Journey to the West: Building a Celestial Empire Starting from Lion Camel Ridge

Chen Ping'an slowly woke up, feeling extremely suffocated.

It felt like my lungs were stuffed with something sticky and heavy. When I inhaled it, it was fishy and smelly, like burying my head in a pot of rotten stuff.

What does this taste like?

Chen Ping'an suddenly sat up and started coughing.

Look around.

In the dim light, one could vaguely see broken walls and rubble.

And a few grayish-white rays of light seeping in through the cracks.

This is definitely not his rented room.

The light in that rented room was a warm yellow, and it was always on because he often worked overtime in there.

I remember the feeling of working overtime for the last time—my heart was gripped by something, twisted violently, and the pain was so intense that I wanted to speak, but I didn't even have the strength to utter a sound. So I just slumped onto the keyboard.

Have I...time-traveled?

......

"You're awake?"

A sound came from the corner, and Chen Ping'an looked in the direction of the sound.

A girl.

She looked to be fourteen or fifteen years old, huddled in the darkest corner, sitting against the brick wall, like a rag that had been crumpled up and thrown there.

His thin cheeks were sunken and yellowish-brown, and his clothes were so tattered that they could barely cover the wounds on his body.

Chen Pingan saw the girl's eyes.

Those eyes were wide open, but there was nothing inside.

Chen Pingan noticed that there was a thin callus scar on the girl's left wrist, an old mark caused by years of being rubbed by some fine thread.

At that moment, she was holding a shard of glass in her hand, its edge worn sharp, pressed against her palm.

"Where is this?"

When Chen Ping'an opened his mouth, he immediately felt his voice was hoarse, as if he had swallowed sand.

"Outside Lion Camel Ridge lies White Bone Town."

The girl said without any expression, "Lion Camel City is on the other side. You almost died just now."

Lion Camel City.

White Bone Town.

The moment those two words entered Chen Ping'an's mind, it was as if a crack had been opened—a flood of memories surged forth, carrying boundless fear and despair, completely overwhelming him.

Now I know where that fishy, ​​foul smell came from.

Journey to the West.

This is the world of Journey to the West.

Lion Camel Ridge, Green Lion, White Elephant, Golden-Winged Roc.

The three demon kings occupied the road that Tang Sanzang was bound to take and devoured all the people in Lion Camel City.

Skulls piled up like mountains, and bones formed a forest.

What's even more terrifying is that the three demon kings possessed immense magical power and had the support of the Western Paradise. Even the Monkey King faced death several times and had no other choice but to seek help from Manjushri and Samantabhadra, and even alarmed the Buddha, before he was able to overcome this ordeal.

This is a place that even the Monkey King fears.

I am just an ordinary person with no cultivation whatsoever, yet I have transmigrated to such a place.

The original owner's memories were even more terrifying than those recorded in Journey to the West.

So many people died in Lion Camel City, and from the deathly aura filling the sky, even more indescribable things were conceived.

Blood essence, hungry ghost, chang ghost, bone demon.

Mortals are the lowest of the low here.

Even in death, there is no peace.

Chen Ping'an's back was soaked with sweat, and he felt a chill run down his spine.

This place is a living hell!

"How did I almost die?"

The girl gestured with her chin toward the scratches on his wrist: "It was the Shadow Demon's doing. When a person is in extreme fear, their shadow mutates and turns around, controlling the host to go outside and lure demon soldiers to eat them. While you were unconscious, the shadow was already dragging you away."

He paused, then said, "I cut it off with a lens."

Chen Ping'an looked down at the jumbled shadows on the ground and felt a bitter taste in his throat.

"Thanks."

"Need not."

Every word she spoke was chilling: "You've survived, but it's only temporarily your turn. Sooner or later..."

The girl's face was expressionless when she spoke.

It wasn't malicious, it wasn't sarcastic, it was just saying something perfectly normal, like saying it would rain today.

Chen Pingan stared at her for a long time, speechless.

"Thank you anyway. By the way, what's your name?"

"Ah Li".

Ali retreated back into the darkness.

Chen Pingan took a deep breath and stood up.

He died in his past life.

He died in that tiny rented room.

Fluorescent light, reports, third cup of coffee, then I'll slump over the keyboard and die.

Having lived for so many years, compressing myself into such a small space, and living such a narrow life—when I die, I won't even remember anything I wanted to struggle for.

I don't want to do that anymore.

Absolutely not!!

"I will not wait to die."

Chen Ping'an leaned against the brick wall, his legs trembling, but he straightened his back.

