Whoosh!
The wall rippled, and Song Lin leaped into it.
The Qin Forest excels at Qin Skills and consists of eight Taoist Temples, which make up a relatively poor sect.
After entering the wall, Song Lin found himself in a massive space.
"What an enormous dark alley. No, it should be called a Dark City, shouldn’t it?"
Song Lin marveled, clicking his tongue in wonder. Beneath the gray and murky sky stood an utterly bizarre wooden city.
The city was entirely constructed of red copper elental wood, joined together with mortise-and-tenon joints, forming an integrated entity as if naturally crafted.
The Qin Forest specializes in chanical puppets, Feng Shui inspection, and geomancy.
Around the city, four colossal statues stood tall.
The statues were also made of wood, with surfaces etched with countless runes—millions, if not billions of them. Their eyes were composed of various gemstones pieced together.
Azure Dragon, Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, Black Tortoise.
The Four Great Divine Beasts guarded the four cardinal directions.
Song Lin imdiately recognized these statues as the Four Divine Beasts of the Qin Forest, boasting Perfect Core Formation combat power.
They had once turned the tide in the Jungle’s independence battle.
Song Lin moved toward the grand gates, flanked by golden chanical puppet sentries on either side.
As he approached, the golden puppets suddenly opened their eyes.
"Who goes there?"
The golden puppet roared.
"I am Song Lin, Taoist of the Donghua Jungle, here to seek an audience with Master Guu Ling. Kindly announce my arrival."
The golden puppet nodded upon hearing this and closed its eyes again.
Shortly after, a dark cloud floated toward him.
"Haha, Song Lin, my Taoist friend! This old man has long admired your illustrious na!"
Descending from the cloud ca a diminutive elderly figure barely five feet tall, resembling a child.
This was Master Guu Ling, the Taoist of the Qin Forest.
The two entered the grand hall and took their seats.
"To be frank, eting you feels like eting an old friend — it’s quite rare,"
Master Guu Ling said earnestly.
No matter how he looked at Song Lin, he thought the man utterly pleasing to the eyes.
"Haha, no need to be so formal. Since I’m a few years older, why don’t you call elder brother from now on?"
"Brother Guu Ling, I must admit I greatly admire you as well!"
Song Lin readily played along, addressing him warmly.
In a sense, the two were indeed kindred spirits.
Both had chosen to rebel against oppressive authority and had succeeded in their endeavors.
They found they had plenty of common ground.
Especially upon learning Song Lin’s true age—less than a Jiazi (excluding his ti in blessed lands)—Guu Ling was astonished.
"You’re truly remarkable, young brother! I, as your elder, feel deeply ashad."
Guu Ling couldn’t help but sigh.
At Song Lin’s age, he was already bold enough to confront and topple a Master and strike a blow against Zhengsi authorities, while Guu Ling himself was still struggling with a lack of funds to repair his jungle’s chanical puppets.
"Well, people like us are often oppressed. We have no choice but to work hard. If we had ti for leisure, who would willingly endure such hardships?"
Song Lin said sincerely.
Were the world not so dark, he too would have preferred to move at a slower pace and enjoy a more relaxed life.
"By the way, young brother, what brings you here today...?"
Master Guu Ling inquired.
Despite his appreciation for Song Lin, he doubted his visit was solely for reminiscing.
"Oh, it’s like this: I heard your sect possesses red tung wood and green leaves in abundance. I’d like to purchase a large quantity of both."
Song Lin didn’t directly reveal his intentions.
Red tung wood, being exceedingly sturdy, could be used for crafting low-level magical tools, constructing Spirit Halls, and refining pills.
Green leaves shared similar versatility.
Master Guu Ling’s eyes lit up as he pressed, "How much are you looking for?"
"As much as possible."
Song Lin’s goal was to build rapport — solving their financial issues was the only way to foster connections.
Once Zhi Xin returned, he planned to arrange secret etings among trusted allies, followed by his tried-and-true blood-oath rituals.
"Great—these materials are plentiful on my end! I’ll give you a fifty percent discount."
"No, no, I’ll pay the full price. Please regard it as a token of goodwill from your younger brother."
"Then I thank you, young brother."
Master Guu Ling’s aged face flushed with so embarrassnt. Truth be told, he was in dire need of funds.
