Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 435 - 39: Going Straight to Sumeru Mountain After Drinking_2

Chapter 435: Chapter 39: Going Straight to Sumeru Mountain After Drinking_2

Speaking, the old nun took out a Spirit Fruit.

"Please, Venerable, help this poor nun deliver it. If possible, you might sit and chat a bit; perhaps that would help."

Gu Wen held the Spirit Fruit and remembered that year by the Luo River, following the other party through the bustling market, the first time experiencing the sensation of shrinking the earth to inches.

He asked, "So the poor Daoist can only deliver the Spirit Fruit?"

"That’s all you can do. Only she can overcome the Buddha Demon trials herself. Even the Qingcang Immortal could only obliterate Buddha without sparing lives, saying it might be better to wait for my disciple’s death before the obliteration."

"Today, I thank the master for the guidance."

Gu Wen stood up, turned, and left. The rising morning sun cast its light on his simple and slender Daoist robe, making the blue garment seem to radiate a Buddha’s light.

The marks traced on the ground by the Buddha Sword had, at some undetermined time, vanished.

Her aura approaches that of a Buddha; similar to mine she holds a Bodhisattva’s Position.

The old nun appeared slightly stunned, and when she looked up again, the Daoist had already descended the mountain.

"Master, the ground is cold."

The young nun stepped forward to help the old nun up, then asked crisply, "Master, who was that person?"

"He, he is the first among the three rankings of heaven, earth, and humanity, an unparalleled genius of the world."

"The disciple doesn’t know, never heard of him."

"If you descend the mountain for training, and become the pride of the Three Religions and the various sects, then you will know."

"He is a pride?"

"You will know who he is and whether you can match even a fraction of him."

The young nun still did not understand, looking up at her master, only to realize her master’s gaze was not on her. Instead, the master had walked to the front of the mountain path, looking down below.

She followed and took a couple of steps, seeing the figure of the Qingyi Daoist, previously seen on the mist-surrounded mountain path.

Her master’s voice echoed in her ears.

"If you possess half his talent, you will be considered a prodigy; with a third, you could become a successor of the Buddhist Sect; and with two-thirds, you will be unparalleled in this generation."

-----------------

Meanwhile, elsewhere.

Chi Yu Zi kicked open the office door of the True Martial Palace in Unclean City, found a steward, flashed her Token, and then summoned the so-called special envoy to meet with her.

Despite causing a commotion in the Daoist Sect, her and Gu Wen’s identities weren’t revoked. Just as Gu Wen said, Huayang handled it beautifully, using various unfounded rumors to cloud the truth, also ensuring minimal repercussions.

People were more interested in speculation and gossip, discussing who among the two Venerables was male, who was female, and why they eloped, portraying a terrible ’work environment’ within the Daoist Sect.

After eight hundred years of rule, the reputation of the Daoist Sect had accumulated too much, turning these events into trivialities.

Chi Yu Zi waited for half the time it took an incense stick to burn, and soon, a bustling of hurried footsteps approached as a tall figure had to stoop to enter the room.

Statuesque, with stunning features and an aura sharp as iron, he bore a Daoist Sword.

The visitor was none other than Xie Yunnan, whom she had parted ways with a few months earlier.

Chi Yu Zi was momentarily taken aback and asked, "How is it you, girl?"

"Senior, didn’t you elope with Master Hongchen?"

Xie Yunnan was equally surprised, causing Chi Yu Zi to facepalm and then slap her, sending the Sword Sect disciple spinning away like a top.

After a while, Xie Yunnan limped back in, only then recalling the goodness of Gu Wen.

He had never beaten her, but Chi Venerable would strike out with minimal dissatisfaction. Though it wasn’t enough to cause injuries, the pain was real.

She cautiously asked, "What brings you here?"

"First answer my question."

"Junior, I am indeed an Officer of the True Martial Palace, responsible for inspecting all under heaven. Recently, due to an Imperial Decree from Master Hongchen, I was dispatched to negotiate with the Buddhist Sect."

"You are indeed diligent, truly worthy of being a Sword Sect descendant, far better than your master."

Chi Yu Zi offered praise and then stood on a chair to reach up and pat Xie Yunnan’s shoulder.

"In the future, you might take over my position; there should be a place for you in this True Martial Palace."

From Gu Wen, she had learned one thing: if you didn’t want to work, you had to learn how to pass the responsibility to someone else. The Yuqing Heavenly Venerate passed it to Huayang, and as the True Martial Palace’s ruler, she needed a successor too.

Upon hearing this, Xie Yunnan became visibly excited, her face flushed, her fists tightly clenched as she vowed, "Junior will surely not disappoint Senior Uncle’s expectations."

