However, the old ox picked up many prepared spiritual objects, stepped on the auspicious clouds, and went straight to the Thunder Mansion to find the Three-Five Fire Spirit General there, and borrow his Huo Dou. He wanted to use the extremely yang and strong power of thunder and fire to refine many of the former demons and objects into the purest and most harmless spiritual charm.

It is said that Lao Huangniu was once a great demon, but he was undisciplined. He had been a demon in the lower world and had fought with many generals of the Thunder Department several times. However, he did not provoke the thirty-six generals of the Thunder Department to take action, so he was able to escape unscathed. It should be noted that the Thunder Department is known as the strongest war department in the heavens, and the thirty-six thunder generals are the strongest among them. The number thirty-six is ​​constant, but the personnel are different.

All the gods of thunder can challenge these thirty-six titles.

The strong advance and the weak retreat.

This ensures the combat capability of these thirty-six thunder generals.

They can be said to be the thirty-six most capable generals among the strongest fighting force in the heavenly realm.

Not responsible for rain and thunder.

Nor is he responsible for using thunder to drive away evil spirits.

It is only responsible for heavenly punishment and heavenly calamity, which is the so-called five thunders from heaven.

Although Lao Huangniu had never met these thirty-six Thunder Generals, the many Thunder Generals below were old acquaintances to him.

There were many fights back then.

Later, he got an opportunity and joined the Dou Department. Lao Niu became extremely generous and took out all his family assets to hold a banquet that lasted for thirty days. There were many delicacies, jade plates, spiritual fruits and good wines, all placed on the table like a buffet. He also took out precious treasures and went to Guanghan Palace of Taiyin Zhenjun to invite thirty palace maids and beauties to dance and play music.

Those who practice thunder magic are all people of upright and honest character. They can easily make enemies, but also easily resolve them.

We also know that this old ox kicked down the Buddhist temples and pagodas of Medicine Buddha and ran all the way here.

Each one is breathtaking.

All that’s missing is a word of awesomeness.

It was also known that the old ox had kicked the old monk, causing him to stagger, and had eaten all the lotus flowers in the lotus pond.

Even more awe.

Add to that fine wine, delicious food and beautiful women, and the old ox was generous with his money, and was very talkative and cheerful, and in a short while we became familiar with each other. We were arm in arm, calling each other "old brother" and "brother ox", and we drank happily for a month. It was a great time in life! It was the hottest time of the year, and the sky had been cloudy for a whole month, so the heat suddenly disappeared.

There's only one bad thing.

There was only thunder but no rain in the sky throughout the whole month.

The thunder was so loud that it sounded like someone stroking his beard and laughing.

Eventually this matter was discovered by the True Lords of the Thunder Department, who came in anger.

They urged these drunk and staggering gods of thunder to make it rain, so everyone stumbled while still at the banquet and spilled a jar of fine wine. It then rained heavily, making the world drunk.

"Alas, what a pity for such good wine!"

"Ha, what a nice rain!"

That day, heavy rain broke the summer heat.

Old Yellow Ox and the Thunder Gods all laughed when they talked about the past.

But the general smiled and said, "Why do you like to write backwards when you write? Telling people to make it rain should have been the first thing to do, but you wrote it backwards and people remembered it wrongly, which delayed things. This made the Rain Cloud Official, the Sword and Spirit Official, and the Fire Bell Envoy all angry. We went to the Thunder Mansion, and [Lei Bo Qingdi Lei Jun] came personally, and we had a good beating."

The old yellow ox scratched his head and said, "Haha, isn't that what I'm used to?"

"When I was a demon king in the lower realm, the most important thing when delivering messages was to keep them secret, so I got used to writing in reverse..."

He paused, then raised his hand and slapped his forehead, shouting, "Oh no! This is not good!"

“It’s getting easier to write!”

"The letter to Xiao Wuhuo was also written backwards. What should I do?"

