Techniques and Dao

Chapter 60 The Art of Moon Control
Hua Sheng stared at the ruins of the subway tunnel and the overturned train, faintly hearing the sirens of police cars approaching from the ground. He quickly climbed onto the train and ran towards the direction of the Earth Dragon, relying on his memory: "I have to find the Earth Dragon quickly, or it will be inconvenient when the police swarm in."

After the fierce battle underground, the earth dragon had fully awakened. It lay there, eyes open, panting heavily through its nostrils as it looked at the two.

"Paying respects to the Supreme Young Master, disciple of the Daoist Arts Academy!"

"Hua Sheng, a disciple of the Daoist Arts Academy, pays his respects!"

The earth dragon spoke in a booming voice: "The ferocious beast Chaos is wreaking havoc in all directions. I failed to keep watch just now. Has it managed to escape?"

"It's just a minor problem; the chaos has been sealed now." Tai Shang Xiao Jun didn't want to waste time recounting the chaotic scene from earlier.

The earth dragon nodded: "The two juniors are truly formidable. My old bones are trapped under the pillar and unable to move, unable to lend a helping hand."

Hua Sheng then looked closely and indeed found that the earth dragon's back was firmly held in place by a pillar with golden Sanskrit characters flashing on it, which must be the underground pillar of the viaduct pier.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun walked to the tail of the earth dragon, observed it carefully for a while, and said, "When we sealed the chaos just now, it caused a bit of a commotion. Soon this underground will be packed with people. Why don't we try moving the pillar and letting the earth dragon leave?"

"Can it be moved?" Hua Sheng glanced at the sturdy pillar, somewhat worried.

"Try it."

"But if it's moved, there will be no support underneath, so won't the overpass above collapse?"

“It is indeed possible, so you have to help me.” Tai Shang Xiao Jun rested his chin on his bent fingers. “I will attach two handles to the pillar, and the two of us will lift it up. After the earth dragon breaks free, it will transform into a bridge pier to support it in the gap.”

"Supporting the bridge piers? Do you know how congested these elevated roads are in Shanghai? There are parking lots right above the bridges. Not only do you have to support the elevated bridge, but there are also hundreds of cars on it."

"It's not like you're carrying this alone, I'm here for you."

Hua Sheng felt somewhat relieved when she thought of Tai Shang Xiao Jun: "Which one should I hold?"

Taishang Xiaojun pointed at the pillar, and the two swords, Gan Jiang and Mo Xie, flew in from nowhere, embedding themselves deeply into the concrete pillar, one on the left and one on the right. The hilts were at waist level, forming iron handles for the pillar.

"Just lift it up by half a meter." Tai Shang Xiao Jun gripped the sword hilt tightly.

"Even lifting it by half a centimeter is a miracle!"

"Hurry up, or the fire department and police will arrive."

The two men squatted in a horse stance, hands gripping their sword hilts: "One! Two! Three! So be it! Rise!"

After mentally chanting the divine incantation, Hua Sheng's strength instantly increased a hundredfold. Reflecting on how he had been in such a rush pushing the car that he had completely forgotten to recite the incantation, he realized he had forgotten to do so.

As he exerted more and more strength in his arms, Hua Sheng's feet began to sink into the stone bricks beneath his feet. He shouted and continued to pull himself up with all his might.

After a light shower of lime dust fell from above, the earth dragon let out a long howl, and its long tail lashed off with a whoosh.

"Success!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun immediately shouted, "Petrification Technique!"

Hanamori also shouted in unison, "Fossilization Technique!"

After the dragon's tail left, a hard boulder suddenly grew out of the gap, perfectly blending with the thick pillar.

"It actually works!" Hua Sheng wiped the sweat from his forehead, his face covered in a mess of sweat, gravel, and dirt. Looking down, he saw that his legs were already knee-deep in the ground.

"The descendants of the Taoists are indeed extraordinary!" The earth dragon circled around in place. "I never imagined that I, the earth dragon, would be trapped here for so many years, only to be rescued by two young disciples."

"Not at all. It's just that over the past thousand years, the immortal arts of all realms have also improved." Taishang Xiaojun bowed with his hands clasped.

Seeing that time was running out, Hua Sheng asked impatiently, "Mr. Earth Dragon..."

When seeking help from the earth dragon, Hua Sheng was at a loss as to what respectful term to use. Calling it a great god or immortal would be an exaggeration, given his lack of knowledge about the earth dragon's celestial status. But addressing it by its name directly would be impolite and make him lose his composure, as it was an ancient divine beast that had been created over thousands of years.

