Primordial Era: A brick knocks Hongyun unconscious, and he seizes the throne at the start.

After leaving Baoxiang Kingdom, we traveled west for more than half a month, and the mountains ahead became increasingly steep.

This mountain is unlike any other—above the halfway point, it is shrouded in clouds and mist, the clouds being auspicious five-colored clouds and the mist being ethereal and otherworldly, clearly indicating the presence of a powerful enchantment. Yet at the foot of the mountain, however, there are gusts of eerie wind, jagged rocks, and the occasional roar of beasts.

"Strange." Sun Wukong leaped onto a cloud, his golden eyes sweeping across the area. "This mountain has an aura of immortals, while the foot of the mountain has an aura of demons—it's like two layers of skin!"

Lu Chen (Qingfeng Daoren) stroked his beard and laughed, "This mountain is called Pingding Mountain. There is a Lotus Cave in the mountain, where two monsters live, one named Golden Horn and the other Silver Horn."

"A monster?" Pigsy scratched his head. "Where did the magical energy on that mountain come from?"

"Because they were originally attendants of Laozi, who looked after the golden and silver furnaces," Lu Chen said without hiding anything. "They stole five of Laozi's magical treasures and descended to the mortal realm to become demons, waiting to cause us trouble."

Xuanzang was alarmed: "If you are Laozi's attendant, why have you descended to the mortal realm as a demon?"

"Just following orders." Lu Chen said meaningfully, "How many of these demons on the journey to the West are real monsters? Most of them are 'actors' from heaven."

Sun Wukong's golden eyes lit up: "Master, how should we act this out?"

Lu Chen laughed: "Act according to the original plan—you go to be suppressed, Pigsy goes to be captured, and Sandy goes to seek help. But while acting out the scene..."

The Chaos Brick in his sleeve trembled slightly, transmitting his voice to the three people.

Sun Wukong nodded repeatedly, Zhu Bajie chuckled, and Sha Wujing remained as honest and simple as ever.

"Holy Monk," Lu Chen turned to Xuanzang, "If any monsters come to capture you later, do not panic, I will take care of everything."

Xuanzang clasped his hands in prayer: "Thank you for your trouble, Daoist Master."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a Taoist priest suddenly appeared from the front of the mountain path, holding a Seven Star Sword and with a sinister face. It was none other than the Silver Horn King in disguise!

"Is that the pilgrim from the East?" King Silver Horn bowed. "I am a hermit of this mountain, and I have come to welcome the holy monk."

Xuanzang dismounted and returned the greeting: "Thank you, Daoist Master."

The Silver Horned King approached, suddenly drew his Seven Star Sword, and pointed the tip! A golden light flew from the sword tip, heading straight for Xuanzang!

"How dare you, you monster!" Sun Wukong swung his staff, but was struck by the golden light and flew into the air, landing in a mountain valley a thousand meters away, where he was pressed down by three mountains—the Mountain-Moving and Sea-Overturning Talisman!

This is Laozi's talisman, capable of moving mountains and suppressing people.

Sun Wukong struggled at the foot of the mountain, but "couldn't break free"—of course, he was faking it. With his body at the seventh level of the Nine Revolutions Mystic Art, these three mountains were nothing more than a tickle.

Having succeeded, the Silver Horned King pointed his purple-gold gourd at Pigsy and said, "Pigsy, if I call your name, will you dare to answer?"

Pigsy was "startled" and was about to speak when Lu Chen suddenly coughed.

Pigsy understood, turned and ran, shouting, "I, Old Pig, won't allow it!"

Silver Horn King was stunned and didn't react in time; Pigsy had already disappeared.

"Why isn't this pig demon following the rules?" King Silver Horn muttered, and had no choice but to first capture Xuanzang into the gourd and return to his cave.

Inside the Lotus Cave, King Golden Horn was playing with the jade bottle when he saw King Silver Horn return. He hurriedly asked, "Did you succeed?"

Silver Horn nodded: "We've got Tang Sanzang. I've trapped the monkey under the mountain, the pig demon has escaped, and Sandy has also fled."

"Great!" Golden Horn was overjoyed. "Let's release that Tang Sanzang and steam him up!"

Just as Silver Horn was about to dump Xuanzang, Sha Wujing's voice suddenly came from outside the cave: "Monster! Give me back my master!"

Golden Horn and Silver Horn emerged from the cave, where Sandy was seen holding his demon-subduing staff, glaring angrily.

Silver Horn sneered, "General Rolling Curtain, you dare to come here to die?" He drew his Seven Star Sword and began to fight.

Sha Wujing fought him for more than ten rounds, then feigned defeat and turned to run. Silver Horn chased after him for several miles when suddenly a gray light flashed behind him—Lu Chen appeared, and the Chaos Brick struck Silver Horn directly on the back of the head!

"Thump!"

Silver Horn rolled his eyes and collapsed to the ground.

Lu Chen reached out and took away the purple-gold gourd, the jade bottle, the seven-star sword, and the golden rope from his arms. He then sealed his five senses and six consciousnesses with chaotic energy, making him "sleep" peacefully.

