The Sixth Chapter

"All deities who have stayed in the mortal realm are included in this list," the Earth God said, as if reciting from memory. "Like Guanyin of the South Sea, Samantabhadra of Emei, the Great Emperors of the Five Sacred Mountains, True Lord Erlang of Guanjiang Pass, True Person Yuding of Golden Cloud Cave, Daoist Lord Yunzhong of Zhongnan Mountain, True Person Taiyi of Qianyuan Mountain, and even the Buddhas of Spirit Mountain... Of course, this also includes Earth Deities like yourself, Mountain Lord."

At this point, the Earth God sighed, "How could we, mere local deities, possibly invite such powerful beings?"

Zhuang Yan pondered for a moment and replied, "I will consider this matter."

The Earth God hastily pleaded, "Lord Mountain Lord, even if you cannot agree, please at least present our plea to the Heavenly Court."

Zhuang Yan readily agreed, "This is not difficult."

He immediately took up his brush and wrote a memorial, detailing the whole affair, and respectfully placed it in the shrine to submit it to the Heavenly Court.

This memorial soon reached the desk of the Edict Messenger of the Department of the Mortal Realm. After reading it, the Edict Messenger immediately rose and sent it to the Hall of Grotto-Heavens within the Department of the Mortal Realm.

The Department of the Mortal Realm belonged to the Divine Firmament Jade Palace and was located in the True Palace of Great Mystery on the First Heaven. The Hall of Grotto-Heavens was the residence of the Grand Minister of Grotto-Heavens of the Department of the Mortal Realm, Emperor Shaoyang of the Purple Mansion. Emperor Shaoyang received the memorial and asked the immortal official beside him, "Which of the eight Demon-Subduing True Persons is currently in the palace?"

The immortal official replied, "True Person Lan Caihe is currently in the palace awaiting orders."

Emperor Shaoyang nodded and commanded, "Issue an edict ordering the Demon-Subduing True Person Lan Caihe to descend to the mortal realm immediately to subdue the demons and rescue the people. Forward this memorial to True Person Lan Caihe and ensure it is handled swiftly."

The immortal official bowed and accepted the order, "Your decree shall be followed."

An hour later, in the mountain temple on Spirit Platform Mountain, a handsome immortal suddenly appeared. He was dressed in a blue floral robe, with a wooden belt around his waist and a flower basket in his hand. Although he appeared to be dressed as a woman, his hair was tied up, making his gender difficult to discern.

Zhuang Yan, who was conversing with the Earth God, saw him and cupped his hands in greeting, asking, "May I ask where the Fairy comes from?"

Lan Caihe's starry eyes flickered as he gazed at Zhuang Yan, "What did you call me?"

His voice was clear and melodious, making it hard to tell if he was male or female. Zhuang Yan calmly replied, "I addressed you as Fairy; is there something wrong with that?"

"I am a man," Lan Caihe stated directly.

"Uh..." Zhuang Yan was slightly taken aback, then chuckled, "It's nothing. Men dressing as women is also common."

As soon as he said this, Lan Caihe's expression darkened slightly. The Earth God, however, was quick-witted and quickly bowed, "May I ask if you are one of the Eight Immortals, True Person Lan Caihe, currently serving as the Demon-Subduing Envoy of the Department of the Mortal Realm?"

Lan Caihe said faintly, "You, Earth God, have some discernment. You're a bit better than this Mountain Lord."

Zhuang Yan let out a hearty laugh, "You two please continue your conversation. I will return to my dwelling first."

"Wait," Lan Caihe grabbed Zhuang Yan's sleeve. "As the master of this temple, how can you let a guest speak outside while the host retreats inside?"

Zhuang Yan's smile didn't diminish, "I don't mind."

... Lan Caihe said helplessly, "I do."

Zhuang Yan suddenly understood, "So, you are being so polite, esteemed immortal. Then please, both of you, move outside the temple to talk. That way, you won't disturb my cultivation."

Lan Caihe glanced at him, taking a moment to size him up, and said, "You are merely at the Spirit Refinement and Return to Void realm. Why should I bother with you?" He turned to the Earth God and said, "Are you the Earth God of Xiaotian Village? Come with me to investigate the location where the villagers went missing."

With the immortal's help, the Earth God felt his confidence surge and respectfully led the way, "Please, esteemed immortal."

With a flash of immortal light, the two had already flown out of the mountain temple. Zhuang Yan stood in place and bowed from afar, "Farewell, esteemed immortal."

In the Dark Gold Cave on Dacang Mountain in the Western Ox Continent.

A chilling wind swept through the cave, carrying the stench of blood. The ground was littered with white bones, and the cave walls were adorned with horrifying objects.

Piercing wails echoed incessantly as swarms of demons escorted terrified mortals into various cells. Witnessing the gruesome scene within the cave, some of these mortals wept bitterly, while others fainted and collapsed.

