Great Demon - Chapter 92 Part 1

The moment Changying’s divine consciousness was shattered, a chill surged back into the trench. The crystalline ice once again turned frigid, spreading cold that made the nearby demons and devils shiver uncontrollably.

Shangxi City was unusually silent, as if it had not been this quiet for a long time. The streets were empty, lonelier than a mortal night, with not even the cries of livestock to be heard—only the swaying lanterns above made a faint rustling sound.

High above the Nine Heavens, the black dragon coiled in the clouds suddenly opened her eyes, her golden pupils cold and terrifying. In a flash, she sprang forward, winding her way toward the Heavenly Palace. As she arrived before the celestial gates, her form shifted into that of a tall and slender woman.

The celestial soldiers around her lowered their heads at once, kneeling on one knee with a resounding thud as their armor struck the ground.

Changying headed straight for the Observatory Pavilion, but before she could reach it, she saw billowing black smoke rising from the observation platform beneath the Divine Sun light. The thick smoke coiled upward like a massive hand reaching for the sun itself.

Yet, before the smoke could touch the Divine Sun, it dissipated. Still, more smoke surged up from below, endlessly and without pause.

Her heart tightened as she saw a flock of magpie immortals flying urgently toward the Observatory Pavilion. The very source of that rolling black smoke was unmistakably the pavilion!

The timing was too coincidental. She had only just left Xuanqing not long ago, and after departing, she had cast her divine consciousness over Shangxi City. In just a few short hours, something had gone wrong at the pavilion?

It looked suspiciously like a hurried attempt to destroy evidence.

In the distance, the heavy clang of armor echoed as a troop of celestial soldiers also rushed toward the pavilion, their faces grim. No one knew what had caught fire.

Changying wasted no time. She stepped into the wind and soared toward the Observatory Pavilion. There, several immortals and the Fate Keeper were desperately trying to extinguish the flames consuming the life lamps.

The Fate Keeper’s expression was urgent as he called out, “Why won’t this fire go out?!”

Before Changying even touched the ground, she suddenly transformed into a divine dragon midair. Her enormous draconic body was so vast that even two pavilions stacked together might not have contained it.

At that moment, a tremendous pressure surged outward, shaking the heavens. The immortals turned their heads in alarm, only to see the Slayer God revealing her true form, her scales shimmering magnificently under the Divine Sun—brilliant yet deep and solemn.

The great dragon let out a long roar. The sound reverberated through the sky, leaving the immortals momentarily deafened, their ears buzzing incessantly.

A chilling torrent burst from the Obsidian Dragon’s mouth, as if she intended to turn the pavilion into an underwater Dragon Palace. The life lamps, stacked several meters high, were instantly knocked askew by the force of the water.

The fire was extinguished in an instant, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation.

Only then did the Obsidian Dragon revert to human form, stepping down gracefully from the air. She fixed her gaze on the disordered life lamps and asked, “How did this fire start?”

The Fate Keeper’s face was dark as he looked up at the blazing sun above and replied, “This pavilion has always been shielded beneath the sun-blocking barrier. That barrier has held firm for thousands of years without issue, yet today, the Divine Sun flames somehow pierced through it and set the life lamps ablaze.”

The life lamps lay scattered in disarray. Even after being submerged in water, the hun soul flames continued to burn, though the outer layer of paper—inscribed with the fates and life experiences of countless beings—had already turned to ash.

Changying raised an arm and curled her fingers. The water pooled on the ground condensed into a single droplet, which floated gently toward her fingertip.

The Fate Keeper sighed in relief and watched as the Divine Venerable flicked her finger, causing the droplet to vanish.

Changying’s sharp gaze remained fixed on the ashes on the ground. “Can the life lamps be restored?” she asked.

The Fate Keeper shook his head. “If the fire was caused by the Divine Sun flames, then there’s no way to restore them.”

The magpie immortals quickly cast spells to set the toppled life lamps upright again and gathered the scattered ashes into a single place.

Down below, a squad of celestial soldiers stepped onto the observation platform. Their leader cupped his hands and reported, “Fate Keeper, there are no anomalies in the surrounding area.”

The Fate Keeper shook his head and said, “This barrier has existed since the Heavenly Palace was established. It must have weakened over time, allowing the Divine Sun flames to break through today.” He then turned to Changying, his face troubled. “Has Your Divinity discovered anything?”

Changying shook her head. She sent a wisp of spiritual power into the ashes, but they truly could not be restored.

“If the lamp paper is destroyed, will it affect the fates of these mortals?” she asked.

“It won’t,” the Fate Keeper replied. “But it will be much harder to locate their records.”

Changying nodded slightly, glancing at the gathered magpie immortals and celestial soldiers. Her voice was calm as she instructed, “I need to discuss something with the Fate Keeper. Go back and report to the Heavenly Emperor that the barrier has deteriorated over time.”

The immortals and soldiers hurriedly withdrew, leaving only the Divine Venerable and the Fate Keeper on the observation platform.

The Fate Keeper was already deeply unsettled by the incident with the life lamps. Now, hearing the Divine Venerable’s words, he began to wonder if there was more to this than met the eye.

Changying stepped closer to the towering stack of life lamps, casually picking one up and examining it with an impassive expression. “Did the Divine Sun flames destroy any life lamps completely?” she asked.

