Journey to the West Creation Technique

The Eight Treasures Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.

Inside the tower...

Cai Yiheng looked up at the now gray-white demon-faced yaksha and frowned, saying, "Shouldn't this be reported to higher authorities?"

Lu Chengjun also looked at the Yaksha's mangled body, whose skin resembled cracked rock, and said, "It's already like this, there's no way to hide it anymore."

"I wasn't talking about Yaksha." Cai Yiheng turned to look at the tabby cat crouching beside him. "Should we report this cat to our superiors?"

Lu Chengjun remained silent for a moment, then uttered a single word: "Report!"

The two left the Eight Treasures Demon-Suppressing Pagoda.

The demon-faced yaksha is already dead, so there's no need for him to stand guard at night.

It was still late at night...

The lights were still on in the Nanming Guard's office, and the gates were wide open.

Commander Shen Li, who was resting, heard the news from his servant and immediately sensed that something was wrong. He then ordered that the commander be summoned.

Government offices and official residences.

Outside the study, in the courtyard.

Cai Yiheng, Lu Chengjun, and the tabby cat met with Shen Li together.

Shen Li narrowed his eyes slightly and asked, "I remember it was your turn to be on night duty today, has something happened at the Demon Suppression Tower?"

Cai Yiheng stepped forward, cupped his hands in a fist salute, and said, "Reporting to Your Excellency, it is indeed my turn to be on night duty tonight..."

"Well... In order to broaden my disciple Lu Chengjun's horizons, I asked him to go with me to keep watch at the Eight Treasures Demon-Suppressing Pagoda. And to relieve his boredom, my disciple brought his pet cat along."

Shen Li frowned: "Get to the point!"

Cai Yiheng swallowed hard and cut straight to the point: "To be honest, sir, I never expected that the suppressed demon-faced yaksha would be so ruthless as to try to possess the cat."

Shen Li: "Possessed a cat? Which cat?"

Cai Yiheng pointed to the tabby cat on the ground.

Although the master and apprentice had agreed to report truthfully, Cai Yiheng still concealed the fact that they had planned this all along.

Cai Yiheng's plan was to eliminate the hidden dangers of the Southern Underworld Guard; Lu Chengjun's plan was to help his cat trick Ghost-Faced Yaksha into giving him his cultivation.

Nine-tenths true, one-tenth false; the hidden layer of falsehood is merely to make oneself appear innocent.

After all, it's human nature...

Who would admit to having ill intentions all along?

Lu Chengjun remained silent throughout, adopting the appearance of Sha Wujing (a character from Journey to the West) and speaking little.

"And then what happened?" Shen Li asked, frowning.

To be honest, he already thought this was a bit outrageous. If it weren't for the fact that it was Cai Yiheng who was reporting, he would have sent him away long ago.

"Later..." Cai Yiheng sighed, "Later, the demon-faced yaksha failed to possess the body and died. This tabby cat not only wasn't possessed, but also inherited the demon-faced yaksha's seventh level of cultivation."

Shen Li: "..."

"Lord Shen, this is the situation," Cai Yiheng said, clasping his hands in greeting.

Shen Li glanced at Cai Yiheng, his face full of disbelief. After a long silence, he asked, "You wouldn't have wanted to skip the night watch and instead killed the Ghost-Faced Yaksha, would you?"

"Uh...no! Absolutely not, this is truly an accident. Please investigate thoroughly, sir." Cai Yiheng's forehead was covered in sweat, clearly indicating he wouldn't lie.

Seeing this, Shen Li became even more suspicious: "That demon-faced yaksha was heavily suppressed and had no power to possess another body! Even if it did, would it choose a cat? And even if it chose a cat, would it fail?"

"Um...it is indeed unbelievable, but it's really true, sir." Cai Yiheng didn't expect that telling the truth would be so difficult.

"Hehe..." Shen Li chuckled and shook his head, then said something even more unbelievable: "You're saying a tabby cat stole the seventh level of cultivation from the Ghost-Faced Yaksha? You're making up a story for me in the middle of the night?"

"Meow!" The tabby cat crouching on the ground suddenly let out a soft cry, and a cold, eerie wind swept around her. Thick black mist suddenly surged around her.

Shen Li narrowed his eyes, a sharp glint flashing within them.

This black fog!

It was the sinister and malevolent aura of the demon-faced yaksha.

