Simultaneous travel: I am proving the great way in the heavens.

Chapter 561 Murder and Arson in One Go! He's ruined the Dao Ancestor's reputation! The Sage is ruthless, treating the people like straw dogs!

As the mount of Laozi, the Unicorn King is indeed extraordinary in its abilities and formidable in its strength.

I don't know how many of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Methods and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiend Techniques I've mastered.

But magic is not the fundamental thing. Seeking the Dao through magic is the path of earth immortals. Even as a mount, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King could not jump directly from the teachings of Laozi to the path of Zhen Yuanzi, the ancestor of earth immortals.

Spells are merely a tool, not the essence of magic.

Luo Fu seemed to be deliberately shattering the perceptions of the Unicorn King.

During the battle, as he displayed more and more of the Dao and principles that were different from the Dao of the Three Realms, the merits bestowed by Heaven's favor caused Luo Fu's realm, cultivation foundation, and every second to continuously improve.

As an opponent, the Unicorn King fully experienced what it means to grow stronger with each battle.

In truth, Luo Fu had never launched a real offensive; his numerous defensive techniques alone caused the Unicorn King to suffer a great loss.

Even the King of the Unicorns suspected that if Luo Fu were to take action, he would be suppressed instantly, even with the Vajra Bracelet bestowed upon him by the Master, which could not bring him any sense of security.

The Vajra Bracelet is indeed a treasure of great merit, but alas, the heavenly merit bestowed by Heaven is as if it has linked Luofu to the Heavenly Dao.

Luofu is like an infant emerging from its mother's womb, with heaven and earth as its placenta and the divine favor that forms a continuous line as its umbilical cord, constantly infusing Luofu with merit.

The One-Horned Rhinoceros King might not be certain about other things, but back then, he carried Laozi all the way out of the pass and westward. He could be said to have witnessed Laozi's transformation from barbarian to Buddhist. The creation of the Vajra Bracelet, a treasure of acquired merit, also happened before his eyes.

In his view, the merit bestowed by Heaven during his battle with Luofu was no less than that bestowed upon him when Laozi transformed the barbarians into Buddha.

If Laozi (Taishang Laojun) collected the Heavenly Dao merits from converting barbarians to Buddhism and refined them into the Vajra Bracelet, a magical artifact of acquired merits, then how terrifying would Luofu be if he used Heavenly Dao merits that were no less powerful than before to enhance his strength?
Putting aside Luo Fu's endless methods, just in terms of the amount of merit, this is equivalent to Luo Fu using the Heavenly Dao merit that was enough to refine a new acquired merit magic weapon, the Vajra Bracelet, to enhance his strength.

Strength is fundamental; a lifeless magic weapon is certainly no match for the improvement of a cultivator's own realm.

If he continues to be locked in a stalemate with Luo Fu, not only will he be unable to complete Laozi's mission, but he may not even be able to save his own life, and the Vajra Bracelet will fall into Luo Fu's hands.

Upon seeing the vast expanse of fine, powdery golden cinnabar filling the sky and earth, the Unicorn King instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

The appearance of the Golden Elixir Sand itself signifies that his mission is nearing completion.

Without a second thought, the Unicorn King swayed, and his thirty-six avatars instantly merged into one. Having abandoned the initiative to attack, the Unicorn King then adopted a posture of fully activating the Golden Elixir Sand.

It was visible to the naked eye that in a short period of time, the overwhelming amount of golden cinnabar had covered the space outside the Golden Gourd Cave by more than three feet.

Upon feeling the slight vibration of the Vajra Bracelet, the Unicorn King was overjoyed and used all the power of the Vajra Bracelet to collect the Golden Elixir Sand beneath his feet.

The One-Horned Rhinoceros King appeared to be unable to fight any longer, withdrew the magic power of the Vajra Bracelet, and plunged into the Golden Gourd Cave.

Luo Fu, however, showed no intention of pressing his advantage.

Because he could already sense a figure descending gracefully from the sky.

The person who came was none other than Laozi, the mastermind behind the disaster at Jindu Cave that had befallen the westward-bound group.

Upon seeing the arrival of Laozi, Luofu dared not be negligent. He put away his many magical treasures and concealed his dazzling seven-colored Buddhist light. He nodded slightly to Laozi and said, "Greetings, Dao Ancestor."

"Fellow Daoist's divine might has greatly broadened my horizons." Laozi looked at Luofu with profound eyes and said, "Fellow Daoist, if you have time, why not go to the Tushita Palace for a visit?"

Sensing the profound meaning in Laozi's tone, Luo Fu's heart stirred instantly.

He would never forget that if Laozi had given him the Yin-Yang Dust Bottle through Zhang Ziyang, Luo Fu wouldn't have been able to refine the innate Yin-Yang Qi in the bottle into his own supernatural power so quickly.

Suddenly, Luo Fu sensed that Laozi's invitation was an opportunity for him to make a decision.

