Great Demon - Chapter 104

Above the Nine Heavens, the Obsidian Dragon flew straight to the Bureau of Reincarnation, abruptly transforming into human form before the Reincarnation Pool.

The young boy tending to the life lamps was so startled that he nearly snapped the bamboo in his hands. Quickly rising, he said, “I do not know what brings Your Divinity here.”

“I have come to take the Reincarnation Pool,” Changying stated plainly.

The boy was taken aback. “You mean the water from the pool?”

“Indeed.” Changying lowered her gaze to the water. The pool was crystal clear, untainted by the slightest impurity. On its surface, her reflection appeared—black robes, black hair, exuding a distinct coldness.

The young boy had guarded this place for a long time, yet no one had ever sought to take water from the Reincarnation Pool. However, he did not question her motives. Instead, he hesitated before saying, “The waters of the Reincarnation Pool cannot leave the Nine Heavens. They require divine power to be sustained; otherwise, they will lose their effect. Moreover, once the pool dries up, it takes a century to replenish.”

Changying was well aware of this. She had witnessed the Heavenly Palace rise amidst the clouds and knew every inch of its domain. How could she not understand the nature of this mere Reincarnation Pool?

She nodded slightly, unsurprised by the boy’s words.

“This matter must be reported to the Heavenly Emperor,” the boy said formally.

Changying had no intention of making things difficult for him. Though she knew Xuanqing would not refuse, she still waved her hand and said, “Go.”

The young boy hurried toward the main hall. At the entrance, he addressed the two celestial attendants, “Please inform the Heavenly Emperor that someone from the Bureau of Reincarnation seeks an audience.”

The two celestial attendants recognized him. They bowed slightly but did not enter the hall on their own. Instead, they knocked three times and softly announced, “The Bureau of Reincarnation seeks an audience.”

From within, Xuanqing’s deep voice responded, “Let him in.”

Only then did the attendants push open the doors and bow. “Please enter the hall, sir.”

The young boy nodded and stepped inside.

Within the main hall, the Four Dharma Kings and several Divine Lords were present. Yet, not a single celestial spoke, and the silence carried an odd weight.

Keeping his head lowered, the young boy announced, “Heavenly Emperor, the Divine Venerable has returned.”

Xuanqing was unsurprised. He nodded and said, “Whatever Her Divinity seeks, give it to her. Do not hinder her.”

The young boy was momentarily stunned. From these words, it almost seemed as if the Heavenly Emperor had already known that the Divine Venerable would come for the Reincarnation Pool. Without delay, he bowed and withdrew.

Once the boy had gone, the Immovable Buddha finally spoke. “The Mortal Realm is on the brink of chaos.”

Xuanqing furrowed his brow. “There is still a chance to turn things around. But this time, we must entreat the Divine Venerable to act.”

Immovable Buddha pressed his five fingers together in a solemn pose, sitting with perfect composure. “One end of the human world’s dragon vein has been tainted by devilish energy. It is likely the work of a devil entity. If we do not eradicate it soon, the Mortal Realm may truly become a purgatory.”

“I am powerless.” Xuanqing suddenly extended his palm and turned it over. The lines in his palm had nearly faded to nothing. It was a sign of dwindling divine power. If this continued, he feared he would not even be able to maintain his human form.

Immovable Buddha regarded him steadily and asked in a low voice, “Two hundred years ago, why did you shift the blame onto Hua Lingjun? What exactly did he see in the Turbid Mirror?”

“All will be revealed soon enough. But atop the Nine Heavens, this matter must not be spoken of.” Xuanqing closed his eyes.

Immovable Buddha’s gaze sharpened, as if he had discerned something. He spoke slowly, “You already know the answer.”

“Of course I do.” Xuanqing nodded. “It is here, within the Nine Heavens, yet we have failed to perceive it.”

The Four Dharma Kings bore solemn expressions, while the Divine Lords remained silent. They all understood that this “it” referred not only to the devil entity but also to—

A devil gate.

Three thousand years ago, the Vermillion Phoenix had discovered the devil gate within the Nine Heavens. In a single decisive strike, she had cast it down into the devil’s domain. But now, the gate seemed to have concealed itself, without releasing even the slightest trace of devilish energy. Whether it could still be banished as before remained unknown.

A Divine Lord stepped forward and bowed. “All celestial positions within the Nine Heavens have been recorded. Half of them… may be revoked.”

Xuanqing raised his hand and accepted the thin booklet. Flipping through it casually, his gaze suddenly froze.

The Divine Lord who had presented the booklet kept his head lowered, saying nothing.

Xuanqing handed the booklet to the Immovable Buddha. “Please review this, Your Eminence.”

