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

Chapter 446: The Curtain Rolls Up to Show Power
The three islands are in the mysterious and ethereal place, amid the vast blue waves of the sea.

Overseas sea area.

General Juanlian, clad in golden armor and looking majestic, is leading the heavenly soldiers and generals of the "Heavenly Court Catching Turtle Team" to launch a grand event of catching turtles in this vast ocean.

For a moment, in the area of ​​the three islands, the sea breeze howled like a dragon's roar and the waves surged like a tiger's leap.

Before hunting, there are hawks and dogs leading the way.

The hawks and dogs were like fierce vanguards, driving the prey and forcing the panicked little golden turtles step by step into desperate situations where the hunters could easily shoot them.

……

"Woof, woof, woof!"

The divine mastiff was nimble and roared like thunder, shuttling across the sea like black lightning, driving away the panicked little golden turtles and forcing them step by step to the area where the heavenly soldiers and generals could shoot them most easily.

“Ting, ting, ting!”

The iron-backed goshawk soared above the clouds, and from time to time it flapped its wings violently, stirring up thousands of waves like snow. Its sharp claws were like hooks, and in an instant it grabbed several small golden turtles and soared straight into the sky.

The group of little golden turtles were frightened by this and immediately became chaotic, fleeing in all directions like frightened birds, rushing towards the center of the sea in panic.

There was chaos on the sea, and the waves were surging.

"Release the crossbow!"

The general in charge of the curtain gave an order.

A group of heavenly soldiers and generals moved upon hearing the sound, and quickly set up multiple crossbows above the clouds.

“Brush, brush, brush!”

“Brush, brush, brush!”

……

The sound of crossbow arrows breaking through the air was heard continuously, like the sound of a string of cannonballs. The arrows were as dense as locusts, just like a torrential rain, covering the sky and the earth, shooting straight at the vast sea.

The scene seemed as if they wanted to kill all the little golden turtles without leaving any alive, showing their fierce murderous intent.

However, although the crossbow arrow was powerful, it did not hit any of the little golden turtles.

This is exactly General Juanlian's strategy of "encircling the point and attacking the reinforcements".

"Besiege a point and attack its reinforcements" is a tactic in the art of war, which involves surrounding the enemy at one point and using it as bait to lure enemies elsewhere to come for reinforcements.

Its real purpose is to strike at the enemy reinforcements in order to achieve the goal of destroying the reinforcements. This strategy is like a brilliant move in chess, with hidden secrets and thunder in silence.

At this moment.

General Juanlian was using the small golden turtle as bait to lure the big golden turtle from the deep sea.

After all, this golden turtle is also a strange beast in the sea. It is as big as a mountain, with infinite strength that can shake the sky. It can carry fairy mountains on its back and has the power to move mountains and fill the sea.

If they really wanted to run into the deep sea and catch this golden turtle that could "carry mountains", it would not be so easy.

The arrows and crossbows were fired like meteors chasing the moon, piercing through the sea surface and heading straight for the group of panicked little golden turtles.

The arrows broke through the air, bringing with them bursts of sharp whistling sounds, as if they were going to tear the surface of the sea apart.

At this moment, the situation suddenly changed.

The sea surface suddenly surged like a raging wave, crashing against the shore.

An incomparably huge golden turtle suddenly broke out of the sea. Its body was hundreds of feet long, like a moving mountain, towering above the waves, dominating all directions.

The big golden turtle loves his sons very much, so how could he just sit back and watch the little golden turtles in danger?

It then used its body, which was as solid as a shield, to protect the little golden turtles tightly under it, just like a loving old father who vowed to protect his children from all harm.

Its carapace is like a moving island, parasitized by thousand-year-old corals and luminous jellyfish. It is colorful and beautiful, but at this moment it is falling off.

Seeing this, several mastiffs became ferocious and rushed towards the giant turtle desperately, trying to tear its body apart. Their eyes were fierce and their fangs were exposed, as if they wanted to eat the giant turtle alive.

However, is the big golden turtle an easy opponent?
It just flicked its tail lightly, stirring up the seawater, instantly forming a giant whirlpool and raising huge waves. The waves were like a galloping horse, unstoppable, sweeping towards the mastiffs.

"Wang Wang Wang!"

"Wang Wang Wang!"

……

The mastiffs were sucked into the whirlpool, their flesh and blood were a mess, they screamed in pain, and finally disappeared in the vast waves, leaving no trace.

Those crossbow arrows, which were as dense as rain, all hit the giant turtle's carapace, but they were like hitting an iron plate, useless. They all bounced off and fell into the sea, splashing water like scattered pearls, but there was not a single scar left on the giant turtle's body.

