Chapter 452: New Virtue Technique: Dao Enlightenment Seeking

Chapter 452: New Virtue Technique: Dao Enlightenment Seeking

【Virtue Technique: Dao Enlightenment Seeking】

【Note: All things are born with spirits, and the Three Thousand Great Ways carry them. With this technique, one can comprehend myriad Dao Essences!】

As Qin Zheng thought, the Virtue Scroll underwent another transformation, adding a new Virtue Technique.

Compared to the last time, when a single strand of Great Way Essence Energy caused the Virtue Scroll to transform, this time it consumed a full five strands.

According to the characteristics of the Virtue Scroll, the amount of Great Way Essence Energy required to add a new Virtue Technique would definitely be more than five strands! Therefore, Qin Zheng did not plan to invest the remaining five strands of Great Way Essence Energy from his Inner World into the Virtue Scroll.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant.

Then, Qin Zheng's mental gaze focused on the newly added Virtue Technique.

Dao Enlightenment Seeking!

For him, who was about to achieve Great Nirvana Perfection and embark on the path of Primordial Chaos Enlightenment, this new Virtue Technique was like a rain shower for a parched seedling or a timely aid in the snow.

It wasn't that Qin Zheng lacked confidence in his ability to comprehend the Great Way and achieve Primordial Chaos Enlightenment on his own.

But now, as he drew closer to the truth, only by becoming stronger at the fastest speed could he ensure his safety in the future.

This new Virtue Technique could help him comprehend the Great Way more quickly, thus accelerating his path to Primordial Chaos Enlightenment!

However, at this moment, just by looking at the description on the Virtue Scroll, Qin Zheng wasn't entirely clear on how to use this Virtue Technique.

"All things are born with spirits, and the Three Thousand Great Ways carry them."

Qin Zheng silently recited this in his heart, and then his mind moved, and his spiritual gaze detached from his Sea of Consciousness, returning to the outside world.

At the same time, in his hand, the Zen Staff he had snatched from the Buddha's hand at Spirit Mountain appeared out of thin air.

Hum! In an instant, the Virtue Scroll trembled slightly, and words quickly emerged.

【Consume one Virtue Crystal to comprehend the Dao Essence contained in the 'Golden Buddha Staff'?】

Indeed!

Qin Zheng's eyes lit up.

This Virtue Technique allowed him to comprehend the Dao Essence contained within Divine Artifacts!

If that was the case, he wouldn't need ten Virtue Crystals to comprehend the Dao Mark left within this Divine Artifact, but only one!

With this thought, he immediately took out the Demon Claw he had seized from the Demon Lord.

【Consume one Virtue Crystal to comprehend the Dao Essence contained in the 'Spirit Emperor Claw'?】

Excellent!

It was truly so!

After confirming twice, Qin Zheng's heart surged with excitement.

He had thought that he didn't have enough Virtue Crystals to comprehend the Dao Mark and thus couldn't unlock the Great Dharmaraja Treasury.

But now, like a traveler who thought there was no way out but suddenly found a village in the darkness, with this new Virtue Technique, he could now proceed to comprehend the Dao Mark and unlock the Great Dharmaraja Treasury!

Moreover, Qin Zheng's eyes flashed with determination.

The strongest Dao Essence within him wasn't in the two Divine Artifacts he had just obtained.

The strongest Dao Essence within him was the Three Purity Treasures nurtured in his Dao Palace!

With this thought, Qin Zheng's mind moved, and the Immortal Slaying Sword and the Jade Ruyi appeared before him almost simultaneously.

Hum! The Virtue Scroll in his Sea of Consciousness trembled violently and quickly displayed three lines of text.

【Consume ten thousand Virtue Crystals to comprehend the Dao Essence contained in the 'Three Treasure Jade Ruyi'?】

【Consume ten thousand Virtue Crystals to comprehend the Dao Essence contained in the 'Immortal Slaying Sword'?】

【Consume ten thousand Virtue Crystals to comprehend the Dao Essence contained in the 'Heaven Earth Jade Tower'?】

Upon seeing the information displayed by the Virtue Scroll, Qin Zheng's mind went blank for a moment.

Ten thousand Virtue Crystals.

Under the current circumstances, this was almost an impossible number to obtain.

Whether it was his cultivation level or the amount of virtue he could gather in the current environment, it was insufficient to support the condensation of ten thousand Virtue Crystals.

Therefore, comprehending the Three Purity Dao from these three Divine Artifacts was temporarily impossible.

Qin Zheng sighed softly in his heart, quickly calmed his emotions, and put the Three Treasure Jade Ruyi and the Immortal Slaying Sword back into his Dao Palace.

