Chapter 121: Alchemy, Intentions Revealed
“Old Spirit, please possess me!” Liu Xianghe shouted loudly, no longer caring about the depletion of her lifespan at this moment.
The Elder Ape didn’t even glance at her. He raised a single palm and delivered a powerful empty strike.
The palm force pierced through the demon’s body, directly shattering the rocky cliff behind it, nearly damaging a rare “Three-Insect Resurrection Herb.” Alarmed, the Elder Ape immediately withdrew his palm force. His vital energy surged turbulently, nearly causing internal injuries.
Though they fought fiercely here, no one dared to mess with this three-century-old spirit herb.
If anyone dared to harm this herb, the Daoist Qiuqiu’s return would surely drive him mad. Even the Elder Ape himself admitted he wouldn’t dare provoke such wrath.
“Hiss—”
“Hiss—”
The hissing of snakes sounded. The Elder Ape first looked at the head of the Red-Silk Woman’s corpse he had just shattered, then at the severely wounded but still alive Liu Xianghe.
He realized that the Old Spirit had already silently descended—most likely into Liu Xianghe’s body.
“Cough, cough.”
Liu Xianghe coughed up blood continuously, breathing in deeply but exhaling weakly.
“Old Spirit, Old Spirit, why abandon my flesh? I have also drunk the Star Spirit Divine Water; I am qualified to bear your Divine True Dharma thought!”
“Annoying!”
The Elder Ape was vexed by her incessant clamoring. He raised his palm again, but suddenly a thought flashed through his mind. Shifting his gaze, he fixed it on the fledgling crane nearby.
“You.”
As he spoke, the Elder Ape silently struck a palm. The palm force flew out but vanished without a trace, like a stone sinking into the sea.
The next moment, the Elder Ape retreated, and the golden-edged sword hanging overhead suddenly shone brightly, carrying him away in an instant.
Ji Ming felt helpless, trapped in this situation with no good solution. He could only invite the Old Spirit to possess him, to experience the “Divine True Borrowed Dharma” firsthand.
In doing so, this grand dream would not have been in vain.
Yet he hadn’t expected the Elder Ape’s vigilance. After delivering that palm strike, without further probing and sensing danger, he immediately fled.
“Child, child, you have taken the initiative to invite the Old Spirit to possess you, even before I did.”
Ji Ming now was like an outsider, or a satellite, his consciousness firmly attracted and bound by the fiery Divine True Dharma thought within the body.
He retained his independent awareness but could not control this crane body.
“Child!”
Liu Xianghe called weakly, then called again, “Old Spirit?”
“Ha—”
The fledgling crane puckered its beak and took a deep breath.
From the eight burning human sacrifices hanging on the eaves, energy and flames flowed into that puckered mouth, swallowed down piece by piece.
Then, within the fledgling crane’s body, a complex alchemical process began, akin to refining pills.
Ji Ming’s consciousness, drawn by the Dharma thought, still lingered within.
Therefore, he observed this alchemy even more closely and felt its depth. This alone made the journey worthwhile.
“Old Spirit.”
Liu Xianghe’s consciousness gradually faded, struggling as she crawled toward the fledgling crane.
Now grasping at a lifeline, she called out repeatedly, hoping the other could save her life.
The soft tips of the down-covered wings slowly lifted, pointing directly at the “Three-Insect Resurrection Herb” in the pavilion under Liu Xianghe’s expectant gaze.
The Old Spirit’s Dharma thought was clear: let Liu Xianghe take the spirit herb to heal herself.
“No,” Liu Xianghe shook her head, looking at the herb. “My husband and I were entrusted to guard this herb. How can we commit such betrayal as stealing from our own post?”
“Hmm!”
The fledgling crane nodded slightly, as if affirming.
Suddenly, it spat out a “Six-Ding Fire Star” pill refined inside its belly, which fell onto Liu Xianghe’s body.
In an instant, her demon body was thoroughly cleansed by the burning fire.
Then, transforming into a flowing blaze, it swept like a tempest over the corpses of the Red-Silk Woman and the Wolf Commander, engulfing them in flames.
