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

The Xuan Gu Shangren was so overwhelmed by the immense pressure that he could hardly breathe, and his throat tasted metallic.

He still forced himself to lift his head, a mocking sneer flashing across his pale face, and said:

"Do you really think you can do whatever you want in Qingchi Ridge just because you have cultivation?"

Upon hearing this, the Great Immortal Who Slays the Dragon raised an eyebrow, seemingly finding it amusing. He leisurely picked up the freshly poured teacup, took a sip, and said:

"Oh? From what you're saying, could it be that besides Xuan Ling, who is in seclusion, there is another way to restrain me in Qingchi Ridge?"

Why not... bring it over and take a look?

He was calm and composed, as if victory was assured.

The Nascent Soul cultivator has an overwhelming advantage over the Golden Core cultivator, so why would they take the bluff of these two lower-level Golden Core cultivators seriously?

Master Xuan Gu remained silent, staring intently at him.

Just as the Great Immortal Zhan Jiao was finding it interesting, his calm and indifferent expression suddenly changed.

He suddenly looked up, his consciousness sweeping across all directions like a tidal wave, and exclaimed in surprise:

"An array? When did this place...?"

He hadn't finished speaking.

"boom!"

Atop Yunmang Mountain, a deafening roar of thunder suddenly resounded.

An unparalleled, majestic heavenly power, mixed with the Daoist essence of thunder, swept down from the high heavens towards the entire Qingchi Ridge!

The roof tiles of the guesthouse rustled, and the beams and pillars trembled slightly.

Faced with this sudden power of heaven and earth, the aura of the Great Immortal Who Slays the Dragon appeared somewhat insignificant and wavering.

Furthermore, an invisible suction force erupted from the depths of the main peak of Yunmang Mountain, causing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth from all directions to surge back in a frenzied manner, like rivers flowing into the sea.

It transformed into a torrent of shimmering rosy light, completely disappearing into the summit of the main peak, where the leaden clouds were thickest.

A strong wind rushed in from outside the window, causing the robes of the Great Master Who Slays the Dragon to flutter wildly, and the remaining tea in his cup to ripple violently.

The Great Immortal Zhan Jiao suddenly stood up and stared intently out the window.

Lightning flashed across the sky, reflecting a look of surprise and uncertainty on his face.

…………

Deep within the Xuanqing Cave, all was quiet and dark.

Xuan Ling sat cross-legged on the futon, his mind sinking into the darkness, completely unaware of the turmoil outside.

The realm of transformation into a divine being is the initial birth of the Yang spirit, which needs to be cleansed by heavenly thunder to remove all yin impurities before it can attain pure Yang.

Success means the Yang Spirit resides in the world, possessing great supernatural powers; failure means the newly born Yang Spirit collapses, the foundation of the Dao is destroyed, and the body and Dao vanish in an instant.

Above the azure sky, the clouds of calamity had accumulated sufficiently.

Suddenly, thousands of lightning bolts surged forth, tearing through the sky and pouring down towards the Xuanqing Cave in Yunmang Mountain.

Thunder roared across the mountains, and lightning flashed across the fields.

Before the thunder even arrived, the majestic divine power that swept away evil spirits and vanquished malevolent forces had already silenced the entire 800-mile mountain range.

Just as the thunder was about to engulf Yunmang Mountain.

"hold head high!"

A desolate roar echoed from the cave, clearly piercing through the rolling thunder.

Immediately, a giant dragon claw formed from crimson lightning emerged from the Cloud Mound Mountain, piercing straight into the heavens against the backdrop of a sky full of lightning.

The dragon's claws were ferocious, and wherever they passed, the vast heavenly tribulation lightning shattered like glass.

The claws continued their momentum, plunging straight into the thick, oppressive clouds.

"boom!"

The leaden clouds suddenly exploded, torn to shreds by the crimson lightning dragon claw!

The intense sunlight pierced through the gaps in the clouds and spilled across the mountains.

