Chapter 85 First Meeting with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang

"Junior Martial Uncle, is that Daoist over there the Disciple of the Great Immortal Master of the Maoshan Sect?"

Zhang Gaoxian's gaze was sharp, scanning Jiang Chen without blinking, as if he wanted to see right through him.

After watching for a while and seeing nothing, his eyes grew a bit sore.

"Correct. This audience with the Saint is a rare opportunity. If you can outshine him in front of everyone, then the prestige of our Mount Longhu will not be inferior to that of Maoshan."

The Junior Martial Uncle of the Nestorianism and Daoist Zizai of the Jingming Sect also noticed Jiang Chen.

Monk Yisi formed a lotus shape with his fingers to greet Jiang Chen, and Daoist Zizai also performed an obeisance to Jiang Chen.

Jiang Chen returned the greetings one by one.

From time to time, people would come over to chat with Jiang Chen, but seeing that he was taciturn, they would return dejectedly.

Only now did Jiang Chen truly feel what kind of status Maoshan held in the Tang Dynasty.

That's right; he knew that almost no one came to find him because of who he was, but because of the Maoshan Sect behind him and his Revered Master.

The "State Preceptor" that went without saying—the weight of that title was still rising.

Jiang Chen meditated for a while, then suddenly heard shouts from afar. Shortly after, the somewhat noisy banquet venue fell abruptly silent, with hundreds of people quieting down.

"Your Majesty has arrived!"

"Your Majesty has arrived!"

Soon, from behind the flower bushes behind the main seat, a man wearing bright yellow robes and a golden crown walked out first.

The man had an extraordinary appearance. Though not particularly tall, his every step carried the Qi of a Dragon and Tiger, reflected in the eyes of everyone as Supreme and noble!

There was no imperial procession, but the moment he stood there, one knew his destiny was noble.

"Your humble subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

All officials performed an obeisance in unison; no one knelt.

Jiang Chen and the others from the Mysterious Sects also followed suit, performing an obeisance in unison.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang watched everyone bow down, and a trace of satisfaction finally appeared in his eyes.

"Officials, rise and be seated."

Once Emperor Xuanzong of Tang sat on the golden throne, the others took their seats.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang swept his gaze over the crowd, lingering a few moments on the Mysterious Sects members, then scanned the rows of foreign envoys.

"My officials, look."

Suddenly, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang raised his wine cup and pointed toward the Penglai Island on the lake.

"These clear waves of Taiye hold up the jade mirror, and the misty trees of Penglai are laden with silver frost. Does it not look like an Immortal from the Moon Palace broke off jade tiles from a jeweled pavilion and scattered them into my Jade Pool? Hahahaha!"

The officials laughed along, and at the right moment, Vajrabodhi was the first to speak.

"Your Majesty, on this Mid-Autumn Festival, this humble monk has a treasure he wishes to present to Your Majesty."

"Oh? Great Master Vajrabodhi, then I must have a good look."

Vajrabodhi smiled slightly, reached out his hand to form a flower-pinching gesture, and an invisible intent spread from his fingertips.

Some guards saw Vajrabodhi's movements and wanted to step forward to protect the Emperor, but were stopped by a glance from Emperor Xuanzong of Tang.

Vajrabodhi muttered something, appearing to be Sanskrit from the Esoteric Realm. No one knew what he was doing, except for Subhakarasimha, who seemed to notice something.

Jiang Chen also looked over. He could now faintly understand a point or two when such experts in the Sea of Suffering realm cast a Spell.

"Look!"

Suddenly, someone exclaimed.

Everyone saw golden lotuses emerging one by one from beneath Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's feet.

The golden lotuses did not appear out of thin air; it was as if they were truly growing from the ground. As the petals unfolded, there seemed to be water droplets falling like broken gold in the moonlight.

As the lotus flowers bloomed, there seemed to be Buddhist chants and the resonance of Buddhist bells.

At the heart of each golden lotus, it seemed as if a Buddha was seated, with Bodhisattvas lowering their brows.

As the golden lotuses rose beneath Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, they continued to spread outward.

