Chapter 21: The Secret Plot in the Dark Chamber

  (PS: Thanks for the reward from Yun Dongli, as long as you don't leave me, I won't give up on you. With your support, Lao Ruan will be delighted to update continuously...)

  In a lavishly decorated palace in the western part of Heaven, two immortals were whispering to each other.

  "Master, I encountered a rare treasure at Tianbao Pavilion today."

  "What a rare treasure! What a rare treasure! Xuan Zhen, you this wretched disciple, didn't I warn you early on? Recently the heavenly court is heavily guarded, telling you not to show your face everywhere, be low-key, be low-key... Can you understand?! Amitabha, what a sin, what a sin, how did I end up with such a foolish disciple. What injustice! You're the one who's always causing trouble, and you still dare to put on a long face, you scoundrel! I'm telling you Xuan Zhen, are you still listening or not? Could it be that your wings have hardened, and you no longer put your master's words in your eyes?"

  "Master, where can I go? The disciple was arranged by the deputy master of Tianbao Pavilion himself, but he only showed his face at the auction in Jingpin Pavilion. Except for participating in the auction of that heavenly treasure, he had no contact with others. The disciple is low-key enough."

  A skull shone brightly, a celestial cultivator stood respectfully in front of another person wearing a black robe, with his head bowed and his face full of humiliation.

  "Hmph, don't think this will set a precedent! Otherwise, I'll surely send you to the 18th level of hell. Amitabha Buddha, forgive my sin, I've foolishly harbored anger, guilty, guilty."

  "Yes, Master."

  "By the way, what's this rare treasure you just mentioned that's worth making such a fuss about? You've been following me since you were young and have seen so much in the Western world. What haven't you seen before? Ah, how did I end up with a disciple like you who has no worldly experience?" The black-robed monk was clearly a half-hearted monk who inadvertently revealed his worldly and mercantile nature, completely destroying his image as a high-ranking monk in just a few sentences.

  The little monk was already used to the master's unpredictable behavior, and still with a humble expression, he said in a low voice: "Master, this treasure is a pre-heavenly spirit. It was born at the beginning of heaven and earth, once swept away for a time, and finally disappeared without a trace - the Heavenly Spirit Pearl."

  "What?!"

  That monk's calm demeanor vanished in an instant, his face revealing excitement as he grabbed the collar of Xuánzhēn's robe, "The Pre-Heavenly Spirit, the Heavenly Spirit Pearl, what are you hesitating for? Hurry up and hand it over to your master! Are you hiding it away, thinking of swallowing it alone?"

  Xuān Zhēn little monk cried with a sad face and said: "But... but..."

  "It's still nothing." The monk saw Xuánzhēn hesitating, and only then did he realize something was off. "Could it be that you didn't get a hold of the object?"

  "Can't you find anything else to take in Tianbao Pavilion? Since they can arrange for you to enter the Treasure Pavilion, shouldn't they understand our relationship?"

  "No, originally I was going to get it at the auction, but then a fool appeared out of nowhere and drove up the price to an astronomical level. I...I...dare not reveal the secret of the Heavenly Spirit Pearl and such rare objects, so...so I can only..."

  "Bang!"

  "You useless piece of trash!"

  Xuan Zhen covered his face and said, "Master, please calm down. This person is very unfamiliar, but the disciple has already used the Buddhist Dharma to imprint his image and left a hint of aura on him. As long as he hasn't left Nan Tian Men, I guarantee that I can find him."

  "Brand?"

  "It seems you're still good for something."

  The monk's heart was moved, although the efficacy of this rare treasure, Tianling Pearl, was little known to people, but he had a big background before and knew some secrets. He knew that Tianling Pearl was the best spiritual treasure for removing curses and was also the nemesis of Buddhism. This thing must be obtained.

  The monk patted his bald head, a red glow flashing on his forehead. He clenched his fist and gritted his teeth.

  "I'll do it, even if it means exposing my identity. I'm willing to take that risk! At worst, I'll just start over and retreat back to the West, closing myself off from the world. In this era where saints don't appear and the Golden Immortals have left, with winds rising and clouds gathering, who can stop me?"

