Chapter 147: Riding the Dragon, The Great Virtuous Monk

Ji Ming threw his head back and fell fast asleep. This abrupt action startled both the mountain goblin in the well and Qian Geng, leaving them momentarily dumbfounded and fearing that some new unpredictable turn of events had occurred.

Down inside the well, the little dragon watched as all movement and sound above ceased, only to grow even more terrified. Cowering at the very bottom of the well, it cried out, "Qian Geng! Qian Geng! What has happened up there?"

High above in the sky, amidst the dark rolling clouds, a host of celestial generals and soldiers leaned down and stretched out their necks. Only when they caught the faint sound of the Heavenly Immortal's gentle snoring did they shake their heads in helpless resignation.

The generals and soldiers carefully straightened the six spirit steles outside the well before dispersing one by one.

"Ah—la—ga—"

A bizarre little tune echoed through the air. Qian Geng swallowed hard, a lump forming in his throat.

He had long since lost faith in the prospect of rescuing the little dragon trapped within the well. Had he not felt this way, the moment the Netherworld generals and soldiers raised the spirit steles and resealed the baneful well earlier, he would have stepped in to stop them.

Now that the old ghost had emerged once more from the belly of the mountain goblin, Qian Geng had firmly resolved to make his escape.

The mountain goblin cradled her distended belly, filled entirely with dread. Beads of sweat rolled down her face as she looked at the peacefully slumbering young Daoist, cursing herself inwardly for ever having trusted him.

A lotus platform of flesh flew out from her abdomen, though this time without the brutal tearing of flesh that had accompanied its first emergence.

The bloodless, grayish-pink petals of the flesh lotus had closed into a large, plump bud, spinning rapidly as it shot straight up to the mouth of the well.

With a crisp *pop*, the lotus bud snapped open. It was the sound of flesh striking flesh, startlingly sharp, yet echoing from the lotus platform with an eerie, bone-chilling effect.

A faint sensation of light reached him, accompanied by a slight chill. This chill made Ji Ming feel quite comfortable, and he could also sense several gazes fixed upon him.

Ji Ming tried to lift both hands and move them up and down. Excellent; he could control the nether-body with complete freedom. This proved that his hypothesis had been entirely correct.

As long as the two conditions of a maternal host and a fetus were met, the Treasure Eye could take effect by force, allowing him to seize the Green Descent Ghost Nether-body painstakingly crafted by Huang Jiao.

This nether-body still required further exploration. Once he had squeezed every ounce of value from it, he could successfully conclude the dream and return to his true Heavenly Immortal form.

Ji Ming could not help but marvel at the efficacy of the Pillow of the Yellow Millet in augmenting the Treasure Eye, enabling him to plunder the creations of another body to enrich his own foundation.

However, he also perceived a drawback—or rather, not quite a drawback, but rather a vast space for future improvement.

When utilizing the Pillow of the Yellow Millet in conjunction with the Treasure Eye to achieve the reincarnation dream of possessing another's body, his true Heavenly Immortal form remained entirely immobile.

If he failed to place it securely and dispatch a spirit to guard it, it would mirror the cautionary tale of a certain immortal from his hometown: the primordial spirit wanders out of the body, only for the physical flesh to be accidentally destroyed.

That immortal had at least been able to reincarnate into the body of a cripple; if his own physical body were destroyed, where would he go once the reincarnation dream ended? That truly remained an unknown.

Ji Ming still found himself unable to open his eyes, so he reached up to feel his neck, only to grope at empty air. Groping around his surroundings instead, his fingers brushed against a skull resting upon his knees.

He poked his fingers into the eye sockets of the skull and felt that he had regained a hazy field of vision.

*Click-clack!*

The moment he tried to speak, his upper and lower jaws uncontrollably chattered together, producing a sharp clacking sound. The noise frightened the mountain goblin so badly that she dropped heavily to her knees, crying out, "Great King, spare my life!"

"Run!"

Qian Geng shouted toward the direction of a certain monastic room within the temple. Then, his figure blurred as he prepared to vanish in a water-escape technique, only for a trident to slam heavily into the ground before him.

