Journey to the West: Demon Emperor: Beginning as a Little Toad

Chapter 637 Mirage, From Illusion to Reality

Meanwhile, on the western sea, dark clouds rolled in, threatening to crush the city; turbid waves surged into the sky, their crashing against the shore a terrifying sight.

What a somber and desolate scene!

For a while.

The eight immortals cross the sea, each showing their magical powers.

The three thousand Taoist practitioners who cultivated Qi also put their learned abilities to use.

But we see:

Magical treasures rained down like a torrential downpour; talismans fluttered about like locusts blotting out the sun.

The flying sword transformed into a dragon, piercing through clouds and mist; the thunder magic was like a golden snake, dancing wildly and darting about.

Gale-force winds howl, flames scorch the sea...

That overwhelming divine might seemed as if the sky were tilting to the northwest, threatening to crush the entire Western Sea aquatic race into dust!

The aquatic creatures of the West Sea, though mostly scaly and cold-blooded, unleashed a hundredfold courage at this moment!
The blood feud at the Jing River is still vivid in my mind; the humiliation suffered by the Dragon Clan for thousands of years is a deep-seated resentment in my heart.

these years.

Nezha slays the dragon prince, Sun Wukong steals the dragon palace's divine treasures, the Heavenly Court mistreats the dragons, the Heavenly Immortals eat the dragon's liver, and the Eight Immortals of Taoism harm the Dragon King...

How can we possibly back down now, for every single thing?

Seeing the celestial light obscuring the sky and the murderous aura filling the heavens, the aquatic creatures were not afraid at all. Instead, they were filled with a fierce and indignant spirit of shared hatred and mutual destruction!

Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, sat high on the crystal throne, his beard and hair bristling like steel needles standing upright; his dragon eyes opened and closed like golden lamps shooting out, taking in all kinds of sights.

Seeing the Eight Immortals of Taoism, leading three thousand Taoist immortals, rushing in like a landslide and a tsunami.

Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, raised his long sword in anger and shouted loudly:
"Young men of the Western Sea! We, the scaled aquatic creatures, were born and raised here. How can we allow the immortals to humiliate us and trample on our dignity?"

"The hatred of the dragon race, accumulated over millennia, shall be washed away with blood today! Follow me, and kill!!!"

The Turtle Prime Minister, holding the command flag and military tally, heard the king's order and fiercely swung the command flag down!

……

"Dong dong dong! Dong dong dong!"

The war drums thundered, like rolling thunder.

"Woo, woo, woo—!"

The bugle sounded mournful, like a long, drawn-out lament.

"Roar! Kill!!!"

"To avenge the Dragon King of the Jing River!"

"The backbone of the scaly aquatic race is unyielding! Kill, kill, kill!!!"

……

The aquatic creatures of the West Sea roared with earth-shattering force, forming a dark battle formation and raising their weapons to bravely meet the torrent of Taoist immortals descending from the sky!

Magical artifacts rained down, talismans fluttered, lightning surged, gales howled, and flames scorched the sea...

But the aquatic creatures of the Western Sea went against the current!

But we see:

The shrimp soldiers, spears in hand, stood densely packed like a thicket of reeds, their cold light gleaming and chilling to the bone.

The crab raises its claws, which are as solid as an iron wall or a copper wall, opening and closing with a clanging sound.

The eel warrior's muscles were knotted and bulging, stirring up turbulent undercurrents and creating a raging storm.

Captain Ba was agile and swift; his Water-Splitting Dagger transformed into countless cold stars, cunning and ruthless, aimed directly at the enemy's life.

The sea patrol yaksha "Li Kui" has a blue face and fangs, his hair standing on end in anger. He points his steel fork at the sky and roars, stirring up the cold currents of the deep sea to freeze the ice. He leads the fish monster elites in a desperate charge!
...The entire Western Sea was transformed into a grinding wheel of flesh and blood!
Above the Western Sea, countless aquatic creatures transformed into a raging, dark tide, surging upwards to meet the falling celestial star rain, recklessly charging forward!
It is:

"The hatred runs deep like the sea, and the resentment is as heavy as a mountain; how can it be stopped? With only an indomitable spirit, I dare to fight against the immortals for freedom!"

At this moment.

The celestial light was dazzling, and the dragon's might was overwhelming.

