Great Demon.
Among the Four Evil Paths, the Asura Path was supreme, with the paths of Hungry Ghosts, Animals, and Hell as its subordinates, also known as the Lower Three Paths.
In the Lower Three Paths, a resentful ghost from the Hungry Ghost Path could be reincarnated as an animal. A great demon from the Animal Path could cultivate into a hell demon. But a demon could not ascend further to become an Asura—the Asura clan, after all, possessed divinity.
Therefore, a top-tier Great Demon was the pinnacle of what could be achieved through cultivation in the Lower Three Paths. When one spoke of top-tier Great Demons, many people’s first impression was of the ferocious Chaos Beasts or the Nine-Headed Infants in the Sea of Blood. Few knew that, even higher up, a Great Demon could cultivate a human form and enjoy the pleasure of wisdom, an extremely rare creature in the Hell Path.
Phoenix had encountered many Great Demons in his life. Since his youth when he cleared the Sea of Blood, allowing Sakyamuni to return to his Buddha throne, he had never feared any ferocious creature from the Hell Path.
However, a Great Demon who had attained wisdom and cultivated a human form was a first for not only him, but everyone present.
Phoenix’s brow furrowed slightly. With a shake of his sleeves, the Luminous prayer beads in his hand flew out in the wind, instantly transforming into a pure cyan, magnificently beautiful longbow almost as tall as a person. It reflected a luster as bright as a crescent moon under the dim sky.
Then, he drew a long arrow of the same color from the void. The arrowhead was as sharp as a blade, and the shaft was half a zhang long. It was nocked and drawn back by long, powerful fingers, aimed at the Great Demon who was tearing through the sky towards him.
Trailokyavijaya murmured, “A Phoenix Bone…”
Phoenix narrowed his eyes and suddenly released the arrow!
The force of the shot sent his hem and long hair flying back. The long arrow split the sky, like a shooting star, and flew towards the Great Demon in an instant!
Back then, when Phoenix descended into the Sea of Blood and killed the Great Asura King with a single arrow, plunging the Four Evil Paths into a thousand years of turmoil under the full-scale siege of the Heavenly Dao, this was the very Phoenix Bone he had used.
Although it was just a long arrow, it was wrapped in the protective energy of heaven and earth, stirring up a spectacular golden fire that instantly illuminated the entire Luminous Heaven like a blazing sun!
Trailokyavijaya Wisdom King, the Snow Mountain Goddess, and all the Vajra Arhats, strongmen, and novice monks looked up, their eyes reflecting the peerless brilliance of the Phoenix Bone arrow. In an instant, the light reached the Great Demon, the arrow’s momentum like a meteor, completely undiminished, about to tear him to shreds!
Yet, at that very moment, the Great Demon did not dodge at all.
The man even smiled faintly—in the fatal light, no one saw this fleeting smile.
In the next second, the man swung his blade in the air, from bottom to top. With a deafening “CLANG!”, the blade’s edge, at its peak moment, split the long arrow in two!
The long arrow exploded silently, turning into specks of light that fell to the earth. The faces of everyone on the city wall changed.
In that moment, the protective energy dissipated, stirring up a tidal wave of air that spread out in all directions!
Phoenix’s expression changed slightly.
The power of an arrow that even the Great Asura King could not withstand had been split in two mid-air by this man’s blade—since when did a Great Demon from the Hell Path possess a demonic aura comparable to an Asura King’s?
His pupils suddenly narrowed. He drew a second arrow from the void, nocked it, and wrapped his fingers tightly around the bowstring, which was drawn as taut as a full moon. Then he released—
The second arrow cut through wind and waves, flying out amidst the still-dissipating heat of the first. But just a second before it reached the Great Demon, the man leaped forward, swinging his blade in mid-air, and instantly shattered the Phoenix Bone into a ball of searing light!
The second arrow, like a falling star, shattered into thousands of pieces and, in the blazing fire, scattered dejectedly over the scorched earth for ten thousand li!
Only then did Phoenix’s expression truly change.
However, he had no time to think. The man swung his blade horizontally, and its edge erupted with a dazzling light within his demonic aura. In the gap between the two arrows, he had crossed the battlefield, advancing dozens of zhang with unstoppable momentum, already approaching the walls of Luminous Heaven!
