Although everyone had guessed the timeframe to be within eight hundred years before the little demon answered, as it clearly sounded like an event occurring after the Journey to the West, hearing the demon’s answer still raised a great deal of confusion.
Zhang Yuanshan frowned: “The Demon Lord led the evil spirits of the Nine Nether and other beings of the Demon Realm to attack the Heavenly Court, but was slain beneath the Heavenly Emperor’s Tian Dao Seal. His remains scattered into the Wheel of Rebirth, the Demon Realm was destroyed, and the Nine Nether vanished without a trace. The legends of the two worlds are surprisingly consistent.”
Because of the matter concerning the Demon’s Tomb, he had altered the records of the main world, changing them to state that the Demon Lord’s remains scattered into the Wheel of Rebirth world.
Meng Qi also recalled that dust-covered residual image, crossing through countless eons, simply to utter the words, “You came too late…”
So there was also a Demon Lord in the Journey to the West! And this legend too!
And Jiuling Yuansheng went to guard the exit of the Nine Netherworld? In the main world, there was no such record. Even Jiuling Yuansheng was absent, only Taiyi Tianzun appeared.
“But there’s still a significant difference,” Jiang Zhiwei contemplated, “The Demon Lord’s fall and the Demon Saint’s attainment of Nirvana were separated by a vast span of time. After the Demon Lord assaulted the Heavenly Court and met his demise, a millennium later came the abrupt collapse of the Heavenly Court and the vanishing of the Nine Heavens. Following the Heavenly Emperor’s death, the highest deities disappeared along with the Nine Heavens, leaving the remaining gods and immortals to rule autonomously, no longer capable of suppressing the demonic races. Thus began the final epoch of antiquity—the era known as ‘Demonic Chaos Over the Land.'”
This era endured for countless millennia. One Buddha after another attained Nirvana, one immortal after another perished, and the remaining deities could barely defend their Pure Lands and Cavern Heavens. With malevolent spirits left in the world after the sealing of the Nine Netherworlds, and the lofty gods departed, our human race suffered immensely—until the Human Emperor forged his sword at Longtai. He slew heavenly gods above, vanquished evil spirits below, and eradicated demonic creatures in between, guiding humanity through a desperate struggle for survival.
At this moment, the Demon Saint suddenly attained Nirvana, using his own primordial flame to forge the “Phoenix Treasure Body” into the Feng Chi He Jin Spear. The era of Chaos Over the Earth came to an end, and humanity flourished, ascending to the position of supreme ruler of the universe, marking the beginning of the Middle Ancient Age. Though no exact dates are recorded, the Demon Saint’s Nirvana and the Demon Lord’s demise were separated by at least fifty thousand years.
Fearing Meng Qi might not fully understand, she explained further.
“And the world of Journey to the West is still in the era of the Demon Chaos Over the Mortal Realm…” Ruan Yushu insightfully pointed out. The Demon Saint had already attained Nirvana, yet the demon race still ruled the world.
Meng Qi turned his head and looked again at the dog-headed little demon, his voice drifting as if from afar: “Have you heard of the Human Emperor?”
“Human Huang? Which part of humanity is that? I don’t think I’ve ever eaten one…” the little demon replied in confusion.
“Have you encountered any powerful humans?” Meng Qi pressed.
The little demon replied fearfully: “The Great King said there are places we mustn’t go; those are the secluded retreats of Daoist immortals.”
Everyone exchanged glances. Did this world truly have no Human Emperor?
Meng Qi grew even more perplexed. *Journey to the West* was set during the Tang Dynasty, long after the era of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, which stood in stark contrast to the main world. It appeared he needed to uncover why *Journey to the West* also featured the Demon Saint and the Demon Lord, as well as search for other clues.
“Which Great Sages are there?” Jiang Zhiwei, who had also cultivated the Shape-Shifting Great Art, added. She was curious about the term Great Sage. According to existing records, beings above Demon Kings were Demon Gods, and above Demon Gods stood the first of creation—the Phoenix Heavenly Queen. However, these were merely from surviving human records and couldn’t be entirely trusted.
The little demon respectfully replied: “Great Sage Pacifier of Heavens, Great Sage Subduer of Seas, Great Sage Confounder of Heavens… and the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, who attained Buddhahood but later returned to the demon race, as well as the Golden-Winged Great Peng King and the Peacock King of Great Radiance.”
“We’ve only heard of the latter two…” Jiang Zhiwei glanced at Zhang Yuanshan and the others. They also shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t heard of the first few Great Sages, only knowing the latter two Buddhist holy ones. Judging from the legends of the Golden-Winged Great Peng King and the Peacock Great Brightness King in the main world, the strength of these Great Sages was truly extraordinary, surpassing ordinary demon gods, at the very least equal to ordinary Bodhisattvas?