Ali looked up at him, as if looking at someone still in a dream: "If you're not waiting to die here, you're courting death."

"That's still better than sitting and waiting."

"You don't know this place—"

"I know."

Ali opened her mouth, but said nothing more.

Chen Ping'an looked at her and continued, "The demon race calls the shots in Lion Camel Ridge. Humans here are food, not living beings. Heavenly soldiers and generals won't come, gods and Buddhas won't care, and no one will solve the problems here for us."

Ali didn't reply, she just looked at him.

In those eyes, as still as a dry well, somewhere very deep, something stirred slightly.

Just for a moment, and then it was over.

"So what if you know?"

"So I'll do it myself."

Chen Pingan gritted his teeth, "I want to live well, to live like a human being."

Ali didn't say anything more.

The two remained silent for a long time, so long that Chen Ping'an thought the conversation was over.

Just then.

"Sizzle—sizzle—"

A sound came from outside the door.

The sound was low and rough, like something searching through the air with its nose.

The ground trembled slightly, indicating that this thing was quite large.

Chen Ping'an's heart jumped into his throat.

The broken bricks were crushed underfoot by something heavy, making a creaking sound as it drew closer.

A pungent, fishy smell seeped through the crack in the door, surging in wave after wave—the smell of blood, rotting flesh, mixed with something Chen Ping'an couldn't name, but which immediately made every hair on his body stand on end.

Ali knew what it was earlier than Chen Ping'an.

She shrank into the corner, covered her mouth tightly, stopped breathing, and the slight movement in her eyes vanished instantly, returning to the dry well.

She knew it just from that smell.

Chen Ping'an felt the light dimming.

A seven-foot-tall creature bent down and crawled in through the broken doorway.

It has a wolf's head and a human body, with dark red fur matted into dry flakes, a white bone chain hanging from its waist, and two bone knives.

Those bloodshot beast eyes swept over the entire dilapidated house before finally settling on Ali.

"Found...fresh meat..."

The sharp claws sliced ​​through the bone knife, making a crisp, cracking sound.

Ali closed her eyes.

It's not because I'm afraid, it's because I don't want to see it.

I don't know how many times this has happened.

Every time, I close my eyes and wait, waiting for the worst to happen, then I don't die, and then I wait for the next time.

I've done this so many times that I don't even need to think about closing my eyes anymore; it's like turning off the lights before going to sleep.

Even if she died right now, she didn't know if she would still feel anything.

"Grass!"

Chen Ping'an's voice boomed out from the dilapidated house, catching everyone off guard and causing a few grains of dust to fall from the roof.

Ali opened her eyes.

Chen Ping'an didn't know where he got the courage, but he picked up half a broken brick from the ground and stood between Ali and the wolf demon.

Although his legs were still shaking, he managed to keep himself from falling, raised his head, looked directly at the wolf demon, and lifted the broken brick.

"Don't touch her!!!"

Ali stared at the retreating figure without moving.

In four years, she saw people run away, people kneel down, and people push their friends out.

This ruin taught her one thing: people in dire straits reveal their truest side, and that side is never pretty.

Ah Li thought she had seen through this whole thing.

But this strange man, who had just woken up and was struggling to even stand up, was now blocking her way with his swaying back.

She subconsciously loosened her grip on the glasses slightly.

The wolf demon paused, looked down at the human blocking its path, and slowly parted its lips to reveal long, sharp fangs.

It was a contemptuous indifference that ran deep; to it, this trembling human was not even a rat.

The wolf demon slowly raised its right arm, and the giant hand covered with black claws pressed down on Chen Ping'an's throat.

dying.

Chen Ping'an was very clear-headed.

I've been in this world for less than an incense stick's time, and now I'm going to die again.

Why pretend to be a hero and save the damsel in distress? At least you'll live a little longer.

In my past life, I used all my energy to survive.

Never again in this lifetime.

Fuck you!!!

Chen Ping'an roared, picked up the broken brick, and with the last of his strength, smashed it down on the wolf demon's head.

Just as the wolf demon's claws were three inches from his throat—

Time stopped.

Pale gold text suddenly lit up before my eyes.

[Host detected as near death—]

[Host's will to survive detected: Extremely strong.]

[System binding complete.]

Should we establish a shelter at the current location?

[WARNING: Once established, the foundation stone is bound and its location cannot be changed. Please choose the location carefully!]

The last line of text flashed by in a split second before I could even see it clearly.

That claw was still three inches long.

Chen Ping'an had only one thing on his mind.

Not building it means certain death, building it might offer a chance to survive!

"establish!!!"