I am submissive in Journey to the West, I strike hard at the gods

He intended to send one last demon god to force Jiang Wang to appear, but stopped due to an anomaly in the Zixiao Palace—the Chaos Bell trembled, as if something ominous was about to happen.

Jiang Wang paced back and forth in the cave, his eyes flashing with cold light: "You won't send one? Fine, I'll force you to send one!"

He took out the Heaven-Swallowing Gourd, a purple-gold gourd that breathed out chaotic energy. It was a treasure rewarded by his system, capable of devouring all things and turning them into his own.

He then took out the Chaos Bell, a small bell the size of a fist, containing the universe within, which could protect him from calamities.

"My disciple, I will teach you how to use it."

Li Bai listened intently as Jiang Wang explained the incantation: "When the gourd is raised, chant 'swallow the heavens,' and all things will enter the belly."

Zhong protected his entire body and instantly vanished without a trace.

There is also a Concealing Jade, which can conceal one's tracks and prevent the Heavenly Court from detecting it.

Li Bai took it, raising his eyebrows: "Master, rest assured, this disciple is off!"

Jiang Wang patted his shoulder: "The third layer of the Heavenly Realm was not completely devoured last time, but this time it's all gone."

"If Hongjun won't send a demon god, I'll devour his territory and force him to show himself!"

Li Bai nodded, his figure flashed, space distorted, and he had reached the edge of the celestial realm.

That third heaven was filled with spiritual energy, with fairy mountains and pavilions standing tall, and a clear mist rising from the air, covering a vast expanse of land.

The Jade Emperor was reviewing jade slips in the Lingxiao Palace when suddenly an alarm bell rang and purple lightning rolled down.

"What's the matter?"

The celestial official panicked: "Something's wrong with the third heaven! A young man is using a gourd to devour spiritual energy!"

Haotian stood up, his face ashen: "Li Bai? The disciple of that wicked Jiang Wang!"

He recalled Li Bai's ability to teleport, and felt a sense of unease—although the Heavenly Court had experts, they were unwilling to take sole responsibility for this matter.

Li Bai stood in the void, raising his gourd high: "Swallow the heavens!"

The gourd's mouth opened wide, like a black hole vortex, and the clear air of the third layer of heaven surged in like a tide, causing the land to crack and the immortal mountain to collapse.

The purple thunder roared, and the alarm bells rang, shaking the nine heavens.

Laozi arrived riding a green ox, and Yuanshi Tianzun came riding the wind.

Haotian roared, "My two fellow Daoists, this boy has devoured my Heavenly Realm! Quickly lend a hand!"

Laozi stroked his beard and said calmly, "This humble Taoist has not yet finished refining the elixir; the Heavenly Emperor shall handle this matter."

Yuanshi squinted: "I am currently deducing the formation, and I am afraid I will be unable to do so."

Haotian was so angry that his hair and beard stood on end: "You all shirk responsibility, what about the Heavenly Realm?"

The two saints exchanged glances, both knowing that Li Bai's spatial laws were astonishing—he could teleport like the wind and leave no trace.

Moreover, protecting the celestial realm is a shared responsibility of three people, and no one wants to bear the blame alone.

Haotian gritted his teeth: "Fine, let him be!"

Upon hearing this, Li Bai laughed loudly. With a fold in space, he instantly teleported a hundred miles, and the gourd devoured even faster.

The pure energy entered the abdomen, the land turned into nothingness, the third heaven of the celestial realm shrank by one-third, and cracks in the void appeared like a spider web.

In the Purple Cloud Palace, Hongjun suddenly felt a tremor in his heart.

That was a sign of the loss of the Heavenly Realm's fortune! He was furious and got up to leave, but he felt the strange movement within the Chaos Bell intensify—a purple aura appeared, seemingly devouring the essence of the palace.

"Damn it!"

Hongjun sat cross-legged, suppressing the anomaly, unable to split himself away.

He knew it was Jiang Wang's doing; that vengeful nature of his was truly unforgiving.

But the Heavenly Realm was damaged, and he could only watch helplessly as Li Bai succeeded.

With a flash of sword light, Li Bai swallowed his last breath of pure energy, filling the gourd to its fullness. He concealed his presence with the Jade of Concealment and instantly teleported back to Kunlun.

"Master, it's done!"

Jiang Wang laughed and took the gourd: "Good disciple!"

A system notification sounded: "The host has completed the Devouring Heaven mission and is rewarded with five portions of human fortune."

Hidden quest triggered: Force Hongjun to reveal himself; reward: one strand of Primordial Purple Qi, and one experience point lottery draw.

