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

Ye Feng laughed—this monkey was actually worried about him.

Standing up for him today wasn't a waste of effort.

He chuckled softly, "Don't worry about me, it's just an illusion, what's there to be afraid of? If you're free, why don't you go to the back mountain to eat some peaches? Oh right, there are no peaches now, so you can only eat peach blossoms."

Seeing that he could still laugh, the monkey was both angry and anxious, but there was nothing he could do. In the end, he could only sigh and say, "Then be careful." He turned and headed towards the back mountain.

He was originally the monkey king of the mountains, so being punished to face the wall in the mountains was no different from going home, and there was no need to prepare anything. In the Taoist temple, he only had this one Taoist robe, and the only valuable thing he had was the clean hat that the patriarch had given him on the day he became a disciple, which he always carried with him.

Once the monkey had gone far away, Ye Feng got up and headed towards the back of the mountain.

But the place he was going to was not the Illusion Moon Cave.

Although Bodhi Patriarch ordered him to enter the cave and meditate facing the wall, he did not specify that he should leave immediately. He only needed to stay there for the required period of six months.

He walked very quickly, leaving the Taoist temple and heading straight for a secluded spot on the back mountain. Seeing that no one was around, he suddenly shifted his body.

With a twisting and writhing motion, it instantly transformed into a golden, unusually plump three-legged crow.

With a flap of its wings, a wave of heat hit him. He looked down at his own body and scratched his head like a human.

No, it's too conspicuous.

How can you be so ostentatious when doing illegal work?

He shook his body again, using his magic to compress his form, causing his meridians to be squeezed, making him extremely uncomfortable.

He sighed inwardly: he had not yet truly mastered the art of transformation. If he could learn seventy-two or thirty-six transformations, why would he need to exert so much effort? With a thought, all things could be transformed, even the essence of life could be reshaped.

Fortunately, this time it only shrunk in size and did not change in appearance. Although it was extremely painful, it was finally successful after a few minutes.

At this moment, he had transformed into a golden crow the size of eight palms, much smaller than his original form.

But the golden feathers were still too conspicuous, so he simply used another illusion technique to cover up the golden light, and the feathers turned completely black.

From a distance, it looked just like an ordinary black raven.

Only the third leg could not be hidden and could only dangle in the air.

In fact, ever since this third leg grew, Ye Feng had felt extremely awkward.

Birds rely on flying, and can hop nearby, so why walk? Now that they have an extra leg, they can't hop smoothly, and they stumble even more when walking, often tripping over themselves.

He thought to himself more than once: This species must have angered the Creator to be punished with legs.

Of course, this was just him joking in private.

There is no creator in the Journey to the West world—if there is, it is only Pangu, who perished not long after creating the world.

The three-legged golden crow's suffering cannot be blamed on him.

Once everything was ready, he spread his wings and leaped down towards Fangcun Mountain.

The sacred place of the sage is pure and solemn; one must not harbor any murderous intent.

It was precisely at the moment when Ye Feng transformed into a crow and quietly left the mountain that...

Inside the Three Star Cave, Bodhi Patriarch was lying on a couch, seemingly asleep, when suddenly his eyelids twitched.

A second later, he frowned and muttered under his breath, "What's that stupid bird up to now?"

He stretched out one hand and calculated for a moment, then suddenly sat up—

"Goodness, they've got guts, and they're really ruthless."

But in an instant, he lay back down, yawned, rolled over, and muttered:

"Forget it, we don't know anything about it, we don't care."

……

Inside the Taoist temple, Qian Ying returned to her room and applied medicine to her wounds. A cool sensation washed over her, and her injuries healed rapidly.

Although he appeared disheveled, his injuries were mostly superficial. As a cultivator, even without medicine, recovery would be instantaneous.

But the thought of being expelled from the sect because of this incident made him unable to suppress his anger.

He clenched his teeth, wishing he could devour Ye Feng and the monkey alive.

"Just you wait and see, don't come down the mountain, don't give me another chance."

He sneered and muttered to himself, hurriedly packed his things, and called his younger brother.

The child was still innocent and unaware, his face full of confusion.

