Too much fruit

Chapter 726 Daojun and the Awakened One

"Ha ha ha ha······"

Jiang Li left his arms and smiled: "Senior really loves to joke."

Overall, the initial communication was friendly, harmonious and smooth, so the greeting stage can be ended here.

Jiang Li changed the topic smoothly, looked at the soul, and said bluntly: "I wonder why the senior invited me here?"

"The second time the Buddha Kingdom spread Buddhism to the East, how could I not come?"

Daojun still had a smile on his face, but he felt an inexplicable pressure rising from nowhere. "You know, when I went west, I didn't do it to stop the spread of Buddhism to the east, but to stop the changes that Zhenru made to the Buddha country."

"Change?" Jiang Li raised his brows slightly when he heard the voice.

He had never thought of this statement.

According to current records, the changes in the Buddhist country a hundred years ago should be like this:

The awakened one has achieved the perfect path and fruition, and with Manjusri, the third-grade Buddha, the power of the Buddha Kingdom has reached perfection, so it wants to spread Buddhism to the east. At that time, the fourth-grade Buddha Kingdom brought the third-grade instrument, that is, the Dragon Flower Treasure Tree carrying Maitreya's path and fruition, into Yongzhou to establish the Mahayana teaching as a pioneer, and then the Buddha Kingdom will go east with all its strength.

However, at that time, Daojun traveled west and entered the Buddha's kingdom to discuss the Dao with the Enlightened One and enlightened Karma Tathagata, causing this powerful enemy of the Enlightened One to appear out of nowhere. With the help of many third-grade elders, the Enlightened One finally fought with Karma Tathagata, and both of them were born into the world and made an agreement that "the Enlightened One will not appear in the world, and Tathagata will not leave the world."

At this point, the Buddha’s first plan to spread Buddhism to the East ended in complete failure.

But now the Taoist master who personally promoted all this said that he was not trying to stop the spread of Buddhism to the East, but to stop the enlightened one from changing the Buddhist country.

In other words, the spread of Buddhism to the East was, to a certain extent, something that Daojun was happy to see.

"Change."

Li Boyang repeated these two words and said, "Nine out of ten Buddhist practitioners practice the method of attracting others, using incense and candles to help them practice. This allows them to surpass other practitioners of the same level, but it also goes against the philosophy of the Buddhist leader Zhenru. Buddha is an enlightened being, who becomes enlightened through his own enlightenment, not by incense and candles. The prevalence of the method of attracting others has caused the Buddhist country to deviate from the Buddhist path it recognizes. Therefore, he will correct the original source and let the practice of Buddhism return to what it should be."

"This is also his last concern for the Buddha Kingdom. Only in this way can he be promoted in the best condition."

"In the name of spreading Buddhism to the East, he wants to rectify the origin..." Jiang Li muttered, "So that's it. He wants to clean up the Buddhist country."

The essence of the spread of Buddhism to the East is to convert more people and gain more incense. It is self-evident what kind of people are willing to follow this action. Zhenru Layman uses this as bait to lure out Buddhist practitioners who are willing to pay any price for incense, and then clean them up.

The first spread of Buddhism to the East was doomed to fail, but it should not have failed at the hands of the Taoist Master, but at the hands of the Enlightened One.

Daojun's journey to the west did indeed cause the first spread of Buddhism to the east to fail, but it also caused the purge plan of the enlightened one to fail. The first group of practitioners who entered Yongzhou to establish the Mahayana died, but they were the only ones who died. More people who advocated the spread of Buddhism to the east had not even had time to set out, but they were stopped in the Buddha Kingdom because of the sudden appearance of Karma Tathagata.

After that, the Awakened One did not appear in the world, and the Tathagata did not leave the retreat. The Awakened One therefore retreated for a hundred years, but the practice of the Gou Zhao Fa was not curbed, but became more popular after the Awakened One's retreat. Up to now, there are few people in the Buddhist country who do not practice the Gou Zhao Fa.

Because of this, the enlightened ones are unable to let go of their longing for the Buddhaland, their minds cannot be clear, and they cannot be promoted.

As far as Jiang Li knows, the Enlightened One may still need to resolve the issue of Karma Tathagata in order to perfect himself and seek promotion.

And now, the opportunity has come.

The second time Buddhism spreads to the East will be the second cleansing.

Only by returning Buddhism to its original form as expected by the enlightened one and eliminating all worries or obsessions can the enlightened one be promoted to the second level.

As expected, all matters concerning practitioners, no matter how you look at it, always come down to promotion, especially for those who are already at the top.

At the same time, Jiang Li also witnessed the insidiousness of these third-rank masters.

"Senior, do you want me to stop?" Jiang Li asked.

