Chapter 80: Xizhou

The visitor appeared lean and gaunt, clad in a wide-sleeved robe. He looked utterly ordinary at first glance, yet his face carried an ineffable charm and spirit. As he slowly approached, Xiong Shan and the other demons shouted in unison, brandishing their weapons, while Yin Hu and his companions dropped what they were carrying and hurried to Liu Chou's side.

Seeing Shi Niu and the others drawing closer, Liu Chou raised a hand slightly, and the lesser demons' shouts gradually died away. Though this was Liu Chou's first time issuing orders, these beasts had already transformed into demons; who among them lacked basic discernment? Putting everything else aside, the gaze and gestures of a great king or cave master were crystal clear to them. There was a genuine air of disciplined obedience to his commands, and a novel sensation stirred within Liu Chou's heart.

The visitor finally escorted the captured demons up the slope. Liu Chou met his gaze. Facing thousands of demons, the newcomer showed not the slightest trace of fear; instead, he appraised Liu Chou with a meaningful look.

The newcomer's aura was formidable, but even with Liu Chou's keen perception, he could not tell whether he was human or demon. Unwilling to act rashly, Liu Chou spoke first, "Greetings, fellow Daoist! What brings you to my mountains?"

"Fellow Daoist" was a form of address used among human Qi practitioners. It sounded rather out of place coming from Liu Chou, who furthermore omitted the standard Daoist greeting gesture. The visitor, however, did not mind in the least; instead, he made a formal obeisance with cupped hands and said, "Greetings, fellow Daoist! My visit today is specifically to seek you out."

"Since you came to seek me out, then this..." Liu Chou pointed to Shi Niu and the others, whose hands were bound and who looked thoroughly pitiful, and asked, "What is the meaning of this?"

The visitor laughed heartily. "Just now, your subordinates lacked manners, so I merely played a trick on them and had them show me the way. I hope you will take no offense..." With that, he turned to the captured demons and said, "Now that we have arrived, you may leave."

The demons were momentarily stunned, only to realize that the ropes binding them had vanished. Scrambling to their feet, they ran back in a panic behind Liu Chou, merging into the crowd of demons.

Neither servile nor overbearing, polite and proper, possessed of formidable strength, and showing no sign of malice—how could someone as clever as Liu Chou deliberately offend such a figure? He promptly ordered the lesser demons to disperse, had them bring large green boulders up the slope and furnish them with clear spring water and fresh fruits. Once both had seated themselves, Liu Chou asked, "May I ask your esteemed title, and what business brings you here?"

"My name is Wuhuanzi. Like you, I am not of the human race," the visitor answered without concealing his identity, speaking straight to the point. "My coming here today is for two matters."

"Oh?" Liu Chou felt a slight flicker of strangeness. Since he was a demon, why could he not sense any demonic aura from him? The doubt in Liu Chou's eyes naturally did not escape Wuhuanzi's notice, but the timing was wrong, so he kept it to himself and continued with what he had to say.

"My master perhaps shares a karmic affinity with you and wishes to see you," Wuhuanzi stated plainly. "To be frank, not long ago, my master sent someone to invite you once already. For reasons unknown, you did not go, and the messenger has not yet returned."

"Someone came to invite me?" Liu Chou was genuinely taken aback. "How is it that I know nothing of this?"

"You do know, only perhaps the messenger was unclear, and you mistook him for something else," Wuhuanzi smiled and said. "The messenger was a marten. Well, does that ring any bell?"

"A marten... a marten... Ah! It was him!"

Mention of the marten made Liu Chou instantly recall his encounter in the Qinling Mountains. The creature that had ambushed him back then was indeed a ferocious marten. He seemed to remember the beast mentioning someone who wanted to see him, but under the circumstances, who had time to care about such matters? He had simply treated him as an enemy and brushed him aside. Never had he imagined that incident would have a sequel!

Instantly, Liu Chou's muscles tensed involuntarily, and his spiritual sense reached out to the iron rod weapon stored within the Pot-In-World realm. He stood on high alert, guarding against any potential move from Wuhuanzi, and slowly asked, "I remember now. So what of it?"

