Black Journey to the West: The Imposter Star Lord

Chapter 22: Oh, another unlucky guy

The [Netherworld Enlightenment Technique] not only has the ability to enlighten the spirits from corpses, but also has the means to manipulate them.

After Cao Xing led the scarred Taoist priest out of the cave, he gestured to Bixia to dig up the things Zhang Feiyu had promised them.

He sat down on the rock, scrutinized the Taoist priest before him, and asked, "What is your name?"

"Shangfangguan, Li Zhen."

Li Zhen's face was cold, his gaze also sweeping over Cao Xing. After a moment, he softened his tone and said, "I have no grudge against you. If you are willing to release me, everything can be discussed."

"Discuss?" Cao Xing sneered. "How can we discuss a blood feud?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhen felt more relaxed. After Cao Xing said those words, he knew that the person in front of him was a true rogue cultivator, and that he had not been cultivating for very long.

That's good, it's actually more convenient this way.

Li Zhen's expression became increasingly relaxed as he said to Cao Xing, "It seems you do not have a sect. Very well, I will have a good talk with you. There are many battles among cultivators, and the destruction of physical bodies is a common occurrence. As long as the true spirit does not dissipate, you can naturally possess another body after returning to your sect."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xing's heart skipped a beat.

In that instant, he thought of the Yellow Robe Monster, Bai Yao, and the monsters in the Wave Moon Cave.

My mind immediately went blank.

Even an ordinary cultivator, not particularly skilled, could possess another body and be reborn; that yellow-robed monster…

No, the Yellow Robe Monster's primordial spirit was shattered by his own Golden Light Ring, so he couldn't possibly be reborn!

He had personally witnessed the Yellow Robe Monster's primordial spirit dissipate before his very eyes.

Can……

He is a god after all.

Cao Xing's mind grew increasingly chaotic, but his expression remained remarkably calm as he stared at Li Zhen: "Is it really that simple?"

"Of course... no. To have my sect help me possess another body and be reborn, I would naturally need to pay a price. However, I am an apprentice disciple of the Three Mysterious True Persons of the Upper Temple, and I was assigned here to preach and spread the Dao, demonstrating the Daoist magic and supernatural powers of my Upper Temple..."

Li Zhen was only halfway through his sentence when he noticed Cao Xing's impatience showing out of the corner of his eye. He quickly dropped his high-sounding platitudes and said bluntly:

"I've made a lot of money here over the years, and I've made quite a bit of money for my master and the Shangfang Temple. With this contribution, it won't be difficult for my master to help me return to the world of the living."

"Oh." Cao Xing nodded, then said, "Could you tell me about the Shangfang Temple?"

They've taken the bait!

Li Zhen wasn't afraid of Cao Xing asking questions; he was afraid of Cao Xing not asking. For these rogue cultivators, a sect like Shangfang Temple was something they could only look up to.

I only need to briefly explain the benefits of the sect, and I'm not afraid this kid won't take the bait.

With that in mind, Li Zhen began to talk about the Shangfang Temple.

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know, but my Shangfang Temple is a branch of the Quanzhen lineage of Zhongnan Mountain. We worship the Three Pure Ones, and our ancestor, the Shangfang True Man, is even more powerful, possessing the power to control the Five Thunders and summon wind and rain. He is now the national teacher of Wuji Kingdom and has become sworn brothers with the king, holding a highly respected position."

Upon hearing this, Cao Xing suddenly realized what was going on.

It was him!

The Lion-like Monster, also known as the Lion King or Lion Demon King, is the blue-maned lion that is the mount of Manjushri Bodhisattva.

The original story says that he transformed into a Taoist priest, pushed the king into a well, and then became the king himself, seizing control of the Wuji Kingdom.

Cao Xing thought to himself, "Another unlucky guy."

Why do I say that? What do other demons do when they descend to the mortal realm?

Of course, we should be the ancestors.

Even someone like the Yellow Robe Monster, who hides in a remote mountain valley and cultivates in seclusion, still managed to snatch Princess Baihua Xiu as his wife and drive her around day and night, wishing he could stand up and step on the gas.

But what about this lion demon?

What did he do after becoming king? He neither abused his power nor engaged in cannibalism or rebellion.

He actually governed the country diligently and successfully, making Wuji Kingdom a resounding success. Crucially, he didn't even touch the king's beautiful queen.

The original story says that this guy was a castrated lion, and before he descended to the mortal world, he was cut by Manjushri Bodhisattva.

In the end, he was beaten up by Sun Wukong. If Manjushri Bodhisattva hadn't intervened in time, he would have been killed by the monkey.

What kind of spirit is this?

Pure cattle and horses, no, even purer than cattle and horses.

