Journey to the West: The Great Sage's Guide

Chapter 8 Various Calculations

The two patrol officers, one fat and one thin, were leading the way on a cloud when their expressions suddenly changed.

"stop!"

Fat Sergeant raised his hand to stop the crowd, closed his eyes to sense for a moment, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

He cried out in alarm, "Oh no! The immense power of the mountains and rivers is converging on the mountain god's temple! The new mountain god is about to return to his position! How could someone have beaten him to it!"

Master Zhang's eyes widened in anger. "How is that possible! Everything was clearly arranged from above."

The old Taoist priest narrowed his eyes, a vague feeling that something was amiss.

For certain reasons, the Celestial Master's Mansion had already taken care of things for him at the Heavenly Court's Mountain and Lake Bureau.

Anyone who doesn't fit the image won't pass!

It was like a trap had been dug for him, unless it happened to be another old Taoist priest?

The skinny clerk said urgently, "So what? Let him refine his own, we'll just chase after him!"

Fat Gongcao gritted his teeth: "What do you know, young man! Once the power of the mountains and rivers returns to him, the new mountain god will be connected to the fate of the Cuiyun Mountain's earth veins!"

"If you want to take back your divine position then, you'll have to go through a lot of complicated procedures in Heaven."

"Inspection, verification, hearing, and approval will take a long time!"

"But a day in heaven is like a year on earth..."

He couldn't continue.

Everyone couldn't help but look at the old man.

The old Taoist priest's face was ashen, and his breath was barely a whisper; he could only stand by being supported by a middle-aged Taoist priest.

He forced his eyes open, a madness flashing in his cloudy pupils, and uttered a single word: "Kill!"

The middle-aged Taoist priest said in a deep voice, "Is it still not too late?"

The fat clerk quickly calculated with his fingers: "There's still time! It will take another incense stick to burn for the power to fully return to him! As long as we stop him before he completely merges..."

"Then what are we waiting for!" The skinny clerk pushed the cloud aside. "Let's go!"

The four transformed into four streaks of light, rushing straight into the depths of Cuiyun Mountain.

……

Inside the mountain god temple, Zhong Xuan sat cross-legged like a mountain, his hands forming a mudra.

The Mountain God Seal has been completely refined and is only waiting to be returned to its final position.

Suddenly, a gaze descended from the heavens, gentle as a spring breeze.

After a light sweep over him, the intention vanished.

Immediately afterwards, an invisible aura descended from the heavens, enveloping the old Taoist's avatar.

By imperial decree of Houtu, or by the Heavenly Court!

Zhong Xuan opened his eyes and smiled slightly.

The divine position of Cuiyun Mountain was completely established.

……

At the same time, the forests are dense and the mountains are deep, with ancient cypress trees reaching the sky.

Four streaks of light had just swept across a pine forest when suddenly things changed.

call!

A dark figure suddenly sprang from the forest, and an axe flashed like a bolt of lightning as it slashed horizontally!

Fat Sergeant was the first to be hit. In his shock, he only had time to turn to the side before the axe blade grazed his shoulder!

The protective aura tore through him like paper! He screamed and fell, his blood splattering across the forest.

"Who goes there!"

The thin clerk and the two cultivators from the Celestial Master's Mansion were filled with shock and anger, and each of them used their law enforcement weapons to protect themselves.

As the axe flashed, a figure landed on a treetop.

He wore coarse cloth and a short brown robe, with an axe hanging from his waist. His face was so ordinary that he would be lost in the mountains.

It was the same woodcutter who had led Zhong Xuan the way during the day.

"Who are you!" The skinny clerk's pupils contracted slightly.

The woodcutter did not answer, but stood there holding his axe, and said calmly, "This road is blocked."

The portly clerk, clutching his shoulder, struggled to his feet and roared, "Do you know who we are! We are the patrol clerks of Cuiyun Mountain, carrying out our duties for the Heavenly Court. Anyone who obstructs us is guilty of an unforgivable crime!"

The woodcutter smiled.

The smile was indescribably strange, as if watching a swarm of ants squawking.

He said slowly, "Heavenly Court business? I only know that people were already walking this path on Cuiyun Mountain long before the Heavenly Court was established."

The skinny clerk's face was ashen. He turned and whispered, "Old Taoist, this woodcutter is strange. We'll hold him off; you go first!"

The old Taoist nodded with difficulty, and Master Zhang helped him up, and they were about to go around him from the side.

The woodcutter's eyes flashed, and his axe flashed again!

This axe blow was faster, more ruthless, and more ferocious than the previous one!

The three of them attacked together, their magical weapons clashing with the axe's light.

