I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

Tu Xiaonai nodded emphatically: "Disciple remembers! Master, I will definitely work hard in my cultivation!"

In the days that followed, Jiang Wang taught Tu Xiaonai how to cultivate the "Hongmeng Heart Sutra" and witchcraft, while also using the innate spiritual jade to repair the ancient altar.

Tu Xiaonai has extremely high comprehension, and with the assistance of the Water Spirit Pearl, her cultivation level improved very quickly. In just half a month, she broke through to the Demon King realm.

Under Jiang Wang's restoration, the ancient altar gradually regained its former glory, and the runes on it became clearer, beginning to gather the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The spiritual energy in Tujia Village became increasingly abundant, and the villagers' cultivation speed also accelerated accordingly.

On this day, Jiang Wang was meditating in front of the altar when he suddenly felt a powerful aura coming from afar. It carried the peacefulness of Buddhism, yet also exuded a sense of oppression.

He opened his eyes, a cold glint in them: "The people of Tathagata have finally arrived."

The Fifth Elder's face turned from surprise and doubt to ashen. His fingers moved faster and faster in forming hand seals. The water vapor around him churned as if boiling. The originally clear water element was now tinged with a dark gray-black color. Even the surrounding air was drawn by this strange power, becoming damp, cold and sticky.

He stared intently at Tu Xiaonai, who was actually Jiang Wang in disguise, his voice filled with disbelief and ferocity: "Impossible! My 'Myriad Streams Return to Nothingness Technique' can forcibly distort the five elements. Even the physical body of a Great Luo Golden Immortal would be forcibly turned into primordial water. How could you be completely unharmed?"

Jiang Wang tilted his head, his smile widening, his tone flippant as if he were teasing a child: "Great Luo Golden Immortal? Your trick might work against them, but it's still a bit lacking against me."

He casually patted away imaginary dust from his shoulder. The scales reflected a pale golden light in the sunlight, and there was no trace of the heavy water piercing and impacting them. "Have you forgotten? I just said that even if you were given six months, you still wouldn't be able to break through my scales."

"Don't even mention distorting the Five Elements; even if you gathered all the water in this entire realm of mind, you wouldn't be able to splash a single ripple on my surface."

"Insanity!"

The Fifth Elder roared, and the water vapor around him suddenly surged, condensing behind him into a colossal Xuan Water Dragon tens of feet long. The dragon's head was ferocious, and fine ice shards clung to its whiskers. Each swipe of its tail caused the surrounding space to tremble slightly. "This Xuan Water Dragon of mine is forged from the fusion of Netherworld Cold Water and the Milky Way of the Nine Heavens. It possesses both freezing and melting power. Today, I will let you taste the feeling of your soul being frozen and your body being melted!"

Jiang Wang looked up at the Xuan Shui dragon, a hint of amusement flashing in his eyes. A faint, almost imperceptible wisp of chaotic energy quietly swirled around his fingertips—this energy was hidden beneath Tu Xiaonai's demonic power and would be difficult to detect without careful examination.

"Netherworld Cold Water? The Milky Way Water from the Nine Heavens?"

He scoffed, "That sounds impressive, but I wonder, compared to the seawater under the Sea-Stabilizing Needle of the East Sea Dragon Palace, which is more resilient?"

The Fifth Elder's expression changed slightly, clearly not expecting this "Little Madam Tu".

He even knew the secrets of the East Sea Dragon Palace, which deepened his suspicions. But with the arrow already on the bowstring, he had no choice but to release it. He suddenly raised his hand and pointed: "Mysterious Water Dragon, Devour!"

The dragon let out a deafening roar, opened its massive jaws, and pounced on Jiang Wang. The icy breath it exhaled instantly froze the surrounding clouds into ice crystals, and the rocks on the ground visibly condensed into a thick layer of ice. Even the air seemed to freeze solid, making a soft "crunching" sound.

Ripples spread across the space along the way, as if the cold air and water force were about to tear it apart.

Jiang Wang remained standing in place, neither dodging nor retaliating. He simply closed his eyes slowly, and the five elements within his body began to flow in reverse. The four elements of metal, wood, fire, and earth, which were originally meant to transform into water, were now instead devouring the water element drawn by the Fifth Elder. The strange power originating from the "Myriad Streams Return to the Void Technique" was like a mud ox entering the sea within his body, failing to create even the slightest ripple.

"This is……"

The Fifth Elder's pupils constricted sharply, and the color drained from his face instantly. "You can not only resist my techniques, but also devour my water element? What kind of monster are you?!"

He wanted to reclaim the Xuan Shui Dragon, but found that the connection between the dragon and himself was gradually weakening. An invisible suction force came from Jiang Wang's body, slowly drawing away the dragon's power, and even his own cultivation began to become restless.

