I am a fairy in Journey to the West

Inside Hengtian Cave, He Yan heard a report that Tao Mingzi and his son had fled to the Gushan Divine Palace, and for a moment he was at a loss.

"Our original intention was to capture Tao Mingzi in one fell swoop and force him to hand over the secrets of the 'Five Qi Circulation Technique,' but we didn't expect him to leave Hengtian Cave ahead of schedule." He Yan said to everyone, "Now that things have come to this, what can we do?"

He Yan's friend He Jing said, "Our group of six hundred people already accounts for two-thirds of the great demons in Jinling Prefecture. Their cultivation levels are all over five hundred years, which is enough to influence the situation of a prefecture."

Upon hearing this, He Yan seemed to know what He Jing wanted to say. "You mean you want to discuss this with the Gu Shan Divine Palace?"

He Jing nodded and said, "That's right. This is a matter for our Hengtian Cave and has nothing to do with Gushan Divine Palace, so you can go and tell them."

He Yan nodded slightly and asked, "Then who should we send to see Lord Zhao?"

He Jing said, "I'll go myself. You stay here and handle something more important."

He Yan and He Jing were close friends, so he easily understood what he was saying. "Are you talking about those four hundred or so great demons outside?"

“That’s right, we must bring them to our side now, otherwise there will be huge unforeseen circumstances,” He Jing said.

He Yan nodded and said, "Okay, I understand."

So He Yan and He Jing went their separate ways. He Jing went to the Gushan God's Mansion, while He Yan ordered his one hundred great demons to guard the Hengtian Cave Mansion, and led the remaining five hundred people back to the mountain camp.

At this moment, the remaining four hundred-plus great demons were still stunned in the camp, unaware of what had happened. Without orders from Tao Mingzi and Hengtian Cave, they dared not make any rash moves.

But when He Yan returned, they understood that someone had rebelled, the disciples had betrayed their master, and occupied Hengtian Cave.

Looking at the more than four hundred people in shock before him, He Yan shouted, "Tao Mingzi has escaped, and Hengtian Cave has been completely occupied by us. Everyone, do not hesitate, come quickly and join us in this great undertaking!"

Upon hearing He Yan's words, an old man immediately stood up and said, "He Yan, you are ungrateful! Hengtian Cave has been more kind to you than the heavens, yet you have gathered a crowd to cause trouble and still want me to join you. It is truly shameful!"

He Yan looked at the old man and said with a smile, "Brother Su, haven't you thought about it? Hengtian Cave has indeed been kind to us, but haven't we repaid them?"

"What kindness has Hengtian Cave shown us? It is nothing more than that they have bestowed upon us the methods of cultivation."

"But they keep the secrets of their Taoist arts to control and enslave us. Haven't we worked for their Hengtian Cave and risked our lives for them?"

"I believe you all have your own answers in your hearts. So we are gathered here not to cause trouble, but to break Hengtian Cave's monopoly on the Dao. We want to allow all cultivators in Jinling Prefecture to be free and unrestrained, and to cultivate freely to become immortals!"

"That's why we started the uprising, why we wanted to occupy Hengtian Cave and capture Tao Mingzi."

"It's a pity that things didn't go as planned and Tao Mingzi escaped. But now the situation is in our hands. Tao Mingzi's wife and children are in our hands, and we can't let him refuse."

Finally, He Yan looked at everyone present and said, "Now, brothers who are willing to break the monopoly of Hengtian Cave's Daoist arts with us and obtain the secrets to immortality, please step forward."

As soon as He Yan finished speaking, more than 200 of the more than 400 people present immediately walked over, and more than 100 others, after some thought and hesitation, also slowly walked over.

Soon only a hundred or so people and the old man Su remained in place. When the old man Su saw this, he was even more furious and started cursing at those who had gone to He Yan's side.

As Su Laotou continued his cursing, some of those who had already pledged allegiance to He Yan began to waver again, and some even considered going back.

He Yan noticed this and immediately put his hands behind his back.

Immediately, a sword light flashed, and the next moment, blood splattered. Everyone present was horrified. They saw that the old man Su's head was cut off by a sword aura, and his body sprayed out a lot of blood before crashing to the ground.

Then a man dressed in black stepped forward, sheathed his sword, and silently walked back behind He Yan.

"Duan Yizhi!"

Someone called out the name of the man in black, and then everyone present realized that the number one swordsman in Jinling Prefecture had also joined He Yan's side.

