Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 325 Reunion with the Supreme Dao Ancestor
The three traveled in a carriage. Niu Yi cultivated and studied the Dharma along the way. They traveled for half a month, stopping and starting, and finally arrived near the border of Liuxi County.

Xiao Hai saw the grove of lush green willows swaying in the wind from afar and looked at the young master with excitement.

"Young master, we're almost there!"

Niu Yi nodded slightly, looking at the willow grove, a flood of memories washing over him.
He spent the first seventeen years of his life in this world here, so he was quite familiar with this place.

He had heard from the local elders that this place was once called Liuxi Village, because there was a willow grove in front of the village gate and a stream flowing through the village.

Although the willow grove still exists today, the stream in the village dried up many years ago. Gradually, as more and more people came and went, Liuxi Village became Liuxi County.

Niu Yi remembered that Guo Kun seemed to have said that the stream in Liuxi County was still there, and that its source seemed to be guarded by something.

He was just too young then, and his true spirit hadn't awakened, so he only listened to it as a story. Now, thinking back...
Niu Yi pondered for a moment, then said to the young man driving ahead:
“Poisonous Witch, after entering Liuxi County, don’t go back to the Guo Family Compound. Go to the north of Liuxi County. There is a Sanqing Temple there. I want to pay my respects.”

"Yes, Master."

At this moment, the Poison Witch had taken off his hood, revealing a handsome face full of the charm of the northern and southern frontiers. His hair had also grown noticeably longer, and apart from his still somewhat hoarse voice, he looked to be no more than twenty years old.

The ointment Niu Yi gave the poison witch had an immediate effect; her skin had long since returned to normal.

At the same time, Niu Yi also gave some tips on the cultivation of poison witches, which made the poison witches more and more able to control the poison in their bodies.

A true word is passed on, and a thousand volumes of books are falsely passed on.

Niu Yi resolved his problem in just a few words, making the Poison Witch feel even more certain that his previous choice was correct, and he became even more respectful.

Soon, two carriages carrying the three people entered the bustling Liuxi County and continued heading north of the county.

Soon, Niu Yi arrived at his destination, a slightly dilapidated Sanqing Temple.

Niu Yi frowned slightly. After his father faked his death and escaped, the Sanqing Temple was no longer under anyone's care, and it began to fall into disrepair in just about a year.

"You wait for me at the door, I'll go in and pray by myself."

"Yes, son."

Niu Yi took out a box of incense sticks that he had personally made a few days ago from the carriage behind him and stepped into the Sanqing Temple.

At this time, the Sanqing Temple was covered with dust, and rats and spiders had made their home there. Even the statue of the Three Pure Ones above was covered with spider webs.

Upon seeing this, Niu Yi couldn't help but frown and extend his palm.

"call----"

A gust of wind quickly swept from outside the temple into the temple, turning into a vortex that stirred up the dust and many small creatures inside, which then flew out of the Sanqing Temple together.

Seeing that the Sanqing Temple had been restored to its former cleanliness, Niu Yi nodded in satisfaction, took out a few sticks of incense from the incense box, lit them casually, and placed them in the incense burner on the altar in front of him. He then bowed to the three people in front of him.

Afterwards, Niu Yi stood in front of the statue of Taiqing Daode Tianzun and bowed again.

Niu Yi stood up, looking at the statue in front of him with some emotion. Just as he was about to turn around and leave, he suddenly heard a sound.

"Ah~ So you really are a clever child who has come to this world."

The Supreme Dao Ancestor?!
Upon hearing this incredibly familiar voice, Niu Yi couldn't help but show a look of surprise and delight. Just then, he saw an old Taoist priest dressed in a yellow robe with the Tai Chi Bagua symbol slowly appear in the statue before him.

Niu Yi quickly bowed.

"Guangyi pays respects to the Supreme Dao Ancestor."

Laozi smiled and nodded, then stepped down from the statue and approached Niu Yi, saying:

"How have you been lately?"

Niu Yi stood up, looked at the Dao Ancestor, and smiled:
"Reporting to the Dao Ancestor, it's not bad."

"Hehe~ I'm getting tired of refining elixirs in the Tushita Palace. Why don't you tell me about it?"

An existence like him can roam freely through countless worlds in an instant, and he only came here because he sensed a familiar aura.

Laozi reached out and took Niu Yi's shoulder, and the two sat down cross-legged on the ground, like old friends who had not seen each other for a long time, listening with smiles as Niu Yi talked about what had happened in this world.

After a while, when Niu Yi finished speaking, Laozi finally raised his head and looked at the sky.

"Hmm~ You're right. The demonic energy in this world is indeed quite strong. If you want to comprehend the Heavenly Dao of this world, or even control the Heavenly Dao, this demonic energy is a hurdle you must overcome."

"Controlling the Heavenly Dao?"

Niu Yi looked at the Supreme Dao Ancestor with some surprise, not expecting the Dao Ancestor to say such a thing.

