Wang Xuan didn't make another move. He had already shown his strength, and he believed that Yang Jian would listen to him properly now.
“I am the Xuan Tian Dao Ancestor. Your nephew Liu Chenxiang has been taken back as a disciple by me. He has now left Liu Family Village to go out and train. You don’t need to worry about his safety.” Wang Xuan explained a few words first, and then released one of the Seven Sages of Meishan who had been captured, which can be regarded as showing his sincerity.
Chapter 251 Bull Demon
"What? You took Chenxiang as your disciple?!" Yang Jian's expression shifted between joy and worry, his emotions constantly changing.
Despite Yang Jian's seemingly indifferent attitude towards his nephew Liu Chenxiang, he actually cares about him immensely.
Yang Jian was pleased that his nephew had become the disciple of the mysterious powerhouse before him, giving him an extra backer in the Three Realms and providing more assistance when he changed the Heavenly Laws in the future, thus increasing his chances of success.
But the other party had taken Chenxiang as a disciple for no reason, and Yang Jian was worried that they might have ulterior motives or other schemes.
Wang Xuan could easily see what Yang Jian was thinking, but he was too lazy to explain. He simply said, "If you want to use that brat Chen Xiang to change the Heavenly Laws, then go ahead and do it. I will support you when it matters."
But what he said only made things worse. Yang Jian's expression changed drastically upon hearing his words.
Yang Jian had only just conceived the idea of using Liu Chenxiang to amend the Heavenly Laws; he hadn't yet developed a concrete plan. But Wang Xuan had succinctly revealed Yang Jian's true intentions, which greatly alarmed him.
Before Yang Jian could say anything more, Wang Xuan was too lazy to keep him company. He took a step and tapped the void, transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into the horizon.
The world is so big, he wants to go and see it, and also try to understand the laws of this world, and see if he can keep breaking through to the late stage of the seventh-order god-demon.
Logically speaking, his comprehension of the laws should have already reached the late stage of the seventh rank, and he might not even be weaker than an ordinary expert at the perfect seventh rank.
If Wang Xuan hadn't wanted to forge the strongest Dao Foundation and cultivated each realm to its limit before breaking through, he would have already broken through to the late stage of the seventh rank.
With Wang Xuan's cultivation at the Divine Demon Realm, his flight speed reached its limit. He flew for countless miles before suddenly stopping.
He saw that the demonic clouds ahead were surging, and a group of demons were gathering. In the middle of the clouds, there was a terrifying aura that suppressed the heavens and the earth, causing gods, immortals, demons and Buddhas to retreat far away and not dare to approach the place.
"I didn't expect there to be such a powerful monster here. It is much stronger than a sixth-order perfect expert, but weaker than a seventh-order early-stage god-demon golden immortal. It can be called a half-step seventh-order."
After concentrating on sensing it for a while, Wang Xuan muttered to himself with great interest, "Such a powerful demon king, there are definitely only a handful in this world. I wonder which one it is?"
Because Wang Xuan did not conceal his presence, and even released his divine sense without any concealment, he quickly aroused the vigilance of the demon king below.
A roar rang out: "Who dares to spy on my Jilei Mountain? Are you tired of living?!"
"Jilei Mountain? So it's the Bull Demon King's lair!" Wang Xuan suddenly realized.
Although the Bull Demon King of this world is not as powerful as the Bull Demon King of other worlds, and has been defeated by Yang Jian time and time again, he can still be considered a top-tier boss compared to most gods and monsters.
Even if powerful figures like Sun Wukong and Yang Jian, who are at the early stage of the seventh rank, came, it would take them hundreds of moves to defeat him, which shows that his combat power is already infinitely close to that of a seventh-rank god or demon.
Almost instantly, a bull-headed, human-bodied monster rushed out and roared at Wang Xuan. The roar transformed into a thunderous attack, enough to severely injure an ordinary sixth-level expert!
"The roar of an evil dragon? Perhaps it should be called the roar of an evil bull!" Wang Xuan rolled his eyes, not bothering to tolerate the Bull Demon King, and directly slapped him across the face.
His palm strike was extremely sudden, and it directly crossed space, arriving in front of the Bull Demon King in an instant, leaving the Bull Demon King no chance to dodge and forcing him to take the blow with his own face.
"boom!"
Unsurprisingly, the Bull Demon King was slapped to the ground by Wang Xuan, crashing into the ground and creating a large crater.
But the Bull Demon King was somewhat unconvinced, believing that he had been ambushed. He angrily shouted, "How dare you ambush me! If you have the guts, then fight me fair and square!"
Wang Xuan sneered and slapped out again.
"That's exactly what I've been waiting for!" The Bull Demon King's eyes flashed with blood-red light, his heart filled with killing intent, wanting to kill Wang Xuan to wash away the humiliation he had just suffered.
With a wary mindset, even though Wang Xuan used the power of spatial laws, the Bull Demon King still noticed some traces and instantly blocked Wang Xuan's slap with his fist.
"boom!"
As fist and palm collided, the Bull Demon King felt an excruciating pain in his arm, as if it had been broken. Then, the opponent's palm opened his fist and landed on his face...