So let's call him Mr. Earth Dragon for now.

“Mr. Dilong, your disciple Huasheng and Taishang Xiaojun have come to the mortal realm from the Holy Peace Immortal Realm to track down the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent.”

"The Black Tortoise Serpent?" The earth dragon brought its long dragon face closer to Hua Sheng. "I haven't heard that name in a long time. Are you perhaps referring to the Northern God Black Tortoise?"

"Exactly."

"And where is that Shengpingning?"

"Shengpingning is a paradise on earth transformed by Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva."

The earth dragon raised its head and said in a deep voice, "It seems I have been out of touch with worldly affairs for a long time. But I have heard that the Xuanwu spirit snake and the spirit tortoise have long since passed away and are now resting in the mountains and rivers of the world. Why do you say you want to track down the spirit snake?"

"Disciple will keep it short. The Xuanwu Spirit Serpent originally hibernated inside the Lingyan Tower of the Shengping Ningzhong Daoist Academy, but the thieves used the Time Bodhi to reverse time, turning it from a withered little snake back into the giant divine beast it once was, and also kidnapped a female disciple of the academy. It then escaped from Shengping Ning to the human world." Hua Sheng finished explaining in one breath.

"If a spirit serpent came to the human world, wouldn't this place have already been turned upside down?"

"That's the strange thing. When the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent came to the mortal world, it not only did not cause any trouble, but it also disappeared without a trace."

"Why is that?" the earth dragon pondered.

Hua Sheng said, "We know that you, Earth Dragon, and the Black Tortoise Serpent are old acquaintances, so we wanted to inquire and see if we could find any clues to save people."

The Earth Dragon sighed, “The Xuanwu Spirit Serpent is the manifestation of Xuanwu, one of the Four Celestial Spirits. Its cultivation far surpasses mine. I have met the serpent several times, and it is not a wicked creature. If it truly captured your friends, it is probably bewitched by evil spirits. But as you said, if it came to the mortal realm without causing any disturbance, then it must be intentionally hiding and waiting for an opportunity to strike. Because the serpent's magical power is far stronger than you think.”

"Even stronger?" Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun said in unison.

"The Xuanwu Spirit Serpent is not only powerful, but it can also transform into strange beasts and summon an extremely large army of strange beasts."

"What do you mean by 'enormous'? How many is that?" Taishang Xiaojun asked.

"Millions of people."

"Several, millions?" Hua Sheng thought he had misheard.

"Moreover, the serpent's magic is stronger on the night of the full moon." At this moment, the earth dragon suddenly thought of something, "Speaking of which, there is something else that I don't know if it will be of any use to you."

Taishang Xiaojun hurriedly said, "There's no time to lose, please speak freely!"

"The Xuanwu Spirit Serpent also possesses a special divine power: on the day of the full moon each year, it can manipulate the moon's trajectory, a technique known as the Moon Control Method."

When will the day of fullness arrive?

"In the human world, it's called the Moon Worship Festival," the earth dragon replied.

"The Moon Worship Festival?" Hua Sheng seemed to have heard of it before.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun added, "The Moon Worship Festival is just another name for the Mid-Autumn Festival."

Hua Sheng did the math: "Then there's only a week left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, right? What's the point of controlling the moon?"

"If the serpent pushes the moon off its orbit, will the moon disappear forever?" Taishang Xiaojun pressed.

"The universe operates according to its own rules. Even if the method of controlling the moon pushes it away, the spell will lose its effect after that day, and the moon will return to its original position."

So, apart from not being able to enjoy the moon that day, there might not actually be any major problems. But a faint sense of unease crept into Hua Sheng's heart.

"We fear we cannot linger here." The two then bowed to the earth dragon in gratitude, "Thank you for your guidance, Earth Dragon! We shall take our leave."

The earth dragon circled once and said, "Thank you for helping me subdue Chaos. I will return to the Heavenly Court immediately to report back. I hope we will meet again someday!"

After saying this, the earth dragon disappeared underground and vanished without a trace. Hua Sheng and Tai Shang Xiao Jun also quickly used their wall-penetrating technique to leave the area.

Upon arriving at a secluded underground passage, Tai Shang Xiao Jun began to organize his thoughts as he walked.

"If the Netherworld only intended to bring disaster to the human world, it wouldn't need to rely on strange beasts. With its own and the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent's destructive power alone, the city would have been turned upside down long ago. If that were the case, given the current speed of information dissemination, we should have seen it long ago. But this calm and tranquility must be a deliberate concealment."

