Chapter Ninety-Three: The Demon God Beyond the Realm

Wu Ming felt that even a single cup of tea had lifted his spirits considerably, easing much of his irritation.

“Mm, mm. Then listen carefully while I tell it slowly.” Kui Shi took out a handkerchief and wiped his forehead, making that shiny bald pate gleam all the more.

“Ever since the Ancestral Dragon built the Twelve Golden Men to guard the two realms, the whole world became far steadier and safer.

“But when the last Blood Moon appeared, space and time within the Mountain-and-Sea Realm seemed to be collapsing. My divine rank allowed me to sense the destructive force of this world-ending calamity, so I prepared for the worst and split off a sliver of my divine soul, merging it into a shard of the Mirror of Kunlun.

“The Blood Moon? You mean the one that appeared a few months ago?” Wu Ming interjected.

“Oh, no, not that recent one. I mean the one before that. I can’t quite remember exactly when it was. It was a long time ago, anyway. I’m old now, my mind’s no good, and my memory is poor too!” Like an ordinary elderly man, Kui Shi was fond of rambling, chattering on and on without end.

“Let’s not worry about exactly when for now. Elder, please go on.” Wu Ming had been completely defeated by the old man.

“Where was I?”

“You’d just said the collapse of space and time!”

“Oh, right! I discovered that the altitude of Long-Remain Mountain, where I dwelled, seemed to be dropping little by little. As the mountain’s god, I realized the entire peak was sinking downward. Beneath the mountain, it felt as though some black hole was devouring Long-Remain Mountain. What was even more outrageous was that I sensed my divine office itself was being consumed. That is no good omen at all! In the ancient past, only during the time when Pangu split heaven from earth did such a thing occur. Back then, extraterritorial demon gods were devouring Pangu’s flesh and blood…”

Kui Shi seemed to have been carried back to that unimaginably distant era.

“Later, the first Heavenly Emperor joined forces with the Five Directional Heavenly Emperors and led all the living beings of this world to rise in resistance. They abandoned the hatred and strife between their races, stood together against a common foe, repelled the ancient extraterritorial demon gods, and, by drawing on the faith and will of all beings, established the most complete defensive system in the history of this cosmos, forever keeping those demon gods beyond the edge of our universe.

“What a beautiful age that was. All beings lived in harmony, without distinction. Everyone was grateful, their hearts brimming with love and hope, giving all their strength to the world that had survived the calamity. The great powers restored the veins of the earth and remade the laws; those of lesser ability diverted rivers and tended the flowers, grasses, and trees of the world…”

Kui Shi became utterly lost in that beautiful memory. In his half-lidded eyes there was only warmth, and the corners of his mouth lifted, until this elder actually wore a childlike, innocent smile.

“It was the hope and noble wishes of all beings that supplied the energy for our universe’s defenses, making our cosmos impregnable and keeping the extraterritorial demon gods from crossing even a single step beyond the boundary. But such good times did not last. Wherever there are living beings, there are desires; where there are desires, there is war; and where there is war, there is negative energy. For countless ages, the extraterritorial demon gods have been using the negative energy leaking within our universe to erode those defenses from the inside.

“Then, more than six thousand years ago, the war between Chiyou and the Yellow Emperor finally erupted—the Battle of Zhuolu. The two sides met in fierce battle at Zhuolu, killing each other until heaven and earth turned dark, with countless dead and wounded. In doing so, they created the greatest surge of negative energy and resentment ever seen! That gave the extraterritorial demon gods their chance at last. Their spirit bodies attached themselves to Chiyou and his followers. The Yellow Emperor could not withstand them and nearly suffered defeat. Only thanks to the later assistance of the Mysterious Lady of the Nine Heavens was he finally able to overcome Chiyou…”

“I read about the Battle of Zhuolu in children’s books! Can you say something with a bit more substance?” Wu Ming was growing impatient. All he’d heard were mythic legends from who-knew-how-long ago.

“Do not rush, young friend. The trouble lies right there!” Kui Shi poured himself another cup of tea and drained it in one gulp.

“After the Yellow Emperor defeated Chiyou, he feared that the extraterritorial demon gods might invade again, so he cast the Nine Province Cauldrons to suppress the earth veins and stabilize the nine provinces. In truth, the main purpose was still to defend against enemies from beyond!”

“Wait. Elder, are you sure you didn’t say that wrong?”

“Our Elder Qingfeng of the One-Pure Dao Sect told me that the Yellow Emperor forged the Nine Province Cauldrons in order to suppress the mandate of fortune and prevent contact between the divine and human realms, thereby avoiding unnecessary conflict!” Wu Ming said proudly.

“That’s also true, that’s also true. Back then, humankind had already become the ruling race of this world. If the Nine Province Cauldrons had not sealed off contact among the realms, then with the temper of those great gods and monstrous beings, they would have taken human beings as food at the slightest provocation. Just how much resentment would have gathered then? Before long, the extraterritorial demon gods would have come roaring back. That is what your Daoists call the great calamity. In truth, every great calamity is launched under the guidance of extraterritorial heavenly demons. The true bodies of those outside demons cannot break through directly, but whenever negative energy gathers, they can descend as consciousness or soul-bodies, through reincarnation or possession, stirring up slaughter among living beings in order to amass even more negative power, hoping to invade our universe in one decisive strike!

“You’re making this sound a bit tangled. Let me sort it out.” Wu Ming felt that the old man’s way of speaking was far too disordered, leaving listeners dizzy.

“So you’re saying the Nine Province Cauldrons did not merely seal the three realms, but also defended against the extraterritorial heavenly demons? And the human calamities are actually orchestrated by those demons from beyond, as part of their attempt to break into our world?” Wu Ming thought for a moment. He did know a little about the extraterritorial heavenly demons; the sect’s library seemed to contain a few scattered references, though nothing very detailed.

From what Wu Ming had read, the extraterritorial heavenly demons appeared before Pangu split heaven and earth. When Pangu opened the world, these outside gods and devils came to cause trouble and destruction, and most of them were slain by Pangu, becoming nourishment for this world instead. Yet because the struggle against them consumed so much of his strength, Pangu ultimately perished despite succeeding in his creation, transforming into the myriad living beings.