RIIDMDR chapter 90

 

Nan Xu was shocked upon hearing this; his heartbeat sped up inexplicably.

“Everyone in the demon realm thought the battle between the great demons would last at least several years. But in less than half a month, two of them, who had been plotted against, were severely injured and fell one after another. Then, within ten days, all the great demons perished,” Yao Lin said heavily.

Nan Xu was startled. “Not a single one ascended to godhood?”

Yao Lin shook his head. “Senior Jingyuan said that once they had the intention to seize power, they were destined to lose the chance to become gods. However, one of them, a great demon of the Golden Crow clan, was close to ascending. From beginning to end, he never joined the struggle. Unfortunately, though, the others could not tolerate his existence.”

“Golden Crow?” Nan Xu repeated.

Yao Lin nodded. “Yes, I’m not saying this because that late senior was also of the bird race, but because that story is one that almost every demon knows.”

Nan Xu sighed with emotion. A great demon who was just one step away from becoming a god—how much effort and cultivation did that take? It was beyond his imagination. Yet, in the span of a single month, five great demons had fallen. Such a loss was truly lamentable.

“After the great demons fell, the spiritual energy in the demon realm suddenly increased tenfold or more. Many demons advanced in cultivation uncontrollably. But any demon with insight knew that the world always balances itself. This was no good omen,” said Yao Lin. “Sure enough, the fall of the five near-gods—one of whom had been recognized by Heaven as a god—caused the realm to collapse, starting from its center.”

A flash of realization crossed Nan Xu’s mind. “The location of Zhuyu Mountain?”

Yao Lin nodded lightly. “At that time, the war among the demon clans, which was born from the great demons’ battle, had not yet ended. Some demons took advantage of the chaos to incite rebellion, plunging the realm into further turmoil. Eight or nine out of ten demons were drawn in or forced to join. Amid the chaos, a sky abyss suddenly appeared in the middle of the realm and began to devour spiritual energy. When the demons realized something was wrong, they tried to stop it, but the strongest ones had already disappeared, leaving the rest gravely injured. Rumors spread that this was Heaven’s punishment—that the demon realm was destined to perish.”

Nan Xu muttered, “Instead of uniting against the threat, they spread such talk? Did they truly want the entire demon realm destroyed?”

Yao Lin replied solemnly, “Yes, there were demons who were bitter and cynical. Their cultivation was lacking, but their hearts longed for chaos.”

Nan Xu frowned. “What good would that do them?”

Yao Lin shook his head, equally puzzled. “I don’t know. But even now, there are demons hiding in the shadows, spreading similar ideas and causing many to stray from their cultivation and willingly walk toward death.”

Nan Xu suddenly thought of something and shivered. He hadn’t expected such vile beings to exist in the demon realm either.

Seeing Nan Xu’s pale face, Yao Lin changed the topic. “Some demons tried to repair the Sky Abyss. But after casting the spell, they found their spiritual power being sucked away, and they couldn’t stop it. When their power was exhausted and they kept pushing, their bodies were sacrificed in the process. After seeing the first attempt end in tragedy, the other demons hesitated. No one wanted to sacrifice their hard-earned cultivation and life.”

“However, if the demon realm’s spiritual energy were completely drained, the entire realm would collapse. Those gathered at the center knew the consequences, yet they were unwilling to sacrifice themselves,” Yao Lin sighed, sounding both sorrowful and understanding.

“The abyss grew larger, and the realm was on the brink of destruction. Then, the few demons who had traveled together arrived. Each of them had lost loved ones, especially the Golden Crow, Yun Yi. After the fall of the near-god Golden Crow, it is said that their entire clan perished trying to quell the chaos. The only survivor was the one who had first tried to repair the abyss. From then on, only Yun Yi remained.”

Nan Xu’s heart clenched. Hearing this, his nose stung and his eyes reddened. He didn’t know why he felt so sad, almost unable to breathe. In those brief words, he could almost see the anguish on Yun Yi’s face when he arrived at the scene.

Yao Lin’s mood grew heavy, too, unaware of Nan Xu’s change. “Seeing everyone stand by and do nothing, they understood why. Without wasting words, they began to plan.”

Nan Xu asked, “Wasn’t there a plan?”

Yao Lin paused. “Their plan was this: Of the five traveling demons—Golden Crow Yun Yi, Azure Dragon Jingyuan, and Nine-Tailed Fox Tingchuan—each would take turns casting the spell. When one’s power neared exhaustion, the next would use their own strength to shield and break the spell, then continue it. Bai Clan’s Tingshu would heal the demon who stepped back.”

Nan Xu said, “You said five demons. That seems to leave one unaccounted for.”

Yao Lin replied, “Yes, there was one more. But it seems that one was a newly transformed young demon whose power wasn’t enough to participate.”

Nan Xu said, “Oh,” and asked, “But would such a method work?”

“It should have,” said Yao Lin. “The Abyss did start to shrink. Unfortunately, even though they were the most outstanding young demons of their time, there were too few of them. Some onlookers, seeing hope, began to follow their example.”

