The Battle in Journey to the West
Chapter 332 - 293: Chen Tuan’s Five Steps to Seize Mount Hua

Chapter 332: Chapter 293: Chen Tuan’s Five Steps to Seize Mount Hua

It is said that Donghuang Taiyi brought the Medicine Buddha to the Purple Cloud Palace, where he was left to cultivate on his own.

The Medicine Buddha was a being of exceptional natural talent, born as the chosen one, revered by the hearts of all Buddhas in the Buddhist sect. Having been summoned from the Lapis Lazuli World, he was destined to resolve his karma with the Medicine Buddha and vie for the Lapis Lazuli Pure Light Realm. It was believed that when the great calamity of heaven and earth approached, he would achieve something great.

Donghuang Taiyi’s spirit roamed the void, lingering outside the World of Heavenly Demons, waiting for Wukong to cultivate into a creator, then to guide him out.

Creation from the void, how difficult it is! From nothingness to existence, through transformations of the Supernatural Daoist Method, it is inconceivable.

Turning stone into gold, which many Immortals possess the ability to do, relies on a stone as a medium; however, creation from the void requires no medium at all—it is directly sculpted with mana, fixing the elemental forces of earth, water, wind, and fire, establishing a Secret Realm, creating life.

Time flies, and Wukong has been in deep meditation in the Quiet Room, while his Primordial Spirit endures tribulations in the World of Heavenly Demons.

To achieve Buddhahood is to endure countless hardships; the greater the tribulation, the greater the achievement. Naturally, numerous Buddhas fail to overcome these tribulations and turn to ash. In years past, Siddhartha Gautama Buddha burnt in Karmic Fire for five hundred years before he achieved Supreme Right Enlightenment, securing his position at Mount Meru, commanding all Buddhas, and becoming the Respectful Ruler of the World. To become a Buddha, a Bodhisattva, one must go through tribulations. Daoist Equal to Heaven, Wukong, achieved True Enlightenment and obtained his celestial title after experiencing countless trials of emotion and realizing the way of Forget Love within a dream, comprehending the Great Emptiness.

"Heavenly Demons’ Evil Fire, refining all things! Returning to Chaos, the rise and fall of my lord!" The Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Lord stirred the True Fire, refining the cocoon that enveloped Wukong’s Primordial Spirit.

"Crackle and pop!"

The flames burned as Wukong’s Third-grade Merit Lotus Platform rotated, fending off the invading flames. This Lotus Platform, which restrains Heavenly Demons, made the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Lord feel somewhat helpless. He could only proceed slowly, as refining the cocoon was not an overnight task—it required the effort of water wearing down stone. However, these masters, with their boundless lifespans, had plenty of time. Time was cheap to them, so the Great Freedom Heavenly Demon Lord was not in a hurry. There would come a day when he could fully refine it.

"The means of creation are countless laws intertwined, twisted into a single strand. Mastering these laws allows one to create from the void, fix the elemental forces of earth, water, wind, and fire, and construct one’s own Secret Realm!" Wukong understood in his heart. Although the True Fire burned outside, he remained unshaken, silently comprehending the true essence of creation.

He integrated the Three Teachings. Although his cultivation of Divine Skills was much more powerful than ordinary people, cultivating them was even more difficult, and understanding the true essence of creation was even more so! In Buddhism, only the spirit is important, while in the Daoist Sect, the physical body is valued. Confucianism focuses on benevolence and righteousness, cultivating the Magnificent Righteous Qi—all of which are conflicting. Buddhist emptiness, Daoist substance, and the harmonic balance of Confucianism, allowed for a harmonious state that kept him from Deviation into Madness. Now, the conflict of the Three Teachings in creation was a hundred times more difficult for him to comprehend than for ordinary people.

Buddhism greatly flourished during the Tang Dynasty, especially under the rule of Empress Wu Zetian, when a Monk recited the Diamond Sutra to her. Unable to understand, the Monk pointed outside the hall to a stone lion and expounded on the Buddhist Law. The Empress instantly comprehended and began to claim she was the reincarnation of Maitreya to consolidate her rule, promoting Buddhism extensively and spreading its compassionate teachings across the world. After all, a woman’s ascension to the throne and control of the Sheji Artifact was unacceptable to Confucianism, but Wu Zetian, with her dense imperial destiny and support from Buddhism, managed to suppress the national destiny and became the eternal empress.

