Journey to the West: Demon Emperor: Beginning as a Little Toad

Chapter 443 Penglai Immortal Island
Although the land of ten continents and three islands is regarded by the world as an overseas wonderland, it is mysterious and has many restrictions that make people stay away from it.

However, it is ultimately under the jurisdiction of Heaven and must obey Heaven's rules.

As the transportation hub of heaven, Nantianmen naturally has a fast passage directly to the ten continents and three islands, making it convenient for travel between heaven and this fairyland.

"Following the order of the Great Celestial Lord, capture the turtle and exterminate the demon. All gods, retreat!"

The general who rolled up the curtain held a tiger-head badge and looked very majestic. He passed unhindered along the way. Wherever he went, the gods would avoid him and would not dare to be negligent in the slightest.

General Juanlian led a group of heavenly soldiers and generals and rushed to the three islands of Penglai Fairy Island, Fangzhang Fairy Mountain, and Yingzhou Island.

A group of heavenly soldiers and generals of the "Heavenly Turtle Catching Team", led by General Juanlian, were all arrogant and overbearing.

After all, they were working for the Great Celestial Lord, who would dare to stop them?

Isn’t this asking for death?
I saw the heavenly soldiers and generals of the "Heavenly Turtle Catching Team" holding harpoons and large nets, riding goshawks, leading hunting dogs, drawing bows and shooting crossbows, looking very aggressive.

They rode the strong winds and climbed the cloud ladders, and in the blink of an eye they crossed the vast East China Sea.

It didn't take long.

The “Heavenly Aurora Catching Team” was about to arrive above the Penglai Fairy Island.

……

The fairy island of Penglai is very different from the famous mountains and rivers such as Huashan, Taishan and Hengshan in the mortal world.

This place is a transcendental world of its own, with numerous barriers set up. It is difficult to find without a destined person, and it is not easy for ordinary people to step in and take a glimpse of its true appearance.

"Penglai Fairy Island..."

Xiao Chen muttered to himself that this was his first time setting foot on this legendary paradise.

I saw the Penglai Fairy Island, with red cliffs and strange rocks as its bones and bones, steep cliffs and strange peaks as its backbone. The mountain is majestic and majestic, like a huge stone plate lying across the ocean. Its majestic aura is like a giant dragon with its head raised, penetrating straight into the sky and connecting with the Yaohai Sea, as if it wants to take in all the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The clouds and mist linger in the air, sometimes like dancing gauze, sometimes like a dragon swimming on the mountainside, adding a bit of mystery and depth.

On the fairy island of Penglai, the immortal deer and fairy foxes are leisurely and contented in the woods, shuttling between the towering ancient trees. In the sky, the magical black cranes are dancing gracefully, soaring in the clear blue sky.

The island's rare herbs and flowers bloom all year round, and the green pines and cypresses are evergreen.

There are also those fairy peach trees with lush branches and leaves, and big and plump fairy peaches hanging on the branches, exuding an enticing fragrance that makes people salivate.

Penglai Fairy Island, this place was already famous in Xiao Chen’s previous life.

In the 28th year of Qin Shihuang's reign, this ambitious emperor who longed for eternal succession, pacified the six kingdoms. All his life's wishes were fulfilled, except for the one that was not certain to be achieved, which was "immortality".

Qin Shi Huang engraved stones on Mount Tai and then toured the Bohai Sea.

At that time, there was a "alchemist Xu Fu" who wrote:

"There are three immortal mountains in the sea, Penglai, Fangzhang and Yingzhou, where immortals live. You can ask for the elixir of immortality, but you need to fast and bring boys and girls with you."

Qin Shihuang was very happy, and then, according to Xu Fu's request, he sent thousands of "boys and girls" to sea with Xu Fu to seek elixirs from the fairy mountains overseas.

Afterwards, Xu Fu took thousands of boys and girls with him in search of the elixir of immortality, but he never returned, leaving behind a mystery that will remain for generations.

"Historical Records" records: "Xu Fu sailed eastward."

Later generations sighed and said: "Xu Fu sailed east to seek elixir, but never returned."

……

On the fairy island of Penglai, a paradise is vaguely emerging among the misty clouds.

Outside Baiyun Cave, under the shade of pine trees, three old men are playing chess in a leisurely and relaxed atmosphere.

The players playing chess are Fuxing and Luxing. Fuxing holds a Ruyi in his hand, which radiates a warm glow and seems to be surrounded by an aura of good fortune; Luxing holds a golden seal, which is engraved with mysterious runes and exudes a sense of majesty.

"Old Fu..."

"Lao Lu..."

