Chapter 338: The Great Demon
Chapter 338: The Great Demon
The deep mountains had become a true forbidden zone.
Day and night, one could see the blood-red qi soaring into the sky, and perched atop the peaks was the blood-colored demon pig.
The demon pig was refining the essence of the Transfiguration Elixir pill, which it had forcefully extracted from its own body.
Rather than refining, it was assimilating.
This pill, originally refined within its body, was now merely "returning to its owner."
The demon pig's refinement of the blood qi was slow, and it seemed like it would take a long time. But no matter how long it took, there would come a day when the refinement would be complete.
Time passed slowly, and the demon pig's blood qi became increasingly dense and terrifying.
In Tongxian City, all cultivators wore grim expressions.
Elder Yu and the others' faces grew more solemn.
A storm was brewing, and a great calamity was approaching.
However, Mo Hua was filled with doubt.
What is a great demon? Why did that pig turn into a great demon, and why does the appearance of a great demon signify a calamity?
He had never come across such secrets in his cultivation journey.
Mo Hua decided to ask Elder Yu.
Elder Yu sighed, "The so-called great demon is a term used by demon hunters to describe an extremely powerful beast that cannot be countered by human strength and can destroy an entire city or realm."
"What level of power must a demon beast possess to be considered a great demon? Is it above second-grade?" Mo Hua asked.
Elder Yu shook his head, "The classification of a great demon is not solely based on grade."
Mo Hua thought for a moment, "Is it based on the grade of the state then?"
Elder Yu nodded and explained, "In a second-grade state, the great demon would be second-grade. In a third-grade state, the great demon would be third-grade, and so on. A powerful demon beast approaching the upper limit of a certain realm's grade would be referred to as a 'great demon.'"
"But why did that pig become a great demon?" Mo Hua asked, puzzled.
That pig had merely eaten Elder Qian and even died for a while. Why did it suddenly turn into a great demon?
"I don't know," Elder Yu replied bitterly. "Great demons have always been legendary, and no one can explain their origins... The last record of a great demon in Tongxian City was over two to three thousand years ago."
"Was that great demon killed?"
"No," Elder Yu shook his head. "The great demon wasn't slain."
Mo Hua was taken aback, "Then how did it die?"
"It starved to death."
"Starved?" Mo Hua was shocked.
This was a death he had never expected.
Fear lurked in Elder Yu's eyes as he said, "It devoured all the cultivators in Tongxian City, all the demon beasts in Dahai Mountain, and everything it could eat. In the end, after going over a hundred years without food, it finally exhausted its blood qi and starved to death..."
Mo Hua drew in a cold breath, "It devoured... all the cultivators in Tongxian City?!"
Elder Yu nodded, "Indeed."
"Couldn't they kill it?"
"If they could, the cultivators of the city wouldn't have all been eaten..." Elder Yu smiled bitterly.
"Why couldn't they kill it?"
Mo Hua was perplexed.
It was just a second-grade demon beast; even if it was powerful, there should have been a way to kill it.
Even if the cultivators' foundations weren't strong enough, there were still those in the Qi Refining stage, and if the demon hunters weren't enough, there were still the Dao soldiers. With so many cultivators working together, even if they couldn't defeat the great demon directly, they could have worn it down over time.
Elder Yu pointed to the distant sky and asked, "Do you see that blood qi over there?"
Mo Hua looked up and saw the soaring blood qi above the deep mountains, emanating from the demon pig.
"Is it because... the blood qi is too dense?" Mo Hua asked after a moment of thought.
Elder Yu nodded, "The attacks of a great demon are only slightly stronger than those of a regular demon beast of the same level. But the most troublesome part is its blood qi..."
"The blood qi of a great demon is incredibly dense, almost equivalent to several dozen times that of a regular demon beast of the same grade."
Mo Hua's scalp tingled at the thought, "The blood qi is that dense?!"
"That's not even the scariest part," Elder Yu continued.
"The terrifying thing is that it can restore its blood qi by consuming people. Thinking that you can wear it down with numbers is wishful thinking."
"Since the blood qi of a great demon is so dense, any campaign against it will inevitably be a prolonged war, and there's no way to avoid casualties."
"But once there are casualties, the great demon will replenish its blood qi, and in this cycle of loss and gain, all cultivators will fall into its mouth and be devoured alive!"
"Unless no one dies, the cultivators will merely serve as 'blood replenishing pills' for the great demon."
"But if the great demon is so formidable, how could there be no casualties in the campaign against it?"
A chill ran down Mo Hua's spine, and he frowned as he asked,
"So, what do we do now?"
Elder Yu shook his head, his tone grave, "Our only hope is that we are mistaken and that pig is not actually a great demon. In that case, the Dao Court can petition the Dao Tribunal for more Foundation Establishment cultivators to come and eradicate it."
"What if it is a great demon?"
"If the Dao Court confirms that the pig is indeed a great demon," Elder Yu sighed, "then we can only... find a way to relocate the city."
"Relocate the city?" Mo Hua was taken aback.
"Yes, relocate," Elder Yu nodded.
"All the cultivators of Tongxian City must move elsewhere and find another way to make a living. Otherwise, once the great demon finishes refining its blood qi and starts looking for food, it will eventually eat all the demon beasts and then turn to humans, just like two to three thousand years ago, and devour all the cultivators in Tongxian City..."
