Chapter 119: The Star of Calamity, The Path of Demons

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Is it a dream? Or is it not?

Ji Ming felt dizzy and lethargic, as if trapped in an exhausting dream. Only by focusing his spirit could he perceive his surroundings or move; otherwise, he followed only instinct.

"Revenge!"
"Children, seek revenge."
"."

Demonic cries echoed in his ears, surfacing time and again.

He did not know how much time had passed. Eventually, he could vaguely open his eyes. He saw downy feathers growing on his body and beheld the shadow of a crane standing amidst a pool of blood.

No, it could not be called a crane’s shadow; it was a demonic shadow.

In his stupor, he was fed something. It was both fishy and sweet, so cloying it made him want to retch. Ji Ming could not swallow it, so it was forced down his throat. Afterward, the lethargy grew even heavier, yet his physical body grew stronger by the day.

"Flying fire, flowing flames... Golden light, wings spread..."

When he awoke from his daze, he could always hear chanting in his ears. Ji Ming felt a profound sense of spiritual discomfort; this demon crane must have done something to him.

No, she had done something to her children.

In the ethereal void, he could even hear a call from the heavens—a strange, hissing cry, as if an ancient serpent were urgently conveying something.

This situation left Ji Ming with little hope for this transmigration dream. He seemed to have become a medium for some divine entity’s spellcasting.

"Flowing Fragrance Crane, do you truly wish to become a demon?"

One day, a familiar voice rang out. It was Old Ape.

"I wished to study and understand reason, but the world called me a demon. I wished to cultivate the path of humanity, but the practitioners called me a demon. Since that is the case, I shall fulfill their wishes."

"How many times did I warn you not to bring your foul temper to Zirong Peak? It is not a small hill like Flowing Fragrance Peak. Orthodox practitioners value their reputations above all else. You, a mere spirit creature guarding medicine, a lowly crane watching the garden—the moment you arrived, you began shouting and brawling. Even I, an old ape nearing the human path, have never spoken loudly on that peak.

"And you... you actually dared to call him a 'demon-man.' How could you dare to utter such a taboo word to one walking the path of inversion? Even if that person had the best temper in the world, he would never have let you live."

"Old Ape, do you not know that the thieving boy cultivates the Crane Control Technique? He requires the Dao-Viscera refined from this art, the very organs refined by us spirit cranes!"

"My dear crane-grandmother, how can neither of your brains be of any use? Even I must obey his commands to come here to Flowing Fragrance Peak to invite you two. How could he possibly be lacking in spirit cranes? Furthermore, with the treasure he used to deal with you, and that ancient, exotic insect he possesses, he could simply find any wild crane demon to harvest. Why would he bother to lure you?"

"That remains to be seen."

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Ji Ming could tell that Old Ape’s frustration was overflowing, though the two cranes were destined to be stubborn beyond reason.

However, there was one thing Old Ape was wrong about: he did indeed need a spirit crane. But not a demon crane or a wild crane—he needed a crane that offered its body with a sincere heart.

What did it mean to offer one’s body with a sincere heart? It meant a spirit creature that voluntarily allowed itself to be refined into Dao-Viscera, sincerely becoming fuel for secret arts. Only such a creature could produce high-quality Dao-Viscera.

If any random crane could be refined into a superior Dao-Viscera for cultivating secret arts, why would everyone go through the agony of the "inverted path" and suffer such living torment?

Ji Ming struggled to drag his pair of fleshy wings, climbing up to the high, arched rim of the crane’s nest.

It was a nest built from soft, supple pine branches. He caught the distinct scent of the pine, a smell he did not particularly like.

"This is..."

He saw it. He was perched atop the roof of a hexagonal glazed Buddhist pavilion.

Indeed, they had built their nest on the glazed treasure dome—quite creative. Surrounding the pavilion was a large pool of blood, though it looked less like human blood and more like water stained red by blood.

The crane and the ape stood in the water, facing each other.

"I have invited fellow practitioners from other peaks to contemplate the magic of the Yellow Heaven together. Once we have perfected our demonic forms, I hope you, old one, will lure that thieving boy down from Zirong Peak."

"You are courting death! You are courting death!"

