Traveling Through Journey to the West: I Am the Dragon King

The fox spirit said, "In a moment, we will take you to the Eastern Ocean, and then let you go to the Crystal Palace to find the Dragon King of the East Sea. All the aquatic creatures of the Lower Realm are under the rule of the Four Dragon Kings. Now that you have transformed into a dragon, you are surely superior to other fish, shrimp, turtles, and crocodiles. Go to the Crystal Palace and beg the old Dragon King of the East Sea. If he is willing to accept you into the register of the aquatic creatures of the East Sea, then you will be a dragon soldier in his palace. We will then not need to capture you and take you to the Heavenly Kitchen."

"Afterwards, you'll ask the old Dragon King for some 'gifts' for us. We'll then offer them to Inspector Wang Lingguan. This way, everyone benefits, and we can get away with this. It's your only way out. Are you willing to take this risk?"

After the fox spirit finished speaking, Yun Chonghua sighed inwardly, "Indeed, the end of the Journey to the West is all about 'human affairs.' Even the compassionate Buddha of the Western Paradise had to deal with human affairs to spread the scriptures. Not to mention these immortals. It seems that this is the only path we can take now."

Chonghua replied, "Little Dragon is willing to go!"

The fox spirit nodded, waved her hand, and the auspicious clouds headed towards the Eastern Ocean. A moment later, they arrived above the vast ocean.

The fox spirit descended from the clouds and landed on the turbulent sea.

The fox spirit said, "My dear brother, release him from the net of heaven and let him go."

The celestial official made a hand seal and muttered to himself, and the net that had been binding his entire body instantly disintegrated. With a flick of his sleeve, the net transformed into a silk ribbon and tied around his waist.

The fox spirit continued, "Go now. Your life or death is entirely up to your own fate. And remember, do not say that it was our idea. Do not run away and make things difficult for us."

Yun Chonghua replied, "That's natural, that's natural." Then he jumped down from the cloud and plunged into the Eastern Ocean.

After Chonghua disappeared into the sea, the Heavenly Official asked the fox spirit beside him, "Brother, although we serve in Heaven, our magical powers are weak. If this little dragon enters the sea and escapes without a trace, what should we do?"

The fox spirit replied, "Then let him be. Back then, I also obtained the inner spiritual power of my mother and sisters, and after countless hardships, I finally cultivated into an immortal. I thought I would achieve great things, but now that I've become an immortal, I'm not as carefree as I was in the mortal world. I understand the little dragon's helplessness. Giving him a chance to live now can be considered as forming a good karmic connection."

"But my dear brother, don't worry. I've thought it through. There are only two possible outcomes for him. If he registers with the Eastern Sea and asks the old Dragon King for gifts, then you and I can both benefit. If we give some more to the higher-ups, we'll all get something, and this little matter can be overlooked. But if he escapes, that would be even better."

The official asked, "What would be a better option? We brothers were ordered by Inspector Wang Lingguan to capture him. How could we bear the consequences if we returned empty-handed?"

Upon hearing this, the fox spirit shook its head and said, "My worthy brother is indeed an honest gentleman, but he is not as cunning as I, a thousand-year-old fox. He escaped from the hands of you and me, the heavenly officials, and has not returned, which is a violation of heavenly law. He is a wanted criminal by the Heavenly Court. This wanted criminal disappeared in his old dragon king's territory, so the old dragon is also guilty. In order to settle things peacefully, he will naturally have to give you and me some benefits."

After hearing this, the Heavenly Official gave a thumbs up and said, "Brilliant! Brother, you are truly brilliant! Whether this little dragon escapes or not, we can both leave behind some affairs."

The fox spirit listened and said with a bitter smile, "Alas! You and I both did countless good deeds in the mortal realm, achieving perfect merit before becoming immortals. We shouldn't have these worldly thoughts. It's just a pity that we, as lowly beings, not only have low status but also meager salaries. In the mortal realm, doing good deeds could earn us a temple to worship us, and we could receive incense and vegetarian offerings. Now that we've become immortals and have celestial status, although we no longer fear being captured by gods, demons, or monsters who can easily kidnap us and disembowel us to extract our elixir, life is still very difficult. Otherwise, I truly wouldn't want to do such an unjust thing."