"You mean you're waiting for the Mid-Autumn Festival?"

"Go and use the moon-controlling technique the earth dragon spoke of." "But the earth dragon said that no matter how the moon moves, it will return to its original trajectory after the Mid-Autumn Festival. Even if it disappears for a day, how much of a commotion can it actually cause?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun suddenly slowed down, his face solemn.

"What?" Hua Sheng asked.

"Something suddenly occurred to me: what if the serpent's intention isn't to hide or push the moon away?"

"Is that what you want?"

"Contrary to what we thought, instead of moving the moon away, it's being used to bring it closer to Earth?"

"Wouldn't that mean we'd crash into..." Hua Sheng's face turned pale. "No way! That would be the end of the world!"

"I hope I'm wrong."

"I think this is highly likely! Otherwise, why would Mingyou bring the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent here? Moreover, Mingyou also wants to kidnap Tianjizi and Weiyu, the two protectors. Because he might need protectors to set up such a huge formation. It's better to believe it's true."

"The moon-controlling spell must be of immeasurable power. If we really want to play it on such a large scale, the two of us alone would be insufficient."

"We can't just stand by and watch! We have to think of something. Even if there are crowds of people on Earth, they are like helpless infants in front of the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent. If the moon were to collide with Earth, all of human civilization would perish. If we are powerless to stop it, even if I can escape to Saint Pingning, I will regret it for the rest of my life!"

“If we confront them head-on now, not only will we fail to stop them, but we will also needlessly lose our lives.”

"How about we go and ask Immortal Master Yu Ran and Dao Ling Xing Jun for some ideas?"

"If the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent really summons an army of a million strange beasts, we'll probably have to use the defensive power of Saint Pingning to resist it. But as Dao Ling Xingjun said, the Immortal Realm will never interfere in this matter."

“This is no trivial matter! It is a matter of life and death! If the Immortal Clan and the Spirit Clan are unwilling to help, we will persuade the mortals of the Immortal Realm. Seeing their compatriots in distress, someone will surely come to their rescue.”

"But Saint Pingning also has its own rules. The seven saints who created the fairyland set a rule that they would no longer interfere in the mortal world."

"Didn't you say that rules are meant to be broken?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun did not answer, and the two remained silent.

Due to the chaos just now, all nearby subway lines had ceased operation. In the empty underground passage, only their footsteps could be heard. Smoke and dust from the collapsed reinforced concrete drifted in from somewhere, mixed with the cool, damp air from underground. Hanamori felt a little suffocated, unsure whether it was from the unsettling smell in the air or the tension created by the earlier assumptions.

The two walked silently side by side. Hua Sheng was afraid to speak, lest she make a fool of herself, yet she was filled with anxiety about the safety of the world. If, as Tai Shang Xiao Jun said, Sheng Pingning stood idly by, then the end of human history was now only a week away. But why would Ming You and the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent do this? What benefit would they gain from killing all living beings on Earth?
"Since things have come to this..." It was Taishang Xiaojun who spoke first.

This sound gave Hua Sheng a glimmer of hope.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun looked ahead and said, "Although the hope is slim, I am wondering whether I should go to find Grandpa Dao Ancestor."

"Laozi? Yes, yes, yes! Your grandfather is the Dao Ancestor, he must have a way!" Hua Sheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

“But this matter violates the rules of Shengping Ning for a thousand years, and I am worried that the Dao Ancestor will be furious.” There was some hesitation in Taishang Xiaojun’s tone.

"We have to give it a try!" Hua Sheng bowed to Tai Shang Xiao Jun with his hands clasped. "On behalf of all humanity, I'm begging you!"

"You acted on your own initiative. You're barely an adult by the traditional Chinese age reckoning; how can you represent all of humanity?"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun muttered to himself, then took out his phone: "I'll call Grandpa."

"Telephone?"

"I'm currently out of the country illegally, and I'm afraid I'll get strangled if I go to see my grandfather in person." Tai Shang Xiao Jun turned on his phone screen and then held it up high, as if the signal was bad underground.

"The signal here is weak." Hua Sheng looked at his phone; the signal strength indicator showed only one bar, and it kept changing to an "X" symbol indicating that the area was out of service.

"Let's try the enlargement spell; hopefully, it will strengthen the cell phone signal." Tai Shang Xiao Jun chanted the incantation, making hand seals, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Grow bigger! Grow bigger! Grow bigger!"

The cell phone signal miraculously went from one bar to two bars, from two bars to three bars, and finally to a full bar!
Hua Sheng's eyes widened: "This magic of magnification and shrinkage is keeping up with the times! Not only can it be used to reduce camera pixels, but it can also be used to amplify cell phone signals!"

