Dharmakaya

"I'm so foolish, truly..."

By the fire, Qingnu sat with her hands tucked in, her expression bitter.

The flames flickered, reflecting the girl's sorrow.

"I only knew this world was unusual and told you to be careful when going out, but I didn't expect that stinky monkey to still go out and bring back such a formidable karma!"

Hongluan crouched beside her and reached out to rub Qingnu's hair, soothing her. "Oh, don't worry. Isn't he just the Ancestral Celestial Master?"

Just?

Qingnu sighed and said, "He is the leader of a sect. How could it be that simple?"

The providence he carried was vast, the kind of thing Qingnu was most reluctant to be entangled with. Yet, because of one sentence from that stinky monkey, she was now involved. She deeply regretted it!

At that moment, Qingnu suddenly looked at Hongluan with a strange expression, tilting her head as she asked, "How did you know he was the Ancestral Celestial Master?"

"I am Qingniao; naturally, I would know."

Hongluan blinked, using her usual excuse to brush it off.

Qingnu was currently troubled by the karma of Zhang Daoling and didn't think much of it. She kept sighing and said, "Stinky monkey, why can't you just keep your mouth shut!"

"Who knew that person had such a major background!"

Sun Huowang muttered, feeling a bit guilty seeing Qingnu's sighing state.

Qingnu waved her hand and said, "Forget it! I will go settle this karma. Stinky monkey, stay on Mount Tai and don't run around."

"Do you want me to go with you?"

Hongluan asked, but Qingnu shook her head. "No need. You keep an eye on them!"

This time, Hongluan didn't insist on following. She nodded and said, "Fine, then come back early."

After bidding the others farewell, Qingnu flew off on a cloud.

Calculating with her fingers, she realized Zhang Daoling was no longer at Mount Yunjin but had entered the land of Shu.

Shu was prosperous and its people were sturdy. When Qingnu found him at Mount Heming, Zhang Daoling was refining pills. The fragrance of medicine already wafted from the cauldron. This scent was different from the ones refined by those fangshi who deceived emperors; one sniff confirmed it was indeed beneficial to the body.

"It is a great honor for Your Ladyship to visit! This humble daoist greets you."

As soon as Qingnu appeared, she saw Zhang Daoling turn around to pay his respects.

Qingnu stared at the auspicious cloud above his head for a long while before nodding in acknowledgment. "The Celestial Master is too polite. I have come to see you to settle the karma of my unruly monkey."

"Celestial Master?"

Hearing Qingnu's form of address, Zhang Daoling laughed.

He stroked his beard and said, "It seems Your Ladyship already knows a little. However, I cannot be considered the true Celestial Master, but merely a dharmakaya of this world."

Qingnu frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

"Immortals tread across myriad worlds to spread their teachings, and thus possess countless dharmakayas."

"Each dharmakaya is different; one might be a god, another a buddha. Within millions of worlds, an immortal can use different dharmakayas to pass down myths. As myths evolve, they in turn nourish the immortal, allowing them to cultivate new dharmakayas. The myriad ways of the Great Dao are nothing more than this."

Zhang Daoling explained slowly, and Qingnu understood his meaning.

"I see! So, the Zhang Daoling before me now is a dharmakaya created by the Celestial Master specifically to establish Daoism in this world?"

"Precisely!"

Zhang Daoling nodded.

Qingnu stared at Zhang Daoling for a long time and said, "I have many questions..."

For instance, why was it her?

Why was this world completely different from the ancient times in her memories? The white snake, the gods and buddhas—they were all real!

For instance, Hongluan...

Who exactly was she?

After hearing Qingnu's questions, Zhang Daoling sighed and shook his head. "Your Ladyship's questions require Your Ladyship to seek the answers herself. I can only tell Your Ladyship to follow the heavenly dao! When a thousand years of winds and clouds have passed and Your Ladyship relies on providence to become a dragon, everything will be revealed."

"As for Hongluan's identity, it is not convenient for this humble daoist to say much. It is better for Your Ladyship to ask her personally."

