Chapter 661: Meeting a Kindred Spirit in a Foreign Land, Finding an Old Friend Far from Home

King Li finally breathed a sigh of relief. Within the Celestial Court, Gongsun Xuanyuan was second only to the Four Sovereigns, after all. He was the Yellow Emperor who had ascended to heaven riding a dragon from the ancestral court, revered by generations, and the incense offerings to him were even more abundant than those to the Four Sovereigns.

It was only because he was not a deity who governed the Great Dao that his cultivation of the Dao was slightly inferior to theirs.

As long as a Great Luo Gold Immortal did not come here in person, there was no way they could be his match.

If a Great Luo Gold Immortal came in person, then the Great Celestial Venerable and the other Celestial Court powerhouses would surely act themselves.

“This time, the Great Celestial Venerable must be trying to teach those immortals a lesson, to keep them from going too far,”

King Li thought. “It’s just that I was the bait, and I nearly lost my life.”

Gongsun Xuanyuan said, “Daoist friend, you still must not let down your guard. The Ni Li Sacred Tree is an enormous temptation to the immortals. There’s no telling whether more pursuers will lie in wait ahead.”

The temptation of the Ni Li Sacred Tree was simply too great.

With the Ni Li Sacred Tree, one would no longer need to worry about Opening the Calamity. One could even break away from the Three Purities’ lineage, establish an independent sect, and gather the immortals who needed to undergo Tribulation Crossing, forming a major faction of one’s own.

Though it could not compare to the Three Purities Heaven or Western Heaven, it would still be a force to be reckoned with!

This temptation was worth a Great Luo Gold Immortal taking a risk for.

The two walked side by side toward the Celestial Court.

With Xuanyuan by his side, King Li felt much more at ease.

“His Majesty Xuanyuan, now that I no longer have my Exquisite Pagoda, I fear my son may come after me. I beg Your Majesty to protect me,” King Li said.

Xuanyuan smiled. “Daoist friend, you’ve rendered meritorious service this time. Why fear the Great Deity of the Three Altars Sea Assembly? Rest assured. The Great Celestial Venerable won’t stand by and let your son kill you.”

Despite his words, King Li remained uneasy.

Back then, as a father, he had forced the Great Deity of the Three Altars Sea Assembly to cut his flesh to repay his mother and carve his bones to repay his father when he was young, until he took his own life before Chentang Pass. Later, after the Great Deity of the Three Altars Sea Assembly became a deity, he never forgot the matter. Whenever he saw King Li, he sought revenge, determined to make his old father taste the pain of having his flesh cut and bones carved.

At the time, Ancient Buddha Burning Lamp was still a Daoist and King Li’s master. He had given him the Exquisite Pagoda for protection. All these years, King Li had relied on that treasure to avoid dying at the hands of the Great Deity of the Three Altars Sea Assembly.

Now that the Exquisite Pagoda was gone, King Li feared the Great Deity of the Three Altars Sea Assembly would come for revenge.

What was more, the Great Celestial Venerable had ordered him to take Chen Shi’s life and turn him into a Celestial Way Divine Being, yet he had let Chen Shi go. It was clear that his meritorious service would likely be greatly diminished. Whether the Great Celestial Venerable would protect him was still anyone’s guess.

While he was still fretting, Chen Shi had already arrived by star raft at the ferry for Western Heaven White Tiger Heavenly Palace, where the Western Heaven Golden Emperor resided.

The Western Heaven Golden Emperor was one of the Five Elders of the Five Directions. The Golden Emperor was also called the White Emperor, the Shaohao Emperor, and the Gold Heaven Lord. He was a deity with boundless divine power, commanding countless divine generals. He had established Western Heaven White Tiger Heavenly Palace, and under him served a hundred thousand heavenly soldiers and generals. He governed the myriad worlds of Western Heaven.

When Chen Shi arrived at Western Heaven Palace, he saw that its heavenly palaces were even more expansive than the Celestial Court’s, and open to all. There were no four gates to the east, south, west, and north, and immortals and deities could come and go as they pleased.

Even more unusual, the heavenly palace had Celestial Streets and markets, alchemy towers, painting towers, workshops, sundry goods pavilions, and treasure pavilions everywhere. There were even restaurants, teahouses, and pleasure quarters, places that catered to appetite and desire.