I was planning to get up and go, but I saw that the lightning fire was being activated and the spiritual materials were being tempered. I needed to watch over it and I couldn't leave. After thinking it over, I finally sat back in my original position, sighed, and said, "I can't leave here either. Forget it. This foundation is the most important."

"I have to tell Wuhuo tomorrow..."

…

Qi Wuhuo finished the [Circular Light Revealing Technique] and raised the Xuantan. The old yellow ox's cultivation was much higher than his. He sent all the Qi that could be sent to him in one breath. The Qi belonging to the various divine beasts and demons were stuffed into jade bottles and sealed tightly.

These jade bottles are also quite extraordinary.

They are all made of crystal clear material, and all the mixed spiritual charm and aura in them have been extracted completely.

Therefore, it can be used directly to contain the qi without making the qi impure.

A one-time forced seal is added to the mouth of the bottle.

To prevent these spiritual auras from flying away.

Although these spiritual auras have been tempered once, and their spirituality and wildness have been greatly dissipated, they are still extraordinary after all, so they can easily leak out and dissipate between heaven and earth.

There were pieces of white paper pasted on it, carefully distinguishing the ownership and origins of these things, to prevent the young Taoist from not knowing to whom the aura in each bottle belonged. However, the young Taoist was indeed a latecomer to Taoism, and was not born in heaven. After all, these names were just names on a piece of white paper.

The young Taoist just arranged them in order.

Arranged in order of use.

"Hmm? Has Uncle Niu arranged everything?"

"He once said that we have to gradually adapt from weak to strong..."

Qi Wuhuo looked at the list given by Lao Huangniu, but he didn't know Lao Huangniu's habits. He picked up the first bottle and saw that there was a dark green aura inside, just like the vast sky. Then he looked at the words written on it. The name was -

【Nine-headed Lion Yuanzun Holy Spirit】

“Is this the weakest one?”

"Uncle Niu said it's the weakest one, and basically not that difficult. Just treat it as a practice."

Qi Wuhuo picked up the bottle and looked at the peacock egg on the cushion next to it.

He stroked the eggshell lightly with his fingers, and felt that the spirit inside was sleeping. After thinking for a while, he put the jade bottle back, thinking of waiting for the peacock's spirit to awaken before trying again. Then he sat on the bed and meditated and exhaled. When the time came, he lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, he got up and swept the courtyard of the Taoist temple.

There are also evergreen trees here. The cold winter wind blows down many of them every night, making rustling sounds.

The young Taoist priest Mingxin ran in quickly: "Uncle Qi, Uncle Qi, I bought what you wanted!"

The young Taoist put the broom in his hand aside. The broom was made of broom grass whose branches became rough and hard in autumn. In spring, this broom grass is actually a rare wild vegetable with a refreshing taste. It is also called Kochia scoparia. It can be used to stop diarrhea and relieve poison from sores. Qi Wuhuo likes the taste of it after blanching, and it is also very useful for sweeping the floor. At this time, the young Taoist had put a large cloth bag on the ground.

Although Mingxin is not very old, he is also nourishing his energy.

He was physically strong, not much weaker than an adult man. He was carrying such a big bag and only took a short breath. He wiped his sweat, picked up the ladle and scooped a spoonful of water from the water tank and drank it. He felt much better and his fatigue disappeared. He watched the young Taoist open his bag and saw the pungent realgar inside. He couldn't help but ask curiously:

"But, Uncle Qi, what do you want to buy this realgar for?"

"If you want to remove poisonous insects, a small piece will be enough."

The young Taoist said gently: "A small piece is still not enough."

Looking up at the city, he could guess that it was because the water god did not rain enough that the epidemic was not suppressed, causing diseases to run rampant in the city. After much thought, he could only use drugs such as realgar that can remove evil spirits, dissolve them in water, and sprinkle them in the city. This could suppress the epidemic slightly, hoping that there would be rain in the Waking of Insects and thunder to ward off evil spirits.

