Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

The storm has now subsided.

The cultivators breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to themselves that the city lord was indeed very imposing.

With a gloomy face, Zhe Lei Long Jun, carrying Yu Zhi, transformed into a bolt of lightning and headed towards the City Lord's Mansion.

Jin Guang Zhenren and Chen Jiao exchanged a glance, then Jin Guang Zhenren also took flight and followed Chen Jiao inside.

After everyone disappeared into the majestic palace gate, the Macaque King and the Yu Rong King remained standing in mid-air.

The Monkey King looked down at the deep pit in the market below, and the glaring dark red stain at its edge, shook his head, and turned to the Yu Rong King, saying:

"Brother, we both knew about their fight, why didn't we show up and mediate sooner?"

If you had arrived a moment earlier, that unfortunate Lord of Xuanri Mountain might not have lost his life.

Upon hearing this, King Yu Rong's lips twitched slightly, and he said with a half-smile:

"If I had stepped in to mediate earlier, wouldn't my brother have missed out on a lot of fun watching the show?"

Such a clean and decisive battle is rare.

The Monkey King was taken aback at first, then recalled the lightning-fast exchange just now.

He couldn't help but chuckle, pointing at the Yu Rong King and saying, "You rascal..."

But then Yu Rong King's smile faded slightly, and his voice became calm as he continued:

"Moreover, although this person's cultivation has reached the Nascent Soul stage, he is so useless that he couldn't even withstand a few blows from that Jiangxiao True Person. His supernatural abilities are mediocre, and his temperament is even worse."

Such a person is probably not the kind of person I need.

Since it's not needed, death is death; what's the point of talking about it?

Among the demon race, the law of the jungle prevails, and the strong are respected.

When Yu Ming Da Zhenren was cleanly and decisively killed in the street, in the eyes of a great demon king like Yu Rong Wang, the reasons and right and wrong were secondary; it was simply a matter of "being inferior in skill."

The loser dies and his spirit perishes; this is only natural and there is nothing more to say about it.

The Monkey King nodded slightly upon hearing this, deeply agreeing with it.

Both he and King Yu Rong rose from humble beginnings through fierce battles, and were naturally not soft-hearted or merciful.

Lacking strength and without sufficient support, they still choose to provoke powerful enemies, thus courting certain death.

The Monkey King said, "That's exactly right. You have to swallow the consequences of your own actions."

The crowd below gradually dispersed, and ghostly soldiers began to clear the street.

Yu Rong Wang remained silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke in a low voice:

"Furthermore, the last reason is..."

Even if I had intervened at that time, that Master Jiangxiao probably wouldn't have stopped.

He was determined to kill, and his sword strikes were swift and decisive, showing no sign of hesitation. If I were to forcibly stop him, I would be making an enemy of him.

To make an enemy of a worthless fool and a person of unfathomable depths—wouldn't that be unwise?

Upon hearing this, the Monkey King's expression shifted, and a look of surprise appeared on his face.

He knew that his brother, though seemingly reserved, was actually meticulous, had a high vision, and was adept at weighing pros and cons.

Unexpectedly, in that split second, he had already weighed the options to this extent.

Not only did they judge Yu Ming's uselessness, but they also deduced that the Taoist was unstoppable and unassailable.

Just then, King Yu Rong's gaze narrowed slightly as he looked down at the deep pit in the market below.

Suddenly, a dignified man in a red robe with a bushy beard appeared and stood quietly at the edge of the pit.

Ignoring the whispering cultivators around him, the man simply reached out and grabbed at the deep pit, capturing a faint remnant soul in his sleeve.

After finishing this task, the man in the red robe looked up at the sky and met the gaze of the Yu Rong King from afar.

It was Cui Jue.

Cui Jue remained calm, nodded to him as if to acknowledge their greeting, and then disappeared from the spot.

Yu Rongwang understood immediately, his mind racing.

After all, it is common for those who fail to transcend the tribulation to die and their souls to be scattered.

If someone like Cui Jue were present, perhaps a sliver of their true spirit could be preserved to enter the cycle of reincarnation and await the uncertain next life.

Thinking of this, Yu Rongwang bowed respectfully in the direction where Cui Jue had disappeared.

…………

…………

Chen Jiao and Master Shouyue, along with the other guests, stayed in the guest courtyard arranged by the city lord's mansion for the next two days, waiting for the conference to begin.

The city lord's mansion covers a vast area, with pavilions and towers stretching as far as the eye can see, making it seem as if it were in the underworld.

Led by a taciturn, blue-faced guard, Chen Jiao passed through several moon gates and corridors, arriving at a quiet and secluded courtyard.

The three of them, including Master Shouyue, went to settle in the neighboring courtyard.

Above the gate of the small courtyard are the two characters "Green Bamboo," written in a slender and elegant style. The courtyard walls are whitewashed, the door is ajar, and two lanterns hang under the eaves, casting a soft glow.

