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

But the moment his palm touched Ji Sheng, he groaned and was thrown back as if electrocuted.

The Taoist priest in black frowned, reached out and braced himself against the big man's back, allowing him to land steadily.

Ji Sheng then yawned, stretched, and sat up from the ground.

Turning his head, Ji Sheng saw the crowd staring at him and smiled:

"Are you here to burn incense? I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

The Taoist priest in black bowed and said:

"Fellow Daoist, you have a wonderful dream. This dilapidated temple has been abandoned for countless years; there's no one burning incense here anymore."

The Taoist priest had a white beard and spoke with a smile, giving him a rather otherworldly air.

However, in Ji Sheng's eyes, he was not some ethereal immortal.

Ji Sheng had already noticed it before the group entered the temple. He used his aura-gazing technique to sense the overwhelming demonic aura emanating from the Taoist priest's head.

This Taoist priest is not a demon, but his demonic aura far surpasses that of ordinary demons, and he has likely harmed countless people. He is a thoroughly evil Taoist priest.

Ji Sheng didn't expose him, wanting to see what the black-clad Taoist was up to, and nodded, saying:

"That makes sense. So you're here to renovate the temple?"

The burly, bearded man had been holding back for a while, but finally couldn't take it anymore:

"You Taoist priest, you're being incredibly unreasonable! This temple isn't yours, so what we're doing is none of your business! Get out of the way! We're here to demolish the temple, not to build it!"

Ji Sheng chuckled and said:

"Demolish the temple? I wonder what this deity has done to offend you that you want to demolish his temple?"

Ji Sheng had already checked last night and confirmed that the small temple was indeed dedicated to a righteous deity, not a licentious one.

However, due to years of disrepair, the statues in the temple have become dilapidated and faded, making it impossible to discern their original appearance.

Therefore, he did not know which deity was enshrined in the temple.

However, regardless of who it is, if they are a righteous god, it's best not to dismantle them if possible.

This wasn't Ji Sheng being nosy; rather, there's always a reason why a righteous god is present.

Aside from some people seeking good fortune or wealth, the most likely reason is to suppress evil spirits.

This temple was built on the riverbank, most likely to be used to suppress monsters in the river.

Especially if it involves this evil Taoist priest, then we must be even more careful.

The Taoist priest was also getting impatient:

"Fellow Daoist, it seems you're out traveling? As the saying goes, 'Don't meddle in other people's business, and if you have nothing to do, go home early.' Now that you're awake, you should hurry and continue your travels!"

Although it's impossible to tell how skilled Ji Sheng is, judging from the scene where he sent the bearded giant flying, it's clear that Ji Sheng has some ability.

But if Ji Sheng is determined to meddle, then don't blame him for being impolite.

Ji Sheng glanced at the group of people behind the Taoist priest; they all had unfriendly looks in their eyes. It was as if they would swarm him if he dared to say another word.

I tried to offer my advice with good intentions, but I was met with hostility from several people. Oh well.

He knew that even if he helped a few people, they wouldn't thank him. Since the temple was going to be demolished anyway, then so be it.

Only after the demolition is complete and people realize the consequences can they learn a lesson.

Ji Sheng chuckled and said:

"Alright, alright, go ahead and tear it down! I won't block your way."

He came to the outside of the temple and didn't leave, just staring at the group.

Seeing that he wouldn't leave, the men didn't dare to chase him away. They took tools from a cart outside and began to dismantle the temple.

The clanging and banging continued for several hours. The group first demolished the house, then smashed the clay statue to pieces, quickly turning the original small temple into ruins.

Before we knew it, the wind along the river had picked up considerably, and the once calm river surface was now rippling with waves.

"Master, do you think that if we demolish the Erlang Shen temple and build a Jiao Shen temple, we can really guarantee good weather and abundant harvests for the village?"

The burly man with the bushy beard was still somewhat uneasy when he saw the small temple completely demolished, and he took the opportunity to ask the Taoist priest in black.

The Taoist priest in black nodded:

"That's natural. Although Erlang Shen is very powerful, he has many other things to manage and can't take care of things here. That's why your village has had poor harvests in recent years."

"As long as you build the temple to the Dragon God, the Dragon God will perform rituals, ensuring you have bountiful harvests every year, with more food than you can eat!"

Upon hearing this, the burly man with the bushy beard became even more excited. He stepped forward and began to shout and direct the crowd.

Ji Sheng heard everything clearly. Only then did he realize that this temple was actually dedicated to Erlang Shen.

Erlang Shen once slew an evil dragon at the mouth of the Guanjiang River, so in many places where water monsters caused trouble, Erlang Shen temples were built to suppress them.

Judging from its appearance, this small temple is at least several hundred years old. The ancestors who suffered from the water monster back then have long since passed away, and the story of the water monster has probably become a legend.

If future generations do not learn from the mistakes of their predecessors, they will only repeat them. At that time, another bloody storm will rage before it subsides.

The wind on the river grew stronger, and the waves surged higher and higher, relentlessly crashing against the riverbank. The continuous rumbling sound made everyone increasingly uneasy.

In the great river, countless fish seemed to have witnessed something terrifying, leaping and bounding about on the surface.

Just then, a scream rang out. Everyone was startled and quickly looked in the direction of the scream.

On the muddy riverbank, a pool of blood was clearly visible. Beside the blood, the cart sat forlornly, still filled with untilted clay idols.

"Where's Li Laosan? Where did he go?"

The burly man with the bushy beard was taken aback and asked the others.

"He...he just went to the riverbank to take out the trash, didn't he? This..."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, a terrifying thought forming in their minds.

The burly man with a thick beard quickly found the Taoist priest in black and said urgently:

"Master, what's going on?"

The Taoist priest stroked his white beard and said:

"It's alright, he was just eaten by the Jiao God."

"What?"

Everyone was shocked. The burly man with the bushy beard said:

"This is no joke! How could that dragon god eat people?"

The Taoist priest glanced at him, his expression indifferent:

"I only said it could help you have a good harvest every year. When did I ever say it wouldn't eat people? Don't worry, after it eats your whole village, it will help you have a good harvest."

As he spoke, he turned his back and shouted towards the river:

"Come forth, Lord Jiao Shen!"

The next moment, the river surface surged with tremendous force, like a tsunami. Huge waves rose, reaching heights of tens of feet.

The huge wave almost covered the entire river surface, sweeping hundreds of feet from east to west.

Countless fish and turtles were swept up by the waves and slapped against the shore, jumping and struggling incessantly.

But these are not the most eye-catching features. What is truly terrifying is the enormous snake head that is faintly visible beneath the surface of the river.

A dark blue snake's head emerged from the water, its two prominent horns making it larger than the small temple. Its emerald green eyes stared at the people on the ground.

He was still chewing, making crunching sounds, like he was gnawing on a pig's trotter. Two dark human calves protruded from his mouth.

"This...this..."

Everyone was stunned. Wasn't that calf Li Laosan's leg?

"You've done well. From today onward, you will be my priest. Once my divine power is fully restored, I will assist you in breaking through to the Divine Transformation stage!"

The dragon demon opened its mouth wide and spoke in human language, a strong, fishy smell of water sweeping across both banks.

The Taoist priest in black laughed heartily, his white beard dancing in the wind.

"Thank you, Lord Jiao Shen. You must be very hungry after just waking up. This is the food I prepared especially for you. Please enjoy!"

He looked at the crowd:

"For the sake of your village's future prosperity, please feed the Dragon God!"