The place was filled with the bustle of mortal life. It didn’t seem like the immortal realm at all, but rather like the mortal world.

Chen Shi had been to the Celestial Court. It was too high and majestic, and its people were often figures of great authority, making the place feel cold and unapproachable.

He had also been to the Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace in the mysterious yellow sea. It was saturated with the scent of rouge and powder. The female immortals there composed poetry and indulged in literary pursuits. The place was too feminine, lacking in masculine vigor and any hint of the vulgar bustle of the mortal world.

Western Heaven Palace was different.

Chen Shi even saw many cultivators running to and fro through the streets and alleys, some flying on swords in every direction. The place was bustling with activity.

It felt much closer to the human world.

There were many temple buildings in Western Heaven Palace, and monks, Bodhisattvas, Vajras, and arhats could be seen coming and going among them.

Chen Shi looked around a few times and thought, “This is Western Heaven Palace, probably quite close to Buddhist Sect’s Western Heaven, so it has Buddhist sanctuaries too. The White Emperor doesn’t seem to restrict the monks from preaching.”

Since this involved a struggle for incense offerings, there must certainly be open and covert conflict. He had only just arrived, so he couldn’t see the fighting beneath the surface.

After asking his way around, Chen Shi arrived at Kui Mulang Star Lord’s residence and said to the immortal guarding the entrance, “Please go in and announce my arrival. Tell him his nephew-disciple from Golden Turtle Island requests an audience.”

The immortal went inside to deliver the message. A little while later, he returned and invited Chen Shi into the residence.

Before long, a man of elegant appearance, striking bearing, and rakish charm came out, smiling. “Nephew-disciple Chen, how have you been? Your performance in the battle in the great Ni Li World, wielding my avatar, was truly spectacular!”

This man was Kui Mulang Star Lord, surnamed Li and named Xiong. He was a third-generation disciple under the Sage of the Great Shattering. During the battle in the great Ni Li World, Chen Shi had activated the Star-Gathering Platform and summoned the deities, including him.

He should have been an avatar. Though his strength was considerable, it was not outrageously powerful, only equivalent to a Celestial Immortal’s cultivation.

Chen Shi saluted him. “This disciple feels uneasy about presumptuously asking Martial Uncle to join the battle. I’ve come especially to apologize.”

Kui Mulang laughed heartily. “You’re too polite, my boy! We deities, even if we’re the Jade Emperor or the Great Celestial Venerable, still have to descend and be at people’s beck and call whenever someone offers us a stick of incense. You made good use of me, excellent use! I’ve never fought side by side with the Jade Emperor, Great Celestial Venerable before. Being wielded by you was a wish fulfilled!”

He laughed aloud, clearly quite pleased with himself.

During the battle in the great Ni Li World, the Jade Emperor, Great Celestial Venerable’s consciousness had descended, and the Four Sovereigns and Five Elders had come down with him. With all these leaders of the deities arriving, how could Star Lords like Kui Mulang dare stay away?

Fighting alongside the Jade Emperor, they had naturally given their all and swept everything before them. For Kui Mulang, it was an experience worth taking pride in.

After exchanging pleasantries, Chen Shi said, “Martial Uncle, I’d like to ask you about something. Do you know the Sanyuan World and the Tailai World?”

Kui Mulang paused, looking puzzled. “Why are you asking about those two worlds, my boy? They were destroyed long ago and are now filled with baleful qi. Some terrible things happened there back then, and their poison still lingers to this day.”

Chen Shi said, “I heard an immortal calamity happened there, so I’d like to take a look.”

“So you know about it too,” Kui Mulang said. “After the immortal calamity happened, the Great Celestial Venerable ordered an investigation. Heh, the inhabitants of several worlds were wiped out, and the Great Celestial Venerable was truly furious. I was also mobilized and sent there to search for clues, hoping to find some leads.

“I visited all those destroyed worlds. When we arrived, we found that the baleful qi had congealed and calamity’s fate had lingered for ages. They were no longer fit for habitation. As for traces of what happened, we couldn’t find much. We deities of the Celestial Way couldn’t solve it. Later, the Great Emperor of Eastern Peak, Yama, and the other earth deities stepped in and traced the cause through karma. Only then did they find the source.

