Journey to the West: Tang Monk Conquers Everything

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Notification: Gained Experience Points 1850.

Notification: Level increased by 1, current level 27.

The effect of the Flashing Brilliance Shoes combined with the attack from Palm Thunder led to the direct electrocution of a Demon Soldier that had half its Health Points remaining.

Upon releasing his palm, a cool sensation flowed from within, and almost simultaneously, a succession of system notifications alerted Jiang Liu that his level had ascended to 27.

Although activating Palm Thunder required grabbing the target, with the Flashing Brilliance Shoes aiding its execution, the move was much easier to perform.

As his level increased, Jiang Liu took a moment to consider before immediately investing Skill Points into Palm Thunder, elevating the skill to High-Level status.

Among the three major professions, Taoists boast the highest output, and their Attack Power becomes even more formidable after a class change. As Palm Thunder was currently Jiang Liu's most powerful skill, it was naturally vital to maximize its Skill Points first!

After the upgrade, Palm Thunder's related attributes got a significant boost:

Palm Thunder: (High-Level 3): Upon grasping the target, unleash the power of thunder in the palm, Attack Power +1800+120%, Cooldown Time 60 seconds.

Even though the Cooldown Time remained unchanged, both the base Attack Power and the percentage increase had improved nicely, prompting a nod of satisfaction from Jiang Liu.

Since reaching level 26, Jiang Liu had roughly estimated that, all said and done, he had gained close to 500,000 Experience Points.

This made Jiang Liu sigh internally. Now that leveling up required so many Experience Points, wouldn't the numbers be astronomical by the time he reached levels 100 and above?

In terms of human Cultivator realms, they are Qi Refinement, Meridian Unblocking, Body Refining, Controlling-Law, Divinity Transformation, Returning Void, Heavenly Immortal, Taiyi True Immortal, Daluo Golden Immortal, and surpassing the Golden Immortal realm were legendary figures such as the Jade Emperor and Tathagata...n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

If one were to use the settings from Deification or the Primordial, surpassing the Daluo Golden Immortal realm would mean entering the Quasi-Saint realm, right!?

In total ten major realms, and if each realm corresponds to 10 levels, doesn't that mean I would need at least level 91 to reach the likes of Tathagata?

"I remember before crossing over, the game I played capped at level 100!?"

As he resumed sitting on the White Dragon Horse and continued his Journey to the West, Jiang Liu pondered the issue of levels.

Could it be that his own cap was also level 100 and that it was impossible to advance further after reaching it?

Moreover, he remembered that when Saint Monk Longhai imparted the Heavenly Dragon Zen Sound cultivation technique, he mentioned it had only six levels.

Does that mean after reaching the Heavenly Immortal Realm, relying on this cultivation technique for Experience Points would become ineffectual?

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Liu shook his head, feeling it was too early to worry about these issues. Who knows how long it would actually take to reach level 100.

However, now that he was at level 27, it seemed he should save Skill Points to upgrade Heavenly Dragon Zen Sound after another two levels.

At level 31, he could elevate Heavenly Dragon Zen Sound to the fourth level.

"Master, there's a massive river ahead, no, this looks more like a sea!?" Sun Wukong suddenly spoke up, interrupting Jiang Liu's contemplation as he sat atop the White Dragon Horse.

Jiang Liu looked ahead and indeed, there was a clear demarcation between the land and the water.

As they drew nearer, Jiang Liu could see the waters were filled with endless quicksand, grains shifting with the current, which created an unusual sight.

Of course, what was most astonishing was the river's vastness. It was so wide that the other side was out of sight, which was why Sun Wukong initially mistook it for a sea.

"Monkey Brother, this is a river, it's just an exceptionally wide one!"

As a former Marshal commanding eighty thousand Naval Forces, Zhu Bajie approached the riverbed and after a brief assessment confidently declared.

"Have we reached Liusha River already? It's truly a sight to behold!" Jiang Liu dismounted from the White Dragon Horse and stood by the riverbank, looking far into the distance where the boundary was out of sight, which drew a silent exclamation of wonder from him.

The original text stated that the Liusha River was tens of thousands of miles in length and eight hundred miles wide, lying across the land like an insurmountable rift.

Jiang Liu had once thought this was an exaggeration, but now it didn't seem so exaggerated.

"River!? Such a wide river is certainly rare."

Sun Wukong, also curious, scooped up some water at the riverside. The water in his palm had some sand in it, indicating it wasn't drinkable. However, upon a gentle sniff, it lacked the briny scent of seawater.

"What's so great about this river? Back when I, Old Pig, held the title of Marshal Tianpeng, the Heavenly River was truly wide!" Hearing Sun Wukong praising the river's width, Zhu Bajie shook his head, boasting with a look of pride.

"Alright, let's stop marveling for now..." Discover hidden tales at empire

Hearing the conversation between Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie, Jiang Liu knew that if he allowed them to continue, it would turn into a squabble, so he preempted their next words, saying, "Now, let's discuss how we're going to cross this river."

"Master, that's easy, Xiaobai is a dragon, right? If he carries you over the river, it'll be faster than running on land!"

Zhu Bajie was nonchalant in response to Jiang Liu's question.

