Chapter 613 Tensions Rise, But a Twist of Fate
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor smiled, spoke gently, and even used the word "please".
But in Yun Wuji's eyes, those smiling eyes were more piercing and dangerous than the arrows shot from the Sun-Shooting Divine Bow.
Yun Wuji looked at the Glazed Buddha Ancestor, he suddenly heard the ethereal and vast chanting of sutras. He suddenly felt like a sinner, condemned by thousands, deserving of death, and utterly ashamed to live in this world.
He suddenly stood up, wanting nothing more than to rush to the Glazed Buddha Ancestor, kneel down, weep bitterly, and repent, offering his life as atonement.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Several bells rang out in his ears, and he shuddered violently before regaining his senses. When he looked at the Glazed Buddha Ancestor again, he was filled with lingering fear and anger.
"Does Buddha Ancestor think that there is no one in my Nine Mountains Realm?"
Zheng Fa stared at the Glazed Buddha Ancestor, frowning as he asked.
The smile on the face of the Glazed Buddha Ancestor remained unchanged as he leisurely said, "This person knows his sins are grave, so why should the Sect Leader stop him?"
"If that's the Buddha Ancestor's intention," Zheng Fa said directly, "Then please return. The Nine Mountains Sect will not agree."
Yun Wuji a surge of warmth in his heart. He had long known that Zheng Fa would not agree, after all, the Nine Mountains Sect and the Thunderclap Temple had always been at odds. Killing White Lotus would be considered a service to the Nine Mountains Sect.
If Thunderclap Temple were to coerce Zheng Fa into handing him over, the morale of the Nine Mountains Sect would likely collapse.
Hearing these words with his own ears, and seeing no sign of backing down on Zheng Fa's face, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, suddenly returned to his chest.
Upon hearing this, the Glazed Buddha Ancestor seemed to have anticipated it, and simply smiled and said, "Sect Leader Zheng is unwilling to attend the Great Luo Dharma Assembly?"
" Buddha Ancestor, do you mean that if I don't agree to hand over Yun Wuji, I won't be able to attend the Dharma assembly?"
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor took out a golden token, held it in his hand, and nodded slightly. "This golden token is the credential for attending the Great Luo Dharma Assembly. Sect Leader Zheng handed this thief over to me, and I will give this golden token to Sect Leader Zheng."
"Then it's better not to go."
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor shook his head, seemingly finding Zheng Fa's words rather foolish.
"Does Sect Leader Zheng know why the Great Vehicle Buddha Ancestor convened this Great Luo Dharma Assembly?"
Zheng Fa's expression shifted, and he began to listen intently.
" The Primordial Purple Qi is in the hands of Sect Leader Zheng," the Glazed Buddha Ancestor said slowly. "According to the Great Vehicle Buddha Ancestor, using this Primordial Purple Qi is not something Sect Leader Zheng can do alone."
"Rituals?"
Seeing the Glazed Buddha Ancestor nod, Zheng Fa couldn't help but sigh inwardly. To be honest, he had had a vague feeling about this before, but only now, having received confirmation from the Glazed Buddha Ancestor himself, did he dare to truly confirm it.
The Primordial Purple Qi is inherently related to the entire Human Race.
The use of Primordial Purple Qi also requires the recognition of the entire Human Race —that is, a ritual in which the entire Human Race, including those who have attained Dao Fruit and ordinary people, participates.
No wonder Lu Mo all.
" The Great Luo Dharma Assembly, the gathering of all Dao Fruit by the Great Vehicle Buddha Ancestor, is for this very reason." The Glazed Buddha Ancestor glanced at Yun Wuji. "If Sect Leader Zheng misses the Great Luo Dharma Assembly because of this, wouldn't he be missing a great fortuitous opportunity?"
Aunt-Master Huang couldn't help but speak up, " The Primordial Purple Qi is in Zheng Fa's hands. What kind of Great Luo Dharma Assembly you holding? Isn't that a joke?"
The people from the Nine Mountains Sect all wore expressions of indignation.
To put it bluntly, isn't Lu Mo essentially using Zheng Fa's Primordial Purple Qi to hold his own Great Luo Dharma Assembly?
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor's expression remained serene. "Does the Sect Leader know who is attending this Great Luo Dharma Assembly?"