Jiang Wang slowly opened his eyes, a golden light flashing in his eyes. The scales on his body suddenly swelled by three inches, and the pale golden demonic power spread out like a wave, colliding with the cold air of the Xuan Shui dragon and making a "sizzling" sound. The ice crystals all over the sky instantly melted, turning into fine water mist that filled the air.

"monster?"

He chuckled softly, his figure suddenly moving so fast that only a golden afterimage remained. The next moment, he appeared above the head of the Xuan Shui dragon, raising his hand and gently pressing down on the dragon's head.

"Boom—"

After the loud bang, the Xuan Shui dragon shattered like glass, and countless water droplets scattered everywhere. The water droplets that landed on Jiang Wang's scales were instantly absorbed, leaving not a trace.

The Fifth Elder groaned and spat out a mouthful of blood. He staggered back several steps, his face as pale as paper, and his aura became weak and listless. It was clear that he had suffered a backlash from the destruction of the Xuan Shui Giant Dragon.

"Impossible... My 'Myriad Streams Return to Nothingness Technique,' which I have painstakingly cultivated for millions of years, was so easily cracked by you..."

The Fifth Elder collapsed to the ground, his eyes unfocused, muttering to himself, "Who exactly are you? Little Tu could never have such strength. You are not him, who are you!"

Jiang Wang flashed back to his original spot, patted the water droplets off his hands, and looked at the Fifth Elder with a half-smile: "Oh? Finally figured it out?"

The pale golden demonic power around him slowly receded, and his appearance began to subtly change—the originally innocent childlike face gradually faded, and his features became more profound and sharp. The innocence in his eyes was replaced by indifference, and the aura around him changed from pure demonic power to a strange aura that combined Buddhism, Taoism, and demonism. "Little Tu is just a shell that I borrowed to go through the motions."

The Fifth Elder stared wide-eyed at Jiang Wang's transformation, his body trembling violently, his voice filled with extreme fear: "This aura...you are...you are Jiang Wang! That demon who stirred up storms in the Three Realms and dared to provoke even the Heavenly Court!"

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised that the Fifth Elder recognized him, then smiled with relief: "I didn't expect that a sect as isolated as the One Heart Sect would have heard of my name."

He walked slowly toward the Fifth Elder. With each step he took, the ground trembled slightly, and the air pressure around him grew lower and lower. "That's right, I am Jiang Wang."

"I've come to the One Heart Realm today for no other reason than to use your teleportation array."

The Fifth Elder stumbled backward, his eyes filled with terror and despair: "It's you...it really is you! Rumor has it that you devoured the Buddha-nature of the Golden Cicada, refined the demonic power of the Bull Demon King, and even dared to steal the elixir of immortality from the Supreme Lord Laozi. Even the Buddha Tathagata was helpless against you...how did you come to the One Heart Realm?"

At this moment, he no longer possessed any of the dignity of an elder; all that remained was the fear of death—facing a demon as infamous as Jiang Wang, his cultivation was utterly insignificant.

"It's not that I'm helpless; that old bald monk Tathagata is just afraid to kill me because of karma."

Jiang Wang spoke calmly, as if he were talking about a trivial matter, "As for why I came here, it's naturally because the teleportation array is the destination, and there's something I want there."

He stopped and looked down at the Fifth Elder. "Now, can you take me to the teleportation array? Or do you want me to destroy your One Heart Sect and find it myself?"

The Fifth Elder froze, then quickly shook his head: "No, no! I'll take you there! I'll take you there right now!"

He dared not hesitate for a moment. Jiang Wang could easily break the Xuan Shui Giant Dragon, so dismantling the Yi Xin Sect was just a piece of cake for him. He struggled to his feet and staggered ahead to lead the way, asking cautiously, "Jiang... Jiang Demon, where are you going...? Our Yi Xin Sect's teleportation array can only lead to a few fixed realms, one of which is the Southern Continent of the Journey to the West Realm."

Jambudvipa?

A glint of light flashed in Jiang Wang's eyes, and then he nodded, "Perfect, that's exactly where I'm going."

His journey to Jambudvipa was precisely to find the whereabouts of Tang Sanzang and his disciples—he had absorbed a portion of Jin Chanzi's Buddha-nature and had a mysterious connection with Tang Sanzang. Now that Tang Sanzang's journey to the West to obtain the scriptures was halfway through, it was the perfect opportunity for him to seize the complete Buddha-nature.

The two walked one after the other into the depths of the Yixin Sect.

The disciples of the Yixin Sect along the way saw that the Fifth Elder was pale and weak, while "Little Madam Tu" was behind him.

His appearance had changed drastically, and his aura was terrifying and suffocating. Everyone avoided him, their eyes filled with awe and doubt, but no one dared to step forward and ask.

