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

The City God had not finished speaking.

A general from the side of the hall, his eyes wide with rage, roared like thunder:

"How dare you! How can you roar and disrupt the order of the court before the True Lord?"

This shout, imbued with the murderous aura of thunder, shook the City God's soul, causing his face to turn pale and him to stagger back several steps, daring not to utter another word.

Chen Jiao's gaze swept over the two people below, his expression unchanged, and he simply said:

"I am touring the four directions, not to listen to you local lords arguing in court."

Arguments are pointless; further discussion is futile.

Upon hearing this, the City God was secretly pleased, thinking that the True Lord found such trivial matters insignificant and had no intention of delving into them, and was more concerned with the merit of slaying the great demon.

Perhaps the discord between the local deities can be glossed over.

The local earth god, however, was ashen-faced and hung his head in dejection.

Just then, Chen Jiao raised his hand and gently patted the Xie Zhi leaning against his leg.

The Xie Zhi slowly rose to its feet.

Its shape resembles a Qilin, but it is more agile and nimble. Its fur is as thick as ink, except for a ring of snow-white around its four ankles, as if it were walking on clouds and frost.

A corner of his forehead, white and warm, subtly shimmering with jade-like luster, exudes a dignified Daoist aura that sees through illusion and discerns truth from falsehood.

His eyes were clear, with a hidden golden glint in them; when they opened and closed, they possessed a divine light that could see the subtle and discern right from wrong.

Upon seeing the beast's true form, the City God felt a sudden "buzz" in his mind, as if struck by lightning, and all color drained from his face instantly.

He was initially filled with fear and had not carefully examined the True Lord's mount, only assuming it was some kind of rare and exotic beast.

To his utter surprise, the legendary mythical beast Xie Zhi, which could discern right from wrong and touch the crooked, actually existed in the world and had become the mount of the True Lord. And yet, he had the misfortune of running into it!

Before the City God could react further.

The Xie Zhi raised its head and let out a clear, long roar. Suddenly, a hazy spiritual light burst forth from the single horn on its forehead, like moonlight flowing down, silently enveloping the City God's entire body.

"Ugh!"

The City God was struck as if by an invisible hammer, his body trembled violently with the power of incense and divine energy, and his Yin spirit body rippled with twisted waves.

He screamed in agony, unable to hold on any longer. On the ground, his official robes were worn out, his appearance and spirit were exhausted, and he had lost all his dignity and respectability.

After finishing his business, Chen Jiao got up and slowly walked to the collapsed City God.

"True Lord! True Lord, spare my life!"

The City God struggled to lift his head, looking at the cloaked True Lord with eyes full of fear, and hissed:

"This humble god...this humble god is a local deity appointed by the underworld and under the jurisdiction of the Eastern Peak, a legitimate city god!"

Even minor offenses should be judged by the underworld. Even if the True Lord has the power to inspect, he... he has no right to arbitrarily kill the local deities!

Chen Jiao looked down at him, his gaze calm, and said only, "I have my own edict sent to Dongyue."

Having said that, he said no more and waved his sleeve.

The City God's wide, terrified eyes instantly lost their luster.

The incense and divine power surrounding him, along with his soul and physical form, collapsed and disintegrated silently, like a sandcastle encountering water, turning into specks of light that vanished into the quiet air of the hall.

A city god who ruled over a prefecture of the underworld and enjoyed incense offerings for hundreds of years was thus annihilated, both in spirit and form.

The hall was deathly silent. Only the Xie Zhi withdrew the spiritual light from its single horn, let out a low murmur, and slowly walked back to Chen Jiao's side, then lay down again.

The ghostly officials and underworld messengers outside the hall were already trembling like leaves, lying prostrate on the ground, not daring to move an inch.

Chen Jiao turned his gaze to the still-stunned local earth god and said:

"From this day forward, you will temporarily take charge of all matters concerning Yin and Yang within the Jade Lion Mansion."

Until the new City God takes office.

The Earth God trembled, suddenly looked up, tears streaming down his face, and prostrated himself, saying:

"This humble deity obeys the decree! I will certainly fulfill my duties diligently and live up to the Heavenly Grace bestowed upon the True Lord!"

Chen Jiao said no more, turned around and slowly walked out of the hall.

Eight thunder generals followed silently, their armor clanging, filling the temple with a chilling aura before receding like a tide.

