Chapter 16

Guided by the birds, the group came to a towering volcano. Its peak rose like a sword piercing the clouds. Scalding lava erupted from its summit, smoke billowed, and firelight dyed half the sky red.

[What mountain is this? Why is the fire so fierce? I'm almost roasted!] Ye Zhenzhen's little face flushed, and she felt as though her whole body were catching fire and breaking out in sweat.

"This should be Blazing Fire Mountain. Legend says Blazing Fire Mountain stands beside Weak Water, and together they guard Kunlun Mountain, cutting it off from the outside world. Blazing Fire is no ordinary flame. It can burn everything in existence." Ye Qinghui frowned at the mountain spewing flames before them.

"Then how are we supposed to cross it?" Ye Qingyao looked worried. They had finally found a passage to Weak Water, only for a volcano to block their path. Why was reaching Weak Water so difficult?

"Bifang! Bifang! Bifang!" A flock of enormous birds flew toward them. They resembled cranes but had only one leg. Red markings covered their blue-green feathers, a pair of oxlike horns grew from their heads, and their beaks were white.

As they flew, they spat little flames, setting alight everything nearby that could burn. The Manman Birds were so frightened at the sight of them that they flapped their wings wildly on either side, nearly coming apart again.

"Don't be afraid." Ye Qingyao stroked their heads and sheltered them behind her.

"Are those Bifang Birds? They say Bifang Birds are one-legged firebirds that like calling out their own name and spraying flames everywhere. Could they have been the ones that breathed fire at the Manman Birds and scattered them?"

Ye Qinghui nodded. "Exactly."

The Bifang Birds at the front seemed utterly unafraid of Blazing Fire Mountain's flames. They flew leisurely over the volcano. Not only did they escape being scorched, they gulped down several mouthfuls of fire from the roiling lava.

Hiss... Didn't that burn their beaks?

Watching the birds, Ye Zhenzhen suddenly had a bold idea. [What if we rode a Bifang Bird across?]

"We could try. Their wings can keep the flames out, and they won't be burned by Blazing Fire."

Mustering their courage, they approached one of the Bifang Birds. It bared a mouthful of sharp teeth and mischievously spat a fireball at them, sending them scrambling out of the way.

The Bifang Bird refused to let up. It chased them through the air, hurling fireball after fireball their way.

"Junior Sister, are you sure you want to ride that thing?"

"Within the seas, the Kunlun heights lie in the northwest, the emperor's lower capital. The Kunlun heights span eight hundred li and rise ten thousand ren. Weak Water and Azure Water flow from their southwestern corner, then east, north, and southwest, passing east of the Bifang Bird." — Classic of Mountains and Seas: Classic of the Western Regions Within the Seas

Chapter 16

[Since Bifang Birds love eating fire, why don't we tease them with Fire-Controlling Talismans?]

[We could add some Fire Spirit Grass, too. Make that firebird drool over something it can't get.] The Bifang Bird's prank had irritated Ye Zhenzhen, and she wanted a chance to get even.

"Watch me!" Ye Qingchuan, who had loved controlling fire since childhood, took a stack of Fire-Controlling Talismans from his Heaven-and-Earth Bag and sprinkled a ring of Fire Spirit Grass over them, creating a Spirit Fire ball. Fed by the grass, the ball burned bigger and brighter, far more powerful than the fireballs the Bifang Bird spat.

Sure enough, like a cat catching the scent of fish, the Bifang Bird beat its blue-green and red wings furiously in pursuit. Its eyes blazed with longing to swallow the fireball whole.

Ye Qingchuan guided the fireball, sending it tumbling up, plunging down, then circling through the air. It darted as swiftly as lightning, and no matter how fast the Bifang Bird flew, it could not catch up. Before an hour had passed, the bird collapsed with a crash like a falling mountain and lay sprawled on the ground.

Why was getting a bite of a Spirit Fire ball so hard?

Then it watched, wide-eyed, as a boy smaller than its head strolled up, caught the fireball with ease, and swallowed it.

The Bifang Bird's eyes went wide. Amazing! I want some!

"Want a taste?"

Ye Qingchuan's lips curled into a smile. He made another Spirit Fire ball sprinkled with Fire Spirit Grass and let the bird have a little taste. The Bifang Bird shuddered with excitement, its eyes shining. This fireball is delicious!

It was rich with the fragrance of grass and trees, chewier than Blazing Fire, with a flavor that lingered endlessly. It even held pure fire spiritual power. Nothing in the world could taste better.

"Bifang! Bifang!" it called to Ye Qingchuan, as if to say, That was delicious! I want more.

"More? Then you'll have to carry us somewhere."

And so Ye Qingchuan swaggered onto the Bifang Bird's back with his senior and junior fellow disciples. Its back was broad enough to seat more than ten people with room to spare.

Once the Bifang Bird took to the sky again, he sent the Spirit Fire ball flying ahead. The bird chased it and took a bite when it caught up. Then the ball flew ahead once more. Repeating this, he guided the bird and its passengers over Blazing Fire Mountain.

The unbearable heat vanished in an instant, replaced by a refreshing lightness that left them comfortable from head to toe.

A vast river with a soft, lustrous sheen appeared before them. It wound around the cloud-piercing Kunlun Sacred Mountain. This was the Weak Water they had spent so many days searching for!

Along the banks of Weak Water, mist swirled among lush trees and flowers bright as brocade. The place seemed like a fairyland lost in the mortal world.

"It's so beautiful here. This water feels so full of spiritual energy. I've never seen a river this clear." Ye Qingyao marveled and reached out to scoop up a handful of the still, transparent Weak Water.

"Don't!" Ye Qinghui stopped her at once. "Weak Water is the purest water in the world, but purity taken to its extreme becomes a poison. Look: there isn't a single fish or shrimp in the river, nor any animal living along its banks. Any creature that accidentally touches Weak Water will be purified completely and vanish from this world."

"That's terrifying!" Ye Qingyao snatched her hand back and hurried away from the Weak Water in tiny steps.

Ranking List

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Transmigration into a Book

Wish-Fulfillment Fiction

Cannon Fodder

Doted-On Darling