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

After receiving the decree from Zhenyuan Daxian, Huanglong Zhenren transformed into a yellow wind and headed straight for the foot of Wanshou Mountain.

This Huanglong Zhenren was originally from the ancient dragon clan. Although his origin was damaged by the Dragon Han Dynasty calamity, he still retained the dragon clan's ability to summon wind and rain.

He knew that the pilgrimage team had just escaped their predicament and would be relaxed, so he made arrangements in secret.

Halfway there, Master Huanglong made hand seals and chanted incantations. Suddenly, wisps of yellow mist rose from Longevity Mountain. The mist was strange; it not only obscured the view but also seemed to have the effect of disrupting the Five Elements.

The mist conceals the secret techniques of the dragon race. Ordinary immortals who enter this place will find their magical power stagnate and their consciousness become dull.

……

As Tang Sanzang and his disciples were traveling, they suddenly saw a yellow mist spreading ahead and stopped in their tracks.

Sun Wukong's fiery eyes flashed, and he stared intently, only to see a dragon-shaped figure moving about in the mist. He immediately shouted, "Be careful! This mist is strange; there must be something fishy going on."

Pigsy, carrying his rake, muttered, "We just got rid of that Taoist master who sells rice and flour, and now this fog-monger has arrived. Why does the Chan Sect keep producing such cowardly and secretive individuals?"

Sha Wujing remained calm, holding his demon-subduing staff horizontally in front of him to protect Tang Sanzang.

Gao Cuilan frowned slightly and said softly, "The water element in this mist is unusually active, but it carries a sense of decay, which seems to be the method of the ancient dragon race."

Just then, the yellow mist suddenly churned and condensed, transforming into several yellow dragons that rushed straight at them. Sun Wukong sneered, and his golden cudgel grew longer in the wind, ready to strike.

Unexpectedly, the yellow dragon was an illusion; it dispersed and then reassembled as the staff passed by, eventually entangling the group once more.

Even more strangely, wherever the phantom of the yellow dragon passed, the grass and trees on the ground withered, and even the sand and stones lost their vitality.

Pigsy couldn't dodge in time and was grazed by a dragon shadow. He immediately felt his magic power falter and exclaimed, "This damned thing is sucking away people's spiritual energy!"

Seeing this, Sun Wukong wielded his golden cudgel with impenetrable force, but it could only temporarily keep everyone safe. The illusory image of the yellow dragon gathered more and more, gradually forming an encirclement.

After observing intently for a moment, Gao Cuilan said, "Great Sage, this is the Soul-Eating Illusionary Array of the ancient Dragon Clan. The illusory image is merely a facade; the real danger lies with the person who secretly set up the array."

"We need to find the core of the formation to break this great town. Otherwise, the spiritual energy will be continuously eroded, and we will inevitably lose it if we hold out for too long."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wukong activated his Fiery Eyes of Truth to the fullest extent, but he found the spiritual energy in the mist to be chaotic, making it difficult to discern the truth from the illusion.

Just as they were getting impatient, they suddenly heard the white dragon horse let out a long neigh, and it reared up on its hind legs, its eyes flashing with golden light. It actually dispelled some of the yellow mist in the great formation.

Don't forget that this white dragon horse was transformed from the Nine-Headed Insect. Although the Nine-Headed Insect is not a dragon, it possesses a portion of the dragon's bloodline.

Especially during the initial calamity of the Dragon-Han era, the Nine-Headed Insect took the opportunity to devour dragons to strengthen itself.

Therefore, the Nine-Headed Insect not only possesses several ancient dragon clan origin marks, but also has a thorough understanding of the ancient dragon clan formations.

It appeared as if clouds were rising from its four hooves, and spoke in human language: "Senior Brother, the key to this formation lies a hundred feet below the Xun position of the earth vein, where there is a formation flag formed from the reverse scale of a yellow dragon."

"However, the one who set up this formation, although of ancient dragon bloodline, has lost the original mark of the dragon race. He should be Huanglong Zhenren, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect."

When Pigsy heard that the other party was the Yellow Dragon Immortal, and recalled the yellow mist in the formation and the phantom of the Yellow Dragon, he also felt that what the Nine-Headed Insect said was true.

