Gou Zai Xi You Dao Chang Sheng

A group of monkeys were present in front of the Water Curtain Cave.

Generals Bengba and Marshals Ma Liu stood at the forefront.

Sun Wukong stood on the highest rock, holding Little Drill Wind in his arms.

The little creature has grown quite a bit, its fur is glossy, and it's staring at Li Yan.

The little guy squeaked twice, as if saying goodbye.

Li Yan stood before the waterfall and nodded slightly to the monkeys.

"Gentlemen, I am leaving now."

The monkeys bowed in unison and said, "Take care, Taoist Master!"

Sun Wukong leaped off the rock and walked to Li Yan's side.

He took something out of his pocket and handed it to Li Yan.

It was a jade pendant, pure white with a faint golden light flowing within.

"Brother, this is a protective talisman that I, Old Sun, refined last night."

Although it's not as precious as your treasures, it's still a token of my appreciation.

"Keep this on your person; if you encounter danger, I, Old Sun, will be able to sense it."

Li Yan took the jade pendant and felt a familiar aura.

That's the aura of Sun Wukong.

He carefully put the jade pendant into his bosom and bowed to Sun Wukong.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Sun Wukong waved his hand and said, "Brother, don't be so polite."

"Go quickly, don't keep Laozi waiting."

Li Yan nodded, turned around, and rose into the air.

The clouds gradually rose, overlooking the entire Flower and Fruit Mountain.

The monkeys looked up at him and waved goodbye.

Sun Wukong stood on the highest rock, his golden eyes filled with reluctance.

Li Yan took a deep breath and flew towards the highest heavens.

The sea of ​​clouds surged, and the wind howled fiercely.

Li Yan rode the clouds upwards, passing through layers of mist, heading towards the Heavenly Court.

Not far along, suddenly everything went blurry before my eyes.

Upon closer inspection, I found myself in a strange and wondrous world.

The sky above this world is a clear, blue expanse.

Within that azure, golden light flowed, and rosy mist swirled.

In the distance, there are towering mountains, shrouded in clouds and mist.

At the mountaintop, magnificent palaces and pavilions gleamed with gold and jade.

Further away, cranes soar, phoenixes dance, and qilin run about.

Celestial music filled the air, accompanied by a fragrant aroma.

Li Yan felt a chill run down his spine.

Is this the Heavenly Court?

Just as he was about to take a closer look, he suddenly saw a figure slowly walking towards him from the sea of ​​clouds ahead.

The figure had white hair and a youthful face, with a lean and refined appearance, and held a whisk in his hand.

Venus approached and bowed to Li Yan with a smile, saying:

"Young friend Li, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

Li Yan quickly returned the greeting.

"Thank you for waiting, Venus."

Venus waved his hand and said, "It's alright, it's alright. Young friend, please follow me."

Having said that, he turned and led the way.

Li Yan followed closely behind, heading deeper into the Heavenly Court.

As we traveled along, we saw countless fairy mountains and magnificent palaces.

On that sacred mountain, immortals sit cross-legged, breathing in and out clouds, refining elixirs.

Inside the magnificent palace, fairies flitted about, serving tea and fruit to the celestial officials.

Li Yan observed silently and made a mental note of it.

Venus led the way while providing explanations.

"That's the Palace of Heavenly King Li over there, and this is the Palace of the Fire Virtue Star Lord over here."

That's the Palace of the Heavenly King of Growth over there, and this is the Palace of the Water Virtue Star Lord over here.

That's Rahu Star Palace over there, and this is Ketu Star Palace over here...

Li Yan wrote them down one by one.

They hadn't gone far when suddenly a huge gate appeared ahead.

That gate was ten thousand feet high and a thousand feet wide.

It is carved entirely from white jade and engraved with countless auspicious cloud patterns.

Above the doorway hangs a huge plaque.

The plaque bears three large characters: Nantianmen (South Heaven Gate).

Li Yan felt a slight chill.

On either side of the gate stood two rows of heavenly soldiers and generals.

Each of them wore golden helmets and armor, wielding golden spears, exuding a majestic and murderous aura.

The leading general had a face as dark as the bottom of a pot and eyes as large as copper bells.