Luo Fu immediately agreed, saying, "How could this humble monk dare to refuse Laozi's invitation?"

"Haha..." Laozi laughed and said, "After I have dealt with this wicked creature, I will wait for your arrival in the Tushita Palace."

The tone shifted abruptly, and Laozi's expression changed, revealing an angry look. He said loudly, "Niu'er, you wretched creature, why don't you come out and greet me at once?"

The One-Horned Rhinoceros King, who had been waiting for Laozi's arrival, seemed to have been guarding the cave entrance the moment he heard the voice.

Hastily opening the mountain gate and stepping out of the cave, the One-Horned Rhinoceros King glanced up at Laozi standing on the clouds. He immediately dropped to the ground on all fours, rolled on the spot, and transformed into a magnificent blue ox with flat horns. With a moo, his four hooves sprang into the air and obediently flew to Laozi's side.

With a casual touch, Laozi obtained the Vajra Bracelet, which he then placed directly on the nose of the horned ox as a ox ring.

Upon seeing this, Luo Fu's eyes flashed.

Laozi truly deserves to be hailed as the ancestor of Taoism.

Although the sect has few disciples, there has never been a case like the Twelve Golden Immortals of Jade Void Palace who abandoned Taoism for Buddhism.

Indeed, Lao Tzu truly rewards his disciples for their merits.

Before this, although the Vajra Bracelet was usable by the Green Ox with Horned Horns, it was, as he had told Sun Wukong, that it had been stolen by the Green Ox with Horned Horns.

In other words, the Vajra Bracelet is a personal magic weapon of Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao).

The ownership belongs to Laozi.

But now, when Laozi transformed the Vajra Bracelet into a bull's ring, it meant that this acquired treasure, which was originally crafted with the merit of converting barbarians to Buddhism, had been completely bestowed upon the Green Ox with Horns.

This is clearly a reward for the Green Ox with the Horned Horn successfully completing the task.

As a leader, such clear distinction between rewards and punishments explains why all the disciples of Laozi are so loyal.

Just like with Golden Horn and Silver Horn before, even though they were tricked by Sun Wukong and then refined by him using his magic weapon, neither Golden Horn nor Silver Horn ever betrayed Laozi, not even uttering a single word. In the end, Laozi himself came and took action, reviving Golden Horn and Silver Horn who had been refined by the magic weapon.

Even setting aside Laozi's status as the Dao Ancestor, his clear distinction between good and punishment alone would be enough to make countless people willingly die for him.

When the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, a flat-horned green ox, was taken away by Laozi, even the Vajra Bracelet became the green ox's nose ring because of his merit.

It should be noted that the Vajra Bracelet was a magical artifact that Laozi (the Supreme Lord Lao) used for protection. Its profound mystery is unimaginable. Looking at the Three Realms today, it can be considered one of the top magical artifacts.

More importantly, the Vajra Bracelet was a treasure of acquired merit created by Laozi when he converted barbarians to Buddhism. It is infinitely versatile, impervious to water and fire, and can strike all things. Even Sun Wukong, who is indestructible, was struck by it and his Niwan Palace was instantly shaken, his mind was confused, and he was captured by the Heavenly Court.

Most incredibly, the Vajra Bracelet's ability to capture all things is simply illogical.

In the Three Realms, magical treasures and weapons are actually two different concepts.

For example, Sun Wukong's Ruyi Jingu Bang, Zhu Bajie's Nine-Toothed Rake, and Sha Wujing's Demon-Subduing Staff are all weapons. This also includes Erlang Shen's Three-Pointed Double-Edged Sword, Nezha's Fire-Tipped Spear, and so on.

Such items as Guanyin's jade bottle and Laozi's banana leaf fan belong to the category of magical treasures.

There are also some that fall somewhere in between, such as the Jade Void Palace Immortal Sword that Guanyin gave to Luofu, and the Yin-Yang Two Qi Floating Dust that Zhang Ziyang gave to Luofu. These are types that can be used as both magic weapons and magic treasures.

But whether it's magic treasures, weapons, or even supernatural powers, they can all be easily taken away by the Vajra Bracelet.

This is a rare feat achieved by an extremely rare individual in the Three Realms.

In the entire Three Realms, there are probably only the Seven Treasures Tree of the Western Saint Zhunti Daoist and the Five-Colored Divine Light of the Peacock King, among others, that have similar wondrous uses to the Vajra Bracelet.

Even in the era of the Investiture of the Gods, the famous Treasure-Losing Coin seemed to pale in comparison to the Vajra Bracelet, a magical treasure acquired through merit.

After all, the Treasure-Dropping Coin can only take down magical treasures. It can't do anything about weapons or special treasures that are somewhere between magical treasures and weapons. It's nothing like the Vajra Bracelet, which can be taken down at will and is considered to be invincible.

After Laozi summoned back the Green Ox with Horned Horns and mounted his mount, he showed no remorse for being the culprit behind the trouble at Golden Gourd Cave. He casually patted the Green Ox on the forehead.

