Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

Upon hearing this, Laozi shook his head and said indifferently, "No, fellow Daoist, are you stupid or am I stupid? This Huangzhong plum needs three Yuanhui to bloom, bear fruit and mature, while your Merit Golden Lotus has one every ten thousand years. How could I exchange it with you for that?"

As he spoke, he sneered inwardly, "Heh heh, if you want the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, this humble Taoist will definitely squeeze your merit lotus seeds out of you today, so that you won't even be willing to take them out normally."

The world calculates time by dividing a day into twelve two-hour periods, named according to the Earthly Branches: Zi, Chou, Yin, Mao, Chen, Si, Wu, Wei, Shen, You, Xu, Hai, etc., which is equivalent to twenty-four hours.

A month has thirty days. A year consists of twelve months. Thirty years constitute one generation. Twelve generations constitute one cycle. Thirty cycles constitute one period.

The cycle is also arranged according to the twelve Earthly Branches, thus there are twelve cycles. After one cycle ends, the next cycle begins, and the universe is renewed. This is called the beginning of a new cycle, and all things are renewed.

Upon hearing this, Zhunti cursed inwardly. The Yellow Plum would ripen once every three cycles, with thirty Yellow Plums ripening each time. His own Merit Golden Lotus Seeds, although one would ripen every ten thousand years, would only amount to thirty-six Merit Golden Lotus Seeds in three cycles.

In reality, although the Yellow Plum was more precious than the Golden Lotus Seed of Merit, it wasn't much more expensive. The Supreme Lord Laozi had calculated exactly what he needed.

"I wonder how many merit lotus seeds you would like to receive three Nine-Turn Golden Pills from me?"

As he spoke, Zhunti wanted to know the other party's bottom line.

Ten!

Lao Tzu said calmly.

"No."

Upon hearing this, Zhunti almost turned on his temper and left on the spot, but considering that he needed the other party's Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, he had no choice but to stop for the time being.

"Fellow Daoist, don't be in such a hurry. As the saying goes: 'Asking for the sky, bargaining on the ground.' Let's continue our discussion."

As he spoke, Lao Tzu smiled faintly.

"A maximum of six golden lotus seeds."

"Nine golden lotus seeds."

"No, seven."

Eight.

Seven.

Laozi said calmly, "Eight. If you are not willing to exchange, you may leave."

Having said that, he refused to continue.

"hateful!"

Seeing that the other party was determined to get him, but unable to think of a way out, Zhunti finally gritted his teeth and took out eight merit lotus seeds from his body and handed them over.

"Give."

"hehe!"

After Laozi received the Golden Lotus Seed of Merit, he saw that it was about the size of a glass ball, golden in color, and exuded a gentle aura.

Chapter 326 Purple-Gold Red Gourd

The wondrous uses of the Golden Lotus Seed of Merit are boundless. In the past, some disciples of the Chan Sect defected to Buddhism. Their Three Flowers were cut off by the Hunyuan Golden Cauldron. They were reborn using the Eight Treasures Lotus Pond of Buddhism, combined with the Golden Lotus Seed of Merit.

This substance is useless to Laozi, but it can be used by his disciples or as a medicinal ingredient, which would be quite good.

"Fellow Daoist is a trustworthy person. I will fetch you a few Nine-Turn Golden Pills right away."

After saying this, Laozi beckoned, and a purple-gold gourd flew out from it. Inside was the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir that he had refined over many years.

This purple-gold gourd also has a great origin. It is a primordial gourd vine that grew on Buzhou Mountain and produced seven primordial gourds, one each of red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple, which were obtained by Nuwa, the Three Pure Ones, Donghuang Taiyi, and Hongyun.

The crimson gourd was refined by Hongyun into the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd, while the orange gourd was refined by Nuwa into the Demon-Summoning Banner. The yellow gourd was refined by Donghuang Taiyi into the Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife, which was then given to his nephew Lu Ya.

As for the remaining three gourds, they were obtained by the Three Pure Ones. Lao Tzu's Purple Gold Red Gourd was only used to refine elixirs, but it also had considerable functions.

