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

Chen Jiao lowered his eyes, put down the spirit tea, and understood perfectly.

The Azure Scale Demon Lord's seclusion was likely not due to any significant gains, but rather because his Golden Core had not yet been formed, resulting in a backlash that led to his inner demons becoming entangled!

The thoughts of inner demons are what he thinks.

At this moment, demanding the essence of blood is not a simple matter of reconciliation. If there are three, then four, and if that is still not enough, then they may resort to the evil method of seizing the foundation to prolong life and devouring the bloodline.

The so-called generous reward is nothing more than a pie in the sky to satisfy hunger. Once the essence and blood leave the body, one's own foundation will be damaged, and one's life and death will be in the hands of others.

A chill ran through Chen Jiao's heart, but his face remained expressionless.

He merely raised his head slightly, his gaze calmly meeting the undisguised greedy look of the Azure Scale Demon Lord:

"I am grateful for the Demon Lord's kindness. However, the essence of my blood is related to my Dao foundation. If I move it lightly, I may damage my cultivation and lose my will to serve the Demon Lord."

Furthermore, Xuan Ling's bloodline is ordinary; he may not be of high quality enough to catch the Demon Lord's eye and thus unsuitable for important tasks.

A fierce glint flashed in the eyes of the Azure Scale Demon Lord, and his demonic aura surged faintly, causing the water in the hall to freeze.

He stared at Chen Jiao, almost as if he wanted to devour him, as if he wanted to see right through him.

Chen Jiao remained seated on his throne, his aura as solid as a mountain, showing no fear whatsoever.

Even the hem of his clothes did not sway in the slightest due to the oppressive aura of the Demon Lord's perfected Foundation Establishment.

He was no longer the lowly lake patrol commander who had to depend on others.

Now that he has successfully established his foundation and his sword essence has begun to condense, why would he fear a demon cultivator who has just failed in his seclusion and is now plagued by inner demons?

He called himself a demon lord before even reaching the Golden Core stage, unafraid of the wind and the trembling tongue.

Their eyes met, and in the silence, the atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.

The snake has already shown its teeth, and the dragon has also revealed its scales.

The air seemed to become thick and heavy, and even the dim light filtering through the dome from the water seemed to have dimmed.

The luminous pearls wrapped around the pillars swayed slightly, casting long, distorted shadows of the two figures on the smooth, mirror-like black stone floor, making them appear as two shadows about to engage in battle.

The Demon Lord's aura was mixed with the immense demonic power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator at its peak, and it also carried an aura of restlessness and malevolence caused by the growth of inner demons due to the failure to break through to the next realm. It was like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, wanting to entangle and corrode all living beings in the palace.

Ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would have been shaken and drenched in cold sweat under this pressure.

However, Chen Jiao remained standing still, his aura as deep and still as that of an ancient well.

Originating from the bloodline of the ancient Xuanjiao, though not deliberately activated, it possesses its own aloofness and dignified presence.

The aura of the Azure Scale Demon Lord descended upon him like a tide crashing against a reef; though its power was terrifying, it could not shake him in the slightest.

In a daze, the Azure Scale Demon Lord seemed to see a flash of blazing white lightning in the depths of the other's calm eyes, carrying the majestic power of heaven, piercing straight into the place where his inner demons were restless.

It was as if a phantom of a black dragon was coiled behind Chen Jiao, its scales and armor menacing, looking down at him with a disdain that stemmed from its very bloodline, towards him, a mere mixed snake.

The dragon and the serpent faced off, causing the palace in the water to sway.

After a long while, the aura surrounding the trembling Azure Scale Demon Lord slowly subsided, and that hypocritical smile returned to his face:

"Very well, this matter concerns your path to enlightenment, and you must be cautious. I will not force you; you... go back and think it over carefully. You may leave."

"Xuan Ling takes his leave."

Chen Jiao twitched the corner of his mouth, did not bow, turned around and walked steadily out of the main hall, disappearing into the deep corridor.

Watching his departing figure, the smile on the Azure Scale Demon Lord's face vanished instantly, replaced by a sinister and twisted expression.

The brief standoff just now made him even more certain that this dragon's bloodline was extraordinary, and it also made the desire and anxiety in his heart burn even more fiercely.

