Chapter Eight: The Merchant Faces the Heavenly Tribulation, The Ancestor Speaks of Cause and Effect

Zhu Ganglie laughed heartily, transforming into an ancient golden-haired water ape, standing a hundred feet tall, with iron jaws and sharp fangs, and eyes like lightning, surrounded by demonic energy. The Kan water yin thunder struck the golden-haired water ape, but it merely swayed slightly, suffering no significant harm. This ancient golden-haired water ape possessed innate water-based divine abilities, and the Kan water yin thunder was perfectly suited to it, as it leaped into the thunderclouds and stirred them up wildly

The Golden Retriever Water Ape absorbed most of the energy from the calamity cloud. Suddenly, the calamity cloud transformed into the Li Fire Calamity Cloud, and Li Fire Thunderbolts fell like rain. Zhu Ganglie quickly reverted to his human form, took a quick bath in the Li Fire, and then hurriedly flew down to the Flowing Sand River

Two celestial soldiers bound Zhu Ganglie and brought him before Zhang Cizheng, saying: "Little Zhang, the Heavenly Master, the person has been brought here. The rules of the Heavenly Court cannot be disregarded; my brother still needs to seek the Curtain-Lifting Golden Guard to administer punishment."

Zhu Ganglie originally intended to wait until he reached Longhu Mountain to take action, so he could seize his dojo and obtain some magical artifacts for the children to play with. Upon hearing this, he could no longer contain himself, chuckling softly. In an instant, he merged his Yang Spirit and Yin Spirit, refining his Primordial Spirit. Suddenly, a mist of celestial energy enveloped him, and a fire cloud burst forth from his forehead. From the fire cloud emerged a plump little pig, surrounded by true fire, sitting atop a radiant nine-toothed nail hammer.

Sha Wujing and Zhu Ganglie exchanged a glance and laughed in unison: "It has nothing to do with me!"

The release of the Seven Treasures of Demon Exorcism requires immense magical power. Zhang Ci could only sustain it for a moment before he noticed the azure light barrier gradually shrinking, unable to maintain its magical support. Upon seeing this, the other Daoists quickly sat cross-legged in the air, reciting the incantations from the Zhengyi Alliance's talisman scripture. The azure light barrier once again radiated brilliance, firmly keeping the Kan Water Yin Thunder at bay.

Sha Wujing furrowed his brow and said softly, "Brother, you have quite the skill!"

Zhang Cizheng exclaimed loudly: "All disciples, do not panic, come around me!" The thunder roared, and it was unclear how many people heard his voice

Sha Wujing released his primordial spirit, stabilizing the weak water within a radius of one hundred zhang. The turbulent currents would dissipate upon reaching this point, yet he noticed that the number of monsters around him was increasing, with nearby aquatic creatures all rushing over.

Zhu Ganglie chuckled and said: "From now on, life at Longhu Mountain will not be easy. Those demons and monsters that they have subdued, do they not have relatives? It is possible that Zhang Daoling's Daoist lineage in the human world will be completely erased by those vengeful monsters!"

Dark clouds of thunder loomed over the Liushahu River, and the sky suddenly darkened. The surroundings became chaotic, with the universe turned upside down, making it impossible to distinguish between up and down, north and south. The calamity clouds enveloped a radius of thirty miles over the surface of the Liushahu River, rapidly forming a thunderstorm of water and calamity. Strips of greenish-blue water and shadowy thunder, imbued with immense power, struck fiercely towards Zhu Gang.

The Taoist from Longhu Mountain had already brought Zhu Ganglie over, his face full of fury, wishing he could peel off the man's skin, extract his tendons, and deep-fry him in oil for three days. Zhang Ci smiled and said, "Gentlemen, please hold on. It is rare to have such a connection, and you both have offered your strong support. Why not come to Longhu Mountain together? I will prepare a banquet to express my gratitude. Although there are no celestial treasures in my mountain, there are some rare herbs and spiritual grasses."

Zhang Cizheng said in a daze: "Thank you both for the reminder." He ordered someone to fetch the Wu Hook precious sword, intending to pierce Zhu Ganglie's pipa bone and incapacitate his cultivation.

Upon hearing this, the two celestial soldiers were greatly moved. They exchanged glances and thought to themselves: "The rules of the Heavenly Court are lax; His Majesty must have long forgotten about the matter of the Curtain-Lifting Golden Guard. What harm is there in stabbing him a hundred times? After all, this task is our responsibility as brothers. If we do not mention it, who will remember?"