He pushed open the door and entered, and saw that the courtyard was square, with blue bricks paving the ground, and a few rare bamboos planted in the corner, and fish playing in a small stone pond.

The main house has three bays, with bright windows and clean tables, and simple yet elegant furnishings, all in the style of ordinary people.

If one did not know that they were in the Netherworld City, they would have thought they had mistakenly entered the study or villa of some learned scholar.

A gentle breeze rustled through the bamboo leaves, adding to the sense of tranquility.

The courtyard was brimming with spiritual energy, clearly due to the presence of a superior spirit-gathering array that continuously drew in the pure spiritual energy from a Yin vein node beneath Tongyou City, making the spiritual energy within the courtyard far more abundant than that outside.

One day of practice here is equivalent to several days of practice outside.

Chen Jiao stood in the courtyard, glanced around briefly, and was quite satisfied with the arrangement. He nodded slightly to the guard who was leading the way.

"Please rest here, Master. If you have any instructions, please ring the copper bell in the courtyard, and a servant will come."

The guard bowed and quietly withdrew, closing the courtyard gate behind him.

Two days is but a fleeting moment for a cultivator.

Chen Jiao did not rush to meditate and cultivate, but instead took out the four talisman-drawing magical tools he had purchased from Qingfu Pavilion.

The Frost-Covered Small Awl, the Black Turtle Paperweight, the Azure Dragon Swallowing Clouds Inkstone, and the newly refined Danxiao Heart Fire Seal were all placed on the table.

The four objects are placed quietly in front of you, their spiritual light contained within. Their energy subtly interacts with each other, yet they maintain a delicate balance due to their conflicting attributes.

Chen Jiao's gaze was calm as he swept over the four artifacts in turn.

Although he was not as specialized in talismans as he was in swordsmanship or fire magic, he knew that talismans were an important method for communicating with heaven and earth and expounding the great Dao, and that every stroke of the talisman was related to the principles of the Dao.

Having acquired these four magical artifacts and comprehended the method of "One Qi Governing the Four Spirits," Chen Jiao's interest in this path has only grown stronger.

Two days of leisure are the perfect time to reflect and improve.

He did not rush to write, but closed his eyes and concentrated, immersing himself in the perception of the unique aura of the four magical artifacts.

The sharp, swift wind and frost of the small cone, the deep, stable weight of the black turtle paperweight, the ever-changing mist of the green dragon swallowing clouds inkstone, and the scorching, pure yang heat of the Danxiao Heart Fire Seal...

All sorts of images and Daoist charms flowed, collided, and merged slowly in the sea of ​​the heart.

When his mind was as clear as a mirror, reflecting the true meaning of all things, Chen Jiao opened his eyes, his gaze filled with clarity.

Chen Jiao first placed the Xuan Yuan ruler on top of the talisman paper. The ruler emitted a faint glow, and the talisman paper immediately became flat and motionless.

He picked up the Azure Dragon Inkstone again, drawing in a wisp of pure wood spirit energy from the courtyard. The little Azure Dragon was immediately delighted, its breath rising and falling with increasing joy, and spirit ink was born spontaneously.

As the frost-covered inkstone brushes against the bottom, its spiritual essence slowly blends with the wood and water, gradually deepening the ink's color and revealing a subtle bluish glow.

Finally, he picked up the crimson Danxiao Heartfire Seal and placed it beside him.

With everything prepared, Chen Jiao held his breath, his gaze calm, and focused on the yellow talisman paper.

His breathing was calm, his wrists and elbows were steady, and where his gaze fell, the trajectory was already clear in his mind.

In the next instant, the brush moved like a dragon or a snake.

At first, the writing was somewhat deliberate, but after a few strokes, it gradually improved.

The brushstrokes, sometimes light, sometimes heavy, sometimes fast, sometimes slow, outlined runes that were not the usual style of vermilion and yellow runes.

Instead, it is closer to ancient seal script cloud patterns, with the strokes hinting at the power of wind and thunder, and the imagery of water and fire.

Whenever the runes reached a critical turning point, or the energy was about to stagnate, he would lightly press the Danxiao Heart Fire Seal with his left hand.

The eight characters "Jiangxiao Imperial Decree, All Fires Return to Truth" were printed on the brush, and a wisp of pure Yang Qi flowed into the tip of the brush, harmonizing the sharpness of wind and frost, the heaviness of the black turtle, and the change of the blue dragon, so that the energy under the brush flowed smoothly and became a unified whole.

In the quiet room, the only sound was the soft rustling of the brush tip gliding across the talisman paper.

Outside the window, the bamboo groves stood silently, and the faint light drawn by the spirit-gathering array shone through the windowpane, illuminating Chen Jiao's focused profile and the mysterious talismans gradually taking shape under his brush.

For the past two days, he has been so immersed in exploring and refining the Dao of Talismans that he has not paid any attention to outside affairs.

Practicing talismanic arts and harmonizing various energies is also a unique form of spiritual practice and meditation.