Chapter 188 Nine Spirit Saint
Xiniu Hezhou.
Bamboo Mountain in Yuhua Prefecture.
The peaks are abrupt, the ridges are steep and rugged, the stream is gurgling under the deep ravine, and the flowers are fragrant in front of the steep cliffs.
In the middle of the cliff valley, there is a cave with two mottled stone doors tightly closed. On the door lintel is a stone tablet embedded horizontally with ten large characters engraved in regular script. It is the Jiuqu Panhuan Cave of Wanling Bamboo Mountain.
"Sun Xingzhe, go and knock on the door." Li Anran said to the Monkey King next to him.
The purpose of their trip was to find the nine-headed lion monster, the mount of Taiyi Tianzun, that is, the Jiuling Yuansheng in the Jiuqu Panhuan Cave of Zhujie Mountain.
Just like in the original time and space, Taiyi Tianzun deliberately left a cup of reincarnation elixir to lure the lion slave to drink it secretly and get drunk. Jiuling Yuansheng took the opportunity to escape to the mortal world and came to the Jiuqu Panhuan Cave in Zhujie Mountain to become a demon, which became one of the eighty-one difficulties in the journey to the West.
The difference is that this time, Taiyi Tianzun did not come down to earth in person to subdue Jiuling Yuansheng. Instead, he ordered Li Anran to come down to earth to subdue Jiuling Yuansheng, and severely punish Jiuling Yuansheng according to the heavenly rules.
That’s right, severe punishment will be imposed according to the laws and regulations of Heaven!
This is what Taiyi Tianzun emphasized!
It has only been three years since Jiuling Yuansheng came to the human world. During these three years, although he has taken in a lot of lions and lion descendants, he not only did not allow these lion spirits to do evil, but instead restrained and educated them to be kind to others and not do evil.
And these lion spirits really did it .
In the original time and space, the yellow lion demon in the Tiger's Mouth Cave of Leopard Head Mountain was greedy for a moment and stole the weapons of the three monkey brothers, and even held a "nail rake banquet" to celebrate.
However, not only did he not eat human flesh and blood at this banquet, but he also asked the little demons under his command to take 20 taels of silver to the market in the mortal world to buy pigs and sheep. This was definitely an oddity among the demons.
When it comes to following rules, he is even more human than humans.
Sha Seng disguised himself as a shepherd and went to the Tiger's Mouth Cave to ask for the shade he needed, on the pretext that he did not have enough money.
The yellow lion demon was so foolish that he took it seriously and even invited Sha Seng to have a simple meal.
When Sha Seng asked to take a look at the rake to broaden his horizons, he agreed to let Sha Seng take a look, but only told Sha Seng not to tell anyone and never had the idea of killing him to silence him.
From this point of view, this Yellow Lion Demon is truly honest and upright to the extreme.
In this world, the Monkey King replaced the monkeys, and everything was different.
The Monkey King possessed the magical power of Six Ears and discovered in advance the Yellow Lion Demon's attempt to steal weapons, which aborted the Yellow Lion Demon's plan and caused him to flee back to the Tiger's Mouth Cave in Leopard Head Mountain in panic.
——Perhaps because he felt that robbery was a greater crime than theft, the Yellow Lion Demon did not resort to force but chose to turn around and run after being exposed by the Monkey King.
This allowed the Yellow Lion Demon to escape disaster. He was not beaten to death by the three monkey brothers who came to find him like in the original time and space. Even the lions and their descendants in the cave were killed completely. He only had one arm injured.
This matter should have ended here.
However, the Yellow Lion Demon felt that his appearance had been seen by someone, and was afraid that his victim would come to find him, so after struggling for a night, he went to the Jiuqu Panhuan Cave in Zhujie Mountain to find Jiuling Yuansheng and admit his mistake.