A somewhat grim smile forced its way onto Liu Chou's face. "Does this mean that if I refuse to go today, it will be your turn to make a move?"

"Not at all, not at all! That is completely not my intention!" The visitor burst into loud laughter, waving his hands repeatedly. "Do not be suspicious; I am by no means here for that purpose. I merely mention it. If you do not wish to go, you are not forced; I am simply explaining the origin of the matter."

Despite these words, how could Liu Chou easily believe him? He demanded, "What origin?"

Wuhuanzi thought for a moment and asked, "Do you know of the chaos of heaven and earth, and the creation of the world?"

Liu Chou shook his head.

"Then do you know of the Five Sages ascending to heaven, and the Conferment of Gods establishing the rules?"

Still a shake of the head.

"Then do you know of the Western realm, and the rise of the Buddhist kingdoms?"

He continued to shake his head.

"Since you know nothing of this, then the time has not yet come to tell you." Expecting a complete lecture from the start after being asked a string of questions, Liu Chou was instead met with this response—asking questions without providing answers, effortlessly planting seeds of doubt in his mind.

Yet Liu Chou was not annoyed. He simply asked, "Then what *can* you tell me?"

Wuhuanzi did not answer. Instead, out of the blue and seemingly disconnected from everything, he posed a question from completely out of left field: "Currently, the human race of Great Zhou has summoned the top ten dukes, mustering over seven hundred thousand armored soldiers to confront the demon race everywhere. Outside Qiyi alone, three hundred thousand troops are stationed. Yet the demon race first deployed over one hundred thousand troops, and has now added another two hundred thousand or so. With both sides entangled, what do you think the outcome of this war will be?"

Though surprised by the question, Liu Chou did not press further. After pondering for a moment, he replied, "The Great Zhou has a population of tens of millions, a vast territory, and ingenious artisans capable of crafting machinery, mechanical beasts, armor, and weapons. Although the demon race currently holds the upper hand, if they fail to secure a quick victory and the conflict drags on, they are bound to lose. Since the demons have already been checked, after a brief stalemate, it will surely be the human race launching a counterattack. The victor can already be foreseen."

Wuhuanzi nodded slightly, smiling as he said, "Then in your view, what if the demon race adds even more troops, launching a full-scale invasion accompanied by numerous great demons or even demon kings, securing a quick victory and replacing human rule over the Southern Jambudvipa—would that work?"

"Still no," Liu Chou replied with a self-deprecating smile. "Behind the human race stand the gods and Buddhas of the heavens. What stands behind the demon race? If great demons intervene, even if the humans are no match for them, how could those gods and Buddhas in the skies sit idly by? Great demons might as well not make a move; if they do, their defeat will only come faster. Even without great demons stepping in, should the human race face extinction, I imagine those immortals would not be able to sit still and would descend to fight as well!"

Wuhuanzi looked at Liu Chou thoughtfully. "This is the grand trend of heaven and earth. How did you come to know of it?"

"Is something so simple and clear really something that requires someone else to tell me?" Liu Chou said with a hint of disdain. "Fellow Daoist, it is not only the human race in this world that possesses intelligence while all others are foolish and dull. We demons also have some insight!"

Liu Chou's words provoked a hearty laugh from Wuhuanzi, which lasted a moment before subsiding. "True, indeed. We demons are by no means inferior to humans. What you said is correct: the demon race is bound to fail. That much is true."

Knowing Wuhuanzi had more to say, Liu Chou remained silent, waiting for him to continue.

Sure enough, after a brief pause, Wuhuanzi spoke again: "However, our knowledge of this matter does not stem from grand deductions of the overarching trends like yours, but from probing the heavenly secrets, derived through the art of the Great Expansion of Heavenly Secrets. In three years at most, the demon race will be defeated, its momentum greatly weakened, and the human race will begin to enter West 牛 Hezhou (Aparagodaniya), establishing nations within our heartland."