The tribulation lightning that had terrified countless Golden Core cultivators vanished in the blink of an eye.

Only a few tiny electric streaks flickered in the air before disappearing without a trace.

Xuan Ling stopped, then took out a jade box from his sleeve, inside which were three fiery red spiritual fruits with a fragrant aroma.

These were the three immortal fire dates bestowed upon them by the Barefoot Immortal years ago.

This item is just what he needs right now.

Pick one up and put it in your mouth.

As the fruit pulp melted, a pure and vast fire-elemental spiritual energy surged into the limbs and bones, nourishing the Yang spirit in the Purple Palace.

After the three fiery dates entered his stomach, the vast and pure spiritual energy washed over his body, nourishing his newly born pure yang spirit.

Originally, he was only at the initial stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but with this powerful assistance, his cultivation level rose steadily and was naturally pushed to the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm before gradually stabilizing.

Within a few breaths, the energy within the cave had stabilized.

Xuan Ling's body was filled with Daoist energy, indicating that he had already reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm.

Within the Purple Palace, a point of pure Yang divine light shone warmly and clearly, with a dragon coiled within, making it extraordinary and wondrous.

A moment later, Xuan Ling slowly opened his eyes, his pair of crimson-gold vertical pupils cold and sinister, penetrating to the deepest depths.

The abundant water and crimson lightning energy that had naturally overflowed from his body due to breaking through to the next realm were completely contained.

After years of seclusion, I have thoroughly understood the laws of heaven and earth, and today I have also broken through the barrier of spiritual transformation.

At this moment, my mind is clear and my body is perfect. I feel that the workings of heaven and earth are clear in my heart.

Xuan Ling sat quietly for a moment, his eyes slightly closed, and his powerful divine sense quietly emerged.

In an instant, the world depicted by Hengyang Yanqu, encompassing the eight hundred miles of Qingchi Ridge mountains, rivers, caves, and markets, unfolds in "Journey to the West: Starting with the True Lord Jingfa." Every detail is vividly portrayed, etched in the heart.

Every blade of grass and every tree in the mountains, every breath of life, is reflected in my mind, as clearly as the lines on my palm.

The heavy stone door of the quiet room opened by itself without wind, sliding into the stone walls on both sides.

A tall, upright figure slowly walked out of the deep, quiet room.

He was still wearing that familiar black robe, its hem draped gracefully, spotless.

In the outer hall.

The three flower fairy sisters, who had been anxiously waiting and had already sensed the commotion, and the shrimp, who was standing to the side, all trembled when they saw that familiar figure finally emerge from seclusion.

"Your Majesty!"

Tears welled in the eyes of the three flower fairy sisters as they wept with joy and gracefully bowed down.

The shrimp reacted the fastest; its crimson armor rustled as it rushed forward several steps, bowing deeply in reverence:

"The little shrimp is big, congratulations sir on your great success in mastering your divine skills and breaking through the barrier!"

During the time that Master has been in seclusion, we have been worried about him day and night. Today, having seen Master's splendid face, we realize that all our worries were unnecessary!

The gentleman's charm surpasses all that of the past!

Zi Teng, along with her two younger sisters Yingying, bowed and said:

"Welcome back, Your Majesty. Your Majesty has been in seclusion for a long time, and we sisters have been praying for you day and night. Today, seeing Your Majesty's accomplishment complete is truly a blessing for Qingchi Ridge."

Xuan Ling's gaze swept over the loyal former subordinates and maids in front of him, and the coldness in his crimson-gold vertical pupils seemed to melt away for a moment.

He nodded slightly and said, "Get up. During your seclusion, I will trouble you to take care of all matters in the mountains."

Before Zifeng or Xia Da could report on what had happened at the front of the mountain, Xuan Ling spoke again:

"I am aware of what has happened here."

"Now that distinguished guests have arrived, as the host of this place, I should give them a proper welcome."

