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

Chapter 428 The Divine Cauldron is Heavy, the True Lord Offers Assistance

The group then proceeded forward, using the power of the True Man's Qi and the Yu Ding as a guide, to find the Liangzhou Ding in Jin Ding Mountain. After searching for a long time, they finally found the divine cauldron in a cave in Jin Ding Mountain.

As the three stood before the cave, they saw a divine light suddenly emanating from within. They immediately realized that the Liangzhou Cauldron was inside.

The Bull Demon King swung his Black Dragon Spear, looked around, and only felt relieved when he saw no evil spirits. He looked into the cave and said, "This cave is in Jin Ding Mountain, and it is very clear, but we just couldn't find it. It's really strange."

Wang Chongyang laughed and said, "Divine objects have the ability to hide themselves. If it were not for the attraction of their energy, even if it were right in front of us, we would not be able to find it."

Zuo Liang shook his head and said, "From what I can see, this divine cauldron was not hidden. I heard you say earlier, Senior Brother, that Master sent you to find the cauldron, and that the connection between the Nine Cauldrons and Master is becoming increasingly deep. However, Master has not had the time to retrieve the cauldron, hence this unexpected turn of events. I speculate that Liang Ding was responding to Master, but unexpectedly, its aura was sensed by the Xuan Yin King, so it came instinctively. Liang Ding hid itself to protect itself, but now that Master's aura is present, Liang Ding has appeared."

Wang Chongyang bowed and said, "Junior brother is wise. It must be as you said."

The Bull Demon King also agreed, saying, "But that Xuan Yin King is indeed of low intelligence. He came as soon as he sensed the aura of the Liang Ding. How could he possibly obtain the Liang Ding? He is an evil spirit. How could the divine cauldron be willing to submit to him?"

Zuo Liang said, "Senior Brother, Ox King. Let's go inside and talk."

The two responded and strolled inside.

The three entered the cave, and their eyes immediately fell upon a magnificent, eighteen-foot-tall divine cauldron. The cauldron was imposing and majestic, its broad, round belly resembling the fertile plains of Liangzhou. The intricate carvings on it depicted the precipitous peaks of Minmei and the surging torrents of the Tuo River, and even carved mythical beasts, such as rhinoceroses, elephants, and serpents. The cauldron stood firmly on three legs, as stable as the base of a mountain. Its shape somewhat resembled a Kui dragon, and also the pillars of the towering peaks of Sichuan and Chongqing—truly a divine cauldron.

Just as the Bull Demon King was about to step forward, the cauldron trembled, and five-colored divine light emanated from within, striking the Bull Demon King and forcing him to retreat, unable to approach.

The Bull Demon King was puzzled and was about to say something.

Wang Chongyang stopped them, turned to Liang Ding, took out the Yu Ding, and said, "I am the eldest disciple of the Guangxin Zhenren of the Xieyue Sanxing Cave on Lingtai Fangcun Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou. I have come with the sincere decree of the Zhenren, holding the Yu Zhou Ling Ding as a token, to request the Liang Zhou Ding to be returned to my residence. I hope that the Liang Zhou Ding will accompany me. I would be extremely grateful."

Say it.

Suddenly, Liang Ding's divine light vanished completely, and there was no further movement.

Upon seeing this, Wang Chongyang stepped forward. Liang Ding remained unmoved, standing there peacefully. He reached out and gently touched Liang Ding, but the cauldron did not move, nor did it attack him.

The Bull Demon King asked, "Zhengwei, what is the meaning of this place?"

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "I do not know, Ox King. Junior Brother, I informed the cauldron of Liangzhou in the name of our master. This divine cauldron should know, but I do not know why it seems unwilling to do anything for me."

The Bull Demon King said, "Is that so? This divine cauldron has its own spirit and should know what you are saying. How can it be that it is unwilling to act for you? That is strange."

Zuo Liang said, “We are not our master. The divine cauldron has a great affinity with our master, but not with us. So when we take the cauldron, the divine cauldron will take care of our master and not harm us. But it is not possible to ask it to treat us lightly.”

As he spoke, he looked at the Yu Ding in Wang Chongyang's hand and said, "This Yu Ding has been with my master for a long time and is naturally different. We can make it different from the Liangzhou Ding. Therefore, in my opinion, if we want to take the Liangzhou Ding, we must use our strength to carry it home."

Upon hearing this, the Bull Demon King said, "Zheng Yuan's words make sense. If the Master were here, this divine cauldron would immediately submit. It is already a great blessing that we were able to make it suppress its brilliance. To make it transform into a small cauldron is probably impossible."

Wang Chongyang said, "If that's the case, we must use our strength to carry it away, but these are divine objects. How can we use our strength to carry them away?"

The Bull Demon King said, "Let me take a look and see if I can take it away."

Say it.

The Bull Demon King walked up to the Liangzhou Cauldron, reached out and grasped its body, trying to lift it up. But no matter how he tried to move it, he could not lift the Liangzhou Cauldron.

The Bull Demon King possesses the divine power to "carry mountains," but how can the power to carry mountains shake the spirit of an entire state? This is no different from a mayfly trying to shake a tree.