He wore a golden helmet, golden armor, a sword at his waist, and a golden whip in his hand.

The Heavenly King of Growth saw Venus leading a man towards them.

He stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said:

"Venus, who is this?"

Venus said, "This is Daoist Li Yan, who has come by the decree of the Supreme Lord Laozi."

They went to the Tushita Palace to listen to lectures on the Great Dao of the Golden Elixir.

Upon hearing this, the Heavenly King of Growth sized up Li Yan.

Li Yan felt that gaze falling on him was like a knife or a sword, extremely sharp.

He remained expressionless, only nodding slightly.

The King of Growth observed for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"Since you are an honored guest invited by Laozi, please."

Having said that, he raised his hand and waved it.

The two rows of heavenly soldiers and generals made way for each other.

Venus led Li Yan through the South Heavenly Gate, heading towards the Thirty-Three Heavens.

Passing through the South Heavenly Gate, the scene before my eyes changed once again.

The sky here is a dazzling gold.

Auspicious rays of light descended from the Thirty-Three Heavens, illuminating the entire Heavenly Court.

Li Yan felt a vast and boundless aura rushing towards him.

Within that vastness, there was also a faint sense of oppression.

That was the majesty of the Heavenly Court, the majesty of the ruler of the Three Realms.

After some thought, Li Yan steadied himself and continued forward.

Venus guided him through layers of celestial realms.

Each celestial realm presents a different scene.

The fairy mountains stand tall, and the magnificent buildings stand in rows.

Clouds and mist swirled, and rays of light shone everywhere.

Cranes soar, phoenixes dance.

The Qilin gallops about, and the garden is full of peaches.

As Li Yan traveled along, he felt dazzled and overwhelmed by the sights.

After an unknown amount of time, Venus suddenly stopped.

"Young friend Li, we've arrived."

Li Yan looked up.

In the distance, an ancient Taoist temple stood quietly amidst the sea of ​​clouds.

That place exuded a vast and boundless aura.

Above the gate hangs a plaque.

The plaque bears three simple and ancient characters: Tushita Palace.

Outside the palace gate, a blue ox was lying leisurely, swishing its tail.

Seeing Li Yan approach, it raised its head, its copper bell-like eyes narrowed into slits, and grinned:

"Kid, you're here?"

Li Yan smiled slightly and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Senior, this humble Taoist has come to keep our appointment."

The blue ox wagged its tail and gestured towards the temple with its lip.

"Go in, the master has been waiting for you for a long time."

Li Yan nodded and headed towards the Tushita Palace.

He stepped through the palace gate and disappeared into the clouds.

Venus stood outside the door, stroking his beard and smiling as he watched the disappearing figure.

"This child will surely achieve great things in the future."

The blue ox flicked its tail and muttered:

"Nonsense. How could anyone I, Old Niu, choose be anything less than excellent?"

Venus smiled and turned to leave.

The Tushita Palace was completely silent.

Standing there, Li Yan felt a vast and profound Daoist aura wash over him.

Within that Daoist rhythm, Yin and Yang flowed, the Five Elements interacted and restrained each other, the Eight Trigrams resonated, and the Nine Palaces shifted and changed.

Furthermore, the profound mysteries of the Golden Elixir Path are contained within, unfathomable in their depth.

He steadied himself and headed deeper into the area.

Not far along, a figure came into view, sitting cross-legged on a futon.

The figure was dressed in a blue Taoist robe, with a silk sash around his waist and cloud-patterned shoes.

He held a whisk in his hand, the whisk tip of which was snow-white and hung down like clouds.

He slowly opened his eyes, looked at Li Yan, and smiled slightly.

"My young friend has arrived."

Li Yan bowed deeply.

"Junior Li Yan pays respects to the Supreme Dao Ancestor."

Lao Tzu raised his hand in a gesture of support.

"No need for formalities. Come, sit down."

Lao Jun then said, "Young friend, you can simply call me Lao Jun in the Tushita Palace."

Li Yan agreed and, as instructed, sat cross-legged on the prayer mat opposite him.

Laozi looked at him, a hint of admiration flashing in his deep eyes, while the corners of his mouth slightly turned up.