Chapter 356: The Schemed-Against Shituo Wang, Guests Like Clouds on Cangmang Mountain

"Hoo—"

Niu Mowang exhaled a breath of Turbid Qi, his eyes flickered, and looking at Shituo Wang, he finally spoke:

"The wood is already carved into a boat; it is too late to say anything now~ But regardless, little brother, you can at least be considered to have a foundation now~"

Speaking up to this point,

he finally composed his mood and revealed a smile.

But soon, he changed the subject and said: "The Brahma Gate is not like others. For someone like you who joined halfway, especially since our Demon Clan is currently not well-regarded by the Brahma Gate, it is very easy for people to use you as cannon fodder~"

"You should know this better than I do," Niu Mowang looked at Shituo Wang and said earnestly: "There is one point right now that can confirm what status you hold in the eyes of the person who recruited you~"

After saying this, Niu Mowang asked if Shituo Wang knew about the ins and outs behind being arranged to swear brotherhood with Monkey.

As a result, as expected, he knew nothing at all.

Shituo Wang did not even know who had recruited him, let alone the ins and outs behind it.

He did not even know what benefits there would be in swearing brotherhood with Monkey; he only heard the Brahma Gate great power who recruited him say that there would naturally be benefits when the time came.

Heh heh~

Hearing this, Niu Mowang sneered coldly in his heart; the person who recruited his little brother was purely treating him as a one-time tool~

According to what he knew, these Merit and Luck distributed by the Brahma Gate were not so easy to accept; they were filled with Brahma Gate imprints, and without prior preparation, it was very easy to suffer a backlash.

If one were the slightest bit careless, one would be brainwashed to the point where even one's own will would cease to exist.

Even the most orthodox Buddhist disciples needed to treat it seriously; without preparing in advance, their own will would likewise be affected.

Shituo Wang, a piece of cannon fodder who joined halfway and had not even read a few Buddhist scriptures, would have a ninety-nine percent chance of having problems if he accepted it rashly~ When it came down to it, this Merit and Luck was something the Brahma Gate had to spit out against its will for the sake of the flourishing of the Dharma.

Even if it were compensation or payoffs that should be given to other forces, it was done unwillingly.

They would not dare to play tricks in secret, but one should not expect the Brahma Gate to kindly help process this Merit and Luck before transferring it to other forces.

What kind of great philanthropist is this?

Even great philanthropists are not this kind~ It is already not bad that they do not add extra ingredients into it.

In short, Shituo Wang, who knew nothing, was purely being used by others as a one-time tool.

Oh, that is not right either~ When the time comes, Shituo Wang, having no preparation, will suffer a backlash, and his own will will inevitably cease to exist.

On the premise of completing the task, it would just happen to allow the person behind the scenes to harvest a Vajra with glaring eyes~

Hmm, a thug who obeys his every command is not a one-time tool anymore; at the very least, he must be a high-level consumable~...

Which black-hearted Buddha or Bodhisattva is it? Do they not know that Shituo is my, Old Niu's, brother? Niu Mowang felt very unhappy in his heart~ After pondering for a moment, he looked at Shituo Wang before him, patted the other's arm, and said:

"Like this, I still have some connections in the Brahma Gate. After this matter is concluded, I will entrust someone to stand up for you; I will definitely make that person give you, little brother, an explanation~"

Although he took full responsibility, he did not make any unrealistic, wild claims, such as saying it would be no big deal to switch from Buddhist to Daoist~

Regardless of whether it is the Dao or Brahma, it is not a place you can enter or leave as you please~ Otherwise,

he would not have been angry before because his little brother "picked up the sesame seeds but lost the watermelon."

He himself was a member of the Shangqing Sect, so he naturally knew the rules of these top-tier major forces clearly; once one joined, it would be difficult to change one's allegiance.

"Once one enters the Brahma Gate, it is as deep as the sea~"

Niu Mowang sighed and continued: "Regardless of why you were recruited into the Brahma Gate, little brother, spilled water cannot be gathered up. If you want to change your allegiance now, I am powerless to help~"

Shituo Wang shook his head and said: "Please do not say that, Brother Niu, you have already helped me too much."

Niu Mowang waved his hand and said: "It does not even count as a small favor, what is there to talk about?"

Then he paused and spoke again:

"If you want to change your allegiance, I am indeed powerless, but if it is anything else, relying on my meager reputation, I can still help you plot a good future in the Brahma Gate."

Upon hearing this, Shituo Wang waved his hands repeatedly and said: "Brother Niu, please do not spend any more favors for me, little brother; I will just take it slow myself~"

"Take it slow yourself?"

Niu Mowang could not help but glare, saying: "What kind of place do you think the Brahma Gate is? Still playing that 'the weak are prey to the strong' game? Still taking it slow yourself?"

"Without a background and a backer, you won't even be able to mix your way into an Arhat fruit status~"

There is no way around it; the current political correctness of the Brahma Gate is to suppress the Demon Clan, even though there are not a few among the various Buddhas and Bodhisattvas who originated from the Demon Clan.

It can only be said that one's position determines one's perspective.

