Chapter 184 Daoist Zhunti
"This person has arrived at this time, making him the first to come to our Western Paradise after we attained sainthood. He is surely destined to be with our Western Sect!"
Daoist Jieyin said with a smile.
"Senior brother, let me go and ferry this person here, to impart the wondrous teachings of the West, and to enhance our sect's prestige!"
Daoist Zhunti bowed to Daoist Jieyin, then vanished from Mount Sumeru, heading outside to find Feng Zichen.
…
Recognizing that he was ahead of Mount Sumeru, and fearing to offend the two Western Saints, Feng Zichen dared not linger. He descended from the clouds and quickly headed in the other direction.
However, after only a few days, he saw a golden light suddenly appear before him, covering an area of tens of thousands of miles. The sounds of Buddhist chants and hymns echoed in the void, filling one with a sense of bliss.
"Not good!"
What he saw before him was remarkably similar to the phenomena observed when the two Western Saints attained enlightenment.
Thus, Feng Zichen understood what had happened; he had been targeted by the two Western Saints. Thinking of the formidable reputation of Daoist Zhunti, he couldn't help but feel a chill run down his spine.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"
From afar, he saw a Daoist emerge from the void and call out to him.
The newcomer wore a Daoist robe, his hair was tied in two topknots, his face was sallow, and his body was thin. Two flowers adorned his topknots, and he held a tree branch in his hand. His entire being was enveloped in a Daoist aura, as deep and unfathomable as the ocean!
It was Zhunti Daoist, one of the two leaders of the Western Sect, who appeared. A series of Daoist chants resounded throughout the heavens and earth, deafeningly loud. It was: "Wearing Daoist robes, holding a tree branch, he often expounds the Dao by the Eight Virtues Pond, and speaks of the Three Vehicles under the Seven Treasures Forest; a relic always hangs on his head, and he can write scriptures without words in his hall, a true Daoist guest, graceful and wondrous; he has cultivated himself in the Western Paradise, achieving eternal life and transcending worldly dust, the Bodhi body is infinitely wondrous; the great immortal leader of the West has arrived."
Waving the Seven Treasures Tree in his hand, Zhunti Daoist's figure flickered and appeared before Feng Zichen, smiling as he said,
"Where are you from, fellow Daoist?"
"What brings you to my Western Paradise?"
Although startled, Feng Zichen had seen many sages before, and was a man of considerable experience. He forced himself to calm down and respectfully replied to Zhunti Daoist:
"A disciple of Nuwa's Palace?
This is the most suitable identity Feng Zichen could think of. Perhaps by using Nuwa's name, he could intimidate Daoist Zhunti and dissuade him from other ideas. "
"Oh! So you're a disciple of Fellow Daoist Nuwa. No wonder you're so extraordinary."
Nodding thoughtfully, Daoist Zhunti realized that a disciple, not a student, meant Fellow Daoist Nuwa wouldn't likely remember him.
He would first ferry him to the West and later find an opportunity to personally apologize to Fellow Daoist Nuwa to save face. He figured the trouble shouldn't be too great.
Thinking this, Daoist Zhunti made a decision. His face suddenly darkened, and he sternly shouted at Feng Zichen,
"According to this, you should be a junior of the Xuanmen sect. Then why have you come all the way to Mount Sumeru but not come to pay your respects to us?"
"Could it be that you look down on my fellow disciples and me?"
"Or is this the etiquette that Fellow Daoist Nuwa taught you?"
Seeing Daoist Zhunti's face suddenly darken, Feng Zichen knew things were going badly.
Sure enough, upon hearing his words, he secretly groaned. He never expected that Daoist Zhunti would use this to manipulate him, and for a moment, he didn't know how to speak. He had truly shot himself in the foot!
"Your Majesty is joking. Zichen has great respect for the two Western Saints and would never have the slightest thought of disrespect."
"It is because Zichen's cultivation is low that I feared to offend Your Majesty's eyes, which is why I did not go to Mount Sumeru to pay my respects to the two Saints."
"I have thus forgotten the etiquette of the Xuanmen sect and offended Your Majesty. This is Zichen's fault, and I hope Your Majesty will forgive me!"
After a long while, Feng Zichen bowed slightly and apologized.
Passing by the Daoist temple of a Xuanmen sage under the guise of a disciple of the Xuanmen, yet failing to pay his respects, was undeniably impolite. There was no room for excuses; admitting fault was the best course of action.
"I see!"
"You've been overthinking it, young friend!" "
Our Western Paradise opens its doors wide, welcoming all beings of the primordial world.
Below the level of a sage, all beings are equal, without prejudice."
"You can rest assured, young friend!"
Nodding, Zhunti Daoist's face regained its smile as he spoke softly to Feng Zichen, while also expounding on the ideals of the Western Sect.
"The sage's aspirations are indeed lofty, far surpassing Zichen's; truly admirable!"
Feng Zichen truly admired what Zhunti Daoist said.
In this era where primordial gods and demons were above all else, the Western Sect's audacity in uttering such a blasphemous statement as "equality of all beings " was truly remarkable.
At the very least, Feng Zichen wouldn't dare to say such a thing.
Of course, this might also be related to the fact that the West was vast and sparsely populated, with few primordial gods and demons. If such words were spoken in the East, Jieyin and Zhunti would have been killed long ago, and they would never have had the chance to become saints.
Even now, with the strength of the Three Pure Ones, they wouldn't dare to utter the words "equality of all beings," placing primordial beings on equal footing with primordial gods and demons.
Did they really think the primordial gods and demons of the East were pushovers? If they couldn't deal with a saint, surely they could deal with his disciple?
They had plenty of ways to kill his disciple, scaring away all the beings of the prehistoric world from becoming his disciples.
"Since you admire my Western Sect, young friend, then come with me to Mount Sumeru for a chat and witness the wondrous methods of my Western Sect!" The more Zhunti
Daoist looked at Feng Zichen, the more he liked him, and he couldn't help but invite him.
This person was merely a post-natal being, yet he had cultivated an innate Dao body no less powerful than that of innate gods and demons; his talent was unparalleled, and he was no ordinary person.
If he joined the Western Sect, even if he couldn't glorify the Dao lineage, he could still add a master to the Western Sect—it wouldn't be a loss by any measure.
"Sage, please wait!"
"Today I am ordered by the Goddess Nuwa to travel to the Western Regions to visit the White Tiger Sacred Beast on important matters, and I cannot delay."
"Therefore, I hope the Sage will understand!"
"After I return from the Western Regions, I will report to the Goddess Nuwa and obtain her permission, then I will bring ample gifts to visit the two Sages!" "
How could Feng Zichen dare to enter Mount Sumeru? He knew perfectly well that while entering would be easy, leaving would be incredibly difficult.
Therefore, he hastily tore off a tiger skin as a coat, revealing the names of Nuwa and the White Tiger, hoping to make Daoist Zhunti hesitate and let him leave.
Moreover, the Western methods are clearly inferior to the Eastern methods. The Eastern methods are called the Mysterious Great Dao, while the Western methods are called the Western Wonderful Methods.
The former is called the Dao, the latter the Law; the superiority is obvious.
Feng Zichen isn't a fool; why would he offend the Mysterious Dao, abandon the supreme Dao, and join the Western sect?"
"Stop talking nonsense!"
"You youngster, you're truly cunning!" "
Since ancient times, the White Tiger sacred beast has secluded itself in the Western Regions. How could it be related to Daoist Nuwa, who resides beyond the heavens?"
Clearly, Daoist Zhunti didn't believe a word Feng Zichen said.
(End of Chapter)