Even Sun Wukong, the Monkey King in Journey to the West, who was a master of the Great Luo Golden Immortal level, was in a sorry state.

As for Lu Ya's Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife, it was even more vicious. With just a soft cry of "My darling, please turn around," none below the level of a Heavenly Saint could escape this calamity.

While we can't kill the Quasi-Saints, we can at least injure them.

Lao Tzu possessed quite a few treasures. There were five items that could be compared to the Purple Gold Red Gourd alone: ​​the Seven Star Sword, the Banana Leaf Fan, the Golden Rope, the Jade Purification Bottle, and one of the Vajra Bracelets.

Not to mention, Lao Tzu also possessed the acquired treasures of merit: the Exquisite Pagoda of Heaven and Earth and the innate treasure of the Taiji Diagram, so he was not lacking in treasures.

This purple-gold gourd, when placed on Laozi's person, was used to hold elixirs. As for why the Golden Horn and Silver Horn Kings in Journey to the West were able to steal the purple-gold gourd, it was only with his permission.

As long as a disciple of the sect goes to intercept someone traveling west, they will receive merit after the matter is resolved. Therefore, people in the Three Realms all want to share in the merit.

Upon seeing the purple-gold-red gourd, Zhunti couldn't help but feel a hint of envy in his eyes. He was a master of sainthood, and the only treasure he could offer was the Seven Treasures Tree, a top-grade innate spiritual treasure.

This treasure was made from the essence of the Daoist Zhunti, the Western Gengjin Bodhi, and seven other treasures including gold, silver, and lapis lazuli. It was the Daoist Zhunti's instrument for attaining enlightenment and is known as the "Seven Treasures Wonderful Brush Tree," capable of brushing anything.

As for other innate spiritual treasures, Zhunti Daoist had none, and was as poor as a pauper. Unlike the Three Pure Ones and others, who had so many innate spiritual treasures, and even their disciples almost all possessed them.

Laozi took the purple-gold gourd and opened it. A rich medicinal fragrance wafted out. The fragrance was golden in color. If a mortal smelled it, he could live for a hundred years longer.

Although the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir is good, it is not actually very useful to a saint; it only saves time from absorbing spiritual energy for cultivation.

A single Nine-Turn Golden Pill, for a sage, would only save him a few decades of time from absorbing chaotic spiritual energy. However, their lifespan is infinite; unless the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World perishes, they will not die. Therefore, it is not of much use.

However, for others, it is wonderful, as one pill can make one a Great Luo Golden Immortal. But this Nine-Turn Golden Pill also has its drawbacks. If it makes one advance too quickly, it will be much more difficult to advance further in the future.

Fortunately, Daoist Zhunti knew that the Nine-Turn Golden Pill was only meant to help Jianglong quickly accumulate spiritual energy to refine his body while practicing the Nine-Turn Yuan Gong, not to help him break through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. Otherwise, one pill would have been enough.

Laozi said calmly, "Brother Dao, take good care of the pills. Don't let the medicinal properties dissipate, otherwise the effect won't be as good."

After saying that, he handed over three Nine-Turn Golden Pills.

Without anyone saying a word, Zhunti took the Nine-Turn Golden Pill and immediately used his magic to seal it, preventing the medicinal energy inside from dissipating.

Zhunti said calmly, "Alright, now that I have obtained the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, I shall take my leave!"

With that, he turned to leave.

"Fellow Daoist, please take care. I won't see you off. If you still want the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, you can come back and exchange it with me."

After saying this, Laozi watched the other party leave.

Upon hearing Laozi's words, Zhunti staggered twice, almost falling to the ground. "Change it again? I'd rather die than come back! You've already ripped me off for just three golden pills. Who knows how much worse it will be next time!"

After thinking about this matter, Zhunti quickly left. Not long after, he met with the Buddha again and heard him say calmly, "Junior brother, was your journey successful?"

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon Zhunti.

