The two were persuaded by the little demon and had no choice but to desist for the time being.
Kong Yun retrieved the demon clan’s immortal artefact, the World-Purifying Wheel, and walked out of the Six Saints Temple. At a glance he saw the two of them.
The wind was cold as a blade.
Their gazes met, and each saw the chill in the other’s eyes.
The demon court lay in ruins. Yin Feixue had broken through in the midst of battle, slain thirty-seven demon clan elders, and provoked the entire court. Kong Yun would not kill him, yet he could not simply let him go.
The orthodox royal court of the demon clan and the king of the demons among men walked different paths and could not scheme together, yet by strange chance they had both become friends with the same person.
But when the two met again in the future, it would be a life-and-death contest over the Great Dao. Both Yin Feixue and Kong Yun understood this.
The city walls were shattered. In mid-air the banners curled through drifting ash and tiny sparks.
Kong Yun descended the steps one by one. His splendid robes trailed along the ground, the immortal artefact at his side. With every step he took, the dread in people’s hearts deepened. The demons who had once disdained him, the elders who had plotted against him, all knelt one after another.
Should Yin Feixue be killed? As a friend, he should live. But as a future rival upon the Great Dao, he deserved to die.
Kong Yun had received the recognition of the immortal artefact, the World-Purifying Wheel. Of course he could kill Yin Feixue. One born to the royal clan did not cling to trifles, but acted for the greater cause. Kill him, and he could gather the demons of the mortal realm and marshal the strength of the entire race, winning a sliver of survival for the royal court amid the coming catastrophe.
In a struggle over fate, there was never room for soft-heartedness.
The human race seized the demons’ fortune. The demons seized the fortune of the devils. The dragons’ fortune waned, and the entire clan perished within the Sea Eye.
To kill him would be for the sake of righteousness. A trace of killing intent rose within Kong Yun’s heart. His gaze fell upon Yin Feixue, then slowly shifted to Xue Cuo.
An elder transmitted a message: “Your Majesty, we cannot let the tiger return to the mountains.”
They whispered among themselves: “This demon has desecrated the Great Sage. His crime cannot be forgiven.”
“Kill him. He cannot be allowed to leave.”
Yin Feixue smiled faintly. His long silver hair fell over his shoulders, tangling with Xue Cuo’s dark hair. Looking at Kong Yun, he suddenly twined a strand around his fingertip, lowered his head, and murmured beside Xue Cuo’s ear.
“Xue Yinbing, I’ve killed so many demon elders. I fear from now on I will be the enemy of the demon clan. Kong Yun will succeed as Demon King, and he too will become my opponent. You… would you wound me for his sake?”
“You saved Kong Yun as well.”
“The demon clan keeps its accounts clear. Kong Yun owes me, and he will repay that himself. I am an outsider. I killed elders of the royal court. As Demon King, he will certainly settle this account with me. Besides, our paths are different. We are destined never to be compatible.”
Yin Feixue said, “I saved him for the sake of the bond between you and me. If he were to fall, it would be far too great a pity… And you? Will you help him?”
Xue Cuo’s expression slowly darkened. Yin Feixue stood very close, their breaths almost mingling. He lowered his voice despite himself.
“I am going to help build a statue of the Great Sage for the demon clan. That is what I promised Lord Nan.”
Yin Feixue’s fingers paused slightly in the motion of twining hair. His fingertips loosened, and the black and silver strands fell apart, distinct as though a handful of blossoms had been scattered, black and white clearly divided.
He accepted the cloak, pills, and spiritual liquid brought by his subordinates and set himself in order. His gaze was deep, the smile on his lips faint.
“Reviving the Great Sage is the worst move the demon clan could make. A thousand years ago the royal court declined because of it. What will be different a thousand years from now? The doctrine of bloodline supremacy has already withered for a thousand years, and now it seeks revival again. I, however, have no wish to walk that road.”
Xue Cuo shook his head. “I know. But the demon clan is itself one path of the Great Dao. To complete the Dao and revive the myriad methods is the greater design. Besides… Feixue, in this world, which path of the Dao can truly see the road ahead? If I choose one and walk it to the end, then I must believe that path is the right one.”
Yin Feixue said nothing for a moment. After a while he smiled. “Is the great calamity of heaven and earth truly a calamity for all living beings? Who will remain undying within the tribulation, and who will become immortal or sage because of it? Is it a scheme, or a catastrophe?”
