Volume One, Chapter Forty-Two: Unaware of the Treasure Within

Chapter Forty-Two: Unaware of the Treasure Within

Tu Zhe briefly explained to them his intention to risk his life against the King of the Great Dragon Elephant, Yilobo, and that Yueyi planned to rescue him.

Mabosun and Mou Xiuloudu were utterly astonished, never expecting Tu Zhe to have such encounters.

Mabosun sighed, "Your luck, eh? It's almost defying heaven, isn't it?"

Tu Zhe rubbed his nose. Truly, first he met the little dog when he was a wandering soul, only to discover that the dog was the lord of hell on Mount Zhajialuo; then he came across the split soul of the ancestor Chi You, gaining his soul energy and the Immortal Demon Body; then he was rescued by Yueyi Celestial Consort, acquiring an adopted elder sister—and perhaps even her father's sacred shield; later, the great thief gave him the Sumeru Ring, which held not only countless celestial treasures but also the seed of the world, the Brahma Egg, with unopened layers that might contain yet more wonders; and then, he became the disciple of Mabosun, the renowned lord of the Desire Realm, infamous across the heavens.

Compared to his previous life as an unlucky wretch, Tu Zhe, now only days into his new life as a celestial prince, had undergone earth-shaking change.

Had he really turned fate upside down?

Could it possibly be true?

But such thoughts were nonsense. The real issue was the mounting pressure—he realized if he couldn’t soon become strong, his streak of good fortune might not hold out forever.

For instance, Mabosun couldn’t always be by his side; perhaps the matter with Huluzhina was truly over; what if the Brahma Egg erupted into trouble? It seemed every stroke of luck carried unfathomable danger.

Who could guarantee eternal safety? No matter how strong, relying on others was never as dependable as relying on oneself.

As the proverb goes: “Self-reliance brings wealth and plenty.” And another says, “A gentleman strives unceasingly for self-improvement.” He might not be a gentleman, but relentless self-improvement was essential.

A man must inspire himself—he would become strong. Living in constant fear, tiptoeing on thin ice, would be worse than death.

So Tu Zhe, quite shamelessly, addressed Mabosun, "Master... may I ask something..."

Mabosun replied, "If you have something to say, say it. If you need to fart, do it. Since when have you become so timid?"

Tu Zhe squinted, his brows forming a straight line, looking quite foolish, and said, "So, Master, let’s be straightforward—is your power considered invincible across the Three Realms and the Heavens?"

Mabosun frowned, "What do you mean? You have no faith in your master?"

Tu Zhe waved his hands, "No, no, that’s not it. I just want to understand the distribution of power and the current state of the Three Realms and the Heavens, so I can have a clear goal and motivation for cultivation, you know? Hehe..."

Mabosun shot him a glare, then pondered and said:

"If you want to talk about the power distribution across the Three Realms and the Heavens, excluding the Daoist side, I’d say your master here, without false modesty, is among the top experts.

As for being invincible, that’s nonsense. For example, the lords of the Color Realm—take the Great Brahma, he’s not someone your master could easily handle, though if he tried to take advantage of me, he’d have to be prepared to shed a few layers of skin.

Let me put it this way: the power hierarchy in the Three Realms and the Heavens is roughly like this.

At the bottom are the ordinary celestial beings—those who can fly a little and spit fireballs, similar to the Daoist Foundation Establishment stage.

That’s the first level.

The second level is the first stage of Arhats.

By the way, Arhats have four major realms and six tiers within them; I won’t go into the tiers—it would only confuse you.

Let’s just talk about the four major realms of Arhats: Srotapanna, Sakadagami, Anagami, and Arhat.

To compare with Daoist power divisions: Srotapanna is called the 'Approaching Saint,' similar to the Daoist Core Formation stage; Sakadagami is the 'Striving Saint,' akin to the Daoist Nascent Soul stage; Anagami is the 'Sub-Saint,' similar to the Daoist Tribulation Crossing stage; Arhat, comparable to the Daoist Divine Transformation, is the Saint.

Above the Arhat realm is the Bodhisattva stage.

The Bodhisattva realm is no longer within the scope of Saints, but even among Bodhisattvas, there are grades.

A beginner Bodhisattva is similar to a Great Saint in Daoism; a middle-level Bodhisattva is like a Divine King; a high-level Bodhisattva is akin to the Great Emperor.

The highest power in our territory, of course, is Buddha.

Buddha’s realm is also distinct.

According to Daoist teachings, above the Great Emperor are the Celestial Sovereign, True Lord, True Man, and True King—the True King is the lord who gives birth to worlds, who opens the heavens and earth, beyond our reach.

For example, in Daoist mythology, Pangu is called the Primordial True King. This True King is comparable to our Great Brahma, though I believe the Great Brahma’s status and abilities fall short of Pangu.

As for what realm Pangu is in—who knows? It’s only known that Daoism has the three highest realms: True Cavern, Profound Cavern, Divine Cavern. As to which level Pangu reaches, it's impossible to ascertain.

Do our Buddhas possess such realms? Your master truly can’t say. Perhaps, in the future, when we meet a powerful Buddha, we can ask, haha..."

Tu Zhe roughly understood the power hierarchy of the Three Realms and the Heavens, and his anxiety only grew. Damn, he probably didn't even count as any level—his pressure was immense, urgent, and full of crisis.

He asked, "So, Master, what realm are you in?"

Mabosun pondered, "Let’s say, a bit stronger than the average Buddha—barely on par with a Daoist True Man, haha..."

Mou Xiuloudu laughed, "Your master is just being modest. Even among True Men, he’s considered a strong one, haha."

The little dog quickly asked, "So what about you? What realm are you in?"

Mou Xiuloudu looked at the dog with gentle eyes, "I can’t compare with the Realm Lord—there’s some gap, haha."

Mabosun said, "Enough—the gap between you and me is just two hairs. Among True Men, few are stronger than you. That old fellow Indra is much weaker than you, right?"

Tsk—

Damn, these two are both True Men, stronger than Celestial Sovereigns, on par with Buddhas.

If I set my short-term goal at that level, it’s pure fantasy.

Great Saint, perhaps? Even that seems difficult.

At the very least, I must become an Arhat—anything lower, and if trouble arises, I’d be done for, with no chance to escape.

Tu Zhe asked, "I guess, the Lord Indra is at the peak Divine King stage?"

Mabosun smiled, "You’re thinking about Huluzhina, aren’t you? Well, Indra is at the peak Great Emperor stage. That Huluzhina is at the Sakadagami stage, a mere Nascent Soul cultivator—he’d be wiped out with a slap, haha..."

Tu Zhe grimaced, "The problem is, with his level, if he attacked me, I’d probably be finished, right?"

The little dog waved its paw, "Don’t worry, rogue brother, I’m here—I won’t let him kill you!"

Mabosun looked at Tu Zhe and said,

"You? Actually, you possess treasures without even knowing it, haha. The strength of your divine sense may not match a Celestial Sovereign, but compared to Huluzhina, he can’t even come close. If you master a couple of divine sense techniques, killing him would be as easy as slaughtering a chick, haha."

Tu Zhe was stunned. Me? Am I really that formidable?