Not long after Wu Zetian, the Tang Dynasty began to wane, largely attributed to the Heaven-Penetrating Sect Hierarch disrupting the Dragon Vein, signifying that such a golden age could not last forever.

The Louguan Sect was suppressed so heavily during Empress Wu’s ascension that it could hardly lift its head; by weakening the Guanlong Nobility, she naturally had to suppress the Louguan Sect.

Buddhist and Daoist Sects rose and fell, indistinguishable and unresolved, throughout the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.

Following the Tang Dynasty came a man named Zhao Kuangyin, who loved to explore mountains and rivers. One day, as he traveled to Mount Hua, he heard about an Old Immortal named Chen Tuan residing there.

Chen Tuan, fond of wandering, felt that Mount Hua had favorable Feng Shui and chose to sleep there. Many who came to Mount Hua for pilgrimage saw him displaying his divine presence.

Zhao Kuangyin took a small path upwards and upon reaching the mid-mountain, saw an Old Daoist sleeping on a cliffside rock, radiating the presence of the Patriarch Grand Supreme Lord.

Zhao Kuangyin, skilled in Martial Arts, moved with the swiftness of a dragon and agility of a tiger. He approached the cliffside and, with clasped hands, said, "Is the Old Daoist Chen Tuan?"

The sleeping figure was indeed Chen Tuan. He yawned, lifting his eyes to see and instantly felt that this man possessed a noble demeanor that defied description, with an aura of purple qi reaching to the heavens, a dragon’s brow and an Emperor’s eyes, extraordinary bone structure, and an impression of profound weight with every gesture. Surrounded by a persistent halo of purple qi, it was clear this man was made to be an Emperor; he had the look of a ruler.

Chen Tuan sat up and said, "It is indeed I. May I ask who you are, friend?"

Zhao Kuangyin joyfully responded, "I’ve long heard of the Old Immortal’s great name and also heard that the Old Immortal often engages in games with others on the mountain. I have an itch to try my hand and wish to spar with the Old Immortal."

Chen Tuan was known for setting up games of strategy in the mountains, inviting experts from all over to play, never once experiencing defeat. His reputation had spread far and wide. It was odd, indeed peculiar, that Chen Tuan, who spent his days leisurely without practicing cultivation, managed to progress in his mana.

Chen Tuan smiled and said, "If that’s the case, then let us have a match. If I win, and you one day attain sovereignty over the world, grasping the Sheji, how about you bestow Mount Hua to me?"

At this moment, Zhao Kuangyin had no ulterior motives, let alone thoughts of a coup d’état at Chenqiao and taking the imperial yellow, merely replying with a chuckle, "Does the Old Immortal see me as possessing the qualities of an Emperor?"

Chen Tuan smiled and replied, "Based on my observation, your purple aura envelops you, with a dragon’s brow and imperial gaze, truly the stature of an Emperor, nobility that defies words. You are even stronger than Liu Bei from The Three Kingdoms. Look, here I’ve set up the chess pieces."

With that, Chen Tuan pointed to the sky, and Zhao Kuangyin looked up in astonishment; the clouds had parted to outline the board, dividing it into river and boundary. Chen Tuan had only a horse and a marshal left, while Zhao Kuangyin had two pawns, two elephants, two advisors, a horse, and a cannon.

Zhao Kuangyin secretly marveled to himself, "Truly a True Man of Dao and Virtue, possessing such techniques is inconceivable! Inconceivable!"

Chen Tuan then laughed and said, "This game of chess is in your control, so I shall make the first move!"

His first move was to shift the Old Marshal, and Zhao Kuangyin followed by changing the pieces according to the shifting positions, voicing the moves; Chen Tuan waved his hand, transforming the celestial chessboard.

Chen Tuan’s horse charged into Zhao Kuangyin’s camp with only a single horse and the Old Marshal left to win, it seemed purely fantastical.

The chessboard, which appeared to ensure Zhao Kuangyin’s assured victory, revealed Chen Tuan’s extraordinary skill; within five moves he struck down Zhao Kuangyin’s great general from horseback.

