Journey to the West: Demon Emperor: Beginning as a Little Toad

Chapter 33: Graduation from Xieyue Sanxing Cave
"Now, the path I want to take is the path of strength! Prove the truth with strength!"

"That is clear, but what is my Dao heart?"

Xiao Chen fell into deep thought.

"If the monkey's current aspiration is for immortality, then his aspiration in the future will be for freedom and dignity."

"If Yang Jian's heart of Taoism when he split the mountain to save his mother was out of love, then his heart of Taoism when he went to heaven to kill was out of hatred!"

"Then what is my Dao heart for?"

Tao heart is the source of strength!
Tao exists only to protect the heart of Tao!
The Tao without the heart of the Tao is like rootless duckweed, or willow catkins blown by the wind, which have only the appearance but no foundation.

In later generations, there has always been a question:
When the monkey made trouble in Heaven, he defeated the twenty-eight constellations, the Four Heavenly Kings, Nezha, and a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals so badly that they couldn't even raise their heads. How powerful was he!
But why did the monkey become so weak on the journey to obtain scriptures, unable to defeat this monster or that monster? He became what many fellow Taoists called a "weakling"?
Taoist friends in later generations have many opinions on this point.

Some fellow Taoists said:
"The monkey worked for others on his journey to the west, but he made trouble in the sky to start his own business! The motivations are different!"

Some fellow Taoists also said:
"The monkey has become more clever, has learned the ways of the world, and knows how to ask for help!"

Some fellow Taoists also said:

"It's not that the monkey has become weaker, but that the monster on the journey to the west all has magic weapons. The monster only won the victory by relying on the magic weapons."

"The Buddha fed the monkey iron balls and copper juice, which destroyed the monkey's power."

……

But when Xiao Chen came to this world and felt the power rules of this world, he had a different opinion.

It is undeniable that the above factors exist.

But more importantly, on the journey to the West, the monkey's determination to pursue the Tao was broken.

Once upon a time, the monkey, who was so stubborn and freedom-loving, was suppressed for five hundred years and lost his freedom for five hundred years!
As soon as the monkey came out, he was put into a tight hoop! He was tied up tightly! There was no freedom at all.

As long as the monkey's words or actions did not conform to Tang Monk's wishes, Tang Monk would recite the spell to tighten the hoop, torturing the monkey so much that he would cry and even kneel down to beg for mercy!

What is the difference between the monkey at this moment and a dog tied with a chain?
The monkey's aspiration is freedom, but along the way, he did not have even a little freedom.

His dignity was trampled on the ground. In the Lotus Cave in Pingdingshan, the great Monkey King even knelt down to an old fox demon in order to save Tang Monk, and burst into tears of sadness.

Is the Monkey King, who has lost his freedom and dignity, still the unruly Monkey King who caused havoc in Heaven?

When the chaos in heaven was going on, didn't the gods and Buddhas in the sky, the Four Heavenly Kings, the Twenty-Eight Constellations, and the one hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals have any magic weapons to show off?

That exquisite pagoda, that demon-slaying sword, that Qiankun circle, that Qingyun sword, that Chaos umbrella, which one of them is not a top-level magic weapon?

But have monkeys ever been afraid? Is there anything that can trap monkeys?

Even Guanyin Bodhisattva was afraid that the jade bottle would hit the monkey's head and break. In the end, it was Laojun who took action and used the Vajra Bracelet to capture Sun Wukong.

Isn’t the Monkey King strong enough?

But, on the journey to the west, the monkey lost his freedom and dignity.

Does the monkey, who is tied with a tight hoop and forced to fight against his former sworn brothers, still have the same strength he had before?

Is what he has done and done along the way what he wants? Is this his way?
Does he still have any freedom and dignity?

His faith in Tao is broken, so what is the use of his Tao?
Just one question:
In this world, is there any strong person whose life and death are controlled by others?
Even freedom, life and death are in the hands of others. No matter how strong a person is, he is nothing more than a puppet in the hands of others.

The monkey is not strong, his Tao heart is broken!
……

But what is Xiao Chen’s Dao heart?
……

There is the Three Stars Cave with the Slanting Moon, and forests in the front mountain.

The woodcutter looked at Xiao Chen, who was dressed as a woodcutter, walking towards him and immediately understood something.

The woodcutter looked speechless and complained:

"Hey, little brother, I have shown you the way after all, why do you have to steal my business?"

Xiao Chen looked at the woodcutter in front of him. He looked exactly the same as he did nine years ago. He did not look old at all. He was complaining in his heart:
"Which god would make a living by chopping wood?"

However, Xiao Chen did not expose him.

