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

Inside the water palace, everything was in ruins, with beams and pillars crumbling and the demonic aura still lingering.

Xuan Ling killed King Longshui with a single halberd strike, then lowered his eyes to look at the green halberd in his palm and muttered to himself:

"So-called demon kings are nothing more than this."

This breakthrough was achieved through the interaction of energy with the Vermilion Bird's incarnation, which triggered the true meaning of the Li Fire to enter the Dao. As a result, his foundation is different from that of ordinary Nascent Soul cultivators and is much more profound.

After breaking through the barrier, he immediately consumed three immortal fire dates given to him by the Barefoot Immortal.

The abundant immortal energy within the jujube not only propelled his cultivation to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but also allowed a large amount of essence to permeate his limbs and bones, where it was secretly nourished.

At this moment, Xuan Ling looked inward at himself and felt his Yang spirit burning brightly, like the rising sun, pure and immaculate, perfectly harmonious and unobstructed.

From now on, you only need to follow the steps and diligently improve your magical power. Reaching the state of perfect spiritual transformation and even the Mahayana realm will all come naturally.

As I was deep in thought, I suddenly heard the water rippling.

Xuan Ling looked up and saw the white-bearded, white-haired river god of the Longshui River parting the water and rushing over.

Without the River God in charge, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals had long since scattered like birds and beasts, and naturally no one dared to stop the River God.

When the River God entered the palace, he immediately saw that the ferocious mandarin fish spirit had become a headless corpse.

The river god was both surprised and delighted. He hurriedly stepped forward, bowed deeply, and said gratefully:

"This humble god is deeply grateful to the Flood Dragon King for his righteous intervention, which has rid the wicked creature of its life and restored the clarity of the Longshui River! The Flood Dragon King's kindness will never be forgotten!"

He raised his head, prostrated himself on the ground, and said earnestly:

"King Jiao, please accept my humble opinion. I have always admired Your Majesty's benevolence and majesty. In the past, when the caravans from Qingchi Ridge passed through Longshui, I always did my best to make things convenient for them and never made them feel uncomfortable."

Three years ago, a ferocious mandarin fish spirit from the west seized the water palace, imprisoned the minor deity, and brazenly blocked the waterway, strictly prohibiting the passage of the Guiling merchant caravan.

"This humble deity's magical power is weak, and I am subject to the control of demons. Truly... I am willing but powerless, and I have failed Your Majesty's past kindness."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Ling nodded slightly and said, "Since it was not your wish, I will not blame you. Please rise and let us talk; there is no need for such a grand ceremony."

Unexpectedly, the river god did not rise; instead, he lowered his head even further and said respectfully:

"King Jiao, please accept my greetings. This humble deity is not merely bowing to express gratitude."

Although I am of lowly rank, I have heard that the Dragon King is favored by the Barefoot Immortal.

Possessing the Cave Yin Water Talisman bestowed by the Great Immortal, he is truly the superior official of us, the four water gods, the River God, and the Lake Lord!

This is how a minor deity should be, this is how a minor deity should be!

Seeing that he was determined, Xuan Ling did not press the matter further and instead asked:

"Judging from this strange creature's behavior, it seems to be a foreign demon. Do you know its origins or background?"

The river god pondered for a moment, then replied:

"Reporting to the Dragon King, this mandarin fish arrived here abruptly three years ago and forcibly occupied the Lesser Divine Water Palace."

His usual behavior was indeed different from that of the demons of Dongsheng Shenzhou. He was quite arrogant and often uttered evil words, and despised the local customs.

Observing its appearance and habits, the little god secretly guessed that it either came from the bitterly cold and ferocious Northern Continent or from the Western Continent.

"West Niu Hezhou... three years ago..."

Xuan Ling's eyes flashed slightly, his thoughts racing.

Three years ago, the True Lord was ordered to descend to the mortal realm and begin his tour of the four continents.

The Lei family's army marched forth, vanquishing evil and demons with overwhelming force.

Could this demon have witnessed the might of Heaven at that time and, in fear, fled in panic to the Eastern Continent of Divine Victory to avoid disaster?

Xuan Ling had a vague idea of ​​what was going on and had roughly guessed the origin of this mandarin fish spirit.

It is likely that there are quite a few old demons and those burdened with karmic obstacles who have fled and gone into hiding, wandering to other continents, out of fear of the True Lord's inspection tour of heavenly might.

