Across the Great Tang, the ten Demon Kings, each commanding their legions of demonic soldiers, had halted at distinct locations. With ears pricked, they hearkened to a faint soul-whisper emanating from the east. Though barely audible, softer than a mortal’s voice, it resounded in their ears like a thunderous bell.
“Is this… the soul-whisper of the Heavenly Demon Emperor?”
“It is the Heavenly Demon Emperor! That unique resonance of the ‘Emperor’ cannot be mistaken!”
“Has the Heavenly Demon Emperor issued a demonic decree?”
“It is a positional soul-whisper, directing us to Liu, Hai, Mou, Xu…”
The ten Demon Kings and their myriad lesser demons erupted in jubilation. Until that moment, they had been drawn to the Great Tang by the bloodline’s call, sensing the Emperor’s rebirth. Now, the Heavenly Demon Emperor had sent them a soul-whisper—a sign of his recognition.
To them, this was no small matter. The Heavenly Demon Emperor, sovereign of the Demon Realm, ruled over ninety-nine million nine hundred ninety-nine thousand demons. The ten Demon Kings, fearsome in the Mortal Realm, were lesser powers in the Demon Realm’s hierarchy, gazing up at the Emperor as an unattainable pinnacle. His acknowledgement was a boon akin to divine grace.
The soul-whisper bore ten characters: Liu, Hai, Mou, Xu, Hui, Fei, Yuan, Feng, An, and Yu. These represented ten ancient sites across the Central Plains where great demons of old had undergone transformation. The Heavenly Demon Emperor had commanded them to these locations to erect the “Tenfold Demonic Calamity Array” to aid his corporeal reformation.
The Green Lion Demon King let out a booming laugh, roaring, “Minions, follow me to Liuqiu Huntian Island to aid the Emperor’s rebirth!” At his command, the ten thousand demonic soldiers of Camelback Ridge veered toward the island. Their passage churned black clouds and whipped up demonic gales, leaving the populace cowering behind shuttered windows, trembling in their homes.
In Greater Hui Province, the Yellow-Browed Demon King descended upon a barren hilltop, ordering his ten thousand yellow rat demons to form the Tenfold Demonic Calamity Array. The demons encircled the hill, with the Yellow-Browed Demon King at its centre. In an instant, a hundred li of sky was shrouded in yellow sand, sunlight vanished, and darkness fell. A dense web of demonic aura wove across the heavens, enveloping the firmament.
From the earth below, latent traces of ancient demonic essence were drawn forth, converging toward the array’s nexus. With a bellow from the Yellow-Browed Demon King’s steel-fanged maw, the demonic aura resonated with the Heavenly Demon Emperor within the Demon-Sealing Tower.
The remaining nine Demon Kings sought their designated transformation sites, each erecting a Tenfold Demonic Calamity Array. The world transformed into a vast chessboard, with the ten Demon Kings as pieces and the Heavenly Demon Emperor as the pivot, all energies converging upon him. In a mere moment, half the Great Tang’s skies were cloaked in darkness.
Within the Demon-Sealing Tower, the Heavenly Demon Emperor felt the resonant demonic aura from the eight directions and four seas, his heart quaking with awe. His reverence deepened for the slender figure seated in meditation—Li Qiye.
Without his gift of rebirth, how could I, the Heavenly Demon Emperor, wield such majesty?
In Chang’an City, Emperor Li Shimin clutched a report from General Li Jing. His face was pale with fear. The missive detailed that the ten Demon Kings had not dispersed but had stationed themselves across the Great Tang, constructing arrays. As they took form, the demonic aura intensified tenfold, blanketing regions like Liuqiu and Hui Province, where the sun was obscured.
“This cannot be delayed further!” Li Shimin set down the report and issued a decree. “By my command, convene an emergency court session in one incense stick’s time! Those who arrive late shall face severe penalty!”
…………………………………………………………………………….
The imperial edict swept through Chang’an, and the empire’s Star Ministers abandoned all tasks to hasten to the Zichen Hall. Within the hall, the ministers stood in order of rank, their hierarchy impeccable.
At the forefront stood the four Star Princes: Li Chengqian, the Star of Golden Virtue; Li Tai, the Star of Water Virtue; Li Zhi, the Star of Wood Virtue; and Li You, the Star of Earth Virtue. A Star Prince’s title was fated at birth, immutable and irreversible. Legend held that the Great Tang’s Star of Fire Virtue had yet to be born. Behind them stood the eight Star Ministers, led by Zhangsun Wuji, Fang Xuanling, and Du Ruhui, wielding the empire’s highest authority. Beyond them were twenty-eight others, each aligned with the Twenty-Eight Celestial Mansions, possessing extraordinary talents.
