Journey to the West: The Great Sage's Guide

Chapter 9 The Cicada Sheds Its Shell

The sword flashed and instantly split apart.

The monkey squeaked and stepped forward to block the way.

The sound of metal clashing against stone rang out. Although the monkey had a head of bronze and arms of iron and was born with superhuman strength, it was still knocked back by the magic power contained in the magic sword.

The monkey was injured, but then it remembered that its human brother was right behind it.

It didn't care about anything else; its beard and hair stood on end, and its eyes were bloodshot.

He lunged at them with a ferocious, madness.

Zhong Xuan, standing behind him, wanted to remind the monkey not to panic, as his brother was already incredibly powerful.

His avatar, by borrowing a green leaf from his ancestor, had already reached the realm of immortals, achieving immortality in one step.

But seeing that it was too late, I stopped arguing.

At this moment, the mountain god's avatar's gaze sharpened, and everything around him slowed down.

The sword lights that were splitting and thrusting towards them also slowed down.

This innate immortal body, transformed from Qingye, truly lives up to the great divine power of the patriarch.

At this moment, he held the seal in his hand, and all the information in his mind appeared.

Position: Mountain God of Cuiyun Mountain

Buddhist name: Tai Xuanzi

True cultivation level: Early stage of Human Immortal

Cleric Rank: Seventh Grade

Divine Authority: Houtu/Three Realms Mountains and Rivers Division/West Niuhe Continent·Mountain and Lake Division

Divine status: Normal

Mountain God's Powers: Controlling the earth's veins, controlling water veins, commanding living beings, and governing ghostly affairs.

1. Manipulating Earth's Veins: Limited to the Cuiyun Mountain area, affected by the strength of one's divine soul.

II. Manipulating Water Veins: Limited to the Cuiyun Mountain area, affected by the strength of one's divine soul.

3. Commanding Living Beings: Limited to living beings within the territory of Cuiyun Mountain/and those originating from Cuiyun Mountain.

IV. Governing Ghostly Matters: Limited to beings within the territory of Cuiyun Mountain and those originating from Cuiyun Mountain.

There are also records of things like incense offerings and merits... but now they are all blank.

The flying sword in front of them was very strong; even though Brother Monkey wasn't injured, he couldn't withstand its power.

As his mentor, it's time for him to stand up and protect this person.

"You have overstepped your bounds."

Zhong Xuan spoke slowly, extending a finger.

To the old Taoist's disbelief, a stream of earthy yellow light rose from the ground and spread to the other person's ankles, knees, waist, shoulders, arms and fingers.

The Righteous One's Demon-Slaying Divine Sword attempted to pierce the evil inch by inch, but its magical power was rapidly being depleted.

But even when it finally collapsed, that finger still had some strength left.

He was at least at the Human Immortal realm!

The old Taoist priest, who was pointing his sword at his fingertips, trembled, and his eyes finally showed despair.

This was a sword move he used to drain his last drop of vital energy; anyone below the level of a Human Immortal could not withstand it, yet it was blocked by his opponent.

Ordinary people must first guide qi into their bodies, and then refine a breath of innate qi to build a foundation.

If the three flowers converge at the Baihui acupoint at the top of the head in the future, one can be called a True Person.

If one then infuses the spirit body with the Five Elements, one can be called a wandering immortal cultivator.

If one can survive the tribulation of thunder, fire, and wind that occurs once every five hundred years, one can be called a true immortal.

If you go any higher, you'll be attaining the Dao Fruit, which is the extremely high Golden Immortal realm.

The old Taoist priest was now in despair.

He was only at the Three Flowers True Person realm, how could he possibly contend with a Five Qi Immortal?

The opponent's fingertip emitted an almost wasteful surge of magical power!

No skills? No supernatural powers or magic?

That's no longer necessary; simply using magic to suppress oneself is sufficient.

The old Taoist priest suddenly felt both despair and intense hatred!

He was clearly a human immortal who had achieved perfect harmony of the five elements, and he was only waiting to overcome one round of the three calamities to become a true immortal!

Why would someone who is so close to achieving immortality compete with him for the position of mountain god?

Just then, the monkey came over in anger and raised its fist.

With a single punch, the old Taoist's jade pendant suddenly glowed, forming a protective shield, and his magical power surged.

"You can't kill me!"

