Chapter 616: Thunder Sound Observations, Golden Immortals Gather
After bidding farewell to Tang Lingwu and the others, Zheng Fa returned to the Jiushan Realm to arrange matters for his departure. He then rode on the rainbow light and flew towards Xizhou.
Half a year is really not enough. The Xuanwei Realm is very large. It will take four or five months to travel from the Jiushan Realm to the Leiyin Temple using Zheng Fa's rainbow transformation method.
After leaving Jiushan, crossing Dongzhou and crossing the ocean, the coastline of Xizhou is already in sight.
A cluster of golden light lit up from the shore and gathered in front of Zheng Fa, revealing the face of a young monk.
Zheng Fa also knew this person. He was one of the Arhats who accompanied the Glass Buddha to the Jiushan Sect that day. His Buddhist name was Huihong.
Arhat Huihong no longer had the imposing aura he had at that time. His face was gentle, and he clasped his hands together and said with a smile, "The Buddha ordered me to wait here for Master Zheng."
"Wait for me?" Zheng Fa frowned slightly, then smiled, "The Mahayana Buddha is thoughtful."
It’s thoughtful.
How did this Lu Yao... know which way to go?
Arhat Huihong took Zheng Fa and took a short detour, brushing against the edge of Yaochi, and entered the territory of Leiyin Temple.
Before, Zheng Fa would have thought that it was because Yaochi and Leiyin Temple belonged to different families, and Huihong Arhat could not bring him in without permission.
Can……
He looked back at Yaochi and had another guess in his mind - Leiyin Temple didn't want him to go to Yaochi, so they asked Huihong to come here to pick him up?
Suppressing the thoughts in his mind, Zheng Fa turned his head and looked down.
He had never been to Xizhou, and Leiyin Temple had always been mysterious. Putting aside his fear of Lu Yao, he was actually quite curious.
The two were passing through a village that was surrounded by rice fields. The fields were full of ordinary rice, which didn't have much spiritual energy, but seemed to be growing well.
The climate in Xizhou is probably hotter than that in Dongzhou, and the villagers are not dressed as warmly as the people in Dongzhou.
At first glance, the man's clothes were just a piece of cloth draped over his body with a few holes in it, revealing his arms and calves.
There were also people working lazily in the fields with their bare chests, revealing their dark backs.
Women are a little more conservative, at least they all wear small tops that bind their chests, but they are also much more open than in Dongzhou.
Judging from the faces of the villagers, their lives are pretty good, at least they don’t go hungry.
"The Buddhist land of Xizhou is fertile, with rice harvested three times a year." Huihong Arhat seemed to have been observing him and now spoke, "The people live and work in peace and contentment, and everyone is kind."
Zheng Fa nodded slightly.
If it is as Monk Huihong said, then the common people in Leiyin Temple should be living a good life.
In particular, the Leiyin Temple had extremely stable rule, high grain production, and a good climate. Calling it a paradise was not entirely an exaggeration.
But he also observed something that puzzled him:
The houses in the village are all made of wood, with banana leaf roofs, and look very shabby.
The wooden houses were scattered here and there, scattered randomly. Between the houses lay a dirt road, devoid of even gravel. Where there were puddles, there was muddy, yellowish-reddish mud.
Some naked children were running on the ground, splashing mud and water everywhere.
Zheng Fa was puzzled. With such a good location and such high grain production, why did the village still look so poor? It seemed there was no school.
Thinking that perhaps the customs here were different, he did not ask any more questions, but continued to fly forward with Huihong Arhat until they passed by a big city.
Arhat Huihong looked apologetic, "The Dharma Assembly is approaching, and I, under the orders of the Glazed Buddha, must go to the city to make some arrangements."
"arrange?"
"This time, the World Honored One is convening a Daluo Dharma Assembly. It is not only a grand event for Xuanwei Xianmen, but also a blessing for everyone in Leiyin Temple. When the time comes, countless believers will come to pray and worship, so we need to prepare in advance."
"That's fine."
Zheng Fa thought that this person would not delay his participation in the Daluo Dharma Assembly, so he did not mind and followed Huihong down to the city.
Zheng Fa thought he was a well-informed person, but he was still surprised at this moment.
A literal golden avenue begins at the city gate and extends into the city.
At the end of the road is a magnificent Buddhist temple facing north and south.
"Gold bricks?"
Zheng Fa looked down at the floor tiles under his feet and asked.
Arhat Huihong nodded with a smile.
Zheng Fa should have had no feelings for gold, but at this moment he felt quite shocked - thinking about the splashing mud and looking at the gold bricks without any footprints under his feet, the feeling in his heart was really hard to understand.
"These are offered by believers themselves to show their devotion to Buddhism."
Now Zheng Fa understood why there were so few nice houses in those villages.
Zheng Fa looked ahead. The road was very wide, enough to accommodate six carriages running side by side, but no one was walking on it.
Zheng Fa and Hui Hong Luohan seemed to be walking in an empty square, but the narrow gutters on both sides of the avenue were crowded with people.
"Who can walk on this road?"