“It had originally been the work of a Great Luo Gold Immortal, who had shifted his own calamity’s fate onto others and destroyed those worlds. You can go take a look if you like. For years now, many Buddhist disciples have been going there, trying to dispel the resentment.”

He told Chen Shi the locations of Sanyuan and Tailai, then said, “Besides those, there are the Wu Fang and Glassy Glaze Worlds. Of these, the Wu Fang World is closest to here. Many Buddhist disciples often go there too, hoping to refine away the baleful qi and miasma and improve their cultivation of the Dao. If you go there, my boy, you can board a ship at the ferry in Little Jade Pond.”

Chen Shi committed the directions to memory and thanked Kui Mulang.

“Having a sect behind you really does make things easier.”

After bidding Kui Mulang farewell, he went straight to the ferry at Little Jade Pond.

Little Jade Pond was built to imitate the Celestial Court’s Jade Pond. Though the word “Little” was in its name, it was actually an immense celestial sea formed by the confluence of the Heavenly River.

Chen Shi arrived at the ferry and asked whether there were any ships bound for Wu Fang. He spoke to many boatmen before finally finding a ship. Its fare was very high, ten times what it cost elsewhere.

Chen Shi paid the fare, but the boatman did not set sail immediately. Instead, he said, “We’ll have to wait and take on a few more passengers.”

Chen Shi sat down on the star raft and waited quietly.

Before long, several more monks and arhats came over and boarded the star raft.

Those monks seemed to be from different temples and didn’t know one another. They haggled with the boatman for a while, and he lowered the fare a little. Then he sneaked a glance at Chen Shi, afraid Chen Shi might notice and demand a lower price too.

Chen Shi saw it all but said nothing.

Just then, two more monks hurried over. From a distance, they called, “Benefactor, please wait for us!”

The boatman had been about to set sail, but hearing them, he stopped again and smiled. “Business is pretty good today.”

The two monks arrived and leaped onto the star raft. The younger monk went over to ask the price, then haggled with the boatman. After a long back-and-forth, the boatman reluctantly gave him a discount.

The younger monk was quite pleased. He took out the money and paid the fare. The monk beside him spoke in a rather shrill voice and complained, “It’s just a little boat fare, something external to us. Why argue with him? Just pay him.”

The younger monk was a little angry. “Master, whose fault is it that you don’t have a post on Spirit Mountain? Uncle Tathagata has a great reputation, but he won’t give us any incense money. I can only rely on my own abilities to beg for alms everywhere. That’s how I managed to save up some money. And now you’re nagging me about bargaining? If you’re so capable, Master, pay for it yourself!”

The monk looked somewhat embarrassed by his words and said, “Since I’m Tathagata’s uncle, how could I ask for incense money? Wouldn’t that make both Tathagata and me lose face? But all that said, what’s so enjoyable about becoming a Buddha or Patriarch on Spirit Mountain? It’s nowhere near as carefree as when I was a demon in the Lion Camel Kingdom! I ate people whenever I wanted, whoever I wanted. There weren’t so many rules!”

The other monks and arhats on the ship all turned to look at the pair, clearly displeased by their words and behavior.

Chen Shi looked at the younger monk, finding him more and more familiar. Suddenly, he said, “Little monk, you look a lot like an old friend of mine… Er Niu! You’re Zhong Er Niu, aren’t you?”

He was both shocked and delighted. Excited, he leaped to his feet and laughed. “Zhong Wuwang! Zhong Er Niu! It really is you!”

When the younger monk saw his face, he hurriedly covered it with his sleeve and cried, “It’s not me! Benefactor, you’ve mistaken me for someone else!”

Chen Shi stepped forward and pulled his sleeve away. “You are Zhong Wuwang! You shaved your head, so I didn’t recognize you at first, but you really are Zhong Wuwang!”

The younger monk struggled to break free of his grip and snapped, “It really isn’t me! Chen, let go! If you don’t let go, I’ll get rough! Let go…”

Chen Shi released him and looked him up and down. It really was Zhong Wuwang.

Zhong Wuwang snorted, then suddenly realized what was going on. Both shocked and delighted, he turned to the monk and said with a smile, “Master, do you remember when you took me as your disciple, I told you that you’d caught the wrong person? The one who repaired your Yin Yang Qi Bottle really wasn’t me! It was him!”

