Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

"The Emperor was not wrong; there has indeed been a change here, which is very likely related to the fallen Innate Divine Spirit Leize," Lu Yu thought to himself, a smile on his face.

He walked slowly around the edge of Dongting Lake, continuously searching for the source of the anomaly. He could clearly feel the fluctuation of energy here, but he couldn't pinpoint its origin, as if a mysterious force was obstructing his divination.

"Look at that, another fool seeking a destiny with the immortals," a light laughter came from the surface of the lake.

Lu Yu looked up to see a very grand and luxurious houseboat. Music from string and woodwind instruments and the laughter of women could be heard. A man dressed in brocade clothes was reclining on a woman with an exposed chest.

This man had a pale face, and at one glance Lu Yu knew he had indulged in alcohol and sensual pleasures too often, depleting his vital essence. If he didn't restrain himself, he probably wouldn't live past thirty. So, Lu Yu gave him a look and couldn't be bothered with such a person.

"You're so naive to actually believe in something like a destined encounter with immortals. If there really were such a destiny, how could it ever fall to you lowly farmers? I, the young master, would have claimed it long ago," the man in brocade didn't want to let Lu Yu go just like that, still acting haughty and arrogant.

Just then, the man in brocade noticed that the person before him had a hint of schadenfreude on his face, which annoyed him greatly. He was about to continue lecturing Lu Yu when suddenly the shouts of the boatmen reached his ears.

"What is that?"

The cry immediately drew the man's attention, and only then did he notice a huge shadow appearing on the lake surface, growing larger and larger.

Soon, the ferocious back of a giant crocodile emerged from the water. Its scales emitted a cold light, and its pair of eyes glittered with a dazzling chill, staring intently at the people on the houseboat.

"It's a demon!" Those who were faint-hearted were already panicking, having never seen such a colossal crocodile. Only mythical creatures in legends were said to be of such enormous size.

The crocodile swayed its tail and slowly moved next to the houseboat, not in a hurry to strike. Instead, it flashed a teasing look, seemingly amused as it sized up the terrified people.

The fear of the people on board only intensified, the crocodile was clearly a demon; no ordinary animal possessed such a gaze.

After a while, as if the crocodile had enough amusement, it opened its massive jaws and gently bit the houseboat in half. People on the boat fell into the water one after the other, while the crocodile, like the coldest assassin, quietly watched those who had fallen, seemingly pondering which would taste better.

Many people desperately swam towards the shore, but just as they were about to reach land, the crocodile gently flicked its tail. A powerful surge of air created a wave that swept all the people back into the lake, their faces showing utter despair.

Suddenly, a walking stick fell from the sky, shattering the head of the crocodile, and the lake was instantly dyed a brilliant red with its blood.

The people who escaped from death hugged each other in celebration, looking up they saw two figures hovering in the air.

One had his hair in a topknot and bare chest, with dragon-like eyes and a curled beard, a red face and impressive build, nonchalantly holding a palm-leaf fan. The other had dark complexion, disheveled hair, a Golden Hoop on his head, a messy beard, round staring eyes, and was lame, leaning on an iron walking stick.

"Lao Lee, your iron crutch is truly formidable, this monster can't withstand it," the man holding the palm-leaf fan said, patting his large belly and laughing.

"This crutch of mine was personally forged by the Elder Lord; it was refined in the Eight Trigrams Furnace for eighty-one days until it was finally perfected. If it couldn't deal with such a minor demon, wouldn't that fail the Elder Lord's reputation?" the man leaning on the crutch replied. Read exclusive chapters at My Virtual Library Empire

The rescued bystanders gazing at the two strange beings in the sky dropped to their knees, bowing deeply—this was like having living immortals before them.

The man in brocade clothes was ecstatic, kneeling on the ground and calling out loudly, "The immortals have revealed themselves, it must be because of my fate, my opportunity for transformation has come, they are here to convert me."

This man was already lost in his own fantasy, believing that the immortal who came was here to help him ascend to immortality; otherwise, why would they appear just as he cried for help from the water?

In his heart, he had even begun to consider how he would punish those who had looked down on him once he became an immortal, not to mention that poor scholar standing on the shore, taking pleasure in others' misfortunes.

"We have cultivated for many years, practicing diligently day in and day out; we've weathered countless tribulations over countless years. You are but a mere mortal, severely depleted of vital energy, a person on the verge of death—what makes you think we've come to help you ascend?"

These words from the immortal stunned the man in brocade clothes; this was not what he had imagined. His pale face instantly turned beet red with rage, though he retained enough sense not to speak rudely to the two immortals. Still, he swept his peach-blossom eyes over everyone present.

All the bystanders, knowing this man's vindictive nature, bowed their heads, unwilling to meet his gaze directly, not wanting to provoke such a notorious person.

Only the green-robed scholar who had been standing on the shore all this while watched the man in brocade clothes with an amused look. Seeing the man's glare directed at him, the scholar even smiled happily, causing everyone around to break out in a cold sweat on behalf of the scholar who had no idea of the gravity of the situation.

"Are you laughing at me?" the man in brocade clothes asked through gritted teeth, his eyes seemingly ablaze with anger, ready to burst forth.

"Yes, yes," Lu Yu nodded repeatedly, clearly unbothered by the man's threat.

"Do you know who I am, to dare mock me like this?" the angry man had lost all concern for his image in the eyes of the immortals, all he knew was that he would only regain respect if he taught the scholar a lesson, so no one would dare gossip about his humiliation.

"I don't care who you are, what's it to me?" Lu Yu asked, his casual attitude only fuelling the anger of the man before him.

"Very well, very well, just you wait," the man seemed to regain his composure at this moment, restraining the anger in his heart and threatening, already resolving to teach the poor scholar a lesson once the two immortals left.

"Freeze!" Just then, he heard the scholar's voice by his ear, and suddenly found himself unable to move; his eyes wide with terror as he stared ahead, realizing he couldn't even roll his eyeballs.

The surrounding house servants panicked at this sight—if anything happened to their young master, their lives would be forfeit right here.

"Demon, what sorcery have you cast on our young master? Release him at once, or if our master blames us, even if you flee to the ends of the earth, you won't escape death," the house servants surrounded Lu Yu, threateningly said, shivering at the thought of their master's methods.