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

When Ao Guang heard Yun Chonghua inquire about the origin of the weapon, he immediately explained, "This halberd was forged from Taiyi refined gold by the Six Ding and Six Jia of Heaven. The shaft also bears dragon patterns personally engraved by the Chenlong Divine Lord. When wielded, it unleashes a powerful dragon's might, like a raging dragon roaring. Not only does it carry thunderous energy, but it can also sever water flow. It was a congratulatory gift from the Chenlong Divine Lord when the Little Dragon first took control of the East Sea, out of consideration for our kinship."

Upon hearing that the halberd was a weapon forged by the Six Ding and Six Jia for the Dragon King, Yun Chonghua said, "This was forged and given to you by a celestial deity. It wouldn't be right for me to take it. In that case, I'll exchange it for another one."

Ao Guang said, "Alas! What are you saying, Immortal? As the saying goes, a fine sword is given to a hero, and fragrant flowers are paired with a beautiful woman. My skills are meager; though I can lift it, I cannot wield it properly. Now that I am old, I have neglected my martial arts for many years, and this item has remained in this treasure vault, gathering dust. Now that this item is destined for you, Immortal, I will give it to you."

Although the halberd was a gift from the dragon, Ao Guang considered it a "disgrace." It also marked the beginning of the deterioration in his relationship with Chenlong.

Chenlong and Ao Guang were of the same generation. Originally, they were both lowly dragons in the lower realm. However, Chenlong received enlightenment from the Jade Emperor and transformed into a celestial dragon. From then on, he became an immortal in the upper realm and one of the Jade Emperor's trusted generals.

Although Ao Guang did not receive the good fortune of the Dragon King, he was still appointed as the Dragon King of the East Sea and enjoyed wealth and honor in the Lower Yuan Water Realm.

Therefore, Chenlong summoned the other six Ding and six Jia to help him, and asked Yinhu to forge a superior weapon as a congratulatory gift for Ao Guang becoming the Dragon King of the East Sea.

So the six brothers and sisters of the Ding and Jia clans worked together to carefully forge this painted halberd.

However, Chenlong overlooked one thing: he had already attained the true form of a Heavenly Dragon at that time, while Ao Guang was merely a true dragon. Chenlong's destiny far surpassed Ao Guang's.

Therefore, when forging this halberd, Chenlong used his own standards to determine its weight. The weapon might be just right for him, but it was somewhat heavy for Ao Guang.

So on the day of the congratulations, when Ao Guang tried to pick it up, he could lift it but couldn't wield it. He made a huge fool of himself in front of everyone.

Ao Guang still believes that Chen Long deliberately did this to humiliate him. The two have been estranged ever since.

So much so that now, when Ao Guang mentions Chenlong in private, he always refers to him as "Old Man Chenlong."

It's good that Yun Chonghua has taken this thing; it'll save it from getting in my way.

Yun Chonghua didn't stand on ceremony and said, "In that case, I'll accept it without further ado."

Then, with a thought, Yun Chonghua sent the halberd into a beam of light that flew directly into the jade bottle at his waist.

After selecting his weapon, Yun Chonghua followed Ao Guang back to the Dragon Palace.

Yun Chonghua said, "I just returned from heaven today and I am very tired. Please allow me to go back and rest for the night. We will meet at the Jimo seaside around 9:00 AM tomorrow. I will go to find you two myself."

Both the little dragon and the city god nodded.

Then, Xiao Lilong and the City God did not linger, but went straight out of the Dragon Palace and returned to Jimo to make preparations for the battle.

After Xiao Lilong and the others left, Yun Chonghua didn't linger.

He bowed to the Dragon King of the East Sea and then said, "In that case, I shall take my leave."

The Dragon King quickly returned the greeting and said, "Then I'll leave this matter to you, Immortal."

After bidding farewell to the Dragon King, Yun Chonghua went straight out of the East Sea Dragon Palace and returned to his own underwater palace.

Although the Water Palace had not returned for many days, it remained untouched by dust thanks to the protection of the Water-Avoiding Pearl.

