by Jeremy Bai
Sunan unfolded the piece of paper and began to read it. “Some of these techniques seem familiar,” he said, “things I’ve seen used by Demon Emperor soldiers, such as Dancing Steel. But Vortegan’s Whirling Catastrophe? How bizarre. What does ‘vortegan’ mean anyway?”
“Likely a transliteration,” Bao said. “Not surprising considering the Demon Emperor is from another realm.”
Sun Mai’s eyes sparkled. “Another realm?”
“Another realm. Another world. Call it whatever you wish to call it.” She sighed. “I almost can’t believe that in the end, the Demon Emperor really did kill his own son.”
Li Runfa’s eyes widened. “You knew that the Timeless Master was the son of the Demon Emperor? My Raksha agent reported that the Demon Emperor said as much in the final moments of their fight, but even I wasn’t sure if that information was accurate.”
“We’ve known for many years. He told us himself and swore us to secrecy,” Bao said. “What a tragic end to the story of Li Buwei.”
Before Sun Mai or any of the others could ask any of the questions burning in their minds, Sunan said, “Listen to this.” Then he began to read from the slip of paper. “‘The Timeless Master struck blow after blow. However, neither the edge of his blade nor the power of his qi could harm the Demon Emperor. Any wounds inflicted would heal before a second blow could be struck. He was essentially impervious to attack.’”
When Sunan finished speaking, silence filled the room. A long moment passed, then Sunan looked up at Sun Mai. “Is this why I’ve heard you mention sealing him and not killing him?”
Sun Mai didn’t respond at first. After rubbing his chin in thought for a moment, he nodded. “Truth be told, I was not aware of this particular detail, but it makes sense, given what I do know. If an ordinary man had a bear to deal with, it would be much wiser to seal the mouth of its cave with a boulder than to try to slit the beast’s throat with a knife.”
Bao gritted her teeth. “The oath I swore was to see him dead!”
Sunan reached out and placed his hand on Bao’s knee. “Seal the bear in its cave, and it will starve to death. Or at least, there it will be trapped until you can collapse the cave itself.”
Another long moment passed, and Bao nodded. “I agree. Li Runfa, you said that you’ve worked on a way to take some of the long-standing troop formations and power them with magic? A massive spell formation?”
“That’s right. All we need is an area large enough to fit roughly a thousand people.”
“Presumably you’ve identified the times and places you think are the best options to unleash the spell formation?”
“You presume correctly, Phoenix Sovereign.”
“The floor is yours.”
Chapter 93: Altering the Formation
Hui was very careful as she followed Bao and Sunan north toward Yu Zhing. The last thing she wanted to do was alert them to her presence now. When she thought back to all the mistakes she had made through the years, she couldn’t help but shake her head.
It’s almost like the only thing I do is make mistakes, she thought. I can’t believe I let Sun Mai just walk right up to me.
Over the years, she had become very adept at using her Trance Touch, and she had come to realize that it had other applications than what it had originally been designed for. It had been developed with the intention of putting certain thoughts into the heads of Bao and Sunan, thoughts which would lead them down the course to sealing the Demon Emperor.
Later, Hui realized that it could also be used like a weapon. However, the thought of entering a person’s mind to cause harm, even an enemy, was repugnant to her. Throughout all the years, she had only ever done so once, in the direst of circumstances—at the bottom of the sea in the Eastern Archipelagos.
Another application was much more practical. As she made more breakthroughs, and as she became more adept at manipulating the Trance Touch, she realized that by carefully focusing its power, it was possible to use it like a second set of eyes, eyes that could move about at great distances. In other words, if utilized properly, she could “observe” people without ever getting close enough for them to see or even hear her.
It was this ability that helped her to keep track of the movements of the Dragon-Phoenix Sect. After confirming that they were holing up in a cave network north of Yu Zhing, she found a hiding place for herself a safe distance away where she could watch over them. As one profound master and top expert after another joined them in the caves, Hui’s heart began to beat with anxiety.
They’re really going to do it, aren’t they? They’re preparing to assault Yao Gong Palace.
Soon, they began to train, and for the first time, Hui was able to see in person the formation that she had only ever observed in visions. To her surprise, the profound masters seemingly mastered the formation within only a few days. Although they weren’t fully powering it with qi flows, their movements were fluid and in perfect coordination.
Yet again, as she had been through the years, Hui was struck by how different things were in this era. Qi cultivation breakthroughs came quickly and more easily, and the martial artists all seemed more naturally talented. Some of that surely had to do with how fresh and new qi was to the world. After all, Hui had also advanced much more quickly through her breakthroughs than was common where she came from. As for how everyone seemed to be innately skilled in martial arts, she couldn’t think of any explanation for it.
After a few days of training, an even more shocking development occurred with the Dragon-Phoenix Sect: They began to alter the formation.
What are they doing? she thought, her spine tingling in anxiety. However, it didn’t take long for that anxiety to become admiration as she realized that they were experimenting with alternate ways to run and power the formation. Of course. There will surely be fierce fighting. What if the formation is interrupted in the middle and needs to re-form? Or what if some of the heroes fall in combat?