After finishing these tasks, Lu Chen carried the silver horn back to the Lotus Cave.

Golden Horn was waiting in the cave when he saw Silver Horn being brought back, and he was terrified: "Who are you?!"

Lu Chen didn't answer. He threw out the Chaos Brick, which transformed into a miniature chaotic world phantom and slammed down on him!

Jinjiao hurriedly summoned his banana leaf fan and unleashed a flurry of flames! A fierce wind arose, and flames soared into the sky! This was the banana leaf fan that Laozi used to fan fire; the fire it produced was the Samadhi True Fire, which would kill any ordinary immortal who touched it!

Lu Chen neither dodged nor avoided the fire, letting it rush towards him—the chaotic bricks descended with chaotic energy, and the Samadhi True Fire, upon impact, was swallowed up like a mud ox entering the sea!

"What?!" Golden Horn's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.

Taking advantage of his momentary daze, Lu Chen dropped the Chaos Brick, striking him squarely on the top of his head!

"Thump!"

Following in Silver Horn's footsteps, Golden Horn collapsed to the ground.

Lu Chen then took the banana leaf fan from his body and the replicas of the magical treasures he had collected in the cave. He had already taken the original five magical treasures, but these "replicas" were made by him using chaotic energy. Although their power was weak, their appearance and aura were exactly the same, enough to fool people.

After setting up the scene, Lu Chen used his chaotic energy to tap the center of the eyebrows of both Golden Horn and Silver Horn, erasing their memories of being knocked unconscious and rewriting them as "fighting Sun Wukong for three hundred rounds, exhausting their magic power, and fainting on their own."

After doing all this, he carried the unconscious Golden Horn and Silver Horn to the mountain hollow where Sun Wukong was trapped.

Sun Wukong was lying at the foot of the mountain with his legs crossed. When he saw Lu Chen arrive, he quickly got into position and continued to "struggle".

Lu Chen raised his hand, and the three mountains transformed into a talisman, which he took away—this was a Mountain-Moving and Sea-Overturning Talisman personally drawn by Laozi, a treasure!

"Master!" Sun Wukong jumped up, "Did you succeed?"

Lu Chen nodded and took out five magical treasures: the Purple-Gold Red Gourd, the Jade Bottle, the Golden Rope, the Seven-Star Sword, and the Banana Leaf Fan.

Sun Wukong's eyes lit up: "This is Laozi's treasure?"

"The original," Lu Chen said with a smile. "Once I've thoroughly studied it, I'll forge a replica for each of you. It won't be as powerful, but it'll be sufficient."

He stored the five magical treasures into the Chaos Brick, and then handed the replicas to Sun Wukong: "When Golden Horn and Silver Horn wake up, you should have a 'battle' with them, and then return these 'treasures' to them."

Sun Wukong took the imitation, weighed it in his hand, and frowned: "This weight is wrong?"

"The appearance is the same, the aura is the same, but the power is only 30% of the original," Lu Chen said. "That's enough for them to get by. As for Laozi, I'll handle that."

He patted the Chaos Brick. Inside the brick, five magical treasures were floating beside the Ginseng Fruit Tree, emitting a faint chaotic light.

Half an hour later, Golden Horn and Silver Horn slowly woke up.

The two exchanged a bewildered glance: "What... just happened?"

"I think I fought with that monkey?" Golden Horn rubbed his head. "And then... then I don't remember."

Silver Horn patted his body; all his magical treasures were still there. He breathed a sigh of relief: "Never mind, Tang Sanzang is still in the cave!"

The two hurriedly returned to the cave, only to find Xuanzang tied to a pillar, with Sun Wukong confronting them.

"Monster! Release my master!" Sun Wukong shouted.

Golden Horn and Silver Horn hurriedly unleashed their magical treasures—the Purple-Gold Red Gourd, the Jade Purification Bottle, the Seven-Star Sword, the Golden Rope, and the Banana Leaf Fan!

Sun Wukong was "outmatched" and fought his way back, battling from inside the cave to outside, from the mountainside to the foot of the mountain. Golden Horn and Silver Horn gave chase, but suddenly Sun Wukong turned and struck with his staff!

"clang!"

The golden cudgel slammed into the banana leaf fan, and Golden Horn's arm went numb. He was secretly shocked: This monkey is incredibly strong!

After fighting for several dozen more rounds, Sun Wukong feinted with his staff and then turned and ran. The Golden Horn and Silver Horn horns couldn't catch him and had to give up.

"Oh well, let them go if they've run away." Golden Horn panted. "At least we still have Tang Sanzang in our hands, so our efforts weren't in vain."

The two returned to the cave, only to find that Xuanzang was nowhere to be seen, with only a broken rope remaining.

"Where is he?!" Silverhorn exclaimed in surprise.

A loud laugh echoed from outside the cave: "Monster! I, Old Sun, have rescued my master! Farewell!"

Golden Horn and Silver Horn chased them out of the cave, but there wasn't a single person left.

The two looked at each other, speechless with grief.

From the cloud, Lu Chen watched this scene and nodded in satisfaction.

