Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 258 Investigating the Lion Camel Kingdom

Tang Sanzang and Sun Wukong had just left the Two Realms Mountain and were still some distance away from Eagle's Sorrow Stream.

After the two of them traveled westward until they crossed the Flowing Sand River, the four of them reunited with the White Dragon. The tribulations along this journey were taken care of by the Spirit Mountain, so there was no need for him and Taibai Jinxing to worry too much about them.

At this time, he was not in a hurry and could calmly arrange the matters of the journey to the west. Moreover, it seemed that Guanyin Bodhisattva had no intention of asking Zhenyuan Daxian for help at Wuzhuang Temple.
Niu Yi pondered that on this journey westward, those who came from the heavens and the Spirit Mountain, such as the Green Ox beside him, and the Great Sage of Yellow Wind, who possessed the extraordinary Samadhi Divine Wind technique, were mostly arranged to train their group.

But there are many other things that were not arranged by them. The events at Wuzhuang Temple, the future Daoist temple of Zhenyuanzi, may also have been beyond the Bodhisattva's expectations.

However, these are not things he needs to consider for the time being. This journey to the west also involves a degree of adaptability.

As for now, he might as well go and visit the Lion Camel Kingdom, the demon kingdom on earth, which is also under the Golden-Winged Roc's control.
In the rocky streams of the mountains, Sun Wukong was rolling around on the rocks with a splitting headache!

At this moment, a slender golden headband had appeared on his head, and this headband was constantly trembling and contracting as Tang Sanzang chanted incantations.

"what---"

"Master! Please stop chanting! Please stop chanting!!"

After a moment, Tang Sanzang's face showed some reluctance, and he stopped speaking. Looking at Sun Wukong, who was lying on the ground panting heavily and still had some lingering fear in his eyes, he said:

"Why did you hit me with that stick just now? Are you willing to listen to my teachings this time?"

"I dare not! I dare not! I'm willing to listen, I'm willing to listen!"

Sun Wukong touched the headband on his head, feeling both lingering fear and resentment. This thing definitely didn't belong to Tang Sanzang; he wondered who had given it to him to harm him!

After some questioning, Sun Wukong finally guessed that the "tightening headband" was given by Guanyin Bodhisattva of the South Sea. He was furious and wanted to go to the South Sea to seek revenge on Guanyin Bodhisattva, but Tang Sanzang persuaded him to stay.

Sun Wukong thought that since the Bodhisattva had taught Tang Sanzang the Tightening-Headband Mantra, she must know it herself, so she suppressed her anger.

Because of this "tightening headband," Sun Wukong completely abandoned his thoughts of leaving and agreed to protect Tang Sanzang on his journey westward, just as originally promised, without ever having any regrets or thoughts of retreating.

After traveling for several days, the two arrived at Eagle's Sorrow Gorge, where they were met by a hungry little white dragon who was waiting for Tang Sanzang. The dragon leaped out of the water and swallowed Tang Sanzang's white horse whole.

After some twists and turns, the White Dragon, also known as Ao Lie, the third prince of the West Sea Dragon King, was transformed into a white dragon horse by Guanyin Bodhisattva, so that Tang Sanzang could ride it and atone for his sins, and eventually achieve enlightenment.

On Jindu Mountain, Niu Yi, who was preparing to set off again, suddenly sensed a cloud of water vapor rising from the horizon. He made a few quick calculations with his hands and couldn't help but smile.

The blue ox looked towards the horizon and said with some surprise:

"Oh? People from the West Sea Dragon Palace have arrived? What are these guys doing here, my brother, making such a big fuss?"

Niu Yi smiled and said:

"Brother Si, as you know, I have known the West Sea Dragon King for many years and we are friends. Judging from his appearance, the matter he was busy with a few days ago must have yielded good results."

The green ox nodded, but this time it did not leave. It simply stood beside Niu Yi, watching the dark cloud gathering moisture that was constantly flying in.

“My dear brother, I noticed that you don’t look as relaxed as you did before on this trip.”

The blue ox patted its chest and said:
"If there are enemies, my dear brother, just tell me, and I'll take care of them for you!"

He was being provided with food and lodging by his virtuous younger brother on Jindu Mountain, and he was even asking his brother to help him complete the important task arranged by Laozi in the future. He felt somewhat embarrassed.

Including the last time, he had been living on that person's mountain. Even though Laozi treated him very well, he now genuinely felt close to his own brother and would be extremely happy to repay him in any way.

Niu Yi smiled and nodded, neither refusing nor objecting, and said frankly:
"Please rest assured, Brother Si, I am only going there to investigate. I also have other helpers with me. Even if I am discovered, they will not be able to stop me."

"If I ever need to trouble you in the future, I will certainly not hesitate to ask."

The green ox laughed heartily and nodded, saying:

"Hahaha~ That's good, that's good! We're brothers, if you were to be too polite, it would only hurt your older brother's feelings~"

As Niu Yi and Qing Niu chatted and laughed, the team led by the Prime Minister of the Western Sea Turtle had arrived near Jin Du Mountain.