The Bull Demon King was sent flying again, blood gushing from his nose. He looked rather miserable, but he still insisted on fighting to the end.
In an instant, the Bull Demon King's body grew larger, transforming into a ten-thousand-foot-tall bull demon. He stepped into the void and charged straight at Wang Xuan.
"The law of heaven and earth? I can do that too!" A glint flashed in Wang Xuan's eyes, and the next moment he transformed into a giant ten thousand feet tall, his entire body shimmering with metallic luster.
His "Dharma of Heaven and Earth" technique was enhanced, combining the two supernatural powers of "Dharma of Heaven and Earth" and "Indestructible Vajra" into one, thus doubling its charm.
The Bull Demon King had no power to resist and was slapped to the ground by Wang Xuan again. Blood flowed out as if it were free, and he was in a miserable state.
"How is this possible? Where did this monster come from? It's even more powerful than me, the Bull Demon King!" The Bull Demon King couldn't accept it. He had already tolerated being bullied by Sun Wukong and Yang Jian before, but now this mysterious former had come to his door to give him a good beating. This was simply too much bullying for a bull!
But Wang Xuan has already come knocking on our door. Whether the Bull Demon King accepts reality or not, he will ultimately be unable to change the fact that he is under Wang Xuan's control.
"From now on, Mount Jilei is my territory, and you, Bull Demon King, are my underlings, under my protection!" Wang Xuan waved his sleeve, directly declaring ownership, which intensified the Bull Demon King's grief and indignation.
He, the Bull Demon King, was once a top-tier demon king renowned throughout the world, but now he has been reduced to someone else's underling. If word gets out, how can he ever face anyone again?
"What? You, Bull Demon King, still have a problem with this?" Wang Xuan glanced at the Bull Demon King below, whose face was full of resentment, and sneered repeatedly.
The Bull Demon King's expression changed, and he felt a chill run down his spine. What did things like dignity matter in the face of life and death?
"My lord, what you've said is exactly what I've been thinking!" The Bull Demon King quickly got up from the ground and said righteously, "From now on, Mount Jilei is your territory, and I, the Bull Demon King, am your loyal little brother!"
Chapter 252 Plot Developments
"I thought you, old bull, were a mighty and indomitable warrior, but I never expected you to be such a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong!" Wang Xuan glanced down at the Bull Demon King, feeling somewhat speechless.
However, this is also good. As long as the Bull Demon King submits to him, he will gain more power and be able to interfere with the general trend of the Lotus Lantern world.
When Liu Chenxiang goes to war with the Heavenly Court, the Bull Demon King and other demons will be used to weaken the Heavenly Court's powerful figures. This can be seen as a preparation for Liu Chenxiang in advance.
Since Wang Xuan intends to recruit monsters as his subordinates, he should naturally recruit more.
He followed the Bull Demon King to the cave on Mount Jilei and asked, "Bull Demon King, you seven demon kings swore brotherhood and called yourselves the Seven Great Sages. Besides you and the Great Sage Equaling Heaven, Sun Wukong, where are the other five demon kings?"
"Tell me their whereabouts and take me to visit them one by one. I'll have them keep you company!"
"This is forcing me, the Bull Demon King, to betray my brothers! You really underestimate me, the Bull Demon King. Do you think I'm that kind of monster?" The Bull Demon King struggled with himself for a moment, seemingly wanting to refuse.
But Wang Xuan calmly rolled up his sleeves, revealing his fist, which was the size of a clay pot.
"Since you, sir, want to go find my brothers, that's their good fortune. I'll take you there!" Bull Demon King smiled innocently. Indeed, brothers are meant to be betrayed.
These days, even great demons like Sun Wukong have been subdued by the Heavenly Court and Buddhism. The Bull Demon King can be considered the top dog in the wild demon world, and his reputation among demons is formidable. Finding out the locations of those demon saints is not a difficult task for him.
Led by the Bull Demon King, Wang Xuan arrived at the lands of several other demon saints. Based on his character, he accepted all of them as his subordinates.
The six great demon saints, excluding Sun Wukong—the Bull Demon King who pacifies the heavens, the Flood Dragon Demon King who overturns the seas, the Roc Demon King who confuses the heavens, the Lion Camel King who moves mountains, the Macaque King who vents all winds, and the Yu Rong King who drives away gods—gathered together, making it a gathering of powerful figures.
These monsters only recognize might; the one with the strongest fist is the boss. While their strength is undoubtedly formidable among ordinary monsters, it pales in comparison to Wang Xuan.
Of the six Great Sages, the Bull Demon King was at the half-step seventh level of cultivation, while the Roc Demon King and the Flood Dragon Demon King were both at the perfect sixth level. As for the other three Demon Saints, they were only at the late sixth level, which was quite a distance from the required level.
Even if these six demon saints joined forces, Wang Xuan could easily suppress them, leaving them no choice but to obey his orders.
After subduing the six great demon saints, Wang Xuan began a short period of secluded cultivation in his cave at Jilei Mountain.
Before we knew it, a year had passed.
