NOVEL NEXT Chapter 296 Imitation
"Amitabha."
The monk recited the Buddha's name, and at this moment, even he felt that he was somewhat of a jinx. But on second thought, it was only natural for the person before him to appear at this moment.
No matter how wise or eloquent he might be, he was unlikely to persuade the other party to change his mind about killing Nezha.
The person in the sky was none other than Nezha's nominal master, Master Taiyi of the Chan Sect.
Master Taiyi looked down at the earth, and everything in his sight had been destroyed by thunder. He saw Nezha, and with his keen eyesight, he could easily tell that Nezha's current state was very poor.
"It seems my arrival is not too late, or rather, my arrival is timely," he said.
The monk was still determined to try, stepping forward to stand in front of Nezha. He said, "Benefactor, are you planning to kill?"
"Monk, you are of the Buddhist Sect. I will not kill you, but today Nezha must die."
The monk said, "Many in this world do not want you to kill Nezha."
Master Taiyi laughed, stared at the monk, and said nothing.
He remained silent, leaving the monk to continue, "I know I and Ao Run behind me are not significant, but as far as I know, within my sect's Spirit Mountain, there is a Venerable who has always wanted to teach Nezha Buddhism."
Master Taiyi said, "Nezha is my disciple, where does he get the right to teach him?"
The monk continued, "As far as I know, your junior brother Jiang Ziya also has ties with him."
Master Taiyi remained silent.
"..."
...
"Lu Ya also has some expectations for Nezha."
"The Jie Sect Leader Tongtian also met Nezha last year."
The monk listed several names, but Master Taiyi was unmoved.
His intention was extremely clear; he was determined to kill Nezha. Even if it offended the people the monk mentioned, he did not believe they would trouble him over a dead man.
"Have you said enough?"
Master Taiyi raised his hand, released a green lotus, and let it descend slowly. Regardless of the wind or rain, the speed or rotation of the green lotus did not change an iota as it fell.
This symbolized Taiyi's Dao Fruit.
The monk sighed, knowing his realm was too weak to stop this lotus.
The Little Dragon Girl gave a low roar, reverting to her original form, and a white dragon lunged toward the sky, bringing forth a fierce wind!
But in the next moment, a cloud of blood mist exploded in the sky, sending the Little Dragon Girl's scales scattering as she plummeted to the ground.
A cultivator of the Golden Immortal Realm was severely injured in the blink of an eye.
Master Taiyi was no ordinary Taiyi Golden Immortal.
He had been in this realm for over a thousand years.
The green lotus descended steadily, seemingly unstoppable.
When it reached above Nezha's head, Nezha finally opened his eyes.
At this moment, he was indeed weakened to the extreme.
But the moment he opened his eyes and stared at the lotus, the Daoist green lotus halted mid-air.
Nezha laughed, his laughter mingling with blood-filled coughs, and asked, "You really came, after all."
Master Taiyi's brow furrowed with vexation as he spoke with a trace of irritation, "Since you knew I would come, you should have prepared yourself sooner."
"Master, we've known each other long enough for you to know I'm not a fool. I would naturally make the necessary preparations. I'm just curious, who told you of my whereabouts."
Master Taiyi laughed, "Perhaps you should take a guess."
"Guessing tends to lead to misunderstandings."
Nezha stood up, causing the green lotus upon his forehead to rise. Witnessing this scene, Master Taiyi's brows knitted tighter.
He looked at Master Taiyi and asked, "At this point, who is to kill whom between us, and why it is to be so, may no longer matter. There should be an end to it, shouldn't there, Master."
Master Taiyi said, "My good disciple, death is not the end. Why resist? Go peacefully; if you die obediently, I assure you your family and friends will live free of harm for all eternity."
Nezha raised his head, "Why should I believe you?"
Master Taiyi laughed, "I am a direct disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect. Would I deceive you?"
"Would you deceive me? Master, since the first day we met, you've been deceiving me, have you forgotten? Given that, how can I trust you?"
Hearing this, Master Taiyi's expression changed.
Nezha said, "For this reason, I am left with no choice but to kill you."
Master Taiyi did not speak; he merely made a gesture, and in the next moment, shock returned to Nezha's face.
Now standing firm on the ground, he felt as if tree roots were growing from his feet, ever reaching downward.
He raised his head, as countless branches sprouted from his pores, eyes, and even mouth, growing madly towards the sky and sun.
He raised his arm, intending to do something, only to find his arm had seemingly turned to wood, immovable.
All of this occurred in an instant.
Turning a living person into a tree.
Nezha felt no fear.
For his thoughts too had begun to stagnate, swiftly turning plant-like as his flesh transformed.
But, after all, he was a cultivator of the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm, always remaining cautious. Just before his transformation into a tree was complete, the blood within him surged wildly, igniting golden flames on his surface, reducing all branches and tender leaves to ash!
The green lotus descended once more.
Nezha raised his head, took a deep breath, and the air was filled with a burnt scent.
He began to cough again, spewing out mouthfuls of fresh blood.
Nezha said, "Master, are you aware that strength has never been directly related to realm?"
"Is this a question or an attempt to inform your master of something?"
"Both."
Master Taiyi smiled faintly, "All right, then. In that case, let me teach you something, given our master-disciple relationship. Realms initially did not exist. As a cultivator's understanding of nature grows, they naturally gain corresponding abilities, using these abilities to break bodily shackles or achieve greater harmony with nature. Recognition itself doesn't represent power, but can sometimes lead to power. Possessing power doesn't necessarily entail a high realm, although it contradicts conventional belief, this is indeed the truth."
Nezha sighed, "Master still is the master, after all."
"So, what do you intend to show me?"
Nezha raised his hand, palm facing Master Taiyi. In his palm, the Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi formed into a viscous white light ball.
The Black Giant Sword is made from materials with strong nuclear forces, but it's essentially an artificial material from a technological realm, inconsequential to the Dao-constituted green lotus before him.
Yet, the principles align.
Over the past year, Nezha had focused on this sword. Although he believed what he had observed over the past year might not compare to what the Jie Sect Leader Tongtian saw in a single day, it was far from useless.
He was attempting to manipulate Primordial Energy meticulously to restructure matter at the atomic level, a feat deemed impossible by those at the Golden Immortal Realm, and yet beyond the reach of even the Taiyi Golden Immortal or the Quasi-Saint.
For they had neither seen nor could they comprehend it.
But Nezha had seen.
Truly seen.
Comprehend as well.
What he was doing was still a crude imitation.
But even mere imitation sufficed.
As the Jie Sect Leader Tongtian once said, "A flower, a world; a leaf, a paradise." This is the means of the Buddha, the Daluo Primordial Great Immortal, the means of the Saints.
Therefore, what followed was Master Taiyi watching his own carefully crafted green lotus mark inexplicably disintegrate, revealing an uncontrollable shock both inwardly and on his face. Yet for Nezha, it was merely a delightful, albeit entirely ordinary, small matter.