Chapter 433: Master, Your Most Loyal Bajie

"Yunzhan Cave."

Arriving at the place the Nine-Toothed Rake guided him to, Tang Luo saw the Nine-Toothed Rake merge directly into the cliff face.

At the merging point, three characters could faintly be seen beneath the vines and moss.

Yunzhan Cave — the place where Zhu Bajie once stayed after being banished to the mortal realm, before arriving at Gao Village.

Of course, this definitely wasn't the original Yunzhan Cave.

Deep in these immortal mountains and forests, far from the city's clamor, with no gates and no roads — even ordinary jianghu people wouldn't come to a place like this.

"Master, can you put me down first?" Ao Yulie spoke up.

"Oh." Tang Luo released his grip; Ao Yulie swiftly stood up and straightened his clothes.

In this suppressed world, he couldn't keep up with the Nine-Toothed Rake's speed, so he still needed Tang Luo's violent travel method.

"The rake went in, so where's the entrance?" Ao Yulie looked around. "Do we still have to open one ourselves?"

"Probably." Tang Luo said, raising his hand, about to strike at the spot where the three characters "Yunzhan Cave" were.

Just then, an incomparably grand voice rang out.

"The mortal world — has it been defiled again?"

"???"

Tang Luo looked at Ao Yulie.

Ao Yulie wore an innocent expression: Master, all this flirtatious talk was taught by you, why are you looking at me?

"Cough." Tang Luo coughed. Past matters — let's just pretend they never happened.

With those words, the three characters "Yunzhan Cave" before them erupted in blinding light.

The mountain body split open into a cave mouth, and a white-clad man slowly walked out from within.

Sword brows, starry eyes, nose like a hanging gallbladder, features handsome and upright.

Holding a rake flowing with brilliant light in his hand, he stepped out at a leisurely pace, like an immortal among men.

"Who's this..." Tang Luo frowned slightly. "An illusion technique?"

"Mm." Ao Yulie nodded seriously.

Not even glancing ahead, the man walking out of the cave was just about to strike a deep and cool pose when he heard those two sounds.

His body suddenly shook — what's commonly called a "tiger-body tremor."

He abruptly "opened his eyes and looked up," gazing at the two people before him, his face revealing an unconcealable look of shock.

Simultaneously, his belly thrust out, becoming a general's paunch, his arms thickening.

His whole figure expanded, elongated, and most importantly, developed considerably horizontally.

That face changed — heavenly court full, an upturned nose and a pair of protruding ears looking exceptionally conspicuous.

From the original carefree, dashing jianghu knight-errant, he turned into an ancient realistic-style big-bellied general.

"Clang!" A crisp sound rang out as the Nine-Toothed Rake fell to the ground.

To express its master's inner excitement and shock.

"Second Senior Brother!"

Ao Yulie laughed loudly, spreading his arms and walking over.

Zhu Bajie blinked twice, his eye rims quickly reddening; he likewise spread his arms and ran forward.

The two drew close; Ao Yulie embraced with both arms — and hugged empty air.

Arriving before Ao Yulie, the split second before the embrace, Zhu Bajie dropped to his knees and slid.

Precisely sliding past Ao Yulie's side, a kneeling slide — the movement smooth and flowing, clearly done many times, very experienced.

"Master! Your most loyal Bajie missed you to death!" Hugging Tang Luo's thigh, Zhu Bajie refused to let go, howling loudly.

Ao Yulie turned around, then silently averted his face — this scene, so familiar!

"Let go."

Tang Luo's words, also very familiar.

"Oh." Zhu Bajie immediately let go, springing to his feet at once, grinning foolishly at Tang Luo.

Looking quite simple and honest, a straightforward fellow.

After laughing, he ran to Ao Yulie's side, threw an arm around him, and vigorously slapped Ao Yulie's back: "Isn't this Fourth Junior Brother? Haven't seen you looking like this in ages!"

"Let go, let go, you're gonna strangle me." Ao Yulie slapped wildly at Zhu Bajie's arm.

"Hm?" Zhu Bajie let go, sizing Ao Yulie up carefully. "Little White Dragon, how'd you get this weak? Did someone beat you? Come on! I'll find Eldest Senior Brother and Master to avenge you!"

"Haven't found Eldest Senior Brother." Ao Yulie said.

Zhu Bajie looked at Tang Luo, his expression turning serious and solemn.

"If this Master's guess is correct, back then the Mountains and Seas Realm underwent a cataclysmic upheaval, completely shattering into numerous independent minor worlds." Tang Luo said. "Everyone scattered to different places, life and death unknown."

"So it really was like that?" Zhu Bajie nodded.

Back then he naturally wasn't in the Demon-Subduing Pagoda; rather, he was inexplicably swept into this place during the heaven-and-earth upheaval.

The Mountains and Seas Realm's fragmentation wasn't like a biscuit breaking into pieces, where whoever was on a piece stays on that piece.

It was a spacetime chaotic vortex — any situation could occur.

Suddenly appearing elsewhere, or one's whole body being torn apart — both are normal phenomena.

If it were mere "land division," how could Tang Luo have suffered such severe injuries?

But judging from the current situation, Tang Luo is at least among the top tier of the unlucky — second only to those who died on the spot.

Ao Yulie was injured, but his injuries definitely weren't as severe as Tang Luo's.

If the injuries Tang Luo suffered back then were placed on Ao Yulie, he wouldn't have survived.

The current Zhu Bajie — one can tell he also suffered some effects; his state is clearly not at its peak.

Yet he was still far better off than Tang Luo.