Wang Xuan is still in seclusion, and after Liu Chenxiang leaves Liu Family Village, everything unfolds just like in the original story.
Not long after Liu Chenxiang left Liu Family Village, he was pursued by the Howling Celestial Dog. The Howling Celestial Dog's cultivation level was not high, reaching the fourth-level Transcendent Realm, which was just one major realm stronger than Liu Chenxiang, who was at the third-level Perfect Realm.
A difference of one major realm, when reflected in specific strength, is like an insurmountable chasm!
Liu Chenxiang was relentlessly pursued by the celestial hound, finding himself with nowhere to run. Along the way, he met the fox demon Xiaoyu and Dingxiang, with whom he was betrothed since childhood.
After a year, Liu Chenxiang was not only still alive and kicking, but also made a breakthrough in his cultivation. With the help of the pressure from the Howling Celestial Dog, he broke through to the fourth level of the Transcendent Realm, which would be considered a minor expert in the world of the Lotus Lantern.
As the protagonist of the world, once Liu Chenxiang starts using his cheat codes, there's no reason to argue with him. He actually fought Xiaotian Dog to a standstill, showing no signs of being at a disadvantage.
After several chases, Erlang Shen Yang Jian entered the arena again with experts from Heaven, adding more pressure to Liu Chenxiang.
Although Erlang Shen Yang Jian showed mercy and deliberately went easy on Liu Chenxiang, Liu Chenxiang's cultivation time was limited, and he had lost the great help of the Lotus Lantern, so he was in a precarious situation.
On this day, Liu Chenxiang, along with two girls, temporarily escaped the pursuit of the heavenly soldiers and generals, and hid in a desolate mountain to heal their wounds.
"Chenxiang, this can't go on. There are too many experts in the Heavenly Court. We can barely protect ourselves, let alone split Mount Hua to rescue your mother," said the fox demon Xiaoyu, her face full of worry.
Liu Chenxiang wiped the sweat from his brow, gripped his sword, and roared, "Even if it costs me my life, I will save my mother!"
It is worth mentioning that the sword in his hand is called the Azure Nether Sword, which was the personal sword that Wang Xuan used back then.
Liu Chenxiang had lost the Lotus Lantern, and his Mountain-Splitting Axe was still with Erlang Shen Yang Jian, so it would be some time before he could get it back. Out of a desire to compensate him, Wang Xuan gave him the Green Destiny Sword as a transitional weapon before he became a god.
"Although I can't beat Yang Jian and the others, there are people who can deal with them!" Liu Chenxiang said, her eyes shining with hope, appearing extremely confident.
"Could it be that you know some top-tier expert, Chenxiang?" Dingxiang asked curiously. "I wonder which powerful figure could rival Erlang Shen Yang Jian?"
Liu Chenxiang said loudly, "Naturally, it is my master, the Xuan Tian Dao Ancestor!"
Back in Liu Family Village, Liu Chenxiang's cultivation was limited, and he had never met other cultivators. He only felt that his master was unfathomable, and he didn't know exactly how powerful he was.
However, as he broke through to the fourth-order Transcendent Realm and fought against many experts from the Heavenly Court, he finally realized how terrifying his master was. He was definitely an expert of the same level as Yang Jian, or even stronger!
Why did Liu Chenxiang come to this conclusion? Naturally, it was because Wang Xuan had belittled the Heavenly Court's experts to nothing in his eyes…
In addition, the Xuan Tian Divine Technique that Wang Xuan taught him was extremely powerful, enabling him to fight beyond his level, which also showed Wang Xuan's extraordinary abilities.
Well, if Wang Xuan were here, he would definitely give Liu Chenxiang a good beating first.
This kid got into trouble, and the first thing he thought of was to drag his master, Wang Xuan, into the mess. It's truly outrageous.
"You're going to find your master? That's wonderful!" Dingxiang immediately clapped her hands in approval.
The young girl, Dingxiang, longed to become an apprentice of a powerful master and cultivate immortality, but all she had encountered before were charlatans, and she had never learned any real skills.
Ever since she heard Liu Chenxiang talk about how powerful Wang Xuan was, she had been eagerly anticipating becoming Wang Xuan's apprentice, just like Liu Chenxiang, and learning immortal techniques from him.
At this point in the story of Lotus Lantern, the plot has unknowingly taken a wrong turn.
Liu Chenxiang already had Wang Xuan as his master, so he did not become a disciple of Zhu Bajie or Sun Wukong.
Chapter 253 Infiltrating the Heavenly Court
Zhu Bajie was one thing, but that pig's skills were limited, and his ability to teach disciples was also mediocre. In the original story, Liu Chenxiang followed him to cultivate for a long time, but he didn't achieve anything remarkable.
But Sun Wukong was different. If Wang Xuan hadn't interfered, Liu Chenxiang would have eventually become Sun Wukong's disciple. Under Sun Wukong's arrangement, he ate a large number of peaches of immortality and the Nine-Turn Golden Elixir of Laozi, which enabled him to rise rapidly and become one of the top experts in the world of Lotus Lantern!