"Of the Nine Sons of Taishang, Xuan Chengzi has already replied, saying he will attend the meeting as scheduled."
" The Three Reclusive Immortals have also replied, saying they will pass through the Underworld to enter my Thunderclap Temple and participate in the Great Luo Dharma Assembly."
"Two of the Four Fairies of Jade Pool will also come."
Zheng Fa frowned inwardly upon hearing this.
Judging from Xuan Chengzi's cultivation level, the names mentioned by this Glazed Buddha Ancestor are likely all associated with the cultivation level of Golden Immortal.
The Supreme Dao has nine Golden Immortal, Jade Pool has four.
The Three Reclusive Immortals are likely Golden Immortal who do not belong to major sects, much like the Dragon Ancestor of the past.
As for the number of Golden Immortal in Thunderclap Temple, the Glazed Buddha Ancestor did not mention it, seemingly unwilling to reveal the strength of his sect. However, he had heard of the Five Direction Buddhas from the Dragon Lord Shuyu, so he figured there must be at least five Golden Immortal.
That adds up to almost twenty Golden Immortal.
Even if there are other Golden Immortal, there probably aren't many.
Seeing the determined expression on the face of the Glazed Buddha Ancestor, Zheng Fa felt a headache coming on. To be honest, he wasn't afraid of Lu Mo's forceful approach. The Nine Mountains Sect's strength was certainly not as good as the Thunderclap Temple's, but with the help of the Underworld and the Immortal-Slayer Sword Formation, they could still protect themselves.
Lu Mo's Great Luo Dharma Assembly... if he really gathers most of the Golden Immortal from the entire Xuanwei, then the Nine Mountains Sect, if not by the table, will probably be on the table itself.
Although the Primordial Purple Qi was in his hands, if these Golden Immortal were to unite, with the Dao Venerable and the Thunderclap Buddha Ancestor behind them, not to mention the Nine Mountains Sect, even the Underworld would have to kneel down.
"So the Great Vehicle Buddha Ancestor prepared to complete the ritual from top to bottom?"
Upon hearing Zheng Fa's question, the Glazed Buddha Ancestor nodded proudly. "As long as all the Golden Immortal agree, and with the help of the Primordial Purple Qi, we can easily establish laws and regulations for the Immortal Way."
That's true.
In the world of Immortal Way, great power ultimately belongs to oneself, and powerful beings hold absolute sway.
With so many Golden Immortal reaching a consensus, there's no way for other Dao Fruit to resist, let alone mortals.
But Zheng Fa still had one question: where did Lu Mo get the confidence to persuade so many Golden Immortal?
The Supreme Dao and Thunderclap Temple have a long history of conflict, so persuading them won't be easy.
Recalling Lu Mo's past actions, Zheng Fa always felt that he wasn't the type to jump out and draw fire without being confident.
"So, Sect Leader Zheng still doesn't want to go?"
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor asked again, his tone full of confidence.
Yun Wuji's face turned even paler. He had, of course, understood the subtext of the Glazed Buddha Ancestor —giving up the Great Luo Dharma Assembly for a traitor was absolutely unwise.
Having led Vast Sun Mountain for many years, he certainly knew how a sect Sect Leader should act...
To be fair, if it were him, he would choose to hand himself over.
He believed that Zheng Fa also knew that he had no choice but to surrender because he was desperate and afraid of death. In fact, he had no loyalty to the Nine Mountains Sect.
Those who miss the Great Luo Dharma Assembly will be excluded by the Golden Immortal.
To put it simply, the mainstream of the Xuanwei Realm used to be the struggle between immortals and demons. Maybe in the future, the Demonic Sect will be the Nine Mountains Sect, and the Immortal Sect will be all the Golden Immortal lineages that participated in the Great Luo Dharma Assembly... What's the point of fighting then?
Zheng Fa fell into thought, and after a moment, asked again, "Only if you take Yun Wuji can I go to the Great Luo Dharma Assembly?"
"Exactly."
Seeing that he seemed to waver, the Glazed Buddha Ancestor smiled even more deeply.
"Then I wish the Dharma assembly at Thunderclap Temple a complete success!"
"..."
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor stared at him in a daze.
