Great Demon - Chapter 70 Part 1

The Obsidian Dragon soared toward the heavens, then lay still at the horizon, where the clouds billowed in multicolored splendor.

She had been away from the heavens for several days, and within the Heavenly Palace, some immortals harbored silent complaints. Who had taken the Turbid Mirror, and why could even the Divine Venerable not retrieve it?

Immortal Zhiying—the ears and eyes of the Heavenly Emperor—rushed over upon learning of the Divine Venerable’s return. But seeing Changying appear unwell, she did not dare approach recklessly, opting instead to wait in silence, lest she disturb the Divine Venerable’s rest.

Changying was not asleep. Having previously reshaped her body by feeding on divine power, she now healed the wounds on her hun soul and po soul in the same manner.

Across the Three Realms, she seemed to be the only deity who relied on devouring spiritual energy and divine radiance to cultivate and recover.

Shrouded in a deep celestial glow, her scales—ordinarily an obsidian black—gleamed with dazzling brilliance under the divine light, as though cloaked in the hues of the Nine Heavens, radiant enough to rival both the scorching sun and the frigid moon.

She was fully conscious, the dull ache in her po soul gradually fading. While resting with her eyes shut, she was aware of a presence nearby. However, the immortal had not approached—merely stood there, waiting.

Though Changying bore no enmity toward the immortals of the heavens, she was accustomed to solitude and thus maintained an inherent vigilance toward all things.

The immortal’s aura was familiar. With her keen memory, she quickly recognized Immortal Zhiying.

A century ago, when she was at Shenhua Mountain, she had taken note of this immortal. Back then, Zhiying had fiercely battled Zhuyou—yet, despite having the opportunity to capture him in his weakened state and drag him back to the Heavenly Palace, she had deliberately refrained from doing so.

During her hundred years in the Heavenly Palace, Changying had naturally come to understand—these flower and bird immortals might appear indifferent to the past, but in truth, they still cherished the Vermillion Phoenix, who had once been deeply favored in the Heavenly Palace two hundred years ago.

The phoenix was the sovereign of all birds. It was no surprise that the avian immortals adored Zhuyou, yet the thought of so many people in the Heavenly Palace still yearning for her irritated Changying. It felt as if a bottomless abyss had opened within her heart—dark, stifling, and not meant for others to see.

This was devil’s intent. Perhaps, because she and Zhuyou had exchanged heart’s blood, her emotions had been affected.

She knew she must not allow devil’s intent to take root, so she forcibly suppressed such thoughts, lest they creep up on her unawares and consume her heart entirely.

Motionless upon the clouds, she seemed to slumber within them. The wounds she had suffered within the Turbid Mirror had already healed, leaving not even the faintest scar.

Two hours passed. In the Mortal Realm, night had fallen, yet the heavens remained brightly illuminated.

The Obsidian Dragon suddenly opened her eyes. In that instant, an unstoppable wave of pressure surged outward, shaking the boundless clouds like rising tides. Even within the Heavenly Palace, the immortals trembled at the shock.

Changying lifted her gaze and saw Immortal Zhiying approaching from the distance.

Bowing slightly, Immortal Zhiying lowered her voice and said, “The Heavenly Emperor has sent me to inquire—has Your Divinity retrieved the Turbid Mirror?”

Turbid Mirror.

Changying abruptly shifted into her human form. The hem of her long skirt, which once trailed on the ground, now sank gently into the clouds. Her brows furrowed slightly as she replied in a calm voice, “Tell the Heavenly Emperor not to worry—I know where the Turbid Mirror is.”

Immortal Zhiying bowed but did not immediately leave. Instead, she hesitated and asked, “Has Your Divinity been injured?” She did not dare ask who had inflicted the wounds, for within the Three Realms, none should be capable of harming this one.

“It’s nothing,” Changying replied, her golden eyes lifting slightly, their gaze distant and cold.

Seeing this, Immortal Zhiying could only say, “Then please, Your Divinity, rest well.” With that, she turned and vanished into a cascade of radiant light, disappearing without a trace.

Changying withdrew her gaze, standing alone at the edge of the clouds—slender, forlorn. Yet, no one dared approach her. She had intentionally left the Turbid Mirror behind so that Zhuyou would understand—she would return for it.

After that encounter, Zhuyou should no longer be in a hurry to enter the mirror. Having already been inside once, she now knew its treachery—it could not only deceive the heart but also inscribe one’s greed, rage, and desire within its reflections.

Fortunately, Changying had released her grip inside the Turbid Mirror. The fragment of the Devil Lord’s hun soul would surely be drawn by the Turbid Mirror back a thousand years into the past, slipping once more into the cycle of reincarnation. Thus, the present world remained unchanged.

The Devil Lord’s hun soul bore the weight of countless lives and karmic sins. Whoever brought this hun soul out would inevitably be held accountable for these burdens. As such, that person would suffer the Heavenly Dao’s punishment, never to attain deliverance—even after death, they would find no release, trapped eternally in the abyss of suffering, enduring the agony of freezing bones, infernal flames, and the relentless gnawing of ten thousand ghosts. Neither living nor dead.

This was the consequence of shouldering the Devil Lord’s karma and sins. Zhuyou knew this, yet still wished to touch it. At this thought, Changying’s heart grew restless.

