Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 166 An Invitation from the Underworld
As evening approached, the flow of people decreased somewhat, but the incense at Daojun Palace remained strong.

However, what the people who came to offer incense did not see was that as a gate of incense suddenly appeared beside the steps at the foot of Daojun Mountain, one after another, local deities and immortals filed out, walking in twos and threes, all with relaxed smiles on their faces.

The appearance of that divine physician made them quite nervous. After all, they would be working under him from now on, and no one knew anything about his personality. They were afraid that this new official would make a big splash in his new role.

But upon meeting him today, everyone found him to be quite easygoing, not at all arrogant, which put everyone at ease.

Niu Yi stood atop Daojun Mountain, watching the departing deities below.

He summoned these local deities without giving them any instructions. After all, he only wanted to get acquainted with them and know who was under his command, so that he could keep track of their abilities.

As for other matters, he had no intention of interfering, and everything remained the same.

"Lord Daojun, this is the list of congratulatory gifts received for the opening of Daojun Palace. Please take a look."

Niu Yi looked at Yuan Ze, who was presenting the roster to him with both hands, but did not take it. Instead, he smiled and said:

"Yuanze, it seems you're handling these matters quite well now."

Yuan Ze looked at Dao Jun and gave a somewhat embarrassed, simple smile.

"That's fine then. I can now entrust this Daojun Palace to you with peace of mind. From now on, I will go into seclusion in the pavilion. If anyone or any god comes looking for you and you are unsure of what to do, come and find me."

Yuan Ze was taken aback upon hearing this, but then he remembered what Dao Jun had said before: what was before him was a divine being.

The immortal is still the same immortal.
Niu Yi smiled at Yuan Ze, and a doorway filled with the scent of incense appeared behind him. He slowly walked inside.

“Yuanze, even now that you have become an immortal, you must still cultivate diligently and accumulate merit. You must know that those immortals in this world are not capable because they are immortals, but they became immortals because they were capable.”

Niu Yi's words echoed in Yuan Ze's ears. Upon hearing them, Yuan Ze nodded solemnly, bowed deeply to Niu Yi's retreating figure as he disappeared through the doorway, and said:
"Yuanze understands, thank you for your teachings, Daoist."

After entering the incense space, Niu Yi looked at the wooden pavilion standing in the golden auspicious clouds. The pavilion had three floors, and the bottom floor was the most spacious, which was the meeting place for him and many local deities.

The second floor was for entertaining guests, while the third floor was where he rested and cultivated in seclusion.

Niu Yi went straight to the third floor, where he saw copper coins, surrounded by the scent of incense, shining with a faint glow. He roughly counted at least several thousand of them.

Niu Yi, his own divine incarnation, did not absorb the incense energy for cultivation. Instead, he poured all the incense energy into these copper coins, intending to create another divine magic weapon.

He himself walked to the center of the room, sat cross-legged on the futon in the center of the third floor, closed his eyes, and began to comprehend the Great Dao of Hunyuan.

Niu Yi knew very well that he could get involved in any path of cultivation, whether it was the path of gods or other paths of cultivation.

However, there are many ways to achieve immortality. The only way for him to survive countless eons and live a carefree life in the world is to completely cultivate his Golden Elixir Dao and become a Great Luo Golden Immortal!

Just as he advised Yuanze, if he did not have his current cultivation level, even with the patriarch as his backer, he would not dare to accept the divine position of the Divine Physician Dao Lord, nor would he accept the incense offerings on both sides of the Tongtian River and assume the responsibility of protecting the people on both sides.

One must be strong to forge iron.
The Great Celestial Venerable gave him the method of creating an external avatar, which allowed him to comprehend two Great Daos simultaneously through his external avatar and his original body.

For Niu Yi, this is the most important ability.

In the realm of Qinghua Chang Le, within the Easternmost Wonderful Palace.

Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun was playing chess with the Jade Emperor, who was dressed in a golden imperial robe. After a moment, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun glanced down and laughed:

"This child, just as His Majesty predicted, ultimately used this external avatar to comprehend the Great Dao, and the divine path was effortless for him."

The Jade Emperor glanced down and placed a black piece on the chessboard.

"This slippery ox is indeed determined to pursue the Dao. Qingxuan, you have been quite vigilant. As for Mount Ling, we can only watch it longingly."

Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun placed a white chess piece in his hand, his tone slightly mocking:
"Hehe~ Nothing escapes His Majesty's eyes~ But this was also the child's own choice. After all, as that person said, back then, this child went straight for Laozi's green ox~"

"Hahaha~ That's certainly interesting."

Four years have passed since the Daojun Palace was completed.

At the foot of Jindu Mountain, Niu Feng and Niu Ping were leading a large group of little ox spirits to carry sixteen or seventeen large boxes up the mountain. These boxes contained pieces of Yin Iron.

Two years ago, Ox-Head and Horse-Face suddenly sent a message to Jindu Mountain, stating that their cooperation could be restarted.

