Chapter 81: The Demonic State

First, the Divine Victorious Continent of the East. Although the Eastern Continent is also governed by the human race, it is fragmented into countless large and small states, completely independent of the Zhou Dynasty. Furthermore, they wage endless wars against one another, leaving vast expanses of desolate land where one can easily find uninhabited spots to recuperate and thrive. Additionally, there are countless islands along the coast that are entirely open for occupation.

Liuchou pondered for a moment, then shook his head and said, "Although the Eastern Continent is fine, it also teems with the demon race. However, it is simply too far from here. Leading a multitude of beasts and demons across the rear of the Great Zhou is simply not feasible."

Wuhuanzi thought for a moment and said, "That is true as well. Nowadays, the fires of war burn across the Great Zhou, and the entire rear populace has been mobilized into a militia. Such a journey is indeed unwise... In that case, for the second option, I suggest you head to the Qinling Mountains. This massive mountain range spans a thousand miles, making it even more rugged and precipitous than Mount Mei. Although located within the territory of the Great Zhou, it is almost entirely devoid of human presence. With your strength, you could easily claim a territory there and await the outcome."

After a brief pause, Wuhuanzi added, "Moreover, a wisp of my master's divine consciousness remains stationed within the Qinling Mountains. If we are neighbors, he could offer you a degree of protection. Would that not be ideal?"

Recommending the Qinling Mountains stemmed from Wuhuanzi's own private motives, which he made no attempt to conceal. Although Liuchou sensed that Wuhuanzi harbored no ill intentions, for some inexplicable reason, he felt an unwarranted sense of apprehension and was reluctant to meet the master Wuhuanzi spoke of. This fear was akin to arriving in an unfamiliar city—not true terror, but rather a barrier of unfamiliarity that made one hesitant to draw close.

"Even though your esteemed master is close by, to be completely honest, I am truly not prepared to meet him," Liuchou said bluntly. "Please grant me a bit more time, fellow Daoist Wuhuanzi. Once I am somewhat prepared, I shall certainly go to see your master. I will not break my promise."

"If you do not wish to see him, then so be it, but that surely does not conflict with settling down in the Qinling Mountains, does it?" Wuhuanzi smiled faintly. "As for your concern that I might come to disturb you, you may rest easy. Once you depart, I, too, shall head toward the Eastern Border on official business and will not return for quite some time."

Hearing that Wuhuanzi was heading to the borderlands between the two provinces, Liuchou remained unconcerned and simply replied, "Let us forget it. To go to the Qinling Mountains without paying respects to your esteemed master would be somewhat disrespectful. It is better not to go at all. Are there any other places?"

Seeing that Liuchou was firmly resolved not to go, Wuhuanzi had no choice but to drop the matter and offered another suggestion: "If there is another option, it would be Xiniu Hezhou. This continent is vast and boundless. Aside from the Far West, which belongs to Lingtai, the rest is entirely the domain of the demon race. You may roam as you please. As long as you do not trespass into the realms of those few Great Demons, you can easily carve out a reputation for yourself."

"The realms of Great Demons?" Liuchou subconsciously repeated the phrase, then suddenly asked, "Are the Tushan Clan among them?"

"The Tushan Clan?" Wuhuanzi paused slightly, looking puzzled. "Why do you inquire about this clan? Could it be..."

"I have an old friend who belongs to the Tushan Clan, so I merely asked out of curiosity. Just a casual question," Liuchou hurriedly interrupted, cutting off Wuhuanzi's pending inquiry, and forcefully cobbled together an excuse: "If possible, I wish to avoid conflicts with their household, lest things become awkward to face in the future."

"On that score, you may set your mind at ease. The Tushan Clan are a secluded lineage and do not involve themselves in these matters," Wuhuanzi said. "Would you like me to briefly outline the powers of the demon race for your reference?"

"Then I am most grateful!"

Wuhuanzi picked up a twig from the ground and casually sketched a circle in the dirt. "This is the Western Continent. The Far West is the Western Lingtai..."

As he spoke, he drew a small circle to the northwest, just outside the main circle.

"Lingtai is not directly connected to the Western Continent; it stands like an isolated island." Wuhuanzi then circled an area near the western coast close to Lingtai, occupying roughly ten to twenty percent of the entire Western Continent. "This is the Buddhist Realm, established entirely by those who revere Lingtai. Occasionally, members of the demon race dwell among them..."

