A month later.

Water Curtain Cave.

The little fox Huayue, the cuckoo Qingyi, and the dog demon Po looked at the dying old turtle, their eyes filled with grief and reluctance.

They are all little demons that grew up under the protection of Grandpa Turtle.

I have long regarded the old turtle as my closest relative.

Now, Grandpa Turtle passed away due to his injuries, the lively and lovely Huayue has lost her voice, Qingyi and Abao have also become depressed, only Cheng Long looks normal.

He just watched quietly as the old turtle took his last breath.

Because he understood that even if he pulled the old turtle back from the brink of death, the old turtle would die from other accidents in the near future.

"According to the plot, after burying Grandpa Turtle of Huayue, I should go out to sea to seek the immortals."

Cheng Long felt a headache when he thought that he might have to go out to sea for more than ten years before he could reach Lingtai Fangcun Mountain. He had already planned his practice method, but he had to wait until he became an apprentice to learn skills before he could implement it. This was a waste of time.

Being a person who is destined to obtain Buddhist scriptures is not always easy!
There was such a passage in the original book...

[The Monkey King went to visit the immortals, but had no chance to meet them. He stayed in the Southern Continent, visited the Great Wall, and toured small counties for more than eight or nine years. Suddenly, he arrived at the Western Ocean. He thought that there must be immortals overseas, so he made a raft alone and floated across the Western Ocean until he reached the border of the Western Continent...]

The journey to the Southern Continent alone took nearly ten years, and the total journey took at least ten years. Cheng Long didn't want to waste time on this.

Instead of doing this, it would be better to stay quietly in the Water Curtain Cave to comprehend the principles. It would not be too late to go out to sea to visit immortals and seek the truth after ten or eight years.

Or you can go straight to Xiniu Hezhou and worship Bodhi Patriarch as your teacher in advance.

Anyway, there are only these two paths, and you have to choose one.

It was impossible for him to learn from Monkey King and wander around and walk slowly to Lingtai Fangcun Mountain.

"Xiao Yue, don't be too sad. Grandpa Turtle has been doing good deeds all his life. When he is reincarnated, maybe he can be reborn as a god in heaven." The cuckoo Qingyi whispered to comfort him.

Apart from Cheng Long, a stone spirit who was born just over a month ago, the youngest here is the little fox Huayue.

As the oldest member of the pure-cultivating demon clan, Qingyi felt that he needed to inherit the old turtle's will and protect the little demons who did not like killing and liked to practice pure cultivation.

"Really? Grandpa Turtle can really join the Heavenly God Way?"

The little fox blinked, a questioning look on his face.

Upon hearing this, A-Bao at the side said sternly, "Xiaoyue, even if Grandpa Turtle cannot enter the path of the gods, he can enter the path of the human world or the path of the Asuras. He will never enter the path of the animals again."

"It would be great if Grandpa Turtle could really join the human world."

The little fox Huayue clasped her hands together and prayed silently for the deceased Grandpa Turtle.

Human beings are the most intelligent creatures in the world and are naturally suited to spiritual practice. In just a dozen years, it is possible for them to become immortals. Practicing for a hundred or eighty years is considered too late.

However, after practicing for a hundred or eighty years among the demon clan, they are still basically in the ignorant spiritual awakening period. They don’t understand anything and can only act according to instinct.

Probably the only point that the monsters are stronger than humans is that their physiques are far superior to humans. Some monsters with the bonus of the blood of mythical beasts also have innate magical powers.

At this time, Cheng Long, who had been watching for a long time, seemed to have figured it out. He walked straight to the three demons and said, "I have decided to go out to sea to look for immortals tomorrow. Who of you is willing to go out to sea with me?"

"Me, me, me..." Huayue was the first to raise her hand.

Po followed closely behind and said excitedly, "And me, I want to go out to sea to look for immortals, as long as I can find them, I will be willing to be their dog."

"You are all too naive. Let's not talk about whether you can find the immortal cave. Even if you are lucky enough to come across it, how can the immortals just accept you mountain spirits and wild monsters as disciples?"

The cuckoo in green poured a bucket of cold water on the excited man and two demons.

"No matter what, I'm going to give it a try. There are some things you won't regret until you try them."

Cheng Long was very determined. The time to go out to sea to search for immortals had come, and he didn't want to delay for a moment.

It's so insecure to live without any magical power.

You may be killed if you encounter any big monster!

"Wherever Brother Sun goes, I will go."

The little fox Huayue immediately expressed her opinion. Her idea was very simple, which was to follow Brother Sun till the end, and she would not regret it even if she encountered danger and lost her life.

"I, I have to follow and protect Xiaoyue."

A Bao hesitated for a moment, and his eyes gradually became determined.

"With your limited ability, you still want to protect Xiaoyue? It's better not to drag Xiaoyue down. The girl has her brother to take care of her, so she doesn't need you at all! I advise you to stay in the Water Curtain Cave honestly and protect this family. That's the real thing."

