Chapter 101: Lord of the Otherworldly Demons
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Ye Sansi’s chivalrous spirit and sense of justice impressed the demon as well. Clasping his fists, the demon said with a laugh, “Young Hero Ye, I can tell that you are no enemy from beyond our borders. Come with me quickly to meet our Great King.”
“Very well. I have something urgent to report.”
Ye Sansi and the five demons hurried onward. With their mutual suspicions gone, they traveled swiftly. In less than half an hour, they crossed several perilous natural barriers and finally caught sight of the Otherworld Demon Realm’s treasure palace.
The palace was white, edged with faint golden light. It bore some resemblance to the Hall of Heaven and Earth on Square-Inch Immortal Island. Indeed, judging by its overall design, the Otherworld Demon Realm and Square-Inch Immortal Island were remarkably alike. Ye Sansi exclaimed in admiration, “This architecture is truly magnificent. Why does it resemble the abodes of immortals? Could it be that the Great King…”
He stopped there, fearing that the question might be too presumptuous. The demon understood what he meant and burst out laughing.
“Young Hero Ye, if you have something to say, say it plainly. There is no need for restraint. We are no sect masters or elders, and we do not pay much heed to the etiquette of the mortal world. If you asked the Great King that question to his face, he would think you an honest and forthright man—and he would be pleased.”
“Hahaha, it is nothing, Senior. I was merely curious and asked on a whim. Is the Great King here? Perhaps you should go and announce my arrival?”
“Very well. You wait outside the palace. I shall return shortly.”
With that, the demon slowed his pace and quietly approached the palace entrance. The doors stood thirty feet high. When he gave them a gentle push, they opened at once.
Having heard this, Ye Sansi felt somewhat reassured. In a low voice, he asked, “Senior, does the Great King favor the architectural style of immortal sects?”
The demon answered with a smile, “I have followed the Great King for a hundred years, yet I never knew he possessed such a preference. When this palace was built, I was still suffering in the Demon Realm, so I have no idea why it was constructed in this manner.”
Ye Sansi followed the demon into the palace and looked around. He activated the Eight-Treasure Art, and sure enough, the place concealed profound mechanisms. Dense blades were hidden within the walls on either side. If anyone attempted to force their way in, the two great doors would close once they entered, and countless blades would shoot forth from both walls. Few could hope to escape alive.
Yet this was only the most superficial layer of the palace’s defenses. What Ye Sansi did not know was that every front hall of the Otherworld Demon Realm concealed a deadly technique, and each one was capable of scattering the souls of demons, evildoers, immortals, and gods alike, condemning them to eternal ruin.
Ye Sansi leaned forward and looked around. There was no main chamber, only a corridor. He had thought that the palace structures of the Otherworld Demon Realm closely resembled those of Square-Inch Immortal Island, but it seemed that the similarity was merely superficial. From the corridor alone, he could already discern the ingenuity of the realm’s defenses. Its illusions were so profound that any newcomer would surely be unable to find his bearings.
After waiting for the time it takes two incense sticks to burn, the demon emerged and gestured for Ye Sansi to follow. The other four demons bowed, then departed to return to the village and guard against enemies from beyond.
Once they left the palace and crossed the entrance, they arrived at a cliff. The view stretched endlessly. Clouds and mist drifted beneath their feet, while mountains encircled them on every side. The scenery was breathtaking, resembling Nameless Peak and seeming almost like a heavenly realm.
The demon pointed ahead. “Young Hero Ye, look. The mountains ahead are where our people live. Farther beyond lies the treasure hall where the Great King conducts his councils.”
Ye Sansi narrowed his eyes. In the distance stood range after range of mountains, shrouded in clouds and mist until their true forms could not be seen.
Puzzled, he asked, “Senior, I can see only mountains in the distance. Where are the residences and treasure hall you mentioned?”
Atop the palace was a Demon-Realm Pearl, which the ruler of the Otherworld Demon Realm had stolen from the Demon Realm itself. It had been placed upon the roof, and once its power was activated, it could suppress the bodies of demons and prevent them from using magic. At that point, they would be no more than helpless prey before the blades.
