Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord of the Pure Land

The Bull Demon King watched this clearly from the side, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

He shook the enormous bull's head, deliberately lowering his voice, and laughed:

"My dear brother, I have been practicing with my staff for half a day, sweating profusely, and no one has poured me any wine."

"How come your wine glass is being refilled so quickly? This treatment is quite special!"

His words sounded like a complaint, but a mischievous glint flashed in his eyes as his gaze lingered between Chen Jiao's calm expression and the princess's slightly reddened ears.

Princess Wansheng's hand holding the wine pot trembled slightly, and a few drops of wine splashed out, landing on Chen Jiaoxuan's sleeve and quickly spreading into a small dark patch.

She felt her cheeks burning and said in a soft voice:

"Uncle Niu, please don't make fun of me. I'll pour it for you right away."

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiao raised his cup to invite him to drink, and said calmly:

"Brother Niu is joking. The princess is the hostess here, and she is simply being hospitable."

Seeing this, the Bull Demon King knew that he did not want to say more about the matter, so he also raised his cup and said:

"My dear brother, you have a great capacity for alcohol! Come, drink some more!"

Having said that, he tilted his head back and drank the wine that Princess Wansheng had hastily poured for him.

The Bull King's gaze swept over the unmoved figure in black robes, then glanced at the old Dragon King's beloved daughter's forced composure, finding it amusing.

…………

The banquet is coming to an end.

The sunlight filtering through the deep pool outside the palace has quietly turned into a light morning glow.

The Dragon King of Halloween raised his glass to invite the guests to finish the last round of drinks, and the guests tactfully got up one after another to say goodbye.

Chen Jiao and the Bull Demon King stood side by side in front of the Crystal Palace, their figures reflected in the deep pool.

The Bull Demon King slapped Chen Jiao's shoulder heavily with his large hand, his voice like muffled thunder:

"Brother, that was a wonderful day! My cave dwelling is on Mount Cuiyun; be sure to come and find me for a drink sometime!"

After saying this, he rode away gracefully on his Azure-Avoiding Golden-Eyed Beast.

Chen Jiao bowed slightly to the Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints:

"I'm sorry to bother you."

His gaze swept over Princess Wansheng, who stood to the side with her head bowed, and he finally added a word:

"Princess, take care."

Princess Wansheng gracefully returned the greeting, her voice soft as she said:

"Uncle Xuanling... have a safe journey."

When she looked up, her eyes shimmered with tears, just like the morning light reflected in a pool.

Chen Jiao nodded and said no more.

The dark figure transformed into a beam of light, silently merging into the water and disappearing into the bright light above, vanishing in an instant.

The Dragon King of Ten Thousand Saints stroked his beard as he stood at the palace gate, gazing at the vanished streak of light. After a long while, he sighed softly.

"It is not something that can be confined to a pond."

Princess Wansheng still stood in the same spot, gazing in the direction Chen Jiao had left. The pool was deep and still, with no trace left.

A koi carp leaped out of the water, creating ripples that quickly subsided.

…………

Chen Jiao rode the clouds westward.

After leaving Bibo Pool, he did not return directly to Qingchi Ridge.

He flew over several mountain ranges and saw a solitary green peak standing out below.

The mountain is rugged and ancient trees reach for the sky. Although the spiritual energy is not as abundant as that of famous mountains and blessed lands, it is still quiet.

Chen Jiao descended from the clouds and landed in front of a steep rock face halfway up the mountain. With a casual wave of his hand, an invisible burst of energy emanated from his black sleeve, creating a simple stone chamber about ten feet in diameter.

Chen Jiao stepped inside and swept his hand across the room.

Several faint streaks of runic light flashed across the rock surface, indicating that the restriction was complete.

The cave is simple, containing only a single blue stone.

Chen Jiao sat down cross-legged and took out an object from his sleeve, which was the Burning Heaven Golden Ring that he had obtained from Master Xuan Guang.

The golden ring floated in his palm, no bigger than a palm, dark gold in color, and covered with fine runes.

It was emitting a faint warmth at this moment, with a faint golden light flowing inside, as if it were alive.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind, slowly probing a wisp of his divine sense into the depths of the golden ring.

At first, he only felt a scorching and chaotic sensation. Chen Jiao's divine sense, like a gentle stream, washed and cleansed away the heat, gradually reaching the core of the golden ring.

There, a faint yet pure golden flame burned quietly, emanating an ancient and majestic aura.

