Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

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With a resounding "boom," the thick gates of Lingshui Pass were blasted open, leaving a gaping hole. Once more the gates were struck, and they splintered into fragments. The Yuzhou Army surged through the breach. Those who tried to intercept were scattered by the oncoming tide before they could even steady their footing. The soldiers behind them knew at a glance that the situation was hopeless.

They dropped their weapons and surrendered one by one.

Deng Yuan was still in his mansion, cuddling with his beautiful concubine, sound asleep, when a drumming noise awoke him; he was extremely irate and bellowed, "What's going on? Where's that drumming coming from? Have the people at the city gate gone crazy? Drumming at this hour, as if enemies would appear out of thin air."

Before anyone from outside could inquire about the news, the soldiers dispatched from the city gates had already reached the mansion. Only then did Deng Yuan realize that something terrible had happened. Although he did not know how this army had arrived, they were indeed at his gates.

In no time, the entire General's Mansion was thrown into chaos. Everyone knew that the enemy forces were upon them, panicked and unsettled. While Deng Yuan tried to calm everyone's emotions, he also ordered someone to quickly bring his gear.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Amidst the noise from outside, someone shouted, "The Yuzhou Army has entered the city!"

"Impossible, how could they have entered the city so quickly? Could there be traitors at the city gate?" Deng Yuan still found it hard to believe.

However, the pitiless shouts and sounds of battle from outside delivered the harsh reality to him. With a loud crash, the doors of the General's Mansion were broken open. A young general in a silver robe, holding a spear and riding a horse, stood at the gate. Deng Yuan recognized him immediately—it was Liu Qingyun, the Yuzhou Vanguard General, an invincible warrior.

At that moment, Deng Yuan knew all was lost. Being a man who understood the times, he did not offer any resistance and surrendered without a fight.

And so, the Yuzhou Army took the strategic stronghold without a fight and firmly secured their foothold in the land of Yonzhou.

The next day, the people of Lingshui Pass opened their eyes to see a different flag atop their city walls, which felt somewhat unreal to them.

However, for the common people, it didn't matter much. Living in tumultuous times, they were already conscious that power could change hands. Moreover, the reputation of the Yuzhou Army had always been good. Coming under their rule was not a cause for concern, so life went on as usual.

Surprisingly, the city, which should've been filled with turmoil, seemed unusually harmonious, as if nothing had happened.

Lu Zhang stood on the city wall of Lingshui Pass, gazing into the distance at the land of Yonzhou, their next target. However, consecutive days of campaigning had wearied his soldiers, and he too needed time to assimilate the gains from the recent battles.

"Taoist Priest, what happened to you? Why are you bruised and swollen?" he turned and asked Chang Chunzi with a smile.

At the moment, Chang Chunzi's mouth was bruised, there were dark circles under both eyes, and his clothes were tattered, making him look utterly disheveled.

"Ai! Lao Gui is just too petty. Is he still holding a grudge because I tricked him into giving me two jars of good wine back then?" Chang Chunzi sighed.

Though he said this, he felt somewhat guilty. When Lao Gui had first met Chang Chunzi, he sought advice on cultivation, not knowing Chang Chunzi's lack of real ability was matched by his talent for smooth talking. He had spun webs of deceit, costing Lao Gui two jars of Thousand-Day Drunkenness and then absconded in a cloud of confusion. Now, facing him again, Lao Gui was not about to let it slide.

Chang Chunzi felt too guilty to fight back, and so ended up in his current sorry state.

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Lu Zhang chuckled without delving deeper, as he had come to realize after spending a considerable amount of time with Chang Chunzi that this mage didn't carry himself with even the slightest airs of a cultivator; he was a delightful character who often engaged in actions that elicited tears and laughter in equal measure. Over time, Lu Zhang had grown accustomed to this.

"Speaking of which, I owe much to my uncle. I wonder where he is now, what he is busy with?" Lu Zhang couldn't help but feel wistful at the thought.

"For someone as exalted as Mr. Lu, it wouldn't be possible for us mere mortals to speculate," Chang Chunzi said with deep reverence upon mentioning Lu Yu. Indeed, it was fortunate to have such a high-ranking individual as a supporter.

At Huaguo Mountain in Dongsheng Divine Continent, Lu Yu sat upon a large rock at the peak of the mountain, facing the vast sea. Mana surged through his body, generating a faint sound of the tides which, at its inception, was so soft that one could hardly hear it without paying close attention.

But as time passed, it grew louder, gradually merging with the sound of the tides from the Eastern Sea, becoming indistinguishable from one another.

With each rise and fall of the tides, Lu Yu's body grew stronger. This was the Tide Body Refinement Technique. Ever since Lu Yu comprehended this technique, he practiced it relentlessly day and night. It was not until he came to the Eastern Sea and witnessed the vast waves and the rhythmic ebb and flow of the tide that he gained a deeper understanding of the technique.

Suddenly, a streak of red light appeared in the sky, like a meteor descending from heaven and flying towards the west. Had Lu Yu not been watching the sky constantly for the last few days, he might not have noticed it at all.

Following that, a crimson hue painted half the sky red, and the clouds above were thrown into chaos by an overwhelming force. Mages with profound mana opened their Dharma Eyes to look toward the sky.

All they saw was a monkey, enveloped in smoke and fire, brandishing an iron rod and wreaking havoc in the Heavenly Palace, plunging the usually tranquil Heavenly Court into utter disarray.

This was an event seldom seen in a thousand years; since the Divine Enthronement, the Heavenly Court had exerted its dominance over the three realms, never before experiencing such chaos. No one knew what the overlord of the three realms was feeling at this moment.

Lu Yu was distinctly aware that this was the monkey emerging from the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

At this juncture, he was living the most glorious moment of his life; having stolen countless Immortal Pills and Peaches of Immortality, and after being refined in the Eight Trigrams Furnace by the Grand Supreme Elderly Lord for forty-nine days, Sun Wukong had completely assimilated the vast mana, turning his body as invincible as Vajra.

At this moment, the monkey was seething with rage and possessed endless mana, which made him appear exceptionally valiant in battle. With his iron rod swinging impenetrably, none of the deities of the Heavenly Court dared to confront him, and those with profound cultivation were more than happy to see the Jade Emperor embarrassed, putting in minimal effort.

Thus, the scene unfolded where no one in the skies could stop the monkey's rampage.

However, as a transmigrator, Lu Yu also knew that all this was nothing more than a farce, clueless as to what ulterior motive the supreme being of the three realms had behind this ruse.

But these matters were not important to Lu Yu. Currently unable to intervene in the great game played by these powerful beings, it was crucial for him to take advantage of his precognitive insight to seek benefits for himself.

Hence, while others were earnestly watching the spectacle unfolding in the Heavenly Court, Lu Yu had already quietly set up his Auspicious Clouds and was flying westward, because he knew that there was a piece of Fire Brick that had flown out from the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

Anything from the Elder Lord was sure to be exquisite. It was well-known throughout the three realms that this Fire Brick was a part of the Elder Lord's source of pride, the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and surely not an ordinary item. Continuously refined by Samadhi True Fire, it was bound to be a rare treasure in the mortal world.