Chapter 3: The Pig Demon Transforms, the Long Rainbow Startles the Yellow Wind Monster

Zhu Ganglie obtained the Zhenmu Celestial Technique and the Lihuo Celestial Technique, which are cultivation methods of immortals. Naturally, transcending the physical form is not an issue. However, amidst the swirling auspicious aura, the pig demon transformed into a chubby man in his twenties, standing bare-bottomed with his hands on his hips, laughing heartily.

One day, while the little pig was practicing the Fire Celestial Technique, a sudden tremor shook the mysterious realm, and a deafening roar echoed in his mind: "Kill me painfully!" Following this, a vast amount of primordial energy emanated from the Jade Palace, wandering through the pathways the pig demon usually practiced, enveloping his entire body in golden light, with his bones cracking and popping!

It is unclear whether it is due to malnutrition or the effects of training, but the little pig has remained the same after three years, not growing an inch in size, leading Zhu Ganglie to often ponder whether he should provide some feed to nourish it.

Zhu Ganglie performed a technique akin to the mustard seed method, shrinking the precious golden palladium and swallowing it. Just after completing this, he indeed sensed several waves of surging demonic energy approaching. Zhu Ganglie quickly retracted the celestial spirit energy, focused his mind, and a red light shot towards the west. Stealing a glance, he saw the demonic winds swirling in the air, with tigers and wolves rampant among the demonic clouds. In the midst of it, a creature with a rat's face and a human body was none other than the King of Yellow Wind from Yellow Wind Ridge.

The pig's character determines its fate! The little fat pig wore a mischievous expression, snorting and grunting as it began to search through the memories of Marshal Tianpeng for any valuable items. This search indeed brought many benefits, as it turned out that Marshal Tianpeng had cultivated the "Great Quality Shaking Wood Celestial Technique".

This wind is known as the Yin Wind of the Xun region, also referred to as the Samadhi Divine Wind. It is the innate skill of the yellow-haired marten spirit, possessing boundless power, particularly adept at blinding the eyes of people and scattering their souls. Even a master of Sun Wukong's caliber cannot withstand it. The stout man does not resist at all, instead relying on the protective fire to soar away with the force of the wind.

Old Zhu finally remembered to have a health check-up. Although he still hadn't grown taller, his physique had become quite prosperous, plump and chubby, with skin that was white and rosy, truly making one feel a sense of longing upon seeing him, and tempting even the fairies. His body, tempered by the heat of refinement, was robust, and even Old Zhu himself could feel the immense power contained within.

Old Zhu was astonished, not knowing why the primordial spirit of Marshal Tianpeng had suddenly perished. Upon searching his memories, he discovered that the last twenty-one days of Marshal Tianpeng were filled with confusion, as if the main soul among the three souls and seven spirits had been drawn away by someone. On the twenty-first day, both his form and spirit suddenly perished

This surge of vitality is immensely powerful; for Old Zhu, the three years of vitality he has cultivated is merely a drop in the ocean compared to it. However, this vitality possesses the property of Wood Shock, which enhances Fire. The True Qi of Fire is nourished by the True Qi of Wood Shock, causing it to operate frantically, with its speed increasing and its magnitude growing ever larger.

There is no longer Zhu Bajie in the world, having shed his demon form to become a gentleman

Zhu Pangzi quickly waved his hand, sealing the cave with a surge of celestial energy. The Shangbao Qinqin Gold Plate slithered around like a spirit snake. With a cold snort, the fat man extended one hand, and a flame of separation immediately enveloped the Shangbao Qinqin Gold Plate, focusing on refining it. However, the Shangbao Qinqin Gold Plate could not be refined in an instant; he could only temporarily place his mind on it and barely accept it.

The tiger vanguard beside him clamored, "My lord, shall we pursue or not?"

On that day, Marshal Tianpeng was inherently lazy, having only cultivated to the realm of the Great Luo Loose Immortal, which was far inferior to the ancient true immortal Lu Ya. Moreover, Lu Ya was a natural essence of the Fire of Departure, vastly superior to the Thunderwood body of both Marshal Tianpeng and Zhu Ganglie.

The "Great Principle of Thunderwood Celestial Decision" and the "Li Fire Celestial Decision" are of the same level of cultivation methods, both being variations of the Great Principle Celestial Decision. The Great Principle Celestial Decision is categorized by the five elements, comprising five mantras: Kan Water, Li Fire, Zhen Wood, Qian Metal, and Gen Earth. The true mantra of Qian Metal, taught by Bodhi, was imparted to Sun Wukong, while Lu Ya attained enlightenment through the true mantra of Li Fire. Both of them possess innate divine abilities; one is the essence of Qian Metal, and the other is the essence of Li Fire. Even without these two celestial decisions, their achievements would be boundless.