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"Indeed, Master, I can carry you across the river!" Despite being transformed into a white horse, he was still a dragon at heart. Hearing Zhu Bajie's suggestion, the White Dragon Horse nodded and volunteered eagerly.

"Is that so!?" Jiang Liu was taken aback by the words of White Dragon Horse and Zhu Bajie.

Although their reasoning made sense, why had it never been done this way in the original story?

In the Liusha River, was Monk Sha not lurking within, and it was uncertain whether he would recognize Jiang Liu. If there was indeed trouble while crossing the river, the consequences could be unpredictable.

It seemed that Tang Monk, known as a good man for ten lifetimes of cultivation, was in his previous nine lifetimes eaten by Monk Sha?

"Your words are polite, yet it is prudent to be cautious when crossing this boundless river. Let's see if there are any strong evil demons in the water." Not wanting to gamble with his life, Jiang Liu spoke to Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie.

"Hmm, Master, you speak wisely. Bajie, why don't you go down and take a look!?" Sun Wukong nodded in agreement and then turned to Zhu Bajie beside him.

"Why should I go!? Monkey Brother, don't you always boast that you can traverse heaven and earth, omnipotent!?" Laziness creeping in, Zhu Bajie retorted somewhat unwillingly.

"Don't you always say you were once Marshal Tianpeng? You should be more familiar with matters in the water. If I, Old Sun, were to go, I would have to recite the water avoidance art. In case it comes to blows, it won't be easy to exert my full strength!" Shaking his head, Sun Wukong seemed to have an aversion to entering the water.

"Alright then, I, Old Pig, will go down to take a look!"

Convinced by Sun Wukong's reasoning that casting the water avoidance art while engaging in combat in the water would divide one's attention, Zhu Bajie shook his head reluctantly, hefted his rake, and with a powerful leap plunged straight into the Liusha River.

The Liusha River, thousands of miles long and eight hundred miles wide, saw Zhu Bajie dive in and swim around for approximately half a Chinese hour without finding anything.

Having no luck, he simply rested at the bottom of the river.

Searching for a demon in such a vast river was naturally no easy task.

After about another hour had passed, Zhu Bajie finally broke through the surface of the water, shook the droplets from his body, and said, "Master, I searched around down there and did not find any powerful demons!"

"No!?" Hearing this, Jiang Liu's heart stirred.

Could it be that Monk Sha had not yet arrived at the Liusha River because they had set out early? But on second thought, that seemed unlikely.

"Or is there some other problem?" After pondering to himself for a moment, Jiang Liu thought it over.

Regardless, with Sun Wukong, Zhu Bajie, and Little White Dragon protecting him, and armed with the Brocade Kasaya and the Nine-Ring Staff, he didn't need to worry too much about his safety.

With this in mind, Jiang Liu nodded.

Mounted on the White Dragon Horse's back, the White Dragon Horse leaped into the Liusha River. Its hooves barely stirred the waters, and it was able to cross as if on flat ground.

"Truly befitting of the Dragon Clan! Even transformed into a white horse, it moves through water as easily as fish!" Watching the White Dragon Horse swim ahead steadily, Jiang Liu admired in his heart.

"Let's go!" As White Dragon Horse carried Jiang Liu across the Liusha River, Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie set off too; the monkey and the pig floated in mid-air, heading across the river.

However, they had only swum two or three li when suddenly, the water of the Liusha River began to churn unusually, causing Jiang Liu, who was sitting on the horse, to stagger nearly falling off.

Whoosh!

Without any wind to cause waves and despite the serene air above the Liusha River, the water was whipped up into towering waves, like a tsunami. Even as skilled in water as Little White Dragon was, now in the form of a horse and carrying Jiang Liu on its back, it struggled to maintain balance.

"Master, be careful! Don't fall off!" The White Dragon Horse tried its best to stay steady, shouting loudly to Jiang Liu.

"You dimwit, how did you scout just now!? There is indeed an evil demon causing a disturbance in the water!" Seeing this, Sun Wukong was shocked and angry, rebuking Zhu Bajie.

"I, I didn't know either, Old Pig. Maybe the evil demon was hiding too deep, and I just didn't find him!" Zhu Bajie said, somewhat sheepishly lowering his head.

Whoosh!

A massive whirlpool rose with terrifying waves crashing down, and Jiang Liu was immediately struck into the waters.

Fortunately, Zhu Bajie was quick to act, grabbing the fallen Jiang Liu and the group swiftly retreated.

They were only two or three li from the shore and in a short while everyone had returned to the banks of the Liusha River.

Achoo...

Being the cold winter months, falling into the river, Jiang Liu felt ice-cold all over and couldn't help but sneeze several times, tightening the kasaya around him.

"Master, I, Old Pig, will go down and capture that demon!" Perhaps out of guilty conscience and the desire to make amends after seeing Jiang Liu's state, Zhu Bajie spoke fiercely.

"No, no need!"

However, Jiang Liu did not blame Zhu Bajie and said, "As the saying goes, even a strong dragon cannot suppress a local snake. Since the demon in the water obstructs our journey to the West, then we shall simply bypass the Liusha River!"