Li Shimin sat upon the Dragon Throne, the Purple Star of the Emperor shining above, his imperial aura radiating across the realm. He raised the report, tapping it lightly. The words seemed to come alive, rising from the paper to float within the Zichen Hall.
The Star Ministers’ eyes widened in shock.
“Heavens! What do they intend?”
“A demonic aura blanketing half the Great Tang—what power!”
“Is this the work of the one called the Demon Emperor?”
The hall erupted in gasps of dismay. None had anticipated the crisis escalating so swiftly. With half the Great Tang shrouded in demonic aura, even the slightest move by the ten Demon Kings could cripple the empire. And these were no small manoeuvres—their arrays spanned half the realm, clearly heralding a monumental undertaking.
What did the Demon Emperor and the ten Demon Kings seek? Amid the ministers’ fervent discussions, Zhangsun Wuji stepped forward. “My lords, earlier we accompanied His Majesty to the Mysterious Mechanism Pavilion to divine this cosmic mystery. Our findings suggest the ten Demon Kings’ arrays are tied to the Demon Emperor’s rebirth. More terrifying still, behind the Demon Emperor lurks an even greater enigma—a being whose mere thought wounded fifty Celestial Masters of the Pavilion!”
His words fell, and the hall plunged into silence.
A deathly silence gripped the Zichen Hall. The Star Ministers stood aghast, a chilling dread coursing through their veins. The Heavenly Demon Emperor was already a terror beyond reckoning, capable of summoning the ten Demon Kings with a mere thought. Yet, behind him loomed a figure even more enigmatic, more formidable. That such a being resided within the Great Tang, unknown to all, was unthinkable. If they turned against the empire, how could they be opposed?
Li Shimin’s countenance grew stern, his voice heavy with resolve as he rose. “My loyal Star Ministers, the Great Tang stands at the precipice of life and death! Be it the ten Demon Kings, the Demon Emperor, or this mysterious entity, any could unleash a calamity to shake the heavens. Their intentions are far from benevolent, and we must prepare for the worst.”
The ministers’ faces hardened with determination, their voices rising as one. “We swear to defend the Great Tang and Your Majesty to our last breath!”
Li Shimin’s eyes gleamed with approval. With measured authority, he issued his decree. “Yuchi Jingde!”
The general of the Di Earth Badger Constellation, aligned with the Azure Dragon, stepped forward solemnly. “Your servant is here!”
“I command you to lead seven hundred thousand Dragon Cavalry of the Realm to the ten demonic domains. Establish defensive arrays to counter the ten Demon Kings’ assault!”
“I obey, Your Majesty!” Yuchi Jingde clasped his fists and strode from the hall.
Li Shimin’s gaze shifted to the four Star Princes. “Chengqian, I charge you to hasten to the domains of the Five Princes. Inform them to deploy the Five-Horned Divine Dragon Army to aid in subduing the demons!”
The Five Princes, composed of Li Shimin’s brothers and nephews, were the empire’s hidden trump card, akin to vassal kings who bolstered his rule. With the Great Tang facing an existential crisis, their involvement was imperative. Dispatching the Star Princes also served as a trial for them—a crucible that, if survived, would forge them anew.
The Star Ministers watched the departing princes with heavy hearts. It was well known that the Emperor cherished his sons. That he now sent them to the battlefield underscored the gravity of the crisis. Li Shimin’s gaze settled on the eight Star Ministers. After a moment’s hesitation, he declared, “Eight Star Ministers, prepare the Grand Celestial Sacrifice at once! I shall send a plea for aid to the Celestial Realm!”
A collective gasp swept through the hall. The Emperor sought aid from the Celestial Realm? The Six Realms were bound by strict laws, permitting interaction only under precise cosmic conditions. Sending a message to the Celestial Realm was no small feat, requiring immense cost. Yet, the true weight lay in Li Shimin, Emperor of the Mortal Realm, setting aside imperial pride to beseech the heavens. Though the Jade Emperor’s authority surpassed that of mortal rulers, no emperor lightly sought such aid. The ministers’ respect for Li Shimin deepened—he was a sovereign who placed his people above his dignity.
Chang’an City churned with unrest, and beyond its walls, turmoil reigned. The ten Demon Kings’ actions had not only alarmed the imperial court but roused other powers. At Shu Mountain, the Five Elders gazed upon the demonic aura ravaging the skies, their eyes trembling with unease. Sect Leader Qingwei stroked his white beard, his voice strained. “Brothers, the ten Demon Kings converge for the Demon Emperor’s rebirth—a calamity that may engulf the world!”
