Chapter One Hundred Thirteen: Calamity of the Blazing Sun

Ye Sansi arrived at the stone cliff and noticed that the stone door to Peng Xian’s dwelling stood open. He approached and peered inside, finding Peng Xian seated at the table, drinking tea.

“Knock, knock, knock.”

Ye Sansi tapped on the doorframe. Seeing that it was Sansi, Peng Xian hurried over to welcome him and pulled him inside.

Ye Sansi laughed. “Brother Peng, why have you left the door wide open? The wind is so strong. Won’t you freeze with it blowing into the room?”

“Sansi, I was waiting for you to come. I’ve already asked your sister-in-law to prepare a meal; it’ll be here shortly. Come, come, sit down and rest for a while. Have some tea to refresh yourself.”

Ye Sansi dropped heavily into a seat and let out a long breath. “I’m truly exhausted today. Resting now feels wonderful. By the way, Brother Peng, how did you know I would come?”

Peng Xian poured him a bowl of tea and continued, “At noon, I prepared a meal in the house, but you never appeared. I guessed that you had been practicing spells with Brother Wang and had lost track of time, so I went to the King’s Hall to look for you.”

“You looked for me? When?”

“When I entered the King’s Hall, I saw only the Great King. I asked where you had gone, and he told me you had gone to the village ahead. I was about to search for you, but the Great King said you had important business in the afternoon. So I asked your sister-in-law to prepare some food early and wait for you to return…”

“Hahaha.” Ye Sansi laughed heartily. “So that’s how it was. If I had known, I should have come to Brother Peng as soon as I left the King’s Hall at noon. Then I wouldn’t have had to wander about hungry, searching everywhere for food.”

“From now on, whenever you want to eat, come here. There’s no need to stand on ceremony. By the way, where did you and the Great King go this afternoon? Will you tell me about it?”

Ye Sansi nodded with a smile. “Of course. But it is a long story, and quite an extraordinary one. I’ll tell you all about it while we eat.”

“Very well. Judging by how happy you look, Sansi, you must have had quite an adventure.” Peng Xian looked at him with a smile. Whenever Sansi made progress, Peng Xian was sincerely delighted for him.

Ye Sansi lowered his head and asked quietly, “Brother Peng, there are more than a hundred stone dwellings along this cliff where we live. Why haven’t I seen any of the other elders or great demons?”

“Oh. Including you and me, there are only five of us on this cliff. The other three are all great demons. They usually remain in their rooms cultivating their arts and rarely come out, so it is perfectly normal that you have not seen them.”

Ye Sansi continued, “Then where are the other great demons and elders?”

Peng Xian raised his hand and pointed in one direction. “They are all at the defensive line. Although the Great King never ordered them to go and guard it, those demons care deeply for their kind and are loyal to the Great King. They fear neither life nor death. As soon as they heard that the armies of the Demon Realm were coming, they went to the defensive line of their own accord. They have yet to return.”

Peng Xian took a sip of tea before continuing. “The three great demons who remain here are like me. They can travel through the air at tremendous speed, so they have stayed at home. Once the battle horn sounds, they can go to war without delay.”

Ye Sansi was deeply moved by Peng Xian’s words. Compared with Wei Feiliang, the ruler of that Other Demon Realm was not even one-tenth as worthy—not even one-half of one percent.

Many years ago, Wei Feiliang had followed the emperor in conquering the decaying former dynasty and unifying the realm. He had rendered outstanding military service, governed capably, and possessed exceptional talent. Yet the moment he was made a prince, he began yearning for immortality and eternal enjoyment amid luxury and splendor. He harmed the innocent, practiced demonic arts, indulged his subordinates, and allowed them to burn, kill, and plunder. There was no evil he would not commit. That brutal and lawless wretch was hated by every clear-sighted person in the world.

Yet matters were never as simple as they seemed. Setting aside Wei’s own cultivation, even a single one of the mysterious iron-armored guards at his side would be more than Ye Sansi could defeat. To eliminate Wei Feiliang would be harder still.

Ye Sansi and Peng Xian chatted and laughed, and in less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense, the food arrived. Tonight, the rabbit demon had prepared more than a dozen dishes Ye Sansi had never tasted before.

Seeing the feast before him, Ye Sansi laughed. “Sister-in-law is truly remarkable. The ingredients are only a few simple things, mostly greens and radishes, yet she can turn decay into wonder and create so many different flavors. Brother Peng, you are certainly blessed.”

“Blessed? Sansi, from the way you speak, I’d say you have someone special in your heart too. Is she the daughter of some wealthy household?”

Caught by the question, Ye Sansi lowered his head shyly, his face reddening as he answered in a small voice, “You could say that. When you took us to Spirit Province last time, I was going there to find her.”

“Oh? Which family in Spirit Province?”

“The Willow Family.”

At this answer, Peng Xian hurriedly rose to his feet. “The Willow Family Fortress in Spirit Province? Liu Zhen’s daughter?”

“That is so. Why? Do you know Uncle Liu?”

Peng Xian sat down again and laughed. “The way you address him makes me senior to you by a generation. A hundred years ago, I knew the ancestor of the Willow family. He called me Big Brother as well. But unfortunately, he had to return home to take charge of the family and inherit its position, so we parted ways. Who could have known that fate would be so unpredictable…”

“What happened? He…”

“Alas, the brutality of human conflicts is in no way inferior to that of the Demon Realm. Some people are utterly ruthless and vicious. When Brother Liu returned, he discovered that it had all been a trap laid by his own clansmen. He was outnumbered and powerless, and was… was cut into several pieces. They did not even leave him a complete corpse.”