Zhao Kuangyin was sweating profusely. He prided himself on his chess prowess, but such an endgame resulted in his defeat to Chen Tuan; he watched the sky unblinkingly, feeling Chen Tuan’s chess skills and techniques terrifyingly immense.

Chen Tuan gave Zhao Kuangyin a cupped fist salute and said, "Poor Daoist has won a move, as Chinese chess represents the martial way and Go, the civil way. Since your Excellency has come to play Chinese chess, you naturally also excel at martial arts. Seeing your remarkable strength and the gleam in your eyes, I assume that you have an abundant liver fire and full kidney energy, surely a martial practitioner."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin immediately became solemn and said, "Since the Old Immortal wishes to experience my fist technique, I cannot refuse!"

Chen Tuan nodded with a smile, serene and composed, without a hint of pride in defeating Zhao Kuangyin’s old general within five moves.

Zhao Kuangyin let out a soft shout, his footsteps shifting, and with a thunderous force, he launched two punches at Chen Tuan!

Chen Tuan, however, sank into a stance, as if seated upon the Golden Throne Hall. Zhao Kuangyin was met with an illusion where he saw an ancient Earth Emperor sitting on the throne, quietly observing his subjects paying homage. The illusion flashed by, and his punches were already thrown.

But Chen Tuan had already leapt up, his two feet and three fists displaying an ingenuity like that of a divine craftsman’s, unpredictable beyond measure. Zhao Kuangyin blocked two moves, only to be struck in the chest by a palm, flying sideways, yet feeling no pain, nor any harm.

"This move of mine, ’Five Steps to Seize Mount Hua,’ Emperor Taizu, what do you think?" Chen Tuan asked with a glint in his eye, his voice deep.

"Old Immortal, your fist technique is astonishing!" declared Zhao Kuangyin in amazement.

"Haha, go back and ponder over these techniques yourself! Remember, from now on Mount Hua is defeated by me, and it shall become a sacred place of our Taoist sect." Having said that, Chen Tuan turned into a breeze and disappeared without a trace.

Zhao Kuangyin stood dazed on the spot as the intertwined chess pieces in the sky dispersed, his mind more occupied by the mysteries in Chen Tuan’s fist technique. He thought for a long while, then mimicked Chen Tuan’s bearing, sinking into a stance as if seated on the Golden Throne, and thought to himself, "If he says I have the appearance of an emperor, then I am destined to be the founder of a dynasty! This stance resembles sitting on the throne in the Golden Throne Hall; let’s call it ’Taizu Sitting on the Golden Throne’!"

Zhao Kuangyin practiced the moves of "Five Steps to Seize Mount Hua" over and over, the more he practiced, the more exquisite they seemed, worthy of an immortal’s fist technique. He thought, "I practice Long Fist, so I’ll incorporate ’Five Steps to Seize Mount Hua’ into my technique, henceforth my style shall be renamed ’Taizu Long Fist’."

Zhao Kuangyin lingered in the mountains for a moment, but Chen Tuan was nowhere to be seen. He committed the fist techniques to memory and descended from Mount Hua.

Chen Tuan was indirectly imparting his fist technique to Zhao Kuangyin. As these were an immortal’s techniques, Zhao Kuangyin’s daily practice would naturally strengthen him and even enhance his destiny, and when the moment came for him to don the imperial robes and take control of the nation, it would be greatly beneficial to the Taoist sect.

Chen Tuan yawned and fell back asleep, only to see in his dream a Taoist with two topknots, flowers sticking out from them, tapping his head with a bamboo staff.

Chen Tuan asked, "Why are you using a bamboo staff to knock on my head, Old Taoist?"

The Taoist laughed and said, "To make you awaken sooner! If you awake, I shall stop knocking on your head."

Chen Tuan was utterly confused and said, "What if you lie down, and I knock on your head? How about that?"

The Taoist simply smiled, made no reply but bowed respectfully and said with a laugh, "Then wouldn’t you still be knocking on your own head?"

Chen Tuan broke out in cold sweat and awoke from his dream, something he had never done before, with a frown on his face as if recalling something.

"So that’s how it is."

Suddenly, Chen Tuan burst out laughing.

What happens next, please tune in to the following Chapter to find out. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Starting Point (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and Monthly Tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)