Chapter 112 — The Heavenly Fox

Ming Li silently examined himself. He felt weary, but after that unbelievable internal turmoil, the meridians within his body seemed largely unharmed. What he could not fathom was why the Mystic Fire Mirror, always so gentle and pure, had suddenly turned so savage. Thinking it over, it seemed to have some connection with the Mystic Fire Altar where he stood, and with that strange, ferocious deity formation from moments before.

Ming Li straightened his torn garments, then ripped off a strip of cloth, gathered Little Grey into his arms, and carefully bandaged the wound on its belly. Little Grey lowered its head, its three eyes blinking, staring at the new ring around its belly like a belt. It gave two squeaks, seemingly full of curiosity, its hands pawing at it without pause.

By now Ming Li's strength was gradually returning. He rose with Little Grey in his arms and looked around. The great hall about him was scarred and battered, traces of fierce combat everywhere; yet for some reason most of the marks were on the floor, and few upon the walls. And the ring of ferocious deity carvings beneath his feet had now grown calm again, standing there lifelike as ever.

He stood pondering a moment, unable for the life of him to tell how long he had been inside this Mystic Fire Altar. But clearly the old man Shangguan, who guarded this place, had not yet returned; no doubt he had dared to leave only because he knew the Flame Refining Altar was protected by fire-beasts.

Then his gaze fell upon the round opening overhead that led to the second level.

Some of the red glow from the hall drifted up as well, but looking up from below, he could see only a small patch around the opening; the space beside it seemed likewise plunged in darkness.

Ming Li looked into that darkness, then suddenly said to Little Grey, "Let's go up and have a look, shall we?"

Little Grey grinned at him from his arms.

Ming Li gently stroked its head, then set Little Grey on his shoulder. He drew a deep breath, and his whole body slowly floated up from the ground, flying toward the opening.

He rose very slowly, with great care; who could say whether some monster still lurked on guard in this unfathomable altar? But all around was silent, and he met no attack at all until he had floated up onto the second level.

Apart from the faint red glow seeping from the round hole he had come through, all was pitch-black on the second level, but deep within the darkness there was something giving off a faint shimmer.

Ming Li walked toward it.

It was a stone platform about half a man's height, shaped like a cylinder. The stone was utterly unlike the crimson rock around it, and as it gave off a faint coolness, the glimmer it emitted kept shifting in color, now faintly red, now pale purple, now goose-yellow, now blue-green, a truly lovely sight.

And on the flat top of the platform was a ring-shaped groove, beside which three characters were carved:

Mystic Fire Mirror!

Ming Li's gaze fell unwittingly upon his right arm, where through the tattered fabric the Mystic Fire Mirror's archaic flame totem showed faintly.

He gently unfastened the treasure, gazed at it a moment, then set it into the groove, where it fit without the slightest seam.

Moments later, a muffled sound suddenly came from overhead. Ming Li and Little Grey looked up together and saw the stone slab above slowly slide back amid a low rumble, revealing a stone opening.

Almost at the same instant, the temperature around them dropped with incredible suddenness, from searing heat to cold as ice. Against that faint red glow, one could even see threads of cold white vapor drifting down from the round hole leading to the third level.

The utmost heat and the utmost cold, existing at the same time within this Mystic Fire Altar!

A faint smile touched Ming Li's lips. He took the Mystic Fire Mirror back from the platform, tucked it into his robe, and without another word flew up again toward the highest level.

The air grew colder and colder; the heat from the crater below seemed unable to reach this place at all, so that when Ming Li set foot on the third level, he found the ground beneath him thick with ice.

Nothing here gave off light, but as his eyes slowly adjusted to the surroundings, Ming Li made out faint trails of ghostly pale blue light seeping gently from every corner.

It was ice that had frozen for countless ages, as if softly whispering something.

He walked slowly forward, the sound of his steps upon the ice echoing far into the distance, breaking the silence that seemed to have lasted since the beginning of time.

Suddenly, from deep in the darkness, a woman's voice rang out faintly—low and tinged with surprise, soft and touched with a hint of desolation: "You are not Shangguan Lue?"

Ming Li halted at once. After a moment, his eyes fixed on the deepest part of the darkness ahead, and he said slowly, "I am not?"

The voice was silent a while, then said slowly, "Who are you?"

Ming Li countered, "And who are you?"

The blue light given off by the ice around them seemed to flicker. The woman's voice fell silent. After a moment, two faintly luminous points, like eyes of unfathomable depth, glimmered and glimmered in the deepest darkness, gazing at Ming Li and Little Grey on his shoulder.

At last they settled upon the Soul-Devouring Demon Staff in his hand.

"That monkey on your shoulder—it is a Three-Eyed Spirit Monkey, is it not?"

Ming Li's heart gave a start; he did not answer. Instead Little Grey, crouched on his shoulder, bared its teeth and shrieked once into the depths of the darkness, as if in display of threat.

The woman paid it no mind and went on slowly: "That magic treasure in your hand—was it not forged from the Bloodlust Orb and the ghost-thing Soul-Stealer by the demon cult's Blood Refining Art?"

Ming Li's body shuddered, and his pupils contracted.

The woman's voice seemed to laugh softly, then said slowly: "Both Soul-Stealer and the Bloodlust Orb are the most savage and evil things under heaven; the Bloodlust Orb above all holds a violent evil force within it that invades the soul unseen. I see your cultivation is not low, but the evil force has already sunk deep into your body—sooner or later you will go mad and die."

Ming Li said coldly, "Just who are you?"

The woman ignored him and continued of her own accord: "That monkey beside you may be called the spirit of all things, and its heavenly eye is open now, but I see a hidden red gleam of savagery beneath the golden light in that eye. It must have been tainted by the Bloodlust Orb's evil force from staying at your side. In time it too will become a savage beast that slaughters living things—you might as well rename it the Three-Eyed Savage Monkey."

Ming Li was deeply shaken and for a moment could not speak. He had gradually become aware of something strange about Little Grey's body, but now that this mysterious woman had stated it so plainly, his mind was flooded with a thousand tangled thoughts, and he felt somewhat at a loss.

Little Grey, however, flew into a rage, hissing loudly and baring sharp teeth at the darkness.

The woman's voice suddenly laughed, and said faintly, "You are angry—heh heh, and why should you be? We are both creatures born of heaven and earth; you understand me, and I know you. Why cling to the splendor and the affections of the mortal world?"

Ming Li reined in his thoughts and steadied his mind. His gaze gradually turned cold, and the Soul-Devourer at his side began to glow with a dark blue light. "If you do not show yourself now," he said coldly, "do not blame me for being rude!"

The woman's voice gave a cold snort. "You are no disciple of the Burning Cloud Valley, yet you can climb to the third level of this Mystic Fire Altar—you do have some skill, it seems. Is old ghost Shangguan dead? But even if he is gone, for you to break through the Eight Ferocious Mystic Fire Formation held by the Crimson Flame Beast..."

"No!"