26. Which sage doesn't protect his own?

After saying this, Liao Zhen released the Eye Pearl and, taking advantage of the time when Tathagata was not used to the golden light, used his cultivation technique to heal his injuries. Seeing that Tathagata had recovered, Liao Zhen sneered, "Is it only you who has it? You have it, and so do I!"

After saying this, Zhen took out an object from his bosom. It was about a foot long and had nine branches. Some odds and ends were hanging from the branches. When it was shaken, it made a "clinking" sound. It was shaped like a tree branch and was entirely green. Upon closer inspection, one could see that there was a trace of gold flowing within it. This thing was the "Nine Treasures Tree" that Xuan Tian had made as a prank. Xuan Tian had long anticipated that Zhunti and the others would bestow magical treasures upon him, so he also gave the magical treasure in his hand to Zhen.

The Buddha immediately recognized the origin of this object and felt somewhat displeased. Yes, he was displeased. The artifacts used by sages to attain enlightenment are all unique, belonging to each sage. Generally speaking, the artifacts used by sages to attain enlightenment will not be duplicated. This is due to the dignity of each sage; they have their own path and will not imitate or deign to imitate others. Moreover, this is also the symbol of each sage. They are usually used as the treasures of a sect, representing the meaning of a great sage. Therefore, the artifacts used by sages to attain enlightenment will absolutely not be the same, even similar or identical.

For the sake of a sage's dignity, a sage may sometimes abandon what he is best at and refine it into something else. For example, Tongtian became a sage first, and his weapon of enlightenment was a sword. So, no sage who became a sage after him would choose a sword or similar magical weapon as the model for his weapon of enlightenment. Even if they liked using swords very much or were most skilled at using swords, they would never use them, at least not as their weapon of enlightenment.

But Xuan Tian, ​​well, he doesn't establish a sect, so he doesn't need it as a symbol of his sect, nor does he need others to recognize him at first glance. So, he shamelessly forged a tree branch. In a sense, this is an act that makes him lose face and also offends Zhun Ti. Of course, there are no rules about this, so others might just laugh it off, but there's no cause and effect, and Zhun Ti has no reason to get angry.

Liao Zhen sneered, "I wonder what kind of magic weapon I have? I would appreciate Buddha's guidance." With that, he raised the Nine Treasures Tree and attacked Tathagata.

Liaozhen had previously been humiliated by Tathagata, and he couldn't bear it if he didn't get his revenge.

Tathagata also snorted coldly. Today's matter is not over yet. Seeing that the real attack was coming, he took the opportunity to sweep away the Seven Treasures Tree in his hand.

The Nine Treasures Tree was created by Xuan Tian in imitation of the Seven Treasures Tree, and their functions are quite similar. It even possesses the ability to cleanse people and objects, a function found on the Seven Treasures Tree, but that's merely a trick condensed from karma. Karma is something produced by the alternation of cause and effect. All things in heaven and earth, even innate treasures, have karma, as do saints. However, saints are immortal and do not fear the generation of karma; their only fear is that too much karma will bring disaster. Although they themselves are not afraid, they still fear that it will affect their disciples and followers.

Karma, being a product of cause and effect, possesses a unique characteristic: the accumulated karma is incredibly heavy and can pull people into the cycle of reincarnation, as it is itself a product of reincarnation. Whether it's the relic-giving Dharma of Amitabha or the golden body Dharma of Cundi, karma is a major source of energy. Buddhism's application of karma can be said to have reached its peak. This Seven Treasures Tree is even more extraordinary, adorned with the seven Buddhist treasures, hanging from its seven branches. Within it lies the karma refined by Cundi, capable of pulling on people or objects. If unleashed by Cundi, it can almost sweep away anything.

Although Xuan Tian didn't know exactly how Zhun Ti condensed karma to achieve this effect, he understood the principle that quantitative change leads to qualitative change. Anyway, your thing was also caused by karma, so I just need to refine it with more karma. It won't be much worse than yours.

Karma doesn't arise out of thin air, and it would be troublesome for Zhunti to obtain it. However, the Six Paths of Reincarnation, which Xuantian controls, is the largest concentration of karma. With the Underworld in hand, he would hardly lack karma. Relying on the Underworld, Xuantian extracted several times more karma than Zhunti to refine the Nine Treasures Tree. In the end, although it still couldn't compare to the Seven Treasures Tree's effectiveness in cleansing people and things, it wasn't too far off.

When the two objects collided, Tathagata originally intended to use the Seven Treasures Tree's ability to sweep away objects to suppress the Nine Treasures Tree, so that he could seize it. Tathagata also realized the awkwardness of having such a supreme magic weapon. After all, no matter how strong his physical body was, it was not a good thing to be without a magic weapon.

However, when the two magical treasures collided, Tathagata discovered that the Seven Treasures Tree could not move the Nine Treasures Tree at all. Surprised, he was instead punched in the body by Liaozhen, who had expected this. Although he was not seriously injured, he lost the initiative.

Seeing Tathagata retreat, Liaozhen took the opportunity to pull away the Seven Treasures Tree, secretly forming a thunder seal with his left hand, and striking Tathagata's chest with his right hand. The Nine Treasures Tree seemed slow, but it was actually fast, and a fierce wind blew around it, faintly revealing a murderous aura.

Upon seeing this, Tathagata hurriedly retrieved the Seven Treasures Tree and protected it in his chest. Unexpectedly, Tathagata unleashed another divine lightning bolt at him. The two were engaged in close combat, and the distance was too close for Tathagata to dodge. He felt a numbness in his chest and left arm, and with a loud bang, Tathagata was blasted away.

Liao Zhen wasn't necessarily in a good position either. The Heavenly Divine Thunder was quite powerful. Even though he couldn't unleash its full power, the explosion at such close range was still painful for him. Liao Zhen knew he was slightly inferior to Tathagata. If he were to fight Tathagata alone, he wouldn't be able to win. Moreover, since the start of the fight, Tathagata had hardly used any magic weapons, while Liao Zhen could use all his magic weapons, yet he could only manage a draw with Tathagata. If it weren't for the uniqueness of his cultivation technique and the protection of his Taoist robe, he would have been seriously injured by that previous attack.

Therefore, after Liaozhen took the Nine Treasures Tree, he attacked Tathagata again. He first clashed with his magic weapons, and then, taking advantage of Tathagata's moment of surprise, he seized the initiative, approached Tathagata, and used the Nine Treasures Tree as a cover for an attack. In reality, he secretly cast a lightning spell, which he then unleashed after getting close to Tathagata. This gave Tathagata no time to react. Relying on the power of the Heavenly Thunder, even if he could not seriously injure Tathagata in one fell swoop, he could still make Tathagata lose face and suffer some minor injuries.

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