He didn't bother to explain, and simply said with a stern face, "Let's go, down the mountain."

Qian Ying led his younger brother step by step down Fangcun Mountain.

It was not disclosed to anyone.

Being expelled from one's master's school is ultimately a dishonorable thing.

The two walked along the winding path for seventeen or eighteen miles, until the path beneath their feet gradually blurred and eventually disappeared completely.

Looking back, all I could see were verdant mountains and flowing blue waters, with even the outline of the Taoist temple long since hidden in the clouds and mist.

He sighed softly, secretly clenching his fist.

Beside him, his younger brother hung his head, looking dejected.

Qian Ying glanced at him sideways and said in a low voice, "Don't be afraid. When we get back, your brother will find you other opportunities. Even if we can't find a famous teacher, I have some foundation from my studies over the years, which is enough to teach you."

He was already resentful about being expelled, and now that his younger brother had also been expelled from the mountain, his anger was even more intense.

This deepened their resentment towards Ye Feng and the monkey.

Fangcun Mountain is not accessible to everyone.

Those who wish to attain immortality must pass two trials.

Firstly, they needed to find the location of Fangcun Mountain.

Do not underestimate this test—it is precisely this test that examines the depth of the immortal affinity of all those who seek the Dao.

Those with a deep affinity for the immortals will naturally enter, like the wind moving across water.

Those with slightly less affinity for immortality, after enduring countless hardships and narrowly escaping death, will eventually be able to set foot in this place.

Those who are not destined to be there, even if they travel to thousands of mountains and valleys and spend their entire lives, will never see the true face of the Taoist temple.

As for monkeys, they are an exception, belonging to the fourth category.

He had someone guiding him.

Qianying has been practicing cultivation on the mountain for many years, and has occasionally written home to inform his family of the situation there.

The family then successively sent other brothers to seek immortality and ask questions.

Unfortunately, none of them succeeded.

Sometimes he would even secretly go down the mountain and personally lead people up the mountain, but the two of them would get lost in the forest and never be able to find the right way.

After repeated attempts failed, only the youngest brother, who was only ten years old, actually managed to find Fangcun Mountain and meet the patriarch.

This leads to the second hurdle—

It requires the approval of the patriarch.

After all, one comes here to become an apprentice. If the patriarch is unwilling to accept one, even if one has extraordinary destiny, it will be in vain.

However, the patriarch was benevolent, and all those who were able to find this place could be considered as having received tacit approval.

Over the years, Qian Ying has never seen anyone reach the summit only to be turned away.

The younger brother was no exception and entered the class smoothly.

Unfortunately, he was expelled from the mountain after only two months of apprenticeship due to this incident.

Upon hearing this, the younger brother raised his head, his childish face showing stubbornness: "Big brother, I'm not afraid. It's all those two monsters' fault! When I cultivate my supernatural powers in the future, I will definitely avenge you and tear them to pieces!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Ying's lips curled up slightly, revealing a smile.

The gloom in my heart seemed to have faded a bit.

"To cultivate supernatural powers?"

Suddenly, a voice rang out from not far away, cold and chilling like the wind, "I'm afraid... you won't have that chance."

A chill ran down Qian Ying's spine. She immediately shielded her younger brother behind her and demanded sharply, "Who?!"

His eyes swept quickly around, trying to pinpoint the hidden voice.

"I'm here—look up."

Looking up at the sound, I saw a crow, about the size of eight palms, perched on a thin branch.

Strangely, it has three legs.

Qian Ying's pupils contracted, and she blurted out, "It's you! Ye Feng!"

The crow grinned, its beak opening and closing revealing a hint of human-like mockery.

"Good eye."

At this moment, he transformed into a crow and made no attempt to conceal his identity.

Qian Ying had seen him appear in his crow form before, and she could recognize him at a glance.

Even with an extra leg...

It's just that the Golden Crow's form is too conspicuous, and it might attract the attention of others.

In his eyes, the departure of the Qianying brothers from Fangcun Mountain was tantamount to death.

Incidentally, Ye Feng had actually been lying in wait here for some time.

