Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 347 World Upgrade
Twenty-five years later, in the world of Liaozhai.

Niu Yi and Yan Chixia were playing chess facing each other in the Heavenly Emperor's Palace.

On the chessboard where auspicious clouds of merit and celebration gathered, Niu Yi placed a chess piece in his hand and leisurely looked at Yan Chixia, who was frowning deeply, opposite him.

After a moment, Yan Chixia shook his head, picked up the wine gourd at his waist and took a big gulp, only then did his brows relax.

"Sigh~ Playing chess with you is truly a painful experience. I can't see a single flaw in your moves. This fine wine is so much better~"

"If it weren't for the fact that your Heavenly Emperor Palace always has celestial wine to tempt me, I wouldn't have come here to play chess with you."

Niu Yi looked at Yan Chixia with amusement.

Although Yan Chixia still had the same big beard, he now had a crimson-gold sun mark on his forehead, and his robes had changed into a luxurious long robe with gold and red stripes.

Despite the fact that the other party had already cultivated the Great Dao of the Sun and was just waiting for the world to be upgraded, Niu Yi, who was in charge of the Heavenly Dao, bestowed upon him the title of Sun Star Lord.

"Senior Yan, there are dozens of bottles of fine wine that haven't been opened yet in that cloth bag at your waist. We agreed on one bottle per round, win or lose. Now that you've promised, you can't go back on your word."

Although he is now the Dao Lord of Baiyujing and the future Heavenly Emperor, he and Yan Chixia met when they were still humble beginnings. Yan Chixia helped him a lot along the way, so even after so many years, their relationship remains unchanged.

When the two were alone, Niu Yi still addressed him as Senior Yan, but if there were outsiders present or it was a formal occasion, the two of them would still distinguish between the main and secondary roles.

Yan Chixia rubbed his temples, feeling a bit of a headache, and seemed to regret his past actions.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I've never gone back on my word. But with the world about to be upgraded, you, a Heavenly Emperor recognized by the Heavenly Dao, still have the mood to play chess with me here."

"I heard from that Azure Lotus that there is another great enemy lurking in the outer realms, coveting our world. Aren't you worried?"

Niu Yi smiled and shook his head, saying:
"Senior Yan, please rest assured. I have a plan for this matter and will not let that thief succeed."

Seeing Niu Yi's relaxed appearance, Yan Chixia nodded slightly, completely relieved. He knew that this young man never boasted, and if he said he was confident, then he was extremely confident.

On the other side, He Liansheng, cradling a broken black sword, stood outside the Heavenly Emperor's Palace gate, gazing at the sky, and murmured:

"The spiritual energy in this world has reached its peak for three days. It seems that the spiritual energy has gradually leveled off and will not increase any further."

"In ten days at most, or three days at least, the world will soon be upgraded."

He still has a deep affection for this world, and the time he spends here is almost the same as the time he spends in the Shennong Herbal Garden.

Now that he has successfully met the person Shennong had asked him to wait for, he can finally rest easy.

"That person should be here soon; I can already sense his lurking malice."

"However, judging from the confidence of Daoist Guangyi, this fellow villager of Shennong must really have some skills."

"I wonder how that old man is doing now, where he is, and whether he has found Pangu's whereabouts."

He Liansheng sighed softly, a hint of confusion flashing in his eyes.

When Shennong cast him into this world, he only told him what to do, but did not tell him what would happen afterward.

Now that his mission is almost complete, he is suddenly at a loss as to where to go next.
That night, after seeing Yan Chixia off, Niu Yi sat on the throne in the Heavenly Emperor's Palace and slowly closed his eyes. His consciousness rapidly extended beyond the world, sensing that faint connection.

A moment later, as he heard the increasingly clear sound of a rushing river, Niu Yi slowly opened his eyes.

He was floating on a vast river that was constantly radiating golden light. The river seemed to stretch to the horizon, and before him appeared a very familiar figure—the Dao Lord, dressed in a magnificent purple Daoist robe.

"The gains this time were indeed significant."

Niu Yi looked at Dao Jun opposite him with some emotion. Since he reconnected with Dao Jun through the faith and incense of this world a few years ago, his true spirit memories with Dao Jun's clone have been interconnected again, and they are now inseparable.

Everything that one has gained enlightenment and attained in this world will be shared by both.

The Mirror of the Universe is indeed quite magical. Even though he has been reincarnated into this world again, his true spirit has not changed at all, which is why the connection between himself and his clone is no different.

In this way, once he has a sufficient understanding of the Primordial Dao Fruit, he will be able to return to the Three Realms, reunite his true spirit, and ascend to the Great Luo realm with the Primordial Dao Fruit, thus transcending the world.

"The Three Realms have already set up a grand formation, waiting for this world to ascend so they can receive it. In fact, it's fortunate that this world isn't too far from the Three Realms, and even the time difference isn't significant. Otherwise, we wouldn't have received such assistance this time, and we would have had to find another way."

"There might not be such a convenient thing in the next world."

"The physical body was completely unharmed within the Chaos Green Gourd; on the contrary, it accelerated the expansion of Hunyuan Island. Coupled with the legacy of the Golden-Winged Roc, Hunyuan Island, now spanning two hundred thousand li in circumference, can barely be considered a continent."

"Niu Feng and the others are cultivating peacefully, while Fellow Daoist Lü has been closing down his Great Pure Yang Longevity Palace for years, preparing for his tribulation in the mortal realm."

After Niu Yi absorbed all the events of the Three Realms into his mind, he closed his eyes again, and the sound of the flowing river in his ears slowly disappeared.

When Niu Yi opened his eyes again, he had already returned to his Heavenly Emperor Palace.

"Heh~ How does it feel to be in charge of a world?"

Upon hearing the majestic laughter that suddenly reached his ears, Niu Yi's pupils contracted, and he quickly turned his head. He saw a tall figure standing not far from him, dressed in a magnificent white robe with cloud patterns and wearing a jade crown, with his hands behind his back, looking at him with a smile.

Niu Yi quickly stood up and bowed.

"Your Majesty the Jade Emperor."

The Jade Emperor waved his sleeve casually and said:
"No need for formalities. Here you are the Heavenly Emperor, the ruler of this world. I am just here for a casual visit. I will follow your lead."

"You haven't answered my question yet. How does it feel to be the ruler of heaven and earth?"

Niu Yi said helplessly:
"Your Majesty, I have not yet taken control of the Heavenly Dao, and I am still lacking in some aspects. I am not yet worthy of being called the Heavenly Emperor of this realm."

Niu Yi had never expected that the Jade Emperor, who loved watching the excitement, would suddenly arrive. He had already come to other worlds, so it was clear that this person was here to watch the excitement as well.

The Jade Emperor's eyes, which seemed to see through everything in the world, revealed a smile.

"How could you, a mere three-thousand-year-old child, possibly understand? You will understand when you have lived long enough and seen enough things."

(End of this chapter)