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

The Queen gently stroked her daughter's hair, her voice slow, but the worry lingered in her eyes. She then instructed the ladies-in-waiting standing below the steps:

"Quickly dispatch skilled investigators from the Spirit Observation Division to investigate the river's currents and any ominous signs."

In addition, a message was sent to two senior disciples of the Songyue Sword Sect, asking them if there were any unusual occurrences nearby.

The palace must not be relaxed in its security; all directions should be informed that no one may leave without a clear order.

"Yes." The female official acknowledged the order and hurriedly withdrew.

In a short while, Yao Wenjun, the chief clerk of the Lingcha Division, hurried up the stairs, his face beaming with undisguised relief and joy. He bowed deeply before the Emperor.

"Your Majesty! Good news! The threat of the Tunlei River has been resolved!"

The Queen perked up and quickly said, "Tell me in detail."

Yao Wenjun took out a blue jade slip from her sleeve, presented it with both hands, and replied:

"This is an urgent message sent by Master Songyan of the Songyue Sword Sect using the sect's secret techniques."

The message stated that the unusual activity in the Thunder-Swallowing River and the change of the river's course were indeed the work of the Thunder-Swallowing Dragon Lord.

This monstrous creature harbors malicious intentions, intending to use the pretext of diverting waterways to forcibly alter the course of the great river, directing it westward into the vast ocean, thereby proving its path to becoming a dragon.

Its actions disrupt the earth's energy flow, causing calamity that extends for thousands of miles; moreover, it intends to use the power of water to sweep across the territory of my Kingdom of Women.

Upon hearing this, the Queen's expression suddenly turned cold, and her phoenix eyes hardened with icy intent.

Previously, Tunlei River and the Women's Kingdom had no enmity with each other, each guarding its own borders and keeping to themselves.

It turned out to be all an illusion, secretly harboring such a vicious and wicked intention!

"What a formidable Thunder Dragon Lord!"

The Queen's voice was cold and clear, with a hint of anger.

"Our previous investigation was completely fooled. Could it be that the crimson rainbow that saved us this time?"

"Your Majesty is wise," Yao Wenjun replied, her tone becoming increasingly respectful and grateful.

"It was the master of that crimson rainbow, the True Man Jiangxiao, who took action with his sword on the great river, slaying the demonic dragon, calming the waves, and using his supreme divine power to reverse the raging torrents, causing the water that had changed course to return to its original path!"

In his message, Master Songyan mentioned that he personally witnessed the great power of the immortal near the Yangtze River. When the immortal drew his sword, the demon dragon was subdued and the water palace collapsed, and a great disaster was averted in an instant.

The Tunlei River has now returned to its former state, its waves calm and still.

"The Crimson Cloud Immortal is truly a celestial being descended from heaven, rescuing our nation from its dire crisis!"

The Queen murmured, her tightly furrowed brows finally relaxing, and her taut heartstrings quietly unwinding.

She lowered her gaze to the little Yao Guang in her arms, her face tilted upwards, listening with a bewildered look. She breathed a sigh of relief, hugged her tighter, and whispered:

"Yaoguang, did you hear that? It was that Jiangxiao Zhenren who saved us, who saved the Women's Kingdom."

Little Yaoguang blinked her clear eyes, seemingly understanding but not quite, but nodded vigorously and said, "Yaoguang remembers, it's Master Jiangxiao."

The Queen was about to ask for more details.

Suddenly, a Spirit Observer who had been dispatched earlier hurriedly returned, landing in front of the building. His face was still showing shock, and he said urgently:

"Your Majesty! Lord!"

I was ordered to investigate the direction of Tunlei River. When I was halfway there, I saw that the strange phenomenon on the river had stopped.

They encountered Master Song'an of the Songyue Sword Sect, who was cleaning up the aftermath with several fellow disciples by the river. He said that the demonic dragon had been slain and the flood had been quelled.

After slaying the dragon, the Crimson Cloud Immortal did not linger; he transformed into a rainbow and headed towards Jieyang Mountain.

"Jie Yangshan?"

The Queen and Yao Wenjun exchanged a glance.

That was also a place near the Kingdom of Women. There was a Taoist temple called Zhenyun Temple in the mountains. The abbot, Taoist Luo, was quite famous for his alchemy skills and usually exchanged elixirs with the kingdom.

Yao Wenjun pondered and said, "Master Luo has always been law-abiding and law-abiding. Perhaps the Master is just passing through that place."

The Queen had already made up her mind, and immediately said to Yao Wenjun:

"By imperial decree, prepare generous gifts immediately. I will personally go to Jieyang Mountain to express my gratitude to the True Man Jiangxiao for saving the lives of my entire nation."

The words had barely left his mouth.

Suddenly, a deep, muffled thud came from the southwest, from where Jieyang Mountain is located, like a heavy object hitting a mountain, or like thunder breaking through dark clouds.

Everyone looked on in astonishment, only to see a thick, murky black cloud being violently blasted out from between the mountains by a dazzling crimson sword light.

Then, a small portion of it suddenly exploded and scattered. The remaining part, like a severely injured giant python, tumbled and twisted as it was blasted away, slicing diagonally across the sky and rolling over the Kingdom of Women!