Old Ape scratched his head in agitation, pressing his palms together in supplication. "Sister Crane, Grandmother Crane, I beg you—let go of this grudge. Turn back before it is too late. This mountain is one of the world’s most famous peaks, the dojo of Lady Huode of Nanhua. Even if she has served the Great Heaven for a thousand years, it is not for the likes of you to act with such impudence."

"Ha! It is already too late."

The crane shadow in the blood water spread its wings, and a bloody demonic wind enveloped the entire area.

"You have two choices: either abandon that useless form-refining method, cast aside the 'human path,' and join me in cultivating this ancient demonic way. Or, help me lure the thieving boy here so I can peck out his heart and liver, and let my children feast on his five viscera. He has already reached the second stage of Qi Refining; after his 'Five Qi Circulation,' his heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys will surely be like elixirs."

Lying in the nest, Ji Ming listened and wondered if the demon crane would be disappointed and lose her appetite if she knew he was only in the early stage of Qi Refining, the "Six Senses Trembling."

"Absurd!"

Old Ape, having lost all patience for lecturing, held one palm upright and then struck out violently.

Startled, Ji Ming spread his legs, gave a violent shudder, and scrambled forward, tumbling off the treasure dome.

Old Ape’s palm strike had been aimed in his direction. The fierce, unadorned palm energy arrived like a bolt of lightning, and the protective barrier outside the pavilion shattered after holding for only a single breath.

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As Ji Ming tumbled onto the glazed roof tiles, the nest on the summit was obliterated. The little cranes inside were blasted into bloody mist, splattering across the tiles.

"Old Ape is ruthless."

Ji Ming had long known that Old Ape’s gentle demeanor in the Fire Ruins Cave was merely a facade to suppress his demonic nature.

A demon is a demon; it is not so easy to become human. The more one suppresses their true nature, the more violent it becomes when finally released, like a thunderous mountain torrent.

Having struck, Old Ape felt a flicker of satisfaction; his skills had not rusted.

The large crane standing in the blood water seemed unable to process the impact of the scene. Her body began to tremble—a shuddering mix of fury and terror.

"Do you know how many years I spent in the Fire Ruins Cave, serving before the Master, just to earn the title of Mountain-Guarding General? I borrowed the Master's authority for protection. Cultivating magic and deceiving the Golden Boy—the former ruins my path of cultivation, and the latter shakes my image in the Master’s heart. You... you really are... seeking your own destruction."

"Ah—!"

The great crane shrieked, the demonic sound echoing from low to high. Outside the demonic wind surrounding the area, three demonic figures squeezed in.

A wolf-headed demon in scale-iron armor, carrying a short spear like a staff, stepped through the blood water, chanting.

A great serpent with a beautiful woman's head held a gilded bronze furnace, its serpentine body slithering over the blood water, also chanting.

The last one appeared entirely human, but his sharp, gnawing teeth betrayed his rodent origins. He walked slowly across the blood water, whispering a chant.

"Wolf Commandant, Lady Red-Lash, and Clever Rat."

"Old Ape!" The wolf-headed commandant stopped chanting and bowed to Old Ape.

"We have obtained the wondrous methods of the Southern Ancient Constellation and have grasped their mysteries. Why does Old Ape persist in that form-refining method? Why not join us and break free from your shackles?"

"The Southern Ancient Constellation? Is that not the Yellow Heaven's Demon Star? Now that the Great Heaven reigns above, with the Dou Star Lords and the Five Virtues and Five Elders shining in the Three Heavens, those of your kind have either died, fled, or are in hiding. How many are left among the Seven Mansions of the South?"

"Stop wasting breath on him."

The Flowing Fragrance Crane's feathers were now crimson, and her eyes dripped with blood. "He has already killed my children! Do you still intend to recruit him?"

The Wolf Commandant looked toward the glazed summit and sighed. "To what end?"

"Heh!" Old Ape slapped his abdomen, spitting out a saber and a sword. "Since you wish to cultivate that demonic path, I shall let you know what it truly means to be a demon."

The Wolf Commandant shuddered and stepped back. "Hurry, recite the incantation! Summon the Winged Fire Ancient Constellation of the Yellow Heaven!"