Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

Such methods, even just a glimpse of them, are enough to send shivers down one's spine.

The power of a sage lies in the awe-inspiring power hidden in every gesture.

Ye Feng stepped out, his steps steady and his aura profound, exuding an even more otherworldly charm than he had half a year ago.

Those eyes, once sharp as knives, have now lost their edge and returned to calm.

A single yang cannot succeed, nor can a single yin stand alone.

This training in the frozen snowfield saved Ye Feng from countless arduous cultivation journeys.

He has transcended the limitations of being a mere mortal immortal and has now ascended to the realm of a celestial immortal.

With such cultivation, even if placed in the mortal world, one could be a powerful figure, worthy of the title "master," and even establish a sect in the four continents, calling oneself a patriarch.

Even if one ascends to the upper realm and ranks below the Four Emperors, among the Star Lords, Heavenly Kings, and Marshals, one's realm is still no more than this.

He strode out of the Illusion Moon Cave. At this moment, autumn was in full swing, and maple leaves were falling like fire.

Looking up at Fangcun Mountain, the Taoist temple still stands quietly amidst the clouds and mist, unchanged.

He smiled slightly, rode the wind, and headed straight for the mountain gate.

When he landed, it was during the morning service in the front courtyard. The disciples were chanting scriptures and practicing the Dharma when they saw someone float in. They were all taken aback.

Some people did not recognize his face at first, but later realized with surprise who he was.

"It's Ye Feng."

"He actually came out of the Illusion Moon Cave?"

"Did they really make it out alive?"

"His aura... seems stronger now."

The disciples whispered amongst themselves, discussing amongst themselves. Suddenly, a young boy carrying a whisk approached and bowed respectfully before him, saying, "Senior Brother Ye, the Ancestral Master requests your presence."

Ye Feng nodded in response and bowed slightly in return, saying, "I'll trouble you to lead the way, Junior Brother."

After cultivating to become a celestial being, his outward fierceness diminished considerably, and he became gentle in demeanor and soft in speech.

However, this is merely a superficial appearance.

Deep down, he is still that ferocious and untamed beast; if anyone touches his sore spot, he will instantly reveal his true nature.

Following the young Taoist priest back to the Three Star Cave, we entered the main hall for preaching, where we saw the Bodhi Patriarch sitting serenely on a futon.

In front of it, a stone monkey knelt respectfully, its posture humble.

The monkeys are back too?

Ye Feng's eyes flickered slightly, and he quickly stepped forward, bowed, and kowtowed: "This disciple has been in seclusion for half a year, and now that I have returned, I thank my master."

Bodhi glanced at him, then smiled and said, "At least you, you foolish bird, still have a conscience and understand my good intentions. Sit down."

Ye Feng smiled shyly and sat down cross-legged as instructed, placing another futon next to the monkey.

The monkey glanced at him sideways but said nothing.

It has always been very well-behaved in front of the patriarch.

Bodhi said to the two, "The six months of seclusion were to temper the fierceness and madness within you. It seems that the effort has been effective. From now on, you may return to the temple to continue your practice. Do not neglect your studies, and come to listen to the sermons often."

He then turned to Ye Feng and said, "Now that you have achieved perfect transformation, you can no longer have Wukong write your homework for you."

"Uh." Ye Feng looked embarrassed and quickly stood up and bowed again, "Disciple obeys."

The monkey then solemnly kowtowed, saying, "This disciple will remember the teachings of the Patriarch."

Bodhi nodded in satisfaction and lightly waved his whisk: "You may leave."

The two rose and left the main hall together.

Once they were out of sight of their patriarch, the monkey grinned and leaned closer to ask, "Senior brother, you're finally out! Was that Illusion Moon Cave really as terrifying as the legends say? A place where you had a slim chance of survival? A place haunted by vengeful ghosts?"

Ye Feng glanced at him, his eyes darting around, and laughed, "What nonsense! It's all just rumors spread by outsiders. Think about it, how much our patriarch has favored us, how could he punish me to go to such a desolate place? To tell you the truth, that Illusion Moon Cave is simply a paradise on earth, full of wonders, even better than the Jade Palace in the heavens—I can't even begin to describe it. If you don't believe me, go and see for yourself another day."

The monkey's eyes widened: "Is it really that good?"

Seeing its surprised expression, Ye Feng nodded repeatedly: "Of course it's true, when has your senior brother ever lied to you?"

