Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Flame Cloud Entertainment City blazed with lights, a veritable Sleepless City in the flesh.

At the topmost level of the Entertainment City, Supreme Elder Lord donned a mask, sat before a long table, and took out a stack of chips, observing the few individuals across the poker table.

Though all were wearing masks, from mere demeanor alone, one could guess each other's identities.

For instance, the shadowy figure seated to the left, Supreme Elder Lord roughly understood his identity—this was Emperor Ziwei, a fellow denizen of the Heavenly Court.

Another nearby exuded the understated radiance of Buddhist Light, surely one of the Buddha figures.

Even a figure robed in black long wear, likely a powerful entity from the Demon Realm.

With the arrival of Supreme Elder Lord, everyone at the poker table greeted him cordially with a nod.

Supreme Elder Lord had no intention of posturing superiority, nodding back in response, then chose a seat.

Playing Mahjong and Fight the Landlord were indeed enjoyable, not to mention rounds of Legends of the Three Kingdoms, but in truth, poker was the most thrilling of all.

In ordinary times, the Supreme Elder Lord too favored playing a few hands here.

Today, Supreme Elder Lord felt his luck was decent, despite wins and losses, he could be said to have won more than he lost.

However, just as he was getting into the swing of the game, a faint premonition stirred within him, an uneasy feeling washing over him.

To ordinary folk, such a flutter of the heart might not cause much concern.

But having reached the realm of Quasi-Saint, any such sensations naturally warranted vigilance.

Supreme Elder Lord focused and performed his Concentration Calculation, his fingers moving in divination.

The others at the table watched Supreme Elder Lord's actions, remaining silent, simply waiting.

Suddenly, Supreme Elder Lord stood up abruptly, without so much as a farewell, and swiftly turned to leave, an urgent expression on his face indicating that something significant had occurred.

The table's powerful figures looked at one another, puzzled.

They could all somewhat deduce the identity of Supreme Elder Lord, hence his precipitous departure bred the question—why?

The mighty ones at heart marveled in surprise and, of course, curiosity.

...

Setting aside the thoughts of those within Flame Cloud Entertainment City for the moment, after leaving, Supreme Elder Lord hurried back to Doushuai Palace.

"Child Servants, I have returned!" Supreme Elder Lord called out loud as he spoke.

As he spoke, he pushed open the grand doors of Doushuai Palace.

"Master... Master, you have returned? Tired, aren't you? Let me massage your shoulders for you!"

Hearing of Supreme Elder Lord's return, the two boy servants in Doushuai Palace appeared a bit nervous, one with affectionate intent, pulled the Supreme Elder Lord to sit, then started kneading his shoulders obediently.

"Master, I'll brew some tea for you!" the other child servant said hurriedly, bustling away to do so.

Soon, they made a fragrant cup of tea for Supreme Elder Lord.

"Ah, life is comfortable!" With someone to prepare tea and massage his feet, and another to knead his shoulders, Supreme Elder Lord took a light sip of the fragrant tea and contentedly closed his eyes.

Originally, while at Flame Cloud Entertainment City, the internal warning had nudged Supreme Elder Lord to divine with his fingers, which revealed a potential calamity befalling his Doushuai Palace, prompting his hasty return, thinking something had gone awry at home.

But to his surprise, upon entering, everything seemed fine, the two child servants there as usual, and Supreme Elder Lord's concern eased somewhat.

It seemed to be a premonition then? He would have to prepare in advance to face the potential disaster.

"By the way, children, has anything happened at home recently?" Enjoying the shoulder rubs and leg massages, with a casual air, Supreme Elder Lord asked the question.

"Um, nothing has happened!" Hesitating slightly, the two boy servants replied in a low voice.

This was unmistakably the tone of a guilty conscience, causing Supreme Elder Lord's eyes to open.

He eyed the child servant massaging his leg and inquired, "Be honest, what exactly happened at home? Or has someone come to visit?"

"Well, Master, it's just that when you were away just now, Master Xuanzang, and Zhu Bajie, they came by for a visit, saying they were looking for you!"

Faced with the Supreme Elder Lord's serious stare, the child servant dared not lie, answering with his head bowed low.

A thump in the heart!

Hearing his child servant's words, Supreme Elder Lord's heart skipped a beat.

If one were to speak of the most alarming matter within the three realms and six paths, it would undoubtedly be the immeasurable calamity of the Journey to the West. And the team involved in the Journey to the West for Scriptures was at the epicenter of this immeasurable calamity.

Thus, any somewhat knowledgeable person would steer clear of the Scripture Seeking team, unless they aimed to claim a part of the journey's merit. Otherwise, they'd keep them at a respectful distance.

But Xuanzang and Zhu Bajie, without rhyme or reason, came to Doushuai Palace?

Could it be the calamity Doushuai Palace had divined was related to them?

At this thought, Supreme Elder Lord's heart grew cold, and he took on a more serious demeanor, "What did Xuanzang come here for!?"

