Legend of the Great Sage

Li Qingshan woke up from the primordial dream and immediately shut his eyes again. He could still recall the grand scene of the Battle of Mending Heaven vividly.

The primordial spirit turtle hid within the flows of the ocean, setting off surging floods that swallowed the land and mountains. The dragons followed their leader as the phoenix soared in the sky, confronting one another in the air.

There was the primordial qilin’s final gaze into the distance as well. Even though it had failed to see her clearly, he would never be able to forget that figure mending the heavens.

“Empress Nüwa.”

Unlike his original guess, the primordial qilin did not oppose her. Instead, it fought for her.

Paths did not correspond to choices.

Even upon reaching the supreme realm of Merging the Void with the Dao, or even primordial divine creatures that thrived with the world, they were still sentient creatures. They could not just follow the laws of nature like wind, rain, lightning, and thunder.

If a divine creature like that really did exist, then it would be no different from not existing.

The primordial qilin manifested its “existence” and did not follow the path of nature it was born with, refusing to stand by and watch. In the end, it died under the lightning.

“If the heavens had emotions, they too would age!”

An indescribable feeling filled his mind. Once again, he gazed at the Black Sun Demon Heart without budging, like a divine statue that had sat there from the primordial times, into the future.

The temple was silent, without a single word spoken for a very long time.

Bang! After who knew how long, a rumble broke the silence, and the door swung open.

The Green-winged Bat King scrambled in and bowed down before the “divine statue”. “Sir, the cult leader has been captured! Please save her!”

However, he immediately spotted the dim sun in the “divine statue’s” hand, and he cast all of his thoughts to the back of his mind. His eyes were glued to it, with just a single thought remaining, I must obtain it! I must obtain it! He could not help but make his way over and reach towards it.

The “divine statue” opened his eyes slowly and glanced at him, like a bolt of lightning flashing past.

The Green-winged Bat King suddenly stopped and dropped back onto his knees again, still struggling uneasily as he gazed at the Black Sun Demon Heart.

Li Qingshan understood the temptation that the Black Sun Demon Heart posed to demonfolk. Let alone a mere Demon King, even Demon Gods could not resist it.

He should have never been able to resist either, but he refused to accept this fate. If he sacrificed the lives of countless just so he could become a god, then Li Qingshan would no longer be Li Qingshan. The “hero king” would be a complete joke too.

Even without the Black Sun Demon Heart, he was just as confident that he could become a god, and he would not have to be tied down by fate.

I won’t be the saviour of the world! He made up his mind and stowed the Black Sun Demon Heart away again. Let Sukhāvatī be Sukhāvatī and the Demon domain be the Demon domain!

He lowered his head and asked the Green-winged Bat King, “What happened?”

The Green-winged Bat King turned back to normal and fumed, “It’s a traitor! The Light Envoy of the Left must have betrayed the cult leader! When he was handing up the customs clearance documents!”

“Is she still alive?”

……

A miserable, gloomy atmosphere enveloped the grey city, leaving the tall, wet buildings standing rigidly and dark.

Under the street lamps, the cold rain continued to fall as if it would never stop.

However, in the very depths of this jungle was actually a fancy parlour with carved railing and jade inlays. The lanterns blazed as the hubbub of people never dispersed, forming a clear contrast with the dim, dispiriting surroundings. It felt surreal.

Banners hung outside the parlour, depicting the face of a pig smiling from ear to ear.

At this very moment, the owner of this pig face lifted a cup of alcohol into the air and drank it all in one gulp before demonstrating it was empty, apologising to the guests for his lateness.

All of the Demon Sovereigns and Demon Emperors in the demon city gathered here. Only Demon Sovereigns had a seat around the great round table, which was already set up with sets of utensils. Meanwhile, the Demon Emperors could only stand and watch. Demon Kings did not even have the right to enter this place.

The Demon Sovereigns had already waited there for quite some time now, but they did not show the slightest impatience. They even spoke softly and were dressed up all prim and proper, like aristocrats.

If a regular person accidentally set foot here, they would have never believed their original appearances were actually so frightening and hideous.

“Welcome, Heretic God!” the Demon Sovereigns said together.

The pig-faced owner was the owner of this “Taotie Parlour”, as well as the owner of this demon capital, Heretic God Baitun.

Baitun was also dressed up properly, except he had an apron on and carried a kitchen knife in his hand like he was a chef. His pink pig face was extremely amicable too, gesturing with both hands gently. “Please sit, please sit. Hmph hmph, there’s no need to be so polite. All of you, be more casual. This is a meal, not a war!”

The Demon Sovereigns all took their seats. They all remained solemn and proper, without loosening up at all. In front of Heretic God Baitun, it was possible for them to get away without punishment even if they lost a battle, but if they were not serious when it came to eating, it would definitely cost them their lives. In the past, there had been a Demon Sovereign who ate with his mouth open and Heretic God Baitun had beheaded him on the spot.

Meanwhile, the Demon Emperors even held their breaths, afraid to make any noise.

Heretic God Baitun nodded in satisfaction. “Hmph hmph, today’s banquet is called the banquet of light. All of the dishes are made with one ingredient. This ingredient doesn’t come easily and it’s taken quite some time to prepare, but as long as you taste it, it’ll all be worth it.”

He clapped his hands, and a burly Demon Emperor walked out with a colossal object in his arms, placing it gently beside Heretic God Baitun. There was a black cloth draped above it, hiding what it was.

