Chapter 13

On the Lingtai Fangcun Mountain, at the Xieyue Sanxing Cave,

Lingtai Fangcun is the heart, and Xieyue Sanxing is also the heart. The heart is the only material that connects heaven and earth, guiding human actions and serving as the source of all things in the universe. Humans are the spirits of nature, capable of connecting heaven and earth because of their spiritual nature, which originates from the heart!

This is the teaching of Patriarch Subhuti, which Yang Zhen has always kept in mind. He has never dared to relax in the cultivation of his heart and character.

Since Patriarch Subhuti imparted the Thirty-Six Transformations of the Heavenly Gang to Yang Zhen, he has remained on Fangcun Mountain to cultivate. In the blink of an eye, a hundred years have passed.

During these hundred years, one by one, Patriarch Subhuti's disciples left Fangcun Mountain. Some continued to seek their own immortal destiny, diligently cultivating immortal techniques in the hope of one day ranking among the immortals and enjoying the incense and offerings of the world. Others abandoned cultivation to enjoy wealth and honor in the mortal world.

Until today, a hundred years later, only Yang Zhen and Patriarch Subhuti remain on Fangcun Mountain.

After a hundred years of cultivation, Yang Zhen has finally reached the Sixth Rank of True Immortal. When Sun Wukong left, he had already reached the Ninth Rank of Taiyi True Immortal. In these hundred years, with Sun Wukong's talent and insight, he must have already reached the realm of Golden Immortal.

Although Yang Zhen is cultivating on Fangcun Mountain, he has always been calculating the day when Sun Wukong will cause chaos in Heaven. If Wu Cheng'en's "Journey to the West" is accurate, then the day Sun Wukong causes chaos in Heaven should be between 200 and 250 years after he left Fangcun Mountain. That means, at most, in another hundred years, Sun Wukong will strike the Lingxiao Hall and step on the Southern Heaven Gate.

In these hundred years, Yang Zhen's greatest gain has not only been the improvement in his cultivation but also the fact that he has learned all the melee skills in the shop. Although they are currently all at level 0, having these skills has significantly improved his melee abilities. Although he hasn't tested how powerful they are, Yang Zhen feels that compared to Sun Wukong at the same stage, he is not at a disadvantage.

During his time on Fangcun Mountain, Yang Zhen would go out every month to do good deeds. Whether it was slaying demons or bringing rain, as long as it benefited humanity, Yang Zhen was always at the forefront. Over time, ordinary people came to know of Yang Zhen's existence, and in some towns, temples were even built for him for people to worship.

Although the merit gained from each good deed was minimal, it accumulated over time. While it wasn't enough to support his cultivation, it did allow Yang Zhen to learn all the melee skills, greatly enhancing his combat abilities.

However, over the years, the news that "Yang Zhen has been killing demons in Xiniu贺zhou for over a hundred years" finally reached the ears of a great demon in Xiniu贺zhou. Slaying demons, which is a great good deed in the eyes of humans, is an irreconcilable hatred in the eyes of demons. Especially when the demons heard that the one slaying them was also a demon, this news made the great demon furious.

If it were done by a cultivator, it would be understandable, as the enmity between humans and demons has long been irreconcilable. But for a demon to be slaying other demons, the great demon wanted to tear this demon to pieces and scatter his bones.

Who is this great demon of Xiniu贺zhou? He is none other than the leader of the Seven Great Demons, the Great Demon of the Leveling Heaven, Niuhuang.

"Bring this challenge to all his temples. I don't believe he won't come out," Niuhuang roared at the bull demons under him, sitting in the Banana Cave.

Niuhuang had been extremely frustrated these past few days. With tens of thousands of small demons under his command and his prestige among the demons of Xiniu贺zhou, he could not find a single hidden demon in Xiniu贺zhou. Although Niuhuang had tried every method to find Yang Zhen, Fangcun Mountain was Patriarch Subhuti's domain, and with Niuhuang's cultivation, even if he had another hundred years, he would not find him.

With no other choice, Niuhuang could only issue a challenge to Yang Zhen.

Although Niuhuang's appearance is very bold, he is actually a very calculating person. From his imitation of the Ten Great Demons of the ancient demon race to form the current Seven Great Demons, it is clear that Niuhuang has great ambitions. In recent years, he has been gathering demons in the Banana Cave of Cuizun Mountain, seemingly with some other plans.

Sitting in the Banana Cave, Niuhuang carefully analyzed the impact of this event on him.

"First, as the leader of the Seven Great Demons, I cannot ignore this matter. Although this challenge will increase Yang Zhen's fame, if I can defeat him, more demons will surely come to join me. Hmm! This battle cannot be lost, but I don't know what Yang Zhen's cultivation is like. He is too mysterious, always disappearing quickly after appearing, and no one in Xiniu贺zhou knows his origin." Niuhuang's expression was grim, as he knew nothing about his opponent. Although Niuhuang was extremely confident, after meeting his sworn brothers, he realized that there were still many capable individuals among the demons.

"Challenge?"

The fog on Fangcun Mountain was as white as snow, like a light veil dancing between heaven and earth. Looking out, the view was vast and boundless.

Yang Zhen sat cross-legged under an ancient tree, looking at the challenge in his hand, feeling that the world was truly full of wonders. He never thought he would provoke Niuhuang, and when he first came to this world, he even considered becoming Niuhuang's disciple. Now, he had received a challenge from Niuhuang.

It seems I have indeed changed.

With a wave of his right hand, the challenge floated into the air, and a fire suddenly appeared in the void, burning the challenge to ashes.

"The leader of the Seven Great Demons, the Great Demon of the Leveling Heaven, Niuhuang? It's good to meet him and see what makes him the leader of the Seven Great Demons. My brother is the youngest of the Seven Great Demons," Yang Zhen said with a smile.

Yang Zhen did not take Niuhuang seriously at all. In the world of "Journey to the West," cultivation does not represent everything. In battle, more depends on magical abilities and treasures. In terms of melee, Sun Wukong's melee skills in this era are unparalleled in the three realms. However, even in "Journey to the West," he was still overwhelmed by the various treasures of the demons who descended from heaven, and was even burned by the Three Pure Fires of the Red Boy. With Yang Zhen also mastering the Three Pure Fires, why would he fear a mere Niuhuang?

In this era where the sages are confined by the Daoist Master Hongjun (Quasi-Sages are also sages), the Great Golden Immortal is the strongest combatant. But how many Great Golden Immortals are there in the entire three realms? According to Yang Zhen's estimation, Niuhuang is at most a peak Golden Immortal.

After all, once one reaches the realm of Golden Immortal, further cultivation no longer relies on accumulating magical power but on understanding the Dao. At that level, it takes thousands or tens of thousands of years to make progress.

Looking in the direction of Cuizun Mountain, Yang Zhen smiled faintly, "Let me see the style of Niuhuang."