A master of comedy!

Jinse composed herself and instantly realized that she was probably in a dream, having arrived at the legendary Great Thunder Temple on Mount Ling.

It was her master calling her.

Could it be that Master has encountered some trouble?
She stepped inside, and although it was a dream, the sensation of the withered leaves under her feet was incredibly real, making a crisp sound in the silence.

Only the horizontal branches of a Bodhi tree remain, and from a distance, it looks like the skeleton of a dead giant, exuding an indescribable sense of decay.

Inside the temple, she saw a fox worshipping before the Buddha.

The enormous Buddha statue had lost its head, but the snow-white fox with eight tails acted with the utmost respect, like a disciple.

Eight fluffy tails swayed gracefully, radiating a soft glow, possessing an indescribable and strange charm that even Jinse couldn't help but be drawn to.

"My disciple, I have finally waited for you."

The eight-tailed white fox had its back to Jinse, yet it spoke in human language, and its voice was extremely familiar, exactly the same as the master in her memory.

In an instant, Jinse felt a jolt in her heart and realized that it was her master's true form.

An eight-tailed fox demon!

No, it should be called a fox spirit.

Legend has it that the original bloodline of the fox demon came from the Qingqiu Celestial Fox, an ancient divine beast with nine tails, possessing immense magical power and stunning beauty. It is said that Tushan, the wife of Yu the Great, was a celestial fox who once used her divine power to help him open up mountains and control floods.

Her master, on the other hand, had already cultivated eight tails, almost recreating the unparalleled splendor of the ancient Qingqiu Celestial Fox.

No wonder my master's gentle smile sometimes stirs even the deepest emotions within me.

Of course, she didn't mind that her master was a demon, after all, her master was one of the five great demon kings who had been suppressed under the Great Thunderclap Temple.

Besides, isn't she herself a master of the guqin?

"Disciple greets Master!"

Jinse was about to bow when a long, slender, snow-white hand lifted her up.

"You silly girl, now that you're pregnant, you don't need to do any more formalities."

The Buddha Mother patted her hand, giving her a look of approval, and smiled, "You haven't wasted the true teachings I left you."

She manifested her human form again, but the eight long, snow-white tails behind her remained, as if they were subject to some invisible restriction in the ruins of the Great Thunderclap Temple, preventing her from fully transforming into human form.

"Master, please don't tease your disciple. By the way, you called me in your dream, were you encountering difficulties?"

The Buddha Mother put away her smile and nodded, saying, "I used the Buddha's power to overcome my eighth heavenly tribulation here, and thus completely converted to Buddhism. However, I am also trapped here. It is because you and I cultivate the Taiyin Technique together that I was able to meet you in my dream while you were asleep."

She paused, then said, word by word, "You must relay everything I'm about to say to Zhou Sheng without missing a single word."

……

It was late at night in the thatched hut.

Two figures played chess under the candlelight, one black and one white, like the two sides of yin and yang.

"Junior brother, your chess style is still so unconventional. Little do you know that while surprise attacks can lead to victory, they are also like walking on the edge of an abyss. The slightest mistake will result in utter destruction!"

The speaker was Old Man Niu Shan. Unusually, he was not dressed as a beggar, but instead wore a clean, plain white Taoist robe. Although his face still had sores, he was no longer as slovenly as before.

Now, he is one of the deputy directors of the Heavenly and Human Affairs Department of China. Many formations, pills, and the talisman bird that monitors the heavens and earth and can see into everything were made by him and his team.

The person he referred to as his junior brother was none other than Yao Guangxiao, the current Prime Minister in black.

"Master was a genius, and he followed the righteous path, but in the end, didn't he lose everything?"

Yao Guangxiao picked up a chess piece and resolutely placed it on the star point. It was almost a suicidal move, sacrificing seven pieces in a row, making the already precarious situation even more precarious.

But a hint of madness flashed deep in Yao Guangxiao's eyes, as if brewing a world-shaking storm.

“You know me, it’s either a great victory or a great defeat.” Old Man Niu Shan was startled. He thought that after joining Zhou Sheng’s side, his former unorthodox junior brother would be more restrained, but he did not expect that the madness in his bones would not be reduced but increased.

He could no longer see through this game of chess.

The two continued to place their pieces.

As time went on, the old man Niu Shan slowed down his moves, as if he had to think long and hard for each move. Yao Guangxiao, on the other hand, moved his pieces faster and faster, and the crisp sound of the pieces hitting the board had a feeling of a sudden storm.

When Yao Guangxiao made his final, decisive move, the old man of Niushan sighed and resigned.

"I lost, and I lost badly."

"No wonder Master always sighed that your talent surpasses mine tenfold, and is almost on par with his. It's a pity that you're learning the art of raising dragons."

If Liu Bowen had chosen him as his successor back then, there would probably be another immortal in the world today who has survived at least six heavenly tribulations.

"On the contrary, I am now very grateful to the old man for passing on his dragon-raising techniques to me."

"Otherwise, my greatest achievement would be to become the second Liu Bowen, but now..."

Yao Guangxiao smiled slightly, his triangular eyes shining brightly, a hint of unknown trembling and madness flashing within them.

"I will do what even the old man couldn't do, completely and utterly... surpass him!"

Old Man Niu Shan frowned slightly and sighed, "Junior Brother, no matter what you plan to do, remember that Zhou Sheng is now the leader of the Louguan sect. If you betray the sect a second time..."

Old Man Niu Shan's voice suddenly became solemn, filled with a warning.

"Even if I have to give up cultivating the Great Transformation Avatar Technique, I still have to take action... to clean up this sect."

The last four words were emphasized, conveying a resolute determination.

Yao Guangxiao felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this. As a fellow disciple, he knew better than anyone how terrifying the "Great Transformation Avatar Technique" was.

With a single breath, all orifices are opened, and three thousand false bodies are transformed into primordial chaos.

In order to avoid the heavenly tribulation, this technique has taken an unprecedented and extraordinary path. Those who cultivate this technique will no longer have a true body, but will continuously cultivate an incarnation that has reached the perfection of the six gates.

It goes on and on, endlessly.

Until one cultivates three thousand avatars through the six stages of perfection, and then merges all the avatars into one, reuniting the true body, one can break through nine tribulations in one go and ascend to immortality in broad daylight!
When you return, do not ask where your true form is; you are already at the highest point in the blue sky.

Of course, this is only in theory.

In reality, this cultivation method is not perfect, and it is almost impossible to cultivate a perfect avatar with three thousand paths and six barriers, because avatars also have a lifespan, will age and die, and their combat power is limited, making them easy targets for enemies.

Yao Guangxiao estimated that his senior brother should now have several hundred clones.

Once these hundreds of clones merge and reunite into their true form, they will likely be able to break through to the Earth Immortal realm on the spot. However, they will be permanently stuck there and unable to continue cultivating this technique.

He knew that his senior brother was a man of his word.

"I have taken your teachings to heart, senior brother."

Yao Guangxiao was not angry. He just smiled faintly, and the madness in his eyes disappeared. He became the elegant and calm prime minister in black again.

It's as if he has two split personalities.

The two then played several more games of chess before the old man from Niushan took his leave at dawn.

In the empty room, Yao Guangxiao suddenly swept all the chess pieces away with a flick of his sleeve, then stared intently at the blank chessboard, as if playing a game with himself in his mental world.

After a long while, he laughed, as happy as a child.

"Old man, this time, I'm sure I'll beat you!"

...(End of this chapter)