However, Jindu Mountain was sealed off by a great formation at this time, and the Turtle Prime Minister and the shrimp soldiers and crab generals carrying treasure chests behind him could not be seen. Fortunately, the West Sea Dragon King Ao Run had given instructions before they left.

The Turtle Prime Minister stepped forward, coughed twice, and bowed respectfully, saying:
"Immortal Guangyi, I am the Prime Minister of the West Sea Turtle. I have come to present you with some gifts on the orders of the West Sea Dragon King as a token of my gratitude."

Sure enough, as soon as Prime Minister Turtle finished speaking, the clouds not far in front of him rippled, and a blessed land, a secluded immortal mountain, radiating light and ethereal spiritual energy that reached straight into the clouds, appeared before Prime Minister Turtle and his entourage.

A moment later, a dragon shadow rushed out from the mountaintop, transforming into Ao Xuan and heading towards the group of people from the Western Sea.

When the Turtle Prime Minister saw Ao Xuan, he quickly bowed.

"Your Highness Ao Xuan."

"Prime Minister Turtle, I'm sorry to trouble you with this trip. My master is waiting for you on the mountain. Please follow me."

"Yes, Your Highness Ao Xuan."

Ao Xuan holds a somewhat special position in the West Sea Dragon Palace. Although he is not the son of the West Sea Dragon King, his status in the Dragon Palace is actually not much different from that of the other princes.

Furthermore, the Dragon King of the West Sea treated this person much better than he treated his own sons. When this person went to the West Sea last time, the Turtle Prime Minister saw everything and would never treat him lightly.

The Turtle Prime Minister and his entourage followed Ao Xuan as they rode the clouds to the top of Jindu Mountain, where they saw a young Taoist priest in a blue robe holding a whisk, smiling at them.

Prime Minister Gui stepped forward quickly and bowed to Niu Yi.

“Immortal Guangyi, my Dragon King asked me to express my gratitude to you and Taibai Xingjun. The Third Prince of the Jade Dragon has become Tang Sanzang’s white dragon horse. Guanyin Bodhisattva promised that as long as the Third Prince atones for his sins and performs good deeds, he can carry Tang Sanzang all the way to Mount Ling and achieve enlightenment.”

“If the Dragon King hadn’t had important matters to attend to in the Western Sea, he would have definitely come to pay his respects to the Immortal in person. However, the Dragon King asked me to bring some gifts for you and Taibai Xingjun. Taibai Xingjun has already delivered them over there. Please accept these.”

The Turtle Prime Minister waved his hand, and the shrimp soldiers and crab generals behind him hurriedly placed the treasure chests they were carrying on the grassy mountaintop, opened the chests, and revealed the West Sea treasures inside, which were all of the highest quality even in the seabed.

Niu Yi nodded slightly, looked at the Turtle Prime Minister and smiled: "I have been friends with the Dragon King for many years. Logically speaking, I should not accept these things, but if I do not accept them, I am afraid you will have difficulty going back to report."

"Alright then, please go back and tell the Dragon King that if Sun Wukong encounters any trouble on his journey to the West, he will probably have to ask the Dragon King for help."

"Thank you, Immortal Master."

Upon hearing this, Prime Minister Turtle was overjoyed. As the Dragon King's confidant, he knew some things about the journey to the West. It was said that those who could participate were meritorious, which was why his Dragon King was so grateful to these two for helping the Third Prince of the Jade Dragon redeem himself.

This time, our third prince has actually turned misfortune into blessing.

A moment later, the Turtle Prime Minister delivered the many treasures and quickly took his leave, as he needed to return immediately to the West Sea Dragon Palace to report to the West Sea Dragon King, Ao Run.

Niu Yi looked at the fifty boxes of treasures in front of him and let Ao Xuan and the others on the mountain select some that were useful and of interest. Niu Yi then put the rest into the Chaos Green Gourd.

Niu Yi then bid farewell to Qingniu, Niu Feng, Tudigong, and the others. However, for some reason, Yin Qilin insisted on going with him this time.

This little guy is actually quite attached to him on weekdays, perhaps because the first thing it sees when it opens its eyes is Niu Yi, and the first thing it senses is Niu Yi's aura.

A few days ago, Niu Yi went out, so he let this little guy get to know everyone at Jindou Mountain. Unexpectedly, after returning, it was still as clingy as ever.
Since Yin Qilin was willing to follow, Niu Yi had no problem with it, so he put it into the Chaos Green Gourd and flew towards the Lion Camel Kingdom.

In less than half an incense stick's time, Niu Yi, who had transformed into golden light and was using the Golden Light Leaping Divine Power to travel, sensed the soaring, chaotic demonic energy. The intensity of the demonic energy was something that even Niu Yi had never seen before.