  The monk's eyes sparkled and he stretched out his hand: "Bring out the branding iron and take a look!"

  Xuan was actually the monk Zhang Youren met at Tianbao Pavilion, who participated in the Tianling Pearl auction with him. Upon hearing his master's words, he pinched a flower with his hand, and a Buddhist seal suddenly appeared out of thin air, a vivid face appearing in his palm.

  "It's him!"

  Xuan Zhen's master saw the impact, retreated three steps back, and had a terrified look on his face. He manipulated his spiritual power, pulled Xuan Zhen, intending to use his escape technique to leave, but then thought that it was just an imprint, and calmed down.

  After a long while, the monk patted his bald head and let out a deep breath. Frowning, he said, "How could it be him? What did he go to Tianbao Pavilion for?"

  "How did you meet this person?"

  The monk turned his head and asked Xuán Zhēn in detail about the auction scene.

  It wasn't until Master Xuānzhēn had explained Zhang Youren's situation clearly that the monk was finally able to put his mind at ease.

  "It seems that the rumors are true, the Jade Emperor was indeed attacked by the Six Souls Banner and suffered heavy damage. Although I don't know how he managed to escape this calamity, with the curse placed by the sacred treasure, it's impossible for it to be easily lifted. Ah, it must be that there is no good method in the Heavenly Palace to completely remove the curse of the Six Souls Banner, which is why he came to the Tianbao Pavilion to try his luck."

  The monk's eyebrows gradually relaxed, "Even if the Tianling Pearl is found now, it would not be possible to lift the curse without a period of ten months. Moreover, the Jade Emperor's cultivation itself was not strong, since he came out of the palace and had no followers, why not do one thing or another?"

  The monk weighed it in his heart and suddenly changed his face. His face was full of murderous aura, with a fierce light on his face, and no longer had a sorrowful expression. The black-robed monk made a seal, and found that Zhang Youren's breath was still on Tian Ting Street, and he hadn't returned to the palace, and he couldn't help but feel delighted.

  "It's true that heaven has a road you don't take, and hell has no gate but you invite yourself in. Now you even dare to flirt with the little maid in a secluded place, indeed you're an unhelpable Ah Dou, deserving of your short life, hahaha..."

  Xuan Zhen saw that his master was no longer laughing maniacally, and he finally let out a sigh of relief. If the matter of the Tianling Pearl were to be botched, with his master's temper, even if they returned to Lei Yin Temple, he would not die but would have his skin flayed off.

  Now, let the master himself deal with that kid and have nothing to do with him again. He doesn't care who the other person is anyway.

  Thinking of this, Xuan Zhen was delighted with his own cleverness. A slap in exchange for Master's happy mood, it's worth it!

  "Let's go, Master and apprentice will meet this Three Realms' Honored One!"

  "The Honored One of the Three Realms?"

  Xuan Zhen stared blankly at his master, what's going on here, isn't he just an ordinary little immortal, how did another Three Realms' Honored One pop out?

  Besides, the Three Realms' respected ones are not something that their own master and disciple can provoke. Even if the master is a Buddha personally appointed by the Western Religion's Holy One, they wouldn't dare act as they please on Heaven's territory.

  That's not right!

  The Honored One of the Three Realms, could it be that the person I provoked at the Tianbao Pavilion is the Honored One of the Three Realms, and is also the one sitting on the Nine Dragon Throne in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall?

  It's all over! It's completely finished!

  Xuan Zhen's heart skipped a beat, and he looked at his enthusiastic master with some resentment, silently cursing his master's ancestors for eight generations.

  Damn it, Amitabha, I'm here to cultivate longevity and become a Bodhisattva or Buddha, not to die. Oh dear, my life is so bitter, how did I end up on this treacherous boat? I'd better hurry back and wash up before bed.

  Unfortunately, his master was in high spirits at this time and did not allow him to refuse. With a wave of his long sleeve, a green cloud carried two shiny heads, using a secret method to evade the heavenly court's surveillance. The two of them went swiftly like the wind towards a secluded small path in the southwest corner of the heavenly court.

  ……