Jiuling Yuansheng followed Taiyi Tianzun, and learned Taiyi Tianzun's protective nature completely. However, the one who was in the wrong in this matter was the Yellow Lion Demon, so although Jiuling Yuansheng was angry, he could only endure it and even whipped the Yellow Lion Demon as a punishment.
But the other six lion spirits under his seat could no longer sit still.
They thought that the Yellow Lion Demon was defeated because the Monkey King had more people, which brought disgrace to the reputation of their Lion Ancestor Jiuling Yuansheng, so they secretly approached the Monkey King and his three brothers, hoping to get back at him.
Although the Monkey King had heard that the backer of this group of lion monsters, Jiuling Yuansheng, was the nine-headed lion monster of Taiyi Tianzun, he was not sure how strong Jiuling Yuansheng was. Secondly, he knew that this disaster was also an opportunity and merit, so he decided to join forces with Zhu Bajie and Sha Seng to beat up the six lion monsters.
The Monkey King thought that as long as he didn't kill the six lion demons, the matter would not be a big deal.
As a result, when the fight was halfway through, Jiuling Yuansheng, who had discovered that his lion grandson was missing, rushed over.
Seeing his beloved grandsons being beaten and running around with bruises all over their bodies, he could no longer suppress his anger and directly captured Zhu Bajie and Sha Wujing.
Only the Monkey King noticed Jiuling Yuansheng's movements in advance and escaped the disaster.
The Monkey King was very familiar with this situation, so he immediately went to Dongji Miaoyan Palace to complain to Taiyi Tianzun.
Then, Taiyi Tianzun asked him to go to the Heavenly Prison to find Li Anran, and ordered Li Anran to come down to the earth to help him capture Jiuling Yuansheng, and severely punish Jiuling Yuansheng according to the Heavenly Laws and Regulations.
This is a distant echo of Yang Jian's request to the Jade Emperor in Heaven to severely punish the three golden-winged Peng eagle monsters but to no avail. It shows that Xuanmen is fair and impartial and slaps Lingshan in the face!
The crime committed by Jiuling Yuansheng was very minor. It was just a private crime in the mortal world. No matter how severe the punishment was, it would only be a few lashes and imprisonment for a year or half a year, which was not a big deal.
The Monkey King descended from the clouds and shouted at the entrance of the cave: "You monster! Let my fellow apprentice go! Otherwise I will make you pay!" He shouted several times, but there was no movement from inside.
The Monkey King immediately used his magical powers and listened carefully, only to hear a snoring sound like thunder.
Jiuling Yuansheng is sleeping!
The Monkey King did not wait any longer, he picked up his iron-clad soldier and smashed it hard on the stone gate.
boom!
With a loud bang, the earth shook, dust rose into the sky, and the stone gate collapsed into rubble all over the ground.
Jiuling Yuansheng woke up from his sleep, furious, and got up, shouting, "You rascal, you can ask me to release your brother, but you need to kneel in front of my door and kowtow three times!"
"You might as well kowtow to your grandpa grandson!" The Monkey King sneered, picked up his iron-clad soldier, and hit the top of the cave door with a stick, smashing the stone tablet with the cave name engraved on it to pieces.
"Looking for death!" Jiuling Yuansheng shook his head, and a lion head as big as a house popped out of the cave, opened its bloody mouth, and bit towards the Monkey King.
Snap!
The Monkey King was prepared and retreated to the horizon. The lion's head missed and bit a mountain nearby, biting it in half. Gravel and stone fell from the lion's mouth like dust.
"Thief monkey, where are you going!"
Jiuling Yuansheng rushed out of the cave and chased after him. When he reached the cliff, he was about to release the other lion heads when he suddenly noticed Li Anran in mid-air. He sneered and said, "I was wondering how this monkey got the courage to come to my door, but it turns out he has brought reinforcements!"
The Monkey King shouted, "Nine Spirits Saint, how dare you be so presumptuous! Do you know that the person in front of you is the prison god Li Anran, who is feared by all three worlds and has boundless magical powers!"