In the vast cavern at the deepest part of the Dark Gold Cave, a demon with golden wings and a sharp beak was feasting. In its left hand, it held a bloody human leg, and in its right, a wine cup filled with blood. It took a bite of meat and a sip of wine, letting out a contented roar.

"Great King," a demon general reported from below, "We have captured over two thousand mortals this time. That should be enough for Your Majesty to feast on for months."

The demon heard this and burst into laughter, "Excellent! Rewards for all!"

The demon general quickly knelt to express his gratitude. The demon tossed down a silver pestle and said, "Piyiluo, this Silver Pestle, one of the three spiritual treasures bestowed by a Bodhisattva, I shall grant to you today."

Piyiluo received the treasure and kowtowed excitedly. The demon finished gnawing on the human leg, drained the blood wine, and slumped onto its throne, sighing, "So satisfying! The strict rules of Spirit Mountain, with daily vegetarian meals and scripture chanting, make my mouth so bland!"

The demon generals all echoed in unison, "We will ensure Your Majesty has a grand time!"

--·--·--·--

Lan Caihe arrived outside the Dark Gold Cave on Dacang Mountain, guided by the divination signs. The sight before him filled him with horror. Piles of bones lay scattered among the rocks, and terrifying objects hung from withered trees.

"Wicked creature! To slaughter so many lives!" Lan Caihe was furious and began forming hand seals to cast a spell. Giant trees suddenly rose from the ground, smashing down onto the cave entrance.

The mountain trembled, and debris flew everywhere. The small demons guarding the entrance shrieked in panic, "Who dares to trespass upon our Dark Gold Cave?"

With a descent of immortal light, Lan Caihe appeared, holding his flower basket, "I am Lan Caihe, the Demon-Subduing Envoy of the True Palace of Great Mystery. Quickly summon your master to meet me."

Seeing his imposing immortal aura, the small demons hurried inside to report. At this moment, the demon king within the cave was about to rest when he was enraged by the sudden tremor. Upon hearing the report, he scoffed, "Never mind Lan Caihe, even if all Eight Immortals came, what of it?"

He then led his demon generals out of the cave to meet the enemy.

The demon generals echoed in unison and followed the demon king out of the cave.

The demon king led his demon generals out of the cave and saw the graceful Lan Caihe before him.

Lan Caihe also clearly saw the demon king's appearance, and what shocked him most was the faint Buddhist Aura that emanated from the demon king.

Lan Caihe's expression grew serious, and he immediately clasped his hands in salute, "Lan Caihe, Demon-Subduing Envoy of the Department of the Mortal Realm, True Palace of Great Mystery, pays respects to the Great King."

The demon king returned the salute with clasped hands, "True Person, your visit to Dark Gold Cave, may I ask the reason for your esteemed presence?"

"May I ask, Great King, are the people from below Spirit Platform Mountain here?"

"They are indeed within my cave."

"Devouring living beings goes against the Heavenly Dao. I hope Great King will release these mortals."

"These mortals are burdened by sin. My eating them is to help them transcend, how can it be against the Heavenly Dao? True Person is attached to appearances."

Lan Caihe's tone turned sharp: "I, this envoy, am here under the decree of the Heavenly Court. I request Great King to release the people immediately."

"True Person, do not force the issue."

"Since that is the case, do not blame this humble Daoist for being impolite." Lan Caihe's hand seals formed instantly.

The Demon King let out a long, booming laugh. A pair of golden wings suddenly unfurled behind him, and he soared into the air: "Let this King experience True Person's divine abilities!"

Lan Caihe said no more. As his hand seals activated, the myriad trees of Dacang Mountain grew wildly, instantly encasing Dark Gold Cave in a verdant cage. The lesser demons were all bound, and the demon generals found their weapons unable to harm the vines, subsequently being trapped.

Towering trees erupted from the ground, surging towards the Demon King like waves. The Demon King lightly flapped his golden wings, and a torrent of flames instantly incinerated the lush greenery.

While Lan Caihe was astonished, he threw out a Luoshen Flower, which scattered into streams of red and green light, attacking the Demon King. The Demon King clapped his palms together, shattering the immortal light with a boom.

Before he could cast another spell, the Demon King had already flashed before him. His protective immortal light shattered upon impact, and his golden bladed claws pierced through his chest. Lan Caihe spat blood and fell, but he formed a hand seal and escaped into the forest as a streak of green light.

"Great King, he has escaped," Piyiluo reported urgently.

The Demon King let out a cold laugh: "Lan Caihe embodies the image of Xun Wood. As long as there is wood energy, he can escape continuously. When I have burned this entire mountain forest, let's see where else he can hide."

