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

If you could only read one fantasy novel in your life, it would probably be "Journey to the West: Starting with Jingfa Zhenjun".

Chen Jiao's gaze fell on the figure in black.

It resembles a Qilin but is even more robust, with its fur as black and lustrous as if splashed with ink, except for a ring of snow-white around its four ankles, as if treading on clouds and frost.

On one corner of his forehead, his skin was as white as jade, with subtle Daoist patterns flowing around it, warm yet exuding a chilling aura that seemed to see through the illusion.

His eyes were clear and bright, with a hidden golden glint. When they opened and closed, they possessed a keen insight that allowed him to see through the subtle and discern right from wrong.

Mythical beasts possess an inherent majesty, unlike ordinary creatures.

Chen Jiao secretly praised it, thinking, "What a magnificent and splendid Xie Zhi!"

Seeing that the divine beast was unusually calm, the supervisor of the Imperial Stables breathed a slight sigh of relief and explained in a low voice:

"True Lord Rongbing, this Xiezhi is an ancient and extraordinary creature, with a fierce and proud nature, making it difficult to get close to.

After being delivered to the Imperial Stables, even ordinary celestial horses and spirited cavalry feared its might and dared not approach it within a hundred paces.

Only by placing it beneath Qilin Cliff, where it can be constantly cleansed and refined by the light of the sun, moon, and stars, can its nature be calmed and its spiritual potential nurtured.

Nezha, who was standing to the side, had been scrutinizing the Xie Zhi for a long time, and clicked his tongue in amazement, saying:

"As expected of a mount bestowed by the Great Celestial Venerable. It can subdue all beasts, live alone at the foot of the cliff, and drink from the three luminaries. Truly extraordinary! It has a temper!"

"You silent devil, you've got the stamina to patrol the four continents now."

The Xie Zhi seemed not to hear the words of the supervisor and Nezha, and only stared at Chen Jiao.

The golden light in its eyes gradually increased, but that was not a prelude to an attack; rather, it was a manifestation of its innate supernatural power.

Distinguish between yin and yang, observe good and evil, but do not discern loyalty and treachery on the surface; only illuminate the true nature of one's heart.

Not to mention humans, even immortals, gods, demons and monsters, under their gaze, their minds are often clear and they have nowhere to hide.

At this moment, however, what it saw and felt caused this upright and discerning divine beast to show a hint of surprise and uncertainty for the first time.

The four hooves unconsciously took two light steps in the clear light, as if repeatedly confirming something.

With his spiritual insight, he saw that the black-robed True Lord before him had a clear and distinct mind.

Their resolve is firm, without any selfishness or wavering; their intentions are pure, without any internal or external discrepancies.

It is not bound by form, but rather by the harmony of thought and action, and the unity of mind and principle, without any hindrance, and perfectly natural.

There are no gaps in the disguise, nor can one find the shadow of hypocrisy.

This does not mean the absence of any distracting thoughts or absolute good or evil, but rather the unity of inner and outer, and the alignment of one's thoughts with the path of enlightenment.

As a result, even the Xie Zhi's innate supernatural ability to distinguish between heterodox, evil, and false thoughts could not find a clear gap to anchor itself.

But it is precisely because of its purity that it evokes a sense of confusion.

All living beings in the universe, including immortals, gods, demons, and monsters, are subject to the constant interplay of thoughts, good and evil.

The person before it, though not of the highest cultivation level, gave it a strange feeling of being completely seamless and difficult to approach.

This is unlike any of the creatures it has ever seen before.

The Xie Zhi raised its head slightly, let out a confused low growl from its throat, and exhaled two streams of clear, intelligent white breath from its nostrils.

Chen Jiao took in the subtle anomaly of the Xie Zhi and understood what was going on.

He possessed a clear and enlightened mind, and his knowledge and actions were in harmony. Even though he had the secret of incarnation, it did not contradict his true nature, hence he was open and honest.

Although the Xie Zhi can distinguish between loyalty and treachery, good and evil, it is understandable that it could not fathom his single-minded devotion to Tao and felt surprised and uncertain.

Silence fell over the foot of Qilin Cliff.

The mythical beast with the single horn of black jade gazed silently, while the True Lord in black robes looked back calmly.

The air was subtly still, with only the murmuring of water below the cliff adding to the serene atmosphere.

The supervisor stood by, watching the silent standoff, and seeing that Chen Jiao had not made a move for a long time, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.

Having served as an official in the Heavenly Court for a long time, he knew the temperaments of these immortals and deities best.

This Jingfa Zhenjun, in particular, holds a high position and is deeply favored by Heaven. Although he appears calm and composed, he is still young and full of vigor.

How magnificent they were at the court assembly just now! Even the Sun Emperor dared to contradict them to their face.

If one were to be left hanging by a divine beast here, receiving no response for a long time, losing face would be a minor matter.

If one becomes annoyed and blames the Imperial Horse Administration for its poor care, or thinks that the Xie Zhi is unmanageable, then that would be a huge problem.

How could a lowly supervisor like myself bear such a responsibility?

Thinking of this, the supervisor's forehead broke out in a thin layer of sweat.

He stole a glance at Chen Jiao's expression and saw that his gaze was calm, revealing neither joy nor anger, which made him even more uneasy.

The supervisor carefully took out an object from his sleeve. It was a talisman that was neither gold nor jade, and its entire body shimmered with a pale blue light. The Taoist patterns on it were intricate.

The supervisor presented the talisman with both hands, his voice extremely low, only audible to the three people before him:

"True Lord, this Xie Zhi is an ancient and extraordinary species, with a fierce nature, extremely high intelligence, and... extraordinary innate supernatural powers, making it extremely unruly and difficult to tame."

