At this moment, the Supreme Dao Ancestor spoke up and asked, "Do any of you have any further objections?"
Upon hearing this, the Jade Emperor closed his eyes and pondered for a while. Although he disliked Xiao Ning, he had to admit that it was quite satisfying to have him beat up Buddha.
The current calamity, stemming from the eastward spread of Buddhism, has escalated into a world war. For the Heavenly Court, this will only bring benefits and no harm.
A major battle between the two sides would only eliminate the living forces of their respective factions, but it would greatly benefit the rule of the Heavenly Court.
Therefore, the Jade Emperor indeed had no reason to object.
With this in mind, he said, "I have no objection!"
"We have no objection!"
Even the Jade Emperor, the supreme ruler of the Three Realms, had no objections. Zhen Yuanzi, the Old Mother of Lishan, the Queen Mother of the West, and others naturally wouldn't have any objections either, since it wasn't really their concern anyway.
"In that case, you may all step back!"
Seeing that no one had any objections, the Supreme Dao Ancestor flicked his sleeve and drove everyone away. Space shifted and time stopped. Xiao Ning felt a sudden change in his vision and in 0.00001 seconds, he went from inside the Tushita Palace to outside the South Heavenly Gate.
"hiss!"
Even though it wasn't the first time they had witnessed the Dao Ancestor's power, everyone was still amazed.
After bowing in the direction of the Tushita Palace, everyone left in silence.
At this moment, a person in the crowd caught Xiao Ning's attention. Although the person looked old, he had white hair and a youthful face, was full of energy, and had an elegant demeanor.
He had three long, beautiful tufts of beard on his chest, and he carried no weapons. The jade whisk in his hand occasionally flashed with a captivating luster.
A name appeared in Xiao Ning's mind: Zhenyuan Daxian, the ancestor of earth immortals.
Upon seeing Zhen Yuanzi, Xiao Ning seemed to smell the aroma of ginseng fruit. With a thought, he stepped forward and greeted him, "Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi, please wait a moment. I have long admired you, and seeing you in person today is even more impressive than hearing about you!"
Upon hearing his words, Zhen Yuanzi stopped in his tracks, a smile appearing on his face, and replied, "Imperial Tutor Xiao is young and promising. To defeat a Celestial Immortal while only at the True Immortal Realm is truly admirable!"
Everyone is eager to help, and although he was not familiar with Xiao Ning and this was only their second meeting, as the saying goes, one cannot hit a smiling face. Since Xiao Ning took the initiative to come to him, Zhen Yuanzi greeted him with a smile.
"Just lucky, just lucky!"
Xiao Ning cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, looking ashamed and unworthy of the honor.
As the two were talking, they were completely unaware of the Buddha's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, behind them.
Damn it, why do you have to reopen my wounds and rub salt into them?
The Buddha angrily passed by the two people who were engrossed in their conversation and hurriedly flew away.
"Well……"
Seeing this, Xiao Ning was speechless.
"Haha, Guanyin Bodhisattva has been defeated! Buddha has lost both face and substance this time! He tried to steal a chicken but lost the rice instead!"
Zhen Yuanzi stroked his long beard, his eyes full of smiles.
"I never imagined the Master would be so witty!"
Xiao Ning glanced at him sideways, his tone filled with surprise.
"Haha, does the Imperial Tutor think that this old Taoist is some kind of stubborn old fogey?"
Zhen Yuanzi laughed heartily.
"I am ashamed, I have never had any contact with the Great Immortal before, I never expected this!"
Xiao Ning chuckled awkwardly and said hesitantly.
"We all belong to the Taoist sect, so we should interact more!"
Zhen Yuanzi nodded and said, "If the Imperial Tutor has the time, you are welcome to visit my Wuzhuang Temple on Wanshou Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou. This old Taoist will certainly prepare a warm welcome for you!"
"The Great Immortal is right. In my opinion, there's no better time than today. It's said that the Great Immortal possesses a treasure: a ginseng fruit tree and an elixir herb. I, Xiao, have been craving it for a long time!"
Xiao Ning's eyes lit up, and he seemed eager to speak.
Zhen Yuanzi: "..."
I was just being polite, why are you in such a hurry?
Wouldn't this be considered letting a wolf into the house?
At this moment, Zhen Yuanzi could vaguely sense the situation Tathagata had been in before.
That guy is a shameless scoundrel!
"Very well, Imperial Tutor, please!"
Zhen Yuanzi paused for a moment, then quickly recovered and readily agreed, extending an invitation to Xiao Ning.
There was no other way; I had to finish what I started, even if it brought tears to my eyes. It was my own fault for acting impulsively; I shouldn't have invited that scoundrel in the first place.
"Great Immortal, please!"
The two took to the clouds and flew towards Xiniu Hezhou.
With their cultivation levels, they moved with lightning speed and soon arrived at Wanshou Mountain, Zhen Yuanzi's territory.
Looking around, Xiao Ning saw a fairyland with pine and bamboo groves. The Taoist temple was not large, with several floors. In the backyard, there was a giant tree with lush branches and leaves, which covered most of the buildings.