He immediately spoke up, saying, "Back during the Investiture of the Gods, we didn't see this Yellow Dragon Immortal possess any special abilities. How come he can now set up formations?" Yellow Dragon Immortal, hidden in the shadows, was greatly alarmed upon hearing the Nine-Headed Insect's words. After all, the other party had even revealed his background, and crucially, very few of his fellow disciples knew this.

As for Pigsy's complaints, Master Huanglong didn't take them to heart. After all, he knew all too well how insignificant he had been in the Investiture of the Gods.

No longer hiding, he revealed his true form and sneered, "I underestimated you. Since that's the case, I'll show you the true power of the ancient dragon race."

After saying this, he unfurled the flag, and the yellow mist that filled the sky instantly solidified a hundredfold. Within it, the dragon's shadow materialized and rushed forward with the force of wind and thunder.

Sun Wukong roared and charged forward, his golden cudgel clashing with the dragon's claw, causing the mountains to shake and the earth to tremble.

Pigsy and Sandy each wielded weapons to assist in the battle, but they discovered that their magical power was suppressed by the great formation, and they could only use 70% of their full power.

Gao Cuilan used the essence of the Weak Water, and the pale blue light protected everyone and offset some of the erosion, but she still felt the pressure was as heavy as a mountain.

Seeing this, Huanglong Zhenren laughed and said, "My Soul-Eating Array is a secret transmission of the Dragon and Han Dynasties. Even a Great Luo Golden Immortal would have his three flowers and five qi stripped away if he entered the array."

"You'd better hand over Gao Cuilan and the White Dragon Horse obediently, and if I'm in a good mood, I might spare your lives."

Enraged by this, Sun Wukong unleashed his "Heaven and Earth Transformation" technique, growing ten thousand feet tall, and his golden cudgel crashed down like a collapsing pillar of heaven.

Huanglong Zhenren did not take the blow head-on. Instead, he swayed and disappeared into the mist. His ten-thousand-foot golden cudgel struck empty air, causing Sun Wukong's arm to go numb from the impact.

"Monkey, no matter how powerful you are, you can't do anything to me in this great formation." Huanglong Zhenren's voice came from all directions, sometimes east, sometimes west, unpredictable.

Tang Sanzang, watching anxiously from within the protective barrier, recited the Heart Sutra, and strands of Sanskrit characters formed golden lotuses to protect everyone, struggling to resist the erosion of the great formation.

Just then, in the Journey to the West chat group, Nine-Headed Insect spoke up: Why do I feel like this Yellow Dragon Immortal is coming for me?
Pigsy: You know what, it's actually possible. I only want my wife because she offended the true spirit of Bodhisattva Samantabhadra; wanting the White Dragon Horse would be a bit unreasonable.

Sun Wukong: Then Huanglong Zhenren must believe that the White Dragon Horse is the Third Prince of the Jade Dragon of the West Sea. Could it be that there is something on the Third Prince of the Jade Dragon that Huanglong Zhenren needs?

Nine-Headed Insect: I remember now, the Third Prince of the Jade Dragon Clan is the only one among the descendants of the dragon clan to rebel against his ancestor. He was born with the original mark of the ancient dragon clan. It seems that this True Man Yellow Dragon is here for the original mark of the dragon clan.

Pigsy: Hehehe, it's a pity that our White Dragon Horse is a fake. I guess we'll disappoint Huanglong Zhenren.

Nine-Headed Insect: The Third Prince of Jade Dragon has the original mark of the Dragon Clan on his body. Does that mean I, Nine-Headed Insect, do not have one as well?

Sun Wukong: Nine-Headed Insect Uncle, do you really have the original mark of the ancient dragon race on your body?
Nine-Headed Insect: Of course there are, and there's more than one.

Sun Wukong: Since that Huanglong Zhenren is after the Dragon Clan's original mark, why don't we use a trick to lure him into a trap?

Tang Sanzang: This plan is feasible.

Tang Sanzang made the final decision, and Sun Wukong immediately said, "Huanglong Zhenren, you can have the White Dragon Horse, but my brother's wife is absolutely out of the question."

As Sun Wukong spoke, the White Dragon Horse had already transformed into a white dragon. On its forehead, the original mark of the ancient dragon race was revealed.

"Monkey, what exactly do you mean? No matter what, I'm a member of the pilgrimage team. Aren't I more important than Gao Cuilan?"

Pigsy snorted and said, "How can you compare to my wife? You're nothing but a mount!" (End of Chapter)