Chapter 496: White Horse Respects Buddha's Order, Dog Bites Earth God
In the evening.
Li Daoxuan brought the excited Changle to stay in the inn. She held many small gadgets in her hands, which were all bought by Li Daoxuan for her. There were fox masks, sugar men, and a doll that looked like a Taoist priest.
If you look closely, you will find three big words on the Taoist doll - Li Daoxuan.
"Master, I didn't expect your fame to spread to Luoyang. There are people selling your dolls. Hehe, they are really interesting, but they don't look like you at all..."
Changle couldn't let go of Li Daoxuan's doll and always compared it with his master.
Li Daoxuan shook his head and smiled, saying: "If this group of profiteers were to live in the future, I would definitely sue them."
It would be fine if you just made your own doll, but you should at least make it more delicately. This doll is so ugly that if it didn't have his name on it, even Li Daoxuan himself wouldn't be able to recognize it.
At this time, Xuanzang and Xiaotang came in. He said dejectedly, "Brother, I followed the instructions of the storyteller and went to all the dilapidated temples in the east. There are indeed many beggars, but no one has seen my master."
It was obvious that the old beggar covered in pus was not in the dilapidated temple.
Li Daoxuan seemed to have expected this and said, "That old beggar must be someone extraordinary since he could be entrusted by Master Sanle. Such people are often hard to find. How can they be easily found?"
Xuanzang sighed and said, "Brother, what should we do then?"
Xiaotang couldn't help but ask, "Master Li, aren't you the imperial teacher of the Tang Dynasty? Why don't you reveal your identity and send officials to look for that old beggar?"
In her opinion, Shangyang City is so big that relying on only a few of them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Li Daoxuan smiled slightly and said, "Don't worry, let's go meet someone tonight, maybe that person can help us solve our doubts."
"Who?"
"Naturally, it's someone who knows Shangyang City best."
…
Night, Shangyang City, Land God Temple.
Xuanzang and others followed Li Daoxuan to the land temple. He slapped his head and exclaimed: "Brother, you are smart. Why didn't I think of asking the land god?"
The God of Land is usually assumed by a prestigious local elder after his death. He is deified through offerings of incense. If the incense is strong, the god's power is strong; if the incense is weak, the god's power is weak. In serious cases, the soul may be scattered, the temple may be destroyed, and the person may die.
When the Heavenly Palace still existed, the God of Land, as the cornerstone of the gods, was spread all over the world. Although his cultivation was not high, he had good ears and eyes in the area under his jurisdiction, and almost nothing could be hidden from their eyes.
Later, the heaven disappeared and there were no more immortals walking on the earth. The position of the God of Land also suffered a huge impact. The God of Land in many places gradually disappeared, but in places with strong incense like Shangyang City, the God of Land still exists.
"Eh? Master, why does this land god look a bit like today's storyteller?"
Changle tilted his head and looked at the kind-looking statue of the land god on the shrine. Suddenly, he found it somewhat familiar. After thinking about it carefully, he found that it was somewhat similar to the storyteller he met today.
He was also short in stature, with a fluttering white beard, and especially with a string of Buddhist beads in his hand, he looked a bit out of place.
Xuanzang also reacted and said, "Brother, this land god... seems to be a little bit strange."
Li Daoxuan said calmly: "As a Taoist god, it is naturally wrong to hold Buddhist beads in his hands, but maybe it is because the customs of Shangyang City are like this. The people believe in Buddhism, so this land god follows the local customs."
"I don't care whether he believes in Taoism or Buddhism. Anyway, the right thing is to help us find Master Sanle as soon as possible."
After that, Li Daoxuan ordered Changle to place the fruits bought at the market today in front of the statue of the God of Land. He lit three incense sticks and inserted them into the stove, and took out a talisman paper to summon gods and send generals.
"The altar land god is the most spiritual, comprehensible to heaven and earth, and in and out of the netherworld. Please report to me and do not allow me to stay. On the day of your meritorious service, your name will be recorded in the Shangqing."
As Li Daoxuan chanted the incantation, the talisman paper in his hand suddenly combusted and then turned into ash that floated into the incense burner in front of the God of Land.
However, there was silence in the land temple and no one responded.
Li Daoxuan's eyes moved. He did not rely on his magic power to deceive others. He used the most authentic spell to summon the land god in Longhu Mountain. There was nothing wrong with the process of offering sacrifices, burning incense, talismans, chanting spells, etc., so there was only one possibility.
The land god of Shangyang City is not willing to respond to the magic of Taoist disciples!
Li Daoxuan frowned slightly, pinched the Three Purities Seal with his hands, and continued to urge: "The disciples of Longhu Mountain request that the God of Fortune and Righteousness show up quickly!"
He specifically pointed out his identity as a disciple of Mount Longhu. Logically speaking, no matter whether it was the land god or the mountain god, they must always abide by the ancient contract and respond to the magic of Taoist disciples. Even if they could not show up due to something, they had to give a message.
But the local god in front of him just pretended to be dead and didn't say a word.