"A hundred years from now, not only the Southern and Eastern continents, but even West Niu Hezhou will become the territory of the human race. The demons will barely be able to occupy a mere thirty percent of that continent, and then..."

At this juncture, Wuhuanzi abruptly stopped, looking at Liu Chou as he asked, "The destruction of the demon race and the unification under the human race—what do you think of that?"

Liu Chou thought carefully before answering sincerely, "For the intelligence of heaven and earth, the sole expansion and dominance of the human race may not necessarily be a good thing."

"Then do you think it is a good thing for the human race itself?"

This question was even more difficult than the last. Liu Chou pondered for a long time before replying. Everything Wuhuanzi asked touched upon the greatest secrets between heaven and earth. Falling upon Liu Chou's ears, these questions inexplicably gave him a sense of being profoundly enlightened. His initial hostility toward Wuhuanzi gradually dissipated, and he unconsciously placed himself in the role of a disciple, answering every question and humbly receiving instruction.

"For the human race, not necessarily either..."

"Why?"

Liu Chou looked at Wuhuanzi and said, "Because the human race no longer has a King!"

A King of Men. Before the Conferment of Gods war, every dynasty birthed a King of Men. Some sat high in the imperial court, while others dwelt among the mortals, but they were universally acknowledged monarchs. Because a King of Men existed, the human race lived independently among the six forms of intelligent life, bowing to no other intelligence.

The last King of Men was King Zhou of Shang. Although tyrannical and cruel, he was nonetheless the acknowledged king of the human race. Later, however, the King of Zhou overthrew the King of Men with the help of immortals, replacing him and subsequently building immortal temples everywhere for worship and kowtows, imperceptibly reducing the entire human race to the servants and slaves of immortals. From that day forth, no King of Men was ever born again.

Liu Chou's meaning was simple: as long as the human race lacked a King of Men, no matter how vast their territory expanded, they were nothing more than slaves to the immortals. No matter how large the pasture where you raised your cattle, sheep, and dogs, they could never escape the fate of being slaughtered. For them, what fortune was there to speak of?

Liu Chou did not notice that when he mentioned this point, a faint trace of guilt flashed across Wuhuanzi's face, though it quickly returned to normal. When Liu Chou finished speaking, Wuhuanzi let out a long sigh and remained silent for a long time.

Liu Chou kept quiet as well, waiting quietly. After a considerable while, Wuhuanzi finally spoke again:

"Allow me to think on this matter... We shall discuss it later. But the other matter cannot wait."

"Another matter?"

"Indeed. The second reason I came here is to inform you that the Great Zhou has dispatched the Nine-Beat Guards, led by four kings, to begin encircling and suppressing the Southern Jambudvipa and the twelve supreme realms of the Eastern Victory Mainland. Secretly aided by immortals, they intend to slaughter every single demon entrenched within them. As for your Meishan..." Wuhuanzi made a quick mental calculation before continuing, "In less than ten days, they will arrive here. What are your plans for this?"

Of all things, what he feared most had arrived. Liu Chou had一直 (always) worried that Meishan would be besieged, and now the extermination force was truly on its way. In such a situation, the only option was to evacuate. Wuhuanzi had come precisely for this reason, yet exactly where to evacuate left Liu Chou somewhat uncertain.

Amidst his musings, Liu Chou's gaze suddenly fell upon Wuhuanzi, and a sudden realization dawned upon him. Since the visitor had sought him out, he must already have a plan in mind. Why not ask for his opinion and then choose a location?

"What is your advice, fellow Daoist?" Liu Chou candidly tossed out his question. "What should I do?"

Wuhuanzi replied immediately, "Leave this place, evade the battle, and preserve your lives."

"Evacuating is a given, but where to evacuate is rather troublesome..." Liu Chou glanced back and down the slope, offering a bitter smile. "With my two thousand-odd lesser demons and four to five thousand fierce beasts, if we do not find a proper place, it will be hard for us to survive."

"True, that is indeed a problem... I do have a few places in mind that could be chosen, I just don't know if fellow Daoist is willing to go?"

"Oh? Would you mind sharing them?"