Techniques and Dao

Chapter 69 Fighting Buddha
Passing through the thick crystal glass rooftop, the battered and bruised Hua Sheng arrived at the very top of the Shanghai Tower.

The exterior of the skyscraper is a 632-meter-high city skyline. Apart from the whistling wind, Hua Sheng could only hear the mechanical noise of the exhaust fans running on the top floor.

Hua Sheng formed hand seals, pointed the "Victorious Buddha's Guide" in his palms toward the sky, and slowly recited the Buddha's mantra taught to him by Tai Shang Xiao Jun:

"The mysteries of heaven and earth, the root of all energies, have been cultivated for countless eons to prove my divine powers."
Within and beyond the Three Realms, only the Dao is supreme; my body is enveloped in golden light.

It is invisible to the eye and inaudible to the ear, encompassing heaven and earth and nurturing all living things.

Reciting this once will bring light to your body, attracting guards from the three realms and welcoming you from the five emperors.

After reciting the inscription, Hua Sheng took out the jade tablet of Laozi from his bosom and placed it in his hand. The jade tablet immediately became incredibly light, fluttering in the wind like a piece of paper, flying higher and higher until it became a bright spot in the sky above.

In an instant, the weather around the luminous point changed drastically, with the sky churning and clouds surging amidst rolling thunder.

Boom!

Rumble!
Hua Sheng looked around and saw that the only thing in the entire city sky above him was a thick layer of clouds, as thick as towering mountains. These rolling auspicious clouds suddenly seemed to be pierced by a sharp sword, shooting out a dazzling ray of light.

The clouds piled up, growing thicker and thicker, until they covered more and more of the city skies, and suddenly a face composed of clouds and rosy clouds appeared in the sky.

This was a face slightly different from what Hanamori had imagined—the face of a kind-looking, elderly ape. It had a half-human, half-ape appearance, with thick, bushy hair faintly visible around it.

Could this be the legendary Sun Wukong?!
Hanamoto couldn't contain her racing heart and desperately tried to control her trembling fingers.

Sun Wukong! The Victorious Fighting Buddha! The mythical hero who once wreaked havoc in Heaven, sweeping away all demons, and known to all! Now, however, he appears as a frail old man. His former arrogance and imposing presence seem to have vanished with the wind upon attaining Buddhahood.

Hua Sheng lifted his robes and bowed down, pressing his palms together and shouting, "Disciple Hua Sheng of the Daoist Academy pays respects to the Victorious Fighting Buddha!"

A sound came from the sky, making the steel and concrete beneath Hua Sheng's feet tremble.

"Young Taoist priest, what brings you to see this Buddha?"

Hua Sheng bowed again and said, "This disciple has come and humbly requests the Victorious Fighting Buddha to lend me his divine weapon, the Ruyi Jingu Bang!"

"Do you dare ask this Buddha to lend you this weapon?" The Victorious Fighting Buddha's voice was fierce and stern, making Hua Sheng's eardrums ring. The entire glass curtain wall of the skyscraper also shook.

Hua Sheng couldn't imagine what expressions the people below the city must have at this moment; they must all be speechless with astonishment at this sight.

He continued to look up at the Victorious Fighting Buddha in the sky: "This disciple wishes to borrow divine weapons, solely to save all living beings under heaven!"

"Why do you say that?" asked the Victorious Fighting Buddha.

"Tonight, humanity will face a catastrophe. A calamity star has descended from the heavens, wielding the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent to control the moon and attempt to wipe out all living beings. This calamity star is clad in the magical treasure, the Jupiter Veil, and only the divine treasure of the Sea-Stabilizing God could harm it in the slightest," Hua Sheng said. "I dare to humbly beg the Victorious Buddha for mercy and to lend me this unparalleled divine weapon. After defeating the calamity star and saving all living beings, I will return it to you in its entirety! If I have offended the Victorious Buddha in any way, I am willing to accept punishment, even unto death, without regret!"