To create an atmosphere, he used his magic to drive away all living beings within a ten-mile radius.

The chirping of insects and the calls of birds all fell silent.

Upon entering this place, only a deathly silence remains.

A person with keen senses would have noticed the abnormality long ago and become wary.

Ye Feng originally intended to take advantage of this eerie setting to make a surprise appearance, strike at the opponent's mind, and create a sense of intimidation.

Who would have thought that Qian Ying, who had cultivated Taoism for many years, was completely unaware of the danger and remained oblivious the entire way.

Left with no other choice, he had to show himself.

At this moment, Qian Ying saw the newcomer's true face, her expression changed drastically, and she questioned, "How come you are here? Weren't you punished by the Patriarch and sent to the Illusion Moon Cave to reflect on your mistakes?"

Ye Feng chuckled lightly, his tone laced with mockery: "What do you think? Why am I here?"

Qian Ying finally panicked, forcing herself to suppress her anger: "You dare to abandon your post? Aren't you afraid of being punished by the Ancestral Master?"

Ye Feng glanced at him sideways, his eyes looking at a fool who didn't know his place, his tone drawn out strangely: "Does the Ancestral Master blame you?"

"Are you truly oblivious, or are you feigning ignorance? What event on Fangcun Mountain could escape the patriarch's discerning eye? I'm standing here unharmed; can't you see the significance behind it?"

Upon hearing this, Qian Ying's face turned deathly pale, as if her beliefs had collapsed. Her voice trembled as she growled, "No...impossible! Our patriarch is merciful; how could he allow you to commit such heinous acts? How could he possibly let you slaughter us?"

Ye Feng couldn't help but laugh as he lifted his third leg, which had never touched the ground before.

"I didn't believe you before when you said you were dull-witted—after all, even someone who can cultivate to immortality can be limited in their stupidity. But now, I believe you. You've probably heard everything you've said in your twenty-odd years of cultivation, but haven't absorbed it all."

Have you ever heard the saying: "Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs; the sage is ruthless, treating the people like straw dogs."

Seeing Qian Ying open his mouth to speak, he immediately interrupted, "I know what you want to say. People always say that this means all living beings are equal, not that Heaven is heartless. But what I want to tell you is—in the eyes of the Patriarch, that is exactly the case."

Qian Ying looked bewildered: "What...what are you talking about?"

Ye Feng chuckled: "Don't you understand? It means that even if you are a disciple personally taught by the founder, in his eyes you are no different from a blade of grass or an ant by the roadside."

He won't show you favoritism, nor will he deliberately target you. To him, your life or death is nothing more than a passing breeze, a falling leaf.

Qian Ying felt a chill run down her spine and muttered to herself, "Impossible...impossible...the Ancestral Master would never view his disciple like this...you say he's a saint?"

He was suddenly startled and blurted it out.

Not only him, but the entire Fangcun Mountain, apart from Ye Feng, even the monkey had never truly seen the depths of Bodhi Patriarch's power.

At this moment, Ye Feng was too lazy to waste any more words.

I said way too much just now.

With a flap of his wings, he soared into the air, his dark shadow sweeping across the sky.

Qian Ying suddenly woke up with a start, shoved her younger brother aside, and shouted sharply, "Run! Back to Fangcun Mountain! I'll hold him off!"

Before he finished speaking, his hands were already forming a mudra in front of his chest, as if he were about to cast a spell.

But then the crow gently flapped its wings, and a golden flame appeared in the air, swelling with the wind and instantly engulfing the two brothers. Before their consciousness could even struggle, they were already sinking into darkness.

A moment later, Ye Feng jumped heavily on the ground a few times, filling in the pit he had just dug, so meticulously that not a single bump could be seen, before nodding in satisfaction.

Qian Ying and his brother had long since turned to ashes in the pit.

He stepped back, made the sign of the cross with his wings on his chest, and whispered flippantly, "Amen, may your souls be with God."

Regardless of whether such a god truly existed in this world, he raised his head and cried out, then flapped his wings and flew high, heading straight for Fangcun Mountain.

A dark figure silently descended and stopped at the back of Fangcun Mountain.