He grabbed Chen Shi by the sleeve, overjoyed, and cried, “He’s the one who patched the flaw in the Yin Yang Qi Bottle! Master, he’s the disciple you meant to take! Hurry and accept him, shave his head, and give him a few ordination scars!”

His heart overflowed with joy. He rattled on, “Take him with you to eat vegetarian food every day, tofu stir-fried with tofu, rice porridge stewed with rice porridge! Take him to Spirit Mountain to live a life of ascetic cultivation. Lead him to Four Elements Empty, and make him a Buddha or Patriarch! I’m just a worldly person. I’m not worthy to be your disciple!”

Chen Shi looked at the monk. He had a hooked nose and a pair of exceedingly sharp eyes, with a hint of demonic nature. Though he was surrounded by Buddha Light and had an extraordinary bearing, he gave off an intense feeling of unease, as if an exceptionally savage and violent giant beast were staring at him.

Chen Shi’s heart stirred with apprehension, but he politely said, “Could you be the owner of the Yin Yang Qi Bottle, Daoist friend? I am Chen Shi, Crown Prince of the Radiant Virtue Grand Celestial Palace in the mysterious yellow sea. Greetings, Daoist friend.”

Hearing this, the monk’s heart trembled slightly. He returned the greeting. “So you are Crown Prince Chen. I’ve heard that Your Highness stands at the top of the Immortal Slaying List, plundered the treasuries of more than five hundred true immortals, and stole their earthly treasures and spiritual roots. In the battle in the mysterious yellow sea, you slaughtered those true immortals until not one was left standing. Someone from my Spirit Mountain also fell victim to you. Your methods truly command this old monk’s admiration!”

He laughed, his voice shrill and high, clear as an eagle’s cry across the sky. “To be honest, I too was once listed on the Immortal Slaying List. I even held the top spot for decades! Later, my nephew persuaded me again and again, and only then did I go to Spirit Mountain to eat vegetarian food, recite Buddhist scriptures, and lessen my sins.”

Chen Shi straightened up with respect. “So you’re my senior! To be honest, I was wrongly accused!”

He complained, “No one has ever seen my true face, yet they put me on the Immortal Slaying List. It’s as good as treating human life like nothing! Fortunately, most of the aggrieved parties are dead. Otherwise, who knows how long I’d have remained wrongly accused!”

The old monk said, “Try a little harder and send a few more aggrieved parties on their way. Or wait until this Opening the Calamity is over and they’re all dead. Then no one will accuse you unjustly.”

Chen Shi immediately felt as if he had met a kindred spirit in a foreign land. Smiling, he said, “Daoist friend, you’ve spoken straight to my heart!”

The two looked at each other and burst into laughter.

Zhong Wuwang blinked and reminded him, “Master, he’s the one who fixed the flaw in your Yin Yang Qi Bottle.”

The old monk said, “Your Highness is my kindred spirit. You naturally knew that my Dao techniques were incomplete, so you helped me perfect them. Your Highness, this old monk is Yun Cheng. Thank you for your guidance.”

He put his palms together and bowed to Chen Shi.

Chen Shi hurriedly returned the bow, smiling. “You’re too polite, Daoist friend! I also gained a great deal from your Yin Yang Qi Bottle. I can’t accept such a grand bow from you. I’m returning it to you now!”

The old monk liked him even more. “You benefited from me, but I gained more. Back then, I was stuck at the Tai Yi Golden Immortal Realm and could never break through. My old rivals had all advanced, while I alone couldn’t improve. So I came up with this idea: I tossed my bottle into the ancestral court and let it drift wherever fate took it. If it met someone destined to find it, that person could help me complete my Dao techniques and let me break through my realm!”

He smiled proudly. “I had a solid foundation, but my learning was shallow. After you filled in the gaps in my knowledge, my learning improved. Given time, breaking through to the Tai Yi Golden Immortal Realm and attaining the Great Luo realm will be no problem!”

Zhong Wuwang couldn’t help saying, “Great Peng, he’s the one you should take as your disciple! Hurry up and accept him!”

“Silence, you wicked disciple!”

The old monk’s brows rose as he shouted, “Have you forgotten the suffering you endured when your master subdued you? Do you want to experience it again?”

Zhong Wuwang was furious, so angry he could have spat up three pints of blood.