It was just a lingering echo of the sun's true fire.

Chen Jiao focused his mind and carefully comprehended the meaning.

The residual energy of this true fire was weak. Earlier, when he was at Qingchi Ridge, he vaguely sensed that the fire's energy seemed to have a connection with the West.

Now that I'm in Xiniu Hezhou, this feeling has become much clearer.

The divine sense merged with the lingering essence of the true fire, as if following an invisible thread, spreading out into the distance.

The sensation was elusive, intermittent, and difficult to pinpoint its exact location; it was only known to be in a vast region roughly north of Xiniuhezhou.

Gradually, the lingering flame of true fire began to glow slightly, emitting a clearer aura.

Chen Jiao saw an extremely blurry and fragmented scene.

In a boundless void, blazing light filled the heavens and earth.

Ten blazing suns hung high in the sky, their golden light shining brightly; they were none other than ten golden crows.

Its power is magnificent, shining brightly in the heavens, as if it could scorch everything into ashes.

However, in the next instant, something unexpected happened.

One after another, golden crows fell from the sky with mournful cries, their feathers burned away and their bones and blood turned to ash.

One of the golden crows, dragging its tattered, blazing tail, struggled to fall towards the western land, eventually disappearing into the outline of a range of rolling mountains.

Although the light was dim, the core essence of true fire had not been completely extinguished.

The scene abruptly ended there.

I don't know how much time passed.

Outside the cave, the sky had changed from the first light of dawn to midday sun, and a ray of intense sunlight pierced through the crack in the rock, illuminating the Burning Heaven Golden Ring.

"Buzz!"

The golden ring emitted a clear and melodious sound.

Chen Jiao's heart stirred, and he opened his eyes.

He put away the gold ring, got up and walked to the cave entrance, looking up at the sky.

Chen Jiao left the temporary cave dwelling, rode a beam of clear light, and headed north, guided by the vague direction indicated by the afterglow of the setting sun in the golden ring's sensor.

Below the cloud path, the mountains rise and fall, and demonic energy appears and disappears, a typical desolate scene in Xiniu Hezhou.

He had only been flying for half an hour when he saw two mountains forming a narrow pass in front of him, where the wind and clouds converged, swirling and rushing about.

With a slight thought, he suddenly sensed a familiar yet powerful demonic aura rapidly approaching from ahead.

The direction was pointing directly to the Bibo Pool where he had just left.

Just then, a sea of ​​clouds surged ahead.

A black wind, carrying a heroic aura, swept through the air with great speed, arriving in the blink of an eye.

The black wind dissipated, revealing the imposing figure of the Bull Demon King, dressed in a dark blue jacket, with a hint of urgency on his face.

Just as they were about to accelerate, they suddenly saw a mysterious light ahead. Upon closer inspection, their large, copper bell-shaped eyes lit up.

"Brother Xuanling!"

The Bull Demon King suppressed the demonic wind, his voice booming like a bell, carrying a hint of unexpected joy:

"Haha, I was just on my way to Bibo Pool to look for you, and I didn't expect to run into you here! Wonderful, wonderful!"

Chen Jiao also descended from the clouds, his black robes fluttering slightly in the wind. His expression was calm as he bowed and said:

"Brother Niu, you seem to be in a hurry. What brings you here?"

He saw that the Bull Demon King was still breathing heavily, which meant he was in a great hurry.

The Bull Demon King clapped his hands, the sound like thunder:

"I have some great news to share with you, my worthy brother!"

Brother, you are skilled in water management. I have just obtained a great opportunity and need someone like you to help me.

It was my younger brother who, some time ago, accidentally discovered a spiritual cave with a ley line, containing an extremely rare spiritual fire that was almost ready to mature!

This fire is quite peculiar, no ordinary fire. It contains pure spiritual energy, but its nature is violent, making it difficult to approach and capture.

The Bull Demon King's eyes, as bright as copper bells, gleamed as he continued:

"My younger brother tried to approach several times, but all his efforts were in vain, and he was burned by the fiery aura instead."

As your elder brother, I think that you, my virtuous brother, are skilled in water magic and may be able to lend us a hand!

I was just on my way to the Jade Wave Pool to ask the Old Dragon King if you were still lingering elsewhere, but I unexpectedly ran into you here. It's truly fate!

He looked at Chen Jiao expectantly and said, "Brother, if you have some free time, why don't you come with me? We can split the spiritual fire we obtain equally; I won't let you suffer any loss!"