Xue Cuo started and frowned. “Silence.”
Yin Feixue did indeed fall silent. Holding the black blade, he slowly rose to his feet. His eyes were clear as autumn waters, touched with the sorrow of parting.
“Xue Cuo, today you plot for the demon court. Between you and me, it is as though a river now divides two banks. Never again can they meet.”
Xue Cuo steadied himself upon the cloud and stood. The breeze lifted his blue robe like a fluttering butterfly. He sighed softly, his gaze dim.
Yin Feixue, however, laughed with easy brightness. “But I… cannot bear to part with the bond between you and me. Xue Yinbing, whatever becomes of us in the future, whether we attain the Dao or perish in the tribulation, whether we live or die, so long as you come to Tiandu City, I will have fine wine ready for you, and drink with you until we are thoroughly drunk.”
“You must come.”
He turned, black blade in hand, and lifted his head to meet Kong Yun’s gaze. The two clashed without a word.
When masters contend, intent moves before the hand. Their eyes locked, their auras restraining one another, yet neither could gain the upper hand.
Yin Feixue was gravely injured, yet some unseen protection lingered about him. Kong Yun had no certainty of killing him in a single blow. If so, there was little point in making a move.
Kong Yun’s heart eased slightly. With the remaining royal guards he walked forward through the clouds and said calmly, “I have come to see you off.”
Yin Feixue and the little demons had already assembled to depart. He glanced at the Six Saints Temple and clasped his fists. “Many thanks.”
Kong Yun glanced at Xue Cuo. Yin Feixue understood without a word. A glimmer flashed through his golden eyes. With a flick of power he produced three cups of wine and said with a smile, “Another drink?”
Xue Cuo suddenly turned around, sniffed, and folded his arms. “What wine is this, that you’re inviting me to drink it?”
Seeing his distress, Yin Feixue felt a pang of reluctance and handed him a cup. “I know you’re particular. I brewed this jar myself. What do you think?”
Xue Cuo muttered, “How good can it be?”
Yin Feixue said, “How would you know if you don’t try it?”
The three of them fell silent. Only the faint sound of the wind could be heard. The wine was bitter upon the tongue, yet sharp and burning, lingering softly.
Yin Feixue tipped back his head and drained the cup in one go. Without another word he strode away, but after a few steps he glanced back. “Things are few, therefore all the more precious. The sky is high and the world vast and uncertain. My two friends, let us part here.”
…
Yin Feixue led the remaining Tiandu Guards away from the demon royal court without losing a single man, rescuing the captured little demons along the way.
His reputation in the mortal realm grew even louder. Countless demons unwilling to submit to the royal court flocked to Tiandu City and settled there.
Xue Cuo, meanwhile, returned once to the Qianyun Great Marsh to fetch mud and water from the Golden Pool, and with great care moulded a divine statue.
During this time Kong Yun remained by his side, mainly to prevent Xue Cuo from being suddenly beaten up by elders who might leap out of nowhere.
The reason was simple: the statue was truly… unconventional.
Kong Yun endured and endured, until he could endure no longer. The plumes at his temples stood upright one by one. Grinding his teeth, he demanded, “In your mind, is this what a peacock looks like?”
Xue Cuo squatted on the ground with mud all over his hands, utterly lacking in dignity. “What’s wrong with it? It looks perfectly good.”
Kong Yun examined the clay figure in silence. It was neither yin nor yang, neither round nor square. Closing his eyes, he let out a long breath.
Then he suddenly leapt up, transformed into his true form, and chased Xue Cuo around pecking at his head, shouting, “A real peacock looks like this!”
Xue Cuo fled in disarray, only to be seized by the collar and dragged back by Kong Yun, who snarled viciously, “Mould it again. Mould it.”
The suffering of that process defies description. In the end, however, they managed to produce something that at least resembled a human statue.
Once the statue was finished, Xue Cuo lay across the table concentrating on drawing talismans. Outside the door behind him sat the remaining elders of the demon royal court.
Kong Yun stood guard at the entrance, the World-Purifying Wheel in his hand.
“Your Majesty, the demon clan has never followed the incense-offering path of the gods. Our race has never excelled in incense worship. If the Great Sage has no physical body, how can he be called a sage?”
