Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

"Return in triumph!" Li Jing turned and said to the 80,000 heavenly soldiers and generals behind him.

At his command, the 80,000 heavenly soldiers and generals, in perfect order and with distinct formations, rode on clouds toward the Heavenly Palace.

After defeating the Giant Spirit God, driving away Nezha, and scaring away 80,000 heavenly soldiers and generals, Sun Wukong returned to his cave in triumph and ordered all the monkeys and their followers in Flower Fruit Mountain to prepare a feast.

The monkeys and their offspring were injured in the shockwave created by the giant spirit, but their injuries were not serious. Moreover, after learning that their king had defeated two heavenly generals, they were overjoyed and couldn't contain themselves. They jumped and skipped around in the Water Curtain Cave, looking extremely happy, and had long forgotten about their injuries.

Sun Wukong gave the order, and he immediately went to do so. Before long, all sorts of rare and exotic fruits, delicacies, rare mountain and sea delicacies, and fine wines were laid out before Sun Wukong.

Just as Sun Wukong was about to enjoy the meal, a black-haired old monkey ran in and shouted, "Your Majesty, the six kings have arrived!"

"My six older brothers have arrived!" Sun Wukong was overjoyed and hurriedly went out to greet them.

As soon as he arrived at the cave entrance, six figures appeared before him: the Bull Demon King, the Flood Dragon Demon King, the Roc Demon King, the Lion Camel King, the Macaque King, and the Velvet King.

Sun Wukong said, "My six brothers haven't come in a long time. What brings you here today?"

The Bull Demon King said, "We heard that you have been serving in the Heavenly Palace and have not been home, so we have not come to bother you. As soon as we heard that you had returned, the six of us rushed over immediately."

Sun Wukong said, "I am ashamed to trouble you brothers! Please, my six brothers, I have prepared a delicious feast in the cave. Let the seven of us drink until we are drunk tonight."

The seven of them burst into laughter and followed Sun Wukong into the Water Curtain Cave.

During the banquet, the Flood Dragon Demon King asked, "Seventh Brother, why are you down here instead of doing your job properly in the Heavenly Palace?"

Sun Wukong waved his hand and said, "It's really shameful to say. That old Jade Emperor really doesn't know how to use people. With my abilities, I can reach for the moon in the sky and catch dragons in the sea, but that old Jade Emperor actually made me a stable boy, to raise horses for him and be a groom. I was so angry that I rebelled and came down to the mortal world."

The Bull Demon King said, "Brother, don't be angry. What's the point of thinking about the Heavenly Palace? It's better to stay in the mortal realm. The seven of us brothers can gather together every day, drinking and having fun. Isn't that wonderful?"

Sun Wukong nodded and said, "Six brothers, did you see the banner on my Flower Fruit Mountain when you came here?"

"Banners?"

The six members of the Bull Demon King's group shook their heads and said, "We didn't see it."

Sun Wukong said, "I rebelled against the Heavenly Palace in a fit of anger, and then I realized that I was still just a commoner on Flower Fruit Mountain, so I gave myself the title of Great Sage Equal to Heaven. My six brothers should also give themselves a title, firstly to show their status, and secondly to demonstrate that the seven of us brothers are united in our actions."

"The Monkey King?"

The Bull Demon King lowered his head and chewed for a moment, then slammed his large, black, hairy hand on the table and said, "This title is good! Since you, Seventh Brother, are called the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, then I will be called the Great Sage Pacifying Heaven!"

The Flood Dragon King said, "My true form is a flood dragon, capable of summoning clouds and mist, driving wind and rain, and overturning rivers and seas. I will take the title of Great Sage Overturning the Sea!"

The Peng Demon King, who was listening from the side, was shocked. He did not expect Sun Wukong to be so bold as to call himself the Great Sage Equal to Heaven. If the Heavenly Court found out, it would probably immediately send heavenly soldiers to punish him.

Little did he know that the heavenly soldiers and generals had already come to punish him, but were driven back by Sun Wukong.

He was timid by nature and dared not do such a dangerous thing. Suddenly, he saw that the eyes of Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the Flood Dragon Demon King were all looking at him.

Chapter 468 The Old Taoist in Purple Robes

Sun Wukong, the Bull Demon King, and the Flood Dragon Demon King all looked at him at once. The Roc Demon King was taken aback and realized that it was no longer possible for him to remain unscathed today.

He immediately said, "I am a great roc who has attained enlightenment, and my speed is unparalleled in the world. So I shall call myself the Great Sage Who Conquers Heaven."

The Lion Camel King said, "I once followed a Taoist to cultivate and mastered the supernatural power to move mountains and overturn seas, so I shall call myself the Great Sage Who Moves Mountains."

Everyone was shocked, unaware that the Lion Camel King had such a background, having once received secret instruction from a Taoist priest. They wondered about the Taoist priest's identity and strength.

Most of the seven were wild demons who cultivated on their own without any master's guidance, making their path of cultivation extremely difficult.