Yet again, Hui was struck with a sense of frustration at her own incompetence. Why hadn’t the profound masters of her own time thought to do the same thing?
Hui was convinced that the Dragon-Phoenix Sect was fully capable of taking care of itself.
They don’t need me anymore. Not to give advice. Not to protect them. Definitely not to guide them. The end is coming.
With that, she began to head east. Whether she hiked through the mountains, made her way through the Southern Desert, or took the easy northern route, the journey to Yao Gong Palace would take at least ten days.
From what I’ve seen of how Bao and Sunan do things, they’ll continue to train for at least another month.
***
As the days went by, the profound masters grew more and more comfortable with the formation, as well as the variations. Their movements were quick, fluid, and flexible. They could maintain the formation with as many as half of the original required number of participants, and they could also keep the structure intact when moving back and forth across the landscape at triple the speed they could when they had first begun training.
Eventually it reached the point where all of the leaders were fully satisfied. They were convinced that the sect was as prepared as it could be.
“The day after tomorrow is the spring equinox,” Sunan announced. “It is the day we will make our move. Sun Mai will activate the magical door, and the Dragon-Phoenix Sect will rid these lands of the Demon Emperor for all time.
“It was decades ago in the Huang Mountains that I first experienced a vision of the events that will unfold the day after tomorrow. I have seen them play out over and over in my head, and I know beyond the shadow of a doubt that we will succeed.”
“The Dragon Sovereign is right,” Bao said. “The mnemonics of the spell formation were imparted to me by the Enlightened Goddess herself, Xian Nu Shen. It is our destiny to put an end to the injustice and horror of the Demon Emperor, and we will do it the day after tomorrow!”
The bit about Xian Nu She
n was pure speculation on Bao’s part, but based on the cryptic information Sun Mai had given them, she knew that the matter of her poetry was something far beyond ordinary in nature.
“Rest well this afternoon,” Mao Yun said. “The Phoenix Sovereign and I will go into Yu Zhing to procure food and alcohol. Tonight, we feast. Tomorrow we meditate. And then… we fight!”
After a bit of cheering, the profound masters dispersed to rest. As for Bao and Mao Yun, they disguised themselves as grain merchants and headed into Yu Zhing with Li Runfa and Ma Ge.
***
Sun Mai and Sunan climbed to the top of the hill above the cave entrance and sat down on a boulder to watch Bao and the others heading toward Yu Zhing.
After the carts disappeared around a curve in the path, Sunan lay back on the boulder and closed his eyes. The warmth of the sun caressed him from above while heat radiated up from the stone beneath his back. It was a very pleasant sensation.
As for Sun Mai, he sat there cross-legged, his back straight, the wind slipping gently over his clean-shaven scalp.
For a long moment, the two of them sat there in silence.
Finally, Sunan opened his eyes and looked at the clouds above. “My children memorized your other scriptures. Did I tell you that already?”
Sun Mai’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, and a smile spread out across his face. “You didn’t.”
“Jinlong’s favorite is the fourth volume, while Chunfeng prefers the fifth. They once got in a heated debate over the merits of each.”
Sun Mai chuckled. “I wish I could have been present for that.”
“After all of this is over, you can meet them. Maybe you can even deliver the final volumes of your scripture to them personally.”
“Yes, I will. There’s another thing we need to do afterward. Something very important.”
Sunan rose back up into a sitting position. “What’s that?”
Sun Mai turned to look at him. “Celebrate at the Heavenly Meat Palace! We’ll eat mountains of spicy prawns and drink rivers of sorghum wine!”
Sunan immediately burst out laughing.
***
After entering Yu Zhing, Li Runfa and Ma Ge went to procure food, leaving Bao and Mao Yun to get the alcohol.
Ironically, despite having been drinking partners for years, neither Mao Yun nor Bao had ever had a single drink together in Yu Zhing.
For Bao, it was a very strange thing to be back in the place where she had grown up. Generally speaking, everything looked the same. Some of the shops here and there were different, but almost everything was as she remembered it.
When they passed by the Shangguan Clan compound, strange emotions tugged at her heart. Mao Yun saw her glance over at the main gate and softly said, “Want to go take a look?”
She shook her head. “My heart never belonged to that place.”
Suddenly feeling melancholy, she looked away from her ancestral home.
They found an alcohol shop in the city, where they purchased jugs of sorghum wine, yellow wine, pear blossom wine, and virtually everything else the shop had available. After filling up the cart, they turned and headed back toward the city gate.
“Last time we left this place,” Mao Yun said, “it was definitely not through the city gate.”
Bao chuckled. “Who would ever have thought that our next visit would be under these circumstances? Buying alcohol before storming the Demon Emperor’s castle.”
Mao Yun laughed. They lapsed into silence for a bit.
“I wonder where Jinlong and Chunfeng are,” Bao said.
“In Naqan by now, surely,” Mao Yun replied.
“I miss them.”
“Me too, Bao.” Mao Yun sighed. “After this is all over, and we’re all reunited, where will you settle down? Have you and Sunan talked about it?”