Li Anran: “…” It’s okay to flatter, but can we not do it in an awkward way?
Li Anran was speechless.
After the Bull Demon King and his sons were summoned to peace by the Heavenly Court, they were afraid that the Heavenly Court would doubt their loyalty, so they killed the demons in the lower world, using methods more cruel than those of the heavenly soldiers and generals.
The same is true for the Monkey King.
He was wholeheartedly devoted to achieving enlightenment, so naturally he had to completely cut off all ties with the past. His attitude toward gods and Buddhas, or more precisely, toward the gods and Buddhas of noble status in the Three Realms, was respectful to the point of being fawning.
"You are Li Anran?!" Jiuling Yuansheng was shocked. The arrogance and pride he had just shown disappeared in an instant, replaced by fear and awe.
He had been in the Dongji Miaoyan Palace in the Qinghua Changle Realm for many years and had never seen Li Anran, but he had heard Li Anran's name countless times.
Li Anran also knew that Jiuling Yuansheng was not afraid of him, but was afraid of his identity as a disciple of Taiyi Tianzun, so he said, "Jiuling Yuansheng, I am here to capture you on the orders of my master, why don't you quickly reveal your true form and follow me back to heaven!"
According to the agreement between Lingshan and Xuanmen, these monsters who "escaped" to the mortal world to perform the 81 tribulations will not be told the inside story of the journey to the West. They will only think that they have gotten lucky and escaped to the mortal world.
Li Anran was prepared for Jiuling Yuansheng to escape or even fight.
However, what he didn't expect was that Jiuling Yuansheng had no intention of resisting at all. Upon hearing this, he rolled to the ground and turned into his original form, a nine-headed lion monster with golden mane all over his body.
Jiuling Yuansheng's ferocious and wild nature had been completely wiped out by Taiyi Tianzun!
Li Anran thought of the original time and space, Jiuling Yuansheng clearly had magical powers, but in front of Taiyi Tianzun, he allowed the lion slave to punch and kick him until his hands were sore, and he did not dare to have the slightest thought of resistance.
Li Anran's heart sank, and he had a deeper understanding of Taiyi Tianzun's ruthlessness and dangerousness.
Crash——
Li Anran threw out a demon-binding rope and wrapped it around Jiuling Yuansheng's neck. He was about to lead it back to heaven when suddenly a demonic wind whistled in the distance, causing sand and rocks to fly.
"Stop! Let my grandfather go! Otherwise, don't blame us for being rude!"
Seven lion spirits brandished their weapons and blocked Li Anran's way.
It was the seven grandsons of Saint Jiuling!
Their bodies were covered with wounds, some had their arms in slings, some had limping legs, and the lightest ones had their heads wrapped in gauze, looking like wounded soldiers who had just come off the battlefield. Their grimace and ferocious expressions made them look funny and comical.
Before Li Anran could speak, Jiuling Yuansheng's face was already full of panic, and he blurted out: "Didn't I tell you to go back and recuperate? Who asked you to come! You..."
Before he finished speaking, he seemed to suddenly think of something. He trembled with fear, fell to the ground with all fours, and kowtowed to Li Anran repeatedly.
Li Anran just felt creepy.
In the original time and space, this Jiuling Yuansheng could take down Monkey’s three brothers in an instant, and his cultivation was at least at the Daluo Jinxian realm.
What on earth had he been through to become like this?
"Grandfather!"
The seven lion demons had never seen their ancestor in such a state. They were shocked and filled with grief and anger. They brandished their weapons and were ready to fight Li Anran to the death.
"You evil creatures, how dare you act so presumptuously in front of the prison god! You really don't know how to live or die!" The Monkey King had always intended to make friends with Li Anran, so upon seeing this, he rushed forward and stopped these lion spirits.
These lion spirits were no match for the monkeys to begin with, and now they were all injured. Even though they were outnumbered, they were quickly knocked to the ground.
