Chapter 146 Kunlun Yaochi

The young monk put his hands together, his expression gentle and serene, and said,

"Thank you, benefactor, for your help."

Wei Yuan didn't know why, but he felt that this young monk looked somewhat familiar, but he couldn't quite place it when he tried to think about it. He shook his head and said,

"You're welcome."

"It was just a small effort, and besides, I didn't even save anyone."

"Is Master a monk from Tiantai Mountain?"

Because of Yuanjue's existence, Wei Yuan maintained a neutral attitude towards Buddhism. As long as they didn't provoke him, he wouldn't bother looking for trouble. Of course, if they insisted on courting disaster, they couldn't blame him for slapping them with his mighty hand. The young monk courteously replied,

"This humble monk's Dharma name is Daoguang."

"Strictly speaking, I can't be considered a disciple of Tiantai Mountain. I am just staying here temporarily for practice."

"In my youth, I became a monk and practiced at the Miaozhi Hermitage in Jiangnan."

Wei Yuan nodded and said, "Master Daoguang."

The young monk stared at Wei Yuan for a while, as if realizing something, but when he tried to grasp it, that spark of insight immediately faded away, as if it were just his imagination. Apart from his cultivation being extraordinary for his age, there seemed to be nothing special about the person before him.

In the end, it just seemed like they had some affinity.

The monk, calling himself Daoguang, followed his heart and said with a smile:

"I still don't know the name of this benefactor."

Wei Yuan originally intended to answer, but thinking of Zhu Jiuyin's reminder, he decided to be cautious today and simply said, "My surname is Wei. I own a museum."

He pointed to Feng Siyu, who had pulled out a handful of pine nuts from who-knows-where.

"This is a child from my relative's family, named Feng Siyu. She heard that there would be a competition between Daoism and Buddhism here, so she came to see the excitement."

Feng Siyu heard herself mentioned.

Seeing the young monk looking over, she directly extended her hand and offered him a handful of pine nuts, saying,

"Want some?"

Her eyes were bright as she enthusiastically recommended them, "It's best to have some melon seeds or something when watching a show, want some? Um... you're a Buddhist disciple, are your elders about to argue with someone..."

Feng Siyu only belatedly realized that the young monk before her was from the Tiantai Sect.

It was like enthusiastically inviting someone to eat melons, only to realize that the melons grew directly in the other person's melon field.

It was a little awkward.

Daoguang immediately smiled and said, "Then this humble monk will accept it without ceremony."

"Thank you, little benefactor."

He grabbed a handful of pine nuts and nodded politely.

Feng Siyu breathed a sigh of relief, patted the monk on the shoulder, and said, "They're very tasty."

At this time, Wei Yuan's physical body, which he had left at the foot of the mountain before ascending, also lifted the invisibility spell. Dressed in a Daoist robe, with a mask on his face, his originally gray hair was restored to pure black with Daoist techniques. He walked up the mountain, and the surrounding people noticed him. They quickly recognized that this was the leader of the Taiping Dao who had declared that he would debate with Buddhism at Mount Longhu.

There was a commotion.

Many people directly aimed their live streaming equipment at Wei Yuan, who was wearing a Daoist robe.

However, no matter how good or advanced the equipment was, it could only capture his back or side profile. His true face always seemed to be shrouded in a layer of mist, impossible to see through. Wei Yuan divided his attention, dealing with the young monk on one hand and controlling his physical body to walk up the mountain on the other.

It wasn't until the commotion arose that he belatedly turned his head along with the crowd's line of sight and saw the leader of the Taiping Dao walking up the stone steps. The latter was dressed in a Daoist robe, his steps steady. At this moment, the always-smiling young monk's eyes narrowed slightly, a complex emotion in his depths.

He quickly suppressed this wisp of emotion, a mixture of murderous intent, apology, regret, and hatred.

He had already cultivated to the Buddhist supernatural power of *loujintong* (the ending of outflows).

His mind was without leakage or hindrance.

He was already able to cut off all vexations.

Wei Yuan keenly noticed the complex emotion targeting 'himself' from behind. He turned his head and saw the young monk. Without saying much, he simply patted Feng Siyu, who was eating melon seeds and pine nuts beside him, and walked higher up with the crowd.

There were already people there.

Only the sound of commotion could be heard.

"It seems that this Taiping Dao leader is going to have some trouble getting through."

