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

After leaving Shuangcha Ridge, Li Fa revealed his true form and rode the clouds westward.

He passed through the Western Regions of Habi, traversing mountains and temples, and witnessed many sights of the Western Regions, which amazed him.

As he was traveling, he suddenly saw the mountains and forests lush and green. He looked down from the clouds and saw the shadowy pavilions and towers in the mountains and forests.

So he descended from the clouds and headed straight for that place.

When he arrived at the pavilions and towers, he indeed saw a very large and magnificent mountain gate.

Looking further ahead, one realizes that this place is actually a temple.

Li Fa had a sudden thought, and transformed himself into the appearance of a wandering monk he had seen before.

Before we even entered the mountain gate, a young monk came out to greet us.

Upon seeing Li Fa, the young monk asked, "Amitabha, where did the Dharma Master come from?"

Li Fa said, "This disciple, Fahai, comes from the Great Tang Dynasty in the East. Having heard of the long-standing prosperity of Buddhism in the West, I have come to pay my respects. As evening approaches, I am passing by this precious temple and wish to rest for the night."

Upon hearing this, the young monk quickly replied, "Please come in, please come in!"

Li Fa then entered the temple with the young monk.

Upon arriving at the main hall, Li Fa looked up and saw four large characters prominently displayed on the plaque.

Guanyin Temple!

It turned out that he had already guessed that this place was Guanyin Temple, which is why he disguised himself as a monk to enter.

There's no other reason than that Elder Jinchi in the original story also experienced a tribulation during the Journey to the West.

After several incidents, Li Fa also discovered a pattern: the rewards from the Merit Record were most generous when participating in events related to Journey to the West.

In the original story, Elder Jinchi is greedy, hypocritical, and impure in his six senses. He must have a lot of karma on his hands. If I can get rid of him, the reward will probably be very generous!

Therefore, Li Fa made up his mind to test him.

The two stopped in front of the hall, and the young monk asked, "It is getting late, and the hall is closed. Does the Master wish to pay homage to the Bodhisattva? If so, this humble monk will open the hall."

Li Fa had no intention of worshipping any bodhisattva, so he said, "Since the temple gates are closed, there's no need for the young monk to trouble himself. This humble monk will go to the guest room to pay his respects. Besides, I've traveled a long way, and my clothes are covered in dust. If I were to pay my respects hastily, wouldn't it seem insincere? Let this humble monk go back, bathe, and burn incense, and then I will pay my respects early tomorrow morning."

The young monk nodded and said, "What the master says makes sense. In that case, please come with me."

He then led Li Fa to the abbot of the academy. The abbot was overjoyed to hear that Li Fa was a high monk from the Tang Dynasty in the East. He immediately invited Li Fa to the back abbot's quarters to serve tea, while he went to inform Elder Jinchi.

Upon reaching the back room, two young monks offered hot tea and a vegetarian meal.

At this moment, the head of the academy came out from behind.

But then they saw two children behind him, helping an old monk, turning around shakily.

It was none other than Elder Jinchi.

Upon seeing this, the monks quickly said, "Our Grandmaster has arrived."

Li Fa rose and bowed, saying, "Elder Abbot, this humble monk pays his respects."

Jinchi returned the greeting, and then the monks took their seats in turn.

Jin Chi said, "I just heard from my servants that you are a gentleman from the East, so I came out to pay my respects."

Li Fa said, "This humble monk has wasted his time and dares not address you as sir. On the contrary, the old abbot has a dignified appearance, which makes it clear at a glance that he is a highly accomplished monk."

While Li Fa spoke flattering words, a record of merits quietly appeared before his eyes.

[Target for execution: Elder Jinchi (Abbot of Guanyin Temple)]

[Karma Assessment: C+ (Extremely strong greed and anger, impure six senses. He has greedily appropriated offerings from believers for over a hundred years, indirectly causing the deaths of dozens of people, thus offending the natural order.)]

Success rate of hunt: 100%

Killing it will yield:

[Optional Reward 1: Five Jiazi of Mana from the "Creating Heaven and Earth Technique"]

[Optional Reward Two: One Set of Heavenly Merit]

[Optional Reward 3: Five Elements Great Escape]

Li Fa was startled. He hadn't expected that this old monk, a mere mortal, would have the same karmic assessment as a divine general like the Silver-Headed Jiedi, who was subject to predetermined karma.

