The demonic scripture had appeared. The inauspicious demonic energy rampaged outward in all directions.
The Gong Family Head and Liuxiu exchanged a glance. Abandoning all regard for palace protocols, they touched the tips of their feet to the ground and flew swiftly toward the innermost palace, straight toward where Tantai Wuji resided.
When the two of them arrived at the hall, however, what greeted them was the sight of the chief eunuch with his neck turned at a wrong angle — and upon the dragon throne, a corpse dressed in imperial dragon robes, torn and devastated beyond recognition.
Both rushed forward. The Gong Family Head took one look and said: “As expected — this young Emperor has long since been dead.”
Liuxiu frowned: “There are traces of demonic energy lingering — it was indeed the ancient monster who had been dwelling in this body. How did he fall into demonic corruption? What could have provoked him to this? Going by what you’ve reasoned, he wanted to become the sovereign master of this heaven and earth — that would require cultivating the energy of righteous governance. Has he simply abandoned all that now, resolved to become a Demon Sovereign instead of succeeding through the righteous path? But this doesn’t fit the conditions for falling into demonic corruption either — did he offer himself as a sacrifice to the Demon Ancestor?”
The Gong Family Head said gravely: “If it were a self-sacrifice, it would no longer be him — it would be something else entirely. He would not surrender his own mind and awareness until the very last step. My Gong Family’s founding ancestor once said — the Hollow Present of the Demonic Way once composed the Demonic Scripture using a demonic soul, drawing upon the consumption of living beings’ essence and the stirring of the world’s negative emotions as its foundation. If cultivated to the ultimate level, it could reduce all things to emptiness — returning everything to a state of death and silence, creating a domain of demonic void. After the Hollow Present was slain, the whereabouts of the Demonic Scripture became unknown. The righteous sects spent no small amount of effort searching for it, wishing to destroy this sinister and domineering method — but never succeeded in finding it. Could this demonic energy be…”
“This has become a great deal of trouble,” Liuxiu said, brow furrowed. “Whether or not this is the Demonic Scripture of the Hollow Present, when one falls into demonic corruption, the world will descend into chaos and living beings will suffer grievously.”
Having a demon in the world was more troublesome even than ghosts and malicious spirits. Demons were far more capable of stirring human hearts — driving the world to great upheaval. And once chaos fully erupted, the dead would number beyond counting, and there would be no peace again.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of rushing footsteps came from all directions. Both men turned around — and heard a thunderous, enraged roar.
“They have murdered the Emperor — seize these villainous traitors at once!”
The Gong Family Head: “!”
They had not done this. But how pitifully hollow those words sounded right now.
Though even if spoken, these people would not believe it. Looking at them — eyes scarlet, as though their minds had been clouded and overtaken — both men were deeply troubled.
It had already begun.
Liuxiu looked at those people bearing down with murderous fury, their faces as though lost to demonic corruption, and a vein twitched at his temple: “Disastrous. The ancient monster occupied this body and used this identity to issue no small number of imperial commands. If those commands were blood-oath decrees bearing a seal of compulsion, those regional officials would have no choice but to carry them out on sight. Chaos has already broken out beyond these walls.”
The Gong Family Head snapped open his ritual fan and with a sweep sent a surge of clear, righteous energy blasting into the crowd. People toppled over one another, clutching their heads and wailing in agony — yet very quickly, several began to come to their senses. Taking in the sight of the chief eunuch with his neck twisted at a wrong angle, their expressions changed. Then their eyes landed on the ghastly ruins of the Emperor on the dragon throne — and screams erupted.
What an enormous mess.
The Gong Family Head could already hear the uproar and clamor erupting beyond the walls — it was impossible to know how many people had been overtaken by the demonic energy’s influence, their negative impulses dragged to the surface. Once the demons of the heart were stirred into action, there would be no shortage of innocent casualties.
“Issue the Proclamation of the Profound Heaven,” Liuxiu said with a shake of his head. “This is not something the two of us alone can resolve.”
There was no other way.
A look of grave solemnity crossed the Gong Family Head’s face. He was about to speak when he suddenly trembled through his entire body — and looked toward the empty air, his legs quivering faintly.
Liuxiu sensed it at the same moment — that overwhelming, sudden presence that had materialized out of nowhere. His eyes blazed with light. He stared at the two figures who had appeared out of thin air, breath catching in his throat. His gaze locked onto the woman whose aura seemed to waver and shift beyond any ability to grasp it. His very soul trembled. His legs bent ever so slightly at the knee.
A supreme celestial being — why did he suddenly want to kneel?