Meng Qi knew of these Great Sages, but the Journey to the West world was becoming increasingly strange, making it impossible to judge their strength.
They asked a few more questions, but apart from widely circulated demon tales, the little demon shook his head in bewilderment. He even appeared oblivious to other mighty demons and genuine Demon Kings, revealing his ignorance.
Meng Qi remembered the lion demon calling out “Third Brother” and cautiously changed the subject: “Which Great King is the Yellow Lion King in relation to your family?”
“The Second Great King.” The little demon answered without hesitation.
“Who is the First Great King? What is his background?” Meng Qi took a deep breath.
The little demon proudly replied: “My First Great King is a mighty demon who once fought the Great Sage Equal to Heaven for eight hundred rounds before being defeated eight hundred years ago!”
What! Encountered a real Demon King? Meng Qi was startled, and everyone else was equally shocked. They had just concluded that the Great Sages’ strength was at least equal to that of Bodhisattvas…
“What’s his name?” Meng Qi attempted to suppress the turmoil within. He and his companions had slain two of the Demon King’s younger brothers along with a group of his underlings. There was no possibility of peaceful resolution now!
The little demon lifted his head proudly: “My First Great King is known as Bi Bo Wang, formerly called Ben Bo Er Ba.”
Huh… Meng Qi couldn’t help but spit saliva onto the little demon’s face, “Scared to death! It’s this guy!”
Even boasting should consider the consequences! This guy couldn’t even fight the Great Sage for eight hundred rounds; he probably couldn’t even defeat an agile mortal!
Of course, this happened eight hundred years ago. Having lived for eight hundred years, Ben Bo Er Ba must have gained some magical abilities by now!
“Liar! What right does your First Great King have to live for eight hundred years?” Seeing that Fu Zhenzhen and the others were still captivated by the tale of the Demon King fighting the Great Sage for eight hundred rounds, Meng Qi immediately retorted.
Normally, demons also had lifespans. When Sun Wukong returned after mastering his skills, he was still bound by the Underworld and could only live for over three hundred years. Later, he forcibly erased his name from the Book of Life and Death. What right did Ben Bo Er Ba have to live for eight hundred years?
“Hmph, back when the Heavenly Court collapsed and the Thirty-three Heavens vanished, countless elixirs fell into the mortal world. My First Great King was blessed with good fortune and obtained one, transforming into a fat-headed fish with a lifespan of fifteen hundred years,” the little demon, seeing his First Great King doubted, raised his voice.
It can even change species… Meng Qi could only marvel at the elixirs refined by Laozi of the Heavenly Court: “Who among your First Great King, Second Great King, and Third Great King is the strongest?”
“Of course, it’s the First Great King!” the little demon’s face was filled with reverence. “The Second and Third Great Kings must team up to match him. He truly deserves to have fought the Great Sage for eight hundred rounds!”
“In an area of eight hundred miles around, my First Great King is the strongest!”
Hearing the little demon’s description, everyone relaxed somewhat. Even if the Second Great King was powerful, he hadn’t fully displayed his strength before dying due to his gluttony and being countered by the Demon-Revealing Mirror. But at most, Bi Bo Wang Ben Bo Er Ba was merely at the threshold of the Outer Scenery realm, with the strength to swallow the essence of heaven and earth.
However, hearing that even a guy like Ben Bo Er Ba could reach such a level, Meng Qi, who was filled with memories of the original Journey to the West story, could only sigh at the changes of the world.
“Where is your First Great King now?” Meng Qi was concerned about possible retaliation.
“My First Great King went back to Bi Bo Pond to visit relatives and hasn’t returned yet. But that previous light was so bright; he should have seen it,” the little demon answered honestly.
Meng Qi exhaled: “How did you know to look for the opportunity at a temple?”
“The Second Great King said that hundreds of years ago, a bald monk endured countless hardships and discovered the vanished Spirit Mountain, then returned to the mortal world, disappearing without a trace. Everyone speculated that the opportunity must be linked to him,” the little demon had no fondness for monks.
Could this be the temple built by that monk? Was the plaque of the Great Thunderclap Monastery brought by him?
“This place is not suitable for staying. We cannot take the signboard of the Great Thunderclap Temple with us, or it might very likely attract the Demon King,” Luo Shengyi said solemnly.
Although everywhere was perilous, nothing seemed more treacherous than a temple and its signboard that could draw formidable demons. Therefore, Meng Qi and the others raised no objections, intending to leave the temple first and seek a concealed spot nearby to take refuge.
“Take some demon blood to mask our living human scent,” Jiang Zhiwei reminded.
The others split up to interrogate the remaining two little demons, to check for any deception. Ge Huaien once again threw his coins to determine which direction to flee.
“That way,” he did not divine for good or bad fortune but directly asked the coins.
Meng Qi was startled; Ge Huaien’s right hand pointed westward.
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