Chapter 1 The Monk

"Master Yixing?"

Tang Xianzu wandered in his dream, slightly surprised to see the monk calling out to him.

"You and I are so far apart, how could we meet in this place? I was just at my desk...."

As he spoke, he slapped his forehead and said happily, "I see! It's a dream connection!"

"In the past, I dreamed of a woman and a man meeting as wandering souls, with willow branches as their matchmakers...."

"This must be the meeting of our souls in a dream!"

"I even wrote a book about this meeting of wandering souls, called *The Return of the Soul*...."

The Yixing Monk smiled. "The return of souls, the manifestation of dreams, these are not unusual. Mortals often call them strange and bizarre, but in fact, the three hun and seven po (three immortal souls and seven mortal spirits) all have their places of residence. Dream connections are commonplace for cultivators."

"As for the book you wrote, I am a monk who has left the secular world. How would I understand those matters of love between men and women?"

Tang Xianzu laughed heartily upon hearing this. The Yixing Monk pointed around him, introducing Tang Xianzu to the surroundings.

"This place is the Dharma Realm of Buddhism, the Pure Land of the Bodhisattva. You possess a deep Buddha-nature, so you have been summoned by the Bodhisattva to meet me in this dream. Your soul has entered the Dharma Realm of Buddhism, where you can listen to the heavenly sounds of the Bodhisattva."

"Wandering souls of men and women cannot be seen here. Only the true countenance of the Bodhisattva and the scenery of the celestial realm can be seen."

"Namo Avidyā-tamaḥ Bodhisattva."

The Yixing Monk chanted the Bodhisattva's name. Tang Xianzu also put his hands together, watching the golden light all around, the magnificent scenery manifesting like a mirage, only to be viewed from afar. Approaching it slightly would cause it to turn into clouds and mist and disappear. Seeing Tang Xianzu's endless curiosity, the Yixing Monk gently waved his hand to stabilize the other man's mind. The myriad golden lights vanished instantly, and what followed was the Mahavira Hall.

The Bodhisattva sat high above on a lotus platform in physical form, with many Buddhist disciples listening to the lecture on both sides. Waves of Sanskrit sounds lingered in this world, moistening hearts like a spring breeze and gentle rain, making people feel comfortable all over, forgetting where they came from, only wanting to remain in this realm forever, listening to the Buddhist Dharma.

Tang Xianzu's eyes were filled with excitement, and he quickly bowed respectfully from afar.

"It truly is a sacred Buddhist realm! Avidyā-tamaḥ Bodhisattva is above!"

The Yixing Monk was very satisfied with Tang Xianzu's reaction at this time. It was not in vain that he had preached to him in the past.

"You have an affinity with the Bodhisattva. Avidyā-tamaḥ Bodhisattva will now expound the scriptures for you. Remember not to let your mind wander...."

"When the scriptures are finished, your soul will naturally return...."

Tang Xianzu was very happy, but he also had concerns. As the Yixing Monk's thought-incarnation was about to leave the Buddhist Dharma Realm, he suddenly stopped the Yixing Monk and asked,

"I am deeply honored to be favored by the Bodhisattva! However, there are still many affairs in Suichang County that need to be handled. I also have a play that is still being revised, which has not been completed. There are many, many things....I am afraid I cannot stay here for long."

"I dare to ask, how long will the Bodhisattva's lecture take?"

Tang Xianzu seemed a little embarrassed, even very ashamed. He also knew that being favored by a Bodhisattva was something that many Buddhist disciples dreamed of, but he actually dared to haggle. If those devout Buddhist disciples knew about this, they would probably shake their heads at him, saying that he was too greedy for the mortal world and did not understand the benefits of the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss.

But he had not finished his work, and there were still many affairs of the county people waiting for him to decide. The autumn harvest season was approaching, which was a busy time, and he was really embarrassed to abandon everyone at this time and enter this Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss alone.