"This, Master Xuanzang did not mention, and I do not know either..." With head lowered, the boy answered.

"You don't know!?"

Furrowing his brows slightly, what Supreme Elder Lord feared most at the moment was that his child servant knew nothing, which naturally meant there was no way to prepare for the trials to come.

"What did Xuanzang and Zhu Bajie say when they arrived, what did they do? Tell me everything without missing a single detail!" After a brief silence, Supreme Elder Lord pressed the boy with a stern look.

"This..." The boy hesitated, the uncertainty clear in his expression.

"What? Is there something you can't say? Speak up!" Seeing his child servant hesitate, Supreme Elder Lord could barely contain his anger.

Concerning the immeasurable trials of the Journey to the West for Scriptures, one must be extremely cautious. Yet his two child servants hesitated to speak when faced with his questions?

Noticing that Supreme Elder Lord's expression had grown more severe, the two child servants dared not hide anything further, and could only but reveal the whole story, sparing no detail.

Upon hearing that Zhu Bajie and Xuanzang had visited the Doushuai Palace, Supreme Elder Lord's expression turned serious. What were they there for?

Then, out of fear, his child servant pretended that he was about to return soon; Supreme Elder Lord nodded at this, even feeling somewhat relieved.

As long as his child servants still harbored a sense of fear towards them, that was good.

What he truly feared was that his two child servants felt no fear at all and would heedlessly face the trials.

However, hearing that he would return soon, Xuanzang and Zhu Bajie actually waited in the Doushuai Palace? This was somewhat unexpected.

Yet it also seemed to make sense, didn't it?

Supreme Elder Lord nodded slightly, yet said nothing more.

Then, Xuanzang suggested he wanted to see the Mahjong tiles he had refined?

That was understandable; his skills in Artifact Refining were unparalleled in the Three Realms, and since Xuanzang was the inventor of Mahjong, it was not strange that he was curious and wanted to see them.

But in their free time, Jiang Liu actually coaxed his two child servants to play Mahjong to pass the time?

Hearing this, Supreme Elder Lord's brow furrowed lightly.

However, hearing from his child servants that they were not gambling, just purely playing for fun, Supreme Elder Lord's furrowed brow relaxed once again.

Very good, the principles of his two child servants were still quite admirable.

But the story was not over yet; what ended up happening?

Zhu Bajie and the others found the game boring, so they made a small wager?

Were they originally winning? Even won Master Xuanzang's Healing Potion and Mana Potion!?

The miraculous potions in Xuanzang's hands, he had always been quite curious about them, wanting to study them, and yet, they were wagered in a bet?

"Do you have the Mana Potion and Healing Potion now?"

Hearing that the two child servants had won the Healing Potion and Mana Potion from Xuanzang, Supreme Elder Lord could hardly wait to ask.

"Master, we originally had won them, but, but eventually we lost it all!" Upon Supreme Elder Lord's pressing query, the two child servants said with their heads lowered.

"Lost it all? Ah, what a pity!" Supreme Elder Lord said, his face showing a regretful expression.

"But, it's not just what we had won that we lost, we also lost some of our own elixirs!" Sneaking a glance at Supreme Elder Lord, a child servant spoke up.

"Lost it is fine, it's normal to have wins and losses in Mahjong!" Waving his hand nonchalantly, Supreme Elder Lord spoke.

As someone who often played Mahjong himself, of course, he could be magnanimous about it. If it was just some elixirs, that was acceptable.

After all, if Doushuai Palace had plenty of anything, it was elixirs.

"Master, actually, it wasn't just our own elixirs that we lost, we also lost some of your elixirs!" After hesitating for a moment, another child servant summoned his courage and spoke softly.

"You lost my elixirs? Those fine elixirs, like the Nine Revolutions Golden Pill, and the Golden Cores that increase longevity?" Upon hearing this, Supreme Elder Lord's expression changed.

"No, we didn't lose any of those, even if we had the biggest guts, we wouldn't dare lose such precious pills of yours!" The two child servants immediately shook their heads fervently in response.

"Oh, that's a relief then!" Hearing that his most treasured pills were not lost, Supreme Elder Lord's expression lightened a bit.

"However, we lost quite a lot of the other pills!" The child servant continued with downcast gaze.

"Quite a lot? How much did you lose?" Looking at his two child servants, Supreme Elder Lord inquired.

"We, we almost lost all of our less important pills..." The two child servants said in voices barely above a whisper, no longer daring to look at Supreme Elder Lord.

"What!?"

Upon hearing this, Supreme Elder Lord suddenly stood up, his expression one of disbelief.

He no longer cared about the two Disciples who were massaging his legs and shoulders and hastily rushed toward the Elixir Storage Chamber.

"Ah! My elixirs! To think, to think I've lost nearly half of them!"

"Disaster! So this calamity was not an omen but has already occurred!"