Chapter 113: Inheritance, The Sutra of the Strongman

Thick-soled, calloused feet trod across grass heavy with night dew, nimbly traversing the shallows as webbed toes spread to displace the chilly water.

The ripples swayed gently, piling up against a round shell protruding from the surface before cascading back down.

"So it goes with the meetings and partings of life!"

A wet, aged head emerged before the shell, looking toward a figure on the stone beach with a nostalgic gaze. On that stone bank, Ji Ming was in poor condition; his pristine Daoist robes were riddled with tears, and the palm-strike poison in his shoulder had only just been purged. His clawed wings hung slightly, the rows of tail feathers fanned out to either side.

"Assistant Bi!" Ji Ming called out upon seeing the great turtle spirit swimming in with the current.

The great turtle stepped onto the beach, retrieved a letter of repentance that had been cast into the water, and asked, "I wonder how much of the old secrets you heard from that flying centipede spirit, little friend?"

"Quite a lot."

Seeing the dejected state of Assistant Bi from the Golden Ni Water Residence, Ji Ming felt a vague sense of unease. "Is the River Lord of Golden Ni still..."

"He has been transferred to another river."

Assistant Bi returned the letter of repentance to Ji Ming. "The River Lord offended the Four Sorrows Cloud Temple and was merely transferred; it is already a stroke of divine fortune. You must not participate in the disputes of righteous cultivators again. Your letter of repentance is well-written, but it is not meant to be used for transmitting messages; if the current River Lord sees it, he will surely be displeased."

"The current River Lord?" Ji Ming took the letter, his brow furrowing. It seemed that after rescuing the Celestial, the development of many events was not as optimistic as he had hoped.

Assistant Bi brought out three pouches. "Before the Golden Ni River Lord was transferred, he left instructions: if you ever came looking for him, these items were to be gifted to you according to his brother's wishes."

Ji Ming took the three small pouches. Two were storage bags with a single internal space, and the third was a poison-seed bag used for cultivating the Five Immortals. He tapped the first storage bag, and a box flew out. It was covered in fine frost—the Stone Spirit Box capable of sealing away life force.

Ji Ming took a deep breath and opened the lid. Inside lay rows of black-and-red eggs, neatly arranged layer upon layer. Seeing the dense cluster of centipede eggs, Ji Ming breathed a sigh of relief. The Golden Ni brothers had indeed followed his instructions and used up all his essence bags.

He checked the poison-seed bag; the Blood Jade Centipede inside was alive but on the verge of death. After all, it had been used merely as a vessel for laying eggs, its sole purpose to continue the lineage of the previous flying centipede. He wondered if any of the eggs in the box could truly inherit that bloodline.

Ji Ming probed the second storage bag, and a bean-sized orb flew out. Sealed within it was a single drop of liquid known as one of the "greatest poisons under heaven"—the Poison Star Immortal Wine brewed in the Panhu Mountains. This had originally been a deal struck with the Young Master of Red Intent: one drop of Poison Star Immortal Wine in exchange for twenty essence bags. Unfortunately, at the time, he had been in the northern ridges of Li Mountain, and with the Celestial's birth imminent, the various factions were locked in desperate conflict. He had been forced to entrust the Golden Ni brothers to handle the matter.

With this drop of immortal wine, he was confident he could raise a Centipede Immortal in a short time.

Ji Ming stowed the box and the orb, confirming all items were present—especially the Yellow Millet Pillow—before looking at Assistant Bi. "To which river was the Golden Ni River Lord transferred?"

"The northern foothills of Li Mountain, Six-Tooth Mountain."

Ji Ming blurted out, "Is that a transfer, or an exile?"

Assistant Bi shook his head. "To offend a representative of the righteous path like Taiping Mountain and only be transferred to that wilderness is already the best possible outcome."

"Offending him does not mean offending Taiping Mountain." Ji Ming left these words behind, flapped his wings in indignation, and soared into the sky.

***

Somewhere in the Lanyin region.

Old Daoist Feihu sat cross-legged, reviewing letters sent from various places—some from Taiping Mountain, some from wandering friends, and others from moles within the Four Sorrows Cloud Temple of Heshan. One letter, delivered by his eldest disciple Xuanjing, concerned the "Stone Taisui."

Just then, a short, thin figure descended from the sky. The figure folded its wings and landed beside him without making a sound.

"Good disciple, what is your take on the Stone Taisui?"

Ji Ming took the letter the old man handed him. It read: "Great floods in Pan River, suspected emergence of a [Yin]; the matter of the Stone Taisui is well-founded."

"Half true, half false."

"Oh!" The old man made a sound prompting him to continue.

"The Green-Eyed Daoist nun claims the Stone Taisui sought by the monk Fawen flowed out from the ancient city ruins of [Yin]. But I have observed that monk Fawen is loose-lipped and lacks foresight; it is hard to believe that the old scoundrel Sura would entrust such a confidential matter to him."

