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

Within the Qingchi Ridge area, the Ling Snake Mansion is the most prestigious.

The Spirit Serpent Palace is located deep within the Azure Pool Lake. Its lord, the Azure Scale King, has attained the pinnacle of Foundation Establishment, and calls himself the Demon Lord, ruling over the entire realm.

The four surrounding caves were all granted the title of general, and they were required to pay tribute regularly and respectfully address each other as subjects.

Of the four caves, Tiger Prison Cave has the highest cultivation level of General Tiger Fiend, who has reached the late stage of Foundation Establishment and is most notorious for his ferocity.

Both the Green Ape General of Songyun Cave and the Poisonous Centipede General of Thousand-Foot Cave are in the mid-Foundation Establishment stage.

General Tieshan of Jinshi Cave has relatively shallow cultivation, being in the early stage of Foundation Establishment. However, the cave is rich in spiritual minerals and should not be underestimated.

Three gusts of demonic wind swept in from different directions, landing one after another in the blood-soaked mud.

The first to speak was the Green Ape King, who arrived from the pine forest in the east, riding on the clouds.

The old man with blue hair had a lean face and clear eyes. When his gaze swept over the shattered skull of the tiger demon, his cane paused slightly, and then he smiled and cupped his hands, saying:

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling's swift and decisive actions this time were truly spectacular. Fellow Daoist Hu Sha... alas, his stubborn and headstrong nature has been a long-standing problem, and today's outcome was inevitable."

A delicately woven bamboo tea canister, brimming with charm, slipped out from the sleeve.

"These are cloud sprouts that my Songyun Cave picked this spring. Although they are not rare, they are still quite pure. I offer them as a congratulatory gift for your successful foundation building, and as a token of my appreciation."

Chen Jiao narrowed his eyes slightly, but did not take the tea canister. He simply watched the green ape silently.

His gaze was calm, yet it seemed to carry a thousand pounds of weight.

The smile on the ape's face stiffened slightly, and the demonic energy around him involuntarily stagnated. For a moment, he had the illusion of being locked in by an invisible giant beast, and the knuckles under his vine staff tightened slightly.

The rain was so heavy that only the sound of water droplets hitting the stones could be heard.

After a long silence, Chen Jiao finally spoke, his voice calm and even: "The five pine nuts that Fellow Daoist Qingyuan gave me before were a token of my deepest gratitude, and Xuan Ling has always been grateful for them."

A sense of foreboding suddenly filled the Green Ape's heart.

Chen Jiao's tone shifted slightly, remaining calm, yet it sent a chill down Qing Yuan's spine:

"But little did I know that Xuan Ling had already repaid Qing Songguo's kindness with Hu Sha's head."

"Fellow Daoist, what do you expect Xuan Ling to offer in return for this jar of cloud sprouts?"

Upon hearing this, the air by the lake suddenly became heavy and solemn. The soft sound of raindrops falling into the muddy puddles sounded particularly jarring at that moment.

The smile on Qingyuan's face froze completely, a look of horror flashed in his eyes, and his knuckles gripping the vine staff turned slightly white.

He chuckled twice, forcing himself to remain calm, and said:

"Fellow Daoist Xuanling is joking... This mere cloud sprout is but a small gift, how could we... how could we possibly return it?"

Just then, Big Shrimp and Fatty Black came wading through the water. Fatty Black chuckled, grabbed a black-skinned pig demon, and slammed it to the ground.

The pig demon was bound by water chains, blood oozing from its mouth and nose; it was none other than the former leader of Hulao Cave.

Fine cracks suddenly appeared at the tip of the Green Ape Vine Staff.

He glanced at the ashen-faced pig demon at his feet, then at Xuan Ling, who stood opposite him with a cold expression.

His scheming was laid bare in broad daylight, and even with his centuries of self-cultivation, he felt his face burning and a chilling coldness rising from the depths of his heart.

He opened his mouth, but found that any explanation would be pale and powerless in this situation.

The pig demon was originally a spy he had planted in Tiger Prison Cave many years ago. Tiger Demon was arrogant and had long harbored rebellious intentions. He was merely going along with the situation and making some plans.

He ordered the pig demon to incite Hu Lie to steal fish by the lake, hoping to get a glimpse of the demon lord's current strength and weakness.

If we could use the Demon Lord's power to cripple Hu Lie, who was on the verge of Foundation Establishment, that would be ideal, thus crippling Hu Sha. As for testing Xuan Ling, the patrol commander of the lake, that was merely a side effect.

If Xuan Ling can survive Hu Lie's attacks and demonstrate some of his strength, the five Green Pine Fruits will serve as an initial investment, and he will secretly provide further support thereafter.

Unexpectedly, Xuan Ling was a heartless man! He actually had the ability to kill Hu Lie directly!

At this point, the situation was out of control.

Chen Jiao spoke again, his voice as cold as a dragon in the ocean:

"Last time I asked you to go back and tell your master that I would be paying him a visit soon. It seems you didn't convey his message properly."

Otherwise, why would Fellow Daoist Green Ape appear so clueless?

Amidst flashes of azure light and howling winds and thunder, Chen Jiao had already taken up the Azure Thunder Halberd.

One strike, and the pig is gone.

Why would one need to take out this murderous Thunder Halberd to kill a mere Qi Refining demon?

The green ape's expression finally changed, cold sweat poured down his forehead, and his eyes flashed rapidly as he subconsciously glanced at the Thousand-Legged Cave Poisonous Centipede King and the Golden Stone Cave Iron Mountain King beside him, as if seeking some support.