"It can't really be considered trouble, though."

Someone in front muttered in a low voice:

"It's just going to be a bit difficult. This is a bit of a provocation... um, a *xiamawei* (a show of strength to intimidate someone on their arrival)?"

"Although it's actually aimed at other people, it does have a bit of a *xiamawei* feel to it."

Wei Yuan and the others squeezed forward and discovered that the front of the mountain had actually become a cliff. The mountain where the real Tiantai Temple was located was now directly thousands of *zhang* away, with a large chasm in between, making one feel fear in their heart. An old monk was sitting cross-legged here, with the cliff in front of him. There wasn't even a bridge to cross.

From the surrounding people's conversations, one could guess that.

Just now, some cultivators had used their own means, either flying across the air with ropes or choosing to climb up from the opposite solitary peak and precipice. The old monk put his hands together and said to the Taiping Dao leader in a cordial tone, "Daoist Yuan, the eminent monks of my Buddhist sect are ahead. Please come forward to discuss the Dao."

Someone couldn't help but say, "But what about us?"

Yes, these people were carrying equipment. Were they just going to abandon it here?

The old monk put his hands together and simply said, "Ahead lies the bitter sea."

He looked at the Taiping Dao leader again and said sincerely,

"Daoist Yuan, the elders in the temple have said that since this Dharma assembly is for the sake of all beings, then we should not judge superiority based on the strength of our supernatural powers, but purely discuss the Dharma. What does the Daoist sect think?"

Wei Yuan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.

You were the ones who insisted on creating the golden Buddha to preach the Dharma and forcing Mount Longhu to answer from a thousand *li* away.

Now you're saying that everyone should be harmonious, only discuss the Dharma, and not compare supernatural powers and ostentation.

So, you're taking all the good things for yourself?

At this time, there were also some arguments online. Many people agreed with this statement. After all, this monk looked quite amiable and seemed reasonable. Besides, since they had said before that it was a Dharma assembly, then this kind of request was also normal.

Some people analyzed that the endless bitter sea meant to turn back to the shore.

Or was it to cross over with one's own body?

If it meant turning back to the shore, it was to advise you to leave. But crossing over with one's own body meant that the cliff in front of them only looked scary, but could actually be safely traversed.

Daoguang stared at the Daoist with the mask on his face.

For some reason, perhaps because of the mask, he couldn't see through whether that was the Yuan of the past. A ripple arose in his heart. He said to the two newly acquainted people beside him, "Museum Curator Wei, Miss Feng, this humble monk has some matters to attend to, so I'll take my leave first."

Wei Yuan nodded, and Feng Siyu waved her hand and said, "Give it a try."

She smiled and said, "They're really delicious."

The young monk smiled and nodded.

He turned and left, quickly merging into the crowd. When he returned to the main peak, the white monk's robe on his body turned black, making him appear more stern. Yao Guangxiao, Dharma name Daoyan, was proficient in the three teachings of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism. According to the records of the Book of Luo, he should have been the greatest assistant and strategist in the Jingnan Campaign of the Prince of Yan, Zhu Di.

A lifetime of unparalleled glory, the unparalleled choice of a monk who supported the dragon.

Unfortunately, because of Yuan, his ambition was stillborn.

The Tiantai Sect's response this time was actually proposed by him. The other side had Guan Yunchang. If they didn't impose any restrictions, the momentum of Buddhism would definitely be suppressed.

He himself was unwilling to take action this time.

So he could only rely on those younger disciples of the Tiantai Sect and Buddhism.

If they could seize the initiative, there would still be something to see. Whether they agreed or not, they would be subject to certain restrictions, and using skill to respond to each move would also weaken their momentum.

Yuan, what will you do...

Will you break through with wisdom?

Daoguang, or rather, Daoyan, sat cross-legged on a futon and casually placed the pine nuts beside him, picking up one.

Suddenly, he sensed the clouds shaking and his pupils constricted slightly.

This is...

………………

Meanwhile, the old monk lowered his eyebrows and put his hands together, saying:

"Please, Daoist Yuan, go to the main hall to attend the meeting."

"As for the rest of the benefactors, this humble monk will lead them along another small path. However, the temple is a place of tranquility and not very big. Perhaps only ten benefactors can go."

Everyone was full of regret.

Especially many who had come all the way, intending to see it in person.

However, the reason given by the monk was very straightforward: the place wasn't big enough.