The two stars of fortune and luck point to the mountains and rivers while talking and laughing, as if hiding the secrets of the universe.

The person watching the chess game is the birthday boy. He has silver hair and a long beard, a high head and a prominent forehead, big ears and a short body. He looks just like a big peach.

There is a sense of kindness and gentleness.

The birthday star has long white hair, holds a coiled dragon cane in his hand, and auspicious clouds appear between his eyebrows.

“Ting, ting, ting!”

“Ting, ting, ting!”

……

Suddenly, a crane was heard singing, and a white shadow gracefully descended from the pine branches.

Behind the birthday boy, a woman stood like a green bamboo, with an upright posture and a cool temperament.

The woman had a beautiful face, skin whiter than snow, slightly raised phoenix eyes, and amber pupils that seemed to be able to see through people's hearts.

Her black hair was tied up high, decorated with crane feathers and silver ornaments, and the ruby ​​necklace on her forehead was shining brightly, just like "a red dot on the top of the crane's head".

The woman was wearing a white long skirt with silver silk cloud crane patterns embroidered on the sleeves, which fluttered in the wind as if a crane was flapping its wings; the wings behind her were as white as snow, with a faint golden glow, and their wings spread out for several feet, giving her an awe-inspiring air but concealed a sense of oppression.

This is the guardian of Penglai, the "White Crane Fairy" under the seat of the Antarctic Immortal.

"Yo, yo, yo..."

"Yo, yo, yo..."

Suddenly, I heard the sound of pine waves and the cry of deer.

Another figure came walking on the clouds.

A handsome man stood beside the fairy, his skin was as white as cream, and he exuded a cool and celestial air; his black hair was as black as ink, tied with a jade crown, and a sandalwood crane cloak hung down. He walked in cloud-like shoes on the void, and his clothes fluttered in the mist.

He carried a longbow on his back, the bow was like a deer antler, and the arrows were shining with golden light, as if containing the power of thunder; his eyebrows and eyes were picturesque, but they contained a golden glow, and he was handsome and majestic, as if a young emperor had come to the world.

It was none other than the guardian of Penglai, the "White Deer Spirit" under the seat of the Immortal of the South Pole.

The White Deer Spirit bowed and stood beside the birthday star, with his head lowered and his eyes slightly narrowed, and said respectfully:
"Reporting to Master, I just came back from an investigation. The surrounding area of ​​Penglai Fairy Island is calm and peaceful. There is no movement at all, and there is no sign of intruders."

Upon hearing this, the birthday boy gently stroked his long beard and then waved his hand to indicate that he understood.

The lucky star suddenly raised his eyes, and the smile on his face suddenly disappeared, replaced by a solemn expression. He looked at the birthday star and said in a deep voice:

"Lao Shou, have you made any new progress in developing your elixir of life?"

Fuxing tapped the stone table with his fingertips, and the chess pieces on the chessboard trembled slightly:

"Recently, a large number of immortals in the Ten Continents and Three Islands are approaching the end of their lives. If your elixir of immortality is not refined in time, these immortals may become disillusioned and go to the Heavenly Palace to seek a chance of immortality."

Upon hearing this, the birthday star slowly shook his head and sighed:

"The latest batch of jujube and pear are not yet ripe, so it will take some time."

"Moreover, even if you take more of these acquired spiritual fruits, their effects will gradually diminish over time."

"There has been no breakthrough in the development of the elixir of life so far..."

Upon hearing this, Fuxing frowned slightly, and suddenly exerted force with his fingertips, crushing a chess piece into pieces, and said in a deep voice:
"That's it..."

"I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain to the Emperor."

Lu Xing suddenly interrupted:
"Lao Fu, immortality is an extraordinary thing. How can it be easy to seize the fortune of heaven and earth and invade the mysteries of the sun and the moon?"

After saying this, Lu Xing waved his sleeves, and the stars on the chessboard turned into streams of light, suspended in the air, and transformed into the shape of a "Xiantian Renshui Peach Tree".

The Xiantian Renshui Peach Tree has lush branches and leaves, and is laden with large peaches that exude an attractive luster.

Luxing looked at the shadow of the Xiantian Renshui Peach Tree and said:

"In this world, the only thing that can directly grant immortality to a cultivator is the innate spiritual root in the Queen Mother's hand - the Innate Renshui Peach Tree."

The birthday boy added:
"I still have some 'peach pits' from the peaches. After years of cultivation, they have grown into some 'longevity peaches'."

"However, without the Xiantian Renshui Peach Tree, the 'Xiantian Mother Tree', the effect of these longevity peaches is ultimately limited, and is far inferior to the Xiantian peaches in the Queen Mother's Peach Garden."