Even the bricks, tiles, and stone pillars concealed deadly mechanisms, each hiding a fearsome magical weapon. Anyone who entered the palace would likely never emerge alive. These more profound traps, however, were beyond Ye Sansi’s current cultivation and could not be detected by him.
“You are right, you are right. Young Hero Ye has considered everything thoroughly. I shall be more careful from now on.”
As he spoke, the demon waved his hand. A stone platform rose into the air from somewhere unseen. The demon stepped onto it and continued, “Young Hero Ye, come with me.”
Ye Sansi did as he was told and leaped onto the platform. His feet felt strangely light. Though the slab was thick and heavy enough to hold ten people, the demon said, “Young Hero Ye, be sure to stand firmly.”
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The demon laughed. “Hahaha, Young Hero Ye, our residences and treasure halls are built among the mountains. Anyone arriving in our realm from outside would never be able to locate our true position. Mountains large and small surround this place, each veiled in clouds and mist. It is a natural illusion formation. We—”
“Wait, wait, Senior,” Ye Sansi hurriedly interrupted. “I was only asking casually. Please do not tell me too much. If I really were one of those outsiders enemies, would you not be exposing the defenses of the Otherworld Demon Realm?”
The demon slowed the stone platform and said with a laugh, “Young Hero Ye, you are far too modest. With your physique, how could you possibly fail to endure the journey? Besides, magic cannot be used in this region between the front palace and the mountains. How could you possibly fly a sword alongside me?”
“Magic cannot be used? One cannot ride a sword?”
Ye Sansi still found it hard to believe. This mountainous region was vast. Without drawing upon some external power, how could such an enormous formation possibly be established to suppress the use of magic?
At that moment, the stone platform began to move. Ye Sansi crouched halfway down. Unlike Heavenly Wrath, the platform possessed no barrier to resist the wind. Combined with its rapid speed, one careless misstep could send him tumbling from the platform and plunging from a height of ten thousand yards.
Facing the wind, Ye Sansi shouted, “Senior, perhaps I should simply ride my sword behind you. Standing on this platform is rather unsteady, and you are traveling so quickly that my mortal body may not be able to endure it!”
Ye Sansi laughed. “Once the urgent matter is settled, I shall ask the Great King to explain it to me.”
The two chatted and laughed as they traveled. Before they knew it, they reached the mountains where the demonfolk lived.
Ye Sansi saw that the nearby peaks were connected in pairs, with solid stone laid across the spaces between them. A vast expanse of level ground stretched before him. Though hollows existed beneath it, the stone was so thick and hard that it could support tens of thousands of houses and palaces.
Ye Sansi activated the Eight-Treasure Art, but it truly had no effect. He could not help admiring the might of the Otherworld Demon Realm. Astonished, he said, “Remarkable. If an outside enemy invaded and attempted to rise into the air by casting a spell, they would simply be courting death. I never imagined that the Otherworld Demon Realm possessed such perilous natural defenses. I am truly impressed.”
“Hahaha, Young Hero Ye, save those words for the Great King. They will surely please him. I do not understand the mysteries behind this forbidden-magic region either. If the Great King explains them to you, your curiosity may finally be satisfied.”
What Ye Sansi could never have imagined was that this land of ten thousand households contained actual soil. The demonfolk had already planted fruit trees and vegetables across large tracts of land. Seeing how peacefully and prosperously they lived, Ye Sansi secretly resolved to help the Otherworld Demon Realm survive this calamity.
After the time it takes one incense stick to burn, Ye Sansi looked down and saw another cliff. The valleys below were so deep that their bottoms could not be seen.
He thought to himself, The structure of the Otherworld Demon Realm is truly marvelous. They have built houses and palaces atop mountain peaks, and built them so sturdily. Their defenses are layered and extraordinarily tight. Even if the Demon Realm launched an all-out attack, it would likely be unable to inflict much damage upon the Otherworld Demon Realm.
