Yin Xi was overjoyed and knelt down to pay his respects, saying, "Thank you, Master."
Laozi said, "Since you have accepted me as your master, I will name you Changmei. You are not suitable for cultivating my Taiqing Great Law; you can only learn powerful and fierce methods. My junior brother Tongtian has a fiery temperament and his cultivation methods are quite unique, which are suitable for you. I have also obtained some of his techniques and created a sword cultivation method, which I can pass on to you." Laozi then passed on the sword cultivation method to Changmei, as well as the protective array "Liangyi Weichen Array," and bestowed upon him the "Primordial Qi Taiqing Divine Talisman," which had been reforged in the Eight Trigrams Furnace, as a suppressing spiritual treasure.
As Lao Tzu left Hangu Pass, he said to the long-browed man who had come to see him off, "This is not a place for cultivation. After you have passed on my 'Tao Te Ching' to the world, go to Mount Emei in Sichuan to cultivate." Lao Tzu was about to leave when he stopped, looked eastward, and smiled slightly. The long-browed man was very puzzled. He turned around and saw a man approaching from afar, moving with seemingly slow but actually fast movements, arriving in front of him in the blink of an eye.
The man walked to Laozi's side, bowed to Laozi, and said, "Greetings, Uncle-Master. My teacher asked me to come and wait for your arrival."
Laozi said, "The Sage of Xuantian is indeed shrewd. Since that's the case, you shall come with me."
Laozi, along with Duobao and Cangjie, continued westward until they arrived in India, which was controlled by Hinayana Buddhism established by Jieyin and Zhunti, where the two stopped.
Lao Jun sighed and said to Duo Bao, "This is it!" Duo Bao didn't say anything, but looked up at the sky. A wisp of cloud drifted leisurely in the wind towards the distant east...
The old man said slowly, "Having left Hangu Pass to convert the barbarians to Buddhism, Duobao is no longer a Daoist! Duobao, today I will explain the Great Law of the Supreme Sage to you once more!" Having said this, Laozi closed his eyes slightly and recited, "Therefore, one should always be without desire to observe its wonders. One should always have desires to observe its wonders. These two arise from the same source but have different names; they are both called profound. Profound and yet more profound, the gateway to all wonders." The young Daoist respectfully accepted the instruction, afraid of missing a single word the old man spoke…
Cangjie listened attentively. Although the techniques of Penglai Island were also profound, the sage’s teachings were extraordinary and the opportunity was rare. Moreover, Laozi was called a sage in his previous life, which naturally meant that he was also extraordinary.
"The highest good is like water: Water benefits all things without striving, dwelling in places that others disdain; this is the virtue of humility. Therefore, the rivers and seas can be the kings of all valleys because they are good at being lowly, thus they can be the kings of all valleys. Nothing in the world is more yielding and weak than water, yet nothing can surpass it in attacking the hard and strong; this is the virtue of gentleness. Therefore, the yielding overcomes the hard, and the weak overcomes the strong and firm. Because it is without form, it can penetrate into the uninterrupted. From this, we can understand the teaching of non-action and the benefit of non-interference."
Laozi's voice slowly drifted across the heavens and earth, revealing his understanding of the Dao in just a few words. Though brief, it contained the essence of the Great Dao.
Duobao's eyes reddened as he knelt towards the Biyou Palace on Jin'ao Island, silently performing the three kneelings and nine kowtows. He then stood up and bowed three times to Laozi, saying, "Uncle-Master, from this day forward, Duobao is no longer a member of the Daoist sect! The future conflict between Buddhism and Daoism will be left to fate!" Laozi also raised his head, gazing at the vast sky. After a long while, he nodded and took out a Vajra Bracelet from his person. This Vajra Bracelet was forged from copper collected from Shouyang Mountain when Laozi established the Human Sect. Laozi waved it, and the Vajra Bracelet spun rapidly in the air, emitting a dazzling golden light.
Lao Jun sighed and said, "That's right! Go!" Duo Bao flashed and disappeared into the Vajra Bracelet. Lao Jun nodded to Cang Jie and returned to the Eight Views Palace.
A long sigh also echoed from Biyou Palace on Jin'ao Island...
Ten days later, news came from Kapilavastu, India, that the queen had dreamt of a hermit coming from the east, and later gave birth to a son, whom she named Shakyamuni…
On Mount Sumeru, by the Eight Virtues Pond, the two Buddhist leaders, Jieyin and Zhunti, sat facing each other.
After the establishment of Buddhism, its reputation grew day by day. During this century, two more late-stage Golden Immortal masters, Ksitigarbha and Mahasthamaprapta, came to join the sect. They were respectively guided and conferred the titles of Namo Great Vow Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and Namo Great Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva, becoming protectors of Buddhism.
In the distance, more than three thousand Buddhas were practicing the great Buddhist Dharma under the guidance of the Medicine Buddha. A golden light, large or small, appeared behind each of their heads.
The Amitabha Buddha, his face contorted with distress, chanted a Buddhist prayer and said, “Junior Brother, since the beginning of our sect, we have faced immense difficulties in our development due to the lack of a supreme innate treasure to suppress our fortune. Now that the situation has only slightly improved, Laozi’s westward journey through the Hangu Pass to convert the barbarians to Buddhism has diverted our fortune, and we fear our eastward advance will have to slow down.” The Amitabha Buddha paused, then continued, “Back when we were listening to the Dao in the Zixiao Palace, Laozi was our eldest brother. He truly possesses great skill and cunning! With just this one move, he has left Buddhism in a difficult position!” How could the matter of Laozi’s westward journey through the Hangu Pass to convert the barbarians to Buddhism be kept secret from the two sages who led Buddhism? Unfortunately, this was Laozi’s act of spreading the Dao, and the two sages were powerless to stop it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
