A Tale of Encounters with Immortals: A Peach Blossom Temple in the Martial World

On the shore of the East China Sea, a towering tree stands tall.

The Dragon King of the East Sea trembled in his palace, while a group of ministers and shrimp soldiers and crab generals looked at the old Dragon King on his throne, completely at a loss. In this vast palace, his sons and daughters stood in two rows.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?"

Ao Guang felt that his dragon head was twice as big as two others.

A couple of days ago, a huge tree suddenly took root in the East China Sea. I originally thought that even if some big shot had planted it, I would just let him know and return it to him.

Who knew this tree would grow so enormous in a single day, becoming like a pillar supporting the sky? Its rapid growth caused many fish and shrimp to perish.

If it continues to grow like this without end, the entire East Sea will be taken over by these giant trees.

The tree trunk alone, which is hundreds of miles thick, should not be a species that should exist in this world.

"Let's report this to the Heavenly Court!"

Ao Guang's son, Ao Jia, said that was indeed a wise and mature statement.

This matter cannot be kept secret, because this big tree has probably already caused a huge scandal. The Heavenly Court already knows, but they just haven't had time to inform me yet. When it's time to take action, they will definitely have to control me.

Whether you're a scapegoat or a scapegoat, you can't escape the charge of withholding information.

"Let my son go to Heaven and report this!"

Ao Bing volunteered and stepped forward to speak.

Ao Guang shook his head: "This is a huge matter. I have to go to the Jade Emperor in person to discuss it. Also... while I'm away, keep a close eye on the tree's movements."

Everyone bowed and obeyed the command.

Ao Guang didn't have time to prepare anything. He hurriedly wrote a memorial and rushed to the Heavenly Court in a panic.

When he was on his way to the Heavenly Court, the Heavenly Court was already in chaos, not much better than the Dragon Palace.

On the Lingxiao Palace, the Jade Emperor stared blankly at his ministers and heavenly soldiers and generals facing the large tree inside the South Heavenly Gate beside the Lingxiao Palace.

The tree has already broken through the South Heavenly Gate.

The dilapidated Nantianmen Gate, bathed in the glow of the drifting clouds on the horizon, appeared exceptionally desolate.

"The Dao Ancestor has arrived!"

A waiter came and reported.

The Jade Emperor suddenly stood up and said, "Quickly, invite him in."

Before long, another attendant came and reported, "The Buddha of the Western Paradise has arrived."

The Jade Emperor was overjoyed, as if he had seen a savior, and he even descended from the Dragon Court to personally greet him.

Then they saw two figures approaching together from afar. When they arrived, they bowed to the Jade Emperor and said, "Greetings, Jade Emperor!"

The Jade Emperor quickly reached out and grasped their hands, saying, "It's good that you've come. Look at this huge tree, it's truly terrifying. We've tried everything, but we can't figure out where its roots are. There's nothing we can do. If it continues to grow like this, the Heavenly Court will collapse, and then... alas..."

I couldn't say anything more.

As Laozi was gazing intently at the large tree, preparing to perform some calculations, he was tugged at the sleeve by the Buddha of the Western Paradise.

Laozi turned his head and looked at Buddha with surprise, saying, "Why is Buddha stopping me?"

The Buddha shook his head and said, "I simply do not wish for the Dao Ancestor to suffer a backlash."

Laozi was taken aback, then carefully examined the tree. He noticed that the tree seemed to faintly exude chaotic energy, which greatly surprised him.

Indeed, if I had tried to calculate it myself, I probably would have vomited blood by now.

Spitting blood is one thing, but I'm afraid it will damage one's foundation.

He looked at Buddha with gratitude.

However, upon looking over, they saw that the Buddha seemed to be deep in thought, with a look of sudden realization. They immediately realized something and asked in a low voice, "Does the Buddha recognize this tree, or does he recognize the owner of this tree?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone in the Heavenly Court looked towards the Buddha.

Buddha took a breath and said, "It's a long story, but I do know this person. He's a close friend of mine, and we've known each other for a while."

The Dao Ancestor was shocked that such a person existed in the world and even had dealings with the Buddha.

"Then what does this person mean by this?"

The Jade Emperor quickly asked.

But before the Buddha could speak, Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, said, "I understand, I understand."

The Jade Emperor was displeased that someone had interrupted him. He glared at Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and said, "What do you understand, my dear minister? Why are you so happy? Can't you see the troubles the Heavenly Court is in right now?"

Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, quickly apologized, saying, "The day before, the Bull Demon King was chased by a sword, from the land to the water, from the water to the mountain, from the mountain to..."

This person... is clueless.

"Get to the point!" the Jade Emperor snapped.

Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, coughed and said, "That Bull Demon King tried to lure this sword to the Heavenly Court, hoping to use a dirty trick to shift the blame. But we saw through his scheme and surrounded him. Then the sword pierced his body. He wasn't dead yet, and we were going to ask Laozi for a pill to save his life, but unfortunately, Laozi was out..."

As he said this, Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, glanced at Laozi.

Laozi stroked his beard, remaining silent and brooding.

The Buddha found this amusing; it wasn't a coincidence that he had gone out, but clearly he had gone to avoid disaster.

The sword easily killed the Bull Demon King; one can only imagine how powerful its owner must be. Could this mean the owner of the large tree was also the owner of the sword?

The Jade Emperor thought there was some truth to it and turned to look at Laozi.

Laozi laughed and said, "The Jade Emperor might as well ask the Buddha; perhaps he knows something."

That old man!

The Buddha hadn't expected Laozi to pull him out of the picture so directly. He had no choice but to step forward and say with a smile, "Your Majesty need not worry. This tree may indeed belong to my dear friend. And it won't cause any trouble for the Heavenly Court."

Won't this cause trouble for the Heavenly Court?

Go and see, even the South Heavenly Gate has collapsed!

Jade Emperor: ...

He took a deep breath and asked, "Just who is he?"

Buddha sighed, thinking that Zhang Zhengdao was probably about to leave this world, and said, "This person is the embodiment of the Great Dao."

That's where the conversation ended abruptly.

Upon hearing this, not only the Jade Emperor, but also all the heavenly soldiers and generals, as well as Laozi, were stunned.

Apart from Laozi having some guesses, the rest of them really didn't expect that there was actually a Great Dao existing beneath the Heavenly Dao, and they were completely unaware of it.

That makes sense, since the Great Dao is hidden beneath the Heavenly Dao, it's normal that the Heavenly Dao can't discover it.

This world was also formed by Laozi's evolution of the Heavenly Dao, so it's normal that Laozi didn't know either; he only had some guesses.

Lao Jun cursed inwardly.

This monk is really good at pretending! He's befriended the embodiment of the Great Dao and even started calling him brother. Does he even deserve it? Such a good thing, all to himself.

"Um... Buddha, where is that manifestation of the Great Dao now? Why don't we go and pay him a visit together..."

The Buddha chuckled twice and said, "It's probably time to prepare for the journey to the vast world of the chaotic universe."

He wanted to add fuel to the fire.

"I had a conversation with him about Taoism in the Western Paradise a few days ago. The Taoist priest's words were something I had never heard before, and they were thought-provoking. He truly possesses great wisdom, and I gained a lot from them!"

Having said that, Laozi finally understood.

Having reached his level and that of Tathagata, the only way to further improve one's cultivation was through complete enlightenment.

But this Buddha said that after his conversation with the Taoist, he had a profound realization. This was very bad, even worse than when he had just boasted about his relationship with the embodiment of the Great Dao.

The Jade Emperor didn't care about any of that; he only cared about the tree.

This tree is still growing, and it will soon be able to crush the Lingxiao Palace.

If this tree were to actually crush the Lingxiao Palace, what face would we have left? It would be an absolute disgrace!

"Buddha, why don't you go and see the incarnation of the Great Dao, and ask... ask this tree to stop growing?"

When it comes to asking for favors, even the Jade Emperor has to lower himself.

The Buddha said, "This matter is not easy to handle. The Taoist priest said that these few days are the time for him to leave this world and enter the chaotic universe. You don't know what number this tree is, do you?"

Lao Tzu, after all, was a man of great knowledge and experience who had comprehended the Great Dao.

"The Chaos Tree?"

He was shocked when he said those words.

The Chaos Tree can connect to any world in the vast universe. With this tree, where in this vast universe can't one go?

The Jade Emperor had also heard of it, and when Laozi revealed the answer, he looked at the Buddha with bright and focused eyes.

The Buddha nodded, put his hands together, and silently recited a Buddhist chant.

The Tree of Chaos!

No wonder it was able to break through the South Heavenly Gate; it wouldn't be surprising if it broke through the entire Heavenly Court.

Just then, a heavenly soldier rushed over and said, "Your Majesty, the Dragon King of the East Sea, Ao Guang, requests an audience."

"Xuan!"

Not long after, Ao Guang stumbled in, holding his memorial high and crying out, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, please do me justice! If you don't help, my East Sea is doomed!"

They cried and screamed all the way to the Jade Emperor, only to find that the giant tree had already reached the vicinity of the Lingxiao Palace and was about to crush it.

They immediately shut up.

What are you still shouting for? The Heavenly Court is in such a state.

The Jade Emperor looked at him with a complicated expression, but still said, "Are you referring to this big tree?"

Ao Guang nodded mechanically.

The Jade Emperor said, "This is merely the manifestation of the Great Dao evolving the Chaos Tree. Do not panic. Once it completes its evolution, everything will pass. Is that right, Buddha?"