At this moment.

The big golden turtle's eyes were as sharp as torches, piercing through the clouds and looking at the heavenly soldiers and generals above the clouds. Its eyes were full of hatred, as if it wanted to eat these heavenly soldiers and generals alive.

Especially those little golden turtles that were captured by the iron-backed goshawk and kept screaming miserably, which made it feel heartbroken and full of hatred.

The big golden turtle knew the danger and wanted to leave and escape into the deep sea to avoid the disaster.

Helpless, father and son are connected by heart.

The big golden turtle was in the raging waves, but he could hear the miserable cries of the little golden turtle continuously. Every sound was like a heavy hammer hitting his heart.

It felt heartbroken as it looked at its young son who was being held hostage by the heavenly soldiers and generals and struggling in agony. How could it bear to leave like that?
The big golden turtle was struggling with a conflicting feeling within himself, but in the end, the deep fatherly love overcame the fear and he made up his mind to give it a try, even at the cost of his own life, to save his poor young son.

"Roar!"

The big golden turtle took a deep breath, then suddenly opened its mouth, and a high-pressure water column filled with tremendous demonic power gushed out.

The water column was like a roaring dragon, with its fangs and claws bared, rushing straight towards the heavenly soldiers and generals with the power to destroy the world.

Its power is so fierce that it seems as if it can spit out the ocean and submerge all things in the world in endless waves.

General Juanlian took the lead, standing with his head held high in front of the heavenly soldiers and generals, his posture as straight as a pine tree and his momentum as powerful as a rainbow.

When General Juanlian saw the water column coming from the golden turtle like a raging wave, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, revealing a disdainful smile, and he laughed loudly:

"The giant turtle lives in the deep sea. It is so powerful that it can carry a mountain. It is not easy to catch it."

"But today, using the small to catch the big, the big turtle finally couldn't hold back and showed up!"

After he finished speaking, the magic staff in General Juanlian's hand shone brightly.

On the body of the demon-subduing staff, runes flowed endlessly, as if they had spirituality, and emitted thousands of golden lights, like a scorching sun leaping out of the sea, shining so brightly that people could not open their eyes.

"break!"

The general who rolled up the curtain shouted loudly, and with a giant axe in his hand, he chopped down the surging water column with unparalleled force.

The surging water column was instantly split into two, and water splashed everywhere like thousands of jade beads. The sea surface suddenly surged with waves and splashed, and a passage suddenly appeared.

This golden turtle has a strange appearance. Although it is somewhat similar to the golden tortoise and golden turtle, it is more majestic and domineering.

Its huge head and feet covered with brilliant golden scales can be extended and retracted at will, just like pillars supporting the sky.

"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!"

The big golden turtle was furious when he saw that his attack was easily resolved. He used his huge body as a shield and swept out with his feet, instantly forming a golden gust of wind that swept towards the heavenly soldiers and generals with overwhelming force.

Wherever the gale passed, the sea water was cut apart, making a sharp whistling sound, which was powerful enough to cut off the flow of a river.

"The worm shakes the tree!"

The general who rolled up the curtain snorted coldly, and the spells in his hands changed, and he muttered to himself:
"Draw the moon as a prison!"

The demon-subduing staff, also known as the "Thoreau's Staff", was originally transformed from the branch of the innate laurel tree in the Moon Palace. It was carefully forged by Master Lu Ban, the master weapon refiner in the Heavenly Palace, and can naturally draw the power of the moon.

In an instant, moonlight like a silk thread poured down from the sky and transformed into silver ropes that tightly wrapped around the four feet of the golden giant turtle, making it unable to move.

"J!"

The general in charge of the curtain gave the order.

All the heavenly soldiers and generals moved upon hearing the order, and they turned into streams of light and descended to the sea.

The heavenly soldiers quickly stood on all four sides and threw out the ten-thousand-foot-long black iron net.

The thousand-foot-long black iron net was like a huge black curtain that covered the sky and the sun, instantly enveloping the big golden turtle.

At the same time, the animal chains came out of the cave like a poisonous snake, and with a sharp sound of breaking through the air, they tightly wrapped around the giant turtle's feet from all directions.

The Taoist characters on the beast chain flickered and the light flowed. A group of heavenly soldiers injected infinite magic power into it and further tied up the big golden turtle tightly.

The big golden turtle struggled desperately, its huge body twisted violently in the sea, causing huge waves. However, no matter how hard it struggled, it could not break free from the shackles of the beast chain.

The general who rolled up the curtain walked on the waves, his body as swift as a swallow, and leaped onto the back of the giant turtle.

