Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 897 Unyielding Obsession
As is customary, the finest offerings were laid out on the stone table.

Some wilted fruits were displayed on a jade plate, next to which were vegetarian snacks made with the secret recipe of Jinshan Temple, with a delicate fragrance.

A pot of freshly brewed Biluochun tea steams gently, its aroma subtly blending with the fragrance of fruit and sandalwood.

Xu Xuan was a wealthy man, so he was naturally very generous with his money.

Ordinary families can't find many fruits to entertain friends at this time of year.

What does it mean to say, "The deer cry 'youyou,' eating wild apples?" I have guests, playing the zither and blowing the sheng.

That's it.

Of course, this is just the prelude; now the main event is about to begin.

Bring out the finest incense from Jiangnan!
That was a special product of Baoan Hall, mixed with calming and spirit-soothing medicinal herbs, and made by master craftsmen through hand-pounding and aging in cellars for three years to create "Pure Heart Incense".

Let the best people from Jiangnan ignite it.

Xu Xuan picked up a stick of incense and, by the light of the candle beside him, moved slowly and solemnly, as if performing a silent ritual.

Those who frequently practice shamanism know that heaven and earth possess spirits, and that sincerity allows one to communicate with all things.

As the saying goes, too much politeness is never good...

The voice hasn't fallen
call out!
A stream of water, extremely condensed and crystal clear, shot out from the surging Yangtze River below without warning.

Ignoring the distance in space, it instantly pierced through the protective array of Jinshan Temple, which was filled with flowing light, like a hot knife cutting into butter, without causing the array to ripple or warn anyone.

It struck the Purifying Incense in Xu Xuan's hand with perfect precision, the incense that had just begun to burn with a wisp of smoke.

"Snapped!"

With a very slight crack, the valuable incense stick, symbolizing peace and good fortune, broke in two, and the sparks went out abruptly.

The water flow did not diminish in momentum, nor did it spread out; it maintained its unstoppable penetrating force and plunged straight into the bluestone slab beside Xu Xuan's feet.

With a soft "whoosh," it penetrated deep into the earth, its sound carrying for an unknown distance.

"You don't need to be so polite." A calm yet authoritative voice rang out.

The Dragon King's figure appeared silently on the other side of the stone table, as if he had always been there.

His tone was low and unreadable, revealing neither joy nor anger, but the lingering force of the water that had just dissipated was the best indication of his attitude.

The original intention of this process of inviting the gods and making offerings is good; it involves praying to the gods, respecting the gods, and thanking the gods. The rules are complete, and the intention is sincere.

But when this young man surnamed Xu carried it out, it always had a sinister air about it.

Luckily, that kid surnamed Xu is going to the north.

The thought resurfaced in the Dragon King's mind, otherwise he would have been dragged down by this fellow sooner or later, turning from a spectator into the source of the amusement.

Now, when the great supernatural beings looked at Xu Xuan again, they felt that the causal lines wrapped around his body were terrifyingly dense.

Good deeds yield radiant, almost blinding; while evil deeds produce dark, shiny fruits with a strange, "brilliant" luster.

Two completely opposite forces, which should cancel each other out or repel each other, coexist in an extremely distorted yet stable way, intertwined and growing ever larger.

Using the word "brilliant" to describe cause and effect is utterly absurd, but the Dragon King found that he couldn't find a more fitting word.

In particular, the enormous black sun hanging above his head, invisible to ordinary people and formed from countless invisible karmic forces and vows, grew ever larger and more solid.

Hopeless.

The Dragon King once again made a decision in his heart.

Such a person has no chance of surviving the heavenly tribulation.

His fate is inextricably linked with that of almost half of the living beings on this land, whether they are grateful for his kindness or hate his existence, through countless visible and invisible threads.

Xu Bailian is a "variable" destined to be lost in the heavens, a freak born from a mixture of "karmic entanglement" and "good karma" rooted deep within this land.

Unless... one has a sudden enlightenment and sees through and lets go of all attachments and worries.

At the same time, one must also have an extraordinary opportunity and by chance attain the status of a great Bodhisattva.

