Wukong flipped over in midair and landed feet first.
Bajie flew out right behind him, face down, and slammed face-first into the stone floor, sliding several yards before he stopped.
Little White Dragon and A-Hu were carried aside by two other surges of air.
Sha Wujing came out last, his palms still thrust outward. His knees buckled, and he dropped to the ground.
Wukong had no time to laugh at Bajie and Sha Wujing.
Xuanzang was still seated upright on the Diamond Ring.
"Master!"
The Old Lord raised both hands.
White vapor supported Xuanzang and carried him gently back to the ground.
Wukong caught Xuanzang by the arm.
"Are you all right, Master?"
Xuanzang opened his eyes and said gently, "I am unharmed."
As his words faded, a low hum suddenly sounded inside the cave.
Hum!
The Diamond Ring began to rotate in reverse.
With each revolution, the white ring contracted another layer inward. The darkness within it had vanished, replaced by churning gray vapor in which five colors mingled.
The Old Lord kept his gaze fixed on the Diamond Ring.
"Knowing the divine substance lies hidden here, draw upon the essence of supreme yin through the forms of the art, and establish the furnace vessel to gather the energy of supreme yang."
"Return them to the spirit chamber, where they mingle in primal chaos, joining without cease."
The white ring had shrunk to less than a foot across.
The ring itself began to melt as well. Its once-hard edges became droplets of golden liquid, flowing along its outer wall toward the center.
"And within wood, the ethereal soul is born; within metal, the corporeal soul."
Golden light suddenly blazed.
Only a perfectly round golden elixir remained suspended in midair.
The golden elixir was roughly the size of a bushel