Techniques and Dao

Chapter 232 All thoughts are empty
Hanzhou. Midnight.

Daqian Temple.

With a loud bang, the half-closed mountain gate was flung open amidst the swirling snow, and Hua Sheng and Mie Ying rushed into the Zen temple. Before them, all the monks in the temple lay unconscious on the ground.

Looking towards the center of the courtyard, the orange light emanating from the gaps of the enormous incense burner illuminates every part of the courtyard.

Before the Thousand-Life Incense Burner, Master Ruokong, covered in blood, sat cross-legged with his eyes closed. It seemed that the fainting monks were all intentionally caused by him.

Master Ruokong seemed to hear the sound, and he slightly opened his eyes. Seeing the profusion of flowers before him, he showed no surprise, but slowly asked:

"The benefactor who was beyond the help of even the gods, I wonder who saved him?"

A flash of white light appeared to the side, and Mieying transformed into the white-haired Fourth Sister, pointing her Fire-Tipped Spear forward and shouting, "Protagonist halo! Mind your own business!"

Hua Sheng then summoned his golden cudgel, raised it, and charged forward, shouting, "The abbot of the mighty Daqian Zen Temple not only stole the Jupiter Silk, but also wants to kill me to silence me!"

Master Ruokong clasped his hands together and chanted incantations, and instantly, the Daqian Temple shone with golden light. In the Buddha's light manifested by the Avalokitesvara Dharma, Huasheng and Mieying were frozen in mid-air, unable to move.

Hua Sheng was unwilling to give up, so he used all his strength to push forward with his golden cudgel. Although the Buddhist light barrier of the Dharma Formation did not move at all, a cracking sound was heard.

Seeing that things were going well, the white-haired Shadowless released his grip and shouted, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands!"

The fire-tipped spear flew straight out.

The glazed tiles on the temple rose up like a whirlwind, the Buddha's light dimmed, and a deafening explosion was heard. The Dharma Gate Formation collapsed like shattered glazed tiles.

Ruokong, who had been sitting upright, collapsed to the ground, coughing up mouthfuls of blood. The blood splattered on the snow like plum blossoms in full bloom.

Ruokong smiled bitterly, staring at the two people in front of him and said, "If this humble monk had not been seriously injured, how could the Guanyin Dharma Formation, which even a great immortal could not overcome, have been broken by you?"

Hua Shengju shouted, "Where exactly did you hide the Jupiter Thread?!"

Ruokong did not answer, but instead took out half a blood-stained piece of white paper from the sleeve of his kasaya.

Hua Sheng thought it was some kind of magical artifact, so he held the golden cudgel horizontally in front of Mie Ying to protect her.

Ruokong laughed, "This is something that doesn't exist in this world, this is the cycle of reincarnation you brought to this poor monk."

Although Hua Sheng found it familiar, it was just an ordinary piece of white paper. Why did Ruo Kong say that it was something that did not exist in the world? What he was referring to was clearly the thing that the fallen angel was referring to as "something that does not exist in the past, present, or future" that "can combine the threads of Jupiter and the energy strings."

"What is this?" Hua Sheng asked.

Ruokong slowly read aloud words that Huasheng couldn't understand, while facing the half-sheet of white paper.

"One year ago. The Bedland. The underworld descended, flowers bloomed and fell into the sea. The rain did not stop."

After reading it, he raised his head, looked into Hua Sheng's eyes, and asked, "Does the benefactor recognize you?"

Hua Sheng's mind was a complete blank. This seemed to be a record of some kind of experience, mentioning the Netherworld. He knew about it, yet he didn't know what it was.

But shouldn't that be a hallucination?

Ruokong said, "It is the 'Skills of the Way,' benefactor, your 'Skills of the Way.'"

"No, no, no! How could this be?!" Hua Sheng shouted, "Nonsense! Those are all illusions created by the boundless magic on the Sui Xing Sha, they're fake to begin with, how could they be here with you!"

Ruokong looked directly into Huasheng's eyes and replied, "It was you who brought this world when you fell into the Zen temple."

When Hua Sheng saw himself jumping off the rooftop, he was indeed accompanied by many manuscripts of "The Way of the Arts".

If the words on the manuscript shaped this world of magic, then as the fallen angel said, this thing will never appear in the past, present, or future of this world!
Because that manuscript paper is something from outside this world!

Hanamori screamed frantically, "But they're all fake!! Fake!! Fake!!"

"Truth and falsehood intertwine! It was you who brought something that did not belong to this world, which is why this world was able to forge the Jupiter Robe!"

Hua Sheng's head was throbbing with pain. He clutched his head and screamed, "No! No!! Impossible!! If that world can affect this place, then wouldn't it be a world fabricated by 'The Way of the Arts' now?!"

Ruo Kong remained silent for a moment, then coldly replied, "Is what you brought here what you created?"

"I wrote this story while I was in that hospital!"

Ruokong shook his head and said, "Benefactor, you overestimate yourself. Not a single word in this book was created by you, and your memory of it is fragmented, influenced by what you have seen and heard. What makes you think that 'The Way of Techniques' is yours?"

Hua Sheng was speechless for a moment, not knowing how to answer.

“You, benefactor, are nothing more than a road, a bridge, a chess piece,” Ruokong said in a cold, icy tone.

After saying this, he threw the blood-stained manuscript upwards. The manuscript drifted into the Thousand-Life Incense Burner in the wind and snow, turning into ashes along with those that were already in the burner.