After pondering for a moment, the Victorious Fighting Buddha said, "You little Taoist, was the talisman and jade tablet that summoned me here bestowed by Laozi?"

Hua Shengdao said, "Reporting to the Buddha, I am a fellow disciple of the Taoist Academy of Arts and Sciences with the grandson of Laozi. This talisman was given to me by him."

The Victorious Fighting Buddha laughed heartily, almost knocking Hua Sheng, who was kneeling on the ground, to the ground. Hua Sheng braced himself with his hands on the ground and immediately knelt up respectfully, afraid of any mishap.

"That old man, Taiqing Daode Tianzun, still keeps mentioning me, Wukong. Does he still remember the grudge from a thousand years ago when he overturned the alchemy furnace? Back then, when I endured eighty-one tribulations, that old man certainly added fuel to the fire and cheated me out of everything. And now he still sends you, a mere youth, to ask me for the Ruyi Jingu Bang (Golden Cudgel)." The Victorious Fighting Buddha said, "Speaking of ancient divine weapons, how many does Taishang Laojun have? The Seven-Star Sword, the Purple-Gold Bell, the Purple-Gold Red Gourd, the Vajra Bracelet, the Golden Rope, the Banana Leaf Fan—weren't they all made by that old man? The Nine-Toothed Rake was also forged by that old man from divine ice iron. Why not send you to borrow the Nine-Toothed Rake from the Clean Altar Messenger?"

Hua Sheng was speechless. The thought of him using the Nine-Toothed Rake was simply unimaginable. But these words eased the tension, indicating that the Victorious Fighting Buddha had no intention of punishing him. He thought he might as well strike while the iron was hot and borrow the Ruyi Jingu Bang as soon as possible.

Hua Sheng immediately said, "This disciple is of limited knowledge and skill. I have heard that only the Ruyi Jingu Bang can break the Jupiter Veil. Now that a great battle is imminent, I beg the Victorious Buddha to consider the well-being of all living beings and to take care of the fact that I am also a member of the Daoist sect, and to show mercy and lend me a helping hand! This disciple, Hua Sheng, bows in gratitude!" After saying this, Hua Sheng kowtowed three times to the Victorious Fighting Buddha, until his forehead was covered in blood.

The Victorious Fighting Buddha said, "Your cultivation is still shallow. I'm afraid that this ancient divine weapon, the Ruyi Jingu Bang, will not only be difficult for you to control, but may also cause you to go through tribulations and bring you endless suffering. Little Taoist, do you know this?"

"This disciple understands!" Hua Sheng replied without hesitation.

"Do not rush to agree. I will grant you the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before you give me your answer."

Hua Sheng was about to say something more when a wisp of smoke transformed into a small white porcelain cup, with a slender stick of incense inserted in the center. The incense stick was completely transparent, only slightly thicker than a hair. The tip of this slender, translucent glass incense stick glowed intermittently, emitting a strange fragrance.

The flowers are in full bloom, the clouds are still rolling, but the Victorious Fighting Buddha is nowhere to be found.

Why should I consider it? What do I have to consider? Hua Sheng was puzzled. "In this world, who would refuse to touch the real Ruyi Jingu Bang?" Hua Sheng muttered to himself, gazing at the incense stick.

Could it be that Sun Wukong, the Victorious Fighting Buddha, couldn't bear to part with the weapon that had been with him for so many years? No, if he could hide the Ruyi Jingu Bang in this tall building, he would have already put it down. Besides, I'm just borrowing it for a short while.

Just then, Hua Sheng's phone suddenly rang. Startled, he quickly checked if the Victorious Fighting Buddha had appeared. He then took out his phone, which showed that it was Taishang Xiaojun calling.

Supreme Lord Xiaojun? Right, the Qiankun Defense War should have already started, right? Is the situation extremely urgent, and that's why Supreme Lord Xiaojun is urging me?
Hua Sheng was deeply concerned for the safety of the teachers and students at the Shudao Academy, and seeing that there was still more than half a stick of incense left in front of him, he felt anxious and uneasy.