The Supreme Daoist Master laughed and said:

"What, do you think this world is similar in status to the Three Realms?"

"Guangyi, you should know that there are very few worlds in the Chaos that can accommodate so many powerful beings like the Three Realms."

"Just like this world, if a powerful being from the Three Realms were to set foot in it, this world would probably not be able to withstand it and would be on the verge of destruction."

"Once you clear away the fog, you'll find that this world is actually easier to climb than you imagined."

As Lao Tzu spoke, he waved his hand in front of Niu Yi's eyes and laughed:
“I sensed the presence of Shennong in this world. He must have left some interesting little things here. You can look for them.”

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you may come to me." As Laozi spoke, his figure transformed into specks of light and disappeared.

Niu Yi quickly stood up and bowed again to the statue of Taiqing Daode Tianzun.

"Guangyi thanks the Daoist Ancestor."

He was pleasantly surprised to meet Laozi and also learned a lot about this world.

But ultimately, he has to walk this path himself.

Niu Yi casually placed the incense box on the incense table, turned around and walked towards the door. As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Xiao Hai looking at him with some curiosity.

"Young master, is it ready so quickly?"

Niu Yi nodded with a smile.

Despite having just chatted with the Supreme Dao Ancestor for a long time, the moment the Dao Ancestor appeared, the entire Sanqing Temple was dragged into another dimension.

So in Xiao Hai's eyes, they had only just entered and were about to leave.

"Let's go to the Guo Family Compound."

"Okay, sir!"

The Guo family compound was not far from the Sanqing Temple, and the three of them arrived at the Guo family compound, which was located in the center of Liuxi County, in no time.

However, when the three arrived at the Guo family's gate, they saw that the vermilion gate had been sealed off, and there were also yellow talismans, copper bells, willow branches and other items for warding off evil spirits placed at the gate.

Niu Yi frowned slightly as he watched this scene, but he wasn't looking at the so-called exorcising objects; he was looking at the rising yin energy in the Guo family compound.

Even during the day, you can feel gusts of cold wind blowing by when you stand outside this gate.

Xiao Hai looked at the exorcising objects with some worry and moved closer to Niu Yi.

"Young master, we..."

Just as he was about to say something, he saw his young master walk straight toward the gate, tear off the seal, and even cut the chain with a single sword stroke, then push the gate open!

"Crunch~~"

The noise immediately drew the attention of the neighbors, who looked toward the gate and saw a young scholar standing outside, casually tossing the chain aside before stepping inside.

Soon, a commotion quickly spread.

"Guo Yang? Was that Guo Yang who just went in?"

"How is that possible?! Didn't the Guo family commit numerous evils and break taboos, and were they all punished by heaven and disappeared?!"

"Oh dear, you shouldn't listen to so many stories. Young Master Guo Yang was a victim too. He was driven away by those greedy and treacherous Guo family relatives! You've forgotten, Young Master Guo Yang was quite nice to us before."

"So what if it's good? It's not like that yet."

Before the speaker could finish speaking, a short-haired young man beside the carriage turned his head indifferently and looked at him.

The person who was speaking suddenly felt a chill run down their neck, swallowed the words they were about to say, and awkwardly looked away, fleeing into the ever-growing crowd.

"That's how this group of people were from the beginning."

Xiao Hai's expression also turned somewhat unpleasant upon seeing this scene.

The young master and the master were very kind to the neighbors, but when the accident happened, no one came to help them. They all treated them like plagues.

Finally, having no other choice, he and the young master slunk away from the Guo family.

The Poison Witch slowly withdrew her gaze and said indifferently:

"That's normal. The Guo family must have been an unattainable force for these people. No one wanted to offend them, and no one wanted to get into trouble. It's perfectly normal."

"At a time like this, only these ignorant fools come out to gossip, and no one is trying to trip you up. This already shows that the young master is quite popular."

Xiao Hai glanced at the Poison Witch in surprise, never expecting the guy to say such a thing.

However, hearing the poison witch's words made him feel much better.

On the other side, Niu Yi walked into the mansion and easily found his way to his room, where he saw the empty bookshelves and bare walls.

Niu Yi's eyes shone with the light of the sun and moon. He took the Divine Mirror off his neck and slowly walked to the empty wall.

"This should be it, the secret room inside the house."

Niu Yi held up the Divine Mirror, and as he channeled his magic power, the mirror began to slowly rotate, and a beam of azure light shot rapidly from the mirror onto the wall.

Sensing the sudden magical fluctuations on the wall, Niu Yi calmly stepped into it. The wall gradually spread out like ripples on water, allowing Niu Yi to disappear into it.

Before Niu Yi lay a straight stone staircase leading downwards, with burning candlesticks illuminating the dark passageway on the stone walls on both sides.

Niu Yi's eyes flickered as he looked at the passage before him, and he seemed to hear that deep yet gentle voice again.

"Yang'er, I've hidden quite a few cultivation manuals in your room. When you grow up, you can use those things to cultivate and become an immortal!"

(End of this chapter)