Duan Yizhi killed Old Man Su with lightning speed, which greatly shocked everyone present, and the wavering demons all retreated again.

He Yan continued, "If you don't follow me, I won't make things difficult for you, but you shouldn't cause me any trouble either. We have no grudges against each other, so as long as you don't cause me any trouble, I won't harm you either."

“However, we cannot let you all leave so soon. Until we capture Tao Mingzi, you can move to Hengtian Cave to live,” He Yan said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, everyone understood that they were being temporarily imprisoned here to prevent the inmates from seeking refuge with Tao Mingzi after they descended the mountain.

Just then, a female demon stepped out and said, "Boss He, is your claim about sharing the secrets of Taoist magic true or false?"

He Yan raised his hand and swore, saying, "I swear to God that once I capture Tao Mingzi and obtain the secrets of the Five Qi Circulation Method, I will share it with you all and will not keep it for myself. If I break this promise, may I be struck by lightning."

Upon hearing this, the female demon immediately said, "Alright, since you dare to make such a solemn oath, Boss He, then I will believe you."

After saying that, the female demon also walked to He Yan's side. Once someone takes the lead, others will naturally follow.

Soon, all of the remaining hundred-plus people also joined He Yan's side. The only one who remained in the original place was the headless old man, Su.

Just as He Yan was uniting the demons outside Hengtian Cave, He Jing also arrived at Gushan Divine Palace.

After receiving the report, Zhao Wuji ordered the patrolling general to bring He Jing to Hanzhang Hall to see him.

Upon arriving at the hall, He Jing immediately bowed and paid homage to He Yan, saying, "He Jing, a cultivator from Jinling Prefecture, greets the Divine Lord."

Zhao Wuji said "No need for formalities," and then asked He Jing, "What brings you to see me?"

He Jing said, "I have come specifically for Tao Mingzi."

Zhao Wuji said, "Master Tao is under the protection of my divine palace, so why are you looking for him?"

He Jing said, “Reporting to the Divine Lord, we are all disciples of Hengtian Cave. For many years, we have been enslaved and oppressed by Hengtian Cave, but now we have finally awakened. Last night, we, a thousand great demons, gathered together to revolt and occupied Hengtian Cave, intending to take revenge on Tao Mingzi. However, we did not expect that he was so cunning and treacherous that he escaped from the cave ahead of time and came to the Divine Palace of Gushan. Please, Divine Lord, do not listen to his sweet words and be deceived by him.”

Zhao Wuji said, "The matter of Hengtian Cave has nothing to do with me, but Cave Master Tao has long been devoted to the Divine Palace and has never been in arrears in paying taxes. Now that he has come to my Divine Palace to ask for protection, how can I refuse?"

He Jing said, “Divine Lord, Tao Mingzi has committed heinous crimes, and all the cultivators of Jinling Prefecture hate him. We beg you, Divine Lord, to do justice for us and hand Tao Mingzi over to us for punishment. In the future, we will naturally worship the Divine Palace and pay our taxes on time and in full.”

"Nonsense," Zhao Wuji said. "If that were true, where would the dignity of my Divine Palace be?"

At this point, Zhao Wuji raised his hand and waved it, saying, "Throw this arrogant scoundrel out of here."

In an instant, General Fatan and General Pomiao picked up their wooden staffs and stepped forward, beating He Jing with a flurry of blows before sending him flying.

As He Jing stepped back, he said, "My Lord, everything I have said is true. Please do not believe Tao Mingzi's slander."

"My Lord, the cultivators of Jinling Prefecture are in an uproar. How can you disregard the wishes of the people like this?"

"Divine Lord."

After being thrown out of Hanzhang Hall, He Jing sighed helplessly, then stomped his foot, turned around, and left, returning to Hengtian Cave.

After returning to Hengtian Cave, He Jing told He Yan about the matter, and He Yan was not surprised after hearing it.

“Since ancient times, officials have always protected each other. Although Tao Mingzi is not a celestial official, he must have given this Lord Zhao a lot of benefits.” He Yan said.

He Jing asked, "So what should we do now? If we can't catch Tao Mingzi, are we just going to wait here like this?"

He Yan said, "Go and bring out Tao Mingzi's wife and children, hang them on the cliff, and send someone to the Gushan God Temple to inform Tao Mingzi that if he does not return, I will kill his whole family."

"Okay." He Jing nodded and said, "Then I'll go again!"