Yun Chonghua took down the "Return to Heaven to Report on Duty" sign and went straight back to his room.

Although the petitions from the people had piled up into a small mountain, he had no interest in reading them.

Just get some rest for the night, recharge your energy, and prepare for the big battle that may come tomorrow.

The next morning, Yun Chonghua got up early. After leaving the Sishui River, he flew towards Jimo.

However, he did not use the power of the "Kunlin Treasure Armor". After all, Jimo was right by the sea and not too far from his Sishui. If he used the power of the Kunpeng, he might fly over it without even realizing it.

To prevent Yun Chonghua from missing it, the little dragon transformed into its dragon form and hovered in the air.

Upon seeing the little dragon not far away, Yun Chonghua immediately flew over to it.

When the little dragon saw Yun Chonghua arrive, it transformed into human form and came forward to greet him.

"Little Lilong respectfully welcomes the Immortal." With that, he cupped his hands in greeting to Yun Chonghua.

Yun Chonghua approached and said, "No need for formalities, where is the City God?"

Little Lilong pointed to a hill outside Jimo City and said, "The City God is watching that demon from the hilltop."

Looking down, Yun Chonghua saw that although the mountain was not high, its shape was extremely peculiar, resembling a huge Ganoderma lucidum.

Looking at this blessed land with its extraordinary natural phenomena, Yun Chonghua sighed, "Such a blessed place, yet it's plagued by evil spirits. How truly unlucky! Alright! Let's go down and take a look."

With that, Yun Chonghua and the little dragon descended from the clouds and headed towards the place where the City God was hiding.

Meanwhile, the "weasel" sitting in the temple, receiving the worship of believers, had long since noticed the movements of Yun Chonghua and Xiao Lilong.

The weasel snorted softly upon seeing this, thinking to itself, "Auspicious seven-colored clouds? Heh, it seems they've invited someone quite capable this time."

After listening to the believer's prayer, the weasel sitting on the throne raised its hand and struck the bronze chime beside it.

Upon hearing the sound of the bronze chime, the mortal immediately kowtowed and shouted, "Thank you, Great Immortal! Thank you, Great Immortal!"

Yun Chonghua and Xiao Lilong descended from the clouds and arrived beside the City God.

To avoid frightening the people with his dragon-headed, human-bodied appearance, the little dragon shook its body a few times and changed its appearance. It transformed into a burly, strong man wearing a blue short-sleeved shirt and sporting a large belly.

Xiao Lilong glanced at Yun Chonghua and was truly envious of his handsome appearance.

Yun Chonghua stepped forward and asked, "How is the situation?"

The City God, who was watching from the sidelines, sighed and shook his head, saying, "Hopeless, hopeless."

Upon hearing this, Yun Chonghua also looked in the direction of the small temple.

In a small temple, no bigger than a cabinet, sat a weasel with long eyebrows.

The weasel held a short copper hammer in its hand, and there was a copper chime beside it.

The small temple was surrounded by worshippers from all walks of life.

But these believers were empty-handed. There was neither incense nor fruit to offer.

They all stepped forward, knelt and kowtowed three times and then explained their requests. Finally, the weasel struck the bronze chime once and immediately kowtowed, saying, "Thank you, Great Immortal."

Seeing this, the little dragon said, "What's so hopeless? Now that we have the help of the immortals, we can just drive this demon away."

As he spoke, two golden hammers, resembling drums, materialized in the little dragon's hands. He was ready for battle.

Upon hearing this, the City God sighed again and said, "We can drive away that demon, but we can't drive away the greed in the hearts of these people. Now their greed has taken hold, and they have become accustomed to this life of reaping without sowing and having their every wish granted. If we take action against this demon, then the people will only think that we are the demons who ruined their good days, and that the demon is the true god who protects them."

Looking at the people he had once protected, the City God said with tears in his eyes, "It seems they cannot escape the karmic retribution of suffering in hell and being reborn as animals in their next life."