Journey to the West: From Stealing the Teachings of Patriarch Bodhi to Becoming a Saint Through a Hu

As the sound of the wooden fish echoed throughout the Guanyin Temple, Yuan Li forgot most of his worries, his mind became clear and tranquil, and his brows relaxed.

Inside the temple stood a monk dressed in an ordinary robe.

Yuan Li opened his eyes. The monk looked quite young and was one of the higher-ranking monks under Elder Jinchi. He was in charge of the temple and was called Master Lixin.

Filled with remorse, Elder Jinchi of the Northwest, filled with hatred, called him Lixin.

To express his gratitude to Yuan Li for repairing the temple, Master Lixin specially recited the Heart Sutra for Yuan Li.

Yuan Li stared at the robe on Master Lixin's body. He didn't find it dazzling, but the memory of the dazzling robe was still fresh, and his heart was restless.

After spending a day cultivating my mind and spirit at the Guanyin Temple, I was finally able to let go of my grudges.

No wonder the Black Bear Spirit was on good terms with Elder Jinchi of Guanyin Temple.

Although Elder Jinchi is dead, listening to Master Lixin recite Buddhist scriptures can help solidify one's own spiritual practice.

Elder Jinchi ruined everything because of his momentary greed.

Yuan Li remembered that he had believed the rumors spread by the monks around him, and that Elder Jinchi had instigated him to burn Tang Sanzang to death.

In Guanyin Temple, there is a peach tree. The tree has acquired spiritual roots, and the spiritual peaches on the tree ripen once a year. Eating them can help mortal cultivators break through their cultivation realm.

It is a relatively good low-grade Xuan-level spiritual item in the mortal realm.

Fortunately, the black bear spirit came to put out the fire and saved the spirit peach tree.

Every year, Guanyin Temple has to offer 70% of its spiritual fruits to Black Wind Mountain, while the remaining 30% is either arranged by the abbot or consumed by the temple's elders.

Besides the numerous benefits of prolonging life, the acquired spiritual fruit allows them to better comprehend the great Buddhist teachings.

Although these monks do not actively sell the spiritual fruits, as long as they spread the word about the monastery's spiritual fruits, people will naturally come to treat them with courtesy and pay to buy the fruits from the monastery.

In Tibet, one can easily find out about this matter by asking around.

The serpent demons of Nausicaä of Tibet are now hiding somewhere.

Having already investigated all the yellow-haired monsters under his command, Yuan Li didn't want to waste any more energy investigating the Pan Snake Demon.

He put down the wooden hammer in his hand. Although he had been tricked by that old snake demon, Yuan Li calmed down and instead of being angry, he laughed.

As he left the Buddhist hall, he guessed that the snake demon might be looking for Tang Sanzang because of the brocade cassock, and he wondered how Monkey King would deal with him.

Yuan Li walked to the peach orchard, where the bark of the peach trees was charred black, and the branches and leaves were withered and rotten. Less than one-tenth of the acquired spiritual fruit remained.

No wonder Elder Jinchi committed suicide by smashing his head against a wall. First, he was too ashamed to face anyone, and second, the Black Bear Spirit wouldn't let him off easily.

The fire inside the temple was so large because Sun Wukong controlled it so well; you can't blame the Monkey King if you want to blame someone.

It's all Elder Jinchi's fault for wanting to kill and steal the treasure.

There are six peach trees in the peach orchard. It is September, and the acquired spiritual fruits in the orchard are ripe, but they have not yet been picked.

Yuan Li noticed that the branches showed signs of having been picked.

The monks in the temple probably wouldn't dare to pick them.

His eyes darted around, and he realized that when Monkey King was controlling the fire that night, he had casually picked the peaches from the peach tree in the yard.

Helpless, Yuan Li went forward and picked the plump peaches in the yard one by one.

His purpose in coming here was only for these dozen or so peaches.

Each peach is plump and juicy.

I took a bite.

Instantly, it made my mouth water and tasted incredibly sweet.

It was far superior to the wild fruits from Black Wind Mountain.

There are indeed low-grade Xuan-level spirit fruit trees on the mountain; how could the Demon King's territory lack such cultivation resources?

Yuan Li plans to go to Tibet again tomorrow. Before going, he will have his fortune told to see if it will be auspicious or inauspicious.

In his Black Wind Mountain, there was not only the Yellow-haired Monster, but also the Flower Bear Demon and the Black Panther Demon.

At this time, the three great demons were outside scavenging for alms. Near White Tiger Ridge, there were many great demons at White Bone Ridge, all of whom had learned of the destruction of Pan Demon Mountain.

The Demon King of Panyao Mountain ignored the Demon Slaying Order, and all the demons already knew about it.

Unexpectedly, after the Demon King defied the Demon-Slaying Order, he was not punished by the Yellow Wind Monster, but instead had his mountain destroyed by Yuan Li, which is quite a sad story.

The yellow-haired monster and the other two great demons went to plunder in order to gain some benefits.

Yuan Li was also unable to enslave those powerful demons without any background, who were only good at eating.

Yuan Li could also issue a demon-slaying order like the Yellow Wind Monster, ordering those dozens of powerful demons to fight against the demon kings he would encounter in the future, such as the Coiled Serpent Demon.