Even the people from the Nine Mountains Sect behind him were somewhat moved.
Not to mention Yun Wuji, who stared at Zheng Fa's retreating figure, seemingly unable to believe his ears—Sect Leader Zheng had actually refused?
Zheng Fa never hesitated at all.
The words of the Glazed Buddha Ancestor certainly have their merits, but Zheng Fa also knows a very simple truth—the more your enemy wants you to do something, the less you should do it.
If Lu Mo were to achieve great power by unifying the Golden Immortal through the Great Luo Dharma Assembly, it would naturally be a great calamity for the Nine Mountains Sect. However, this is something that has not yet happened.
Lu Mo can do it, and to what extent, remains questionable.
But if Yun Wuji were truly handed over, not only would the newly established Sun-Shooting Army need to be rebuilt, but more importantly, what would the sect think?
Everyone fought tooth and nail to the death with Thunderclap Temple, and Zheng Fa turned around and handed Yun Wuji over—isn't that a joke?
Not to mention, what will the outside world think of the Nine Mountains Sect? Who would dare to pledge allegiance to the Nine Mountains Sect in the future? Who would believe that the Nine Mountains Sect could sit at the same table as the Thunderclap Temple?
If Zheng Fa doesn't attend the Great Luo Dharma Assembly, he might lose the hearts of all the Golden Immortal.
If he were to hand over Yun Wuji, he would lose the trust of everyone inside and outside the Nine Mountains Sect.
Even who Yun Wuji is is unimportant. Why he joined the Nine Mountains Sect is also unimportant.
He's now a member of the Nine Mountains Sect, and he's very important.
The smile on the face of the Glazed Buddha Ancestor gradually faded. He stared at Zheng Fa with piercing eyes. "Sect Leader Zheng, have you thought this through?"
Zheng Fa smiled but did not answer.
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor closed his eyes, but a Bodhisattva beside him spoke up, "Sect Leader Zheng is confused. Which is more important, a traitor or the entire Nine Mountains Sect?"
Upon entering and exchanging greetings, Zheng Fa learned who this Bodhisattva was. The other party was named Guangzhi Bodhisattva, True Immortal with the cultivation level, and seemed to be a confidant of the Glazed Buddha Ancestor.
Guangzhi Bodhisattva looked at the people in the hall, his face cold, his voice laced with threat. " White Lotus Bodhisattva is a direct disciple of my Thunderclap Temple, the Future Buddha, whose status is no different from others. Now that he is dead, the entire Thunderclap Temple will demand an explanation."
He looked at Yun Wuji and said, "Today, Sect Leader Zheng, you are free to refuse, but my Thunderclap Temple will not let this go. This is not a matter for the Great Luo Dharma Assembly."
Silence reigned throughout the Heavenly Palace Hall.
The threat in Guangzhi Bodhisattva's tone grew increasingly clear. " Alliance Leader Zheng, think carefully. Hand over this thief, and the Nine Mountains Sect will be able to participate in the Great Luo Dharma Assembly. The Great Vehicle Buddha Ancestor, out of compassion, will show leniency, and the Nine Mountains Sect will be safe and secure in the future."
"If we don't hand this person over, how will the Nine Mountains Sect conduct itself after the Great Luo Dharma Assembly?" Seeing the anger lurking in everyone's expressions, Guangzhi not only didn't restrain himself, but spoke even more bluntly, "Even the Buddha Ancestor of my Thunderclap Temple will surely seek justice."
"At that time, war will reignite, and countless lives will be lost. The Nine Mountains Sect, which you have painstakingly built, will face annihilation, Sect Leader Zheng."
"Sect Leader Zheng, is a traitor worth all this trouble?"
Yun Wuji's body trembled.
But then they heard Guangzhi Bodhisattva utter an even more hurtful statement. "Even if Sect Leader Zheng doesn't agree, what about the others in the Nine Mountains Sect? Don't they agree either?"
Yun Wuji felt even more desolate.
Deep down, he had expected Zheng Fa not to hand him over, given the relationship between the Nine Mountains Sect and the Thunderclap Temple.
However, these words from Guangzhi Bodhisattva made his situation in the Nine Mountains Sect even more delicate—it could be said that they put him on the opposite side from the other disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect.