Just as Nan Xu began to relax, Yao Lin continued, “But not all demons could trust one another. The battle had only recently stopped, and they were still guarding against each other. Some took the chance to attack. The hopeful sign didn’t last long before chaos broke out again.”

“Yun Yi, with his fiery temper, couldn’t bear it. Though he hadn’t rested, he grabbed his spear and charged into the crowd, cutting down every troublemaker in his path. But he exhausted his strength, was gravely wounded, and fell among the demons,” Yao Lin said with a trace of sorrow. “Before he died, he told them, ‘Today I fall here. Tomorrow, those too afraid to act will fall here too. The day after the demon realm collapses, not a single demon will survive. So be it.’”

Nan Xu let out a long sigh. He knew then that the Golden Crow no longer existed. The flamboyant, red-haired youth had shown no fear, even in his final moment.

“Perhaps for the survival of the realm or their descendants, no demon clung to false hope after that. They fought to the death. They say that on that day, beneath the abyss, rivers of blood flowed and corpses filled the land, yet still the abyss could not be sealed.” Yao Lin closed his eyes, his tone filled with regret. “Senior Jingyuan said that if they had acted sooner without hesitation, the abyss might never have grown so large or become so difficult to fill.”

Nan Xu asked, “And then?”

“Then the Abyss began to devour spiritual power indiscriminately. Senior Tingshu was completely exhausted, and Senior Jingyuan was utterly spent. Yet, he still protected the last few hundred young demons of the South Sea, retreating a thousand miles. Then he returned alone. The South Sea demons never knew what happened after that. They only knew that the sky turned dark for seven days. When it cleared, the abyss was gone. In its place was a new mountain range stretching a thousand miles. Covered in blood, Senior Tingchuan brought Jingyuan back to the South Sea. Senior Tingshu returned to the Western Mountain with Yun Yi’s body. As for the nameless young demon, no one ever heard from him again. After that, the spiritual energy of the realm gradually dried up and became what it is today,” said Yao Lin.

Nan Xu finally understood why the South Sea demons revered Jingyuan so deeply. From risking his life to seal the sky to protecting the young demons from the abyss’s devastation, his kindness was immeasurable.

“Do you know how Zhuyu Mountain got its name?” Nan Xu asked.

Since the mountain range appeared suddenly, the name must hold meaning. Now that the mountain belonged to him, he was curious. Surely Yao Lin had heard something.

But Yao Lin shook his head. “I don’t know. The mountain appeared mysteriously. The seniors Jingyuan, Tingshu, and Tingchuan all said it was called Zhuyu Mountain, so that’s what everyone calls it.”

Nan Xu was puzzled, but he knew that Yao Lin had told him everything he knew. He suppressed his curiosity, planning to ask Tingchuan later.

“After the surge of spiritual energy, many demons advanced uncontrollably and then had their power drained, leaving their spirit palaces empty. Most of those who survived the abyss succumbed to illness and death. Few lived to this day. There are many versions of that catastrophe, but what I’ve told you should be the closest to the truth…” Yao Lin said.

As he spoke, Nan Xu wondered what it would feel like to have spiritual power overflowing uncontrollably. Eating too much food makes one want to vomit. How much more painful must it be to have infinite energy forced into one’s body?

Just thinking about it made him uncomfortable. Being drained over and over, healed by Tingshu, and repeating the cycle was unimaginable to Nan Xu. His heart twisted painfully at the thought. Even though thousands of years had passed, he couldn’t suppress his sorrow.

He ached for Tingchuan, who had endured thousands of years of pain yet survived; for Jingyuan, who had struggled between life and death; for Tingshu, whose medical skill couldn’t save his beloved; and for Yun Yi, who fought through his clan’s destruction and only fell after slaying the last traitor.

Nan Xu blinked, and a clear tear slipped down his cheek and landed on his hand.

Yao Lin paused mid-sentence, flustered. “You’re crying?”

Nan Xu pressed his lips together and lifted his hand to wipe the tear away when a voice came from outside the courtyard. It was Tingchuan. He turned his head, and their eyes met. One of the figures from the story stood before him. Nan Xu’s eyes reddened again.

The next moment, Yao Lin felt a chill run down his spine. He could clearly sense Tingchuan’s hostility toward him. He glanced toward the gate and met eyes as sharp as blades. He jumped up from his stool in fright.

“I didn’t say anything!” he exclaimed, waving his hands frantically in defense.

Tingchuan strode toward Nan Xu. Seeing Yao Lin flail like a startled bird and feeling Tingchuan’s worried gaze, Nan Xu instantly understood. As Tingchuan reached him, Nan Xu said, “I just heard a story about the demon realm.”

Tingchuan crouched down, now at eye level with Nan Xu. “What story?”

Nan Xu replied softly, “The great calamity of the demon realm three thousand years ago.”

Yao Lin added, “Yes, I only told the most well-known version. I don’t know why, but the owner cried.”

Even though he had died and changed his identity, would he still feel sorrow upon hearing it?

Tingchuan said nothing, his gaze deep as he looked at Nan Xu. He raised a hand and brushed Nan Xu’s cheek with his fingertip, wiping away traces of tears.