Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons can be considered a prequel to Journey to the Journey to the West, telling the story of Xuanzang taking on several disciples before his pilgrimage.
Regardless of the version of Journey to the West, it always involves the two behemoths: Heavenly Court and Spirit Mountain.
They fought and schemed against each other, regarding mortals and demons as nothing.
For example, in the current situation, they don't care about Chen Xuanzang's feelings; they just want him to do as they ask.
Thinking of this, Xu Long felt a hint of disdain, and then grabbed the Fish Spirit's hair.
This Fish Spirit was of average strength, but Xu Long never held back, and directly sucked it into dried fish.
[Hidden Mission 1: Defeat the Fish Spirit! Completed! Earn 3000 points!]
"Uh, am I late?"
Just as I casually tossed the Fish Spirit aside, a weak voice came from the side.
Turning my head, I saw it was the female lead, Miss Duan.
According to the original plot, after Chen Xuanzang was beaten by the Fish Spirit, Miss Duan subdued the Fish Spirit and severely humiliated Chen Xuanzang.
However, Xu Long acted too quickly. Although Miss Duan arrived in the shortest possible time, she was still a step too late.
"Senior brother, why did you kill him?"
Chen Xuanzang struggled to his feet; the Fish Spirit it almost knocked him senseless.
"He's not dead, he just will never speak again."
Xu Long offered a casual explanation and turned to look at Miss Duan.
She has a slim waist, long legs, and a beautiful face; aside from being somewhat fierce and violent, she doesn't have any major flaws.
"Give me the money!"
Without speaking to Miss Duan, Xu Long demanded a reward from the villagers nearby.
"We've already paid the bounty. You're putting in one effort and getting double the pay. What are you thinking?"
"We didn't send you, why should you pay us?"
Upon seeing that the Fish Spirit had been captured, the fishermen immediately turned their backs on them.
If it weren't for that swindler, the fishermen would have given it to them.
But now the swindler took the money and did nothing, and this person, after supposedly subduing the Fish Spirit, still wants money?
She's just a Fish Spirit, why should she pay double?
"See? Some people don't deserve to be saved. Those who cultivate themselves must distinguish right from wrong. If good people suffer, lend a hand; if bad people suffer, just watch them die."
Xu Long sneered, grabbed Chen Xuanzang with one hand and Miss Duan with the other, and then flew into the air.
"Tch, I thought he was something special, turns out he's just a coward!"
Seeing Xu Long leave, the leader, looking dejected, let out a disdainful laugh, which was echoed by the other fishermen.
However, at that moment, the wooden bridge beneath their feet suddenly shook and instantly shattered into countless pieces.
Moreover, their ancestral home also rotted away along with the wooden bridge.
"What bad luck, what a wasted trip."
Miss Duan muttered something to herself, then left.
Watching Miss Duan's departing figure, Chen Xuanzang's expression was complex, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
"What's wrong? Have you taken a fancy to someone?"
Xu Long chuckled twice and said, " Miss Duan is beautiful, has a great figure, and her buttocks are round and perky; she's guaranteed to give birth to a son."
"Amitabha Buddha, monks are free from the five aggregates. Brother, you have broken the precepts!"
Chen Xuanzang had a serious expression, resembling a highly accomplished monk.
The two talked as they walked, and soon returned to the temple.
"Who exactly is this person? Which Bodhisattva or Arhat in the Buddhist Sect? Or is he the Tathagata Buddha himself?"
Xu Long looked at the fat, big-eared man and respectfully called him "Master," but his heart was filled with apprehension.
He couldn't sense any aura from the other party; standing in front of Xu Long, he looked exactly like an ordinary person.
" Xiaolong, you've killed again!"
"That fish beat up my junior brother, and I couldn't help it."
Xu Long casually pinned the blame on Chen Xuanzang, which not only didn't offend him, but even moved him somewhat.
Although they killed living beings, it was all for my sake!
Chen Xuanzang looked at Xu Long and secretly made a decision in his heart: he would listen to his senior brother more often in the future.
"Demons may be demons, but they also possess truth, goodness, and beauty. What you, fellow disciples, must do is to influence them and transform them into upright and kind demons."
The master spoke earnestly and patiently, his face filled with compassion and empathy.
Upon hearing his words, Chen Xuanzang's expression turned solemn, while Xu Long's heart was filled with turmoil.
There was a special power in the old monk's words, which continued to influence Chen Xuanzang's mind.
It was fortunate that Xu Long was no ordinary person and possessed extremely powerful soul strength; otherwise, he might have truly led them astray.
" Xiaolong, Xuanzang, you two rest for the night. We'll set off for Gao Village tomorrow morning. The monster Zhu Ganglie there is also a pitiful creature."
After giving his instructions, the master left, and Xu Long thought of the story of Zhu Ganglie.
He was originally a devoted man who took meticulous care of his wife. However, because he was extremely ugly, his wife committed adultery with a handsome man and beat him to death with Nine-Toothed Rake.
Zhu Ganglie by love turned to hatred and resentment, became a demon, vowing to kill all the women in the world who admired handsome men.
The demons that Chen Xuanzang dealt with were not inherently evil, but were forced to their deaths and transformed into demons.
This aligns perfectly with the hypocritical behavior of the Heavenly Court and Spirit Mountain in Journey to the West. They appear to have saved two innocent demons, but in reality, they have harmed many more innocent humans.
Those who harmed them certainly deserved to die, but what about those they harmed after transforming into demons?
In this kind of world, in the eyes of immortals and Buddhas, ordinary people are no different from pigs and dogs.
"Senior brother, I feel that what Master said makes a lot of sense. Let's not kill any more living beings from now on, okay?"
Inside the room, Chen Xuanzang offered Xu Long some advice.
"Yes, I promise I will never kill again."
Xu Long nodded, his face full of piety.
The two chatted casually for a few minutes, then blew out the oil lamp and went to sleep.
Outside the window, the driver nodded with satisfaction and quietly left.
As the moon sets in the west and the sun rises in the east, a new day begins.
After washing up, Xu Long and Chen Xuanzang packed some dry rations and set off on their journey.
Gao Village is not far from here; it's about 20 li north of the city.
The amount of the bounty clearly shows that this monster is incredibly powerful, far surpassing any Fish Spirit.
" Spirit Stone, oh Spirit Stone, I wonder what they look like."
Xu Long murmured to himself, he looked down on the low-grade True Artifact Iron-Slashing Saber, but he was somewhat tempted by the Spirit Stone.
Of all the items used by Reincarnation Temple, Xu Long only knows of three levels so far.
Mortal Artifact, True Artifact, and Dharma Artifact.
Mortal Artifact are just ordinary utensils, commonplace and unremarkable.
True Artifact is a level higher than Mortal Artifact, with significant improvements in all aspects.
True Artifact have excellent conductivity for Internal Force, magical energy, and mental energy, making them suitable for practitioners.
Above that are Dharma Artifact with special effects.