Although it's much weaker, it is indeed the power of Oni-faced Yaksha.

The black mist slowly receded, and the small tabby cat that had just been crouching on the ground had transformed into a black leopard with a relaxed posture and an all-black body. Its ferocity was restrained, and its oppressive aura slowly spread out.

His aura had clearly reached the peak of the ninth level of the late stage of Qi Refining, and he was only one step away from stepping into the Foundation Establishment realm.

Shen Li looked at the half-human-sized black leopard in the courtyard, his expression growing increasingly solemn: "Are you the Ghost-Faced Yaksha?"

"No! I am Amiya," the black leopard said in human language.

Shen Li slowly circled the black leopard: "There are no signs of disharmony between your spirit and body, so you don't seem like someone who has just possessed another body."

"The Yaksha is dead, its power belongs to me," Xuanbao said in human language once more.

Shen Li narrowed his eyes slightly: "Judging from your accent, you don't seem to be from the Central Plains?"

"That's right," Xuanbao replied.

Shen Li revealed a look of sudden realization: "No wonder... In the cultivation world, it has always been the case that strong souls devour weak souls. Your ability to devour the Ghost-Faced Yaksha must mean you are a powerful figure of extraordinary origin."

"My name is Amiya, the priestess of the Dragon King," Xuanbao said again.

Shen Li turned to look at Lu Chengjun, who had remained silent, and recalling the information he had gathered, he stood before Xuanbao, cupped his hands, and said, "May I ask, fellow Daoist, are you the High Priest of Crocodile Dragon Bay?"

Xuanbao nodded: "What do you intend to do with me?"

Shen Li immediately smiled gently: "As long as you do not harm my clan, you are welcome to stay in the territory of the Southern Underworld Guard."

Amiya bowed her head and said, "Thank you."

Then, the black mist around Amiya completely dissipated, and the Xuanbao's huge body suddenly shrank, instantly transforming back into the small, soft, and adorable tabby cat.

Then the tabby cat lightly leaped into Lu Chengjun's arms, curled up its limbs, and lay down like a little ball of fur, showing no trace of its previous ferocity and oppressive aura.

Lu Chengjun held the kitten in his arms, his expression remaining calm throughout.

Shen Li watched this scene, his eyes swirling with thoughts. After a moment of contemplation, he smiled and said, "Hehe... Congratulations, young friend Lu, your spirit pet's strength has greatly increased."

"But that demon-faced yaksha..."

"It's alright!" Shen Li waved his hand. "That Yaksha can neither refine weapons nor make pills. We don't know what to do with it now that we have it. It's better if it dies."

"Thank you, Lord Shen." Lu Chengjun said again, holding the kitten.

"Take Amiya back and rest first. Your master and I will handle the rest," Cai Yiheng said with a smile.

Lu Chengjun bowed slightly and carried Amiya away from the courtyard.

After his figure disappeared into the distance, Shen Li looked at Cai Yiheng beside him with a serious expression: "Come with me to the Eight Treasures Demon-Suppressing Pagoda."

The two returned to the tower overnight. Inside, the corpse of the demon-faced yaksha was fixed in mid-air by eight iron chains. Now that it had lost its magic power, its body was as withered as a hard stone, cracked everywhere, and disintegrated on its own.

Shen Li raised his hand, and the eight chains were retracted into the bronze pillar.

The Yaksha's body parts fell to the ground, turning into ashes and fragments, completely annihilated.

Shen Li's expression was serious as he whispered, "Keep tonight's events strictly confidential. Only tell outsiders that the Ghost-Faced Yaksha was suppressed and died on its own. The matter of the tabby cat devouring cultivation and the alien priest must not be spread."

"Disciple obeys." Cai Yiheng quickly replied.

Shen Li changed the subject: "Besides that, I have an important matter to entrust to Lu Chengjun. He is your disciple, so please persuade him carefully."

Tsai Yi-heng: "What important matter is it?"

"I hope Lu Chengjun will take Amiya to Crocodile Dragon Bay to explore the hidden spirit stone mines... With this High Priest of the Overturning Sea Crocodile accompanying us, we might be able to succeed."

Cai Yiheng was taken aback: "Since you had made arrangements, why didn't you speak to Lu Chengjun yourself just now?"

Shen Li sighed softly: "I mentioned this to him privately earlier, but he refused because he was unwilling to venture into the dangerous Crocodile Dragon Bay."