Chapter 34

"Ha ha, you thief Taoist, can your incense mist really trap me, Xuan Kong?" Xuan Kong broke free from the fragrant mist of the Unyielding Flower and threw his long sword into the air.

The sword shimmered with a silver glow, forming a hundred-foot-long sword light, which slashed straight down at the head of Divine Grace Immortal.

Divine Grace Immortal was taken aback, muttering to himself, "Oh no!" He didn't care about the incense burner that Xuan Kong had shattered with the Nine Heavens Mixed Primordial True Thunder. He reached out and drew a Taiji symbol on his head with his拂尘 (fly whisk), blocking Xuan Kong's sword qi.

How could Xuan Kong have ever suffered such a great loss?

He immediately recalled his immortal sword, lunged forward, and swung his precious sword, surrounding Divine Grace Immortal and slashing wildly.

The two of them fought over a hundred rounds on the cloud path, rolling and tumbling without knowing where they had ended up. The demons and ghosts on the ground were startled by their cultivation and ordered their lesser demons to close the cave dwellings, letting them fight freely.

The various immortal mountains and blessed lands activated their protective formations with a rainbow of colors.

Disciples with insufficient cultivation hid within the mountain protection formations, while many wandering immortals, such as Earth Immortals, Water Immortals, Fire Immortals, True Immortals, Flying Immortals, and Ghost Immortals, squatted on their respective mountain peaks, greeting each other and watching this rare spectacle.

"How long has it been since we last saw immortals fighting?"

"Since the first calamity of the Dragon Han era, through the extinction of dinosaurs, the struggle between witches and demons, and the battle for supremacy in the封神 (Fengshen) era, it has been over a hundred years since we last saw immortals using their magical arts."

An elder with many years of experience glanced out from his mountain gate, sighing at the vigorous fighting spirit of the younger generation, then withdrew his head. He focused on reciting the Yellow Court Scripture and refining the Golden Elixir, with no time to meddle in others' affairs.

Divine Grace Immortal gradually became overwhelmed by Xuan Kong and had to say, "Our two sects have a deep connection, and we have no deep enmity. Why don't we follow my advice and cease fighting?"

Xuan Kong didn't care. Another one claiming a deep connection with his sect.

Why not ask the Denglizi of the Kongtong Sect if such nonsense works?

What needs to be fought must be fought, and what needs to be taken must be taken.

Seeing that Xuan Kong's hands didn't stop, Divine Grace Immortal knew he didn't believe him and explained, "I see that your thunder technique is inherited from the ancient great divine lineage. Our two sects have been as close as red lotus and white lotus since ancient times. Why would I lie to you?"

Xuan Kong's hands slowed, and he pondered, "My master always claimed to have inherited the ancient great divine lineage. Could it be true?"

Divine Grace Immortal caught his breath and smiled, "I am one of the twelve true sages of the Pure Brightness Sect, a disciple of the Divine Skill and Marvelous Assistance True Sage, Xu Tian Shi. Do you know this?"

Xuan Kong cast a thunderbolt and nodded. Xu Tian Shi was one of the four great celestial masters of the Heavenly Court, and his name was well-known among all cultivators. However, he didn't know how Xu Tian Shi was connected to the Lao Mountain Sect.

"Xu Tian Shi received the teachings of the Three Pure Ones and was taught the 'Supreme Spirit Treasure of the Pure Brightness Sect' by the Supreme True Sage, making him a direct descendant of the Three Pure Ones."

Xuan Kong remained noncommittal and asked curiously, "Even if you are a disciple of the Supreme True Sage, what does that have to do with me? Could it be that the Lao Mountain Sect is also a lineage of the Supreme True Sage?" He understood that in this world, there were too many powerful immortals, Buddhas, and demons. To walk the earth, he needed to find a powerful ally.

The thigh of the Supreme True Sage Laozi was definitely thick enough.

Feeling the pressure lessen, Divine Grace Immortal knew it was effective and quickly shook his head, "No, I am of the Supreme True Sage lineage, but you are not."