As soon as he finished speaking, Xuan Ling's figure faded away from the spot, disappearing like smoke and illusion, leaving no trace.

The next instant.

"hold head high!"

A long roar of a dragon resounded from the main peak of Yunmang Mountain, soaring upwards and sweeping across the eight-hundred-mile-long Qingchi Ridge!

The mountains echoed, and all spirits bowed their heads.

Inside the guesthouse on the front mountain, all was deathly silent.

The Great Master Zhanjiao stood alone in the hall, his face showing no longer any concealment of surprise and doubt.

His gaze was fixed on the thick, churning, and lightning-filled tribulation clouds in the direction of the main peak.

Could it be that the Flood Dragon Demon King Xuan Ling... is he really going to attempt to break through to the Nascent Soul stage at this very moment?

His mind raced, filled with all sorts of distracting thoughts.

Xuan Ling has only risen to prominence in the last few decades, and it is said that when he first occupied Qingchi Ridge, he was not a Golden Core cultivator.

How could someone so young dare to directly knock on the door of the Divine Transformation realm? Such progress is simply inconceivable!

Thinking of his own path in the Dao, the Great Immortal Who Slays the Dragon couldn't help but feel a surge of unspeakable frustration and resentment.

In his early years, he accidentally acquired superior swordsmanship, and through his daily study and practice, he was able to glimpse the profound secrets of swordsmanship.

After that, in order to hone his sword skills and accumulate external strength, he traveled all over mountains and rivers, searching for and killing water monsters and dragons.

The souls that perish under the sword become provisions for the path to enlightenment.

Through such diligent and unremitting practice, and after more than five hundred years of arduous work, he was finally able to break through the barriers, condense his nascent soul, and be granted the title of "Great True Man".

The dangers and hardships encountered during that time are beyond the comprehension of outsiders.

And this Xuan Ling, a demon covered in scales and horns, is about to cross the insurmountable barrier that he has been struggling to climb for hundreds of years in the blink of an eye.

Just as his thoughts were churning, he suddenly saw a claw made entirely of crimson lightning emerge from the mountain peak, easily tearing apart the thick tribulation clouds that filled the sky.

Lightning flashed and the clouds dispersed.

Such a ferocious scene made even the Great Master Who Slays the Dragon's scalp tingle.

Seeing his loss of composure, the Venerable Xuan Gu couldn't help but chuckle:

"A frog at the bottom of a well dares to presume to fathom the universe? How could you possibly fathom the divine powers of my king?"

Upon hearing this, the Great Immortal Zhan Jiao's fair face turned a mixture of red and blue, filled with shame and anger, but even more so with a bone-chilling cold.

He took a step forward, and the sword he had nurtured for many years was drawn from its sheath with a clang, about to transform into sword light and engulf himself, fleeing thousands of miles away.

The sword light first appeared, and the figure moved.

"Since you're here, why rush to leave?"

A voice suddenly rang out above his head.

The Great Immortal Who Slays the Dragon raised his head in shock.

Beneath the azure sky, a man in black robes stood tall and straight, looking down at the scene.

His pair of crimson-gold vertical pupils were cold and sinister, devoid of joy or anger, yet they made the Great Master of Slaying Dragons feel as if he had fallen into an ice cave.

"hold head high!"

A desolate lament resounded, its echo shaking the surrounding wilderness.

With this long chant, figures, some exuding demonic aura and others shrouded in clear light, rose into the air from various parts of Qingchi Ridge.

At this moment, they all stood respectfully behind the figure in black, bowing down in unison, their voices like a mountain roaring and a tsunami crashing:

"Congratulations, Your Majesty, on completing your mission and emerging from the barrier!"

The Great Master Who Slays the Dragon hangs alone in mid-air, his face as white as gold paper.

The magic sword in his hand, which had slain dragons and snakes and drunk countless lives, was now humming slightly out of control.

Having slain countless serpents, only today do we finally see the Dragon King.