Phoenix took a deep breath. The third, fourth, all the way to the ninth arrow were fired in quick succession, almost instantaneously. The ground beneath his feet cracked under the immense pressure. Streaks of fiery light, dazzling and brilliant, shot towards the Great Demon in the sky. Then, under the continuous slashes of the blade, they erupted into clusters of blinding electrical flashes that seared the retina, weaving into a great, snow-bright net that spanned their vision!
Trailokyavijaya Wisdom King shouted, “Be careful!”
Phoenix looked up, gazing at the electric net in the sky. His robes billowed backward, but he did not dodge or evade at all. By now, he was prepared to lose all his arrows. His face was as grim as water as he drew the tenth arrow, aiming it at the Great Demon who had already flown over the top of the city wall.
The next moment, he released the arrow. The arrow’s light arrived in a flash, but the man’s expression seemed somewhat surprised—
The arrow skimmed past his ear, making a whooshing sound as it cut through the air.
Did he miss?
No, impossible.
The Great Demon suddenly turned his head. He saw the long arrow pierce through the light net woven by countless lightning bolts. In the strong light, the shattered fragments of the third to ninth arrows were swept up by the wind, carrying an astonishing stream of fire, and rained down upon him!
The rain of fire was magnificent and spectacular, like a divine creation, a heavenly punishment that could burn everything to ash.
That Great Demon had not expected the tenth arrow to be like this. A trace of astonishment flashed in his expression. He then froze in mid-air, turned, took a deep breath, and held it.
His entire body of iron armor gleamed. With almost his strength alone, he confronted the spectacular rain of fire from heaven and earth. Time completely froze in this instant.
—In the next moment, he suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a black flame, which formed a roaring dragon in the sky!
BOOM—!
The dragon met the heavenly fire. Its furious body twisted and stretched under the sky, and its clash with the heavenly fire set off round after round of explosions. The flames poured down onto the giant barrier above the man’s head, creating a magnificent aurora that stretched for a hundred li!
It was a tremor like the earth overturning, a light like the sea of stars reversing. The battlefield of gods and demons fell silent for a second, the explosion turning into a white light.
Then, in this infinitely stretched silence—
Phoenix Wisdom King drew the eleventh arrow.
The man turned his head, demonic blood trickling down from his temple.
He did not look at the cold, sharp arrowhead aimed at him on the longbow. Instead, his gaze fell upon the Phoenix Wisdom King, looking at his incomparably beautiful and placid eyes.
Phoenix released his hand, and the eleventh arrow shot through the air.
By now, the Great Demon’s momentum had waned. His body was half-turned, his blade positioned to block the heavenly fire, and it was too late to withdraw it. He was only a few zhang from the city tower. At this distance, the arrow would arrive in the blink of an eye, leaving no time to even turn around.
In that split second, the man looked at Phoenix Wisdom King and the corner of his mouth curled up.
The hand not holding the blade suddenly shot up. He grabbed at the bone arrow and, with a snap, seized the long arrow with perfect precision in his hand!
The arrow shaft broke on impact. The arrowhead still pointed at the Great Demon’s chest, and the Phoenix’s True Fire instantly burned the entire hand and arm holding the arrow to a charred black.
Yet, the man’s expression did not change, as if he felt no pain at all. He casually tossed the broken eleventh arrow far away from the city tower, and then dived down from the air towards the Phoenix Wisdom King!
The distance was now very close. In an instant, he was before Phoenix. In the swirling currents of air, they were almost face to face, each able to see their own reflection in the other’s eyes—in that moment, an unmistakable cold light appeared in the man’s eyes, while Phoenix clearly saw his own astonished face.
Phoenix drew the twelfth arrow, aiming it at the man’s heart, which was now just inches away.
—But then, the man planted a foot heavily on the city wall. His iron-clad hand, with a snap, grabbed the arrowhead.
That hand was strong and powerful, with prominent bones and sinews, carrying a thick scent of rust and blood mixed together. The arrowhead could not move an inch in his grasp.
Phoenix’s pupils widened slightly.
The next moment, he saw the man leap down from the city tower, support himself with his blade on the ground, and kneel on one knee before him. “Your Highness, please don’t move—”
He looked up at the Phoenix Wisdom King. His profile, with the blood not yet dry, was devastatingly handsome, and a intimidating cold light glinted in his eyes.
