Chapter 788 — Treading the Fragrant Path on a Donkey's Back

" Emperor Yanfeng wiped the sweat from his face and looked at him: "What insight does the Great Venerable offer?

" "I have no insight, but the Chiming Divine Son does," Banggongcuo said with a smile. "The Divine Son has descended in projection upon the South Sea, and asks you all to come and discuss matters. " The Imperial Preceptor of Jingping cast a glance his way: "Does the Chiming Divine Son mean to plunder while the fire burns? If he meant to plunder while the fire burns, then he would not come in projection, but in his true body.

" Banggongcuo laughed heartily, "Jingping is now split in four and shattered in five.

Only by attaching itself to the Chiming divine race can it preserve itself in these troubled times. This is not plundering while the fire burns; it is guiding matters along the grain of circumstance. " "If the Chiming Divine Son wishes to talk, I will go and talk with him. " Suddenly a heavy voice came from the sky.

The crowd looked up and saw an old ox bearing an old farmer descending from the heavens.

The Woodcutter Sage was both startled and delighted, and was about to speak, when the old farmer shot him a glance and clenched his fist.

The Woodcutter Sage hastily shut his mouth.

The old farmer glanced at the Great Venerable and said, "Come, let us go to Hainan and meet this Chiming Divine Son! " Banggongcuo smiled, "Old man, are you in a position to decide?

" The old farmer was enraged. Rumbling explosions rang out, and behind the old man the divine storehouses unfurled one after another, Spirit Embryo, Five Luminaries, Six Harmonies, Seven Stars, Heaven and Man, Life and Death, all but the Divine Bridge storehouse.

And above the six divine storehouses a heavenly palace leapt forth, and a road ran through the Southern Heavenly Gate, past the Jade Terrace, through the Jade Sea, across the God-Slaying Terrace, through the Jade Capital City, and came to the Lingxiao Hall.

The doors of the Hall of Lingxiao flew open. A primordial spirit rose abruptly from the imperial throne, and heavenly majesty flooded everywhere as it roared, "Do you say I am in a position to decide?

" Banggongcuo shuddered with cold dread, and with a bang turned into a wisp of black smoke and scattered, hiding outside the capital.

Only after a good while did he tremble his way back, bow, and say, "Senior, after you!

" At the Great Thunderpeal Monastery, on the golden summit of Mount Sumeru, Ma Tathagata sat upright with the assembled monks, then suddenly rose and said, "A Buddha Lord has come.

Follow me to welcome him.

" The monks hurried down the mountain and saw a youthful Buddha Lord coming barefoot. Ma Tathagata saluted and said, "Greetings, Senior Brother Deva King Buddha.

" The monks bowed in greeting one after another: "Buddha Lord! " "Within the gates of Buddhism there is no need for such ceremony.

In those years I too was the Tathagata of the Great Thunderpeal Monastery; you may simply call me Senior Brother. " Deva King Buddha ascended Mount Sumeru and looked up.

The Twenty Heavens of Buddhism were built leaning against Mount Sumeru, and now Mount Sumeru was immeasurably tall, each heaven high and exalted, still separated by the barriers of worlds, not yet fully joined with the Primordial Realm. "The Old Buddha still will not let the Buddhist realm enter the mundane world.

A pity. The Heavenly Court will not tolerate him any longer.

" Deva King Buddha said, "The world is about to fall into chaos.

Does the Tathagata have a plan?

" Ma Tathagata said, "If I can beat them, I fight.

If I cannot beat them, I run.

" "That is precisely the way of it! " Deva King Buddha clapped his hands and laughed. "I was afraid you meant to burn jade and stone together.

Hearing you speak thus, I am reassured.

" Even as he spoke, light swirled among the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist realm, and a man like a black pagoda and another little monk descended from the sky.

Their cultivation was deep and mighty, surpassing that of the assembled monks, and they were none other than Xuanliao the Demon Ape, Zhankong, and Monk Chenghuai.

"Tathagata, we have obtained the true scriptures," said Monk Chenghuai with a bow.

Deva King Buddha raised his head toward the Twenty Heavens of the Buddhist realm and said in a low voice, "You have returned, which means the Old Buddha has awakened and knows what has happened here. " His expression was grave.

The Old Buddha's awakening showed how grave the situation was. The Mahabrahma Realm. The Buddhas came one after another to this place, seeking audience with the Mahabrahma King Buddha, and came to a ruined temple, yet saw no trace of the Mahabrahma King Buddha; only a little novice monk remained.

The little novice said, "The Old Buddha woke and left at once, saying he was going to seek an old friend.

" "Brother, this spirit elixir tastes quite good! " In the Primordial Realm, Yutian Zun tasted the spirit elixirs Shen Mu had refined for the water qilin.

They tasted rather good, and he could not help eating several more, praising them: "Truly delicious!

" Shen Mu laughed in exasperation, "Who said they were for you to eat?

These spirit elixirs are for demigods, to grow their bodies.

A human constitution can eat spirit elixirs, true, but it will throw the properties of the vital essence in the body out of balance, and that is extremely dangerous! " Yutian Zun hastily stopped eating.

Shen Mu shook his head and thought, "Yutian Zun cannot control his appetites; sooner or later he will eat himself into a little chub.

A little chub of a Yutian Zun riding on the back of the big chub of a water qilin, just thinking of it is truly.

. .

" He taught Yutian Zun how to refine spirit elixirs. Yutian Zun learned quickly, but his control over vital essence was insufficient, and he blew up the furnace several times, scorching himself black. Shen Mu did not mind.

In those years, when he had studied elixir refinement under the Elixir Master, he had blown up the furnace more times than he could count.

Demigods kept coming from every corner of the Primordial Realm, drawn by the call of the Earth Mother, the Primal Sovereign, and hastening in a single direction. Shen Mu's expression grew graver and graver: the Primordial Realm held a great many demigods, and clearly it was not the Earth Mother, the Primal Sovereign, alone who had been buried and sealed away together with the Earth Mother Realm in those years. "The era of the Supreme Emperor was the longest era apart from the Dragon Han era.

Its mysteries are no fewer than those of the Dragon Han era. " At last they came to a vast and boundless ancient battlefield.

Before Shen Mu could look it over carefully, the braying of a donkey came from behind them, harsh and grating.

"A donkey demigod too? " Shen Mu was astonished, and turned his head toward the sound, and saw a gray long-eared donkey bearing a young scholar, swaying this way and that as it came. The young scholar wore a feather fan and a silk headdress, quite elegant, sitting sideways on the donkey's back, while his other hand held a fishing rod, from whose line dangled a carrot, hung before the donkey's nose.

The donkey stared at the carrot, never looking at the road ahead, and lurched along, one step high and one step low, braying all the while, deeply resentful that it could not reach the carrot. "Spring through, ten ailments, nine from wine; in the third month not two days of clear sky.

At dawn tomorrow, riding a donkey on a fragrant grassy road, deep among green willows to hear the orioles cry. " The scholar chanted and sang his verse, and the donkey, swaying and reeling, passed by Shen Mu and the others.

Shen Mu looked at the scholar, and saw a man with delicate features, eyes like swirling stars, bearing a pressing heroic spirit, and yet also a certain air of melancholy.

"Brother," Shen Mu said, cupping his hands with a smile, "where is Brother bound? "