"By the way, I hear you’re acquainted with Master Fei Hong of the Five Qi Jungle. Would you kindly introduce ?"
"Certainly. But Fei Hong is currently in seclusion; I’ll notify you when he erges."
...
Purple Cloud Peak.
This peak was hailed as the foremost pinnacle of Holy Might.
Legend has it that this was once the cave mansion of an elder of the Ghost King Sect, and its na was given by that sa elder.
Perhaps it hinted at the Holy Might Heavenly Master’s intentions, as the peak’s na—Purple Cloud Peak—had originally belonged to Tianhe’s wife, Ziyun, as her cave mansion.
Later it was gifted to Wu Qingxuan, leading outsiders to refer to her as the Purple Cloud Cultivator due to it.
The likelihood of intentional hinting was high, for Wu Qingxuan herself had never claid the title of Purple Cloud; it was rely a na used by others.
Who could still rember the na of a master from thousands of years ago?
The Immortal Peak stood tall amidst Jade Lan Orchids and Erald Trees.
Essence and Qi condensed into billowing white mists.
Heavenly Seal Platform, a secluded location atop the summit, where a beautiful woman in dark robes sat cross-legged.
Shrouded in ethereal mist, it seed as though her ascension was imminent.
This woman was Wu Qingxuan.
Ever since confronting Zhi Xin, Wu Qingxuan had secluded herself here, seeking the key to a breakthrough.
After so unknown passage of ti, Purple Cloud’s eyes snapped open.
She spat a mouthful of fresh blood, her starlit eyes betraying her shock.
Her Taoist Realm had developed a flaw!
The Primordial Spirit Realm entails the transformation of the Primordial Spirit into Pure Yang.
Flawless and complete, reaching Pure Yang Perfection.
An imperfect Dao Foundation precludes steps into the Primordial Spirit Realm and bars entry into the threshold of Heavenly Mastership.
"Impossible!"
Purple Cloud couldn’t believe it; she and Tianhe had sched for years, only for errors to erge.
Where could it have gone wrong?
Purple Cloud mulled over the issue and soon pinpointed the anomaly.
The flaw originated within herself.
It stemd from the discontinuity between her past and present lives, rendering her incapable of fully integrating with her flesh.
Moreover, her previous incarnation’s lingering attachnt to Zhi Xin exacerbated the situation.
"So...?"
Resolving this defect and attaining her breakthrough hinged entirely on Zhi Xin.
Having Zhi Xin use his mysterious Magic Skill on her one more ti, then killing him, would remove all lingering concerns.
"What a pity..."
Purple Cloud felt so regret. If only she hadn’t been so quick to confront Zhi Xin.
There was still so value left to extract.
Zhi Xin was steadfast of mind. Knowing the truth would an he’d likely resist until death.
Could it be approached through the sect? A broader perspective?
Purple Cloud dismissed these thoughts.
Perhaps Song Lin offered a better avenue.
...
Donghua Jungle, World in the Pot.
Song Lin finished his cultivation and made ti to imrse himself in the story world.
Pure Yang Immortal Mansion.
Song Lin awoke with a long sigh.
The Nine-Transformation Golden Body here had reached the Sixth Transformation, but it was far from enough.
"Ti to descend into mortality and make arrangents."
Song Lin mused.
This world’s "Journey to the West" differed from the canon and supplentary texts.
There were no eighty-one calamities.
The primary challenges were Red Boy, Red Boy’s mother Ghost Mother, followed by Pigsy, Sandy, Daughter Country, and Princess Iron Fan’s Fla Mountain.
Fla Mountain marked the final hurdle.
Once that was cleared, the destination was Spirit Mountain.
Upon reaching Spirit Mountain and eting the Immortals and Buddhas, the True Scripture would be acquired. Sun Wukong, Sha Wujing, and the White Dragon Horse would et their demise, while Pigsy would be killed and eaten.
The World Venerable would directly substitute four disciples to replace the original group and return with them to the Eastern Land.
Ultimately, "Journey to the West" had always been a conspiracy by the Buddhist Sect.
The Heavenly Great Saint had been forced to wear the Tightening Spell, becoming a pawn of Buddhism and Heaven. He had eradicated individuals harmful to the Heavenly Court, and in the end, he neither attained Buddhahood nor immortality—instead, he perished.
The darkness of it all was evident.
