Journey to the West Creation Technique

A team of over three hundred people traversed through the dense forest.

Lin Che, Li Ang, and others led the way, while Cai Yiheng brought up the rear.

Although they were among the first to evacuate before the tribulation struck, they still did not completely escape the area shrouded in dark clouds before the lightning struck.

Fortunately, the lightning strikes did not fall on their heads.

The group walked briskly with their heads down, braving the torrential rain, and no one dared to look back.

When the storm had passed and the sky was clear, everyone dared to stop and rest for a while. By then, everyone's clothes were soaked, and their faces showed signs of relief.

Not far from them, a mountain peak was completely sheared off.

The onlookers were stunned and filled with dread.

The lightning was like a blade. Fortunately, it didn't strike him. Otherwise, more than 300 people would have been instantly vaporized, leaving not even bone fragments.

Just then, a green shadow streaked through the air and flew by.

The newcomer did not blend into the crowd, but instead hid behind a large tree.

Cai Yiheng, who was in charge of bringing up the rear, had already noticed this person and was waiting for him to appear.

Lu Chengjun, dressed in a blue robe, slowly emerged from behind the tree. Cai Yiheng recognized him and his face immediately lit up with joy: "You've escaped safely too, that's good."

Lu Chengjun cupped his hands and got straight to the point: "Master, the White Snake Demon King has successfully transcended his tribulation."

Cai Yiheng's expression tightened: "Has she noticed our plan?"

"Master, you're overthinking it. The White Snake Demon King has already transformed into a dragon and gone to the sea to cultivate." Cai Yiheng remained silent upon hearing this.

They were extremely careful in their attempt to seize the "Earth Vein Essence," fearing that the Demon King would discover their scheme. They never expected that the Demon King would leave on his own, completely disregarding everything.

Lu Chengjun continued, "Now that there is no demon king to guard this place, and it lacks protection, I'm afraid it will be slaughtered by the Black Boar Tribe..."

Cai Yiheng suddenly spoke up: "There is another thorny matter."

"Please speak, Master."

"Zhao Xiong is still trapped in the spirit stone mine and has not yet come out. Now that the Demon King has left, we should return first and rescue him."

"What?" Lu Chengjun looked surprised. "Senior Zhao isn't in the group?"

Cai Yiheng shook his head.

Just then, an elderly man with white hair and beard heard the two talking and stepped over. He was none other than Zhou Xuanyang, the school teacher.

Zhou Xuanyang was among the last group to evacuate from the spirit stone mine, so he was clearly the most knowledgeable about the situation inside.

"Master Zhou, what exactly happened in the mine?" Lu Chengjun asked, bowing respectfully.

Zhou Xuanyang sighed, "We had already extracted the Earth Vein Essence... We thought the tremors would stop completely... But for some reason, the underground tremors have become even more intense. Commander Zhao ordered us to evacuate first, while he stayed behind to take the Essence and escape later. However... for some reason, he didn't follow us when we escaped..."

"Heh..." Lu Chengjun sneered, "With Senior Zhao's late-stage Foundation Establishment strength, how could he be trapped in the mine and unable to escape?"

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this, clearly having some guesses.

"Perhaps he took the essence of the earth veins and left alone?" Cai Yiheng guessed.

"Could it be that the captain intends to escort the Yuan Sui back to the garrison first?" Zhou Xuanyang also guessed.

Lu Chengjun opened his mouth, but ultimately did not say what he wanted to say.

It's highly likely that he kept the treasure for himself; is there even a need to guess?

It's just that Nanmingwei is a lonely city thousands of miles away, and the cultivators in the city are all in the same boat. It's truly despicable that such a scoundrel has emerged from it!

"Chengjun," Cai Yiheng called out, breaking the silence.

"master."

"You don't need to worry about the earth vein essence for now. Now that the Demon King has gone to the East Sea, these natives have lost their protection. You can take this opportunity to relocate them all to the Southern Underworld Guard. I will take care of their settlement there."

