At Qingfeng Mountain in the Xiniu Continent, during the vibrant springtime, countless streams raced through the mountains, cliffs competed in beauty, birds chirped unseen, fallen flowers scented the still-charming trees, grass sprouted, and wildflowers bloomed, creating a lush, verdant paradise, almost like an Immortal Realm on earth.
This mountain was indeed famous, and as the saying goes, "A mountain does not need to be high; it is famous if there are Immortals, a water does not need to be deep; it has spirit if there are dragons."
The fame of Qingfeng Mountain did not stem from the presence of immortals but from a nest of demon creatures within it. Travelers within a thousand miles who were caught by them were never seen again. Over time, this place became less traveled, with only fierce beasts roaming freely.
Halfway up the mountain, in a basin, there was now a bustling crowd, the noise loud and indistinct.
Upon closer inspection, these were not humans, but a group of little demons with human bodies and beast heads queuing up.
In the center stood a massive rock, upon which a demon with a leopard head and human body was standing. This demon wore armor and carried a large saber around his waist, looking imposing.
"Stand straight, all of you! Today I've summoned you here for nothing else, but because the great king needs an apprentice to fan the flames for alchemy. I am to choose one among you!"
Upon hearing this, the little demons below went into an uproar, turning the place into a chaotic marketplace!
"Quiet, you fools! Don't you know your luck? To fan the flames for the great king is a great honor. If the great king is pleased, he might even reward you with a few Immortal Pills—a tremendous fortune!" the demon warned, fearing the little ones might not volunteer, employing both carrot and stick.
Only he knew the hardship of fanning the flames, mentally lamenting, "The great king doesn't realize how hard it is to find a clever little demon!"
These little demons were not self-cultivated but were transformed into demons through the Demon King's Enlightenment technique. Naturally deficient, they appeared somewhat foolish.
The Demon King, having learned the art of Alchemy from somewhere, became obsessed with it. Fanning the flames was challenging: the fire must be large at times and small at others, sometimes fast and sometimes slow—tasks these foolish little demons could hardly manage.
However, the Elixirs were exceedingly precious. If the temperature was not just right, a whole batch could be ruined, wasting all prior efforts. The Demon King also had a fierce temper, occasionally killing the apprentice responsible for fanning the flames in his wrath.
In only half a year, the Demon King had already replaced several apprentices for this task.
Though foolish, the little demons knew to seek good fortune and avoid disaster. Now hearing that the great king was calling, which of them would willingly court death? They all started making noise, refusing to be the apprentice for fanning the flames.
Seeing this, the leopard-headed demon was at a loss. With the crowd so agitated, he couldn't simply decree a decision and said, "If that's the case, you choose someone among yourselves. In any case, we must have someone, or else none of us will escape the great king's wrath!"
Upon hearing this, the demons indeed selected one among them. This demon looked no larger than a human child of eleven or twelve, with a face as bright as the full moon and lips red and teeth white. However, instead of human legs, there was a snake's tail.
The leader, seeing this, joyously declared, "It seems, apart from you, Lin Fang, there is no one else fit for the job!"
At this moment, Lin Fang felt dejected inside. These foolish ones isolated him just because he did not eat human flesh, and now they were sending him to his doom. Who did not know that the great king had already killed many apprentices? Yet, with things as they were, he had no option but to press on.
Originally a normal young man on Earth, he used to leisurely drink tea and read books at home. Unexpectedly, he transversed to this world and found himself in a snake's body, transformed into a demon.
Due to his past life, he couldn't bring himself to harm lives like the other little demons, which made him quite the outsider. This was the reason for his current predicament.
However, having already died once, Lin Fang naturally possessed the courage to break the cauldrons and sink the boats when facing adversity. Resolving himself, he inquired, "Leader, may I know the great king's name and any taboos to be aware of, so I can serve with all my heart and strength!"
Because all the little demons around him always addressed him as "Great King," Lin Fang still didn't know the true identity of his own Great King.
Now that the leader had found his candidate and could report back, he naturally came to like Lin Fang and explained to him, "Our king was once called the Great White Wolf King, but now he has changed his name to Ling Xuzi!"
The speaker was unintentional, but the listener was interested. When Lin Fang heard the three words "Ling Xuzi," he shivered and vaguely guessed where he might be.
Since childhood, he had enjoyed reading, and among the four great novels, the one he read most was "Journey to the West." Just before he was transported, he had been holding a copy of "Journey to the West," reading it with relish; he was naturally very clear about the stories it contained.
Those familiar with "Journey to the West" would know the name Ling Xuzi, who was friends with the Black Wind Monster and was killed by Sun Wukong with a single strike.
However, just hearing this name was not enough to be certain; he needed more confirmation. If this really was the world of "Journey to the West," then this Demon King would eventually die, and this place would be taken over by Buddhist forces. He figured he should plan well for the future.
Lin Fang listened thoughtfully, while the leader spoke with excitement, "I don't understand why the king wanted to change his name when the previous White Wolf King was so imposing!"
Of course, these were thoughts he could only privately share; in front of the Demon King, he was as obedient as a little baby.
The two walked and talked, and soon a cave mansion appeared before them, with "Lingxu Temple" written in flowing script above the cave entrance—oddly named a "temple" though it was just a cave, making it seem rather inappropriate.
As a lowly little demon like Lin Fang obviously had no right to reside inside the cave mansion, so this was his first time visiting.
One had to admit that although the Demon King had no master, he was still refined. There was no scent of blood inside, and upon entering the front door, one could see the courtyard where peaches and plums were competing in beauty, flowers bloomed profusely, and the scenery was vibrant.
Walking deeper into the cave mansion, they saw a Taoist sitting next to the alchemy furnace. Seeing the leader bring Lin Fang in, he asked, "Is this the apprentice you've chosen for me? Not bad, much better than the previous ones!"
Upon hearing the Demon King's words, the leader was delighted, knowing that the king was very satisfied with his work, and gladly said, "Great King, this little demon is named Lin Fang!"
The Taoist became curious when he heard this, "Why did he receive a human name?"
Lin Fang dared not delay in his response, as his life was quite literally in their hands. He quickly came forward and answered, "I saw that the travelers in the mountains all had names, so I took the liberty of giving myself a name based on 'Lin' from the forest!" He certainly wouldn't admit that it was his name in his past life!
The Demon King was even more pleased when he heard this. He had changed his name because he had long admired those who achieved enlightenment in the mortal world, so Lin Fang's action made him feel a kinship. However, he silently thought that he needed to be more careful this time and not accidentally kill this clever little demon.
With a wave of his robe, demonic power enveloped Lin Fang's entire body, and suddenly, Lin Fang had human legs. Exquisitely detailed, he bore quite the resemblance to a Daoist's immortal child.
However, Lin Fang was aware that this was merely an illusion technique; his essence was still that of a beast's body. If someone with high Cultivation Level were to observe him, they could easily see through his disguise.
He knew that a human body was naturally a Taoist Body, making it the easiest to cultivate. Most magic formulas in the world were designed for Taoist Bodies, or for those with extraordinary talents like Sun Wukong.
For ordinary demon creatures like Lin Fang, they must transform into human form in order to practice profound Daoist magic; for now, he had only transformed his appearance, with the inside unchanged.
The only thing that depressed him was that his foundation had been damaged due to the Demon King's enlightenment technique, and he did not know when he would be able to recover. Otherwise, he would never be able to achieve transformation in his lifetime.
Since he was here, Lin Fang could only console himself and take things one step at a time.