Chapter 74

According to legend, Tianxin Mountain was formed when an extraterrestrial meteorite fell into the primordial wilderness. It is not particularly scenic or endowed with spiritual energy, but it is grand and majestic, with a unique aura.

Especially when the mountain fell, a young novice monk happened to witness the scene and made a grand vow to transform the mountain into a Buddhist holy site.

From then on, the young novice monk took the mountain as his body and carved a giant Buddha statue. After 380 years, the entire Tianxin Mountain became a grand Buddha mountain.

And the young novice monk attained the golden body of the Buddha, becoming the current Tianxin Zen Master.

As Zhu Ganglie walked, Red Lotus Ancestor earnestly introduced the story, deepening Zhu Ganglie's understanding of Tianxin Zen Master.

Especially when he saw a giant Buddha statue about a thousand feet tall, sitting cross-legged between heaven and earth, his heart was filled with even more awe and caution.

It seems I need to be more careful and not let this Tianxin Zen Master see through my true self.

"Little monk Red Lotus comes to pay respects to Tianxin Zen Master, please grant me your guidance!"

Red Lotus Ancestor's calm words echoed throughout the mountain.

"Go, this is the calamity of your Daxing Temple. Go and deal with it. When you return from Chang'an, we can discuss this matter again."

Hearing Tianxin Zen Master's words, Red Lotus Ancestor's face turned ashen, realizing that Tianxin Zen Master was refusing to help.

Zhu Ganglie, however, showed a pleased expression, knowing that although Tianxin Zen Master was a high-ranking Buddhist monk, he was more focused on the path of immortality. Who would have the energy to offend another high-ranking expert?

If it weren't for the scriptures and recommendation from Red Lotus Ancestor, he wouldn't want to provoke a high-ranking expert with a spirit body.

The current situation suited his intentions.

"Brother Red Lotus, don't be upset. You can reclaim this treasure in the future. For now, focus on improving your cultivation. Once you attain the golden body, it won't be too late to seek out that evil dragon!"

Zhu Ganglie stepped forward and said calmly, not knowing how to comfort him.

"Thank you, Brother Shifang, for your comfort. I have practiced for a long time and know a few fellow cultivators. This time, I will contact them and gather their strength to reclaim this treasure!"

Red Lotus Ancestor said this with a pleading look at Zhu Ganglie.

But Zhu Ganglie was no longer willing to pay attention to Red Lotus Ancestor. That was a spirit body expert, and even if they gathered more cultivators, they couldn't resist, let alone a giant dragon that had cultivated into a spirit body.

His goal was immortality, and although those external things were important, they were nothing compared to his life.

Red Lotus Ancestor, though a high-ranking monk, was obsessed with the relic, and they were not of the same path.

At that moment, he only clasped his hands and said, "Please, Brother, give me the letter of recommendation. If I can return from Chang'an with the answer, I may be able to help you eliminate that evil dragon!"

Red Lotus Ancestor sighed lightly, knowing that Shifang would not help him. He didn't want to offend the mysterious senior in front of him, so he lightly tapped his hand, and a string of golden prayer beads and an ancient scripture fell into Zhu Ganglie's hand.

Seeing the prayer beads and the scripture in his hand, Zhu Ganglie thanked him and quickly left.

No matter what, he still had some fear of Tianxin Zen Master and thought it best to leave this place early.

Having received the scripture and recommendation from Red Lotus Ancestor, Zhu Ganglie resumed his true form, sat cross-legged on the Zhu Zhi, and quickly headed toward Chang'an City.

Three months later, Zhu Ganglie arrived outside Chang'an City, got off the Zhu Zhi, and entered the grand and massive Chang'an City.

After entering Chang'an City, Zhu Ganglie didn't wander around aimlessly but went directly to the Qingyang Palace to find Yuan Shoucheng, the keeper of the scripture hall.

However, when Zhu Ganglie arrived at the Qingyang Palace, he found that although the palace was grand, there were only two or three cultivators, and their cultivation was only at the Manifestation stage.

It seemed that the Qingyang Palace was a branch of a major sect in the secular world.

But Zhu Ganglie was also a bit puzzled. Even the Fairy Chang'e knew of Yuan Shoucheng, and he must be a powerful cultivator. Why was he guarding this secular palace, and why couldn't he sense any aura?

With these doubts, Zhu Ganglie invisibly entered the palace, found the scripture hall, and saw a middle-aged man in a green Daoist robe lying lazily on a corridor in front of the hall.

