infodatos Chapter 20: Exposing the True Nature of the Chan Sect Face to Face! The Primordial Heavenly Lord
Chapter 20: Exposing the True Nature of the Chan Sect Face to Face! The Primordial Heavenly Lord
Sanqing Holy Land.
Jade Void Palace.
This is the venue for the highest-level meetings of the Taoist community.
The last time the Three Pure Ones gathered at Yuxu Palace was during the reckoning after the Investiture of the Gods war.
After that incident, a rift developed between the Three Pure Ones. Laozi returned to tranquility, Yuanshi Tianzun guarded the Chan Sect, and Tongtian Jiaozhu retired to Biyou Palace. The three of them did not sit at the same table for a thousand years.
Today, three sages appeared at the Jade Void Palace at the same time.
The reason for the meeting was simple.
The message brought back by the Grand Master Xuandu.
On the journey to the West, the mortal named Lu Chen, when fighting with Manjushri Bodhisattva, revealed all of Manjushri's past deeds in the Chan Sect before he converted to Buddhism.
Not just those that are publicly known.
They even revealed many secrets that were known only to a few elders within the Chan Sect.
The face of the Primordial Celestial Venerable was as black as the bottom of a pot.
He sat on the prayer mat, without saying a word.
Laozi held his teacup and sipped his tea slowly. His expression was unreadable, but the hand that was twirling his beard was unusually forceful today.
The Master of the Heavenly Sect leaned against a pillar, a smile on his face.
That smile had a hint of malice in it.
"Senior brother," the Tongtian Sect Leader spoke first, looking at the Primordial Heavenly Lord, "your most treasured disciples are now being exposed in the streets. What do you have to say?"
Yuanshi Tianzun ignored him.
The Master of Heaven didn't care and continued speaking.
"Back when those brats betrayed the Chan Sect, neither of us could swallow our anger. We even had a falling out over it. And now, some unknown mortal is using this as a pretext for empty talk."
"Senior brother, I just want to ask you one question—"
"Can you swallow this insult?"
Yuanshi Tianzun finally spoke.
His voice was low, as if squeezed out from deep within his chest.
"I can't swallow it."
The Master of Heaven laughed.
"I knew it!" He clapped his hands. "This is interesting."
"How could a mortal know these things?"
"The Buddhists don't talk about it, and neither do we Three Pure Ones. No one has publicly mentioned this kind of thing for a thousand years."
"How would an ordinary person with no connections know?"
"If he didn't have a powerful background—" Tongtian Sect Leader sneered, "I would have eaten the Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword."
Yuanshi Tianzun turned to look at Taishang Laojun.
"Senior brother, what do you think of this matter?"
Lao Tzu put down his teacup.
He stroked his beard and pondered for a long time.
"not simple."
"I know it's not simple. I'm asking you what to do."
Lao Tzu shook his head.
"Junior brother, this matter cannot be rushed."
"What's the rush?"
"Let's see," said Lao Tzu. "This person knows far too much. More than is expected."
"I don't think he came here for Buddhism."
"They're not targeting our Taoist sect."
"Given what he knows, if he wanted to cause trouble, he could simply release the information. Which of the Heavenly Court, the demon race, or the wandering immortals wouldn't rise up in uproar upon hearing the old story of the Chan Sect's betrayal?"
But he didn't.
"He just mentioned it casually when he was fighting Manjushri."
What does this mean?
Yuanshi Tianzun frowned.
"This shows that he used these secrets to suppress his opponents, not to disrupt the Three Realms."
"Yes." Lao Tzu nodded. "He knows these are his trump cards. He only uses them when he needs to."
"This kind of person isn't stupid."
"If an idiot knew these secrets, he would have been shouting them from the rooftops."
The Grand Master of Heaven interjected, "So, what does Senior Brother mean?"
"Let's take a look first."
Lao Tzu spoke very slowly.
"The Daoist sect is not taking action. Nor should we rush into action. Let's send someone to observe first."
"Observe what?"
"Observe how much he still knows. Observe what his purpose is. Observe whether he is a friend or foe."
"Most importantly—" Lao Tzu stroked his beard, "observe how he knows these things."
Yuanshi Tianzun remained silent for a long time.
Finally, he nodded.
"As my senior brother said."
The outcome of the meeting was quickly decided.
The Taoist sect did not intervene.
But we need to send someone of high enough status to observe. This person needs to be senior enough, have good eyesight, be articulate enough, and be able to handle Lu Chen's verbal sparring.
Who should we send?
The three Pure Ones looked at each other.
The final decision was: Grand Master Xuandu.
The first disciple of Laozi (Taishang Laojun). The most senior member of the second generation of Taoist disciples.
Send him there.
At the same time, the news that Lu Chen had revealed Manjushri's true nature spread throughout the Three Realms at a speed that no one had anticipated.
The Heavenly Palace of Lingxiao.
Venus strode into the main hall.
"Your Majesty, there is new information."
The Jade Emperor put down his vermilion brush: "Speak."
"When Lu Chen fought with Manjushri, he revealed Manjushri's past during the Chan Sect period. He even revealed the story of the Twelve Golden Immortals betraying the sect."
The cinnabar brush in the Jade Emperor's hand fell to the table with a thud.
Red cinnabar splattered all over the table.
The main hall fell silent.
Venus lowered his head, not daring to look at the Jade Emperor's face.
He knew what the Jade Emperor must be thinking at that moment.
Because he himself was thinking the same thing.
The secrets of Buddhism are another matter.
That's a matter for the Buddhist community itself.
But Lu Chen knew about the past events of the Chan Sect's betrayal.
Even the Heavenly Court wouldn't spread such a thing around.
The Jade Emperor witnessed the reckoning following the Investiture of the Gods at the Southern Heavenly Gate. He knew how sensitive this matter was. He knew that this was the root cause of the fact that the Three Pure Ones had barely spoken to each other for a thousand years. He also knew that this was the reason why Buddhism and Taoism were outwardly polite but secretly kept separate accounts.
This kind of thing shouldn't be used as a topic of idle chatter by an ordinary person.
"Your Majesty..." Venus whispered, "This person is probably not simple."
"The secrets of Buddhism are one thing. That's Buddhism's own business. Let him reveal them however he wants."
"But he even knew about the apostasy of the Chan Sect."
"Even our Heavenly Court wouldn't spread such things around."
The Jade Emperor finally made a move.
He slowly rose from the dragon throne.
When he stood up, the air in the entire Lingxiao Palace seemed to freeze for a moment.
"Venus".
"Your subject is here."
"Send someone to check."
"……yes."
"Do not observe from a distance."
"Don't just stand by and watch."
"Send the day-roaming deity and the night-roaming deity—to go in person."
"Go and talk to him yourself."
"Find out his background."
The Jade Emperor's tone was flat. But Venus understood.
This marks the first time the Heavenly Court has officially entered the fray.
Previously, the Heavenly Court's attitude was to "tacitly allow Buddhism to seek scriptures, but neither help nor interfere."
This is the first time the Heavenly Court has sent an official, in their own capacity, to contact this mortal.
The northern demon race was even more direct.
A group of demon kings were drinking in a cave when they heard this news, and their wine cups stopped flowing simultaneously.
"Damn it, who is this guy?"
"We don't concern ourselves with Buddhist affairs. But does he know about the Chan Sect? Could he also know about the past grudges between our demon race and the Chan Sect?"
"No, we need to send someone to check it out."