From Under One Person: Sincere Journey Through the Heavens

"..."

There was nothing we could do.

The king, unwilling to cause trouble, ordered seven large yellow sedan chairs to be brought out, covered with umbrellas, and invited Jiang Liu to take the seat. He also ordered fifty-six imperial guards to carry the sedan chairs.

Meanwhile, inside the newly built Huguo Baoling Temple, Pigsy heard the little novice calling him. He went out of the temple gate and saw Jiang Liu returning in a sedan chair. He laughed loudly, "Brother, you still love to play tricks as much as you did five hundred years ago!"

"What do you mean 500 years ago? I'm not Sun Wukong."

Jiang Liu smiled and ordered Ba Jing and the others who came out a step behind to bring out the black fish spirit and the catfish monster.

Upon seeing the fish-headed, human-bodied monster, the Imperial Guards were terrified, but seeing that their collarbones had been pierced, they mustered their courage and asked, "Are they the thieves who stole the national treasure?"

"They are the demons left behind by the bandit leader to guard the tower," Jiang Liu said without hiding anything.

The Imperial Guard suddenly realized what was happening and bowed again, saying, "Please take a seat, sir."

"No rush, I still have six Daoist companions to go see the king with."

After saying that, Jiang Liu joked with Bajie, Bajing, Huyuan, Hujue, Luzhen, and Pingping, "Hurry up and get in the sedan chair! Let's all be honored guests of the emperor!"

“Brother, this time you’ve really ‘helped’ us.”

Bajie laughed heartily, and together with Bajing, Huyuan, Hujue, Pingping, and Liangluzhen, they each got into a sedan chair and were carried to the palace.

This is precisely:

Persistence is the way to cultivate oneself; relaxation of body and mind is the way to control oneself. Having passed the three gates to the top of the head, the Qi and strength unite and circulate throughout the body.

When the Zhou Tian Tong (circular energy flow) is achieved, the Yang Qiao (energy points) open, and the umbrella-like canopy covers the top of the head, preventing outward flow. Only when the practice is complete and the nine orifices move can one truly understand the power of creation and the primordial energy.

That's how it is.

The seven people sat in sedan chairs, escorted by the Imperial Guards, driving the black fish demon and the catfish monster towards the palace.

Inside the imperial court.

When the king saw the black fish spirit and the catfish monster, he panicked, but he forced himself to remain calm and questioned them, "Did you two steal our national treasures?"

"Your Majesty, spare us! It wasn't us who stole it, it was our king who stole it!"

The two fish monsters dared not conceal the truth and revealed the story of the Nine-Headed Insect stealing the treasure: "Five hundred years ago, your country's Buddhist treasures were stolen once, but they were recovered by the pilgrims who went on their pilgrimage. They killed the entire family of the Ten Thousand Saints Dragon of the Azure Wave Pool, drove away the Nine-Headed Insect, and captured the Dragon Granny, binding her inside the pagoda to guard the Buddhist treasures..."

Five hundred years later, the nine-headed worm returned, resorting to its old tricks, unleashing a rain of blood, killing the dragon woman, and stealing the Buddhist treasure...

Five hundred years ago, we were his trusted confidants. Hearing that the chosen one was heading west, he feared that he would cause trouble when he passed through Jisa Kingdom. So he had us guard the pagoda. If we heard the slightest disturbance in the city, we were to go back and report so that he could close the gates of the Wansheng Dragon Palace, so that no matter how capable the chosen one was, he would not be able to enter and would have to leave.

We were arrested before we could even go back to report.

The civil and military officials of the court were incredulous, never imagining that the story that had been passed down for five hundred years was actually true.

The blackfish lost its ears, and the catfish lost its lower lip; it was indeed the work of the legendary Monkey King.

But now!

They seemed to be experiencing the story firsthand!

Truly wondrous!

The king asked, "The black fish spirit is Benboerba, and the catfish spirit is Baboerben, isn't that right?"

"Yes Yes Yes!"

"Benbo'erba, Babo'erben," how could these two little demons dare to deny it? They kowtowed repeatedly, begging for their lives.

“You were accomplices of that nine-headed worm five hundred years ago, and you are aiding and abetting evil again five hundred years later. How can we forgive you again?”

The king roared, "Guards! Drag these two fish out and behead them!"

"Spare me! Spare me!"

Benboerba, Baboerben cried out loudly, but no one pleaded for him. In the end, he was dragged to the execution ground and cleaved in two with a single stroke, turning into a black fish and a catfish.

Pitiful--

He cultivated a demon core hidden within his body, and transformed into a human form to guard the tower.

In the end, he was still cold-blooded; a hundred years of arduous cultivation was all in vain.

This is the end.

The king recognized Jiang Liu's instincts and drafted an edict to return the white robes to the monks of Fulong Temple. He also hosted a banquet for the seven people, ordering the imperial kitchen to prepare countless delicacies from land and sea, which made the civil and military officials' mouths water. Hu Yuan, Hu Jue, Bajie, Bajing, and Lu Zhenping all ate quite a lot, while Jiang Liu only drank a few cups of vegetarian wine as a side dish.

Seeing that he ate very little, the king asked somewhat nervously, "Master, are you not interested in this delicious food?"

"That's not the case. I've been cultivating for so long, living on wind and dew, and I feel refreshed and light-hearted. I rarely eat anything from the mortal world," Jiang Liu said with a smile.

"What a highly accomplished master!"

The king was overjoyed and wanted to appoint Jiang Liu as his royal advisor.

Jiang Liu refused, saying, "His Majesty sees that I have supernatural powers and can distinguish right from wrong, so he appoints me as the national advisor. Isn't that a sign of discrimination?"

