Chapter Seven: The Underwater Cavern, Ancestor Zhu Ba

With a loud crash, the surface of the quicksand river parted, and a stout man emerged, dressed in a scholar's robe and a golden-threaded waistcoat, unarmed, he looked up to the sky and shouted: "If you want to fight or kill, just come for me, as my brother is not here!"

Zhang Cizheng smiled and said: "I would not dare to put the two heavenly officials in a difficult position; it is sufficient to capture the fat man who is committing evil alongside him and hand him over to us for handling"

The horde of monsters was restless, yet they dared not move due to the past tyranny of Sha Wujing. The three-clawed dragon, seeing this, exclaimed: "What is everyone afraid of? There are only two of them, while we have several hundred here. If we rush forward together, bind them, and send them to the Celestial Master of Longhu Mountain, the calamities will naturally dissipate"

The Daoist of Longhu Mountain did not leave, continuously cursing on the surface of the Liushah River. Waves of palm thunder fell incessantly, crashing onto the river surface, causing the waters to surge and churn. The aquatic creatures in the river were thrown into a panic, hiding in all directions. Many small demons timidly approached the two, pleading for protection.

The explosive needle failed to string Zhang Cizheng into a candied hawthorn, and as soon as he got close, he was discovered by Ziyang. Zhang Cizheng was reminded by Ziyang and quickly dodged. As he became slightly distracted, the pressure on Sha Wujing suddenly lessened, and he shouted: "Rise!"

That old man is protective of his own. We have killed his disciple, and it is only a matter of time before it reaches his ears. When that happens, he will definitely come looking for trouble with us. Dear brother, the disaster was caused by me; why must you get entangled with them?

Zhang Cizheng smiled and said: "I am the fourteenth Celestial Master of the Way of the Celestial Masters, my surname is Zhang and my given name is Cizheng"

Zhu Ganglie commanded the other minor demons to begin constructing an underwater dwelling. The Liushah River reaches a depth of 3,000 meters, with mountains and stones beneath the water. This dwelling was built atop a mountain, modeled after the palace of the King of Qingping. The group of demons commenced their work, using their magical powers to move mountains and transport stones, without further mention.

Zhu Ganglie sneered and said: "Since you wish to reconcile with the Heavenly Master Sect, you may act as a mediator and go negotiate with them. If an agreement can be reached, my brothers and I are willing to bind ourselves and step forward to protect the myriad little demons of the Liushahua water realm"

Two heavenly soldiers apologized loudly, saying: "Is the Curtain-Lifting Golden Guard available? Come out quickly to receive punishment"

The two celestial soldiers, merely minor officials of the Heavenly Court, quickly returned the greeting and said: "Esteemed Immortal, you honor us with your presence. May I ask who you are?"

Zhu Ganglie was overjoyed and shouted to the other demon clans: "The Water Scorpion Clan has already submitted to me, what about you?"

It turns out to be the fourteenth descendant of the True Monarch Xianyou, who is associated with the image and the book! The two heavenly soldiers hurriedly paid their respects and smiled, saying: "What brings the young Zhang Tianshi to the Liushahua River?"

Zhu Ganglie let out a cold laugh, and the three-clawed dragon immediately changed its expression, about to flee. Zhu Ganglie's Yang spirit transformed into a giant hand measuring ten zhang in size, which grasped it firmly. The three-clawed dragon, in pain, revealed its true form, its slippery body over ten zhang long coiling around the giant hand, turning its head to bite. However, the disparity in strength was too great, and it could not bite through at all.

Zhang Cizheng said thus, and the two heavenly soldiers found it difficult: "This matter is indeed not easy to handle. That monster in the water was originally a great general of the Heavenly Court, but was demoted here due to his crimes. His Majesty has ordered that every seven days, one hundred flying swords be used to stab him. If we end up killing him, it will be difficult to explain to the higher authorities"

I promised to shield you from the Daoist of Longhu Mountain; how could I go back on my word? Moreover, they are incessantly insulting me on my territory; how can I allow that?

