Journey to the West: Starting by becoming an apprentice of Emperor Donghua

But the three fire crows were not only unharmed, they bathed in the fire with great relish, cawing and squawking excitedly.

Are these fire crows ownerless?

Ji Sheng was overjoyed upon seeing this. The reason he had attacked with fire was actually to test the waters.

If you can harm the fire crow, then the fire crow has an owner. If you cannot harm it, then it is ownerless.

A fire crow with an owner is bound to be controlled by its master. However, an unowned fire crow can be refined by Ji Sheng using the Three Qi Fire Control Technique, becoming his own fire pet.

Generally speaking, fire crows rarely possess intelligence, and they will scatter once they are without a master.

These three, not only able to continue soaring through the air, but also attacking Ji Sheng on sight and leaping excitedly amidst the flames, demonstrate at least some level of intelligence.

If Ji Sheng were to refine such fire crows, it would probably take him more than ten years to refine even one.

Ji Sheng immediately flew into the sky, patted his mouth, opened his mouth and exhaled a stream of clear air, which split into three and covered the three fire crows again.

He then sat cross-legged on the red cloud and began to refine the three fire crows using the Three Qi Controlling Fire True Technique.

The three fire crows sensed something was wrong and began to dash left and right, but they were firmly enveloped by Ji Sheng's breath of pure energy and could not fly away no matter what they did.

As time went by, the fire crow's struggles gradually subsided.

After about an hour, Ji Sheng opened his eyes and removed the pure aura that enveloped the fire crow.

The three fire crows flew towards Ji Sheng together, circling around him with affection in their eyes.

"I ask you, where do you come from?"

Ji Sheng asked the fire crows. The three fire crows kept cawing, and Ji Sheng's expression changed as he listened to their cries.

They said they came from...the sky?

"So how did you end up here?"

The fire crows continued to caw.

A moment later, Ji Sheng flicked his sleeve and put the three fire crows into it.

His expression turned serious.

The three fire crows did indeed come from the sky, or rather, they were fire birds and fire beasts casually created by the Fire God.

The fire crows were all kept in a fire gourd, but one day the gourd was accidentally lost and fell here.

The large, charred crater below was created by the gourd.

These firebirds were perfectly safe inside the gourd, but somehow the gourd was suddenly opened, and they escaped.

They didn't know where the fire gourd had gone.

If Ji Sheng's guess is correct, the fire poison should have been released after the fire gourd was opened.

Villagers passing by were inadvertently contaminated.

Who opened the fire gourd? Who is this person who can take away the treasure of the Fire God?

Now, apart from the remaining fire elemental power, no other traces have been left here.

Ji Sheng shook his head. What's the use of worrying about these things? Let's focus on what's in front of us.

If other villagers were to become tainted by this fire elemental power, many more would likely die.

It took Ji Sheng an entire afternoon to completely remove and refine the remaining fire elemental power in the area.

With the power of fire filling his entire body, Ji Sheng then activated the Golden Core Fire Technique, condensing the power of fire in his lower dantian and transforming it into fire to refine the embryonic form of the elixir.

Within the Yellow Court, a round, still somewhat rough, embryonic form of elixir floated on the surface.

As the power of fire continuously flows into the lower dantian, the fire of refining grows ever stronger.

The pill inside the Yellow Court spun more and more violently, and the rough surface on the pill embryo gradually faded away, falling into the fire and being burned clean by the refining fire.

When Ji Sheng opened his eyes again, it was already night. The sky was pitch black, with no stars in sight, only a full moon hanging overhead.

The Huangting Neidan pill had already begun to show its luster, shining brightly alongside the full moon overhead.

Before long, the time to extinguish the fire will arrive, and at that time the elixir will be formed.

Judging by the time, it's already midnight, so it's time.

Inside Wangli Village, Li Jun tossed and turned in bed, unable to fall asleep.

Every time he fell asleep, he would dream of his father being beaten by tax collectors and his mother hanging herself. He would wake up immediately in a fright.

Every time this happened, he couldn't help but clench his fists, grit his teeth, and burst into tears. He vowed to kill those tax collectors and avenge his parents.

He was born physically weak; otherwise, he would have been able to go hunting in the mountains in place of his father.

In that case, why did my father and mother have to die such a tragic death?

Why? Why wouldn't the immortal accept him as a disciple?

They say they learned their skills to kill, but is killing wrong? As long as these people live, people will continue to suffer.

If the tax collectors of Heishui County do not die, the people of Heishui County will continue to suffer from their coercion and extortion.

If the emperor does not die, all the poor people in the world will suffer from the oppressive and tyrannical rule, and their families will be destroyed and their lives will be lost!

Immortal? What immortal! He doesn't care about the people, he's no better than a foolish villager!

For some reason, as Li Jun was thinking, a wave of drowsiness suddenly washed over him.

"Li Jun, how dare you! You dare slander an immortal! Have you forgotten who saved your life?!"

The immortal's voice boomed like thunder in his ears. Li Jun opened his eyes abruptly and saw the immortal standing in mid-air, sword in hand, his eyes like lightning bolts, staring at him so intently that he couldn't help but shiver.

When the immortal was enraged, his power was as overwhelming as Mount Tai. Li Jun knelt down, supporting himself with his hands on the ground, barely managing to stay upright.

"If the immortals accuse me of this, then please take my life immediately!"

These words were squeezed out of Li Jun's throat.

The immortal chuckled coldly:

"The arts of immortals are meant for healing the sick, saving lives, and vanquishing demons. Yet you intend to use them to kill. Shouldn't you be punished?"

Li Jundao:

"The ills of the world, the ills of the people, all stem from the Southern Continent court; the demons of the world, the monsters among the people, are all the work of that tyrannical ruler on the dragon throne!"

The Way of the Immortals:

"According to you, aside from a tyrannical ruler, destroying the court will cure all the ills of the people and the world?"

Li Jun finally couldn't hold on any longer. The pressure from the immortal's aura forced his limbs to the ground, and he was almost suffocating, but he still struggled to hold on.

"Regardless of whether the people's illness or the world's disease is cured, this tyrannical ruler deserves to die, and this court deserves to perish!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the imposing aura that had been about to crush him into a meat patty vanished abruptly.

Li Jun took a few breaths before getting up and looking up at the sky.

Where are the immortals in the sky? A scroll and a bottle of elixirs floated down from mid-air.

Li Jun quickly reached out and caught it; the booklet read:

"The bottle contains a divine elixir of bear and tiger, which, if consumed, grants the strength of a thousand jun. The book contains a martial art capable of defeating ten thousand men, which, if mastered, will make the world tremble. I urge you to study diligently, and in the future, never forget the ambition of today!"

He opened the book, and although he couldn't read, he could clearly understand the meaning of the words.

Li Jun suddenly woke up, with books and pills placed on his chest.

Li Jun respectfully put away the books and pills, went outside, and kowtowed several times to the sky.

"Li Jun will never forget his aspirations today, nor the kindness of the immortal who bestowed upon him the book and medicine!"

Ji Sheng was currently high in the sky, looking down at Li Jun, who was taking pills in the courtyard.