Journey to the West: Starting with the Hunting of the Three Demons of Twin Fork Ridge

It turned out that the light was created by Li Fa, who was trying to lure the three monsters to meet him.

Unexpectedly, the Taoist priests simply kowtowed without saying a word.

Li Fa couldn't very well speak first, so he just continued to shine.

After a long while, the old Taoist priest finally realized what was happening and said to the young Taoist priests, "The image of Grandfather Laozi is emitting light for no reason. Could it be that his divine presence has descended?"

The young Taoist priests echoed their agreement, one saying, "Master is right. We should ask first. If it really is Grandfather Laozi, he will surely give us an answer."

The old Taoist priest nodded upon hearing this and asked, "Grandpa Laozi, what virtue or ability do we have to trouble Grandpa Laozi to manifest his divine power?"

Li Fa thought to himself, "Damn it, you finally asked, otherwise I couldn't have asked first."

He emerged from the holy image, surrounded by purple aura and auspicious light, and said, "You may all rise first, there is no need for formalities."

Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed. Some of the bolder ones secretly glanced at Li Fa and saw that he was indeed extremely majestic, so they assumed that he was the real Laozi.

The old Taoist priest dared not peek, and asked with his head bowed, "I wonder what decree has been issued by Your Excellency's arrival?"

Li Fa said, "I am in the Tushita Palace in the Heaven of Lihen, beyond the Thirty-Three Clouds, observing the millions of beings. I saw that your Chechi Kingdom is fond of Taoism and venerates the profound, which made me feel gratified. Therefore, I specially sent a wisp of my divine thought down to the mortal world to investigate."

The old Taoist priest was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "I am honored by your presence, Grandpa. This is all thanks to my master."

Li Fa asked, "Your master? Is he Tiger Power, Deer Power, or Sheep Power?"

The old Taoist priest said, "Indeed, indeed. Grandfather is indeed profound, able to know everything in the past and future. My master is none other than Hu Li, Lu Li, and Yang Li, who are currently the national teachers of Chechi Kingdom."

Li Fa said, "If that's the case, why haven't they come to pay their respects?"

The old Taoist priest said, "Grandpa, you misunderstand. In our country, we hold court once a day. People arrive at the palace at dawn, attend court at dusk, and the court ends at dusk. All three of you have gone to court, so you were unaware of your arrival, Grandpa."

Li Fa said, "I came here with my remaining will precisely to help these three people become immortals. Now you've gone to court instead. Could it be that you're greedy for worldly power and have given up your pursuit of the Dao?"

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist priest hurriedly said, "Grandpa, please wait a moment. This disciple will go and invite the three masters right away."

Without saying a word, the old Taoist priest scrambled out of the Sanqing Temple and headed straight for the main gate.

It was late morning, just after the court assembly had ended.

The three royal advisors were kept in the palace by the king for a meeting when suddenly a eunuch came to report: "The old Taoist priest of the Sanqing Temple requests an audience, saying that Laozi has appeared before us, and requests that the three royal advisors return to the temple immediately!"

Upon hearing this, Tiger Power Immortal frowned: "The Supreme Lord Laozi has manifested? Is this truly true?"

The Great Immortal Deer Power said, "Could it be that someone is using this as a pretext to deceive us?"

Yangli Daxian said, "My two senior brothers, that old Taoist priest has been guarding the Sanqing Temple for many years and has always been honest. He is unlikely to be lying."

Upon hearing the report, the king also said, "Three royal advisors, in the twenty years since you came to our court, we have never heard of such a strange thing. Why don't we first summon that old Taoist priest and ask him about it?"

Tiger Power Immortal said, "Your Majesty is right."

The king then issued a decree summoning the old Taoist priest to come before him.

The old Taoist priest rushed into the Golden Palace in a panic, stumbled and fell to his knees, and cried out, "Greetings, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor! Your Majesty! Imperial Preceptor! Great joy! Grandfather Laozi has truly manifested his divine power!"

Upon hearing this, Tiger Power Immortal shouted, "You old fool! His Majesty instructed you to enter, how dare you barge in like this, showing no respect whatsoever for a subject!"