Niu Yi was naturally delighted with this. The Soul-Locking Chain, a magical artifact of his primordial spirit, could continuously increase its power as long as the Yin Iron was refined into Yin Spirit Iron and incorporated into it. As for the Yin Spirit Incense that Ox-Head and Horse-Face needed him to refine, it was now very easy for him to do so.

To his delight, the number of collaborations between him and Ox-Head and Horse-Face was constantly increasing; now, a single transaction could yield sixteen or seventeen large wooden crates of Yin Iron.

But today is a little different.

Niu Yi's primordial spirit stood at the foot of the mountain, looking at the ox-headed and horse-faced figures before him, and laughed: "Brothers, may I ask what brings you to me today?"

Ox-Head and Horse-Face exchanged bewildered glances, their faces showing hesitation and confusion. Finally, Ox-Head Abang smiled wryly at Niu Yi and said:
"Brother Niu Yi, I'm afraid I'll need your help this time."

"Our cooperation has alarmed Lord Biancheng. He wants to invite you to the underworld to discuss something."

Niu Yi looked at Niu Tou A Bang in surprise.

"The King of Biancheng, one of the Ten Kings of Hell?"

"Exactly."

Niu Yi was somewhat surprised, but he was no longer as cautious as before. After all, if his Divine Physician Daojun incarnated in the underworld, he would be received by someone of the level of the Ten Kings of Hell.

Now, in the underworld, the one he truly needs to be wary of is Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who rules over the underworld.
But why would the King of Biancheng, who is in charge of the City of the Wrongfully Dead, want to see me?
The horse-faced demon then leaned closer and whispered:

“Brother Niu Yi, in our opinion, Lord Biancheng’s visit to you is probably for your incense skills. And given Lord Biancheng’s personality, if he said he was invited, then he really was.”

Niu Tou A Bang remained silent but nodded repeatedly.

It seems that in the eyes of these two, the King of Biancheng was quite reasonable, and he should also be a straightforward person.

Niu Yi pondered for a moment, then smiled and nodded, saying:
"I wonder if His Highness Prince Biancheng has provided a timeframe?"

Seeing this, Ox-Head and Horse-Face knew that the man had agreed, and they were overjoyed. They said:
"If Brother Niu Yi is willing, the two of us will immediately return to report and come to take Brother Niu Yi to the underworld in three days."

"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you two brothers."

"No trouble, no trouble~"

Niu Yi and Ox-Head and Horse-Face reminisced for a while before the two transformed into a gust of wind and departed.

Niu Yi pondered for a moment, then looked at the Earth God of Jindu Mountain who had appeared out of nowhere, and couldn't help but laugh:

"Does the Earth God feel there's something wrong with this trip to the Underworld?"

The Earth God shook his head and said:
"It's just some sentimentality. After all, I once went through the underworld, and it's not a peaceful place."

"I can't understand your current level of skill at all. The underworld is not a good place for us, but it is probably not the same for you. This matter depends on yourself."

Niu Yi smiled and nodded. He was actually quite curious about what the underworld looked like, which was why he agreed to the request.

Even if he doesn't go today, he plans to visit the underworld in the future. His "Spirit Astral Projection" technique has such power. However, just like in the Heavenly Palace, only those with a Celestial Register can freely enter without a summons. The underworld is the same.

Being invited is always better than going on your own, and this time, he also intends to go in person.

Early the next morning, on Rotten Peach Mountain.

"Junior Brother, are you planning to make a trip to the Underworld in the next few days?"

Beside the stone table, Niu Yi nodded at Guangwu, who looked on with curiosity, and said:
"Indeed, this time I was invited by the King of Biancheng, and it seems to be related to the art of incense."

Senior Brother Guanghui held his teacup, took a sip of tea, and said with a smile:

“That King Biancheng does have some discernment. With Junior Brother Guangyi’s current skills in the art of incense, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to refine some precious incense. He is also quite straightforward and doesn’t beat around the bush.”

"If he needs something from you, junior brother, you can make a deal with him."

Niu Yi listened to his senior brother's words and nodded thoughtfully.

Just then, the Daoist Guanghui spoke again:
"Speaking of which, since Junior Brother plans to go to the Underworld in his true form this time, you may bring this item with you."

As he spoke, Daoist Guanghui reached into his sleeve and took out a dark, ancient stone token, which he then handed to Niu Yi.

Niu Yi reached out and took it, curiously examining it for a moment. He found that the object resembled an ancient stone in the shape of a token, with some cracks on it. His treasure-hunting talent showed no signs of progress whatsoever.

Seeing that Niu Yi had accepted the token, Daoist Guanghui did not explain anything. Instead, he looked at the dragon roaring and tiger howling painting that was floating in mid-air and said:

“Junior Brother Guangyi, based on the results of our deductions, your Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl diagram is far inferior to the Dragon Bone and Tiger Bone diagram. Forcibly integrating it would be a step down.”

"But in your Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl painting, the dragon spirit and tiger spirit have already been born, and these dragon spirit and tiger spirit are in tune with your mind."

"Why not use the Primordial Chaos Fire to completely refine this Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl Diagram, leaving only a pair of dragon and tiger true spirits, and then find another scroll carrier to completely re-refine this Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl Diagram?"

(End of this chapter)