Liuxiu’s expression was unmistakably too fervent. Lang Jiuchuan glanced at him, gave a slight incline of her head in greeting, then turned to look at the corpse on the dragon throne. Her brow furrowed.
“Gone,” Feng Ya said with a cold laugh. “Fled quite quickly.”
“As expected.” Lang Jiuchuan was not surprised. “He once reached the threshold of Core Formation. My Core has been achieved and the spiritual energy of heaven and earth has shifted — if he could not sense it, all those thousand years of skulking existence would have been wasted. I have never underestimated him.”
To give credit where it was due, that Tantai Wuji had schemed across a thousand years and nearly succeeded — beyond possessing sufficient intelligence and cultivation, he had a genius-level gift and remarkable audacity. Had he lacked even one of these, he would not have survived to this day. He had also seized upon her, this great bearer of fortune, and used her as his foundation — had she not been granted the chance to be reborn and reforged, he might not have failed in achieving the Great Way he sought.
The blade that cut him was the very thing that had built him.
She — was the greatest variable in Tantai Wuji’s entire life.
“What I did not expect was that he would fall into demonic corruption.” Lang Jiuchuan said lightly. “I had thought his fallback would be me.”
This body of hers — if he could obtain it, it might not be weaker than his own original form. Especially now that her Dao-body had been brought to full completion — it was utterly indestructible. Were he to possess it, and pair that with an array formation, he could still contend for mastery.
Yet instead he had fallen into demonic corruption, choosing to ignite chaos throughout the mortal world.
“He truly deserves to die.”
Feng Ya pressed his lips together slightly. “Or perhaps — he has not yet given up. Consider: he causes the world to fall into disorder, the righteous path to collapse, and while you are occupied with restoring order from the chaos, he can cultivate his demonic power by drawing on the resentment of this world. If he achieves full mastery of it, he can then attach his demonic power to a vessel, sacrifice living beings as a blood offering, slay the Way of Heaven, and contend for mastery all the same. At that point, whether he is demon or immortal — the rules would be his to define, because he would be the one who had won.”
Whether demon or immortal — it has always been the winning side that gets to write the rules.
“Fellow Daoist Lang — no wait, Honored One — the demonic energy is spreading, the palace is already in chaos. Should we not calm the unrest first before continuing this discussion of Tantai Wuji’s intentions?” The Gong Family Head, snapping back from the exhilaration of Lang Jiuchuan’s ascent to Core Formation, cut in and said: “If we keep talking, the mortal world will become a land of the dead.”
And quietly, he mourned — now that Lang Jiuchuan had advanced to Core Formation, his son was even less worthy of her. A pity.
Liuxiu pushed past him and clasped his hands toward Lang Jiuchuan in a bow: “This poor Daoist, Liuxiu, pays respects to the Honored One.”
A Core Formation cultivator so young — the way of the Dao had hope yet.
Lang Jiuchuan returned the bow with folded hands: “Fellow Daoist need not use such a respectful form of address. We are fellow travelers of the Way. That you are willing to descend the mountain and lend your efforts for the sake of the people is in itself a great act of virtue.”
“I fall far short of the Honored One.” Liuxiu smiled wryly. “In the past, the Profound Clan wielded power in place of the Way, Tantai sat upon the throne, and the Daoist path had lost its rightful course — putting the cart before the horse. Those of us who called our retreat from the world ‘forced by circumstance’ were in truth motivated by selfish self-preservation. When the Way is on the brink of ruin, the right thing to do is to protect it — not to hide away from it.”
The Gong Family Head looked thoroughly uncomfortable. His old companion had just included the entire Gong Family in that rebuke.
Lang Jiuchuan shook her head: “Having different paths, one cannot conspire with the other — that’s all it was. It amounts to nothing. Once this matter is resolved, the Way will return to the Way and resume its proper place.”
“Well spoken.”
Lang Jiuchuan turned to the Gong Family Head: “Just now I heard you mention issuing the Proclamation of the Profound Heaven — to summon the Daoist sects to restore order and eradicate demonic corruption. Would you permit a junior to take that duty upon herself, issuing this command, letting it reach all under Heaven?”
The Gong Family Head replied at once: “Nothing could be better — or more fitting.”
A Core Formation true immortal, issuing a command to all the Daoist sects under Heaven — who could object?
Lang Jiuchuan saw that he had agreed. In a single movement she was out of the hall, standing aloft in the heavens. Both hands formed seals — her soul as the forge, her talismans as the edict. She issued her command to all under Heaven: restore order from chaos.