After the Journey to the West was completed and its merits fulfilled, the bells of Buddhism’s eastward spread resounded through the Three Realms. In the name of “saving all living beings,” the Buddha Tathagata led countless Buddhas and Arhats east to spread his faith, leaving Taoism’s foundations on the brink of collapse. Zhenyuanzi, once revered as the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals, sensed that Buddhism sought to erode the Central Plains’ fortune through the power of karma. Wuzhuang Temple on Mount Wanshou, a sacred site of Taoism, became the front line of the conflict between Buddhism and Taoism.
An accident sent Zhang Cong’s soul traversing the Three Realms, where he possessed a thousand-year-old mulberry tree on Mount Wanshou. The ancient tree radiated a spiritual light because of him and transformed into human form. Drawn by this strange phenomenon, Zhenyuanzi took him on as his final disciple. As a remnant of the innate spiritual root Fusang Wood, Zhang Cong set out on a unique path of immortal cultivation, armed with the memories and knowledge of his previous life.
The teachings of Buddhism and Taoism were at odds, and beneath their outward peace, undercurrents churned. A venerable disciple of Tathagata repeatedly applied pressure, seeking to expand Buddhism’s influence. Wuzhuang Temple was swept into the fierce clash of Buddhist radiance and Taoist essence, leaving Zhenyuanzi and his disciples caught in a crisis. Drawing on the wisdom of his past-life memories, Zhang Cong navigated the worlds of immortals and Buddhas, turning knowledge from across time into a way to break the deadlock. He deftly countered Buddhism’s repeated probes, using strategies unknown to this world to raise a defensive barrier for Wuzhuang Temple amid the battlefield where Taoist essence and Buddhist radiance intertwined. With the Buddhist forces bearing down on him, can Zhang Cong, the “Mulberry Spirit” carrying memories from another world, protect his master’s dignity and preserve the peace of Wuzhuang Temple? His very presence is quietly changing the course of this contest between Buddhism and Taoism.