The old Taoist priest kowtowed repeatedly, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me, Imperial Preceptor. I was truly overwhelmed with emotion and acted rudely in a moment of anger."

The king said, "Get up first, and tell me the whole story."

The old Taoist priest said, "This morning, while I was sweeping the main hall, I saw the statue of Laozi surrounded by radiant light and auspicious energy! I dared to inquire, and the statue actually spoke, saying that a wisp of its divine consciousness had descended to the mortal realm to see the three national teachers!"

Deer Power Immortal and Sheep Power Immortal exchanged a glance, both looking surprised and doubtful.

Tiger Power Immortal pondered for a moment and said, "This matter is still strange. What kind of person is Patriarch Laozi? Why would he descend to the mortal realm so easily?"

The old Taoist priest hurriedly said, "It's true, it's true! He even revealed his true form from the statue! Purple aura filled the air, and auspicious colors shone everywhere; it was truly mysterious."

Immortal Yangli said, "Senior brother, it's better to believe it's true than not. If it's true, wouldn't we be missing out on a tremendous opportunity if we didn't go?"

Deer Power Immortal also said, "Second Senior Brother is right. Let's go and see for ourselves. If it's fake, then we can make further plans."

Tiger Power Immortal nodded, stood up and said to the king, "Your Majesty, we will go to the Three Pure Ones Temple first, and return shortly."

Upon hearing this, the king quickly replied, "Please, Grand Preceptor! Please!"

The three demons hurriedly left the imperial palace gates, not riding horses or sedan chairs, but each using their own escape lights, heading straight for the Sanqing Temple.

Upon arriving at the temple, the three descended from the clouds, straightened their clothes, and then stepped inside.

Upon seeing the three imperial advisors arrive, the young Taoist priest guarding the gate hurriedly knelt down.

The three demons ignored them and walked straight into the main hall.

The hall was filled with the smoke of incense, and the statue of Laozi sat on a high platform. Sure enough, there was another Laozi beside the statue.

He was surrounded by purple aura, and his radiance was faintly visible.

Tiger Power Immortal was somewhat convinced at first, but still had some doubts. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Disciple Tiger Power greets Grandfather Laozi. May I ask what decree Grandfather has brought with him?"

Lu Li and Yang Li also knelt down behind him, bowing their heads and not daring to look up.

Li Fa sat motionless, glanced down at them, and slowly said, "So the three of you are Tiger Strength, Deer Strength, and Sheep Strength?"

The three demons replied in unison, "It is indeed your disciple."

Li Fa said, "I was in the Tushita Palace when I heard that you were here praying for rain to save the people, so I came to see you."

Upon hearing this, the three demons were both surprised and delighted, and kowtowed repeatedly.

Li Fa continued, "I originally thought that the three of you were determined to seek the Dao, which is why I descended to the mortal realm to personally guide you to immortality. Unfortunately, you are greedy for royal power, and I'm afraid you are not destined for the Dao."

Upon hearing this, the three demons were so frightened that they nearly lost their souls and kowtowed repeatedly, their foreheads hitting the gold bricks with a thud.

Tiger Power Immortal stammered, "Grandpa, please calm your anger! We are not greedy for power and wealth, but the people of Chechi Kingdom have suffered from drought for twenty years. We are entrusted by the King to protect the country and its people, and dare not leave without permission. Please, Grandpa, understand!"

The Great Immortal Lu Li also said, "We disciples practice true breathing exercises every morning without fail, and have never neglected our cultivation. We beg Your Majesty for mercy!"

The Great Immortal Yang Li burst into tears, saying, "If Grandfather has any requests, we disciples will gladly die for you!"

Li Fa sat upright on the table, listening to their back-and-forth conversation without showing any emotion.

After the three demons had talked until their throats were dry, he suddenly burst into laughter.

That laugh echoed throughout the hall, so loudly that even the incense smoke dissipated.

The three demons looked up in astonishment, only to see that the purple aura around "Taishang Laojun" receded, the radiance faded, and a young Taoist priest appeared.