Qi Wuhuo took a large bucket, broke up the solid realgar, ground it into powder, and dissolved it into water.

The fingers moved slightly.

The "Cloud and Rain Chess Game" I got from Mr. Ao Liu flowed through my mind.

Then the water in the bucket seemed to turn into a water snake, swirling in the barrel, mixing the realgar powder evenly into the water. This trick made the Taoist Mingxin's eyes light up. He pulled Qi Wuhuo's sleeve and said, "Uncle Qi, Uncle Qi, what kind of trick is this? It's so interesting!"

"Can you teach me?!"

The old Taoist priest hit Mingxin on the top of his head with a Taoist scripture in his hand, causing the young Taoist priest to scream and look at his teacher with a face full of resentment.

The old Taoist glared at him and said, "Your Yuan Shen is not strong enough, your Yuan Qi is mixed, and your foundation is not yet solid. Do you want to do such a thing? Isn't it too ambitious?!"

The young Taoist Mingxin felt melancholy and regretful.

The young Taoist smiled gently and did not respond. After all, this was the method of Mr. Ao Liu, and it could not be passed on without permission.

The Taoist temple is located at a slightly higher place than the Zhongzhou city. Standing on the temple and looking into the distance, he can take in most of the city. However, he feels a little regretful at this moment. It is a pity that his cultivation is not enough. If he has reached the realm of innate Qi, he can transform the realgar water into the shape of a water dragon or a water snake, and then rise into the clouds and make it rain. In just one day, he can make the city rain.

But it’s not possible now.

Your cultivation is not good enough to do such a thing.

He still had to obediently take the bucket and water the plants.

When the young Taoist Mingxin heard that he didn't have to do any homework, he volunteered immediately. He also had built up his qi and had enough strength.

The bucket was quite big and could hold one person. The old Taoist said that when the little Taoist was a child, he would hold him in this big bucket and take a bath. The little Taoist Mingxin held the bucket, and Qi Wuhuo controlled the water flow by controlling his vital energy, so that not too much water would be wasted when it was spilled. When the bucket of water was used up, they had reached the end of the street and saw that yesterday's porridge stall was still there.

There was also a big monk who set up a tent to treat patients.

Qi Wuhuo was slightly surprised, but he saw that the monk was an acquaintance. It was the monk who had chased the fortune teller and ran to the brothel in Pingkangfang. The big monk also recognized Qi Wuhuo, smiled and nodded, signaling the young man to wait, and then helped treat a patient, took out the medicine and handed it over, gently instructed the contraindications of taking the medicine, and then got up and came over.

He put his hands together and said in a gentle voice, "I am honored to meet you, young Taoist priest. We meet again."

Qi Wuhuo returned the gift in the Taoist way, saying: "Master, this is..."

The great monk replied, "It is because of the epidemic that has been rampant recently. I had no choice but to let that fellow go and come here to see the doctor first."

He was a monk who looked very gentle. Hearing the coughing around him, he clasped his hands together, lowered his eyes and sighed:

"Mercy, mercy."

“All living things suffer.”

"The fortune teller can be caught later. I can wait, but many people's illnesses cannot be delayed."

"At worst, I can just let him run away first, and I can chase him later."

"Ah, my friend, do you want to eat something? I have some dried soybeans here, they taste really good."

The young Taoist took the soybean and handed it to Xiao Mingxin, saying, "All living things suffer?"

The monk nodded and said, "Yes... Have you ever heard of the most basic principles of Buddhism, young Taoist priest?"

Qi Wuhuo replied: "I don't know, please teach me, Master."

The monk said as he brewed some rough tea: "The most basic concept of Buddhism is called the Four Noble Truths."

"It is the Four Noble Truths of suffering, accumulation, extinction, path, and death. The most basic concept among the Four Noble Truths is the Truth of Suffering, which means that everything in the world is suffering. Although there is prosperity and beauty, the beauty is always short-lived. Youth is strong, but it will be old in a blink of an eye. Spring is beautiful, but it will soon turn into scorching heat. Flowers bloom brilliantly, but they will soon fall. It's just like that..."