"So, this is a trap set for me." Old Daoist Feihu closed his eyes with a sigh. "They are exploiting the fact that my lifespan is nearly at its end and I am desperate for a breakthrough!"

After sighing, the old man looked at his young disciple. "The transformation has reached your arms; you have black wings and claws—this is indeed the Black Crane Demon Transformation. How much of your human heart has changed?"

"Three parts changed."

"You must transform your human heart into a demon heart before the full Black Crane transformation takes hold of your body. You must take the Feather-Dissipating Powder I gave you as soon as possible."

Seeing his disciple's hidden worries, the old man snapped, "What are you afraid of? With the Crane Temple as your backing, even if your heart turns to that of a demon and your body undergoes strange mutations, I have ways to save you."

"You don't believe me?" the old man asked.

Ji Ming nodded slightly, honestly expressing his doubt.

"Do you know who our Crane Temple founder was?"

"Perfected Master Heshan, Fourth Realm of the Golden Core."

"Exactly!" Speaking of the founder, Old Daoist Feihu's eyes were filled with pride. He smiled. "Do you know how the small blessed land within our temple came to be?"

Ji Ming pondered for a moment and replied, "The Luoxi Small Blessed Land was once the place where the founder's elder brother fished for a white dragon; it is a place of great fortune. Later, after the founder's brother attained the Dao, he arranged for the founder to practice there. Although the founder was later taken to Yishan for secret cultivation, this small blessed land stands as a testament to their brotherhood. When Founder Heshan established the Crane Temple branch in the Heming region, his brother even expended great magical power to move the blessed land here."

Old Daoist Feihu's eyes grew moist as he recalled the glory of the past. "It is a pity that Founder Heshan only lived for five hundred years and died young; otherwise, our Crane Temple would have been enough to govern the three Daoist lands of Guhe Continent."

Ji Ming knew the old man wasn't boasting. After all, the founder's brother, "Immortal Ziming," was already at the Earth Immortal level at that time, existing in the world for ages. But then again, with such a brother, living a full five hundred years was enjoying all the riches of the world—dying at five hundred could hardly be called "dying young"!

Ji Ming asked with anticipation, "So our backer is this Immortal Ziming?"

"Indeed." Old Daoist Feihu nodded heavily, then added, "However, as the founder passed away, this bond of incense has grown increasingly faint. Otherwise, I would have had you raised by Immortal Ziming's side long ago; there would have been no need to send you to Zirong Peak on Jihang Mountain."

The shift in the old man's tone left Ji Ming unsure whether to be happy or worried. He was glad that the backer, Immortal Ziming, was truly powerful—a solid "golden thigh" to cling to. He was worried that the backing relied entirely on the incense ties of the founder, and he didn't know if it would prove effective in a moment of crisis. But looking at Old Daoist Feihu, it seemed that this connection alone was enough to keep the Crane Temple provided for indefinitely.

"Next, you must push for a breakthrough with all your might."

Seeing the old man finally remembering to concern himself with his cultivation, Ji Ming lowered his head and listened attentively.

"Since the Three Heavens, methods of cultivation have advanced with the times. From the method of becoming an immortal through external elixirs, it shifted toward seeking within, giving rise to the Internal Elixir method. Sages have emerged one after another, leading to the Three Steps and Six Realms.

"The 'Refining Essence into Qi' phase is divided into two realms: Nourishing Qi and Refining Qi. The Nourishing Qi realm speaks of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown, while the Refining Qi realm speaks of the Five Qis Returning to the Origin. You are stuck between these two steps. Once you break through, refine the True Qi, and enter the Refining Qi realm, you can refine spells—only then can you be considered a true Immortal Feathered Guest.

"'Refining Qi into Spirit' is divided into Foundation Establishment and Golden Core. The three stages of Foundation Establishment speak of the Coalescence of Dragon and Tiger, while the four stages of Golden Core speak of Extracting Lead and Adding Mercury. I am stuck at the second step, the third stage of Foundation Establishment. If I can pass it, I can extend my life by two or three hundred years and secure a place at the Taiping Mountain main altar. The third step, 'Refining Spirit into Emptiness,' is divided into Fetal Spirit and Yang Spirit—the fifth and sixth realms on the path to immortality. I do not know much about the specific mysteries of those."

Ji Ming listened with fascination; hearing it from a master of Foundation Establishment was different from reading it in books.

"Regarding the Three Flowers Gathering and refining True Qi, all I lack is the 'water-grinding' effort. Once I go to Zirong Peak, I can break through in less than two years."

Hearing "Zirong Peak," the old man felt a pang of discomfort, but he forced a smile. "Good disciple, that is the spirit. When the time comes, I shall teach you the 'Sitting Mountain Warrior Scripture' from our sect's 'Taiyi Armor Division True Method.'"