The Demon-Slaying Grandmaster

Chapter 327 Thorn Ridge

That morning, as usual, Li Jingxiao challenged the Black Bear Spirit to a duel.

As the fight went on, the Black Bear Spirit lost a move and immediately admitted defeat.

This guy has become shrewd now; if he doesn't want to fight, he'll just compare moves.

Not only do they lose quickly.

Simply comparing techniques can indeed improve one's martial arts skills.

Li Jingxiao was naturally eager to improve efficiency and gain more experience in the shortest amount of time.

He then had more time to devote to cultivation.

At this point, the character's level has reached 129 (479 million/980 million).
The two put away their weapons, intending to have a good drink at noon.

But then Sun Wukong suddenly appeared in the Purple Bamboo Forest.

He complained to Li Jingxiao, "Brother, are you planning to stay at the Bodhisattva's temple and never come home?"

Li Jingxiao immediately guessed that the monkey must want to drink.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to beg for alms, he first went to Boyue Cave, only to find that he was not at home.

That's why I came to Mount Putuo.

If he doesn't find himself on Mount Putuo, this guy might run off to the Dragon Palace of the West Sea again.

Anyway, the monkey's somersault cloud is ridiculously fast.

One somersault covers 108,000 li, which is the distance from Chang'an City to Mount Ling.

The Earth travels a total distance of 40,000 kilometers, or 80,000 li (approximately 40,000 kilometers).

It is evident that the four continents are at least tens or hundreds of times larger than Earth.

With the somersault cloud, traveling is the simplest thing for monkeys.

Li Jingxiao didn't waste any time. He pulled the monkey to the seat and instructed Ao Huiji and Baihuaxiu to prepare more wine and dishes.

I'll also make a vegetarian meal.

Upon hearing this, the monkey nodded in satisfaction.

Smiling, she drank while talking to Li Jingxiao about the things that had happened on their journey westward in recent days.

As Li Jingxiao listened, he suddenly realized that the next challenge seemed to be the King of the Unicorn Rhinoceros in the Golden Cave of Golden Gourd Mountain.

That is, Laozi's mount, the Green Ox Demon.

When he looked at Sun Wukong again, a hint of amusement crept into his eyes.

Then I started to think to myself, it seems I can't stay on Mount Putuo any longer.

Although the Green Ox Demon's martial arts were formidable, they were not invincible.

He's at most on par with Sun Wukong.

However, the Vajra Bracelet in the Green Ox Demon's hand is the signature magic weapon of Laozi, which combines offense and defense and is fearless of water, fire, thunder and lightning.

It can also capture everything, making it the nemesis of all magical treasures.

When a monkey encounters an old ox, it will inevitably suffer a crushing defeat.

Even after he invited Li Jing, Nezha, the Thunder God, the Fire God, the Water God, and others, they still couldn't defeat the Green Ox Demon.

They will most likely continue to ask me for help.

But Li Jingxiao knew his own limitations; no matter how powerful you are, it's useless against the Vajra Bracelet.

Even Buddha had to send someone with eighteen golden pills to bribe Laozi.

Golden Elixir Sand is actually the material used to refine the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.

Or rather, it's a semi-finished product.

Only then did Laozi personally intervene, using the banana leaf fan to subdue the Green Ox Demon.

Even Laozi himself said that if the Green Ox Demon stole the Banana Leaf Fan, even he, as its owner, would be powerless against it.

This statement may have been an exaggeration by Laozi himself, but it could also be true.

Moreover, Li Jingxiao knew that Laozi sent the Green Ox Demon down to the mortal realm to slap Mount Ling in the face.

If the Jade Emperor were to join in, then even the Jade Emperor's reputation would be tarnished.

Li Jing, Nezha, the Water and Fire Star Lords, and many heavenly soldiers and generals were all helpless against the Green Ox Demon.

He even used the Vajra Bracelet to steal everyone's magical treasures and weapons.

To put it simply, Laozi used the Green Ox Demon to demonstrate his and the Taoist sect's strength to the Three Realms.

So let alone Li Jingxiao, a rogue cultivator, even if Laozi accepted Li Jingxiao as his personal disciple.

There was no way they could persuade Laozi to bring the Green Ox Demon back to Heaven ahead of time.

If Li Jingxiao is indeed Laozi's disciple, then we should support Laozi's decision even more.

To prevent the Heavenly Court and Mount Ling from going too far and joining forces to suppress the Daoist sect.

When the monkey got drunk and staggered back with vegetarian food, intending to go back to find Tang Sanzang...

Li Jingxiao immediately made an excuse that the Great Sage was drunk and offered to take him home.

He took his three wives and ran away.

When the Bodhisattva learned of this, he shook his head helplessly.

However, he wasn't angry at all, because even the Bodhisattva knew that Laozi was involved.

That was the power struggle between Laozi and Buddha, and even the Jade Emperor.

Let alone Li Jingxiao, even the Bodhisattva himself would have to stay on Mount Putuo for quiet meditation.

This is probably why the Bodhisattva's face was pale before.

If there are problems with cultivation, we can't expect the Bodhisattva to handle the affairs of the Green Ox Demon.

