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

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After Master Zhenzhi left.

Over the next few days, Xiaoyue diligently performed his duties, sometimes perched atop the giant rock at the entrance, his tiger-like eyes scanning the surrounding area like lightning.

Sometimes it would silently roam along the edge of the valley, slowly patrolling, not missing a single rustling sound.

Although its demonic aura had subsided, the majesty of the king of beasts and the immense blood and energy of the Golden Core Demon Lord still caused birds and beasts to hide in this mountain range.

These days, the local earth gods and goddesses of Yangquanling have come by every few days, leaving some melons and fruits or some light wine brewed with mountain spring water, as a way of establishing good karma.

At first, Xiaoyue only glanced at it coldly, but after it happened many times, he nodded slightly, which can be regarded as acknowledging this favor.

Over time, they became somewhat familiar with each other.

One early morning, as dawn broke, white mist slowly drifted through the forest.

On this day, he walked to the west side of the mountain valley, to a rock crevice that was sheltered from the wind and faced the sun.

My gaze swept over the rocks unintentionally and I saw several small, reddish shrubs taking root in the crevices.

The leaves are needle-shaped with faint golden veins flowing across their surface, and several pigeon-egg-sized, crimson fruits covered with fine scales grow at the tips.

It is a fire-attribute spiritual fruit, the [Crimson Sun Scale Fruit].

It was emitting a faint glow in the hazy mist.

"what?"

The tiger's heart stirred, and its eyes narrowed slightly.

The aura emanating from this [Crimson Sun Scale Fruit] is of the same origin as the Yang Fire Qi permeating the Cleansing Spring; though faint, it is extremely pure.

He looked around again.

It was discovered that within a radius of several miles, there were quite a few strange plants and trees that were nourished by the warmth of the Yang fire.

Some resemble fire vines, while others have leaves like red jade. Although most are of low quality, they cannot be considered rare and precious materials.

Without exception, they all contained a trace of pure Yang energy.

The tiger stopped, its paw gently toying with the crimson fruit, feeling the warm spiritual energy flowing within it. Thoughts raced through its mind:

"The king cultivates here, and must be borrowing the yang fire energy of this place."

These plants and fruits, born and raised here, are nourished by this atmosphere day and night, and their nature must be the same as what Your Majesty needs.

Although it's not exactly a rare or precious item, perhaps... it can have some auxiliary effects?

Even if all else fails, brewing some spiritual tea with this might alleviate the heat of this place; it would be a small token of our appreciation.

He recalled his initial surrender; though he had pledged his loyalty, he had ultimately accomplished nothing. Now, serving by his side, merely standing by passively would seem utterly useless.

If one can take the initiative to share the king's burdens, even if it is just a small matter, it will show one's diligence and thoughtfulness.

A man like the king might not care about such things, but he should be able to appreciate the king's thoughtfulness and initiative.

With this in mind, Xiao Yue no longer hesitated and carefully picked all the vermilion fruits from the several crimson shrubs.

He stopped and began to move, silently patrolling the edge of the valley.

The tiger's eyes scanned every crevice and crevic in the rock with increasing care, searching for other plants and fruits that might contain pure yang energy.

He had already made up his mind that he would offer these spiritual plants and fruits to the king after he had completed his cultivation.

Whether it succeeds or fails, it is all due to the king's grace, and I must express my loyalty.

…………

In the mountain valley.

Since the Taoist Master Zhenzhi left behind the wooden box containing the Buddhist scriptures and quietly departed, a month has passed in the blink of an eye.

Within the formation, the water in the Cleansing Spring continued to boil, the steam rising and swirling into a persistent mist.

Chen Jiao sat cross-legged in the center of the pool, his black robes as dark as ink, his aura as deep as the sea.

The [Burning Heaven Golden Ring] hovering in front of him had been emitting fiery energy for a month. At this moment, its radiance was restrained, but the ancient runes around it were flowing with warmth.

The golden ring contains the lingering essence of the "True Fire of the Sun" absorbed over this period.

Although only a wisp of true fire was extracted, it shone brightly, imbued with the ancient spirit of the rising sun burning away the eight directions.

The golden ring trembled slightly, as if it were unwilling.

However, the lingering flames of true fire that had spread deep into the void had dissipated, and the golden ring eventually fell silent.

Chen Jiao's cultivation was also nearing its end.

Inside the Purple Palace, the Nascent Soul sat upright.

At this moment, the nascent soul was completely clear, as if it were cast from glass, with inner radiance, and a crimson lightning dragon coiled around its body, with Daoist rhyme flowing between them.

The lingering filth that once clung to the very core of the nascent soul has now largely dissipated.

The remaining traces, like snowflakes in the wind, will soon melt away completely.

With a slight thought, Chen Jiao slowly withdrew his profound power, and the [Netherfire in the Stone] gradually faded from the surface of his Yin Spirit body.

He did not rush to get up, but carefully contemplated the various changes brought about by this breakthrough.

The Xuanjiao's magical power flowed more smoothly and without hindrance. Wherever its thoughts went, magical power was generated. Its sensitivity to the water and thunder energies in the world also improved significantly.

In terms of quantity, its magical power is at least 30% more potent; in terms of quality, it is even more refined and concentrated.

Its spirit is clear and bright, its divine light shining forth.

At this moment, Chen Jiao's cultivation has advanced further, reaching the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, with only a trace of Yin residue remaining, and his future looks promising.

It is only one final step away from the state of "perfect Yin spirit, illuminating the whole world".

Chen Jiao slowly opened his eyes.

