Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 346 He Liansheng

"Strategist, are you really going to leave?"

On the top floor of a pavilion in the capital, Zhuang Sheng, now middle-aged and possessing an air of dominance, wore imperial robes and looked with reluctance at his friend who had accompanied him for most of his life.

"Strategist, you have fought alongside me on all fronts, offering advice and guidance. Without you, strategist, I would not be where I am today."

"Back then, you showed me the way to the capital and invited the reclusive Master Fu out of seclusion, but you went into seclusion yourself. You didn't enjoy any of the countless riches and honors that I have in this vast country, and now you even want to abandon me."

"Ah, Liansheng, I really have no idea what you're thinking."

As Zhuangzi continued, he couldn't help but sigh slightly and directly addressed the speaker by name.

He Liansheng smiled at the emperor before him, then looked up at the moonlight, his expression enigmatic, and said:
"We met by chance back then. If it weren't for your appearance, I wouldn't have been born into this world."

"Your Majesty, no, Brother Zhuang."

He Liansheng turned his head and looked at Zhuang Sheng earnestly, saying:
"Since my birth, I have known that one day I will have to wait until that person appears and embark on my own destiny. This is my destiny. My birth was actually for this moment, and now, this moment is almost here."

"However, I am still very happy to have traveled with you. I believe you will be different from every other emperor I have ever met. You will become a good emperor that everyone praises."

"Even after I'm gone, you can still consult with Ning Caichen. He's the destined Wenqu Star (a star associated with literature and scholarship), and he'll definitely be able to help you."

"Lian Sheng, you..."

Zhuang Sheng looked at his friend with a rare sense of bewilderment, only to see He Liansheng opposite him radiating a blue light and slowly rising into the air.

Farewell, Zhuang Sheng.

He Liansheng smiled, his figure transformed into a streak of green light and rushed straight towards Mingyue, disappearing without a trace in no time.

A long silence followed in the imperial pavilion, with only a sigh slowly echoing in the distance.

"Alas, how could I not know? If I were not an immortal, how would I know the location of the Jade Capital?"

He Liansheng, transformed into a beam of blue light, flew all the way to the Jade Palace in the heavens.

At this moment, Baiyujing appeared very peaceful and serene under the moonlight, while the glittering Milky Way below Baiyujing flowed slowly, making Baiyujing look very dreamlike.

Niu Yi stood on a stone pavilion in Baiyujing, holding a white jade wine cup in his hand, looking at the flowing starry river below, with a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Soon, the blue light flew into the stone pavilion and landed behind Niu Yi.

Niu Yi slowly turned around and said with a smile:

"Brother Lian, you suddenly revealed your identity to me through telepathy tonight. Why don't you plan to wait a few more days?"

"No, I've been living a carefree life for so many years. Now that the enemy has arrived, how can I sit still?"

He Liansheng shook his head, looked Niu Yi up and down, and said thoughtfully:

"No wonder that old guy only told me to seal the broken sword and leave it alone before leaving this world. It turns out he knew everything all along and was waiting for you all along."

Niu Yi looked at He Liansheng in front of him and smiled without saying a word.

The lotus before him was the very same blue lotus that Shennong had used to suppress the broken sword, which he and the Heavenly Dao had been searching for but could not find.

This person before him not only deceived him and the Heavenly Dao right under his nose, but even the Great Luo Immortals from the outer realms couldn't find him until tonight when this person suddenly found him and revealed his identity. And at that time, it was also the Great Luo Immortal from the outer realms who had figured out the whole story and exposed his own aura.

Speaking of which, the reason why the Universal Mirror sent its true spirit to this world might be partly due to Shennong, who foresaw the future early on and left behind the Azure Lotus layout in this world.

And he himself, without ever having met Shennong, completely completed the layout of this world.

He Liansheng stepped forward slowly, palm facing up. With a burst of blue light, a pitch-black demonic sword with a section of its blade missing appeared in his hand.

The demonic sword trembled as soon as it appeared, but it was firmly suppressed by the azure light and could not move.

"I don't have much skill in combat. The methods I've learned from Shennong are mostly about suppression, sealing, purification, and concealing one's aura."

"If that enemy comes, I can help you completely seal this demonic sword so that it cannot appear to help that person, but I will also be unable to do anything else."

"However, once that person dies, I may be able to help you refine this sword into a Heavenly Dao magic weapon that is closely related to this world."

"As for that person, you'll have to deal with him yourself."

Niu Yi looked at He Liansheng in silence.

If he could forge this sword into a magical artifact that could perfectly wield the power of the Heavenly Dao of this world before the great battle, it would indeed be of great help to him.

But if it can only be refined after the great battle, what use is it to him?

Seeing Niu Yi's expression, He Liansheng felt somewhat embarrassed.

"There's no way around it. This treasure is too deeply connected to that person. I could forcibly refine it, but I'm afraid it would leave behind some trouble."

"However, that old man Shennong once said that my fellow villager could handle this matter on his own, so I believe you can definitely do it yourself."

Niu Yi shook his head helplessly. He had thought that Shennong had left behind a pure natural treasure or some other contingency plan, but he never expected it to be a lotus spirit.

And his only backup plan is himself.

However, regardless of the circumstances, Qinglian was able to completely seal the demonic sword, depriving that outer realm Grand Luo of his assistance, which was enough for him.

Just then, a burst of luminous light suddenly erupted from the Taiyin Palace in Baiyujing. The cool white light transformed into specks of moonlight, scattering across Baiyujing.

Upon seeing this, Niu Yi smiled and said:
"It seems that Xiahou has completely mastered the Great Dao of Taiyin."

He Liansheng slowly walked to the railing of the stone pavilion, looked in the direction of the Taiyin Palace, and smiled:

"These people are quite lucky. They caught the greatest opportunity in the world and were able to cultivate the Great Dao and achieve the position of Taiyi in just a few decades. They will receive divine office under your Bai Yujing and will live as long as heaven and earth in the future."

"It's just that this world's status is ultimately too low. If this world were to perish in the future, it would be a complete annihilation, rather than the Three Realms constantly reopening the world in chaos and starting a new era."

"Furthermore, this world may only be able to accommodate one Great Luo in the future. Others will no longer have the opportunity to transcend. When the world is destroyed, they will simply perish and their cultivation will dissipate."

He Liansheng was originally a carefully cultivated blue lotus in Shennong's medicinal garden, so his eyesight was naturally extraordinary.

Niu Yi slowly nodded and said:

"That's true, but for a world that has only lived a little over half its lifespan, it's still a bit early to be talking about these things."

(End of this chapter)