The demon sent the stone platform gliding through the air, passing over the dwellings of the demonfolk. Ye Sansi leaned over and looked down. At the outermost edge stood a neat, solid stone wall. Every ten paces, a guard stood upon it, carrying a horn and a long saber.
From this arrangement, it seemed that if an enemy appeared, the guards would first sound the horns to raise the alarm, then take up their sabers and resist, buying time for reinforcements to arrive.
Inside the city wall lived the inhabitants. Ye Sansi roughly counted a thousand households, their houses orderly and arranged as though prepared for defense.
Farther within lay another ten thousand households, though their homes were entirely different from those outside. These houses were scattered irregularly, unevenly spaced, and varied greatly in construction. They possessed something of the appearance of mortal villages.
After taking a single look around, Ye Sansi still saw no royal palace. Just as he was beginning to wonder, a gate suddenly appeared in the mountainside and slowly opened. The stone platform flew inside, after which the stone gate closed behind them, plunging everything into darkness.
When light appeared again, a grand hall stood before them, and the stone platform finally came to a stop.
Ye Sansi leaped down onto solid ground. The feeling was wonderfully liberating. The demon also descended slowly and said with a smile, “Young Hero Ye, come with me.”
Since entering the Otherworld Demon Realm, Ye Sansi had been deeply astonished. He continually looked from side to side, admiring the structure of the realm, the rigor of its defenses, and the strange wonders of the land.
While Ye Sansi was lost in thought, the demon said, “Young Hero Ye, look. This is the royal palace of the Otherworld Demon Realm.”
He looked out and saw a peculiar mountain. Why was it called peculiar? Because the side facing them bore a deep indentation shaped like an inverted human figure. Eighteen statues sat along either side of that inverted shape, their bearing solemn, imposing, and domineering.
When Ye Sansi saw the lifelike statues of birds and beasts, his heart trembled. Even he was startled by those cold, unfeeling stones.
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An hour after departing from the village, Ye Sansi finally met the so-called ruler of the Otherworld Demon Realm.
He saw the monarch reclining against his throne, one hand clenched into a fist and supporting his head, his eyes tightly shut.
Only when he heard the footsteps of the two men did he slowly open his eyes. The demon knelt in prostration, and Ye Sansi hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed.
“I am Ye Sansi, the eleventh-generation disciple of Square-Inch Immortal Island. I pay my respects to the Great King.”
Before them stood a magnificent palace. Ye Sansi could not think of words worthy of praising its carved beams and painted rafters. It was utterly different from anything in the mortal world. Perhaps only treasures taken from the heavens could be used to build such a breathtaking wonder.
As Ye Sansi approached, the great doors slowly opened. The demon entered first, with Ye Sansi following behind.
The monarch straightened in his throne and shouted, “You come before me, yet why do you not kneel?”
Hearing this, Ye Sansi also straightened his back and thrust out his chest.
“A man stands between Heaven and Earth. He bows to Heaven above and Earth below. He bows to his parents and elders, to his benefactors, teachers, and brothers in seniority. Why should I bow to you?”
“Oh? Square-Inch Immortal Island? You are a cultivator?”
“Great King, that is correct.”
“You? And who do you think you are?”
“I have already said it. I am the eleventh-generation disciple of Square-Inch Immortal Island—Ye Sansi.”
“I am the King!”
“You are indeed a king—the Great King of the Otherworld Demon Realm. The demonfolk, mountains, rivers, grass, and trees here all revere you and bow before you. But I will not.”
“Infuriating!”
The monarch sprang to his feet and pointed angrily at Ye Sansi.
“I shall count to three. Kneel before me, or I will ensure that you never leave the Otherworld Demon Realm alive.”
“Great King, I respect you. But whether you give me one command, a hundred, or ten thousand, my answer will remain the same: I, Ye Sansi, will not kneel. If you mean to kill me, then kill me. If you mean to carve me apart, then do so!”
Ye Sansi was truly unyielding. He knew that after offending this monarch, he would almost certainly never survive, yet his tongue was straightforward and his principles firm.
Perhaps those very principles would cost him his life…
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