The Thousand-Legged Cave Master, the Poisonous Centipede King, was thin and long, with an unhealthy gray-black complexion. His body was surrounded by a faint, pale green mist, and countless tiny, illusory legs writhed beneath him, a sight that sent chills down one's spine.

Seemingly noticing the blue ape's gaze, the Poisonous Centipede King remained calm and quietly retreated to protect the blue ape in front of him. With a few light movements of its hundred legs, it had already retreated more than ten meters, leaving messy tracks in the mud.

The Iron Mountain King of Jinshi Cave is as tall and strong as an iron tower, with a short, thick horn on the tip of his nose and a simple and honest face.

At this moment, however, he only had his thick eyebrows furrowed, his eyes lowered, and he was only staring at his iron boots covered in mud.

Xuan Ling is a ruthless killer with meticulous attention to detail; he's not someone to be trifled with.

Chen Jiao calmly fixed his gaze on the green ape. Although the magnificent and powerful demonic energy around him did not erupt, it surged like an undercurrent, causing the surrounding air to stagnate.

Since the Green Ape dared to use him as a pawn, it's no wonder he demanded an explanation.

Tieshan and Dugong held their breath, not daring to utter a sound at this moment, lest they offend this killing star.

After a few breaths of stalemate, the blue ape seemed to have all its strength drained away, and its shoulders slumped down.

He gave a bitter laugh, slowly loosened his grip on the rattan cane, and the cane fell into the muddy water with a "thud".

With trembling hands, he carefully took out a jade box from his bosom.

The moment the lid was opened, an extremely pure and refreshing aura of wood spirit wafted out.

Inside were four unusual fruits, each the size of a longan, entirely emerald green, with subtle cloud-like patterns, far surpassing the previous pine cones.

"This is...this is a cloud-patterned pine cone, which only yields nine fruits in a hundred years from the mother tree of the Little Cave Cloud Pine. It is the treasure of the Little Cave. I wish to offer it to you, fellow Daoist, to make amends for my past transgressions."

His voice was hoarse, filled with pain and fear.

Upon seeing this creature, both the Poisonous Centipede King and the Iron Mountain King were startled, and their breathing became heavier.

You green-haired old ape!

Every time I went to exchange for this fruit, they always made excuses and said they had used it all up!

The two cave masters couldn't help but curse inwardly.

Chen Jiao was somewhat surprised. After pondering for a moment, he put away the Thunder Halberd, concealed his dragon true essence, took the jade box, and slowly said:

"This will not be repeated; let this serve as a warning."

Upon hearing this, the blue ape felt as if he had been granted a pardon, bowed deeply, and his voice trembled with relief, as if he had just survived a calamity:

"The Green Ape thanks Fellow Daoist... no, Brother Daoist for sparing my life! From now on, I will follow your lead without hesitation!"

Upon hearing this, the Poisonous Centipede King and the Iron Mountain King couldn't help but twitch slightly in their dough.

What a cowardly old ape! Why wasn't he so obedient before?

"Fellow Daoist Qingyuan, you flatter me. I also have some knowledge of the way to nurture the spiritual roots of plants and trees. Perhaps we can discuss it in the future."

Chen Jiao spoke calmly, showing no trace of his previous fierce and intimidating demeanor.

Upon hearing this, the blue ape's eye twitched slightly, but he breathed a sigh of relief and, not daring to refuse, quickly agreed.

Only now did the icy atmosphere begin to thaw and flow quietly, like spring water.

The rain gradually subsided, and a few rays of light pierced through the clouds.

The Iron Mountain King's voice was like muffled thunder as he cupped his hands and said:

"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Xuanling, on your great progress in cultivation. Tiger Fiend brought this upon himself, and his death is no loss. This Golden Marrow Iron Jade Ore is just a token of my appreciation."

He spread out his large palm-leaf fan, revealing a piece of bluish-gold ore in his palm.

The surface of the ore is rough, with jade pieces lying horizontally, and hidden within them are specks of brilliant golden light, exuding a pure and heavy metallic sharpness.

The Poisonous Centipede King also gave a sinister laugh, his voice hoarse like an insect gnawing at withered wood, and took out a slender-necked pottery bottle, entirely purplish-black in color, from his wide sleeves:

"Hehehe... Congratulations to Cave Master Xuanling for establishing his authority. With you in charge of Tiger Prison Cave from now on, it will surely be transformed."

"This bottle contains my secret recipe for Centipede Gu Spirit Elixir, made from the essence of a hundred insects and nurtured for a hundred years by the Yin Sha Earth Vein. It is of some use in nourishing demon souls and refining poison. I hope you will accept it with a smile."

Chen Jiao remained calm and accepted each of the offers.

Xia Da hurriedly stepped forward, took the golden marrow iron jade ore and the centipede gu spirit elixir, and placed them next to the cloud-patterned pine cone fruit jade box.

Chen Jiao's gaze swept over the three cave masters, finally settling on the Tiger Prison Cave demons prostrate on the ground. His voice, though not loud, clearly reached the ears of every demon, carrying an undeniable determination:

"From this day forward, Tiger Prison Cave will be under my jurisdiction and renamed... Xuanqing Cave. All old rules and regulations are hereby abolished. You shall all remain in your positions and await further orders."

"I appreciate your presence today. Now that the cave dwelling has been settled, I can offer you some simple wine. If the three of you would like, please come inside for a chat."

The three demons were stunned for a moment, and none dared to disobey.