With a deafening roar, the three of them were thrown back several dozen feet!

Several ancient trees snapped in response, a resounding and impressive display.

Meanwhile, the old Taoist priest had already taken advantage of the opportunity to pass the woodcutter and head straight for the mountain god temple.

The woodcutter watched his departing figure, a strange smile playing on his lips, and decided not to give chase.

"Who are you?!" The fat clerk clutched his wound, his voice trembling.

The woodcutter slowly landed on the ground, propped his axe on the ground, and gazed at the three men with a deep look in his eyes.

"Aren't you going to the mountain god temple?"

He laughed and said, "This old man will see you off on your way."

Before the words were even finished, the axe flashed again!

This time, the three dared not fight head-on, and only dared to engage in hit-and-run tactics.

The skinny clerk thrust desperately, his short halberd piercing through the woodcutter's hat.

The hat brim was torn open, revealing a dark blue-black ox horn that snatched the cloth hat away.

"Bull... Bull Demon!"

The skinny clerk cried out in alarm.

The woodcutter glanced down at his arm, his smile deepening.

He no longer concealed it, and laughed loudly, his laughter faintly mixed with the sound of cows mooing!

"Since you've recognized them, then... let them all stay!"

The axe flashed, sweeping over the three like a sudden storm!

……

Inside the mountain god temple.

Zhong Xuan slowly opened his eyes.

He sat cross-legged before the collapsed statue, his body radiating spiritual energy.

Their bodies and minds were in perfect harmony, and at the same time, they opened their eyes, their gazes both weathered and gentle.

The Mountain God Seal has been mostly refined, and the patterns within it are gradually lighting up.

He could clearly sense that the pulse of the entire Cuiyun Mountain was converging on him.

The breath of the rocks, the direction of the stream, the roots of the ancient trees, and the scent of birds and beasts.

Every bit of information and insight flooded my mind.

This is the authority of the mountain god, and also the resonance between heaven and earth for the innate immortal body.

This is also the first step in taking root in this land.

His gaze passed through the dilapidated temple gate and into the depths of the mountains and forests.

There were faint fluctuations of magical power surging there, and the light of an axe shot into the sky.

The monkey sensed it too, baring its teeth and bristling its fur, and stood in front of Zhong Xuan.

"Brother! Monster! That's amazing!"

Zhong Xuan reached out and gently stroked the monkey's head, his gaze as warm as ever.

"Yes, this is the first hurdle the new mountain god must overcome."

He sensed the message emanating from the Mountain God Seal.

Someone is rapidly approaching, their aura weakening yet displaying a desperate madness.

Moreover, he was an old Taoist priest, whose magical power was not as strong as that of this immortal being.

Zhong Xuan closed his eyes slightly, then opened them again, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

The waters of Cuiyun Mountain are indeed deeper than I imagined.

The woodcutter who led the way, and the promise made to seek his help later.

Those casual conversations between the Bull Demon family... now that I think about it, they were all foreshadowing.

He looked at the incarnation of the mountain god.

The mountain god incarnate also looked at him.

The two Zhong Xuans had identical eyes.

It possesses a gentle yet clear quality, and a calm yet sharp edge.

One was a bright and cheerful young man, while the other was a weathered and aged old man.

Zhong Xuan said softly, "Since someone wants to be a chess player, then we'll be good chess pieces for now."

The mountain god nodded: "Let's see the chessboard clearly before deciding on the next move."

The monkey looked left and right, scratched its head, and said, "Brother! What... are you saying?... Playing chess?"

Zhong Xuan smiled and rubbed its head: "It's nothing, Brother Monkey. If a guest comes later, just stand behind me and see how he speaks."

The monkey nodded blankly, but still kept a wary eye on the temple gate.

After a while.

boom!

The temple gate was blasted open by a single palm strike!

A figure in a gray robe staggered in, his aura weakened but his eyes burning fiercely.

He stared intently at the mountain god seal on the table.

And two Taoist priests, one old and one young, beside the seal.

"I...have finally arrived!"

The old Taoist priest was panting heavily, his cloudy eyes filled with wild joy.

He glanced at the two Zhong Xuans and grinned maliciously:

"Two? Kill them both!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than a sword light flew out from his sleeve, heading straight for the two of them!

……

In the woods outside the temple, the woodcutter forced the three men back with another swing of his axe.

Suddenly, he looked up towards the direction of the mountain god temple, his gaze deep and wistful.

"Young layman, you've come at just the right time! I've been needing a pawn to scout ahead."

He muttered, "Let me see who's behind you."

The axe flashed again, engulfing all three pursuers.