Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 197 The Dao of Cause and Effect
Qianyuan Mountain, Jinguan Cave.

"crunch~"

As the door opened, the sleepy-eyed Master Taiyi, holding his whisk, stepped out of the house, stood outside in the sunlight, and stretched.

"Ah~~~ That feels so good~~~"

Suddenly, Taiyi Zhenren's nose twitched twice, as if he had smelled something. His eyes widened instantly, and he hurriedly ran towards the backyard.

"Eh???"

Taiyi Zhenren, carrying his whisk, ran through the moon gates and was surprised to see a flame rising in the garden. Beside the flame, Nezha was skewering a roast chicken on a wooden stick and roasting it over the fire.

Beside Nezha, a white greyhound lay there, its tongue lolling out and its tail swishing rapidly, clearly eagerly eyeing the sizzling, oily roasted chicken.

"Master, you're awake."

"She's awake! She's awake!"

Taiyi Zhenren looked at the spirit chicken on the fire stand, smelling the aroma wafting from it, and subconsciously swallowed. After a moment, he realized what was happening, looked at Nezha, and hurriedly said:
"Nezha! Didn't I tell you not to set fire to the garden! Have you forgotten that last time you set fire to the garden, you burned down all the spiritual roots I just planted!"

"Yes, Master. Do you want chicken wings or chicken legs?"

"Chicken leg, chicken leg~"

After a while, Taiyi Zhenren, Nezha, and the white greyhound had a hearty meal in the garden, their mouths greasy with oil.
Having eaten and drunk his fill, Taiyi Zhenren wiped his mouth, sat there contentedly, and looked at Nezha beside him with a smile, clearly having forgotten about Nezha starting the fire in the garden.
"My dear disciple, what brings you to your master today?"

Nezha, who was sitting to the side wiping his Fire-Tipped Spear, casually replied:

"I recently finished a campaign and spent two days in the Heavenly Court, which was quite boring, so I came down to the mortal realm to visit my master."

Taiyi Zhenren shifted his body closer to Nezha, and said somewhat mysteriously:

"My disciple, you don't know this, but when your master went out some time ago, he met an old friend of yours."

Nezha turned to look at his master, a puzzled look on his face, and asked curiously:

"My old friend?"

Nezha pondered for a moment, but couldn't recall having any old friends in the mortal realm. He usually went down to the mortal realm to subdue demons and monsters, so why didn't he remember having any old friends?
Nezha looked at the white greyhound lying to the side, happily chewing on a bone.

If we're talking about old friends, in the mortal realm, he should only be quite familiar with Brother Yang Jian and the others, so they can be considered old friends. As for the others...
Master Taiyi flicked his whisk and said with a smile:
“Disciple, didn’t you pluck my Golden Spirit Jade Bamboo and give it away to someone named Niu Yi back then? Do you remember?”

"Niu Yi? Who's that?"

When Nezha heard the name, it seemed somewhat familiar, as if he had seen or heard it somewhere before. After a long while, he suddenly remembered.

When I descended to the mortal realm to subdue demons, I seemed to see a local earth god writing a petition on the mountain, saying that all the demons on the mountain were benevolent, and Niu Yi's name was on that petition.

He noticed that Niu Yi had a peaceful demeanor, practiced Buddhist scriptures, possessed pure Buddhist magical power, and was decisive in killing, which made him quite pleasing to the eye. So he casually gave him a Golden Spirit Jade Bamboo.

In retrospect, that was a long time ago, and to him it was just a small matter, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

But how did Master get involved with Niu Yi?
Seeing the curiosity in Nezha's eyes, Taiyi Zhenren chuckled and recounted how he met Niu Yi back then, how the two of them communicated, how they addressed each other as fellow Daoists, and so on.

Upon hearing this, Nezha's eyes grew even more curious, while the white greyhound that was lying nearby gnawing on a bone also perked up its ears, listening to Taiyi Zhenren's description.

"I wonder how that person came to be, and who his master was. He has now received the true teachings of my Xuanmen sect and is cultivating the Golden Core Dao. His abilities are not weak."

"Judging from that one, he possesses both the Earth Spirit Pearl from the Eastern Azure Emperor and the Water Spirit Pearl from the Western Sea Dragon King; his background must be quite impressive."

"Of course, now that we are fellow Daoists, we feel like old friends, so I will also give him the Golden Spirit Pearl."

"By the way, his current Dharma name is Guangyi. When you see him in the future, you can call him Daoist Guangyi."

After Taiyi Zhenren finished speaking, he picked up the wine pot next to him again, took a sip, and smacked his lips in satisfaction.

Upon hearing this, Nezha became curious about Niu Yi, whom he had met once before. He thought to himself, "Since I have nothing else to do, should I go and meet him?"