Follow the heavenly dao?

Even the Celestial Master said so?

"Your Ladyship, the heavenly dao is heartless! You must not change the great momentum as you did back then."

Zhang Daoling added another sentence, and Qingnu remained silent for a long time.

The scenery of Mount Heming was beautiful. Zhang Daoling refined pills here for several years. Finally, when the pills were completed, he consumed them. His aged face, over a hundred years old, regained its youth after taking the medicine.

Qingnu had watched him refine pills for many years and felt she had gained much. She said, "Celestial Master, I will not follow the heavenly dao!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhang Daoling paused, and the clouds in the sky seemed to stop as well.

"To struggle against heaven is infinite joy!"

Qingnu bowed to Zhang Daoling and said, "Celestial Master, Qingnu takes her leave!"

Zhang Daoling hastily returned the bow. "Your Ladyship, go slowly..."

After she left, clouds descended and transformed into the form of the Damned Old Heaven beside Zhang Daoling.

Zhang Daoling gave a soft sigh and said, "Truly a stubborn snake!"

"Indeed!"

Heaven nodded in agreement.

She clearly didn't need to do anything; she only needed to wait on Mount Tai and occasionally manifest to gather providence. Yet, she insisted on entering this world to change the destiny of the land. The book of fate was already written when this world was created; how could it be changed just because she wanted to?

Heaven sat down and began to complain about Qingnu to Zhang Daoling.

"Aside from everything else, take three hundred years ago—if it weren't for the providence of those three generations helping her withstand the heavenly wrath, she would have been struck dead long ago! How could she have even started the path of transformation into a dragon?"

"To defy the book of fate... she is truly seeking death..."

Seeing Heaven nag like this, Zhang Daoling laughed loudly. "It has been hard on you. If she succeeds, it will be considered a great merit for you as well!"

With that, Zhang Daoling bid farewell to the Damned Old Heaven and went down Mount Heming.

Heaven remained where it was and flipped open the book of fate. It contained the destiny of the world for the next thousand-odd years, including the end of the Han, the Three Kingdoms, the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, and Ming.

"Sigh... just how long will that take?"

Heaven sighed deeply.

After leaving Mount Heming, Qingnu was in no hurry to return to Mount Tai. Instead, she traveled along the Yangtze River toward Jiangnan.

The scenery of Jiangnan had changed significantly after many years of development under Deng Sui's administration. It was no longer plagued by miasma and lack of habitable land as it had been centuries ago.

While Qingnu was traveling, she heard news of Zhang Daoling founding the Five Pecks of Rice Way.

Heaven seemed to tremble slightly because of it.

Providence surged into Shu. In the sky, it looked as if divine phantoms appeared, only to vanish in an instant.

Seeing these phantoms of gods and buddhas appear and dissipate, Qingnu finally understood what was going on with those later-generation reports of seeing aliens, dragons, or immortals!

Perhaps it was just the dharmakaya of some god or buddha manifesting.

Qingnu traveled the world for over thirty years before returning to Mount Tai. It was time for her to ask another question.

The appearance of Jade Emperor Peak was not much different from when she left, except there were more fruit trees in the orchard. Jingang and Sun Huowang worked hard every day. Seeing Qingnu suddenly appear in the orchard, both were stunned.

"Did you miss me?"

Qingnu asked.

Immediately after, Sun Huowang quickly ran toward the other side, shouting as he ran, "Sister Hongluan! Her Ladyship is back!"

Hongluan arrived quickly. She saw Qingnu standing among the fruit trees inspecting the fruit and clenched her fists.

"Stupid snake, you finally know to come back?"

Hearing this voice, Qingnu turned back. Her gaze fell on her, and she paused for a long time.

Just as Hongluan was about to step forward, she suddenly asked, "Sister Bird... whose dharmakaya are you? Are you truly the Qingniao under the Queen Mother of the West... or some other illustrious female immortal?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Hongluan froze on the spot.