Journey to the West: The Great Sage's Guide

Chapter 60 The Mountain God Doesn't Work for Free

Faced with Zhang Chengming being "besieged" by two women,

Master Jingyuan shook her head helplessly and murmured, "Amitabha."

The blue ox shook its enormous head, its two curved horns swaying slightly in the shadows cast by the locust tree branches, and spoke in a deep, muffled voice.

"You've all gone off-topic with your arguments. Let's get back to the kid's current problem! In my opinion, this isn't a life-or-death matter at all."

It flicked its tail, shooing away a few flying insects that were buzzing around its ears, and then said:

"As for my methods of cultivation, there are many."

"You should know that my teacher is the master of all laws. In the Three Realms, there is probably no one who can compare to him in terms of the breadth of knowledge of the Dao and the Dharma. But right now, this is where my troubles lie!"

"I know too much, but I don't know which path to choose to guide this kid. There are many paths to immortality, but which one is most suitable for his current state of liquid pill cultivation? I really need to think about it."

Ye Quanzhen was unaware of the origins of this green ox, so he raised an eyebrow.

She sneered, "Such arrogance!"

The blue ox didn't take it seriously.

Upon hearing this, Zhong Xuan did not find it difficult, and simply said, "It's alright, just try them all and you'll know."

So, in the days that followed...

Zhong Xuan settled down here, now renamed Cuiyun Temple.

Every morning, he would try out various methods of cultivation in the courtyard.

The Green Ox didn't care; he casually tossed out each method that could lead to immortality.

Zhong Xuan didn't consider himself a genius, but he learned surprisingly quickly.

Seeing his calm demeanor, the Rakshasa woman was unusually reassured, as if she had been infected by his composure.

Every morning, he would bring a pot of water to the old locust tree, then sit down to brew tea and read a Taoist scripture.

In my spare time, I would watch the young man practice breathing exercises. Sometimes I would get too close, and even if my sleeve brushed against the back of his hand, I would not move away.

She kept her eyes lowered, flipping through old Taoist scriptures she had found in the temple, occasionally reciting a few lines in a soft tone, as if she were talking to herself, or perhaps to him.

Zhong Xuan then systematically reviewed the cultivation methods described by everyone.

Meanwhile, at Master Jingyuan's place, Ye Quanzhen had invited many fellow Daoists to help his friend, and these people would occasionally come over and be invited to talk with Zhong Xuan.

In the first few days, they didn't think much of it, only occasionally having some inspiration.

But just a few days later, more and more people started to take the initiative to chat with him again.

The Rakshasa woman grew tired of them and simply shut herself in her room.

If she were only close to Zhong Xuan, she would be happy to stay in the courtyard without saying a word. But if there were other people around, she would feel uncomfortable and uneasy.

The more Zhong Xuan thought about it, the more he realized that there were indeed many different paths in this world.

If we're talking about orthodoxy, then the lineage passed down by the Three Pure Ones is naturally the most respected.

The Celestial Masters sect reveres the Three Pure Ones to cultivate the Dao, using alchemy, talismans, and accumulating merit and virtue.

Internal and external alchemy methods, methods of using alchemical vessels and cauldrons, methods of using talismans, and the ordination and cultivation practices...

We walk step by step, on a grand and majestic road.

Zhong Xuan made rapid progress in this area due to his accumulated knowledge from his previous life.

It happened so fast that Zhang Chengming gradually became speechless, realizing that any little schemes he had before were now completely useless.

This young man's talent and comprehension seem to be on par with that of his grandmaster uncle in Zuye Mountain—a truly monstrous talent...

However, Zhang Chengming dared not say for sure who was superior.

……

Zhong Xuan then picked up a Buddhist scripture, but after reading a few pages, he felt a headache coming on and found it boring.

Emptiness, emptiness, emptiness; all phenomena are empty.

By chance and circumstance, without attachment or self, even emptiness must be dissolved.

He actually understood it, but such concepts were too fundamental and abstract, and therefore lost their guiding value for him in sorting out cultivation methods.

The Buddhist category, however, has only emerged in recent years.

In the past ten days or so, Zhong Xuan has also sorted out some of the theories about the rise of Buddhism and Taoism.

First, it is important to understand that Buddhism and the Three Pure Ones lineage are not mutually exclusive, but rather belong to the same complete Heavenly Court bureaucracy.

In this world, the Heavenly Court, after bestowing the titles of gods, was clearly the ruler of the Three Realms.

The Jade Emperor is the ruler of the Three Realms, and below him is a power structure of "Three Pure Ones, Four Emperors, and Five Elders of the Five Directions".

When the Buddha later traveled to the West, he was merely one of the Five Elders of the Five Directions.

In the Heavenly Court, Taoism's influence covered the three continents of the East, North, and Central; while Buddhism in the Western Heaven occupied the West and part of the South, which could be said to be "two-fifths of the world," making it slightly inferior.

In Zhong Xuan's eyes, the Heavenly Court was more like a "United States," with Taoism as the dominant religion and Buddhism as a "member state" that had autonomy but was still nominally subject to it.

