly said:

"Put it on."

"The entire Pure Land School—will follow you into this tribulation!"

Xu Xuan: ...

I suddenly felt a little flustered.

This situation... it seems like I'm going to inherit the position of abbot?

Countless tragic images of being "appointed in a time of crisis" flashed through my mind in an instant—

What about "a perilous situation like a tripod, which one must hold up alone," or "once the great mandate is inherited, the land will be forever secure"...

This script is wrong!

Did I say something too harsh before?
I'm just here to borrow people and things; you don't need to make such a big deal out of it.

Besides, my senior brother hasn't returned yet. Should we discuss this with him first?

What if he disagrees? I can't beat him...

Although the white lotus image had completely disappeared, his soul was practically spinning in turmoil.

The old monk saw through Xu Xuan's wild thoughts at a glance and shook his head helplessly.

This Zen Master Fahai is good in every way, except that he is too quick-witted.

But perhaps it is precisely this unconventionality that can convert those stubborn demons?

"Don't overthink it," the old monk explained gently. "Since you're going down the mountain to exorcise demons, it's only right to add a layer of protection to your robe."

"After all, during the time when the patriarch was expounding the Dharma... after Fahai controlled the floods, he passed away peacefully at Jinshan Temple by the river."

“Oh~~~”

Xu Xuan suddenly realized and breathed a sigh of relief. So it wasn't about making me the abbot!

But then I felt a little disappointed.

He couldn't help but ask again, "But going down the mountain to subdue demons... such a big matter, don't you really need to discuss it with your senior brothers?"

The old monk suddenly became solemn and slammed his staff down heavily:
"Exorcise demons and uphold justice—what else is there to discuss?!"

"Good good!"

Xu Xuan immediately straightened his back, full of confidence!
This sect is capable! They'll really step up when needed!
Inside the main hall, Xu Xuan and the old monk unfolded a map of the Yunmeng Ancient Marsh and began to arrange their troops.

Although the monks who remained in the Pure Land sect had mediocre cultivation, they had the advantage of large numbers and were most skilled in the method of "suppression"!
So, Xu Xuan tapped several points on the map with his fingertip.

Yangtai Mountain, Jing Mountain, Dabie Mountain, Mufu Mountain, Gui Mountain, She Mountain, Heng Mountain... many mountain ranges and ley lines within the Yunmeng area need to be guarded to prevent the earth dragon from turning upside down and causing enormous damage.

Some of these mountains and rivers were still unknown, while others had been occupied by other sects, but the Pure Land School was the foremost Buddhist school at that time. Explain the reasoning.

What Xu Xuan needs to do is to solidify the entire old Yunmeng area into a single, unbreakable entity!
Let the floodwaters rise, I will remain steadfast!
This is the advantage of location!
After Xu Xuan finished speaking, he looked around and felt that something was missing. It took him a while to realize that what he was missing was a passionate speech.

Unfortunately, this is the main hall of the temple, not a military parade ground. Besides, I am not the abbot, so it is not appropriate for me to overstep my bounds.

In the end, he could only sigh with lingering regret and turn away.

However, the moment he stepped out of the mountain gate, the Pure Land School behind him was already in an uproar! Monks, carrying their staffs and holding their scriptures, set off in batches to various places under the old monk's arrangement. The scene was like a group of angry Vajras descending the mountain!

The "Righteous Path Alliance," which had been hunting down the remnants of the White Lotus Sect, panicked. Monk Daoyi was so frightened that his face turned pale, and he packed his bags overnight to return to the mountain for seclusion.

However, the Pure Land School simply ignored them. This time, it was Zen Master Fahai's "personal action".

Xu Xuan had no intention of using the name of Pure Land to rally those so-called "righteous people".

"At a time when the righteous path is waning and the demonic path is rising... relying on this bunch of useless people... is simply not feasible."

We can only use this alliance after we've resolved the Dongting disaster and cleaned it up as well.

On the other side of Mount Lu is Bailu Academy.

"Director Shen! Something terrible has happened!!!"

Xu Xuan's voice boomed like thunder, startling Old Shen so much that he trembled in his teacup, spilling tea onto half of the "Lushan Misty Rain" painting.

The old man clutched his chest, his mind racing with calculations.

"What could be so important that it could make this slippery Xu guy panic like this?! Could he be trying to scam my treasure again?!"