The monkey nodded thoughtfully, recalling the events carefully—indeed, although Ye Feng had beaten him up and splashed hot water on his buttocks, he had never lied to him verbally.

My curiosity was immediately piqued, and I couldn't wait to rush into the Illusion Moon Cave and witness the so-called "fairyland" for myself.

But he remained expressionless, only smiling and saying, "So, not only did you not suffer, but you also had a wonderful encounter. Congratulations! To be honest, I've been thinking about you for the past six months, and even peaches have lost their flavor."

Suddenly, he slapped his forehead, rummaged through his Taoist robe, and pulled out two huge peaches.

Smiling, he handed it over: "Senior brother, these are fairy peaches that grew on the back mountain. They're sweet and juicy. I specially saved them for you; I've been keeping them for several months. Try one!"

"..."

Ye Feng stared at the two peaches, his lips twitching, his expression complex.

He could see it clearly—it was already rotten.

Even if the monkey wrapped the peaches in cloth and used talismans to suppress them, it couldn't stop the passage of time; the peaches had long since expired and gone moldy.

He coughed twice, feigning emotion as he declined, "I appreciate your kind intentions, junior brother, I'm truly grateful. But these peaches... you should keep them for yourself. How could I take something that a monkey would love?"

Seeing that he was refusing, the monkey believed him and nodded repeatedly: "As expected of my senior brother, he is kind and righteous. He knows that I like to eat peaches, so he doesn't fight or snatch them!"

So he opened his mouth and swallowed both peaches whole.

The two returned to the Taoist temple side by side, met with the disciples, and chatted and laughed freely without any barriers between them.

After returning to her own room, she added another bed for Ye Feng.

After all, although the monkey had lived with him before, he was still a crow at that time, small in size, and his place of perch was just a corner of the eaves, so he didn't need a bed at all.

To make things easier, he simply chased away a nest of swallows under the eaves, took over their nest, and slept there for months.

Later, although Ye Feng successfully transformed into human form, he was punished for making a mistake and was forced to reflect on his actions in seclusion for half a year. Only now has he returned to the mountain.

Once everything was settled, Fangcun Mountain returned to tranquility.

The patriarch continued to preach on time, without fail.

Ye Feng also resumed his daily studies.

It was only then that he realized that these seemingly ordinary tasks actually concealed a hidden secret.

On the surface, it was nothing more than tilling the fields, fertilizing, carrying water, chopping wood, and sweeping the courtyard—nothing special.

But whenever I actually do it, my body feels genuinely tired.

He was startled – he was a three-legged golden crow who had already cultivated to the level of a celestial being, and such an easy task should not have required any effort at all.

But the reality is that after a day's work, he is sore and aching, just like an ordinary person who has just entered the life of a farmer.

At this point, he finally understood that this "lesson" was by no means ordinary.

Let alone celestial beings, even a great immortal would be exhausted and collapse like mud if he came in person.

No wonder all the fellow disciples, regardless of their cultivation level, looked exhausted after finishing their daily practice.

But he gradually discovered that if he meditated when he was extremely tired, the effect would be twice as good.

From then on, he no longer resisted these tasks, but instead gladly accepted them. He carried water and chopped wood with the monkeys every day, and his mind became calm. He truly regarded himself as an ordinary disciple under the Bodhi tree.

At the same time, he never stopped absorbing the essence of the sun.

This is the key to his breakthrough to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

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

Ye Feng's cultivation level steadily progressed from the early stage of the Celestial Immortal realm to the middle stage at an astonishing speed.

It should be known that the path to immortality is long, and advancement in one's realm often requires thousands of years of stagnation.

Especially the celestial beings, who are the backbone of the Heavenly Court, need years of accumulation for each step forward, and even rely on chance encounters.

Ye Feng, however, broke through from a demon immortal to the mid-stage of a celestial immortal in just over four years.

Such progress is extremely rare, even in the entire Three Realms.

Even so, he still felt it was too slow.

Because he knew how the story would unfold.

Knowing that this monkey would master the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts within a few years and soar to great heights, he was subsequently expelled from Fangcun Mountain by Bodhi.

This makes it even clearer what kind of upheaval the monkey will cause afterward.

That is why the realm of celestial beings is far from enough.

He didn't want to repeat the same mistake—being imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain for five hundred years? Ha...

He not only wanted to secure a way for the monkeys to survive, but also to fight for a future for himself.

This world is vast and boundless, full of endless prosperity. How can one spend a lifetime confined to this small, tiny space?

