Once the Daoist finished reciting the "Precious Invocation of Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun," the ritual altar shimmered with azure light. Spiritual radiance wreathed it, azure dew formed on every tier of steps, and damp mist curled around them.
By now, since the Asura's evil altar on Rotten Peach Mountain had been destroyed, the Asura Blood Demons that had come in an endless stream to disrupt the rites had also vanished. With no enemies left, the million lion phantoms naturally merged back into one, becoming a white-jade lion with a Green-Mane, over seventy zhang tall, guarding the foot of the altar.
Now, sensing another change in the altar so deeply bound to his own fate, the Lion was naturally filled with boundless surprise and delight.
His master had built a thunder altar, summoned thunder and commanded lightning, and made Heavenly Thunder arise within the altar. Through their link of fate, he had poured it into the Lion's spiritual body to temper his flesh and cleanse his core, forcibly raising him from Six Washings to Nine Washings. At the same time, his true Mountain Lord Dharma Body had shot up from over thirty zhang to sixty-four zhang, all without the slightest injury or even any pain.
Then his master had changed the thunder altar into a star altar, using the Northern Dipper's starlight to temper his sinews and bones, refine his spiritual energy, and cleanse his Primordial Spirit. His essence, energy, and spirit had Sanyuan Unite as One beneath the starlight, secretly budding into a metal-and-stone embryo, bringing him into the fetal-sitting realm. His Dharma Body had grown further, from sixty-four zhang to seventy-seven.
Now his master was changing the star altar into an azure altar to invite Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun to descend.
That was Taiyi Jiuku Tianzun!
What lion under heaven did