Back then, Tang Luo couldn't even bring out one-tenth of his strength.

After being drawn into the world formed by the Demon-Subduing Pagoda, Zhu Bajie remained very steady; he first found a place to recuperate and let his strength recover somewhat before emerging.

This world wasn't like this from the very beginning either.

The suppression at the start was much stronger than now; later, as time passed, it gradually lessened.

Until today's degree — it probably won't continue to weaken further.

It counts as an extremely "high-difficulty" world.

While recuperating, Zhu Bajie wandered about, searching for the people and events of those years.

In the end, there weren't many discoveries.

Later on, having basically given up, he took some disciples and had them search as fate allowed, while he simply ran here to hibernate and heal.

Before leaving, Zhu Bajie also put some thought into it, splitting the Nine-Toothed Rake into nine, forming nine Holy Weapons.

As a ritual implement personally forged by the Supreme Elder Lord, the Nine-Toothed Rake could, to some extent, resist this world's suppression.

This created the situation where whoever held a Holy Weapon was invincible under heaven.

Zhu Bajie also agreed with several disciples that when "worldly filth" appeared, if they encountered something they couldn't resolve, they should combine the nine weapons and come find him.

Without a doubt, while those disciples held the Holy Weapons and continuously expanded their power, before they themselves died and the lineage was once cut off, they never encountered any "worldly filth" situation.

Zhu Bajie's secluded hibernation lasted a very long time.

Long enough for the Holy Weapons' origins to be buried in the dust of history, becoming legend.

Of course, it's also possible later generations deliberately concealed and severed it.

Holy Weapons — who would want to share them with others or hand them over?

Even if fathers and ancestors trusted each other, it's impossible for that trust to continue generation after generation.

The hibernating Zhu Bajie also missed Yellow-Browed Monster's entire life of turning into the Heaven-Hating God Monarch; the two never crossed paths at all.

Otherwise, there would have been a battle.

After describing his experiences, Zhu Bajie asked: "Master, you didn't find Eldest Senior Brother; then what about Third Senior Brother, Sha?"

Tang Luo pointed at the Glazed Pure Garment on his body.

"What do you mean?" Zhu Bajie indicated he didn't understand.

"This is Third Senior Brother." Ao Yulie said, recounting the events of that maliciously twisted world.

Zhu Bajie slammed his hand: "How come it had to be that stubborn fool who ran into that kind of world."

If it were him and Little White Dragon, the final choice would be Buddhist-style — lie low.

Even if the heaven-and-earth Qi is twisted and malicious, at least they could endure for a very, very long time, and wouldn't end up twisted and corrupted.

If it were Master and Eldest Senior Brother, it would definitely be fight, fight, fight.

Method to save the world? Of course it's to beat all those twisted things to death!

What, Ginseng Fruit, eat a bite. Pah! It's not the Ginseng Fruit of the past anymore; smash it and burn it for firewood.

Only Sha Wujing, with a heart to save the world but insufficient strength, unwilling to give up.

Nor did he have a heart like tempered iron like Tang Luo and Sun Wukong, ultimately walking a path of corruption and twisting.

"Then what about now?" Zhu Bajie asked.

"There's a high possibility of being reborn as the artifact spirit of the Dharma robe." Ao Yulie said.

"That's good, that's good." Zhu Bajie nodded.

They're all thousand-year-old demons, able to restrain their emotions.

"Tidy up a bit; in three days, Master will take you out of this world." Tang Luo said to Zhu Bajie.

"Good." Zhu Bajie smiled, reached out and grabbed, and the Nine-Toothed Rake turned into a streak of light that gathered into his hand and vanished.

He turned and walked toward the cave mouth; Ao Yulie hurried after him: "Second Senior Brother, let me help."

"Mm." Zhu Bajie nodded, "You looking like this, you definitely got scolded by Master, right?"

Ao Yulie recalled the past with dread, then sneakily glanced at Tang Luo behind him, and righteously said: "Master beating and scolding me is all for my own good!"

"What are you putting on an act for in front of Senior Brother?" Zhu Bajie patted Ao Yulie's shoulder.

"What act? I truly am grateful for Master's special training." Ao Yulie adheres unwaveringly to the principle: "Master is always right; if Master is wrong, refer to the first sentence."

Master seems not to care on the surface, but actually behind the scenes, he records it all in an invisible little notebook.

Who knows when he'll suddenly display Master's awe.

He, the dignified Jade Dragon Third Prince, how could he possibly be wrong on such a big matter?

The two entered Zhu Bajie's seclusion place — just a simple stone chamber, inside a stone bed and a meditation cushion.

Beside the stone bed, there was also a small wooden box placed.

"What's this?" Ao Yulie asked.

"Your sister-in-law's keepsake." Zhu Bajie showed a reminiscent expression, gently caressing that small wooden box.

"Oh." Ao Yulie nodded.

His second sister-in-law isn't just one; there was the earliest certain Moon Palace fairy, the descended Egg Second Sister, Cui Lan of Gao Village, and now this one who left a keepsake.

Unlike the suave, carefree Ao Yulie who plays among mortals, only speaking of romance not love, indulging in wine, flowers, and moonlight.

Second Senior Brother loves deeply — hmm, every segment deeply, where love reaches, he goes all the way.

But Second Senior Brother's road of love is clearly rather bumpy; every relationship ends in a sad parting.

The amorous since ancient times leave only regret; this regret stretches endlessly without end.

Still, Master's eyes are sharp, seeing through the deeper reason behind Second Senior Brother's seclusion.