Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 387 Seven Lions
As Lü Yan's voice fell, a violent splash of water erupted rapidly from the surface of the Baihe River, and a blue light appeared within the splash, landing in front of Lü Yan.

Soon, Ao Wang's figure emerged from the light, and he cupped his hands towards Lü Yan opposite him, saying:

"Brother Lü, it's still some time before the date we agreed on. Why have you come to Baihe so early?"

Seeing Ao Wang's puzzled expression, Lü Yan returned the greeting with a cupped hand:
“Brother Ao, these days, my cultivation seems to have reached a bottleneck. I am feeling restless and want to go down the mountain for a walk. So I have to come and say goodbye in advance. I hope you will not be offended.”

Upon hearing this, Ao Wang nodded in realization and said:

"I understand. It seems that Brother Lü will make great progress in his cultivation in a few years. I would like to congratulate Brother Lü in advance."

“Perfect timing. The fine wine I promised Brother Lü last time is ready. Please come into the water mansion for a seat.”

Lu Yan nodded with a smile, stepped forward, made a hand seal, and transformed into a golden light, rushing into the White River with Ao Wang and disappearing from sight.

At this moment, the Divine Physician Daojun was looking at a medical book in one hand and waving a whisk in the other, making the emerald green flame in the Hundred Herbs Cauldron in front of him even more intense.

After a moment, the Daoist slowly closed the medical book and nodded, saying:
"Indeed, if this medical book were to be passed down to posterity, the prescriptions in the Divine Medicine Classic could be further improved. Fang Cheng, Sun Simiao, you have both done a great job."

"Tomorrow, I will send a message to the gods and temple priests in the many Daojun Temples in the Four Continents, as well as my Daojun Mountain disciples, to spread this medical book."

As Daojun spoke, he handed the medical book in his hand behind him, and the book quickly flew towards the two people behind him.

Fang Cheng quickly reached out to accept it, and together with Sun Simiao, bowed to express their gratitude for the Daoist's praise. They then happily took their leave.

These two are devoted to the art of medicine. Over the years, they have overseen the compilation and revision of more than a thousand medical books. If there is an important one, they will ask the Daoist Master to conduct the final inspection.

Not long after the two left, seven lions of different shapes walked in together from outside. They were the six lions of Bamboo Mountain and the Yellow Lion Spirit from back then.

The seven lions stepped forward and respectfully knelt down to pay their respects.

"Lord Daojun."

The Daoist's gaze remained fixed on the Hundred Herbs Cauldron before him; he did not turn around, but spoke slowly:
"How have you been practicing the divine cultivation methods I taught you over the years?"

The seven lions exchanged glances, but Snow Lion stepped forward and respectfully said:
"Reporting to Daojun, we have thoroughly studied and mastered those divine methods, and can use them at any time. We can divide our spirit into thousands of parts, and they are also connected to the lion statues in many Daojun temples."

Since Daojun brought them back to Daojun Mountain from Zhujie Mountain, they have been very diligent in their cultivation over the years.

Daojun directly designated them as the guardian lions of Daojun Mountain, and statues of these lions were erected in Daojun temples throughout the four continents.

Daojun slowly nodded and said:

"In that case, from this day forward, you seven lions will serve as envoys of the Daojun Palace, using the divine methods to communicate with the divine lion statues in various places, traveling to the Daojun Temples in the four continents, and monitoring all regions."

Upon hearing this, the seven lions were overjoyed. They exchanged glances, then quickly knelt down again, saying in unison:

"Yes! We will obey the Daoist Lord's decree!"

The divine methods that Daojun taught these people were based on incense and the power of faith. They were spells that allowed people to travel the world by relying on their divine sense and faith in Daojun Palace.

This magic can construct a divine body through incense and faith, and can even materialize into a physical form through the divine lion statues in local Taoist temples.

They say that Junshan has grown stronger over the years, and its footprints have spread throughout the four continents.

However, with the increase in power came a more complex group of people. When he built Daojun Mountain, all those he recruited were of pure character and possessed medical ethics. But people can change. While the children in Daojun Medical Hall at the foot of Daojun Mountain might not necessarily change, the apprentices recruited by medical halls in other places might not be so.

The Dao Lord's original idea was to have these seven lions reside on Daojun Mountain and then use this divine method to travel around and monitor all sides for him.

Originally, the Goat-Headed Ghost King was also an excellent candidate, but ever since Daojun appointed the Goat-Headed Ghost King as a guardian deity of Daojun Palace and bestowed upon him a celestial title, this guy has been in charge of coordinating the affairs of the local Daojun Temple in Dongsheng Shenzhou.

As for the safety of the disciples of Daojun Mountain, Daojun Mountain now has many means of protection and no longer needs the Sheep-Headed Ghost King to guard them as it did back then.

The Dao Lord of today has grown up alongside Dao Lord Mountain.

Now, Daojun has more than ten guardian deities under his command, as well as the seven mountain-guarding lions and many other immortal officials who have cultivated to immortality. He is no longer the Daojun who sat alone at the head of the table with only Yuanze as his guardian deity below him.

And this royal palace is becoming increasingly powerful.

As Daojun gave the seven lions a series of instructions, half a day later, the seven lions left the incense space, their faces filled with undisguised excitement.

Huang Shi couldn't help but sigh:

"As promised back then, Daojun is indeed willing to give us important positions!"

After the incident at Bamboo Mountain ended, Daojun placed them on Daojun Mountain.

The ancestor later came to see them and told them to cultivate diligently here. He said that if the Daoist Lord saw their sincerity, he would definitely give them an important position.

Once they can join Daojun's ranks, they will no longer be the six lions of Bamboo Mountain who can be bullied at will and cause trouble outside.

Since the day they submitted to the Dao Lord, they have diligently practiced the divine methods bestowed upon them every day without the slightest slackening. Now, they have finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel and have been entrusted with important responsibilities by the Dao Lord.

If they can accumulate merit in the future, they might one day be granted immortal titles and join the ranks of immortals.

Snow Lion's expression turned serious, and he addressed the six lions beside him:

"Brothers and sisters, since Daojun values ​​us so highly, we must not let him down."

"This may be our greatest opportunity, one that our ancestor won for us through his connections. We must do our best!"

Upon hearing this, the other lion spirits composed themselves and nodded solemnly.

Inside the incense-filled space, the Daoist Master, who was refining pills with his eyes closed, nodded slightly, seemingly quite satisfied with the scene unfolding outside.

"Speaking of which, I wonder how Senior Nine-Headed Lion is doing now. It's been over a hundred years since we last met."

Qinghua Changle Realm, Dongji Miaoyan Palace.

The eyes of Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun, who sat cross-legged on a colorful lotus, gleamed as he looked at his nine-headed lion, which was fast asleep, with a hint of helplessness on his face.

"This lazy Yuan Sheng'er"

“Brother Dao, I think we should just let it be. Your lion is already quite easy to manage. It just likes to sleep. Isn’t that the same with Brother Taishang’s green ox?”

Upon hearing the hearty voice, Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun smiled.

(End of this chapter)