"Immortals don't live in the Stone Age! You mean only mortals are allowed to use electric lights, while immortals have to use candles?" Tai Shang Xiao Jun typed numbers on his phone.

Is this a long-distance international call?

"Long-distance and roaming in the Immortal Realm." Tai Shang Xiao Jun put the phone to his ear and dialed a number.

His expression was somewhat unnatural, and from the stiff look on his face, Hua Sheng vaguely sensed that the usually playful Tai Shang Xiao Jun held a deep reverence for his grandfather. But since it was someone else's family matter, Hua Sheng didn't want to get too involved and could only remain silent.

Although it wasn't on speakerphone, due to the unusually quiet underground, Hua Sheng could faintly hear the dial tone coming from Tai Shang Xiao Jun's phone.

After a few rings, the call was answered, and Taishang Xiaojun hurriedly said, "May the Heavenly Venerable grant you boundless blessings! Grandfather Dao Ancestor! I am Xiaojun!"

A deep voice came from the receiver: "You audacious wretch! You dare to violate the rules of the Dao and descend to the mortal realm without permission!"

"Grandpa! Please listen to my explanation! There was a reason for leaving Shengpingning! My friend was captured by the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent..."

This was the first time Hua Sheng had ever seen Tai Shang Xiao Jun stammering like this.

Suddenly, a shout came from the other end of the phone: "All you do is cause trouble! Come see me right now!"

Then the sound of a whip cracking was heard.

Snapped!
Upon hearing the sound, Tai Shang Xiao Jun's expression changed drastically. In a panic, he threw his phone away and ran off.

Hua Sheng was completely baffled, and was about to ask, "How..."

Before he could finish speaking, a long whip suddenly appeared from the phone's receiver, and this glowing whip went straight toward Tai Shang Xiao Jun.

"Run! Watch out for the Immortal Binding Rope!"

Tai Shang Xiao Jun turned around and tried to dodge, but it was too late. The whip, like lightning, bound his hands and then suddenly pulled back towards the phone.

Tai Shang Xiao Jun, sprawled on the ground in a sorry state, was bound hand and foot and dragged toward the phone, looking like a calf tethered by a hunter. He yelled at Hua Sheng from the ground, "Grandpa's serious this time! I can't escape! You run!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Tai Shang Xiao Jun's entire body was pulled into the phone's receiver by the Immortal Binding Rope, as if swallowed by the phone, and disappeared into thin air. Then the phone slammed heavily to the ground with a "thud".

Suddenly, there was a deathly silence all around.

Hua Sheng stood there, stunned and uneasy, not knowing what had happened.

"Supreme Lord Xiaojun? Are you still there?"

Hua Sheng tentatively asked a question, but there was no response from the other end of the phone. He had only taken two steps forward when he suddenly remembered that Tai Shang Xiao Jun had told him to run. He immediately turned around, and just as he was about to take another step, he heard a whoosh of wind behind him.

"Wow!"

His hands were immediately bound tightly, and the light cable emerged from the phone again, instantly binding him and preventing him from escaping.

Normally, let alone ropes, even chains would be impossible to restrain Hua Sheng in his current state. But now, he felt as if his hands were being gripped tightly by a high-voltage current, and his whole body was in pain and numb.

In desperation, Hua Sheng tried to shrink and break free, repeatedly shouting, "Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Shrink! Shrink!" His body instantly shrank to the size of an insect. But the Immortal Binding Rope also shrank, and tightened more and more.

Hua Sheng had no choice but to revert to his original form. His wrist ached as if it were about to break, and he slammed into the nearest stone wall.

"Hurry, hurry, as the law commands! Wall-penetrating magic!"

As he passed through the stone wall and hid in the rock face behind it, the light rope pulled him, causing the entire brick wall to collapse and drag him out, relentlessly pulling him towards the phone.

"Earth-遁 (Earth-遁术)! Earth-遁术!" Hua Sheng was still unwilling to give up and tried to burrow underground again, but the Immortal-Binding Rope dragged him up from the ground. After several unsuccessful struggles, Hua Sheng was pulled into the receiver!

In an instant, the image was torn to pieces and crumpled into a ball, and every cell in the body felt like it had been shattered, making it impossible to distinguish east from west, north from south, up from down, left from right.

This magic rope must have been transmitted through a cell phone signal, tightly binding him and constantly passing through and jumping through signal base stations and fiber optic cables, eventually dragging him into nothingness.

(End of this chapter)