Next, he drew several large circles in the central region. Upon closer inspection, Liuchou noticed that these circles varied in size, and most of them shared territorial boundaries with the Southern Jambu Continent, except for the final one, which was entirely detached:

"There are quite a few demons who have established states and nations. The largest ones are several distinct realms. Those bordering the Great Zhou are the Sh驼 Kingdom (Camel-Lion Kingdom), the Zhuzi Kingdom, and the Bibobo Kingdom. The one that has no conflict with the Great Zhou is the Yuhua Kingdom. These four major nations do not share fixed borders; rather, each occupies a stronghold. As long as the lesser demons in the surrounding commanderies and states bow in submission, they can pledge allegiance. Consequently, there are numerous minor states, but you need not worry about them."

"Of these four great demon nations, who are their rulers?"

***

Wuhuanzi's expression turned stern as he replied, "The rulers of these four nations have all reached the realm of Demon Kings or Demon Patriarchs. They are figures you can by no means afford to provoke, so you must exercise extreme caution. In the Shituo Kingdom, there are three rulers: the Great Golden-Winged King, the White Elephant King, and the Azure Lion King. The ruler of the Zhuzi Kingdom is the spirit Sai Tai Sui. The ruler of the Bibobo Kingdom is the Vangsheng Dragon King, who defected from the Dragon Clan. The final nation, the Yuhua Kingdom, is ruled by the Nine-Spirited Primal Sage. Although the demon race is divided into four nations, unlike the human race, there is no infighting among them. The four great states treat one another as friendly neighbors, and conflicts are rare. Furthermore, their stance toward the human race is entirely uniform, and they spare no effort against them."

"Does that mean we of the demon race are more united than humans?"

Liuchou spoke offhand, but unexpectedly, Wuhuanzi actually nodded and admitted, "Indeed. Were it not for extenuating circumstances, when would this world ever have allowed the human race to rise to dominance, leaving our demon race in such a precarious position?"

Seeing that Wuhuanzi had more to say but stopped himself, Liuchou wanted to ask, but knowing that Wuhuanzi would surely try to persuade him to seek out his master once more, he simply refrained from taking the bait and instead asked, "I wonder if we demon kings and demon folk can compare to immortals?"

"Immortals? What are they worth!" Wuhuanzi flashed an extremely disdainful, light laugh. "Aside from the Vangsheng Dragon King, whose power relies on the collective might of the Dragon Clan, the rulers of the other nations are all figures who achieved illustrious military records during the Investiture of the Gods. Leaving aside ordinary immortals, even perfected beings and Taiyi immortals are mere trifles before them. Golden Immortals are no match for them either; only Great Golden Immortals can claim to suppress them by a fraction."

"Since their strength is such, why..." Halfway through his sentence, Liuchou suddenly snapped to attention, realizing that Wuhuanzi had already answered this very question earlier: the reason the demon race could not flourish was because the immortals in the heavens were meddling, unwilling to let them grow strong.

Seeing Liuchou trail off abruptly, Wuhuanzi knew he understood and offered no further explanation. He merely sighed, then steered the conversation back to the original topic: "If you go to the Western Continent, there will be ample room for achievement. However, with the demon race and the human race currently at war, if you go to the Western Continent and refuse to participate in the conflict, I am afraid that will not be possible."

"That is indeed a problem," Liuchou gave a wry smile. "Fellow Daoist just said that the demon race is bound to be defeated. Why should I go? To throw my life away?" He looked into Wuhuanzi's eyes and asked, "Does fellow Daoist have any instruction for me?"

"I certainly..." Wuhuanzi smiled faintly and said.

"Hold on! If fellow Daoist is going to tell me to consult your esteemed master again, then forget it," Liuchou noticed the rather strange look in Wuhuanzi's smile, instantly guessed his intent, and quickly cut him off. "Just share your own thoughts, if you please."

"Haha, you are certainly quick-witted. However, you guessed wrong this time; I truly do not intend to urge you," Wuhuanzi said. "If we had spoken just a moment ago, I would have given you only two paths, but now there is an extra one."

"Oh? Pray, let me hear them."

"Option one: once you arrive in the Western Continent, you go straight to the Yuhua Kingdom. At most, you will be escorting grain provisions and reinforcing troops. As long as you are careful, you will manage. When the battle is lost, you simply retreat posthaste..." He glanced at Liuchou. "As for methods of preserving your life, I assume you have some."

Liuchou observed Wuhuanzi's expression, unsure what he was actually referring to—whether he had discovered the Demon-Refining Pot or was speaking of the Golden Cicada pills hidden within his robe. He simply decided to feign ignorance and pressed for the remainder of the plan: "That sounds decent enough. I shall consider it."

Wuhuanzi smiled faintly and did not press further, merely adding, "Alternatively, after you go there, you can hide deep in the mountains and never step out. There are plenty of lawless, untamed zones belonging to the demons where you might not even be conscripted into service. As long as you do not venture out recklessly, you will come to no harm."