Moreover, because they lacked a master to guide them, these people, apart from possessing excellent martial arts skills, did not know any supernatural powers or magic.

This is also the case for most monsters; although they are highly skilled in martial arts, they are completely ignorant of magic and supernatural powers, and often suffer a lot when fighting with humans.

Countless powerful demon kings have perished because of this.

The Monkey King said, "I was born with the ability to control wind and fog, so I'll call myself the Great Sage Who Reaches Heaven."

Rong Wang said, "I'll just call myself the Great Sage Who Drives Away Gods."

The Bull Demon King said, "Haha! From now on, the seven of us brothers will work together to spread our name throughout the Three Realms, so that all the gods, demons, immortals, and Buddhas in the heavens will know our abilities!"

The remaining six said, "Big brother is right. Come on, let's continue drinking."

All seven men raised their wine glasses.

Jade Spring Mountain is a famous mountain in Jambudvipa (the southern continent of the world). It is thousands of feet high, with its peaks soaring into the clouds. The snow on the summit never melts, making it a white expanse.

Halfway up the mountain, there is a cave called Jinxia Cave. The scene in front of the cave is completely different from that at the top of the mountain. All kinds of exotic flowers and rare herbs are in full bloom, and a rich fragrance fills the air. Small, colorful butterflies are sipping nectar from the flower stamens. The sky is bright and sunny, just like springtime.

On either side of the cave, there were large patches of ancient cypress, pine and bamboo, lush and lovely. Cranes and monkeys flew and leaped on the branches, their cries echoing.

Besides, there were many orchids and osmanthus trees on both sides of the cave, creating a scene of a fairyland and a sacred place.

Inside the Golden Cloud Cave, an elderly man dressed in a purple Taoist robe, with a gaunt face, a three-foot-long white beard, and an air of otherworldly grace, sat cross-legged on a yellow futon.

Suddenly, as if sensing something, the old Taoist priest abruptly opened his eyes, and two beams of white light shot out from them, illuminating the walls of the stone cave.

Those two beams of light were quite magical; the cave walls could not block them at all. They traveled through thousands of mountains and rivers, crossed the Southern Continent, and shone all the way to Huaguo Mountain in the Eastern Continent.

Along the way, all the scenes illuminated by the beam of light were transmitted into the old Taoist's mind and seen clearly by him.

Those two beams of light were a kind of divine eye that the old Taoist had cultivated, and they were very powerful, almost comparable to the Buddha's eye in Buddhism.

With a single thought, the Buddha's eye can perceive all the affairs of the three thousand worlds. The Taoist's divine eye is naturally no less remarkable; it observes according to his mind's will, and with a thought, his divine eye can see.

The two beams of light arrived at the Water Curtain Cave of Flower Fruit Mountain, where they found seven different demons feasting. Beside the seven great demons were many monkey demons, each handling various fruits, wines, and other necessities for the banquet.

The Taoist's beam of light did not linger among the demon monkeys, but instead looked directly at the seven great demons. Each of the seven great demons possessed an extremely powerful aura, especially one that resembled an ape with a hairy face and a thunder god's mouth. Its demonic aura was so dense that it was almost tangible, like black lacquer.

Sun Wukong was drinking when he suddenly felt a pang of unease. He had a strange feeling that someone was watching him, so he put down his wine cup and looked around.

"Seventh Brother, what's wrong?" Bull Demon King asked when he saw that Sun Wukong's expression was off.

Sun Wukong shook his head and said, "Nothing, it's just that I always feel like someone is spying on us. Do you feel the same way, brother?"

The Bull Demon King looked around and said, "No, I didn't see anyone spying on us."

The remaining five exchanged glances, each using their divine sense to perceive the situation. After a moment, they all shook their heads and said, "We don't have any either, Seventh Brother, what's going on?"

Sun Wukong scratched his head and said, "Maybe I'm just being paranoid. Let's ignore him and continue drinking."

He picked up the large, blue stone cup in front of him and drank it down in one gulp. The amber-colored, wine-scented liquor gushed down his throat.

"What a formidable monkey king! His senses are so sharp!"

Inside the Golden Cloud Cave on Jade Spring Mountain, the Taoist priest withdrew his divine eyes and sighed inwardly.

The Taoist priest sat on the futon and thought to himself, "During the Investiture of the Gods, I heard my senior uncle say that Buddhism in the West would rise a thousand years later. It seems that this monkey king is a pawn placed by the two Western Saints and the key to the rise of Buddhism in the West. If I kill this demon monkey, how can Buddhism in the West rise? This world belongs to our Taoist sect. How can we give it to those bald monks in the West?"

The Taoist priest stood up from the futon, took a sword from the cave. The sword was over four feet long, with a bluish-gray body. The scabbard was hidden, so the sword's sharpness could not be seen.

