Now, to return to Ao Tu refining the fish.
Heavenly King Li took out its heart, liver, intestines, stomach, and gallbladder, scraped off its scales one by one, and, following Ao Tu's instructions, set them aside outside.
Great King Linggan was wracked with pain, his anguished howls rising one after another. His scales were his outer bones, and his heart and liver were his internal organs. Was taking them out not flaying him alive?
Those screams delighted the common people and made Tang Sanzang lower his eyes.
As Heavenly King Li performed the task himself, something came to his mind. His expression changed, and the tip of his blade trembled slightly. As a heavenly king, he had personally led troops to slay many evil creatures, but he had never done such a thing with his own hands.
Nezha's expression remained calm, without any change.
Once Heavenly King Li had finished, Ao Tu took out the medicinal ingredients he had picked up along the way in the Flower Realm-six-hundred-year-old garlic, eight-hundred-year-old ginger, and so forth-and put them inside one by one. Then he said, "Bodhisattva, please add some water."
At his words, Guanyin Bodhisattva added some water.
Ao Tu sat in the Qian position and invited Guanyin Bodhisattva to sit in the Kun position. Once the two had secured the two most important positions, Heaven and Earth, the others each chose a position according to their strengths, leaving only the Gate of Life in the Dui position unoccupied.
Ao Tu instructed Nezha, who occupied the Li position, to conjure fire, then said, "Please lend me your strength!"
At his words, everyone cast their spells together to lend their strength.
Ao Tu mobilized his magical power and, drawing on everyone's strength, began refining Great King Linggan.
The process of refining Great King