Venus immediately bowed and said, "Your subject is here!"
The Jade Emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Go down to the mortal realm and persuade this person to come up to heaven to serve as an official. I will grant him the position of Heavenly Emperor!"
Upon hearing this, Venus's heart skipped a beat, his eyelids twitched, and he replied, "Your humble servant obeys!"
…………
Western Paradise, Mount Ling, Great Thunder Temple.
The Buddha sat high on a lotus throne, preaching the Dharma. His words were profound and subtle, like a gentle spring breeze or a thunderous roar.
The bodhisattvas, eight hundred arhats, and thousands of monks below listened with rapt attention, their faces filled with joy as they were completely absorbed in the story.
Suddenly, the Buddha, who was giving a sermon, stopped. All the Buddhist bodhisattvas, arhats, monks and others looked up, their eyes filled with confusion.
Generally speaking, the Buddha rarely stopped midway through his sermons.
Guanyin Bodhisattva asked, "Homage to the World-Honored One! May I ask why the World-Honored One suddenly stopped preaching? What happened?"
The Buddha raised one palm to his chest, smiled and said, "An unknown Arhat realm expert has successfully reincarnated and returned. Congratulations!"
Guanyin Bodhisattva clasped her hands together and asked, "World Honored One, should our Buddhist sect send someone to recruit them?"
"The Jade Emperor has already made the first move; we need not show ourselves, but simply observe the situation!"
Buddha shook his head and said, "Besides, the Jade Emperor, the Great Heavenly Venerable, commands respect throughout the Three Realms. We only need to act at the appropriate time; there is no need to have a direct conflict with the Great Heavenly Venerable!"
Avalokiteshvara Bodhisattva immediately understood: "Praise be to the World Honored One!"
He silently withdrew, saying no more.
Then, the Buddha said, "Great Bodhisattva, the little white snake at the foot of Qingcheng Mountain is about to break through its barrier; do not forget it!"
Guanyin Bodhisattva nodded and said, "World Honored One, rest assured, Guanyin understands!"
The Buddha nodded and said no more.
The sermon resumed shortly afterward.
…………
The human realm is vast and boundless, with numerous human nations, including more than ten such as the Song, Ming, Tang, and Han dynasties. Among them, the Song dynasty was the wealthiest, but the Han dynasty was the strongest, followed by the Ming, Tang, and Song dynasties.
The State of Song had a vast territory, stretching over 9,000 li from east to west and over 8,000 li from north to south. It comprised eighteen prefectures, each with more than ten sub-prefectures, and its capital was Bianjing, the central capital.
More than 500 li away from Qinghai County, there is a county called Jinling.
Under the jurisdiction of Jinling Prefecture, there was a prefecture called Zhenjiang.
Within the territory of Zhenjiang Prefecture, there is a Buddhist temple called Jinshan.
Jinshan Temple is a famous temple in Nanjing, with many eminent monks and countless believers.
When Xiao Ning awakened his memories of his past life, Jinshan Temple also underwent tremendous changes.
Behind Jinshan Temple, there is a sacred pool, a secret treasure of the temple.
At this moment, the water in the spirit pool surged and rippled, with towering waves.
Suddenly, a ferocious and terrifying golden dragon burst out of the water and soared straight into the sky.
A colossal dragon head emerged from the clouds, its claws tearing the sky, its mouth spewing wind, fire, and thunder, displaying unfathomable divine power.
The dragon's roar is so powerful it can rob one's soul and shatter one's spirit.
Within a radius of a hundred miles, all living beings in the world trembled in fear under its ferocious power.
"What a ferocious celestial dragon!"
At this moment, all the eminent monks in the temple beside the sacred pool looked up at the sky, their faces showing a hint of joy.
Anyone with eyes can see that this celestial dragon is a manifestation of magical power and not a physical object, yet it is full of spirit and depicted very realistically.
Legend has it that the dragon's might is like a prison, capable of suppressing all evil in the world.
If someone can comprehend its profound mysteries, they can attain supreme Buddhist supernatural powers.
“Gate Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha…”
Amidst the dragon's roar, the heavenly dragon uttered Buddhist chants.
But then, a young monk appeared in the water, solemn and dignified, sitting in meditation with his eyes closed, his body surging with energy.
Above his head, the phantom images of eighteen Arhats vibrated and hummed in unison, like the resounding tolling of a great bell, shaking the four directions.
The primordial energy of heaven and earth within a hundred miles converged wildly and poured into the young monk's body.
"You beast, why haven't you surrendered yet?"
After a long while, the young monk opened his eyes and suddenly roared.
Stepping on the waves, his body suddenly shot up.
The boundless primordial energy of heaven and earth converges upon his body.
In that instant, his body swelled in the wind, transforming into a colossal Arhat, towering over ten zhang tall. With a wave of his hand, he could overturn the heavens and earth, obscuring the sky.
He seized the celestial dragon in mid-air, and no matter how powerful it was, it could not break free.