Early in the morning, smoke curled up from the chimneys of the village by the North Sea.
The boy picked up the steamed bun from the firewood stove, carefully wrapped it in a cloth, and handed it to his father, who was about to leave.
"Father, will you be able to come back tomorrow?"
The boy asked.
"I can come back."
The fisherman carried the cloth bag on his back and said, "I won't go out to sea this time. You and I will go up the mountain to seek immortality."
"What immortal?"
The boy asked.
"Someone saw a deity appear nearby. Let's go find him. Maybe he can cure your mother's illness."
Answered the fisherman.
His wife had been lying in bed for half a month. The doctors they had invited all said that she couldn't be saved. Now, they could only go to the gods to have a look.
The boy and the fisherman left the village together.
"What kind of god is that?"
The boy asked on the way.
"The Celestial Emperor is the one who rules over all the immortals."
The fisherman touched the boy's head. "Follow closely. Don't get lost."
"Yes."
The boy nodded and got lost.
He followed his father into the forest, but in the blink of an eye, his father disappeared, leaving him alone.
"Father, father …"
The boy looked about.
He searched in the forest for a long time, and before he knew it, he saw a glowing place.
The boy walked towards it.
That was the end of the forest.
Walking out of the forest, a golden beach appeared in front of the boy.
There had never been such a beautiful beach here, but before the boy could think why, his attention was attracted by the figure on the beach.
At first glance, the boy knew that this must be the immortal his father was looking for.
"Celestial Emperor."
The boy took a step forward, and his feet were immediately wrapped by something soft.
The boy looked down and found a few poisonous snakes twisting around his feet.
Just as he was about to cry out in shock, a strong force pulled him from behind and pulled him back into the forest.
"Child, don't go there."
An old man appeared beside the boy and chased away the poisonous snakes for him.
"The pixies on the beach are bathing in the Celestial Emperor's immortal energy. If you disturb them, they will immediately tear you to pieces."
Only then did the boy realize that the beach in front of him was crowded with all kinds of fierce beasts.
Falcons, leopards, scorpions, pythons — all the terrifying animals were quietly lying on the ground, bathing in the light of the Heavenly Emperor.
The boy's attention had been attracted by the Celestial Thearch just now, so he didn't realize how terrifying this place was.
He did not dare to move forward.
In the North Sea Dragon Palace, the immortals were shrouded in anxiety.
"Why isn't the Monkey King here yet?"
"What is he doing standing by the sea?"
They maintained the barrier while waiting for Monkey King to make his move.
However, after the Monkey King arrived at the coast of the North Sea, he stopped advancing.
"Crown Prince …"
The North Sea Dragon King was anxious. He called for the Dragon Prince. "Quickly send someone over to take a look."
"Yes, Father."
The Crown Prince called an old tortoise over and told it to observe the Monkey King.
Old Tortoise cautiously came to the shallow sea. Before he could go ashore, he was suddenly stunned. The bottom of the sea was densely packed with prawn soldiers and crab generals.
"What are you doing?"
Old Tortoise asked.
"Bathe in the Celestial Emperor's immortal energy."
The prawn soldiers and crab generals replied, "Cultivating here for a day is equivalent to cultivating in the Dragon Palace for a year."
The Old Tortoise gave it a try. As expected, the Monkey King's Immortal Qi was more useful than any spiritual energy in the world.
He immediately forgot about his orders. He also laid down on the ground and began to absorb the Immortal Qi.
The Monkey King was also meditating. He seemed to be waiting for something. He sat on the beach for a few days straight.
During these days, the boy from the fishing village would come every day.
"Heavenly Emperor hasn't eaten for many days."
One day, the boy brought a bun over.
He gathered his courage and stepped onto the beach again.
All the pixies looked over.
The boy was so scared that he didn't dare to move.
But after a while, he still carefully stepped forward.
The pixies were furious. They wanted to stop him, but for some reason, they couldn't move anymore.
The boy came in front of the Monkey King.
"It really is you."
Before he could say anything, the Monkey King turned around and told him: "You can control Heavenly Dao for me."
The boy was attracted by his line of sight.
The boy didn't understand.
"Can you save my mother?" he asked.
The Monkey King didn't answer. Because another voice appeared.
"Heavenly Emperor!"
A giant dragon soared into the sky from the sea. Its body was so large that it covered the sky and the sun. The boy was so scared that he knelt on the ground.
"Dragon, Dragon King!"
He kowtowed a few times. People from other places couldn't recognize this dragon, but the fishermen who grew up by the sea naturally could.
This was the North Sea Dragon King.
He was the god that all the fishermen worshiped. As long as he was angry, the water would flood the nearby villages.
The boy was afraid of the Dragon King.
But when he raised his head, the Dragon King's body suddenly shrunk. He turned into an old man and knelt in front of him.
"Heavenly Emperor, please let the North Sea Dragon Palace go."
The majestic Dragon King knelt in front of the Monkey King. Like the boy, he was full of fear and uneasiness.
"Why do you say that, Dragon King?"
The Monkey King said: "I didn't do anything."
"Heavenly Emperor, please let the North Sea Dragon Palace go."
The old Dragon King said again.
The Monkey King looked at him. "What do you know?"
The Dragon King shook his head and didn't dare to say.
"Fine."
The Monkey King retracted his gaze. "The North Sea will soon be under the jurisdiction of the Heavenly Palace. Bless this place with good weather and don't cause me any trouble. I will let you go for now."
"Don't worry, Great Sage."
The Dragon King immediately agreed.
"… If that's the case, you can go back."
The Monkey King waved his hand. "The Dragon Palace is fine."
"Thank you, Heavenly Emperor."
The Dragon King turned back into his original form and flew into the sea in panic.
"You're not afraid of me?"
The Monkey King looked at the boy.
The boy reacted and immediately said: "Heavenly Emperor, please cure my mother."
"Someone will cure your mother's illness."
The Monkey King replied: "But you have to promise me one thing."
The boy looked over.
"This book is for you."
The Monkey King took out a book and handed it to the boy. "Study well. After that person cures your mother, he will take you away."
"Yes."
The boy carefully took the book.
Then, the Monkey King left.
As soon as he left, the beach shattered like a dream.
The boy found himself back in the forest.
"Lucky child, quickly leave this place."
The Mountain God's voice resounded in his ears. "Take that book and leave this place before the other demons discover you."
The boy put the book in his chest and ran towards home.
In the sky. The Jinx followed behind the Monkey King.
"So this is the person who can lead the Heavenly Dao?"
The Jinx asked: "Why is he so young?"
"He still needs to be nurtured."
The Monkey King said: "This person is very talented and skilled in creation. The Pure Land of Bliss in that miniature world also had his contribution."
The boy only represented a possibility. Even the Monkey King couldn't see through it.
"He's related to the Pure Land?"
The Jinx was a bit surprised. "Then won't the Buddha stop him?"
"Even if he is stopped, someone else will appear."
The Monkey King replied: "The situation has already begun. No one can stop it."
With a bit of hope, he ended this trip.