The young Taoist was thoughtful and said to himself, "The truth of suffering?"

He followed the monk's gaze and saw the scenes before him.

Then he shook his head and said, "I don't think so."

“Although the flowers fall, they have bloomed; the years of youth are beautiful, so why should we feel pain when we grow older?”

"The master said that the falling of flowers is painful, but it is just because they are greedy for the beauty of blooming; he said that growing old is painful, but it is just because we hope to be young forever."

"The so-called [truth of suffering] says that all living beings in the world are suffering. Isn't it just because we are too attached to these living beings?"

The young Taoist sighed:

"The person who proposed this truth of suffering must be very gentle, right? I don't think I have ever seen such a gentle person."

"Love the best time of all living things."

“But I also cling to my greatest desire, which is to hope that all living things will remain healthy and young forever, and that flowers will never fade.”

"He has such a strong desire and persistence."

The monk was slightly startled, as if he had encountered something incredible, and subconsciously looked at the young Taoist in front of him.

After a long time, he said, "My friend is indeed very talented."

"Among the Four Noble Truths of Buddhism, the second one is the Noble Truth of Origination, which is exactly the same as what you said, saying that all sufferings are caused by desires."

"Besides this, there are two truths: extinction and the path."

"[The truth of extinction] means that we must eliminate all the causes of worldly suffering in order to enter the ideal state."

The young Taoist thought for a moment, then said naturally, "It's a bit extreme... destroying everything, doing it thoroughly but leaving no room for retreat."

"If that's the case, then I need to continue to cultivate myself so that I can return to a more natural state from such an extreme state."

The monk remained silent for a long time, then sighed:

"Master... you have great understanding."

“The last truth is called the Truth of the Way, which means entering the highest state and realm.”

“It requires long-term practice.”

The young Taoist took the tea handed to him by the monk, thought for a long time, and said:

"I see. [Suffering], [Origin], [Cessation], [Path], these are not parallel, but one person's path."

"I see these Four Noble Truths as if I saw him."

"Seeing him go from loving all living things to feeling grief because he realizes that everything is fleeting, and then seeing that the end of everything can be foreseen, he feels that everything in the world is painful, wandering in melancholy, and choosing to cut off his own desires. So far, he still loves all living things, but he will no longer suffer."

“But in the end I realized that this path was a deviation, so I turned back.”

"This is his practice, and it is also a very complete path of [refining the mind]. It is his method and his way."

"It is also his sadness and persistence."

"I see."

The big monk was silent, picked up the tea, his hands trembling.

I wanted to drink the tea, but I couldn't even lift it.

Finally, he sighed deeply, and was speechless. He put down the teacup, stood up, his sleeves half wet, and just put his hands together and said:

"Master, you have a good heart!"

"It is said that the Buddha once briefly appeared under a bodhi tree and then disappeared. He never appeared in the world. He only spoke the most basic theories of Buddhism, one of which is this. All things are included in the Four Noble Truths. So it is said that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva has a mount called [Dhi Ting], which means [listening to the Four Noble Truths], and can hear all the sufferings, desires, and paths in the world."

Just as he was about to continue speaking, he suddenly paused.

In other words, almost everyone raised their heads.

The whole city was in an uproar. Everyone looked up to the west. It was not even noon yet, but suddenly large patches of rosy clouds rose in the west. Although it was rosy clouds, they were large patches of red, as red as blood. The Buddhist bell in the Buddhist temple in Zhongzhou City moved without wind and rang eighteen times. The big monk was stunned for a long time, his hands trembling, and suddenly -

The beads in his hand fell apart and fell to the ground.

Under this blood-red glow, the word "Buddha" is full of crimson.

The monk was silent for a long time, then murmured:

“There is Buddha.”

“Destroyed…?”