On that day, an unprecedented tremor shook Chang’an City.
Within the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion, the foremost divination organisation under the Emperor’s command, an urgent summons had called all Celestial Masters back to its halls. The two Grand Celestial Masters, Li Chunfeng and Yuan Tiangang, presided over the Mysterious Mechanism Tower, their visages etched with grave solemnity.
In the Divine Armaments Division, General Li Jing, the Constellation of the Resisting Golden Dragon, had received an imperial edict to gather one hundred thousand Crimson Sky Troops. They marched out of Chang’an in a grand procession, their banners fluttering mightily. The common folk along the way watched in dread, whispering,
Has a formidable foe invaded the Great Tang?
In the neighbouring kingdom of Nanzhao, a land of formidable strength second only to the Great Tang in the southern Toad Continent, the Moon-Worshipping Sect reigned as the nation’s preeminent faith. At that moment, the Sect Leader stared intently at a shattered crystal orb, sweat trickling from his brow to his neck. “Such potent demonic aura!” he gasped. “One strand, two, three… ten!” “The ten great Demon Kings of the Mortal Realm are all converging upon the Great Tang! What calamity has befallen us?”
The Sect Leader’s voice trembled with shock and horror. These were the ten Demon Kings of the Mortal Realm, beings capable of razing heaven and earth in an instant. That they should all gather in the Great Tang—whether to assail it or for some other purpose—defied comprehension. The Sect Leader dared not dwell on the implications. Nanzhao bordered the Great Tang; if the Tang fell, Nanzhao’s fate would be equally grim.
“This cannot stand! I must inform the Nanzhao Emperor at once!” At Shu Mountain, atop the Ethereal Peak in the Infinite Hall, the five Elders of Shu Mountain had convened, seated cross-legged upon lotus cushions, their expressions heavy with foreboding. Below them stood Xu Changqing, the chief disciple, alongside three thousand Shu Mountain disciples.
Xu Changqing stepped forward, bowing respectfully. “Sect Leader, all disciples of Shu Mountain are assembled.” At his words, the disciples’ gazes turned to the five Elders. The Sect Leader, Taoist Qingwei, sighed deeply and spoke in a grave tone. “Disciples of Shu Mountain, the world teeters on the brink of chaos!”
A murmur of disbelief rippled through the crowd.
The world in chaos? What could this mean?
Taoist Qingwei placed ten charred celestial talismans upon the floor. A disciple recognised them as the Calamity Talismans of the Ten Demonic Lands, now scorched and tattered by heavenly fire—an ominous portent. The Sect Leader’s voice was laden with sorrow. “As you see, the Calamity Talismans of the Ten Lands have ignited. The demons of the Ten Lands stir, their Demon Kings converging upon the Great Tang!”
The faces of the Shu Mountain disciples grew ashen. As the righteous vanguard against demons, they knew well the gravity of the ten Demon Kings’ collective movement—a cataclysm capable of shattering the Mortal Realm. Xu Changqing, clutching his sword, spoke solemnly. “Sect Leader, Changqing requests to lead the disciples down the mountain to vanquish these demons and protect the people!”
Taoist Qingwei regarded Xu Changqing with approval, nodding. Rising, he addressed the assembly. “Disciples of Shu Mountain, the ten Demon Kings have emerged, and the fate of the world hangs by a thread! As cultivators, we must safeguard humanity. Descend the mountain, uphold the righteous path, hold fast to your principles, and purge these demons to defend the Way!”
The three thousand disciples responded in unison, their voices resounding: “Uphold our principles, purge demons, and defend the Way!”
With a mighty shout, the disciples took flight upon their swords, descending the mountain. Never before, since the founding of Shu Mountain, had its disciples mobilised en masse. Yet, with the ten Demon Kings stirring—a calamity threatening all life—Shu Mountain could afford no less.
Even so, Taoist Qingwei’s brow remained furrowed.
The ten Demon Kings united—what manner of catastrophe is this?