The Immovable Buddha opened it to the exact page Xuanqing had just seen. After a single glance, he closed it again and said coolly, “Do not test the limits blindly.” With a flick of his hand, he tossed the booklet back beside Xuanqing. “My review is meaningless. The Divine Venerable must see it herself.”

None of the celestials objected.

“Naturally.” Xuanqing nodded. “But I wonder—once Her Divinity departs, when will she return?”

“The Divine Venerable is descending to the human world again?” the Divine Lord who had handed over the booklet asked.

Between Xuanqing’s brows, weariness was evident. “She will descend to the human world again. Two hundred years ago, I planted a seed in the Mortal Realm—this seed is Hua Lingjun. Now, Her Divinity has taken water from the Reincarnation Pool to nourish it. When this seed finally sprouts, the truth will be revealed.”

***

By the Reincarnation Pool, Changying saw the young boy return but did not ask what Xuanqing had said. Without hesitation, she transformed into her dragon form. Opening her massive jaws, the water in the pool surged like a waterfall flowing in reverse, pouring directly into her mouth.

The young boy was stunned but still bowed and said, “The Heavenly Emperor has decreed that Your Divinity may take whatever she desires.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the Reincarnation Pool dried up completely, not a single drop of water remaining—it had all been swallowed by the dragon.

The young boy muttered, “I hope Your Divinity will return the Reincarnation Pool soon.” He glanced at the unfinished life lamps he had been tending to, thinking to himself: Luckily, the souls today had already had their memories cleansed. Otherwise, if the process had been interrupted halfway, that would have been truly awkward.

The Obsidian Dragon turned to leave, but the young boy quickly called out, “Your Divinity, this water will consume your divine power. Do not delay for too long.”

The dragon glanced at him but said nothing before leaping out of the Bureau of Reincarnation. Her long, winding body flickered past the clouds and suddenly plunged down with the wind.

The so-called young boy was not truly a child—he was an ancient being, whose appearance had simply remained that of a young child. Watching the Obsidian Dragon depart, he returned to his desk and continued crafting the life lamps, one after another, seemingly tireless.

***

Meanwhile, in the main hall, Xuanqing withdrew his hand, closed his eyes heavily burdened with thought, and after a long while, let out a deep sigh.

The Four Dharma Kings and the Divine Lords remained motionless, watching him closely. At last, he opened his eyes and said in a calm voice, “The Divine Venerable has left.” Xuanqing held the booklet in his hand. “In a few days, I will personally deliver this record to her. She should not linger in the Mortal Realm for too long.”

Immovable Buddha seemed to see past Xuanqing’s exhaustion, peering directly into his heart. He nodded and said, “Then I ask the Heavenly Emperor to hold on for a little longer.”

Xuanqing’s hand trembled slightly as he clutched the booklet. “The Nine Heavens must not fall into chaos. If I perish, Her Divinity shall take control of the Nine Heavens. I only hope she can uncover the mysteries of Shangxi City as soon as possible.”

Immovable Buddha suddenly stood up. In his human form, he stood nearly nine feet tall. When he lowered his eyes, there was not a trace of harshness in them—only boundless compassion. He spoke slowly, “The Divine Venerable may not wish to govern the Nine Heavens. You had best not vanish too soon.”

Xuanqing sighed deeply, saying nothing about what the Divine Venerable had taken, nor how he had known about it.

***

The water from the Reincarnation Pool, now within the dragon’s belly, rested there quietly. A mighty dragon had essentially become nothing more than a vessel for the Nine Heavens’ sacred waters.

As Changying carried the Reincarnation Pool within her true form, she finally understood why the young boy had said the water could not leave the Nine Heavens. Now that she was experiencing it firsthand, she realized that only the divine power of the Nine Heavens could sustain it freely.

Her stomach churned, half of her divine energy had already been drained, and her spiritual sea was suddenly empty—this water was indeed no trivial matter to carry.

She descended to the Mortal Realm. Not knowing whether Zhuyou had located the devil gate in Changming City, she decided it was best to investigate personally.

Upon arriving in the human world, she altered her appearance and easily tracked down the two demons within the city.

Hanzhu and Huoshu, having failed to find any sign of the devil gate, had now given up entirely and were hiding in Su Wenqing’s residence.

Su Wenqing lay unconscious on his bed as several physicians examined him one after another, yet none could diagnose his condition.

One of them said, “Young Master Su appears to have been frightened—his soul has left his body.”

Huoshu, standing nearby with a paper fan in hand, sneered, “A soul that has left the body is still so full of life? That sounds more like his final burst of energy before death.”

Hanzhu remained silent.

“These physicians are worse than I am,” Huoshu added. “Frightened? He clearly knocked his head when he hit the door.”

