Demon Race Alliance
Soon, the golden-armored general arrived at Zhao Gongming's location. Looking at the young man before him, the golden-armored general's face showed excitement.
"Are you the disciple of that great immortal?" the golden-armored general asked.
"Hmm! But you don't need to ask anymore. You should just go back to your Demon Realm!" Zhao Gongming said coldly.
This is on the eve of the Lich War.
Hongjun seemed to understand something, and headed west, arriving directly at Ao Changsheng's Daoist temple.
Ao Changsheng slowly opened his eyes. "Fellow Daoist, you visited without prior notice, causing me to break the rules."
Hongjun nodded. "Fellow Daoist Changsheng, you exaggerate."
"Regarding the matter of Sun Wukong this time."
Ao Changsheng knew what he wanted to ask as soon as he mentioned Sun Wukong: "That's right, as the heavens have revealed, he is the key to this Calamity of the Witch and Demon."
Hongjun: "This Calamity of the Witch and Demon was created by the Three Purities Ones working together; how can it be interfered with by others?"
Ao Changsheng: "This Calamity of the Witch and Demon was indeed brought about by the combined efforts of the Three Purities Ones, but that doesn't mean they simply wanted to eliminate Sun Wukong; it was just one of their methods."
"Oh?"
"They just wanted to push Sun Wukong to the Heavenly Court and make him one of the Thirty-Six Heavenly Star Lords. It was a kind of test."
Hongjun frowned. "Fellow Daoist Changsheng, are you confident in resolving this Calamity of the Witch and Demon Changsheng?"
Ao Changsheng: "I can't guarantee it. After all, Sun Wukong's cultivation is already extraordinary. If he is truly from the Heavenly Court, I'm afraid I won't be able to handle him."
Hongjun remained silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed and said, "Changsheng Daoist Changsheng, there's no need to worry. Now that I'm here, I will naturally help you. You only need to cooperate a little."
"Oh? Please enlighten me, Fellow Daoist Hongjun." Ao Changsheng was secretly surprised upon hearing this. He never expected that Hongjun would be willing to help him. He was extremely grateful and at the same time had great confidence in himself.
"Fellow Daoist Changsheng, I observe that Sun Wukong is single-mindedly devoted to the Immortal Dao. If the two of us join forces, I believe Sun Wukong will not dare to act rashly."
"I appreciate Fellow Daoist Hongjun's kindness, but this matter still needs careful consideration. After all, Sun Wukong's cultivation level far surpasses mine, and I am not sure if I can defeat him," Ao Changsheng said with some worry.
"Changsheng Daoist Changsheng, I am confident that I can capture Sun Wukong. When the time comes, you only need to put this thing into Sun Wukong's stomach, and Sun Wukong will obediently await his death." Hongjun said, taking out a round bead from his pocket.
The bead was pale gold in color and looked like jade, but it was much harder than jade. Ao Changsheng examined it closely and exclaimed in surprise, "It's actually a golden bead?"
"Hehe, Changsheng Daoist Changsheng, you may not know this, but this golden bead is forged from Innate Divine Metal that fell from the heavens. It is the most superior material for refining Chaos Spirit Treasure and the main ingredient for refining top-grade Spirit Artifact. I once obtained one and intended to refine it and integrate it into my body, but it was destroyed by some people. Therefore, I have kept this one by my side without using it. Today, I will bestow it upon Fellow Daoist Changsheng."
"Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. I will do my best in this matter, but I am afraid..."
"Hehe, no need to worry, fellow Daoist. I will handle everything. You just need to wait for good news."
"In that case, this junior will respectfully accept your offer. Thank you, fellow Daoist."
Hongjun nodded. "Alright, then this junior will take his leave. Changsheng Daoist Changsheng, please feel free to come and find me at any time if you have any instructions." With that, Hongjun took a step and disappeared from the spot.
Ao Changsheng watched Hongjun disappear from the spot and muttered to himself, "Who exactly is Fellow Daoist Hongjun? How could he possess such abilities? Why would he help me so much? What is his purpose? Is it really just because he values Sun Wukong?"
All of this is still unknown; only time will tell.
"Fellow Daoist Changsheng, I shall take my leave now."
"Please take your time, fellow Daoist."
Hongjun returned to his cave abode dwelling, sat cross-legged on a futon, closed his eyes and concentrated, pondering what he should do next.
"If I give this golden bead to Changsheng Daoist Changsheng, will you be able to successfully insert it into Sun Wukong's body, causing him to die and dissipate?"
This was a difficult problem; it was the first time he had ever encountered something like this, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't solve it.
After much thought, he couldn't come up with a solution, nor could he force himself to think of one. He could only place his hopes on the test of time, believing that time would prove everything.
"Alright, alright, let's rest for a while and recharge our energy."
"This trip was worthwhile; all my painstaking efforts in arranging this Calamity of the Witch and Demon were worthwhile."
"Hehe, now it's my fortuitous opportunity."
Hongjun opened his eyes, looked around, and found that the cave abode had been cleaned and looked brand new. A smile appeared on his lips as he looked at the cup of tea on the table, picked it up and took a sip.
"Hmm, the flavor is very rich and mellow, much better than before. It seems Changsheng Daoist Changsheng has also made some progress."
Ao Changsheng was grinding ink when he heard Hongjun's voice. He stopped what he was doing, turned around, and bowed to him, saying, "Junior Ao Changsheng greets Fellow Daoist Hongjun."
"Haha, fellow Daoist, there's no need to be so polite. I'm here today simply to discuss with you the Calamity of the Witch and Demon and the matter of Sun Wukong."
Ao Changsheng asked in confusion, "Oh? Fellow Daoist Hongjun, do you perhaps intend to use this opportunity to eliminate Sun Wukong?"
"Hehe, that's not it. Sun Wukong is a demon, and with the Heavenly Court protecting him, eliminating him is extremely difficult. Moreover, he has the Heavenly Court as his backer this time. If we really want to eliminate him, we will surely anger Heavenly God, and then we will be in trouble," Hongjun said. Although he was a celestial being of the Heavenly Court, his strength was limited. He could only suppress the Heavenly Dao, but he dared not oppose the Heavenly Court. If he really attracted the attention of Heavenly God, his troubles would not be trivial, but rather a great calamity. At that time, not only would he be punished, but even all the celestial beings and gods of the entire Primordial World would suffer.
"What does Fellow Daoist Hongjun mean?" Ao Changsheng asked.
"Let's wait and see about this matter. Our strength is limited right now, and my cultivation has already decreased significantly. It's not advisable for us to provoke those powerful beings for the time being. Let's discuss it again when your cultivation has recovered, or when mine has recovered, how about that?" Hongjun said, as he also dared not provoke those powerful beings at will.
"Alright, I'll follow your arrangements, fellow Daoist."
Hongjun nodded and said, "Then I won't disturb you any longer as you continue refining pills, I'll take my leave now."
"Yes, please."
Hongjun waved his sleeve and left.
After Hongjun left, Ao Changsheng once again devoted himself to alchemy. This time, he was no longer in a hurry to achieve quick results. Instead, he slowly refined and absorbed the golden bead drop by drop, transforming it into his own power. He also refined the other materials, and finally refined and absorbed the golden bead under his control. However, he was not in a hurry to refine the golden bead, because he wanted to continue trying to see if he could fully activate the medicinal effects of the golden bead. Only in this way could he restore his strength to its original state, and there was also a great chance that his cultivation would advance further.