By combining the lineage of later generations and also by subtly using this opportunity to practice various cultivation methods, Zhong Xuan made a sorting out of the Journey to the West strategy of these top-level powers.

Although Buddhism had already gained a certain status, its influence remained limited in the Tang Dynasty, the core region of Jambudvipa. Therefore, the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures appeared from the outset to be a strategy initiated by Buddhism to expand its influence.

Later, during the Zhenguan era, or perhaps because the country was newly established and people longed for peace, the unified dynasty provided the best environment for the spread of ideas. Moreover, Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin, was a pragmatic man who was open to Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, which made this an excellent opportunity for Buddhism to spread eastward.

In Zhong Xuan's eyes, Guanyin Bodhisattva devised an ingenious scheme at that time. She first lured the Jinghe Dragon King into committing a crime and being executed, and then used this opportunity to invite Emperor Taizong of Tang to visit the underworld.

In the underworld, Emperor Taizong may have witnessed the wronged souls who died at his hands demanding their lives, which filled him with great fear and created an urgent need for Buddhist rituals like the Water and Land Ceremony, which could deliver the souls of the dead.

In Zhong Xuan's view, Taoism—or the Three Pure Ones lineage, a religion based on the Three Pure Ones' lineage—has never been a monolithic entity in the Heavenly Court.

Some people, whether willingly or unwillingly, are willing to convert to the "Buddhist" sect, or to gain both the titles and identities of both.

For example, some deities are not only celestial gods but also hold divine positions on Mount Ling, making them truly powerful.

"Deceptive talk! Demonic nature!"

This was Zhang Chengming's cursing after hearing only a few words from Zhong Xuan, which he dared not listen to any longer.

Zhong Xuan understood this even more.

Whether one cultivates the righteous path of the Three Pure Ones or uses unorthodox methods, as long as one achieves enlightenment and wishes to become an immortal, the Heavenly Court will provide them with a stipend.

The Heavenly Court is a large organization; the Three Pure Ones and Buddha are just one of its major departments.

However, it cannot be simplified to such an extent, because the lineage and methods of the Way are indeed related to the ultimate direction of transcendence...

On the seventh day, Zhong Xuan suddenly widened his eyes.

"What's wrong?" Ye Quanzhen came over occasionally for a cup of tea. He was just about to force his junior brother to have a sword sparring match when he suddenly noticed that his expression was strange.

Zhong Xuan blinked and sighed, "Perhaps... whether it's the patriarch's move, others' planning, or even those seemingly high above who should possess everything, they don't actually reject new paths, as long as... they can help them ultimately transcend?"

Ye Quanzhen frowned and said, "That sounds too far-fetched... Let's have a fight!"

Before she could finish speaking, she suddenly thrust her sword forward.

Zhong Xuan smiled and gracefully retreated, decisively engaging in a fight with this cheap senior sister.

The match ended in no time at all.

The Rakshasa woman, looking out from a nearby house window, let out a soft snort.

But Zhong Xuan watched Ye Quanzhen wipe her sweat and then started chatting with her again.

However, what Zhong Xuan was still concerned about was the method of cultivation.

He initially relied on the ancient Qi-refining methods passed down by his ancestor. Although primitive and crude, these methods were extremely universal, and thus he formally stepped into the path of cultivation.

Now they are eagerly seizing the cultivation methods of various schools and sects.

A wild ambition naturally arose in his heart.

His Tai Xuan Dao lineage also needs a method that can at least directly lead to immortality and then to the attainment of the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit.

In the week prior, he had gained a clear understanding of the basics of the mainstream orthodox path of the Three Pure Ones, as well as the general direction of the entire theoretical system.

Now, if we were to compare it with the Buddhist sect that Ye Quanzhen knew...

Buddhism teaches that one should understand one's true nature and not be attached to the physical body; a clear and lucid mind is the key to transcendence.

The path of sword cultivators is to use the body as a sword, to become one with the sword, and to cut down all things...

Besides these, there are other methods hidden within the Three Realms.

There are some paths that even Zhang Chengming, a self-proclaimed orthodox successor of the Celestial Masters, cannot definitively say will not lead to immortality.

They could only stubbornly insist that these things did not qualify as the Great Way.

For example, the Bodhi Patriarch who lived in seclusion on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain had disciples who were all exceptionally skilled, yet very few cultivators in the Three Realms had ever heard of his name.

For example, Zhenyuan Daxian, the ancestor of the earth immortals at Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, whose sleeves cover the universe and mountains and rivers, is said to live as long as heaven and earth, sun and moon, but he never competes with the heavenly court for glory, and only lives as a reclusive immortal in the human world.

These figures may not be well-known to most cultivators, but when it comes to true skill, each one is unparalleled in their respective realm.

Zhong Xuan laid out all the various methods in his mind, like a chessboard with pieces on a table, each with its own purpose, but he hadn't yet decided which piece to move first.

We need to integrate them; right now, it feels like something's still missing.

And so the days went by, one after another.

In the blink of an eye, seven days have passed.

Zhong Xuan almost completely digested the purple ganoderma fruit with three thousand spirits.