In the Celestial Realm, within the Jade Emperor’s Resplendent Hall, ethereal music drifted amid swirling mists. The Jade Emperor sat enthroned, flanked by celestial generals and immortals, all gazing at the hall’s centre. There, the Star of Supreme Whiteness held a bronze mirror, its surface roiling with black clouds and surging demonic aura, as ten streams of shadow darkened the skies, rolling toward the Great Tang.
Lowering the mirror, the Star of Supreme Whiteness frowned. “Your Majesty, the ten demons of the Mortal Realm stir… calamity!”
The assembled immortals fell into contemplation. The ten Demon Kings wielded power that even they could not dismiss lightly—a destructive force in the Mortal Realm. The Jade Emperor’s eyes flickered as he asked, “Have you traced the cause?”
The Star of Supreme Whiteness, clutching his whisk, shook his head. “Your Majesty, beyond the Mortal Realm, the great demons of the Demon and Nether Realms also show unusual activity. A karmic thread guides these events, yet it is veiled by a sealing force spanning realms, beyond my power to discern.”
The Six Realms adhered to their own laws; without alignment of heaven and earth, interference was forbidden. The ten Demon Kings were a tribulation of the Mortal Realm, beyond the Celestial Realm’s jurisdiction.
The Jade Emperor’s voice rang with authority. “This matter is grave and cannot be taken lightly. Star of Supreme Whiteness, seek a suitable emissary to investigate the Mortal Realm.” “I obey, Your Majesty,” came the reply.
In the Mortal Realm, ten streams of black aura swept across the skies, plunging the world into darkness, eclipsing sun and moon. The ten Demon Kings led a million demonic soldiers: the Green Lion Demon King of Camelback Ridge, with jagged teeth and a thunderous roar, wielding a ten-zhang heaven-cleaving blade; the Yellow-Browed Demon King, with flaming hair, bone-white fangs, and a blood-drenched flayed body, spewing sandstorms that toppled cities; and the Bull Demon King, bearing a massive iron club, riding a water-shunning golden-eyed beast, his towering frame crowned with sky-piercing horns.
The ten Demon Kings soared through the heavens, their eyes gleaming with purpose. They sensed the aura of the Heavenly Demon Emperor—the sovereign of the Six Demonic Realms, lord of all demons.
Over Kunlun Mountain, across the Canglan River, past Chang’an City, they flew eastward, their roars shaking the heavens:
“Green Lion Demon King welcomes the Emperor’s reborn form!”
“Yellow-Browed Demon King welcomes the Emperor’s reborn form!”
“Jiaolong Demon King welcomes the Emperor’s reborn form!”
In Chang’an City, the skies darkened, and demonic roars thundered like rolling tides. Outside the Daming Palace, Emperor Li Shimin stood with his celestial ministers upon the Stargazing Terrace, their backs drenched in cold sweat as the cacophony washed over them.
“The ten Demon Kings converge upon the Great Tang—a calamity sent by heaven!”
“Who is this Demon Emperor with such fearsome might?”
“Is the Demon Emperor friend or foe to the Great Tang, and where does he reside?”
The eight Star Ministers, each aligned with the Eight Luminaries of Heaven and possessed of extraordinary talents, spoke in turn. Yet, faced with the spectacle of myriad demons paying homage, their faces paled, hearts pounding. Li Shimin’s countenance grew grim.
Demon Emperor… Above the ten Demon Kings, there exists a Demon Emperor!
Worse still, this Demon Emperor resided within the Great Tang’s borders. Who was he? Why was he here? And why had he summoned the ten Demon Kings?
A shroud of mysteries enveloped Li Shimin, marking this the most fearful day in a decade. Zhangsun Wuji, the Star of Heavenly Kui and foremost among the eight, stepped forward, bowing. “Your Majesty, the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion has summoned forty-eight Celestial Masters to divine the cause of the ten Demon Kings’ convergence!” Li Shimin’s gaze sharpened, and he commanded urgently, “My loyal ministers, follow me to the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion at once!”