Journey to the West: Deer Power Immortal, Starting from Becoming a Disciple of the Supreme Lord Tais

Withdrawing his gaze, Lu Qingxuan turned his cloud and flew towards Zhongnan Mountain.

After a long while, Zhongnan Mountain came into view.

Tiger Power Immortal and Sheep Power Immortal were already waiting in the Taoist temple. When they saw him return, they quickly came out to greet him.

Tiger Power Immortal grinned and asked, "Third Brother, what about the monkeys on Five Elements Mountain? Are they really as ferocious as the legends say?"

Lu Qingxuan landed on the ground and laughed, "Although the Great Sage Equaling Heaven is suppressed under the mountain, his prestige is not diminished. He is quite a man of character in his words."

Yangli Daxian stroked his beard and asked, "Third brother, did you go to see him specifically for something?"

Lu Qingxuan shook his head, offering no further explanation, and simply said, "It's just about forming a good connection."

"On this trip south, we've had many opportunities and met many remarkable people. From now on, we should focus on our spiritual cultivation."

Tiger Power Immortal nodded and said, "Third Brother is right. After refining the ginseng fruit this time, I feel that I am only one step away from becoming a Xuanxian. If I go into seclusion for a while longer, I will definitely attract a heavenly tribulation."

Yangli Daxian also said, "I'm almost there too. My third brother is already at the peak of the Xuanxian realm, just one step away from becoming a Jinxian. But this step is difficult to achieve through hard work alone; he needs a stroke of luck."

Lu Qingxuan smiled and said, "Opportunities cannot be forced. Let's focus on doing what's in front of us first, and what's meant to come will come."

He paused, then said, "Next, I want to go to Flower Fruit Mountain."

Tiger Power Immortal was taken aback: "Flower Fruit Mountain? Isn't that the monkey's lair?"

Lu Qingxuan said, "The Great Sage asked me to keep an eye on his monkeys and their offspring. Since I promised, I can't go back on my word. Besides, Flower Fruit Mountain is on the coast of the East Sea, not far from here. It won't take long to go there."

Yangli Daxian said, "Third brother, although Flower Fruit Mountain is that monkey's territory, he has been imprisoned under the mountain for many years. His monkey offspring have been left unattended and have probably been bullied beyond recognition by various monsters. If you go there, you will inevitably get into trouble."

Lu Qingxuan laughed and said, "Cause trouble? Haven't we caused enough trouble already? We're not afraid of getting a lot of lice, and we're not worried about having too much debt."

Tiger Power Immortal laughed heartily: "Third Brother, you speak so frankly! Let's go together then, so we can look out for each other."

Lu Qingxuan shook his head and said, "My two senior brothers will stay in the temple to cultivate. I will go alone."

The situation at Huaguo Mountain is unclear; a large number of people may not necessarily be a good thing.

Besides, you are only one step away from a breakthrough, and you should focus on your cultivation instead of getting distracted.

Hu Li and Yang Li exchanged a glance, realizing that Lu Qingxuan was right, and stopped arguing.

Three days later, after making some simple adjustments, Lu Qingxuan rode the clouds alone and headed east.

Huaguo Mountain is located on the coast of the East China Sea, thousands of miles away from Zhongnan Mountain. With his stamina, he could reach it in half a day.

As he flew, he pondered the situation at Flower Fruit Mountain. After Sun Wukong was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain, the monkeys of Flower Fruit Mountain lost their protector, and the surrounding demon kings would inevitably come to bully them.

Sun Wukong asked him to go and see, most likely because he wanted him to stand up for those monkeys and their followers.

"Since I've agreed, I can't let him down," Lu Qingxuan murmured.

As they were walking, a dark cloud suddenly drifted in from the front, and a bull-headed demon stood on the cloud, holding a steel fork, blocking their way.

The bull-headed demon was burly and had a pair of bull-like eyes glaring at Lu Qingxuan. He shouted, "Hey! This mountain is mine, these trees are mine. If you want to pass, leave your toll!"