“—I did not come to fight, but to propose marriage to you.”
For a moment, the vast world fell completely silent. No one spoke, and no one moved.
Only the bloody wind swept across the battlefield, howling towards the horizon.
Phoenix looked at him in astonishment. After a long moment, he asked, “Who are you?”
Before the man could answer, Trailokyavijaya Wisdom King suddenly strode over from not far away, his face ashen. Without a word, he raised his battle-halberd and brought it down on the man’s head!
The blow could shatter gold and stone, but before the sharp whistle of the wind could even arrive, the man suddenly turned, maintaining his posture of kneeling to Phoenix, and blocked with his blade in his other hand. With a deafening “CLANG!” of metal on metal, he firmly blocked the battle-halberd that came cleaving from behind his ear!
The tremendous sound made one’s eardrums ache. Trailokyavijaya Wisdom King roared, “Audacious scoundrel! Who on earth are you?!”
The man said coldly, “And who are you?”
His eyes were extremely deep-set, his features hard, his nose bridge straight. His brow carried the innate violence and untamable arrogance of a Great Demon. This sentence instantly fanned the flames of Trailokyavijaya Wisdom King’s anger even higher. Without a second thought, he put all his force into it, pressing the battle-halberd heavily against the man’s blade, while shouting sternly, “Men! Deploy the Heavenly Demon Seal and take this demon to Mount Sumeru to be ground to dust!”
The strongmen surrounding the tower, who had been pushed back by the confrontational atmosphere, heard the order and rushed forward with their Dharma weapons, about to charge the audacious demon—
But then, the Phoenix Wisdom King raised a hand. “Wait.”
His robes trailed on the ground, his expression resolute. Though his voice was not loud, it carried great authority. The strongmen, frightened and uncertain, had no choice but to hesitate and stop.
Trailokyavijaya said angrily, “You!”
“What is your name?” Phoenix did not look at him, but only at the Great Demon kneeling before him.
The man looked straight at Phoenix. His hair was jet black and his pupils crimson, giving his handsome face a strong, evil aura.
But his gaze was very steady. Amidst the bloodstains crisscrossing his profile, there was a coldness and determination that would not waver even if faced with blade and axe.
“I was born at Mount Buzhou in Hell, so my single name is Zhou. After cultivating a human form, I heard that mortals all have two-character names, so I wished to ask for another character to complete my name…”
A sense of absurdity rose in everyone who heard this. No name?
A hell demon without even a name, as lowly and humble as could be, dared to kneel in public on a battlefield of gods and demons and propose to the Phoenix Wisdom King of the Thirty-Three Heavens?
This sentence alone was a crime so great that even being struck by heavenly lightning and having one’s soul scattered would not be enough to atone for it!
Trailokyavijaya Wisdom King’s anger was mixed with an indescribable feeling. In an instant, his face changed uncontrollably. Just as he was about to step forward and slaughter this lowly demon himself, he heard Phoenix suddenly speak. “When you first arrived, you cleaved the Phoenix Bone arrows, as if riding a great wind to tread upon the sun and moon…”
The man asked, stunned, “Those arrows were made from your bones?!”
“…Let the second character be ‘Hui’,” Phoenix said, not answering him. He paused. “It means the radiance of the sun.”
Phoenix put away the last pure cyan arrow. The longbow transformed back into prayer beads in a flash of light, which he wrapped, circle by circle, around his slender wrist. He turned and walked down from the city tower.
His back was solitary and desolate. The hair that had slipped from its ribbon when he had fired eleven arrows flew up as he turned, brushing past the man’s cheek.
“W-wait!” The man moved forward on his knees, his armor clanking on the ground. He said urgently, “Your Highness, I first saw you a hundred years ago. Since then, my love for you has taken deep root. I wish to ask you to—”
Phoenix stopped, but did not turn back. “Why has your love for me taken deep root?”
His voice was somewhat weary, as if a boredom with this endlessly repeating cycle of fate had seeped into his very bones.
However, the man, not understanding, said, “A hundred years ago, when I was still an unenlightened demon, I was captured and brought under the Vajra Bell of the Thirty-Three Heavens. It was you who let me go when I was about to be executed, saving my life…”
Phoenix suddenly turned his head, staring straight at Zhou Hui.
In that instant, his gaze was almost one of shock.