On the following day, the two celestial soldiers from the Heavenly Court descended with their flying swords, arriving above the Flowing Sand River. Just as they were about to summon Sha Wujing to receive his punishment, a group of Taoist priests flew forward, with the elder Taoist at the forefront bowing and saying: "Greetings to the two heavenly officials"

This is easy to handle. My brother will summon the Golden Guard to come up, let him apologize to Master Zhang, and then order him to bind that fat man and hand him over to Master Zhang for disposal

As more and more fairies gathered around the two, a chaotic mix of dragons and snakes emerged. Many of these creatures had already cultivated demon cores and could transform into human forms. One three-clawed dragon, relying on its cultivation of a demon core and possessing some supernatural abilities, looked down on Sha Wujing and sneered, "Since ancient times, our Liushah River water realm has had no dealings with cultivators. They do not concern us, and we do not provoke them. It is only because the two of you have arrived that Longhushan has come here to cause trouble. Everyone, I say, if we simply hand over the culprit, our Liushah River water realm can avoid this disaster!"

Zhang Cizheng joyfully said: "Thank you for your hard work!"

Zhu Ganglie gained this power, and Sha Wujing observed it without comment. The group of demons revered him as the Second Ancestor, and Sha Wujing did not decline this title. He simply approached Zhu Ganglie and inquired when he would be able to relieve him of the calamity of the flying sword.

The group of water scorpions looked at each other in confusion, when suddenly one of them transformed into a human form, appearing as a young man in black clothing, with a human body and a scorpion tail. He stepped forward and knelt, saying: "Thank you, I am willing to submit to the Ancestor and fight against external enemies together!" A dozen or so other water scorpions from the same clan also stepped forward to kneel, calling out to the Ancestor.

Zhu Gang, through m.hetushu.com, transmitted to him the first three layers of the incantations of the "Zhenmu Tianxian Jue," allowing him to cultivate on his own. Xie Wei expressed deep gratitude, as he himself belonged to the Wood element, which generates poison. With the cultivation of the "Zhenmu Tianxian Jue," he found that his efforts yielded twice the result with half the effort, thus he devoted himself wholeheartedly to Zhu Gang.

The group of demons still dared not move; these minor demons understood that advancing would only lead to death. They were somewhat self-aware.

The spirit of the catfish suddenly surged, reaching a length of one hundred zhang, rolling amidst the demonic clouds. With a sweep of its tail, it struck the seal of Yangping's governance, sending the treasure seal, which resembled a small mountain, flying away.

Zhu Ganglie turned his eyes and exclaimed: "The foul Taoist of the Heavenly Master Sect, under the pretext of eliminating demons and safeguarding the way, seeks to exterminate my Liushahu Water Clan. If you all do not unite, I fear that my Liushahu will truly face imminent destruction!"

Having said that, he stretched out his large hand and threw the three-clawed flood dragon out of the water. Just as the three-clawed flood dragon unfurled its form and had not yet had the chance to speak, countless palm-sized thunderbolts rained down, instantly obliterating it completely, leaving only a demon core that swayed and sank to the bottom of the water.

Zhu Ganglie chuckled and said, "Tomorrow, my virtuous younger brother, you shall witness my skills"

Zhu Ganglie did not take it seriously and appointed Xie Wei as the vanguard general, leading over a hundred minor demons to patrol within a radius of one hundred miles. The Water Scorpion Clan is an ancient species that became extinct three hundred million years ago, with only the Liushah River preserving a lineage. Xie Wei is refining his innate divine abilities, skilled in the use of poison and close combat. Although his current capabilities are limited, if he continues to cultivate, he will become an impressive giant demon.

Other demon clans, feeling helpless, had no choice but to seek refuge under the banner of Zhu Ganglie. At that moment, the fish, shrimp, and crab spirits all bowed down in submission, while only the Jiaolong clan remained indifferent, silently swimming away.

Zhu Ganglie took the Dragon Demon Pill and sneered, "Have you all seen? Those humans are incredibly ruthless, intent on exterminating our demon race without giving us a chance to speak or admit our mistakes. I, the ancestor, have some means; if it comes to escaping, they will certainly not catch up with me. It is just a pity that you have cultivated for hundreds of years to obtain a bit of spiritual root, and cannot bear to abandon it. Is there anyone else who wishes to learn this three-clawed dragon?"

Upon seeing this, Zhu Ganglie hurriedly pushed aside the four Taoist priests of Longhu Mountain and exclaimed, "Brother, if we do not leave now, when will we?" He then parted the Weak Water and submerged into the Flowing Sand River. Sha Wujing followed suit, his face dark with anger, saying, "I never expected that Zhang Daoling would leave the Seven Treasures for Exorcising Demons in the mortal realm. If it weren't for you today, my lifetime of reputation would have been reduced to mere flowing water!"