Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

The Monkey's true strength may be unknown to others, but the Mountain God and the Earth God were well aware of it, having been the ones to watch over him since he was suppressed under the Five Elements Mountain. However, due to the arrogance of the protector Garuda, both kept their knowledge unspoken. Thus, the incident with the impatient urging of the protector Garuda occurred.

By now, the protector Garuda had put aside his pride, and with effort, squeezed out a smile and said, "I hope for your guidance in the future. The Great Saint is about to break free, and we must not let any mishap occur, or our deaths would not suffice to atone for the error."

Upon hearing this, the Mountain God and the Earth God's expressions turned solemn. They, too, knew the gravity of the situation. It was not the time for playing tricks. Glancing at the protector Garuda, both sighed inwardly. Sure enough, there are no fools here—he understood the situation very quickly. They promptly replied with a smile, "You jest, protector.

Let's cooperate, truly cooperate."

Lu Yu and the Monkey paid no attention to the scheming of the gods. After conversing for a while, Lu Yu bid his farewell and left. The next time they would meet would undoubtedly be after the beginning of the Journey to the West.

When Lu Yu descended from the clouds, he had already returned to his Cave Heaven. Gazing upon the familiar dwelling, he couldn't help but feel contemplative.

Ever since he'd obtained this Cave Heaven, he had not spent much time in peaceful cultivation; he had mostly been traveling about, sorting out ley lines, managing the Cave Heaven's heavy responsibilities—all of which had pressed down on Liu Qingyun. But taking on a disciple served such purposes, and Lu Yu felt incredibly proud of his earlier decision to take Liu Qingyun under his wing.

Once inside the Cave Heaven, he saw that after a long period of arrangement, the place had become quite substantial, and could be considered a small world. Of course, it still fell short of the Cave Heaven of the Green Lotus Sword Immortal, but the space had begun to take a proper shape; the once tiny spring now had transformed into a sizable lake.

The once modest dwelling now boasted its own microcosm. The sun and moon's projections had materialized in the Cave Heaven, introducing both day and night within.

Near the lake stood the house constructed by Liu Qingyun. The original thatched cottage was replaced by wooden ancient structures, their grain polished to a shine and carefully painted. Under the eaves, wind chimes hung, and with the gentle breeze, they emitted a clear, crystalline sound.

Looking at the scene before him, Lu Yu felt incredibly warm-hearted. This was his home in this world, the place where he could find peace of mind.@@novelbin@@

From afar came a whooshing sound, stirring up the dust of the sky. A burly Big Black Donkey was galloping fast. The donkey, robust and with a glossy black coat, was a testament to its fine quality.

The Big Black Donkey was extremely excited. Ever since the Cave Heaven's transformation, no one had been happier than it. This was its master's Cave Heaven, and as the master's mount, it had the right to strut pompously within this world. Hence, from time to time, it would run wildly through the Cave Heaven to assert its presence, though regrettably without an audience to appreciate it.

When the Big Black Donkey galloped up to the house, it noticed Lu Yu and promptly stopped its frantic charge, leaving a deep mark on the ground, to Lu Yu's dismay.

"Master, you're finally back. Big Black missed you so much!" The Big Black Donkey suddenly assumed a pitiful, tearful expression, taking a few kneeling steps forward and hugging Lu Yu's legs as it cried out.

Lu Yu glanced at the Big Black Donkey, irritated and too indolent to deal with this live treasure. He quickly extricated his leg from the tight embrace and asked, "Where's Qingyun?"

"Young Master Qingyun is quietly cultivating inside the house," Big Black Donkey promptly replied, all too aware of its master's methods of dealing with others. It had no desire to be subjected to them a second time.

Meanwhile, within the house, Liu Qingyun, who had been meditating in silence, was awakened by the noise outside. When he opened the door, he saw Lu Yu standing outside and exclaimed with joy, "Master, you have returned."

"Yes, I have returned. How has your cultivation been going recently, Qingyun?"

"Reporting to Master, my cultivation has been going smoothly. However, I have not yet been able to stimulate another stream of Five Qi." Speaking of this, he felt somewhat ashamed, as if he had let his Master down, not knowing that his progress was already considered fast.

"Do not be anxious, the cultivation of the Five Qi realm is most reliant on opportunity and enlightenment. It cannot be rushed." As one who had been through these stages, Lu Yu naturally understood the difficulty of the Five Qi, and he feared that his disciple might become too impatient and fall into fanaticism, which would not be good.

Turning his head, Lu Yu saw the Enlightenment Tea Tree which had now grown lush and full of leaves, excitedly waving its branches by the lakeside, welcoming Lu Yu's arrival.

Lu Yu walked over and gently stroked the trunk of the Enlightenment Tea Tree, feeling the tree's released emotions of joy, and said with a smile, "I am doing well, and you have grown quickly, too." Discover hidden stories at My Virtual Library Empire

After calming the excited Enlightenment Tea Tree, Lu Yu slowly made his way to the lakeside and took out a glittering lotus seed. He gently tossed the lotus seed into the lake.

The brilliance burst forth, and ripples quickly disrupted the calm, mirror-like surface of the lake. Liu Qingyun and the Big Black Donkey watched in astonishment as countless lotus leaves sprouted from the lake, and amidst them, a Green Lotus emerged.

At that moment, shadows of worshipping creatures appeared, and an intense Sword Intent emerged in the sky, lingering for quite some time before dissipating.

Liu Qingyun, witnessing this miraculous scene, could sense that a powerful Soul seemed to be gestating within the Green Lotus. Upon contact, he could feel the sharpness contained within it. Turning his head, he asked Lu Yu with a puzzled expression, "Master, what is this?"

"This is the legacy of a Great Sword Immortal; it contains his damaged Soul. When the Soul is restored, he will be reborn. He will be your junior brother in the future," Lu Yu said softly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyun was overjoyed, indeed feeling that his title as the eldest disciple was nominal at best. Given that his Master had only one disciple, the so-called prestige of being the founding eldest disciple seemed to serve little purpose.

After witnessing Tong Yuan's inability to enter the Celestial Immortal Dao and his subsequent death, he had stopped expecting Lu Yu to take on any more disciples.

To his surprise, Lu Yu had come back from his travels with a junior brother. And judging from the situation, his junior brother seemed to have quite a background. This was good; it spared him and his Master the sadness of being unable to achieve immortality alone.

"In the future, you must take good care of it. Use the power of Cave Heaven to restore his Soul and Spirit. Haven't you always hoped for a junior brother? If you take good care of him, you will be able to meet your junior brother sooner," Lu Yu said with a smile.

"Rest assured, Master, I will certainly take good care of my junior brother," said Liu Qingyun, feeling at that moment like a qualified eldest disciple. He looked happily at the swaying Green Lotus before him, already imagining the situation with a junior brother by his side.