Journey to the West: A clone sacrifices to the heavens, possessing boundless magical power.

Chapter 121 Black Pine Forest

Yun Zhongzi lowered his gaze slightly and slowly said, "My cultivation requires observing the stars and the qi. If you are interested, you can find the highest place in your mansion and build a star-gazing pavilion. I can serve as a guest in your mansion and, in my spare time, I can also teach you a few methods of health preservation."

Lei Zhen was overjoyed.

What an incredible opportunity it is to have a living deity stay in your home!

"Lei Bao! Immediately issue the order to clear out the Moon Gazing Pavilion in the back garden of the mansion and convert it into a Star Gazing Pavilion overnight! No one is allowed to disturb the immortal's quiet cultivation!" Lei Zhen ordered sternly.

"Yes!" Lei Bao responded loudly.

Yun Zhongzi nodded slightly, closed his eyes, and said nothing more.

Inside a secluded inn in the capital of Baoxiang Kingdom.

Fan Yuan, who was sitting cross-legged on the bed, slowly opened his eyes.

The light from the [Primordial Mirror of All Forms] in the sea of ​​consciousness faded.

Yun Zhongzi is a chess piece that Fan Yuan is ready to play at any time in the court of Baoxiang Kingdom.

Everything is ready.

In this ordinary inn filled with the turbid atmosphere of the mortal world, he felt a sense of peace he had never experienced before.

Black pine forest.

As the sun dipped westward, the light in the forest grew increasingly dim. Towering ancient trees intertwined, blocking out the sun, and the ground was covered with decaying leaves, on which horses trod silently.

As Tang Sanzang rode the white dragon horse, a rumbling sound came from its belly.

After driving away his eldest disciple Sun Wukong from White Tiger Ridge, the master and his disciples traveled in silence, having not eaten for a whole day.

"Bajie," Tang Sanzang said weakly, pulling on the reins. "I'm hungry. Go to the edge of this forest and see if there are any families who can offer some alms."

Pigsy, leading the horse, grumbled and slammed his nine-toothed rake on the ground: "Master, in this desolate wilderness, where can we find a family? When that monkey was here, you complained that he killed living beings, but now that he's gone, we can't even get a wild fruit to eat, and my stomach is growling with hunger."

"How can a monk so easily back down?" Tang Sanzang frowned. "Go and search for him, and don't complain."

Helpless, Pigsy could only mutter an agreement and drag his rake deeper into the forest.

-

He was lazy by nature, and after walking only two or three miles, seeing that there was no one around, he found a sheltered grassy spot.

"What's the point of begging for alms? Old Pig will take a nap first, and when we get back we'll just say we couldn't find anyone." Pigsy buried his head in the grass, and soon thunderous snoring filled the air.

Tang Sanzang waited in the same spot for half an hour, but Pigsy did not return. He grew anxious and turned to Sandy, who was carrying the luggage: "Wujing, your second brother has not returned for half a day. Could it be that he has encountered a monster? Go and meet him."

Sha Wujing put down his load, somewhat hesitantly: "Master, before my eldest brother left, he instructed that these deep mountains and forests are teeming with demons and monsters. If I go, who will protect you?"

"It's alright, I'll stay here and not move. You go and come back quickly," Tang Sanzang urged.

Unable to dissuade him, Sha Wujing had no choice but to pick up his demon-subduing staff and follow the direction Zhu Bajie had gone.

In the vast black pine forest, only Tang Sanzang and his horse remained.

A cold wind swept through the forest, making a mournful sound.

Tang Sanzang sat under the tree for a while, his stomach growling with hunger, and seeing the eerie surroundings, a sense of fear gradually arose in his heart.

He stood up, took the white dragon horse, and wanted to go back the way he came to greet his two disciples.

However, ordinary people are most likely to lose their way in such deep mountains and forests.

Tang Sanzang led his horse, turning left and right, and unknowingly, he completely deviated from the original road. Halfway there, his eyes suddenly lit up.