Jiang Wang's heart surged with emotion. That primordial purple energy was the foundation for becoming a saint! He took a deep breath, a hint of expectation flashing in his eyes: "Hongjun, you owe the human race something, and you must repay it."

"The next demon god, come quickly!"

Outside the cave, winds rose and clouds surged, and the human race's fortune flowed in like a warm current, revealing signs of life across the land.

Jiang Wang stood with his hands behind his back, a cold smile playing on his lips—his scheme had succeeded, the reward was in hand, and he was one step closer to his goal.

The mystery surrounding Zixiao Palace is not unfounded.

Hongjun recalled that in ancient times, chaotic demons raged, the joyful bewitched people with their smiles, the angry burned all things, the sorrowful drowned the wilderness with their tears, the resentful poisoned people's hearts, and the gloomy clouds confused all living beings.

Five demons emerged together, and the world was overturned.

He had sealed it away with his own hands, but due to changes in the natural order, the demon god was resurrected.

The speed and cunning methods used in Jiang Wang's suppression this time made him vaguely uneasy.

"Could it be the power of the system?"

Hongjun shook his head, and the candlelight in Zixiao Palace suddenly went out. In the darkness, a sliver of purple light flickered, foreshadowing an even greater storm.

Jiang Wang's wailing was not feigned.

Those 64 million experience points were accumulated bit by bit during his months of seclusion, absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and refining the inner cores of demonic beasts.

The system is like a ruthless creditor, taking double the amount with every transaction, like tearing out one's heart.

"I originally wanted to use the lottery to upgrade my forbidden techniques and unlock a wisp of heavenly secrets, but who knew it would all benefit Li Bai!"

He murmured, a hint of resentment flashing in his eyes.

But then he thought of the tragic fate of the twenty million human souls, and his heart softened.

"So be it. My experience is worth it for your lifelong peace."

Upon hearing this, Li Bai's eyes glistened with tears: "I will forever remember my master's great kindness."

Three months later, the scene of human suffering unfolded like a painting of hell.

When the Demon God of Joy infiltrated, he first caused a night of revelry in Luoyang.

The people were laughing and enjoying themselves at the lantern festival when they suddenly heard the sound of silver bells and went wild.

Children laughed so hard they collapsed in the street, women laughed until their mouths split open, and strong men laughed until their veins broke.

The corpses piled up like mountains, and the blood flowed like rivers.

When Suirenshi saw his beloved grandson turn into bones, he was filled with grief and rage: "Demon God! Humanity swears to destroy you!"

When Fuxi created the formation, the Heluo Book was suspended in the air, the Eight Trigrams rotated, and the Hidden God Jade was placed at the center of the formation. The jade light was like water, illuminating the powdery shadow of the demon god.

"Three hundred miles to the northwest, in the heart of the Central Plains!"

Fuxi pointed, his voice as firm as iron.

The Hunyuan Heluo Grand Formation requires 81 human experts to hold positions.

The Yellow Emperor personally took charge of the central government, his sword energy like a dragon.

The moment the formation was complete, the colors of heaven and earth changed, the Hetu diagram transformed into chains, the Luoshu diagram became locks, and the Joyful Demon God appeared.

The demon god was formless, merely a cloud of pink mist, its laughter sharp as a knife: "Interesting, the human race has courted its own death!"

It spread joy, and the three people in the formation exploded on the spot, filling the air with blood mist.

Fuxi gritted his teeth: "Reinforce!"

The crowd sacrificed their own blood, causing the array to shine brightly, which barely managed to trap them.

When the messenger arrived at Kunlun, the formation was already on the verge of collapse, and the demon god's laughter never ceased.

When Jiang falsely transmitted the Dharma, Li Bai was heartbroken.

The laws of space are profound; one must comprehend the arising and ceasing of emptiness.

He sat cross-legged for seven days, and the void shattered and reformed before his eyes, like ten thousand swords piercing his heart.

"Master...this disciple sees the space as a boundless cage!"

Golden light shone continuously from Jiang Wang's palm, and experience points poured out like a flood. The double pain caused the veins on his forehead to bulge. "Hold on! Forty percent is the foundation of the barrier."

On the eighth day, Li Bai drew his sword, creating a mirror in the void that sealed off a hundred miles, preventing any leaks.

"It's done!"

The master and disciple smiled at each other; at that moment, their bond was stronger than gold and stone.

When the joy was suppressed, a hundred-foot-deep abyss split open in the Central Plains.

The demonic mist churned, the joyous aura backfired, and Li Bai's barrier trembled slightly: "Master, hold on!"

