Journey to the West: I am the fiercest bird under Bodhi's seat

With a slight sway, the crow, the size of eight palms, transformed in an instant into a young man in a green robe.

He looked around nervously, as if he had done something wrong. Only after confirming that Bodhi was nowhere to be seen did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He knew perfectly well that his whereabouts couldn't be hidden from the old man. His safe return itself meant that the old man had tacitly approved of his arrival.

But he was still afraid it was a setup—that the old man was deliberately letting him off the hook, only to settle scores later.

Believe it or not, in Ye Feng's mind, Patriarch Bodhi really was capable of doing such a thing.

Now that he was all alone, he felt safe and secure, so he stood with his hands behind his back and leisurely walked deeper into the area.

He also had to go to the Illusion Moon Cave to reflect on his mistakes.

The period is six months, and not a single day can be missed.

Although he often argued with his master, he never dared to disregard any of the precepts on Fangcun Mountain.

Over the course of a year and a half, he had gained a fairly good understanding of Bodhi Patriarch's temperament.

In short—she appears ethereal and otherworldly on the surface, but is extremely shrewd and calculating on the inside.

He understands everything, yet often pretends to be deaf and dumb when it matters most.

His relationship with monkeys was particularly special.

However, there are still differences in the subtle details.

Ye Feng could sense that the patriarch genuinely loved the monkey, but was almost indulgent towards him.

It was as if whatever he did was within the other party's tolerance limit.

This is not an illusion.

He was also puzzled: what was so special about him that he deserved such treatment?

Most of those reckless and impudent remarks were met with feigned anger from the patriarch, who would simply turn away with a smile.

If it were any other disciple, except for the monkey, they would probably have been remembered and secretly punished countless times.

Ultimately, he guessed that it might be related to his identity as a "time traveler".

Although it cannot be confirmed.

Amidst his jumbled thoughts, Ye Feng walked through the forest path and arrived at a secluded cave.

Vines hang from the cave entrance like curtains, and the interior is pitch black and deep, making it difficult to discern its surroundings. Above, three traditional seal characters are carved: "Illusion Moon Cave".

Ye Feng recognized it at a glance as the work of Bodhi Patriarch.

Standing before the cave entrance, he felt a slight stirring in his heart. After a moment's hesitation, he finally stepped inside.

I, a majestic three-legged golden crow, a primordial species, have long since cultivated to the realm of Earth Immortal, possessing the two great divine powers of Golden Crow True Fire and Purple Heavenly Thunder. This mere illusionary cave...

I grass!

The moment his foot stepped inside, Ye Feng's pupils constricted, and the hairs on his body stood on end.

The world was a vast expanse of white, pure white.

This is a world completely covered in white snow.

A biting wind howled in, whipping ice crystals against my face, stinging painfully. Even more terrifying was the chill, penetrating to the bone, as if it would freeze even my very soul.

The moment Ye Feng stepped into this place, he felt his magical power stagnate, his body was filled with surging cold energy, and even his thoughts became sluggish.

He was a three-legged golden crow born of the fire element, yet he was still like this; one can imagine how terrifying this cold wind must be.

But that wasn't what made him gasp—what truly shocked him was that a gigantic ice ball, like a meteor, crashed down from the sky, heading straight for where he was!

The ice hockey puck was crystal clear, like a diamond, yet it exuded a terrifying aura that made people suffocate.

Alarm bells rang in Ye Feng's mind, and he turned and fled without hesitation.

He never even considered taking it head-on—even though he considered himself quite strong, that wasn't just a block of ice. It was clearly a miniature star formed from the power of extreme cold, stretching for tens of thousands of miles. Who could withstand its pressure?

He'd be crazy to fight head-on.

As he flew wildly, he realized with alarm that his speed couldn't keep up with the descent of the ice puck. If this continued, he would surely be buried in this desolate, icy wasteland.

Without holding back, he suddenly flapped his wings, and golden light burst forth from his body, instantly transforming him into a three-legged golden crow with gleaming golden feathers.