Jiuling Yuansheng saw all of this. His nine lion heads and eighteen pairs of eyes were filled with sadness and despair. Tears kept flowing down, wetting his mane.
However, he didn't dare to say a word of pleading.
He just kowtowed harder and harder, as if to punish and torture himself.
Only in this way will he feel a little better.
"Enough." Li Anran stopped Jiuling Yuansheng and the Monkey King.
Six of the seven lion spirits have fallen, leaving only the yellow lion spirit with the highest level of cultivation still able to stand.
Seeing that there was no hope of rescuing Jiuling Yuansheng, and his brothers were injured, the Yellow Lion Demon blamed himself and regretted it extremely: "It's all my fault for being greedy at the moment. I caused such a disaster and implicated my ancestors and all my brothers. I... How can I still have the face to live in this world!"
He swung the sword across his neck, wanting to die to atone for his crime.
when!
Li Anran snapped his fingers and a ray of golden light shot out, knocking the big knife away. He then threw out several demon-binding ropes and tied up the seven lion demons.
The Demon Binding Rope is of no use to Jiuling Yuansheng, as it has more superficial significance than practical meaning. But for these lion spirits, it can immobilize them.
Li Anran said calmly: "The country has its own laws, and the heaven has its own rules. What crime you have committed and what punishment you should receive will be determined by the Temple of Justice. You want to die? It's not that easy."
Jiuling Yuansheng was shocked, his eyes filled with gratitude.
When he chooses his grandson, he not only looks at his cultivation and background, but also pays more attention to his character.
Regardless of other things, the conduct of his seven grandchildren is absolutely impeccable.
He was only worried that they would be beaten to death, not afraid that they would be judged and punished by the laws of heaven.
The Monkey King naturally did not dare to have any opinions and repeatedly praised Li Anran for enforcing the law impartially without any selfish motives.
Li Anran did not stay any longer, and flew to the Heavenly Palace with Jiuling Yuansheng and the seven-headed lion monster, thinking secretly in his heart: "Yuhuazhou is not far from Lingshan. It will only take half a year at most, and the journey to the West will be over. The next step should be Dongsheng Shenzhou and Beijuluzhou."
"Taishang Laojun's layout in Dongsheng Shenzhou is like the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea. I don't know how the Jade Emperor is planning in Beijuluzhou? Who is he targeting? Is it the Demon Master Mansion?"
Li Anran flew into the sky at an extremely fast speed, and before he knew it, he had already reached the South Gate of Heaven.
King Virūdhaka came up to him and told him that the monkey had come to see him.
"That Xingsun came and went in a hurry, as if he had encountered something urgent."
Li Anran used a trick to trap the Monkey King who transformed into Nezha and broke into the Heavenly Palace, so that the Heavenly King Zhangzhang who guarded the South Gate of Heaven owed him a favor. The two sides have not had much contact over the years, but they have always been polite to each other.
"Thank you, Lord, for telling me."
Li Anran thanked him and felt a little surprised as to what urgent matter the monkey could have come to him for?
However, Li Anran didn't care too much.
His friendship with the monkey is far inferior to that with Nezha and Yang Jian. If the monkey really has something urgent to find him, he will definitely come again. If not, he will not meddle in other people's business.
The most urgent task is to quickly send this Jiuling Yuansheng to the Heavenly Prison.
Jiuling Yuansheng has at least the cultivation level of a Daluo Jinxian, and he is also the mount of Taiyi Tianzun. He follows Taiyi Tianzun all year round. He must have gained a lot of benefits from Jiuling Yuansheng's life.
He flew all the way to the Heavenly Prison, and the moment he entered, he saw the information of Jiuling Yuansheng appear on the Book of Punishment.
[Prisoner: Jiuling Yuansheng from Jiuqu Panhuan Cave in Zhujie Mountain]
[Sin value: one and a half stars]
[Cultivation: Daluo Jinxian Level 2]
[Status: Escorted]
[Capture participation: 100%]
[Benefits: 3 billion experience points/day]