Then he made a grand vow that would last for countless eons, promising to dedicate himself to the suffering of humanity for countless years to come.

Perhaps only through such supreme merit and vows can the complex and terrifying cause and effect be offset, and a glimmer of hope for "true enlightenment" be attained.

But... looking at Xu Xuan's still relaxed and smiling face, the Dragon Lord shook his head inwardly.

If it really comes to that, it's almost equivalent to imprisoning oneself in one's duties for eternity. What is the point of that?

Compared to his current "lawless" and "reckless" pleasure, which is better or worse?
The more He pondered it, the more He felt that it wasn't Bai Lian who chose Xu Xuan, but rather Xu Xuan who chose Bai Lian; the reversal of cause and effect was the correct one.

Sitting on the cool stone bench, the man and the dragon surprisingly began to chat in a peaceful manner.

On one side of the stone table stands the eternally existing water king who commands the Yangtze River, while on the other side stands a human scholar who stirs up the winds and clouds of Jiangnan and whose causal influence shines like the blazing sun.

From the drifting clouds in the sky to the leaping fish and frolicking shrimp in the river.

If Xu Xuan doesn't intend to stir up trouble, he is indeed an excellent conversationalist most of the time.

He is knowledgeable, quick-witted, and witty. What's even more remarkable is that he knows when to tone down his sharpness and when to play along with the banter in front of a "senior" with a significantly different level of expertise. His words are always pleasant and well-received.

It's a pity that the Dragon King doesn't like establishing a government, otherwise everyone could have put their arms around each other's shoulders in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

After rambling aimlessly for a while, Xu Xuan asked, seemingly casually:
"Lord Dragon, a few nights ago, a young monk in my Golden Mountain Temple was recasting a golden statue, and the commotion he caused seemed quite significant. Did you... catch a glimpse of it?"

The Dragon King seemed to have anticipated this question.

He didn't even look up, replying directly in a flat, emotionless voice:

"You mean... Kasyapa?"

Wherever the water vapor reaches along the banks of the Yangtze River, it acts as His eyes and ears.

From the very first day Qingyou followed the chubby monk Guangliang into the territory of Jinshan Temple, the profound Buddhist nature hidden within him, which was different from that of ordinary novices, had already caught the eye of the Dragon Lord.

In the past, that faint glimmer of light wasn't enough to warrant His attention. But speaking of the "reconstruction of the golden body" a few nights ago...

Even with His composure, a very subtle displeasure still flickered across His eyes as He recalled the events of that night.

"The golden light almost illuminated half of the river; it would be difficult to pretend not to see it."

It was more than just seeing. That night, a vast expanse of Buddhist light soared into the sky, and a clear, resonant dragon's roar echoed around the mountain temple, lingering for a long time.

However, to Him, who truly controls the flow of the Yangtze River, those dragon roars...

"It's so noisy, it's really annoying to me."

It sounded like mockery, or perhaps disdain.

"It's definitely not a proper way of doing things."

There is a reason for this disdain.

Legend has it that in ancient India there was an evil dragon that not only caused a flood that submerged the kingdom of Nagara, but also stole the kingdom's national Buddhist scriptures and hid them in the underwater dragon palace.

When Shakyamuni Buddha learned of this, he sent his disciple, Venerable Kasyapa, to subdue the evil dragon.

Venerable Kasyapa possessed boundless magical power and profound cultivation. He used his wisdom and courage to engage in a fierce battle with the evil dragon.

After a fierce battle, Venerable Kasyapa finally subdued the evil dragon and retrieved the Buddhist scriptures hidden in the dragon palace.

To honor Venerable Kasyapa's achievements, Shakyamuni Buddha bestowed upon him the title of "Dragon-Taming Arhat," and he became famous throughout the world with this title.

However, in the eyes of a naturally divine being like the Dragon King, dragons are completely different from one another.

The so-called "evil dragon" of ancient India was nothing more than a primitive creature that had gained some fortune and acted strangely, a beast from a barbaric land.

They are not even as good as the dragons in the sea, who, though trash, have pure bloodlines.

