Journey to the West: Signing in for 500 Years-Chapter 239 - 233: The Daluo Golden Immortal has been Defeated [First update request for subscription]_1

Chapter 239: Chapter 233: The Daluo Golden Immortal has been Defeated [First update request for subscription]_1

Li Jing nearly threw out his back when he heard the orders from his subordinate.

"What?"

"Kui Mulang was defeated? But he’s a Daluo Golden Immortal whose power reaches the heavens and penetrates the earth! Even in solo combat, he should come out victorious. How could he be defeated?"

The other immortals were equally dumbfounded.

Fire God Luo Xuan and Water God Lu Xiong also came over, their faces full of astonishment, unable to regain their composure for a long while.

This whole affair was truly bizarre.

How could he possibly lose?

That was Kui Mulang, the leader of the Twenty-Eight Mansions, a dignified Daluo Golden Immortal with power that reached the heavens and penetrated the earth.

How could a mere spider spirit defeat him and even take him hostage!? This must be a fantastical yarn!

General Fish Spear said, "When my subordinates received the news, they were also very surprised. After repeated confirmations, I can assure you, General Li has indeed been defeated and taken hostage."

Just as Li Jing was about to ask further questions, Wen Zhong returned with the immortals from the Thunder Department. They had a fierce momentum and an impeccable formation, showing no signs of a crushing defeat.

Kui Mulang has been captured, yet Wen Zhong and the others show no sign of disarray, Li Jing wondered. What on earth is going on?

Wen Zhong had arrived, and seeing the crowd’s astonished expressions, he knew what amazed them. He explained the sequence of events in detail.

It turned out that after Kui Mulang went to the shores of the Southern Sea, he took the initiative to seek leadership of the army. When Wen Zhong rejected him, Kui Mulang settled for his next best option: requesting that the Twenty-Eight Mansions lead the fight, with the Thunder Department lying in ambush to prevent the spider spirit from escaping again.

Wen Zhong thought Kui Mulang was trying to steal credit and initially didn’t agree. Then, Kui Mulang began to cause trouble, almost letting the spider spirit escape. He then came back to blame Wen Zhong for not fulfilling his duties and nearly letting her slip away.

In the Sect of Interpretation, Wen Zhong was a third-generation disciple, with a lower status than Kui Mulang and the other Mansions. But after becoming a god, their statuses were nearly the same; in fact, his might have been somewhat higher.

However, in the business of being an immortal, the stronger one’s power, the higher one’s status. Even if you held a higher official position, if your power was weaker than others, you would have to submit when subduing demons and eradicating evil.

Wen Zhong was troubled by Kui Mulang. To prevent the spider spirit from actually escaping, he finally agreed to let the Thunder Department lie in ambush while the Twenty-Eight Mansions led the attack.

Then, disaster struck.

All the Twenty-Eight Mansions obeyed Kui Mulang. To show off his own power, Kui Mulang specifically requested others to watch while he personally went up to tease the spider spirit. That was when he fell for the spider spirit’s beauty trap, got himself injured by her, and was tied up with her spider silk before being taken hostage.

Upon hearing this, Li Jing was furious and demanded, "What of the other Mansions’ fighting gods? Summon them to see me immediately!"

Wen Zhong replied, "The others didn’t dare to return. They claimed they were going to pursue and kill the spider spirit and rescue their leader."

Li Jing was livid. They clearly didn’t dare to return; the rescue is just an excuse to avoid punishment!

He huffed, "I shall certainly report this to the Jade Emperor and charge Li Xiong with the crime of dereliction of duty!"

Wen Zhong, however, just gave a bitter smile and shook his head. This complaint will probably amount to nothing, he sensed.

After all, that was Kui Mulang, already a Daluo Golden Immortal with control over the entire Twenty-Eight Mansions. His status was noble, his power formidable, and he had many supporters. His relations with the other fighting gods of the Combat Department were also very good. Even though they had become divided under the Jade Emperor’s influence over the years, they still had the connection of being former sect members.

Therefore, unless the Jade Emperor completely divided the Twenty-Eight Mansions and their relations with the other gods of the Combat Department, he would not heavily penalize their leader. He might even employ conciliatory policies, offering warmth and inquiry.