Huihong smiled, as if he could see his disgust, and replied with a sentence that surprised Zheng Fa even more: "It's not that we don't let them go, but... they don't want to leave."
After saying that, he turned and headed towards the Buddhist temple in the north, his clothes blowing in the wind.
Wherever Huihong Arhat walked, the residents on both sides knelt on the ground, as if reverently kissing the dust under his feet brought by the wind.
Zheng Fa walked silently behind until they reached the Buddhist temple in the north of the city.
Dozens of gourd-shaped pagodas are inlaid with five-colored gems. In the main hall, Lu Yao's Buddha statue is made of pure gold. Sitting there, it looks like a golden mountain.
The believers came in droves, bringing gold, silver and jewelry and leaving with smiles on their faces.
Zheng Fa firmly believed that these people came here voluntarily, without any coercion or oppression. As a sect of immortals, Leiyin Temple probably didn't really care much about gold and silver.
But for some reason, he felt only depression and despair in his heart.
Huihong Arhat did not stay in the city for too long. A day later, he took Zheng Fa and went straight to Leiyin Temple.
"Is this the Leiyin Temple?"
Zheng Fa looked ahead and felt his eyes open again.
Before him stood a gigantic peak, taller than any other mountain Zheng Fa had ever seen. What was surprising was that the top of the mountain was not covered with snow or rocks, but was instead a magnificent Buddhist temple.
At such a high position, the people in the hall could probably look down at the sunset and pick flying stars with their hands.
Leiyin Temple is the most advanced sect in the world, standing in Xizhou for several epochs. It may have declined, but its inheritance has never been interrupted.
This place is naturally prosperous.
Houses, monasteries, and scripture halls are densely packed from the foot of the mountain up along the mountainside, like moss growing on the mountain peak, fresh and messy.
Zheng Fa once again felt the difference between Leiyin Temple and other immortal sects——
Leiyin Temple has never been separated from the mundane world. On the contrary, they seem to be deliberately getting close to the mortal world.
Zheng Fa also discovered in the previous city that the believers here went to the Buddhist temple to conduct lawsuits, borrow money, and even sign contracts.
"Master Zheng's residence is a separate courtyard, located at a very high altitude. Others dare not enter without permission, so there is no such disturbance."
Huihong seemed to be afraid that he would not be used to it, so he began to explain.
Zheng Fa didn't dislike it, but he didn't say much. He just followed him to the villa.
This villa seems to be newly built, with a very Dongzhou style, and it also has a back garden, rockery, flowing water, arch bridges and pavilions, everything you need.
Zheng Fa noticed that there were several other similar courtyards next to his.
"These are where the other Golden Immortals live." Hui Hong saw his gaze and introduced, "Near Sect Leader Zheng, there are the other residences of the three Golden Immortals of the Supreme Dao."
"The one on the right is inhabited by the Fairy of Bliss, the Goddess of Yaochi."
Zheng Fa's heart moved, but he pretended not to notice: "How many Golden Immortals have come to Yaochi?"
"Only one Blissful Goddess," Huihong replied casually, adding, "Further away is the courtyard of two Golden Immortals of the Demon Race."
The Golden Immortal of the Demon Race...
Zheng Fa frowned slightly.
"The courtyard of the Three Hidden Immortals is behind Master Zheng. They have arrived."
After Huihong left, Zheng Fa was thinking in his heart that this Daluo Dharma Assembly could be said to be a golden immortal conference that Xuanwei had never seen since ancient times.
The Golden Immortals who came were different from what he expected, some were more, some were less.
For example, among the nine sons of the Supreme Dao, only three Golden Immortals came, and it was not known whether they were on guard against the Leiyin Temple or had other considerations.
It was even more strange that only the Goddess of Bliss came to Yaochi.
The people from these two factions thought less than Zheng Fa.
There are still many people - the demon clan actually has two Golden Immortals?
With this calculation, there are nine Golden Immortals from outside the Leiyin Temple at this Golden Immortal Conference, plus Zheng Fa, the husky who sneaked into the wolf pack, making exactly ten people.
Of course, the two demons and the Goddess of Bliss are probably not outsiders to Lu Yao.
…
Among the ten participants, Zheng Fa arrived neither early nor late.
The Goddess of Bliss arrived early.
The next day, Zheng Fa met the Jade Goddess of Bliss and her entourage—it couldn’t be considered an encounter, as the Jade Goddess had come to visit him with a group of people, and her attitude was very warm.
Among her followers was Nishang Yuanjun.
Zheng Fa and Nishang Yuanjun were old acquaintances. Zheng Fa knew that this person had some differences in ideas with the Goddess of Bliss. But when they met again, Nishang Yuanjun looked at the Goddess of Bliss with eyes full of respect and submission.
After seeing off the Goddess of Bliss, Zheng Fa looked at the back of Lady Nishang Yuanjun. He felt that during the conversation just now, this person behaved very naturally and there was no sign of abnormality.
The Goddess of Bliss had a good attitude, but some people seemed to hate Zheng Fa deeply.
The two golden immortals of the demon clan are named Earth-shaking Demon King and Peacock Emperor, both of which have very cool names.