Sha Wujing looked at him in confusion, causing the fat man to silently curse the dullness

The might of heaven and earth is difficult to predict. If it were not for his quick judgment and the protection of the golden silk vest, the golden-haired water ape would likely have been burned to death by the departing fire. He dared not meddle in the calamity clouds any longer. Furthermore, the magical power required for the transformation of the heavenly gang is immense. Although he has already refined his primordial spirit, he cannot sustain several transformations.

I call you "Xian Di," and you should respond. Then call me "Ge Ge." When I call you "Xian Di" again, you call me "Ge Ge" once more... As we continue this exchange, won't our feelings naturally develop

In the boundless flames, a silver needle as fine as a hair dances around the little pig incessantly. Not only is it not melted by the fire, but it also appears quite joyful, becoming even more lustrous.

The natural disaster of thunder and calamity lasted a full day, twelve hours, with the five types of disasters—water, fire, metal, wood, and earth—taking turns to strike, evaporating only half of the water in the Flowing Sand River

You are quite the nice person

The water scorpion spirit, Xie Wei, sought permission from Ancestor Zhu Ba to go ashore and kill these defenseless Daoists, seizing their magical treasures. Although Zhu Ganglie was tempted by the Seven Treasures for Exorcising Demons, he shook his head and said: "You cannot go. I have attracted the calamity clouds with my tribulation; they are trapped within those clouds themselves. Regardless of how many die, I will not bear any karmic consequences; it can only be considered a natural disaster. However, if you go and kill them, the karma will fall upon me. Zhang Daoling is looking for a reason to bring misfortune upon me, and the Heavenly Court could justifiably seek to punish us."

As Zhu Gang's fierce primordial spirit emerged, the ropes binding him instantly turned to ashes. The expressions of the crowd changed dramatically, and they shouted, "Not good! When the primordial spirit merges, calamities arise. Quickly, flee!" But there was no time left to escape

At that moment, he agreed and smiled, saying: "Master Zhang, this fat gentleman is an unknown spirit from somewhere; we must be cautious of him after he has donned his pipa bone and might leave."

Sha Wujing nodded and said: "At present, they have lost all their cultivation. Even if we do not kill them, any bandit or thief on the road would easily take their lives."

The golden-haired water ape was causing a ruckus in the clouds, when suddenly a streak of azure light appeared amidst the chaos, radiating brilliance. It was Zhang Ci, dressed in a bagua robe, wearing a flat-topped crown, with a square skirt below and red shoes on his feet. He held the Yangping Zhidu seal in one hand, wielded the dual swords of exorcism, male and female, to stabilize the universe, and recited the true incantation from the Zhengyi Alliance's talisman record, unleashing all the seven treasures for demon extermination bestowed upon Zhang Daoling by the Supreme Laojun, protecting the gathered Daoists in the center as they desperately resisted the dark thunder of the Kan water.

If Sha Wujing had known that this despicable fat man harbored such thoughts, he would have long since struck him dead with a staff and turned him into a roasted suckling pig

This fat gentleman is indeed quite a bachelor

On the second day, the ominous clouds slowly dispersed, and the surface of the Liushah River was permeated with a sense of death. Without a century's time, this deathly aura would be impossible to dissipate. Even those who have achieved mastery in cultivation would find it unbearable to enter the realm of this deathly aura.

Those unprepared Daoists were instantly obliterated by a single thunderbolt, their physical forms destroyed, and with another strike, their primordial spirits melted away like snow. The two heavenly soldiers fared no better; they were originally soldiers who perished in the Battle of the Gods, transformed into shadowy spirits with little magical power. Struck by the dark thunder, both their forms and spirits were annihilated, leaving not even a trace behind

Zhu Ganglie finally heard him call him brother, and his heart was filled with joy. He smiled and said: "Dear brother!"

Zhang Cizheng and others surprisingly had not perished; they forcefully drew upon a breath of true energy and returned to the banks of the Liushah River, simultaneously spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood. Their expressions were weary, and their entire cultivation had been completely exhausted.

The little demons knelt down and said: "We are willing to submit!"

The 800-li wide Flowing Sand River has long resembled boiling hot porridge, with turbulent undercurrents and vertical whirlpools swirling like tornadoes. The aquatic creatures are all in a panic, fleeing for their lives, while only a few clever monsters take refuge around Sha Wujing, remaining unharmed.

Zhu Ganglie fell beside Sha Wujing and shouted at the group of demons: "Since you have taken refuge under my second brother Yu, you must submit to me; otherwise, I will throw you all out to your deaths"

In the moment when the thunderstorm transformed Zhu Gang into the Golden-Haired Water Ape, it lost its target. The Yin Thunder of the Kan Water raged and bombarded everywhere, and after being twisted by the Golden-Haired Water Ape, the Yin Thunder fell even more densely.