Jiang Wang laughed loudly: "No problem!"

The great merits of the Great Way descended like a golden net, causing demons and gods to scream and be reduced to dust, sealed away forever.

The raging demon god appeared, and a sea of ​​fire in the south burned the forests to ashes.

Haotian once sent heavenly soldiers to suppress it, but 100,000 of them were burned.

Li Bai teleported in, the barrier extinguishing the flames like ice water, Jiang Wang used his merit to suppress the soul, and the demon god roared: "Jiang Wang! You useless forbidden magic user!"

Jiang Wang sneered: "Even trash can destroy you."

The demon of sorrow ravaged the Yangtze River, its tears falling like waterfalls, submerging cities.

The cries were deafening, and fish and shrimp floated on the surface, their bodies scattered.

Li Bai's space folded, the barrier became a dam, and Jiang Wang's merits were like sunlight breaking through the shadows, and the suppression went smoothly.

The demon of resentment spread miasma in the desert, causing tribes to kill each other, leaving piles of corpses.

Jiang Wang glared at him: "Hongjun, you sent this thing to harm my human race, I'll remember this!"

The barrier sealed off the miasma, merit locked away resentment, and the town was brought under control.

Finally, the Demon God of Sorrow appeared in the northern wind and snow, the sorrowful fog was ashen, the farmer hanged himself, and the children cried incessantly.

Li Bai's sword heart remained unmoved, the barrier like a celestial curtain, and Jiang Wang added: "Twenty years is enough!"

Although Jiang Wang's strength did not increase after being suppressed by the Nine Demons, his luck increased greatly.

Humanity is grateful, and the incense burns brightly.

As he was pondering this, a strange message came from Hongjun—no new demon god.

A ruthless glint appeared in Jiang Wang's eyes: "Devouring Heaven!"

The method was passed down to Li Bai, and the gourd incantation was like a poem: "Swallowing the sky and embracing the earth, heaven and earth enter the belly."

Chaos Bell Usage: "The bell tolls to protect the body, allowing for instantaneous teleportation without a trace."

Yin Shenyu instructed: "Conceal your tracks to prevent Laozi from spying on you."

Li Bai ascended to the celestial realm, where the third heaven was a blessed land of immortals, with magnificent palaces, crystal towers, and cascading waterfalls.

He appeared, and the gourd was unleashed: "Swallow the Heavens!"

The vortex opened wide, and pure air was drawn in like a dragon, causing the land to collapse and cranes to take flight in fright.

The purple thunder roared like an angry dragon, and the alarm bell tolled like a death knell.

Inside the Haotian Palace, the jade table shattered: "Li Bai! How dare you!"

He wanted to control the thunder, but then he remembered Li Bai's teleportation ability and couldn't catch up with him.

Lao Tzu, with his oxcart rumbling, said: "Heavenly Emperor, this child's mastery of spatial laws is at the fortieth level, which this humble Daoist is not proficient in."

Yuanshi waved his sleeve and said, "My formation is not yet complete, and I fear it may cause problems."

Haotian was furious: "If you all do nothing, what kind of order will the Heavenly Realm be in?"

The two sages knew that although Devouring Heaven was a disaster, it also restrained Hongjun, and whoever made the move would take the blame.

Hongjun, in the palace, felt the Heavenly Realm shrink and was consumed by rage: "Jiang Wang! You have gone too far!"

However, the purple energy within the bell swallowed him up, and he was unable to attack while sitting cross-legged to regulate his breathing.

As Li Bai devoured the gourd, he teleported through space to avoid the lightning, and the gourd swelled up to the size of a ball.

As the pure energy entered his body, his sword-like eyebrows relaxed: "Master, this energy can be used to forge swords!"

The land was completely submerged, and only ruins remained of the third layer of the celestial realm, with the void forever torn apart.

Jiang Wang caught the gourd, and the system sent him a joyful message: "Five parts of fortune, may humanity be forever blessed."

A wisp of primordial purple energy grants one chance to draw a prize.

His heart pounded like a drum; that purple aura could break through even a corner of the forbidden spell! His anticipation burned like fire.

Jiang Wang sat cross-legged amidst the swirling mist of the hidden realm, a faint smile between his brows like a mountain breeze brushing against his green robe.

He recalled that extraordinary encounter with alchemy—the old man Laozi, relying on the ever-burning furnace fire of the Tushita Palace, unexpectedly leveled up and actually comprehended the formula for the Hunyuan Pill from an ancient book fragment.

That elixir is incredibly miraculous; it can help cultivators directly reach the Primordial Chaos Realm, cleanse their marrow and bones, and unleash their limitless potential.