Song Lin held the advantage of foreknowledge. By preparing in advance, he planned to deliver a devastating blow to the Buddhist Sect and the Heavenly Court.
As far as he knew, Sha Wujing and Pigsy were spies for the Heavenly Court.
The White Dragon Horse was truly the scapegoat, and he could potentially recruit it as his secret agent.
anwhile, Ghost Mother and Princess Iron Fan—two major bosses of Fla Mountain—were formidable rebels against Heaven.
These two could surely be won over.
As for Daughter Country, he didn’t consider it worth pursuing—a group of violent won with little actual power who mostly resorted to lustful tactics to obstruct Tang Seng and his companions.
With these thoughts in mind, Song Lin transford into a streak of light and flew down from Heaven.
With the Divine Skills he possessed, if he wished to evade capture, nothing could force him to stop.
Journey to the West, the 230th year.
Song Lin, in his guise as Master Yuding, t with Ghost Mother. The two deliberated for days, during which he secretly trained Red Boy, teaching him how to wield Samadhi True Fire and Mountain Driving Skill. They forged a bond of friendship.
Journey to the West, the 240th year.
Song Lin continued his journey westward, encountering Iron Fan Fairy. However, her arrogance ant the interaction ended poorly.
He subsequently traveled eastward to the East Sea, where he imparted Magic Skills to the Dragon King’s third son, though he refrained from divulging key plot details.
Journey to the West, the 260th year.
In reality, Song Lin deepened ties with the Qin and Five Qi Jungle Taoists, sealing transactional agreents and delivering pills to Lingfu brothers.
Journey to the West, the 290th year.
Dragon King’s third son graduated from training, and Master Yuding vanished without a trace.
Journey to the West, the 300th year.
Four centuries remained until the narrative began.
This ti, Song Lin prepared for strict seclusion.
Until achieving a Nine-Transformation Golden Body, Nine-Transformation Golden Pill, and attaining Immortality, he would not erge.
Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, Five Qi Chaoyuan.
He aid to accelerate the storyline and secure the Innate Spiritual Treasure—the Lord Furnace.
The earlier he acquired it, the sooner he’d reap its benefits.
The future of the real world’s scenario would grow increasingly perilous.
Aside from retreating into solitary cultivation, Song Lin returned to reality to consolidate insights from the story realm.
Through the Pure Yang Sect Taoists’ deductions and refinents, while the upper limit remained at the Purple Mansion, the details grew more sophisticated. Deficiencies of earlier thods were addressed, and spells and incantations underwent a generational upgrade, becoming much more user-friendly.
A mature Magic Vein doesn’t necessarily boast the highest ceiling.
Overall, while the limit stayed still, a single Secret Manual expanded into ten volus.
When Song Lin handed these tos over to Shi Yinhua and Qingyu’s cohort, they nearly popped their eyes out.
Had all these advancents been single-handedly devised by the Taoist?
Truly worthy of a Taoist!
Journey to the West, the 400th year.
Song Lin reached the Seventh Transformation.
On that day, the world within the pot nearly exploded from the accompanying surge of power.
In reality, after a hundred days, Song Lin grew increasingly intimate with the two Jungle Taoists, gradually probing their true intentions.
These individuals were worth investing in.
During this ti, he accompanied Qingyu to Purple Cloud Peak.
Wu Qingxuan displayed remarkable care toward her juniors, but her deanor raised red flags in Song Lin’s mind.
The reason being Zhi Xin had ntioned Wu Qingxuan much less frequently of late.
Secrets critical to him seed unknown to her.
Perhaps she wasn’t trustworthy.
Despite his suspicion, Song Lin outwardly maintained respectful deference, acting all but overco with gratitude.
Journey to the West, the 461st year.
On this day, Luu Yunsheng successfully mastered the creation of Low Grade Spirit Pill—Qi Storage Pill.
Song Lin spread Taoist teachings far and wide, adding a publicly visible annual inco of a million to Donghua Jungle. In secret, portions of the finances flowed through the Ghost Market, boosting its activity.
Simultaneously, he began distributing new pill recipes through Taoist thod eting.
From low to high levels, he made an effort to accumulate steadily without drawing undue attention.
The path of the Mage beckoned him forward.
On this day, Zhi Xin returned.
Song Lin knew it was ti to reveal the truth to the two Jungle masters, that they might understand the reality of the situation.
.........
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