As the ancients said:

To be a king is to be a ruler!

As the ruler, one should treat everyone equally.

I have never taken the imperial examinations, so I am not a scholar and do not understand the way of governing a country; I have never joined the army, so I am not a soldier and have not made any contribution to the Kingdom of Jisa.

He merely used tricks and supernatural powers to reason with His Majesty and clear the names of the innocent monks in Fulong Temple.

If someone were to become the imperial advisor based solely on this, the world would likely descend into chaos!

The civil and military officials who accompanied him to the banquet all exclaimed that Jiang Liu was a virtuous immortal, not a demon who used magic, and they all admired him greatly.

The banquet lasted for three weeks.

The king asked his officials, "Who would like to go to the Jade Pool, exterminate the Nine-Headed Insect, and retrieve our country's Buddhist treasure?"

In an instant.

Civil and military officials all cowered in fear.

They are just ordinary people, how dare they fight against monsters?

"Is no one willing?"

The king lamented.

Immediately, a minister said, "Your Majesty, since Elder Guyue has captured Benboerba and Baboerben, he must also possess supernatural powers. Why not ask them to subdue the demon?"

Upon hearing this, the king was overjoyed, yet also apprehensive, and asked Jiang Liu, "Master, are you willing to subdue the demon?"

"It is our duty to subdue demons and monsters, and there is nothing wrong with it."

Jiang Liu laughed, "But that nine-headed worm has nine heads, and we only have seven people at most, so it's barely enough to deal with him alone."

Moreover, since he lives in the Wansheng Dragon Palace, he must have many shrimp soldiers and crab generals.

We need Your Majesty to send troops to assist us.

"it is good!"

The king was overjoyed and immediately bestowed upon Jiang Liu the tiger tally, granting him command of 30,000 soldiers...

Chapter 1518 The Nine Apertures of Heaven and Earth Give Birth to Life

“Brother, the king has given us 30,000 troops, and the tiger tally is in our hands. If we harbor ill intentions, wouldn’t we be causing the kingdom of Jisai to fall into the wrong hands?”

Once outside the city, Pigsy grinned.

“It is also because that king is foolish,” Ba Jing said bluntly, “because if any wise monarch were to so easily grant the tiger tally to another person?”

It is only because they had no desire for the throne of Jisa Kingdom that the emperor would have changed hands long ago!

"Brother Yuanjue, why did you ask the king to send troops?"

Pingping asked about this matter.

With their abilities, it would only take them a day or two to wipe out the monsters in the Azure Pool, so why would they need to ask the king for soldiers?

"Firstly, if I help the Kingdom of Jisa retrieve its national treasure, I will have rendered meritorious service. At that time, the king will appoint me as the national advisor, and it will be difficult for him to refuse."

Jiang Liu held up three fingers. "Secondly, although the king is incompetent, how innocent are the people in the country? This campaign against Bibo Pool will hone the skills of these 30,000 soldiers. Otherwise, how can they protect their homeland?"

We are merely practitioners; we can save them for a time, but how can we save them for a lifetime?

It is better to teach people to fish than to teach people.

Thirdly.

The nine-headed worm's true form is indeed extraordinary; I must give it my all.

Upon hearing this, Pigsy was filled with doubt and surprise: "Is the Nine-Headed Insect really that powerful? Back then, even though it was my eldest brother and Erlang Shen who worked together to drive him away, they didn't use many supernatural powers to get rid of him!"

"In terms of martial arts, that Nine-Headed Insect was indeed not very powerful back then. Only its true form was terrifying. But those two fish monsters said when they were drinking in the tower that the Nine-Headed Insect's true form was not a bird, but a nine-headed dragon. Do you know why?" Jiang Liu asked in return.

Why?

Pigsy was puzzled.

"The term 'insect' does not refer to insects or worms, but rather to a category. There are five types of insects in the world: scaled, naked, furry, feathered, and insect-like. The nine-headed insect can be a nine-headed bird, a nine-headed dragon, or a nine-headed lion, etc."

Jiang Liu revealed the true nature of the Nine-Headed Insect: "The human body has nine orifices, each containing Yin Qi. If you want to cultivate a body of pure Yang, you need to refine that Yin Qi. But if you want to cultivate the primordial Qi, you need Yin and Yang to be in harmony and complete in creation."

Heaven and earth also have nine orifices.

The nine-headed insect was a strange creature conceived from the nine orifices of heaven and earth. Perhaps because it was tainted with some phoenix energy when it was born, it appeared in the world in the form of a bird, and it also considered itself a strange bird.

But now its true form is that of a dragon, likely because it has realized the origin of its true nature. Its true form can freely transform among the five types of insects—scaled, naked, furry, feathered, and unicorn—and all of them are nine-headed, unique species!

Bajie and Bajing were dumbfounded.

Hu Yuanhu found it hard to believe.

Lu Zhenping was dumbfounded.

Everything in the world can become a spirit or a monster, but I never thought that there would be such a mysterious and strange creature in the world, which was actually transformed from the yin energy of the nine orifices of heaven and earth.

Jiang Liu continued, "It is probably because I comprehended the Great Dao in the cycle of reincarnation that the Nine-Headed Insect also sensed something from the Heavenly Dao in the darkness, and thus was able to see through the true nature of things."

"That nine-headed insect doesn't have the Primordial Purple Qi, so its primordial spirit can't be entrusted to the Heavenly Dao. How can it comprehend the Heavenly Dao?" Pigsy asked in surprise and doubt.

"Hey, you idiot, you've already achieved the initial stage of Golden Core, how come you don't know the true meaning of the Heavenly Dao?"