Xu Xuan saw through his thoughts at a glance and immediately flew into a rage: "What right do you have to question my character?!"

He immediately and concisely revealed Yun Zhongjun's plot to recreate Yunmengze with a flood.

"If that scoundrel succeeds, what you'll see when you look northwest from Mount Lu will not be the Jianghan Plain, but a vast ocean!"

Shen Shanzhang's eyes suddenly turned cold, and the Azure Jade from his sleeve rose into the air!

The ancient jade resonated with the heavens, and in an instant, it glimpsed a cloud of blood-red miasma that was devouring the fortunes of the human race.

"Sure enough!"

At this moment, the floods in Dongting Lake have already begun, and the surrounding counties are likely to have suffered. The urgent report from the imperial court must be on its way, so there is no way to fake it.

In the case of ordinary natural disasters, Confucianism might be helpless.

But since it was the demon race causing trouble...

"Do you really think that the position of the human race as the protagonist of the world is just something given to us by the heavens?!"

Shen Shan's long beard and hair stood on end as he slapped the academy's bell tower with his backhand.

"clang!!!"

As the bells rang out, a bronze chariot burst forth from the back mountain! The words "Slay the Demon" were engraved on the chariot shaft.

Everyone knows that Yu Gong is a skilled driver, but how bad is Shen Yifu?

Now that old man is trapped in Wu County, I'll take his place and settle old scores from my youth.

Xu Xuan grabbed Shen Shanzhang's arm—

"The mountain is long, so please wait!"

"The main battlefield isn't lacking in experts, it's lacking this—"

He dipped his fingertip in tea and wrote the character "礼" (li, meaning etiquette) on the table.

Shen Shanzhang's pupils contracted, and his beard and hair trembled slightly:

"You want to... offer a sacrifice to the heavens?!"

"Exactly!"

Xu Xuan's gaze was intense: "The reason why Lord Yunzhong dared to overturn the table is because he has the secret support of an ancient demon god."

"Let's use humanity's destiny as our weapon and seize the opportune moment and the right place!"

Headmaster Shen clapped his hands and laughed loudly, causing the snow accumulated on the eaves to fall in a flurry.

"What a wonderful saying, 'When the time is right, heaven and earth lend their strength'!"

He immediately stood up, sleeves fluttering, and shouted:
"Someone! Prepare the six ritual implements from the Zhou Rites!"

"Open the Altar of the God of Agriculture!"

In fact, even the headmaster cannot initiate a grand ceremony without a reason, but this is no longer Xu Xuan's business.

Now that we've finished visiting Mount Lu, all that's left is to mobilize the power of the imperial court. This hub of orthodox humanitarian power should also get some work done.

The three major academies in Jiangnan have been contacted, and the influence is gradually expanding to an undeniable level.

Xiaoqing sent a message saying that the river water had already overflowed its banks, and in some places the dikes had already breached, but the Taihu Lake demons were barely managing to control the situation, and it was hard to say when the dikes would collapse.

The imperial court was certainly aware of the floods in the south, but the extent to which it took them... was hard to say.

Human beings at the highest levels always have some "non-human" considerations. Disaster relief funds, political gains and losses, factional infighting...

A massive flood?

It was just one line of text on the memorial.

"The people involved... were ultimately lacking."

Xu Xuan gave a self-deprecating laugh.

You can seize the opportune moment and take advantage of the terrain, but you can't control people's hearts.

But this is the limit.

Three years... is still too short.

If given another three years... he could get all the officials in the court to work.

After giving his final instructions, Xu Xuan didn't even have time to look at the arrangements made by Headmaster Shen before flying off to the summit of Yushan Mountain.

Taking advantage of the gap, several butterflies flew to various parts of Kyushu, including Yangzhou, Liangzhou, and even the underworld.

A large amount of resources and connections began to be mobilized.

During the flight, Xu Xuan's emotions continued to surge.

Along the way, signs of impending disaster were already visible, with various negative emotions emerging among people, and thunder echoing in the sky.

After passing through thick dark clouds, raging gales, and condensed water elemental power, they finally arrived at the confluence point.

This place not only contains the relics of King Yu the Great, but also his most trusted... trump card.

Amidst the howling mountain wind, he called out softly:
"Miss Bai."

(End of this chapter)