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

Lu Qingxuan's gaze remained calm: "No matter how powerful the Demon-Revealing Mirror is, it can only reveal demons and evil spirits. If Your Majesty does not engage in demonic activities, why should you fear it?"

King Yellow Eyebrows' smile remained unchanged as he said, "Master Deer, you jest. Since I have descended to the mortal realm, I am a demon. How can I speak of fear or dread?"

"However, the Taoist priest has been killing my men these past few days, one by one with a sword, clean and efficient. If I don't come here in person, I'm afraid he will wipe out all of my men's resources."

Seeing King Huangmei protest, Lu Qingxuan said calmly, "Your people destroyed my temple and defiled my statues. It is only right and proper for me to kill them. If you are not satisfied, you are welcome to take action."

Upon hearing this, the Yellow-Eyebrowed King looked at Lu Qingxuan in silence for a moment, then suddenly said, "Daoist Lu, do you know why I destroyed your Three Immortals Shrine?"

Lu Qingxuan said, "That's exactly what I wanted to ask you."

King Yellow Eyebrows sighed and said, "It's not that I want to destroy it, it's that I have no choice but to destroy it."

Lu Qingxuan raised an eyebrow slightly: "What do you mean by that?"

King Yellow Eyebrows took two steps forward and sat down on a blue stone three zhang away from Lu Qingxuan, his posture relaxed, as if he were catching up with an old friend.

He asked, "Master Lu, are you aware of the eastward expansion of Buddhism?"

Lu Qingxuan said, "I've heard a little about it."

King Yellow Eyebrows nodded and said, "The eastward expansion of Buddhism is inevitable. All the Buddhas of the West and Bodhisattvas from all directions are making arrangements for this. Although I secretly fled to the mortal realm, I still bear a mission."

Lu Qingxuan remained silent. He knew the mission that King Huangmei had mentioned, but that was not a reason to attack the Three Immortals Shrine.

Seeing that Lu Qingxuan remained unmoved, the Yellow-Eyebrowed King continued, "But the Taoist's Three Immortals Temple is built right on the only road, and its incense is very popular, making it deeply trusted by the people."

With you here, all the people will come to worship you. Who will come to worship me?

"My superiors want me to collect incense offerings and build a temple. If I can't even collect incense offerings, how can I explain myself?"

Lu Qingxuan sneered, "Does Your Majesty mean that I am out of touch with reality?"

The Yellow-Eyebrowed King did not answer directly, but said, "Daoist, we have no enmity and I do not wish to be your enemy."

But the eastward expansion of Buddhism is an inevitable trend that you cannot stop. I am not here to fight today, but to persuade you.

Lu Qingxuan said calmly, "What are you trying to persuade me of?"

King Yellow Eyebrows stood up and said solemnly, "The Three Immortals Shrine will retreat a hundred miles back to the heart of Zhongnan Mountain. This area to the south will be given to me."

"I won't touch your incense offerings, and you won't disturb my temple. Let's each take a step back, and from now on, we'll keep to ourselves."

He looked at Lu Qingxuan with sincere eyes, "Daoist, think about it. The people trust your Three Immortals Temple. Even if you retreat a hundred miles, the incense offerings will not necessarily be less."

My Little Thunder Temple is newly established and needs incense offerings to sustain it.

"You've shown me some leniency, and I'll remember this favor. Perhaps the Taoist priest will need my help someday."

Lu Qingxuan frowned slightly. The Yellow-Eyebrowed King's suggestion seemed fair, but in reality, it was forcing him to make concessions.

The Three Immortals Temple was moved a hundred miles away, which meant that a large area of ​​land to the south was handed over to the Buddhist sect.

Lu Qingxuan is no child. If he yields a hundred li today and a thousand li tomorrow, how many of the Three Immortals Shrines on Zhongnan Mountain will be left in the end?

Lu Qingxuan raised his head and looked at the Yellow-Eyebrowed King, saying, "The Three Immortals Shrine will not be demolished. Whom the people want to worship is their own business. If you want to compete for incense offerings, then show your true abilities and make the people willingly worship you."

"Winning by destroying temples and desecrating idols is an dishonest victory."

Upon hearing this, the Yellow-Eyebrowed King's expression changed slightly: "Does Master Lu mean he's unwilling to compromise?"

