Chapter 576: My Name is Zha
"What a magnificent world!"
Wang Muran, Linxuan Daozhu, and the others looked around, marveling at the grandeur of Taihuangtian. Massive altars emitted black light that connected to the sky, and two suns hung in the heavens. They were utterly unaware that those beams of black light were omens caused by the descent of demon ancestors from Youdu.
"I heard the original sun here was too ugly to behold, so I dared not come."
Linxuan Daozhu chuckled. "Now that the National Teacher has recreated the sun, I finally feel bold enough to set foot here."
They arrived outside the city of Li. Soldiers came to inspect them, and upon learning they were cultivators from Yankang, quickly said, "There have been many demons lurking about lately, so we must be vigilant. Our apologies."
Wang Muran looked around and saw troops drilling outside the city. War banners waved in the air as cultivators charged and retreated within massive battle formations. Each possessed formidable cultivation and combat prowess, making him eager to join in.
"Murran, calm yourself."
Qingyou Shanren said, "Taihuangtian's heritage is complete, a cut above Yankang's. Though you've learned some techniques from Fengdu, you're still slightly inferior to the cultivators here. If you wish to spar, you should seek someone a realm below yours."
Wang Muran was unconvinced and shook his head. "Uncle Master, in Yankang, aside from Cult Leader Qin, I lose to no one at the same realm!"
Linxuan Daozhu raised an eyebrow and coughed.
Wang Muran turned to him and said unhurriedly, "Daozhu Lin has an objection?"
Linxuan Daozhu smiled faintly. "Without a fight, how do you know you lose to no one?"
Wang Muran's eyes shimmered with light. "True enough. Though we're both leaders in the Heavenly Alliance, we've never crossed blows. After all, you're the Daozhu of the Dao Sect, too high in status, while I'm merely an apprentice from Little Jade Capital. But your high status means you rarely get to fight. I doubt you can still throw a punch."
Linxuan Daozhu said leisurely, "You've fought many, but all weaker than you. Sometimes, one battle with a strong opponent is worth a hundred with mediocrities. What do you think, Brother Muran?"
Their tempers flared, and they were about to strike when a thunderous roar erupted. Everyone turned to see two female generals clashing in the battle formation—Princess Ling Yuxiu of Yankang and Saintess Si Yunxiang of the Heavenly Saint Sect.
The two women belonged to different sides in the drill. The moment they met, they launched into a fierce fight. Ling Yuxiu stomped heavily, sending dirt flying, and lightning filled the sky, forming a massive vortex with azure lightning dragons dancing within.
Boom!
The two collided, lightning and thunder raging. Ling Yuxiu swung her hammer, and countless lightning dragons descended from the sky. The power of her techniques was so terrifying that Wang Muran and Linxuan Daozhu's eyelids twitched.
Ling Yuxiu followed a path merging combat skills and Dao techniques, hiding her Dao within her strikes. She tempered her body with lightning and possessed immense mana, each blow unleashing terrifying power.
Her opponent, Si Yunxiang, hid her techniques within her swordplay. Inheriting the Heavenly Saint Sect's eerie and unpredictable style, she was weaker in cultivation than Ling Yuxiu but combined various techniques with formidable effect.
"The Cult Leader is so biased, teaching you the Ancestral Dragon Supreme Profound Art! Xiu girl, even if you kill me, I'm still the rightful Cult Leader's wife!"
"Xiang girl, you're the Cult Leader's wife? I'm the one who married him in a formal ceremony! Even if we line up, you'd only be second! The cowherd and I grew up together and exchanged tokens of love long ago—this big hammer was his gift to me!"
"Pah! Since when is a big hammer a token of love? The Cult Leader and I pledged ourselves to each other in secret—he gave me his Shaobao Sword!"
"Pah! You extorted that Shaobao Sword from him, and then you sold it!"
...
Linxuan Daozhu and Wang Muran stared wide-eyed as the two girls unleashed devastating techniques in the formation. The power was terrifying, but they had grown too heated. The formation shifted, yet they didn't follow its changes, continuing their duel.
Suddenly, a long-braided girl charged between them, separating them. "Sisters, this is a drill, not a real fight!"
"Sang Hua, are you trying to interfere too?"
The three girls fought as if heaven and earth were collapsing. Linxuan and Wang Muran were horrified, exchanging a glance with heavy hearts. They didn't know Sang Hua, but they knew Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang well. Both were members of the Heavenly Alliance, talented but slightly weaker than them.
Ling Yuxiu and Si Yunxiang had entered Taihuangtian a month before them. In that short time, their cultivation and strength had soared, putting pressure on them.
"After just over a month apart, we might not be able to beat them anymore. Why bother competing with each other?"
Linxuan Daozhu said bitterly, "For now, let's be humble students and learn Taihuangtian's cultivation methods."
Wang Muran nodded. "Princess Xiu and Saintess Xiang improved so quickly in such a short time, proving that Yankang's cultivation system has serious flaws. Once we fill those gaps, we'll also have a leap in strength!"
The formation evolved as more troops joined the battle. Linxuan Daozhu saw many Yankang scholars among them—Wei Yong, Qin Yu, Shen Wanyun, Yue Qinghong—all of whom had made rapid progress, their combat power greatly enhanced, adding to the pressure.
"Xu Shenghua entered Taihuangtian a few days before us. That clever fellow has probably already grasped the secrets of Taihuangtian's cultivation and might easily pass the trial of the Spirit-Suppressing Tower."
