Claiming the Throne of Gods, Starting from the Rebirth of Nezha
Chapter 241 Nezha Expresses Doubt!

Chapter 241: Chapter 241 Nezha Expresses Doubt!

Before long, Nezha reached the mountaintop. This area was dramatically different from the natural tranquility of the mountain below. While not extravagant, it was clear that great care had been taken in its design, with every detail embodying the essence of Dao.

As he stepped onto the Green Jade Stairs before Yunxiao Cave, suddenly, ten thousand golden lamps lit up above his head.

There was no moss on the stone steps underfoot; instead, they were inscribed with Sanskrit scripts from the Diamond Sutra. Nezha glanced down, and the lamplight made the lotus pattern on his shoes clearly visible.

Nezha smiled and said, "The signs of the Western Pure Land have been evident for a long time."

An old Taoist carrying firewood carefully walked past on the slippery path from afar, singing, "Wild waters and clear breezes brush the willows, flowers drift on the pool’s surface. When asked where one lives in quiet solitude, deep among the white clouds is my home."

Though the cave doors were not yet open, the roar of a lion was heard first.

A green-maned lion lay sprawled across the entrance. In front of it was a food bowl, but there was not a single piece of meat inside, only an abundance of fruits and vegetables.

Nezha took two steps forward, and his thin silhouette was reflected in the lion’s eyes.

Suddenly, the lion stood up, casting a massive shadow on the ground. Its huge paw, as big as a fan, descended like lightning, aiming at Nezha’s shoulder as if to tear him in two.

Nezha did not move.

He merely looked up at the green lion, a faintly amused smile lingering on his lips.

The sharp claws abruptly stopped, soundlessly coming to a halt. They ended up brushing off the peach blossom petals that had stuck to him from the streamside.

"Where did you get these dirty peach blossoms, fellow cultivator?" the lion suddenly spoke in human tongue!

"Either at the foot of the mountain or halfway up, but certainly not from the summit."

After Nezha spoke, the green lion also laughed and said, "Ha ha ha ha, not only is your courage commendable, but your words are amusing too. Whom have you come to find?"

"I greet you, Senior. I am Nezha, a disciple of Master Taiyi from Qianyuan Mountain Golden Light Cave, here to pay respects to Heavenly Venerate Manjusri and to visit my elder brother Jinzha."

"Oh? Jinzha’s little brother, no wonder your bone structure is similar and even your scent is alike."

The lion stretched lazily and yawned, then called out towards the mountain gate, "Miao Yin, someone is looking for you."

The mountain was quiet, but the lion’s deep voice reverberated, its majesty incomparable. Its form seemed to grow countless times larger.

Nezha, startled, looked down at the shadow that began to cover him and quickly turned around.

"You arrived quickly."

At a glance, Nezha recognized that this person must be Manjusri Bodhisattva.

What astonished him was that despite having entered the Golden Immortal Realm, achieving Primordial Spirit Perfection and some mastery of Daoist Skills, this person had silently appeared behind him, merely a foot away. If he hadn’t spoken, Nezha would not have noticed him at all.

"Nezha pays respects to Heavenly Venerate Manjusri, greetings, uncle-master."

"Green Lion, you missed a point; his eyesight isn’t too bad either."

Heavenly Venerate Manjusri was unlike any other high Taoist Nezha had ever met, including Master Taiyi and Master Yuding, who were among the Twelve Golden Immortals.

He was as thin as an ancient pine yet stood over two heads taller than most people. His faded cotton robe had three patches, its hem stained with morning dew and burdock, and a half-tattered Lengyan Sutra tied to his waist by a grass rope, with pages wrinkled from the mountain mist.

He wore no headgear; his graying hair was tied halfway up with a hemp cloth, with the rest hanging down to his knees, brushing the stairs and startling a few green grasshoppers.

Nezha glanced up and noticed his right hand was missing a ring finger, the wound smooth like the white hair between Buddha’s eyebrows. The missing finger had turned into a tender green sprout on a climbing staff, swaying in the wind like indistinct gatha.

The green-maned lion napped on a creek stone five meters away. Shedding its majesty, it looked like an ordinary old shepherd dog.