In the distance, where the trees were sparse, thousands of golden rays shone faintly, and the phantom of a pagoda appeared and disappeared in the golden light.

"Amitabha! Excellent! Excellent! There must be some ancient temple or monastery ahead, where a Buddha treasure has appeared!" Tang Sanzang was overjoyed, and his hunger and fear dissipated by most of it. He led his horse and walked quickly toward the golden light.

As they approached, the golden light suddenly vanished. There were no pagodas or ancient temples to be seen, only a gloomy and precipitous mountain peak with a huge hole in the mountain wall, above which were carved the six large characters "Wanzishan Wave Moon Cave".

Before Tang Sanzang could react, a sudden gust of wind swept through the cave.

"Your Majesty! We've captured a delicate-skinned monk!"

Two small demons with blue faces and fangs emerged from the wind, one snatching the reins from the white dragon horse, while the other grabbed Tang Sanzang's robe and dragged him into the cave without saying a word.

Inside the Wave Moon Cave, a chilling wind howled, and white bones were exposed on the ground.

In the center of the main hall sat a demon king.

He had an indigo face, white fangs, and fiery red hair. He wore a gleaming golden armor and a pale yellow brocade robe over it.

Despite being dressed as a demon, he sat upright and exuded a calm and composed aura, subtly revealing a majestic star-like presence.

He was Kui Mulang, one of the Twenty-Eight Constellations of Heaven, who descended to the mortal realm and transformed into the Yellow Robe Monster.

"Your Majesty, the brothers patrolling the mountain have captured a monk, claiming he's from the Tang Dynasty in the East!" The little demon shoved Tang Sanzang to the ground and shouted, as if seeking credit.

The Yellow-Robed Monster lowered his eyes and looked at the trembling Tang Sanzang.

Tang Sanzang was tied to a thick, soul-fixing stake, his face pale, and he kept chanting Buddhist prayers.

The yellow-robed monster simply sat on the large chair, his eyes showing no greed whatsoever, but rather a very complex fluctuation.

"Tie him tight, don't let him escape."

The Yellow-Robed Monster gave only a brief instruction and then ignored Tang Sanzang, without ordering anyone to light a fire or boil water. Instead, he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

A moment later, Sha Wujing found Zhu Bajie sleeping soundly in the grass nest. The two of them searched for their master but could not find him, so they searched all the way to the entrance of the Wave Moon Cave.

Sha Wujing raised his voice to challenge them. Hearing the report from the little demon, the Yellow-Robed Monster strolled out of his cave, glanced at the two men, and asked, "What are you two doing here?"

Bajie shouted at the top of his lungs, "My son, don't you recognize your master? My master is the Imperial Brother Sanzang! If he's in your house, you'd better hand him over obediently, or I'll use my rake to raze your cave to the ground!"

Upon hearing this, the Yellow-Robed Monster threw his head back and laughed loudly: "Yes, yes, there is indeed a Tang Monk in my house. I have not mistreated him, and I have even prepared some human flesh buns to treat him. Would you two like to go in and have one too?"

Upon hearing this, Pigsy actually lifted his foot to rush inside, but Sandy, quick as a flash, grabbed his sleeve and whispered, "Brother, he's just teasing you. When did you start eating human flesh again?"

Pigsy then came to his senses, and enraged, he raised his rake and smashed it down on the monster's head.

The two sides exchanged blows, fighting for dozens of rounds without a clear victor. In terms of true skill, let alone two monks, even twenty of them would not be a match for Kui Mulang.

Only because Tang Sanzang was secretly protected by Dharma protectors, and above the clouds, there were also six craftsmen, six guardians, five directions of the Dharma protectors, four duty officers, and eighteen Dharma protectors who cast spells together to secretly help Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing, which is why they were able to fight to a draw.

At the same time, a faint tinkling sound of jade pendants came from inside the Wave Moon Cave.

A woman dressed in magnificent palace attire and with an extremely beautiful face walked out.

Although she was in a demon cave, her brows revealed an undeniable royal air, but her eyes were filled with an unyielding sorrow.