Above the western sea, densely packed, a golden torrent and a black torrent collided with a deafening roar!
The sky above the western sea instantly transformed into a chaotic battlefield!

The celestial light and auspicious mist clashed fiercely with the dragon's malevolent aura!
The magical artifact roared, and its supernatural powers exploded.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

"Clang, clang, clang!"

“It’s so bitter!”

"Roar!"

"Ow!"

“Splash, splash, splash!”

……

The sounds of shouts of battle, roars of anger, screams of agony, the clash of weapons, and the roar of the waves mingled together, soaring straight to the heavens!

For a while.

The Xuanmen Sect wishes to display its demon-slaying prowess, while the Dragon Palace vows to avenge an eternal feud!
When the magical artifacts struck the aquatic creatures, their scales shattered, flying like tattered leather, and blood and flesh splattered, staining the azure waves red.

The aquatic weapon pierced the Qi cultivator, damaging his body and revealing his bare white bones. His immortal blood spilled out, turning into a crimson rain.

This is going to be a fierce battle.

The real one is:
The heavens and earth trembled, the stars shifted! The sea boiled and surged, the clouds were heavy and the fog was gloomy!
For countless years, the once pristine seabed has been transformed into the hellish realm of Avici Hell!

For tens of thousands of years, the peaceful and virtuous immortals have been drawn into the chaotic tribulation of life and death!
Who is the immortal? Who is the demon?
Who is righteous? Who is evil?
The situation is now extremely difficult to resolve; it's a matter of life and death!

In the melee.

General Hu Jiao of the Western Sea could no longer contain his ferocity.

But then a deafening tiger's roar was heard:
"Hey! You wicked Taoist priest who flaunts flowers and grass, stop your arrogance! Watch how I capture you!"

Before he finished speaking, the tiger-dragon's body swayed, revealing its true form!

What a ferocious god!
It was hundreds of feet long, with a ferocious tiger head and red golden eyes. Its mane was like flames that captivated the soul. Its body was covered in armor that shone with a ghostly light, and its snake tail stirred up the sea and rolled up thunder!

The tiger-dragon is truly a fusion of the majesty of the "mountain king" and the ferocity of the "water monster".

Its reputation as a "fierce tiger in the water" is truly well-deserved!

"Roar!"

The tiger-dragon opened its mouth wide and spewed out millennia-old icy energy. Wherever it passed, the raging waves instantly condensed into sharp ice shards that shot straight into the sky!
The sharp icicles clashed repeatedly with the petals of the blue jasper, hindering its offensive.

A tiger's tail is very powerful; when grabbing someone, it often uses its tail to sweep them away.

The same applies to the tiger-dragon.

At this moment.

But then, the tiger-dragon's giant tail, like a steel whip reaching to the sky, swept viciously towards Lan Caihe's swirling storm of blades that cut through scales and armor, carrying the power to shatter mountains and split peaks!

"Boom—Crack!!!"

With a loud bang, the storm of blades dissipated!

Countless delicate petals were swept away by this immense force, falling and scattering like rain, their vitality completely lost!
The tiger-dragon's tail still possessed immense power, and with the force of wind and thunder, it hurtled straight towards Lan Caihe's face, determined to smash this Taoist immortal into a pulp!
"My life is over!"

Lan Caihe's playful expression vanished instantly, his soul nearly leaving his body. He hastily formed a hand seal to summon the flower basket back for protection:

"Raise the flag and summon immediately, without delay! By the decree of the Supreme Lord Laozi!"

In an instant.

A brilliant celestial light shone from the basket's mouth, and countless exotic flowers and plants transformed into layers of protective shields, blocking the way in front of him.

"boom!"

With a muffled thud, the flower shield trembled violently. Lan Caihe felt as if he had been struck by a thousand-pound hammer. His blood surged, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat. His body flew backward uncontrollably for more than a hundred feet before he could barely regain his balance. He was in a very sorry state.

The tiger-dragon's ferocity intensified after its successful attack!

He held the Wave-Splitting Halberd, pointed it at the immortal formation, and shouted:

"You cowardly Taoists, which one of you is not afraid of death and dares to take a blow from my halberd?!"

Cao Jingxiu intended to throw the jade tablet at Ao Run, the Dragon King of the West Sea, but Ao Run slapped it away with a palm, causing the jade tablet to roll back.

