I'm Dreaming of a Journey to the West

Li Chen struggled forward, sweat pouring down his body, soaking his clothes. Finally, after climbing over a hill, he saw a strange scene.

Ahead stood a mountain, its entire mass a vibrant crimson, as if engulfed in flames. It continuously released suffocating, high-temperature steam, a feeling of fear and unease.

Clearly, this was Mount Emei, the place occupied by Zhurong, the ancestor of fire. Rather than a mountain, it felt more like a living hell. The ground flowed with scorching lava, and the mountain was covered in boiling volcanic rock, making it impossible to stand.

There are practically no roads suitable for human travel throughout Mount Emei. Aside from those formed from solidified, cooled volcanic lava, there are a few crimson iron chain bridges, scorched by the lava, hanging precariously above the magma. There are also isolated rock platforms nestled in the lava, occasionally accompanied by elusive floating platforms.

The temperature of these iron chain bridges was incredibly high. If an ordinary person walked on them, the chains would easily burn their feet. Furthermore, if they were not careful, they could fall into the boiling lava and be reduced to ash in an instant.

Furthermore, the rock platform nestled in the volcanic lava may appear solid, but in reality, it's more likely to shatter and cause someone to fall into the lava. The same is true of the floating platform, which is ever-changing and difficult to predict.

Even on this only road accessible to people, there was no peace. The Fire Ancestral Shaman must have stationed extremely formidable elite soldiers and generals here.

Li Chen knew the Fire Ancestral Witch's two most capable subordinates intimately. The Red Flame Vajra was originally a common monkey from Mount Emei. Years of exposure to the evil energy emanating from the Fire Ancestral Witch led to its transformation into a Vajra form, becoming his accomplice and guarding the Emei Mountain Road. This demon possessed immense strength, its body as hard as steel, and the ability to control the power of fire.

Another capable general is the Fire-Eating Poisonous Scorpion. Tang Sanzang and his disciples encountered this scorpion demon during their journey through the Kingdom of Women. Her poisonous horse-fighting stake was so powerful that even Tathagata Buddha was injured by it, leaving Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie completely helpless. Ultimately, Sun Wukong summoned the Pleiades star official to eliminate her.

However, though her body was dead, her resentment still lingered in the world. Upon seeing this, the Fire Ancestral Shaman breathed gently upon a wisp of her spirit, and the Scorpion Spirit miraculously regenerated her body and was resurrected! Now even more powerful, she joined the Fire Ancestral Shaman as his right-hand man, ruling the Qingyin Pavilion.

The scene before him was horrifying, and Li Chen couldn't help but feel a chill. He hurried down the hill he had just climbed, arriving at the village at the foot of Mount Emei. The scene before him shocked him deeply—the entire village had become a ruin, with houses everywhere burnt beyond recognition, walls collapsed, roofs shattered, as if they had been through a terrible fire.

As he entered the village, a strong, burning smell hit his nose, making it suffocating. Li Chen covered his nose and continued walking. He saw many people who had died from the smoke. Their bodies lay scattered on the ground, their faces covered with expressions of pain and despair. Some bodies had even been burned to ashes, leaving only a pile of bones.

Even more shocking was the discovery of several bodies that had been completely charred. These bodies emitted a foul odor, their bodies burned beyond recognition, leaving only charred remains. Some of the bones had even melted, becoming brittle and fragile.

In addition to the corpses mentioned above, there were several skeletons that caught Li Chen's attention. These skeletons had one thing in common: they were all wearing Taoist robes or Buddhist robes, and their bones were strong, but their bodies seemed to have been drained by some mysterious force, leaving only a thin layer of skin and bones.

Even more horrifying was the fact that their bones had taken on a strange, deep purple hue, their skin shrunken and glossy black. This method of death was clearly different from ordinary death. Based on previous information, it was speculated that these individuals were the work of the Fire Scorpion!

Li Chen gazed at these strange corpses, pondering inwardly. He speculated that these might be the villagers' helpers, invited by Samantabhadra Bodhisattva to fight the Fire Witch. However, they never imagined that the Fire-Eating Scorpion could transform into a beautiful woman and seduce these people with its beauty. Ultimately, they were unable to resist the temptation and ultimately became the cauldron of the scorpion spirit.

To prevent them from resisting, she would use the poisonous needle on her tail to pierce them during special exercises, making them lose their fighting ability. Therefore, they could only be sucked dry of their essence and die!

Furthermore, scattered on the ground were small pieces of flesh. These pieces resembled human limbs, but they had been shredded beyond recognition. The air was thick with the stench of blood, making one nauseous. A closer look revealed traces of flames and powerful impact, likely caused by the Red Flame Vajra!

The scene before him was so horrifying that it made one gasp. Who could have imagined that what was originally thought to be a battle between justice and evil would end up being so tragic?

Those who lacked the ability to cultivate and maintain a firm will had now all become victims of the Scorpion Demon, while those who intended to resist had all perished under the iron fist and flames of the Scarlet Flame Vajra! Their lives being devoured so easily was heartbreaking.

Faced with such a tragic scene, Li Chen couldn't help but feel a surge of sorrow. He couldn't help but sigh for the people of Mount Emei. However, just as he was immersed in his grief, a faint cry for help suddenly rang out. This sound was like a ray of hope, breaking the dead silence.

Li Chen immediately ran towards the direction of the cry for help. His gaze fixed on the front, where he saw a group of demons surrounding a battered floor, the cry for help coming from beneath it. Clearly, the demons had noticed the people hiding in the cave.

Li Chen listened carefully to the cries for help, a trace of doubt welling up in his heart. He noticed that the voices were almost entirely from the elderly, women, and children, with not a single adult male voice. This strange phenomenon made him wary.

Accompanied by the demons' hideous laughter, the floor was already shaky and seemed to collapse at any moment. The people below were terrified, their hearts filled with despair and helplessness. However, when they heard Li Chen's roar from outside, a glimmer of hope flashed in their eyes.

The demons who heard the sound raised their heads and looked in the direction where the sound came from. They saw a young man wearing a battle suit, holding a Zen stick in his hand, looking at them with a frown and angry look!