Centuries ago, the Heavenly Demon Emperor had infiltrated the Mortal Realm with nine million demonic soldiers, bringing ruin. Only through the Celestial Realm’s intervention, alongside Shu Mountain’s Five Ancestors and other righteous sects, was he vanquished at great cost. Now, with his return imminent, what could they do?
Elder Canggu sighed. “We have no choice but to fight to the death. Changqing has led our disciples to Hui Province and Yang’an. If they cannot halt the Demon Kings, they will destroy the arrays at the cost of their lives.”
Elder Youxuan, glancing at Qingwei, revealed a flicker of reluctance. “Sect Leader, Changqing bears the root of immortality, destined to ascend in this lifetime. Will you truly let him perish?”
Qingwei’s gaze drifted northward, and in a sombre tone, said, “Changqing is Shu Mountain’s hope. If the hour of desperation comes, this old Taoist will sacrifice his life to ensure his safety.”
In Nanzhao, the Moon-Worshipping Sect Leader and the Nanzhao Emperor conferred in a chamber. Before them knelt a sect disciple, freshly returned with intelligence. “Your Majesty, Sect Leader, the ten Demon Kings have come to honour the Heavenly Demon Emperor’s rebirth. They have formed arrays in Liu, Hai, and other sites, amassing a demonic aura. Half the Great Tang is now shrouded, and a dozen northern Nanzhao cities are affected!”
The Emperor and Sect Leader drew sharp breaths. The calamity had struck with terrifying speed, already impacting Nanzhao. The Sect Leader clenched his fists, recalling a memory. “Your Majesty, in my youth, I met an immortal who placed a seal in Liuqiu to suppress an ancient demon’s aura. He spoke of ten such sites near the Great Tang. I am certain the Demon Kings, under the Demon Emperor’s command, are drawing forth these ancient energies.”
His eyes flashed with dread. This upheaval, tied to the Demon Realm’s sovereign, threatened all mortal factions save the demons themselves. The Nanzhao Emperor, shaken, pleaded, “Sect Leader, what can be done?”
The Sect Leader’s voice was grave. “Your Majesty, we can only heed fate and do our utmost. I shall deploy all sect members to Nanzhao’s north, forming arrays to resist the demonic incursion. Success or failure rests with the heavens.”
…………………………………………………………………………….
In the Celestial Realm, within the Resplendent Hall, immortal mists swirled, and golden clouds gleamed under starry light. The Star of Supreme Whiteness hastened before the Jade Emperor, bowing. “Your Majesty, the Tang Emperor sends a plea for aid! The ten Demon Kings have formed arrays, and the Heavenly Demon Emperor’s rebirth looms. Moreover, the Tang Emperor speaks of a mysterious force behind the Demon Emperor, more fearsome still.”
The gods recoiled in shock. The Heavenly Demon Emperor, lord of the Demon Realm, was a formidable entity even in the Celestial Court. His rebirth in the Mortal Realm was unthinkable, and a power surpassing him was rarer still within the Six Realms.
The Jade Emperor’s expression grew solemn, his gaze sweeping the hall. “Immortals, what counsel do you offer?”
Yang Jian, the God Erlang, stepped forward, bowing. “Your Majesty, the Demon Emperor’s actions violate the Six Realms’ order. The Celestial Realm’s intervention aligns with cosmic law. I request to lead one hundred thousand celestial soldiers to subdue the Demon Emperor and restore peace to the Mortal Realm.”
The Jade Emperor nodded. “Very well. I command you to lead one hundred thousand celestial soldiers. Star of Supreme Whiteness, accompany him and investigate the mysterious force mentioned by the Tang Emperor.”
“I obey,” they replied.
In the Demon Realm, the growing upheaval of the Demon Emperor’s rebirth sent ripples of discord. The three thousand Rootless Lands of the Demon Realm buzzed with contention. Since the Heavenly Demon Emperor’s demise three centuries ago, the Demon Realm had languished. Bordering the Demon Realm, the Nether Realm had seized many of its Rootless Lands. Now, with the Emperor’s return, demonic forces stirred, eager to reclaim their territories.
Deep within the Nether Realm, in a solemn, imposing hall, ghostly flames flickered, and blood-red mists coiled. Black crows perched on blood trees, their claws scraping audibly.
Tap, tap, tap!
Hurried footsteps echoed. Xifeng, the foremost of the Nether Realm’s Four Protectors, knelt before the hall. “Lord Demon Sovereign, the Heavenly Demon Emperor rises in the Mortal Realm, stirring the three thousand Rootless Lands. The Demon Realm’s great demons grow restless!”
Upon the Bloodfang Throne, a man with twin horns and blood-red hair slowly opened his eyes…