Chapter 130 - 127: Daoist Equal to Heaven Meets Xuande
As the Daoist Equal to Heaven conversed with Zhuang Zhou atop the mountain about the current situation in the Eastern Han, chaos had already begun to unfold. People destined by fate were emerging one after another, and before long, a battle of heroes vying for supremacy would unfold.
Through his dialogue with Zhuang Zhou, the Daoist Equal to Heaven came to know that Buddhism had already been secretly supporting a few individuals. It seemed that Buddhism was indeed acting swiftly.
If the Daoist Equal to Heaven were to support Cao Cao, it would be akin to Mount Tai crushing an egg, sweeping through the world unhindered, as he knew past and present. Although he was not fond of studying in his previous life, he was aware that Cao Cao met with a great defeat at Red Cliffs, suffering a severe blow to his primordial Qi, which led to the tripartite division of the realm. Otherwise, how could Liu Bei and Sun Quan have each occupied a region? However, it seemed that the opportunity had passed, and Buddhism had gotten there first. Should he rashly intervene, it would likely provoke powerful individuals.
Speaking of the fates of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, it was Confucianism that was strongest in the mortal world, partly because Confucianism wasn’t a religion. This reassured the Buddhist and Daoist sects; otherwise, conflicts might have arisen. Moreover, there weren’t as many Immortals in Confucianism—from ancient times to the present, how many Confucian scholars ascended to Immortality through their studies? They were few and far between.
The Daoist Equal to Heaven wasn’t very familiar with the history of The Three Kingdoms, only knowing of some major battles, events, and a few famous figures. After all, he was suppressed for five hundred years in his previous life, and upon his release, much of what he knew was hearsay. Besides, given his nature, how could he sit still to read history books?
The Daoist Equal to Heaven lamented, "It seems that Buddhism and Daoism are about to clash again. Emperor Huan of Han was a devout Buddhist, which allowed Buddhism to grow rapidly during his reign. This truly complicates matters."
Zhuang Zhou then said, "It appears that fellow Daoist is no minor figure, to be aware of the conflict between Buddhism and Daoism."
Zhuang Zhou had long been in seclusion, and even if the Daoist Equal to Heaven truly was a person of importance, he would not have known. In the past century, the Daoist Equal to Heaven had taken action and gained a reputation as a virtuous and moral individual in the mortal world. However, as he later devoted himself to refining Shariras, his renown gradually faded, for cultivation is extremely self-forgetting. Time passed unnoticed, and the plans he had initially set were disrupted.
Although he could still act in the same manner, it would now easily attract Buddhist attention. To avoid early conflict with Buddhism, the Daoist Equal to Heaven needed to keep a low profile and plan behind the scenes.
The Daoist Equal to Heaven merely smiled faintly without responding, for there was still plenty of time. Since both Buddhism and Daoism had already chosen their candidates to support, he couldn’t easily intervene. What troubled him was that this was history from his previous life, yet he had no idea how it would unfold, knowing only that the realm would be divided into three. He was also worried that due to the reversal of time, many things might have changed. Seeing Buddhism’s strength, he feared that Cao Cao might truly conquer Liu Bei and Sun Quan in one fell swoop... A tiny event could change the course of history.
At the moment, the Daoist Equal to Heaven was extremely anxious.