Chapter 24: Hundred Years of Imprisonment

  The medicinal effect of Tongyuan Daxian's pill was extremely good, and after taking it, Ao Ran's wound began to heal at a visible speed. Although she was still unconscious, she felt that her body was no longer so painful, and she murmured comfortably in her sleep. It seemed that this posture had been maintained for too long and was somewhat uncomfortable, so she turned over and hugged the pillow beside her, changing to a more comfortable posture.

  After relieving her pain, she felt very comfortable with the book, but she didn't know that the atmosphere outside was eerie.

  Li Mu saw that Ao Ran's injury had almost recovered, and he felt a little less guilty. However, he still felt guilty towards Ao Ning, but now there was a glimmer of hope, and no matter what, he had to find the Soul-Searching Grass to cure Ao Ning.

  Tongyuan Dashen saw Li Mu's heavy side for the first time, and he felt a little uneasy in his heart. "Muer, don't blame Shifu, there are some things you shouldn't know for now. But rest assured, one day Shifu will let you do what you want."

  "Master, you go back first, I want to stay here for a while." Li Mu walked to Ao Ning's side and quietly looked at her. Although Tongyuan Daxian had made it very clear, people's hearts would always hold a thread of unrealistic hope, just like Li Mu hoping Ao Ning would suddenly wake up now.

  Tàiyuán Dàxiān wanted to comfort him a few more words, but thought about it and didn't say anything. Many things always need to be faced by oneself, if Lǐ Mù can't figure it out himself, others saying more will only make him even more anxious. Just as Tàiyuán Dàxiān was about to leave, he suddenly felt several strong immortal auras approaching and entering the Eastern Sea. Tàiyuán Dàxiān used his spiritual exploration technique to scan around and discovered the Dragon Prince, Su Wukong's master Subhuti, and others like Nezha. Tàiyuán Dàxiān immediately understood what they were there for.

  Originally, on the way to Tongyuan Mountain, Long Taizi had already gone to the Heavenly Court again to report. When they heard about the battle process, the people in the Heavenly Court attached great importance to this incident, especially Taishang Laojun, who frowned tightly.

  "It's him again, does he have a grudge against the Dragon Clan from their past lives? He has repeatedly caused trouble for the Dragon Clan. The Jade Emperor was somewhat annoyed, the matter of Hong Zelong had not been settled yet, and now it had stirred up trouble in the Eastern Sea."

  However, the Emperor didn't think so. "Your Majesty, do you still remember that dream where Your Majesty was trapped by a mysterious power? I think the mastermind behind this disaster has not yet taken shape, and if I'm not mistaken, he is still very weak."

  "The Old Lord said that Li Mu would bring about this calamity, is the disaster star of the Three Realms?" The Jade Emperor was also an old antique who had lived for 1,750 kalpas, and naturally understood the meaning of the Supreme Old Lord.

  "If I'm not mistaken, Li Mu has a tremendous power hidden within him, it just hasn't been triggered yet. This is just an omen, otherwise with his cultivation, it would be difficult for him to surpass Ao Guang." The Supreme Old Lord said in a condensed voice, "Moreover, Li Mu is neither human nor spirit nor beast, nor god nor demon nor ghost, and there is no record of him in the Three Realms and Six Paths."

  "Lao Jun thought how to deal with it at this time?" Yu Huang asked in a low voice using the transmission technique.

  The Supreme Elder Lord replied with a transmission spell: "This matter concerns the fate of the Three Realms, and it's better to make mistakes than to watch the catastrophe unfold."

  "But this child is a beloved disciple of Tongyuan Daxian, should we inform the Tathagata Buddha about this matter and let him intervene to suppress Tongyuan Daxian?" asked the Jade Emperor.

  The Supreme Elder thought for a moment and replied: "It seems that the Tathagata Buddha had already anticipated Li Mu's arrival, so it's good to let him make the decision."

  The multitude of gods did not know what Jade Emperor and Taishang Laojun were doing, but soon they saw the Tathagata Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva appearing in the Lingxiao Treasure Hall. It turned out that just now, the Jade Emperor used the Thousand Miles Transmission Technique to instruct the Space Messenger to inform the Buddha, so the Buddha and Guanyin Bodhisattva immediately arrived.

