Danwu Refining Spirit

Chapter 82 The Secret of the Purple Cloud Cauldron

Seeing Xiao Chong's sly grin, Lü Dongbin couldn't help but laugh and scold, "Lazy boy, you're talking nonsense. You were a big shot just now, how come you've become a Dao Ancestor in the blink of an eye?"

"You must understand that the title of 'Taoist Ancestor' cannot be casually bestowed upon us, lest Laozi find out, and neither of us will escape repercussions."

“Then let’s go with the big shot. It suits the real person’s identity perfectly,” Xiao Chong readily agreed.

Lü Dongbin nodded and smiled, "Then it's up to you. But you're wrong about one thing. I've been here all along, I didn't just arrive, but you just barged in."

This is your territory, whatever you say goes, I'm not going to argue with you.

Xiao Chong muttered to himself, then asked, "But since the real person is willing to show himself to me, there must be something he wants to tell me."

Lü Dongbin laughed and said, "Actually, what you see now is not my true self, but an avatar I left behind back then. Due to the great age, its magical power has been completely lost. If you hadn't come soon, it would have dissipated."

"Well said, well said! Luckily I arrived in time, otherwise I would have been in grave danger if I had missed the true remains of the deceased." Hearing Lü Daka say this, Xiao Chong blurted out in his haste.

Lu Dongbin was shocked by Xiao Chong's lack of tact and his body swayed, causing even the golden light behind him to dim.

"My goodness! It seems the Purple Cloud Cauldron has been entrusted to the wrong person." After settling in, Lü Dongbin cursed and said with great distress.

"It was an unintentional mistake, an unintentional mistake. I was just in a moment of panic. It's nothing compared to my good points," Xiao Chong explained succinctly.

Lu Dongbin returned to his senses, shook his head, and said helplessly, "So be it, so be it. Every gain and loss is preordained. Since you obtained the Purple Cloud Cauldron, perhaps you are the destined one. But you must listen carefully to what I have to say next."

The drama is coming!

Xiao Chong thought to himself, his face solemn, and said respectfully, "Please speak, Master. As long as it is within my power, I will obey without question."

Lü Dongbin looked at Xiao Chong, shook his head again, and asked, "Why do you think I'm here?"

"Why?" Xiao Chong quickly asked.

Lü Dongbin sighed and said, "It's a long story. Do you know about the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism back then?"

"I really don't know," Xiao Chong shook his head blankly.

Lü Dongbin's tone was somewhat dejected as he continued, "Taoism originated in our land of China. According to historical records, it has existed for thousands of years, and in fact, it can be traced back to ancient times, perhaps even longer."

Later, when humanity was at its peak, a religion was introduced from the West, which you probably already know is Buddhism.

Buddhists are all eloquent and persuasive, adept at manipulating people's minds. They spread their teachings everywhere under the banner of equality for all beings, thus expanding rapidly and attracting many followers from my Taoist sect.

“There are countless gods and immortals in our land, as numerous as the stars in the Milky Way, so let’s beat them up!” Xiao Chong interjected.

“It’s not that easy,” Lü Dongbin smiled and continued, “Taoism will not give up easily after losing human offerings, so it will fight openly and covertly with Buddhism in every way.”

Unfortunately, we cultivators are accustomed to the way of tranquility and non-action, and we are used to being carefree in our daily lives. How could we be a match for those thieving bald men?

Furthermore, as an indigenous religion, Taoism inevitably gave rise to various factions, such as Quanzhen, Shenxiao, and Longhu, unlike Buddhism which is unified. Therefore, Taoism is often subject to external control in conflicts.

"And what happened after that?" Xiao Chong asked again.

Lü Dongbin continued, "About a thousand years ago, the conflict between the two factions finally reached its peak, and the two sides fought fiercely, but in the end, Taoism was defeated."

After this battle, the Buddhist and Taoist sects each remained in their own corners, with no further contact, but they did agree to a pact that neither side would interfere with the other's teachings and missionary work.

"This is a loss of sovereignty and national humiliation!" Xiao Chong clenched his fists, looking heartbroken, but his next question hit the nail on the head, "I just wonder what this has to do with the fact that the real person is staying here?"

"Indeed intelligent, able to pinpoint the key point immediately."

Lü Dongbin praised Xiao Chong and then said, "After that great battle, the path between immortals and mortals was shattered, so there are no traces of immortals or Buddhas in the world anymore. As time went on, people were blinded by various desires and lost their reverence for heaven and earth."

Without the offerings of incense from the mortal world, the lives of the celestial beings and Buddhas become somewhat austere, and their cultivation progress slows down. Normally, this wouldn't be a problem; their lifespans are endless, so they can simply cultivate at their own pace.

What's hateful is that those thieving bald men have a secret method that allows them to use the power of reincarnation to send their disciples to be reincarnated in the human world.

These Buddhist disciples, though lacking physical powers, possess an undimmed spirit, spreading Buddhist teachings far and wide, winning hearts and minds, and accumulating merit to feed those thieving monks in the Western Paradise, while simultaneously causing the gradual decline of my Taoist lineage in the world.

Xiao Chong asked curiously, "Then don't you have any ideas?"

