Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 308 Lanruo Temple

A barely audible sigh drifted out from within the Cuiyun Palace.

Throughout the Three Realms, everyone reveres the Lord of the Underworld, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, for his great compassion and mercy in saving the world and delivering all sentient beings.

Whether in Heaven, Hell, or the Western Paradise, all the gods and Buddhas in the world spoke of him with great respect.

Although he has never regretted his decision, there will always be someone in this world who feels sorry for him, saddened, worried, and thinks he deserves better choices and a better future.

But now, even that last person has left.
In the future, the young novice monk who sought Buddhahood and enlightenment with his close friend will never return to the Three Realms. Instead, there will be only the Lord of the Underworld, Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva, who vows not to become a Buddha until hell is emptied.

On Jindou Mountain.

Niu Yi was sitting cross-legged above the pond, with a golden wheel of merit that looked like a blazing sun appearing behind him, and beams of golden light of merit shooting out from the wheel and falling into the pond.

The surface of the pond beneath him revealed a scene from the underworld.

Soon, as the golden light suddenly burst forth, a splash of water rose from the surface of the pond, and at the same time, a figure dressed in black robes rushed out of the water.

"Crash!!!"

The raindrops quickly fell back into the pond, while the figure in black robes had already landed on the shore, taking a deep breath with a touch of nostalgia.

"call"

Niu Yi descended from mid-air, landing on the shore. Looking at the black-robed figure before him, he smiled:
"Congratulations, Second Senior Brother, you have finally escaped from the River of Forgetfulness."

Despite being covered in dust and dirt from the blows, the second senior brother still laughed heartily, took a few steps forward, and hugged Niu Yi tightly.

"Thank you so much, Junior Brother Guangyi! I'm only able to escape this predicament thanks to you!"

Niu Yi was delighted, but his expression remained somewhat strange as he said:
"However, Second Brother, it would be best to be cautious these days."

Just now in the underworld, the scene of his second senior brother being struck by the Purple Heaven Divine Lightning made his heart pound with fear. That divine lightning was not emitted by the Thunder Department, but was a kind of evolution of the Heavenly Dao rules.

In other words, divine lightning can strike at any time in any place within the Three Realms that is under the watchful gaze of the Heavenly Dao.

The source of the divine thunder is undoubtedly His Majesty the Jade Emperor.
Even though his senior brother was released by the Jade Emperor, he was still being closely watched by that person. And judging from his appearance just now, the Jade Emperor clearly didn't want his senior brother to stay in the Three Realms any longer.
The second senior brother blushed, looking somewhat embarrassed.

Clearly, he felt quite ashamed that his junior brother had seen him being struck by lightning.

The second senior brother pulled Niu Yi away and said with a wry smile:

"I will stay in the Three Realms for three more days before leaving. There's no way around it; what your second senior brother did back then was indeed unlikable."

"If I saw someone doing this on my own turf, I probably wouldn't let that person leave alive. Speaking of which, I am grateful to His Majesty the Jade Emperor for his mercy in getting me out of trouble today."

"Humph!"

Suddenly, a cold, authoritative snort reached the ears of the two brothers, causing them to exchange bewildered glances, their expressions turning strange once again.

Niu Yi knew that these big shots might have a habit of "spying," especially His Majesty the Jade Emperor; there shouldn't be many in the Three Realms who didn't know this.

This was the first time Niu Yi had ever seen something so blatant.

His Majesty the Jade Emperor was essentially telling his second senior brother directly:
I'm watching you, so you better watch out.
"Cough cough."

The second senior brother coughed twice, then turned to Niu Yi and said seriously:
"Junior brother, your senior brother is going out to visit some old friends and will return tomorrow. At that time, I'm afraid I will have to leave the Three Realms to follow in Master's footsteps."

Niu Yi smiled and nodded:

"Please rest assured, senior brother, I will prepare fine wine and delicacies to await your return!"

After talking with Niu Yi for a while, the second senior brother left Jindu Mountain.

Niu Yi didn't know where this person had gone, but the next day at noon, while Niu Yi was preparing lunch, his second senior brother returned as promised.

Niu Yi prepared many delicious dishes and brought fine wine and spiritual fruits from the mountain to entertain his senior brother. Afterwards, he introduced the local deity, Dou Dou, Ao Xuan, and others from Jin Dou Mountain to his second senior brother.

Niu Yi and his second senior brother's banquet lasted from noon until evening, until the bright moon hung in the sky and the stars shone.

The second senior brother stared blankly at the night sky before him.

After gazing at the eternally gray sky of the underworld for so long, and then looking at the night sky of the human world, I realized that the starry sky that used to hang overhead almost every day was actually so magnificent.

"Unfortunately, such scenes will be hard to see again in the future."

The second senior brother sighed and turned to look at Niu Yi, who was also gazing at the starry sky beside him.

“Junior brother, I have seen everyone I needed to see. If I stay any longer, I’m afraid I won’t be able to leave. It’s time to go.”

Seeing this, Niu Yi said seriously:

"Second Senior Brother, even though we are parting today, I will follow in Master's footsteps in the future and reunite with Master and my fellow senior brothers."

The second senior brother patted Niu Yi on the shoulder and laughed loudly:

"Junior brother, I believe you have the ability! Your second senior brother will be waiting for you on the road ahead!"

After the second senior brother finished speaking, his figure transformed into a white ray of light and soared into the sky, disappearing in an instant without a trace.

Niu Yi looked at the sky and suddenly noticed a seven-colored light slowly descending and landing in front of him. "Junior brother, your second senior brother has stayed on the Naihe River for too long. Apart from my clothes and a magic treasure that can absorb true spirits, the only thing I have left is this small boat."

