Chapter 311: Seeking the Black Bear in Vain with Regret; Passing Through Quicksand to Reach Longevity

Ding-ding-dang-dang—

A burst of celestial music rang out, each note clear and pleasant to the ear, drawing down a sparse, drizzling rain.

Suddenly, the space to the left and right parted, as if a pebble had been dropped into a calm lake, spreading ripples and revealing a grand, imposing procession.

One could see that within this procession were jade maidens and golden lads, Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, all in groups and arrays, with varied postures, surrounding a magnificent cloud carriage.

Needless to say, it was the party of Fang Longye and Yang Chan.

Hanging within the cloud carriage were bright pearls, crystalline and luminous, like the moon upon a treetop, their cold light like autumn, their brilliance illuminating one's robes.

"'Not knowing the true face of the Spirit Terrace, only because one is in this mountain'?" Yang Chan repeated the words several times, a strange brilliance in her eyes as she looked at Fang Longye.

"Interesting~"

She laughed, then added: "However, are you sure that Monkey can understand what you said?"

Fang Longye shrugged and said: "It doesn't matter if he doesn't understand~ I was merely reminding this Monkey that he need not take me as his master; he already possesses an immortal affinity, and there is a famous master waiting to teach him the Immortal Method."

"I said this mainly to avoid incurring the Monkey's groundless resentment, having accepted so many kowtows from him yet not teaching him the Immortal Method."

Put yourself in his shoes.

If someone were to accept so many kowtows from him today, yet say not a word and just pat their backside and leave.

Once he achieved success in his cultivation, he would never let that person off easily.

Is it so easy to take advantage of me?

In any case, judging others by himself, he did not think this Monkey, who was the future Sun Wukong, would be any more magnanimous than he was.

One must know, the pettiness and vengefulness of monkeys were notorious in his past life.

"Even if he doesn't understand for the moment," Fang Longye paused here.

"Once he achieves success in his cultivation and recalls what I said today, he will surely understand that it was not that I was unwilling to teach him the Immortal Method. That is enough~"

It was not that he feared this Monkey; he was to contend with figures like Donghuang Taiyi in the future, would he fear this Monkey? Even if this Monkey was the so-called protagonist of Journey to the West.

But if a matter could be resolved by saying a few extra words, why should he create unnecessary trouble?

Furthermore, he still planned to scheme for some benefits from this Monkey in the future! Dealing with this Monkey was unavoidable.

Leaving a good impression was still very necessary~

"By the way~"

Thinking of this, Fang Longye's gaze flickered as he looked at Yang Chan and asked: "What exactly is this Monkey's origin? Listening to what you said earlier when you saw the Monkey, could it be that all the gods and Buddhas are watching him?"

He naturally had his own speculations in his heart, and even regarding some matters, he was as clear as a Mirror.

But after all, these were just conjectures based on information he had grasped through his past and present lives, and they had not been verified.

Now, with the well-connected Yang Chan present, he could naturally use her to thoroughly investigate.

"This~" Yang Chan organized her thoughts and said: "Actually, I don't know much either."

"As for this Monkey's background, you have seen it yourself; he belongs to those born of Heaven and Earth, originally an Innate Golden Spirit, manifesting in the world in the form of an ape."

"As for all the gods and Buddhas watching him, it is as you said. It is mainly because this Monkey is a key figure in a major event of this era."

"As for what major event~"

Yang Chan directly closed her eyes and formed a seal, pouring what she knew into a Jade Pendant less than three inches long.

She tossed it to him.

Fang Longye reached out to catch it, and with a thought, various pieces of information flowed into his heart like a trickling stream.

"Journey to the West, Scripture Seeking, the flourishing of Fomen~"

It was indeed the Buddha Dharma Eastward Transmission~ which is the so-called Journey to the West.

As the top priority of the Second Tribulation of this era, every detail of it would naturally be kept under close watch by everyone.

"Sure enough, the waters here are deep!"

Fang Longye thought to himself.

He couldn't help but become interested in this trip.

The westward journey, which had originally been aimless and just for leisure, suddenly took on a sense of purpose.

Fang Longye made up his mind.

He would walk this westward path in advance and "check in" at every location mentioned in the original Journey to the West.

Not for anything else, but to properly seek out the demons that appeared in the original Journey to the West.

