Yinshan Record

Chapter 105: Give and take
Su Che gripped the dragon-shaped jade ring in his hand.

"Please allow me to refuse."

Zhongyuan looked at Su Che as if he were seeing the person in front of him for the first time.

"why?"

"The Azure Emperor's Treasure Garden is an ancient relic, but it is incompatible with my Great Dao."

Su Che looked respectfully at Zhong Yuan, who sat high above in the main hall.

"This treasure has been refined by the Lion-Lotus Tathagata for many years, and now it is tainted by the Six Paths of Reincarnation, creating a small hell. As a disciple with aspirations for the Xuanmen, I dare not accept such a treasure."

The practice of refining ritual implements is essentially about finding a buffer between one's own methods and the methods of heaven and earth, inheriting the ritual implements of predecessors, and also inheriting a kind of tradition.

If Su Che acquired this Azure Emperor Treasure Garden on his own, without it changing hands in between, then it doesn't matter. Azure Emperor Lingwei Yang is an ancient great power, and there's nothing to lose by following his path.

But bad luck fell on that old lion.

They actually created a small hell realm here.

He already possessed a trace of the true meaning of the "Future Star Constellation Tribulation Sutra" and had even come to realize the Pure Lapis Lazuli Buddha Light, one of the nine fundamental Buddha lights. If he were to add the Six Paths of Reincarnation, a great supernatural power that can be considered fundamental in Buddhism, he would be even more enlightened.

Hey, if he keeps going down this Buddhist path, he might really end up at Lingjiu Temple practicing Joyful Zen.

Su Che didn't have any objection to Buddhism. Buddhism had strict rules and regulations and was very powerful. There was a saying in Buddhism about the "three thousand great worlds".

However, given the example of the old lion, Su Che was also worried that he might become too deeply involved in Buddhism and what would happen if he failed to achieve success in his Buddhist cultivation in the future.
Change course? That would mean there's no way out.

Although the Azure Emperor's Treasure Garden is wonderful, it is not something I must obtain at the moment.

One of the Thirty-Six Wonders of the East Sea, the Old Lion used it to achieve the third rank of his career.

Such a rare treasure will surely attract countless eyes. Why did Chu Yuan draw his sword in the Niushou Mountain Tomb?
Some people's jealousy will not stop until they completely destroy you.

“I don’t consider you a typical playboy, but you don’t seem like someone who knows how to say no.”

Zhongyuan looked at Su Che.

"The younger generation is as virtuous as water."

Su Che said, "I will refuse when I should refuse, and I will be flexible when you ask me to be flexible."

The words are not final.

If Zhongyuan really wanted to take the Azure Emperor's Treasure Garden for himself, he would certainly not refuse.

"This is a setup."

Zhongyuan said something unrelated.

Su Che, of course, understood the meaning behind his words.

A seven-headed lion that wasn't quite dead was just the trigger, the fuse that ignited it all.

There must be more to this story than meets the eye, which is why the mysterious Zhongyuan set out here, why the Liang Dynasty and various sects of Xuanmen paid attention to this place, and why the shadow of Buddhism appeared and disappeared near Xuanshan.

"When I presented the Azure Emperor's Treasure Garden to him, he agreed without hesitation."

This Azure Emperor's Treasure Garden was a gift from the Zhongyuan Festival to the Seven-Headed Lion.
Su Che broke out in a cold sweat.

Yes, that's the right way.

While the old lion was indeed a unique species from the East Sea, how many other unique beasts were there in the East Sea? The ancient dragon species had already been refined into rings and worn on people's hands. How come he was the one who obtained the Azure Emperor's Treasure Garden?
Such a precious treasure must have been fought over by countless people, and this struggle will surely become a story that will be passed down for a long time.

But he had never heard such a story from either the little fox or Yu Lizi. It seemed that the old lion was just very lucky, so he casually obtained the ancient Qing Emperor's treasure.

The reason there is no such story or legend is very simple: the old lion obtained this treasure from someone hidden behind the scenes. This ancient treasure that helped him achieve enlightenment was given to him by someone else.

The old lion might also be a member of the Zhongshan Society, or perhaps he was called by a different name back then. Just like me, the old lion followed the arrangements of Zhongyuan and, carrying some mysterious talisman, casually obtained this Azure Emperor Treasure Garden.

He attributed all of this to his good luck...

Su Che suddenly felt that his luck might be a little too good.

Meeting Yu Lizi was a family opportunity, something Zhongyuan couldn't have controlled. However, Zhongyuan had planned ahead, getting himself into the Zhongshan Society early and then casually handing him a cup of Qingdi wine.