Thus, Yuan Li's power was no longer limited to Black Wind Mountain, but also included a total of twenty-three great demons outside the mountain.

Yuan Li smiled and rewarded Qi Ke with two more peaches.

How could one grab two peaches and immediately devour them?

Yuan Li asked, "Qikeduo, why didn't you go and beg for money?"

Qie Ke swallowed the peach in his mouth and said with a radiant smile, "I've been waiting for you to return, Your Majesty. A few days ago, I found the catfish demon you mentioned in White Bone Ridge. It's inside the demon cave, and I've locked it up."

Yuan Li said with considerable satisfaction, "Really? You brought her back before I even told you. Take me to see her quickly. Why did you lock her up? She's the sister of my sworn brother, Canglang Jing."

Yuan Li deliberately raised his voice a few notches.

How could he have told him last time that the catfish demon was the sister of the wolf spirit?

Qi Keduo naturally wouldn't mistreat the catfish demon.

Qi Keduo quickly explained, "I just locked her in the cave to rest and let her wait for you, Your Majesty, to return. She agreed readily. I didn't make things difficult for the catfish demon."

Yuan Li was just saying it. The wolf spirit and the snake demon were both dead. Black Wind Mountain was missing these two demon king allies compared to before. He and the wolf spirit were not really sworn brothers.

Yuan Li waved his hand, indicating that Qi Ke should take him to see the catfish demon.

While they were talking, before they had even moved, a beautiful noblewoman emerged from the cave.

Upon hearing Yuan Li's voice, the catfish demon walked from its cave to the spacious front cave.

The catfish demon was dressed in a long, colorful green silk robe, exuding an ethereal aura.

Her long, jet-black hair was coiled at the back of her head.

Yuan Li was surprised to find that she was indeed quite beautiful, but that only referred to her appearance in human form.

Yuan Li was engrossed in watching when the catfish demon spoke up at the opportune moment: "Your Majesty, it's been a long time."

His voice was gentle, and he seemed to have hit it off with Yuan Li at first sight.

Yuan Li nodded and said, "Sister-in-law, how is the situation at White Bone Ridge these days? Your brother, the Azure Wolf Spirit, died at the hands of the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong. Why don't you stay on my Black Wind Mountain from now on? It's much safer than White Bone Ridge."

After much hesitation, the catfish demon finally agreed.

Not far from White Tiger Ridge, where the White Bone Demon resides, White Bone Ridge is not peaceful, as it is home to other demon kings besides the Azure Wolf Demon.

As a woman with limited cultivation, she had no choice but to stay at Yuan Li's Black Wind Mountain.

"Thank you for taking me in, Your Majesty. In my White Bone Ridge, there is a sacred land, a place where immortal herbs can be cultivated. I am responsible for cultivating immortal herbs there for the Azure Wolf Spirit. Now, Your Majesty, you can also obtain the materials you need for alchemy there."

Yuan Li raised his lowered eyelids and slowly said, "Good, very good."

Yuan Li remained serious and unsmiling at this moment.

Given the catfish demon's current predicament, his laughter seemed somewhat inappropriate.

The catfish demon seemed to sense Yuan Li's good intentions and smiled instead, "Your Majesty, why are you unhappy? Is it because of the Azure Wolf Spirit? I don't ask Your Majesty to avenge the Azure Wolf Spirit. We can just continue our cultivation as usual in Black Wind Mountain. There's no need to fight and kill all day long."

Yuan Li laughed heartily and said, "Haha, I am naturally happy. Your celestial treasure land is indeed very good, but what makes me even happier now is the addition of a beautiful woman like you, my sister-in-law. If you weren't my sister-in-law, I would really want to divorce my wife. If my wife had a sister-in-law like you who thinks of me so much, that would be wonderful."

The catfish demon blushed slightly and said sweetly, "What are you saying, Your Majesty? You are only sworn brothers with the wolf spirit. You can follow Your Majesty's wishes, divorce your wife, and then marry Shuiyao. It's not too late."

Yuan Li quickly waved his hand and said, "That won't do. Although you are as beautiful as a fairy, I am not such a casual monster. Look at my subordinates, how could I possibly have too many?"

The catfish demon named Shuiyao turned her gaze to Qikeduo beside her.

She also knew that Qi Keduo was an ugly toad spirit.

He also knew that the toad spirit Qi Keduo was the uncle of the shrimp soldiers and crab generals of the South China Sea Dragon Palace, and that he possessed dragon blood to some extent and had the potential to transform into a dragon in the future.

Shuiyao smiled slightly at Qikeduo and said with additional praise, "Qikeduo is certainly a dragon among demons, but I only want to be the Demon King's wife. Let's talk about this later."

Shuiyao has a rather carefree personality, as do many other female demons.

How could you laugh so much?

Shuiyao didn't fancy him, and he had no shortage of partners in the mountains.

On Black Wind Mountain, there are countless beautiful and charming female demons.

At this time, Kakado was still the leader of Cave Twenty-Eight.