Lu Qingxuan sized him up and laughed, "You, a mere Golden Core stage demon, dare to block my path?"

The bull-headed demon was taken aback. After carefully sensing Lu Qingxuan's aura, his expression changed drastically, and he almost dropped his steel fork.

He stammered, "You...you are a Mystic Immortal?"

Lu Qingxuan was too lazy to argue with him. With a flick of his sleeve, a gentle breeze sent the bull-headed demon, along with the cloud, flying a hundred feet away.

The bull-headed demon somersaulted several times in the air before finally regaining his balance. Not daring to say another word, he rode away on a dark cloud.

Lu Qingxuan shook his head and continued eastward.

After flying for another hour, a verdant mountain peak appeared faintly in the distance where the sea and sky met. The mountain range was continuous and covered with lush vegetation; it was Huaguo Mountain.

Lu Qingxuan descended from the clouds and landed at the foot of the mountain.

Looking up, one sees craggy rocks, towering ancient trees, and cascading waterfalls on the mountain, making it a rare and beautiful place.

However, the mountain path was overgrown with weeds, clearly indicating that no one had taken care of it for a long time.

He climbed the mountain path step by step, and before he had gone far, several monkeys suddenly jumped out of the bushes, holding sticks and stones, chattering and blocking his way.

The leader was an old monkey with white fur and a wrinkled face, but his eyes gleamed with shrewdness. He sized up Lu Qingxuan and asked warily, "Who are you? What brings you to my Flower Fruit Mountain?"

Lu Qingxuan cupped his hands and said, "Old man, do not be afraid. I am a cultivator from Zhongnan Mountain. I have been entrusted by the Great Sage to come and visit you."

The old monkey was taken aback, then his eyes reddened, and he said in a trembling voice, "You...you've seen my king? Is he still alive?"

Lu Qingxuan nodded and said, "Although the Great Sage is imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain, he is still in good spirits. He asked me to tell you that he is still alive and will return sooner or later."

Upon hearing this, the old monkey burst into tears, knelt down with a thud, and kowtowed three times in the direction of the Five Elements Mountain.

Lu Qingxuan stepped forward to help the old monkey up, saying, "Old man, there's no need for that. Although the Great Sage cannot return for the time being, he has always been thinking of you. Have you encountered any difficulties on Flower Fruit Mountain?"

The old monkey wiped away his tears and sighed, "After the Great King was imprisoned under the mountain, we monkeys lost our support and life became difficult. Monsters from the surrounding mountains bullied us, stole our fruits, and occupied our territory. The most hateful one was that Demon King, who took advantage of the Great King's absence, occupied the Water Curtain Cave, and drove us out."

Now we can only build a few shacks at the foot of the mountain to barely make ends meet.

Lu Qingxuan frowned and asked, "The Demon King? Where is he?"

The old monkey pointed to a mountain peak and said, "It's right there. They've taken over the Water Curtain Cave. That fellow is incredibly powerful; we can't beat him."

Lu Qingxuan nodded and said, "Old man, please lead the way. I'll go and meet him."

The old monkey was both surprised and delighted, but also somewhat worried: "Daoist Master, that Demon King is not easy to deal with, you..."

Lu Qingxuan smiled and said, "It's alright."

Seeing his confidence, the old monkey led a group of monkeys and guided Lu Qingxuan up the mountain.

We wound our way up the rugged mountain path until we passed through a peach grove, and then the terrain ahead suddenly opened up.

A huge waterfall cascades down the cliff, its roar like thunder, and a misty haze hangs in the air.

Behind the waterfall, a cave entrance can be vaguely seen; it is the Water Curtain Cave!

Lu Qingxuan's gaze swept across the area, where several small demons were sunbathing in the open space in front of the waterfall. They were startled when they saw Lu Qingxuan and his companions, then jumped out, shouting, "Where did these wild Taoists come from? How dare they trespass on my king's territory! They're asking for trouble!"