Wet viviparity

Chapter 961 Huang Si, the Grumbling Demon
"The earth's lungs are dark yellow, and its roots crawl through the mud. It absorbs the remnants and nurtures the whole, transforming death into life."

The tumor throbs and breathes, its dark fluids flowing. I humbly beseech the sacred root to nourish my remaining soul.
Once I rode through wind and rain, now I am lost in darkness. My spirit is clouded, my true nature withered.

Mount Tai beckons, my spirit, return! Banners and canopies guide you, lamps and candles provide light!
"

On the other side of the massive mud root, faint incantations of ritual praises drifted over, and Ji Ming's facial features gradually emerged from the pure energy that emerged from the sacred altar on the perilous path.

Originally, it was his original body's task to deliver the Dao God of Danger, but then he thought that given Zhao Tan's attention to him, he would definitely be watching his every move. Although Zhao Tan's divinations should be guarded against, the traces left in reality could not be ignored.

So in the end, he decided to have Zhang Xiaoyuan deliver it, while his own body was hidden inside the Divine Spirit Platform in the dangerous path to avoid being detected by Zhao Tan.

This [Yuandi Miaoyou Zhenshen] is said to be refined from the Taiyi Hunyuan Zhenqi. It contains the wonder of primordial energy, which can gather and disperse at will and enter and exit without form. Therefore, it is good at the art of concealment, which can be said to be a great convenience for him to move stealthily and hide here.

“Last time, we didn’t need such a grand ritual to summon the Du Luo God General to accept the unborn child. This was because the Rain Pig God Lord was confined to the Immortal Mountain and unable to perform the ritual, so we set up this Mount Tai Soul Summoning Ritual.” Ji Ming thought to himself.

Regardless, now that the ritual has begun, the Divine Path has been nurtured and conceived by the mud roots, like a newly formed spiritual embryo. Therefore, the first condition for condensing the word "transformation" in the "Eye of Moist Egg and Embryo"—the birth of a transformed embryo—has now been met.

He must ascertain the other conditions before the emergence of the God of Dangerous Path, so as to condense the Transformation Word.

The most practical solution would be to recreate the scene from that year and rebuild the altar where the corpse was placed, but such a commotion would be too great and easily arouse suspicion.

Furthermore, given his current level of understanding, he has long since reached the point of seeing through appearances to the essence. If he still needs to rely on the practical method of reproduction, then all his years of cultivation would have been in vain.

Ji Ming already had a clue, but now he had to wait for Man Shenying and his demons and monsters to finish the grand ritual and determine the transformation state of the dangerous god before he could be sure.

This process of absorbing the remaining fetus is not something that can be accomplished overnight. The Taishan Soul-Summoning Ritual only serves to enlighten the spirit, while the rest requires the spirit to work diligently on its own. Therefore, Ji Ming is not in a hurry now, as he still has plenty of time here.

Ji Ming's original form transformed into a wisp of invisible wind, quietly drifting between the massive mud roots and the shadows surrounding the altar.

He needs a body that allows him to observe the ritual up close without attracting attention.

Soon, his attention was drawn to a small procession performing rituals further out beyond the outer altar curtain.

This group consisted of seven or eight demons and unorthodox practitioners. The demons and monsters among them were clearly forced to wear ill-fitting Taoist robes and cloud-patterned shoes, making them look out of place. Their movements and gestures exuded an awkward and comical feel.

The leader was a fox demon with a pointed snout, wearing his Taoist crown askew, barely managing to maintain a serious demeanor, and holding a worn-out bamboo staff.

Behind the fox demon followed a rat monster, struggling to carry a small golden bell; a snake demon, twisting its waist to hold up a jade chime, its tongue occasionally flicking out; and a horse demon, whose Taoist robe sleeves were too short, revealing its hairy forearms, was responsible for carrying a stack of talismans.

Several unorthodox practitioners kept their distance from the demons, walking loosely behind them.

The procession is proceeding clockwise around the altar from the south, following the prescribed ritual.

