txolops Chapter 132 Lotus Cave - Obtaining the Black Tiger
Chapter 132 Lotus Cave - Obtaining the Black Tiger
Meanwhile, after Li Fa defeated Fu Hu, the Merit Record still distributed rewards.
[Target of Execution: King Fuhu (An Arhat who subdued tigers, now incarnate and burdened with karmic debts)]
[Karma Assessment: Grade B, Upper]
[Slaughter successful]
Please select a reward:
[Optional Reward 1: Ten Jiazi of Mana from the "Creating Heaven and Earth Technique"]
[Optional Reward Two: Soaring Through the Clouds (Travel to Beihai in the morning, arrive at Cangwu in the evening)]
[Optional Reward 3: Netherworld Black Tiger (Mount, can traverse Yin and Yang)]
After reading it, Li Fa secretly made his own plans.
Ten Jiazi's worth of magical power—that's the result of six hundred years of arduous cultivation. In the past, he would have been envious. But now, his foundation has reached that of a primordial human, and cultivating magical power is as easy as drinking water.
As for soaring through the clouds, traveling to the North Sea in the morning and arriving at Cangwu in the evening, it sounds dashing, but he already knows the art of transforming into wind and clouds, which, while not as fast as the somersault cloud, is sufficient. Choosing this option is somewhat of a double-edged sword.
But that Youdu Black Tiger...
His gaze fell on those four words, and a thought struck him.
He had no shortage of mounts, but the words "able to traverse between Yin and Yang" caught his attention. The Yin and Yang realms had always been mysterious and unpredictable.
With this tiger, it would be extremely convenient to enter the underworld in the future. Such abilities are far beyond what ordinary magical treasures can match.
Thinking of this, he silently recited in his heart: "Option 3, Youdu Xuanhu."
As soon as he thought about it, he saw a tiger appear out of nowhere in the distance. It was completely black and seemed quite intelligent.
Li Fa stared intently and saw the tiger with its tail splayed and head wagging, riding the clouds as it approached. How so? There is a poem to prove it:
Roaring and leaping out of Fengdu, its iron claws and steel teeth are not alone.
Its eyes illuminate the path to the underworld, its tail severs the way of helplessness.
His long roar shook the Yellow Springs, and even demons and monsters lost their courage at the sound of his voice.
Do not say that this man is only fierce; he also possesses profound understanding that permeates the vast universe.
When the tiger reached Li Fa, it calmed down, lowered its body, wagged its tail, and spoke in human language, calling out, "Master!"
Upon seeing this, Li Fa exclaimed, "What a fine tiger! What a fine tiger!"
Xuanhu said, "I would never dare to disobey my master's orders."
Li Fa was overjoyed upon hearing this and said, "Then come down to the mortal realm with me."
He then mounted the tiger, slapped its head, and the tiger's four paws stirred up wind and clouds, landing directly on the ground. From afar, he saw the Great Sage.
The Great Sage also saw him, somersaulted over, and landed in front of him. He looked the black tiger beneath him up and down, clicking his tongue in amazement: "What a fierce tiger! Plasma Daoist, where did you find such a mount?"
Li Fa could not reveal the truth, so he used magic to coax the Great Sage, saying, "When the elder was fighting with that Silver Horn, I took the opportunity to subdue the Tiger King. It turns out he was a fierce tiger."
I, a monk, am inherently compassionate, therefore I did not kill him, but only took him in as a servant. I wonder how things are on the elder's side? Has Golden Horn been executed?
The pilgrim, beaming with pride, took out a jade bottle from his sleeve, shook it, and said, "That wicked demon is trapped inside! Taoist, take a look, what is this?"
Li Fa leaned closer and saw a figure faintly visible inside the bottle—it was none other than the Golden Horn King.
His physical body disintegrated, leaving only his true spirit.
So Li Fa nodded and said, "To tell you the truth, Great Sage, I am the newly accepted outer disciple of the Supreme Dao Ancestor."
These two, Golden Horn and Silver Horn, are attendants of the Daoist Ancestor. One is the attendant of the Golden Furnace, and the other is the attendant of the Silver Furnace. They stole Laozi's treasures and descended to the mortal realm. Therefore, Laozi sent me down to subdue them and ensure that their true spirits are not extinguished.
Upon hearing this, the Great Sage said, "Even if you hadn't said anything, I would have had some guesses. Your abilities don't seem like those of a mortal Taoist or a common immortal, and the treasures of these two demons are not mortal treasures either."
