Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

Zhu Bajie clearly remembered that initially, Master had him write down the Cloud Ascending Leaps for him, and then what? In the blink of an eye, Master had learned it, practically blinding his pig eyes with brilliance!

Now, did Master want to perform the same trick again?

"Alright, Master, I, Old Pig, will write it down for you right away!"

Although rationally he felt it was impossible for Master to learn the water avoidance art in an instant, with the precedent in mind, Zhu Bajie was still half convinced and half doubtful. After a brief silence, he hurriedly took out paper and ink and wrote down the water avoidance art for Jiang Liu.

"Master, here you go!"

After writing it down quickly, Zhu Bajie presented the water avoidance art to Jiang Liu.

Jiang Liu reached out and took the water avoidance art, and sure enough, the system's prompt arrived as expected.

Prompt: Would you like to spend 1 Skill Point to learn the unclassified Skill "Water Avoidance Art"?

Without any unnecessary words, Jiang Liu naturally chose to learn.

After spending 1 Skill Point, Jiang Liu instantly mastered the spell of the water avoidance art. A sense of enlightenment rose from within him, and he also came to understand how to use the water avoidance art.

When he opened his skill list again, sure enough, there was an additional water avoidance art skill listed.

Water Avoidance Art: Silently recite the mantra in your heart, and it will part the water, allowing you to freely traverse within, with no cooldown.

"Hmm, although it's not an Attack-type skill, this kind of small spell is quite practical!" After reading the familiar information about the water avoidance art, Jiang Liu nodded to himself in approval.

Beside him, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie both focused their gazes on Jiang Liu, curiously observing him.

In their eyes, had Master only glanced at the water avoidance art?

"Master? How did it go?" Seeing Jiang Liu's demeanor, Zhu Bajie couldn't help asking curiously.

Beside him, Sun Wukong was also curiously staring at Jiang Liu.

Jiang Liu's lips slightly curled up, and without responding to Zhu Bajie's inquiry, he silently recited the water avoidance art and directly descended into the Heavenly River.

As Jiang Liu went in, the river water automatically parted, clearing a space large enough for him.

"He actually, actually learned it? Just like that, in the blink of an eye!?" Watching Jiang Liu's form push through the water and dive down, Zhu Bajie widened his eyes, finding it unbelievable.

Just from that one glance, Master should not even have been able to finish reading the water avoidance art, right? And yet he learned it? It was truly hard to believe.

"Let's go, blockhead. Having followed Master for so many years, whatever Master does now, I, Old Sun, am no longer surprised!" Sun Wukong said, stretching out his monkey paw to dig out a booger, flicked it creating ripples, and spoke.

"Uh, Monkey Brother, you do make sense..." Hearing Sun Wukong's words, Zhu Bajie was briefly taken aback, then quickly nodded in agreement.

Well, indeed that's how it was.

All along the way, Master had indeed done many unexpected things, and had many incredible abilities and methods.

For example, he could produce two Fire Tip Spears just like that!

For example, Master could strengthen both his own Nine-Toothed Rake and Monkey Brother's Jingu Bang.

For example, Master's resurrection technique!

...

Too many to list, there was no end to the examples.

As Zhu Bajie pondered this, he too submerged into the waters of the river.

Of course, Sun Wukong followed, reciting the water avoidance art, and the three disciples plunged into the Heavenly River together.

Although the Heavenly River bears the name of a river, in reality, it is incredibly vast, like an ocean.

"By the way, Monkey Brother, you're saying whatever Master does, you wouldn't be surprised? So, what if Master beat up the Tathagata today?"

"What if Master made the sun rise in the west and set in the east?"

"What if Master could even convince Guanyin Bodhisattva to join our side and fight against the Tathagata?"

"Don't get hung up on impossible things, blockhead!" Sun Wukong glanced at Zhu Bajie in irritation while he mentally recited the water avoidance art.

Alright, Zhu Bajie stopped talking and quickly caught up with the Master, leading the way to his Water Mansion.

Soon, the group arrived in front of Marshal Tianpeng's Water Mansion.

The entire Water Mansion was situated at the bottom of the Heavenly River, entirely enveloped in a huge bubble, preventing any water from entering.

"Greetings, Marshal Tianpeng, as you return to the Mansion! Greeting Great Saint! Greetings, Holy Monk!"

On the wide plaza outside Marshal Tianpeng's Mansion, dozens of figures stood watching Jiang Liu and his party approach, and they all spoke in unison.

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Dozens of people spoke at once, and their vigor was substantial. But more importantly, their words and actions seemed as disciplined as military personnel, embodying an upright and uncompromising spirit and strict discipline.

"Well, no need to stay here any longer, go about your own business!" Zhu Bajie, though with a pig's head, stood at the entrance of Marshal Tianpeng's Mansion and seemed transformed. He nodded slightly and spoke serenely.