Upon arriving at each location, the fox demon would pretend to strike the ground three times with its bamboo staff while chanting incantations. At that moment, the rat demon and the snake spirit would strike the golden bells and jade chimes, producing clear and melodious sounds, symbolizing the ritual of 'breaking through hell and opening the path to the underworld'.

The horse demon and several other little spirits clumsily scattered talismans, the paper money drifting and settling into the dusty ground.

Several unorthodox practitioners, hanging behind the demons, watched coldly. Their group was dispensable to the entire grand ritual; their primary duty was to guard against any external disturbances. Currently, disciples of the Heavenly River Altar were stationed in the Danmeng Spirit Pool, and one or two Taiping Mountain True Men resided year-round in the Ancient Forbidden Mountain. Although Taiping Mountain had relaxed its control over the Yunyu Temple in recent years, this grand ritual was still a risky undertaking.

A gentle breeze swept by, swirling above the procession.

Ji Ming selected a target from the group that he could possess, and he set his sights on a weasel demon at the end of the demon group.

This weasel demon had one large eye and one small eye, with its tongue lolling out of its mouth. It looked extremely ignorant and stupid, and its cultivation was only at the most superficial first step, "transformation."

When Ji Ming landed behind it, the weasel-like little demon mechanically followed behind the group, carrying a lantern that flickered in its hand, its eyes full of confusion. So Ji Ming leaned forward and attached his body to it.

He had just successfully possessed the body when a low, complaining voice came from ahead; it was the leading fox demon.

"Damn it, we've gone around and around, this damn ground is harder than my cave, my arms are aching from all the banging," the leading fox demon muttered under his breath, shaking his arms during a break in the banging with his bamboo staff.

The rat spirit holding the golden bell immediately chimed in, its voice shrill: "My dear Third Master Fox, please say less, just a little. At least this is relatively easy work for us, better than those inside chanting scriptures until their lips are sparking. You didn't see it just now, but the Green Pot God was keeping a close eye on us!"

"That's right, that's right. I was much more carefree before, when I didn't have to be so restricted."

"We can make the wind blow and the rain fall as we please, how wonderful! But now, dressed in this rubbish, we look like monkeys performing a show." The horse demon, scattering talismans, chimed in gruffly from behind.

In the group, a snake spirit, twisting her waist and lifting her pair of soft, bony legs, muttered, "Don't mention the past. I'm still thinking about the jar of honey flower wine that the Divine Infant King rewarded me with at the last bet. I haven't even finished drinking it before I'm dragged here to do this chore."

"Alas, what a waste of that fine wine. Some bastard has probably sneaked it and drunk it now."

Upon hearing this, Third Master Fox was even more furious. "Bah! And you still dare to talk! It's all because of that damned Taiping Mountain. If it weren't for them, we would still be enjoying a life of luxury at Luoyin Lake. Why would we be stuck here eating dirt in this deep pit? Even such an important event as the Taishan Soul Summoning Ceremony has been ruined like this."

Alas, poor Huang Silang! He used to be such a clever and cunning demon, his elusive magic so impressive! But after a duel with the snotty-nosed Taoist by the pond, he was struck on the head by the Taoist's refined Primordial Heavy Water, and now he's a mentally challenged demon, his cultivation greatly diminished.

As they spoke, the spirits all turned to look at the weasel-like little demon behind them.

Ji Ming was listening intently when he was suddenly stared at by everyone. He paused for a moment, then snapped to attention and stood up straight.

"Look at this, does it still look like a monster?!" Third Master Fox said to the group of spirits, and the spirits around him nodded, and then continued the ritual.

They chattered away, like idle villagers gathering to complain, their voices filled with the everyday hustle and bustle of the city and the grumbles of lowly demons. Ji Ming followed behind, listening all the way, and then looked at the solemn and mysterious soul-summoning ceremony in the distance. It was as if he had rediscovered the feeling of living in Hengshan when he was weak and vulnerable.

"Bah!"

Suddenly, Third Master Fox shouted, and the Rat Monster and Snake Spirit made a gesture as if to make the golden bell and jade chime ring loudly.

"Wait, we're on the same side, we're on the same side."

A furtive figure riding a mud horse not far away raised his hand and shouted.

(End of this chapter)