And before we knew it, today had arrived at the Heavenly Court's assessment of the mountain god's offerings.

……

The mountain god temple on Cuiyun Mountain was originally just an old shrine with few worshippers.

But now, a large open space has been cleared around the temple, about the size of a football field.

Ahead lies a dense forest, behind which are peach orchards and a stream.

Looking to the left and right, all you see are towering canyon cliffs.

However, outside the dense forest, several thatched huts had been built at some point, and groups of three or five people were gathered around the mountain god temple.

Before the morning mist dissipates, wisps of smoke rise from the thatched roof, mingling with the mountain air, creating a vibrant and lively atmosphere reminiscent of everyday life.

As for the stone walls and trees on the left and right, they have been occupied by the rabbit, fox and tiger tribes who moved here to be protected by the mountain god. Now they are living a very happy life and can listen to the mountain god preach every day... but they are gradually starting to do some hard labor.

Zhong Xuan spent less time sorting out the earth's veins himself, and gradually had the mountain god transform into a person to teach those who listened to his teachings and the demons, in exchange for sorting out the earth's veins and gradually bringing the entire Cuiyun Mountain back under his control.

It must be under his own control... and cannot be under the control of the Mountain God's Seal... otherwise, if something goes wrong...

If the Heavenly Court dismisses him and replaces him with someone else, wouldn't that be letting someone else benefit from his hard-earned achievements?

Therefore, the mountain god's incarnation decided not to rely on the power of the mountain god's seal, but to rely entirely on its own abilities and methods to gradually regain control of Cuiyun Mountain.

Therefore, for more than twenty days, he did not personally investigate too many of the earth's veins.

I have been learning and constantly using the power of the Mountain God Seal to understand how it organizes and reflects the earth's veins.

Then, in the heart lake, a small Emerald Cloud Mountain gradually began to emerge.

With my heart, I am sealed by God.

In the heart of the lake, a new Cuiyun Mountain was rebuilt.

As long as he sits cross-legged in the mountain god temple, his divine will spreads out, surveying the surroundings day and night, and then he gradually deepens and develops the Tai Xuan Zhao Qi Fa into a specialized supernatural power.

That is the special transmission of the Tai Xuan Illumination Qi Method, which is specifically designed to illuminate the water veins of mountains.

In this way, although he could no longer perceive every detail within a hundred feet as he usually did, even a tiny aphid on a leaf could not escape the perception of his mountain god avatar...

But after specializing and spreading this sensation to the entire small fairy mountain beneath his feet, his divine will focused only on the earth veins and water veins, capturing only the charm of this mountain and water. In just over twenty days, he actually built a lifelike little Cuiyun Mountain in his heart lake today.

But it was only a prototype.

Only the divine will of the mountains and water is present.

As for people, trees, spirits, and the like... none of them have been included yet.

-

Zhong Xuan had a sudden thought and turned his head, saying, "Little Rabbit, Little Fox, get ready to ring the bell. We're about to begin the sermon."

Now dressed in delicate, colorful girl clothes, the two female spirits innocently responded and hurriedly ran towards the small square in front of the mountain god's temple, next to the bronze bell hanging under the big tree on the right.

Zhong Xuan's avatar sat cross-legged on a smooth, large round stone.

With his eyes closed, he wandered in all directions, his consciousness traversing the mountains, rivers, and earth veins of the entire Cuiyun Mountain. He could clearly sense any tremors or changes in the earth veins.

For example, right now...

Walk down the mountain from the mountain god temple, about four or five miles away.

There was a winding dirt road leading up the mountain, with a simple tea stall set up beside it. There were three crooked wooden tables, a few benches, and a yellowish coarse cloth stretched over the top to provide shade.

Zhong Xuan recognized him naturally and had a deep impression of him.

When he and Wukong passed through this place in their human form, they encountered the woodcutter and the Bull Demon King. The stall is still run by that grandfather and grandson.

The old man had white hair and beard, and was hunched over. He slowly fanned the fire with a tattered palm-leaf fan.

The granddaughter was about fourteen or fifteen years old. She had two shiny black braids and wore a faded blue apron. She carried a large copper kettle and moved between the three tables to refill tea, her steps as light as a sparrow.

But today, the tea stall is bustling with activity like never before.

Although Zhong Xuan could not sense specific people or objects, he could discern them through various vibrations...

In the lake of my heart, just like rain falling from the sky, waves of large and small circles are rippling outwards. Some overlap, some cancel each other out, and some large circles contain smaller ones, with ripples spreading out in concentric circles.

And each of these circles represents the veins and patterns of sound.

As long as Zhong Xuan listened to them, it was as if the sound source would create ripples on the water if someone walked by the lake.

For the past twenty days, he has been practicing these skills, and this tea stall is one of the places where he often focuses his attention and practice.

Whether it was the sound of the table being moved—the vibrations that interacted with the ground—or any other noises, he gradually became able to distinguish them more clearly.

It's like someone who was severely nearsighted in a past life gradually regaining their vision through spiritual practice, seeing things more clearly day by day.