"If a mortal eats one, he can live longer and live to be a hundred years old."

Fuxing smiled bitterly and said:
"Longevity?"

"What use is this to us immortals?"

……

The "Shenyijing" records: "In the east there is a tree, fifty feet high, called peach. Its fruit is three feet and three inches in diameter. If you eat it with the kernel, it will increase your lifespan."

This peach is called "longevity peach", which is the variety bred by the God of Longevity using the peaches from the Queen Mother.

That is the longevity peach in the hands of the “Birthday Star Holding Peach”.

……

"Immortality", these four words, like a magic spell, shroud the three realms and six paths, driving countless born creatures crazy and decadent.

The fox demon transformed into a young lady, seducing a scholar in the mountains and stealing his essence; the dragon transformed itself just to continue its thousand-year-old practice; in the netherworld, ghosts cried and wolves howled every night because the lifespan of living beings was about to end...

Countless people who seek immortality have set out on the long journey to immortality, with only one question in their minds:
"Can I achieve immortality on this path?" The heaven and earth are cruel. They allow all things to develop intelligence, but they also engrave the shackles of life span in their blood.

Who in the world doesn’t want to live forever?
As an intelligent creature, who can resist the temptation of immortality?

The purpose of Sun Wukong's seeking immortality was only to obtain the "art of immortality".

If a force has the resources for immortality and the ability to grant immortality to practitioners, it will naturally attract countless practitioners to come.

In the three realms, those who can reach the level of "Golden Immortal" and achieve the higher level of Taoism within their limited lifespan are ultimately rare and few in number.

Even if one reaches the Golden Immortal stage, his life span is no more than 120,000 years.

Twelve thousand years of the Golden Immortal's life may seem long, but in the long history of the ancient times, it is just a blink of an eye and is still short.

If one's life span is coming to an end, even if one is a golden immortal, who would not be crazy about the four words "immortality"?
As for those above the Golden Immortal of Great Luo, those who can jump out of heaven and earth are too few and too difficult.

The vast majority of born creatures are ultimately unable to break through the limits of their lifespan and die of old age.

However, after achieving immortality, one can gradually become stronger by slowly accumulating time and resources.

A force will lose its vitality and eventually decline if it does not have a supply of fresh blood.

Immortality is the bait that will continuously attract countless practitioners to come and work for the force.

For example, the two brothers Yang Guoshan and Yang Long wanted to obtain the art of immortality, so they joined the Heavenly Court and served it.

The moment they joined the Heavenly Palace, the wheel of fate had locked them both into this never-ending game.

On the journey to the West, who among the low-level monsters doesn’t want to “eat Tang Monk’s flesh” and gain immortality?
The four words "immortality" are a gift, but also a chronic poison, making practitioners in the three realms willing to become the sharpest pawns on the chessboard of power.

To a certain extent, whoever controls the resources that can grant immortality to others at will controls the three realms.

……

The game between the two forces is not just about fighting and killing, but also about bloodshed, knives and guns.

That's the last step, and it's a fight to the death.

When both sides are reluctant to take action or have no legitimate reason to do so, it becomes a "war for resources."

……

Luxing sighed slightly and said slowly:

"Lao Fu, this matter really can't be blamed on Lao Shou."

"Look at Zhen Yuanzi. In his hand, he holds a ginseng fruit tree that existed since the creation of the world. That ginseng fruit tree is the 'spiritual root of the creation of the world'."

"But even so, the ginseng fruit tree needs three thousand years to bloom, three thousand years to bear fruit, and another three thousand years to mature. In this way, it will take nearly ten thousand years to produce thirty fruits."

"Moreover, after the ginseng fruit matures, it will take another thousand years before it can be eaten."

"Only if a person eats one can he live for 47,000 years."

"Zhen Yuanzi has such an innate spiritual root in his hand, but he still has to wait for such a long time and spend so much energy."

"The Emperor wants us to free the Ten Continents and Three Islands from the control of Heaven. Such a big thing cannot be accomplished overnight. We can't rush this matter."

"We can only take it step by step."

The birthday star was silent for a long time, then he slowly raised his eyes, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, as if he had made up his mind, and said:

"Lao Fu, Lao Lu, I have an idea that might work..."

"But this method... may be against the harmony of nature..."

Upon hearing this, Fuxing and Luxing were both startled, and they secretly wondered what method the Shouxing was talking about.

The lucky star twirled his beard and looked at the birthday star, and asked anxiously:
"Lao Shou, what is this method?"