Imagine your boss assigns you to work in another city, not only without pay, but also, to prevent you from using the guise of a business trip to secretly engage in sexual activity, he wants you to cut yourself first. What would you do in that situation?

If it were Cao Xing, he would definitely swing a keyboard and smash it in his face.

Unfortunately, this is the world of Journey to the West, where there are no keyboards. Even if there were, the lion demon wouldn't have the guts.

wrong!

At this moment, Cao Xing suddenly frowned: "At this time, that unlucky guy shouldn't have descended to the mortal realm yet."

Cao Xing thought about it carefully. In the original text, the lion spirit only descended to the mortal world for three years, which corresponds to the three-year flood calamity of the King of Wuji Kingdom.

The Journey to the West project probably hasn't officially started yet, and the Quanzhen Master in the Shangfang Temple is probably not the Lion Demon yet.

"Fellow Daoist!!"

Seeing that Cao Xing remained silent, Li Zhen assumed that he was already awestruck by the sect world he had described.

Cao Xing looked up, and Li Zhen smiled warmly at him: "I see that you have already reached the fifth level of Qi Refining. It is truly not easy for a rogue cultivator to reach this level. If you are willing to make peace with me, then..."

After saying that, Li Zhen seemed to remember something and quickly added, "If we calculate the time, the beginning of next month is the time when my Shangfang Temple will open its gates to accept disciples. At that time, I can introduce you to the sect. With your strength, you will definitely receive the true teachings upon entering the sect, and you will have no problem establishing your foundation in the future."

Li Zhen's attitude was sincere, and his earnest gaze almost made Cao Xing believe him.

"Then... I'll have to trouble you, fellow Daoist."

Cao Xing cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards Li Zhen, an attitude that instantly made Li Zhen straighten his back, about to say something.

Suddenly, he felt a chill from behind. He turned around and saw Zhang Feiyu standing behind him.

Zhang Feiyu grinned, pressed his body against Li Zhen, and said to Cao Xing with a red glint in his eyes, "Don't worry about me."

"you!!"

Li Zhen's expression changed drastically. He wanted to say something, but Cao Xing pointed his finger and used the Netherworld Enlightenment Technique. Li Zhen's soul turned ice-cold, and he couldn't utter a single word. He could only watch helplessly as Zhang Feiyu dragged him into the cave.

"younger brother!"

At this moment, Bixia walked over, carrying a package in her hand.

Cao Xing took the package and opened it to find a bright yellow scripture and a bracelet inside.

After he enlightened Zhang Feiyu, Zhang Feiyu told them that the so-called reward was nothing but a pretext and a trap, and that his father and son's fate was a warning from the past.

However, Zhang Feiyu also hoped that Cao Xing and the others could help him take revenge, and the reward would be these two items.

According to Zhang Feiyu, both of these items are family secrets that are not passed down to him.

The book is called the "Five Viscera and Six Brightness Scriptures". This extraordinary scripture was accidentally found on a stone wall by their ancestors. This method is very unique. It does not require a lot of resources. It can be successfully cultivated with just diligent practice. Once cultivated, the spirits in the five viscera will naturally emerge and transform into five treasure talismans. Each treasure talisman can not only enhance one's own strength, but also has unique abilities.

The bracelet is called the "Magnetic Light Black Essence Ring." Although it is a low-grade magic artifact, it is also a family heirloom.

If it weren't for these two items as payment, Cao Xing wouldn't have rashly gotten involved in this mess. At most, he would have left as soon as possible, since they had already killed the bone demon that Li Zhen had raised, and the enmity had already been formed.

In fact, Li Zhen had indeed been waiting for them to walk into his trap at the county government office. Otherwise, how could Master Hu, the clerk in front of the county government office, have concluded that they had already eliminated the bone demon without even asking them a question?

Thinking of this, Cao Xing suddenly turned his gaze to Li Zhen's corpse.

"By the way, Li Zhen should have some stock on him too, right?"

Cao Xing realized that he had been in such a hurry that he hadn't had time to touch the corpse yet.

Since Li Zhen had planned to kill me long ago, he must have made thorough preparations and must have some valuable items on him.

Thinking of this, Cao Xing immediately pounced on Li Zhen's corpse and began to carefully search it up and down. Sure enough, there were quite a few things there.

A bottle of Spirit Essence Pills, a low-grade magic weapon [Ice Soul Flying Knife], and three silver notes, totaling three hundred taels of silver.

Then, reaching into his sleeve, Cao Xing actually found a pocket. He casually pulled out an iron plate.

Cao Xing squinted and looked closely, and saw that the iron plate clearly had five characters written on it: "Five Thunder Orthodox Decree".