Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

"Tea Saint Lu Yu!" the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes uttered the name softly.

However, to the ears of the seven Spider Demons, it was like a bolt from the blue. In all three realms, there was no one who did not know, no one who was unaware of Tea Saint Lu Yu's name. Although they did not comprehend just how powerful he truly was, how could someone who had achieved the status of a Human Sage be an ordinary fellow?

"How did big brother offend him?" the Spider Demons asked, puzzled.

"It's all old stories now. Back then, before he had become a Sage, I used the name of the State Preceptor in a small country in Victorious East Shenzhou to cultivate Divine Skills, which he discovered. We had a fight, and since then, we've had a grudge. I never thought that after so many years, he would actually come knocking on my door."

"Didn't big brother once instruct us to weave feathered garments, claiming they were to fend off the Immortal Sword? Could it be that it was meant for him?" A memory flashed across the Spider Demons' minds as they asked the question.

"Indeed, it was him. Lu Yu possesses an Immortal Sword with piercing Sword Qi. Those feathered garments were made to counteract him. But who could have anticipated that his cultivation would advance so greatly over the years? Even the poison I meticulously prepared could not affect him, forcing me to flee here," the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes said with a sigh.

Lu Yu had become his nightmare. Ever since he found out that Lu Yu had become a Human Sage, not a day had passed when the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes hadn't lived in constant fear. Thus, he had devoted himself to research and finally felt reassured only after creating a powerful poison, little expecting that all his painstaking efforts would prove to be in vain.

Even now, the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes found it somewhat incomprehensible. That kind of power had exceeded his own understanding and seemed to operate on an entirely different level.

Upon hearing these words, somber expressions also appeared on the Spider Demons' faces. Lu Yu's might loomed over them like a vast shadow, suffocating them with the sensation of being unable to breathe.

"But rest assured, I feared that this fellow would catch up to me, so I have already built a residence elsewhere. This time, it will be absolutely hidden. It won't be so easy for Lu Yu to track me down. I've come here this time to let you know that I will be laying low and concentrating on my cultivation from now on to avoid detection by Lu Yu."

"The collection of toxins you've been helping me with will need more attention, as the previous battle has exhausted all my reserves," the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes warned.

When he thought of how his carefully amassed fortune of many years had been completely destroyed by Lu Yu, pain echoed faintly in his heart.

The Spider Demons nodded gravely, aware that this matter was not to be taken lightly. They were sworn siblings with the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes. The Tea Saint's arrival might mean they too would be easily dispatched along with him.

After arranging these affairs, the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes bid farewell and left. He was in urgent need of healing in seclusion.

Meanwhile, Lu Yu was still tirelessly pursuing the whereabouts of the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes in the sky. Initially, he had glanced into the River of Destiny and time by chance and spotted the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes's location, prompting his relentless chase. Now that the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes had fled again, Lu Yu was at a loss for effective methods to continue the pursuit.

He could only slowly search according to certain cause-and-effect connections. However, with memories from past lives, he still managed to find a shortcut: the Spider Demons, as sworn siblings, surely knew the whereabouts of the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes. All he needed to do was find the Spider Demons. The place where the Spider Demons lived had a Cleansing Spring, which was very well-known, making it much easier to find.

Persistence pays off; after extensive inquiries, he eventually located the residence of the Spider Demons.

Lu Yu ascended on clouds into the midair, and looking down, he saw a manor right below, with small bridges over flowing streams, and even more, an abundance of flowering and fruit-bearing trees growing within it—it appeared quite elegant indeed.

However, Lu Yu had Thunder Eye Technique, which allowed him to notice on closer inspection that around the pavilions, stone bridges, and trees, there were all kinds of poisonous insects densely packed together, looking incredibly creepy.

Lu Yu was about to descend from the clouds to deal with these Spider Demons when a shout reached his ears, "Tea Saint, hold your hand!"

A Female Taoist Nun came riding the clouds, wearing a five-colored brocaded hat on her head, dressed in a Taoist Robe, her face somewhat aged yet still showing traces of her extraordinary beauty in her youth.

"May I ask who the fellow Taoist is, and why do you stop me from exterminating demons?" Lu Yu asked, looking up.

"I am none other than Bilam Po, and this place is especially prepared by me for the trials of Tang Monk and his disciples. I hope the Tea Saint can show leniency and not ruin my merits," Bilam Po spoke quite courteously.

After all, Lu Yu was the Human Sage, and in this world where the Human Path was flourishing, he wielded terrible power, and no Immortal Gods dared to take him lightly.

"I came here originally to find the whereabouts of the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes, with whom I have an old vow to settle our karmic debts. However, since the fellow Taoist has spoken thus, I shall not act now, but that Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes has stained his hands with much of the human race's blood, and I must exterminate him," Lu Yu said softly, yet his words conveyed firmness.

Upon hearing this, Bilam Po secretly let out a sigh of relief; she was quite afraid that Lu Yu, regardless of her wishes, would insist on taking action, ruining the trials she had meticulously prepared. As it was nearly time for Tang Monk and his disciples to arrive, and with time being so pressing, she wouldn't be able to set up any more trials even if she wished to.

However, she also discerned the firmness in Lu Yu's words and thus felt a tinge of regret; she had originally planned to recruit the Demon Lord of a Hundred Eyes to be her gatekeeper, but seeing that the Tea Saint, Lu Yu, was resolute in his killing intent, she, not wishing for unnecessary complications, naturally nodded and agreed.

Having reached a consensus on this matter, the atmosphere naturally eased up, and Bilam Po invited Lu Yu with a smile, "Tang Monk and his disciples will arrive in a few days. If the fellow Taoist doesn't mind, you may rest at my dojo and wait for the trial to conclude before taking action," Bilam Po suggested with a smile.

She was, in fact, very curious about Lu Yu; his many deeds had already begun to circulate in the Three Realms. Such a person of mortal origin, seemingly without notable background, yet he was a fellow disciple with the Great Sage Equalling Heaven, had a great relationship with the Underworld deities and the Witch Tribe, and seemingly had a not-unsatisfactory relationship with the Heavenly Court and the Orthodox Church, and with Buddhism his relations were even more profound.

Counting all this, Lu Yu's social circle appeared to be quite powerful, and what most caught her attention was the rumor that the Tea Saint seemed to have some ties with All Saints, though the exact nature of these relations was unknown.

Therefore, in the eyes of many mighty beings in the Three Realms, Lu Yu's identity had a somewhat unfathomable air, but these people all had a good sense of propriety, never delving too deeply.

After a brief consideration, Lu Yu decided to make a trip to Bilam Po's Cave Heaven—to await the right moment, to converse and broaden his knowledge with Bilam Po, and, moreover, to take a closer look at how others' Cave Heavens were fashioned.

So, the two set off together, leaving the empty manor below.

In the manor, a woman furrowed her brows and murmured to herself, "I don't know why, but I have the feeling that a great disaster is looming."