Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

There is also a waterfall, cascading down for miles, hanging like a silver ribbon between the peaks. The water roars like thunder, booming and deafening.

"What a beautiful mountain!"

Li Xiuyuan descended from the auspicious cloud and landed on the mountain peak, carefully sensing its surroundings. The mountain peak was exceptionally tranquil and quiet. Occasionally, the chirping of insects, the calls of birds, and the cries of animals added to its serenity. Furthermore, standing atop the peak, Li Xiuyuan sensed abundant spiritual energy permeating the mountain.

Besides spiritual energy, Li Xiuyuan also sensed a trace of demonic energy. However, this demonic energy was not strong; it was emanating from some minor demons. Li Xiuyuan ignored those minor demons. Heaven has a benevolent heart, let alone him.

He would never lay a hand on those lesser demons unless they provoked him. However, if those lesser demons were foolish enough to dare to approach him, then he would be ruthless.

With his divine sense spreading out, every blade of grass and every tree on the entire mountain was now under Li Xiuyuan's detection.

"It shouldn't be long before that stone monkey comes to seek apprenticeship. After searching for so long, this mountain peak looks the best. Why don't we establish our training ground here?"

With this in mind, Li Xiuyuan used his internal magical power to carve out a cave in the mountain peak.

Now that he has reached the level of a quasi-saint, he can be said to have boundless magical power. Not to mention just carving out a cave, even moving mountains and filling seas, Li Xiuyuan can do it.

The cave was built halfway up the mountain. In front of the cave, ancient cypress and pine trees rose into the sky, blocking out the sun and creating a very secluded atmosphere.

Although it was halfway up the mountain, because the mountain peak was so high, you could see fluffy white clouds drifting by from outside the cave.

Looking at the cave, Li Xiuyuan frowned, feeling as if something was missing. Suddenly, an idea struck him. He raised his hand and pointed at the cave ceiling, and a golden light flew from his hand, enveloping the cave. As the golden light dissipated, the ten characters "Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Xieyue Sanxing Cave" appeared above the cave, like a plaque.

Looking at the ten large characters, Li Xiuyuan nodded in satisfaction.

After completing the excavation of the stone cave, Li Xiuyuan used magic to conjure up many people inside.

As soon as those people appeared, they all knelt down in front of Li Xiuyuan, calling him their patriarch.

Chapter 431 The Cave of the Slanting Moon and Three Stars

Looking at the people he had conjured, Li Xiuyuan nodded in satisfaction. Now that he had reached the level of a quasi-saint, he had achieved the ability to create myriad worlds with a single thought. Although these people were his illusions, they were not much different from the real people.

Moreover, since he had already reached the level of a Quasi-Saint, the people he conjured up, except for those cultivators of the same level as him who were also Quasi-Saints, could not see through the fact that these people were deliberately conjured up by him and did not actually exist.

"That's about enough. Now we just need to wait for the stone monkey to arrive!"

Looking at the altar he had set up, Li Xiuyuan was about to nod when suddenly, as if he remembered something, he raised his hand and touched his face, and instantly an old, white-bearded face appeared on Li Xiuyuan's face.

"That's more like it!"

Li Xiuyuan walked into the stone cave with his hands behind his back.

Greetings, Ancestor Tianlong.

As soon as Li Xiuyuan entered the stone cave, the figures that Li Xiuyuan had conjured bowed and called out to him.

"Ok!"

Li Xiuyuan nodded, moved, and soared into the air, landing on a futon in the middle of the stone cave.

As soon as Li Xiuyuan sat on the futon, his aura changed, giving people a feeling of emptiness and nothingness, as if all the mundane things in the world had been detached from him.

"I wonder where that stone monkey is now, and how far it is from my Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and Xieyue Sanxing Cave?"

Now, after the stone monkey had traveled in Jambudvipa for seven or eight years and experienced all the births, aging, sickness and death of the human world, his desire for immortality had become even stronger.

One day, the stone monkey suddenly arrived at the seaside again, remembering that when he traveled in the human world, he often heard people say that there were fairy mountains overseas. So he once again set sail across the ocean, hoping to find the fairy mountains overseas.

The stone monkey set sail again, and Li Xiuyuan's benevolent body, the Great Sun Dragon Bodhisattva, did not linger in the Southern Continent. He continued to ride on auspicious clouds, closely following behind the stone monkey.

Sensing the thoughts transmitted to him by his true self, the Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva knew that the time had finally come; it was time for the Stone Monkey to become his disciple. Instantly, he exhaled again, unleashing a gust of wind that propelled the Stone Monkey's small boat towards the direction of Xiniu Hezhou.