"Guangyi? Daoist Guangyi?"

Hearing the sound beside him, Nezha lowered his head and looked at the white greyhound next to him.

"Xiaotian, you've also heard of the name Guangyi Daoist?"

"That's right. Back then, the eldest and second eldest of Meishan went to celebrate the birthday of the Three-Legged Golden Toad, but they were targeted by that silly bird, the Golden-Winged Roc. In the end, it was this Daoist Guangyi who invited the Nine-Headed Primordial Saint from the Eastern Qinghua Emperor's family, which saved them from their predicament."

"According to my master, in a few years, when Guo Shen and Zhi Jian return, he will invite this man to a banquet in Meishan to express his gratitude and get to know him."

“Nezha, if you wish to meet him, why not come back to Meishan with me as a guest in a few days? I’m sure the master will be very happy to see you.”

Upon hearing this, Nezha seemed somewhat tempted and turned to look at his master.

Taiyi Zhenren, sipping his wine, glanced at Nezha's gaze and waved his hand dismissively, saying:
"Go ahead, go ahead~ It's good for you young people to get together more often, I won't join in your fun~"

"However, if you see Fellow Daoist Guangyi, please tell him for me that if he has some free time in the future, he is welcome to visit the Golden Light Cave on Qianyuan Mountain. This humble Daoist also misses his drinking buddy quite a bit~ Hahahaha~"

On Jindu Mountain, Niu Yi stood under a peach tree, his face peaceful as he closed his eyes, seemingly resting.

Three divination coins bearing the principles of cause and effect spun rapidly in front of Niu Yi, shimmering with an indescribable light. The characters for "cause and effect" on them, in particular, seemed to be explaining the principles of cause and effect.

In Niu Yi's perception, his consciousness was also rising continuously, seemingly without end.

In his mind, the cause and effect of the world were displayed before his eyes. He could extract all kinds of information from them as long as he wanted, as if there was no cause and effect in the world that could escape his eyes.

During this time, Niu Yi seemed to sense that the three causal lines connected to him were trembling slightly.

One of the causal lines originated from the Western Sea, while the other two causal lines both connected towards the Southern Continent.
After a long while, Niu Yi slowly opened his eyes. As he comprehended the Great Dao of Cause and Effect, the fourth Great Dao after Earth, Water, and Metal, the aura emanating from Niu Yi became increasingly ethereal.

He looked at the divination coin, which was spinning in front of him and had concealed its aura, and held it in his palm.

"It seems that Ao Xuan has finished dealing with matters in the Western Sea, and friends will be coming to find him in a few days." "Now that I have fully comprehended the Great Dao of Cause and Effect, if anyone comes looking for me, calls my name, or mentions anything related to me in the future, unless a powerful being intervenes to completely conceal the cause and effect, I will be able to sense it in advance."

"Furthermore, I can now intervene to conceal and shield the cause and effect."

In Niu Yi's clear eyes, lines of cause and effect were constantly emerging in the world.

Niu Yi stretched out his palm and swept it across the sky above Jindu Mountain. The causal lines related to Jindu Mountain were all hidden and disappeared. But Niu Yi knew that they were always there, only that he had "hidden" them.

"In this way, unless someone has also thoroughly comprehended the Great Dao of Cause and Effect as I have, they will not be able to calculate the exact relationship between Jindu Mountain and me."

Besides, Niu Yi now possesses some qualifications to calculate the Heavenly Dao, thanks to the Great Dao of Cause and Effect, the fully restored Cause and Effect Divination Coin, and the supernatural power of the "Cause and Effect Divination Theory". He is truly a diviner who can communicate with the heavens.

With his current abilities, predicting when it will rain, how much rain, when it will be windy, and how strong the wind will be is just a piece of cake for him.

I just don't know what his second senior brother was planning back then, that led to this situation.
As Niu Yi pondered, he flipped his hand, and a jet-black chain flashing with Yellow Spring runes shot out of his hand.

"Wow————"

Niu Yi looked at the seemingly endless God-Locking Chains surrounding him, which kept bursting out from his hands. Streams of causal Daoist energy emanated from Niu Yi's body and flowed into the God-Locking Chains.

When he forged the God-Locking Chain, his senior brother modified it for him, incorporating the method of cause and effect. Now that he has fully comprehended the Great Dao of Cause and Effect, not only has the Cause and Effect Divination Coin been completely restored, but the God-Locking Chain in his hands can also be enhanced once again.

By relying on the principle of cause and effect and continuously improving the God-Locking Chain, perhaps one day, Niu Yi will only need to sit on Golden Gourd Mountain and release the God-Locking Chain to track and lock down enemies throughout the Three Realms.