Jiang Wang glanced at the disciples along the way and found that most of them were below the Golden Immortal level, with the highest being only the early stage of Taiyi Golden Immortal. He sneered inwardly—this Heart Sect was indeed just a small sect that was content with its remote corner of the world, and it was not worth mentioning at all.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the two arrived at a huge valley.

The entrance to the valley is engraved with intricate runes, which shimmer with a pale blue light, forming an invisible barrier that is shrouded in dense spatial power.

A buzzing sound came from inside the valley, clearly indicating that the teleportation array was in operation.

"Demon Jiang, the teleportation array of our Yixin Sect is inside."

The Fifth Elder stopped and pointed to the valley, saying, "This teleportation array was passed down from ancient times. It can reliably connect the Southern Continent, the Northern Continent, and our One Heart Realm. Each activation requires a large amount of spirit stones and can only teleport one person."

He looked at Jiang Wang cautiously, afraid of angering this demon. "If you want to activate the teleportation array, I will go and prepare the spirit stones right away."

"No need."

Jiang Wang waved his hand and walked straight to the entrance of the valley. He gently touched the rune barrier with his fingertip and injected a wisp of chaotic energy into it.

The once-solid barrier crumbled instantly, the runes scattering like broken jade, offering no resistance whatsoever.

"This little spatial barrier can't stop me."

The Fifth Elder was dumbfounded, and his fear of Jiang Wang deepened even further—this rune barrier was the core of the One Heart Sect's protective array, and even he, as an elder, needed the sect's token to open it. Jiang Wang was able to break through it so easily; his strength was simply unfathomable.

He quickly followed Jiang Wang's footsteps and entered the valley.

In the center of the valley, a huge teleportation array stood silently.

The teleportation array was about ten zhang in diameter and was made of blue jade. It was covered with densely packed spatial runes, and a pale blue halo flowed between the runes, enveloping the entire teleportation array.

Eight stone sculptures, each depicting a mythical aquatic beast, are placed around the teleportation array. Each sculpture holds a spirit stone in its mouth, providing the teleportation array with a continuous source of energy.

Jiang Wang walked to the center of the teleportation array, looked down at the runes under his feet, and a knowing look flashed in his eyes: "Ancient spatial runes, there's something to them."

He could sense that the runes of this teleportation array contained a faint trace of primordial energy, clearly the work of an ancient powerful being.

The Fifth Elder stood outside the teleportation array, not daring to approach, and cautiously said, "Demon Jiang, the coordinates of this teleportation array leading to the Southern Continent are near Chang'an City."

If you are ready, I will activate the teleportation array for you.

"Chang'an City?"

Jiang Wang smiled slightly. "It's a nice place."

Chang'an is the capital of the Tang Dynasty. It was from Chang'an that Tang Sanzang set off to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures. Now that he has been teleported directly to Chang'an, he can make arrangements in advance.

"Start it up."

The Fifth Elder nodded hurriedly, raised his hand to form a hand seal, and chanted incantations.

The spirit stones in the mouths of the eight stone sculptures instantly burst forth with dazzling light. Pale blue energy flowed along the runes, and the halo of the entire teleportation array became increasingly intense. The runes began to rotate rapidly, emitting bursts of buzzing sounds.

The spatial force within the valley grew stronger, and the surrounding air began to distort, forming tiny spatial cracks.

Just as the teleportation array was about to activate, an aged voice suddenly came from outside the valley, filled with majesty and anger: "You wicked creature! How dare you trespass into my Yixin Sect and even injure my elders! Today, I will surely execute you on the spot!"

Jiang Wang raised an eyebrow and looked up at the entrance to the valley.

An elderly man with white hair, dressed in a blue Taoist robe and holding a whisk, slowly walked in.

The old man's aura was extremely powerful, far surpassing that of the Fifth Elder; he was actually a cultivator in the late stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.

Behind him followed dozens of disciples from the Yixin Sect, each exuding a chilling aura and wielding magical artifacts, clearly representing the core strength of the Yixin Sect.

"metropolitan!"

Upon seeing the old man, the Fifth Elder hurriedly bowed, a hint of joy appearing on his face. "You've finally arrived! This demon is Jiang Wang, not Tu Xiaonai. He's here to steal our teleportation array!" The Sect Master of Yixin Sect stared coldly at Jiang Wang, his whisk trembling slightly, clearly having heard of Jiang Wang's name.

"Jiang Wang? It really is you, you fiend!"

His tone was icy, and his body emanated a dense Dao power that transformed into a giant blue wave that swept towards Jiang Wang. "My Yixin Sect has no grudge against you, yet you dare to come and provoke us. Today, I will act on behalf of Heaven and eliminate you, this scourge of the Three Realms!"

Jiang Wang stood unmoved in the center of the teleportation array, merely gazing indifferently at the colossal azure wave: "Acting on behalf of Heaven? You think you can?" (End of Chapter)