Did the Victorious Fighting Buddha say I wasn't allowed to answer the phone while I was thinking?
"Let's hear what Taishang Xiaojun has to say first," Hua Sheng said, covering the receiver with his hand as he answered the phone and lowered his voice.

"Hello? Supreme Lord, I'm borrowing the Golden Cudgel right now. It's a critical moment, so it's inconvenient for me to answer the phone. I'll call you back in ten minutes."

"Hey! Hua Sheng, something urgent has come up! You need to listen to me calmly!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun's voice was hoarse from anxiety, indicating that he must have encountered some major setback.

"What's wrong? Why do you sound like that? What happened?"

"You must calm down and listen to me," said Taishang Xiaojun. "Weiyu, she..."

Hua Sheng suddenly felt dizzy and disoriented. He had an unprecedented premonition about how important Wei Yu was to him. But judging from Tai Shang Xiao Jun's tone, something had clearly happened to Wei Yu!
Hua Sheng also became anxious and hurriedly asked, "What happened to Wei Yu? Is she injured?"

"Wei Yu! Our Wei Yu from Xi Academy!" Tai Shang Xiao Jun shouted on the other end of the phone, "Wei Yu is Ming You!"

Hua Sheng was suddenly struck dumb, unable to hear anything except for tinnitus.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally heard Tai Shang Xiao Jun's voice coming from the other end of the phone, as if it were drifting from a great distance: "Hello! Hello!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?! Say it again!" Hua Sheng roared, "Wei Yu! She! How could she possibly?!"

"But she is Mingyou!"

Hua Sheng was stunned: "How is that possible?! Do you know what Ming You is doing? He's trying to kill billions of people in this world!"

“We don’t believe it either,” Taishang Xiaojun shouted from the other end.

"You lied to me! Tai Shang Xiao Jun! I've always considered you a brother! No, I considered you family! How could you lie to me? Why did you lie to me!" Hua Sheng roared hoarsely. "Wei Yu is a good person! Why would she kill so many people? She couldn't have done that! Anyone can lie to me, but you can't! You can't tell me something like this!"

The voice of Taishang Xiaojun on the other end of the phone was choked with emotion: "Listen to me!"

Hua Sheng stared blankly at the incense stick in front of him: "You speak... I'm listening..."

Tai Shang Xiao Jun said, "Today, just as my grandfather said, Ming You and the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent appeared on the southeastern sea. Unlike the black smoke before, Ming You revealed her true form today in order to make the Magic Academy retreat! She is Wei Yu! Therefore, what was kidnapped during the Xuanwu Festival that day was probably just an avatar. She has been lurking in the Magic Academy for so long, just to revive the Xuanwu Spirit Serpent!"

"She stayed in Saint Pingning for so long, if she were Mingyou, how could no one have discovered her?"

"Like you, she has only been in St. Pingning for a year."

"She's not a Spirit Clan member?"

“Master Jueguang said that she has all the characteristics of the Spirit Clan. But she is not a Spirit Clan member, or rather, she is not entirely a Spirit Clan member.”

"Could it be that besides humans, immortals, and spirits, there exists a fourth kind of being in Shengping Ning?"

"No. I don't know how to describe it. Master Jueguang said that the Spirit Race should be a race formed by absorbing the essence of heaven and earth from existing substances such as animals, plants, and even stones. But Weiyu is none of them."

"What do you mean?"

"Not only was Wei Yu not born in Saint Pingning, but after investigation and records from the Academy of Arts and Sciences, it was discovered that she came from the human world!"

"I don't understand, my mind is completely confused." Hua Sheng didn't know how to answer Tai Shang Xiao Jun. "How could there be such a powerful immortal in the mortal realm!"

"Hana-saki, she comes from the human world. This means that, very likely, she is... a creation of humankind!"

(End of this chapter)