What kind of origin, realm, and strength the Lord of Inspiration possessed, how could the Old Dragon King, who had coldly observed for so many years, not know clearly?
They were evenly matched, both formidable demon gods capable of dominating a sea, and had begun attempting communication through “He-I.” Now, his divine weapon had been damaged and fallen into human hands, likely suffering a heavy loss—or perhaps even perishing at the hands of that mysterious Taoist outside the palace. If that were the case, why should he care about a shred of dignity?
As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face. Back then, when the Monkey King from the Water Curtain Cave of Flower-Fruit Mountain first emerged, unknown to all, he had laughably claimed himself a “Heaven-born Sage” upon arriving at the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea. The Old Dragon King had cautiously welcomed him personally, flattering him despite losing some treasures, but it had not caused serious damage.
If he had treated even the then-unknown Monkey King like that, how could he not show the same respect to this mysterious Taoist who had overpowered the Lord of Inspiration?
Ignoring the astonished gazes of his dragon sons and grandsons, as well as the shrimp and crab soldiers, the Old Dragon King deliberately went barefoot to the gate, stepped out, and clasped his hands together: “Immortal, your arrival graces our humble Dragon Palace. Please, come in.”
During this process, he performed a brief divination and discovered that although the Lord of Inspiration was still alive, his vitality was weak, and he was no longer in the Southern Jambudvipa, indicating he must have suffered a severe defeat, nearly losing his life. Therefore, the Old Dragon King became even more cautious in his heart.
Seeing the Old Dragon King, with a dragon’s head and human body, being so courteous and enthusiastic, Meng Qi smiled, waved his hand, and summoned two broken golden hammers, following the Dragon King into the palace and ascending to the grand hall to sit in a high seat.
“May I ask, Immortal, how should I address you? And on which immortal mountain do you cultivate?” the Old Dragon King asked as if in casual conversation, while nearby clam spirits and jellyfish maidens served fragrant tea.
Meng Qi picked up the teacup, took a sip, and smiled as he said, “This humble Daoist is Su Meng, a disciple of the Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain.”
Regardless of where Meng Qi came from, the Old Dragon King had intended to flatter him a bit. Therefore, as soon as he heard the reply, he immediately spoke without hesitation, “Kunlun Mountain is excellent, a famous immortal, immortal…”
But halfway through his sentence, he suddenly stuttered. Kunlun Mountain’s Jade Void Palace?
The Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain that had been missing for many years?
The origin of this mysterious Taoist must indeed be formidable, no wonder even the Lord of Inspiration had stumbled!
The flattering words abruptly stopped. The Old Dragon King’s lips trembled, his expression changing, which astonished his dragon sons and grandsons beside him.
After a while, he finally steadied his emotions and asked, “Could it be… the ancestral hall of Primordial Heaven Venerable from ancient times?”
“Exactly,” Meng Qi nodded leisurely.
There was no need to hide this.
The Old Dragon King inhaled deeply. Was this a fourth-generation disciple of the Chan Sect? Was the final calamity truly about to arrive?
Seeing that Meng Qi did not present any proof and merely said so casually, the Old Dragon King was doubtful yet dared not press further. He shifted the topic, “What urgent matter brings Immortal to the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea?”
“Two things,” Meng Qi chuckled deliberately, “This humble Daoist intends to set up a sword array with four people, but I still lack three Heavenly Immortal swords. I’ve long heard that the Sea Dragon King is never short of treasures, so I specially came to ask for your help.”
Thud! The Old Dragon King’s heart skipped a beat, as if he saw a vision of a golden-furred monkey swaggering in, using the pretext of friendly neighborhood to request divine weapons and treasures.
Encountering such a situation again!
The previous monkey was no easy opponent, and the one before him seemed just as formidable!
The dragon sons and grandsons around him, though not as composed and worldly-wise as the Old Dragon King, had already revealed anger in their eyes despite maintaining relatively calm expressions. Missing three divine swords for a four-person sword array, what sword formation could you even set up? It was like wanting to eat a whole roasted lamb tonight, having salt and a grill at home, and specially coming to borrow a lamb!