He and Xuanzang had already fled more than a hundred miles away.

Xuanzang, still shaken, said as he rode on his horse, "Thank you so much, Daoist Master, for saving my life."

Lu Chen smiled and said, "Holy Monk, you are too kind. Those Golden Horn and Silver Horn were merely acting under orders. I have already taken a few of their magical treasures as a lesson to them."

Sun Wukong leaned closer and whispered, "Master, how should we divide those magical treasures?"

"What's the rush?" Lu Chen transmitted his voice. "Once I've thoroughly researched it, I'll tailor-make one for each of you. The Purple-Gold Red Gourd will be for Pigsy, it'll be useful for storing things; the Jade Pure Bottle will be for Sandy, it'll hold water to nourish the soul; the Banana Leaf Fan will be for Tang Sanzang, it'll be used to fan wind and start fires; the Golden Rope will be for the White Dragon Horse, it'll be used to bind demons and monsters; I'll keep the Seven-Star Sword for myself to study."

"Where is I, Old Sun?" Sun Wukong asked anxiously.

"You have the Golden Cudgel, that's enough," Lu Chen laughed. "But I can give you the Mountain-Moving and Sea-Overturning Talisman. If you encounter trouble in the future, just move mountains and smash people down."

Sun Wukong grinned.

The group continued westward.

Inside the Lotus Cave, Golden Horn and Silver Horn counted the magical treasures and found that none were missing—unaware that these "magical treasures" had already been switched.

Jinjiao frowned: "Something feels off..."

Silver Horn sighed, "Forget it, Tang Sanzang has escaped anyway, so we've done our job. Let's pack up and head back to Heaven to report."

The two rode on clouds and headed towards the Tushita Palace.

In the Tushita Palace, Laozi was refining elixirs. Seeing Golden Horn and Silver Horn return, he frowned slightly and calculated with his fingers—

"Um?"

A glint of light flashed in Laozi's eyes. He had foreseen that the battle between Golden Horn and Silver Horn and Sun Wukong would end in a draw, with both using all their magical treasures. But... why did the aura of those magical treasures seem somewhat strange?

He raised his hand and summoned five magical treasures into his grasp.

Upon closer inspection, Lao Jun's lips twitched.

"That Lu Chen... he even dares to switch out the old Taoist's things."

But then he shook his head and chuckled, "Forget it, it's just a few magic treasures. Lu Chen is powerful now, even the Dao Ancestor treats him differently, why should this old Daoist make an enemy of him?"

He put the counterfeit into his sleeve and made no announcement.

After all, it's better to avoid trouble.

On his journey westward, Lu Chen studied the five magical treasures as he traveled.

"The purple-gold-red gourd contains primordial energy and can collect people and objects... It's a good item."

"The jade bottle can hold the water of the four seas... It's just right for Sha Wujing."

"The Golden Rope, a magical artifact similar to the Immortal Binding Rope, contains binding laws..."

"The Banana Leaf Fan produces Samadhi Fire and a Xun Wind... This fan is interesting. I'll make a replica for Tang Sanzang to protect himself."

"Seven Star Sword... Hmm?"

Lu Chen suddenly stopped.

Within the blade of this Seven Star Sword lies an extremely faint... mark of creation!

Although it is faint, it is definitely the residual aura from when Pangu created the world!

"Laojun's sword...it has a history." Lu Chen narrowed his eyes.

He recalled that Laozi was one of the Three Pure Ones transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu, and that the Seven Star Sword might have been made from fragments of the Heaven-Opening Axe or related materials.

"I've made a fortune." Lu Chen grinned.

The Chaos Brick trembled slightly, carefully peeling away the wisp of the Creation Mark and merging it deep into the brick's body—this thing would be of great use to his comprehension of the Great Dao!

From the clouds, Guanyin Bodhisattva watched from afar, her brows furrowed.

In the ordeal at Pingdingshan, Jinjiao and Yinjiao were defeated, but none of their magical treasures were lost, and Tang Sanzang escaped safely. Everything seemed normal.

But she always felt that something was wrong.

How come that Taoist Qingfeng always manages to "save the day" at just the right moment?

"Next stop, Wuji Kingdom." Guanyin pondered, "Manjushri Bodhisattva's mount, the blue-maned lion, is there. There shouldn't be any problems, right?"

She felt a vague unease.

And at this moment, on the westward journey.

Lu Chen turned around, looking towards Pingdingshan, a smile playing on his lips.

"Golden Horn and Silver Horn, thank you for your gifts."

"Next stop... Wuji Kingdom."

"It's time for Manjushri's mount to get moving."

He touched the Chaos Brick. Inside the brick, five magical treasures floated quietly, emitting a faint light.

Beneath the ginseng fruit tree, the white-clad girl, transformed from the White Bone Demon, was drinking and discussing philosophy with General Yin and other demons, thoroughly enjoying herself.

On the journey to the West, every step is a tribulation, but every step is also an opportunity.

Meanwhile, the old man carrying bricks was busy turning every calamity into a good opportunity to "buy" goods.