Yuan Li chatted happily with the two demons, and finally casually picked a good-looking little demon in the Black Wind Cave, hugged him, lay down on the bed, and slept very soundly.

When I woke up, it was already bright daylight, and the little demon beside me was sleeping like a log.

Yuan Li found that his soul was still in a daze, unable to concentrate his mind, and unable to generate a divination image in his mind that would bring good fortune and avert disaster.

Without a doubt, Yuan Li must have used the method of seeking good fortune and eliminating misfortune to calculate the divination of Huangfeng Ridge, which was thousands of miles away, because the long distance was too mentally taxing.

Yuan Li rubbed his throbbing temples, feeling as if his mind was a fog, as if shrouded in thick fog.

Yesterday's divination had exhausted him so much that he couldn't even form the simplest auspicious or inauspicious divination results.

He pushed aside the little demon who was still fast asleep beside him, got up and walked outside the cave.

As dawn broke, Black Wind Mountain was shrouded in a thin mist.

Yuan Li took a deep breath and tried to circulate his demonic power to regulate his internal energy.

"Is Your Majesty feeling unwell?" Before anyone knew it, the catfish demon Shui Yao had quietly arrived, looking even more alluring than yesterday.

Yuan Li frowned and said, "It's nothing, it just took some effort yesterday."

Shuiyao moved gracefully and took out a brocade pouch from her sleeve: "This is a Mind-Concentrating Grass that I usually cultivate in the earth's veins. It has a remarkable effect on restoring the soul."

Yuan Li took the brocade pouch, and a cool sensation immediately entered his palm.

He couldn't help but give Shuiyao a deep look: "Sister-in-law, you've thought of everything."

"Now that I have pledged allegiance to Your Majesty, I shall do my utmost." Shuiyao smiled faintly, her eyes sparkling.

What a troublesome little vixen! Yuan Li cuddled a vixen last night, but actually did nothing with her. He's quite aroused right now.

Is it the Mind-Soothing Herb? Taking it should greatly restore one's mental state.

He brought it to his nose and smelled it to make sure it wasn't poisonous before putting it in his mouth and chewing it.

He thought to himself, "It's too much of a stretch to seek good fortune and ward off evil from thousands of miles away. My magical power is not strong enough. Even if I cultivate to the point of perfection, I can only predict things from thousands of miles away at most. Only when I cultivate to the point of perfection can I be considered a great power."

If all else fails, Yuan Li will go directly to Tibet today.

Originally, all that was needed was to consult a divination; as long as there was no inauspicious hexagram, there was no need to go there and avoid any backlash from the hexagram.

Yuan Li boldly guessed that the snake demon was either on its way to find Tang Sanzang or was more likely on its way to the 800-mile-long Yellow Wind Ridge.

As long as the snake demon can get the yellow-haired weasel to change hands, he can return to his own home as soon as he arrives at the 800-mile-long Yellow Wind Ridge.

At present, we can only think of these two possibilities, and we have no idea about other places, nor can we make any guesses.

Yuan Li stayed in Black Wind Cave.

A short while later, Ge Lang and Dali Yao, whom Yuan Li had assigned to guard the Guanyin Temple, returned hurriedly and reported: "Your Majesty! Several immortals from the Kingdom of Wusizang have come to our door, demanding that the Guanyin Temple hand over the agreed-upon thirty percent of the spirit peaches!"

"Don't worry, are they cultivators from Tibet? Weren't their peach orchards burned down? What else would they want?" Yuan Li asked, somewhat puzzled.

Ge Lang continued, "After they saw that the fruit trees in the yard had been burned, they still wanted to buy the remaining 30% of the low-grade Xuan-rank spirit peaches from us."

Judging from the appearance of Ge Lang and Dali Yao, the immortal who came to ask for the spirit peaches probably only talked and didn't take any action.

They dared to buy spiritual fruits from demons; who knows the origins of those immortals?

Yuan Li was having a terrible headache and had no time to care about these immortals.

They're not some kind of immortal master, I don't have time to bother with them.

Yuan Li said impatiently, "Let them go cool off somewhere else."

Ge Lang and his companion had only been gone a short while when they quickly returned.

Yuan Li slightly opened his eyes, and Ge Lang said, "Those immortals are outside Black Wind Cave. Your Majesty, why don't you go and take a look? They say they are disciples of the Beast Taming Sect."

Yuan Li muttered, "Beast Taming Sect? I've never heard of a Beast Taming Sect."

Yuan Li had no choice but to get up and go outside the Black Wind Cave, where he saw several Taoist priests dressed in white robes, about ten feet away from the cave.

One of the older Taoists spoke up: "You are the Black Wind King. I am Qingniao Taoist from the Beast Taming Sect. I have come here to ask the Black Wind King for some low-grade Xuan-rank spirit peaches. I wonder if the King will agree?"

Yuan Li saw that the Bluebird Taoist was quite confident and unafraid of coming here like a lamb entering a tiger's den.

Yuan Li suddenly remembered that there was only one Beast Taming Sect in the Southern Continent.

The Beast Taming Sect specializes in refining pills from demonic creatures and is most skilled at subduing and controlling them.

Yuan Li naturally couldn't speak kindly to the Green Bird Taoist.