In an instant, the frost and ice on the ground were blasted outward in a clean sweep, instantly depriving Qian Geng of the medium he needed to execute his water-escape art.

"I admit I am no match for you, but you underestimate me far too much."

The snowflakes in the air rushed en masse toward Qian Geng, and with a soft pop, his body burst into a pool of splashing water, his figure completely vanishing within it.

***

"What a pity."

On the lotus platform, the green skull resting between the two crossed knees spoke.

As it spoke, a short, lotus-root-like arm reached out and scooped into the body of the Heavenly Immortal, pulling forth the spiritual essence from the Cloud Hand Lung and grasping it tightly in its palm.

"Truly wondrous!"

This mass of spiritual essence was utterly docile in his hand, moving entirely at the whim of his will.

With another flick, it instantly transformed into a Grand Seizing Hand, reaching out to grab a cultivator carrying a black-lacquered gourd from somewhere within the temple and dragging him up before the platform.

"Spare my life!"

"Spare my life!"

The cultivator showed no inclination to resist whatsoever, prostrating himself and kowtowing repeatedly.

Ji Ming was still getting accustomed to operating the spells within the Heavenly Immortal's body, a flash of enlightenment dawning in his mind.

Although he was in the state of a reincarnation dream, the fundamental nature of his soul had never been rewritten. Much like his mastery over the treasured artifact, the Bone-Gathering Heart-Piercing Bead: no matter which lifetime he was in, the spirit within that artifact had never once resisted him, allowing him to wield it smoothly and effortlessly at all times.

A single thought crossed his mind, and the Bone-Gathering Heart-Piercing Bead flew straight out from within the Heavenly Immortal's body, hovering behind the green skull and expanding into a disk of grayish-silver radiance.

The gourd-bearing cultivator prostrated himself fully, staring at the plump ghost infant upon the flesh lotus platform, only to see a faint halo of Buddhist light suddenly manifest behind the skull resting upon its knees.

As a rogue cultivator, where had he ever witnessed such an entity? He only knew that it took divine beings and Buddhas to emit light from the back of their heads.

"A ghost-Buddha!" He pressed his palms together in salutation and bowed once more. "This disciple had no intention of causing offense. I merely came to escort the young master, ensuring he could smoothly rescue the dragon from the well and forge karmic ties with the water palace."

Ji Ming supported the green skull, lifted it slowly, and fitted it back onto his neck. He twisted his head from side to side before casting his gaze upon the corpse of the young master.

From within that corpse, a decree the size of a palm flew out and landed gently upon the flesh lotus platform.

Ji Ming examined it closely. Inscribed upon the decree was the Daoist pseudonym signed by Daoist Qiuqiu, and the secret script within meant that it could be used to unlock the well and ransom any single prisoner held within.

"Little dragon!"

The decree flew forth, landing right at the mouth of the well.

To Ji Ming's summons, the little dragon deep down in the well remained entirely unresponsive. It was only when Ji Ming called out a third time that the little dragon recalled the terrifying memory of once being swallowed alive by a certain ghost.

"Buddha Lord!

Great Buddha Lord!"

Shivering, it crawled up from the depths. Its entire body was covered in shattered scales, and its eye sockets were empty and hollow—a truly gruesome sight.

Yet Ji Ming felt not a shred of sympathy. Had not Old Ape mentioned that this baneful dragon had once frolicked at the foot of the mountain and drowned an entire town of innocent people with sheer water?

A dragon-spawn like this possessed the most perverse and erratic temperament. However, having suffered repeated blows to the point that it dared not even venture out of the well down the mountain, it was clear how deep the psychological trauma ran.

Right now was the prime opportunity for taming it.

"You and I share karmic affinity; it is only right that I deliver you and guide you toward early bliss in the Pure Land," Ji Ming said, pressing his palms together in a Buddhist salute.

"Yes," the little dragon whimpered, pressing its body flat beneath the levitating flesh lotus platform as it stammered hastily, "Affinity, we share karmic affinity! I am willing to take refuge in you."