"Hmm."

Chi Yu Zi stood on the chair, a contrived pose with hands clasped behind his back as he nodded.

The gesture was rather comical, but outsiders saw nothing amiss since the cultivation and fearsome reputation Chi Yu Zi had established over the years were beyond question.

Only Gu Wen could mock her with impunity.

"How are things being handled now?"

Xie Yunnan replied, "The Buddhist Sect has already ceased spreading the word about the reincarnation of the Buddha Ancestor. In a while, they will announce to their followers that the Buddha Ancestor won’t reincarnate."

Chi Yu Zi scoffed, "Heh, none of it is concrete; the Buddhist Sect is more difficult to deal with than those thieves of the Demon Path."

The Daoist Sect’s domination was not without obstacles. Unless the Qingcang Immortal could stand before everyone, rebellion was inevitable.

Conflicts within the Daoist community were the least, sharing a common origin and many sects being direct branches of the Daoist Sect. Next was the Buddhist Sect since the ’bald donkeys’ also purported to universally deliver sentient beings, aligning with the Daoist Sect’s aspirations.

The most intense opposition came from the Demon Path, many of whose sects were indistinguishable from devils.

Even if they were willing to submit, the Daoist Sect wouldn’t spare them.

"Does the Daoist Sect plan to mobilize troops?"

"No notice so far," Xie Yunnan shook his head, "From a junior’s view, it’s highly unlikely as it doesn’t follow protocol. Regardless, the Buddhist Sect remains the power second only to the Daoist Sect; they aren’t devils and it wouldn’t be right to raise an army against them."

The word ’protocol’ weighed more than the heavens, one of the three mainstays of the Daoist Sect’s reign.

Power, protocol, virtue.

Power is the foundation of dominion, protocol the foundation of governance, virtue the foundation of ideology.

"Unless Master Hongchen acts unilaterally, invoking the name of the Three Pure Venerable might give us a chance."

"The Qingcang Immortal wouldn’t allow it; just letting us out was lenient enough."

With a single spirit and soul, Chi Yu Zi felt her head ache whenever she pondered, and she scratched her hair in irritation.

"Girl, help your master think of a way. Is there any method to stir up Sumeru Mountain?"

Xie Yunnan shuddered, managing a bitter smile, "Master, even if you were to ask your teacher, he couldn’t come up with a method."

"So we just wait?"

"We can only wait, wait for the Buddhist Sect to reveal a flaw. Recently, the Daoist Sect has collected evidence and plans to apprehend some great powers of the Buddhist Sect at the Buddha Meeting."

"Troublesome, truly troublesome! Better to find a jar of Immortal Drunk, maybe getting drunk will bring an idea to mind,"

Chi Yu Zi muttered to herself, then strode out of the room.

-----------------

Chi Yu Zi returned to Qianfeng Tower with two jars of Immortal Drunk, to find Gu Wen had not yet returned. She waited with the jars of wine.

From day to night she waited, growing gradually impatient. Although the Buddha State was vast and it was normal for him to be away for days, especially since he was searching for the Jade Sword Buddha’s master.

The nun he sought was said to be an extraordinary monk, rumored to be on par with the true Buddha.

If we were talking about the Way, it would be normal even for several months to pass.

"If I go looking for him after just one day, wouldn’t it seem like I’m lowering my value?"

Chi Yu Zi grumbled, uncorking a jar of Immortal Drunk and taking a few big gulps, exclaiming how satisfying it was.

Her mind became instantly light, the pressure caused by her single soul and spirit gradually eased by the alcohol, and she closed her eyes for several days.

The next time she woke up, it was the knocking on the door that startled her, realizing it wasn’t Gu Wen outside, she couldn’t help but pout.

"Come in."

The Qianfeng Steward entered, overcome by the smell of Immortal Drunk. She steadied herself, bowed, and said, "Elder, the Buddha Meeting has begun."

"They still have the nerve to hold a meeting, huh! Just wait for this exalted one to stir things up."

At that moment, Chi Yu Zi was still not sober, her head hot, her eyes blurry, feelings growing increasingly irritable.

The thought of being duped into uttering such coarse words by a certain someone recently, and even agreeing to that kind of thing, set her ablaze with fury.

"The bald donkeys convene a grand assembly, outshining the blazing sun."

With a flicker, she transformed into an ordinary Qingyi Daoist, walked out of Qianfeng Tower, reached for the blazing sun’s radiance, transformed into a ten-thousand-foot golden dragon that soared straight up into the heavens, headed straight for Sumeru Mountain.

"As the Yuqing Heavenly Venerate, I should be the supreme of ten thousand paths."