With its full magical power unleashed, its wingspan exceeded ten zhang, and its entire body was engulfed in golden flames, resembling a small sun rising into the sky.

Its speed increased dramatically as it desperately fled into the distance.

The wind and snow rushed in, instantly turning into white mist upon landing on the wings.

However, the snowfall was too great, and the fire was being consumed continuously. In just a short time, one-ninth of it had been used up.

If this continues, he might really freeze to death once the flames go out.

"That old bastard Bodhi definitely did it on purpose."

Ye Feng cursed inwardly.

The old man clearly knew that he possessed the Golden Crow bloodline, yet he deliberately created this extremely cold world to restrain him.

Moreover, these snowstorms were no ordinary things; they contained a chilling energy that, like a venomous snake coiling around him, constantly eroded his magical power.

After fleeing for an unknown amount of time, a sudden, deafening roar shook the entire world.

—The puck finally landed.

Ye Feng breathed a sigh of relief, finally escaping the impact zone. He looked back in mid-air, but his expression froze instantly.

The ice hockey puck crashed to the ground, creating a towering wave of snow.

The snow waves reached tens of thousands of feet high, sweeping across the vast wilderness, blotting out the sun, and accompanied by a whirlwind of broken ice, making it impossible to avoid.

He only had time to let out a roar before he folded his wings to protect his body, and was then completely swallowed up by the overwhelming avalanche.

……

The avalanche lasted for three full days before it subsided.

On this day, a section of the snowfield suddenly collapsed, and a huge bird's head emerged from the snow.

"I'm dying to breathe!"

Ye Feng, panting heavily, was enveloped in heat that rapidly melted the surrounding ice and snow as he struggled to emerge from the snow.

They were buried deep in snow for three days, and their lives were filled with unbearable suffering.

The entire world was completely at odds with his origin; how could the word "unpleasant" possibly describe that feeling?

He learned one thing: the flames must be contained to minimize heat loss.

This is a lesson learned through three days of suffering.

When the world is against you, being defiant will only lead to your demise; only by bowing your head can you survive.

He simply stopped transforming into human form, retained his golden crow body, and prepared to spread his wings and explore this desolate land.

Let's find a slightly warmer corner and wait out for the next six months.

But just as they spread their wings, the sky suddenly became gloomy, damp, and cold, and then—

A single drop of extremely cold rain fell, hitting him squarely on the head.

It's raining.

Ye Feng shuddered, sensing that the rain was filled with malice, specifically designed to counter his Golden Crow True Fire. Each drop felt like a silver needle piercing his skin, causing unbearable burning pain.

He immediately activated the flames, and golden flames soared into the sky, evaporating all the raindrops before they could even get close.

He roared to the sky, "Bodhi! You old bastard, don't go too far!"

……

Deep within the Taoist temple on Fangcun Mountain, the Bodhi Patriarch sits in meditation in his room.

An elderly man with an air of otherworldly wisdom sat cross-legged on a cloud-shaped couch, holding a crystal-clear Bodhi fruit in his hand. He took a small bite, and the fruit was crisp, sweet, and left a lingering aftertaste.

He stroked his long beard, a slight smile playing on his lips, his eyes brimming with smugness.

An invisible mirror floated in front of him, clearly reflecting Ye Feng's every move in the illusion.

"Ha, this stupid bird dares to speak so rudely."

Bodhi raised her eyebrows slightly and casually touched the mirror with her fingertip.

……

Amidst the frozen world, Ye Feng slowly raised his head, his expression dazed. Just moments before, it had been pouring rain; in the blink of an eye, the raindrops froze in mid-air, then stretched and froze, transforming into countless icy blades of cold light that descended from the sky.

What falls from the sky is no longer rain, but knives.

Half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Deep within the Illusion Moon Cave stands a towering glacier.

At the summit, a young man dressed in a green robe sat quietly amidst the ice and snow.