Zhu Ganglie's demon form possesses a wood attribute, similar to that of Marshal Tianpeng, making it most suitable for cultivating the "Zhenmu Tianxian Jue." The Wood Mother nurtures the Li Fire, and when combined with the Li Fire Tianxian Jue, the results are achieved with half the effort.

Hmph, hmph! A series of hmph sounds burst forth, not a single word of human speech.

Lu Ya Daojun is indeed the Great Sun Tathagata, and is of the same lineage as the Tathagata Buddha. Upon realizing this, the Yellow Wind Monster couldn't help but shiver.

Old Zhu pressed down on the nine-toothed nail hammer, swaying as he flew, and thought to himself: "With this body of mine, if I encounter a celestial being, I would most likely be subdued and have my demons exorcised. If I meet a monster, I would probably be treated as lean pork for a meal. If I come across a mortal, even a small pig whip would become a nourishing delicacy. It would be better to first find a place to settle down, spend a couple of years as a monster, gain some strength, and then it wouldn't be too late to seek refuge with Sha Wujing."

Metamorphosis is an essential skill for monsters, varying according to individual cultivation and the level of their techniques, resulting in different degrees of transformation. Many demon kings in the Western Bull Hezhou possess formidable powers, comparable to those of the Great Luo True Immortals, yet due to insufficient techniques, they retain certain characteristics of their original forms after transformation. Some have bird bodies with human faces, while others have human bodies with bird faces; the term 'fox tail' specifically describes these beings.

Ahead lies Huangfeng Ridge, where the Yellow Wind King resides, a yellow-haired weasel spirit. He once attained enlightenment while listening to teachings on Ling Mountain, but after secretly drinking the clear oil from a glazed cup, he feared retribution from the Vajra and fled here. Lao Zhu did not seek refuge with him; instead, he descended upon a nearby peak of Huangfeng Ridge, found a cave, and commanded his golden staff to slay a den of bears living inside, taking up residence there. Each day, driven by hunger and thirst, he would steal some provisions from the village at the foot of the mountain, spending the remaining time cultivating according to the "Great Treatise on the Celestial Decision of Fire". Lao Zhu did not seek refuge with him; instead, he descended upon a nearby peak of Huangfeng Ridge, found a cave, and commanded his golden staff to slay a den of bears living inside, taking up residence there. Each day, driven by hunger and thirst, he would steal some provisions from the village at the foot of the mountain, spending the remaining time cultivating according to the "Great Treatise on the Celestial Decision of Fire".

Zhu Ganglie is merely a piglet that has just been born for a little over a month. How could it possibly escape far? Moreover, since its birth, it has been poorly nourished and has not received proper care. After flying for two days, it finally arrived at the territory of Xiniu Hezhou

The Yellow Wind Monster angrily exclaimed, "How can we pursue them? Withdraw the troops!" A gust of demonic wind swept through and directly entered the Yellow Wind Cave in Yellow Wind Ridge, shouting, "My little ones, let's move! Let's move! We can no longer stay here! I have a distant cousin named Half-Section Guanyin, who lives in the Bottomless Cave of the Pitfall Mountain. She stole half of the incense candle from the Tathagata and escaped from the Spirit Mountain with me. She possesses great supernatural powers; we should go seek her out!"

Unfortunately, Old Zhu fell into a coma and missed a great opportunity; otherwise, he could have taken advantage of the chance to transform his body and create a human form, thus avoiding the need to run around disguised in pigskin.

Zhu Yuanwai wove a small vest using one hundred and eight strands of cypress gold silk and put it on. The Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy was utterly disoriented, and the precious golden palladium had become a masterless object, long eager to act. At this moment, the golden silk vest completely concealed the aura of the Marshal of the Heavenly Canopy on the pig demon, instantly radiating brilliance and splendor. The small cave could not hide it at all, illuminating half the sky. Suddenly, it transformed into a golden dragon, ready to soar into the heavens.

With the cultivation methods and direction in hand, the plump pig chuckled a few times, preparing to undergo transformation and rebirth

"The Great Fire Separation Celestial Decision" is a cultivation method of Lu Ya. He is originally the essence of the Fire Separation, and his cultivation naturally yields twice the result with half the effort. During the era of the Investiture of the Gods, he had already reached the True Immortal realm of Taiyi, just one step away from attaining the Dao fruit of Hunyuan. On the other hand, Zhu Ganglie, who has taken on the form of a pig, belongs to the Wood element of the Five Elements. His cultivation of the Fire Separation Celestial Decision yields results that are only half as effective, and after three years, he has merely reached the realm of refining essence into qi, able to spit out ordinary fire, barely qualifying as a minor demon.