They spread to the feet of every person at the banquet.

"Hey, hey, it's coming over!"

A total of one thousand and eighty golden lotuses bloomed, centering around Emperor Xuanzong of Tang as if guarding him.

When the golden lotuses bloomed, a floral fragrance truly wafted out. Everyone who smelled it felt their bodies lighten, as if they had suddenly become a few years younger.

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang could not help but have his attention captured by this scene. Outside the banquet, a painter hurriedly scribbled, wanting to capture this auspicious scene.

This was an auspicious omen from heaven, an auspicious omen for His Majesty!

The painter seemed to have already foreseen his own wealth and glory.

"Good! Worthy of Great Master Vajrabodhi! I am very satisfied with this gift!"

"Such an auspicious omen from heaven is a manifestation of Your Majesty's Karma."

After saying this, Vajrabodhi stepped back.

Immediately after, Subhakarasimha came to offer a gift, though it was not as stunning as Vajrabodhi's. He offered a jade relic he had brought from the Odra Kingdom.

It was left behind after a high monk in the Heavenly Bridge realm passed away, and having been worshipped by several generations, it attained this virtue.

Although it was not as stunning as Vajrabodhi's gift, it still made Emperor Xuanzong of Tang very satisfied.

Following that, the various sects of the Mysterious Sects began their wave of gift-giving, and the others watched with great interest.

Daoist Zizai of the Jingming Sect stepped forward, his heart bleeding, and produced a jade ruyi.

"Your Majesty, this jade ruyi is one of the treasures of the Jingming Sect. It has the effect of prolonging life. I only wish Your Majesty ten thousand years!"

Emperor Xuanzong of Tang's eyes showed surprise: "Since this jade ruyi is such a precious treasure of the Jingming Sect, why offer it to me?"

Daoist Zizai did not hesitate, saying as a matter of course: "Under the whole heaven, is there any land that is not the King's? Of all things in this world, which is not Yours, Your Majesty?"

This remark immediately struck a chord with Emperor Xuanzong of Tang. He laughed heartily: "Great Master, please sit. I like this treasure of yours very much!"

Only then did Daoist Zizai sit down with some relief. Although he had lost a treasure, gaining the favor of the Saint made it worth it.

Afterward, various Buddhist and Daoist sects, including Nestorianism, all presented their own treasures.

Soon it was Jiang Chen's turn, and everyone's eyes gathered on him, wanting to see what treasure the Maoshan Disciple could produce.

Jiang Chen stood up, neither humble nor arrogant, and took out the... Mirage Pearl he had carefully prepared.

"Your Majesty, I obtained this Mirage Pearl in the mountains when I encountered a Mirage Beast that was about to transform into a Dragon, and I am able to present it to Your Majesty."

The moment he saw this Mirage Pearl, Daoist Zizai's eyes went wide.

He never imagined that the person who had intercepted his prize was actually the Maoshan Disciple Jiang Chen!

"Revered Master, is that Mirage Pearl the gift we prepared for His Majesty earlier?"

"That's the one!" Daoist Zizai was so angry he could crush his teeth.

The Mirage Beast they had painstakingly raised had ended up benefiting someone else, and he could only swallow his grievances.

Listen to that, how nicely that guy put it—'encountered a Dragon'—why didn't he just say he 'slayed a Dragon' in front of the Saint?

"Then Revered Master, should we take the Mirage Pearl back?"

Daoist Zizai looked at Taoist Gu Ming as if he were an idiot.

"Fine, I'll give you a task. Go right now and take that Mirage Pearl back from His Majesty's hands."

Taoist Gu Ming's face immediately fell.

"Revered Master, I meant, tell His Majesty that this Mirage Pearl originally belonged to our Jingming Sect."

Daoist Zizai said, hating that he could not transform him into steel: "How would you say it? Say that our Jingming Sect raised a man-eating Mirage Beast, and then Jiang Chen happened upon the injustice, killed the Mirage Beast, and took the Mirage Pearl?"

Taoist Gu Ming's lips trembled, and he said nothing more.