Li Jing was aware of what the Jade Emperor was like; his outburst was merely a rant in anger. He knew he could hold such a high position because the Sect of Interpretation’s influence in the Combat Department was immense, and the Jade Emperor supported him to counterbalance them.

"Since the Twenty-Eight Mansions are unreliable, order The Mysterious Altar Department to capture the spider spirit quickly. And that Black Bear Spirit must not be let off either!"

Wen Zhong nodded in agreement, then said, "After I report this matter, I shall not return. The Thunder Department will have Lei Zhenzi and other immortals take turns standing guard."

Li Jing asked, "Where is Master Wen going?"

Wen Zhong replied, "Should I merely wait here for the Jade Emperor’s message, which has yet to arrive? The world doesn’t revolve solely around this Sha Chen affair."

With that, he took his leave, leaving behind only a few immortals from the Thunder Department, with Lei Zhenzi, Taoist Master Bi, and others taking turns to stand guard.

Li Jing gritted his teeth in frustration, helpless.

「Within the Flowing Sand River.」

The Black Bear Spirit was astounded.

"Master, you are truly incredible! You’ve rescued the spider spirit just like that!"

The Black Bear Spirit exclaimed in amazement, "How did you manage to make Kui Mulang obey you back then? He’s a Daluo Golden Immortal; is he also afraid of death?"

Sha Chen glanced at him and said, "Even a Quasi-Saint fears death; it’s a natural human sentiment."

"However, I subdued Kui Mulang not because he feared death, but because he feared trouble. The story is a long one, and I don’t plan to tell you."

The Black Bear Spirit didn’t pursue the matter further. Everyone has secrets, he knew. Chancing upon such information about Sha Chen’s many followers is already a huge stroke of luck for me. If I were to pry further, I’d be courting death.

Sha Chen said, "Enough. The people outside won’t attack for a while. Continue your Cultivation. Meditate carefully on the Daluo Chapter of the Tao Te Ching that I’ve taught you, and try to understand it with reference to the Tai Chi Diagram."

Being products of the sage Laozi, combining them with Cultivation often allowed one to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

The Black Bear Spirit nodded. With such safety outside and Sha Chen not driving him away, he was already overwhelmed with gratitude. Receiving guidance in Cultivation and resources for Refining was more than he could ever repay.

Now I just want to quickly improve my cultivation level and diligently increase my strength, he thought. Once I become powerful, I’ll be able to do more things and be further valued by Sha Chen.

And so, half a year passed.

In this past half-year, the Black Bear Spirit’s strength had skyrocketed; both his physical body and his Mana had made tremendous progress. His cultivation level finally reached the peak of the Greater Primordial Golden Immortal, only half a step away from the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm.

In the past, I wouldn’t have even dared to dream of this. It’s possible I would never have reached the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm in my lifetime.

In the original work, the Black Bear Spirit encountered Sun Wukong early on. At that time, Sun Wukong’s strength was probably only at the mid-to-high level of the Greater Primordial Golden Immortal. When pitted against the Black Bear Spirit, they fought to a draw for the first hundred moves. Only afterwards did Wukong gain an advantage, but he still couldn’t capture the Black Bear Spirit.

Therefore, it was very possible that during the original Journey to the West, the Black Bear Spirit was only at the middle or even lower level of the Greater Primordial Golden Immortal Realm. After meeting Sha Chen, his strength began to advance by leaps and bounds.

It was not that he lacked talent, but rather that he lacked resources and guidance, which was why his progress had been so slow. After meeting Sha Chen, it was like a dragon transformed by wind and clouds; his strength surged dramatically. After all, he had talent, Sha Chen provided guidance through the confusion, and also gave him resources; it would have been difficult not to break through.

However, having talent is one thing; whether one can step into the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm is another matter entirely. Some people have strong talent, yet they find it difficult to step into the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm in their entire lives. This isn’t due to a lack of guidance, but because their destiny lacks the hurdle of becoming a Daluo Golden Immortal. They have good talent, but due to various reasons, they are unable to step into the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm.