"Follow me inside."

Nezha followed behind the Heavenly Venerate. When entering, he exchanged a meaningful glance with the lion.

The green lion’s eyes were gentle, yet Nezha sensed a hint of murderous intent.

A murderous intent free of malice.

Had it been a vegetarian too long and was craving meat yet had to endure it?

Nezha thought, "It’s going mad."

"I heard you recently ascended Kunlun to visit our master?"

Nezha respectfully replied, "Reporting to Uncle-Master, I was fortunate to meet Grandmaster once. Grandmaster is well."

Manjusri’s tall frame lay on a patched cotton mattress, yawning as he leisurely said, "Who asked you that? Our master is never unwell."

He shifted the topic, "Did you come seeking to learn Buddhism from me?"

"Uh, no."

"I guessed as much. Speak your business if you have any, otherwise, don’t linger."

Seeing Manjusri’s relaxed demeanor, Nezha suddenly changed the subject, "Have there been other visitors recently?"

At this, Manjusri turned his head to glance at Nezha, then looked up at the ceiling also covered in Buddhist scriptures and said, "The green lion missed one point; you’re quite smart. Indeed, there have been visitors, likely no more than sixty-three smarter individuals here. Don’t dislike the number; I only accept brilliant disciples. That’s right, the one who visited was none other than your master, Master Taiyi."

Hearing this, Nezha smiled.

"What are you smiling about?"

"When things become clear, it naturally brings joy."

"Oh? Are you truly as miraculous as they say, knowing the fate and future decreed by the Heavenly Dao?"

Nezha replied, "The rumors are just talk."

"If you didn’t know, how would you realize we should emerge to assist Jiang Ziya in his campaign against Yin Shou upon hearing of Master Taiyi’s visit?"

Manjusri sat up, staring into Nezha’s eyes. The deep black pupils reminded him of someone.

Nezha said, "Even if I knew, it would only be a few events on a fixed line."

"I suppose it relates to the Divine Enthronement battle."

"Uncle-Master is insightful."

"Forget it. Let’s assume you only know this much. Come, let me ask you, what happens to me in the future?"

Nezha laughed, "Uncle-Master will have thousands of years ahead. How could I foresee it all? However, I do know one thing—Uncle-Master’s Buddhahood will be greatly achieved."

Manjusri was briefly stunned, then laughed, "I can’t tell if that’s good or bad news. Very well then, I know you came to see Jinzha. After all, relations speak louder. Jiatong, call Jinzha over."

"Thank you, Uncle-Master."

Nezha bowed again, but when he looked up, Manjusri was gone, leaving behind only a broken patchwork quilt.

"The depth of a Taiyi Golden Immortal is indeed unfathomable," Nezha thought silently.

Soon, hurried footsteps approached from behind.

Although knowing it was his own brother, Nezha couldn’t help the surge of nervousness, more intense than when meeting Manjusri.

When the person lifted the curtain and entered, the copper bell at the eaves still swayed.

The man’s bone structure resembled one aged twenty-three or twenty-four, but his brows held the austere maturity of a century’s cultivation. His crow-blue Taoist robe billowed in the mountain breeze, revealing a lined gray cotton inner garment with meticulous stitching, and a blue leisurely headscarf tied at his forehead had a few strands of hair sticking to the sweat at his neck.

Most striking were his suede boots; though stained with moss, the tips were embroidered with delicate udumbara flowers. Each petal was stitched with gold thread entwined with blue silk, making his every step seem like lotus blossoms in a display of Buddhist miraculous powers, yet mingled with the stern essence of Daoist wrath.

This youthful demeanor didn’t at all resemble the Manjusri Nezha had just met.

As he paused and lifted his eyes, they glimmered like stars in the dark universe – not with youthful zeal, but with a momentary flash of the sharpness of an ancient sword returning to its sheath.

But as Nezha looked at him, he not only found the clothes familiar, but the face was also unmistakably recognizable.

Wasn’t this the same obscene Taoist he had just seen at the mountain’s halfway pool, exploring deep valleys and pursuing the path to nirvana while embracing that white-bottomed female cultivator?

This rascal was his elder brother?

Nezha felt skeptical.

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