The Yixing Monk naturally thought the same way, frowning and gently scolding: "Tang Xianzu, Tang Yireng! To be able to have your soul travel to the Bodhisattva's Pure Land is something that millions of people seek but cannot obtain. How dare you even ask when the Bodhisattva's lecture will end?"

"This is disrespect to the Buddhist Dharma and disrespect to the Bodhisattva!"

Tang Xianzu quickly said: "It is not that I disrespect the Buddhist Dharma or the Bodhisattva! It is just that the affairs have not been completed, and there are always worries in my heart. I would never dare to seek personal salvation alone!"

"Moreover, the Buddhist scriptures also say that if you want to achieve a lotus platform, you must extinguish the seven emotions and six desires. Isn't the so-called entering the empty gate and letting go of everything like this? But I dare not let go for the time being. If I want to let go, I think I should first resign from my official position and settle everything properly before returning here to meet the Bodhisattva."

The Yixing Monk thought that this person was too stubborn. For the sake of some mundane worldly affairs, he actually wanted to sever this Buddhist connection that was so difficult to obtain. But on second thought, it was precisely because of this character that he possessed righteousness.

"What you said...is also true."

"If I can't let you completely let go, I'm afraid it will be difficult to achieve anything in the Buddhist Dharma."

"Well, I will explain to the Bodhisattva. You can consider it in your heart. The Bodhisattva is currently expounding the first section of the scriptures. It will be about the time you hear the third section...."

The Yixing Monk thought that the third section would be about the time when your soul would be sacrificed and return to nothingness.

At that time, the Ascension Conference should have progressed to the climax, and the Prince of Lu should also have achieved his immortal body and completed his transformation into an immortal.

Tang Xianzu quickly bowed down, overjoyed: "Thank you, Master."

"There is no need to thank me. Remember to listen to the Buddhist Dharma carefully and do not have any other thoughts. Otherwise, if your soul is lost outside the Dharma Realm, it will be terrible...."

.........

Beneath the starry river, in the dark night sky, there was a rolling of colorful light, like dragon waves and wind sweeping, precisely where cultivators gathered, and among them were many famous figures from all sides, offering treasures of ascension to the Prince of Lu!

"Yongshui Daoist from Jinmen Mountain offers a portion of stalactite treasures to the Prince of Lu! Consuming it can prolong life and eliminate diseases and curses!"

A golden-robed, long-bearded cultivator floated over, holding a portion of azure-light treasure in his hand. With a wave of his hand, the treasure fell into the royal boat.

"Linxia Daoist from Zige Cave offers a portion of Five-Five Divine Water to the Prince of Lu! Eating it can increase the Water element and nourish the immortal bones!"

"The Abbot of Qiyang Temple from Baiguang Monastery offers a Heavenly Walking Brocade Robe to the Prince of Lu! Wearing it can control the Six Qi and traverse the Zhou Tian (the circumference of the heavens)!"

"The Palace Master of Qingxian Palace offers a volume of Spiritual Text Chapters to the Prince of Lu! Burning it with fire can drive the heavenly gods, summoning them for your own use for a quarter of an hour!"

"The Hall Master of the Ghost King Hall of Mount Santai, Zhao Yin Daoist, offers a box of Jade Law Blue Ash to the Prince of Lu! Burning it with fire can guide incense and collect the merits of sacrifices!"

"The Drinking Incense Fairy from Yunxiao Temple offers a giant horn of a horned dragon to the Prince of Lu! Blowing its sound can drive Flood Dragons and the like, and shake the waters of rivers."

The sounds of cultivators offering treasures were endless, like waves crashing against the clouds, shaking the starry sky! The main event was coming soon, and the gifts from Laoshan and Quanzhen had also arrived.

"Bai Wuzi of the Laoshan Sect offers a Zhotuo Tortoise Treasure Mirror, a divine treasure! This mirror is clear and bright, and can illuminate things that are vague and unpredictable, and investigate the dangers and disasters of the heavenly secrets!"

Gu Yu</span>"Jiang Quzi of Chongyang Palace offers the Medicine Gold of the King of Huainan, a divine treasure, half a tael in the world! This Medicine Gold is psychic and divine, and can increase the chance of success in ascension to the Pure Yang realm, increasing it by 20%!"