Another physician spoke up, “Perhaps we should summon a soul-caller instead. We truly cannot do anything.”

Sir Su slammed his cane against the ground with a cold expression. “You all look like doctors, but you talk like frauds.”

The physicians wiped their foreheads nervously and bowed, “Sir Su, we won’t charge for this consultation. Young Master Su is perfectly healthy—he is not sick at all.”

Sir Su waved his hand. Seeing the doctors hastily grab their medicine chests and flee, he turned to a servant by his side and said, “Follow them. Pay them what they are owed.”

The servant nodded and quickly chased after them.

Su Wenqing lay motionless on the bed, while the hidden Huoshu used spiritual energy to dispel the bruising on the back of his head.

Hanzhu stood silently at the side, not uttering a single word, as if her soul had been stolen.

Unable to bear her gloomy silence, Huoshu frowned and said, “Why are you so dejected? Just because we couldn’t find the devil gate? Her Grace never expected us to find it anyway.”

Hanzhu, looking downcast, glanced at her and replied, “If Mistress knew how useless we were, she would be furious.”

“I have never actually seen Your Grace truly angry,” Huoshu mused. “She seemed upset a few times, but her eyes never held any real fire. Though, I will say, her sheer presence is terrifying.” Clicking her tongue, she added, “Besides, hasn’t she always known we were useless?”

This matter was truly indefensible. Hanzhu choked for a moment before saying, “But I…”

Huoshu turned to look at her. “Do you really think Her Grace wants you to find the devil gate in this city?”

Hanzhu, having been shaken in spirit these past few days, was now overly wary of everything. She was constantly on edge, her mind so tense that she couldn’t even process simple matters.

Seeing this, Huoshu continued, “Her Grace ordered us to stay here and even left behind a feather—she clearly doesn’t want that person to realize she has gone elsewhere. Just focus on your task and don’t worry.”

Hanzhu, truly muddled, pressed her fingertips to her temple and said, “I’ll listen to you.”

Huoshu nodded slightly and, with a crisp snap, closed her paper fan. “Ah,” she sighed, then added, “It’s time to wake up.”

Sure enough, Su Wenqing, who had been lying on the bed, opened his eyes.

Huoshu grinned. “Well, Su Wenqing wouldn’t have made it back here on his own. Since Her Grace found Qiao Fengsheng, she naturally saw him as well. Waking him up is just a small favor for your mistress—one that will surely earn you some favor.”

“You really know how to please her.” Hanzhu looked at her with disdain.

Huoshu chuckled, and as her mood lifted, the whiskers on her face retracted. She touched her face and laughed. “I only learned from you.”

Hanzhu was speechless.

As Su Wenqing regained consciousness, he lay there in a daze for a while, staring blankly at the sheer canopy above his bed. Then, as if suddenly startled, he widened his eyes and screamed, “A ghost! A ghost—there’s a ghost!”

His shout immediately roused everyone in the room.

Sir Su shot up from his seat, furious. “Go find those doctors from earlier and bring them back!”

Huoshu was enjoying the spectacle when she suddenly sensed an extra presence in the room. However, caught up in the excitement, she didn’t pay much attention—she almost wished for a handful of sunflower seeds to snack on.

Hanzhu, too, was intrigued and glanced over at Sir Su. “Does he really think his eldest son saw a ghost?”

“He probably didn’t see a ghost, but Su Wenqing was definitely scared out of his wits,” Huoshu sighed. “And now, everyone else in this room is scared too—scared because of Su Wenqing himself.”

Just as she finished speaking, she swept her gaze around the room to confirm her theory—only to spot that extra figure once again.

Dressed in black, with long black hair and a pale face.

Huoshu jolted and bumped into Hanzhu’s shoulder. That silhouette seemed strangely familiar.

Following her gaze, Hanzhu suddenly caught sight of the dragon, who had concealed its aura.

Changying turned, her expression unreadable as she glanced at them and asked, “Where is she?”

The “she” in question was, of course, Zhuyou.

As if she really had seen a ghost, Huoshu nearly sprouted her whiskers again from sheer fright. She inhaled sharply and stammered, “Her Grace went… went…”

Before she could finish, Hanzhu pinched her waist—hard. That frail old waist of hers couldn’t take it, and the pain nearly made her roll her eyes back.

Hanzhu didn’t even know where she got the courage from. Maybe it was because she figured that the Nine Heavens’ Divine Venerable wouldn’t dare harm her. Carefully, she spoke up, “I’ll take you to her.”

She was curious to see whether this dragon would mistake her mistress for someone else.

Changying had no doubts. She nodded and said, “Hurry.”