All of this requires a foundation of profound cultivation.

Silver light spilled down, and the night was as smooth as silk.

Ye Feng sat cross-legged on the couch, silently absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

On the other bed, the monkey was snoring loudly, smacking its lips in its sleep, scratching its bottom, and turning over.

Ye Feng glanced at it sideways, a slight smirk playing on his lips.

What a silly monkey.

I risked my life to cultivate so that you wouldn't be suppressed for five hundred years, but you, on the other hand, slept like the best.

With a thought, he lightly tapped the window frame with his fingertips, and a wisp of exotic fragrance quietly filled the air.

Moments later, mosquitoes buzzed and swarmed towards the monkey.

In an instant, a piercing scream tore through the night sky.

……

Time has no bearing on the mountains.

Especially in a secluded place like Fangcun Mountain, time flows by silently.

Day after day, year after year, time has passed quietly without us even realizing it.

Now, Ye Feng's cultivation has reached the late stage of Celestial Immortal, and nearly one-third of the solar essence stored in his body has been consumed.

He silently calculated the time and realized that he had been at Fangcun Mountain for seven years.

Over the past seven years, he has developed a greater sense of belonging to this world.

Especially on Fangcun Mountain, they practiced meditation and sought enlightenment every day. Although their studies were demanding, they were also at ease and content.

The monkey remained lively and energetic, as if its energy was inexhaustible.

If Ye Feng hadn't read "Journey to the West," he would have found it hard to believe that this seemingly youthful monkey had actually lived for three hundred years on Flower Fruit Mountain.

Interestingly, ever since Ye Feng mentioned the wonders of the Illusion Moon Cave, the monkey has never forgotten it.

A few years ago, I finally couldn't resist and sneaked into the cave at night.

When everyone discovered it, it was already the afternoon of the following day.

He emerged from the cave, his face deathly pale and his body trembling.

Ye Feng had no idea what he had gone through.

After all, what one sees in the Illusion Moon Cave varies from person to person, and no two are the same.

But from then on, the monkey's gaze towards him subtly changed, becoming more wary.

His sneaking into the Illusion Moon Cave was spread by someone and became a laughing stock among his fellow disciples.

Many disciples, unable to contain their curiosity, rushed over to ask, "What exactly is inside the cave?"

At this moment, the monkey would smile and say sincerely, "That place is truly a paradise on earth. Those who haven't been there can't even imagine how beautiful it is. It's indescribable, indescribable."

His expression, ironically, piqued the interest of many people.

Although they had their doubts, the monkey was usually kind and friendly, so although the people were half-believing and half-doubting, they did not investigate further.

Later, some daring disciples secretly sneaked in to find out what was going on.

When they came out, they were all pale and looked like they had lost their souls.

But if anyone pressed them for details, they would all reply in unison, "That is a fairyland, which cannot be described or explained."

This incident was just a minor episode at Fangcun Mountain and was quickly forgotten.

Today is the day when the patriarch preaches.

On this day, the disciples were exempt from labor and spiritual practice.

People from all over Fangcun Mountain gathered before the patriarch's seat, listening attentively to the true voice of the Great Dao.

When the patriarch spoke to the most profound point, heavenly flowers rained down and golden lotuses bloomed on the earth.

Suddenly, a commotion arose below. The monkey, its face beaming with joy, scratched its ears and cheeks, and couldn't help but dance with glee.

The patriarch paused his lecture and asked softly, "Who is making such a commotion?"

Ye Feng sat upright on the futon. Upon seeing this scene, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he silently thought, "They've arrived."

All the disciples turned their gazes in that direction.

Bodhi also looked at Wukong, his tone calm but reproachful: "Why are you so unruly and disorderly in the class, refusing to listen to my teachings?"

The monkey quickly bowed and said, "I report to the Ancestral Master that it was not my intention to disturb you. It was simply that what you said was so profound that I was overjoyed and lost my composure."

A faint smile appeared on Bodhi's lips: "You can understand the Great Dao, very good. Let me ask you, how long have you been on this mountain?"

The monkey immediately replied, "Master, I have been diligently practicing my daily routines and have not kept track of the days. I only remember that the peaches on the back mountain ripened seven times, and I ate them seven times."

As soon as he finished speaking, all the disciples burst into laughter.

Bodhi couldn't help but smile: "If that's the case, it's been seven years. That's quite a time. Now that you understand the profound principles, I will impart some true teachings to you. What would you like to learn?"