Wow, he doesn’t even give face to Longhu Mountain?
Li Daoxuan wanted to continue urging, but the door of the land temple suddenly closed. Then the land statue on the shrine kept shaking and making a rumbling sound, which seemed very strange in the middle of the night.
Snap! Snap!
The fruits that Changle had arranged with great effort were blown away by an invisible force and rolled all over the ground.
An old voice resounded in everyone's ears.
"roll……"
Obviously, faced with the constant urging of Li Daoxuan, a Taoist disciple, the God of Land became really angry. Not only was he unwilling to show up to help, but he also threatened.
Li Daoxuan raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "It seems that you are not willing to accept my toast and will have to drink the wine for punishment."
"Little Taoist priest, didn't your master teach you to be respectful to the gods?"
In the land temple, the statue of the god actually began to speak. The clay sculpture's mouth opened and closed, making an old voice that kept echoing in the temple, as if it was coming from all directions.
"Today, I will discipline you on behalf of your master!"
After saying this, the God of Land suddenly blew out white smoke from his mouth, which immediately turned the area around Li Daoxuan and others into a hazy sea of fog, so that only three feet around them could be seen clearly.
“Master…”
Changle pinched Li Daoxuan's sleeve with some fear and hid behind his master.
"Don't worry, Master is here, no one can hurt you."
Li Daoxuan touched her head and said indifferently: "Xiaotian, bite me!"
“Woof woof!”
Roaring Sky Dog, which had been suppressed for a long time, immediately pounced forward, its body continuously growing in the air. In the blink of an eye, it turned from a cute little dog into a divine dog as big as a white elephant, baring its fangs and biting at the statue of the God of Land.
In the vast white fog, Li Daoxuan clearly heard a scream.
Crackling!
Xiaotian began to destroy the house. It overturned the incense burner and knocked the statue away. Not only did it eat all the offerings of the God of Land, it also walked up to it and urinated on the statue.
"Bah, the master gave you face, but you just don't want it, pretending to be your mother?"
"Evil beast!!!"
The God of Land was furious. His true spirit escaped from the statue. Holding a dark brick in his hand, he went around and smashed down behind Xiaotian's head!
This is the doorstep brick in front of the land temple. It has been stepped on by the common people, and over time it has condensed a trace of the energy of all living beings in the world. It is not only extremely strong, but also has a certain effect on the soul.
Boom!
With a muffled sound, Xiaotian's body, which was invulnerable to swords and spears, actually began to shake.
"Little Taoist priest, you dared to raise a monster and let it commit crimes. Today, I will punish you for not disciplining you properly!"
The land turned into a golden light and escaped behind Li Daoxuan, and the door brick in his hand was about to smash down.
“Woof woof!”
Xiaotian let out a roar, with a trace of shame and anger in his eyes. Although the surrounding white mist blocked his sight, his outstanding sense of smell allowed him to immediately find the location of the Earth God, and he pounced on him and bit him fiercely.
The god of land wanted to use the same trick again and hit Xiaotian with the door brick, but Xiaotian, who was prepared, dodged the brick very nimbly and then bit the god of land's thigh fiercely.
“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!!!”
It was a severe pain that penetrated deep into the bone marrow. The God of Land was shaking all over like a sieve and burrowed into the ground, trying to make Xiaotian let go.
However, Xiaotian was a great demon in the middle stage of Yin Shen, and he had practiced with Li Daoxuan for a long time. He also mastered the art of earth escape, and followed the land into the ground, refusing to let go no matter what.
The entire land temple was shaking, as if there was going to be an earthquake.
After a moment, all the vibrations stopped, and Xiaotian emerged from the ground with a little old man in his mouth. The man's thigh had become bloody and he had fainted from the pain.
Even the hard door brick was broken into two pieces, which shows how fierce the battle was.
“Woof woof!”
Xiaotian dragged the God of Land in front of Li Daoxuan, shook the dust off his head, and glared at the white-bearded old man fiercely.
This old guy's brick is really hard!
Li Daoxuan threw a magic pill to Xiaotian to reward him for his heroic battle, then looked at the unconscious land god and sneered, "Old land god, why do you have to pretend to be unconscious? With your little Taoist skills, do you really think you can deceive me?"
The eyelashes of the unconscious land god trembled.
"There are so many storytellers in Shangyang City. Why did we just arrive today and end up at the place where you tell stories?"
Li Daoxuan said calmly, "Because I can see the divine aura on you even though I am a hundred feet away. I am very curious. What is the reason that the dignified God of Land would not do his job and instead transform himself into a storyteller to spread a fictitious prophecy?"
It was not a coincidence that Li Daoxuan took Xuanzang and others to the teahouse, but he had noticed the abnormality of the storyteller in advance.
The Shinto glow is very special. If the other party intends to conceal it, even a Taoist who practices pupil techniques may not be able to discover it. But unfortunately, the person he met happened to be Li Daoxuan.