They entered the city and saw many schools of the Heavenly Saint Academy along the streets. Scholars inside were listening to lectures from Taihuangtian's deities or cultivators at the Divine Bridge realm.
"Cult Leader Qin really knows how to seize opportunities!"
Linxuan Daozhu was stunned. He looked at the old Daoist priests and nuns beside him and said, "Our Dao Sect is too isolated. We must learn Taihuangtian's cultivation methods, or the Heavenly Saint Sect will crush us. Cult Leader Qin's approach is excellent—if it works, learn it."
Danyangzi and the others agreed.
They passed a palace where Buddhist chants resonated. Looking inside, they saw almost all the monks from the Great Thunderclap Temple seated there. In the center sat Ma Rulai, with many eminent monks chanting Buddha's name. Above their heads floated layers of Buddhist heavens.
These twenty heavens grew increasingly real, with figures of Buddhas, gods, and bodhisattva faintly appearing in each layer, as if stepping from nothingness into reality!
"Uncle Master, what are they doing?" Wang Muran asked Qingyou Shanren.
"Opening the Buddhist Realm."
Qingyou Shanren explained, "According to Little Jade Capital's records, Buddhism has its own world called the Buddhist Heavens. During the Kaihuang Era, the Buddhas ascended to that realm, leaving behind the Great Thunderclap Temple. After the Kaihuang Era ended, the path to the Buddhist Realm was severed. The heavens were false, a great seal, so naturally, no one could reach it. But Taihuangtian's world barrier is extremely thin. Ma Rulai must be trying to open the Buddhist Heavens here and contact the ancient Buddhas."
Long Yu asked, "Is Ma Rulai seeking the subsequent cultivation methods of the Tathagata Great Vehicle Sutra?"
Qingyou Shanren nodded. "Most likely. The Tathagata Great Vehicle Sutra only reaches the twentieth heaven, just entering the Buddhist realm, with no subsequent cultivation methods. Ma Rulai has grand ambitions—he must be after the cultivation methods for the higher heavens."
Linxuan Daozhu was envious and asked Danyangzi, "Uncle Master, does our Dao Sect have a Dao Realm?"
Danyangzi shook his head. "I've never heard of one."
Linxuan felt his head swell with frustration. "Alas, if our ancestors didn't strive, their descendants suffer. The past Daozhus were too indifferent to fame and fortune! If we don't work harder, the Great Thunderclap Temple will surpass us! How can we remain a sacred Daoist site? The Dao Sect can't afford to idle away any longer!"
Danyangzi whispered, "Daozhu, though our Dao Sect has no realm like the Buddhist Heavens, there are enlightened deities hidden in various heavens and lands. Taihuangtian is also a great heaven, so there should be Daoist masters here. If we find them, we can complete our Dao Sect's cultivation system, perfect the fourteen chapters of the Dao Sword, and receive the complete Primordial Supreme Profound Art..."
Linxuan Daozhu's spirits lifted, then he sighed gloomily. "There's definitely no Daoist in Taihuangtian—otherwise, their mathematical arts wouldn't be so terrible!"
Just then, a Taihuangtian deity approached. He wore a Daoist robe, held a whisk, and had an immortal air. He inquired, "Are you young friends from the Dao Sect?"
Linxuan Daozhu and the Daoist priests were overjoyed. Linxuan quickly returned the greeting, his voice trembling. "Junior Linxuan, unworthy Daozhu of the Dao Sect. Senior, are you an enlightened master of our Dao Sect?"
The Taihuangtian deity beamed. "Indeed, you're from the Dao Sect! I can be considered a Daoist too. My name is Zha, Daoist name Zha Daoren. I was originally a guardian beast at Kunlun Mountain. When the catastrophe struck, I followed Tianqing Daoren in cultivation and attained enlightenment. After Tianqing Daoren fell in battle, I remained here in Taihuangtian."
The Daoist priests stared wide-eyed, at a loss. The Dao Sect did have a master in Taihuangtian, but it was a beast that had attained enlightenment by guarding the mountain gate. It was unlikely to be proficient in the Primordial Supreme Profound Art or the Dao Sword!
After all, all of the Dao Sect's supreme techniques were built on mathematical arts, and Taihuangtian's mathematical arts were so poor that no profound mathematical knowledge could have been passed down!
This Zha Daoren had probably attained enlightenment through other methods!
The Daoist priests were disheartened. Linxuan Daozhu forced a smile. "Senior Zha, you've worked hard over the years. Could you do us a favor and help settle the Dao Sect? These friends from Little Jade Capital also have no place to stay for now."
Zha Daoren laughed. "That's simple. Cult Leader Qin and the Yankang National Teacher instructed that no friend from Yankang should be neglected. By the way, do you know Cult Leader Qin? He's truly an extraordinary man, famous and highly esteemed in Taihuangtian. I hear he's the Heavenly Saint Cult Leader, a sage by birth, and the renowned Overlord Body. Many have flocked to join the Heavenly Saint Cult..."
Linxuan Daozhu's expression twisted, and he muttered inwardly, "Isn't it the Demon Cult?"
Zha Daoren continued, "The Heavenly Saint Cult traces back to the Heavenly Master, with a great reputation. Our Dao Sect mustn't be overshadowed. Oh, before Tianqing Daoren fell, he left some things with me. I've kept them all this time..."