After trying for a long time, the Bull Demon King could only shake his head helplessly and said, "I, the old bull, cannot move this Liangzhou Cauldron. This cauldron carries the energy of an entire province. I can carry mountains, but I cannot cross seas, let alone lift this cauldron."

Wang Chongyang said, "Even the strength of the Ox King is insufficient, let alone the strength of my junior brother and me. We are too weak to lift this cauldron. What should we do?"

After pondering for a long time, the Bull Demon King said, "If you, sir, cannot come out, I'm afraid very few people will be able to obtain this cauldron. We should ask you for your help. Otherwise, we will not be able to take this cauldron with us."

Wang Chongyang shook his head and said, "Master is at a crucial moment in his cultivation of great magical power and is preparing to open his own residence. We have already troubled Master by inviting his vital energy. If we continue to trouble Master, it would be better if our teacher father appeared in person to take it."

Just as the Bull Demon King was about to speak, they were indeed at a loss. Suddenly, his divine eye saw auspicious clouds approaching from the mist outside the cave. Upon closer inspection, he saw that it was Erlang Shen leading the Six Sages of Meishan and a group of grass-root gods, passing through this place. Judging from the direction Erlang Shen's cloud formation was heading, it was Guanjiang Estuary, indicating that Erlang Shen was about to return home.

The Bull Demon King's eyes lit up, and he said, "With my strength, I cannot lift the Liangzhou Cauldron, but I see that Erlang Shen is passing through this place. Erlang Shen has a very deep connection with my family. If we ask for his help, we will surely be able to get his assistance. In that case, we can take the Liangzhou Cauldron."

Wang Chongyang asked, "Is the Ox King going to request the assistance of the Manifest Sage True Lord?"

The Bull Demon King said, "That's how it should be. Zhengwei and Zhengyuan, you two stay here for a while. I'll be right back."

The Bull Demon King emerged from the cave, rode on a cloud, and headed towards where Erlang Shen was.

As he approached, he blocked the group of grass-root gods. Seeing that someone dared to disturb the True Lord's chariot, the grass-root gods took out their swords, spears, halberds, axes, hooks, and forks, and faced the Bull Demon King with a fierce aura, as if they were about to step forward and eliminate the demon without saying a word.

A grass-rooted deity, seeing that the Bull Demon King was not a malevolent spirit, shouted sternly, "Who comes from there? Why are you disturbing the imperial carriage!"

The Bull Demon King said, "I am the Bull King of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain in Xiniu Hezhou. Today, I have come here on the orders of my master. There is something I cannot do. Seeing that the True Lord has arrived, I have come to ask for your help. Please convey my message. I would be extremely grateful."

After speaking, he bowed.

Upon hearing this, the Grass God immediately reported it to the True Lord.

When Erlang Shen heard that the Ox King had come to pay his respects, he knew that this was a true protector of the Dharma. So he ordered his chariot to stop and his troops to remain still. He then descended from the clouds, stepped out of the formation, and went to see the Ox King.

The Bull Demon King bowed deeply and said, "Greetings, True Lord Manifestation."

Erlang Shen laughed and said, "Brother Ox King, there's no need for formalities. You said that the True Man has a decree to instruct you to do something, but you can't do it yourself and need my help. Tell me what it is, and I will do it for you so that you can go back and report to the True Man as soon as possible."

The Bull Demon King then told Erlang Shen about the events at Jinding Mountain, along with the Xuan Yin King, Liang Ding, and others.

Erlang Shen sighed upon hearing that Nezha's left arm was causing trouble, saying, "I have known the Third Prince for a long time, and I know everything about him. I never imagined that after so many years, his bones from back then would actually become something evil."

The Bull Demon King said, “That Xuan Yin King is truly formidable and cannot be easily subdued. My Third Prince and I fought him together, but we could not capture him. Fortunately, Zheng Yuan struck him with the Heavenly Canopy Ruler, which taught my Third Prince his weakness, and only then did he surrender. However, the Liangzhou Cauldron is truly unliftable now, so we must not send it home to our master.”

Erlang Shen said, "If that's the case, I'll go with you to that cave to take a look. I have the ability to cross the sea, so I might be able to lift the Liangzhou Cauldron."

The Bull Demon King naturally responded.

The two then headed towards the cave.

A short while later, the two arrived.

Wang Chongyang and Zuo Liang left the cave to pay their respects.

Erlang Shen smiled and helped the two up, telling them not to stand on ceremony. Erlang Shen said, “We can talk about etiquette another day. Today, I will help you move the Liangzhou Cauldron. You two lead me inside and move the Liangzhou Cauldron. You must not make any mistakes.”

Wang Chongyang and Zuo Liang readily agreed, and then led Erlang Shen into the cave.

Erlang Shen entered the cave and saw the Liangzhou Cauldron. He exclaimed, "What a magnificent cauldron! This cauldron was created by inheriting the energy of Liangzhou. Therefore, to move this cauldron is no different from moving Liangzhou itself. Furthermore, this cauldron is made of metal, one of the five elements. If one is not careful and it is damaged, it will be difficult to fully recover."

