Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 280 Mirror of the Universe

The Goat-Headed Demon King raised his palm, and several streaks of dark blue flame rose rapidly, flying in all directions.

At this moment, he was sending a message to Niu Li and his group, who were tracking the fake body, telling them to return here immediately.

"Hmph! You scum from Kurotani almost got away."

He was determined to carry out the task personally assigned to him by Daojun. After cultivating for so many years, he was looking forward to truly joining Daojun Mountain in the future.

Even if he is not granted a celestial title and becomes a god, it would be good if the Dao Lord acknowledged him as a member of the Dao Lord's Palace.

He absolutely cannot let these bastards cut off his path to cultivating merit. Even if it diminishes the Dao Lord's impression of him, it is still unacceptable.

Half a year later, the pilgrims finally arrived at the banks of the Tongtian River and saw the boundless Tongtian River before them.

Meanwhile, Daojun was summoned to heaven by the Jade Emperor.

In the Jade Pool.

The Jade Emperor sat upright on the treasure pavilion, looking at the Daoist Lord who was walking slowly towards him, and casually pointed to the seat opposite him.

"Come, sit down. I know you are busy with official duties, so I will not invite you to play chess. Just have a cup of tea."

"Yes, thank you Your Majesty."

Daojun stepped forward and bowed, then calmly sat down opposite the Jade Emperor.

"Where have you arrived at your journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures?"

"Your Majesty, we have now reached the territory of Tongtian River, and should be on the banks of the Tongtian River by now."

The Jade Emperor looked at the Daoist and nodded slightly.

"It must have been quite a task for you and Taibai to handle this matter, but you did a very good job."

As the Jade Emperor spoke, he pointed his finger, and a jade talisman appeared on the table.

“I know you have a grudge against that Golden-Winged Roc, and I am worried that the Buddha of Mount Ling will stop you.”

"Take this jade talisman. If one day you intend to deal with the Golden-Winged Roc, crush this jade talisman. At that time, I will invite the Buddha of the Western Paradise to come and have tea."

"I will stop him for you. As for whether you can defeat that Golden-Winged Roc, that depends on yourself."

Upon hearing this, Daojun immediately stood up and bowed to express his gratitude.

He hadn't expected that, while he was still figuring out how to bring up the matter with the Jade Emperor, the Jade Emperor would actually agree to it.

It's true that it's good to rest in the shade of a big tree!
The Jade Emperor chuckled dismissively:

"There's no need for such formalities. You were personally invited by me. The better you do, the happier I will be. It's just a small matter; how could I refuse?"

"Speaking of which, did that peacock go to your place before?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. This Buddha Mother visited my Golden Gourd Mountain a few days ago. She came secretly, but was discovered by the Green Ox. Knowing she was in the wrong, she left behind a peacock tail feather and departed."

The Jade Emperor laughed and said:

"You can collect a few more celestial bird feathers in the future and refine them into a treasure. Even now, the peacock tail feathers are quite good for you."

Daojun nodded. He had the same plan in mind, because in addition to the peacock feather, he also had a golden-winged roc feather.

"Besides this jade talisman, there is another matter I need you to prepare in advance."

After the Jade Emperor finished speaking, he looked at the Jade Pool outside the Treasure Pavilion and said slowly:
“I see that you are now in a difficult situation in comprehending the Primordial Dao. The Primordial Dao Fruit, which is the Dao Fruit of returning to oneness from chaos, is not easy to cultivate. Your talent is also much inferior to Sun Wukong’s. The only advantage is that you are walking a steady path.”

"Although I am confident that even if you do not achieve the Primordial Dao Fruit, I can still help you pass through this cycle and wait for the opening of the next cycle."

"Or perhaps you cultivate other great paths and attain the Dao fruit, but even then, you probably wouldn't be content."

Upon hearing this, Daojun fell silent for a moment.

To be honest, he wasn't entirely unwilling. If he could truly cultivate to the next level under the Jade Emperor's protection, he was absolutely confident that he could achieve the Primordial Dao Fruit.

But since this person has said so, there must be a solution. As a subordinate, I should just listen to what they have to say.

The Jade Emperor looked at the Daoist Lord before him, as if he had heard the ox's thoughts, and couldn't help but laugh and scold.

"You little rascal."

"I do indeed have a treasure that can help you cultivate the Primordial Dao Fruit. I suppose Zen Master Wuchao has already told you about this."

Daojun nodded.

The Jade Emperor stroked his beard and said:
"This treasure can indeed help you, but it is risky and can only be used after the matter of Buddhism spreading to the East is resolved."

"My treasure is called the Mirror of the Universe. Its use is simple: it can help people travel to other realms in the chaos, and all of these realms have been visited by the gods of the Three Realms."

"Hun Yuan is the beginning of primordial energy before chaos, the origin of everything. If you can enter other realms and comprehend the 'Dao' of different realms, you will surely gain many insights into the Hun Yuan Dao Fruit."

After a moment of contemplation, Daojun asked cautiously:

"What kind of risk is Your Majesty referring to?"

The Jade Emperor said:
"Although this treasure allows you to roam freely through the heavens, only a portion of your true spirit can enter the world, and you will mostly have to adapt to the rules of its Great Dao." "It's not that this treasure of mine can't protect you, but if it does, and you are targeted by the Great Dao of that world, you will be unable to comprehend the Dao."

