Chapter 66: The Spring’s Source, Augmenting the Essence of the Law

“Is it really necessary?”
Sitting within the rippling pool, the Golden Ape turned its head, repeatedly seeking confirmation from Ji Ming.
“If you believe it can be done, then why waste it?” Ji Ming spoke from the shore. “As for summoning the Yin Sha, leave that to my spellwork.”
“The Yin Sha’s spiritual energy is the opposite of the active forces in the Three Heavens—sluggish and silent, hard to call forth.
Let me make it clear: if you can’t guide this flow of Yin Sha, I’ll leave at once and won’t entertain any further schemes for it.”
The Golden Ape’s face was filled with reluctance; he had never expected that his centipede brother would set his sights on the Yin Sha spring, and with such ambition.
In his own watery abode, he had only suggested nurturing an artifact with Yin Sha, but the centipede brother immediately devised a plan to draw out the very essence from beneath.
A perfectly good Yin Sha spring, now to be extracted in its entirety and poured into his bone bead artifact, to deepen its magical foundation.
Though this Yin Sha spring cannot compare to the Earth Sha node within a blessed land, it is nonetheless condensed from a vein of the earth, and destroying it could bring misfortune.
The Golden Ape floated in the water, swaying with the waves, and spoke: “I’m starting to regret this. Perhaps we should just remain ordinary brothers—I don’t wish to die young.”
“Haha—”
Ji Ming stood on the bank, laughing heartily. “The Armor Serpent is no ordinary foe; we cannot rely on peaceful negotiation, nor can we expect Lord Chiyi and Wen Daoyu to stand at the forefront as we wish.
We must be fully prepared, and not shrink back for fear of danger.
With the Yin Sha spring here to refine our artifacts, how could we let this chance slip by?
As for any future ill omens, I’ve never believed in such things. Even if they come to pass, I will bear their burden myself.”
Hearing this, the Golden Ape’s brows tightened and he lowered his head in solemn self-reflection.
He realized that within himself, he harbored a hopeful, perhaps idealistic attitude, or perhaps he hoped others’ schemes were less cunning than his own, so he might outmaneuver them.
Upon careful consideration, if he truly possessed such ability, Monk Dayou would not have perished on the Mountain of Dangerous Birds.
“I know what I must do now.”
Ji Ming’s words left the Golden Ape’s furry face slightly flushed; he loved to appear wise before others, yet often acted with half-measures.
Seeing that the Golden Ape had finally come to understand, Ji Ming turned his gaze toward the pond—this was where everything began for him.
Each time he returned to this place, Ji Ming’s feelings changed, but this time, they were especially joyful.
Ji Ming sank his mind into the treasure eye within his spiritual platform, and it began to tremble; meanwhile, the spiritual energy in the pond was effortlessly drawn up.
“Can he really do it?”
Hearing was one thing, but witnessing was another altogether.

The act of summoning Yin Sha was unheard of, and it undoubtedly broadened the Golden Ape’s understanding, making him feel somewhat ignorant.
“Brother Golden Ape!”
Ji Ming released the Heart-Gathering Pearl and called out.
“Rest assured,” the Golden Ape replied gravely, his authority as a local deity seeping into the pond, using the water as a conduit to penetrate another realm.
This realm lay beneath the mortal world; looking upwards, one could faintly see the scenery of the living world.
A faint earth vein wandered here, resembling a gray, muddy giant worm.
On closer inspection, this earth vein had a beginning but no end, its origin deep beneath the Li Ridge, from the distant great earth dragon vein.
Within the domain of Falan, the veins beneath the mountains mostly began from that earth dragon.
Within the earth vein, wisps of gray energy floated upward, forcibly drawn by an unknown power, making the Golden Ape’s scalp tingle.
The more he learned, the more he understood the necessity of reverence.
Through the water’s medium, the authority he wielded transformed into long cords, which followed the rising Yin Sha energy, probing into the earth vein and stirring it.
Ji Ming watched from the shore; drawing the Yin Sha required only the treasure eye, no effort on his part.
The Golden Ape, focused atop the rippling water, assisted in extracting the Yin Sha spring from the earth vein. Ji Ming couldn’t help but sigh.
His actions, though akin to draining the source or fishing from the shallows, were justified—after all, a bird in the hand was worth two in the bush, and such an opportunity was rare.
As the river deity of the hills around Hengshan, the pond beneath the mountain was within the Golden Ape’s domain—his help was truly specialized.
“Found it!”
The Golden Ape suddenly announced.
“Good!” Ji Ming was overjoyed, and quickly sacrificed the Heart-Gathering Pearl, dropping it into the water.
Within the earth vein, several cords had tightly wound around the Yin Sha spring, pulling it taut and straight, exerting force.
“Screech-screech—”
The Golden Ape let out a series of urgent, strange cries, his seated form sinking deeper into the water.
“Go!”
He opened his eyes, tore the red-gold carp corolla from his chest, and cast it into the pond.
The corolla entered the water with a “bang,” instantly splitting into three red-gold carp, spinning and diving below.
The three carp plunged, their heads entering the invisible loops, then swam upward with all their might.

They were like wild horses beneath the surface, harnessed and pulling the cords, bit by bit hauling the Yin Sha spring from the earth vein.
Ji Ming noticed sweat on the Golden Ape’s nose, his legs and waist submerged entirely, realizing the extraction was far harder than expected.
Behind Ji Ming, three command flags soared, planted around him. With a pull of spiritual energy, three water carp spirits dived below.
The Golden Ape’s eyes flickered, understanding his centipede brother’s intention. With a sweep of his palm, he attached the ends of other cords to the water carp spirits.
Suddenly, the muddy earth vein wriggled as if in pain, burrowing deeper under Hengshan.
The ground beneath Ji Ming’s feet trembled slightly, reminding him of the phrase—earth dragon turning.
Though this tremor was far from a true earth dragon’s turn, it was enough to startle Ji Ming and fill him with joy, for it proved the value of the Yin Sha spring.
“It’s trying to escape!” The Golden Ape’s face changed, shouting, “If it burrows beneath Hengshan, it’ll surely alarm Lord Boni.”
“Hold it steady.”
Ji Ming forced himself to remain calm.
Seeing Ji Ming’s fearlessness, the Golden Ape was infected by his mood and gradually regained his composure, his breath steadying.
He bit his teeth, focused his spirit, urging his authority transformed into cords, exerting all his strength to pull the Yin Sha spring.
With the help of the red-gold carp and water carp spirits, the spring was finally extracted from the earth vein and brought into the pond.
The bone Heart-Gathering Pearl, thrown into the water, collided with the Yin Sha spring and absorbed it, locking the Yin Sha energy within.
“Whew—”
The Golden Ape relaxed, climbed ashore, and collapsed into the weeds, his chest heaving violently.
Just then, a light shone beneath the pond—not ordinary light, nor spiritual light, but a sinister green, eerie radiance rising from the depths.
“Treasure light?!”
Where there is spirit, there is treasure; where there is none, it remains mere artifact. This aura of brilliance was a sign the artifact would become a true treasure.
“Is there wind?”
The Golden Ape lifted his paw, clearly feeling a breeze pass over his furry face and palm.
This wind was icy cold; after a moment, his entire face was shivering. Looking toward the pond, a gust of evil wind whipped through the greenish water light.
“If this is further enlightened by the bone relic, it may rival my corolla…”