Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 167 King Bian Cheng

Seeing that his senior brother didn't want to discuss the token further, Niu Yi gave up the idea of ​​asking and said:
“What Senior Brother said makes sense. However, these two dragon and tiger bones were not easy to find, so the scroll that serves as the carrier cannot be taken lightly. But I can’t think of what to use to make this scroll.”

The bamboo scroll that was used to refine the Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl Diagram was ultimately just a pair of white-grade magic treasures. Even when it was fused with the Dragon Roar Stone and Tiger Howl Stone, it was still barely suitable.

But now it seems that he should refine the Dragon Roar and Tiger Howl Diagram in reverse, refining the entire diagram into two points of true spirit, and then refining it into a brand new diagram.

This is why he possesses the Nine Revolutions Golden Wheel talent, and is not affected by the backlash of his natal magic weapon.

If someone else were to refine their natal magic weapon in this way, they would probably suffer a severe loss of vital energy.

At this moment, Daoist Guanghui said:
"As for the scroll's carrier, perhaps Junior Brother can search for it in the heavens. Of all the rare treasures in the Three Realms, the best and most abundant can be found there. Junior Brother, don't you have acquaintances in the Heavenly Court now?"

Niu Yi nodded in sudden realization and said:

"In that case, I will pay a visit once the Divine Physician Daojun Palace is completed."

"Good~"

Niu Yi waited at Rotten Peach Mountain for three days, then found another time to meet his master, inquire about some cultivation issues, and also took the opportunity to bring up his plans to go to the underworld.

The patriarch nodded in agreement but did not offer any further guidance, which reassured Niu Yi.

If there are many setbacks on this trip, his master should give him some pointers, just like last time. Since his master has not given any instructions, even if he encounters trouble on this trip, he should be able to handle it.

By evening that day, Niu Yi used his "Shrinking the Earth to an Inch" technique to walk back to the foot of Jindu Mountain in ten steps, where he happened to meet the Ox-Head and Horse-Face who were waiting there.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face greeted Niu Yi with broad smiles, saying:

"Brother Niu Yi!"

"Sorry to have kept you two waiting~"

"Haha~ We two have only just arrived. Now that Brother Niu Yi has also arrived, shall we set off?"

Niu Yi could see the eagerness of the two men, and immediately nodded in agreement.

“Brother Niu Yi, we are going to the underworld this time, and we will be traveling along the Yin Road. There are many demons and monsters along the way. With your abilities, Brother Niu Yi, you are not afraid. But in case those fools offend you, please stay close to us.”

"Don't worry, brothers, I understand the situation."

Ox-Head and Horse-Face nodded, and with their steel forks crossed, they slashed through the air, instantly creating a sinister entrance to a windswept path.

"Brother Niu Yi, please!"

"Please, please~"

Niu Yi followed closely behind Ox-Head and Horse-Face into the Yin Path, only to find it filled with gusts of cold wind and pitch-black darkness. Ox-Head and Horse-Face then took out a pale white bone lamp, illuminating the surroundings, and led Niu Yi forward.

Niu Yi looked at the two ox-headed and horse-faced figures in front of him. As they entered the Yin Road, the two figures in front of him gradually changed.

His aura grew increasingly sinister, and his eyes glowed with a green light, exuding a fierce and malevolent aura.

Niu Yi nodded secretly.

This should be the true appearance of Ox-Head and Horse-Face. The job these two do in the underworld is to capture the wandering ghosts and evil spirits that have escaped from the underworld.

From the perspective of the underworld, one must be fierce enough to subdue those fleeing ghosts and evil spirits in order to perform this task.

After entering this dark path, Ox-Head and Horse-Face stopped speaking, their expressions becoming serious as they occasionally glanced around.

At the same time, a series of mournful, eerie winds, like sobbing cries, continuously reached Niu Yi's ears, but Niu Yi remained calm and unaffected.

There were indeed some demons and monsters in the surrounding darkness, but they were intimidated by Ox-Head and Horse-Face. Even without these two, those things would have been easily destroyed by him.

Not long after the three walked out, their view suddenly opened up, revealing a gloomy ghost city in front of them. Above the ghost city were seven large golden characters that read "Gate of the Underworld".

Before the Gate of Hell, several small demons with blue faces and fangs, wielding steel forks, were guarding it. Beside Niu Yi, many wandering souls appeared, heading towards the Gate of Hell.

Upon arriving here, although the aura emanating from Ox-Head and Horse-Face was still as sinister as before, a smile had appeared on their faces, though it still looked somewhat eerie.
Niu Tou A Bang turned around, cupped his hands in greeting to Niu Yi, and smiled:

"Brother Niu Yi, this is the gates of hell."

"To get to the City of the Wrongfully Dead, you must pass through the Gate of Hell, cross the Road to the Underworld, and go to the Bridge of Helplessness. The City of the Wrongfully Dead, where Lord Biancheng is located, is right next to the Bridge of Helplessness."

"The Gates of Hell are still a long way from the Bridge of Helplessness. Lord Biancheng is urging us on, so we two need to use our abilities to get Brother Niu Yi to the City of the Wrongfully Dead as soon as possible."

The horse-faced Rakshasa then chimed in, saying:
“Brother Niu Yi, normally when you come here, we would definitely show you around, but this time…”

"Brothers, there's no need for that. Let's not keep His Highness Prince Biancheng waiting." "Alright, thank you very much, brothers!"

