Chapter 151: Letters from the Breeze and the Bright Moon, a New Kitchen God Arrives in the State of Qindao

After the matter concerning the Willow Immortal was concluded and before his departure, Cao Kong bestowed upon her two wind talismans for self-protection, and subsequently brought Cao Xiang back to Hazy Mist Mountain.

The rest had their own affairs to attend to and dispersed accordingly.

Along the way, Cao Kong pondered the matter of the Myriad-Mile Cloud-Journey Roc, recognizing him as the Golden-Winged Great Roc. Although he had spoken lightly of it, a headache lingered in his heart.

This demon was no ordinary entity.

In terms of divine powers, a single flap of his wings spanned ninety thousand miles; in terms of magical treasures, he possessed the Yin-Yang Two-Air Flask, which had once caused Sun Wukong to suffer a disastrous defeat.

Regarding his lineage, it was even more extraordinary.

He was the progenitor of all flying creatures from the primordial chaos, the offspring of the very first phoenix in heaven and earth.

He was the younger brother of the Holy Mother of the West, the Peacock Great Bright King Bodhisattva, and the maternal uncle of the Tathagata Buddha.

His innate disposition was ferocious, venomous, unyielding, arrogant, and utterly lawless. In later generations, he would devour the entire court and populace of the Lion-Camel Kingdom in a single gulp, roaming free and untroubled for five hundred years without a soul daring to question him.

Later on, when Sun Wukong sought the Tathagata to subdue him, this Golden-Winged Great Roc even incited the other demons to chop the Tathagata to pieces and seize the Thunder Sound Precious Terrace, demonstrating the profound depth of his demonic nature and arrogant disposition.

Now, Cao Kong had unconsciously made an enemy of him. Once the roc discovered this, given his ruthless temperament, he would certainly seek revenge.

At this thought, a cold gleam flashed in Cao Kong's eyes. He had his Senior Brother Lion-Mane, whom he could summon, so he was not afraid; but those around him might not be so fortunate.

"I must find a way, even if not to kill this demon, at least to deter him."

Thus thought Cao Kong. The Golden-Winged Great Roc possessed immense speed; if they were to truly fight now, he himself would certainly be no match, and the matter required careful and prolonged deliberation.

With no immediate resolution from shallow contemplation, he returned to his cultivation, for in this world, cultivation remained the ultimate foundation.

The next day, a bird suddenly flew into the mountain, heading straight for the Folded Cliff Cave and circling ceaselessly without leaving.

With a single thought in his mind, Cao Kong extended his hand. The bird landed on his palm and transformed into a paper crane, upon which characters materialized in midair, quite wondrously.

It proved to be a letter sent by Qingfeng and Mingyue:

Respected Senior Brother, upon seeing these words, know that Mingyue and I will be able to pluck the silver flowers within five years. Therefore, our Master has graciously permitted us to travel the mortal realm after gathering them.

Please let us know whenever Senior Brother has leisure. Leave your message with this object, and the two of us will come to pay a visit and disturb you then.

By the way, enclosed within the paper crane is a packet of spiritual tea, which we hope Senior Brother will not disdain.

Written by Qingfeng and Mingyue.

With a flick of his consciousness, Cao Kong employed the "Sleeve-Flinging" technique once taught to him by Qingfeng and Mingyue. A tea caddy instantly appeared in his hand. Upon opening it, a spiritual fragrance wafted forth, whose rich aroma was intoxicatingly sweet.

He could not help but smile with delight at the considerate courtesy of Qingfeng and Mingyue.

He then reflected that the mortal descent of the Nine-Spirited Sage and the Green Ox was scheduled for roughly six or seven years hence, and thought: 'Since Qingfeng and Mingyue are disciples of Patriarch Zhenyuan, I might as well have them both come here.'

He intended to leave a message on the paper crane, but a headache immediately struck him—this paper crane was minuscule; how was he to write upon it?

Thus, he experimentally fetched brushes, ink, paper, and an inkstone. He first waved the brush to write on paper, but the moment the ink touched the surface, the paper crane actually moved, devouring the ink entirely.

Cao Kong clicked his tongue in wonder, understanding the principle: the paper crane must swallow the ink and regurgitate the characters when meeting the intended recipient.

He could not help but marvel at how numerous the spells of this world were, and how profoundly mystical.

Hence, he left his message, blew a breath of Dao breath, caused the paper crane to transform back into a bird once more, and released it into the sky.

There were few affairs within the mountain, consisting merely of farming and cultivation. Cao Kong temporarily set aside the matter of the Myriad-Mile Cloud-Journey Roc and devoted himself wholeheartedly to his practice.

Curiously enough, however, the Stove God of QinDao City had been replaced. Word had it that he was transferred to Northern Beiju Luzhou, a development that startled even Cao Kong's divine incarnation.