The flesh lotus platform descended, coming to rest solidly upon the ground.

***

Ji Ming held the fine-pronged trident in one hand and the frog-mouthed conch in the other. A string of blood-tumor Buddhist beads hung around his neck, and his short legs moved at a slow, measured pace.

He had to admit, now that Great King Huang Jiao had descended to line the corpses, the nether-treasures he had obtained not only possessed bizarre appearances, but each also carried unique magical abilities.

The flesh lotus platform could carry a person in flight, while the trident was used for subduing demons.

The frog-mouthed conch seemed designed to complement Huang Jiao's demonic dance, while the purpose of the blood-tumor Buddhist beads hanging around his neck remained temporarily unknown.

Best of all was the green skull. As a specialized nether-underworld magical bone, when paired with Huang Jiao's illusion arts, even a Chan master had fallen victim to it without realizing.

He patted the head of the little dragon. The gesture startled the creature so much that the mane along its spine stood completely on end; yet, forcing down its terror, it voluntarily lowered its body and invited its new master to mount it.

"Good dragon-spawn."

Ji Ming laughed out loud and pointed toward the physical body of the Heavenly Immortal sleeping on the ground. One after another, void strongmen leaped out, carrying millennium-old plum branches as they headed toward the Fire Ruins Cave of Mt. Zirong.

Since the Chan master had returned empty-handed this time, she would undoubtedly keep watch over the mountain. Ji Ming knew well that he had to descend the mountain, or else he would find himself in an extremely passive position and miss the disciple trials as well.

As the gateway trial of the two Qi-refining realms of Taiping Mountain, it was of paramount importance to Ji Ming's future development within the sect. Not only would it make the Chan master think twice before acting against him, but it also served as the crucial entry point for gaining deep access to Taiping Mountain's inner affairs and acting as a starting point for becoming a Daoist official.

Everyone aspired to enter the establishment. Just like Huang Jiao's battle against Chan Master Sula—Huang Jiao had clearly held the overwhelming advantage, yet simply because he belonged to a different faction and was regarded as an unorthodox ghost-monk, the tide of the situation had been reversed in an instant.

Since Ji Ming had already made up his mind, these millennium-old plum branches naturally could not be taken away privately. Furthermore, once they left Mt. Jiheng, borrowing divine powers would become virtually impossible.

After all, the Grand Master was no true deity; she could not lend him her power at any time and in any place.

Before long, the void strongmen returned one after another, bringing back Ji Ming's poison seed pouch.

From the mouth of the pouch, Thousand-Hands poked out its crimson centipede head. Upon catching sight of the sleeping physical body of the Heavenly Immortal, it lunged straight toward it.

"Little insect, come, come, come."

Ji Ming scooped Thousand-Hands up before him and said, "Your master is sleeping soundly; do not disturb his sweet dreams. For the time being, you shall follow by my side."

Thousand-Hands vibrated its wings in a highly defensive posture, its little eyes filled with bewilderment. In the form of the ghost before it, it saw a familiar shadow.

"Who are you?"

After more than a year of private schooling, Thousand-Hands had achieved considerable success in refining its mind. The transverse bone in its throat had opened, allowing it to speak much more fluently than before, without its previous stutter.

"My name is Huang Jiao. Having attained a new birth today, I must cast off my old name and surname." A thought flickered through his mind as he recalled the former Monk Dayou. "You may address me by my Dharma name, Great Virtue."

Thousand-Hands' eyes were full of wariness and a trace of confusion, while the little dragon over by the side was the first to cry out, "Chan Master Great Virtue possesses boundless Buddhist power!"

"Let's go!

Follow me down Mt. Jiheng, toward Tianqing, and propagate the Buddhist Dharma amidst the misty, boundless expanses of Falling Silver Lake!"

With that, he rode the dragon down the mountain. The mountain goblin hesitated for a moment before biting the bullet and following closely behind.

The gourd-bearing cultivator also clutched his robes, striding along in their wake as he shouted loudly, "Chan Master! Senior! This junior Wu Liang is also willing to take refuge under your gate!"