Supreme Golden Palace

Chapter 229 Eight Steeds (Part 2)

"I never imagined that the Eight Steeds of King Mu could be used in this way!"

Lü Shang rose from his desk and walked slowly to King Mu's chariot, his fingers lightly touching the dragon pattern on the chariot shaft.

The ancient wood was warm and moist, the jade was slightly cool, and the red light of the dragon's eyes suddenly shone brightly. At the same moment, the eight steeds raised their heads in unison, their breathing becoming heavier.

"The chariot of King Mu, is this the chariot of King Mu that King Mu used when he traveled to Kunlun, went to Yaochi, and met the Queen Mother of the West?"

Upon seeing this strange phenomenon, he nodded slightly and raised his hand to lift the dark curtain.

The mountain and sea embroidery on the curtain was slightly cool to the touch. Lü Shang stepped into the carriage.

Upon entering the carriage, one immediately notices that the interior space is far more spacious than it appears from the outside.

The animal hides laid on the carriage floor were made of some kind of strange beast, their fur a dark gold color, soft and not sinking when stepped on.

In the center of the carriage was a sandalwood table with a jade cup on it.

The cup was filled with a little dew, with a faint glow floating on its surface, and a faint fragrance, like orchids and musk, could be smelled when you got close.

After all, it was the carriage of the Zhou emperor, and everything about it exuded preciousness and rarity.

"Ok?"

After getting into the carriage, Lü Shang sat down at the table, but as soon as he sat down, the sound of hooves came from outside the carriage.

boom!
Before Lü Shang could react, the wheels of King Mu's chariot suddenly began to spin.

The carriage swayed slightly behind it, and a sudden sound of wind and thunder arose. In that instant, the sounds of armor plates and even the neighing of horses all around quickly faded away.

But King Mu's chariot transformed into a cloud of light, flew out from the army's main tent, and soared straight into the high heavens.

Lu Shang's eyes darkened, and he raised his hand to lift the dark curtain. He saw countless lights and shadows flashing by outside the carriage, and various scenes rushing past.

Eight steeds, with their thirty-two hooves flying, soared through the boundless sea of ​​clouds.

As Lü Shang gazed out the curtain, he saw the eight steeds with their manes flying, scattering starlight, and auspicious clouds rising from their hooves. Each rise and fall of their horses brought a gentle breeze, causing his robes to flutter.

The sounds of wind and thunder lingered in his ears as King Mu's chariot pierced through the western sky and sea of ​​clouds.

Where are you taking me?

Lu Shang frowned as he watched the shimmering Wei River rushing past outside the carriage.

He never expected that the Eight Horses painting would manifest as the chariot of King Mu. Even more unexpectedly, these eight horses would carry him straight into the sea of ​​clouds.

Lü Shang looked down at the mountains and rivers below through a small gap; thousands of mountains and rivers were shrouded in clouds and mist.

After about half an incense stick's time, the carriage suddenly paused slightly, the auspicious clouds beneath the eight steeds slowed down, the surrounding cloud light dispersed, and they fell into a mountain forest.

hum!
The wheels of King Mu's chariot rolled over the green rocks with a soft sound, and the chariot came to a steady stop.

After settling in, Lü Shang lifted the curtain, and a mountain breeze rushed in, carrying the fresh scent of grass and trees, instantly dispelling the fragrance of orchids and musk in the carriage.

After getting off the carriage, Lü Shang looked around and saw towering peaks and ridges, with pine and cypress trees growing against the mountains, and streams rushing down from strange rocks, splashing up countless water mists.

A thought struck him, and he reached out to lightly touch the mist. A cool sensation seeped into his bones. Just then, a clear, melodious crane's cry came from above. Looking up, he saw a white crane flapping its wings and soaring away over the mountain peak.

"This is where?"

Lü Shang raised his eyes, his divine gaze sweeping over the mountains. To the west, the peaks were steep, with clouds rising and falling among them. In the distance, the clear, melodious cries of monkeys could be heard. At the highest peak, amidst the clouds, the outlines of palaces could be faintly seen.

Upon seeing the outline of the palace, his eyes conjured yin and yang, one like the sun, the other like the moon. As the clouds in the mountains thinned, the outline of the palace became clearer. It was a magnificent palace built against the mountain, its walls gleaming with a warm, bluish-white jade light, as if it had merged with the cliff behind it.

Layer upon layer of gilded eaves emerge from the clouds, each eave end carved with a dragon head, its mouth holding a crystal jade bell, with specks of gold appearing.