“The orthodoxy of the demon clan lies in bloodline. If we descendants cannot even prepare a body for the Great Sage, how shall we face our ancestors?”
“This path cannot be taken.”
Kong Yun glared at them and gave a cold laugh. “What utter nonsense. Bloodline? Did bloodline prevent the demon court from falling into ruin?”
“You simply fear losing the status you now hold, so you try to threaten me with your authority as elders. Excellent. Since that is the case, when the World-Purifying Wheel was still turning, why did none of you sacrifice yourselves for the Dao? What, are only we of the feathered clans expected to die cheaply?”
The elders’ faces turned livid as they exchanged glances. “Your Majesty’s words… are exceedingly coarse. A king should—”
Kong Yun curled his lip, his expression icy. “I’m speaking plainly because I fear you would not understand otherwise. What state is the demon clan in now? You cannot see it clearly. What the greater situation demands, you cannot see that either. And yet you expect to point out the road ahead? Hah.”
He added coolly, “Besides, it was the Great Sage of the feathered clans who expressly ordered Xue Cuo to mould the statue. It is our ancestor who chose this road. Do you dare oppose the Great Sage?”
The elders fell silent, choked into wordlessness.
Looking at this group of pure-blooded demons, Kong Yun felt nothing but disgust. One day he would remake the demon court entirely and bring it back into the light.
Kong Yun waited a full half-year, more than two hundred days and nights, before the tightly shut door finally opened.
Xue Cuo staggered out holding the statue, exhausted and dull-eyed. A small yet exquisitely intricate talisman covered the entire clay body, radiating vigorous life.
The elders were astonished and tried to look closer, but at once their eyes bled with unbearable pain.
“Close your eyes!”
“Do not look closely at the statue!”
Xue Cuo swept his sleeve over the statue to cover it, glanced over the assembled elders, then at Kong Yun, and could not help yawning.
Kong Yun’s gaze trembled. Carefully he reached out a hand. “It’s finished.”
Xue Cuo nodded, then toppled backwards and fell fast asleep on the ground.
Several elders stepped forward to help, but His Majesty’s icy glance stopped them. Holding the statue in one hand, Kong Yun bent down and lifted Xue Cuo with the other.
“To the Six Saints Temple.”
The elders were silent as cicadas in winter and did not dare object. The statue was welcomed back into the Six Saints Temple.
The moment incense smoke rose, the scattered Dao of the demon clan suddenly shone like a lamp lit in a dark chamber, casting down a thread of light.
Many elders whose cultivation had long stagnated felt, for the first time in their lives, the faint workings of the Heavenly Dao. It was the broken and fallen road by which the demon clan once ascended to sagehood, a threshold they had been unable to touch for thousands upon thousands of years.
Great Sage.
Great Sage! Our demon clan has suffered so bitterly.
That night many people did not sleep at all. Their hearts surged with emotion. Returning to their residences, tears soaked their robes, and they ran to the Six Saints Temple to weep before their ancestral forebears.
Some even proposed imprisoning Xue Cuo, or killing him, so that he could not be used by others, forcing him instead to mould statues endlessly for the other Great Sages. Naturally, those who proposed such ideas vanished without a trace.
Xue Cuo knew nothing of this. His task complete, he withdrew and prepared to leave the demon clan.
Kong Yun owed him a favour, so he escorted Xue Cuo back to the Qianyun Great Marsh. Along the way he asked whether Xue Cuo had any requests.
Xue Cuo thought for a moment and said a single sentence.
Kong Yun snorted, seeming somewhat displeased, yet in the end he said nothing. He simply nodded. “Since you have said it, I will grant it.”
The two stood upon the clouds, tall and elegant, bearing themselves with remarkable poise, utterly unlike the little children they had once been.
Kong Yun said, “As for that matter of choosing between men and women, before you become immortal you may change your choice at any time.”
Xue Cuo shuddered. “…”
Kong Yun turned into a streak of light and vanished, leaving Xue Cuo alone atop the cloud scratching his head in vexation.
With his hands behind his back he paced about with measured steps. After a few turns he suddenly burst out laughing, struck with sudden understanding.
“Well played, Kong Xiaoyun. Trying to frighten me.”
Having figured it out, he thought no more about it. Watching the clouds gather and disperse, a certain figure passed through his mind.
If the chance arose, Xue Cuo thought he might like to go find him for a drink.