"The power of reincarnation has always been controlled by Buddhism, and Taoism has never been able to interfere." Lü Dongbin shook his head slightly and smiled, "But Taoism also has some tricks up its sleeve. In order to prevent Buddhism from becoming the only dominant force in the world, the Purple Cloud Cauldron in your body is one of the backup plans we left behind back then."

Finally, the conversation turned to something that directly concerned him. Xiao Chong's heart tightened, and he asked, "I wonder what the master's backup plan is? I would like to hear the details."

Lü Dongbin laughed and said, "Young friend, there's no need to be nervous. You are also a descendant of my Shenzhou, and you are fortunate enough to have obtained my medicine cauldron. Would I, a humble Taoist, possibly harm you?"

Xiao Chong tried his best to make his expression appear sincere, saying repeatedly, "That's not what I meant. If you wanted to harm me, it would be as easy as crushing an ant. Why go through all this trouble? I just felt that I couldn't accept your kindness for nothing and had to repay you."

“Young friend, you are a straightforward person, so I will speak frankly,” Lü Dongbin said with a smile. “Actually, young friend, you don’t need to belittle yourself. Since you have obtained the Purple Cloud Cauldron, you must be a person with great fortune. I have only one request for you.”

At this point, Lü Dongbin glanced at Xiao Chong, but suddenly stopped talking.

“Please speak, sir, and I will answer without hesitation.”

Hearing the other party's extremely polite words, Xiao Chong urged them on while thinking to himself, "I agreed to your request so readily, surely you, as a great immortal, can't just leave without giving anything in return, can you?"

Sure enough, Lü Dongbin smiled and said, "This Purple Cloud Cauldron was left in the world by the decree of Dao Ancestor Li Laojun before the mortal-immortal passage was broken."

This cauldron is inherently incredibly useful, but the space you are in currently prevents you from using your magic, so many of its uses cannot be realized; you can only use it as a seed.

"What is a seed?" Hearing that even a big shot like Lao Lü couldn't use magic on the Tianyun Continent, Xiao Chong was greatly disappointed, but he couldn't resist his curiosity, so he quickly asked.

Lü Dongbin continued, "Within this Purple Cloud Cauldron lies a universe of its own, a separate world, but it is still in its nascent stage and can only be called a seed."

If you are truly blessed, once the seed matures, it will gradually evolve into another world. Furthermore, if you are powerful enough at that time, even if you wish to incorporate this continent into it, it will only be a matter of a single thought.

"I will soon teach you the method of nurturing the seed. I only hope that when that day truly comes, you will leave behind a lineage for my Daoist school in the new world, so that our incense will not be extinguished."

Xiao Chong was somewhat embarrassed by how simple Lu Daka's request was, and asked in surprise, "It's that simple?"

Lü Dongbin laughed and said, "It's that simple. I wonder if you, young friend, would agree?"

Is this the legendary act of helping others and doing good deeds anonymously? What else can anyone say? Promoting traditional Chinese culture and vigorously developing traditional culture is everyone's responsibility!

Xiao Chong quickly replied, "Rest assured, Master, if that day ever comes, I will never forget your kindness today."

"Good! Good! Good!" Lü Dongbin laughed loudly. After laughing, he raised his hand and sent out a golden light that entered Xiao Chong's body. He then said, "Today's conversation has consumed a lot of my magic power. I'm afraid this clone won't last much longer before it dissipates. Before I leave, do you have any questions for me, young friend?"

As the golden light entered his body, Xiao Chong felt as if his mind had suddenly gained many things he had never learned before. Just as he was about to comprehend them, he suddenly remembered several important matters.

He stopped and asked, "Young man, you have mastered a martial arts technique called 'Nine Transformations of the Stars,' but the general outline on the last page is written in immortal script. I wonder if it has any connection with the immortal realm?"

"Oh? Is that so?" Lü Dongbin was also curious and said to Xiao Chong, "Take it out and let me take a look."

Xiao Chong quickly transmitted the original text of the general outline of "Nine Transformations of the Stars" to him with his mind, his face full of anticipation.

After observing for a while, Lü Dongbin said, "I don't know what's going on either, but this is undoubtedly immortal script. Moreover, the cultivation methods recorded on it seem to be derived from the cultivation methods of the Ziwei Emperor. Could it be... that this is a backup plan left by the Ziwei Emperor in this space?"

Huh? This is the Tianyun Continent, which has absolutely nothing to do with the Divine Continent. Why would the dignified Ziwei Emperor pay attention to this place?

Xiao Chong asked in confusion, "From what you've said, does this Tianyun Continent have some connection with the Divine Continent?"

Lü Dongbin did not answer the question directly, but said meaningfully, "There are some things you shouldn't inquire about. With your current strength, knowing too much might backfire. When your cultivation reaches a certain level, the truth will naturally become clear."

Didn't you tell me to ask? Why are you not telling me now that I've asked?

Xiao Chong glanced at the big shot in front of him, but dared not say anything more. He could only change the subject and asked, "There is a guy in this Purple Cloud Cauldron who calls himself the cauldron spirit. He has never been very obedient. I wonder if you could think of a way for me, or give him some advice?"

"Oh, you mean that guy? That's easy. I'll teach you a divine restriction technique first, and then you can deal with him." Lü Dongbin laughed and another golden light entered Xiao Chong's body.

Just as Xiao Chong was about to savor the experience, he heard Lü Dongbin shout loudly, "You beast, come out and see me right now!"