Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 382 The Golden Buddha Gourd
That night, Ao Wang and Zhong Kui, who had come up the mountain to visit, took their leave.

The two rode the clouds and traveled through the sky for a while, only stopping when they left the area of ​​Daojun Mountain.

Zhong Kui took out a small, jet-black snake, which was wrapped and sealed in a sphere by strands of golden light and talismans, from his sleeve. He exchanged a glance with Ao Wang beside him, and neither of them knew what to say.

The two of them had already planned to go through all sorts of trouble to capture the snake demon, but who knew that the snake demon would encounter the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, and be captured by the now-Victorious Fighting Buddha.

Ao Wang also had a wry smile on his face. In fact, back then, among the Four Seas Dragon Clan, this Victorious Fighting Buddha did not have a very good reputation.

After all, this person not only took the Sea-Stabilizing Iron from the East Sea Dragon Palace, but also knocked a precious armor out of the Four Sea Dragon Kings, which is still being worn by him to this day.

However, since he escaped from the Five Elements Mountain, his relationship with the Dragon Clan of the Four Seas has improved, mainly because they are indeed not to be trifled with.
Zhong Kui was speechless for a moment. Although he had given Tang Sanzang many exorcism methods when he went to the Western Paradise to obtain the scriptures, he was actually unaware of many of these things from back then.

It wasn't until later, when he received divine merit and became an immortal, that he learned the whole story of what happened back then and also learned about Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal to Heaven who had once caused havoc in the Heavenly Palace.

Zhong Kui pondered for a moment, then put the flying serpent back into his sleeve and cupped his hands in greeting:
“Ao Wang, Water God, now that this matter is settled, I intend to go to the Heavenly Court immediately to take this snake demon to the Demon Execution Platform for judgment. Thank you for your help, Water God. We shall take our leave now.”

Ao Wang quickly returned the greeting:
"You're too kind, Celestial Master. This snake demon was hiding in the river and was a major threat to me. I should be thanking you, Celestial Master."

"If you have any free time in the future, please visit Baihe. Although my water palace is not yet completed, I have taken a lot of fine wine and food from the West Sea Dragon Palace. I would like to invite you to taste them together."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Kui laughed heartily and immediately agreed. He then transformed into a golden ray of light and soared into the sky, clearly signaling the return of the celestial register to the Heavenly Court.

On the other side, on Mount Ling, Daojun and his junior brother were also discussing this matter.

"I was originally planning to help them calculate the location of the snake demon, but the snake demon actually encountered you."

Daojun shook his head with amusement. His junior brother's secrets were unfathomable, so he himself hadn't expected that this snake demon would encounter his junior brother.

Sun Wukong sipped the tea in front of him, smacked his lips in satisfaction, and smiled:

"I saw that the snake demon's ferocity was hard to conceal, and it was also covered with an unknown amount of resentment, so I took action to subdue it."

"But speaking of which, the treasure you gave me, Senior Brother, is truly wonderful."

As Sun Wukong spoke, he touched the gourd on the table, mentioning that he still had some treasures. He was also someone who liked treasures, but over the years, he hadn't accumulated many more. However, a few years ago, his senior brother gave him this gourd, which he liked very much.

As for the snake demon, if it were up to his nature, he would have simply smashed the harmful monster to death. Today, however, he had a sudden whim to try out the Golden Buddha Gourd.

"As long as you like."

Daojun nodded with a smile. This precious gourd was something he had suddenly thought of a few years ago, and he had appeared in a dream to the King of Jisaguo, who then opened the current Fulong Temple pagoda. It was grown from the Buddha's relics from Jisaguo.

The king, having received a dream from the Daojun, hastily agreed. Although reluctant, he still agreed to exchange the promise of over a hundred years of favorable weather for the kingdom of Jisa for the Buddha's relics, on the condition that the relics would not be damaged. He also ordered the Daojun to plant a gourd vine on the Buddha's relics for fifty years and to take care of them day and night by the guardian Luangpo.

Even Daojun himself cannot discern which Buddha left behind this relic after his Nirvana, but its extraordinary nature is undeniable. Looking at the golden Buddha gourd he has cultivated, it is indeed no less impressive than his own fire gourd, and is especially suitable for Sun Wukong in his current state.

However, although his junior brother had become a Buddha, his personality had not changed much from before.

It is only through his growth along the journey to the West that Sun Wukong has truly become the Great Sage Equal to Heaven and the Victorious Fighting Buddha, rather than the arrogant and conceited Sun Wukong who was unaware that there are always people more powerful than him and that there is always something beyond his reach.

Even today, the legend of Tang Sanzang and his three disciples obtaining Buddhist scriptures from the Western Paradise and bringing them back to the East is still circulating in the four continents of the human world. It has spread far and wide, and many temples dedicated to the Victorious Fighting Buddha have been built in various places. Among all the major temples in the East, incense is burning brightly.

Sun Wukong scratched his cheek, satisfied, and put the gourd back into his robe. In the main hall of Daojun Mountain, he chatted and laughed with Daojun under the moonlight.

Time flies, and five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

Lu Yan, who had been traveling for five years, returned to the Zhongnan Mountains.

At this time, although Lü Yan still looked like a handsome young man, his temperament had become more and more composed, and his foundation in cultivation was very solid, so he could take another step forward at any time.

"I wonder how Master and my senior brothers and sisters are doing. But for Master and the others, five years must have passed in the blink of an eye."

Lu Yan looked at the mountains and rivers before him with some emotion. For some reason, as soon as he entered the Zhongnan Mountain area, he felt a sense of peace.

The lifespan of these cultivators is vastly different from that of mortals, but Lü Yan himself is still young and not much different from his appearance. He is also very aware of the passage of time.

Lü Yan himself was thinking that perhaps after hundreds or thousands of years, he would no longer feel so sentimental about the passage of time.
Of course, this also depends on him achieving enlightenment as soon as possible.
"buzz"

Just then, as if sensing Lü Yan's thoughts, the Pure Yang Sword emitted a hum, bringing Lü Yan back to his senses. He turned and smiled:
"Don't worry, I'm confident in achieving enlightenment. I can feel that I'm very close to it."

As Lü Yan spoke, a golden light flashed in his eyes, and the Pure Yang Sword returned to calm, though a faint sense of anticipation still lingered in its gaze towards him.

If Lü Yan comprehends even a trace of the Pure Yang Dao, he can utilize a fraction of the Pure Yang Sword's power, unlike now where he relies entirely on the Pure Yang Sword to act on its own.
Seeing that the Pure Yang Sword had returned to silence, Lü Yan stepped into the mountain forest before him and continued towards the summit of Crane Peak.

Hefeng Peak is located deep in the forests of the Zhongnan Mountains, far from human habitation, and even the nearest villages are far away.

As Lü Yan traveled along, he suddenly heard a melodious flute sound when he passed a wide river.

The complex emotions conveyed in the flute music made him stop in his tracks and turn to look in the direction from which the sound came from.

A young man dressed in magnificent white robes was leaning against a large tree, playing a blue jade flute with his eyes closed.

Lu Yan was quite surprised to see this suddenly appearing yet somewhat familiar figure.

(End of this chapter)