Ye Sansi sprang to his feet in fury. “How despicable! How could they be so cruel?”

After shouting, he thought the matter over more carefully, then sank back into his seat and asked slowly, “Then what of Ling Shuang and Uncle Liu…”

“Hahaha, Sansi, are you worried that they might be descendants of that traitor?”

“Worried is too strong a word. I only wanted to ask.”

Peng Xian smiled. “Set your mind at ease. How could the world allow such villains to run rampant forever? Their downfall is only a matter of time. As for Liu Zhen, he was Brother Liu’s great-grandson. And Ling Shuang is of the legitimate line as well.”

Hearing this explanation, Ye Sansi finally relaxed. Scratching his head, he smiled. “I knew it. Ling Shuang is kind and righteous, while Uncle Liu Zhen is renowned throughout the world. Few can match his integrity and chivalrous spirit. How could he have had such a treacherous ancestor?”

Peng Xian laughed. “By your reasoning, with your intelligence and understanding, your father must have been even more extraordinary.”

Ye Sansi hurriedly waved his hands, covering his mouth as he smiled and ate. Peng Xian continued, “By the way, Sansi, where is your father now? I imagine he must have been an extraordinary man. If it is convenient, bring him to visit our Other Demon Realm someday.”

“My father has already passed away… I do not know what his identity was, nor do I know what kind of person he was. He left me only a single sword.”

With that, Ye Sansi held the sword Heavenly Wrath in his hands and carefully stroked its blade.

Realizing that he had spoken thoughtlessly, Peng Xian quickly added, “Sansi, I failed to consider your feelings and asked without thinking. I never meant to make you recall painful memories. It was my fault as your elder brother.”

“Brother Peng, please don’t say that. I am grateful to my father and hold him in the highest respect. It is simply a fact that he is no longer in this world. I only hope that he found peace in his next life. You asked without ill intent, and you said nothing offensive. How could I hold it against you? Do you really think Sansi is so narrow-minded?” Ye Sansi narrowed his eyes with a smile.

Peng Xian smiled as well, then suddenly remembered something and said, “Sansi, weren’t you going to tell me about the adventure you had this afternoon? Don’t forget.”

“Brother Peng, it happened like this…”

Half an hour later, Ye Sansi finished recounting the story. Throughout the telling, Peng Xian wore an expression of disbelief, utterly impressed by Sansi’s intelligence and insight. He had accomplished something even the ruler of the Other Demon Realm had found difficult to achieve.

Peng Xian raised a bowl of wine, and Ye Sansi stood to return the gesture. They drained their bowls, and the evening meal came to an end.

Seeing that Sansi had finished eating, Peng Xian set down his wine bowl and rose with a smile. “Sansi, night is nearly upon us. Why don’t we take a walk outside to aid digestion, then return to our rooms to rest?”

“Brother Peng, I was thinking the same. Sister-in-law’s cooking is truly delicious. I couldn’t stop myself from eating more than I should. A little walking will do me good.”

Before leaving, Peng Xian swept out one hand. The bowls, chopsticks, and scraps of food on the table vanished, and the room was restored to its original neatness.

Beneath the bright moonlight, the human and the immortal strolled together, chatting about ordinary matters. Peng Xian taught Ye Sansi how to conduct himself and how to be a proper person, and Sansi listened attentively, taking every word as wisdom from the immortal path.

Ye Sansi held Peng Xian in profound respect. He regarded him as a benefactor, a teacher, a friend, and an elder brother.

Moreover, righteousness shone from Peng Xian’s entire being, and benevolence could be seen between his brows. When speaking with him, Ye Sansi did not deliberately hold anything back.

For half an hour, Ye Sansi told Peng Xian of the dangers he had encountered after descending from the mountain. Peng Xian listened while explaining the principles behind them—his concern for all living beings beneath heaven, for the common people, and for the righteous path of the world. His views accorded perfectly with Sansi’s own heart.

At last Peng Xian stopped. “That will do. We have walked for quite some time, and it is already late. Go back and rest, Sansi. When you rise tomorrow, come to my room and take a few steamed buns to fill your stomach. The midday meal will be ready at noon, so do not lose track of the hour…”

“Hahaha.” Ye Sansi laughed. “Brother Peng, you have thought of everything. Thank you.”

“What is there to thank me for? This is all—”

“Boom!”

Before Peng Xian could finish, a tremendous roar erupted in the sky, deafening in its force.

Ye Sansi and Peng Xian looked toward the sound and saw that a breach had torn open in the heavens. From within it, a massive stone radiating crimson light slowly descended.

“This is bad!” Peng Xian shouted.

He hurriedly mounted a cloud and sped away to report to the ruler. The matter was urgent, and Ye Sansi was left alone, staring blankly at the sky glowing red.

A moment later, Ye Sansi heard the battle horn sound. Three dark figures shot into the air and flew straight toward the falling stone at astonishing speed. Even Ye Sansi could not make out their features.

Although he did not know where the stone had come from, the panic of Peng Xian and the other demons made it clear that this was no minor matter. He could not simply stand by and do nothing. Summoning his sword, he flew toward it as well.

Only when he drew nearer did he realize how enormous the hole in the sky was. If the stone within it fell completely and struck the land where the villages lay, as many as thirty percent of the living beings in the Other Demon Realm might be destroyed.

Flames roared across the stone’s surface, burning fiercely like the howl of some savage beast.

Though it was night, the stone resembled a blazing sun. Even at a distance, its heat was unbearable. If it crashed down, the Other Demon Realm would surely suffer an unparalleled catastrophe.

Ye Sansi had no idea how this disaster could be averted.