........................

On the other side, more than three thousand miles away from Jindu Mountain, in a valley.

The Moon Deer Clan fought for several years with the Moon Serpent Clan and several other demon clans, and finally completely occupied this valley as their new habitat. However, the Moon Deer Clan had already paid a heavy price.

Not only did the old clan chief die in battle to save the current clan chief, but nearly half of the clan members were also lost, and they were all young and strong.

The struggles between demon races in the outside world for resources and territory are far beyond what the Moonflower Deer clan, who have lived peacefully under the protection of Golden Gourd Mountain for hundreds of years, could imagine.

Xiaoyue looked at her people in the valley, who, despite the passing years, had not yet emerged from their grief, and her face still showed some confusion.

She had assumed that once they reached the outside world, with the current clan leader's talent, they would surely conquer a vast territory and become the sole masters of that land.

But they were wrong, terribly wrong.

Once they left the mountain peaks beside Jindu Mountain and the environment rich in spiritual energy, their cultivation speed slowed down considerably, making them extremely uncomfortable, as if they had suddenly gone from a rainforest to a dry land.

In addition, they were frequently attacked while traveling, and the inexperienced Moon Deer clan lost several members along the way.

Upon arriving here, they found the ordinary mountain forests completely unacceptable for their daily cultivation, and thus joined the struggle for this valley.

However, now that they have paid a bloody price to acquire this valley, they have discovered that its spiritual energy is less than half of what they once possessed on the mountain peak next to Jindu Mountain.
When Xiaoyue thought of the safflower incense that Niu Feng had sent, which had long been used up and saved many of her people, her eyes became complicated again.

"What are we doing this for, after all?"

On the mountain peak next to Jindu Mountain.

Hou Fei lay between two vines, hugging a long bamboo pole while leisurely swinging the vines and eating a peach in his hand.

At this moment, Hou Fei's aura had clearly reached the level of a demon general, and the spiritual energy on the mountain where the monkey troop was located was much stronger than in previous years, with a faint earth element Daoist aura shrouding the mountain.

Now, their monkey clan's three hundred years of perseverance has finally borne fruit, and he can say that he has given an account to the former clan chief and the old clan chief he has never met.

As for the Moon Deer, he was also aware of its current situation.

All I can say is that among the demon race, if you don't have enough strength, you shouldn't pursue territory or freedom.

This troop of monkeys must have accumulated a lot of good karma in their past lives to be under the leader's command. Unlike the Moon Deer clan, they have no disloyalty.

Six months later, Niu Yi and the Golden-Hooped Earth God went to Cherry Blossom Valley together to celebrate Yao Qing'er's successful breakthrough to the Demon General realm.

Besides Niu Yi, the other three local deities also came to offer their congratulations.

It is worth mentioning that over the years, Liu Gui has completely integrated into this mountainous region and has become increasingly harmonious with the other local deities.

At the gathering, Yao Qing'er and Luo Ying Tu Di Gong repeatedly thanked Niu Yi. On Bao Quan Tu Di Gong's side, he also brought along the water blue fish demon with a head full of bumps, asking Niu Yi to give him some pointers.

Whether it was because the land god Baoquan's fist had worked or because the blue fish demon had finally come to its senses, this time when it saw Niu Yi, its body no longer trembled. Upon seeing Niu Yi, it knelt down in front of him, bowed its head, and begged Niu Yi for guidance.

Niu Yi naturally wouldn't refuse. With his discerning eye, he could easily enlighten the blue-water fish demon from the level of a demon general in just a few words.

As the banquet ended, Niu Yi returned to Jindu Mountain and saw Ao Xuan, who had just returned from the West Sea and was wearing a set of light blue armor.

Upon seeing Niu Yi, Ao Xuan's eyes immediately showed a hint of closeness, and he quickly stepped forward to greet him.

"master."

"Xuan'er, did the trip go smoothly?"

"Reporting to Master, Uncle Ao Run has prepared many things, so the trip went smoothly."

As Ao Xuan spoke, he waved his long sleeves, and several boxes exuding the scent of the sea appeared beside him.

"Master, these things were given to me by the eldest and third princes of the West Sea Dragon Palace. I couldn't refuse, so I accepted them. Please decide what to do with them."

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi looked over and saw that the box was full of purple shells, pearls, rare stones, beautiful jade, and various marine treasures, all of which were of high quality and were quite valuable even in his eyes.

The eldest prince of the West Sea Dragon King, Ao Moang, is quite capable. And the third prince, he should be the future White Dragon.
Niu Yi calculated with his fingers, but after a moment, he smiled and shook his head.

"Xuan'er, since they gave this to you, you should keep it."

(End of this chapter)