  The immortals paid their respects to the Buddha, and the Jade Emperor recounted his analysis with the Supreme Elder Lord. Only then did the immortals realize that things were not as simple as they had thought. Who would have thought that a small piece of land could be the source of chaos in all three realms?

  The Tathagata listened and looked at Guanyin beside him, asking: "Guanyin Bodhisattva, what kind of person do you think this child is?"

  Guanyin trailed off with her jade pure vase, slightly shaking her head and saying: "My disciple's magical powers are insufficient, I was unable to discern."

  The Tathagata smiled lightly and explained: "This child is not in the three realms of six paths, all humans, gods, demons, ghosts, and animals have souls, but this child does not have a soul."

  "Ah! Isn't it just like me?" Nezha exclaimed in surprise.

  The Buddha smiled and said, "I had him go to the East Sea to do land reclamation because I found that he was destined for fire, but both earth and water can overcome fire. Now it seems that everything is predestined. In the vastness of the universe, things are freely arranged, no one can force their way, and no one can change them. Let everything develop naturally."

  Having said that, Tathagata and Guanyin made a phantom shadow, gradually disappearing in the air. It turned out that they came only as a photographic incarnation.

  The Jade Emperor and the Venerable Lord Lao did not know what the Tathagata Buddha meant, and they were also helpless against the Buddha who always loved to speak in riddles. However, since the Buddha did not stop him, it was as if he was allowed to do so. As for right or wrong, everything had already been decided, and there was no need to worry about it now. The Jade Emperor immediately issued a decree, ordering the gods from all sides to arrest Li Mu.

  The Dragon Prince saw Li Mu bring an old man, and immediately notified the dragon general who was on duty in the Heavenly Court. The dragon general came to the Dragon Palace with Tudigong Tianwang Li Jing and Nezha.

  Tongyuan Dashen's mouth curled up with a cold smile. With him around, no one dared to harm Li Mu, not even the Buddha. But...

  At this moment, Tongyuan Dasheng suddenly hesitated again. Now that it had just begun, was it going to end already? Thinking of this, he couldn't help but endure.

  "Master, is there anything else?" Seeing Tongyuan Dasheng walk two steps and stop again, Li Mu asked in confusion.

  Tongyuan Dasheng turned around and looked at Li Mu, his eyes showing concern and comfort for him. He had already made up his mind that as long as it didn't harm Li Mu's life, he could make concessions. Looking at Li Mu, he let out a light sigh: "It's not that the master has something to attend to, but rather you have something to attend to."

  "I..."

  Before he could think, Li Jing and others had already appeared in his line of sight.

  Li Jing saw that Tongyuan Daxian was also present, and immediately cupped his hands in greeting: "I didn't expect the Great Immortal to be here too. This time I came to capture Li Mu on the orders of the Jade Emperor, and I hope the Great Immortal will make it convenient for me."

  Tongyuan Dasheng said: "My disciple has committed a crime, and as his master, I also bear responsibility. I will accompany you to the heavenly court to see the emperor."

  Li Mu knew that things were beyond repair and he didn't want to make his master difficult, so he didn't plan to resist. But there was one thing he had to do before he could resign himself to being captured.

  "Master, I still have one more thing to do, please give me an hour's time. After an hour, I will definitely come back." Sun Wukong entrusted the Huaguo Mountain to himself, he had to have a handover, otherwise the Huaguo Mountain would be leaderless and might cause some trouble.

  On the other hand, Li Mu never gave up on saving Ao Ning. The power of one person is limited, but the power of tens of thousands of people can surely find the Soul-Searching Grass.

  "This..." Li Jing hesitated.

  Tongyuan Dasheng said with an air of certainty: "I believe in my disciple."

  Li Jing had no choice but to give Li Mu an hour: "Alright, I'll give you an hour. I hope you can keep your word and not make things difficult for our respected teacher."

  Li Mu drove the wind to come to Huaguo Mountain, where it was still a carefree paradise. The monkeys were the masters here, jumping up and down forever full of energy. As for other demons, they also seemed to have forgotten their struggles, living a life without worries or cares.

  When they saw Li Mu, they all bowed: "Great Sage."

  Only that infatuated woman still carried the infatuated melancholy. Li Mu directly came to the reef on the east side, because he knew she would be here.

  "Brother Mu, you're back." Bai Lian squeezed out a smile in front of him, but her tired eyes couldn't hide her haggardness.

  "Still thinking about the monkey? Why don't I help you tell him your thoughts, it's better than you being alone and pining." Li Mu came to her side and sat down on the cold reef.

  Bai Lian was flustered and hastily said, "Don't, I...I..." She clearly liked him, but didn't dare say it out loud. She herself didn't know why she was so timid at this moment, lowering her head and not knowing what to say.

  Li Mu let out a soft sigh and said: "Forget it, you'd better handle your own affairs yourselves. I won't have the chance to help you anyway."

  "What's wrong?" White Lotus asked with concern, feeling that something was off about Li Mu.

  Li Mu simply told the story of how he had rushed into the East Sea, and even personally injured his beloved woman. "Now that the Jade Emperor has sent someone to arrest me and take me to heaven, it's just right for me to atone for my sins. However, I couldn't fulfill Monkey's request to take care of the Mountain of Flowers and Fruits, so from now on, it will all depend on you."

  "Don't go, come to Huaguo Mountain instead, Jade Emperor wouldn't dare to capture people here."

  Li Mu shook his head, feeling somewhat disheartened and said: "Forget it, why let more people suffer? There's just one thing I still can't put down."

  "What's wrong?"

  "My master said that searching for the soul grass might be able to save Ou Xing, but I don't know if I'll have another chance to find it. Can you help me with this, okay?" Li Mu Dao asked.

  Bai Lian nodded, no longer trying to persuade Li Mu. She knew that the decision he had made was unshakeable. She promised him: "I will, even if my own power is limited, but the tens of thousands of brothers from Huaguo Mountain will also help you find it."

  "So I was relieved."

  After circling Huaguo Mountain, although he was reluctant to leave, Li Mu resolutely returned to the East Sea. He had never thought of escaping, as his master often said that one should take responsibility for their own actions, let alone hurting the woman he loved.

  Arriving at the Heavenly Court, two rows of celestial generals stood in formation, the atmosphere was stern and solemn.

  The Jade Emperor saw that Tongyuan Daxian had come in person, and hastily offered him a seat. After the trial of the three halls, according to the relevant laws and regulations, Li Mu should be punished with heavenly thunder. For Li Mu now, being punished with heavenly thunder was undoubtedly a death penalty.

  Tongyuan Dashen seemed to sense that the Jade Emperor was intentionally targeting Li Mu, deliberately increasing his punishment. Although he didn't know why the Jade Emperor wanted to do this, he absolutely wouldn't allow Li Mu to die.

  "Your Majesty, isn't this punishment a bit too severe?" Tongyuan Dasheng said in a loud voice, "Although the inferior disciple caused a big disturbance in the Eastern Sea, he didn't take anyone's life. How can such a punishment be convincing to others?"

  Li Jing reported back: "I report to the Jade Emperor, the Dragon King's daughter Ao Ning indeed did not die. She previously contracted a strange illness, which caused her six souls and two spirits to leave her body, until now she is still unconscious, as if dead."

  The fact is before our eyes, and the Jade Emperor cannot help but consider the face of Tongyuan Daxian, so he can only listen to the suggestion of Taishang Laojun: "In this way, the death penalty can be avoided, but the living penalty is hard to escape. Li Mu will be imprisoned in the Town Demon Tower for a hundred years, and if his evil spirit has not dissipated but increased, another judgment will be made."

  The heavenly gods joined forces to set fire to Li Mu, even Tongyuan Daxian couldn't help it, and could only retreat another step.

  "Sorry, Mu Er." Tongyuan Da Xian felt a pang of sympathy but was powerless to help. He couldn't bear the thought of Li Mu being locked up in the Demon-Suppressing Tower and vanished into thin air.