The old Taoist priest finally realized what was happening and shouted in terror, "I am a member of the Zhang family of Longhu Mountain! I am a direct descendant of the Three Pure Ones! I have the entire Celestial Master's Mansion behind me!"

But the monkeys don't care!

Bang, bang, bang! One punch after another, each more powerful than the last, as if trying to smash this murderous scoundrel to death!

In the old Taoist's eyes, the new mountain god was adapting to the position with an astonishing level of understanding.

Zhong Xuan quickly sensed that something was wrong.

Although the surrounding earth energy is being constantly drawn in by the mountain god's seal to suppress the intruders in the temple.

But when he tried to manipulate the earth's veins, he felt a stagnation, as if countless hands were vying for power with him—only now, his magical power was overwhelming, temporarily suppressing the stagnation.

Zhong Xuan, unhurriedly distracted, asked again, "Although this place belongs to Xiniuhezhou, it has closer ties with Nanzhanbuzhou because of its proximity to the Western Sea... However, the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction is probably only nominal. Can your Celestial Master's Mansion really extend its reach to Dongsheng and Nanzhanbuzhou?"

Upon hearing this, the old Taoist's eyes widened.

"You, which sect or faction do you belong to!"

After asking his question, the old Taoist noticed the protective magic of his jade pendant was rapidly decreasing. He exclaimed urgently, "Quickly tell this beast to stop! Otherwise, you, the Green Cloud Mountain God, won't have much peace for long! My purpose here isn't simply to prolong my life, but rather..."

That one sentence caused trouble.

The mountain god's incarnation's eyes suddenly changed from gentle to calm, as if a thought had crossed his mind.

With the Mountain God Seal in his hand, which resembled a magical artifact or an artificial intelligence from his previous life, he used the power of the Mountain God to mobilize the earth's veins and his own immense human immortal power as the driving force. Unlike those weak beings sealed by Yin spirits who need to rely on incense to exert their power, this was one of the greatest advantages of a living person being deified.

"Stop talking. I can't stand these conspiracies and schemes right now, and I shouldn't listen to them."

Zhong Xuan's mind was extremely decisive, and his magical power surged forth, just like a mortal throwing a punch with all his might.

In the blink of an eye, a large amount of yellow light surged from the ground and slammed into the old Taoist's feet.

With another powerful slam from the monkey, the protective aura finally vanished.

Just one more smash.

What a mischievous monkey king!

He punched the old Taoist priest's head into a mangled mess, leaving his head and face covered in filth.

The monkey's angry and violent expression subsided somewhat, and it regained a little clarity.

"Brother Ren!"

The monkey was startled and quickly jumped back.

"It's nothing serious. There's a stream behind the temple, let's go wash up there."

Zhong Xuan smiled and invited the monkey to go.

The mountain god incarnation who remained took out the Zhengyi Demon-Slaying Sword from the old Taoist's corpse, and then took out a bundle containing a small amount of gold and silver, a passbook, a booklet of various experiences of the mountain god communicating with the Heavenly Court, and the cultivation method of the Demon-Slaying Sword.

The Demon-Slaying Sword among them was thus given the opportunity to be refined.

Otherwise, the mountain god, now incarnated as a human immortal with cultivation and magical power, could only suppress people with force.

It's still strong, but it's too wasteful of mana.

Zhong Xuan buried the body in the peach grove behind the temple before leisurely returning to the temple, as if he had just gone out to throw away some trash.

"By the way, the range of the mountain god's authority that I sensed earlier..."

Zhong Xuan closed his eyes and began to sense things carefully again.

Logically speaking, now that he is the revered God of Cuiyun Mountain, he should be in charge of the mountains and rivers, control all spirits, and manipulate ghostly affairs, with the duty of ensuring peace and protecting the people.

However, when the divine thought sank into the Mountain God Seal, what appeared in the lake of the mind was not the entire Emerald Cloud Mountain.

The range of vision that his mountain god authority could "illuminate" was only within a hundred meters around him.

This is clearly abnormal; the scope of authority has been greatly compressed.

It even sensed that the manipulation of the earth's veins had been severed, which must be due to the restrictive effect of the array.

Who did this? It must have been either a demon from this mountain or a wandering immortal cultivator.

Any mountain god that descends from the sky must remain blind and deaf until his death.