Upon hearing this, the Daoist Master secretly thought to himself, "I'm familiar with this too. Although it's different from my reincarnation in the Three Realms, there should be some similarities."
"Your Majesty, may I have some time to consider this matter before giving you an answer?"

The Jade Emperor readily agreed and nodded, saying:

"can."

"Take the jade token and leave. Come back to me when you've made up your mind."

"My minister retire."

Daojun put away the jade talisman on the table, bowed again, and walked out of Yaochi Treasure Pavilion.

He always felt that the Jade Emperor hadn't told him many things, not that the Jade Emperor intended to deceive him, but rather that the Jade Emperor sometimes genuinely displayed a wicked sense of humor.
Daojun discovered that, whether it was because he had lived too long or something else, these people, besides enjoying training disciples, also genuinely enjoyed watching the excitement.
He still planned to visit the old Zen master and ask him carefully.

However, this matter is not urgent. Tang Sanzang has already arrived at Tongtian River, and he should go and fulfill his duties as a host.

Lingshan, the Western Paradise.

The Buddha slowly opened his eyes and let out a sigh.

"Ugh"

Guanyin Bodhisattva, standing to the side, couldn't help but glance at the Buddha and said:

"I wonder what troubles the Buddha? Is there any disciple who can help him?"

Buddha gently shook his head and said:
"It is that Golden-Winged Roc. With the approval of the Great Heavenly Venerable, his fate is sealed and there is no way to save him."

"This"

"So be it, this is his karma."

After the Buddha finished speaking, he closed his eyes again and said no more.

On the banks of the Tongtian River, in Majiazhuang, Tang Sanzang and his companions were entering the village.

The place has undergone many changes because of Niu Yi's appearance. Chenjiazhuang, which should have been located here, has become the much larger and more prosperous Majiazhuang. The Linggan King, who was demanding boys and girls, is no longer in the Tongtian River.

At the invitation of a hospitable man, Tang Sanzang walked into the village and was delighted to see the lively scene around him, even though he was used to the mountains and forests.

Sun Wukong stood beside Tang Sanzang and pointed at the statues of gods along the roadside.

“Master, look, we often see the statue of the Divine Physician Daoist in this place.”

"Presumably, once we arrive here, we have completely entered the territory of that Dao Lord."

Tang Sanzang nodded when he saw the statue of Daojun, and led Sun Wukong and the other two to the statue to pay their respects.

Upon seeing this, the man's smile grew even more enthusiastic.

"Elder Tang also knows the Divine Physician Daojun. You don't know, but almost every family in our Ma Family Village has worshipped Daojun for generations. Who can blame them when Daojun is the most famous and the most efficacious?"

“In Ma Family Village, if an outsider speaks ill of the village head, no one will necessarily pay attention. But if an outsider speaks ill of the Daoist, the situation will most likely not be good.”

Tang Sanzang looked at the man and laughed:
“When I was in the Tang Dynasty in the East, I was entrusted by someone to make a trip to Daojun Mountain if I had the opportunity to come to the West in the future. When I return, I will tell him about the scenery of Daojun Mountain.”

"Elder, you've come to the right person. When I was young, I went to Daojun Mountain with my parents. Let me tell you, Daojun Mountain was truly magnificent! That time..."

Tang Sanzang chatted with the man as they traveled, while Sun Wukong kept an eye on their surroundings and protected Tang Sanzang.

Pigsy followed behind the two, leading the white dragon horse while clutching his large belly, muttering from time to time about when they would eat. Sandy carried the load, remaining silent and simply following along.

The group traveled on and soon arrived at the man's house, where they were warmly welcomed. At this moment, Sun Wukong suddenly looked towards the courtyard across the street.

In front of the courtyard, a middle-aged couple sat looking extremely unwell, their faces dark and etched with worry.

Suddenly, the woman's eyes lit up when she saw Tang Sanzang and his party, especially the monk with a face like a Buddha, who was clearly a virtuous and high-ranking monk.

However, when she saw Sun Wukong, she avoided his gaze.

Sun Wukong rolled his eyes, a thoughtful look on his face. After his master and fellow disciples entered the courtyard, he turned around and closed the courtyard gate, cutting off their view.

The Ma family warmly welcomed Tang Sanzang and his party, but Sun Wukong went to the man's house and asked the young man, who was in his twenties, "..."
"Young man, do you know what's been going on at that place across the street lately?"

Although the young man was somewhat puzzled as to why this hairy-faced, thunder-mouthed elder had suddenly asked about this, he thought for a moment and replied in a low voice:

“Elder, to be honest, the Gao family is no good. Oh, that’s what my father said, although I think so too.”

"Oh?"

"The two people living in the Gao family now are actually from other villages. They are relatives of the original family. I heard they are the original couple, the husband's older brother and sister-in-law."

"But after the couple died unexpectedly, his brother and sister-in-law seized their house and land, and even drove away the only daughter left behind, whose fate is still unknown."

"Okay, okay, thank you, thank you~"

Sun Wukong nodded in sudden realization. No wonder those two looked so lifeless; they had done many wicked things.
(End of this chapter)