Chapter 58: The Chanting of Sutras and the Recitation of the Buddha’s Name

Harmonizing the Eight Qis of the Great Void is like solving an incredibly difficult math problem; yet, no matter how difficult the problem, with enough time and painstaking effort, one can eventually find the path to a solution.

Shen Lian had indeed found the cause of the conflict between the eight energies, as well as the path to resolving them, but there remained a hurdle in his heart—one that had nothing to do with external factors, but with himself.

Suddenly, Shen Lian looked toward the pagoda on the mountain; the primordial energy of heaven and earth there had undergone a violent change.

Chao Xiaoyu smiled charmingly, gazing into the void, as an arrow pierced through the clouds, aimed directly at the pagoda. The arrow spun incessantly, dragging the primordial energy of heaven and earth along with it like a dragon-shaped current, sweeping up countless white clouds and trailing a long, flowing tail.

The resonant tolling of a bell rang out, and the Xiangji Temple erupted with grandiose chants and Buddhist invocations.

"Namo Xiangji Buddha, Namo Xiangji Buddha..." amidst the sound of bells and chants, the pagoda emitted a golden radiance. A Buddha appeared, looming in the void, its golden palm held in a gesture of reverence. The Buddha-light rippled outward like waves, holding off the dragon-like arrow energy that had pierced down from the depths of the clouds.

The dragon-shaped energy continued to pummel the Buddha-light without pause. Between the two, a brief stalemate ensued.

Chao Xiaoyu’s voice sounded in Shen Lian’s ear again, seemingly with a hint of triumph: "There was originally no Xiangji Temple here, nor any Xiangji Buddha. But our Empress, when she was still the Heavenly Queen, personally decreed a Xiangji Buddha into existence. She is the ruler of the human world; how could she canonize a deity? It is, of course, the height of rebellion. Yet, as the incense in the mountains grew more abundant, a deity was truly born here. If I hadn't already developed a trace of divinity, I’m afraid I wouldn't have even noticed. It was from that moment on that I realized what kind of divine ability she was practicing, and why she changed the era name—it wasn't just as simple as wanting to be Emperor."

As Shen Lian listened to her, the standoff between the phantom Buddha on the pagoda and the dragon-shaped arrow energy underwent a change.

The arrow suddenly exploded, and a wisp of black energy, along with the fragments, fell into the phantom Buddha. It was as if a spark had dropped into a cauldron of oil; after a burst of intense light, the phantom Buddha began to emit a buzzing sound.

The evening breeze brushed through the mountain ravine, and the pagoda stood tall, though Shen Lian’s keen eyesight could see some pits and craters on its surface—it seemed it had been affected by the explosion after all.

Truth be told, the momentum of that explosion could not be called earth-shattering; they hadn't even felt a tremor here. However, this clash of Daoist methods was truly original. From beginning to end, neither the Empress nor the master of that divine arrow had shown their faces. Only the manifestation of the Buddha and the black energy on the arrow were deeply intriguing.

Chao Xiaoyu clapped her hands and said leisurely, "The show is over. Did you see anything, Master Shen?"

Shen Lian replied, "Forgive my ignorance, but based on your previous words, this Buddha statue is not a manifestation of primordial energy, but seems to be a deity. Yet, compared to a true deity, its power and divine abilities are far inferior."

The aura of this Buddha was somewhat like the Wutong evil god he had encountered before, though it was not as potent as the Wutong god's malevolent energy. The uncomfortable feeling it gave him was much lighter, almost non-existent. As for the black energy on the arrow, because it was too far away, he hadn't truly grasped its essence, only feeling that after it appeared, the Buddha statue seemed to encounter a natural enemy and disintegrated on its own. He knew of several vicious talismans and witchcraft techniques that could produce similar effects, but that wisp of black energy didn't seem quite so sinister.

Chao Xiaoyu’s beautiful eyes flashed, and she smiled sweetly, "Even if you want to know, I won't tell you."

Her voice drifted further and further away; she had been nearby just a moment ago, but now she had vanished. The clouds and mist dissipated. Shen Lian looked at the spot where Chao Xiaoyu had been standing. An ant, which had been half-curled up, began to crawl away. She had stepped on an ant, yet upon leaving, she had left it completely unharmed. Since Shen Lian hadn't seen her do this intentionally, it showed that her level of cultivation was truly terrifying. No wonder she dared to contend with the Empress.

Since Chao Xiaoyu wouldn't say, Shen Lian could not force her. The waters of the Divine Capital were becoming increasingly unfathomable, and he did not want to fall into someone else's schemes. He had already resolved to withdraw from the Divine Capital; after all, the current situation was indeed at odds with his initial judgment. However, the Great Void Divine Strategy still lacked that final step; without crossing it, it would be the same no matter where he went.

***

Bai Shaoliu still did not understand why water had to flow from high to low. At this moment, the visible evening mist suddenly turned into dark clouds. The sky immediately dimmed, followed by a light drizzle that instantly turned into a torrential downpour.

He pondered a thought: if water flows from high to low, how does the rain get back into the sky? But if the water in the sky were inexhaustible, flowing down to the earth whenever it rained, why hadn't the entire world been covered in water over the millions of years? Of course, he wasn't foolish enough to stand in the rain to think about this. In the end, he thought about the landlady, who had gone out early in the morning and hadn't returned yet. Would she get wet in the rain? After all, it was so late, and lingering outside wasn't very safe.

Then, through the curtain of rain, he saw an oil-paper umbrella.

Two people were sharing the same umbrella. In the dim sky and the lines of rain, he could only roughly distinguish that one of them was the landlady. While he was dazed, the oil-paper umbrella approached. Bai Shaoliu finally saw the other person clearly. Although the light was poor, the delicate and flawless face was clear to him, and with her simple white clothes, she truly looked like a Bodhisattva from a painting.

The landlady was a great beauty herself, but she couldn't compare to the breathtaking quality of the woman before him. Bai Shaoliu was simply stunned.

A giggling sound, as crisp as bells in the wind, rang out—a thousand times more pleasant than the sound of the falling rain.

"Senior Sister, your little clerk looks so foolish."

The landlady snorted coldly and said, "What are you staring for, boy? Go boil a bucket of hot water; I need to bathe and change my clothes."

Only then did Bai Shaoliu notice that the landlady was wearing a grey outfit. No matter how poor his memory was, he knew she hadn't been wearing this when she left. The grey garment was embroidered with many patterns, and these patterns were dense and intricate; combined with the gloom of the sky, he truly couldn't make sense of them. Moreover, the landlady kicked him, so he had to scurry off to boil the water. Fearing she might be in a hurry, he used his internal energy to accelerate the flames, and soon the water was boiling.

Once he had prepared the hot water, the landlady and the woman in white went into the room. Although he was a little curious, he didn't dare linger while the landlady was bathing.

He did not know that inside the bathtub, as the landlady lay there, wisps of black energy were faintly appearing and disappearing all over her skin. The landlady seemed not to notice, merely looking at Chao Xiaoyu and saying, "I have fulfilled your request. Now, you should finally hand over the token of the miracle to me."