A hoarse, gloomy voice, filled with resentment and rage, then rolled out, echoing over the Kingdom of Women:

"Jiangxiao! How dare you destroy my foundation!"

The black mist that the Cold Crow Corpse Lord had transformed into surged and rolled, and suddenly split in mid-air, transforming into countless strange crows with jet-black feathers and red eyes.

They were densely packed, covering half the sky, emitting piercing and noisy cries.

It immediately flapped its wings and flew away in different directions, trying to use this technique of dividing into thousands to confuse and escape.

Those in the palace who witnessed this scene felt an even greater chill in their hearts.

The Thunder Dragon Lord, who moves water and swallows thunder, and the Crow Corpse Lord, who secretly resides in Jieyang, are both hiding near the Women's Kingdom. Their schemes are self-evident.

Just then, a clear whistle suddenly rose from Jieyang Mountain.

A blazing streak of light shot into the sky from the mountains. At first, it was no bigger than a fist, but in an instant, it transformed into a magnificent firebird with flames flowing all over its body.

Its tail feathers are long and its body is surrounded by a flowing red light, like a red sun leaping out of the mountain ridge, its bright light shining so brightly that it illuminates the flock of crows in the sky, leaving them nowhere to hide.

The firebird raised its head to the sky and let out a clear, long cry.

As the bird's cry rang out, a blinding light and heat spread outwards from the firebird, illuminating all directions.

The flock of black crows that scattered across the sky was swept away by this pure and vast wave of light and heat.

Before it could even utter a mournful cry, it vanished in an instant, like a thin mist exposed to the scorching sun, turning into wisps of smoke, which were then evaporated by the scorching heat, leaving not a trace.

The sky returned to its clear state.

Only a few charred black crow feathers remained, drifting slowly down.

The firebird's clear cry still lingered as it circled once, its form gradually fading, then transforming back into a stream of light, disappearing into the depths of Jieyang Mountain.

Atop the high towers of the palace, all was deathly silent.

The Queen held Xiao Yaoguang in her arms, a chill running down her spine.

If it weren't for the sudden appearance of this Crimson Cloud Immortal, who slew two demons with his sword, the state of the Women's Kingdom today would be unimaginable.

…………

After leaving the Azure Mirage Water Palace in the Western Sea, the Bone Demon King rode on rolling demonic clouds, his heart still filled with shock and anger.

Just now, during the banquet, the hidden restriction mark on the body of the Thunder Dragon Lord suddenly disappeared, like a candle flame meeting the wind, instantly extinguished.

If he hadn't restrained himself, he would have almost revealed his identity to that old monster, Qing Shen.

This thunderbolt is utterly useless!

The journey to the Dragon Transformation and the flooding of the Women's Kingdom are related to the main ingredient of the [Primordial Spirit Blood Pill], and even more so to the promise made by the Azure Mirage Demon Saint to help him. It is a crucial piece on his chessboard, and he cannot afford to lose it.

As he was filled with anxiety and doubt, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

A gust of wind swept by, and a feather, as black as ink with faint glints of blood at its edges, fluttered and swayed.

The Bone Demon King reached out and picked it up; it was chilling to the touch and contained a wisp of resentment from a corpse demon.

The crow... is in trouble too?

The Bone Demon King's heart sank, and an unbelievable chill mixed with rage suddenly rose within him.

Zhe Lei was defeated and killed, and Han Ya fell. Years of planning were uprooted in an instant!

Who is this person who dares to oppose him like this?

"How dare you!" Overwhelmed with shock and rage, the Bone Demon King could no longer contain himself.

He roared, his demonic aura surging powerfully.

"Who dares to repeatedly jeopardize my grand plans! If I find out, I will tear your soul from your body, grind your bones to dust!"

Before the words were finished, a strange change occurred in the sky above.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A muffled rumble of thunder rose from the depths of the clouds in all directions, layer upon layer, like the beating of war drums.

The once clear blue sky was suddenly filled with dark clouds, and thick bolts of lightning tore through the clouds, dancing wildly like dragons and snakes, with a deafening roar.

The thunder roared down, striking the void within a hundred miles of him, transforming into a ferocious flag spear wreathed in lightning!

Beneath the flags and spears, figures clad in thunder armor and riding thunderous celestial steeds materialized from the lightning, standing silently and solemnly.

Warhorses trampled thunder, the cold glint of weapons mingling with the flashes of lightning.

There were exactly one hundred and eight riders, arranged according to the directions of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Fiends, their auras intertwined.

The chilling, murderous aura of war mingled with the pure, yang, exorcising power of thunder, pressing down heavily and completely sealing off this world.

Lightning crackled in the eyes of each rider, coldly locking onto the lone figure in the formation.

Thunderclouds surged, and lightning flashed like a forest.

A particularly powerful bolt of lightning crashed down, and amidst the swirling electric snakes, a burly divine general appeared, his brows furrowed with solemn authority, wielding a section of the Thunder God's Whip.

It was none other than Yang Feng, the Commander of the Thunder Cavalry!

Yang Feng's gaze was like lightning, piercing through the rolling thunderclouds and demonic energy, landing on the Bone King whose expression had suddenly changed.

"Crush my bones to ashes? You probably won't have that chance."