Nothing else, there is a power in this world called 'Tribulation Luck'.

It is said that as the number of immortals and gods who seize the creation of Heaven and Earth reaches a certain level, it will trigger a reversal of Heaven and Earth, brewing a Killing Tribulation to wipe out the beings who plunder the spiritual essence of Heaven and Earth.

As the saying goes, the thief of the Great Dao deserves no mercy~ hmm, isn't there a saying that "if the Saint does not die, the great thieves will not cease!"

But then again, it is not only Saints who plunder the creation of Heaven and Earth.

Any being who touches the spiritual essence of Heaven and Earth, enters into cultivation, and forms karma with Heaven and Earth is considered to be plundering the creation of Heaven and Earth.

It is just that compared to Saints, they cannot be considered great thieves.

But ordinary small fry can still be considered petty thieves. Therefore, the Heavenly Killing Tribulation is unavoidable~ and the Killing Tribulation is executed by people; as long as one participates in the Killing Tribulation, one will have Tribulation Luck descend upon them, and their cultivation speed will be faster than the vast majority of people.

Of course, Tribulation Luck is not without its downsides; once one participates in the Heavenly Killing Tribulation, one can only keep killing and killing, acting on behalf of Heaven to "eliminate pests."

If one is lucky, and kills a path of blood, and after the Killing Tribulation ends, one survives while bearing Tribulation Luck, Heaven will naturally bestow rewards. At that time, becoming a sect founder or ancestor will be within reach.

For instance, the juniors like Yang Jian and Nezha who showed their brilliance in the Conferring of the Gods, did they not kill their way to a grand Great Dao?

Leaping up to catch up with their sect elders.

Of course, if one is unlucky.

Then one will naturally be reduced to dust, have everything taken back by Heaven, and sink into eternal tribulation.

There is nothing more to say.

The Journey to the West naturally also belongs to a Killing Tribulation, although it is not as dangerous as the Conferring of the Gods Killing Tribulation.

Therefore, those demons mentioned in the original *Journey to the West*, regardless of their strength, as long as they showed their faces on the journey west, all had Tribulation Luck upon them.

Worth recruiting and cultivating~

Even if the future of this world is ever-changing, whether these famous demons enter the *Journey to the West* calamity is not predestined by heaven.

But any demon capable of showing their face in *Journey to the West* must have a few tricks up their sleeve.

Taking them as subordinates, he would not be at a loss.

After all, the Second Tribulation of this era is about to begin, and the future Honghuang will inevitably be full of ups and downs; it is time for him to properly develop his own forces.

In the future, there will always be a use for them.

In Honghuang, as long as you have not attained the Hunyuan Dao, fighting alone is absolutely not a viable path.

Thinking this, he soon arrived at a location mentioned in the original *Journey to the West*—Black Wind Mountain.

In the original *Journey to the West*, the Black Bear Spirit who was subdued by Guanyin Bodhisattva to serve as the "doorman" of Luojia Mountain practiced his cultivation on this very mountain.

……

This Black Wind Mountain may not sound like much by its name, but it is truly a rare Immortal Realm Blessed Land.

Fang Longye remembers that in the original *Journey to the West*, even Guanyin Bodhisattva felt secretly pleased in her heart upon seeing it.

She could not help but think more highly of the Black Bear Spirit, saying, "This wicked beast occupies this cave, yet he does have some Daoist merit."

Looking down below,

Ten thousand gullies compete in flow, a thousand cliffs vie in beauty. Birds sing but remain unseen, flowers fall yet the trees remain fragrant. After the rain, the green walls are moist; when the wind blows, the emerald screens unfurl.

By the stream, a pair of cranes drink; on the rocks, wild apes go mad. Towering peaks pile up like snail shells in dark hues; majestic heights embrace the greenery, playing with the mountain mist. Although it is a wilderness not worth boasting of, it surpasses the scenery at the foot of Mount Penglai.

It is indeed a good place.

Even Yang Chan could not help but clap her hands and smile upon seeing it: "I never expected that such a hidden, desolate place would actually contain such a treasure land!"

Fang Longye waved his hand, and the cloud chariot stopped above Black Wind Mountain; he gazed at the scenery below and fell into deep thought.

