Journey to the West: Beginning with the Apprenticeship of Bodhi Patriarch

Chapter 425 The Origin of the Xuan Yin King, Reunion with Zuo Liang

Meanwhile, outside Hanzhong City, the Bull Demon King was panting heavily, marveling at the prowess of the Xuan Yin King. He knew that in a one-on-one fight, he was no match for the Xuan Yin King. Even with his bronze head and iron arms, he was helpless. He attacked the king a hundred times, but the king was not injured at all. On the contrary, he was a human being, and when the king was injured, he was in unbearable pain.

Therefore, if the two fight for more than a hundred rounds, the Bull King will surely be defeated.

The Bull King suspected that the Xuan Yin King must be a monster from Beiju Luzhou.

Wang Chongyang dismounted from the white deer, somewhat puzzled, and said, "If what the Bull King said is true, then it makes sense. That demon is extraordinary, and it can only be explained by the fact that it is from Beiju Luzhou. But even if it is a demon from Beiju Luzhou, how could it have such a copper head and iron arms, and such great strength and supernatural powers?"

The Bull Demon King said, "If we rely on the two of us, we may not be able to defeat this monster. However, this monster occupies Golden Cauldron Mountain and is causing trouble in the area. We should get rid of him no matter what. Let's think of a way. What do you think?"

Wang Chongyang pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "What the Ox King said makes sense. We should think of a way to deal with the Xuan Yin King. With just the two of us, we can at most protect ourselves. Subduing him will be extremely difficult. In my opinion, to subdue him, we must know his origins and find his weakness. We can go to this place and find out where he came from. What does the Ox King think?"

The Bull Demon King said, "Zhengwei, what you say makes a lot of sense. In that case, I will send the local earth god to find out where that fellow came from and his vital points, and then we will make further plans."

Wang Chongyang bowed and said, "Thank you for your trouble, Ox King."

Without further hesitation, the Bull Demon King stood up and used magic to summon the local earth deity.

A short while later, an old man arrived; he was the local earth god.

The local deity bowed to the two and said, "This humble local deity of Songfeng Village in Hanzhong Prefecture pays respects to the Ox King and Master Zhengwei."

Wang Chongyang returned the greeting with a smile.

Upon seeing this, the Bull Demon King returned the greeting and said, "Earth God, we have summoned you here today because we have important matters to ask you. Please answer them, as they will be of great use to us."

The Earth God bowed and said, "King Ox, please ask me anything. I will tell you everything I know without reservation and will not dare to hide anything."

The Bull Demon King said, “Earth God, Zhengwei and I have come here today on the orders of the True Man, intending to make a trip to Golden Cauldron Mountain. However, there is a monster in Golden Cauldron Mountain called the Xuan Yin King. He has a copper head and iron arms, and is incredibly strong. He is also causing trouble in the area. I, the old bull, cannot defeat him. So I have come to ask you, what kind of person is the Xuan Yin King, where did he come from, and what are his weaknesses?”

The Earth God said, "I never imagined that the Ox King summoned me because of the matter of the Xuan Yin King. If it is because of this, I do know a thing or two, and I can tell the Ox King and Master Zhengwei about it."

The Bull Demon King was overjoyed and said, "Tell me about it."

The Earth God bowed and said, "King Ox, the Xuan Yin King comes from the Ten Thousand Bones Cave in the far north of Beiju Luzhou. How he came to be is complicated. He was formed by the convergence of favorable timing, location, and human factors. His origins are extraordinary. He has a great connection with a great god in heaven."

The Bull Demon King listened with some impatience and said, "Old Bull has some reputation in the Three Realms. Please explain clearly and don't just spout riddles that will confuse Old Bull."

The Earth God begged for mercy repeatedly, admitting his guilt, and then said, "King Ox, it is indeed my fault. In that case, I will explain to you in detail that the Great King Xuan Yin was actually transformed from a bone of the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas. Therefore, I have a great connection with the Great God."

The Bull Demon King didn't believe it and said, "You old local deity, are you trying to fool me? The Great God of the Three Altars and Seas is none other than the Third Prince Nezha, a renowned and powerful being in the Three Realms. How can you say that this kind of demon is related to the Third Prince Nezha, and even claim that it was transformed from a single bone of Nezha? Isn't that just nonsense?"

The Earth God said, "King Ox, you are wise. This humble god is indeed not lying. That Xuan Yin King is the embodiment of a single bone of the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas."

The Bull Demon King still didn't believe it.

Wang Chongyang stepped forward and said with a smile, "King of the Ox, please calm down. Let me ask the Earth God. Judging from the Earth God's appearance, what he says does not seem to be false."

The Bull Demon King had no choice but to suppress his temper, stand beside him, and say no more.

Wang Chongyang then said, "Earth God, what you say is true to me, but please tell me the details."

