Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao-Chapter 696 - 345: Help

"What help do you need?"

"As you've seen, my disciple has only just embarked on the path of the Immortal Dao. To tear apart the Heavenly Stripes, one needs a robust body, and the only strategy right now is to follow your example and stealthily consume Immortal Pills," Lu Yu said with a smile.

"Let's not even talk about it. I, Lao Shun, have long since reformed and no longer engage in such activities," the Monkey hastily waved his hand, unwilling to risk his reputation by stealing pills from the Heavenly Court again.

"You wouldn't need to do it yourself; just help by knocking out a few Child Servants. As for stealing the pills, let Chenxiang do it himself," Lu Yu insisted.

"Is that even possible? What difference is there between Chenxiang's current strength and seeking death at Tushita Palace?" the Monkey replied irritably. For someone who had just stepped onto the path of immortality to try stealing Immortal Pills from the Heavenly Court was nothing short of suicidal.

"Times have changed. Now all the Saints are close to transcendence, and the Supreme Elderly Lord has long ceased to concern himself with earthly matters. There are only Child Servants guarding the Tushita Palace. Moreover, what kind of person is Chenxiang? Can consuming the pills reserved for the Jade Emperor even be considered stealing!" Lu Yu argued vehemently.

The Monkey paused and thought it over. Chenxiang was, after all, a descendant of the Jade Emperor and thus, part of the family. It couldn't really be regarded as stealing. This thought made his heart stir with excitement. Since achieving enlightenment and being titled the Victorious Fighting Buddha, he hadn't engaged in such mischief for a long time, and thinking about it now, he actually felt a bit eager.

"Fine, but let it be agreed that I, Lao Shun, am only responsible for cover."

"Rest assured, your renown shall not be tarnished," the two agreed. When Chenxiang had nearly mastered the cultivation techniques taught by Lu Yu, they planned for his journey to the heavens.

A few days later, Lu Yu called Chenxiang to the seaside, where the ocean was turbulent, with large waves crashing against the shore, creating a tremendous noise and splashing water nearly upon them.

"Master, why have you summoned me here?" Chenxiang asked, puzzled. He had been devoutly cultivating in the Water Fall Cave before being summoned here without any apparent reason.

"With your current strength, it is a fanciful delusion to think you can tear apart the Heavenly Stripes to save your mother. Following the regular course of cultivation could take who knows how long, so the only plan now is to start your intensive training," Lu Yu said softly.

"Intensive training?" Chenxiang was somewhat puzzled.

"We are pressed for time and must resort to some unconventional methods. Now, go into the sea," Lu Yu gently pointed down from the cliff.

Chenxiang looked down, his heart racing at the sight of the roaring waves churning like mountains of snow. Despite being a bold individual, he couldn't help but feel his mouth go dry, "Master, this...."

"Don't worry, you won't die. I will use these waves to temper your body and widen your meridians. How terrifying the thing that breaks the heavens is. Without a Vajra Indestructible body, how could one possibly manage?" Lu Yu spoke gently.

Upon hearing this, Chenxiang gritted his teeth and jumped into the raging waves. The giant waves, with their powerful force, immediately struck his body. Chenxiang struggled to keep calm, circulating his cultivation techniques. A flickering light seemed to emit from within his body as the tremendous forces battered him, forcing a muffled grunt from him.

Chenxiang felt all his organs shaking violently. Fortunately, his mana supported him and prevented injury, but another massive wave crashed down before he could catch his breath, leaving him no choice but to continue enduring the onslaught of the waves.

Seeing this, Lu Yu nodded. Chenxiang's temperament and perseverance were the foundation for choosing this method of training, and it seemed to be effective. Lu Yu could clearly see Chenxiang's physique strengthening at a visibly fast rate through the beating of the waves, though this method was predicated on pushing his physical limits.

However, the Nine-Turn Golden Pill concocted by the Elderly Lord could resolve this risk. Seeing Chenxiang struggling to withstand the waves, with blood beginning to seep from the corners of his mouth—a sign of internal injuries from the impacts—Lu Yu knew the time had come.

"Chenxiang, open your mouth!" Lu Yu whispered sharply, as a stream of Spiritual Water surged into Chenxiang's mouth.

Chenxiang's body immediately became like a parched desert, greedily absorbing the moisture; as soon as the Spiritual Water entered his body, it was completely absorbed, and the wounds on his body healed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The previously feeble Chenxiang suddenly regained his vitality, his gaze firm as he faced the incoming massive waves, his eyes showing not a trace of fear, only resolve.

In this way, Chenxiang kept getting injured by the sea waves, continuously healing with the nourishment of the Spiritual Water, his body's strength visibly enhancing. In a matter of days, the impact of the massive waves had already lost its effect.

At that time, Lu Yu used his Technique to stir up even higher waves, continuing to temper Chenxiang; time flew by, and Chenxiang could no longer remember how long he had been at Huaguo Mountain.

This period of devilish training left him utterly exhausted, with no energy left to fuss over time, but by now his body had become strong to a certain extent; as the Cultivation Technique circulated, his entire body seemed made of glazed glass, a sign of major accomplishment in body refinement.

A thousand-foot high wave fell from the sky, carrying immense force as it struck his body, yet it could not shake him in the slightest, and Chenxiang did not even feel any pain.

"Good, your body has now reached a bottleneck; continuing to train like this will be ineffective," Lu Yu said, clapping his hands towards Chenxiang.

"Rest well for a few days, your martial uncle will take you to a good place in a couple of days."

At the Southern Heavenly Gate, a few Heavenly Soldiers stared bored into the distance. As rulers of the Three Realms, rarely did anyone dare to intrude the Southern Heavenly Gate, therefore these Heavenly Soldiers often found themselves overwhelmingly idle.

"When will this ever end? What's so great about guarding the Southern Heavenly Gate? Who would dare to barge in these days?" one of the Heavenly Soldiers complained.

"You should be happy that no one is storming the Southern Heavenly Gate. What complaints could you possibly have? If there were someone like the Great Saint around, we'd be dead without even leaving dust behind."

"That's true, I heard that many Heavenly Soldiers were innocently slaughtered during that Havoc in Heaven incident."

As the two spoke, suddenly a white cloud flew from afar at such high speed that they could barely see its figure. They quickly tensed up and shouted loudly, "Who dares to trespass the Southern Heavenly Gate?"

No sooner had they spoken than a monkey jumped down from the cloud, dressed in Golden Armor, wielding an Iron Rod, which startled them—they nearly thought this scourge was about to attack the Southern Heavenly Gate again.

"It's the Great Saint. What brings you to the Southern Heavenly Gate?" asked the Heavenly Soldiers with a smile plastered on their faces, deeply afraid of provoking this scourge and causing unrest in the Heavenly Court again.

"Lao Shun is feeling restless and plans to have a good walk in the heavens, visit some old friends. Is that alright?"

"You jest, Great Saint—if you wish to pass, who are we to stop you!"

"That's good, keep guarding well, I'll go in first," said the monkey, patting the Heavenly Soldier on the shoulder and smiling, while secretly making signs to someone outside the Southern Heavenly Gate.