"No," Daojun shook his head, "Although Buddhism is a way to be good, the way of incense is not the way to worship good. The belief in incense is harmful, and I am not willing to let this harm the people of Kyushu. You don't need to stop, just hold back, repel the Buddhist monks, and make them return to the West."

We don’t want the poison to spread and harm the people of Kyushu, but it doesn’t matter to the Buddhist country, right?

Jiang Li had a feeling of getting to know the Taoist all over again. It seemed that this Taoist was not as neutral as the rumors said.

Daojun seemed to have seen through Jiang Li's thoughts and said, "Morality is the right way, not the way of virtue. I have morality, but I have no morals. Even if I have good intentions, I can't care about the people outside the world."

The former morality refers to the right way, and the latter morality is the morality as understood by Confucianism.

Daojun was also frank, and did not shy away from such private thoughts, and spoke out directly. He was a Taoist, not a compassionate immortal or Buddha.

The topic was thus brought up bluntly, and it was Jiang Li's turn to make a choice.

“My old Taoist friend is also well versed in the theory of yin and yang. If you are willing to undertake this task, I would like to give you the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Secret to help you.” The Taoist was still simple and straightforward, and he hit the nail on the head.

"To tempt someone with profit is not what a moral person would do." Upon hearing this, Jiang Li showed a puzzled look.

At the same time, he was certain in his heart that this Taoist had seen through his secret learning and had detected traces of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Secret.

When he met Daojun, or even before he met him, Jiang Li had already prepared for this. He had never underestimated these powerful people.

Moreover, since Li Qinglian had met Daojun before, it is not ruled out that he told Daojun about the relevant matters of the lawless Xiaoyao. With those things as evidence, even if there is no trace, it can be deduced.

Therefore, when Jiang Li first met him, he said that the only ones who could travel with their souls for a long time were Dao Jun and himself.

Now, this guess has been completely confirmed. Daojun said that he saw that Jiang Li was familiar with the law of yin and yang, which was to give Jiang Li face, but in fact he was pointing out the traces of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying True Art.

But who is Jiang Li? He was recognized by the Taoist as a person who looked like a great master. He did not look embarrassed at the Taoist's words, but asked questions instead.

"You and I have no friendship, and we are not tempting each other with benefits. Do you still need to persuade me with justice?" The old Taoist said very clearly, "Or do you prefer to believe in justice?"

Jiang Li: "······"

Really good at reading people.

It can only be said that although Dao Jun is a hermit, he still has a clear understanding of human nature, especially how to deal with people like Jiang Li. The most important thing is that he is not like some old guys who like to play tricks and be a riddler.

"Senior, you really have a keen eye." Jiang Li sighed, and then added a twist, "What a pity..."

"It's a pity you're late."

The place that was originally like a paradise was cut into two parts, one half remained the same, and the other half was transformed into a pure and clear place. Amid the faint sound of Sanskrit, a stone pavilion turned from virtual to real, and inside sat a layman in white clothes and white hair, who continued to speak.

The sudden change made Li Qinglian's face solemn and serious. He had already realized that the visitor was unusual.

The Taoist priest said without changing his expression: "I thought you were still in seclusion."

"Yes, he is still in retreat," the white-haired monk said slowly, "but the Taoist has mentioned the name of the lost man several times. Even if the lost man is in retreat, he has to see the Taoist with his thoughts."

"If you keep thinking about it, there will be a response..." Daojun's eyes moved slightly, "It seems that the past hundred years have not been wasted by the enlightened one."

"Name? Is it Zhenru?" Jiang Li also thought in his heart, "These powerful people are really good at giving people surprises."

Thinking about how he had called the other person Zhenru Jushi most of the time, Jiang Li had a feeling of regret. Fortunately, he had both great luck and the karma. If it were someone else, he would probably have been seen through by the enlightened one.

“The hundred years have not been wasted by those who are lost, but they have been wasted by those who observe the truth.”

The Enlightened One said calmly, "A hundred years ago, the Confused One had noticed it beforehand, so he manipulated the cause and effect, revealing the identity and whereabouts of the Donor Ji, causing the Taoist to fight with him and get injured, but in the end, the Taoist was still injured and stopped. A hundred years later, the Taoist has not been injured yet, but has to rely on others."

As the words are spoken, the boundaries around them begin to change.

The land divided into two halves is now squeezing and rubbing against each other. Although the Enlightened One and the Taoist Lord have not taken action, the invisible confrontation has already begun. The invisible of Tao and the emptiness of Buddha resist each other. The subtle changes are both secretive and profound.

As an bystander, Jiang Li also knew why Ji Jiji ran into Daojun in Yongzhou that year.

Emotions are the cause and effect guided by the enlightened one in secret.

At that time, Ji Jiji probably wasn't as proficient in the Sky-cutting Technique as he is now. When he was causing trouble in the Buddhist Kingdom, his traces were discovered and he was tricked by the Enlightened One.