The Taoist priest drew his longsword with a whoosh, and it flashed with a cold light. The sharp sword energy stung the skin, and the entire cave was filled with a murderous aura.

About an inch in front of the stone-gray hilt of the longsword, two ancient and profound characters were engraved in seal script: the two characters "绝仙" (Jue Xian).

That long sword was none other than the Immortal-Slaying Sword, one of the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords of the Intercepting Sect during the Investiture of the Gods. During the Investiture of the Gods, the saints broke through the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, and those four immortal swords fell into the hands of the saints.

The old Taoist priest in purple robes was none other than Yu Ding Zhenren, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect, and a high-ranking disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun.

Chapter 469 Chaos Divine Eye

When Yuanshi Tianzun broke through the Zhuxian Sword Formation and obtained the Four Zhuxian Swords, he distributed them among his disciples. The Juexian Sword, however, fell into the hands of Yuding Zhenren, and can be said to be Yuding Zhenren's most prized possession.

Having taken the Immortal-Slaying Sword, Jade Cauldron Immortal then retrieved a whisk from the cave, slung it over his shoulder, and left the Golden Cloud Cave.

A young Taoist disciple nearby asked, "Master, are we going out? Should I bring out our mounts?"

Master Yuding said, "No need, the mount is too slow, I'll ride the cloud."

Having said that, he summoned a white cloud, stepped onto it, and his entire being, along with the white cloud, transformed into a shooting star, flying towards the Eastern Continent.

"Teacher, what urgent matter do you have to attend to that makes you complain about the slow speed of your mount and want to ride a cloud? Your mount can travel ten thousand miles a day without any problem, and its speed is much faster than that of many immortals riding clouds themselves." The young Daoist thought for a moment but couldn't figure it out.

With a sigh, the young Daoist thought to himself, "I remember that ever since Master severed his good corpse and cultivated to the level of Quasi-Saint, he has never been in such a hurry. It seems that Master must have something important to do. I'd better just keep a close watch on this cave entrance. If something goes wrong, I'll be in big trouble when Master comes back and scolds me."

Master Yuding rode on auspicious clouds at great speed, and in no time at all, he arrived at the top of Flower Fruit Mountain. There, he saw a figure already standing there, seemingly waiting for his arrival.

The figure was not tall, about the same height as an ordinary person, but had a fair complexion and an exceptionally handsome face. He exuded an aura that was neither quite Taoist nor quite Buddhist, as if he came from the ancient primordial world.

In this world, apart from Li Xiuyuan, who possesses the bloodline of the Ancestral Witch, there is no one else who can possess such an aura.

As early as the moment Yu Ding Zhenren drew the Immortal-Slaying Sword in the Golden Cloud Cave, Li Xiuyuan, who had been cultivating in the temple, sensed it. Knowing that Yu Ding Zhenren intended to kill Sun Wukong, he rushed over immediately.

During this time, Li Xiuyuan had been cultivating the Chaos Divine Eye he had exchanged from the Merit Mall in the Daoist temple. The Chaos Divine Eye was very expensive, costing Li Xiuyuan a full one million merit points. This made Li Xiuyuan feel a pang of heartache.

The Chaos Divine Eye is now located on Li Xiuyuan's forehead, between his eyebrows, just like Erlang Shen's third eye. However, Li Xiuyuan's Chaos Divine Eye is much more advanced than Erlang Shen's third eye.

As the Chaos God Eye opened and closed, it revealed a terrifying grayish-white color, exactly the same as the color of chaos itself.

The Chaos Divine Eye has many effects. In addition to having the effects of the Buddha's eye in Buddhism, which allows one to see through the three thousand worlds, it can also see through the changes of enemies, somewhat similar to the Fiery Eyes that Sun Wukong developed in Laozi's Eight Trigrams Furnace. Furthermore, the Chaos Divine Eye also has offensive capabilities, making it undeniably powerful.

When not in use, the Chaos Divine Eye can be completely hidden under Li Xiuyuan's skin, making it impossible for anyone to detect its presence.

The moment Jade Cauldron Immortal emerged from Golden Cloud Cave, Li Xiuyuan also left his own dojo. He directly used the laws of space, traversing countless layers of space, and arrived at Flower Fruit Mountain.

At this moment, Master Yu Ding had not yet arrived. How could Master Yu Ding's speed in riding the clouds possibly surpass Li Xiuyuan's speed in traversing space?

Therefore, when the Jade Cauldron Immortal arrived, he saw Li Xiuyuan's figure in the distance.

Master Yuding asked, "Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva, what are you doing here?"

The Buddhist conferment of a Bodhisattva title is such a momentous event. Apart from those who live in seclusion and do not concern themselves with worldly affairs, how many people in the Three Realms would not know about it?

Li Xiuyuan shook his head and said, "Yu Ding Zhenren, you have called me by the wrong name. I am Li Xiuyuan, not the Great Sun Heavenly Dragon Bodhisattva."

"No?" Jade Cauldron Immortal wondered.