Before his words had even finished, the Demon King spat out raging flames from his mouth, directly attacking the mountain forest stretching for hundreds of miles below. Just then, a brilliant Buddhist light descended from the heavens, instantly extinguishing all the demonic flames.

The Demon King's face showed surprise. He hastily retracted his flames and turned to look at the source of the Buddhist light.

He saw a young monk in kasaya robes, with a solemn and dignified appearance, arriving on the clouds. From afar, he called out, "Garuda, do not be disrespectful to the Immortal Official."

It turned out this Demon King was none other than Garuda, the golden-winged divine bird under Void-Treasure Bodhisattva.

Upon seeing who it was, Garuda quickly clasped his hands in greeting: "It is Elder Jinchan. This humble monk pays his respects."

Jinchanzi floated closer and asked, "The immortal elder just now seemed to be Lan Caihe from the Upper Eight Immortals? Why were you fighting him?"

Garuda immediately replied, "Reporting to Elder, this humble monk was recently cultivating in seclusion in my cave when that Lan Caihe suddenly came to apprehend me. This humble monk had committed no evil, yet he provoked me without reason, and that is when we began to fight."

Jinchanzi's gaze swept over Dacang Mountain below. Due to the earlier tremors of the mountain manor, the bones had been buried by earth and stone. Although he harbored doubts, he still advised, "If there is a misunderstanding, it should be resolved properly. Do not harm the Immortal Official."

"I will strictly follow Elder's teachings." Garuda responded respectfully and then asked, "May I ask what guidance Elder has for this trip?"

Jinchanzi smiled and said, "This humble monk was invited by Great Immortal Zhenyuan to attend the Sutra Altar at Wuzhuang Temple. I passed by this place and saw you fighting with Lan Caihe, so I came to mediate."

Garuda was relieved: "Please rest assured, Elder. This humble monk will absolutely not trouble Lan Caihe further. Time is of the essence, please hurry on your journey, Elder."

Jinchanzi nodded: "Good." With that, he transformed into a golden light and departed.

After the Buddhist light faded, Garuda's benevolent expression suddenly turned ferocious. He sternly ordered the demon generals: "Quickly capture the Earth Gods of the town and three villages nearby, and the Mountain Lord of Spirit Platform Mountain! They must have reported to the Heavenly Court. Today, I will make them know who truly rules this Western Ox Continent!"

The demon generals responded in unison: "As you command, Great King!"

Meanwhile, Lan Caihe, using the Wood Release technique, escaped back to Spirit Platform Mountain. He fell into the Mountain God Temple, covered in blood. The strong scent of blood immediately alerted Zhuang Yan in the meditation room.

Zhuang Yan flew out and saw Lan Caihe's pale face and the gaping bloody hole in his chest. He quickly stepped forward to support him.

"Who injured True Person to this extent?" Zhuang Yan asked urgently.

Lan Caihe took an immortal pill and swallowed it. After his injuries eased slightly, he said weakly, "It was that demon from Dacang Mountain. The people below the mountain all fell victim to his evil. I escaped severely wounded, and my magic power is completely lost. I beg the Mountain Lord to quickly report to the Department of the Mortal Realm and send someone to escort me back to Heaven."

Zhuang Yan immediately agreed. He turned and wrote a memorial before the divine shrine, burning it to send it up.

A radiance flashed within the divine shrine, and the memorial vanished in an instant. In just a moment, a ball of flames erupted from the shrine.

Zhuang Yan moved like lightning, intercepting the ball of flames and preventing the red silk curtains on either side from being burned. After the flames died down, he looked closely and saw that the burning object was the memorial he had just submitted, now reduced to half a sheet of scorched ash.

"The passage is cut off," Zhuang Yan said gravely.

Lan Caihe hurriedly said, "The demon must have pursued us! Mountain Lord, quickly devise a plan."

Zhuang Yan chuckled: "Even you, a Celestial Immortal, are no match for him. How can I, a mere cultivator at the Spirit Refinement and Return to Void stage, be anything but a mantis trying to stop a chariot?"

"The Azure Sea Pearl is still in your hand; perhaps it can hinder him for a while," Lan Caihe reminded him.

"I have already given that item to someone else," Zhuang Yan admitted.

Lan Caihe was dumbfounded: "Such a precious treasure was given away so easily? Truly generous."

Zhuang Yan suddenly showed a pleased expression: "Speaking of giving things away, I have an idea."

"What good plan is it?" Lan Caihe asked.

Zhuang Yan moved closer and said, "I will hand you over to that demon. We have no enmity with him anyway."

Lan Caihe's eyes widened: "Are you serious?"

Seeing Zhuang Yan's solemn expression, Lan Caihe's face changed several times. He asked again, his voice trembling, "You... you're not joking, are you?"

He struggled to move backward, his voice trembling: "This is a betrayal of trust, punishable by death according to heavenly law..."