Firstly, their talent isn’t sufficient to reach Daluo. Secondly, they lack guidance and insights into the necessary secrets. Lastly, they don’t have a suitable Cultivation Technique to support them in reaching Daluo. The Black Bear Spirit had lacked all these. So, if he hadn’t met Sha Chen, he would never have dreamed of entering Daluo in this lifetime.

Now, he had compensated for all these aspects. With the Tao Te Ching and the Qingping Sutra, and even a small amount of guidance from the Yuqing Sutra, the door to the Daluo Method had already been opened for him. The Eight-Nine Profound Art was also a Cultivation Technique that could allow him to step into Daluo. His own talent, originally the most difficult obstacle, had been imperceptibly resolved. The peach wine and osmanthus wine given to him by Sha Chen, as well as many Elixirs, all more or less had the effect of changing his potential. Especially the peaches, of which the Black Bear Spirit had eaten many; these were things he could only have yearned for but never obtained in the original work.

Now that the Black Bear Spirit had resolved his internal and external issues, stepping into the Daluo Golden Immortal Realm was only a matter of time. With enough accumulation, he would be able to leap over the dragon’s gate. And with Sha Chen’s guidance, the Taiqing Colored Glaze Cup, and the assistance of the Tai Chi Diagram, even the time he needed to accumulate would be shortened.

The Black Bear Spirit was extremely excited; he was one step closer to becoming a Daluo Golden Immortal.

Sha Chen was also cultivating. At this time, his cultivation level and physical body had made further progress, although he had not yet stepped into the next realm. However, he had laid the groundwork for stepping into the next realm. His body was steadily improving due to the Immortal Pills made from willow leaves. As for his cultivation level, his understanding of the Three Pure Ones Daluo Law had deepened, and with a plethora of resources to use, his progress was swift.

However, Sha Chen was also worried.

I still have some resources, but they won’t last more than a year or two. The main problem is that this Black Bear Spirit is also consuming them. I don’t have enough for myself, let alone to support a bear. It’s truly a struggle.

Sha Chen pondered countermeasures. Despite what seemed like ample replenishment of his resources, a long time had passed since they were last accounted for, and they had been steadily depleting. Decades had passed since Red Boy and Dragon Girl last brought resources back. It had been ten to twenty years since Ao Lie and Dragon Girl brought back resources. In that time, Kui Mulang, Lady Di Yong, and the Black Bear Spirit had contributed somewhat, but again, about ten years had passed.

Quite a lot had been consumed. With just over a year’s worth of supplies left—an outcome of Sha Chen’s frugality—otherwise, they would have been exhausted long ago. Now, he didn’t have enough for himself, let alone to keep a bear. The thought made Sha Chen’s scalp tingle.

If it weren’t for the sunk costs, I would have considered abandoning the bear.

Now I also have to prepare resources for his breakthrough to Daluo Golden Immortal. When that time comes, I’ll truly have nothing left.

No, I can’t just wait blindly like this. I must find a way to solve this crisis of dwindling resources.

He was troubled again. Actually, the spider spirits should have a lot of resources with them. If they could get in, it would undoubtedly replenish my supplies. But with the Heavenly Court’s encirclement, the girls can’t bring the resources in.

This had always been a source of distress for Sha Chen, causing him much annoyance.

Suddenly, his expression became odd as he looked at the Black Bear Spirit and said with a smile, "Old Bear, we’re nearly out of food. You need to consume a lot of resources to step into Daluo Golden Immortal. We can’t just sit by while our reserves deplete, so it’s time for you to make a contribution."

The Black Bear Spirit eagerly said, "I am willing!"

Sha Chen said, "Good. I haven’t even told you what to do yet, and you’ve already agreed. I haven’t raised you in vain."

The Black Bear Spirit felt a bit sheepish and asked, "Master, what would you have me do?"

Sha Chen said leisurely, "Have you ever heard of the bandits from Liangshan stealing birthday offerings?"

The Black Bear Spirit said, "I haven’t heard of such mortal trifles."

Sha Chen said, "No matter, I’ll tell you... You just need to do this and that, and it will be fine."

After listening, the Black Bear Spirit’s face turned white—white with fear.