Unfortunately, Laozi needed Primordial Purple Qi as a catalyst to refine it, which was extremely rare in the world, so he could only sigh in regret.

Jiang Wang smiled slightly, flipped his palm, and a wisp of purple energy spiraled out like a dragon, which was the Primordial Purple Energy rewarded by the system.

As the purple aura first appeared, a primordial chaos flowed subtly, seemingly capable of encompassing all things and giving rise to countless phenomena.

With a thought, he sketched out a plan in his mind: refine four Hunyuan Pills, and give each one to a disciple.

Those kids have been with him for so long, it's time to let them grow up and stand on their own.

The alchemy process takes a thousand years, but he has his own ingenious methods to speed it up, ensuring that this precious resource will not be wasted.

Just as he was pondering, a sword light tore through the void, and Li Bai's elegant figure landed, holding a palm-sized gourd in his hand. The gourd was emerald green, with a faint aura of purity, as if a wisp of the essence of heaven was sealed inside.

"Master, the mission is complete!"

Li Bai cupped his hands and smiled, his voice clear and melodious like the verses in wine: "The vast expanse of Qingming Festival is all contained in this gourd. The pure air of that sky is as boundless as the sea, and the gourd that swallows the sky has begun to slowly digest it."

But... this thing has quite an appetite; it'll probably take some time."

Jiang Wang nodded, took the gourd, and probed it with his spiritual sense. He immediately felt the pure energy surging like a tide, and the power of the hidden realm resonated with it.

He patted Li Bai on the shoulder, his eyes full of approval: "Well done."

The entrance to the hidden realm is on the shores of the East Sea. The coordinates have been transmitted to your consciousness; follow me.

The master and disciple flashed into the void, and the scenery before them rippled like water. The layers of boundary walls receded, revealing a deep and secluded world.

The Hidden Realm is vast and boundless, where the flow of time is ever-changing; it is a wondrous place left behind from ancient times.

Jiang Wang chose a remote island in the Far East Sea. The island was suspended above the foggy sea, where time flowed at a speed of 396 times. One day outside was equivalent to nearly four years here.

After landing, Li Bai waved his sleeve, and sword energy transformed into silver threads, weaving a portal along the edge of the island. Runes flickered on the portal, which was as solid as a mountain: "Master, you may enter and exit this portal at will. I have set up a restriction, so it is difficult for outsiders to see through it."

"it is good."

Jiang Wangzan placed the Heaven-Swallowing Gourd on the stone platform at the highest peak of the island.

As soon as the gourd landed, it hummed, its mouth opening like the kiss of a giant beast, greedily devouring the surrounding spiritual energy.

The pure energy of the heavens surged within the gourd, transforming into wisps of essence that were slowly refined by the small world inside.

With the island's rapid time flow, this assimilation process will be greatly amplified, and the outside world will see the results in less than two years.

Jiang Wang then flew towards the valley behind the island, a secluded place with a gushing spring at the bottom and thick soil veins, making it an excellent place for alchemy.

He sat cross-legged beside the spring and took out his alchemy furnace—an ancient bronze cauldron covered with chaotic runes, a treasure he had refined in his early years.

As the Primordial Purple Qi flowed into the furnace, a brilliant purple light shone forth, and the void within the cauldron twisted, as if a small universe had been created.

Jiang Wang formed hand seals and chanted incantations, as various rare and precious materials poured in like flowing water: thousand-year-old vermilion fruit, mysterious ice spirit marrow, nine-turn golden lotus... The materials melted in the purple aura, layer upon layer, transforming into strands of nascent golden pills.

Refining the Hunyuan Pill requires precise control of the heat and a sustained supply of spiritual energy.

An ordinary cultivator would need a thousand years to produce one, but he used the power of the hidden realm to compress this long process into two and a half years in the outside world.

He had already decided on the four pills in his mind. Each one was tailor-made for his disciple and contained his unique Daoist heritage.

A gust of wind rose and clouds surged in the valley, and the fragrance of cinnabar grew stronger. Jiang Wang closed his eyes and concentrated, letting time flow quietly like a river.

His mind was completely absorbed in it, and the images of his disciples appeared in his mind: Li Bai's sword intent was sharp and fierce, and this pill could help him to clarify his sword heart; the other three each had their own shortcomings, and this pill could make up for them.

With his plan in perfect order, a slight smile played on his lips. This hidden realm was his chessboard, which he could arrange as he pleased.

...A rare tranquility prevailed throughout the Three Realms, like a stagnant pool. (End of Chapter)