Journey to the West: Starting by becoming an apprentice of Emperor Donghua

This red light is an auspicious light, which means that Jinji Mountain will gradually grow stronger and more prosperous in the future.

Ji Sheng was quite satisfied with the result.

A few days later, the little demon guarding the gate came to report that the mountain god of Pig Ear Mountain had come to visit.

Ji Sheng invited the mountain god into the cave, whereupon he saw that the mountain god was beaming with joy.

Using the aura-gazing technique, one could see that the Zhushan God was shining with red light above his head, indicating that he was about to embark on an extraordinary journey of good fortune.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the mountain god said:

"Lord Ji, tell me quickly, what great thing have you done that your fame has reached the ears of the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak!"

The Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak? Ji Sheng was taken aback. The Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak was a very famous figure in this world.

He governs Yin and Yang, controls life, death, fortune, and misfortune, and is the supreme leader of the Five Sacred Mountains and the commander-in-chief of all ghosts under heaven.

Furthermore, they manage the seventy-two departments of the underworld.

The so-called Ten Kings of Hell are his subordinates.

The mountain gods and land deities of the world are all appointed and managed by the Land God, one of the seventy-two officials. Their power is unimaginable.

How could my name have reached the ears of this revered deity?

After much thought, the only thing that could be considered noteworthy was slaying the fire toad.

But to say that the death of a fire toad could alarm the Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak? Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration?

Seeing that Ji Sheng was somewhat stunned, Pig-Ear Mountain God assumed that Ji Sheng was unwilling to speak, and laughed:

"Fine, since you won't tell me, I won't press you any further. You'll find out sooner or later anyway."

Ji Sheng asked:

"What does this mean?"

Zhushan Shinto:

"I have come here on behalf of the Taishan Prefecture. I request that you make a trip to Chihuo Ridge in a few days. The envoy of the Eastern Peak Emperor specifically requests to see you!"

He looked mysterious:

"I heard you're going to get a reward! You're about to make it big!"

A reward? Zhu Shanshen did say before that capturing the Fire Toad would be credited to Ji Sheng.

He first provided information about the fire toad's whereabouts, and then killed it. In this matter, it is no exaggeration to say that he deserves the most credit.

Moksha gave him the purple bamboo tube from the fire toad, and with Guanyin, the matter was clearly settled between them.

And this Taishan Prefecture is yet another department.

The Fire Toad once killed the Mountain God of Crimson Fire Ridge, the Sheep Lord, so this reward should be related to that.

Ji Sheng wanted to ask the other party for some information, but the old man just winked and didn't say a single extra word.

He informed the messenger of the arrival time and asked Ji Sheng to be sure to arrive on time.

Ji Sheng readily agreed. After all, it was a reward for himself, so he had no choice but to arrive on time.

Before they knew it, the day of the appointment arrived. Zhu Shanshen arrived early and took Ji Sheng with him.

This location is at Redfire Ridge, formerly the territory of Lord Sheep.

After flying for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a faint smell of sulfur gradually lingered around Ji Sheng's nose.

As the flight progressed, the smell of sulfur grew stronger, even becoming somewhat pungent.

Through the faint clouds, a vast and desolate mountain appeared beneath the clouds.

The mountain was almost barren, covered with withered trees. The black mountainside had a slightly yellowish tinge, and springs were constantly bubbling and steaming.

Most strikingly, within the Red Fire Ridge lies a massive crater. From within the crater, a reddish glow emanates.

This is Redfire Ridge. It is actually a volcano, and an active one at that.

The so-called volcanic vein is the place where the magma flows underground in this volcano. And the crater is the core of this volcanic vein.

Cultivating here not only allows for rapid progress in fire-based magic and supernatural abilities, but also imbues the cultivated magical power with a trace of fire element.

This is a place blessed by heaven and earth, and is extremely sought after.

Not only the surrounding mountain gods and local deities coveted it, but even the monsters were extremely interested in it.

