Chapter Ninety-Four: The Celestial Emperor

“In earlier times, no matter how powerful the forces of evil became in the world, the Outer Demons could never fully break through the barrier of the universe. That was because the Five Great Emperors and the Supreme Celestial Emperor together served as the core of the grand formation, each using their own divine rank and spiritual power as pillars of heaven and earth, supporting this cosmic defense together. Yet fate is ever fickle. For reasons unknown, a dispute arose among the Celestial Emperors, which escalated into a great war. After the conflict, all the Celestial Emperors vanished without a trace, while the evil forces only continued to grow. If this continues, our universe will eventually be breached by the Outer Demons, leading only to destruction! It was at this critical moment that the Path of Primal Unity emerged in response to fate, barely preserving this realm, but at the cost of shattering the Primeval Wilderness, causing the laws to break and the world to become fragmented…”

“So you mean that above the Five Celestial Emperors, there was a Supreme Celestial Emperor as well? What a remarkable figure that must have been!” Wu Ming’s curiosity was ablaze, instantly captivated by this topic.

“Are you referring to that one from the Demon Clan?” Jiu Ying asked cautiously, his gaze filled with reverence.

“Exactly that one!”

“So it’s true! I never thought such a being truly existed—I always thought it was just a legend!” Wu Ming looked around in disbelief, realizing that everyone had heard of the Supreme Celestial Emperor of the Demon Clan, and that beneath Pangu, there truly was such a figure, the foremost of all beings.

“Let’s set aside the Supreme Celestial Emperor for now. Since the Outer Demons were unable to invade our universe for so many years, why is there suddenly a problem now?” Wu Ming listened to these explanations with partial understanding. In essence, the universe’s barrier was steadfastly guarded by the Celestial Emperors, but after their falling out and ensuing battle, they all disappeared.

The world was on the verge of destruction, but fortunately, the lingering will of Pangu emerged, splitting into the Three Pure Ones, and founded the Path of Primal Unity. (As for the matter of Pangu’s will dividing into the Three Pure Ones, Wu Ming had read about it in the sect’s ancient texts. Presumably, the old man felt it was common knowledge, so it wasn’t repeated here.) He led all the world’s heroes in a desperate struggle against the Outer Demons, ultimately achieving victory.

“Didn’t Nuwa mend the heavens? Didn’t the mighty ones of the world work together to repair the broken world?”

“It is precisely because of this that all living beings have been able to survive and flourish. Otherwise, what difference would it make whether this world existed or not?” For Kui, the lives of ordinary beings were more precious than the world itself.

“In that case, shouldn’t the world be even more stable and secure?”

“The Outer Demons are bound to make a comeback. Light may illuminate darkness, but where there is no light, there is only utter darkness. The Outer Demons rampage across all universes, annihilating all conscious life. To them, all consciousness must be fused into one, unified. Unlike the Great God Pangu, who divided himself into billions, allowing each spark of divinity to kindle its own consciousness, independent and free!”

“But it is precisely due to Pangu’s selflessness that our universe is so unique, making this world diverse and ever-changing, allowing it to grow and harbor infinite possibilities! For the Outer Demons, however, this is utterly unacceptable—it runs counter to their very law of existence, making us their mortal enemy. In their eyes, only ceaseless devouring and fusion is the true and ultimate path to supremacy. Their chance for enlightenment lies in eradicating this obstacle, absorbing the will of every living being in our universe! Only then can they become the sole truth or ultimate principle across all universes.”

“I think I finally understand the relationship here. The Outer Demons are like the world’s shadow—as long as the world exists, they can never be truly destroyed, only suppressed. Their sole purpose is to absorb the consciousness of every living being, or rather, to fuse all individual consciousness into a collective, leaving no room for individuality. But this is an irreconcilable contradiction!” Wu Ming felt he was beginning to grasp the essence of it. Simply put, the Outer Demons want every living being to become their puppet, devoid of self-awareness. The Great God Pangu, on the other hand, sacrificed himself, splitting into countless independent consciousnesses, each with infinite potential for growth. Understanding this, Wu Ming was filled with awe at Pangu’s boundless greatness, while the Outer Demons seemed unspeakably selfish—or perhaps, from a broader perspective, both sides simply pursue their own kind of evolution. Yet one is the path of the self alone, while the other is the noble path of selflessness!

“If the Outer Demons are so formidable, then why did the Supreme Celestial Emperor and the Five Great Emperors, knowing the enemy’s strength and their own weakness, choose to fight among themselves? Did their disappearance come from falling into the Outer Demons’ trap, or did they go in search of some ultimate solution, a way to rid the world of the Outer Demons once and for all?” Wu Ming’s mind raced, filled with questions he could not quite grasp.

“In these recent years, I have sensed the impending return of the Outer Demons, but I did not expect them to come so soon. According to the calculations of the ancient Celestial Emperors, the first and outermost line of defense against the Outer Demons was the world of mountains and seas, together with the spirit realm, forming a shield to protect the fragile mortal world!” Kui’s voice grew ever more faint and weary, as if life itself was slipping away. This god of mirrors and shadows seemed truly wounded, perhaps because only a sliver of his soul remained.

“My palace once stood alongside that of the Celestial Emperor Shaohao on Mount Changliu—we dwelled as companions. The world believed me arrogant for daring to stand as an equal to a Celestial Emperor, not knowing that my palace was but a reflection of his own. My presence on Mount Changliu was arranged by Shaohao before his departure; he entrusted me with the task of guarding the core of the grand formation! Yet I brought disgrace to this glorious duty. In the end, only a shred of my soul managed to take refuge in a shard of the Kunlun Mirror—I barely escaped with my life. If not for a chance encounter with the Field God, I would have been nothing but bones by now!”

In that instant, Kui seemed to age decades, his eyes welling with tears of regret.

“If I hadn’t been careless, had I been more vigilant, the Outer Demons could never have breached the first line of defense. For centuries, all was peaceful—who could have foreseen the Outer Demons would attack so swiftly, and with such overwhelming force? I was slow to react, nearly annihilated by their onslaught!” Kui showed everyone the scars that Shaohao had honored him with, for a man’s greatest glory lies in his wounds—though Wu Ming, of course, had none to show.