The Earth God bowed and addressed him as "Master Zhengwei," saying, "Master, Ox King, you two, listen to my explanation, and you will understand the reason. Long ago, the Great God Nezha of the Three Altars Sea Assembly had not yet been enshrined as an immortal. He was the son of Li Jing, the general of Chentang Pass. Back then, Nezha was young and unaware of the dangers. Because of the scorching sun, he couldn't bear the heat, so he went to the East Sea to play in the water to relieve the heat. He used his Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon) to wash himself, which disturbed the Dragon Palace. A Yaksha came ashore to question him and wanted to take Nezha to the Dragon Palace for punishment. Nezha then killed the Yaksha and later became enemies with the Dragon Palace. He extracted the dragon tendons of the Third Prince of the East Sea Dragon Palace, intending to use them to make a belt for his father."

"When the Dragon King of the East Sea heard about this, he originally wanted to come and punish Nezha, but he was afraid that Nezha was very powerful and had great magical abilities. So he found the Dragon Kings of the Three Seas and led his water soldiers to flood Chentang Pass. Nezha originally wanted to fight the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas to protect Chentang Pass, but unexpectedly, General Li Jing was confused and questioned Nezha."

"When Nezha saw his father like this, he returned his bones to his father and his flesh to his mother. When the Dragon King saw Nezha die, he vented his anger by creating a gale that swept away his bones and blood. One of his bones was stained with the essence of his heart and blood, and was swept up by the gale of Beiju Luzhou and fell into the cave of ten thousand bones. The cave of ten thousand bones was where the bones of the heavenly soldiers who entered Beiju Luzhou to fight were buried. That bone had accumulated a lot of resentment, and Nezha's resentment was also in it. Over time, it became powerful and transformed into a strange creature that was neither human, demon, ghost, god, nor immortal. It called itself the Xuan Yin King and liked to eat human blood. Whoever it bit or injured would die, and its corpse would become its soldiers."

"This Xuan Yin King has always been causing trouble in Beiju Luzhou, either by devouring human blood or by sleeping underground. Recently, for some unknown reason, he has appeared in Nanzhanbuzhou, and has even occupied Jinding Mountain, causing trouble in the area. His intelligence is low, and he cannot be communicated with, making it impossible for people to understand his origins."

Say it.

The Earth God bowed deeply to Wang Chongyang and the Bull Demon King.

The Bull Demon King was somewhat surprised and said, "I never imagined that this Xuan Yin King had such a background. He was transformed from a bone of the Third Prince Nezha when he was young, and he also gained a lot of good fortune. No wonder he has such abilities."

The Earth God said, "I have now explained their origins. I wonder if the Ox King and Master Zhengwei have anything else to discuss? If not, I will take my leave."

The Bull Demon King said, "Earth God, don't be anxious. But does it have any weakness? If it does, you must tell me."

The Earth God shook his head and said, "King Ox, please forgive me. This humble god truly does not know what the Xuan Yin King's fatal weakness is. If I knew, I would certainly tell the King Ox, but this humble god really does not know."

The Bull Demon King had no choice but to give up.

After the two thanked the local deity, he left without lingering.

After the local deity left, Wang Chongyang asked, "Ox King, now that we know the background of the Xuan Yin King, what should we do? Does the Ox King have a plan?"

The Bull Demon King pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "I have no good way to deal with him. Even though I know who the Xuan Yin King is, I am not skilled enough to defeat him. If my virtuous brother were to come, he would surely be able to subdue the Xuan Yin King. In truth, the Xuan Yin King is not really made of copper and iron. It is probably because he is a dead body that he is not afraid of pain. He is not as strong as my virtuous brother who truly has a copper head and iron arms."

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "My master is far away in Xiniu Hezhou. If we invite him, it will be quite a journey. This matter is related to the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas. If we can find the Great God of the Three Altars and Seas, that would be the best."

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King's eyes lit up. He said, "That Third Prince Nezha is a master demon slayer. If we can invite him, we can firstly resolve the karmic entanglement, and secondly subdue this demon. However, I don't know how to invite the Third Prince Nezha. None of us possess the celestial rank to enter the Heavenly Palace. If it's truly impossible, we should return home." Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "No need to return home, Bull King. How about we go to Jingzhou?"

The Bull Demon King, puzzled, asked, "What are you going to Jingzhou for? Is there some kind of immortal in Jingzhou who can subdue the Xuan Yin King?"

Wang Chongyang smiled broadly but did not reply.

Upon seeing this, the Bull Demon King suddenly realized something and said, "Zhengwei, do you perhaps want to go to Jingzhou to find Zhengyuan? Zhengyuan has the Five Thunder Orthodox Method, which can summon immortals and gods. If you ask Zhengyuan to invite him, you can definitely invite the Third Prince to come."

Wang Chongyang nodded and said, “That is exactly what I meant. The Heavenly Ruler in my hand was originally a magic weapon of Zheng Yuan. He helped me in the past, so he gave it to me to protect me. It made great contributions to my journey. Now that I have returned to my position, I should go and thank him. It is also right to return the treasure to Zheng Yuan.”

The Bull Demon King said, "If it is as you say, then we should go."

