Chapter 187 - 183: Zhuge Borrows Wind at Seven Stars Altar
The tale goes that Enlightenment Dao repelled Ao Kuang, seized his Golden Sand Pills, and gained a great advantage.
Ao Kuang truly hit a streak of bad luck. Not only was he beaten by Enlightenment Dao, but he also failed to accomplish the task given by the Buddhist sect and ended up losing their item. Now, he was unsure how to explain this to the Buddhist sect upon his return.
Spitting out a mouthful of blood with a "tch", Ao Kuang was quickly recovering due to the Indestructible Realm’s rapid healing, yet his injuries were no small matter. His mana was greatly drained in the process of bodily restoration, and his Primordial Spirit had been shaken. Fuming with silent rage, Ao Kuang wondered who this wild Taoist that appeared out of nowhere was and who had spoiled his grand opportunity! Upon noticing that it was already before dawn, his fear deepened, knowing that the hour had passed and it was now pointless to try to accomplish his task.
"I... I had better go to the Jade Void Palace and listen to the lessons on the Primordial Dao Fruit. If I can advance to being a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal soon, those bald-headed troublemakers won’t be able to do anything to me. I’ll let Prime Minister Tortoise handle the rain-calling with my divine seal and just tell him to be more cautious," Ao Kuang thought to himself. With the Golden Sand Pill gone and the task incomplete, coupled with the added misfortune and fear of retaliation from the Buddhist sect, he decided to entrust the affairs of the Eastern Sea to Prime Minister Tortoise and go to the Jade Void Palace to listen to the teachings on the Primordial Dao Fruit.
Ao Kuang was only one step away from becoming a Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal; what he lacked was comprehension of the Primordial. Listening to Yuan Shi Immortal Monarch discussing the Primordial could possibly give him the opportunity to break through to the realm of the Mixed Yuan Golden Immortal.
With that in mind, Ao Kuang turned back to the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace, delegated his instructions to Prime Minister Tortoise thus and so, and afterward, ascended directly to the heavens to listen to the lecture. In truth, he used listening to the lecture as a pretext, his real fear was retaliation from the Buddhist sect. The Buddhist sect, despite its vast divine skills, wouldn’t dare to cause trouble at the Jade Void Palace, right? Wouldn’t that mean death for anyone who tried?
Meanwhile, as Enlightenment Dao traveled up along the Yangtze River, he spotted Zhuge Liang’s straw boats heavily loaded, which had already turned back from Cao’s camp, evidently having "borrowed" enough arrows.
Enlightenment Dao admired inwardly and said, "This Zhuge Kongming truly possesses courage and strategy to come up with such an ingenious plan! Remarkable, indeed."
The School of Diplomacy, known for their unobstructed travel and unhindered access to all places, was directly taught to Zhuge Liang by Ghost Valley himself. Naturally, this put him on par with figures like Zhang Yi and Su Qin. Moreover, he also had mechanical techniques passed down from the founding fathers of Mohism and the Yin-Yang School’s Zou Zi teachings on harmonizing Yin and Yang and understanding the timing of heaven and earth. Disciples taught by these Three Sages from the Hundred Schools of Thought were not ordinary by any means. Liu Bei had the fate of an emperor, and Zhuge Liang was his indispensable supporting star. With only Left and Right Assistants, Liu Bei’s life could only be preserved, but with Zhuge Kongming, he could stake a claim over a territory.
The Three Kingdoms was a major turning point between Buddhism and Daoism. After The Three Kingdoms came the Two Jin Dynasties, and then the chaos in the Central Plains which led to the rise of Buddhism. At that time, the Five Barbarians rampaged through China, and it seemed that Buddhism was manipulating this, as these invading barbarians caused the establishment of additional four hundred eighty temples.
Knowing that the trajectory of the Heavenly Dao had strong inertia, Enlightenment Dao still used all his effort to change it, lest in the end, Tathagata need only flip his hand to turn everything to ash. What was the use of reversing so many years with the Rebirth Box? It was nothing but prolonged suffering!