Chapter Fifteen: Saint or Demon?
In an unknown realm, darkness reigned supreme. Black winds howled high above, scouring a desolate land riddled with chasms and gullies. The crimson-yellow earth was strewn with colossal skeletons—half a skull, cracked and vast as a primordial divine mountain, and a spine jutting skyward like a sword piercing the heavens. Even after countless eons, the aura of swordsmanship carved deep into these bones remained unextinguished.
At the heart of this barren expanse, encircled by countless remains, a gentle white radiance shimmered. Within this glow stood a palace, its glazed jade tiles entwined with runes, immortal grasses and celestial blossoms exuding a faint, refreshing fragrance. Thumb-sized flower sprites flitted among the blooms, their bell-like laughter echoing in the air. A white unicorn pegasus stepped through the sky, leaving ripples in its wake, rendering the scene like a sacred paradise.
Upon the palace steps sat a white-haired youth, clad in a simple white robe, a warm smile gracing his features—so gentle it inspired instant goodwill. In his hand he held a handful of sparkling crystal grains. From the sky descended a palm-sized nine-tailed, multicolored phoenix, which alighted softly in his palm and pecked at the grains.
“Why is Zhou Tian still alive? Didn’t you tell me it was done?”
The white-haired youth spoke softly, his voice barely above a whisper for fear of disturbing the sacred beast dining in his hand.
Nearby, two black-robed figures stood—the very ones who had arranged the great formation to curse Zhou Tian. Hearing the youth’s question, they trembled as if standing before an ancient demon rather than a saintly figure. With a thud, they knelt, sweat as large as beans falling to the ground, their bodies shuddering uncontrollably. One of them stammered out,
“Holy One, please give us another chance… Last time, the power might not have been enough… Please, just one more chance…”
“Hush!”
The white-haired youth placed a finger to his lips and murmured, “Lower your voices, don’t disturb them…” He gestured toward the flower sprites who had fled, startled, into the depths of the flowerbeds.
“Do not be afraid. If the power was insufficient, simply enlarge the formation. None of that matters… What saddens me is that you deceived me.”
He rose, the nine-tailed rainbow phoenix hopping onto his shoulder. His gaze, deep and unfathomable, drifted into the distance as he sighed.
The two kneeling figures trembled even harder, bowing their heads lower, but dared not move.
In that moment, a flicker of black light flashed in the youth’s eyes. A monstrous demonic aura erupted from him, his pristine robe turning pitch black, twisted faces appearing upon it, struggling to escape. The entire palace was saturated in scarlet, seething with boundless evil.
The celestial blossoms became black demonic flowers, exuding a ghostly resentment. The flower sprites turned black as well, wielding instruments of torture and glaring venomously at the kneeling pair. The white unicorn pegasus ignited with pale flames, transforming into a nightmare steed.
The nine-tailed phoenix turned black, emitting a mournful shriek; each of its tails was bound with a shrunken, agonized head—faces twisted in anger, hatred, or pain—radiating overwhelming resentment. In an instant, the sacred land turned into a demonic abyss.
The white-haired youth, now steeped in demonic might, gazed coldly at the two kneeling figures. With a wave, energy gathered, runes flickered, and two amethyst spears tore through space, piercing the bodies of the two men and nailing their shadows to the ground. Lightning danced along the crystalline spears, while the shadows convulsed atop them.
“Lord of Demons… please… give us one more chance…”
The shadows nailed to the spears spoke—their very souls, now addressing him by a different title. Though their souls had been ripped out and pinned to the earth, a trace of relief flickered through them. At least the Lord of Demons had emerged. Ruthless as he was, the Demon Lord was always straightforward—if he meant to kill, he killed, if he meant to spare, he spared. The Holy One, however, was different; he might not kill, but would leave them wishing for death.
“Hmph!”
The white-haired youth snorted, his demonic presence shaking the void to its very core.
“If I didn’t want to give you another chance, you’d already be the Holy One’s toys by now!”
With another wave, the amethyst spears flew back, carrying the souls to their bodies. Their lifeless shells shuddered, spat blood, but dared not tend their wounds. They hastily spoke,
“Thank you, Lord of Demons.”
“I will grant you ten times the resources as last time. Go and conduct the experiment again! If you fail once more, you can go and join the Holy One!”
His threat was not of eternal torment, but of “joining the Holy One”—as if those words were more terrifying than death or torture.
“Y-yes!”
The two answered at once.
Once more, sacred light blossomed, transforming the place back into a paradise. The nine-tailed phoenix soared into the sky, trailing a stream of holy radiance, while the white-haired youth released a faint sigh,
“The Demon Lord truly is too ruthless.”
With a casual gesture, two beams of sacred light flowed forth, accompanied by a soft chant. The light entered the bodies of the two men, healing their wounds.
“Th-thank you, Holy One!”
Feeling the warmth and comfort spreading through their bodies, they shivered as they uttered their thanks.
“There, there, don’t be afraid. The Demon Lord is gone; he won’t harm you. Off you go…”
The white-haired youth gazed at the trembling pair with a voice full of compassion.
“Yes, yes…”
The two scrambled to their feet, bowing and retreating, never daring to look up. Only when they were a great distance away did they rise into the air and depart as streaks of light.
After they left, the white-haired youth stood in silence for a long while before speaking,
“So you just let them go?”
…
“Yes, the great formation was indeed tested and proven viable, but those two still managed to bungle the task.”
…
“They’ve run it once now and have experience. Let them try again, but if they fail this time, they’ll become my toys!”
…
“That’s settled then…”
The white-haired youth murmured to himself. The flower sprites frolicked among the blossoms, the unicorn pegasus lapped dew from petals, and the phoenix soared above, casting a divine rainbow—everything beautiful in the mortal world seemed to gather here.
As this news spread from the imperial capital, the palace itself was set into motion. Outwardly, it appeared as though the royal family had no response to the matter of Zhou Tian, but in secret, the entire dynasty was mobilized.
The royal elders were no fools; they could see that this was no simple affair. They themselves had leaked the information, hoping to startle the serpent from its lair.
They wanted to see just who dared to challenge this ancient empire!