Seeing the ferocity of the tiger-dragon, he frowned, seized an opening, circled around to the side, raised the jade tablet, which transformed into the size of a small mountain, and smashed it hard against the tiger-dragon's back!
"Humph!"

The tiger-dragon was gloating and caught off guard by the attack. It was struck by the jade tablet, let out a muffled groan, and its mountain-like body crashed into the sea, stirring up towering waves.

The other side.

Zhang Guolao rode the giant donkey formed from the thousand-foot-long talisman, galloping freely through the Dragon Palace's naval formation, charging and killing wantonly.

The giant donkey's four hooves flew, carrying the force of wind and thunder. Wherever it stepped, shrimp soldiers and crab generals suffered broken bones and torn tendons, screaming in agony. The formation of the Dragon Palace's navy was thrown into chaos.

Zhang Guolao rode on the back of a donkey, laughing strangely.

"Stomp! Stomp! Stomp these stinking mudfish from the West Sea!"

"Oh, my spirited donkey, give it a little more strength! Stomp on my feet a few more times to appease the anger in my heart!"

"You evil sorcerer, cease your rampage! Do you think the Western Sea has no one to rely on? Behold my methods!"

Upon witnessing this scene, the Western Sea Admiral Ao Fuyue was consumed by rage, which he could not contain, and thus revealed his true form as a colossal being. His body was as imposing as a mountain, his dragon head held high, majestic and awe-inspiring. The patterns on his tortoise shell resembled natural talismans, and his four legs were like pillars supporting the sky, firmly rooted in the seabed. His enormous tail, when swayed, stirred up the surging waves of the vast ocean!
It is the remnant of the "giant turtle that mended the sky" from back then!

The giant tortoise that mended the sky once severed its four legs to mend the heavens; it was enormous and possessed boundless power.

A dragon's roar echoed from Ao Fuyue, vast and distant, shaking the seabed and startling all things that reached its reach:

"A giant turtle carries a mountain! The mountain comes!"

Where the supernatural power was activated, the seabed rock rippled and the earth's veins surged!
Two dark, towering reefs, thousands of feet high, were lifted from the seabed by him with the force of carrying mountains, and crashed down on the arrogant paper donkey!

"Boom—Crack!!!"

A deafening roar, a mountain collapsing, and a donkey braying!
No matter how extraordinary and powerful the paper donkey was, it was ultimately just a talisman, an illusion, and could not withstand the suppression of two real mountains.
The paper donkey was instantly smashed to pieces, wood chips flew everywhere, and its spiritual energy dissipated, turning into countless pieces of paper that drifted into the sea!

"Ouch! It hurts so much! My donkey!"

Zhang Guolao was heartbroken and pounded his chest in despair, almost spitting blood. In a panic, he raised his fish drum to protect himself, which thumped loudly and shimmered with light as he desperately tried to fend off the scattering boulders.

Having succeeded in his attack, Ao Fuyue did not stop there!

He took steps as large as pillars, parting the waterways. Each step he took stirred up thousands of waves in the sea, like a mountain moving, unstoppable, heading straight for the crack in the Daoist immortal formation.

Upon seeing this, the Qi cultivators who had been practicing Qi cultivation stepped forward to try and stop the ferocious-looking Ao Fuyue.

However, how could they possibly be a match for Ao Fuyue?
Ao Fuyue brandished his twin axes, their cold light gleaming. With each swing of the axe, a Qi cultivator was cleaved in two, blood splattering everywhere—a gruesome sight.

Wherever he went, no one could withstand his might!

With a swing of his double axes, Ao Fuyue gleamed with cold light as he aimed directly at Zhang Guolao, who had lost his mount and was in a sorry state, intending to cleave him in two!
Ao Fuyue charged towards Zhang Guolao, swung his axe at him, and shouted:
"You evil Taoist, you killed my water soldiers! Pay with your life!"

Seeing the giant axe coming down, Zhang Guolao was terrified. In his panic, he quickly transformed into a white bat demon, spread his wings, and fled.

Upon seeing this, Ao Fuyue couldn't help but laugh loudly, mocking:

"What talk of demons and gods?"

"It's all just a trick you're playing to fool people."

"It's all an illusion and a lie."

"Aren't the Eight Immortals of Taoism also bat demons?"

"What's the difference between them and us?"