In his expression, there was an air of commanding presence without anger.

"Worthy of being Marshal Tianpeng, huh? The demeanor is quite impressive!" This was the first time Jiang Liu had seen Zhu Bajie speak as Marshal Tianpeng, and he couldn't help but inwardly marvel at his appearance.

"This blockhead, to think he actually had this side to him!" Sun Wukong muttered in a low voice, clearly surprised by Zhu Bajie's bearing.

"Master, Monkey Brother, let's go inside!" After putting on the air of Marshal Tianpeng and saying a few words, Zhu Bajie immediately turned around, bobbing his head and bowing, shattering the previously serious atmosphere.

Seeing Zhu Bajie's behavior, the corner of Jiang Liu's mouth twitched slightly.

Is this what they call 'handsome for only three seconds'?

The master and disciples entered Marshal Tianpeng's Mansion. Soon, the three of them found the spot where Zhu Bajie had stored his golden body.

In the quiet room of Marshal Tianpeng, there was a meditation cushion. Originally, the golden body of Marshal Tianpeng was seated cross-legged on it, silently waiting for the day when Zhu Bajie would return to reclaim it.

But now, the quiet room was empty, and Zhu Bajie's golden body had naturally vanished without a trace.

"It's indeed gone!" After inspecting the quiet room, which was as undisturbed as ever, Zhu Bajie's brows furrowed slightly, and his face turned somewhat unsightly at the absence of his golden body.

"Hold on, blockhead, what is this?" Sun Wukong approached the cushion, then suddenly pointed to a corner and spoke.

Sun Wukong had sharp eyes, which was a well-known fact. Hearing what he said, both Zhu Bajie and Jiang Liu stepped forward to look.

Indeed, there was a faint mark on the ground beside the cushion.

This mark was in the shape of a lotus flower; however, its color was pitch black.

"A black lotus! What does this mean?" Zhu Bajie said, frowning in confusion at the sight of this black lotus mark.

"This mark, it seems to be a deliberate clue left by the person who stole the golden body, right?" Jiang Liu speculated while looking at the mark.

Zhu Bajie and Sun Wukong had great trust in Jiang Liu's wisdom, so upon hearing his speculation, they nodded in agreement.

"Master, are you saying that this symbol was intentionally left by the thief who stole the golden body? Then what is the thief trying to tell us?" Zhu Bajie asked, a bit exasperated, after nodding in agreement.

"The Black Lotus, huh? There are only two people who would leave such a signature as a clue…" Jiang Liu murmured to himself for a moment before speaking.

"One is the Wutian Buddha, who purposefully left the World-Destroying Black Lotus for us in the Demon Realm. He has a close connection with the Black Lotus!"

"That makes sense, who's the other potential person?" Zhu Bajie asked with a grim face upon hearing Wutian Buddha's name and followed up with his question.

If it was indeed Wutian Buddha, there would be no hope of retrieving the stolen golden body.

After all, that was a demon lord who didn't even consider Tathagata worth his attention.

"The other one would naturally be Guanyin, who I outwitted for the Ninth Grade Black Lotus!" Jiang Liu replied to Zhu Bajie's query.

"Uh…"

Zhu Bajie's face stiffened upon hearing Jiang Liu's words.

If it was Wutian Buddha, they could forget about it; he was not someone they could deal with.

Compared to Wutian Buddha, Guanyin was indeed easier to confront.

Yet facing Guanyin filled Zhu Bajie with a sense of dread, utterly unwilling to face her.

"Regardless of whether it's Wutian Buddha or Guanyin, we should take a trip to the Demon Realm!" After musing quietly for a moment, Jiang Liu said.

"Ah!? Master? Are we going to the Demon Realm?" Zhu Bajie's face fell upon hearing Jiang Liu's words.

Going to the Demon Realm? Going to see Guanyin? Zhu Bajie instinctively rejected the idea!

Moreover, Zhu Bajie was more inclined to believe that Guanyin, rather than Wutian Buddha, was responsible for the theft since she had threatened him before leaving, vowing not to let him off.

So, it would make sense if she suddenly appeared and took his golden body, wouldn't it?

"It's alright, Bajie, don't be afraid. With your Big Brother and me here, let's just make a trip to the Demon Realm!" Seeing Zhu Bajie's cowardly appearance, Jiang Liu offered a word of comfort.

Whatever had happened during the 'Trial of Four Saints' meditation, Zhu Bajie refused to speak of it.

But it was evident that the incident had left an indelible mark on Guanyin's heart.

So, because of that incident, Guanyin developed a Heart Demon and turned to darkness.

In Jiang Liu's view, not only did the event leave a Heart Demon in Guanyin's heart, but it did the same in Zhu Bajie's heart as well.

Now was an opportunity to visit the Demon Realm; if they could resolve this Heart Demon, it would be for the best.

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