SECTION 59: Luck as Bricks, Achievements as Towers, Outer Heavenly Demon
2013-02-09 Author: Gu Zhenren
“Tie Lie, what are you doing?!” Just as Tie Ao arrived at the dungeon, he witnessed a scene that made his eyes split with rage.
Tie Lie’s face was contorted and terrifying. His hands, like iron clamps, were tightly gripping Long Daozhi’s neck. Long Daozhi was motionless, his eyes bulging, his gaze unfulfilled.
“Cousin, cousin!” Tie Lie said in a gentle tone, then shuddered and retracted his hands as if he had been electrocuted. His face was filled with panic and urgency.
“Daozhi, Daozhi!” Tie Ao cried out loudly and lunged forward. After examining him, his heart sank like a stone, as if plunged into an ice cave.
He was dead!
Long Daozhi was dead.
Disaster struck from within. He didn’t die at the hands of an enemy, but rather at the hands of his own kin.
*Pfft!*
Tie Ao, already gravely injured in body and mind, could not bear this sudden blow and vomited a mouthful of blood.
He recalled the first time he met Long Daozhi, how they hit it off immediately, two heroes appreciating each other.
“This is a chaotic world, how wonderful! Talents emerge in droves, heroes surge forth, this is the ultimate stage for a true man to distinguish himself! Daozhi, come help me, let us join hands and face all the heroes of the world, trample their corpses, and build a foundation of kingship.” This is what Tie Ao said to Long Daozhi.
“Chaotic world… hahaha, it truly stirs the blood. Let Daozhi follow your side, young lord, and gallop across the land, unfurl the banners over rivers and seas.”
The conversation from back then still lingered in his ears. Yet now, Long Daozhi’s cold corpse, his helpless, bulging eyes, presented such a cruel picture.
“A talent fit to be a king’s advisor, a king’s advisor… Daozhi!!!” Tie Ao sobbed, crying out loudly, “Tonight, I have lost Daozhi, as if one of my arms has been severed. The pain is unbearable, Daozhi! The grief is immense, Daozhi! The pity is profound, Daozhi!”
No one understood Long Daozhi’s talent better than he did. In Tie Ao’s heart, he was the advisor fit for a king, his right-hand man for future dominion.
And yet, he died before he could even display half of his talent!
“Heaven is unfair, Heaven does not protect me!” Tie Ao roared to the sky, crying out in anguish.
“Cousin, I was wrong!” Tie Lie’s head was drenched in cold sweat. He fell to his knees with a loud thud. He had not expected Long Daozhi to hold such a high position in Tie Ao’s heart. Trembling all over, he was utterly terrified.
“You!” Tie Ao turned, glaring with fury. His rage was so extreme that his eyelids widened to their limit, tearing at the corners, blood flowing. Mixed with his tears, they became bloody tears!
“Narrow-minded, driven by jealousy and hatred, what use are you? Guards, drag him out and execute him on the spot!” Tie Ao shouted, waving his large hand.
“Cousin, cousin, spare me! Spare me!!” The guards, ferocious as wolves and tigers, dragged Tie Lie out by force. Tie Lie wailed all the way, struggling incessantly.
Suddenly, a faint “snap” was heard. The wailing abruptly ceased.
Moments later, Tie Lie’s head was respectfully presented by the guards.
Seeing the head, Tie Ao’s grief surged anew. With one hand, he swept the head to the ground before rushing back to Long Daozhi, weeping bitterly, and finally passing out.
Dark clouds gathered, and wind and rain raged.
Towering waves crashed, and thunder boomed. An unnamed small island stood firm amidst this sudden storm. A simple courtyard on the island emanated warm light.
At a small table by the window, a game of Go was laid out.
“Hahaha! Old friend, I won!” The Sleeping Old Man, Yao Xian, laughed heartily, placing a stone.
This move was masterful, immediately creating a situation on the Go board where black dragons surged, cutting off the central white dragon. The white dragon, despite its immense size, grand structure, and boundless prospects, was caught in a desperate struggle. The black dragons had narrowly managed to outmaneuver it, preventing its ascent, which would have made it an unstoppable true dragon.
Now, it was being fiercely hunted by the black dragons, a brutal and breathtaking spectacle.
The Oracle Immortal shook his head, somewhat dissatisfied. “Your move was perilously bold, with no room for retreat. If I hadn’t felt a sudden palpitation and lost concentration, I might not have seen through it. If my white dragon had ascended into a dragon, without needing to attack, your two black dragons would have been cornered and destroyed themselves.”
The Sleeping Old Man was unfazed. As he collected the Go stones, he said firmly, “Go is like life, one must fight. All things grow, the weak are prey to the strong; one must strive with all their might, to the point of bloody heads, to carve out their own world.”
“Heh, your personality is still the same,” the Oracle Immortal smiled helplessly and turned to look at the surging waves outside the window, sighing with emotion, “The winds and waves roar, the rivers and mountains bleed, tides rise and fall, burying countless heroes and eliminating countless valiant men.”