Ever since Qing Yi was rescued by Cheng Long, she has always been fond of him. On the day she came to the Water Curtain Cave, she took the initiative to undertake the cleaning work.

She would even collect fruits, honey, and insects from nearby to provide food for Cheng Long, Hua Yue and others.

"Abao, Aunt Qing is right. It's better for you to stay. I can only protect one person at most. If too many people go, it will really be a burden to me." Cheng Long was willing to take the little fox with him because he wanted to give the other party a chance. As long as he followed him, he would be able to reach Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and worship Patriarch Bodhi as his teacher.

By then, Huayue might also be able to learn the method of immortality.

Of course, if Xiaoyue doesn’t have that opportunity, there is no need to worry. Let Huayue live near Fangcun Mountain and learn the Shangqing immortal method of Tongtian Sect Master.

The Jiejiao teachings are impartial and their techniques are suitable for any ethnic group.

Moreover, bringing the little fox along can let the person behind the scenes see his concern, so there is no need to worry about safety issues in the early stages. Even the mastermind behind the scenes, Guanyin Bodhisattva, may take the initiative to jump out and accept Xiaoyue as his disciple.

The purpose is self-evident, which is to take control of Cheng Long who has a "weak spot".

……

The next day.

Early morning hours.

Cheng Long pushed the tightly tied bamboo raft into the sea. After saying goodbye to Aunt Qing and Abao, he took the little fox on the raft and officially started his journey to find immortals.

Only after going out to sea did they understand what it meant to be unchangeable!
The vast ocean in the world of Journey to the West is changing every moment. One moment the sun is shining brightly, and the next moment the sky is covered with dark clouds and heavy rain falls without any warning, leaving no chance for you to even breathe.

If an ordinary person were to go out to sea on a bamboo raft, they would probably not be able to travel more than ten miles before being swallowed up by the surging waves.

Cheng Long, the man destined to obtain Buddhist scriptures, suffered a lot even though he had the secret protection of the Five Jie Di. Fortunately, the East China Sea is full of fresh water and he can take a bath at any time. Otherwise, he would be drenched in rain and washed by big waves every day, and his body would be covered with salt, which would not be pleasant.

"Brother Sun, when can we get ashore?"

Unknowingly, after drifting on the sea for more than four months, the little fox, whose passion had long been worn out, transformed into a 13-year-old girl, lying limply on the bamboo raft. The whole fox seemed to have lost its vitality, like a pile of salted fish. "It's almost there."

Cheng Long actually didn’t know when he could get ashore.

But he always had to give Xiaoyue a little hope, otherwise the little fox who accompanied him might not be able to hold on.

In these hard days of wandering, he also needs someone to rely on.

Sometimes he thought that he was quite envious of the original master, who stayed in the Queen Wa Palace every day, eating delicious food and drinking spicy drinks, not having to worry about anything, and from time to time he would use the round light technique to watch his own live broadcast of searching for immortals, which was incredibly leisurely.

"Brother Sun, I remember you said the same thing a month ago..."

The little fox rolled her eyes weakly. If she had known that going out to sea would be so painful, she would not have raised her hand. Wouldn't it be better to just stay in the Water Curtain Cave?
There were endless peaches, bananas, apples and pears, as well as honey collected by Aunt Qing and monkey wine brewed by monkeys.

When Xiaoyue thought of the fruits on the Flower-Fruit Mountain, her mouth started watering.

"It's really coming soon this time, look..." As they were chatting, a green coastline suddenly appeared in front of them. Cheng Long's eyes lit up immediately and he said excitedly, "The mainland is right in front of us."

The little fox looked in the direction of Cheng Long's finger, and sure enough, the endless coastline came into view.

The distance doesn’t seem to be very far, and we can reach the shore by evening at the latest.

"Great, we finally see land. Brother Sun, let's paddle together..." The little fox excitedly grabbed the paddle and paddled hard, and the speed of the bamboo raft soared on the spot.

Unfortunately, Xiaoyue started to lose heart after rowing for a while.

As the saying goes, a horse will die if it is too far away, let alone the endless sea.

At sea, the visibility of a ship is generally 3-5 nautical miles, or about 6.4 to 10.4 kilometers. In good weather conditions, the driver can clearly see what is ahead, including distant islands, coastlines, other ships, landmarks, etc.

Cheng Long has the golden eyes that can see farther, and the little fox is also a fox demon in the transformation stage. The coastline of the continent they saw is at least 20 to 30 kilometers away from them.

It will take at least several hours.

Huaguo Mountain is located on the edge of Dongsheng Shenzhou. Cheng Long drifted along the ocean current in the direction of Nanzhanbuzhou, which is the most important territory of the human race, with the largest population and the most prosperous civilization.

At the same time, the Southern Continent is also the basic base of Taoism.

The two Buddhist saints have always coveted the population of Jambudvīpa, because only when the population is large enough can they spread the faith, develop believers, and do meritorious deeds in order to repay the debt of merit that they have advanced.