Ordinary methods of controlling spirit beasts are unlikely to be effective.

I have here a [Mysterious Pivot Beast Taming Talisman], which is used by the Heavenly Court to subdue and enlighten those spirit beasts that are deeply spiritual but untamed.

It contains ancient spirit-controlling mantras, which can temporarily subdue its mind and establish a trace of master-servant connection.

The True Lord can use this talisman to first make him submit and obey orders, and then proceed with his plans gradually in the future.

By gradually subduing it with sincerity and magical power, one can naturally obtain a mount that understands one's heart.

Seeing that Chen Jiao's expression was calm, without displeasure or impatience, the supervisor felt somewhat relieved.

He quickly added an explanation, fearing that the True Lord of the Pure Law might find this path not upright enough.

"Your Majesty, this talisman is not an evil method that forcibly confines or obliterates spirituality."

These were the many virtuous and venerable ones from the Western Paradise, who wished to enlighten and subdue those naturally fierce and unruly guardian spirit beasts and mounts.

Often, it is necessary to first establish a karmic connection using talismans, bells, or sutra hoops, and then immerse oneself in Buddhist teachings day and night before achieving perfection.

This is because those divine beasts and spirits, born of nature and endowed with extraordinary qualities, possess unwavering willpower.

If one forcibly subdues someone into submission using supernatural powers, one may obtain their physical form, but it will inevitably damage their innate spiritual wisdom.

By weakening its original ferocity and turning it into a dull puppet, its strength was reduced to less than one-tenth, thus defeating the original purpose of subjugation.

The purpose of this talisman is precisely this: to neither harm its essence nor diminish its spirit, but merely to open a small opening. The rest depends entirely on the True Lord's own karma and methods.

The supervisor spoke earnestly, explaining in detail the advantages and disadvantages, as well as the possible solutions.

He secretly groaned, hoping that this True Lord would not be so stubborn and would first use a talisman to subdue this troublesome divine beast. What would happen in the future, he thought.

As for the surprise and confusion in the eyes of the Xie Zhi, he simply assumed it was due to its fierce resistance to the unfamiliar.

Venus, standing to one side, stroked his long beard, chuckled upon hearing this, and spoke gently to the worried-looking supervisor:

"The Supervisor is overthinking it. The True Lord acts with discretion, and there is no need for us to interfere."

Nezha laughed and said:

"You, the supervisor, are far too cautious. How could you possibly know all the tricks of this taciturn fellow?"

Even without these talismans, he possesses his own supernatural powers.

If they truly don't know what's good for them, a few punches and even some ancient mythical beast or naturally born rare species will be forced to behave and submit!

Nezha spoke casually, but the supervisor's heart skipped a beat, and his face turned pale.

He had heard that the Radiant Heavenly Pacifying Law True Lord in front of him was the very same fierce and unruly Lord Rahu who could kill with a single punch!

If what the Third Prince said is true, then he should also give that Xie Zhi a few punches...

This ancient remnant, a divine beast bestowed by the Great Heavenly Venerable, will probably be reduced to mud on the spot, its spirit and soul scattered.

Then his crime would be enormous!

"You mustn't hit him! You absolutely mustn't hit him, Third Prince!"

The supervisor disregarded etiquette, his voice trembling with anxiety as he waved his hands frantically, cold sweat pouring down his forehead.

"This is a divine beast bestowed by the Great Heavenly Venerable, no ordinary creature! Moreover, the Xie Zhi possesses a spirit; forcibly suppressing it will only damage its essence. True Lord, please be wise, please be wise!"

Chen Jiao seemed not to hear Nezha's words that seemed to thrive on chaos, and calmly glanced at the Xuan Shu Beast Taming Talisman presented by the supervisor.

He understood the binding power of spiritual communication contained within it with a slight touch of his divine sense.

The supervisor meant well, fearing that things would go wrong and he would be blamed; what he said was reasonable.

For ordinary immortals and deities who wish to subdue such divine beasts, this talisman is indeed a safe and convenient choice.

Chen Jiao nodded slightly, reached out and took the shimmering blue talisman, and said gently:

"I appreciate the Supervisor's kindness. Since this beast was bestowed upon me by the Great Heavenly Venerable, it is surely due to fate."

Seeing this, the supervisor felt a little relieved and was about to give some more pointers on how to activate the technique when he saw Chen Jiao turn his wrist.

He then put the [Mysterious Pivot Beast Taming Azure Talisman], which was powerful enough to make many spirit beasts bow down, into his sleeve, without any intention of taking it out to activate it.

Chen Jiao turned his gaze back to the Xie Zhi standing silently in front of him.

Then, under the astonished gaze of the supervisor, the raised eyebrow of Nezha, and the smiling gaze of Venus, Chen Jiao stepped forward.

A fierce punch might make all beasts bow down, and a skillful talisman might temporarily calm the mind.

However, Chen Jiao simply stretched out a hand towards the Xie Zhi, which was still looking at him with a look of surprise and suspicion.

The warm, jade-like light emanating from the Xie Zhi's forehead suddenly froze as Chen Jiao reached out his hand.

Palms facing upwards, fingers spread out, no fists clenched, no hand seals made, and no talismans or precious light emitted.

The Xie Zhi's eyes still held surprise and doubt, and it continued to stare intently.

What it saw was neither coercion, nor cleverness, nor enticement.

His clear, bright eyes reflected Chen Jiao's calm and composed face, and even more so, his unblemished Dao heart, which was consistent inside and out, in harmony between thought and action, and in the same direction as his Dao.