Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 268 The Three Demons of Chechi
At the entrance of Lion Camel Cave, the Golden-Winged Roc emerged from the already nascent, white-skinned mountain of skeletons on both sides, amidst the kneeling worship of the many lesser demons guarding the cave entrance. He looked up at the gloomy sky and let out a cold laugh.

"Humph!"

Regardless of who the scorpion demon is or who is behind her, she now has two powerful allies.

As for the flesh of Tang Sanzang, even with the protection of the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, he was determined to have it!
"I'd like to see just who this coward is, daring to mess with us three brothers!"

However, what the Golden-Winged Roc didn't know was that a beautiful little bird with the color of a peacock and long tail feathers was standing on the top of a dead tree not far from the Lion Camel Cave, watching this scene with a pair of bright and lively eyes.

As the golden-winged roc transformed into golden light and vanished in an instant, the beautiful little bird slowly opened its mouth and chuckled:
"My foolish younger brother~ those two clueless idiots from Manjushri and Samantabhadra's families are definitely the best match for you~"

"I never expected that lustful scorpion demon would get involved. Did she listen to that person's words, searching for that variable, wanting to settle the karma of Mount Ling and change her future calamity?"

At night, atop Jindu Mountain, Niu Yi, who had intended to enter a state of spiritual tranquility, inexplicably felt a sense of drowsiness.

Niu Yi raised an eyebrow slightly, sensing that somewhat familiar aura. He walked back into the house, sat down cross-legged, and did not resist the sudden drowsiness. He quickly entered a dream.

While eating oranges in the orange grove, the blue ox, who was gazing at the stars, suddenly looked towards the thatched hut and frowned slightly.

"What's going on? Is this aura from Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva?"

“My dear brother is really busy. While I, Lao Niu, sleep soundly in the Tushita Palace every day and no one looks for me, my brother is always being sought after, whether in heaven or on earth.”

The blue ox shook its head, leaned against the tree trunk, and also drifted off to sleep.

As soon as Niu Yi entered the dream, he saw a misty fog in front of him. After taking a step forward, he instantly appeared in the Emerald Cloud Palace of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva.

This is not the real Cuiyun Palace; it is essentially a dream. At this moment, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva is also asleep, having created this lifelike dream space to invite him to meet.

Niu Yi looked at the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva standing in the palace before him, smiling at him. He slowly stepped forward and greeted the Bodhisattva.

"Immortal chief."

"Buddha."

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva looked at Niu Yi and slowly spoke, his clear voice flowing like a gentle stream into people's hearts, as he said softly:
"I have come to ask you to come into my dream for a chat because I have something important to discuss. I hope you will not take offense at my intrusion."

“Bodhisattva is overthinking it. I had been planning to seek you out recently, but I never expected you to come looking for me first.”

The matter of Heigu is closely related to the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha in front of him. Based on his understanding of the Bodhisattva's personality over the years, if Heigu really made trouble in his territory, the Bodhisattva Ksitigarbha would certainly not remain silent. Therefore, Niu Yi was not surprised that the Bodhisattva had come looking for him.

Just then, Niu Yi and Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva looked to the side and saw a flash of blue light, and the figure of the blue ox appeared in front of them.

When Qingniu saw that the two of them were getting along peacefully, he smiled.

"You guys chat, I'm sleepy, I'm going to take a nap here."

As he spoke, Qingniu stretched and walked towards a table not far away. He then turned over, lay down, and fell fast asleep.

Upon seeing this, a smile flashed across Niu Yi's eyes. How could he not know that his brother Si was there to protect him from being taken advantage of?

However, Brother Si suddenly arrived.
Niu Yi looked at the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in front of him with a somewhat inexplicable expression.

This person actually caught his attention, causing his rhinoceros brother to follow. It seems he had underestimated Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva before. This Netherworld Master's abilities are truly unfathomable.
The Bodhisattva seemed unsurprised by the arrival of the Green Ox. He simply turned to Niu Yi and gestured towards a table with two cups of tea placed not far away.

“Immortal Master, I did not speak of this matter to you before because there were reasons that were difficult to explain. But now that this matter has reached you, I will explain it to you.”

"Furthermore, this humble monk would like to ask the immortal master for his assistance in this matter."

Niu Yi nodded, but did not agree immediately. Instead, he and Pusa came to the table, sat down opposite each other, and began to discuss the matter.

In a ruined, abandoned village in the Tongtianjiang region.

A man dressed in a red lotus-patterned black robe was looking at a bronze incense burner in front of him, from which a wisp of black smoke was rising slowly.