"Black Bear Spirit~"

This is a henchman with considerable potential for cultivation, capable of trading blows back and forth with that Monkey, Sun Wukong, only falling slightly behind and refusing to be subdued.

One could only invite Guanyin Bodhisattva to deal with him~ But his brain is a bit problematic. To allow others to sleep soundly beside one's own bed...

Oh, come to think of it, Guanyin is a beauty; the Black Bear Spirit was likely lusting after her, leaving the glaringly obvious Guanyin Zen Temple right under his nose without a care. He even became friends with Jinchi Elder of the Guanyin Zen Temple.

But as for the consequences! When the Monkey couldn't beat the bear, he invited the landlord, Guanyin, to capture the bear and make him a gatekeeper.

His own fine place of practice could only end up as Guanyin's secondary residence.

"Hmm, for now, the Guanyin Zen Temple isn't here yet; I fear Guanyin hasn't taken a fancy to this bear yet, which is just my good fortune~"

He immediately found an excuse to sightsee and entered Black Wind Mountain with Yang Chan.

After an unknown amount of time,

Fang Longye, with a look of disdain, carried a gray wolf and a white-flowered snake as he returned to the cloud chariot with Yang Chan.

He casually tossed the wolf and the snake into his Inner World, keeping them in a corner, and after settling his mood, he secretly thought: "It seems I came a bit too early~"

He did not know if the Black Bear Spirit had yet to complete his cultivation. He turned Black Wind Mountain upside down but did not see a single trace of a bear.

Currently occupying Black Wind Mountain was a Green-Winged Purple Eagle at the Golden Immortal level, which had now become food for him and Yang Chan.

However, he did manage to find those two weaklings who were beaten to death by Sun Wukong with a single staff strike in the original work.

They were the gray wolf and the white-flowered snake he had been carrying.

Why was he so certain that the two demons in his hands were Lingxuzi and White-Clothed Scholar from the original work?

It was because both this wolf and this snake were at the Yuan Immortal realm and had already taken human form.

Just looking at the attire of the Daoist and the White-Clothed Scholar, he knew it was those two weaklings without a doubt~

"Fine then~ Even a mosquito is meat, no matter how small."

Although both of them were trash.

White-Clothed Scholar was innocently beaten to death by the brutal Monkey with a single staff strike while he was discussing the Buddha Clothing Meeting with the Black Bear Spirit and Lingxuzi.

His body was even smashed into several pieces, leaving him without a complete corpse.

Lingxuzi did not fare any better.

While attending the Buddha Clothing Meeting held by the Black Bear Spirit, he was struck in the head by the Monkey's staff, his brains splattered, and he had no time to react at all.

It can be said that both were absolute weaklings.

But regardless, both had shown their faces on the journey west. If there is indeed a predestined fate, they would still have some Tribulation Luck upon them.

They still had some value.

……

The cloud chariot rose with a boom, stirring up a sky full of starlight, leaving behind a devastated Black Wind Mountain.

Arrived with excitement, left in disappointment.

Neither Fang Longye nor Yang Chan detected that not far from Black Wind Mountain, in a cave deep underground, a Mysterious Yellow Treasure Pearl was hanging high.

Thick and unadorned, heavy as a mountain.

Large swathes of Mysterious Yellow Qi misted into fog, hazy and dim, obscuring everything.

Beneath the pearl, a bear was fast asleep, hugging a Divine Mirror of Retained Spirit of Guanyin Bodhisattva, blowing snot bubbles.

This Divine Mirror of Retained Spirit reflected Guanyin's female form with exceptional clarity; every frown and smile was vividly visible, making her appear extremely beautiful.

Behold,

Tassels of pearls and jade hang down, fragrant rings tied with precious light. Dark hair cleverly coiled into a dragon bun, embroidered ribbons fluttering like colorful phoenix feathers.

Jasper buttons, plain silk robes, shrouded in auspicious light; brocade velvet skirts, golden tassels, greeted by auspicious energy.

Eyebrows like a crescent moon, eyes like twin stars. A jade face naturally joyful, vermilion lips a touch of red.

Truly a great beauty.

This Black Bear Spirit was sleeping particularly soundly, with drool even flowing onto the Divine Mirror of Retained Spirit of Guanyin Bodhisattva. A strange smile was still plastered on the corners of his mouth.