Moreover, the rewards given by this catalog are very generous. Not only does it provide a lot of magic power, but it also provides long-awaited Heavenly Merit and an extremely powerful divine ability, the Five Elements Great Escape.

The so-called Five Elements are metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. The Great Escape refers to the ability of a cultivator to escape using any one of the Five Elements, which is a truly advanced supernatural power.

Moreover, there aren't even parentheses after this, which means it's the complete version.

I never imagined that getting so deeply involved in Journey to the West would bring such generous rewards!

It seems that I must follow the pilgrimage team from now on, so that I can quickly improve my strength and have the confidence to challenge the gods and Buddhas.

But soon, Li Fa also discovered a line of small print lying quietly below the reward:

[Note: Guanyin Temple is one of the sacred sites of Guanyin of the South Pole, one of the Five Elders of the Five Directions. Hunting without authorization is unwise; the catalog cannot guarantee that it will completely conceal the truth.]

This line of small print instantly calmed Li Fa's burning passion.

"The catalogue cannot guarantee that it will completely conceal the secrets of heaven..."

His smile remained unchanged, but his heart was in turmoil.

Previously, the killings of General Yin, Special Envoy, and even Silver-Headed Jiedi all took place in the mountains and wilderness. The records seem to be able to effectively interfere with the secrets of heaven, making it impossible for Lingshan to investigate.

However, at this Guanyin temple, the catalogue issued an uncertain warning for the first time.

This means that if he takes action now, he is very likely to be exposed. Although killing Jin Chi is 100% successful, the risks after the kill are unpredictable.

As Li Fa was pondering, he was interrupted by Jin Chi's question: "Master Fahai, may I ask where in the Eastern Land you became a monk?"

Li Fa snapped out of his daze and replied, "This humble monk is a monk at Jinshan Temple."

Jin Chi said, "Amitabha, forgive my ignorance, but in the Great Tang Dynasty of the East, I have only heard of the White Horse Temple, Ci'en Temple, and Shaolin Temple. I have never heard of any Jinshan Temple."

Li Fa said, "My Jinshan Temple is merely a branch of Bodhidharma's lineage in the East, so its reputation is naturally inferior to the few temples mentioned by the old abbot. Even compared to the old abbot's Guanyin Zen Temple, it is not even one-tenth as good."

Upon hearing this, Jin Chi was quite pleased with himself and asked, "What is the Master's position at Jinshan Temple?"

Li Fa said, "This disciple is unworthy to serve as the abbot of Jinshan Temple."

Jin Chi then put on a smiling face again and said, "As the abbot, Venerable Master, it is truly commendable that you have traveled so far to my Western Regions. Your sincerity is truly commendable!"

After saying this, he turned to the young monk beside him and said, "Serve Abbot Fahai some fine tea!"

So the young monk took out some fine tea and served it to him.

Li Fa chuckled inwardly, never expecting that old bastard Jin Chi would be so opportunistic.

At this point, Jinchi asked again, "Abbot, how far have you come from the East?"

Li Fa came to his senses and replied, "Since leaving the border of the Great Tang Dynasty, this humble monk has traveled more than 5,000 li westward, traversing mountains and rivers, passing through the Western Barbarian Kingdom of Habi, and then traveling another 5,000 or 6,000 li before finally arriving at your place."

Jin Chi said, "It's been ten thousand miles, but the journey has been fraught with danger, with tigers, leopards, wolves, and jackals everywhere. I am truly astonished that you, Master, have come out unharmed."

Li Fa laughed and said, "It is all thanks to the Buddha's protection, and also because I know some supernatural powers, that I was able to get here."

Upon hearing the word "supernatural powers," Jin Chi's aging eyes lit up instantly, and he asked, "How many supernatural powers does Abbot Fahai possess?"

Li Fa said, "This humble monk only knows one supernatural power."

Jin Chi asked, "What?"

Li Fa said, "It is a technique of lightness of body."

Jin Chi asked, "What is meant by the art of lightness of body?"

Li Fa said, "He is as light as a swallow, with nimble legs and feet, able to traverse mountains and rivers as if walking on flat ground."

Jin Chi was clearly intrigued and said, "May this old monk broaden his horizons?"

Li Fa laughed and said, "What's so difficult about that?"

Jinchi was overjoyed and immediately called out, "Please invite Abbot Fahai to the front courtyard to display his supernatural powers."