Seeing that she did not wish to stay at Baolin Temple, Nezha waved his hand, and a magnificent waterside pavilion appeared out of thin air in the lake.
The lights shone as bright as day, reflecting on the surface of the lake, where reality and illusion intertwined.
Li Miaoci was utterly astonished.
If she could master the skill of erecting towering buildings from flat ground, she could become a developer back in her original world, building houses and making a fortune!
“Let’s go, you’ll stay there tonight.”
As Nezha’s words fell, untimely lotus flowers bloomed on the winter lake.
The lotuses floated on the water’s surface, blooming in full splendor, forming a path leading to the center of the lake.
With an expression of awe, Li Miaoci walked over joyfully.
Where she stepped, the lotus flowers swiftly vanished beneath the water, as if the path had never existed.
The room was as warm as spring. As soon as she entered, several familiar figures approached, treading lightly on the water.
Her senior brothers and Little White Dragon had all arrived.
“Where is the master?” Li Miaoci asked the eldest senior brother.
The eldest senior brother sat down on a round stool. “The master is meditating in a seated position.”
Xiaotian Quan was guarding his room.
One by one, they took their seats. Soon, the lake’s surface churned as a river deity led a young man and woman, bringing water wine and fruits.
He first paid respects to Little White Dragon, for all aquatic beings were subjects of the dragon clan.
Then he greeted the three formidable deities one by one.
With his level of cultivation base, let alone provoking them, he would not have been able to see the Venerable Deities of the highest heavens even after millions of years of cultivation, were it not for this rare opportunity.
The Monk thanked him, and he hastily excused himself.
After drinking a few cups of water wine, they began discussing the long journey ahead, uncertain of what troubles they might encounter.
Suddenly, Nezha set down his wine cup, causing several fruits in the large shell plate to roll off.
“In such a prosperous city, there seems to be a demonic aura.”
“I must go and investigate, lest it covet the old monk and slow our journey to the west.”
Yang Jian pondered thoughtfully. “Speaking of which, the two great demons in Lotus Cave some time ago were originally immortal lads of Lao Jun from the heavens who descended to the mortal realm. Yet, we lingered in Lotus Cave for so long without Lao Jun appearing. I wonder if something unexpected has happened.”
He decided to go to the heavens to check.
“Alright,” the Monk said, pressing his wrist. “Do you all know in advance about the demons we’ll encounter on this journey to the west?”
Yang Jian corrected him, “Of course not. That time was merely a coincidence.”
The Monk released his hand, grinning as he drank another cup of wine. He always felt that the deities in the heavens who loved to scheme against him were not good deities, especially regarding the Journey to the Western Heaven. No matter how he thought about it, it seemed strange.
But who was he? The most notorious demon in history.
If he ever grew tired of it, he wouldn’t mind storming the heavens again!
“Miaoci, would you like to come with me to the heavens for some fun?”
Li Miaoci shook her head. “I won’t go.”
She had eaten the Peach of Immortality and stolen so many Immortal Elixirs. Already feeling guilty, if she returned and was caught red-handed, it would be quite embarrassing.
“Very well, then. I’ll return soon.”
Before he left, Li Miaoci held her wine cup, gazing at the cold and quiet lake. She recalled an essay she had studied in school and sighed, “If only there were snow to accompany the wine, it would be even more wonderful.”
Yang Jian raised his hand and waved. Instantly, a heavy snowfall began to drift down.
Li Miaoci was momentarily stunned. By the time she regained her senses, Yang Jian had already vanished.
She pointed at the light snow drifting outside and stammered to Sun Wukong, “Eldest Senior Brother, isn’t it said that rain and snow are predetermined? How can Second Senior Brother be so casual about it?”
She clearly remembered that the Dragon King of Jing River was executed merely for altering the timing of rainfall and withholding a few measures of rainwater.
Little White Dragon glanced at the snowflakes outside, seemingly reminded of something he shouldn’t dwell on.
Sun Wukong paid it no mind. “He even wanted to cut down the Jade Emperor—why would he care about such trivial rules?”
Li Miaoci understood.
Meanwhile, in the capital of the Kingdom of Wuji.
Nezha entered the city under cover of darkness. The closer he got, the stronger the demonic aura he sensed.