The birthday star tapped the stone table with his fingertips. In an instant, the stars on the chessboard suddenly turned blood-red, making his face flicker, adding a bit of mystery and weirdness:

"The life span of living beings is a shackle set by heaven and earth."

"If a living being cannot replenish its own lifespan, can it take it from others?"

Fuxing frowned slightly when he heard this, and felt that this method was inappropriate, so he said:

"Lao Shou, what you mean is..."

The birthday star looked deep in his eyes and spoke slowly:

"Speaking of this method, it is somewhat related to Lingshan."

"Lingshan?"

Upon hearing this, Fuxing frowned secretly, and became even more confused, so he asked hurriedly.

The birthday star slowly said:

"The 'celestial beings' have the innate spiritual root of the peach tree as a guarantee of immortality."

"Zhen Yuanzi, the 'ancestor of earthly immortals', has the innate spiritual root of the ginseng fruit tree, which is also a movable sign of immortality."

"Lao Fu, Lao Lu, do you know what the 'Buddhas of Lingshan' are?"

"What exactly is the elixir of immortality of the Buddhas of Lingshan Mountain?"

Luxing shook his head slightly and said slowly:
"I haven't had much interaction with the Buddhas of Lingshan in the past, and we are not very familiar with each other. I know very little about the secret technique of Lingshan's immortality."

"But I think that Lingshan's power is complex and huge, with many disciples and masters. It must have a unique elixir of immortality, which it uses as a bargaining chip to win over people's hearts and consolidate its transcendent position in the Three Realms."

Upon hearing this, Fuxing frowned, his face full of doubt, and said:
"I haven't heard of any panacea in Lingshan that's widely circulated."

"Could it be the lotus platform that Tathagata Buddha sits on? The lotus platform emits auspicious light and looks extraordinary, but it doesn't look like something that can make people immortal."

"Or maybe it's the nectar in the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva's sheep-fat jade bottle? Although the nectar can bring the dead back to life and cure all diseases, it's a bit far-fetched to say that it can make people immortal."

Upon hearing this, the birthday star raised his lips slightly, revealing a hint of smile, and said:

"The lotus platform is a magic weapon, it is used by people to practice meditation and defend against external enemies."

"The nectar in the Jade Purification Bottle is used to treat injuries and purify the soul. How can it have the effect of immortality? Don't make random guesses."

Fuxing was anxious and hurriedly urged:
"Lao Shou, stop keeping us in suspense and just tell us what you know."

The birthday boy spoke slowly, a flash of reminiscence in his eyes, and said:

"I have had some friendship with Manjusri Bodhisattva, Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, Dipankara Buddha and others in Lingshan, and we are familiar with each other."

"Now, time has passed, the world has changed, things have changed, and everyone has their own masters. We are no longer in the same camp."

“But some of the friendship over tea from the past still remains.”

"I once visited Lingshan Mountain."

"On Lingshan Mountain, I met a man."

"In other words, it is a very special and rare 'medicine' in the world."

At this point, the birthday boy narrowed his eyes slightly.

That gaze seemed to penetrate time and return to the moment when he saw that person in Lingshan.

The birthday boy recalled the scene and licked his lips subconsciously. It seemed that the strange aroma of the "medicine" was still lingering on the tip of his tongue, making him intoxicated.

Seeing this, Lu Xing became even more curious and asked quickly:

"Who is this person? How could you, Old Shou, describe him like this, as if you had seen some rare treasure."

The birthday boy spoke slowly, with a hint of excitement in his voice that was difficult to conceal:

"This person is the second disciple of Tathagata Buddha, 'Jin Chanzi'."

Hearing this, Lu Xing's face was full of surprise, and he said in astonishment:
"Golden Chanzi? What's so unusual about this person that makes you think he's a 'great medicine'?"

There was a strange light in the birthday star's eyes, and he said:

"This golden cicada smells really good..."

"That fragrance...can arouse people's deepest desires."

"The moment I saw Jin Chanzi, I suddenly felt a strong urge in my heart, an urge to eat him up in one bite..."

"Ok?"

"Want to eat golden cicada?"

Fuxing frowned slightly. He had been practicing for many years and his mind had long been as calm as water. At their level, it was difficult for anything to cause them to have such a strong impulse.

He wondered in his heart what was so special about this golden cicada.

The birthday star seemed to see the lucky star's doubts and explained:

"It is difficult for ordinary people to perceive the strangeness of this golden cicada, but I have been immersed in the research of elixirs for many years, and I have a keen sense of the longevity spiritual objects in the world."

“Only then did I notice some unknown clues about this golden cicada and smell that strange fragrance.”

(End of this chapter)