The two were already used to this mountain and landed in front of a cave halfway up the mountain.

Several local earth gods were already waiting inside the cave. Upon seeing the two arrive, they quickly went to greet them.

Ji Sheng rarely interacted with these mountain gods and local deities, so he didn't know most of them. There was only one he recognized among the crowd: the Tiger-Headed Mountain God.

"Mountain God Zhu, who is this? I've never seen him before!"

A middle-aged man dressed in black, with a slender build, asked the question.

"This is Ji Sheng, the master of Jinji Mountain, who was specially invited by the Minister of Works."

The middle-aged man exclaimed in surprise:

"The master of Golden Rooster Mountain? What brings the special envoy Sikong here?"

Zhushan Shinto:

"How would I know? Why don't you ask Envoy Sikong when he arrives?"

The middle-aged man had gotten himself into an awkward situation, but he still cupped his hands in greeting to Ji Sheng and said:

"Greetings, Lord Ji. I am Feng Liang, the Water God of Hanyou Pool."

Ji Sheng returned the greeting. The Pig-Ear Mountain God then took Ji Sheng to meet several other deities, and they got to know each other.

One of the elderly men in red robes was clearly of extraordinary status. Although he was also a minor deity, Ji Sheng noticed that several local gods treated him with great respect, implicitly regarding him as their leader.

"Mountain God Zhu, I've heard you made a significant contribution to the matter of the Fire Toad. It was you who informed Huian Xingzhe about the Fire Toad's whereabouts in Eagle's Sorrow Stream. Is this true?"

The old man in the red robe saw the Pig Ear Mountain God and asked a question.

Zhu Shanshen laughed:

"You flatter me, Mountain God of Luanshi Ridge. You did indeed contribute something. But to be honest, I only heard about the Fire Toad in Eagle's Sorrow Gorge from someone else."

The other gods also turned to listen as the two of them talked about the fire toad.

The mountain god of Luanshi Ridge sneered:

"You're talking nonsense again. Finding the fire toad is a huge achievement. Who would tell you that so you can get the credit for nothing?"

That's certainly true. You could say that all the local earth gods combined couldn't match the merit of Pig Ear Mountain God's single act of tipping them off.

When they heard that someone else had told him about this, they all thought he was talking nonsense.

Who would give up such a good opportunity to make a contribution to someone else?

The mountain god of Pig Ear Mountain chuckled and glanced at Ji Sheng. Ji Sheng, however, shook his head at him.

He didn't want to make a scene here; he just wanted the envoy to come quickly so he could take the reward back.

The mountain god of Pig Ear Mountain was taken aback, then understood Ji Sheng's meaning and quickly changed the subject:

"Do you have any information on who is slated to become the Mountain God of Crimson Fire Ridge?"

Someone immediately said:

"Pig Ear Mountain God, you have rendered such a great service, you are of course the first choice!"

Although the Pig-Ear Mountain God was somewhat pleased by the flattery, he still knew his own limitations and shook his head with a smile:

"I'm too old, and my abilities are only average, making it difficult to gain the respect of others. I won't compete for this position; let you young people shoulder the responsibility!"

As he spoke, he looked at the mountain god of Luanshi Ridge, who was also an old man, and smiled:

"Don't you think so?"

The mountain god of Luanshi Ridge sneered:

"The position of the Mountain God of Crimson Fire Ridge has always been held by the virtuous; age is merely a number..."

The mountain god of Luanshi Ridge wanted to say something more. Just then, a voice called out from outside:

"It's the Minister of Works!"

Everyone rushed out. Ji Sheng also followed them to the outside of the cave.

In the distance, a Taoist priest in black robes rode a black cloud, rapidly approaching Crimson Fire Ridge.

Everyone looked at the Taoist priest who had flown in, and waited with their hands in their sleeves.

The dark cloud moved extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye, it arrived in front of the gods and immortals.