The white-haired Shadow rushed forward and shouted, "The scourge created by the Jupiter Silk must be destroyed, lest it fall into the hands of the Netherworld!" These words awakened Hua Sheng. If the Jupiter Silk had not been used, the War of Qiankun could have been avoided, and Dao Ling Xingjun would not have been imprisoned by the Holy Court.

Now that things have come to this, regardless of whether Ruokong intends to refine the Jupiter Robe or the Jupiter Gauze in the Thousand Worlds Incense Burner, they must be destroyed! It's better than them falling into the hands of the Underworld and causing a "disaster to descend upon the world."

Mieying suddenly raised his Fire-Tipped Spear and thrust it at Ruokong, shouting, "Hand over the Year Star Silk if you want to live!"

Suddenly, a silver dragon shadow flashed before his eyes, and Mieying's Fire-Tipped Spear was knocked away with a clang.

After the silver light, a young novice monk appeared between Mieying and Ruokong.

"Buddhism and Taoism should lead to the same goal, so why have you two trespassed on my forbidden territory!"

It turned out that the little white dragon Buxu had gotten rid of Lan Caihe and rushed back to Daqian Temple!

The heavy snowfall made it impossible to open one's eyes.

The biting wind howled in gusts, cutting like a knife against my face.

Four figures can be seen in the snow in the center of Daqian Temple at midnight.

Every one of them is now exhausted and battered. Staying afloat is an agonizing ordeal for each of them.

Even if the fighting stops now, not everyone will necessarily survive.

The temple gates will close in a few moments. Even the most momentous matters should be discussed a hundred days later. Yet, with such a short time, they are forced to confront each other with weapons, risking their lives.

Fate brought them together on this snowy night.

Even when Hua Sheng and Ruo Kong faced off in a life-or-death struggle, they still harbored no deep-seated hatred for each other.

Even though she was almost killed by Ruokong, Hanamori was still unable to harbor hatred.

No one did anything wrong. All Hua Sheng wanted was the Jupiter Silk, and then he would return it to Jane.

There will be no more Jupiter's Veil, no more Unforeseen Rain, and no more of the bad or good things that come with it.

But if Kong doesn't agree.

Standing between Huasheng and Ruokong was a young novice monk who, barely clinging to life, trembled uncontrollably.

Little White Dragon Bu Xu was covered in wounds; for a child, he had already endured far too much. Bu Xu's legs were clearly unsteady, but his eyes were piercing. Perhaps he knew that his current body was powerless, but he still shouted at Hua Sheng and Mie Ying, trying to scare them away.

"Get out of here! Nobody touches my master!!"

Mieying said, "Little White Dragon, your master first stole the Year Star Silk, and then ruthlessly tried to kill Hua Sheng! Now he's going to condense something that will cause trouble in the furnace! If you continue to protect him, you'll be aiding and abetting evil!"

“The little monk doesn’t understand those things, he only knows that anyone who dares to hurt his master must first get past me!” Bu Xu blocked Ruo Kong’s way.

White-haired Shadow gritted his teeth and thrust his Fire-tipped Spear at Bu Xu, intending to frighten him. But Bu Xu didn't give an inch, flicking his long sleeve to send the Fire-tipped Spear flying aside, causing Shadow to stumble.

Mie Ying said angrily, "I only spared you because you're a child, don't be ungrateful!"

Bu Xu retorted, "It is unreasonable for Taoist disciples to trespass on my Buddhist pure land!"

Hua Sheng stepped forward and advised, "Bu Xu, today's battle to defend the Dragon Vein did indeed rely on you, but do you know that the culprit behind this battle is your master!"

Bu Xu did not back down after hearing this, but instead said, "How can you disciples of the Xiyuan Academy decide whether the abbot is guilty or not? Even the Holy Court and the Heavenly Palace must give Guanyin Bodhisattva some leeway. Such an important matter must be reported to the Holy Court for a ruling. How can you two act arbitrarily!"

Mieying asked urgently, "When your master attacked Hua Sheng just now, did he consider all these reasons?"

Seeing that Bu Xu was relentless, and remembering that he also owed him many favors, Hua Sheng quickly advised, "Bu Xu, we really can't convict the abbot of the Zen temple. But now is the only chance to stop the production of the Jupiter Silk. As long as Abbot Ruo Kong hands over the Jupiter Silk, we will immediately withdraw from the temple, and let the Holy Court decide who is right and who is wrong!"

He glanced at Ruokong and continued, "Not only will we withdraw, but we will also immediately find an immortal to help the abbot heal his injuries."

Ruokong coughed up a mouthful of blood and laughed loudly, "I knew I was going to die soon after suffering this injury, how could I be willing to live and suffer humiliation?!"

Upon hearing this, Bu Xu turned and threw himself on Ruo Kong, crying loudly, "Master, Master, you must live! No matter what, you must live!"

Ruokong placed his hand on Buxu's shoulder and said softly, "Master has worked hard for the world and never backed down, which is worthwhile. You must learn to restrain yourself in the future and not ruin your future because of impulsiveness."

Having said that, he patted Buxu on the neck, and Buxu fainted in Ruokong's arms. Master Ruokong pushed him forward, and Buxu flew to the corner of the wall and fell asleep.

Ruokong lifted the sleeves of his brocade cassock, stood up, and instantly golden light shone behind him as he shouted.

"Neither of you will take anything with you tonight! Get out of this pure land of my Zen temple!"

(End of this chapter)