“I wonder what sword array Immortal intends to set up. Perhaps I can see if I can be of assistance,” the Old Dragon King said. Legendary peerless treasures were rare and precious, things that even some great sages might not possess. Therefore, the most valuable treasures he currently had were those of the Heavenly Immortal level. At the thought of giving them away, his heart ached as if being cut by a knife.
Meng Qi glanced at the Old Dragon King with a half-smile: “The Sword Formation of Slaying Immortals.”
The Lord of Inspiration would not hide this from him, so there was no need for secrecy.
“The Sword Formation of Slaying Immortals? The Sword Formation of Slaying Immortals!” The Old Dragon King abruptly jumped up from his throne, sweat pouring down his forehead.
The dragon sons and grandsons beside him were all silenced with fear, their bodies trembling.
The Sword Formation of Slaying Immortals!
The ultimate killing formation since ancient times!
Since when had the Jade Void Palace become so close with the Biyou Palace that they could exchange supreme skills?
“Does the Old Dragon King doubt me? Previously, the Lord of Inspiration also doubted, so I let him try it out, and he left behind his divine weapon,” Meng Qi said with a playful tone, as if amusing himself in the mundane world.
The Old Dragon King’s heart ached while he felt as if sitting on pins and needles. He took a deep breath and said, “Old me will go look around and see if I can gather a few swords.”
These reckless fellows were truly unreasonable. Last time, the monkey had taken the Needle That Stabilizes the Sea, and now he was about to open his treasure chest again…
At this point, Meng Qi raised his right hand slightly and smiled, “Old Dragon King, there’s no need to be so hasty. This humble Daoist has always treated people fairly and will not forcefully take what is not mine. Since I am to take Heavenly Immortal swords, I naturally have something to exchange.”
With a flick of his hand, the two broken golden hammers flew out, landing lightly without causing any ripples in the surrounding water: “These hammers are Heavenly Immortal divine weapons. Although severely damaged now, their essence remains unchanged and they can still be worth half a sword.”
As he spoke, he pulled something from his sleeve, and a translucent, crystal-clear palace appeared in the hall. Though not restored to its original size, its interior was clearly visible, filled with a dazzling array of treasures.
The Old Dragon King and his dragon sons and grandsons nearly popped their eyes out. Was this not the Lord of Inspiration’s crystal palace?
This Jade Void Daoist had practically emptied Inspiration’s entire collection!
“Eh, inside there’s one Heavenly Immortal sword. I only need to exchange for two more,” Meng Qi finally finished examining the Lord of Inspiration’s hoard. He had found a Heavenly Immortal-level sword, more accurately, a sword of the Great Bodhisattva and Great Arhat level, though not at the monstrous level of Avalokiteshvara or Kashyapa.
The entire sword was a deep azure hue, shaped like a bamboo branch, as if condensed from a gentle breeze. It exuded a subtle and ethereal aura, with occasional flashes of glazed radiance—as though capable of mirroring the thoughts within one’s mind. It was named the “Alaya Sword.”
Alaya was the eighth consciousness in Buddhism, said to have been born in the first instant when the universe was created and all beings came into existence. It could store all phenomena and illuminate boundless realms.
This Buddhist sword must have been taken by the Lord of Inspiration from the Potala of Avalokiteshvara.
After putting away this sword, Meng Qi naturally took many materials suitable for Exterior Manifestation bodies. Though he himself rarely needed external aids now, he still had two disciples and a gatekeeper to support. As for the other divine weapons, he roughly calculated their value, did not take them, and left them as compensation for the Heavenly Immortal sword.
“Two giant hammers plus everything inside, in exchange for two Heavenly Immortal swords. Does Old Dragon King find this fair?” Meng Qi pushed the crystal palace forward.
The Old Dragon King, who had mentally prepared to make a painful sacrifice, beamed with joy: “Fair, fair! Immortal is indeed fair!”
Inspiration had been hoarding treasures for years, and had even taken many from the Purple Bamboo Grove. There was no way he would suffer a loss!
He was quite the dragon in business. Without even checking the treasures inside the crystal palace, he immediately presented a talisman token and ordered his dragon sons and grandsons to retrieve two Heavenly Immortal swords from the forbidden treasure vault.