The Southern Continent is quite a distance from the Western Continent. The stone monkey sat on the small boat, looking at the rolling waves on the sea, and couldn't help but feel tired.

Driven by Li Xiuyuan's benevolent corpse, the Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva, the gale had been blowing for several days in a row, with huge waves tossing the small boat high into the air and then crashing it back onto the sea.

Sitting in the small boat, the stone monkey's mind was constantly on edge. But one day, he could no longer hold back. He slumped over and fell asleep on the boat.

Seeing the stone monkey asleep, Li Xiuyuan's benevolent self, the Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva, was overjoyed. He used his magic to lift the small boat, and they rode the clouds to the shore. Once ashore, he put the small boat down again, making it look as if it had been washed ashore by the sea.

Originally, if the stone monkey were to travel in a small boat to the shore, it would take at least half a month for the boat to reach the land. And that doesn't even include the time it might be washed away by the sea and taken to other places.

With his help, at least ten days were saved.

He carried the small boat, along with the stone monkey, to the beach. The Great Sun Dragon Bodhisattva leaped up and flew back into the sky, disappearing into the distance.

In a daze, the stone monkey was brought to the coast. When the stone monkey opened its eyes and woke up, it found itself on the beach, but its heart was full of doubt.

Then the stone monkey scratched its head in a human-like manner, somewhat puzzled. It had only been sleeping on the boat, so how did it suddenly end up on the beach? It remembered that it was quite a distance from the shore before it went to sleep.

Could it be that I slept for seven or eight days straight, which is why the small boat was washed ashore without my knowledge?

Despite its doubts, the stone monkey didn't dwell on it. It climbed out of the small boat, chose a direction, and headed inland.

Secretly, Li Xiuyuan's benevolent corpse, the Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva, followed behind the stone monkey, secretly guiding it towards the location of the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and the Xieyue Sanxing Cave.

The stone monkey hurried on, guided by the Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva, getting closer and closer to the location of the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and the Xieyue Sanxing Cave.

On this day, a magnificent mountain, ten thousand feet tall, suddenly appeared before the stone monkey. The mountain was so tall that even the clouds only drifted halfway up the mountain, and the summit could not be seen at all.

The stone monkey looked up and saw towering peaks that seemed to pierce the clouds. Every now and then, apes and deer darted through the forest, and the cries of cranes rose into the air. Just then, the stone monkey heard voices coming from within the forest. It quickly looked up and darted into the woods, rushing towards the source. When it reached them, it realized it was singing.

"Watching chess, the axe handle rots; chopping wood, the sound of hammering echoes; strolling slowly along the valley's edge. Selling firewood and buying wine, laughing wildly, indulging in self-satisfaction. On the high autumn path, facing the moon, I rest my head on a pine root, and sleep until dawn. Recognizing the old forest, climbing cliffs and crossing ridges, I take an axe and cut withered vines. Gathering them into a load, I sing as I go to the market, exchanging it for three liters of rice. There is no more strife, the price is fair. Without scheming or calculation, without honor or disgrace, I live a tranquil life. Where I meet, they are either immortals or Taoists, sitting quietly discussing the *Huang Ting Jing*."

Upon hearing the song, the stone monkey was overjoyed and hurried forward. After only a few steps, he saw a woodcutter waving his axe and singing loudly.

Upon seeing this, the stone monkey quickly stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Old Immortal! This disciple greets you."

Chapter 432 Lingtai Fangcun Mountain

A gentle breeze rustled the bamboo leaves, and the bamboo stalks swayed from side to side, as if someone were beckoning, or as if ghosts were swaying their bodies there.

In front of the cave, a riot of colorful flowers bloomed in vibrant colors, their beauty dazzling. Butterflies danced and fluttered, landing among the blossoms and nectar.

A narrow stone path led to the cave. The cave entrance was tightly shut, quiet and deserted. A few steps away from the cave, atop a cliff, stood a stone tablet.

The stone tablet was about three zhang tall and eight chi wide, with ten large characters on it: “Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, Xieyue Sanxing Cave”.

The ten large characters, written in a vigorous and unrestrained style, resembled silver spears and halberds, exuding an imposing aura that instilled fear and trepidation. It was as if those ten characters contained a peerless sword technique, which, once unleashed, would cause the entire land to gleam with cold light, inspiring dread and trepidation.

When the stone monkey saw the ten large characters, he was initially startled, but then he quickly realized what they meant and said with great joy, "The people here are indeed honest. This mountain and this cave really exist; they haven't lied to me."

All the way up the mountain, the stone monkey had been worried that the woodcutter below might be teasing him. But now, looking at the stone tablet on the cliff and the closed cave entrance, the stone monkey couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The immortals he had been searching for and the secret to immortality he had been seeking were about to be laid out before him.