Seeing that his disguise was exposed, the God of Land no longer pretended to be unconscious. He jumped up suddenly, with a string of glittering Buddhist beads in his hand, and hit the young Taoist priest who looked the most dangerous.
"Little Taoist priest, this precious Buddhist bead was given to me by Master Huichan. He is Yang--"
Before he could finish his words, the God of Land's voice suddenly stopped. He widened his eyes and looked at the scene in disbelief.
The flying Buddhist beads suddenly stopped in front of Li Daoxuan, as if blocked by an invisible force, and began to tremble continuously.
Then, strands of brilliant golden light bloomed on Li Daoxuan's body, like the rising sun, shining everywhere. The vast and majestic magic power was like a blazing flame, turning the seemingly extraordinary Buddhist beads into charcoal.
Snap! Snap! Snap! Snap!
Crisp sounds like frying beans kept appearing, and the Buddhist beads suddenly exploded one after another, turning from priceless mid-grade magic weapons into worthless scrap metal, rolling down at the feet of the God of Land, still emitting green smoke.
Li Daoxuan did not make any move from beginning to end. He just stood there quietly holding the Qilin Jade Whisk. He looked peaceful and calm, and his green Taoist robe fluttered slowly in the night wind.
“Yang…Yang God!!”
The voice of the God of Land was trembling. He didn't use any magic or technique, but just relied on the fluctuations of his soul to destroy a mid-grade magic weapon!
The stunning aura just now was like the masculine sun and the mighty thunder. Although the God of Land's cultivation was not high and he was only in the initial stage of Yin God, he had a keen eye and would definitely not be wrong.
Little Taoist priest?
That is clearly a Yangshen Zhenren!
The God of Land's legs went weak and he almost fell to his knees. He trembled as he bowed and said, "I pay my respects to you, the Immortal!"
He smiled bitterly in his heart, this immortal obviously possessed tremendous magical powers, he could have simply used his powers to capture him, but he insisted on going through the formalities, causing him to be careless and collide with him.
Li Daoxuan glanced at him and said, "As a land god, you are worshipped by the people in the area and you are responsible for protecting the area. But why don't you respect the rules and regulations of our Taoist sect? Instead, you want to fight and vent your anger on the person who cast the spell?"
It was him who came today, so he was able to subdue the local god, but what if it was a young Taoist who had just come down the mountain?
Taoists cast spells to ask the land god for help, offer incense and candles, and consume their magic power. Even if the land god is unwilling to help, they still need to return the incense and refuse with nice words, instead of doing what this land god did, directly throwing away the sacrifice and cursing.
The God of Land smiled bitterly and said, "You may not know, Immortal. It's not that I don't want to help the Taoists. It's just that... it's that Master Huichan of the White Horse Temple in Luoyang has issued a decree to respect the Buddha. The local gods, mountain spirits and wild monsters within 300 miles of Luoyang are not allowed to help the Taoists!"
Hearing this, Li Daoxuan's eyes flashed.
Li Daoxuan had also heard of the abbot of the White Horse Temple, the Buddhist Yang God named Huichan. He heard that he was hailed as a divine monk in Buddhism, with a deep understanding of Buddhism and unfathomable supernatural powers. He even once killed a demon king in the middle stage of Yang God!
Although this person was a Buddhist, he was willing to protect the stability in Luoyang. Therefore, the imperial court cooperated with him a lot, and the White Horse Temple enjoyed many preferential treatments from the imperial court.
Li Daoxuan had heard people say a long time ago that the White Horse Temple's monk Huichan was overbearing, but he never expected him to be so powerful. Within 300 miles around Luoyang, no land or mountain gods were allowed to help Taoist disciples?
What an overbearing order respecting Buddha!
If it were any other time, Li Daoxuan might have gone to the White Horse Temple to meet with Abbot Huichan, to save face for the Taoist sect, but now Master Sanle was in critical condition, and he didn't want to create any more trouble.
"Landlord, let me ask you, have you ever seen a monk in Shangyang City who is bare-chested, always smiling, and somewhat similar to Maitreya Buddha?"
The God of Land thought about it carefully, shook his head and said, "To answer the Immortal, I have never seen it."
A hint of disappointment suddenly appeared in Xuanzang's eyes.
Li Daoxuan continued to ask: "Have you ever seen an old beggar with pus all over his body ? This person must be supernatural. He must be a cultivator, and his cultivation is not low."
The God of Land said without any hesitation: "I have seen him. In fact, many people in Shangyang City have seen that expert. His story is widely circulated!"
Xuanzang asked excitedly, "Where is this master now?"
The God of Land shook his head and said, "He has already left Luoyang. Before he left, he even ate my tribute and said that he would be soft-hearted after eating my food. Then he left four words and turned into a rainbow and left. He has never appeared since then."
Li Daoxuan asked: "What four words did the master leave behind?"
The God of Land pointed to a pillar in the temple and said with a wry smile: "It was these four words that scared me half to death at the time."
When everyone looked, they saw four large, crooked characters written like dog scrawls on the pillar - Luoyang is finished!