The Heaven Earth Jade Tower flew back into the sky, emitting rays of golden light, completely enveloping this world.

Then, Qin Zheng's gaze turned to the Zen Staff and the Demon Claw floating in front of him.

Although he couldn't comprehend the Three Purity Great Way, he could perceive the Dao Marks within these two Divine Artifacts.

Qin Zheng's gaze became fixed, and without hesitation, he reached out and firmly grasped the Zen Staff, simultaneously speaking his intention aloud:

"Consume one Virtue Crystal to comprehend the Dao Essence contained in the 'Golden Buddha Staff'!"

Whoosh!

As the Virtue Scroll trembled, a Virtue Crystal emitting dazzling golden light slowly emerged from it and then quickly dissipated.

At the same time, a mysterious power descended upon Qin Zheng's divine soul.

It was as if a giant hand had appeared, grasping his divine soul and pulling it into the Zen Staff filled with Buddha Light.

Boom!!

Qin Zheng's vision was instantly plunged into endless darkness.

After an unknown duration, a series of clear knocking sounds echoed in his ears, followed by a faint light that rapidly expanded, engulfing Qin Zheng's sight like the gaping maw of a giant beast.

When his vision cleared, he found himself inside a temple.

An old monk with white hair and a gaunt, yellow-skinned face was kneeling in front of a Buddha statue, continuously striking a wooden fish in his hands.

The knocking sounds Qin Zheng had heard earlier were indeed from the wooden fish.

This situation was not unfamiliar to Qin Zheng, as he had previously been drawn into various illusions while refining numerous objects.

He had no physical body here, only an observer's perspective, unable to interfere with the events in the illusion.

Therefore, to comprehend the Great Way of the Buddhist Supreme Enlightenment, he would have to trigger this understanding through the upcoming scenes.

Qin Zheng was well-versed in this process.

"Master."

At that moment, a young novice monk, around eight years old, carrying a small basket on his back, ran into the temple and approached the old monk.

"Look what I found!"

The young novice's voice was filled with excitement.

He put down his basket and showed the contents to the old monk.

Qin Zheng's gaze fell upon the basket, which contained sparse leaves and weeds.

"After boiling these, we'll have enough to fill our stomachs tonight."

The young novice's face was filled with joy.

The old monk paused his striking and, with both hands on the ground, turned to face the novice, saying with loving-kindness, "Well done, Ding Xin."

Only then did Qin Zheng notice that the old monk's legs were crippled, leaving him unable to move.

Combining this with the current scene, it became clear that this was an ordinary mortal world, plagued by famine and disaster.

The Buddhist Supreme Enlightenment had experienced such hardships even before beginning his cultivation.

Qin Zheng was surprised.

He scanned the temple, unsure which of the two, the old monk or the novice, was the Buddhist Supreme Enlightenment.

Looking around, he saw a somewhat dilapidated temple with signs of repair everywhere.

Inside, there were others besides the old monk and the novice—people dressed as ordinary folk, not monks, their faces gaunt and yellow, so weak they could barely move.

"Water..."

One of them whispered weakly.

His voice was barely audible.

But the novice had sharp ears and quickly reacted, rushing to a water jar in the corner of the temple to fetch a bowl of water, which he brought to the feeble speaker.

"Brother Hu, drink slowly, hang in there. I'll start making dinner soon."

The novice spoke softly.

The weak man nodded slightly and, with the novice's help, managed a few sips of water.

After drinking, he seemed to regain some strength and leaned against the temple wall.

"Thank you, Little Master Ding Xin!"

"If we can get through this disaster, we'll surely repair this temple and spread your name far and wide."

Brother Hu exhaled weakly.

Perhaps flattered to be called 'Little Master,' the novice's eyes curved into crescent moons.

"It's the duty of monks to help. Brother Hu, wait a moment, I'll go cook."

The novice bowed and quickly picked up his basket, leaving the temple for the kitchen.

On his small frame, there was no trace of the despair brought by the disaster, only a vibrant vitality.

But when Brother Hu watched the novice's departing figure, a fleeting glint of longing and thirst flashed in his eyes, quickly fading.

In times of famine, extreme hunger could drive people to desperate acts.

Qin Zheng observed this scene, his gaze returning to the novice, and suddenly, understanding dawned.

"Water..."

Soon, several other figures lying on the ground weakly called out.

Brother Hu's eyes flickered a few times before he sighed softly and struggled to his feet, fetching water for them.

Afterward, he leaned back against the wall, breathing heavily.

These simple actions seemed to exhaust nearly all his energy, and the cloudiness in his eyes became more pronounced.

Day after day, the scenes unfolded identically.

The leaves and weeds the novice gathered daily grew scarcer.

The five men's auras weakened, becoming increasingly...dangerous!