From time to time, he would mumble in his sleep.

"Ha, ha, ha! Rulai, I told you long ago, the Bodhisattva belongs to little bear~"

"Hurry and return Guanyin Bodhisattva to little bear! Otherwise, I will overturn your Mount Ling and seize your lotus throne!"

"..."

"Bodhisattva, good Bodhisattva, heh, heh, heh~"

"..."

"Bodhisattva, you are so beautiful..."

"Many thanks for the Bodhisattva's favor,..."

"Hiss, Bodhisattva, please go slower, this is still little bear's first time..."

It was only because this Mysterious Yellow Treasure Pearl was extraordinarily miraculous that it possessed the ability to obscure Heavenly Secrets.

Otherwise, this fellow would have long since been sought out by Guanyin, who would have castrated this madman who dared to commit acts of blasphemy in his dreams.

Fang Longye was unaware that the Black Bear Spirit he had been thinking about was actually right under his nose before.

However,

if he had seen the Black Bear Spirit's appearance while sleeping soundly and heard those delirious words, he would likely have understood why Guanyin Bodhisattva would set her sights on this black bear.

In fact, for this Black Bear Spirit, Guanyin Bodhisattva taking him in as a "doorman" for her dojo during the Journey to the West was likely a great blessing he could only dream of.

At this time, he and Yang Chan were heading west and had already arrived beside the Flowing Sand River.

Yet, Monkey had not even finished his apprenticeship! All the arrangements for the journey west were naturally not yet in place.

There was no Cloud-Stack Cave, nor was there a Yellow Wind Ridge.

Even for the so-called Mount Futu, Fang Longye had not seen a shadow of it.

He had even thought about meeting Wuchao Chan Master, the avatar of Lu Ya, to reminisce with this big shot!

To the east it connects to the sand dunes, to the west it reaches the various foreign lands; to the south it touches Wuge, and to the north it leads to the Tatars. The path spans eight hundred miles, and it stretches for thousands of miles up and down.

The water flows like the earth turning over, the waves roll like mountains rising on their backs, vast and mighty, desolate and boundless, the roar of the ten-thousand-foot flood can be heard from ten miles away...

Without any "check-in locations" to worry about, Fang Longye naturally just took a cursory glance. Sitting in the cloud carriage with Yang Chan, they traveled through the void and moved extremely fast.

They soon arrived at the territory of the Flowing Sand River.

"This Flowing Sand River is truly a wonder of Xiniu Hezhou!"

Gazing at the Flowing Sand River with its rolling yellow sands amidst the vast sea of sand, Fang Longye could not help but exclaim to Yang Chan.

Yang Chan smiled and said, "This Flowing Sand River was left behind when the Heavenly Pillar collapsed in ancient times and the Nine Heavens Weak Water fell to the earth. It has passed through countless epochs and still remains in the world. It is naturally magnificent and extraordinary~"

However, magnificent as it was, in Fang Longye's view, there was nothing worth lingering for.

Now, it was still several years before Monkey would finish his apprenticeship, let alone the Havoc in Heaven.

Therefore, Sha Heshang, who accidentally broke the Glazed Lamp, had not yet been punished and sent to the mortal realm, so the river was devoid of all living things.

Only rolling yellow sand flowed within the river.

Because of this, the cloud carriage did not stop here for even a moment and passed directly across the nine heavens.

After crossing the Flowing Sand River and traveling another several hundred thousand miles, they arrived at the territory of the Great Immortal Zhenyuanzi.

"Wanshou Mountain~"

Thinking of Wanshou Mountain, one naturally thinks of that rare treasure of heaven and earth in Wuzhuang Guan—the Ginseng Fruit.

Fang Longye could not help but drool a little.

It was because, while listening to Yunzhongzi preach on Zhongnan Mountain, he often heard him mention the Ginseng Fruit.

In his words, the Ginseng Fruit was praised as a delicacy unique in all of heaven and earth~ Without much discussion, they acted almost in unison.

Just as they entered the million-mile radius of Wanshou Mountain, Fang Longye and Yang Chan tacitly descended from the cloud carriage and dismissed their attendants.

The two of them walked on clouds, hand in hand, toward Wanshou Mountain. Compared to their previous display, this was quite low-key.

This was to show respect to the big shot.

(End of this chapter)