"Yes, if Your Majesty wishes to make a move, then so be it." Lu Qingxuan's long sword flashed, its aura chilling.

The Yellow-Eyebrowed King stared at Lu Qingxuan for a long time, then suddenly laughed, though the laugh was tinged with bitterness. He said, "Daoist Lu, you're quite open-minded, but how am I going to explain this to others when I get back?"

Lu Qingxuan said, "That's your business. If you want to finish your job, then go and compete for the incense offerings yourself. If you can't compete, then it's because you're not good enough, and you can't blame others."

King Yellow Eyebrows remained silent for a long time, then shook his head and said, "Enough, enough. I will not fight with you today, but this matter will not end here."

He turned to leave, but stopped after taking two steps and turned back to say, "Master Lu, we are destined to meet again. Whether we become enemies or friends then will depend on your choice."

Lu Qingxuan replied, "I'll be waiting anytime."

With a flicker, the Yellow-Eyebrowed King transformed into a golden light and vanished into the horizon.

Lu Qingxuan stood still. Although this standoff did not involve any fighting, it was more exhausting than a battle.

He understood that the Yellow-Eyebrowed King had not come to fight today, but to test his trump card and his resolve.

If he shows weakness, the other party will take advantage of him; if he is assertive, the other party will find another way.

It's clear he won this round, but it wasn't an easy victory.

However, this means that the Yellow-Eyebrowed King should not make a move again in the near future...

With this thought in mind, Lu Qingxuan turned and headed towards Zhongnan Mountain.

When he returned to Zhongnan Mountain, it was almost dawn.

Tiger Power Immortal and Sheep Power Immortal sensed Lu Qingxuan's aura and walked out of the meditation room together.

"Third brother, how is it? Has the Yellow-Eyebrowed King arrived?" Tiger Power Immortal asked.

Lu Qingxuan sat down at the stone table and recounted what had just happened.

Tiger Power Immortal frowned upon hearing this and said, "Third Brother, you're just going to let him go like that?"

Lu Qingxuan shook his head and said, "What else can we do but not let him go?"

It wasn't that he was unwilling to take action, but this matter was of great importance. The calamity at Xiaoleiyin Temple held a pivotal position in Journey to the West, and if it were to be touched, the entire West would likely be mobilized.

At that time, he might be able to exonerate himself by relying on his status as a disciple of the Supreme Dao Ancestor. What about Hu Li and Yang Li?

Since the two demons have no powerful backing, the Western gods and Buddhas will certainly not let them off easily.

Yangli Daxian stroked his beard and said, "Third brother did a good job; it's best to resolve it this way."

Tiger Power Immortal seemed to understand the implications, nodded, and asked, "Will he come again in the future?"

Lu Qingxuan nodded and said, "They will come, but they won't send anyone to cause trouble for a while. They need time to redeploy, and we also need time to strengthen our defenses."

Tiger Power Immortal said, "That's excellent. But Third Brother, what do we do next? Should we continue expanding?"

Lu Qingxuan smiled and said, "Of course we will. Both of you brothers have already experienced the benefits of the incense offerings and vows. If the Yellow-Eyebrowed King wants to compete for the incense offerings, let him compete. As long as he doesn't use underhanded tricks, we won't hold it against him. But if he does use underhanded tricks, we won't be polite."

The Yellow-Eyebrowed King clearly knew his identity, otherwise he wouldn't have retreated this time. Since the other party also had reservations, they wouldn't completely break off relations; it was just a few underhanded tricks, and they would continue.

If it really comes down to a life-or-death situation, he won't hold back.

"Good!" Tiger Power and Sheep Power nodded repeatedly.

...

In the following days, nothing else happened at the Three Immortals Shrine, and the incense offerings began to recover. Feeling the changes in the incense offerings within their bodies, the three demons all nodded in satisfaction.

It's no wonder that the Yellow-Eyebrowed King was envious; with over a hundred temples dedicated to the Three Immortals, one can imagine how much incense they must burn.

However, Lu Qingxuan did not let his guard down. The Yellow-Eyebrowed King would not give up just because he did not retreat, and neither would the Buddhist sect.

No matter what moves the Yellow-Eyebrowed King makes, Lu Qingxuan will meet them all head-on!