Honghuang: Creation of the Green Lotus, the beginning of the Three Pure Ones

Pigsy shook his big head and forced a smile, "No...it's nothing. My old skin and flesh can still hold up. I'm just glad you're alright, my wife."

Gao Cuilan looked at Zhu Bajie, who was enduring pain. Tears welled up in her eyes, but more than that, she felt anger and determination.

She took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing her surging blood and worry, and closed her eyes to concentrate again. She muttered to herself, "Dao Xing Tian Zun, you are so vicious. I will definitely destroy this evil treasure of yours."

Perhaps anger unleashed her potential, or perhaps it was Pigsy's protection that made her mind more focused; this time, her senses became sharper and clearer.

Amidst the endless chaos and disturbance of the aquatic aura, she finally caught a faint, yet incongruous, flowing rhythm.

The rhythm is not fixed in one place, but is constantly moving, like a fish swimming in water, but its trajectory conforms to some mysterious law.

"found it."

Gao Cuilan suddenly opened her eyes and pointed southeast. "It's over there, about a hundred feet away. There's a grain of rice. Its core is filled with water, which is completely different from the outside. It seems to be the central hub, but its position keeps changing."

Sun Wukong's spirits soared. "Can we determine its movement pattern?"

Gao Cuilan focused her attention and sensed for a moment longer before affirming, "Yes. It is moving according to the positions of the Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams. In the next instant, it will be in the Xun position."

"Old Sun is off."

With a long roar, Sun Wukong moved like lightning, ignoring the rice and flour pressing in from all sides, and rushed towards the direction Gao Cuilan pointed. His golden cudgel cleared a path, forcefully carving a tunnel through the sea of ​​rice.

However, the eye of the formation moved extremely fast, and by the time Sun Wukong pounced, it had already moved away.

"Brother Monkey, the next place is Liwei," Gao Cuilan hurriedly called out.

Without pausing, Sun Wukong turned as instructed. Repeating this several times, Sun Wukong, relying on his superb speed and guided precisely by Gao Cuilan, closely pursued the ever-changing array's core.

Dao Xing Tianzun had already sensed something was wrong outside the battle. He felt that the spiritual energy circulation inside the treasure battle was beginning to show a slight, imperceptible stagnation, which clearly indicated that someone inside had touched a key point.

"How is this possible? They actually managed to find the wandering core of my Life-Giving Array?"

He was extremely anxious and repeatedly activated his magic incantations, attempting to accelerate the movement of the array's core and even alter its patterns. At the same time, the Vajra Pestle once again condensed golden light, determined to disrupt Gao Cuilan's perception at all costs.

Having learned from their previous experience, Sha Wujing and Zhu Bajie, who had recovered slightly, fought desperately to protect him, while Tang Sanzang also used Buddhist teachings to help them withstand the interference from Daoxing Tianzun.

"The Kun position," Gao Cuilan announced the position again.

This time, Sun Wukong saw clearly, his fiery eyes locking onto a single grain of rice that appeared no different from the others, yet faintly emitted a soft glow.

Sun Wukong roared, and his Ruyi Jingu Bang suddenly became as thin as a needle. He gathered all his strength and thrust it with unparalleled precision.

A soft cracking sound rang out, as if something had been punctured. The grain of rice that had been pierced shuddered violently, and its luster instantly dimmed.

The entire interior space of the treasure chamber trembled violently. The boundless, pressing sea of ​​rice and sea around it vanished like a dream.

The next moment, with a loud bang, the Treasure Chamber Space shattered and vanished. Blinding sunlight suddenly shone down, and everyone returned to the desolate countryside at the foot of Longevity Mountain.

The magical treasure's light dimmed, and it spun around, shrinking until it flew back into the hands of the Daoist Celestial Venerable.

Dao Xing Tianzun took the treasure vessel and saw a tiny crack on it. His facial muscles twitched, his heart aching with pain, and he was filled with shock and rage. "You dare to destroy my magic treasure! I will remember this grudge. We will meet again soon, and then I will make you pay the price."