“The flames within the lamps are life fires,” the Fate Keeper explained. “Even if the lamp and its base are gone, the life fire remains. Although the inscriptions on the lamp paper have been burned away, we can still retrieve their records from the Book of Fate.”

“Where is your Book of Fate?” Changying asked.

The Fate Keeper froze for a moment before breaking into a grin. He patted his head and chuckled. “I usually keep it on the observation platform, but today, for some reason, I happened to take it with me. Lucky I did—if the Divine Sun flames had reached it, the book would have been lost.”

Changying lifted her arm, her pale palm opening. “Give it to me.”

The Fate Keeper quickly retrieved the Book of Fate from his sleeve and handed it over. “Your Divinity, this is the book.”

Changying casually flipped through the pages and indeed saw records of these mortals’ fortunes and life experiences. Unfortunately, they were only brief descriptions, not very detailed. However, the mortals’ lifespans and names were clearly recorded, with three lifetimes written on a single page.

She turned a few more pages and said calmly, “I originally came here to find an immortal who was banished to the Mortal Realm. Who would have thought that before I even arrived, the Observatory Pavilion would catch fire?”

The Fate Keeper was stunned. Something about this felt off. Stammering, he said, “Th-this is too much of a coincidence.”

“It is too much of a coincidence, almost as if a pair of eyes have been watching my every move.” Changying paused her page-turning and looked up toward the Divine Sun. Her gaze reflected the sunlight, golden and brilliant, yet chillingly cold. For a brief moment, her pupils shifted—transforming into dragon pupils.

Those vertical pupils were fierce and terrifying, as if ready to devour someone whole.

The Fate Keeper held his breath at the sight. He had a feeling the Divine Venerable was implying something, yet her expression remained calm and composed, as if she had no hidden meaning behind her words. After some thought, he asked, “If this was not a coincidence, then who could be responsible?”

Changying withdrew her gaze and shook her head calmly. “I don’t know. But earlier, I met with the Heavenly Emperor and learned about the twelve immortals who entered the Turbid Mirror two hundred years ago.”

The Fate Keeper felt a sense of unease, yet he would never doubt the Heavenly Emperor. Lowering his voice, he asked, “Could this matter be inextricably linked to what happened two hundred years ago?”

“Most likely,” Changying replied indifferently.

The Fate Keeper hesitated before asking, “And the immortal who was banished to the Mortal Realm?”

“One of the twelve.” Changying’s expression remained unreadable, but her gaze was sharp as she looked at him.

The Fate Keeper immediately understood who it was. The number of immortals banished for violating celestial laws was extremely small, and among those who entered the Turbid Mirror two hundred years ago, only one was exiled afterward.

“The crane immortal,” he said.

Changying nodded, absentmindedly flipping through the book in her hand. Though the Book of Fate was thin, it seemed endless—she had already flipped through half, yet there was still another half remaining.

After the Devil Lord’s final hun soul was taken, the immortals of the Nine Heavens were all on edge. They knew it was only a matter of time before the Devil Lord’s three hun souls reunited. However, the Divine Venerable had yet to speak on the matter, and the Heavenly Emperor had remained silent as well, leaving the immortals with no choice but to wait.

The Fate Keeper had seen the Divine Venerable frequently in the Nine Heavens lately. He had once overheard a conversation between the Divine Venerable and the Phoenix Lord, and it made him suspect that what happened two hundred years ago was far from simple. Perhaps the Nine Heavens had already fallen into someone else’s scheme long ago. But he dared not ask too much. All he could do was ensure that when the Nine Heavens needed him, he would be ready.

Changying read quickly, just as she always had since childhood. Now, even after reading over a hundred pages, her expression darkened further. In a cold voice, she asked, “Are immortals banished to the Mortal Realm recorded in the book as well?”

“They are, of course,” the Fate Keeper replied.

“Find the crane immortal for me. I need to know where he is now and how much time he has left to live,” Changying ordered coldly.

The Fate Keeper immediately responded, “The crane immortal’s mortal name is Hua Lingjun.”

His expression shifted slightly. The events of two hundred years ago were indeed extraordinary. However, since he had not entered the Turbid Mirror at that time, he had no way of knowing what had transpired inside.

“Fortunately, only the life lamps were burned. If this Book of Fate had been destroyed as well, I truly wouldn’t know where the crane is in the Mortal Realm now,” Changying said coolly, as if indifferent. Yet, the aura surrounding her was undeniably oppressive.

“When Hua Lingjun was still in the Nine Heavens, he and I were on friendly terms. He was always righteous and unwavering. To this day, I still don’t understand why he violated celestial law,” the Fate Keeper said, shaking his head.

The more he thought about it, the more unbelievable it seemed. He quickly took the Book of Fate, infused it with his divine consciousness, and rapidly flipped through its pages. The thin book rustled in his hands, like the fluttering wings of a white butterfly.

Changying waited silently, her gaze drifting toward the main hall where Xuanqing resided, her expression growing increasingly grim.

After a long while, the Fate Keeper suddenly flung the book into the air. The thin volume floated, suspended by spiritual energy, before flipping open to a specific page. With a flick of his long sleeve, the words on the page seemed to come to life, wriggling like tiny creatures as they emerged from the book and hovered midair.