The vast wilderness stretched out before him, a boundless expanse of ice; above, cold rain fell incessantly, yet it silently evaporated into mist the moment it touched him within three feet of his body.

The Taoist priest remained motionless, a wisp of golden flame slowly rotating in front of his palm, continuously sending heat into his meridians.

Ye Feng opened his eyes and exhaled a long breath.

His gaze fell upon the sliver of solar essence before him, now only slightly shrunken, and his heart settled slightly.

I've been able to survive these two months in this extremely cold and harsh environment entirely thanks to this.

This world seemed to have been created specifically to suppress him—

Everything is cold and yin, devoid of warmth, and the true essence within the body is constantly being eroded.

Even if the real sun were to fall into this place, it would probably not last more than ten years before it went out.

At first, Ye Feng thought that Bodhi was deliberately making things difficult for him and taking the opportunity to retaliate.

But as time went by, he gradually noticed something was wrong.

The more difficult the struggle for survival, the faster the cultivation level improved, reaching a hundred times the normal speed.

The greater the pressure, the greater the potential.

In just a few months, his skill level has improved by leaps and bounds.

However, the place was far worse than expected; even the spiritual energy of heaven and earth had turned into bone-chilling cold air, which could not be absorbed at all.

This means that he can only continuously deplete himself without being able to replenish himself at all.

Upon realizing this, Ye Feng's heart sank.

If this continues, they will surely be worn down to death within six months.

Just when he was on the verge of despair, he suddenly remembered the essence of the sun that Bodhi had bestowed upon him on the day he became a disciple.

A slight thought—

Isn't this the source of spiritual power that best matches his original nature?

He originally planned to seal it away and save it for when he was about to break through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm after he had become a Celestial Immortal.

After all, the body of an Earth Immortal is difficult to fully refine, and there would be a waste.

But now, in this extremely cold and desolate place, both his body and will have been pushed to their limits, turning it into a perfect furnace.

In this realm, he was able to absorb the essence of the sun without any loss.

In just two months, his cultivation level increased dramatically, comparable to that of three hundred years of arduous cultivation.

He is only one step away from the late stage of the Earth Immortal realm.

The essence of the sun, however, was almost unaffected, only slightly dimmed.

As he refined it further, he increasingly sensed the vast energy contained within—

I'm afraid even the real scorching sun isn't this intense.

It is unknown how the Bodhi Patriarch obtained this item.

If one day I can refine them all, let alone the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, perhaps even the Daluo Golden Immortal realm will not be out of reach.

At this point, Ye Feng finally admitted his admiration.

The sage's plans were indeed without form or trace.

This icy and snowy landscape is not a punishment, but rather a training ground tailor-made for cultivation.

All the suffering was to help him transform.

The process was just too brutal.

The cold wind howled again, and Ye Feng closed his eyes and focused his mind, continuing to absorb the golden flames.

……

Unaware of the changing seasons in the mountains, half a year passes in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Ye Feng opened his eyes again.

His body was covered in snow as thick as a tomb, layer upon layer.

The essence of the sun still flows quietly before me, its outer flames receding inward, its heat continuously flowing into my body.

Every bit of heat is precisely captured and channeled into the dantian (lower abdomen).

The reversal of Yin and Yang has reached the state of "Yin arising from Yang at its extreme"—

Its interior is as fiery as a furnace, while its exterior is as cold as ice; snowflakes cannot touch it, and it crumbles upon contact.

"The deadline has passed."

Ye Feng stood up, and the accumulated snow slid off in a soft rustling sound.

The scene before my eyes suddenly changed—

The glacier collapsed silently, and the entire world shed its illusion, revealing its true form.

The biting cold wind dissipated, and the vast ice plain disappeared, replaced by a simple cave, no more than a few dozen feet in circumference.

He gently raised his hand and put the essence of the sun back into his sleeve.

That icy world had once convinced him of its existence.

Only now do I realize that truth and illusion have long been intertwined, making it impossible to distinguish between them.