That day, Marshal Tianpeng was originally a Da Luo scattered immortal, with half of his cultivation absorbed by Zhu Ganglie, while the other half remained stored within his body and could not be refined. If Old Zhu had not been practicing the True Qi of Leaving Fire, he would have likely benefited even more.

The Yellow Wind Monster saw that the long rainbow was moving at an incredible speed, which startled him greatly. He pondered, "I have heard from the Tathāgata that the fastest in the Three Realms is none other than the Great Sun Tathāgata, who is naturally a three-legged golden crow, the essence of fire, moving like light and electricity. The second is the Golden-Winged Great Peng, whose wings can span ninety thousand miles. The third is the monkey that causes havoc in the sky, who can cover one hundred thousand and eighty thousand miles in a single somersault. How can this treasure thief be so fast? Could it be the Old Ancestor Lu Ya? My wind is not afraid of his fire, but if I provoke him, I fear I will have to ask the Bodhisattva Lingji to take me back to Mount Ling..."

The golden elixir coalesced into a mass of blood mist, which then spread out, transforming into the five internal organs. The five internal organs extended into bones and limbs, and a head grew once more. Thus, after undergoing nine deaths and nine rebirths, the true energy of wood ceased to transform into the true energy of fire. This new physical body, having been tempered by the fire, could barely withstand the immense true energy.

Having arrived in this world for about forty days, Zhu Ganglie has already realized that this place is not his original world. Just the Western Niuhezhou is countless times larger than Earth, not to mention the other three great divine continents

The Yellow Wind Monster saw a long rainbow stretching across the sky from a distance and realized that the treasure had been taken by someone. He shouted sternly, "Which immortal has taken my treasure?" As he spoke, a gust of yellow wind blew forth.

The fat man quickly covered his mouth: "I have already transformed into a human form, so why can't I speak? How strange!" Zhu the Fat Man was perplexed, looking down at his body, with all four limbs intact, and nothing below resembling a pig's tail. However, whenever he tried to speak, the airflow in his throat always turned into bursts of pig-like grunting. "Practicing alone, after all, is like a blind man touching an elephant; I should leave this place as soon as possible and seek out Sha Wujing for companionship"

Without a single piece of clothing to wear, Lao Zhu felt a surge of thought and used his Zhenmu true energy to weave a robe to cover himself and shield his modesty

If the heart is free from suffering, what is there to bind in life and death

At present, he has already reached the realm of the Loose Immortal, just one step away from the Golden Immortal. The immortals in this realm are divided into nine levels: Loose Immortal, Book Golden Immortal, True Immortal, Great Luo Loose Immortal, Great Luo Golden Immortal, Great Luo True Immortal, Taiyi Loose Immortal, Taiyi Golden Immortal, and Taiyi True Immortal. Zhu Ganglie's ability to ascend directly from a minor demon to the Loose Immortal realm is a testament to the formidable power of Marshal Tianpeng's primordial spirit

This fleshly body, having not undergone tempering, simply could not withstand such a shock. In an instant, Zhu Ganglie's entire body burst apart, causing him to faint from the pain. That surge of primordial energy transformed into departing fire, continuously reshaping the pig demon's body. The bloodied and mangled demon form rapidly reconstituted its flesh and bones. However, the regenerated body still could not endure the increasingly potent true energy, and was subsequently incinerated by a blast of departing fire, leaving only a golden core suspended in the air

The Seven Arrows of the Nail ? '' Old Zhu shivered, what a ruthless heart this Lu Ya has! According to Old Zhu's original intention, he was also waiting to become stronger, gradually refining the primordial spirit of Marshal Tianpeng. However, Lu Ya's actions have saved him a lot of effort, bringing him great benefits!

In the Western Bull Hezhou, one can see mountains everywhere, with few inhabitants. These mountains are either shrouded in auspicious clouds or filled with ominous energy; they are either abodes of immortals or places where demons wreak havoc. This is in stark contrast to what the Tathāgata boasts: "In my Western Bull Hezhou, there is no greed or killing, it nurtures vitality and harbors the spirit; though there are no supreme truths, everyone lives long." Indeed, it is a land teeming with demons and monsters

Old Zhu slept for three days and three nights before slowly waking up, his mind filled with countless chaotic memories. These memories came from the Marshal of Heaven, Zhu Bajie, including how he was taught by the Great Master Xuandu in his early years, how he cultivated to attain the truth, and the various events of his past life vividly recalled.

The poem states

There are many methods for cultivating Qi among immortals, but they fundamentally revolve around the five elements. Choosing a practice that aligns with one's own elemental nature is essential for rapid progress. For instance, if a person with a Metal constitution practices the Fire Celestial Technique, not only will their cultivation progress be slow, but they may also risk falling into demonic practices, as this is fundamentally due to the conflict between Metal and Fire.

Once the Taizhou coat is shed, one becomes a carefree gentleman