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

Azure flames cascaded like a waterfall, and azure thunder roared like a prison.

With these attacks from above and below, the thunder and fire instantly engulfed the void a hundred feet in front of the palace gate, leaving only a vast expanse of intense, heart-stopping blue.

The cultivators watching from afar were all terrified by this power, their faces turning ashen.

The blue phoenix soared high in the heavens, flapping its wings to ignite fire; the azure dragon coiled on the blue waves, stirring up thunder and controlling the waves.

On the branches of the Jianmu tree, the ancient, silent jade beast statues now trembled, their jade shells peeling away.

Their true forms, whether ferocious or divine, are revealed within them; they are all ancient or wondrous beasts from the heavens.

Its body was brimming with vitality, no less than that of a true spirit, clearly a manifestation of the protective restrictions imposed by the palace's guardians.

At this moment, they roared and rushed in from all directions, some treading on fire, some riding the wind, some playing with water, and some spitting poison, wanting to wipe out the intruders.

In an instant, within a radius of a hundred miles in front of the palace gate, thunder and fire intertwined, strange beasts galloped, and the light of Taoist magic and treasures flashed wildly, with roars and screams echoing endlessly.

Chen Jiao, however, did not care much. Amid the chaos, he raised his hand and grabbed a purple-striped jade tiger that was pouncing towards him, freezing it in mid-air.

The jade tiger then disintegrated, but there was no filthy flesh or blood; only a surge of pure, turbulent azure energy remained.

It eventually condensed into a palm-sized, warm and translucent blue jade talisman, which floated quietly.

Chen Jiao's eyes narrowed slightly. He scanned the jade talisman with his divine sense and immediately sensed that the energy within it was faintly in harmony with the hundred-foot palace gate, flowing continuously.

"So that's how it is. The key to entry lies within these jade beasts," Chen Jiao thought to himself.

Among the remaining cultivators, those with keen eyes and sharp minds gradually discerned the key.

"It's a token! Scatter these jade beasts, and you'll receive a token to enter the palace!"

"Seize the jade talisman immediately!"

While fighting off the jade beast's attacks, everyone glanced at their fellow members, secretly becoming wary.

This is because the number of these jade beasts is limited, far from enough to be shared equally among everyone present.

The jade talisman is both an opportunity and a source of trouble.

Those powerful demon kings, including the Roc Demon King and the Lion Camel King, who had previously withstood the bombardment of azure flames and lightning, now appeared disheveled, their auras fluctuating.

The edges of the Roc Demon King's golden wings showed faint scorch marks, and his face was gloomy; the Lion Camel King's mane was curly, and he roared repeatedly; the Macaque King dodged quickly, but he was also panting heavily.

Furthermore, two unnamed celestial demon kings suffered severe injuries, their protective aura shattered and their armor stained with blood.

As soon as they escaped danger, they saw the jade beasts move strangely and immediately transformed into streaks of light, scattering in all directions, unwilling to gather in one place again.

However, the Azure Phoenix and the Azure Dragon showed no intention of stopping.

The blue phoenix flapped its wings, scattering a continuous rain of azure fire; the azure dragon swung its tail, stirring up towering waves carrying azure thunder.

Up and down, thunder and fire clashed, churning wildly between the blue sky and the sea.

The energy was locked onto every outsider, clearly indicating that it intended to thoroughly eliminate any intruders.

Seeing that the azure phoenix and the blue dragon's ferocity intensified, with azure flames covering the sky and azure thunder crisscrossing,

One after another, cultivators with shallow cultivation were swept into it, their blood staining the blue waves, their cries of agony never ceasing.

A group of highly skilled immortal cultivators and demons, seeing that the ordinary jade beast could be transformed into a jade talisman,

It seemed to align with the palace gate's restrictions, and naturally, they were unwilling to fight these two ancient true spirits.

They all flashed away, heading back to target the scattered jade beasts, hoping to seize more jade talismans or perhaps find something else of significance.

This caused great hardship for the Golden Core and Nascent Soul cultivators who were originally dealing with the strange beasts on the periphery.