Buddha himself was worried that the Vajra Bracelet in the Green Ox Demon's hand would cause him to lose face.

Moreover, even the mighty Buddha would not lay a hand on Laozi's mount.

Doing that would be incredibly disgraceful.

They might as well bribe Laozi.

Li Jingxiao's act of running away with his wife ahead of time also made the Bodhisattva look at him with extra respect.

There's nothing wrong with someone liking to show off.

But to jump on every bandwagon is truly mindless.

However, after Li Jingxiao returned to Boyue Cave with his three wives, he felt increasingly uneasy.

He had several fights with his three wives over one or two days.

Then suddenly an idea struck him.

There is no place in heaven or on earth that monkeys cannot go.

So whether you stay at home or go to the West Sea Dragon Palace.

Monkeys can always find themselves.

Since that's the case, we might as well just go to Tushita Palace.

Even if Laozi doesn't see him, he can still use that as an excuse to return the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir.

They lingered in the Tushita Palace and refused to leave.

Given his current relationship with Gold Horn and Silver Horn, these two probably wouldn't kick him out.

If Laozi were to entrust me with the task of subduing the Green Ox Demon, I would reap many benefits.

When the three wives heard that Li Jingxiao was going to the Tushita Palace, they had no objections.

We used to spend every day together when we were in Putuoshan.

Li Jingxiao was going to the Taoist ancestor's temple again, and the three women naturally dared not delay his journey to seek the Tao.

Li Jingxiao, however, was not worried about the safety of the three women. He even gave special instructions that if anyone came looking for him...

Whoever it is, just say you've gone out to travel.

Upon hearing this, Baihua Xiu and the other two secretly guessed that their husbands had probably gone to find some peace and quiet.

As for whether they would go out and have affairs, the three women weren't worried at all.

After Li Jingxiao left, Ao Huiji wanted to return to the West Sea Dragon Palace.

She said she was going back to see her parents, but in reality, this woman just wanted to show off to her sisters and cousins.

Unfortunately, Ao Xin focused more on cultivation.

Moreover, she and Baihuaxiu actually got along better.

Helpless, Ao Huiji could only stay obediently in the Wave Moon Cave.

After Li Jingxiao left, on his way to the Heavenly Palace...

Suddenly, I felt that going to Tushita Palace at this time seemed too deliberate.

It makes people feel like they either have the ability to predict the future.

Either they've seen through the Green Ox Demon's identity, which is actually not a good thing.

So after careful consideration, he simply summoned four golden-armored warriors.

Tell them to go to the Tushita Palace and invite Golden Horn and Silver Horn to come down to earth for a drink.

After pondering for a moment, he turned around and ran towards Thorn Ridge.

Look how beautiful that fairy is.

Moreover, this woman was easy to seduce. They consulted the mountain god and the local earth god twice along the way before finally reaching Thorn Ridge.

But what I thought was just a mountain ridge turned out to be something else entirely.

Even if it's very large, it's at most only a few dozen or a hundred miles.

But as Li Jingxiao stood in the air and looked up, he saw a long mountain range that was at least a thousand miles long, covered with thorns.

After flying for about a hundred miles, they came to a clearing with a stone tablet standing there.

It has three large characters, each about the height of a person, engraved on it.

It says 'Thorn Ridge'.

Below are two more lines of fourteen smaller characters.

It is described as "a place where thorns and brambles stretch for eight hundred miles, and where few people have ever traveled the right path since ancient times."

Li Jingxiao understood what these words meant; the more than one hundred miles he had flown over were all thorny bushes with needles and thorns.

Even for ordinary people, or cultivators, it takes a lot of magical power to break through the thorns along the way.

Continuing onward, you'll soon see a mountain god temple.

As soon as Li Jingxiao landed, he saw an old man wearing a horn-shaped turban and ordinary clothes, followed by a vicious demon with a blue face, fangs, red beard, and naked body.

He was carrying a large plate of fresh mountain fruits and a pot of wine.

He bowed to Li Jingxiao and said.

"Your humble abode is honored by the presence of the Mountain God of Thorn Ridge. We are honored to offer you some rare fruits and fine wine from the mountain to quench your thirst."

But Li Jingxiao saw through the old man at a glance; he was not a mountain god at all.

With the third eye on his forehead opened, it's easy to tell that this old man is a pine tree spirit.

The naked ghost carrying fresh fruit and a wine jug is a maple tree spirit in disguise.

However, the fresh fruit looked normal, and it even seemed to have a faint aura of spiritual energy flowing through it.

He said with a smile, "I often hear my elders say that there are elegant immortals and fairies in this Thorn Ridge."

I have come here specifically to make friends through chess.

Let us make friends over wine, and through music, like the zither and flute. Is that acceptable?

The monsters on this Thorn Ridge are not evil; they are all "refined" monsters.

Li Jingxiao didn't have much affection for them, but he also didn't harbor any ill will.

Besides avoiding trouble, I came here.

They also use these people as experience packs to gain more experience.

Incidentally, if that fairy Xingxian is truly as beautiful as a celestial being...

If the other party is willing, a lecherous man like Li Jingxiao would naturally not mind having another woman.