Seeing that Shituo Wang seemed to want to say something more, Niu Mowang waved his large palm and said in a deep voice: "You must not forget the fate of that fellow Wenyuan~"

Shituo Wang was silent for a moment.

Now, this Wenyuan that Niu Mowang spoke of was once a famous Demon King in Xiniu Hezhou, who styled himself 'Wenyuan Xian', and was considered a mortal enemy of Shituo Wang~ Originally, this 'Wenyuan Xian' was a Taiyi Golden Immortal, and in terms of both realm and strength, he firmly pressed Shituo Wang down a notch~ But later, Shituo Wang became acquainted with Niu Mowang, and with the help of his good big brother, Shituo Wang naturally beat Wenyuan until he became a stray dog~

And in order to save his life, this Wenyuan had no choice but to defect to the Brahma Gate and completely join the Western Spirit Mountain.

But the miserable thing was that he was a deer who had attained the Dao, and as a member of the Demon Clan, he was naturally not well-regarded.

Even though he was already a Taiyi Golden Immortal, he only held an Arhat fruit status and had never been able to advance to the title of Bodhisattva.

If it were only this, it would be fine, but the Brahma Gate, not knowing when it started, had become strictly hierarchical, valuing status and nobility.

This caused this unwelcome 'Wenyuan Xian' to have to kneel and bow whenever he met someone of the same cultivation level as himself, which was incredibly stifling~ Even in front of those Golden Immortals who held Bodhisattva fruit status, he could not straighten his back; although he did not have to kneel when meeting them, he still had to bow and salute.

Of course, Wenyuan could have chosen to stay in seclusion for a long time or hide from people in his daily life, so he would not have to kneel whenever he saw someone~ But who told him to offend Niu Mowang? (Initially, the reason Shituo Wang was able to become acquainted with Niu Mowang was because he was Wenyuan's mortal enemy~)

Under Niu Mowang's maneuvering, this Wenyuan received a very important task.

That was to report for duty on time every day, specifically to patrol the dojos of the various Bodhisattvas and Buddhas of Mount Ling.

The task was very arduous; he had to kneel countless times every day before he could return home; how miserable a word it was.

After tens of thousands of years like this, Wenyuan not only forgot what it felt like to straighten his back, but because he knelt too much, his spirit was broken and his Merit and Luck were damaged; the whole person could be considered completely ruined.

With an old enemy appearing as a cautionary tale, Shituo Wang still felt a sense of dread in his heart whenever he thought about how bitter it would be without a background or backer~

Therefore,

as soon as Niu Mowang mentioned Wenyuan, Shituo Wang, who had still been insisting on something, fell silent~ "It is settled then!"

Niu Mowang made the final decision:

"After this trip, I will introduce you to some elders in the Brahma sect. These days, without a background or a backer, it's hard to get by anywhere~"

Seeing Niu Mowang say this, Shituo Wang no longer offered any excuses, only saying in a muffled voice: "Then many thanks to Brother Niu for looking after this younger brother~"

"Bah, there's no need to be so formal between us brothers~" Niu Mowang said, waving his hand.

It must be said that Niu Mowang's reputation for being generous, righteous, and having a worldly, open-hearted nature is truly not empty; he is genuinely good to the friends and brothers he has acknowledged.

Magnanimous, heroic, straightforward, and responsible—he truly lives up to his reputation among the Demon Clan....

After some exchange, Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang finally ended this private meeting, and their true forms returned to where their incarnations were in Beiju Luzhou.

Following Sun Wukong, they headed toward Cangmang Mountain~

Very quickly, the group finished the rest of the journey and arrived at their destination.

Boom— A great river, winding for who knows how many tens of thousands of miles, lay across their path, vast and mighty, deep and mysterious, with waves surging like mountains and crashing billows roaring like ridges.

Surging and magnificent, crashing like thunder.

The banks of the Longyuan River were now exceptionally lively.

One could see flying palaces and cloud halls, treasure pagodas and new pavilions, arranged in a winding sequence, each following the terrain, with no end in sight; springs and rocks shimmered together, lamps and stars vied for brilliance.

Scattered, colorful stamen-like light fell all around, the empty verdure dampening clothes, and exotic fragrances assailing the nose.

As the wind blew, one could see high-hanging curtains and low-draped canopies, with at least hundreds or thousands of people coming and going—all guests who had come to offer congratulations.

These guests were each an existence with an extraordinary foundation. If one counted even the ordinary guests, there were likely tens of thousands or more~ "What a strange, magnificent, and splendid dojo!"

Approaching the joyous day, Fang Longye had naturally thrown open the mountain gates, and the scenery of the entire dojo came into view, inevitably leaving people captivated.

Even the well-traveled Niu Mowang clicked his tongue in wonder and couldn't help but exclaim~ "Honored guests, please come inside~"

Yuan Hong, standing to the side, let out a breath of relief. Without waiting for the staff specifically assigned to receive guests to come over, he turned his head and began moonlighting as a greeter~

Looking out over the Longyuan River,

there were dozens of rainbow bridges, arched like crescent moons, with thousands upon thousands of crimson gauze lanterns hanging from them; the lantern light shone brilliantly in the air, and there were also hanging pearls and jade, rich and imposing.

