At that moment a violent earthquake suddenly came from afar, followed by a heaven-shaking dragon roar.
Wang Hu's expression changed drastically, and his body instantly swelled twice in size, demonic energy surging as he charged like a storm toward the source. When a tiger emerges, wind follows. When a dragon rises, clouds follow. Wang Hu revealed his true form and burst forth with full power, violent winds and demonic aura filling the sky, making him look like a great villain about to make his entrance.
But he had no time to admire his own aura. He was extremely anxious. That dragon roar alone had already made him tremble in fear.
He rushed out of the forest and looked ahead. It was a deep water abyss surrounded by strange blooming plants, filled with dense spiritual energy. But what shocked him was the gigantic white creature floating above the water surface.
It was indeed the third prince of the Western Sea.
"The white dragon," Wang Hu muttered, feeling a chill all over his body. This guy seemed to like swallowing things whole. Wasn't the white horse in Journey to the West also eaten by him?
Just as he rushed out, the white dragon in the sky suddenly turned its head. Its massive dragon head slowly faced him, its eyes flashing with excitement, and most notably, saliva was clearly dripping from its mouth.
The giant dragon head slowly approached, dragon breath blowing directly onto Wang Hu, making his four legs nearly weaken and his body unable to move. In the distance the bandits had disappeared without a trace, and the little green snake lay motionless on the ground like a limp rope, struggling desperately but completely suppressed by the dragon pressure.
Wang Hu's body looked like an ant before the thirty-zhang dragon. Of course, in the white dragon's eyes he was just food.
Am I going to die? Wang Hu roared madly in his heart. This opponent, although not yet at the earth immortal realm of refining spirit into emptiness, was not far from it. Even a single breath of dragon breath would be enough to kill him.
"This little tiger looks quite good. Perfect as a meal for this Third Prince of the Western Sea. Consider it your blessing in this life." The white dragon threw its head back and laughed loudly, opening its bloody mouth and charging straight toward Wang Hu.
Damn. I'm a modern person from the twenty-first century. How could I die in the belly of a little flood dragon like you? Wang Hu muttered, his eyes constantly darting around, clearly searching for a way to escape.
When the dragon's mouth was right in front of him, he suddenly brightened up and shouted, "I was sent by Guanyin Bodhisattva! You cannot eat me!"
In a life and death situation, Wang Hu could only use the name of the Bodhisattva as a shield.
"Oh? Little tiger, what are you saying? Guanyin Bodhisattva is in the South Sea." The white dragon frowned in confusion, looking at him with puzzled eyes, and finally withdrew the dragon pressure that had been surrounding them.
The little green snake immediately felt its body lighten, let out an angry hiss, and turned into a streak of green light rushing onto Wang Hu's body.
The white dragon stared at him from close range. Wang Hu immediately felt his mouth go dry and quickly said, "Yes. I was originally just an ordinary tiger on the Five Elements Mountain, enlightened by the Bodhisattva, which is why I was able to cultivate into a demon. Before leaving, the Bodhisattva asked me to pass a message to the third prince: the one who goes on the pilgrimage will change his path in seven years. During these years, she hopes you will reduce your killings and wait for the pilgrimage group to arrive. Amitabha. May the Bodhisattva bless us."
After saying all that, Wang Hu even pretended to press his palms together and chant a Buddhist name toward the west.
The white dragon looked at Wang Hu in confusion. He had no choice — the matter of the western pilgrimage was extremely important to him. Moreover, although this tiger seemed ordinary in form, its spiritual nature was extremely high, forcing him to be cautious.
Thinking of this, the white dragon immediately withdrew his contempt, and his vast divine sense quietly scanned Wang Hu.
At this moment Wang Hu had completely restrained his demon aura and circulated the Eighty-Nine Mystic Art, his body emitting faint traces of spiritual light. The Eighty-Nine Mystic Art was a top-tier Daoist cultivation technique, something even the white dragon was not qualified to cultivate. Seeing those strands of spiritual light, the white dragon's heart immediately sank. This seemingly weak little tiger was not simple at all.
With a boom, smoke and dust rose. The massive white dragon in the sky suddenly disappeared, and before Wang Hu appeared a young man in white robes, handsome and elegant.
"Fellow Daoist, you are too courteous. Thank you for helping pass the message to the Bodhisattva. I will certainly obey the Bodhisattva's decree and cultivate peacefully in the future here at Yingchou Gorge, reducing my killings." The white dragon retracted his arrogant demeanor and, like Wang Hu, cupped his hands toward the west in greeting.
Looking at him, Wang Hu thought to himself: This white dragon is indeed handsome, but almost too beautiful, like a woman. No wonder his wife was stolen by the nine-headed worm. Perhaps he was envied for being too beautiful.
But on the surface he did not dare show anything. Seeing that the danger had passed, Wang Hu pretended to wipe sweat from his forehead and said fearfully, "Third Prince, that really scared me just now. I almost got eaten by you."
Hearing this, the white dragon immediately felt embarrassed. But he also understood the principle that it is easy to meet King Yama and hard to deal with the little ghosts. Moreover, this tiger was now considered someone on the Bodhisattva's side. If he returned and reported that he had almost eaten him, he did not know whether Guanyin Bodhisattva would still allow him to join the pilgrimage.
Thinking of this, he smiled and stepped closer, saying softly, "Brother Wang, I frightened you earlier. How about this? I will host a banquet later at the water palace to apologize and calm your nerves."
Hearing about food, Wang Hu felt moved. As a divine dragon of the dragon race, his banquet would certainly be extraordinary, with immortal fruits and divine wine without a doubt. But he was currently impersonating an envoy of Guanyin. If he slipped up, he would be doomed.
Thinking of this, Wang Hu immediately shook his head like a rattle. "I have long heard that the dragon race has countless treasures, and I also want to broaden my horizons, but I still have tasks entrusted by the Bodhisattva that are not finished. There are still several disciples of the pilgrimage group ahead for me to pass messages to. As an envoy, I dare not stay long."
Hearing this, the white dragon indeed understood. He immediately realized the other party was refusing the banquet, and that only some small gift would be appropriate. He then said, "Since Brother Wang still has matters assigned by the Bodhisattva, I will not detain you. Please accept this small gift."
After speaking, he took off a jade pendant and handed it to Wang Hu.
Wang Hu was overjoyed inside. As expected, this white dragon was very sensible. He pretended to refuse a few times before accepting it. He was not worried about being exposed. His tiger claw flickered with spiritual light, and the jade pendant was stored directly into the storage space inside his tiger tooth.
The two chatted a bit more, and then Wang Hu swaggered away, tail swinging, leaving the white dragon of Yingchou Gorge watching him go.
A light flashed in the white dragon's eyes. From the moment he saw the storage space in Wang Hu's tiger tooth, he had completely dispelled his suspicion. This little tiger was definitely not simple.
But thinking of his own jade pendant, he felt a bit of heartache. That was an immortal treasure, and yet it had been tricked away. He cursed himself for being greedy. If he had not gone out earlier, he would not have been tricked by a little tiger.
A dragon roar echoed far away. With a boom, the white dragon returned to his true form and dove back into Yingchou Gorge. He had decided that before the pilgrimage group arrived, he would never leave this place again.