"Golden Heaven Palace?"

Upon seeing the three ancient seal characters on the palace plaque, Lü Shang finally understood where the eight steeds had taken King Mu's chariot.

The so-called Jintian refers to Jintianwang, who is respectfully called "Xiyue Jintian Dali Shun Shengdi" or "Xiyue Huashan Jintian Yuan Sheng Dadi" in Taoism. He is also known as Huashan Shen, Huashan Fujun, Taiwu Xuji Sifan Zhenjun, and Hualin Jisuan Tianzun.

One of the Five Great Emperors, in charge of metal casting, summoning clouds and rain, managing the lifespan and fortune records of the human world, and also overseeing the affairs of the underworld.

"So this is Mount Hua in the west,"

Upon learning that it was Mount Hua, Lü Shang turned to look at King Mu's chariot with some surprise.

Qin Prefecture and Mount Hua are at least four or five thousand miles apart. Yet King Mu's chariot carried him from Qin Prefecture to Mount Hua in just half an incense stick's time. Even immortals don't have that kind of speed.

Thinking of this, Lü Shang had a thought. As a martial arts immortal, although his physical body was indestructible and he possessed the supernatural powers of subduing dragons and tigers, even earth immortals and arhats had to give him some leeway. However, his success as an immortal was also his downfall.

Despite his immortal nature and powerful physique, he lacked the ability to fly through the clouds.

The soaring flight here is not the five or six zhang above the ground, or the three or four li up and down, as Bodhi Patriarch described as climbing the clouds, but rather the cloud-riding journey that takes one to the North Sea in the morning and to Cangwu in the evening, and to travel all over the world in a single day.

Now that we have this King Mu's chariot, it's like making up for one of Lü Shang's shortcomings.

With this thought in mind, Lü Shang straightened his armor, faced the direction of the Golden Heaven Palace, and bowed deeply. Regardless of whether the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain in the Golden Heaven Palace noticed his arrival, it was always better to be polite.

After the ceremony, he turned to look at the Mu King's chariot not far away. The eight steeds were very intelligent and, seeing him turn around, all of them lowered their previous arrogance, their manes trembled slightly, and the auspicious clouds under their hooves subsided a bit, leaving only a faint cloud of mist swirling around the chariot shaft.

As Lü Shang settled down beside the table in the carriage, he looked up and heard the deep neighing of eight steeds coming from outside.

Immediately afterwards, the wheels turned again, auspicious clouds gathered again beneath the hooves of the eight steeds, and the thirty-two hooves flew, carrying King Mu's chariot slowly into the air. The mountain peaks receded slowly, and the green pines and cypresses turned into streaks of green and swept behind.

Just as the eight steeds took to the air, deep within the Golden Heaven Palace, palace lanterns hung from the dome, incense smoke swirled in the hall, and wisps of purple mist rose from the three-legged cauldron, condensing in the air without dissipating.

On the main seat, the Great Emperor of the Western Mountain wore a blue-gold jade robe, with the seventy-two peaks of Mount Hua embroidered on the hem. He wore a black jade belt around his waist, with a dragon-shaped pendant holding a jade bead in its mouth as the buckle.

He stroked the jade ornament beside his seat, his body shimmering with a faint golden light. His gaze passed through the palace gate and landed on King Mu's chariot, which was slowly rising into the air.

"Emperor Mu's chariot?"

The Great Emperor of the Western Peak paused slightly, gazing at the rising cloud, and let out a low sigh: "Years ago, Ji Man led his eight steeds across Mount Hua and even visited me, drinking with me. Now the chariot remains, but I know not where he has been reincarnated."

Ji Man was the fifth emperor of the Zhou Dynasty, the personal name of King Mu of Zhou, a legendary earthly emperor.

In the past, King Mu was a guest of honor at the Queen Mother of the West's table. Although he did not have the chance to achieve immortality, he still befriended many immortals.

It was for this reason that many deities recognized King Mu's carriage.

As a gift from the mother of the Western King, the carriage of King Mu was itself a treasure.

"However, it is quite a strange thing that this car, which has been dormant for thousands of years, is now being used by people again."

The Great Emperor of the Western Mountain subconsciously counted on his fingers, trying to calculate the past and future of the new master of King Mu's chariot.

"Ok?"

Upon hearing this calculation, the Great Emperor of the Western Peak raised his eyebrows slightly, revealing a look of surprise.

(End of this chapter)