He raised the demon-subduing staff in his hand high and smashed it hard on the golden turtle's carapace.

The body of the demon-subduing staff burst out with golden light that was dazzling.

"Break!" With a roar from the general, the demon-subduing staff in his hand fell down fiercely.

"Roar!"

The giant turtle roared in pain, and the roar shook the surface of the sea.

Hundreds of cracks appeared on its carapace, and blood gushed out like a fountain, dyeing the surrounding sea water red, and the sea water instantly turned bright red.

The big golden turtle no longer had the strength to resist, and its huge body was trembling slightly in the sea water.

"What a great general."

"He truly deserves the title of 'General Lingxiao of the Heavenly Crimson Palace, Imperial Attendant of the Nine Heavens Jade Pivot'."

Xiao Chen watched as General Juanlian easily subdued such a huge and ferocious sea beast with just a few moves. He couldn't help but secretly marvel in his heart and admired his strength.

The "General Pulling the Curtain" at this moment is completely different from the image of "Sha Monk" who leads a horse and carries a load, keeps his head down, and works hard without complaint on the journey to the West a thousand years later.

Think about the guardian monk Huian Mu Zha under the seat of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and the Monkey King during his period of havoc in heaven. They could fight for fifty or sixty rounds.

The general in front of him was once banished to the mortal world and turned into a quicksand spirit. He had to endure the pain of a hundred swords piercing his heart every seven days. This torture lasted for hundreds of years.

Under such painful suffering, he was hungry and cold, and even had difficulty filling his stomach with food. It can be said that he was in completely terrible condition.

Even so, General Juanlian, who transformed into the spirit of quicksand, was still able to fight with Mu Zha for dozens of rounds, and it was difficult to determine the winner.

Today’s General Juanlian is the real “Chief of the Imperial Guards” and the last line of defense before the Jade Emperor.

Its strength is definitely not weak.

"receive!"

The general in charge of the curtain shouted loudly.

There was a flash of light in his hand, and the "Sumeru Iron Gourd" appeared in his palm. Mysterious runes flowed around the gourd, emitting a faint fairy spirit, and it was obviously not an ordinary object.

General Juanlian made seals with his hands and muttered something. As the spell sounded, the mouth of the "Sumeru Iron Gourd" shone brightly, and a dazzling beam of light shot out, instantly sucking the subdued golden turtle into it.

Although this space magic weapon is extremely rare in the Three Realms, for the Jade Emperor, the master of the Three Realms, there are countless treasures in his treasure house.

This "Sumeru Iron Gourd" is naturally not a rare item.

The general who rolled up the curtain put the gourd back to his waist, waved his hand, and said loudly:
"That's all for today's catching of turtles."

His eyes were as sharp as torches as he swept over the group of heavenly soldiers and generals, and then he said:

"Everyone who participated in catching the giant turtle this time has made great contributions. They will all be awarded 1,000 Tianlu points to show their bravery."

Upon hearing this, the military officer immediately stepped out, clasped his hands together, and said respectfully:

"I will follow the order of General Juanlian."

When all the heavenly soldiers and generals heard this, they shouted in unison:
"Thank you, General Juanlian!"

General Juanlian nodded slightly and waved his hand.

"This golden turtle is the sea-suppressing beast of Penglai Fairy Island. It has undergone many years of training to achieve its current power."

"Although we serve the Heavenly Court, we cannot capture them all and destroy the balance between heaven and earth."

General Juanlian paused and continued:

"When catching golden turtles, first catch the big, old ones, preferably male ones, as they have the best tonic effect."

"That's all for today. Tomorrow we will go fishing again. You must do your best and not slack off."

After all, he came to the three islands to catch turtles, but not just to catch turtles.

You have to catch it slowly, don't be too hasty.

Just let these heavenly soldiers deal with it slowly.

The group of heavenly soldiers and generals did not know the deep meaning of this, and only thought that they came here specifically to catch turtles for nourishment, and they all said in unison:

"Don't worry, General Juanlian. We will do our best to live up to your trust!"

……

Afterwards, General Juanlian waved his hand and led a group of heavenly soldiers and generals to station on the Penglai Island.

……

In the vast and boundless prehistoric world, there are three fairy islands, Penglai Island, Yingzhou Island and Fangzhang Mountain, which are embedded in the vast ocean. They are the three islands among the three islands, ten continents and three mountains.

Among the three islands, Penglai Island and Fangzhang Mountain are not too far apart.

On the Penglai Fairy Island, in the hazy smoke, the vague outline of the Fangzhang Fairy Mountain can be vaguely seen.