Wang Chongyang said, “True Lord Manifestation, you can rest assured. I had previously spoken with this cauldron, and we came here on our master’s orders. Therefore, this cauldron will not be damaged. We only need to carry this cauldron back home.”

Erlang Shen laughed and said, "This is indeed a difficult problem. Moving the Liangzhou Cauldron to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain is no different from moving Liangzhou to Fangcun Mountain. I will try my best. Ox King, come and help me."

The Bull Demon King responded, "That is indeed the case."

The two men approached Liang Ding and, with all their might, tried to lift it up, but no matter how hard they tried, Liang Ding remained unmoved.

Upon seeing this, Erlang Shen hardened his heart and, with the strength to lift the sea and the help of the Ox King, finally managed to shake the Liang Ding and slowly lift it up.

Upon seeing this, Wang Chongyang and his companion were filled with awe at Erlang Shen's divine power.

Erlang Shen raised the Liangzhou Cauldron and said, "Zhengwei, Zhengyuan, you two go and summon the Six Sages of Meishan to come and help. You will all be carrying the cauldron together. Also, have the Grass God lead the way so that no fools dare to cause trouble."

The two men accepted the order and left.

With the help of Erlang Shen, Liang Zhou Ding was able to teach him to take the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain back with him.

……

Time flies, and more than a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

With the help of Erlang Shen and his followers, Wang Chongyang and others finally transported the Liangzhou Cauldron to the foot of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

After Erlang Shen saw that the mountain in front of him was Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, he put down the Liangzhou Cauldron.

The Bull Demon King and the Six Sages of Meishan followed suit and released their force.

The Bull King, panting heavily, said, "Fortunately, the old bull is here. If it were that Pigsy, he would have given up halfway. This cauldron would indeed be difficult to move."

Erlang Shen said, "We have now reached Lingtai Fangcun Mountain. Our mission is accomplished, and we shall return now."

Wang Chongyang said, "True Lord, you have just arrived at our home at the foot of the mountain. Why are you leaving so soon? You have helped us a great deal. We should welcome you into our home and treat you with the utmost respect."

Erlang Shen shook his head and said, "Today is the time for you to establish your own residence, a crucial moment. I need not disturb you. I will visit you another day. I shall go now."

Say it.

Erlang Shen then prepared to leave with the Six Sages of Meishan and a group of grass-root gods.

Before they could leave, a gentle breeze suddenly came and stopped Erlang Shen and the others from leaving. As the breeze passed, it lifted the heavy Liang Ding and carried it into the mountains.

A sound arises naturally in the breeze.

"Now that the True Lord has arrived, we should invite you into the mansion for a chat."

This is the voice of a true person.

Erlang Shen was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but then burst into laughter and said, "Since you have invited me, I will certainly go, but I fear I may disturb your cultivation."

Say it.

Erlang Shen, Wang Chongyang, and the others all headed up the mountain.

The Six Sages of Meishan led the Grassroots Gods to camp outside the mountain.

……

Before the entrance to the Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars, the True Man was quietly waiting for Erlang Shen and the others to arrive, and Liang Ding was in his hands.

The Liang Ding in his hands had transformed into a small cauldron, echoing the several cauldrons at his waist.

Jiang Yuan exclaimed, "What a fine cauldron! It can suppress all metal in the world, eliminate the calamities of war, and stop the fighting. But the metal soldiers can be taught to turn into wind and sand."

He now possesses several tripods, each with its own unique features, all of which are covered by the Five Elements. The Nine Tripods are truly rare treasures.

Jiang Yuan hung the Liang Ding on his waist and waited for Erlang Shen and the others to arrive.

Before long, he saw Erlang Shen and the others outside the mansion gate.

Erlang Shen and his entourage were surprised to see the immortal waiting inside the mansion gate, and quickly walked inside.

Wang Chongyang, Zuo Liang, and the Bull Demon King paid their respects.

Erlang Shen followed suit and bowed, saying, "How could I trouble you, Immortal, to come here with such a grand gesture? What should I do?"

The Master laughed and said, “How could I not come to welcome my old friend? Please go to the pavilion, where I will treat you well and thank you for your help. Zhengwei, Zhengci, and Niuwang, you three should return to your residence. I will summon you this evening.”

Wang Chongyang and the others all responded without daring to disobey, and returned to the mansion.

The True Man then personally led Erlang Shen to the pavilion, saying, "True Lord, please follow me."

Erlang Shen said, "Master, I will naturally follow you. But Master, you are about to attain great magical power, why do you do this?"

The man stopped, smiling broadly, and asked, "What is the purpose of this?"

Erlang Shen asked, "Why do you personally welcome me and lead the way, Master? The difference in our magical powers is now vast, unlike before."

The Master laughed and said, "The past, present, and future are all the same. True Lord, you are attached to appearances."

Erlang Shen listened and remained silent for a long time before replying, "What you say makes sense, Master. I was indeed attached to appearances. I will take this as a warning in the future."

The immortal said, “True Lord, come with me. Let’s go to that pavilion and catch up later.”

Erlang Shen readily agreed and went with the immortal.

(End of this chapter)