Lu Chengjun said, "This is precisely why I came to find my master."

Cai Yiheng nodded slightly: "Given the current manpower shortage, how should we send them to the Southern Underworld Guard?"

"I'm afraid we can only transport them in batches..." Lu Chengjun began to seriously discuss the specific details with his master. Although it was not perfect, they could only take it one step at a time.

……

White Snake Tribe.

On the collapsed ruins of the White Serpent Temple.

Lu Chengjun stood on a high point of the ruins.

Looking down at the group of natives from the White Snake Tribe.

Lu Chengjun spoke in the local dialect, his words clear and distinct: "The deity has survived the tribulation of lightning and transformed into a dragon, heading to the vast ocean. It will no longer protect this mountain forest!"

"We have lost the protection of the gods..."

As soon as he finished speaking, a commotion broke out below. The local people looked at each other, their eyes filled with unease and confusion. Some even wept bitterly, as if they had lost their parents.

Lu Chengjun continued in a passionate tone, "We can only rely on ourselves!"

"There is a city eight hundred miles away called Nanmingwei. When you get there, someone will teach you how to cultivate the land, weave cloth and make clothes, and will build you houses to live in..."

After a slight pause, Lu Chengjun continued, "However, from now on, women can no longer engage in marriage; they must abide by human ethics and propriety, and manage their households steadily. As for what human ethics and propriety are, I will teach you slowly later..."

After saying that, Lu Chengjun directly instructed Zhou He and Sona: "You two, organize the team and set off immediately for Nanming Guard."

Zhou He agreed, and Sona also began to call on her people to line up.

But this time the crowd didn't move.

A tribal chief stood up and asked in a loud voice, "Is moving away from our homes a divine decree?"

Lu Chengjun looked at the young chieftain named Ada and said in a deep voice, "The gods have left us, and there are no more divine pronouncements."

"Then you're not the High Priest anymore!" Ada shouted, pointing at Lu Chengjun.

Lu Chengjun nodded: "Since there are no gods, there are naturally no priests."

"Then why should we listen to you?" Ada retorted.

"That's right! Since the gods are gone, you're just a stranger in this world!"

"You're the one who brought this bad luck, you outsider!"

……

The crowd erupted in a cacophony of voices, their emotions running high.

Lu Chengjun watched them quietly until the noise stopped.

"Without divine protection, can you still live here?" Lu Chengjun's voice was still not loud, but it always reached everyone's ears clearly.

"We've lived here for generations, we won't leave!"

Lu Chengjun narrowed his eyes as he looked at Ada: "The Black Pig Tribe will slaughter you all!"

"Even if I die, I'll die here!"

"That's right, we're not leaving!"

"If you want to leave, then leave on your own."

"You are no longer a priest; you have no right to command us."

……

Lu Chengjun flicked his sleeve, and a golden sword light shot out, carving a line across the ground.

This move shocked everyone, and they all looked at Lu Chengjun.

The god may not be here, but that doesn’t mean he has no power.

"Those who want to stay and guard the territory stand on the left, and those who want to come with me to the Southern Underworld Guard stand on the right. It's all voluntary, and we will never force anyone," Lu Chengjun said slowly.

After a moment's hesitation, everyone quickly formed two or three lines.

The vast majority of the clansmen quietly moved to the right side, willing to follow Lu Chengjun to Nanmingwei.

Only a dozen or so people on the left were a group of leaders, big and small, headed by Ada, all of whom were powerful figures in the tribe.

Lu Chengjun sneered. It seems that fools are always in the minority.

He didn't understand why these dozen or so leaders wanted to stay and die, but since they were unwilling to move, he would never force them.

"Let's go!" Lu Chengjun said no more and immediately led the White Snake Clan away, leaving the dozen or so leaders standing there, coldly watching the group go further and further away.