"Don't underestimate this small boat. It can be stored in your true spirit and travel through the void. You are about to enter the Universal Realm, and this treasure is perfect for you."

Upon hearing this, Niu Yi's eyes lit up, and he reached out and grabbed the miniature boat that was radiating seven-colored light.

The small boat was as white as jade, with mysterious golden patterns covering its hull. The small house on the boat had brick and tile eaves with dragon head carvings at the four corners, making it look quite luxurious.

"Is this darling second senior brother just there to set off the scenery on the Naihe River?"

Looking at the ornate and exquisite miniature boat in his hands, Niu Yi recalled the dilapidated awning boat that his second senior brother rowed on the Naihe River, a boat so worn it seemed it would fall apart at any moment.
Clearly, this treasure was extraordinary. Even with his many treasure eyes, he could only see that the boat that could travel on the Naihe River was extraordinary, but he could not see the true nature of the boat.

Niu Yi closed his eyes slightly and touched the boat with his divine sense. In an instant, the miniature boat, radiating seven-colored light, transformed into a stream of light and flew into Niu Yi's true spirit.

"What a peculiar little boat, it can actually merge into the true spirit."

"It's a pity that, according to legend, those who attain the Dao undergo an indescribable transformation of their true spirit. Perhaps I could have stored these treasures in my true spirit then, so that if I were to be reincarnated someday, I could take them with me."

"But now, I'm afraid that apart from this small boat that inherently possesses the characteristics of a true spirit, I won't be able to take any of the other treasures with me."

However, for Niu Yi, the most important thing was not entirely these treasures, but rather his more than three thousand years of cultivation experience, including his spiritual realm.
This is the source of his confidence to face the many unknown worlds in the chaos.

The next day, Daoist Guangyi went straight to the Heavenly Palace, placed all his treasures in the Palace of the Divine Physician Daoist, and, guided by the radiant Venus, arrived at the Jade Pool.

"Star Lord, it seems you're preparing to take this a step further."

"Haha, not at all, I think you're doing the same, fellow Daoist. You've recently been able to take a few more steps toward the Dao Fruit Realm."

The two chatted idly along the way, then fell silent in front of the treasure pavilion.

"come in."

Upon hearing the Jade Emperor's majestic voice, Niu Yi looked at Venus and cupped his hands in greeting.

Knowing what Niu Yi was going to do, Jin Xing solemnly returned the greeting with a cupped hand before turning to leave.

Niu Yi straightened his clothes, stepped into the treasure pavilion, and looked at the two figures inside.

"Guangyi greets His Majesty the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother of the West."

The Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother exchanged a glance and said with a smile:
"Guangyi, this is a one-way trip, there's no turning back. Are you sure you can make it?"

Niu Yi said firmly:

"Your Majesty, I am not absolutely certain, but I will do my best."

The Jade Emperor slowly nodded to the Queen Mother. The Queen Mother then flipped her hand, and the clear water from the Jade Pool surged in from all directions, gradually transforming into a swirling water mirror that shimmered with light in front of him.

The Jade Emperor pointed at the water mirror, and endless starlight instantly filled it, making the swirling water mirror seem like a reflection of the endless universe. However, Niu Yi sensed many auras completely different from those in the Three Realms within those starlight rays.

The Jade Emperor laughed and said:

“Every point of starlight in this water mirror is the aura of a world, and also a beacon of the Dao. Their only common point is that powerful beings from our Three Realms have left their aura and footprints in them.”

"You might even run into one of them this time."

The Queen Mother nodded with a smile and said gently:

"Go, touch this Mirror of the Universe, and your true spirit will enter into it, and it will choose a suitable world for you."

Niu Yi nodded slowly, stepped forward, and reached out to touch the Universal Mirror.

The moment he touched the Cosmic Mirror, Niu Yi felt an unprecedented sense of vastness and boundlessness unfold before his eyes, and his vision seemed to consist only of the boundless starry sky.

Suddenly, a suction force came from the starry sky in front of him, and Niu Yi's true spirit was instantly drawn into the Mirror of the Universe. His perception was plunged into darkness in that instant.

Meanwhile, in the Heavenly Court's Divine Physician Daojun Palace, the Divine Physician Daojun, who was fiddling with many treasures in his hands, suddenly showed a look of surprise and looked towards the direction of Yaochi.

"Has the true spirit on the other side already entered the Mirror of the Universe? Although I had expected it, as expected, I can no longer sense the situation there."

"Now, I'm afraid I can only sense it if there's a problem with that half of the true spirit. In any case, I hope everything goes smoothly."

"Young Master!!!"

"Young Master!!! Please wake up! Young Master!"

Niu Yi didn't know how much time had passed. He only felt as if someone was calling him in his ear. He slowly regained his senses and slowly opened his eyes.

At this moment, Niu Yi felt a wave of weakness and coldness that he hadn't experienced in thousands of years.
Beside him was a handsome young man dressed as a pageboy.

Those calls just now came from the mouth of this young man.

Upon seeing his young master awake, the young page was overjoyed and exclaimed:
"Young master, you're awake! You suddenly turned pale and fainted just now, it really scared me to death!"

"Young master, how are you feeling now? Are you thirsty?"

Niu Yi listened to the concerned voices coming from the pageboy, but he had no intention of paying attention to them. Lying on the ground, he simply raised his head and stared at the dilapidated temple plaque illuminated by the cold moonlight.

Lanruo Temple.
(End of this chapter)