Upon hearing this, Zhunti replied, "We did obtain the Golden Elixir, but it cost eight Merit Lotus Seeds to exchange for it. Laozi had calculated that he had us cornered, so we had no choice but to exchange it!"

As he spoke, he felt a little resentful. That Golden Lotus Seed of Merit was definitely more precious than the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir, but it was inferior to the Yellow Plum.

"Junior brother, stop complaining. It's because our Western sect is poor that we are at the mercy of others. However, once our Buddhist sect prospers, we will no longer be taken advantage of."

As he spoke, Jieyin clasped his hands in response, saying that he was also heartbroken at the loss of eight golden lotus seeds.

It should be known that the Golden Lotus Seed of Merit is produced from the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit, but since the Battle of the Investiture of the Gods, the Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of the Guide Daoist was bitten down by the Mosquito Daoist, losing three grades and becoming a Nine-Grade Lotus Platform.

In the future, no more merit-golden lotus seeds can be born. That is to say, once one is used up, one is lost. Only by finding the three lotus platforms and integrating them again can merit-golden lotus seeds continue to be born.

Chapter 327 Eight Treasure Lotus Pond

"En!"

Zhunti nodded, eagerly hoping that Buddhism would flourish.

"Junior brother, although Jianglong is a good boy, is it a bit hasty to make him the master of the stone monkey? What is the test you mentioned?"

After returning to the temple, the guide thought about it carefully and found that while the dragon's abilities were good, it would be a bit of a stretch to let him teach the stone monkey.

"Don't worry, senior brother, I understand. If Jianglong can cultivate the Nine Revolutions Yuan Gong to the sixth level and enter the realm of the Great Luo Golden Immortal when the stone monkey is born, I will let him teach the stone monkey."

Zhunti paused for a moment and then said, "In addition, the three Nine-Turn Golden Pills that I obtained from Laozi should be able to help the Stone Monkey reach the Quasi-Saint realm before he becomes a disciple."

"Of course, if Jianglong fails the test, then I will have to let my avatar, the Bodhi Tree, personally teach the stone monkey."

Having said that, he already had a plan.

This Bodhi tree is the benevolent corpse of the Daoist Zhunti. He found this tree in the chaos. Although it is not an innate spiritual root, its power is boundless and not much weaker than that of an innate spiritual root. If he were to forcefully sever the corpse, its power would be even greater than that of the three corpses of a top-grade innate spiritual treasure.

"So good!"

After listening to Zhunti's suggestion, Jieyin thought it was quite good and nodded. In short, whether or not to teach the stone monkey depends on Jianglong's own fortune.

If Li Xiuyuan can reach the sixth level of the Nine Revolutions Yuan Gong within twenty or thirty years, then he will be qualified to become the Stone Monkey's master.

Unbeknownst to the two, Li Xiuyuan possessed the World Tree, which allowed him to obtain a cup of Chaos Spirit Liquid every few days. Although it couldn't compare to the medicinal power of the Nine-Turn Golden Pill, it could still accumulate over time.

Moreover, if Li Xiuyuan reaches the realm of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, he will be able to delve into the chaos. At that time, with the chaotic spiritual energy, the World Tree will be able to produce even more chaotic spiritual liquid.

In addition, the World Tree can recover more quickly.

"Ok!"

Zhunti nodded, and then asked, "Senior brother, I wonder how the transformation of our Buddhist Eight Treasures Lotus Pond is going?"

Having said that, he was filled with curiosity, because this matter had always been the responsibility of the guide.

"Junior brother, let's go and see for ourselves and we'll find out."

As they spoke, the scene shifted, and the projections of their thoughts appeared in the Spirit Mountain Realm of Xiniu Hezhou. They fell directly into it without anyone knowing.

.................................................. ..................

Ahead, a dazzling light flashed, and in the heart of Mount Ling, there was an enormous platform, made of some kind of immortal metal, which was thousands of feet in circumference and resembled a small lake.

The lake exudes an ancient and weathered atmosphere, with its pools shimmering with light and a light mist permeating the air, all filled with crystal-clear San Guang Divine Water.