Seeing these usually unapproachable cultivators suddenly turn around and compete with him, he was not only angry, but also terrified and powerless.

Often, in a single encounter, the beast that has been fighting hard for a long time is easily captured, and the attacker is almost injured by the aftershocks.

The Azure Phoenix and the Azure Dragon, unable to break through after a long siege, grew even more ferocious.

Azure flames hung like waterfalls, distorting half the sky; azure thunder roared like pythons, blasting the vast blue waves into countless holes.

The screams and wails were deafening, and in the blink of an eye, more than a dozen cultivators perished.

"We implore you all to cultivate your compassion and subdue these two evil spirits!"

Otherwise, if we allow it to run rampant, none of us will be able to get near the palace gates; our efforts will be in vain, and we fear we will all perish here!

A Taoist priest, half-charred from being struck by the aftershocks of the azure lightning, amplified his voice with his magical power, shouting in panic that echoed in all directions.

These words immediately drew a chorus of anxious agreement.

However, the blue phoenix spewed flames and the azure dragon stirred up thunder, its ferocious power overwhelming the heavens; who would dare to step forward?

"snort."

A cold, hoarse voice, carried by the swirling, demonic wind, came from an unknown direction, yet it clearly reached everyone's ears.

"You Xuanzong immortal cultivators, and even the Jingfa Zhenjun who controls the heavenly thunder in the Heavenly Court, are still holding back, trying to protect yourselves."

Why should we demons be the first to stick our necks out and save you from disaster?

As soon as he finished speaking, many demon kings and ghost lords flashed a mocking look in their eyes.

Clearly, none of them wanted to be the first to fight to the death with the Azure Phoenix and Azure Dragon, who were obviously the core of the palace, and waste their magic power for nothing, thus benefiting others.

Many people also harbored the idea of ​​sitting on the sidelines and watching the tigers fight, or even hoping that the Heavenly Court True Lord would first fight the restriction to the death.

The situation became tense and chaotic.

Chen Jiao was concentrating, wanting to try his skills on one of the ancient true spirits and also to see if the jade talisman formed after its dissipation held any hidden secrets.

Upon hearing the demon's mocking words, a flash of blazing white lightning appeared in Chen Jiao's palm.

A halberd formed from lightning materialized from the void and was firmly held in his palm.

The tip of the halberd emitted bursts of lightning, illuminating the surrounding azure aura.

He didn't rush to attack, but simply pointed his lightning halberd diagonally, glancing at the source of the demonic wind, and said:

"You have stirred up the ancient spirits, and instead of joining forces to annihilate them, you have driven the scourge into the human world in order to protect yourselves."

With such shallow understanding and limited knowledge, how dare you speak so presumptuously about right and wrong?

Upon hearing this, the demon hidden in the evil wind paused, its expression becoming agitated by Chen Jiao's words.

Meanwhile, the nearby Peng Demon King also had a slightly somber expression, clearly feeling embarrassed that his thoughts had been exposed.

Then the demon, enraged and ashamed, immediately retorted in a shrill voice:

"Since the True Lord says so, why not personally go down into the arena and let us see what your superior insight is? Or are you afraid to confront those two wicked beasts?"

If that's the case, what right do you have to criticize us here?

"Boom!" A loud bang was heard.

A bolt of blazing white lightning burst forth from the tip of the halberd, tearing through the sky of azure flames, and arrived in an instant.

It struck the back of the azure dragon that was churning the blue waves and spewing out green thunder!

"hold head high!"

The azure dragon immediately let out a deafening roar of pain, flying backwards for hundreds of miles before crashing heavily into the distant blue waves.

It splashed up towering waves, and wherever the dragon's body passed, the blue thunder dissipated, and the water curtain was like a wall.

The world fell silent.

Whether they were struggling cultivators or immortals and demons with their own agendas, they all involuntarily held their breath and looked at the figure in the black cloak.

Chen Jiao stood beneath the azure sky, halberd in hand, his black cloak fluttering, lightning crackling around him.

His gaze calmly swept over the struggling, thrashing dragon, then across the bewildered blue phoenix in the sky, and he spoke softly:

"Let's see how I will act."