"Fangzhang Immortal Mountain...Emperor Donghua..."

Xiao Chen possesses the magical pupil technique of "Big Sun Golden Pupil". It seems that the sun, moon and stars are flowing in his eyes, and his eyesight is excellent.

He gazed into the distance, his eyes penetrating through the layers of smoke, towards the direction of Fangzhang Immortal Mountain. An inexplicable thought surged in his heart, and the image of the noble god who lived in Fangzhang Immortal Mountain - "Emperor Donghua" naturally emerged in his mind.

Regarding Emperor Donghua, his figure did not appear very often during the long journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures, and there are very few records about him.

There are several poems in Journey to the West that record the Emperor Donghua:

"The abbot's room is majestic and majestic, and the Taiyuan Palace is home to immortals. The purple platform illuminates the Three Pure Ones Road... His holy name is the Great Emperor Donghua, and he is the first immortal in the mist."

From these few short lines of poetry, one can feel the extraordinary and noble temperament of Emperor Donghua, which is superior to all other immortals.

In addition, there are records mentioning that Emperor Donghua possessed an extremely magical "Nine-Turn Taiyi Huandan".

This elixir has the magical effect of bringing the dead back to life and healing countless lives in the world. However, it cannot cure the ginseng fruit tree, the "spiritual root of the creation of the world."

However, Xiao Chen did learn some secrets about Emperor Donghua, the leader of the male immortals, at the Demon Master Palace.

The Demon Master Palace is where the Demon Master Kunpeng resides, and there are many old demons living there.

This demon master Kunpeng is very old and can be called the ancestor of the creation of the world. He is a person who has existed since the beginning of the world.

Demon Master Kunpeng has experienced countless years of changes, witnessed the rise and fall, honor and disgrace of the primitive world, and knows countless secrets in this primitive world.

It is also because of this that his descendants and disciples, such as Demon King Kun, Demon King Jiao, Demon King Peng, etc., also know some unknown secrets to a greater or lesser extent.

Among them, there are various rumors about Emperor Donghua.

According to what Demon King Kun said.

The ancient demon heaven was not actually the first heaven.

The Demon Emperor Dijun and Donghuang Taiyi, who are often regarded as the masters of heaven, were not the first holders of the power of heaven in this ancient world.

In the distant past, the first Lord of Heaven in the prehistoric world was actually Dong Wanggong.

This Dong Wangong was created after a long period of nurturing and transformation from the "innate pure yang energy" in the ancient world. He symbolizes the original power of the ancient world that is extremely strong and yang.

The corresponding Queen Mother of the West is the embodiment of "innate pure yin energy" and represents the most yin and soft origin of the primitive world.

The King of the East and the Queen Mother of the West, one yin and one yang, blend and depend on each other, and together constitute the concrete existence of the yin and yang balance of heaven and earth.

It can be said that the King of the East and the Queen Mother of the West are the chosen masters of the three realms, and they are also the innate creatures of chaos, and their strength is extremely powerful.

And also: "East is opposite to West, male is opposite to female".

From their names, we can tell that they are dual gods: Dong Wang Gong and Xi Wang Mu.

A match made in heaven.

At the moment when the King Father of the East and the Queen Mother of the West were born, the yin and yang energies rose into the sky like a surging wave, reaching a height of thirty thousand miles, shocking the heaven and earth and causing them to send down a decree.

The King of the East was conferred by Heaven as the "chief of male immortals", while the Queen Mother of the West was revered as the "most respected female immortals".

One of them represents yang and the other represents yin, forming the natural order of yin and yang balance.

Dong Wanggong is a radical reformer with great ambitions. Relying on his own prestige and strength, he established an organization called "Honghuang Xianmeng", trying to use "Honghuang Xianmeng" as the cornerstone to build a centralized fairy court system in the three realms where "all the immortals come to pay homage".

He longed to make the demon clan, witch clan and other forces submit to his rule, become the true overlord of this primitive world, and realize his grand ambition of unifying the three realms.

However, the Queen Mother of the West has very different ideas from the King Father of the East.

She prefers the secluded way of "ruling by doing nothing" and does not like to get involved in the complicated cause and effect entanglement between the witch clan and the demon clan.

She believes that everything in the world has its own operating laws, and there is no need for excessive human intervention. Just let nature take its course to achieve a state of harmonious coexistence.

Although Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu are dual gods who should support each other and work together, conflicts gradually emerge due to their different management concepts.

Duke Dong was determined to make the demon clan, witch clan and other clans submit to him.

However, the Queen Mother of the West insisted on her own way of seclusion and was unwilling to be involved in this endless dispute.

(End of this chapter)