There was no sudden surge of divine light in his crimson-gold eyes, nor any intimidating pressure emanating from them; instead, they became even more profound and serene.

It reflects the subtle details of the surrounding pool water churning and mist rising, revealing every minute detail.

Chen Jiao lowered his gaze, staring at the [Burning Heaven Golden Ring] suspended in his palm, and probed it with a wisp of divine sense.

Within the golden ring, a wisp of golden flame flickered, exuding an ancient and pure aura.

It contains the true meaning of the Great Sun, pure and lofty, and truly originates from the Golden Crow; it cannot be faked.

Chen Jiao's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he were deep in thought.

He gazed at the bubbling spring before him, radiating a powerful, fiery energy.

"The Golden Crow is the essence of the great sun, wielding the ultimate principle of pure Yang. Even if its body falls to earth in ruins, and its original true fire dissipates, and is worn away by countless ages, its legacy should not be limited to this."

Chen Jiao brushed his hand over the gold ring pattern, feeling its warmth.

There's probably more to this than meets the eye.

Is it due to the unique geological features of this place, causing it to dissipate naturally? Or... is it caused by human intervention?

If this is true, who did it, and what was their purpose? Was it an ancient powerful being, or a modern cultivator?

Chen Jiao did not rush to a conclusion, but kept the doubt in his heart for the time being.

The golden ring shimmered, reflecting in his deep eyes.

A moment later, he flicked his sleeve, and the invisible array that enveloped the mountain valley rippled like water before quietly receding.

A mountain breeze suddenly rushed in, bringing in the scents of the outside world.

Just then, a deep and respectful tiger roar rang out.

Xiao Yue sensed that the formation had been removed and the King had emerged from seclusion, so he immediately came to report back.

Chen Jiao looked up and saw the striped tiger leap from the distant mountain rocks, bringing with it a foul stench, and it was already close at hand in an instant.

But it suddenly stopped three zhang away, its massive body lowered, its tiger eyes filled with awe and joy.

Xiao Yue took out a pile of items, about a dozen spirit herbs and fruits of various shapes and sizes.

These objects, though not particularly powerful in terms of spiritual energy or of the highest grade, all possess the unique Yang Fire energy of this place, originating from the Cleansing Spring.

It was clearly something Xiaoyue had painstakingly searched for.

"Your Majesty."

The tiger's roar was deep and resonant, carrying a hint of boasting.

"These are some plants and spiritual trees that I found near the spring while I was patrolling the area. They are all imbued with the essence of the Yang fire of this place."

The little demon thought that it might be of some use to the king, so she picked it and offered it to him.

"That's very thoughtful."

Chen Jiao nodded slightly, then rolled up his sleeves and collected all the spiritual herbs and fruits.

Several [Crimson Sun Scale Fruits] flew into his palm, warm to the touch and filled with pure yang energy, which indeed provided some slight benefit to fire-attribute cultivation or the tempering of yang-related items.

It was of little use to him, but his loyalty was rare.

Upon hearing this, Xiaoyue Demon Lord's eyes immediately lit up with uncontrollable joy.

He didn't care whether these spirits were truly useful; the king's words "thoughtful" were enough to make him happy.

Chen Jiao then took a plain-colored calligraphy scroll from Xiao Yue.

The calligraphy on the post is vigorous and elegant, with an inner brilliance, and the wording is polite and considerate.

The seal at the end of the text is bright red and consists of the four ancient seal characters "金光通妙" (Jin Guang Tong Miao), full of Buddhist meaning, and is indeed the work of a true practitioner of the Way.

"Golden light shines with wondrous power..."

Chen Jiao's gaze lingered on the seal for a moment.

He had been in seclusion for over a month, and today happened to be an auspicious day. This Golden Light Immortal certainly knew how to pick his time.

Chen Jiao's expression remained calm, revealing neither joy nor anger. With a slight thought, the calligraphy scroll folded itself, and the wooden box closed, transforming into a stream of light that disappeared into his sleeve.

Since I've received the calligraphy scroll and it just so happens to be the right time, there's no harm in going to take a look.

Upon realizing this, Chen Jiao pointed his fingers in the air.

The [Hidden Abyss Concealing Breath Array] that had previously enveloped the mountain valley shifted its light, and its array patterns gradually merged into the mountain rocks, earth veins, and spring water vapor.

It blends seamlessly with its surroundings, completely concealing itself from sight, making it extremely difficult to detect unless one is an expert in formations.

Then, he flicked his finger again, and streams of even more subtle array patterns flew out, connecting with the earth's energy.

A simple array was formed, capable of shielding only a slight fluctuation of spiritual energy, and placed outside the main restriction array to serve as a warning and provide some concealment.

If anyone trespasses and disturbs this place, Chen Jiao will be able to sense it.

This Cleansing Spring is, after all, related to the [True Fire of the Sun], so it's prudent for him to have some backup plans before going out.

"Let's go to Huanghua Temple."

Having finished his task, Chen Jiao gracefully landed on Xiao Yue's broad, couch-like tiger back. His black robes brushed against the tiger's stripes, making him appear like a black feather resting on a mountain.

The tiger roared in response, its four legs exerting force, a gust of wind rose from the ground, and it rode on the clouds.

The tiger roams the mountains and fields, moving silently and swiftly, the mountain wind whistling and fluttering its black robes.

All that could be seen was the mountain range below receding like a tide.

About half a day after Chen Jiao left.

From the highest and farthest reaches of the heavens, seven wisps of clouds, trailing rosy light, drifted down gracefully.

In the blink of an eye, we were already above Yangquan Ridge.