The incense burner was covered with carvings of hellish demons, each one ugly and ferocious, seemingly howling and wailing in pain. Their lifelike appearance made them seem as if they might pounce out at any moment.

The man watched this scene without any surprise, muttering to himself:
"I suppose that by using the resentment from this place as nourishment, I can refine a Resentment Pill. Combined with what I collected before, it should be enough to suppress the resentment of the three wronged souls and enable them to cultivate the path of ghosts."

Suddenly, a gust of yin energy swept from behind the man, causing his long hair to flutter slightly.

The man turned his head to look at the beautiful woman in white behind him and said calmly:

"Didn't you say you didn't want to get involved in this mess, Shi Cui?"

With pale skin, bright red lips, and striking beauty, Shi Cui looked at the man before her but did not reply directly. Instead, she lightly flicked her necklace.

A pair of ghastly green demon heads appeared on the pendant as the necklace swayed, emitting painful howls. However, the pendant blocked all the howls, preventing any sound from reaching the outside world.

"The Lord has sent word that Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and the Divine Physician Daoist have taken notice of your situation. If you are willing to leave, the Lord is confident that he can take you away from here."

“Pang Wen, you may not have noticed, but those two deities from the Dao Lord Palace in the sky have been following you. If you had made any unusual moves or done anything harmful, you would probably be dead and gone by now.”

"They've kept you alive just to try and lure the Lord out."

Upon hearing this, the man whom Shi Cui referred to as Pang Wen also changed his expression, but forced himself not to look up at the sky, and instead looked at Shi Cui in front of him and said:

"Then what brings you here?"

“Back then, you rescued me from the clutches of Ox-Head and Horse-Face and brought me back to Black Valley. I will always remember this kindness. And what you said is right. There are many of our compatriots here, and we should come to help.”

"If you hadn't dragged me into the ghost realm, how could I have personally killed my enemy and kept him by my side for hundreds of years, tormenting him day and night? I'm here to help you, of course." As Shi Cui spoke, resentment rose around her, but this soul-consuming resentment only made Shi Cui's eyes colder, and the two pale green ghost faces in her pendant once again burst into a wail.

At this moment, the extreme pain seemed to make the face clearer, making it more visible.

It was the face of a middle-aged man and the face of an old woman; this pair of evil ghosts were none other than Xiang Feng and his mother.

The people of Black Valley cultivate the path of ghosts, but they are different from ordinary ghost immortals; they cultivate a body full of resentment.

The City of the Wrongfully Dead, created by Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, can temporarily suppress the resentment of ghosts, allowing them to live there until their remaining lifespan ends. Only after witnessing their former enemies suffering in the eighteen cities of hell will their resentment dissipate and they be reincarnated.

The Black Valley is the complete opposite. Everyone in the Black Valley is filled with resentment, but after taking revenge, they embark on the cultivation path of the Black Valley.

Even if one takes revenge personally, this path will not eliminate resentment. Most people will turn the soul of their enemy into a magical artifact and carry it with them, tormenting them day and night. This will only cause the resentment to surge, and they will no longer be controlled by hatred, but will instead use it for their own benefit.

The City of the Wrongfully Dead dispels resentment and helps those who died unjustly to be reincarnated smoothly, while the Black Valley amplifies resentment to cultivate itself, thus forging a unique and wicked path of ghost cultivation in the Three Realms.

Shi Cui seems to have been blessed with exceptional talent on this path, which is why Hei Gu intervened back then and took Shi Cui away from the City of the Unjustly Dead.

Even now, only a few hundred years later, Pang Wen has to admit that Shi Cui, who needed his help back then, is now much stronger than himself.

Shi Cui's words left Pang Wen somewhat silent, clearly indicating that he had underestimated the Daojun Palace's control over this area.

Pang Wen looked around. He had thought he had hidden himself well, but now he felt as if a net had been laid all around him, and there was danger everywhere.
Pang Wen turned around and looked at Shi Cui, saying:
"You just said you came to help me."

"You knew perfectly well that I had been targeted, yet you came directly to find me without any attempt to conceal your presence. This place is fraught with danger, yet you didn't advise me to leave?"

Shi Cui smiled and said:

"If you are willing to leave, the Lord will take action. If you are not willing, you may stay here with me and wait for a monk from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East."

"Your Excellency wishes to make another gamble with Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva."

Daojun Palace, within the incense-burning space.

In the vast pavilion on the first floor, the fragrance of incense burning in the air permeated the space, making the many local deities below feel quite refreshed.