Niu Yi sensed the surrounding atmosphere while standing in the clouds, then quickly descended towards a desolate hillside outside the city gate of Lion Camel Kingdom.

When Niu Yi stood up, he saw the scorpion demon lying half-reclined on the ground, fiddling with his three-pronged steel fork.

This steel fork was formed from her pair of pincers, and it was her natal magic weapon. She had been refining it since the beginning of her cultivation, which is why she was able to fight against Niu Yi's Sun and Moon Steel Halberd.

Seeing that Niu Yi had arrived, the scorpion demon stood up and said:

"Does the master truly intend to confront that Golden-Winged Roc?"

Niu Yi slowly walked up the earthen slope and looked at the demon kingdom not far away, where demonic energy was rising.

“Of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have come here, and I wouldn’t have needed you to come and provide support.”

"You don't need to call me 'Master'. With your personality, it really sounds awkward. Just be natural, and I won't blame you."

The scorpion demon swayed her hips as she approached Niu Yi. Having come to understand his nature somewhat by now, she didn't stand on ceremony with him and they both looked towards the demon kingdom, a playful expression on their faces.
"Then you'd better be careful!"

"What do you know?"

The scorpion demon stretched and said slowly:

"Well, I also came from the Great Thunderclap Temple. Although I never saw the Golden-Winged Roc in that temple, he is, after all, the Buddha's maternal uncle and the Buddha's mother's younger brother, so I naturally know a little about him."

"However, this Golden-Winged Roc can hardly be considered a Buddhist. Compared to the Peacock King Bodhisattva, this one has no Buddhist nature whatsoever and has never served in the Vulture Peak."

"If you want to deal with it, and there's a reason behind it, a cause and effect, then that Bodhisattva will most likely not intervene. But with the Tathagata, it's hard to say."

Niu Yi looked at the demon kingdom but didn't say anything. After all, his master had already pointed out a path for him: to find the Great Heavenly Venerable, who was also the Jade Emperor.

If this matter were easy to handle, there would be no need to seek out the Jade Emperor.
"Let's go, let's go and take a look at this demon kingdom, walk around and see what it's like."

"This trip is just to gather information. Remember to keep a low profile and don't attract attention."

The scorpion demon glanced at Niu Yi with slight surprise, only to see Niu Yi's figure change, and a pair of bull horns pointing to the sky appeared on his head, while the whisk in his hand turned into a bundle.

Goodness, she almost forgot, the guy in front of her was also a rare and extraordinary bull demon.
Seeing Niu Yi's appearance, the scorpion demon slowly produced a scorpion tail behind her and swayed as she walked with Niu Yi toward the gate of Lion Camel Kingdom.

One of the two wolf demons guarding the gate was already asleep, and the other was also somewhat drowsy. However, when he saw the two figures slowly walking towards him, he quickly wiped the drool dripping from between his sharp teeth and kicked the wolf demon next to him awake.

"Ah Si! Wake up! Wake up! A bull demon and a scorpion demon are coming!"

"oh oh!"

The two wolf demons quickly stood up, wielding long-handled wolf-tooth hammers, and shouted at the two monsters:
Hey! You two!

Before the wolf demon could finish speaking, a pink aura flickered in the scorpion demon's eyes, and the two wolf demons' eyes immediately shone with the same pink light, their expressions instantly becoming blank.

The seven emotions and six desires, right?
Niu Yi raised an eyebrow slightly. Seeing that there was no demon to stop him, he walked straight past the two people carrying the scorpion demon and entered the bustling Lion Camel Kingdom.

After the two entered, the two wolf demons at the door suddenly shuddered, looked at each other blankly, and clearly had completely forgotten what had just happened.
After entering the demon kingdom, Niu Yi looked around and saw that the streets were full of people dressed in clothes, most of whom had human-like forms, but many more had the characteristics of demons.

Clearly, this place is teeming with monsters.

At this moment, fat, big-eared pig demons were shouting from both sides of the street:

"Come, come, come! Top-quality meat-filled buns! We're having a special meat bun sale today!"

Another bat demon shouted:
"This is our 300-year-old blood wine, just brought out by our old cellar!!!"

Such words are almost identical to those spoken in human cities, but if anyone saw what was being sold, they would probably turn pale and shudder with fear.

As Niu Yi traveled along, he saw that most of the food was meat, but there were still a few vegetarian options available, and the scorpion demon looked at this scene with considerable disgust.

Noticing Niu Yi's gaze, the scorpion demon rolled her eyes and transmitted her voice:
"What are you looking at me for? I came down from the Great Thunderclap Temple, and I don't practice such evil and crooked ways. Otherwise, do you think those bald monks would let me go up the mountain?"

"I'm afraid they'll take me down immediately, lest I defile their Buddhist sanctuary."

Niu Yi chuckled and shook his head. Just as he was about to say something, his expression suddenly changed. He sensed a familiar aura not far ahead in this demon kingdom.

(End of this chapter)