On the rainbow bridges, there were men and women playing festive music, expressing a welcome to all the guests~ "It's so lively!"

Sun Wukong awoke from his shock, shouting and hollering, jumping and leaping, and without another word, headed toward the rainbow bridges~

Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang naturally followed closely behind.

The few of them picked up their pace, walking swiftly, and soon crossed the rainbow bridges, heading straight for Cangmang Mountain.

The mountain was very lively; colorful felt mats were spread on the ground, reed canopies were set up, and bright red lanterns were hung. Small demons gathered in groups of three or five, drinking good wine, eating good meat, and boasting and chatting, having a grand time.

Amidst the drinking and merriment, a leopard spirit even got up tipsily and danced a bit.

With a babble and a stumble, jumping and hopping~

These small demons were all originally under Fang Longye's command, not outsiders; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to eat and drink here in Cangmang Mountain~

After all, if one were to judge by cultivation realm, some of them were not even as good as the outside small demons who had been arranged to eat and drink at the 'Wanling Workshop'! Of course, doing this not only allowed him to enjoy the festivities with his people and highlight the favor Fang Longye, as their Great King, showed his subordinates, but it also gained him a whole crowd of atmosphere-builders.

Otherwise,

Cangmang Mountain would not be this lively and festive.

The others were fine, but Sun Wukong had a feeling like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, finding this novel and that interesting.

Being of a monkey's nature, he was very restless, running off to play finger-guessing games with some small demons or tossing a pebble into the lotus pond in the mountain, having a great time.

If it weren't for Yuan Hong pulling, dragging, and reminding him from the side, plus the fact that he still had the thought of meeting Dragon Lord Yuanlong in his heart,

this monkey would have long since run off without a trace.

Finally,

Yuan Hong led Sun Wukong, as well as Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang, to the front of Longying Cave.

A graceful figure was waiting in front of the door.

She wore a simple green dress, her hair was coiled up in a cloud bun, and the remaining hair was tied with a jade ring, hanging down to her waist; the hem of her skirt was layered with fine-patterned bamboo leaves, half-covering her knees.

The whole person was cold, slender, and beautiful, with a green halo behind her and a green blade slowly rotating; there was an aura of slaying immortals and slaughtering gods secretly hidden within~

It was none other than Qingli, who had come to welcome them after receiving Fang Longye's instructions.

"Greetings, Fairy!"

Yuan Hong raised his eyes to see Qingli's figure, then hurriedly lowered his head, his attitude respectful.

This fairy was not only his Great King's bedfellow but also the person closest to his Great King, with all matters of the dojo arranged and managed by her.

She could be considered his most direct superior~

Of course, even setting that aside, this fairy was an existence who could finish him off with a single sword strike.

He dared not be disrespectful to her~ "Hmm,"

Qingli nodded and said: "Chiming, you may step back and rest! Honored guests, please follow me~"

Having said that, she turned around and led Sun Wukong, Niu Mowang, and Shituo Wang into Longying Cave.

"What a great place!"

As soon as they entered, a fragrant mist assailed their brows, and Sun Wukong was dazzled by the scene inside.

He couldn't help but cry out in surprise~

One could see blue skies and empty songs all around, crimson colors and pale gold, with dim, colorful clouds obscuring the shadows of jade towers and palaces, feathered canopies casting shade, and gloomy pearl pavilions and terraces.

It was truly ten thousand paths of golden light and a thousand strands of auspicious color, with purple and green mist before the pearl towers and shell palaces, and golden water shining behind the deep halls of the treasure palace.

Strange flowers covered the ground, jade grass grew horizontally, cinnabar wells had crimson springs, and koi spat out pearls, shining brightly.

Especially on many of the buildings, phoenixes were patterned and dragons were traced, shining with golden light, possessing a unique majesty that assailed the brows, as if it were a magnificent realm of the Heavenly Palace~ Even Niu Mowang and Shituo Wang had their eyes flicker, feeling an inexplicable sense of wonder.

The two of them stood straight, unable to help but take a deep breath, sensing the spiritual energy filling the space above, below, and all around, which had naturally formed into flowers and risen to become swaying, graceful lamps.

Such spiritual energy was something Shituo Wang had never seen or heard of, and Niu Mowang had only seen it in the dojo of his own master's elders.

Being inside it, one felt intoxicated as if by wine.

"Damn it, I hate these second-generation brats the most!"

At this moment, Niu Mowang also let out the same lament as Shituo Wang~

Accompanied by the pouring in of massive resources, Fang Longye's current Daoist temple residence is truly enough to rival the Daoist temples of some Great Luo.

Of course, if one were to really compare them, it still lacks some indescribable qualities and things.

Walking through corridors and paths, Qingli led Sun Wukong and the others to a courtyard, where there were water pavilions, green vines everywhere, and verdant pines and cypresses, the scenery as beautiful as a painting.

There, Fang Longye was sitting on a stone lotus, chatting and laughing with the two Monkeys beside him.

(End of this chapter)