These two arrived a long time ago.
Zheng Fa actually encountered them once. The true form of the Peacock Emperor was needless to say, and the true form of the Earth-Shaking Demon King looked like a green bull. When he saw Zheng Fa, his eyes bulged, his nostrils flared, and his breathing became heavier.
"This is the Demon King's guest."
The Peacock Emperor glanced at Zheng Fa coldly and gave a reminder.
The seemingly impulsive Earth-Shaking Demon King actually slowly calmed his breathing, snorted coldly, turned around and left.
This is probably the fault of Emperor Jiuyou.
Zheng Fa was not angry, but rather felt more alert. This Lu Yao actually had such a reputation in the demon clan. Even now, the Peacock Emperor still called him the Demon King. Could even a single name make this Earth-Shaking Demon King control his temper?
…
Zheng Fa also met the Three Hermit Immortals once. These three were a bit like him - not only did they come alone without any disciples or descendants, they were also rather homebound and squatted in the yard as soon as they arrived and did not come out.
Unfortunately, the three immortals don't seem to think they are very similar.
When they saw Zheng Fa, they saluted from a distance, but turned and left without saying a word, as if they didn't want to deal with Zheng Fa.
Tai Shangdao and his group were the last to arrive, almost three days before the Daluo Dharma Assembly.
Xuan Chengzi was accompanied by two Golden Immortals and followed by a group of disciples.
As soon as they saw Zheng Fa, one of the disciples' eyes lit up and he shouted to Zheng Fa, "Master Zheng!"
Zheng Fa looked up and saw Li Sanxian carrying a sword on his back and smiling at him.
"Daoyou Li!"
Zheng Fa returned the greeting with a smile.
But Li Sanxian seemed to have thought of something, the corner of his mouth froze, and he squinted his eyes and looked at Xuan Chengzi cautiously.
Xuan Chengzi glanced at him, then looked at Zheng Fa who was smiling, nodded lightly, and without saying a word, led his men directly to the three courtyards on the left.
Li Sanxian followed behind him and when he turned around, he gave Zheng Fa a helpless look.
…
"Junior Brother Li, are you on good terms with Zheng Fa?"
The Taishang Taoist group was sitting in the courtyard, and Xuan Chengzi asked Li Sanxian.
"I have visited the Jiushan Sect before," Li Sanxian explained. After a moment's thought, he added, "The Huangting Sutra created by Zheng Fa is extremely extraordinary and has greatly benefited my Taishang Dao."
"The Huangting Sutra..." Xuan Chengzi pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No matter how extraordinary he is, you must remember that from now on, my Supreme Dao and the Nine Mountains Sect will be enemies, not friends."
"……Can."
"Zheng Fa is now the enemy of all Dao Fruits. If it weren't for the protection of the Nine Nether Emperor and the Hongmeng Purple Qi, he would have been dead by now."
Xuan Chengzi said in a cold voice.
Li Sanxian nodded silently, then asked with some concern: "Then what will happen to him in this Daluo Dharma Assembly?"
Xuan Chengzi shook his head, thought for a long time, and then sighed, "Lu Yao's power is already established. The demon clan, Yaochi, Leiyin Temple, and nearly half of the Golden Immortals have been gathered by Lu Yao. I, the Supreme Daoist, have no choice but to come here. I can only respond to his moves. You're worried about yourself, but you're still worried about him?"
Li Sanxian became worried upon hearing this: "Could this Daluo Fa be dangerous?"
"That won't happen. After all, I, the Supreme Daoist, have the protection of Dao Zun. I don't think Lu Yao would dare to go too far."
All the Taoist priests in the courtyard smiled.
"With Dao Zun here, no matter what Lu Yao wants to do, he can't get around us, the Supreme Dao." Xuan Chengzi continued, "We can just wait for him to make an offer..."
"Master, what you mean is that Lu Yao convened the Daluo Dharma Assembly for us?"
"Lu Yao is a clever man. Since he chose the Daluo Dharma Assembly, he wants to unify the Dao Fruits of the world." Xuan Chengzi said confidently, "There are only three Taiyi in the world now. The Emperor Jiuyou and Lu Yao are sworn enemies. The greater his ambition, the more he needs to cooperate with us before he can plot against the underworld."
After hearing this, Li Sanxian seemed to think it made sense and nodded slowly.
There were footsteps outside the yard.
A group of people came in a mighty procession, seemingly heading towards the villa.
Xuan Chengzi stood up and asked in surprise, "Why is Lu Yao so anxious that he actually came to visit in person?"
The people of Tai Shang Dao looked at each other in surprise, but they couldn't help but feel a little proud in their hearts - with Lu Yao's current power and influence, he was able to come to them in person. I'm afraid that, as Xuan Chengzi said, he attaches great importance to them, Tai Shang Dao.
Lu Yao's footsteps stopped.
"Is Master Zheng Fa here?" Lu Yao's calm voice came, extremely clear.
The sound of the door opening was followed by Zheng Fa's voice welcoming guests.
Gradually, there was only silence outside.
No one came to see Tai Shang Dao.
(End of this chapter)
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