Chapter 105 - 103: True Martial Meets Tathagata at Mount Meru
Great Emperor Zhenwu saw that it was about time, and he no longer lingered but rose to take his leave.
Zhen Yuanzi saw off the emperor from Wuzhuang Temple. On the side, a child presented a jade box, which he handed over with both hands.
Great Emperor Zhenwu asked, "What is this?"
Zhen Yuanzi said with a smile, "Meeting the Great Emperor today has indeed been refreshing and pleasurable, a humble gift, unworthy of your greatness."
Seeing him say this, the Great Emperor took the box and smiled, "I don’t have a gift for you in return, just a piece of a ten-thousand-year-old mysterious turtle’s shell." He flipped his palm, and a black turtle shell appeared as he added, "Gifts should be reciprocated."
Zhen Yuanzi gratefully accepted the mysterious turtle shell, which indeed was a ten-thousand-year-old one, impervious to sword and spear. If made into armor, it would be formidable. Great Emperor Zhenwu’s gesture was extraordinary, which secretly impressed Zhen Yuanzi. The two then bid farewell, reported a fist salute, and said, "Until we meet again."
With one teleportation, Zhenwu was already far away. He opened the jade box and exclaimed, "Zhen Yuanzi is indeed generous—a gift of three pepino fruits right off the bat, a prize far more precious than the Peaches of Immortality. It really turned misfortune into a blessing. Though the Peach Banquet could not be held, receiving three pepino fruits is indeed splendid!" The Great Emperor then placed the fruits back into the jade box, planning to later ask Laojun to help him concoct an elixir. Should a dire tribulation arise in the future, he would have a strategy to protect his life.
The war in the Middle Ancient Times killed many outstanding figures, and powerhouses from the Ancient Times perished, such as Chi Songzi, Chi Jiangzi, and Ying Long, among others. Those of a slightly later generation were preserved by the Three Pure Ones to serve as seeds for the future, ensuring the continuation of The Way of the Dao should the earlier generation not return. Zhenwu had heard a bit about that war. Currently, most great mystics were accumulating magical treasures and elixirs to prepare for the impending immense tribulation, a situation no one could escape unscathed.
Zhenwu was exceedingly fast and soon arrived at Mount Meru.
"Stop, Taoist, this is a sacred Buddhist land. State your origins before you may enter," a little novice monk said.
"Go inform your Buddha Ancestor that Great Emperor Zhenwu has been sent by the Jade Emperor to request an audience," said the Great Emperor.