The celestial official sighed and said, "Yes, everyone knows that immortals are good. But what good is it to become an immortal now? It just means you're not afraid of being harmed by demon immortals and your lifespan is longer than other living beings. When I was in the mortal realm, I was the head of a sect, called the patriarch, and everyone respected me. Now, I've been catching fish in the kitchen for hundreds of years, earning a meager salary."

While the two celestial officials were complaining in the clouds, Yun Chonghua had already arrived outside the East Sea Dragon Palace.

After entering the water, Yun Chonghua considered escaping.

But then he thought that if he ran away, he would be breaking a divine law and would have to hide from the world ever since.

Then, it won't just be demons and monsters hunting him down, but even these gods.

Although the Dragon King of the East Sea was just an "old mudfish" in the Journey to the West world, he was already a formidable regional official to a small fry like him.

Finding someone to rely on right now would be the best option.

There's no harm in going to find him first.

If that doesn't work, then try to escape and find a way to survive.

Furthermore, Yun Chonghua also wanted to ask the old Dragon King about the current time period.

If this were the world of Journey to the West, has Sun Wukong gone to retrieve the Buddhist scriptures? If not, after escaping, he could go straight to Flower Fruit Mountain to seek refuge.

Moreover, Sun Wukong has always valued loyalty and righteousness. As long as one is of one mind with him and has Sun Wukong as a backer, as long as one does not cause trouble or seek personal gain, there are probably few in the Three Realms and Four Continents who can touch him in the slightest.

Even if he were captured and sent to the eighteenth level of hell, Sun Wukong could still bring him back.

Having made up his mind, Yun Chonghua swam toward the Crystal Palace, which was not far in front of him.

The Crystal Palace of the Dragon King of the East Sea is not hard to find; a cluster of underwater palaces is quite conspicuous.

Moreover, atop the main hall of the Dragon Palace, a water-repelling luminous pearl, which covers the entire palace, shines brightly in the azure waves.

The place shrouded by the enormous water curtain supported by the precious pearl is the Crystal Palace where the Dragon King of the East Sea resides.

As they were walking, a sea patrol yaksha wielding a five-pronged steel fork suddenly blocked Yun Chonghua's path. He was accompanied by two shrimp soldiers and crab warriors.

This yaksha had a blue face, a bald head, a human-like upper body, and a beast-like lower body; it was truly terrifying.

The yaksha shouted, "Where did you come from, you wild dragon! How dare you trespass into the East Sea Dragon Palace! Guards, seize him!" As soon as the yaksha finished speaking, the shrimp soldiers and crab warriors swarmed around him.

Upon seeing this, Yun Chonghua said, "Xiaolong's ancestral home is in Xiangshui. Not long ago, he transformed from a fish that leaped over the Dragon Gate. He admires the blessings of the Dragon King of the East Sea and has come to seek refuge with him."

The yaksha was quite surprised upon hearing this. He said, "Oh? I've seen many fish-turned-dragons transformed from the relics of a true dragon. But a dragon transformed from leaping over the Dragon Gate is truly rare. In that case, come with me."

Then, with the Yaksha in front and the shrimp soldiers and crab warriors on the left and right, the sailors escorted Yun Chonghua into the East Sea Dragon Palace.

They passed through the water curtain, leaving the shrimp soldiers outside. The crab warriors continued to escort them from the left and right.

Yun Chonghua, however, was not afraid of this scene. He simply looked around curiously, like a country bumpkin visiting the Grand View Garden.

There is no water in the Dragon Palace of the East Sea. Instead, there are palaces made of crystal.

This Crystal Palace truly lives up to its name; it is constructed entirely of crystal mixed with gold and silver, without using any wood, stone, or bricks. The word "magnificent" is insufficient to describe the palace's opulence.

The surrounding area was also planted with various corals, clusters of crystal gems, and all sorts of fairy flowers and herbs that Yun Chonghua had never seen before.

The plaque above the palace prominently displayed the four characters "East Sea Dragon Palace." At the palace gates stood guard, turtle and crab soldiers, each wielding weapons and exuding an imposing aura.

Upon reaching the steps, the crab soldiers on duty erected a wall of swords, blocking the group.

The yaksha seeking the sea shouted to the guards at the gate, "Quickly inform the king that a wild dragon who has leaped over the Dragon Gate has come to seek refuge in my Eastern Sea."

Upon hearing this, the tortoise guard slowly turned and went into the Dragon Palace to relay the message.