One must know that divine figures were rarely replaced casually; changes usually occurred only due to major merits or severe offenses, leading to promotions or demotions, while lateral transfers were exceedingly rare.

As for the newly arrived Stove God, he was exceptionally courteous. The very first thing he did upon arriving in the QinDao State was to pay a visit to the Calamity-Rescuing True Monarch.

He even proactively went to the temple to offer three sticks of incense first before requesting an audience, being polite to the utmost extreme.

Upon learning of this, Cao Kong merely smiled, treating it as a pleasant diversion from the monotony of life.

Following that, he resumed his Dao cultivation and magical refinement.

The practice of Water Heavenly Cycle cultivation should reach fruition in another decade. He continually drew from Kan and filled Li without a single interruption, eagerly anticipating the day when the Five Qi would return to the origin, allowing him to proudly style himself a Great Luo Celestial Immortal.

As for magical arts, he was currently delving deeper into the Wood Escape and Metal Escape of the [Five Elements Great Escapes].

The Wood Escape had blossomed through the Eight Winds divine power, allowing him to derive the Wind Escape from it; the Metal Escape was pursued because, among the five elements, it was the only one lacking minor mastery, leaving a sense of incompleteness.

The [Transformations of Heavenly Gang and Earthly Fiend] were also under comprehension, with the intent to thoroughly grasp all manner of transformations.

In addition, he continued to study the "Minor Reversing Wind and Returning Fire" technique he had comprehended through the Wind Wheel and Fire Wheel.

Moreover, this was not limited merely to wind and fire; he applied it to various phenomena, attempting to grasp the underlying laws of the "Dao" and reverse them.

For instance, making rain flow backwards and withered flowers bloom anew—this already faintly touched upon the essence of reversing natural laws, offering great amusement and assistance in his comprehension of the Dao.

Yet, while Cao Kong cultivated quietly within the mountain, there were always demons in the world who could not stay at peace.

In Western Aparagodaniya, there was a mountain where demonic qi soared into the heavens. A yaksha walked inside and immediately felt a chill grip his bones, beholding skeletons like forests and skulls piled into mountains.

Countless birds and beasts glared with ferocious eyes, either devouring living humans raw or deep-frying them; truly, the entire mountainscape was overrun by beasts and fowl.

A blood-colored raptor descended from the sky, taking the form of a blood eagle.

"What brings you to my mountain? If your answer does not satisfy me, you shall enter my belly."

Terrified, the yaksha kowtowed repeatedly, recounting the entire cause and effect of what he had encountered.

Finally, he stated that having heard of the Great King's mighty reputation, he felt a deep yearning and begged to throw himself under the Great King's gate as a mere running dog.

Upon hearing this, the blood eagle was both startled and enraged; years of consuming human flesh had long clouded his spiritual platform.

Hearing that someone dared to disregard his Great King's reputation instantly ignited a murderous intent within him.

Yet, second thoughts arose: 'Golden-Feather and Golden-Dove possessed extraordinary abilities. Even if I were superior, I could at best defeat them; there is simply no way I could have killed them so easily. To rush blindly after that person would be no different from seeking death.

Better to investigate first and await the day our Great King emerges from seclusion before making a final decision.'

At that moment, the yaksha spoke again: "Does the senior require me to describe the appearances of those individuals?"

The blood eagle smiled, sending a chill down one's spine, and replied, "No need, I have my own methods."

Hearing this, the yaksha felt a sudden premonition of disaster, as if calamity were impending.

Then he heard: "I possess a secret technique whereby I can swallow a person into my belly and scour the memories of their past three months."

Every hair on the yaksha's body stood on end. Without a second word, he turned to flee, but the blood eagle opened its beak and inhaled gently. Before the yaksha could utter a plea for mercy, he vanished into its maw.

The blood eagle remained stationary for a long time, tasting the memories. The clearest image was that of Cao Kong's appearance; as for the Seven Lions and the others, they were too far away, and their clouds of smoke and fire had obscured them from the yaksha's clear sight.

Reviewing Cao Kong's performance at the time, the blood eagle felt a trace of dread, but remembering his own Great King's prowess, his heart settled once more.

He summoned some minor demons, described Cao Kong's features, and instructed them to investigate without acting rashly.

Half a year later, the subordinate demons brought back word that they had spotted him in a certain mountain named Hazy Mist.

The blood eagle was overjoyed and hastened to the place where the Golden-Winged Great Roc was in seclusion, where two golden eagles guarded the cave entrance.

"How much longer until the Great King emerges from seclusion?"

"About six years or so."

The blood eagle laughed with delight: "Good! Six years from now shall be the death anniversary of that Daoist priest!"

Just at that moment, a divine general in the heavens, witnessing the marvelous properties of Nezha's fire wheels, could not help but recall his own wind and fire wheels, calculating the days in his mind and wondering when to descend to the mortal realm to retrieve them.