Because he was seriously injured at the time, he could only cultivate using gentle methods. Zhongyuan was well aware that Yu Lizi could not offer him many options, and it seemed that the Azure Emperor's Regalia was an advance arrangement to facilitate his entry into the cultivation world.

As for the true meaning of the future constellation calamity in the Niushou Mountain tomb, the principle is similar. The little fox was ordered by Zhongyuan to find the remains of the old lion. The information piled up before and after, and finally, by chance, he obtained that bit of the true meaning.

Looking back now, I realize that I did receive a bit of the sword intent inheritance from that so-called Kongkong'er in the Great Tomb of Niushou Mountain. According to Yu Lizi, this Kongkong'er was an unparalleled sword cultivator who roamed the East Sea.

This identity sounds too much like that of a core member of a powerful behind-the-scenes organization.

What happened after I entered Shanyin County seemed like a complete mess, but at its core, there was a person connecting the dots.

He looked at Zhongyuan, who was sitting at the head of the table, wondering what kind of person was hidden behind the bronze mask.
Could the ancient Azure Emperor be you, Lord Zhongyuan?

“Someone once told me that the process of cultivation is about gaining some things and losing others.” Zhongyuan’s words were hollow and indifferent: “To gain something, you always have to give up something. You have the awareness to give up something today, which is much better than he did back then.” Su Che thought about how much of the old lion’s current situation was due to his own choices, and how much was due to this master’s hidden efforts behind the scenes.

"That lion refused to give up anything, refused to give up the demonic body he had painstakingly cultivated, refused to give up the profound magical powers he had accumulated, which is why he was corrupted by the Heavenly Demon. Even if he went down the demonic path, he would turn this place into a hell in order to preserve his Buddhist magical powers."

Zhongyuan said, "You are more insightful than him."

What if I don't understand?

Su Che enveloped the jade dragon ring in his hand with a wisp of pure, crystal-clear Buddhist light, and felt a sense of clarity and peace.

It was this small world resonating with him.

A warm sensation slowly seeped into his dantian along his meridians.

This also brings with it infinite gravity.

That was the spiritual pressure that controlling this supreme treasure brought upon oneself.

Su Che felt his soul trembling. Even though this magic weapon was perfectly suited to him, it was definitely not something he could control with his current level of cultivation.

However, Su Che could only try his best to persevere.

Zhongyuan would never give himself any other choice.

"That's what clarity is."

Zhongyuan looked at Su Che, his eyes filled with a mixture of pity and sorrow.

"Heaven and earth are the inn of all things. Time is the passing guest of a hundred generations. When you live long enough, many things lose their meaning."

Zhongyuan sighed, "Especially at this final stage, if there's no one around to offer praise, it feels particularly lonely."

"Come and see how this match ended."

With a flick of Zhongyuan's sleeve, this small space seemed to crack open.

Boundless karmic fire surged toward Zhongyuan's palm, and the pressure weighing on people's hearts seemed to be absorbed by his move.

Ninety percent of the spiritual pressure from the Azure Emperor's Treasure Garden was relieved, and Su Che knew that Zhong Yuan had taken away the Hell Path left here by the old lion.

"Come here."

Zhongyuan pointed upwards, and Su Che felt the world around him move.

He was actually taken out of the Azure Emperor's Treasure Garden by Zhongyuan and appeared in a spur of the Xuan Mountain.

If it weren't for the jade dragon ring in his hand, he would have thought that what he had just experienced was nothing but a dream.

Above the vast sky, the yellow heavens are faintly visible, the majestic palaces have faded, and a Taoist priest stands high above the heavens.

Below is an ancient Buddha with a profound and condensed demonic aura.

Yu Lizi laughed loudly, "Azure Lion, do you still have any strength left?"

Su Che looked around and realized that the two sides had already clashed.

I don't know if my master is in a better position.

Zhongyuan said, "You did miss a good show, but it's alright, it's only just begun."

At that moment, a lion's roar was heard in my ear.

Where are the future stars?

This is the roar of the blue lion.

"One more thing."

Zhongyuan's tone was full of desolation.

Where is the Azure Emperor's Treasure Garden?

The old lion roared again.

Su Che felt a warmth in the jade dragon ring in his hand and quickly used the Pure Glazed Buddha Light to suppress the change.

Zhongyuan let out a long howl.

"Here it is."

Endless karmic fire burst forth from his sleeves, like a fire dragon soaring through the sky, flying towards Yu Lizi in the air.

I'm not feeling well today, my head is about to split open. I'll be up late tomorrow, sorry everyone.

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(End of this chapter)