Seeing Zhang Guolao flee and Ao Fuyue so arrogant, Zhongli Quan's eyes widened in anger, and he cursed:
"What a monstrous bastard! So ferocious, he deserves to be killed!"

Zhongli Quan waved the Acquired Banana Leaf Fan in his hand, aimed at Ao Fuyue's mountain-like body, and suddenly swung it!
"Alas!"

A fierce wind arose from nowhere, and flames sprang up out of thin air!
The wind and fire clashed, transforming into a crimson storm hundreds of feet long, containing wind blades and fire knives, swirling towards the giant turtle like ghosts howling and gods wailing.

Although Ao Fuyue possessed immense strength and a powerful physique, it was still forced to retreat repeatedly in the face of the wind and fire refined by the secret treasure of the Tushita Palace. Black smoke rose from the scorching wind and fire on its tortoise shell, emitting a pungent, burnt odor.

On the other side, the battle was equally fierce.

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

"Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu"

"Buzz!"

……

Han Xiangzi held the flute to his lips, his ten fingers flying across the air. Invisible sound waves condensed into hundreds of semi-transparent sound blades, cutting through the void and emitting a piercing high-frequency buzzing that indiscriminately covered the densely populated areas of the dragon race, disturbing the enemy's mind and seizing their soul.

In the Dragon Palace of the East Sea, there is a patrolling sea yaksha general named "Li Gen".

Li Gen was in charge of patrolling the East China Sea. Because Nezha bathed in the Nine Bends River with the Hun Tian Ling (a magical ribbon), causing the Dragon Palace to shake, Li Gen was ordered by the Dragon King to investigate. He clashed with Nezha and was struck on the head by the Qiankun Ring, dying from his injuries. After his death, he was named "Great Calamity Star" by Jiang Ziya.

The West Sea Dragon Palace also has a patrolling sea yaksha general, who is Li Gen's younger brother and named "Li Kui," who is also exceptionally brave and strong.

"That sorcerer playing the flute is so noisy!"

The patrolling sea demon general Li Kui, with a blue face and fangs, wielding a steel fork, led a squad of demon soldiers. When he saw Han Xiangzi's flute playing disturbing the enemy, he was so angry that he cried out in a strange voice.

He summoned a deep-sea cold current, which stirred up countless "Mysterious Yin Gui Water Thunders" containing Yin energy, as dense as hailstones, and smashed towards Han Xiangzi.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

……

The thunder of Gui Water roared and exploded, filling the air with water vapor, colliding fiercely with the disturbing demonic sounds, yet canceling each other out.

On the other side.

The Shenlong, son of Ao Yuan, the Dragon King of the Jing River, was hidden in the misty waters of the army formation, appearing and disappearing intermittently.

This dragon is no ordinary creature; it is one of the nine sons of the dragon, endowed with extraordinary talents. It is skilled at exhaling breath to form the shapes of pavilions and palaces, and can also transform into the shapes of all kinds of living beings, hence the name "Mirage Dragon".

He held the mirage pearl tightly in his palm. The pearl was filled with bizarre and fantastical light, and at this moment, its radiance flowed, as if countless worlds were being created and destroyed within it.

The sounds of battle cries shook the heavens.

"Hehehe..."

The mirage dragon raised a slight, enigmatic smile, secretly channeling its profound power to lift the mirage pearl high into the air.

"A fog arises, and the world is shrouded in mist!"

Suddenly, an unusual phenomenon occurred!

As he chanted incantations, the mirage pearl suddenly shone brightly, spewing out a vast amount of seven-colored mirage energy.

This vapor was like smoke or mist, ethereal and ever-changing, spreading outwards.

In a short while, it covered the battlefield sea area within a radius of a hundred miles.

This mirage is viscous and slippery, neither smoke nor fog. It dazzles the eyes and fascinates the senses, and its scent makes one feel as if they are in a dream.

The true form of the mirage dragon is hidden within, appearing as elusive as a ghost, making it difficult to trace its presence.

Driven by its magical power, it stirred up ocean currents and laid out numerous whirlpool traps.

The vortex had an incredibly strong suction force, specifically trapping the spiritual light of immortal treasures and hindering the impact of Daoist Qi cultivators, causing them to sluggish their movements as if trapped in quagmire, making it difficult for them to move forward.