—That person is not within the web of karma. Not within the web of karma. So that’s how it is!
Because this demon’s original fate was to die under the Vajra Bell. He shouldn’t have even cultivated a human form! It was his own momentary act of kindness that had changed his fate of facing blade and axe. It was he himself who had created this Great Demon that existed outside the web of karma!
Phoenix turned back, his expression not changing much. However, no one knew that his hands under his sleeves were trembling so much that the prayer beads were pressing tightly into his palms. “What did you say you came here to do?”
Zhou Hui said in a deep voice, “I came to propose to you.”
The Phoenix Wisdom King closed his eyes. It was as if he had finally seen the end after a thousand-li forced march, as if he had finally reached the shore after swimming across a ten-thousand-li ocean. He let out a long, almost silent breath.
When he opened his eyes again, he looked at Zhou Hui and said, “Alright. I accept.”
·
The entire assembly was shocked. Trailokyavijaya, in particular, could not believe his ears. “You’re insane! Men, take the Phoenix Wisdom King away! Seize this demon and execute him immediately!”
The strongmen were horrified. Phoenix shouted, “Who dares?!”
The two words landed with the force of metal on stone. In an instant, the scene was fraught with tension. No one dared to step forward, nor did they dare to retreat. They immediately formed a strange circle, staring at Trailokyavijaya and the Phoenix Wisdom King facing off in the middle of the encirclement.
Trailokyavijaya said angrily, “Lowering your status for a lowly demon, have you gone mad?! You must agree to the marriage with the Snow Mountain Goddess and return to Mount Sumeru now!”
Unexpectedly, Phoenix displayed a firmness that was completely contrary to his usual image. He said coldly, “No.”
“You—”
“It is none of your business.” Phoenix’s gaze swept over the surroundings, icy cold. Those his eyes fell upon couldn’t help but lower their heads. “—Furthermore, who I choose or do not choose is also no one’s business… I earned the title of King of Proven Merit through battle, and I can just as easily renounce my honored position through slaughter. Don’t force me to consider today, standing here together, as the last shared fate between myself and the lords of the Heavenly Dao.”
The naked threat in those words made Trailokyavijaya Wisdom King’s face change drastically. But before he could react, Phoenix took half a step back and placed a hand on Zhou Hui’s shoulder. “Stand up. Since you did not bend your knee when facing blade and axe back then, you need never kneel to anyone again!”
Zhou Hui stood up, blade in hand. He flipped his wrist and grabbed the Phoenix Wisdom King’s hand. His expression was a little strange, as if he couldn’t believe he had actually succeeded, but then he took a deep breath and steadied himself. “Your Highness.”
He was extremely tall, his physique lean and powerful, exuding the coldness and evil nature that came from the very bones of a hell demon from the Sea of Blood. His blood-red pupils, like inorganic shards of ice, fixed on Trailokyavijaya Wisdom King. “Your Highness, if you need me to make a move…”
In that instant, only one thought was in everyone’s mind: this Great Demon was arrogant to an unimaginable degree!
“What did you say?” Trailokyavijaya Wisdom King also seemed to not believe his ears. But at the peak of his anger, all that was left was a cold sneer. “Ignorant demon, what do you know? You have already violated countless prohibitions of the Heavenly Dao. The moment you leave this place, heavenly lightning will descend upon you, surely striking you to smithereens, and you will never enter the Six Paths of Reincarnation again!—”
“Will the heavenly lightning strike me too?” Phoenix suddenly asked flatly.
“You…”
Trailokyavijaya froze, understanding the meaning of those words in disbelief.
Phoenix tucked a stray lock of hair back and tightened his hair ribbon. His expression was as indifferent as it always was before a campaign into the Sea of Blood, as if the vast lands, the bloody battlefield, and the gloomy sky before him did not exist. It was as if the countless flashes of blades and shadows of swords hidden on the path ahead had all receded at this moment, turning into a distant, faint glimmer on the horizon.
“Can you promise me one thing?” he asked.
Zhou Hui lowered his head. The Great Demon of the Sea of Blood, like a handsome knight, revealed the strong, well-defined back of his neck—it had a very hard, resolute curve, as if it would never be easily broken by anything.
Phoenix extended his hand to him. In the fierce wind, the string of prayer beads on his slender wrist flew up. “Take me away,” he said softly. “Please don’t leave me alone.”