They had nothing to say.

Those who felt that there was no hope for them turned around and planned to go down the mountain.

Wei Yuan's main body grabbed a melon seed and threw it into his mouth, his eyes narrowed slightly, leaving only a wisp of divine thought, his true spirit fully controlling the ancient body.

The Taiping Dao leader's eyes brightened slightly, his expression shrouded under the mask, not clear. In fact, just now, when the old monk said to go to the main hall for the meeting, it was already implicitly suppressing the status of the Daoist sect, as if the Daoist sect was just an invited guest, falling into a passive position.

Wei Yuan controlled his ancient body and said:

"There's no need."

The old monk was surprised.

The Daoist leader raised his hand, as if smiling, and said:

"Since the place is not big enough, we'll just change to another place."

"Why make it so troublesome?"

"What..."

The old monk was about to speak when his heart suddenly jumped. He saw the Daoist in the Daoist robe shake his sleeves, and then the clouds and mist between the cliffs suddenly solidified.

Accompanied by a low roar.

The clouds and mist suddenly scattered in all directions, rolling away.

In the clouds and mist, there was suddenly the sound of vast water flowing, the waves like thunder.

Making people unable to stand still.

The old monk's pupils suddenly contracted.

That was, a dragon's roar?!

The Daoist stood before the cliff, his wide sleeves blown backwards, the clouds and mist scattering around him, flowing past his temples and hair, his eyes calm and indifferent.

And in front of him.

Ancient pavilions rose from the ground, and were lifted into the air by clouds, mist and spiritual energy. The rich spiritual energy of the Emperor's Pool in the Mountain Sea Realm, once in contact with the environment of the modern human world, immediately caused a violent flow of vital energy, and the spectacle of light, like rosy clouds, shimmered for three thousand *li*.

The people who had gathered because of the Daoist-Buddhist Dharma Assembly almost subconsciously raised their heads. Seeing this spectacle, someone murmured, "This is a true immortal!" At this moment, they no longer had any doubt about the supernatural world. And the Daoist disciples in the Special Operations Team, looking at this scene, had only one thought left in their minds.

"*Sleeve Universe* (袖里乾坤)..."

"What's written in the books is true..."

The Emperor's Pool at this moment was Wei Yuan's *hutian* (gourd heaven - a Daoist term for a portable realm).

The water flow of the ancient Emperor's Pool directly rose against the trend, the water flowing through the void, turning into vast and magnificent bridges, connecting this place with those pavilions and towers. The sound of the water was like thunder, but it never fell, like a long dragon. Naturally, it was extremely free and unrestrained to be drunk and unaware that the sky was in the water, a boat full of clear dreams pressing down on the Milky Way, and it was also free enough to turn water into a bridge and reflect the rosy clouds. And this scene, falling into the eyes of everyone, was even more silent.

Everyone who saw this scene in various ways briefly lost their ability to speak.

The old monk was close, watching with his own eyes the mountains and lakes gushing out from the sleeves, quickly becoming huge, the spiritual energy like waves, only feeling his mind shaking, and a Buddhist heart almost shattered by the shock. He gritted his teeth and used the Buddhist lion's roar to question, awakening the shocked crowd, and said:

"This, what is this place?!"

The Taiping Dao leader tilted his body, amused, and said:

"Since you were born in Shenzhou."

"Have you not heard of Kunlun Yaochi?"

"What..."

The Daoist disciple beside him exclaimed: "Kunlun?!"

The clouds surged, and suddenly there was a dragon's roar. Behind the Taiping Dao leader, a body of scales vaguely appeared in the clouds and mist, and a huge beast loomed. Accompanied by the suddenly impassioned sound of the dragon's roar, the Daoist turned to look at the monk, his sleeves surging, and the sea of clouds behind him suddenly surged and scattered, a ferocious dragon's head breaking through the sea of clouds.

The scarlet vertical pupils coldly glanced at the crowd below the mountain.

The clouds and mist suddenly spread and surged around, and everyone subconsciously either took a half step back, or closed their eyes. When they opened their eyes, the Daoist was no longer there, only the voice was still there, echoing endlessly.

"This humble Daoist is in Yaochi, waiting for everyone from the Tiantai Sect."

"Do not be late."

The Daoist sat on the dragon beast and had entered the sea of clouds.

ps: Today's second update... 3,600 words, still late...