Zhu Ganglie didn't underestimate him and revealed himself, bowing respectfully, "Disciple of the Shenshao Sect, Zhu Ganglie, pays respects to Senior Yuan!"

Hearing Zhu Ganglie's words, Yuan Shoucheng opened his lazy eyes, glanced at him indifferently, and lazily got up, saying, "The Shenshao Sect is in the Lei Ze, far from here. You came here with great determination. Who guided you to seek me?"

Hearing Yuan Shoucheng's words, Zhu Ganglie's face brightened, knowing he had come to the right place. He bowed even more respectfully, "The Star Lord of the Moon guided me to seek Senior!"

As soon as Zhu Ganglie finished speaking, Yuan Shoucheng straightened his posture, looked at Zhu Ganglie curiously for a moment, and then laughed, "The Star Lord guided you here, which surprises me. Do you have any token to present to me?"

After saying this, Yuan Shoucheng resumed his lazy demeanor, looking at Zhu Ganglie with a hint of indifference.

At this moment, Zhu Ganglie's face tightened slightly, not knowing what to do. He apologized, "I came in a hurry and didn't bring any token. Please forgive me, Senior. What do you need? I will search the four seas to find it for you!"

"You tell me what you seek, and I will decide what token you need."

After Yuan Shoucheng spoke, Zhu Ganglie directly stated his purpose, "In the early stages of my cultivation, I mistakenly practiced a technique, causing my powers to conflict and preventing me from achieving the Unity stage. I seek your guidance, Senior!"

Hearing Zhu Ganglie's words, Yuan Shoucheng's eyes showed a hint of disdain, as if he didn't want to deal with him, but he said, "If it's about this, you should leave. I can't help you!"

Zhu Ganglie's eyes flashed with a hint of shame and anger, knowing that Yuan Shoucheng considered him a useless cultivator with conflicting powers and didn't want to deal with him.

"Before I came, the Fairy mentioned that I need to practice a Buddhist technique or find the ancient witch tribe to resolve the conflict in my powers. I see that you are a member of the Qingyang Palace, and you are under the management of the palace. I have a token from the Fairy, which can make the palace help me. I believe you can't refuse!"

Zhu Ganglie said this calmly, showing the prayer beads of the ancient Buddha, Red Lotus, and displaying a determined attitude.

"Hehe, I lost a bet and have been confined for eons. Now I must follow the orders of the palace. Since you have the token from the young monk Red Lotus, give it to me. It might make that stingy guy treat me better. But are you not afraid of offending me?"

Yuan Shoucheng said this with a half-smile, looking at Zhu Ganglie.

Facing this gaze, Zhu Ganglie could only say, "I have no other choice!"

"Haha, you have achieved the Five Senses in Buddhism, but to achieve the Sixth Sense, you need the blessing of a Buddhist monk. However, those monks have a grudge against the Daoists. Unless you abandon Daoism and join Buddhism, this method won't work. No one in the Buddhist world has achieved the Sixth Sense without the blessing. This method is the foundation of the Buddhist sect, passed down from the Second Patriarch, and I can't break it. Even the Taotie beast, which I would avoid, you shouldn't think about. So, you can only seek the ancient witch tribe. But the ancient witches are mysterious and their cultivation methods are unpredictable. You need to be mentally prepared!"

As Yuan Shoucheng slowly explained, Zhu Ganglie, though heavy-hearted, asked, "I am determined to seek immortality and am not afraid of difficulties. Please, Senior, don't hesitate to guide me!"

"I know the ancient witch tribe resides in the Daling Mountain, but it is a forbidden place with various restrictions set by the ancient witches. You can't enter unless you are a True Immortal. Moreover, they are extremely xenophobic and won't tolerate any outsiders."

Yuan Shoucheng paused, pondering.

This made Zhu Ganglie anxious, and he bowed, "Please, Senior, tell me!"

"Haha, I won't make it difficult for you. Although you can't enter Daling Mountain, thousands of years ago, an ancient witch left Daling Mountain and entered the Ling Ze. He is now trapped there and near death. You can seek him to learn the ancient witch techniques. He will definitely teach you to ensure the continuation of his lineage."

At this point, Yuan Shoucheng stood up and looked at Zhu Ganglie, "If you want to know the exact location of the ancient witch, go to the Jing River outside the city and steal the nine-colored coral from the Jing River Dragon King. This will be your token."