“Talked about it, yes, but we haven’t made any decisions. He doesn’t want to go back to the Bay of Yu, and he certainly doesn’t want to live in Yu Zhing. Nangu is too far away, and the palace on Zun Shan… well, it doesn’t seem like a good place for a family. It’s too cold.”
“Perhaps a place like Chrysanthemum Lake,” Mao Yun murmured.
“Yes, we talked about that, actually. Maybe we can build a manor there for all of us to live in, right there on the edge of the water. You would be welcome to join us. We could build a whole wing just for you.”
Mao Yun smiled. “Perhaps. There’s another person who I would have to ask before agreeing to something like that.”
Bao looked over in surprise. “Mao Yun?”
He blushed and cleared his throat but didn’t elaborate.
Smiling, Bao chose not to pursue the matter, but she couldn’t help but wonder which young woman had managed to work her way into Mao Yun’s heart.
Eventually they passed out of the city gate and headed north toward the caves. Some distance away, Bao looked over her shoulder and wondered if she would ever see Yu Zhing again.
Chapter 94: The Attack Begins
There had been much discussion regarding how exactly to carry out the assault on Yao Gong Palace, but in the end, it was Dragon Lord Sima Zikang’s plan that won the approval of the leaders.
The time was easily established: the Demon Emperor’s yearly ritual, performed at dawn during the spring equinox. From the information in Third Zhou’s report, it was called the Heavenly Submission Ritual and was one of the key ways the Demon Emperor maintained power in Qi Xien. Although he would be surrounded by guards, he would be directly in the open and relatively isolated from the rest of this palace.
The main question was how to charge into the square where the ritual would be held. Some of the leaders argued that they should open a portal directly into the square itself, perhaps right in front of the altar that the Demon Emperor would be standing in front of.
But in the end, Sima Zikang’s arguments won out.
The final plans having been made, the Dragon-Phoenix Sect assembled just outside of the cave network, during the time before sunrise that was often the darkest part of night. Like most organizations, the Dragon-Phoenix Sect had all sorts of ceremonial robes befitting the status and rank of each member. But on this day, they did not dress for ceremony—they dressed for a fight.
The members of the Golden Dragon Division wore golden garments, and the Pure Phoenix Division wore silver. Some people imitated Sunan and wore armor. Others, such as Flying Death Liu Jiahui, who relied heavily on qinggong techniques, wore none.
Everyone was armed to the teeth.
After the group was assembled, Sun Mai and Mao Yun erected the magical door, and then Sun Mai placed his hand on its surface.
Looking over his shoulder, he made eye contact with Sunan, who gave a slight nod.
No words were spoken.
Sun Mai closed his eyes, and the door began to vibrate.
***
To the west of the Southern Desert, high in the Banyan Mountains, was a fortress that loomed like a glimmering blue specter over the lands of Qi Xien.
It was a palace fortress, designed both to awe and to defend, with numerous towers rising into the sky and countless tunnels dug into the rock of the mountains beneath it. Similar to Heart’s Ridge Prison, its architecture did not seem native to Qi Xien.
Currently, it was dawn, and the full moon was just visible in the west as the sun peeked up over the lands to the east.
As the sunlight spread out, one of the first things it touched was a huge open square constructed to the west of the palace, which had been built in a way to perfectly capture the dawn sun during the spring equinox.
As it happened, today was the equinox, and a grand ceremony was being held in that square.
Visible on the west side of the square was an altar crafted from pearl and gold, and standing in front of it was the most feared person in the entire world: Yao Feng, the Demon Emperor.
At first glance, he almost looked like an ordinary person, except that he was shorter than average, and quite stocky. His facial feat
ures did not seem like someone from Qi Xien, but they were not so foreign as to be alien. He wore a violet robe embroidered with golden creatures of myth, as well as a crown of pearls and numerous types of jewelry, from golden rings to diamond necklaces.
Arrayed in military formation a few paces behind him were a group of figures who would strike fear into the hearts of anyone who looked at them: ogres. There were fifteen of them, all with slightly different facial features and builds, but each and every one of them was tall, powerfully built, and clad in ceremonial armor. These were none other than the Demon Emperor’s personal guard, who all held the rank of general in his army but never left his side.
Lined up behind the ogres was a group of about fifty people, most of whom appeared to be ordinary people from Qi Xien, intermixed with shorter, stockier individuals who seemed more akin to the Demon Emperor in their facial features. Most of the group was made up of men, but there were also women. All of them wore identical robes and were armed with long, pitch-black spears. This mixed group of fighters were all elite martial artists assigned to guard the Demon Emperor, experts who were fanatically devoted to him but did not rank quite as high as the ogre guards.
Behind the ogre guards and elite fighters was a sizeable force of ordinary soldiers, armored and well armed, and then a large group made up of what appeared to be court officials, servants, and the like.
At the head of this congregated group of devotees, the Demon Emperor stood in front of his grand altar, hands held aloft as he prayed for his empire.
At one point in the ceremony, one of the ogres stepped forward and offered a ceremonial jade pitcher to the Demon Emperor.
The Demon Emperor took the pitcher, which was filled with the fresh blood of children, and stepped forward to pour it over the altar.
However, before he could even take a second step, his eyes narrowed.