Xuan Ling secretly memorized this passage.

Demons may escape and find temporary peace, but their nature is hard to change, and they will cause trouble again sooner or later.

Qingchi Ridge is located in a corner of Dongsheng Shenzhou, and it should pay close attention to any unusual movements in the surrounding areas in the future.

Xuan Ling composed himself and saw that the river god was still prostrating on the ground, looking hesitant and troubled, as if he had something to say. So he asked:

"Is there anything else?"

The river god's body trembled. After a moment of silence, he finally gritted his teeth, touched his head to the ground, and said:

"King Jiao, please understand. This humble god has another matter that is difficult to speak of, but I must report it."

Previously, the mandarin fish demon had used force to coerce and detain the minor god, forcing him to order the nearby villages to offer up young boys and girls for his own consumption.

Although this was not my original intention, aiding and abetting evil has already incurred sin. I know full well that this matter violates the laws of Heaven and that my punishment is grave.

He paused, stealing a glance at Xuan Ling's expression. Seeing that Xuan Ling's face was ashen and showed no anger, he mustered his remaining courage and continued:

"I have heard that when the Great Calamity of the Weak Water ravaged the four seas in the past, the Flood Dragon King and the True Lord of the Pure Law who patrolled the four continents worked together to calm the waves and stabilize the sea, and went through the calamity together."

It is likely that the True Lord will recognize the venerable face of the Dragon King.

This humble deity humbly begs the Dragon King that when the True Lord patrols and passes through this land in the future, he may plead for the sake of this sinful deity.

"I know my sins are grave, and I dare not ask for forgiveness. I only hope to have a chance to repent..."

After speaking, he bowed deeply again, not daring to raise his head.

Xuan Ling stood still for a moment, his crimson-gold vertical pupils calm and undisturbed, and slowly said:

"How the True Lord of Jingfa makes his judgment is beyond my ability to comment."

Although you were coerced into doing evil, you still did it anyway, and this transgression is difficult to forgive.

The river god's face turned pale.

But Xuan Ling continued, "Things have come to this point. Rather than living in constant fear and dread of divine wrath, it is better to remain steadfast in one's duties."

He fulfilled his duties as the water god, regulated the water veins, protected the region, and made amends for his mistakes through good deeds and atonement for his sins.

Heaven is moved, and the True Lord, with keen insight, may be able to show leniency and forgiveness to some extent.

He said no more.

Whether one can comprehend it and whether one can put it into practice depends entirely on the River God of the Taki River.

The laws of nature are merciless, yet they leave a glimmer of hope. However, this glimmer of hope cannot be obtained through begging, but can only be achieved through action.

Xuan Ling then parted the waves and rode the current, his figure in black robes instantly merging into the rushing river and disappearing from sight, heading straight for the next place he needed to visit.

Only the River God of the Taki River remained, kneeling alone in the dilapidated water palace, facing the empty halls.

Tears streamed down his face; he didn't know if it was regret or fear.

The following three days saw widespread turmoil.

Several demon caves and water palaces, as well as several Xuanzong sects, suffered successive disasters and collapsed with a roar.

From ancient demon kings to illustrious immortals, none who coveted Qingchi Ridge or plotted against it escaped unscathed.

For a moment, the atmosphere became tense and silent.

Only then did the cultivators from all directions truly realize that the Flood Dragon Demon King, who had been in seclusion on Yunmang Mountain for several years, had not only emerged from seclusion but also possessed even greater cultivation and more ruthless methods than before.

…………

…………

Qingchi Ridge and Yunmang Mountain.

The atmosphere inside Xuanqing Cave was solemn.

Xuan Ling sat upright in the highest seat, his crimson-gold vertical pupils cold and majestic, sweeping over everyone in the hall.

Behind her, the three sisters, wisteria, peach, and pear blossom, stood quietly in service.

On the left and right sides, the right commander, Black Fat, held two copper hammers, while the left commander, Shrimp Big Hand, pressed down on the water-splitting knife, both looking majestic and imposing.

Below the hall, figures from various factions of Qingchi Ridge stood on either side, gathered together in a large group.

The left column consists of a group of Golden Core cultivators led by Xuan Gu Shangren, while the right column consists of various demon generals and managers from within the ridge, led by Qing Yuan.