Unfortunately, the enlightened one a hundred years ago was still one step behind. Even though he had injured the Taoist Master, he was still blocked by the Taoist Master. Afterwards, he sealed himself off for a hundred years because of Karma Tathagata.

A hundred years later, the two strongest men met again. Although they were not in their true form, they still revealed a clear opposition between them. The awakened one spoke in order to use this as a rhetoric to move the mind of the Taoist master.

However, with the realm of Dao Jun, he cannot be shaken by just a few words.

His mind remained still, maintaining the boundary of the half-world, looking indifferent and not anxious. He only said: "I really can't make any more progress. I am not as good as the Enlightened One who still has room for improvement. In addition, there are the Heavenly Monarch and the Great Venerable stirring up the situation. Now I don't have the energy to deal with the Enlightened One."

I have already reached my limit and there is no further to go, but you still have room to improve.

The words seemed to be a retreat but were actually an advance, without losing the upper hand in the slightest.

However, the state of mind of the enlightened one is no less than that of other people. Faced with words that seem to praise but are actually criticism, his heart is as calm as an ancient well, without any ripples.

"So, the Taoist wants to use the hand of Donor Jiang? Unfortunately, the Taoist is one step too late."

The enlightened one smiled and said, "The Taoists have no friendship with Donor Jiang, but the confused ones do."

He had made an investment early on, and even wanted to earn Jiang Li to go up the mountain. Although Jiang Li refused in the end, there was still favor between the two sides.

On the other hand, Jiang Li and Daojun...or rather, Daode Sect. Daode Sect's current chief disciple Yuan Zhen died at the hands of Jiang Li. Although the matter has been revealed, the grudge still exists, and they may become enemies in the future.

Although the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Art was good, it was just the icing on the cake for Jiang Li now. He had already understood the trick, so even if he didn't know all the techniques, it wouldn't matter.

Comparing the two, even if Jiang Li’s friendship with the Awakened One is not very deep, he will not become an enemy of the Awakened One for this matter.

After hearing what the enlightened one said, Jiang Li said, "As for the enemy, I think it is better to cut the grass and root it out. If we can eliminate Wenshu and others, it can be regarded as a grudge for me."

Having said that, Jiang Li glanced at the hermit in the stone pavilion.

He now suspected that when the Enlightened One came to him, he had already thought of this day.

The Buddhist Kingdom had people from the Jiang family joining and holding high positions, leading the spread of Buddhism to the East. The Awakened One invested in Jiang Li, an enemy of the Jiang family, to facilitate the cleansing of the Buddhist Kingdom in the future and to prevent Jiang Li from being wooed by the Taoist Master.

If Jiang Li had accepted Sun Wukong's three Dao fruits at that time, the enlightened one would have no worries at all.

Not only did it comply with Jiang Li's wishes, but they also had a good relationship. The Awakened One was so considerate. If Jiang Li didn't give him face, it would be a bit unethical.

"What a pity." The old Taoist sighed.

"What a pity." The enlightened one smiled.

The two people's voices fell one after another, the invisible aura became visible, and the silent confrontation was revealed.

Behind the Taoist, a Tai Chi diagram slowly emerged, carrying the Yin and embracing the Yang, harmonizing the Qi, and the yin and yang poles circulated endlessly, extremely refined and subtle, yet also extremely large and powerful. Moreover, a great force appeared, like the arrival of the Great Dao, which made ghosts and gods no longer exist.

When Tao rules the world, ghosts will not be powerful.

Even if it was not directly displayed, the force of the Great Dao alone made Jiang Li feel that all his magical powers that were running smoothly began to stagnate, and even his thoughts and state of mind were not as clear as before.

This is the magical power of Tao Jun.

Jiang Li has been embracing the unique Dao fruit along the way, benefiting from it, and accumulating his own talents and foundation to become extremely powerful, which has given him his current strength. But when he really faced [Dao Ruling the World], he also faced the biggest challenge.

When the Dao Fruit abilities and supernatural powers began to stagnate and become ineffective, Jiang Li finally understood why the Heavenly Monarch was so eager to pursue perfection in his skills and even created such a thorn in his side, Jiang Li.

When facing the Taoist Master, the Taoist Fruit can hardly be relied upon, and the only thing that can be relied upon is the technique.

Fortunately, Jiang Li is not a Daoguo warrior and does not rely entirely on the Daoguo magical powers. Otherwise, he would not even have the strength to escape when facing Daojun.

and······
Although the magical power of Daoguo was delayed, the passive Daoguo did not lose its effect. Because of the existence of the cause and effect set, Jiang Li's cause and effect were restrained and he would never regress!
Even now, the Collection of Cause and Effect is still Jiang Li's indispensable support.

(End of this chapter)