The Heavenly Dao’s retribution would descend from beyond the celestial radiance, and even as a Divine Venerable of the Nine Heavens, she might not be able to withstand it.

Once the wounds in her po soul had fully healed, she recalled that within the Turbid Mirror, Zhuyou had mentioned Shangxi City. Thus, she rode the clouds straight toward the Heavenly Gates, arriving at the white jade palace suspended upon golden-veined floating stones.

Xuanqing was briefly stunned to see the Divine Venerable arrive with murderous intent. With a flick of his sleeve, he swiftly dismissed the immortals who had been reporting their affairs.

The immortals, initially perplexed, immediately understood when they saw who had arrived—this Divine Venerable, known for having no attachments or desires.

Outside the palace doors, an immortal clad in five-colored ceremonial robes approached just in time to see the other immortals leaving the hall. She stole a glance inside, where the tall, slender Divine Venerable stood before the Heavenly Emperor, then turned back to follow the others.

Changying clenched her fingers. The wide-open palace doors, as if stirred by an unseen wind, slammed shut with a loud boom.

Before Immortal Zhiying could enter and report, Xuanqing remained unaware of whether the Turbid Mirror had been retrieved. Frowning, he asked, “Has Your Divinity recovered the Turbid Mirror?”

Changying replied coldly, “Not yet. I have come today for only one question.”

“Ask freely,” Xuanqing gestured for her to sit. With a slight motion of his fingers, a glass cup of celestial wine slid forward, the bottle tilting lightly as the divine liquor poured forth.

The jade cup, now filled with fragrant nectar, landed gently beside Changying’s hand. Its rich aroma alone was intoxicating.

Changying, however, did not take up the cup. She had little desire for such external things and was reluctant even to touch them. She lifted her golden eyes and spoke directly, “A thousand years ago, when the Devil Lord’s three hun souls scattered, why did the Heavenly Realm only carve out Shangxi City, yet never establish a divine office to govern it?”

Xuanqing was momentarily stunned. He pursed his lips and slowly straightened his posture, tapping his index finger twice on the table. “I wonder who brought up this matter before Your Divinity?”

Changying cast him a sidelong glance. “Why must the Heavenly Emperor test me?”

Xuanqing’s gaze was obscure, and after pondering for a long while, he finally said, “A thousand years ago, when the Devil Lord’s hun souls scattered, the devil soldiers under his command entered Shangxi City and vanished without a trace. To this day, no one has seen them within the city. It’s as if they’ve hidden themselves in the void. The Evil-Punisher Divine Lord searched the city for five years without results. Moreover, there are frequent reports of demons and devils disappearing, as if they are being drawn into a world beyond this realm.”

“Such a strange occurrence?” Changying frowned.

“I originally intended to summon heavenly thunder to wipe out Shangxi City and dig three feet into the ground to uncover the devil soldiers. But even after shattering the city into pieces, not a single devil soldier appeared—they seem to be concealed beneath the Heavenly Dao itself.” Xuanqing’s gaze darkened. “Shangxi City is full of strange people and mysterious events. Rather than stationing an immortal there to guard it, it is better to lift the restrictions and wait for the prey to reveal itself.”

Concealed beneath the Heavenly Dao?

A realization struck Changying.

Zhuyou’s urgency to resurrect the Devil Lord must stem from knowing that he had hidden tens of thousands of devil soldiers within the city. Zhuyou likely wanted to uncover this mystery and harness its power to survive the impending trial of thunder and fire. That would explain her boldness—and why she claimed that Shangxi City held the key to her survival.

Changying nodded slightly and said in a calm voice, “Thank you for the guidance.”

Before Xuanqing could stop her, she transformed into black lightning and shot out the door.

Cutting through the clouds of the Nine Heavens, she plunged into the East Sea like a bolt of lightning. Releasing a breath of turbid air, her thoughts were troubled. She had pondered this matter at length—if Zhuyou were willing, Changying could give her a piece of an immortal bone. With it, Zhuyou would become half-immortal, half-devil, free from the constraints of the Three Realms and capable of establishing her own domain. Yet, Zhuyou insisted on taking risks.

***

The sea exploded with a thunderous roar, sending fish and shrimp flying high into the air before they flopped back onto a fishing boat.

The fisherman, wearing a straw hat and half-dozing, jolted awake at the sound. Turning his head sharply, he saw the water splash that had risen to the sky falling back into the sea. Strangely, his boat was now covered with fish, flopping and wriggling about.

He quickly bent down to gather the unexpected catch, scratching his head in confusion—why does it keep raining fish from the sky?

Deep beneath the sea, Changying stood before the Dragon Palace. The guards immediately bowed, exchanging puzzled glances—they had no idea why the Divine Venerable had suddenly arrived.

Moments later, East Sea Monarch came out to greet her, hurriedly saying, “Your Divinity, what brings you here today? If you had sent word earlier, I would have prepared a proper reception.”

“No need,” Changying said coldly, her expression distant and unapproachable.

This hardly resembled a polite visit—it was more like she had come to cause trouble.

But all the immortals knew that the Nine Heavens’ Divine Venerable was like this. With her overwhelming cultivation, anywhere she went felt like an invasion.