In the last calamity, Taiqing and Yuqing were busy dealing with their third brother, and they owed a favor to the two saints in the West. In addition, when the Taoist became a saint, he fought a great battle with the Demon Ancestor Rāhu and destroyed the land veins in the West. He also needed to repay the cause and effect. Adding the two together, there was the Journey to the West calamity that helped Buddhism flourish.

However, compared with the previous catastrophes, the Journey to the West catastrophe gives people the feeling that it is like a child playing house.

This can be seen from the fact that the chief planner behind the scenes is only one Bodhisattva Guanyin.

Although the bigwigs of Taoism and Buddhism participated, they only arranged mounts and boys to descend to the earth to hinder Tang Monk from going to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures.

Journey to the West can even be seen as a game in which immortals and Buddhas sit in a row and share fruits. It is called the Journey to the West catastrophe only because it happens to occur at the stage when the catastrophe is about to break out.

So, when Cheng Long arrived in Jambu Continent, he symbolically took Hua Yue to visit several famous mountains and rivers where immortals were rumored to live, then crossed all the way to the west coast. He used the money he saved from performing along the way to buy a fishing boat and headed straight for Xiniu Hezhou.

By the time the two arrived at Lingtai, less than five years had passed.

That day, Cheng Long was walking on the road holding the slightly tired Xiaoyue's hand. Suddenly, they saw a beautiful mountain with deep forests, and their hearts were suddenly shocked.

"finally reached!"

Cheng Long was overjoyed. He took the little fox's hand and ran straight into the mountains in two steps.

"Brother Sun, you are suddenly so happy, is it because there are immortals in the mountains?"

Huayue didn’t know why Brother Sun was so happy, but when she saw Cheng Long happy, she became happy too.

During the more than four years of seeking the immortal way, she watched Brother Sun change from being sunny and cheerful to being silent and taciturn.

In the past, they had visited too many famous mountains and rivers, but they had never encountered any immortals. The disappointments accumulated time and time again, and even she was devastated, not to mention Brother Sun who was wholeheartedly seeking immortals.

What she didn't know was that Cheng Long's sadness and loss were all performed for the people behind the scenes.

This was because, on those famous mountains and rivers that they had visited before, there were not only immortal caves, but some of them were even very famous.

Such as Mount Li, Mount Jiuxian, Mount Qianyuan, Mount Tai and so on.

The gods and immortals on these famous mountains and rivers avoided us, naturally because Buddhism had given the gossip and they were cooperating in the show.

Cheng Long, who knew the inside story, certainly would not feel lost or confused because of it.

If he had not taken Patriarch Bodhi as his teacher and had not gone through this, he might not have gone up the mountain to feel uncomfortable.

"Yes, I feel like I will definitely meet a god this time..."

Cheng Long pulled the little fox and took a step across a distance of six or seven feet, like a nimble ape flying in the woods. In just two hours, they arrived at the foot of Fangcun Mountain.

After a while, a pleasant song came from the woods.

"Watching chess and cutting lumber, walking slowly at the mouth of the valley by the clouds. Selling salaries and selling wine, laughing wildly from pottery. The path is high in autumn, facing the moon and pillowing pine roots, and the dawn is dawn. Recognize the old forest, climb the cliff and cross the ridge, and break it with an axe. Withered vines. Harvested into a load, in the song market, Yimi three liters. There is no competition, and the current price is mediocre. No tricks, no honor and disgrace, calm and prolong life. When you meet, you are either immortal or Tao. Sitting quietly and talking about " Huang Ting."

Hearing this, the little fox said with great joy: "Brother Sun, there really are immortals on the mountain. We have finally come to an end of our suffering."

"Don't worry, go and take a look first."

Cheng Long walked into the woods with Xiaoyue, smiling. When they got closer, they saw a woodcutter chopping wood with an axe in a very clumsy manner.

With his golden eyes that could see through illusions, he could tell at a glance that the woodcutter was no ordinary person.

If one has some Taoist skills, he is at least a Golden Immortal.

"Old Immortal, Old Immortal..."

Xiaoyue didn't care about that and pulled Cheng Long towards the woodcutter.

Upon hearing this, the woodcutter quickly put down his axe and said in fear, "I don't deserve it, I don't deserve it. How dare I, a woodcutter in sackcloth, be called a 'goddess'?"

The little fox put his hands on his hips and asked, "You are not a god, how can you speak the words of a god?"

The woodcutter glanced at Huayue and smiled, "What magical words did I say?"

"Just now, when Brother Sun and I walked to the foot of the mountain, we heard 'If you are not an immortal, then you can be a Taoist priest. Sit quietly and talk about Huangting.' The Huangting is a moral truth. How could an ordinary woodcutter know this?" The little fox acted like he was very smart and told me not to fool him.

The woodcutter smiled and said, "This is a ballad taught to me by an old immortal on the mountain. It's called 'Man Ting Fang'. The immortal you are looking for lives on the mountain!" (End of this chapter)