The Daoist Lord, seated at the head of the table, was looking at the local landowner of Ma Family Village and listening to him talk about the black-robed man who had suddenly appeared.

It was clear that the person in Black Valley had a way of keeping it from the local earth god, mountain god, city god, and others. Every time they realized something was wrong and went to look for him, they would find that he had already succeeded and left, which made the immortals quite ashamed.

"Daojun, nothing has happened to Gao Qiulan's uncle's family so far. Perhaps Gao Qiulan, who was taken away, hasn't become a wronged ghost yet, or..."

Seeing the Daoist Master at the head of the table shake his head slightly, the local earth god of Majiazhuang immediately shut his mouth.

Meanwhile, the local deities of the Tongtianjiang region below Daojun were also discussing the matter animatedly, clearly having heard about the recent events.

However, their level is not yet at the level of Black Valley. They only know that evil spirits and heretics have come here and collected many wronged souls and corpses from the Tongtianjiang area, which has attracted the underworld to come and arrest them.

However, that person seemed to be exceptionally capable, not only managing to deceive them, but also leaving the Golden Shackles and Silver Locks and the Black and White Impermanence, who came from the underworld to take charge of the matter, completely clueless and unable to get a single clue.

Daojun slowly rose and said:
"I am aware of the reason for this matter. If any of you find any trace of that person in your respective areas of responsibility, please send a message to Golden Shackles, Silver Locks, and Black and White Impermanence."

"It won't be long before Tang Sanzang and his companions on their journey to the West arrive at the Tongtianjiang region. If they come here and ask you any questions, please answer truthfully and remember to cooperate."

The earth deities and immortals below all rose and said:
"I will follow the Daojun's order."

Daojun nodded, about to speak and tell them to leave on their own, when a look of surprise suddenly appeared in his eyes.

In Daojun's perception, three strange, devout faiths suddenly appeared. These faiths even contained some demonic aura, and the direction from which this aura came was also unknown.
Daojun regained his senses and immediately ordered all the local deities and immortals of the Tongtian River region to disperse.

He then returned to the third floor of the pavilion, his dark, bright eyes looking eastward. His gaze swept across the Tongtian River and the mountains and rivers, and soon landed in a bustling country where he saw three people devoutly worshipping in the Daojun Temple.

The Temple of the Divine Physician Daojun in Chechi Kingdom.

At the beginning of the founding of Chechi Kingdom, there was a temple dedicated to the Divine Physician Daojun. However, at that time, the temple was comparable to other temples in the kingdom and was of medium size.

However, since Chechi Kingdom suffered a drought a few years ago, three Taoist immortals summoned wind and rain to save the people of Chechi Kingdom and were honored by the king as the three national teachers.

Since these three were revered as national teachers, the Kingdom of Chechi has placed great importance on Taoism. First, they built the Sanqing Temple, and in recent years they have greatly expanded the Divine Physician Daojun Palace, making it more than twenty times larger than the previous Daojun Palace.

The people who built the Sanqing Temple and Daojun Palace were all Buddhist monks.

It is said that back then, the three royal advisors tricked the king, saying that the country was suffering from a severe drought and the people were living in misery. There were monks and Taoists praying for rain together, but in the end only the Taoists managed to bring rain. They said that the monks were useless and that it would be better to turn them all into laborers to work for their Taoist sect.

The king readily agreed, and from then on, monks in Chechi Kingdom became the laborers of Taoist priests, demolishing all the temples in the kingdom and retrieving their ordination certificates, making them almost no different from slaves.

Furthermore, if any Taoist priests from outside Chechi Kingdom pass through in the future, they should step forward to receive a reward; if any monks from outside Chechi Kingdom pass through, they should be arrested and made to serve the three national teachers along with the monks in the kingdom.

It can be said that the monks in Chechi Kingdom were universally hated and treated like rats crossing the street.

Furthermore, of the monks who were arrested back then, some died from exhaustion, others committed suicide, and most of them perished. Only a small number of monks remained, struggling to survive, but their lives were worse than those of pigs and dogs.

Conversely, the Daoist sect was at its zenith in Chechi Kingdom, with a vast number of followers.

At this moment, the three national teachers of Chechi Kingdom, Tiger Power Immortal, Deer Power Immortal, and Sheep Power Immortal, were leading many Taoist followers to stand together in the Temple of the Divine Physician Daoist, respectfully worshipping the figure of the Daoist Lord at the head of the temple.

(End of this chapter)