Heretic God Baitun laughed with his grunts and lifted the black cloth with a great swish, revealing a huge cross covered with inscriptions. A woman was bound on there, without a single shred of clothing on top, exposing her full breasts and slender waist. However, the lower half of her body had demonified into the figure of a snake, round, slender, and gorgeous in colour, wrapped around the cross.

The Demon Sovereigns all gasped. This woman was clearly a Demon Sovereign! Had Heretic God Baitun’s appetite lost control, such that he began feasting on Demon Sovereigns? They could not help but worry for their safety.

Heretic God Baitun said with a smile, “Let me introduce to you the renowned leader of the Ming cult!”

The Demon Sovereigns were thrown into an uproar, immediately understanding the origins of this “banquet of light”, except they found it unimaginable. The Demon Emperors beneath them gazed at one another in complete disbelief as well.

In the recent years, the Ming cult had been stirring up trouble. All of the demonfolk guessed at the cult leader’s identity. They all thought the cult leader came from the outside world, either from the Desireless Heavenly Palace or Sukhāvatī, but they never imagined it to be a Demon Sovereign!

How was this possible? These actions of kindness and righteousness would definitely lead to repulsion from the demonic heavens, but this Demon Sovereign was clearly enveloped in heavy blessings.

Only Heretic God Baitun had an inkling about her plan, which left him amazed. If he simply let her be, the Demon domain would probably gain another Heretic God before long.

Under her messy hair, the woman looked up silently. The sight before her flooded into her eyes, moving through her tense nerves before being reduced to nothing in her mind.

Heretic God Baitun looked back and asked, “Are you?”

Qian Rongzhi smiled. “I am.”

“Is there anything you’d like to say?”

“The strong prey on the weak. That’s the law of the world.”

“Good. Very good!”

Heretic God Baitun caressed her face. His hand slid down along her neck, and his desires pulsed as they grew. It was not lust, but appetite.

“You are the best ingredient I have ever seen. I won’t even let a sliver of you go to waste!”

The knife in Heretic God Baitun’s hand rose and fell. Over a dozen translucent pieces of white flesh that were thin like the wings of insects flew into the air, landing on the plates on the great, round table.

Qian Rongzhi was completely unscathed, but her skin under her ribs suddenly sank. A strange sensation of pain spread out, making her snake tail coil around the cross firmly, creaking away as a result.

The knife did not just slice away flesh, but the soul as well.

“The first dish is Slices of Light. Hmph hmph. It should be eaten raw once it is sliced, so its original taste is preserved.”

Heretic God Baitun introduced complacently and proactively passed a plate to the burly Demon Emperor. “Light Envoy of the Left, you’ve done very well! Have some!”

“Thank you, Heretic God! Thank you, Heretic God!”

The Light Envoy of the Left was both surprised and overjoyed. He glanced at Qian Rongzhi on the cross and placed a piece of the meat in his mouth. He was immediately overcome with joy and pleasure, but in the next moment, his skin colour suddenly changed, becoming colourful and mottled like the snake’s tail.

“T-there’s poison… urgh…”

He gripped his neck firmly with both hands as every muscle in his body twitched, turning into wisps of colourful smoke like venomous snakes, wrapping around and penetrating his body. In the blink of an eye, he was swallowed by the colourful snakes of poisonous smoke.

The Demon Sovereigns were frightened and leaned backwards, just so they could widen their distance from the meat on the plate.

Heretic God Baitun waved his hand, dispersing the smoke. He chuckled.

“Pufferfish is poisonous. If you want to know how it tastes, how can you not take some risks? This ingredient of mine is hundreds, thousands of times more poisonous than pufferfish. It’s not something that anyone can endure. Hmm? What are you all still waiting for?”

He gazed at the Demon Sovereigns with his pig eyes. They suddenly seemed rather sunken under the glorious firelight.

How could the Demon Sovereigns waste any more time? They circulated their demon qi, prepared to suppress the toxins as they brought a piece of the Slices of Light into their mouths.

It melted as soon as it hit their tongue!

At that instant, a delicious taste spread through their mouths. Even the toxins itself became a part of the taste, yet it was beyond the five basic tastes of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty. Instead, there was a dense yet pure sense of happiness that stimulated their minds.

“Mmmm… ahhh…”

Heretic God Baitun took a bite as well, and he became extremely intoxicated. He was Demon God Taotie’s head chef. Regular chefs could only mix the five flavours, which was nowhere enough to satisfy a Demon God’s appetite.

However, he could use joy as sweetness, sorrow as bitterness, anger as spiciness, and envy as sourness… such that a single mouthful possessed all the tastes of human life. And, the taste would come in all shapes and sizes. Every single ingredient was different, so no one could predict it until they ate it.

“Hmm? Hold on. Why is it sweet? Where’s the fury of being betrayed? Where’s the fear of being killed and eaten?”

Heretic God Baitun furrowed his brows and savoured it closely, but apart from the lithe aftertaste of sweetness, there was nothing else in his mouth. He suddenly looked up, only to see the King of Light with her lips curled, actually laughing away.

“What are you laughing at?”

“Fate. Why now of all times? Hehehehe.” Qian Rongzhi found it absolutely fascinating. Her laughter was strange and filled with malice.

“What fate?” Heretic God Baitun felt restless for some reason.

“You better eat quickly! My invitation.” Qian Rongzhi raised her chin. “The tiger is coming.”

Boom!

A clap of thunder shook the lead clouds, ripping through the sky.

A pair of scarlet eyes lit up in the darkness, like embers. The tiger moved through the jungle powerfully, arriving before the Taotie parlour with a gentle leap. He curled his lip. “Still not dead yet?”