Two heavyweight figures appeared, riding on colorful and brilliant light, offering treasures that shocked everyone even more, causing other cultivators to talk to each other. With these two treasures, whether or not ascension could succeed almost no longer needed to be gambled on!

First check the heavenly secrets, then take the Medicine Gold, and after ascending, if you are not a celestial being, then you are a medicinal immortal, with the supernatural power to cure diseases and bring back the dead!

The Prince of Lu's eyes lit up, and he immediately appeared, thanking the two people:

"Fellow Daoist Baiwu, Fellow Daoist Jiangqu, thank you both for providing charcoal in the snow!"

The two bowed in unison. Bai Wuzi modestly said, "What is the Prince saying! Finding treasures for the Prince is our duty!"

Jiang Quzi said: "Today, the Prince proves the Dao and ascends, becoming the master of our divine beings in the human world. Although the two of us are ranked in Refining the Divine, we are still half a step away from Pure Yang. Using these things is too extravagant, so it is right to offer them to the Prince to accomplish something useful!"

"Hahaha! Good, good, good, thank you both, Fellow Daoists. If I become an immortal today, I will promise you that even if there is no chance to become an immortal in this life, you can still obtain the fortune of Pure Yang!"

The two great cultivators returned the salute and said in unison, "Then thank you, Prince!"

The Prince of Lu then gave Jiang Quzi some advice: "After I become an immortal, you should leave Chongyang Palace, come to my South, and open up the Second Chongyang. It just so happens that there are no outstanding talents in the Southern Quanzhen, and its power is weak. You should open up branches and leaves and become the master of another sect."

"What the Prince said is exactly what I want. The Chongyang Palace is still decaying. It is difficult for just one Pure Yang realm to be on par with the Zhengyi. It is truly a pity for me. The Palace Master's thinking is also pedantic, guarding the immortal monument in the palace to cultivate, not learning from Buddhism to spread good karma, saying that doing so would ruin the rules of Taoism, and those who lose their karma, even if they are recruited into the palace, will find it difficult to cultivate into great vessels. This kind of talk is really extremely stupid."

"Only by recruiting many disciples can we glorify Chongyang and revitalize Quanzhen. Today, Zhengyi is the most respected in the world of Taoism. Where can my Quanzhen speak! This is truly the tragedy of the times. In the days of the Five Yang Emperors, the prosperity of Quanzhen can no longer be reproduced!"

The Prince of Lu then looked at the other Bai Wuzi: "Fellow Daoist Baiwu, do you have any thoughts of establishing a sect in the South?"

Bai Wuzi smiled: "I also have this intention, but I can't spare the time now. The Prince's ascension to immortality is a great thing, but just a few days ago, before I came here, the Laoshan Sect received an edict from the imperial court, requesting them to go to Korea to kill the Japanese pirates."

"I was thinking that going to Korea to preach for the Prince, so that the elite forces in Liaodong would all defect, should be a good thing."

The Prince of Lu's eyes lit up: "Good! Among the Ming elites in Korea, there are not only the soldiers of Liaodong, but also many naval forces from Jiangsu, Zhejiang and other coastal areas. Among them, there are many elite soldiers and strong generals trained by Qi Jiguang back then. If we can bring these people under our control, then the hearts of the people in the world will soon be attached."

"At that time, the sun and the moon will shine together, and my imperial brother can only guard the land of Huaibei, living in a bitterly cold place. The elite of the world is in my hands, and he only has remnants of old soldiers, which are useless."

The two cultivators smiled at each other. The Prince of Lu also praised them a lot, and after talking for a while, he greeted the famous figures of other sects who came to congratulate him one by one.

The cultivators descended, and there were too many of them to board the boat. After all, although the royal boat was large, it was limited in size. After all, the Qinhuai River was not the Yangtze River or the Yellow River, and there was not such a wide water area, so naturally there could not be a giant ship with a deck that could run horses on.