There truly were demons in this city.
After searching around, his gaze eventually settled on the royal palace.
Well, this demon certainly had ambitions.
Inside the palace.
The king of the Kingdom of Wuji had just fallen asleep when a dark shadow suddenly appeared before his bed.
“Who’s there?” he exclaimed, jolting awake.
“Has the Lion-Lynx Demon played king for a few years and truly come to believe he’s the emperor?” The shadow’s voice was low, immediately revealing his identity.
The king demanded, “Who are you? I don’t understand what you’re saying.”
“Lion-Lynx Demon, there’s no need to play dumb with me. I’ve come to help you. Tang Sanzang and his disciples on their Journey to the Western Heaven will arrive soon. Tang Sanzang’s eldest disciple possesses Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils—do you think he’ll see through your true identity?”
“You mean the former Stable Officer from back then?”
“Exactly.”
The Lion-Lynx Demon grew flustered. He knew Sun Wukong’s methods but couldn’t bear to part with the wealth and power he had held for so long.
“How do you plan to help me?”
The shadow handed him a pitch-black porcelain bottle that gleamed with an eerie light.
“When Tang Sanzang and his disciples enter the palace to exchange official documents, slip this into their tea and trick them into drinking it. Once they do, I’ll naturally help you kill them. With them dead, you can continue ruling here as king.”
The Lion-Lynx Demon hesitated for a moment, his trembling hand reaching out to take the bottle.
Suddenly, a flash of golden light illuminated the palace.
A round, blazing object came hurtling through the air.
The Cosmic Ring pierced straight through the shadow, reducing it to dust.
Then, it halted just inches from the Lion-Lynx Demon’s neck.
The Lion-Lynx Demon’s face paled—it was Nezha!
Nezha strolled leisurely into the hall from outside, narrowing his eyes at the demon dressed as a king.
“A demon as a king? You certainly have ambitions.”
The Lion-Lynx Demon wanted to flee, but his legs felt weak.
It couldn’t be helped—he had never witnessed Sun Wukong’s havoc in the Celestial Palace firsthand, but he had seen this very figure chasing and slashing at Li Jing with a sword more than once.
“What… what do you want?”
“Where is the real king of the Kingdom of Wuji?” Nezha asked impatiently.
The real king had been pushed into the octagonal glazed well in the imperial garden three years earlier and was long dead.
He didn’t dare say it, but after being thoroughly beaten by Nezha, he confessed everything in detail.
Nezha tied him up securely and hauled him back to Baolin Temple.
“Guess what I caught?”
Nezha asked excitedly.
“A demon,” Li Miaoci answered without hesitation.
Nezha replied discontentedly, “It’s a demon who desperately wants to be king.”
“That’s prejudice,” Sun Wukong interjected, having drunk a few too many cups of wine and speaking with a slight slur. “Back in the day, they refused to let me, Old Sun, become the Jade Emperor just because I was a demon.”
“Eldest Senior Brother, if you want to do it now, I’ll fight my way up to the heavens with you,” Nezha egged him on.
“You? The moment Li Tianwang brings out his pagoda…”
“Alright, let’s talk about demons first.” Nezha irritably changed the subject.
In Tang Sanzang’s meditation room, he had just entered a state of deep concentration.
Suddenly, a faint mist rose in the darkness, and a monarch dressed in court robes with a jade belt approached.
“Where did you come from, ghost or demon?” Tang Sanzang exclaimed in alarm.
“Master, I am not a demon. I am the king of the Black Rooster Kingdom…”
Since being buried in a well three years ago, he had been waiting for an opportunity, hoping for a noble person to help clear his name.
Recently, he heard from the Well Dragon King that a high monk from the Tang Dynasty was passing by, so he came specifically to seek help.
Before he could finish speaking, hurried footsteps echoed outside the meditation room.
“Old… Master, look what I caught!”
Nezha dragged the Lion-Lynx Demon into the meditation room.
Tang Sanzang, startled by the ghost in his dream, opened his eyes only to be frightened again by Nezha, his soul nearly leaving his body.
He opened his eyes and saw, ah, wasn’t this the person who claimed to be the king of the Black Rooster Kingdom?