But your old man is truly rude, indulging his family members in their evil ways; he should be charged with failing to properly supervise them.
Li Fa said, "These two were borrowed by the Bodhisattva of the Sea from Laozi three times before being sent here to transform into demons, to see if you and your disciples are truly sincere in your journey to the West."
Upon hearing this, the Great Sage thought to himself, "This Bodhisattva is incredibly lazy! Back then, she freed me from my predicament and entrusted me with protecting Tang Sanzang on his journey to the West to obtain the scriptures. When I told her the journey was arduous and difficult, she promised to personally come to my rescue in times of trouble. Now, instead, she's been harmed by evil spirits, and her words are disobeyed. She deserves to be without a husband for life!"
Unable to think it through, he said, "Fine, fine. Since you're a member of Laozi's family and you've come down to help me subdue the demon, I won't hold it against you. Here, take this jade bottle back."
Having said that, he tossed the jade bottle to Li Fa.
Li Fa took the item, released the Golden Horn True Spirit, and locked it with the Golden Rope. He then went into the cave to collect the Seven Star Sword and the Banana Leaf Fan before bidding farewell to the Great Sage.
Upon seeing the traveler, he said, "Taoist, now that the demons have been vanquished, we should set off. However, my master has been imprisoned for several days and is weak; I fear he cannot travel far for the time being. I will not accompany you to the Tushita Palace; you may go and report back on your own."
Li Fa nodded and said, "Great Sage is right. I will now return to the Tushita Palace to report back. If fate allows, I will meet with the Elder again in the future."
Having said that, he mounted the black tiger, patted its head, and clouds rose from its four paws, heading straight for the Tushita Palace outside the Thirty-Three Heavens.
Upon arriving at the Tushita Palace, a gatekeeper boy, who had already received Laozi's decree, allowed Li Fa to enter.
Li Fa straightened his clothes before entering the palace.
Upon seeing Laozi, Li Fa stepped forward, bowed, and said, "This disciple pays respects to the Dao Ancestor."
Laozi opened his eyes and said, "You're still quite bold. How dare you use my name and claim to be my disciple?"
Li Fa asked, "How did the Dao Ancestor know this?"
Laojun said, "It is the Antarctic Immortal. He just came to my palace to pay his respects and said he wanted to discuss the Dao with you."
Li Fa asked, "What did the Dao Ancestor say?"
Laozi said, "I told you you went down to the mortal realm to take in your junior brother, what else is there to say?"
Upon hearing this, Li Fa bowed and said, "Thank you for your consideration, Dao Ancestor."
Laozi nodded slightly and asked, "How did things go?"
Li Fa then took out five treasures and the true spirits of the two children, saying, "The true spirits of the Golden Horn and Silver Horn children are indestructible. Please take a look, Dao Ancestor."
Laojun glanced at them and nodded, saying, "Good, good. These two wretched creatures, though they were sent to the mortal realm as demons by the Bodhisattva's command, have committed many acts of killing. They deserve this punishment."
Having said that, he ordered his men to take the two boys to the alchemy room in the backyard, where they began to reshape their bodies.
Li Fa then asked, "This disciple has another matter..."
Laozi asked, "You mean the Arhat who subdues the tiger?"
Li Fa said, "That's right. He transformed into a demon and descended to the mortal realm, but he has already been killed by my disciples."
After listening, Laozi remained silent for a moment and then said, "That Arhat was a true Buddhist. If you kill him, the Buddhist sect will inevitably hold a grudge."
Li Fa's heart skipped a beat, and he said, "At the time, I was only thinking about eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path; I didn't think about all this..."
Upon hearing this, Laozi smiled enigmatically and said, "I don't know what you're thinking. But since you killed Fuhu, Lingshan's revenge is inevitable."
Li Fa said, "If Buddha himself were to take action, then I..."
Lao Jun said, "No, Buddha won't personally intervene, so you can rest assured."
Upon hearing this, Li Fa felt somewhat relieved.
Laozi continued, "Although I don't know why you want to interfere in the Journey to the West, I have a premonition that this is not a bad thing."
But you must remember, your resolve to follow the Dao must not waver, and evil thoughts must not arise. If one day you commit evil deeds, I, this old Daoist, will personally unleash the Heavenly Thunder, annihilating your soul and condemning you to eternal damnation!
"Disciple obeys!" Li Fa accepted the order and left, only to sigh in his heart that he had missed out on Golden Horn's reward.