Ironically, this very creature was given the name "Dragon" and was even linked to Kasyapa's merits and fortune, sharing the title "Dragon Subduer".

This in itself is an intolerable defilement and blasphemy.

What displeased and even disgusted the Dragon King even more was the title "Dragon Subduer" itself.

That's outrageous!
How dare a mere Arhat preface the word "descend" before "dragon"?

Therefore, the Dragon King harbored intense malice and disgust towards the now-legendary "Venerable Kasyapa".

Of course, the Dragon King also knew that the real Venerable Kasyapa had long since passed away, and the shadow of the past was difficult to trace.

He wouldn't stoop so low as to deliberately do something to a "present being" who is still growing; that would be beneath His dignity.

At the same time, she also knew what Xu Xuan was worried about.

After all, no one understood better than Him the great contradiction between Kasyapa's responsibility to transmit the Dharma and White Lotus's usurpation and severance of the Dharma.

At this thought, a very faint, almost mischievous smile flashed across his eyes.

When I supported that little girl in creating this doctrine and practice, I never really thought it would go so far. It was just a matter of planting an interesting seed along the way.

Until she achieved her goal, the flower and fruit that this seed produced unexpectedly offended the long-deceased "Dragon-Taming Arhat".

This allowed Long Jun to belatedly savor a bit of extra "joy" and appreciate the wonders of investing.

And now, this second-generation White Lotus has surpassed its predecessor.

Not only did it inherit the rebellious spirit of the first generation, it went even further, directly killing a "past corpse"...

The implications of this are even more intriguing and fascinating.

"Don't worry, Kasyapa has not been revived and will not be. Keiyu is Keiyu."

Hearing the Dragon Lord's confident answer, Xu Xuan finally felt relieved.

Among all his "friends," the Dragon Lord is the one with the highest known realm and the oldest existence.

Since it was He who said it, it means there won't be any melodramatic plot involving possession or rebirth.

He wouldn't have to kill Qingyou with tears in his eyes, and could continue to be good friends with that honest monk for the time being. He would also gain an invincible tank baby.

Xu Xuan's thoughts wandered for a moment.

However, a very subtle expression immediately appeared on Long Jun's face, a complex expression that mixed instinctive disgust with a trace of undeniable admiration.

He added slowly:

"However, the responsibility of spreading the Dharma does not disappear with the passing away of an individual. It will continue to flow, seeking its carriers."

His gaze seemed to pierce through the walls of Jinshan Temple, looking towards the mysterious path of cause and effect.

"The existence of the 'demons' who sever the law and seize power, and the 'venerable ones' who protect the law and spread the way, is itself an opposition at the level of the Heavenly Dao."

“As long as Kasyapa cannot let go of this responsibility, then his present incarnation, whether it is Qingyou, Youqing, or Zhang San or Li Si in the future, will inevitably make the same choice as Kasyapa in the past at some opportune moment.”

"For practitioners who have reached such heights, belief is no longer a mere illusion, but a real power that has been incorporated into the essence of their achievements."

"This kind of thing will permeate countless cycles of reincarnation and rebirth, like a brand, indelible and indelible."

Upon hearing this, Xu Xuan could only sigh softly.

He understood that to fundamentally resolve this feud and turn enemies into friends was almost a pipe dream.

What is an Arhat?
That is the highest attainment that practitioners of Theravada Buddhism can achieve, possessing all three aspects of Arhatship:
Firstly, it "kills the thief"—it can sever all delusions of view and thought in the three realms, just like slaying the thief of afflictions;

Both are "not born"—they attain Nirvana without remainder, transcend the cycle of rebirth, and are no longer reborn in the three realms;

The three are "worthy of offerings"—having achieved perfect merit, they deserve to receive offerings from both heavenly beings and human beings.

How profound and pure is the mission imprint left by a venerable one who has attained such a state of enlightenment and whose obsession is even closely connected with the Buddha's great vow.
Unless... unless Xu Xuan himself one day ascends to the position of "Awakened One," possessing the wisdom and compassion of supreme enlightenment.

(End of this chapter)