Even if he manages to survive in the Nine Mountains Sect in the future, his life will likely be difficult...
In particular, if the Nine Mountains Sect were to truly face a crisis in the future, how would the other disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect view him?
He could even sense that some of the cultivators from the Nine Mountains in the hall were looking at him strangely.
Just as he was feeling lost, a cold, resolute reply suddenly rang in his ears:
"If your Thunderclap Temple dares to offend my Nine Mountains," Senior Sister Zhang stared at Guangzhi Bodhisattva, her tone extremely serious, "The entire Nine Mountains will not blame any fellow disciples, but will only seek out the culprit and repay them with an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."
The cultivators in the hall who had been misled by the words of the Guangzhi Bodhisattva immediately changed their expressions, filled with shame.
" The Nine Mountains Sect never demanded friendship from your Thunderclap Temple before, nor was it because of Lu Mo's leniency that things became peaceful."
"Not in the future either."
Guangzhi Bodhisattva was speechless. Glazed Buddha Ancestor slowly opened his eyes again, looked at Zheng Fa, and said without joy or sorrow, "Is this your answer, Sect Leader Zheng?"
Zheng Fa smiled and said, "What Senior Sister said is exactly what I said."
He paused, then said very seriously, "Peace and friendship are things that our Nine Mountains Sect has always cherished. The order of heaven and earth is not a bad thing for the Nine Mountains Sect."
"Therefore, my Nine Mountains Sect will not start a war, but if anyone does not cherish this goodwill, then when to stop is not up to them."
The expression of the Glazed Buddha Ancestor changed slightly. He thought of Vast Sun Mountain and felt a chill run down his spine.
When Vast Sun Mountain and Nine Mountains Sect clashed, the difference in their strength was even greater than the current difference between Thunderclap Temple and Nine Mountains Sect.
But now...
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor glanced at Yun Wuji and felt that Zheng Fa's threat had finally found a living example.
Zheng Fa's words weren't just out of spite; they were the basic fighting strategy he had figured out in modern times that was best suited for the Nine Mountains Sect —never fire the first shot, but always strive to fire the last.
Show goodwill while maintaining the principle of tit-for-tat, and make it clear enough that both inside and outside the Nine Mountains Sect understand the meaning.
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor seemed to understand. He didn't say much, but simply stood up, put the golden letter into his sleeve, and said to Zheng Fa, "In that case, we shall take our leave."
The atmosphere in the Heavenly Palace Hall turned somber, realizing that the talks had truly broken down.
Zheng Fa stood up, making a gesture as if to see the guest out.
Since he acted this way, the others in the Nine Mountains Sect naturally had no objections.
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor added, "I only hope that Sect Leader Zheng will not regret this later."
Zheng Fa smiled, seemingly unwilling to engage in any verbal argument, which made the Glazed Buddha Ancestor feel even more frustrated.
He couldn't help but snort coldly, then turned to leave.
Before he could even turn around, Zheng Fa suddenly stretched out his hand and pointed forward.
A look of delight appeared on the face of the Glazed Buddha Ancestor. " Sect Leader Zheng has changed his mind?"
Zheng Fa shook his head, and with a wave of his hand, a golden envelope flew in from outside the boundary.
"A letter from the Great Vehicle Buddha Ancestor?"
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor gestured for Guangzhi Bodhisattva to take the envelope. Guangzhi Bodhisattva opened the envelope, and a letter flew out, from which Lu Mo's voice came.
"I know everything about the White Lotus affair. Her plan was slightly flawed; there's no need to pursue it further."
The expression on the face of the Glazed Buddha Ancestor changed slightly.
" The Great Luo Dharma Assembly concerns the Immortal Way, Primordial Purple Qi originally belonged to Sect Leader Zheng." Lu Mo's voice was very gentle. "Without Sect Leader Zheng, the Great Luo Dharma Assembly inevitably be incomplete. Today, we present this invitation, hoping that Sect Leader Zheng will grace Leiyin Temple with his presence."
Having said that, a golden invitation card flew out from behind the self-written paper and landed in Zheng Fa's hand.
The Glazed Buddha Ancestor looked at the gold letter in Zheng Fa's hand, then looked down at his own long sleeves, and remained silent for a long time.
(End of this chapter)