Hearing his tone, Meng Qi’s mind stirred, feeling even more convinced that the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea indeed had accumulated immense wealth over countless generations and years. No wonder the Handsome Monkey King had targeted him back then.
Thinking of this, Meng Qi smiled and took out an object, pushing it through the air to the Dragon King of the Eastern Sea, sincerely saying, “This is a genuine gift for meeting. It is called the Universal Knowledge Talisman, which allows those who possess it to communicate instantly as if separated by only a short distance. Moreover, it contains many wonderful places, such as the Universal Bazaar…”
He described the Universal Bazaar in such glowing terms that the Old Dragon King was deeply intrigued.
Inside the Jade Void Palace’s gatehouse, Da Qinggen suddenly shivered, raised his firewood axe, and muttered to himself:
“One enters the bazaar and is lost like the sea; from then on, hands and feet are severed!”
A flash of blade light, and branches fell.
Shortly after, following the Old Dragon King’s instructions, several dragon sons and grandsons brought forth two divine swords. One was pitch-black, wreathed in clouds, shaped like a miniature dragon. The other was green at its core, resembling wood and wind, enveloped in invisible burning flames.
“This sword is named ‘Soaring Dragon,’ aiding water and clouds,” the Old Dragon King introduced, “and this one is called ‘Rising Phoenix,’ for when a phoenix rests in a parasol tree, it will rise one day, igniting the sky with wind and fire.”
Receiving the two Heavenly Immortal swords, Meng Qi gently caressed them, sensing the inner realms. In his mind, he seemed to see a black true dragon surging through clouds and waves, and a brilliant red phoenix spreading its wings from a parasol tree.
“Excellent swords!” he praised, sheathing both swords into his sleeve and then turning to the main topic, “The second matter, this humble Daoist has a few questions to ask the Old Dragon King.”
“Ask freely!” the Old Dragon King immediately felt relieved.
“How many years ago did the Celestial Court fall, and at what time?” Meng Qi asked.
The Old Dragon King paused, slowly revealing a sorrowful expression: “Six hundred and eighty-nine years ago, on the second day of the second lunar month, at half past noon. The sky collapsed, thunder and fire struck the Eastern Sea, the Dragon Palace was damaged, and many of my descendants and their descendants perished at that time…”
His voice trembled slightly.
“Not at half past noon?” Meng Qi did not bother to comfort him, asking in confusion.
The Old Dragon King replied, “By the third quarter, the wind had already ceased and the thunder stopped. Moreover, the sky had turned into an abyss beforehand, making it difficult to divine. Those not directly involved might easily be confused about the passage of time. I determined the exact moment based on the rupture of my divine duty and the connection with the Celestial Court.”
“Very good.” With the Lord of Inspiration’s answer as a reference, Meng Qi basically confirmed the time frame for the retroactive journey. As for the exact moment, it was unnecessary to pinpoint completely; the Seven-Kill Tablet would provide browsing and selection options at that time. “When did the Demon Lord attack the Celestial Court?”
Regarding Meng Qi’s question, the Old Dragon King was completely at a loss, unsure of the meaning, but dared not ask too much. He honestly replied, “Six hundred and ninety-five years ago, on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, precisely at midnight.”
Meng Qi nodded thoughtfully, casually inquiring about related matters. However, the high-level conflicts were too far removed from the Old Dragon King, and he had no desire to get involved, preferring to protect himself and remain neutral, hence his knowledge was limited.
It seemed there was no need to seek out the immortal demon god after all. The matter of the Celestial Court must involve the Venerable of Virtue, who certainly would not reveal anything in the Journey to the West world, to avoid inviting disaster… Moreover, the fall of the Celestial Court seemed extremely dangerous. The Old Dragon King’s survival indicated that the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea was relatively safe…
As thoughts surged in his mind, Meng Qi made his decision and directly activated the Seven-Kill Tablet right there.
Finally, it was time to return to ancient times and witness that grand, magnificent, yet treacherous and unpredictable era firsthand.
Besides the collapse of the heavens, what else could be seen at the moment of the Celestial Court’s fall?
With a flash of light, his figure suddenly vanished from the Dragon Palace of the Eastern Sea.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage