This stone monkey was born ignorant, but because he had been tempered in the beginning, he became proficient in Taoism and could speak. He went to pay farewell to all directions. The most advanced Taoism practiced golden light internally, which was a path to enlightenment and the understanding of all laws.

The stone monkey's foundation is too strong. Even if he doesn't practice cultivation, he can live for hundreds or thousands of years.

And because he did not know how to restrain himself, the majestic golden light only circulated in his body and gradually leaked out. Two golden rays shot out from his eyes, soaring into the sky and rushing in all directions. At this time, the Jade Emperor was summoning the two gods, Thousand-Li Eyes and Wind-Ears, to come here.

When the two generals heard that the Jade Emperor had suddenly summoned them in person, they became anxious and hurried here. They happened to see the two golden lights rising into the sky and illuminating all directions. Having received the order from the Jade Emperor, they did not dare to delay and immediately used their magical powers to go and see what was happening on the fairy mountain by the East China Sea.

Although he was surprised, he still turned around and reported to the Jade Emperor: "Your Highness, Great Emperor."

"The two golden lights just now came from a stone monkey on a mountain in the East Sea of ​​the lower world. It seemed to be a person with a predestined relationship with Taoism. It worshipped the four directions there. It has a good foundation and golden light inside. That's why it rushed up and down. Previously, it used golden light from its eyes to shoot into the Dou Palace. Now it has taken food and water, and the golden light will subside."

"Do you want us to go and get this monkey?"

The Jade Emperor's excitement gradually faded after hearing this, and he lost interest. After hearing the reports from the two gods, he felt a little more compassionate. He just waved his hand and said, "As for the creatures in the lower realm, since they are alien species born from the essence of heaven and earth, as long as they are not the evil obstacles of the innate gods and demons, let them go."

"Just a monkey."

"You guys go down first."

The two gods, Qianliyan and Shunfenger, saw that the Jade Emperor didn't seem to be in a good mood. They looked at each other and said, "Yes." Then they stepped back and evacuated from here. The Jade Emperor sighed and said to Yang Jian beside him, "I thought Yujing had returned. It seems that it was just my delusion after all."

Yang Jian knew that the relationship between the Jade Emperor and Zhenwu was very good, so he replied:

"With the Emperor's strength and means, the final calamity will certainly not be able to do anything to him. The Emperor will return one day."

The Jade Emperor smiled and said, "Of course."

"Forget it, forget it. There's no need to mention him. You just mentioned the matters of those evil gods when you came back this time. You need to tell me what's going on now."

Yang Jian agreed, and began to slowly describe the current situation of the innate gods and demons - since the war two thousand years ago, these innate gods and demons had indeed been rampant for a period of time.

It was also because of the existence of these innate gods and demons that they became Yang Jian's opponents and enemies on his path of cultivation. He had fought with them countless times, and had achieved breakthroughs in battle more than once. It can be said that Yang Jian became famous by stepping on the corpses of these innate gods and demons.

Although these gods and demons are still extremely willful and arrogant, their sphere of activities is constantly being squeezed out and squeezed by the six realms.

Its decadent trend is already extremely obvious.

"If we continue like this, with a few hundred years of suppression, the six realms can join forces to strangle and pacify these remaining gods and demons in one go!"

Yang Jian spoke calmly as he analyzed and explained the current situation to the Jade Emperor.

…

In Ruizhu Palace, Hou Tu Huang Di Niangniang opened her eyes and looked at Wa Huang. Wa Huang Niangniang held the child and asked. Hou Tu Huang Di Niangniang sighed and explained helplessly: "It's not that Wu Huo has returned. The previous big commotion was outside the East China Sea. A fairy stone burst open on a fairy mountain."

"This immortal stone is located on the node of my earth vein. It has absorbed the essence of heaven and earth, the light of the sun and the moon for thousands of years. For some reason today, it suddenly burst open and laid a stone egg, which turned into a monkey in the wind. Speaking of which, this monkey has some relationship with Wuhuo."

Queen Wa was puzzled.

The Queen Mother Hou Tu Huang Di Ji then recounted the events of the demon race that year, such as the events of the Demon King Tai Xiao, Qing Jingwei, and the raising of the holy fetus. Finally, she said, "This monkey itself was the holy fetus at the beginning, and it has undergone many changes of fortune to become what it is today. With its bravery and natural comprehension, its future achievements are probably limitless."

Queen Wa nodded. Bixia in her arms was already sleeping soundly. In her dream, her little hands were still tightly grasping Queen Wa's clothes, whispering something in her sleep. Queen Wa's eyes showed some pity and compassion, and she said, "What a pity, it's not her father who has returned..."

The Queen Mother Hou Tu Huang Di Ji sighed.

But in a mountain.

There are green mountains in the distance, blue sky, smoke rising from the mountains, people coming and going, but it is a bustling town. As the saying goes, live by the mountains, eat by the mountains; live by the sea, eat by the sea. This town has relied on the green mountains behind it since ancient times. If there is no food, the people can hunt and pick fruits in the mountains. If they are sick, there are also herbs in the mountains.

In the cold winter, the not-so-high mountains can block the cold winds and cold waves from the north for the town at the foot of the mountain. There are also many trees growing on the mountains. Woodcutters go up the mountain, chop trees and firewood, carry them down the mountain to burn them into charcoal, and then sell them on the street. Some woodcutters are too lazy to do this step and directly send the firewood to the charcoal seller.

Although it was decades ago that the Mohist scholars paved the mechanical roads into this town.

It's called the official road.

With the arrival of iron horses, this town that had lived in seclusion in the mountains for generations now had external connections. People went out and brought back books, scrolls, jade slips, and delicacies from the outside world. The town gradually prospered. Some old professions had disappeared, but the woodcutter still existed.

There are also spiritualities in the mountains. Three hundred years ago, a master of the Mohist school created a mechanism that uprooted all the spiritual grasses on the mountains, leaving no trees, creating vast tracts of barren mountains and wilderness, which angered the earth god. After many conflicts that year, an agreement was finally reached.

The mountain gods allow the human world to pick things from the mountains without disrupting the balance of the entire earth's veins. When humans cut down trees, they also need to plant new trees. When picking elixirs, they must not remove the roots, and only take the fruits and branches and leaves that have medicinal properties.

All living things live, and humans walk among them. Today, Zhao the woodcutter took a look at the note that was sent to him, which said that branches of a certain spiritual tree were needed as a medicinal guide. He recalled in his heart that he had seen this tree on the other side of the mountain in the past. So he took the note, put on his backpack, and said goodbye to his parents, elder brother and sister-in-law at home.

He picked up the axe that had been sharpened to a smooth surface and shouted towards home:

"Dad, Mom, I'm going up the mountain!"

The old man was tending to the two vegetable gardens without even turning his head.

He and his youngest son, Zhao Qiaofu, had just had a big fight over marriage. The father and son were still sulking. His old wife glared at him, handed the food box to her son who was going up the mountain, and said, "Take it. This mountain is not small. You need to have enough strength to walk all day."

"Oh, mother, I don't need it. It's troublesome to carry this thing."

"What's the use of it? Just take it. Don't think you are young and healthy. If you don't take care of it now, you will suffer when you are old. Take it."

"Have you put on your warm clothes? Don't force yourself. It's only the beginning of spring, March or April, and it can still be cold for a while. Don't catch a cold."

The old woman kept mumbling for a long time, and the woodcutter felt a little annoyed. He quickly stuffed the food box into his cotton-padded jacket and waved his hand, saying, "I know, I know, it's true. Mom, it's windy outside, you should go back soon, and stop talking."

"I'm leaving!"

He waved his hand and ran away from the door to the mountain road. The old woman watched her son walk away. Then she came to her senses and saw her old man still sitting there with a small stool. She said, "You are also such an old man. Why are you arguing with him?"

"He likes the daughter of the butcher Zhang, so just go and talk to him. What happened between you two when you were young, is it possible that it will affect the child?"

The old man had no choice but to say, "Then you have to ask this kid to talk to me nicely. How can a son talk to his father in such a loud voice?!"

The old woman knew that he had actually given in, so she smiled and said, "You two are both so stubborn. All right, I'll go to Butcher Zhang's house and buy two pounds of front leg meat, and then get another pound of wine. Tonight, you two can have a good meal, drink a couple of glasses of wine, and talk this over."

The old man didn't say anything, but when his wife left, he said stubbornly:

"Go buy that Shao Huo Dao Zi wine."

"Ah? Didn't you say that this wine was too expensive and you couldn't bear to drink it?"

The old man said in a muffled voice: "There is still a late spring cold snap. He has been up in the mountains all day, and his hands and feet must be numb when he comes back. Buy him some good wine to warm him up."

His wife understood what her old man meant and said with a smile: "Okay!"

She was immediately delighted and carried a bamboo basket to Butcher Zhang's house. When she was buying meat, Butcher Zhang's daughter was watching beside her. She looked so quiet and gentle, and the more she looked at her, the more she liked her. She couldn't stop smiling. She thought that after her child came back today, she would talk about everything at the dinner table.

By then the marriage will be settled this year.

Zhao Ji went up the mountain with his axe. He was very upset because he slammed the table and yelled at his father yesterday. He regretted it later, but as a young man, he was thin-skinned and didn't know how to apologize to his old man. He was depressed for a long time, yelled a few times, and chopped the tree next to him with the axe in his hand, making the tree rustle.

Several fat rabbits were scared away. The woodcutter practiced a variety of martial arts and his body was light and agile. He caught up with the rabbits in a few steps. He didn't know the direction and just ran after one of them. Suddenly, his eyes were sharp and he grabbed a fat rabbit with his hand. The rabbit struggled in his hand, but how could it escape?

Zhao Ji tied up the rabbit and threw it into his bamboo basket, saying with a smile, "Oh, the old man likes to drink the most. Let's go back and cook the rabbit today and talk to him about this matter. As long as we talk about the matter between father and son, what can't be said?"

He thought about the time when he was yelling at his father yesterday and he slapped the table in anger. At that moment, he suddenly found that the father who was so tall in his memory had become much thinner, and when he stood up, he could almost cover him.

“I’m old too.”

With emotion, he picked up the axe and looked around, only to find that this area was unfamiliar. He had been coming and going on this mountain before, but he didn't even know where he was. Although this mountain was called the back mountain, it was actually very large with complex terrain. Even the most experienced old hunter or woodcutter could not say that he could walk through every place and recognize them all.

Fortunately, there was a stream ahead, so I was not afraid of water. I could always find the exit by following the stream. Even if it was not near my town, I could come across a mountain village and ask the people living in the mountains, and they would always know where I was going and where the exit was.

Zhao Ji'an calmed down and walked forward, humming a mountain tune. He didn't know how far he had walked. He was a little confused. Although the mountain was not small, was it really that big? He gradually became worried and his expression became solemn. He walked for a full hour or two. It was already noon, but he still hadn't found the exit.

After turning back a few more times, I found that the view ahead was wide and I saw two people.

One was a Taoist priest wearing a black robe with flowing black hair; the other was a tall and sturdy man with a majestic demeanor. The two sat opposite each other on the bank of a stream. In front of them was a stone table with a chessboard on it, and they were playing a game of chess.

The woodcutter was overjoyed to see someone.

Without caring about anything else, he hurried forward.

He strode to the chessboard.