Upon hearing Li Jingxiao's words, the pine tree spirit was delighted and bowed respectfully.

They directly invited Li Jingxiao to visit them.

Moreover, all the monsters in this Thorn Ridge are cultivators.

That's why she developed a liking for Li Jingxiao, who was dressed in a magnificent Taoist robe.

Not only did they show themselves, but they also treated him to spiritual fruits.

They flew three hundred miles with the pine tree spirit and the maple tree spirit.

Upon landing in a valley, the three large characters 'Muxian Temple' were carved on the cliff face.

Immediately afterwards, three more elderly men appeared and bowed to Li Jingxiao.

After some pleasantries, Li Jingxiao realized that the other three were cypress spirits, juniper spirits, and bamboo spirits.

When the wood spirits heard that Li Jingxiao had come to their door, they made friends by playing the zither, drinking wine, and playing chess.

He immediately became happy.

Li Jingxiao had assumed that these guys were all refined gentlemen, proficient in at least one or two of the arts: music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.

Unexpectedly, after playing chess with the other four of the five people, excluding the maple tree spirit...

They immediately discovered that these guys' chess skills were actually quite average.

After winning four games in a row and gaining 16 experience points, Li Jingxiao realized that these guys were really not that good.

However, the ease with which experience is gained is certainly a good thing for Li Jingxiao.

He played the piano and flute directly, leaving the others in awe.

In less than two hours, he gained 48 experience points.

Li Jingxiao felt contempt for these guys, realizing they were all just 'empty talkers'.

But he had a kind smile on his face and spoke very pleasantly.

This made the five wood spirits' expressions much better.

Then he kept praising Li Jingxiao as a true 'refined scholar'.

Li Jingxiao didn't argue with these guys; the more incompetent they were, the easier it would be for him to gain experience.

However, Li Jingxiao could indeed see that these five guys, apart from the maple tree spirit who looked like a demon, were indeed brutes.

The other four were genuinely just trying to be cultured, but unfortunately they didn't have any renowned teachers to guide them.

Relying solely on self-exploration and communication within a small circle.

It is indeed difficult to achieve anything significant, not to mention that talent is something some people are born with.

Some people strive their whole lives, but they end up being mediocre.

As evening approached, Li Jingxiao took out Du Kang (a type of ancient Chinese liquor), and the atmosphere immediately became lively again.

It was only after the topic of the Wood Spirit Cultivation Path came up that Li Jingxiao's impression of the five people improved somewhat.

Being five tree spirits, they were eloquent and fluent when it came to their areas of expertise.

Li Jingxiao's understanding of Wood Release Technique was indeed quite enlightening.

They couldn't help but put away their contempt.

Before they knew it, the moon had risen above the treetops, and they saw two girls in green clothes carrying two lanterns.

Guided by a female fairy, they arrived at the scene.

When Li Jingxiao looked over, he saw that Xingxian was indeed 'beautiful as a flower and as enchanting as the moon.'

In terms of appearance, she was in no way inferior to Baihuaxiu, Ao Huiji, and Ao Xin.

He walked over, curtsied to Li Jingxiao, and then introduced himself.

The way she looked at Li Jingxiao already carried a hint of charm, affection, and curiosity.

It seems that the female demon had witnessed the entire process of playing chess, playing the zither, and playing the flute.

Only then will a hint of tenderness appear in her eyes.

However, monsters have always preferred to be straightforward.

If I've set my sights on you, I want to make love to you.

They even felt that this was the most direct way to express their feelings.

If you were to encounter a scholar from this era, you would most likely frighten them.

But Li Jingxiao had seen it all before; people who would go straight to a hotel to book a room if they liked someone.

Therefore, they naturally wouldn't be polite to beautiful women who offered themselves to them.

The pine tree spirit and the others watched as Li Jingxiao and the apricot tree spirit fell in love.

One by one, they couldn't help but stroke their beards and smile.

These tree spirits knew a lot about etiquette and had also learned a lot about morality and literature.

But being a fairy, she often prefers to follow her instincts.

None of them mentioned marriage at all, and Xingxian only sought momentary pleasure.

If you've found someone you like, all you want is a night of pleasure.

Who cares about forever?

This way of thinking is really like Li Jingxiao's relationship with men and women in his previous life.

This made Li Jingxiao even more satisfied and relieved.

After drinking for a while, all five tree demons were drunk and passed out. Xingxian asked with a smile, "If you don't mind that my home is simple, Master?"

Why don't you come with me to rest?

Li Jingxiao smiled, picked up the beauty, and followed behind the two girls.

We went to a courtyard.

It's raining and windy tonight.

Rain pattered on the banana leaves, and amidst the rhythmic drumbeats, faint sounds of laughter and gentle chanting could be heard.

Given Li Jingxiao's physique, it would be easy for him to force Xingxian to surrender and admit defeat.

She nestled against Li Jingxiao's chest, gazing at him tenderly, and said with a smile, "You are truly skilled, Master. Although I am inexperienced in such matters..."

Yet he was also an enlightened being who had cultivated for three thousand years.

Unexpectedly, he couldn't even last a hundred moves against a real person.

(End of this chapter)