He clenched his fingers tightly, and the armrests of the throne groaned under the strain.

"This dragon's bloodline... is so pure... if I could obtain it..."

He murmured softly, his eyes bloodshot, his inner demons gnawing at his reason like venomous snakes:

"I must get it... no matter what..."

In the dark, underwater palace, only his heavy breathing and his uncontrollable, mad covetousness for his bloodline remained.

A deep roar echoed through the empty hall, filled with resentment and madness, stirring up the water element to wreak havoc. All the lesser demons inside and outside the water palace were terrified and prostrated themselves on the ground.

Chen Jiao stepped out of the water and rode the wind back to Yunmang Mountain.

A gentle breeze from the lake brought fresh water vapor, dispelling the suffocating oppression in the hall.

The Azure Scale Demon Lord's covetousness was beyond his expectations, yet it was within his control.

……

The area outside Xuanqing Cave in Yunmang Mountain has been quite restless lately.

Since the Jade Fruit Gathering at Ningyu Peak, Chen Jiao's discourse on the interplay of water and thunder, and the balance of strength and gentleness, has spread like a gentle breeze across the mountains and rivers for hundreds of miles around.

Today, the land deity of Xishan brings freshly picked spiritual tea for us to enjoy; tomorrow, the water deity of Beize will come with fragments of ancient books to seek verification.

The Black Wind Mountain God would come every few days riding the black wind, to drink a few cups of fine wine and talk about the ways of heaven and earth.

Although Chen Jiao disliked excessive socializing, he never refused anyone who came. He would often speak only a few words, but they would always hit the nail on the head, leaving visitors with much to benefit from.

As a result, Fellow Daoist Xuanling's reputation for being knowledgeable and proficient in Daoist arts grew even stronger.

At the foot of Yunmang Mountain, where only diligent little demons used to patrol, auspicious clouds can often be seen gently descending, or the divine carriages of deities can be seen appearing amidst the misty vapors.

The stone platform in front of Xuanqing Cave has almost become a place where the Earth Official and Water God come and go to discuss Taoism.

Xuan Ling remained indifferent, accepting all comers but not forming deep friendships.

Wisteria is used to brew tea, Chen Jiao discusses philosophy, mountain peaches bid farewell to guests, and pear blossoms lead the way, all as graceful as flowing clouds and water.

On this day, the visitor was an old landman from the border of Aolai Kingdom. His hair and beard were all white, and he leaned on a wooden cane. His words carried a hint of the trivialities and ramblings of a frontier place.

When people drank tea at Shiping, they mostly listened to him tell interesting stories about the people of Aolai Kingdom, or what strange monsters had appeared in some mountain valley.

After a few rounds of drinks, the old man stroked his beard, as if remembering something, and casually said:

"Speaking of which, a while ago I passed by the Xuan Guang Sword Pavilion, the head of the three sects of Aolai, and I felt something was amiss."

The spiritual energy near the peaks of Jian Ge Mountain has been extremely restless lately, even faintly gathering into a vortex, with clouds spreading and thunderclaps in the clear sky.

"This is truly strange. The Xuan Guang Sword Pavilion cultivates the [Xuan Guang Water Dividing Technique], which everyone knows is known to have a clear and sharp aura. How could there be such a masculine and restless celestial phenomenon?"

He told it as a strange story, and most of the gods at the banquet just listened and moved on, or laughed and said that it was probably because one of the elders of the Sword Pavilion had made a mistake while practicing his skills.

Only Chen Jiao paused slightly in his cup-holding hand, a flash of cold lightning seeming to pass through the depths of his eyes.

He remained calm and did not interrupt, but listened quietly as the old man finished his rambling. After the guests had left, the stone platform returned to its quiet state.

That night, clouds gathered and the wind blew, foretelling a heavy rain.

Chen Jiao stood alone atop the mountain, his black robes fluttering in the fierce wind.

He looked toward the direction of Aolai Kingdom, his gaze piercing through the heavy night, as if he could see the sect with its chilling sword aura.

"Spiritual energy is restless, clouds are gathering into swirls... Will an unusual phenomenon occur?"

"It seems... that Venerable Xuanguang is about to complete his Golden Core."

The rain is coming and the wind is all over the building.