The Prince of Lu then held the Treasure Mirror in his hand, a gesture that seemed intentional and unintentional, and then introduced two other people to the many cultivators.

"Mr. Yao, a close friend of this Prince, everyone should know him, so I won't introduce him too much."

"These two...."

The Prince of Lu asked people to invite the two of them, so Ji Xiang and the Yixing Monk walked out together.

"This is Master Yixing from the Great Repay Temple of Yingtian, who once discussed Buddhist principles with Zen Master Zibo."

As soon as the words were spoken, Jiang Quzi was shocked: "Zen Master Zibo, one of the Four Venerables?"

He looked at the Yixing Monk again and found that the aura on this person was not weaker than that of the Four Venerables in the past. Among the Pure Yang realms, he was considered to be nearing the end. Although he had not yet reached the threshold of ascension, he could take it a step further with just an accidental opportunity.

Jiang Quzi marveled: "Next to the Prince, in the land of Yingtian, there is such a great master hidden!"

"In the world of Buddhism, there are only four venerables at the peak of Pure Yang. I didn't expect that now, we have to call it the Five Venerables!"

The Prince of Lu then pointed to Ji Xiang, intentionally turning the Treasure Mirror in his hand, facing Ji Xiang's profile.

"This is the second Real Person in the world, personally sealed by my imperial brother, the Wanli Emperor!"

"The Zhengyi Arctic Renwei Real Person!"

As soon as these words came out, the cultivators were shocked. Bai Wuzi's eyes flickered: "I have heard some news recently! There was a great chaos in the Forbidden City not long ago, which was calmed down by a Flying Ascension realm expert, and the name of the second in the world spread from there."

"But you seem to be just a Earth Immortal?"

Bai Wuzi was only in the Refining the Divine realm and had not reached the Pure Yang realm. Although Ji Xiang's aura was extraordinary, he could feel a little, but after all, he did not have the insight of the Pure Yang realm, so he was somewhat doubtful.

The Prince of Lu smiled: "Reincarnated and rebuilt in the Flying Ascension realm, Earth Immortal is just the strength of the flesh. If anyone wants to compete with the Arctic Real Person, after I ascend to immortality, they can all witness it under my gaze."

"I wonder what the Real Person's intentions are?"

Ji Xiang said indifferently: "I dare not say that I can suppress the cultivators in the world, but those present, except for Master Yixing beside me, are welcome to come!"

Bai Wuzi burst out laughing: "What big words, congratulations! You do have a bit of the arrogance of an immortal, but descending from the Flying Ascension, I wonder which sect you belong to?"

Ji Xiang: "I was a corpse dissolver. I slept in the Han Dynasty. Where did any sects come from at that time? You juniors must ask about the master's sect when discussing others. Are you afraid of encountering someone you can't afford to offend?"

Bai Wuzi laughed awkwardly three times: "Then after the Ascension Conference, please give me some pointers, Immortal."

Ji Xiang nodded: "Easy to say, easy to say, but I haven't moved for a thousand years, and now I don't have a high degree of control over this body, so sometimes I strike hard. You have to bear with it a little."

Jiang Quzi smiled and smoothed things over: "Why must we compete for the high and low? You are all friends of the Prince. Wouldn't it be a joke for the Emperor if we kill each other? What will we say about fighting against Real Person Zhang, what will we use to make the sun and moon shine together?"

Seeing that this drama was about to begin, the cultivators were all watching the excitement, not minding the big deal. The competition between Refining the Divine and Immortals...well, although it was a crippled Immortal, it was still an Immortal, and its strength must be extraordinary. After the Ascension Conference ends, this matter will definitely be good to watch.

And the Prince of Lu turned the Treasure Mirror back.

Just now, he had obtained the secret technique for using the mirror's ability from Bai Wuzi. But under this illumination, the heavenly secrets showed that Ji Xiang had no threat at this time, and even his threat level was very low.

The Prince of Lu couldn't help but ponder in his heart.

Could it be that the Arctic Real Person is really sincerely relying on him?