After discussing for a while, the two decided on their next itinerary: to go to Jingzhou. They were currently in Liangzhou, and Jingzhou was to its southeast. They could simply head southeast to enter Jingzhou.

……

Time flies, and several days have passed in the blink of an eye.

The two traveled day and night without stopping, and after several days, they finally arrived at a mountain in Jingzhou, which was the location of the Zuo Liang Celestial Master's Mansion.

The Bull Demon King, leading the white deer, stopped here and looked up at the mountain. With his divine eyes, he could see that the mountain was bustling with activity and that there must be many people on the mountain. He laughed and said, "The mountain is very popular. Zheng Yuan is probably establishing a sect here and becoming the founder of that sect."

Wang Chongyang laughed and said, "Junior Brother is quite capable. He is qualified to establish his own sect in the mortal world. Ox King, let's not talk too much here. Let's go up the mountain and find Junior Brother."

The Bull Demon King readily agreed.

The two then climbed the mountain.

Half an incense stick later, the two arrived at the Celestial Master's Mansion. They saw that the former mansion had its plaque removed, leaving only two characters on the gateposts: "Medical Family".

Wang Chongyang dismounted from the white deer and, seeing guards by the gate, went forward.

There were two people at the gate. When they saw someone approaching, they came out and asked, "Who is that?"

Wang Chongyang replied, "We have come here to find Celestial Master Zhengyuan. We wonder if Celestial Master Zhengyuan is in his residence at this time?"

The two men replied, “The master is currently in his residence. If you wish to see him, you must state your name. Only if you have his name can we enter and report to him. Whether the master sees you or not is not up to us. You must be granted permission before we can let you in to meet him.”

Wang Chongyang laughed and said, "I am well aware of such etiquette. If it weren't for the urgency of the matter, I would have presented a formal letter of introduction. It would be impolite of me to do so now."

The two men said, "Please forgive us, but please tell us your names."

Wang Chongyang said, "Please come in, so that we may inform the Celestial Master and tell him that Zhengwei has come to visit."

The two responded immediately; one left, while the other remained at the door to prevent anyone from entering without permission.

Wang Chongyang spoke with the man and said with a smile, "Young friend, I see a lot of noise inside. How many people are there?"

The man was somewhat confused, not quite understanding why Wang Chongyang would ask such a question.

Seeing that the man was somewhat confused, Wang Chongyang said, "Young friend, to be honest, I have been here before, but it was not as bustling with people then. It is different now."

The man said, “This has always been the case in the mansion. You must be mistaken or talking nonsense. Since I arrived here ten years ago, this place has always been like this. The master was kind enough to allow us to enter, so we followed him to learn medicine and save people. Therefore, the master is very famous, and people have always come up the mountain to follow him. The number of people has never decreased. How can you say such a thing?”

Wang Chongyang smiled but remained silent, offering no explanation.

The man then said, “Let’s not talk about that. Why do you call me ‘young friend’? Judging from your age, you are about thirty years old, while I am nearly forty. If we were to compare, I might be older than you. It is inappropriate for you to call me ‘young friend’.”

Upon hearing this, Wang Chongyang laughed and said, "If we were to truly count, I would be several hundred years old, so it would be perfectly acceptable for me to call you my young friend."

The man said, "I don't believe it. If it were a Celestial Master, he could have lived that long. How could you have done it?"

Wang Chongyang did not argue further and waited with the Bull Demon King in front of the mansion. Before long, someone came in a hurry and walked out of the mansion.

Wang Chongyang looked in that direction and saw Zuo Liang walking quickly towards him. His eyes were bright and his spirit was at peace. His cultivation was far superior to before, and his magical power was also increasing day by day, which was enough to show that Zuo Liang had never neglected his cultivation.

Upon seeing Wang Chongyang, Zuo Liang stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said joyfully, "Junior Brother Zhengyuan greets Senior Brother! Senior Brother, after three lifetimes, you have finally returned. I am overjoyed!"

Wang Chongyang returned the bow, smiled slightly, and said, "Junior brother, I am able to return thanks to you. If it weren't for your past help, I might not have been able to return for three lifetimes."

Zuo Liang said, "Senior Brother, how can you speak like that? It is inappropriate. Whenever Junior Brother helps, it is all thanks to Master, and even more so to Senior Brother's own efforts to save himself."

Wang Chongyang laughed and said, "Junior brother, have you forgotten the Heavenly Canopy Ruler? If it weren't for your help with the Heavenly Canopy Ruler, how could I have had the chance to save myself? Therefore, you have helped me a lot, not to mention the merit of passing on your teachings."

talking.

Wang Chongyang took out the Tianpeng Ruler and handed it to Zuo Liang, saying with a smile, "This Tianpeng Ruler should now be returned to my junior brother. Please accept it. I will remember your kindness and never forget it."

Upon hearing this, Zuo Liang smiled and nodded, saying nothing more, and accepted the Heavenly Ruler.

(End of this chapter)