The fiery flow returned to the fledgling crane’s mouth and belly. This time, it chanted a spell aloud. Thick smoke burst from its puckered beak, releasing a faint cinnabar fragrance.
The so-called “refining of demon body remnants within, simmered slowly by the Ding Fire technique.”
To Ji Ming’s eyes, this method was true immortal alchemy—not mere water-fire dual refining, but a refinement by the primordial spirit, leaving no trace.
The Six-Ding Divine Fire blazed within, and the intangible, formless precious pill was already formed, its medicinal power immediately dispersing throughout the body.
The fledgling crane took a step forward; its form grew fuller.
After three steps, it matched Liu Xianghe’s body size exactly, a small cluster of Six-Ding Divine Fire burning atop its head.
“Old Spirit, Old Spirit.”
From the blood-soaked mud, a small head emerged, staring with tiny green bean eyes, bowing and saying, “Wing Star Old Immortal, eternal blessings and boundless dharma power.”
“You.”
A majestic voice came from the crane’s beak.
“I, Clever Mouse, have arranged this ‘Blood Surge Star Altar’ for you.
“Today, I implore you to descend to the mortal realm, for the demon forces are weak and the heavens strong. I ask the Old Spirit to seek justice for us southern demons.”
“Justice?”
The crane body straightened, its wings transforming into hands.
The palms grasped a handful of divine fire atop its head, flicking it gently, which transformed into a red brocade robe embroidered with fire patterns, draping over the crane’s body.
“I am dead; how can I care for such grand matters?”
“Dead? Dead?” Clever Mouse was stunned, almost doubting his own ears and momentarily forgetting to bow.
“Yes, dead—completely dead.
“What remains in the Yellow Sky are only my 108,000 lingering remnants.”
“Then what of us?”
Clever Mouse no longer felt clever; sweat poured from his forehead, bitterness filling his mouth.
“What is your plan now?”
“Plan?” The crane’s head shook gently. “A fallen Divine True spirit has no plans, for I have no future. You should ask yourself about your plan.
“Ah, and you.”
Ji Ming’s consciousness froze. He understood that the final “you” from the Wing Star Old Spirit referred to him.
Clever Mouse rejoiced greatly, realizing his chance had arrived after all the hardships. He said, “I beg the Old Spirit to grant me the True Dharma, so I may once again tread the old demon path.”
“Haha!
“My Dharma path does not cultivate good deeds; it specializes in devouring humans and setting fires. Do you dare practice this under the vast heavens?”
“Please grant me the Dharma,” Clever Mouse bowed again.
The Wing Star Dharma thought looked at Clever Mouse and nodded, “Take the True Dharma first; other matters can be considered later. Though your intentions are base, they are practical.”
With that, it touched its finger, transmitting a Dharma method directly into Clever Mouse’s mind.
“And you? What are your plans?”
Just as Clever Mouse was filled with joy, the possessed crane body of the Old Spirit spoke again, awakening him to the presence of another unknown existence here.
He hadn’t expected the fledgling crane’s original nature—after all, it was newly born, innocent and naive, incapable of expressing future plans.
He inquired of the Dharma thought, but after transmitting the Dharma method, it seemed to ignore him.
So Clever Mouse bowed to the four directions and shouted loudly, “Any Daoist friends here, why not join me in contemplating the Wing Star Dharma?”
No answer came. After a silence, Clever Mouse suddenly shouted, “Elder Ape, I know you’re hiding here—no need to hide half-heartedly.”
“I—”
From the crane’s beak came a strange voice.
He stepped back, tapping his head, baffled.
The fledgling crane’s mind was not yet formed; it could not understand words or speak, so how could it express plans?
“I want that divine fire.”
“The Six-Ding Divine Fire.”
Clever Mouse’s scalp tingled. This young fledgling crane was truly ambitious; he didn’t dare even entertain such thoughts.
Wing Star is the sixth star of the Southern Lodges. During the reign of the Yellow King, it governed the southern wind and fire. Mastery over wind and fire was its signature ability, not something granted lightly to any seeker under heaven.