Not long after, He Jing came to Gu Shan Shen Fu again, but this time he asked to see Tao Mingzi.

Zhao Wuji did not object and directly arranged for the two to meet in Hanzhang Hall, with five spirit generals, excluding the patrol general, present to be on guard.

The moment He Jing and Tao Mingzi met, Tao Mingzi immediately cursed, "You scoundrel, how dare you come to see me?"

He Jing laughed and said, "Why wouldn't you dare? You hide in the Divine Palace and dare not go out, but your family, wife and children have all fallen into the hands of others. Don't you feel ashamed?"

“You are the ones who should feel ashamed,” Tao Mingzi said. “You receive kindness but do not think of repaying it. Instead, you create chaos and commit violence, killing your benefactor’s family. You are simply ungrateful and like beasts!”

He Jing said calmly, "Say what you will, the matter is now in our hands. Our leader said that if you, the cave master, are willing to go back and hand over the secrets of the Five Qi Circulation Technique, we can guarantee that the lives of your family will not be harmed."

“But if the cave master is unwilling to go back or hand over the secret, then the lives of the cave master’s wife and children may not be safe,” He Jing said.

Upon hearing this, Tao Mingzi's expression changed drastically, and he angrily retorted, "You villains, if you dare to lay a finger on them, I will make you pay with your blood!"

"Hehe." He Jing smiled faintly, then cupped his hands and said, "I have said my piece. The choice is up to you, Cave Master. Farewell."

After saying this, He Jing turned around and bowed to Zhao Wuji, saying, "Thank you for your grace, Divine Lord. I will take my leave now."

Zhao Wuji nodded, and then He Jing turned and left. Tao Mingzi watched He Jing's back, gritting his teeth in hatred, but because this was the main hall of the Divine Palace, he did not make any rash moves.

After He Jing left, Tao Mingzi took a deep breath and then let out a long sigh.

Seeing this, Zhao Wuji asked, "Master Tao, you're not really going back to Hengtian Cave, are you?"

"No," Tao Mingzi said after calming down. "Given the current situation, whether I go back or not, my family's lives are in danger."

Zhao Wuji nodded and said, "Since Master Tao has thought of this, I don't need to say more. We still need to think of another way to handle this matter. We must not walk into a trap."

After saying that, Zhao Wuji said to Tao Mingzi, "Master Tao, don't be anxious. Go down and rest first. There's always a way out."

Upon hearing this, Tao Mingzi's expression did not improve. He simply turned around, thanked Zhao Wuji, and then took his leave.

After Tao Mingzi left, Zhao Wuji arrived at Xingyun Xiaozhu and saw Huoling Zhenxian sitting in the courtyard.

Zhao Wuji stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to the Fire Spirit Immortal, and said, "My Lord." The Fire Spirit Immortal raised his hand and pointed to the stone bench directly opposite him, saying, "Sit."

"Thank you, Lord Ling." Zhao Wuji bowed in thanks and then sat down.

"Aren't you wondering why I suddenly came to your Gushan Divine Palace?" asked the Fire Spirit True Immortal.

Zhao Wuji quickly replied, "Your Excellency has your reasons for coming here; how dare I make wild guesses?"

Fire Spirit Immortal asked, "Hmm, have people come from Hengtian Cave?"

Zhao Wuji nodded and told Huo Ling Zhenxian about He Jing's two visits. Finally, he said, "Hengtian Cave Master is really in a bad situation. This time, he's probably going to end up with his family destroyed."

Fire Spirit Immortal said, "You mean why I won't let you interfere, right?"

"I wouldn't dare," Zhao Wuji quickly replied. "This humble god would never dare to question Your Majesty's decrees, but I do have some doubts."

Fire Spirit Immortal said, "Don't be confused. My reason for not letting you interfere is not to order you, but because I don't want you to get involved."

Zhao Wuji cupped his hands and said, "Please enlighten me, sir."

Fire Spirit Immortal said, "As a divine lord of a state and a celestial official of the Heavenly Court, you shouldn't meddle too much in these sectarian matters. If I hadn't told you not to interfere yesterday, wouldn't you have already sent someone to Hengtian Cave to negotiate on Tao Mingzi's behalf?"

Zhao Wuji thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "It should be."

Fire Spirit Immortal said, "Then you've fallen into their trap. If the negotiations fail and those people kill Tao Mingzi's entire family, can you really shirk the blame?"