"Hhm, that is not bad either. I shall ponder on it... You mentioned a third path just now. Why is that?" This was what truly concerned Liuchou, for he had a strange intuition, based on the context, that this path must be related to the Tushan Clan. Thus, he had withheld his stance earlier, waiting for the final option to be revealed.

"Lastly, there is the Tushan Clan." Sure enough, Wuhuanzi brought up the subject of the Tushan lineage. "The Tushan Clan holds a special status. If you have their protection, both humans and demons must show them a modicum of respect. If you were to submit to them and become a household servant..."

"We shall not speak of this matter!" Liuchou somewhat roughly interrupted Wuhuanzi, his tone resolute and unyielding. "I will never, under any circumstances, become a household servant to them. This path must not be taken."

Wuhuanzi had not anticipated such a vehement reaction from Liuchou. He studied Liuchou for a moment before saying, "Very well, you shall decide for yourself."

At this point, Liuchou realized his previous outburst had been a bit too abrupt. He gave an awkward, sheepish smile and said, "Thank you for your guidance, fellow Daoist. After turning it over in my mind, I believe I shall go to the Western Continent after all. At worst, I shall hide away like a turtle pulling in its head; it does not necessarily mean I will meet my death."

***

Wuhuanzi said, "Going to the Western Continent is not a bad choice either. However, with security tight everywhere across the Great Zhou right now, and Mount Mei located in the northernmost reaches of the realm, you must carefully weigh how you intend to cross over. You cannot act rashly..." At this point, catching Liuchou's gaze, he chuckled softly and added, "Do not ask me about this, however. I have no clever scheme for this part either; do not bring it up."

Liuchou smiled as well. Having experienced this conversation, he truly regarded Wuhuanzi as omniscient and had been genuinely prepared to ask for his advice, but Wuhuanzi had beaten him to it. After chuckling for a moment, Liuchou rose to his feet, bowed solemnly to Wuhuanzi, and expressed his gratitude in earnest:

"Today's conversation has benefited me immensely and allowed me to escape with my life. I must thank fellow Daoist for your assistance."

Wuhuanzi did not stand up; remaining seated, he returned half a bow and said, "No need to thank me. This is simply the will of heaven."

With the serious matters discussed for a long time, the scenery of Mount Mei had returned to a hazy chaos. Wuhuanzi did not linger; he rose to take his leave. Suddenly recalling something, Liuchou asked, "If I wish to seek your esteemed master in the future, how can I find him?"

Wuhuanzi replied, "As long as you reach the place where you previously encountered Yellow Wind, you will know."

Only then did Liuchou remember the mink rat, and he apologized, "Speaking of Yellow Wind, that was my fault. He was handed over to the Great Zhou's Tianshan Escort Guards and is currently imprisoned; I know not where they took him."

"I already know his whereabouts. It is of no consequence," Wuhuanzi said indifferently. "This is a matter of destiny; pay it no mind." As he spoke, his figure began to slowly rise, hovering mid-air as if about to take flight.

Liuchou could finally hold back no longer. There was a question he had suppressed in his heart for a long time, unable to decide whether to ask it. Now, seeing that Wuhuanzi was about to leave, he finally made up his mind and called out:

"I have something else I wish to seek your guidance on, fellow Daoist! Have you ever heard of the Gate of Haotian and the Demon-Binding Banner?"

Mid-air, Wuhuanzi let out a hearty laugh and said, "I am already aware of this matter. But you may rest easy; nothing will go amiss with this affair, so do not worry..."

"But this is a matter that even the Immortal Golden Cicada could not deduce! How did fellow Daoist come to know of it?"

This time, Wuhuanzi did not answer. He merely laughed heartily as his figure grew fainter and fainter in the air, melting away like mist. Liuchou could only catch the final parting words as they drifted through the air, gradually growing fainter until, with the sound fading away, Wuhuanzi vanished entirely from sight.

"If you wish to seek me in the future, simply come to the Three-Star Cave on the斜月三星洞 (斜月三星洞 - Slanted Moon and Three-Star Cave) of Fangcun Mountain, and state your name."

Liuchou stood dazedly on the spot for a long time, a myriad of emotions churning within his heart. Today's conversation had made many things he previously understood only vaguely suddenly crystal clear, like a sudden enlightenment. It pointed out the path he should take going forward and also fostered a great deal of favorable feeling toward Wuhuanzi and the master standing behind him.

When his emotions finally settled, Liuchou slammed his hand down on the blue boulder and commanded in a booming voice:

"Lads! All scouts and above, gather here for a council!"