Chaos Spirit Field

Zhao Shanhe recited the Buddhist scriptures over and over again, a steady stream of merit flowing into the Primal Chaos Spirit Field, yet he felt no joy. If it were still the Human Emperor's reign, how could humanity have suffered such humiliation? How could those high-ranking immortals truly understand the suffering of the human world?

At this moment, Long Shisi suddenly realized that he had lost interest in eating sand, and hurriedly ran to Zhao Shanhe and started to act coquettishly, hoping to lift the restriction that prevented him from speaking.

Zhao Shanhe laughed and chided, "Little Fourteen, it's no use acting like a spoiled child. Just be a good horse. If you hadn't met the good-tempered Guanyin Bodhisattva, who only gave you a minor punishment and a severe warning, you would have died several times over just by what you said. The souls of the dead in Huangfeng Ridge have all been liberated, so it's time for us to set off."

The westbound team left Huangfengling and embarked on a new journey. Their next goal was the Flowing Sand River. Once they subdued Sha Wujing, all members of the team would be complete.

Zhao Shanhe was riding on a horse, thinking about whether he should accept Sha Seng, the traitor. After thinking about it, it seemed that he had no choice. If he had known earlier, he would have added two beauties when writing "Journey to the West". Facing a pig-head and a monkey-head every day, he felt like a zoo manager.

The long journey was indeed quite boring. Long Shisi suddenly discovered that he could speak, and he excitedly started to play around. Zhao Shanhe said, "Little Shisi, behave yourself. If you fall, I will stew you."

Long Shisi replied, "Master is the best. He was reluctant to stew Little Shisi. That little girl Guanyin Bodhisattva was too cruel..."

Zhao Shanhe knocked Long Shisi and said sternly, "Long Shisi, the dignity of the strong cannot be challenged. Not every immortal is the compassionate Guanyin Bodhisattva. If you continue to talk nonsense, I will have no choice but to reward you with the Tightening Curse."

Long Shisi said with a depressed look on his face, "Master, it's okay for Xiao Shisi to be a mute from now on."

"It's best if you don't say anything. Last time, the punishment was just eating sand. Next time, I guess you'll have to eat shit."

"Master, if Little Fourteen really eats shit, his reputation will be ruined. You won't do that."

At this moment, the voice of Guanyin Bodhisattva suddenly came: "Xuanzang's idea is good. It's settled."

Upon hearing this, Long Shisi broke out in a cold sweat and kowtowed to admit his mistake: "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva, Long Shisi knows I was wrong and will never say such nonsense again!"

However, Guanyin Bodhisattva didn't respond. Long Shisi was terrified and continued to beg for mercy, "Master, please say something nice for me. I really don't want to become a shit-eating dragon! If this gets to the West Sea Dragon Palace, Xiao Tiantian and the others will definitely dislike me!"

Zhao Shanhe said with a wicked smile, "Next time I see Guanyin Bodhisattva, I will plead for you."

Long Shisi asked anxiously, "Master, why don't you tell Guanyin Bodhisattva now?"

Zhao Shanhe smiled and replied, "Guanyin Bodhisattva is not here, so what can I say?"

At this moment, Long Shisi finally came to his senses. It turned out that Guanyin Bodhisattva had not come at all. The sound he had just heard must have been deliberately made by Zhao Shanhe to scare him! He complained angrily, "Master, you actually bully Xiao Shisi like this, it's too much!"

Zhao Shanhe said to Long Shisi earnestly, "Little Shisi, since I was able to remove your restrictions, I can naturally also re-impose them on you. Remember, the saying 'disaster comes from the mouth' must be etched in your mind. If you want to talk nonsense, you must possess the strength to match it, otherwise it will only bring disaster to yourself and your family. Wukong, Bajie, you must also remember this."

Tian Peng and Yuan Hong quickly replied, "Disciple will definitely keep this in mind."

Huangfengling is tens of thousands of miles away from the Liusha River where Sha Seng is. Zhao Shanhe did not see any human habitation along the way. He couldn't help but sigh in his heart that the human race has declined.

Beyond Liangjie Mountain, the land is the demon race's territory. This doesn't mean there aren't any human kingdoms. For example, Lanruo Temple, once part of Northern Qi, now belongs to the Nanzhao Kingdom. Then there's Gao Laozhuang, which belongs to the U-Tsang Kingdom. These kingdoms were able to survive in demon territory because they relied on the protection of the gods to resist demon invasions. When the gods' protection proved insufficient, and they had to rely on demons, the fate of the people was unimaginable. Huangfeng Ridge is a prime example, as was Gao Laozhuang in the past.

Back in the days of the Human Emperor, the human race reigned supreme. Demons flocked to serve as officials, and with the exception of Northern Juluzhou, all other continents were human territory. Had Emperor Xin not sent troops to conquer Northern Juluzhou, perhaps the Shang Dynasty wouldn't have fallen so quickly.

But then again, the Shang Dynasty's demise was inevitable. After all, the Heavenly Court had already been established, and Heaven's will was to end the era of human rule over the gods. And as the last human emperor, Emperor Xin's fate was already sealed. The poem inscribed at the Nuwa Temple was merely a prelude. If he had possessed power comparable to the Three Sovereigns, perhaps he could have rewritten history.

The reason Zhao Shanhe was so lost in thought was because he was simply too bored. He had originally thought Journey to the West would be quite interesting, but it wasn't. If it weren't for the immense amount of merit he could gain, he wouldn't have bothered participating in such a boring game. After all, being too strong can sometimes be a sin.

Zhao Shanhe had traveled tens of thousands of miles since setting out from Haojing, yet he hadn't encountered a single, even slightly powerful, monster. Yuan Hong and Tianpeng, after becoming Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, were mere yes-men, and Long Shisi, after being lectured, had become taciturn. He couldn't help but lament, wondering if the Emperor of Heaven couldn't be more effective, at least creating some trouble to spice up this boring game.

At this moment, the sky suddenly flashed with lightning and thunder, and a strong wind blew, sweeping a cloud of yellow dust. Zhao Shanhe was speechless. The counselors around the Emperor of Heaven seemed to be not very good, and they had no new ideas at all. He said, "Wukong, find a cave, it's going to rain soon."

As soon as they entered the cave, it began to rain heavily. The rain god in the sky was very understanding of the ways of the world. Tianpeng said, "Master, there is something strange about this rain."

Zhao Shanhe replied with a smile, "Bajie, we're moving too fast. The higher-ups are unhappy. It would be good to rest for a few days. Do whatever you want while I, the Master, get some sleep."

The heavy rain had been falling for several days, with no sign of stopping. Zhao Shanhe was not panicking at all, but Tianpeng was getting anxious. He said, "Master, we don't know when this rain will stop. Let's hurry forward, maybe it will stop."

Zhao Shanhe said earnestly, "Bajie, you are confused. Some things cannot be rushed. I am only a mortal and cannot stand being exposed to the rain."

Tianpeng was speechless for a moment, then he understood the deeper meaning behind Zhao Shanhe's words. He said, "Thank you for your guidance, Master."