Zhao Wuji paused slightly and said, "I am a deity in this realm. How can they pin the blame for the deaths of Tao Mingzi's family on me?"

Fire Spirit Immortal laughed and said, "As long as you have the will, there is no black pot that you can't get rid of."

Zhao Wuji said, "The matter of Hengtian Cave can only end in tragedy."

Fire Spirit Immortal said, "That's not necessarily true. Tao Mingzi has been the master of Hengtian Cave for so long, surely he has some help to offer?"

Just then, the patrolling general suddenly arrived at the Nebula Cottage. Upon seeing the Fire Spirit Immortal, he immediately stepped forward to pay his respects, and then bowed to Zhao Wuji, saying, "Divine Lord, many demons have come to the mountain gate."

Zhao Wuji's expression tightened, and he asked, "How many people are there?"

The patrolling general said, "There are about three hundred people. They have surrounded the mountain gate and say they want to petition the deity."

Zhao Wuji's expression turned serious, and he asked, "What situation?"

The patrolling general said, "Those people said that the Gushan Divine Palace should not interfere in the affairs of Hengtian Cave, so they prayed to the Divine Lord to release Tao Mingzi back to Hengtian Cave."

Zhao Wuji turned to look at Huo Ling Zhenxian, who said, "Look, they dare to surround the gate of the Divine Mansion and put pressure on you, the Divine Lord. How can they not get rid of this mere scapegoat?"

Zhao Wuji immediately stood up and bowed to the Fire Spirit Immortal, saying, "My Lord, please excuse me."

"Wait a minute," Fire Spirit Immortal called out to Zhao Wuji.

Zhao Wuji turned to the Fire Spirit Immortal and asked, "Does Your Excellency have any further instructions?"

The Fire Spirit Immortal retrieved the Kunlun Mirror and used his magic to deliver it to Zhao Wuji, saying, "Take this magic treasure with you. If anyone offends the divine might, use this treasure to kill them."

Zhao Wuji's expression brightened as he looked at the dazzling light; it was actually a celestial treasure.

Seeing that he did not react, the Fire Spirit Immortal's eyes flashed, and he asked, "Is there something wrong?"

Zhao Wuji snapped out of his daze, quickly reached out and caught the Kunlun Mirror, then bowed and said, "Thank you, Your Excellency."

Afterwards, Zhao Wuji took the Kunlun Mirror and left Xingyun Xiaozhu, leading the Six Spirit Generals of Shenfu to the gate of Shenfu Mountain.

Upon arriving at the mountain gate, they saw a circle of demons slowly gathering outside, all shouting that they wanted to see the deity.

Seeing this, the Search and Kill General immediately said to Zhao Wuji, "My Lord, the situation is unclear. Let us go and take a look first."

But Zhao Wuji ignored the order to search and kill the general, and instead hid the Kunlun Mirror in his sleeve and went up there himself.

Upon seeing Zhao Wuji approach, the demons immediately recognized him and knelt down to pay their respects.

Zhao Wuji said loudly, "What is the purpose of all of you gathering here?"

The fairies kowtowed and prayed, then pleaded, "Please, God, expel Tao Mingzi from the divine palace and hand him over to us for disposal."

Zhao Wuji said, "Tao Mingzi is the master of Hengtian Cave, a person of merit, and is currently under the protection of the Divine Palace. How can we expel him?"

Upon hearing this, the fairies began to recount Tao Mingzi's crimes on the spot, using the same old methods as before, such as enslaving them with Taoist secrets.

Zhao Wuji tried to speak several times, but the demons kept talking and wouldn't listen to him at all. They just kept asking him to expel Tao Mingzi from the divine palace.

As these demons spoke, they knelt on the ground and crawled towards the entrance of the Divine Gate. Seeing this, Zhao Wuji felt a chill run down his spine and was at a loss for what to do.

Upon seeing this, Liu Ling immediately drew his weapon and rushed forward to block the mountain gate, preventing these demons from entering.

But the demons seemed to be organized, advancing in rows like a wall, and soon scattered the Six Spirits.

Seeing the figures of the Six Spirit Generals scattered by the demons, and the demons rushing into the mountain gate, Zhao Wuji immediately shouted, "What are you doing? What is your intention in forcibly breaking into the Divine Palace?"

The fairies said, "We did not force our way into the divine palace. We crawled forward on our knees to plead with the divine lord."