Horse-faced Rakshasa immediately nodded, and the pale flames of the bone lamp in his hand instantly rose up, enveloping the three of them and quickly disappearing from the spot. In just a moment, he reappeared with the three of them in front of a vast city.

But the city gates were wide open, with three large golden characters above them that read “City of the Wrongfully Dead”.

“Brother Niu Yi, this is the City of the Wrongfully Dead. This city was created by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva to specifically house the souls of those whose lifespan has not yet ended.”

"Before Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva created this city, many souls who died unjustly wandered and suffered on the road to the underworld, making the road to the underworld extremely crowded. Out of compassion, the Bodhisattva used his great power to create this city of the unjustly dead to take in these souls."

The words of Ox-Head and Horse-Face were full of respect for Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

Although Niu Yi was also curious about this Bodhisattva, he did not intend to ask too many questions. After all, this Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva had always been mysterious, and since he could control the underworld, he was naturally no ordinary being.

"Brother Niu Yi, we..."

"Hahaha, this must be Immortal Niu Yi! I'm so sorry for not greeting you sooner!"

Just as the Ox-Head and Horse-Face were about to lead Niu Yi into the City of the Wrongfully Dead, they suddenly heard a burst of laughter.

Ox-Head, Horse-Face, and Niu Yi looked toward the source of the sound and saw a burly man with raised eyebrows, wearing a brocade red robe and a flat-topped crown, striding out of the city gate, laughing loudly.

"Lord King Bian Cheng!"

Ox-Head and Horse-Face immediately knelt on one knee and respectfully bowed to the big man. The newcomer was none other than King Biancheng, the fourth of the Ten Kings of Hell, who was in charge of the City of the Unjustly Dead.

Upon seeing this man, Niu Yi merely bowed respectfully to the King of Biancheng with a smile on his face and said:

"This humble Taoist priest, Niu Yi, greets the King of Biancheng."

Upon hearing this, Ox-Head and Horse-Face felt a jolt in their hearts. Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva rarely appeared in public; the underworld was governed by the Ten Kings of Hell, who were the kings of the underworld and held immense authority.

Judging from the words of the Niu brothers, it was clear they regarded the King of Biancheng as an equal.
But then King Biancheng strode forward, his face beaming with a warm smile, and greeted Niu Yi, standing beside him to keep him company.

"Hahaha~ Immortal Master, please come in quickly. I have prepared fruits and vegetables in the hall. Please, Immortal Master, move into the hall so that I may show you some hospitality~"

When Ox-Head and Horse-Face heard King Biancheng's extremely enthusiastic words, they couldn't help but look at each other in astonishment.

Niu Yi smiled and nodded, cupping his hands in greeting:

"Then this humble Taoist will respectfully comply."

"Haha~ Of course, of course~"

Ox-Head and Horse-Face were clearly a bit bewildered. Judging from the way King Biancheng was being so courteous, it was obvious that he was treating the Niu Yi brothers as honored guests.

Just then, Ox-Head and Horse-Face suddenly heard the telepathic message from King Biancheng.

"What are you two thinking! This person is clearly a Xuanmen true cultivator at the Taiyi True Immortal realm! And what's with this 'bull demon with deep ties to Buddhism' nonsense?!"

King Biancheng's voice was clearly annoyed, leaving Ox-Head and Horse-Face bewildered.

Actually, this matter is not entirely the fault of Ox-Head and Horse-Face. When they first met, Niu Yi was indeed practicing orthodox Buddhist techniques and had fought with the two of them, so what Ox-Head and Horse-Face said was not wrong.

The problem lies in the fact that Niu Yi's strength improved too rapidly, truly by leaps and bounds. First, he switched to cultivating the Golden Core Dao, and later he had great fortunes such as the Earth Origin Pill and the Earth Spirit Pearl, comprehending the Earth Element Dao and achieving the Taiyi True Immortal Realm.

When they met for the third time, too much time had passed and the difference in their cultivation levels was too great, so Ox-Head and Horse-Face could not see any difference in Niu Yi.

Ox-Head and Horse-Face couldn't understand how their brother Niu Yi, who was originally at a similar level to them, had suddenly become a Xuanmen True Immortal at the Taiyi True Immortal realm.
"Your Highness, Prince Biancheng, these are my two brothers."

Upon hearing Niu Yi's words, King Biancheng's expression stiffened. He looked at the still kneeling Ox-Head and Horse-Face and said:
"Hehe~ I never expected that the Immortal Master and Ox-Head and Horse-Face would be so close. You two, why don't you get up and keep the Immortal Master company?"

"Yes Yes!"

Although Ox-Head and Horse-Face had not yet figured out the current situation, upon hearing what King Biancheng said, a hint of joy flashed in their eyes.

If the King of Biancheng said so, they wouldn't be punished, and might even benefit from it.
Ox-Head and Horse-Face quickly stood up and stood behind Niu Yi, giving him a grateful look.

Niu Yi smiled and, accompanied by King Biancheng, went straight into the City of the Wrongfully Dead. He walked along the main street of the city and headed towards the towering palace in the city center.

Niu Yi looked around the City of the Wrongfully Dead and found that this place was no different from the cities on the ground, except that it was extremely vast, and the souls here were no different from ordinary people.

The spirits on the road bowed to King Biancheng upon seeing him, or scattered in all directions. King Biancheng did not bring any guards or ghosts with him, and he led Niu Yi into the main hall without any hindrance.

(End of this chapter)