Xuan Kong was just calming down, ready to make peace with Divine Grace Immortal, but hearing his denial, he was enraged. He waved his precious sword and slashed at his head with a hundred or so strikes, forcing Divine Grace Immortal to hold back his words.

Divine Grace Immortal barely blocked Xuan Kong's sword and was about to speak when a loud Buddhist chant echoed through the sky, shaking the heavens and the earth!

"Namamo Amitabha Buddha, may the Buddha be merciful!"

Both of them turned to see a bald monk in a plain robe standing on a cloud, his eagle-like nose facing Xuan Kong and Divine Grace Immortal. Xuan Kong looked at Divine Grace Immortal and asked, "Is your fellow disciple here to support you?"

Divine Grace Immortal angrily replied, "I just told you, I am a true sage of the Pure Brightness Sect, a direct descendant of the Three Pure Ones. What do I have to do with a monk?"

Xuan Kong sheathed his sword and waved his hand, "Our Lao Mountain Sect is also a sect of Taoists, with no bald relatives."

Their fierce battle had alarmed the powerful protectors of the city below, who now ascended to the sky. The bald monk, with a lean figure and sharp eyes, looked like a great eagle from the nine heavens observing the ants on the ground.

"Namamo Amitabha Buddha!" The bald monk stepped onto the cloud, pointing at Xuan Kong, "By the decree of the Great Song National Master, you have a connection with the Buddha and should enter the Great Song to become a protector of the Buddhist faith!"

Xuan Kong and Divine Grace Immortal exchanged glances. They were both Taoist cultivators and had no connection with the Buddha.

"Great Song National Master?" Xuan Kong moved his cloud and looked down, his face suddenly changing.

If he really had a connection with the Buddha, that would be fine.

However, was the person in Bianjing City really a disciple of the Buddhist faith? He didn't remember any Buddha in the Western Paradise having a thousand-legged centipede as their true form. He only remembered from a movie in his previous life that the centipede spirit had used the Buddhist faith as a cover to cause trouble.

But why didn't any cultivators from the Buddhist or Taoist sects intervene, and instead, it was the young disciple of the Kongtong Sect, Yan Chixia, and a weak scholar, Ning Caichen, who accidentally foiled the good deeds of the Compassionate Ferry?

Xuan Kong didn't respond, stepping back two steps and silently activating his true essence to open his Heavenly Eye to examine the bald monk.

An invisible light from Xuan Kong's eyes enveloped the bald monk but was blocked by the golden light around him. Xuan Kong wiped his eyes and secretly took out a true talisman from his sleeve, wiping it in front of his eyes. When he looked again, he saw a Vajra Guardian sitting on the cloud above the bald monk's head, surrounded by a faint Buddha light, which was actually a golden-eyed eagle from the primordial era.

"Is it really a Vajra Guardian of the Buddhist faith?" Xuan Kong pondered. He knew that the Buddhist faith had the habit of transforming demons into Vajra Guardians.

Although he didn't approve, he had no reason to offend the Buddhist faith. He bowed to the bald monk, "I am a disciple of the Lao Mountain Sect, Xuan Kong. May I ask the master's name?"

The monk, transformed from the Vajra Guardian, was extremely arrogant, not returning the bow, and only crossed his arms, saying, "I am the Vajra Guardian, Great Eagle!"

He continued, "You two have quite a bit of nerve, daring to act recklessly above Bianjing City. Why don't you come with me to meet the National Master, Compassionate Ferry True Immortal?" Before Xuan Kong could respond, Divine Grace Immortal coldly mocked, "What Compassionate Ferry True Immortal? Has the Bodhisattva Guanyin of the Southern Sea arrived? When did she return to the Taoist lineage?"

Divine Grace Immortal's words had some basis. The Great Compassionate Bodhisattva Guanyin of the Southern Sea originally came from the Three Pure Ones of the Taoist faith. He was a great saint of the Compassionate Ferry, who had studied under the Supreme True Sage in the Jade Void Palace. After the great calamity of the封神 (Fengshen) era, he left the Taoist faith and joined the Western Paradise, becoming the Bodhisattva Guanyin.