"You threats!" Zhao Wuji said, "Leave the mountain gate immediately, or else..."

Before Zhao Wuji could finish speaking, the demons had already knelt down in front of him, forming a circle around him and kowtowing in supplication.

This scene put immense pressure on Zhao Wuji, while He Jing and He Yan, who were on a distant mountain peak, smiled upon seeing it.

He Yan said, "To deal with these celestial officials and deities, you have to use this soft approach. If you use a hard approach, they'll pin a single charge on you and no one can withstand it."

“That’s right,” He Jing said. “Even if he doesn’t kick Tao Mingzi out today, we can do it a few more times and see if he can take it.”

Zhao Wuji did indeed lose his composure; the Kunlun Mirror was in his sleeve, yet he had no intention of using it.

The demons knelt in circles around him, their cries of pleading and pleas like demonic chants, giving Zhao Wuji a splitting headache.

Just then, a gentle breeze suddenly blew by, and Zhao Wuji's body was suddenly lifted into the air by the breeze, flying over the crowd and landing on the ground seven or eight zhang away.

After Zhao Wuji landed, he suddenly felt a sweet fragrance coming from beside him. He turned his head and saw that the Fire Spirit Immortal had appeared in front of him at some point.

Zhao Wuji quickly cupped his hands in greeting and said, "Lord Ling, what brings you here?"

Fire Spirit Immortal glanced at Zhao Wuji and said, "You can't even use a magic weapon I gave you?"

Zhao Wuji was taken aback for a moment, then quickly explained, "My lord, they only came to petition and did not offend the divine authority or do anything outrageous."

Fire Spirit Immortal said, "When they really do something outrageous, will you still be standing here talking to me?"

Zhao Wuji froze on the spot. At this moment, Huo Ling Zhenxian stretched out his hand and said, "Give me back my magic weapon."

Zhao Wuji quickly took out the Kunlun Mirror and placed it in the hands of the Fire Spirit Immortal. The Fire Spirit Immortal then tossed the Kunlun Mirror into the sky, and with a flash of immortal light, the Kunlun Mirror immediately floated in mid-air.

Then, True Immortal Huo Ling stepped forward and said to the kneeling demons, "You have attacked the Divine Palace, and your crime is unforgivable. You have ten breaths to leave the mountain gate, or you will be punished by Heaven."

Upon hearing the words of the Fire Spirit Immortal, the demons hesitated for a moment, and then someone said that they did not recognize this person and did not know where this rogue cultivator came from.

After a brief hesitation, the fairies immediately began to clamor and kneel before Zhao Wuji.

Just after they had crawled on their knees for three or four zhang in a noisy procession, the Fire Spirit Immortal had finished counting to ten.

Without any hesitation, she simply pointed her sword at the Kunlun Mirror in the sky.

The next moment, the Kunlun Mirror released a dazzling divine light, which instantly illuminated all three hundred-plus demons on the ground. Then, the divine light blazed and the sound was like thunder. The three hundred demons, whose cultivation had exceeded five hundred years, were instantly shattered.

Flesh and blood dissolved into dust, bones and tendons shattered into powder, and three hundred demons instantly turned into a pool of bloody mud. The clamor from before turned into the sound of blood flowing on the ground.

Everyone was stunned. Zhao Wuji and Liu Lingjiang stared dumbfounded at the thick layer of blood and mud on the ground.

"Who is this?!" He Yan, who was in the distance, suddenly woke up and exclaimed in surprise.

He Jing grabbed He Yan and said, "Don't worry about it, let's go."

After saying that, He Jing pulled He Yan away from the place.

Fire Spirit Immortal put away the Kunlun Mirror, glanced in the direction where He Yan and He Jing had left, but didn't pay any attention. Instead, he turned to Zhao Wuji and said, "Now I take over the Golden Spirit State Divine Palace. From now on, you will obey my orders."

Zhao Wuji then came to his senses and hurriedly bowed to the Fire Spirit Immortal, saying, "As you command."

The six spirit generals swiftly approached the Fire Spirit True Immortal, bowing respectfully with trembling hands, saying, "As you command."

Then, True Immortal Huo Ling turned around and rose into the clouds, saying to Zhao Wuji and the others, "Go to Hanzhang Palace."

Then it transformed into a fiery red divine light and flew straight towards the Hanzhang Hall of Gu Shan's Divine Palace. Zhao Wuji and the others quickly followed. (End of Chapter)