"Hmph, such a trivial skill! How dare you show off your limited abilities before an expert! The Pure Lotus purifies the world, all laws are empty!"

He Xiangu's face was cold and aloof. Seeing that her side had suffered a setback, she raised her slender hand and summoned her natal magic treasure, "Pure and Wonderful Lotus".

The blue lotus spun around and grew in the wind, eventually becoming a giant lotus that covered an area of ​​about an acre.

The lotus petals bloomed layer by layer, and a bluish-green radiance surged forth like a tide. Wherever it passed, the illusions and poisonous fogs laid out by the mirage dragon, as well as some of the mind-altering aquatic creatures' innate supernatural abilities, were all purified and dispelled.

"Watch my moves!"

With a light tap of her slender fingers, He Xiangu caused lotus petals to swirl, their clear light like a sword sweeping towards the mirage dragon.

"Hehehe..."

Have you not heard that for every step the righteous take, the evil takes ten?

The mirage dragon's form shifted between reality and illusion amidst the misty water, the mirage pearl in its palm shining brightly as it unleashed its mirage dragon supernatural powers:
"A mirage, a myriad of phenomena!"

"It can draw in the vast emptiness and deceive the real from the fake!"

Without a sound, the vast seascape distorted, fragmented, and reformed, like a dream.

Before the eyes of the Taoist immortals, endless illusions arose.

Suddenly, a mountain of knives appeared before me, their sharp blades upright, their cold light piercing to the bone; a sea of ​​fire roared, flames soared into the sky, and the heat waves scorched my skin.

Those with weak will and shallow cultivation were terrified, thinking they were in dire straits. They hurriedly summoned their magical treasures to protect themselves, and their spiritual power poured out like a waterfall.

Suddenly, they saw gold and silver treasures scattered all over the ground, agate and pearls piled up like mountains, and glass and jade shining brightly. There were also elixirs, magic weapons and techniques scattered among them.

Upon seeing this, the greedy instantly lost their moral compass, their faces filled with wild joy. They abandoned their formations and bent down to grab it, completely unaware that they had fallen into a deadly trap.

Suddenly, they heard their fellow disciples crying out for help, or saw their comrades captured by the aquatic creatures, their necks pierced by sharp blades, their blood flowing freely; or they saw their close teachers trapped in a siege, their magical power exhausted, their lives hanging by a thread.

Even worse, inner demons and illusions abound: one may see their Daoist partner die tragically before their eyes, or see a cultivation bottleneck that can never be broken, or see former enemies savagely demanding their lives, or see the Dao Ancestor punishing them with lightning strikes...

All sorts of illusions point directly to the most vulnerable part of the Dao heart, stirring up the seven emotions and six desires, and arousing internal demons and external evils.

For a while.

Many Qi cultivators lost their composure, or stood frozen in place like clay or wooden sculptures, muttering to themselves incoherently.

Or perhaps their mind is taken away, they let out a shrill scream, flailing their arms and legs, and plunge headfirst into the icy, bone-chilling seawater, instantly swallowed by the undercurrents and whirlpools, disappearing without a trace.

Or they would act like madmen, wildly slashing with their swords, indiscriminately attacking friend and foe, splattering blood everywhere.

Or perhaps their minds have been taken away, causing them to let out a piercing scream...

……

The power of the mirage dragon is truly terrifying!
The dragon has nine sons, each with its own supernatural powers, one of whom is the "Shenlong" (蜃龙).

This dragon is no ordinary creature with scales and armor; it is a divine beast in the world that is extremely skilled at transformation, and its appearance is unpredictable.

The mirage dragon is particularly adept at the "way of transformation," capable of "making the false appear real," and conjuring up a thousand faces and forms, making it impossible to guard against.

Its innate supernatural power, "Mirage," directly targets human desires, capable of turning the illusory into the real and the real into the illusory, with the illusory and the real giving rise to each other, making it difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood.

Even more extraordinary is the "Mirage Mask," meticulously crafted from its own life-bound phosphorus scales, a treasure capable of reversing yin and yang, confusing the secrets of heaven, and transforming the false into the real.

People occasionally witness "mirages," seeing the illusions arising between the sea and sky, like a dream, and call them "mirages."

This is precisely the illusion created by the mirage dragon with its supreme supernatural powers.

(End of this chapter)