As the great sun descended behind the mountain, the sky gradually darkened, and the little monk arrived at the temple, dejected.

"Master," he called out.

His small face was covered in tear stains. In his little basket, there was nothing but emptiness, not a single leaf or blade of grass.

The old monk's body grew thinner, but upon seeing the little novice, his tense expression gradually softened.

He reached out and gently caressed the novice's head, smiling with affection, "The heavens have a beginning and an end, and all things are the same. One day, even the leaves and weeds will be consumed."

"But the seasons cycle, and life goes on, and the leaves and weeds will grow again."

"Don't worry, Ding Yuan. After tomorrow, the mountain will surely be filled with lush green leaves and weeds once more."

The little novice didn't understand the earlier words, but he did understand the last sentence, that tomorrow there would be plenty of leaves and weeds for him to gather.

His dejected mood instantly lifted, and he said excitedly, "Then tomorrow, I'll definitely pick a lot of leaves and a lot of weeds, so everyone can eat their fill!"

The old monk smiled and nodded, then gently patted the novice's head again, saying, "Master has hidden some food behind the Buddha statue. Ding Yuan, go and get it to cook."

Hearing this, the little novice immediately became even more delighted and hurried to the back of the Buddha statue, where he found a small bag of rice bran.

The little novice, who hadn't eaten such good food in a long time, couldn't control the drool that flowed from the corners of his mouth, and said happily, "It's rice bran! It's rice bran!"

As he spoke, he hurried to the kitchen to cook the rice bran.

After the little novice left, the old monk turned around and looked at the five starving men lying on the ground. With his palms pressed together, he said, "This old man's days are numbered."

"Ding Yuan is still young. I want to entrust him to you all, and I hope you can agree."

At this moment, the eyes of the five men were clouded, occasionally flashing with a light like that of a ravenous wolf, and then returning to clarity.

Upon hearing the old monk's words, the one called Brother Hu weakly smiled bitterly, "Master, you have a kind heart to take us in, and we should agree to your request."

"But we won't live much longer either. We want to take care of little Ding Yuan, but we're powerless to do so."

The old monk's expression remained unchanged, and he continued, "This old man wouldn't make such a request without reason. If you don't mind, you can cook this flesh and restore some vitality."

Qin Zheng's expression was calm, and even if the old monk didn't speak, these starving men wouldn't last long before they would take action and cook him.

Using his own frail body to save the little novice's life seemed worth it.

Hearing the old monk's words, the five men didn't show disgust or aversion. Instead, drool uncontrollably flowed from the corners of their mouths.

"Master, are you speaking the truth?" Brother Hu asked with difficulty.

His eyes, once clear, now clouded over, and then emitted a light like that of a ravenous wolf. The others did the same.

"Of course, it's true," the old monk calmly nodded.

Then he turned his gaze to the outside of the temple, where a busy figure was working in the kitchen. With a hint of reluctance in his eyes, he continued, "Head northwest, and after three days, you'll find a temple."

"Take Ding Yuan there, and you'll receive food and compensation, enough to sustain you in this chaotic world."

"But you must promise me, don't harm Ding Yuan!"

Brother Hu immediately nodded, "Little Ding Yuan has taken care of us these past days. Even if we're like beasts, we won't lay a hand on him!"

The old monk slowly closed his eyes and gently nodded.

The little novice cooked a pot of rice bran, and after they all shared the meal, they regained some strength.

Then, everything returned to normal.

But the little novice quickly fell asleep.

One of the five men carried him away, leaving the other four in the temple to cut and cook the meat.

Gurgle!

In the flickering firelight.

The aroma of cooking meat soon spread in all directions.

Qin Zheng remained in his original spot, unmoved by the old monk's death or the little novice's departure.

This made him feel a little puzzled.

But not long after, a golden light descended from the heavens, revealing a monk in a cassock, with a powerful aura.

With a wave of his hand, a brand-new body appeared in the temple, its features remarkably similar to the old monk's.

The monk waved his hand again, and amidst the faint glow within the temple, the old monk's soul re-condensed and entered the new body.

Swish!

The old monk opened his eyes.

But in the next instant, a small child's skull slowly rolled in front of him.

"I've said it before, human nature is inherently evil, and the world is full of filth and sin!"

A calm voice resonated within the temple.

The old monk stared blankly at the child's skull, his expression first frozen, then filled with endless hatred!

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Kill everyone!"

"Then the world will be beautiful, without a trace of sin!"

The old monk's eyes welled up with tears as he sobbed softly.

And at this moment.

Vibrant!

A powerful force manifested between heaven and earth.

Before Qin Zheng could fully comprehend this force, he felt a hidden divine treasury slowly emerge within his body!

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end