"No wonder..."

Zhong Xuan suddenly understood the patriarch's intention: Cuiyun Mountain must be regarded as this world.

If he cannot still be a good mountain god under various restrictions, how can he convince the patriarch that he can guide the monkey to become Wukong, and that he can grow into a giant tree that proves the Dao and becomes a saint under the supervision of the Three Pure Ones and all the immortals and Buddhas in the sky, and pass on the Dao lineage?

The Celestial Master's Mansion is home to wandering cultivators, demons, and a mysterious woodcutter.

He fell into deep thought.

Meanwhile, some eyes also quietly descended upon the vicinity of the mountain god temple.

Behind the temple was a wild peach grove. It was late autumn, and most of the leaves had fallen, revealing bare branches.

A stream flows through the woods, its waters gurgling and crystal clear.

The monkey cheered and jumped into the water, frantically scrubbing off the bloodstains.

Zhong Xuan squatted by the stream and scooped up water to wash his face.

The coolness seeped into my skin, making me feel more awake.

He looked up into the depths of the peach grove, his gaze slightly narrowed.

On the ground covered with withered leaves, he vaguely sensed something.

Lingering resentment, a faint stench of blood, and long-buried bones.

The successive mountain gods of this mountain temple probably all died in this vicinity.

Some were killed by demons, some by humans, and some didn't even have their remains collected.

Zhong Xuan looked away and continued washing his face.

Once the monkey had finished washing, he stood up and prepared to leave.

However, a figure appeared on the other side of the stream.

The axe that had been casually removed gleamed with a chilling light in the sunlight.

Zhong Xuan greeted him with a smile, "Brother Qiao, what a coincidence!"

The woodcutter washed his hands: "What's wrong, young layman? Aren't you leaving yet?"

Zhong Xuan said meaningfully, "I didn't expect there to be a real mountain god in the mountain god temple. I feel much more at ease now. I want to build a hermitage here and become a wandering cultivator, but I have no idea how to get started. I wonder if Brother Qiao, who has lived here for a long time, could recommend a few things?"

The woodcutter laughed and said, "Perfect timing! If you take the path leading east ahead, with the bamboo grove as your guide, you'll reach a banana grove in less than ten miles. That's the closest fellow traveler to you; you can pay them a visit."

Zhong Xuan seemed to be deep in thought, and was fairly certain that the owner of the cave was still the Rakshasa woman.

"Thank you for your guidance, Brother Qiao." He replied, then drifted away with the monkey.

The woodcutter watched the other person leave, but frowned and turned his gaze toward the temple.

"Did I misjudge him? Or is he just a rogue cultivator?"

After the woodcutter left, several pairs of sinister, greedy eyes appeared near the temple, staring intently at it.

"No matter who it is, there are still more than twenty days until the Heavenly Court's once-in-a-century test. The mountain god of this place will also test the merits of the incense offerings. If he is trapped here and cannot accumulate any surplus merits, he will be derelict in his duty."

"Then we will swarm forward and devour the divine body!"

"Naturally, those who wish to use the divine authority of mountains and rivers are all useless and pose no threat whatsoever."

"Those who achieve immortality have already attained eternal life, yet they do not jeopardize their own future!"

Zhong Xuan and the monkey, who had not gone far, noticed the latter's ears twitch.

It leaned closer and whispered to its brother about the day it had overheard.

Zhong Xuan smiled and gently stroked the monkey's head: "Let them gnaw on it. If they can chew it up, then I'll admit defeat. But luckily we left early. Let's leave our old man there and attract attention from all sides—we'll pull off a clever escape!"

"It's a good opportunity to slip away and do some good deeds for the old man, so that we can break this caged bird's death trap on Cuiyun Mountain."

A few miles east of the temple, there is a small, secluded valley with a wide view and a vibrant spiritual atmosphere.

He sat down happily and instructed the monkey, "Brother Monkey, please protect me for a while. I need to see how this ancient cultivator cultivates. I must first refine a trace of magical power so that I don't fall behind the incarnation."

The monkey also liked the spiritual energy of this place. Upon hearing this, it did a somersault and immediately ran to a high place. It covered its eyebrows with its hands, looking around, so agile and earnest.

Zhong Xuan smiled, took out the ancient book again, and carefully examined its profound meaning.