Under the dim light of dusk, Monkey King walked on the muddy mountain path.
He stepped on the path, and his feet were covered in mud. It was a fresh feeling.
Monkey King looked left and right. Then, he started to play around. Just like when he was seeking Dao, he started to jump on the mountain path.
"Why is that human like a monkey?"
A leopard was secretly observing Sun Wukong in the forest.
Although he was a little strange, he was just an ordinary human and posed no threat.
The leopard found an opportunity and charged over.
Just as Monkey King was having fun, a yellow shadow suddenly sprang out from behind him.
He instinctively dodged. The yellow shadow hit a sharp rock in front of him. The rock made a loud noise, and the leopard couldn't help but wail.
After the wail, the leopard arched its body and opened its mouth. "Human, why did you dodge!"
"You wanted to kill me, so of course I had to dodge."
Monkey King looked at the leopard. It could speak human language, so it was obviously a spirit.
But even if it was a spirit, it was just a small demon.
Monkey King walked over and checked its wound.
The leopard tried to bite him several times but failed. It looked at him in disbelief.
"You're not afraid of me?"
"I've seen many demons, there's nothing to be afraid of."
A white light appeared on Monkey King's left hand and healed the leopard.
He then stood up and looked up at the sky.
Dark clouds were rolling in the sky. It seemed like it was going to rain.
"Okay, I need to find a place to spend the night."
He patted the leopard's head and walked along the mountain path. He arrived at a Daoist temple called Yellow Bull Temple.
Monkey King knocked on the door.
The door opened. The Daoist child inside walked out and immediately closed the door in fear.
"Child, I'm passing by."
Monkey King said, "Can I stay here for the night?"
"You, there's a leopard behind you."
The Daoist child's voice came from the door.
Goku turned around and saw that it was the leopard that had followed him.
He then smiled. "This leopard also wants to hide from the rain. What's so difficult about letting it stay for the night?"
"No, no!"
The Daoist child inside the door refused repeatedly.
The Monkey King was helpless. Just when he was about to leave, a voice came from the depths of the temple, "Let them in!"
Then, the frightened Daoist child opened the door.
But as soon as he saw the leopard, he ran into the Taoist temple.
Goku walked in with the leopard and saw an old Daoist priest with white hair and a youthful face.
"This humble Daoist is the head of Yellow Ox Monastery."
Lao Dao cupped his hands towards the Monkey King. Looking at the leopard beside the Monkey King, he knew that the Monkey King was no ordinary person.
"Mister, are you from the Myriad Spirit Kingdom?"
Lao Dao asked.
"How did you know?"
Monkey King was puzzled.
"You can tell just by looking at the clothes."
Lao Dao replied.
The clothing of the Wanling Kingdom was very beautiful. He had seen many merchants of the Wanling Kingdom wearing similar clothes in Chang 'an.
Lao Dao invited the Monkey King into the temple and ordered the priests to serve him hot tea.
The two of them chatted for a while before Lao Dao got someone to serve rice.
"It's just some simple food. Please make do with it, Mister."
Lao Dao said to the Monkey King.
"It's fine."
Monkey King felt that the head of the temple was very warm.
"The rice and rice seeds are from Mount Huaguo."
Lao Dao said, "50 years ago, many villages came here to seek rice seeds. But now, no one is interested."
Speaking of this, the Monkey King was a little puzzled. "I passed by a few villages along the way. Why didn't I see anyone?"
"Mister, you don't know."
Lao Dao shook his head and said, "They've all been conscripted."
He told the Monkey King that when the current Human King ascended the throne, he issued a demon purge order and conscripted men from all over the country to join the army. He launched a mighty demon purge war in the South Continent.
The demons of the South Continent wandered everywhere. Most of them fled to the Aparagodānīya Continent and the Dong Sheng Divine Continent.
This was also one of the reasons why the population of the Myriad Spirit Kingdom exceeded ten million.
However, the war lasted for decades, and humans also paid a heavy price.
There were a few villages around the Yellow Bull Temple that were no longer inhabited.
"This Demon Purge Order sounds simple, but how can it really purge demons?"
The Monkey King could not help but say after hearing that.
"You're right, Mister."
Lao Dao sighed. "It's a pity that I didn't understand it back then."
He had also participated in this war. After decades, he realized that his efforts were useless.
Unless humans cut off all living creatures, how could there be no monsters in this world?
The actions of the Human King had angered the demons, causing the South Continent to become even more unstable.
"I once heard that there are many alchemists and all kinds of demons gathered in Jingshi An. They use the strange evil arts of the unorthodox path to confuse people and do anything."
Lao Dao said, "His Majesty is talented and bold, but I don't know why he turned a blind eye to it."
The Monkey King revealed a thoughtful expression.
"Forget it. Let's not talk about it."
Lao Dao continued to ask, "Why are you here, Mister?"
"To plant trees."
The Monkey King replied.
"Plant trees?"
Lao Dao revealed a confused expression.
The night passed uneventfully.
The next day, Lao Dao and his disciples watched as the Monkey King walked around the courtyard.
"Are you sure it's here?"
Lao Dao asked, "There's nothing here, how can you plant trees?"
The Monkey King did not reply. He slowly descended to the ground with the light in his hand.
After half an hour, the Thousand Spirit Tree rose from the ground.
The Taoist priests were shocked.
"What Dharma art is this?"
Lao Dao hurriedly asked.
"Thousand Spirit Immortal Art."
The Monkey King replied.
Lao Dao was shocked. "This is the immortal art that even mortals can use?"
The Monkey King turned around. "You've heard of it before?"
"Of course."
Lao Dao nodded. "I've heard that the Great Sage created the Thousand Spirit Immortal Art, but I don't know what it is."
Seeing it today, it was indeed miraculous.
"Mister doesn't have any magic power, how can you create a tree from nothing?"
The old Daoist asked.
The Monkey King did not hide anything and told him everything.
Lao Dao did not understand, but he was filled with respect. "Can Mister teach me the Thousand Spirit Immortal Art?"
"Teach you?"
The Monkey King frowned. He did not have any plans to take in disciples, nor did he have the time to stay here.
"I wholeheartedly seek Dao, but due to my limited talent, I have not achieved much."
Lao Dao clasped his hands at the Monkey King and said, "I only need a little bit, Mister can teach me the Immortal Art."
The Monkey King thought for a bit, then looked at Lao Dao's passionate eyes and made a decision.
"I can't stay here for too long."
The Monkey King said, "If you want to learn, you'll have to stay by my side."
"What's so difficult about that?"
Lao Dao became spirited and immediately ordered his disciples to pack up.
"There's one more thing I have to remind you."
The Monkey King said, "If you stay by my side, there will be many dangers."
"Don't worry, Mister."
Lao Dao smiled. "We seek Dao. If we learn Dao in the morning, we can die in the evening without regrets."
The Monkey King was startled. He did not expect Lao Dao to say something like this.
Just like that, the group of Daoists followed the Monkey King to spread the Thousand Spirit Immortal Art. There was also a leopard.
Along the way, the Monkey King was not stingy with his knowledge. Unknowingly, more and more people gathered around him.