Sun Wukong, holding his golden cudgel, pointed it at Dao Xing Tianzun and sneered, "Heh heh, old Dao Xing, your broken cudgel is nothing special."

"Use whatever other tricks you have up your sleeve. Why wait until later? Otherwise, don't blame my golden cudgel for being blind."

Pigsy, still feeling a bit dizzy, raised his rake and cursed, "You despicable villain who attacks from the shadows, today your grandpa Pig will teach you a lesson!"

Sha Wujing remained silent, but had already assumed a fighting stance, his demon-subduing staff gleaming with a cold light.

Gao Cuilan stood beside Zhu Bajie, her eyes coldly fixed on Daoxing Tianzun. Tang Sanzang slowly rose, his expression calm, yet exuding an unassailable air of authority.

Dao Xing Tianzun looked at the pilgrimage team that had broken free and were full of fighting spirit. He knew that he would not be able to gain any advantage by himself, especially with Sun Wukong and the Weak Water Spirit, who were quite troublesome.

His face was ashen, and he said through gritted teeth, "Consider yourselves lucky today. I hope you'll have the same luck next time."

Having said that, he was unwilling to fight any longer. With a flicker, he transformed into a streak of green light and fled towards the direction of Wuzhuang Temple.

"Pah. You're lucky you ran fast." Pigsy spat in the direction where Daoist Celestial Venerable had disappeared.

Sun Wukong put away his golden cudgel, squinted at the majestic Longevity Mountain, and said, "It seems that the Chan Sect is determined to make things difficult for us. There are probably nine great trials ahead."

Tang Sanzang straightened his cassock, his gaze resolute: "We'll meet force with force, and water with earth. Now that we've come this far, we have no choice but to move forward. Let's go, but be on guard."

After a short rest, the master and his disciples recovered their energy. Zhu Bajie, in particular, had his soul wounds repaired after consuming the Three Lights Divine Water given to him by Sun Wukong.

Meanwhile, Dao Xing Tianzun had returned to Wuzhuang Temple and recounted his journey in detail to Zhenyuan Daxian.

Upon hearing this, Zhenyuan Daxian's face darkened. However, he did not reprimand Daoxing Tianzun, as he was well aware of how troublesome the Journey to the West team was.

He immediately spoke, saying, "Now, the entire Longevity Mountain is shrouded in the secrets of heaven by my Heavenly Dao Banner. Even a sage cannot glimpse it in the slightest."

"So you should all know what to do next without me having to tell you. In short, just do it boldly and confidently, but don't harm the lives of any of the members of the pilgrimage team."

"However, Gao Cuilan must not be allowed to leave Wanshou Mountain under any circumstances. I will make her pay with her life for injuring Puxian."

As soon as Zhenyuan Daxian finished speaking, a disciple dressed in a yellow Taoist robe stepped forward from below. He bowed directly to Zhenyuan Daxian and said...

“Master, your disciple Huanglong is unworthy, but I wish to go and meet the pilgrimage team. If possible, I would also like to avenge Brother Puxian.”

Zhenyuan Daxian looked at Huanglong Zhenren, then nodded and said, "Go, Tang Sanzang's mount, the White Dragon Horse, has an ancient dragon clan's original mark on its body. If you can retrieve it, it can make up for your soul's defects."

Upon hearing this, Huanglong Zhenren's eyes lit up. He hurriedly bowed to Zhenyuan Daxian and then rushed down Wanshou Mountain.

Huanglong Zhenren was an ancient dragon, but his original mark was destroyed during the Dragon-Han Calamity, which caused his soul to be severely damaged.

However, this misfortune turned into a blessing in disguise for Huanglong Zhenren, preventing him from perishing in the initial calamity of the Dragon-Han era. He eventually became a disciple of Zhen Yuanzi of the Chan Sect. (End of Chapter)