With a loud moo, the green ox with its four hooves trod on the clouds and headed straight for the Heavenly Court.

Sun Wukong, standing to the side, muttered resentfully, "Laojun is too unreasonable. He was clearly one of my disciples' mounts, yet he captured my master and hasn't even said a word."

“Wukong.” Luo Fu raised an eyebrow and looked at Sun Wukong beside him.

In front of Luofu, Sun Wukong dared not show any arrogance; he only displayed his clever and quick-witted side.

If before, when Sun Wukong first invited Luofu out of the mountains, his respect for Luofu was mostly due to Luofu's status as the patriarch of the Middle Vehicle of Buddhism, now, after witnessing Luofu's battle with the One-Horned Rhinoceros King, and the scene of him effortlessly handling the battle while receiving divine blessings, his respect for Luofu has turned into even greater fear.

Although Sun Wukong is indeed much smarter now, he still doesn't really grasp the concept of the survival of the fittest.

With his hands instantly clasped together, Sun Wukong bowed respectfully to Luofu and said, "Buddha, your disciple is here."

"Laojun is the supreme patriarch of the Dao. Although he is lax in disciplining his disciples, it is not something you can criticize. You should remember to guard your speech and not criticize others," Luofu reminded him.

"I understand now, thank you for your guidance, Buddha." Sun Wukong was unusually clever at this moment. A flash of inspiration struck him, and he finally remembered that the Green Ox with the Horned Horn had gone with Laozi, but his master and junior brother were still imprisoned in the cave.

He quickly apologized to Luofu and rushed into the Golden Gourd Cave.

Upon entering the cave, Sun Wukong saw many small monsters inside.

Suddenly, I remembered what Luo Fu had just said.

Although Luo Fu didn't offer any advice, only telling him that Laozi shouldn't be easily criticized, Sun Wukong recalled his previous experience at the Lotus Cave on Pingding Mountain.

The ordeal of Golden Horn and Silver Horn at Lotus Cave in Pingdingshan was arguably the cleanest job done by the westward journey team. Their ruthlessness was such that they almost wiped out all the monsters within the vicinity of Lotus Cave in Pingdingshan, including the monsters of Yalong Mountain.

This practice, to put it nicely, is called eradicating evil completely, but considering the identities of Golden Horn and Silver Horn, there is actually a more straightforward explanation: murder to silence witnesses.

That's right, it was murder to silence them.

As the founder of Taoism, Laozi was of such noble birth and status, how could he possibly have any connection with demons?
Even if Golden Horn and Silver Horn become monsters who rule the mountains in the human world, these lesser monsters must be thoroughly eliminated to prevent these wretched mountain spirits and wild monsters from tarnishing the Dao Ancestor's reputation.

At this moment, Sun Wukong, who connected the Golden Gourd Cave with the Lotus Cave on Pingding Mountain, had his most thorough awakening.

A pair of eyes, gleaming with golden-red light, swept across the entire cave and located Tang Sanzang and the others. Sun Wukong then plucked a hair from his body, which multiplied into countless forms.

The main body went straight to where Tang Sanzang and his disciples were, while the thousands of monkeys carried out an indiscriminate extermination of all the monkeys in the entire Golden Gourd Cave.

Sun Wukong's actions could not be hidden from Luo Fu, the Dragon-Riding Guanyin, and others who were outside the Golden Gourd Cave. Even the many powerful beings of the Three Realms who had been paying attention to the previous battle between Luo Fu and the Unicorn King had seen everything.

Unfortunately, sages are not benevolent and treat the people like straw dogs. These powerful beings in the Three Realms, though not sages, would never empathize with these mountain spirits and monsters.

Even Luo Fu never cared about the fate of these little monsters.

Compared to these minor demons, Luo Fu is now more concerned about how many of the original twenty-four golden pills remain in the golden gourd in the hand of the dragon-riding Guanyin.

Don't think Luo Fu is cold-blooded. Although Luo Fu himself has the blood of the Witch Clan, he still belongs to the human race. Whether it is the blood of the Witch Clan or the human race itself, there is a life-and-death enmity between them and the Demon Clan.

Even in Luo Fu's previous life, in a world without extraordinary powers, those so-called superiors would not empathize with the common people at the bottom of society, let alone the immortals and Buddhas who had achieved great cultivation and whose lifespans were almost endless. The two sides were practically two completely different species.

In a short while, Sun Wukong, who had killed all the mountain spirits and monsters in the Golden Gourd Cave except for Tang Sanzang and his disciples, finally protected Tang Sanzang, Zhu Bajie, and Sha Wujing and led them out of the mountain gate.

Just as the westward-bound group left the Golden Gourd Cave, a wisp of fire and thick smoke rose from the cave.

By killing but letting them go, Sun Wukong truly orchestrated the deaths of these monsters who were once under the command of the One-Horned Rhinoceros King.

(End of this chapter)