Hanzhu quickly moved toward the wall, only to see that Changying hadn’t followed. The dragon remained standing beside the bed, pressing a single finger against Su Wenqing’s forehead.

Su Wenqing stiffened as a strand of his soul was pulled out and dissipated in the air.

Changying withdrew her hand and walked past Hanzhu, speaking indifferently. “Let’s go.”

Lying on the bed, Su Wenqing looked utterly confused. He no longer shouted about ghosts but instead asked, “Why am I lying here? Wasn’t I at Tiger Roar Ridge?”

Sir Su let out a long sigh and said, “No need to call the doctors back.”

“Dad, didn’t you say you wouldn’t return until after Grain Rain? What day is it today?” Su Wenqing muttered, still bewildered.

Sir Su raised a hand to his forehead and sighed again. “Actually, go call the doctors back.”

Beyond the high walls, the doctors rushed back in, none of them looking particularly pleased.

Changying remarked in a neutral tone, “Cleaning up afterward—this is the right way to do things.”

Huoshu unfolded her paper fan and used it to partially cover her face as she said awkwardly, “I don’t have that kind of skill.” She felt bitter—she hadn’t expected her casual words to be overheard. Clearly, she needed to be more careful about what she said.

“This way.” Hanzhu gestured toward the high wall.

Changying nodded and approached. Before the peafowl demon could speak further, she passed right through the wall.

Hanzhu hurried to follow, pointing out the way toward the exit of the Su residence. Huoshu trailed behind, feeling increasingly uneasy.

Changming City was truly peaceful—not only was there no trace of devilish energy, but even demons were scarce. There were hardly any sentient plants or objects to be found.

Changying frowned and asked, “Why isn’t she with you?”

Huoshu didn’t dare speak, instead shooting glances at Hanzhu, thinking to herself that Her Grace had long since left. What remained in this city was merely a single feather she had left behind.

But Hanzhu replied, “Mistress said there should be a devil gate in this city, but we are of no help in finding it.”

Changying nodded without suspicion.

Huoshu covered her lips with her paper fan, yet she still couldn’t hold back her words and muttered, “Changming City is truly strange. Even if spiritual energy in the Mortal Realm is scarce, there should still be some sentient beings. But here, it’s as if only mortals reside.”

Hearing this, Changying suddenly halted. She flipped her pale hand over, and a folded map instantly appeared in her palm.

When she spread it open, mountains, rivers, and city structures came to life on the parchment.

Changying lowered her gaze, carefully tracing the path where Changming City lay. With ease, she mapped out the flow of the human world’s dragon vein.

She hadn’t remembered incorrectly—Changming City was indeed at the tail end of the dragon vein. Yet, for the spiritual energy at the tail of the dragon vein to be this thin was truly bizarre.

Her eyes darkened as she stared at the map, and a thought suddenly surfaced in her mind. Could Guanshang be trying to refine the dragon vein into a devil gate? If that were the case, then mortals were already halfway into purgatory. Unless… the dragon vein was severed.

If the dragon vein was cut off, chaos would engulf the human world. But if it wasn’t severed, the world would inevitably turn into a living hell.

“Mistress is just ahead.” Hanzhu raised her hand and pointed.

Changying put away the map, thinking that the devil gate was indeed something that needed to be found. But right now, the most pressing matter was to make Hua Lingjun remember everything from his past life.

She abruptly lifted her head and followed Hanzhu’s gaze. Ahead, a woman dressed in silk robes, her face altered with sorcery, was walking slowly down the long street.

Zhuyou’s pace was neither hurried nor sluggish, as if nothing in the world could disturb her rhythm. She never looked back, seemingly unaware of anything.

Changying furrowed her brows, intending to step forward, but the moment she moved, she suddenly stopped. Turning around, dark clouds seemed to gather between her brows as she asked coldly, “That’s not her. She returned to Shangxi City?”

At that moment, Hanzhu suddenly deflated, as if realizing that there truly was no place for anyone else between this dragon and phoenix.

She hesitated for a brief moment before slightly parting her lips and saying, “Mistress went to the Demon Realm.”

In an instant, dragon scales appeared at the corners of Changying’s eyes and along her forehead, resembling a sprawling birthmark. Yet, instead of making her look unsightly, it smoothed out the cold distance in her demeanor, rendering her beauty almost eerie in its intensity.

She reached up and touched the edge of her eye, and the dragon scales instantly vanished. Then, without another word, she turned away, her expression ice-cold, and suddenly disappeared into the wind.

Huoshu let out a breath of relief. “I thought she was going to kill you.”

“I thought so too.” Hanzhu shook her head. “But she wouldn’t.” She let out a bitter laugh, yet at the same time, felt a weight lift from her chest.