Three days later.

  Xu Fang had packed his belongings and taken the tokens from Yang Chan and Sun Wukong. He bid farewell to Master Bodhi.

  In the next moment, he transformed into a long rainbow and soared into the sky.

  Sun Wukong, feeling inspired by Xu Fang's rapid progress, did not come to see him off.

  Xu Fang’s cloud-like speed enabled him to cover fifty-four thousand miles in the blink of an eye. In the time it took to eat a meal, he arrived at the East Victory Divine Continent and beheld the vast ocean before him!

  As he traveled, the waves rolled endlessly, and the clouds floated softly.

  Following the path pointed out by Sun Wukong, Xu Fang made his way towards the East Sea. Before long, he spotted an island rising majestically from the boundless sea.

  This island was lush with greenery, with countless exotic beasts roaming and an abundance of strange flowers and fruits, emanating a rich celestial aura.

  It was none other than Huaguo Mountain, renowned as the ancestral peak of the Ten Continents and the birthplace of the three islands!

  Xu Fang’s choice to visit Huaguo Mountain before heading to the East Sea Dragon Palace had its reasons. The vast East Sea stretched for countless miles, making it challenging to locate the Dragon Palace within its depths.

  Moreover, while Xu Fang had cultivated the Water Avoidance Technique, his innate affinity for fire made him instinctively averse to the ocean. Thus, he was reluctant to spend excessive time searching for the Dragon Palace.

  He remembered from the original Journey to the West that before Sun Wukong acquired the Ruyi Jingu Bang from the East Sea Dragon Palace, a golden-haired monkey had guided him, indicating that the Iron Plate Bridge beneath the Water Curtain Cave led directly to the Dragon Palace.

  So, Xu Fang aimed to take the shortcut.

  “Ding! Huaguo Mountain check-in successful. First-time check-in reward: Mastery of Magical Artifacts, Strength +100.”

  As Xu Fang stepped onto Huaguo Mountain, he activated the check-in in his mind.

  After glancing at the system reward for mastery of magical artifacts, he gained some understanding.

  In the Three Realms, there were many immortals capable of refining magical artifacts. However, the system categorized magical artifacts and weapons separately.

  Weapons were tools for attack, while magical artifacts were divided into attack artifacts, defensive artifacts, and those with other effects.

  In essence, weapons fell under the broader category of magical artifacts, but magical artifacts were not limited to just weapons.

  For Xu Fang, this distinction was not particularly significant. He intended to heed Sun Wukong’s request to check on his monkey kin and did not plan to linger here. He aimed to head directly to the East Sea Dragon Palace.

  The Iron Plate Bridge was located beneath the Water Curtain Cave, meaning he would inevitably encounter the monkey clan. There was no need for him to explicitly seek them out.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

  Sure enough, Xu Fang soon found a river and followed it upstream, leading him to a magnificent waterfall.

  Beneath the waterfall, numerous monkey children were playing and frolicking without a care.

  “These little monkeys seem to be living quite freely. It appears that as long as Wukong hasn’t returned, the monkeys of Huaguo Mountain will remain safe,” Xu Fang mused, nodding to himself. He also began to understand some of the intricacies in the original Journey to the West.

  In the original story, Huaguo Mountain remained peaceful until Sun Wukong’s return, after which it seemed that fate’s gears began to turn, attracting chaos to the mountain.

  From that point on, Huaguo Mountain was embroiled in turmoil!

  If one claimed there was no conspiracy behind it, few would believe it!

  However, such matters were beyond Xu Fang’s concern. Seeing that the monkey clan was unharmed, he cast an invisibility spell and proceeded along the Iron Plate Bridge beneath the Water Curtain Cave, heading straight for the East Sea Dragon Palace!

  Although his innate affinity was for fire, it only meant he disliked being in the water; he could still enter the water if necessary.

  East Sea Dragon Palace.

  Beneath the Iron Plate Bridge lay a waterway leading directly to the Dragon Palace. As Xu Fang channeled the Water Avoidance Technique, he arrived and saw shrimp soldiers and crab generals wielding steel forks, standing guard at the entrance of the Dragon Palace.

  The entire palace was resplendent with gold and jade, radiating an aura of opulence, resembling a nouveau riche's abode—Xu Fang couldn’t help but curl his lip at the sight.

  It seemed that the old dragon king was quite the miser, decorating the palace so extravagantly that he was afraid others wouldn’t know about his treasures.

  It was no wonder that the Dragon Palace was notorious for its riches, attracting Sun Wukong in the future.

  As Xu Fang paused to take in the spectacle, the shrimp soldiers and crab generals noticed him and approached, brandishing their steel forks. “Who dares to intrude upon the East Sea Dragon Palace?”

  “The quality of the guards here leaves much to be desired,” Xu Fang thought, shaking his head. If he were genuinely looking for trouble, this shrimp soldier’s words would have given him ample excuse!

  However, he wasn’t here to create chaos; he was fulfilling a request. He spoke up, “I am Xu Fang, disciple of Master Bodhi from Fangcun Mountain, sent by the Three Holy Mothers to visit the East Sea Fourth Princess and deliver a message. Please inform her!”

  The moment he finished, the shrimp soldier nearly dropped his steel fork in shock.

  A disciple of Master Bodhi from Fangcun Mountain, sent by the Three Holy Mothers? That was a name to be reckoned with!

  The usually opportunistic shrimp soldier quickly straightened up, his demeanor shifting to one of respect. “Please wait a moment, noble immortal. I will go to report immediately!”

  Inside the East Sea Dragon Palace.

  A young girl with dual horns and a golden dress, resembling a porcelain doll, sighed softly. This was the Fourth Princess of the East Sea, Ao Tingxin.

  Recently, while out exploring, she had encountered a late-stage demon known as the Nine-Headed Insect. This demon had become infatuated with her and frequently troubled her near the Dragon Palace, causing her considerable annoyance.

  Coincidentally, during this time, the East Sea Dragon King was away on official business with his advisor, the Tortoise Prime Minister. Now, the Dragon Palace was left with only a group of shrimp soldiers and crab generals.

  Since the Nine-Headed Insect was merely pursuing her, she felt embarrassed to seek help from the other three seas.

  Thus, despite her frustration, she found herself unable to deal with the Nine-Headed Insect.

  Such was the plight of lacking strength!

  At that moment, a crab soldier entered, bowing respectfully to Ao Tingxin. “Your Highness, someone seeks an audience outside. They claim to be a disciple of Master Bodhi from Fangcun Mountain, here on behalf of the Third Holy Mother.”

  “A disciple of Master Bodhi from Fangcun Mountain, here to deliver a message from Sister Yang Chan?”

  Ao Tingxin’s expression shifted, and she immediately commanded, “Lead the way!”

  Moments later, Ao Tingxin followed the crab soldier to the entrance of the Dragon Palace, where she caught sight of Xu Fang waiting.

  “Immortal, forgive my lack of hospitality in your long journey,” Ao Tingxin greeted, bowing deeply. “Please, allow me to offer you tea in the main hall.”

  Though Master Bodhi’s name may not be the most famous in the Three Realms, many knew of him, and no one would dare impersonate a disciple of his.

  After all, the reputation of a quasi-saint was not something to be taken lightly, so Ao Tingxin had no doubts about Xu Fang’s identity. This allowed Xu Fang’s request for a token from Yang Chan to become unnecessary.