Elder Yu's expression was filled with bitterness, "This is a heavenly calamity, an unforeseen disaster, and we are powerless to do anything about it..."
Mo Hua was lost in thought.
"Where will we move to?" Mo Hua asked. "There shouldn't be any places nearby that are suitable for cultivators to live, right?"
Moreover, if they were to relocate, it wouldn't just be Tongxian City moving. All the small nearby cities would have to move as well.
In that case, there would be even more cultivators relocating, making it even harder to find a new place to live.
"We will probably move southward, closer to the barbaric borderlands," Elder Yu sighed. "Most of those areas are untamed wilderness, filled with demon beasts and barbarian tribes."
The prospect of a long and arduous journey filled with hardships and unpredictable dangers weighed heavily on Mo Hua, dampening his spirits.
He could only hope that the demon pig wasn't truly a great demon...
But deep down, Mo Hua knew that this was unlikely.
After all, he had seen the demon pig with his own eyes and had injured it with his array-breaking technique, witnessing its uncanny ability to regenerate its flesh and blood. It was extraordinary and approached the realm of the Dao, far beyond that of a typical demon beast.
Three days later, a message arrived from the Dao Court:
"In the 20,024th year of the Dao Calendar, a disturbance has occurred in the Black Mountain State, a second-rate state, due to a demon pig.
After inspection by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, it has been identified as a great demon, ancient name: Wind Walker (Feng Xi)
.
The local Dao Court should formulate appropriate strategies to maintain peace in the area.
If unable to handle the disaster, consider relocating the city."
Mo Hua learned the contents of this message from Zhang Lan.
Having received the news from the Dao Court, Zhang Lan, feeling helpless, went to a restaurant to drink away his sorrows and shared this information with Mo Hua.
"Is there nothing else the Dao Court can do?" Mo Hua asked Zhang Lan.
"If the Dao Court had a solution, great demons wouldn't be considered one of the 'great disasters,'" Zhang Lan replied.
Mo Hua still didn't understand. "Can't the Dao Court send Jin Dan cultivators to kill that pig?"
"It's Feng Xi," Zhang Lan corrected. "Once a demon becomes a great demon, it earns a name that will be recorded in the history of cultivation. In the annals of cultivation, pig-type great demons are generally called 'Feng Xi.'"
Zhang Lan took a sip of wine and sighed. "Jin Dan cultivators can't come."
"Are they afraid of dying?" Mo Hua asked.
Zhang Lan shook his head. "Facing a second-rate great demon, Jin Dan cultivators might not be able to kill it, but they can certainly escape with their lives."
"Then what are they afraid of?" Zhang Lan pointed upward. "They fear the heavenly dao's laws."
"What does this have to do with the heavenly dao's laws?" Mo Hua was perplexed.
Instead of answering, Zhang Lan asked, "What state are we currently in?"
"Black Mountain State," Mo Hua replied.
"The full name?" Zhang Lan prompted.
Mo Hua had studied cultivation geography at Tongxian Gate, and despite dropping out, he remembered his lessons clearly. "The cultivation world is divided into nine states, which are further divided into territories, and within each territory are cities for cultivators."
"Tongxian City belongs to the Great Black Mountain Territory of Lizhou," Zhang Lan said, "but we usually just refer to it as Black Mountain State."
Zhang Lan nodded and asked, "What rate is it?"
"Second-rate," Mo Hua replied, slightly puzzled.
"And why is it second-rate?" Zhang Lan asked.
"Because the highest cultivation level here is only at the Foundation Establishment stage..." Mo Hua felt that Zhang Lan was asking obvious questions but continued anyway. "Jin Dan is third-rate. Since it exceeds the upper limit of a second-rate state, that's why they can't come, right?"
"It's not that they can't come at all," Zhang Lan explained. "They just can't use cultivation above the second-rate level."
"What's the point of coming if they can't use their Jin Dan cultivation?" Zhang Lan asked rhetorically.
"What would happen if they tried to use it?" Mo Hua inquired.
"They would die!" Zhang Lan said in a low voice.
"Die?!" Mo Hua was shocked.
"Yes, they would die," Zhang Lan nodded, pondering for a moment before continuing. "So, in a way, you could say that they fear death, and that's why they dare not come. It's not entirely inaccurate."
Mo Hua still didn't understand. "Why is that?"
Zhang Lan sighed. "That's the rule of the heavenly dao. When the Dao Court was first established, this place was designated as a second-rate state. Therefore, all cultivators here can only use cultivation up to the Foundation Establishment stage..."
"...and if anyone exceeds this limit, they will be eradicated by the heavenly dao!"
"Are there no exceptions?" Mo Hua asked.
"None!" Zhang Lan stated emphatically.
"What about those above Jin Dan?"
Zhang Lan said, "Forget about Jin Dan. Even if we're talking about the Great Vehicle cultivators, as long as they haven't achieved immortality, they must abide by this heavenly restriction. If they go against this rule, no matter how high their cultivation or how strong their power, they will be directly eradicated by the Great Dao, resulting in their death and the dissipation of their souls!"
"Even the Dao Monarchs of the Dao Court, who rule over the nine states, would be no exception!"
"Such are the heavenly dao's laws!"
Zhang Lan's expression turned solemn. "The heavenly dao transcends all things and all cultivators."
(End of Chapter)
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