After looking at the cave entrance for a while, the stone monkey hesitated, appearing somewhat timid, and dared not knock on the door. It jumped to the top of a pine branch, picking and eating pine nuts while carefully and nervously watching the cave entrance, wanting to see if anyone would come out of the cave so it could find out about the situation of the Heavenly Dragon Ancestor inside.

After waiting for a while, the stone monkey heard a "ya" sound, and the cave door opened, and a fairy boy holding a whisk walked out of the cave.

The celestial child was handsome and extraordinary, unlike ordinary people. He had two small braids standing upright at the back of his head, and wore a sky-blue robe with wide sleeves that billowed like a bird's outstretched wings.

The boy came out of the door and shouted, "Who is causing trouble here?"

Upon seeing a boy emerge from the cave, the stone monkey leaped down from the tree, approached the boy, bowed respectfully, and said, "Immortal boy, I am a disciple seeking the Dao and learning immortality, and I would not dare to disturb you here."

The fairy boy laughed and said, "Are you a seeker of the Dao?"

The boy was somewhat surprised. Just now, his master had told him that someone had arrived outside. At first, he didn't quite believe it, but as soon as the stone door opened, a figure darted out, forcing the boy to believe it.

Upon hearing the question, the stone monkey nodded and said, "Yes."

The boy laughed and said, "My master just got off his bed and was about to preach when he told me to come out and open the door. He said, 'There's a cultivator outside; go and greet him.' I suppose that must be you?"

Upon hearing the boy's words, the stone monkey was startled, thinking that the Heavenly Dragon Ancestor's magical power was indeed high, as he was able to calculate that he was outside this cave. Although he was surprised, the stone monkey smiled faintly and said, "It is me, it is me."

The boy nodded and said, "Since it's you, then come in with me."

The stone monkey dared not delay, and quickly straightened his clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles on his clothes, before following the boy into the stone cave.

The stone cave was quite magical; inside, there was a completely different world, entirely different from the outside.

Inside the stone cave, layers of deep pavilions and magnificent buildings appeared, tall and grand, with an imposing presence. Beside the buildings, there were exotic flowers and rare herbs, their fragrance filling the air, and cranes and deer galloping and leaping through the cave.

It seemed as if the stone cave itself was another world unto itself.

Led by the celestial boy, the stone monkey entered the central, most spacious hall. The hall truly lived up to its name, measuring over fifty paces squarely, with beams as thick as a person's waist.

In the very center of the main hall, the stone monkey saw an extremely ordinary-looking, white-haired old man sitting on a futon.

Upon seeing this, the stone monkey secretly thought to himself, "This must be the Heavenly Dragon Ancestor."

Besides the patriarch, the stone monkey saw many other figures sitting on both sides of the main hall. These figures were of varying sizes and shapes, but all of them sat cross-legged on the ground with very proper posture.

Without waiting for anyone else to speak, he immediately knelt down and kowtowed to the ground as soon as he entered, crying out, "Grandmaster, Grandmaster, this disciple is determined to achieve immortality. Please accept this disciple and impart to me the secrets of immortality."

The figure sitting in the very center of the main hall was naturally the Heavenly Dragon Ancestor, transformed from Li Xiuyuan.

As the stone monkey kowtowed repeatedly on the ground, Li Xiuyuan was also carefully observing it.

Although his benevolent self, the Great Sun Dragon Bodhisattva, had been following the stone monkey closely, secretly protecting him along the way, the Great Sun Dragon Bodhisattva was, after all, a manifestation of his benevolent self, not his true form. Therefore, he appeared quite different from his original self.

Li Xiuyuan saw that the stone monkey was agile and full of spiritual energy. Its body was filled with spiritual energy. Although it was only a celestial immortal, the amount of spiritual energy in its body far exceeded that of an ordinary celestial immortal.

However, the stone monkey does not yet know how to use the spiritual energy within its body. If one day the stone monkey is able to circulate all the spiritual energy within its body, its strength will undergo a tremendous change.

If the stone monkey were to learn cultivation, its cultivation level would increase even more rapidly.

Besides this, Li Xiuyuan also observed a trace of innate energy within the stone monkey's body. If it were an ordinary person, their innate energy would dissipate as soon as they emerged from the womb.

Chapter 433 The Stone Monkey Seeks His Master

However, the stone monkey was a life form born from a spiritual stone of heaven and earth, and its innate energy was very abundant. Even though the stone monkey had been born for so long, its innate energy had not yet dissipated completely.

The innate energy can reveal a person's aptitude. The more abundant it is, the more extraordinary one's aptitude is.

"As expected of a being that sprang from the five-colored stones left over from Nuwa's patching of the sky, it is indeed extraordinary."