Xiao Chen pointed at the forest and said with a smile, "Brother Woodcutter, look, there is so much firewood all over the mountain, you can't cut it all by yourself?"

"Why don't I help you cut it?"

"And I'll give you all the wood I cut, without charging you a cent. How about that?"

Hearing this, the woodcutter was speechless for a moment and couldn't say anything.

So, the two of them started chopping wood, one in front and one behind.

From then on, there was one more woodcutter in the mountain in front of the Xieyue Sanxing Cave.

Xiao Chen did not use any magic power. He restrained his strength. He only used an ordinary iron axe and started from the most basic chopping of wood to hone his strength.

the first year.

Xiao Chen's speed in chopping wood was naturally slower than that of the woodcutter, and the wood he chopped was also crooked.

The woodcut by the woodcutter had neat cuts and was of the same size. In contrast, the woodcut by Xiao Chen looked like it was paddled by a dog.

"Little brother, it seems that you are really not cut out to be a woodcutter. You should go back!"

"Don't stay here and delay my work."

The woodcutter laughed. He picked up a piece of firewood from Xiao Chen, threw it in front of Xiao Chen, and said with disdain:

"Don't use such force to destroy the wood. It won't look good. I won't be able to sell it at the market!" "How can I earn enough to feed and clothe my mother with this wood?"

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chen just smiled and said nothing.

the second year.

Xiao Chen's speed of chopping wood gradually caught up with the woodcutter.

Moreover, Xiao Chen only used a little effort to easily cut off a tree trunk as thick as a bucket, and the cut was very smooth.

That dull axe from the mortal world, in Xiao Chen's hands, was like a divine weapon, indestructible.

"this……."

The woodcutter was stunned by this scene.

"This guy, is he growing so fast?"

"It took me many years to reach this level."

The third year.

On this day, Xiao Chen suddenly stopped chopping, dropped the axe, sat on the ground, closed his eyes and took a rest.

"Ok?"

"This little toad has learned enough. Is he leaving now?"

The woodcutter was stunned. Every day for the past three years, there was a little toad accompanying him to chop wood. He was somewhat used to it.

Now that the little toad was leaving, he actually felt a little reluctant to let it go.

After closing his eyes for a long time, Xiao Chen suddenly opened his eyes. Without using any magic power, the axe naturally rose into the air.

Xiao Chen swung his hand casually, and the axe swirled out and passed through hundreds of trees.

"Click, click, click..."

"Boom, boom, boom..."

Hundreds of trees broke in the middle and fell down one after another. In an instant, the whole forest was filled with a rumbling sound.

"What if, instead of hundreds of trees, these are hundreds of heavenly soldiers?"

The woodcutter thought of the horrible scene, took a deep breath, and a look of shock appeared on his face.

"Little brother, how did you do this?"

At this moment, even the usually steady woodcutter could not hide his shock when he saw this scene, and could not help asking, even stuttering a little while speaking.

"Brother Woodcutter, listen carefully. I will only say this once."

Xiao Chen stood with his hands behind his back and chuckled:

“Force has levers.”

"Force has a lever?"

The woodcutter was stunned, as if he had realized something. He had been watching Xiao Chen chopping wood and the positions he chopped in these days, and he also figured out some clues.

While talking.

Xiao Chen stretched out his hand and sucked hard, and the axe actually returned to Xiao Chen's hand.

"This? This is really good, can it be sucked back?"

The woodcutter looked extremely puzzled and shocked.

"and……"

Xiao Chen took the axe, put it on his waist, turned around, walked towards the Xieyue Sanxing Cave, and said lightly:
"There is power in everything."

"Is there power among all things?"

The woodcutter looked a little confused when he heard this:
"What do you mean, there is power among all things?"

……

Another two years passed.

Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and Xieyue Sanxing Cave are where the Taoist temple of Subhuti is located.

Xiao Chen's cultivation has reached the peak of the Earthly Immortal realm. Among the demon race, this is equivalent to a four or five thousand year old demon.

Xiao Chen looked at the monkey in front of him and couldn't help but secretly smack his lips:

"Five years. After obtaining the method, it only took five years for this monkey to reach the middle stage of Taiyi Jinxian. It's exaggerated!"

However, this monkey was born of heaven and earth and is a congenital deity. In this world of Journey to the West, he is definitely a top-notch follower. He is much stronger than a small toad like him, so there is no need to underestimate himself.

"Today, I summoned you two here for one thing."

Subhuti stroked his beard and chuckled, then looked at Wukong:

"Wukong, you came here to achieve immortality, but now that you have achieved the Immortal Golden Immortal, you can go down the mountain now."

Xiao Chen was shocked when he heard this:
"Well, now, we are going to graduate from the Xieyue Sanxing Cave?"

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(End of this chapter)