Only the newly appointed acting city god, a group of terrified ghost officials, and a plaque with a clear mirror hanging high above remained, coldly reflecting everything that had just happened.

Chen Jiao left the City God Temple and rode on a cloud.

Before long, clouds began to roll in all directions, and streaks of light converged towards them.

Fei Peng, the Fire Bell Thunder Messenger, the Thunder-Summoning General, the Heavenly Demon-Subduing General, and other generals and officers of the Thunder Palace, each leading their own troops, had all purged the demons they had identified and were now all under the command of the True Lord to receive orders.

Three thousand Lei Fu soldiers will line up in the clouds, their armor gleaming, their banners fluttering, their murderous aura soaring to the heavens.

After the generals exchanged greetings, Chen Jiao nodded slightly and said nothing more than, "Here we go to the Western Sea."

The Xie Zhi roared and rode ahead on the clouds.

Three thousand soldiers followed closely behind like rolling thunderclouds, heading towards the vast shore of the Western Sea.

Below, inside and outside the Jade Lion Mansion, the newly appointed Acting City God and a host of ghostly officials and underworld messengers still knelt on the ground, bowing their heads from afar and saying, "Respectfully seeing off the True Lord!"

…………

…………

The sky is high and the clouds are light, the Western Sea is boundless.

But its might is overwhelming, its power awe-inspiring, like the majestic Jade Sea. Tides surge like silver mountains, waves crash like snow.

Crimson cliffs and strange rocks, sheer walls and bizarre peaks. It is a place where truth and spirit hide, and an abyss where filth and evil reside.

Just as the vast sea stretched out, a thunderous roar suddenly erupted on the distant horizon, and a turbid wave, hundreds of feet high, shot into the sky!

Thousands of water droplets splashed like rain, and two figures emerged from the waves amidst them, accompanied by boisterous laughter.

The two demons chased each other, stirring up the sea and causing the fish and dragons to flee in fright.

What kind of demons are these two? A poem testifies to it:

A man with crimson hair and an indigo face, as fierce as a Vajra, with a protruding forehead and fangs that gleamed with light. With iron arms and sinewy muscles, he could grasp the sun and moon; it was none other than the Monkey King of the water.

A figure in black robes and dark armor, resembling Yama, with a slender neck and a triangular tongue. Stirring up seas and churning rivers is commonplace for him; he is, in fact, a giant python from a deep pool.

The demon king, with his crimson hair and indigo face, resembling a monkey, brandished a heavy black iron rod and turned back with a smirk:

"Moang, grandson! With such meager skills, you think you can capture your grandfather? Go back to your mother's womb and practice for another thousand or eight hundred years!"

Before the words were even finished, the sea below suddenly parted, and a silver streak of light, like a rainbow flashing with lightning, burst forth, heading straight for the Monkey King's face!

Its momentum was fierce, and it carried the faint roar of a dragon!

That cold light was from a steel spear, its tip gleaming with an incomparably sharp edge.

The Water Monkey Demon King's laughter stopped abruptly, his expression changed slightly, and he quickly turned around and twisted the iron rod behind his back. With a crisp "clang," he barely managed to deflect the silver spear.

The steel gun flew backward and was caught steadily by a long, strong hand.

At the parting of the waves, a dragon prince emerged, followed by five hundred elite aquatic creatures, shrimp soldiers wielding halberds and crab generals brandishing swords, forming a formidable array.

This dragon prince was indeed extraordinary in appearance; a poem praises him as follows:

Wearing a golden crown that bound her hair high, a delicate red pearl adorned her forehead. Her snow-white robe had wide sleeves adorned with cloud patterns, and a silver-embroidered dragon embroidered on top of the brocade robe.

A white blouse with trim exudes elegance, a jade belt across his waist displays his heroic spirit. The prince of the Dragon Palace commands respect, as if descending from the heavens.

He was none other than Prince Moang, the eldest son of Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea.

At this moment, his face was ashen, his phoenix eyes held a fierce look, his silver spear was pointed diagonally at the two demons, and his voice was clear yet contained a raging storm:

"You impudent monkey! You wicked python! You stole my Dragon Palace's precious pearl, injured my patrolling sea demon, and yet you dare to spout such arrogant words here!"

"I am here today to arrest you. Surrender immediately!"

The Water Monkey Demon King and the Black Python Demon King exchanged a glance. Instead of being afraid, they grinned and laughed, their demonic aura soaring into the sky, making the surrounding sea even more turbulent.