Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

Lu Yu extended his hand, his index finger and middle finger joined together as he lightly touched the top of Big Black Donkey's head, and Big Black Donkey instantly felt something like a seal being planted within his soul and spirit.

"Since I don't have a mount, and you so readily offered to serve before and behind the saddle, the role is undoubtedly yours," Lu Yu said to Big Black Donkey with a chuckle.

Big Black Donkey's initially joyful expression froze instantly; he seemed to have trouble believing as he asked, "Me? A mount?"

"Yes, didn't you volunteer for it? I think with your plump and sturdy body, you're definitely suited for the job!"

At that moment, Big Black Donkey just wanted to curse, but when he saw Lu Yu's amusing smirk, he dared not say anything else and could only mumble grumpily, "Thank you, master."

Lu Yu laughed heartily, taking a close look around his well-arranged haven and noticing the spiritual energy in the Cave Heaven becoming denser with the ley lines' flow. The grass on the ground was lush, with a scattering of faint blue flowers blooming among it, which was quite pleasing to the eye.

"Not bad, not bad, I finally have a Blessed Land of my own. Although it's just a fledgling state, with proper management, it can eventually transform into a real Cave Heaven and Blessed Earth. By then, it will suffice as my dojo," he mused.

"People often say that in cultivation, one needs spell, wealth, land, and companion. Now I can really say I have what is known as 'land.'" Lu Yu couldn't help but feel emotional, his heart filled with a strange sense of pride, like he had just bought a house, very comforting.

"Next, I must plan for the City God matter. Now that I have successfully stimulated two strands of Innate Qi, if I can handle this well, with the help of merit and fortune and destiny, there's hope of stimulating another strand of Innate Qi," Lu Yu thought to himself.

He turned to Big Black Donkey, who looked as if he had lost all enjoyment in life, and said, "You clumsy thing, guard the haven well. I have important matters to attend to in the Human Path. Don't drink recklessly from that spring! Only drink once every seven days!"

Upon hearing that Lu Yu was leaving, Big Black Donkey sprang up from the ground and said excitedly, "Don't worry, I, Black Lord, will definitely take good care of it. You go on ahead!" His pride was evident.

However, when he saw Lu Yu's stern face, he quickly added, "Master, go ahead, I will definitely guard the home well." He looked utterly loyal, almost as if he was about to beat his hoof against his chest.

Lu Yu looked at this treasure of a donkey speechlessly, shook his head, and left the haven. A cloud of auspicious clouds rose under his feet, and he was off.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

Big Black Donkey watched Lu Yu's retreating figure carefully, bursting into glee only after confirming Lu Yu was well away: "Haha, that damn Scholar is gone. Black Lord is free! I'll eat his Treasure Tree later and then leave this place." He had long since noticed the sapling was an excellent item, and greed filled his heart.

But no sooner had this thought arisen than he felt a tremendous pain deep in his soul, as if a sharp sword was slicing through his spirit, causing him to cry out in agony and roll on the ground continuously.

While rolling, he cried out, "Master, spare me, I won't dare do it again!"

It truly was miraculous; shortly after he finished speaking, his head stopped hurting. He tumbled up from the ground and stood up, but the shadow in his heart made him dare not harbor any more ill thoughts.

Lu Yu, soaring through clouds and fog, sensed the activation of the mark he had placed on Big Black Donkey and guessed that the simple creature must have harbored some crooked thoughts. Unfortunately, it underestimated Lu Yu. The mark was a spell developed by Lu Yu from the Freezing Curse.

Anyone marked by it would be unable to resist the Sword Intent triggered by the mark unless their Primordial Spirit was stronger than Lu Yu's. When activated, the Sword Intent would naturally slice their soul and spirit.

Located in the central part of Great Chen, Izumo Mountain towered majestically, the scenery magnificent and grand, earning its title as the paramount peak of Great Chen. It had long been the object of poets and scholars' admiration, thus leaving behind many poems of praise.

At this time, in the height of summer, trees thrived, and the mountain paths were covered with lush greenery interspersed with wildflowers of every hue. Bees and butterflies danced about, creating a scene of thriving prosperity.

A Scholar ambled along the path, dressed in a blue robe and carrying a treasured sword. He moved leisurely, occasionally stopping to study the engravings left by predecessors intently. Should he find an excellent verse, he would clap with laughter, appearing every bit the scholar wandering in search of knowledge with his sword.

Where the mountains were high and forests dense, wild beasts roamed. As the Scholar studied a stone stele from a former dynasty with great concentration, a Bengal tiger with a white forehead emerged from the foliage.

A tiger's roar brought a gust of wind, the so-called 'dragon in the clouds, tiger in the wind'. This tiger had been hungry for many days, and upon seeing Lu Yu, it could hardly wait to pounce, poised to bite and almost ready to snap off the Scholar's head.

With its mouth wide open, the tiger's foul stench assaulted the Scholar, and its sharp teeth glinted with a cold light in the sun. Its red tongue was covered in dense, white barbs, and should this bite land, the Scholar's head would likely burst open like a smashed watermelon.

But then, an incredible scene unfolded: the gaping maw of the tiger could not clamp shut, as if someone held its jaws apart by force.

In the realm invisible to mortal eyes, a Ghost General stretched out his hands, holding the tiger's mouth wide open to prevent a single bite from reaching the Scholar.

The Ghost General appeared mighty and valiant, with rugged features and a firm square face exuding seriousness. He wore a battle robe, quite tattered and stained with faint traces of blood.

The desperately hungry tiger, unable to reach the delectable morsel before it, became increasingly ferocious. It struggled wildly, trying to break free, but could not move an inch closer to the Scholar, drooling all over the ground in longing.

"Seems this is the rumored 'Mountain God's Muzzle Lock'?" the Scholar muttered to himself.

Having finished speaking, he watched the restrained tiger with keen interest, clicking his tongue in amazement. The Ghost General roared in frustration, urging the foolish Scholar to escape, but he knew in his heart that, as a Yin God, he was invisible to the mundane world, and thus the Scholar could neither see nor hear him.

"Quite the annual ordeal, must be tough," the Scholar said gently, his words reaching the Ghost General's ears. It was then that he saw the seemingly frail Scholar flick his sleeve effortlessly, and the tiger, like a kite with a broken string, was flung into the air and tumbled down the cliff, its fate unknown. The Ghost General realized that he had encountered a true expert.

Lu Yu, the Scholar, had left Mountain Luoxia in search of a prestigious mountain to raise an earth-ranking list.

As the struggle for the Human Path dragon was about to reach its climax, many Cultivators had descended from the mountains due to the Calamity Qi stirred by him and thus, he too needed to hurry in constructing the Divine Enthronement Altar and raise the Earth Ranking. After all, not every individual destined to be enshrined as a City God was a Cultivator.

Raising the Earth Ranking would create a space for these Lost Souls to cultivate and await Divine Enthronement.