“Why be so sentimental? Look, even the wind and waves are fighting. The glory at the crest of the wave belongs only to the strongest. Those heroes and valiant men who were eliminated and submerged are merely but losers,” the Sleeping Old Man said, a hint of smugness in his tone after winning the game.
“My old friend speaks of a single perspective. Over the years, I have traveled across the land and gained much insight. I have realized that the ultimate principle of Heaven and Earth lies in the balance of yin and yang, the duality of creation.” The Oracle Immortal mused, “If the sky accumulates too much water vapor, it will form clouds and rain. If beast populations explode and deplete food sources, they will starve in turn. In the past, the Tang Jin Kingdom was the strongest in Xingzhou, yet it only lasted five hundred years. It reached its peak and declined; strength cannot last forever. This is the way of balance.”
“Are you speaking of the way of luck?”
“Precisely,” the Oracle Immortal nodded. “Luck has its strengths and weaknesses, but it also follows the principle of balance. For example, the Country Lord of the Tang Jin Kingdom had only the luck of a king, yet he did not know restraint. Building the strongest nation, he treated luck entirely as national fortune. His own cultivation was neglected, and the kingdom only lasted five hundred years. Upon his death, it was conquered. Another example is Chu Bawang, who also had kingly luck, but he expended it all on his own cultivation. After becoming a King level expert, the remaining luck could no longer support his restoration. Therefore, despite dedicating his life to restoring his kingdom, he never succeeded.”
“Luck is like bricks. Personal strength and group power are like two towers built from these bricks. The bricks are limited. If you build the tower of personal strength too high, you will lack bricks for the tower of group power. Conversely, if the tower of group power consumes too many bricks, the tower of personal strength will have fewer. Therefore, one should acquire more Destiny Demonic Treasures to enhance luck and strive for potential space for survival and development,” the Sleeping Old Man said.
The Oracle Immortal shook his head slightly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing. “The bricks on Xingzhou are always limited. Some people have more, and others have less. When a tower is built to its absolute highest, it becomes a Tower to the Heavens. Heaven and Earth seek balance, and thus send forth Demonic Tribulations to reduce these tall towers and equalize the bricks. Lesser Demon Tribulations, Spirit Demon Tribulations, Tribulation Demons – the further one progresses, the more powerful the tribulations become, and the fewer the survivors. By the stage of Tribulation Demons, Heaven and Earth cannot tolerate it, and tribulations descend at any moment, attempting to crumble the tall towers.”
“In fact, besides Demonic Tribulations, there is an ultimate method on Xingzhou,” the Oracle Immortal revealed astonishing secrets of Xingzhou. “Every time a tall tower is built, an Outer Heavenly Demon Beast will be generated in the heavens above, known as an Outer Heavenly Demon. The higher the tower, the more powerful the Outer Heavenly Demon becomes. In the end, the Star Demon descends upon the world, unstoppable, and destroys the tall tower, bringing balance to Heaven and Earth.”
“Is this truly so?” the Sleeping Old Man exclaimed. “You have indeed gained much from your travels over the years. Is there a way to restrain these Star Demons?”
“The best way to restrain a Star Demon is to destroy it collectively while one’s strength is still low. Otherwise, as time goes on, the Star Demon grows stronger and becomes harder to defeat. Why did our ancestors build Sky City in the past? It was to ascend to the heavens above and slay their own Star Demons, eradicating the greatest menace. Unfortunately, that battle failed. The Star Demons grew powerful, and the entire army was annihilated. Sky City then fell into the heavens, among the stars,” the Oracle Immortal sighed.
“Even a magnificent city like Sky City could not achieve victory? These Outer Heavenly Demons are truly that powerful! Are there any examples of successfully slaying a Star Demon?” the Sleeping Old Man asked again.
“Throughout history, there has been only one such instance. That was the legend of legends in ancient times – the Star Saint. He wielded the Star Hunting Bow and shot down a Star Demon. Upon its death, its corpse fell, becoming the land of Xingzhou we know today,” the Oracle Immortal said slowly.
“Just how enormous must that Star Demon have been? So the ancient legends hold such truth?” The Sleeping Old Man’s eyes widened, his heart greatly shaken. He mused, “Truly, the might of a Saint is immeasurable. He was able to hunt down a Star Demon and resist Heaven and Earth’s ultimate means!”
“That is because, upon reaching the Saint realm, one’s tower becomes a Tower to the Heavens, capable of sharing the lifespan of Heaven and Earth and the radiance of the sun and moon. It becomes an existence equal to Heaven and Earth. However, a Saint uses too many bricks. The remaining bricks are insufficient to construct another Tower to the Heavens. Therefore, after the Star Saint, no more Saints could emerge.”
As he spoke, the heavy rain ceased. The dark clouds dispersed, and the sky became clear and vast, dotted with stars. The Oracle Immortal sighed softly, “Saints are great thieves who steal luck bricks to pave their path to the heavens. As long as Saints exist, there will be no end to these great thieves. Now, look at the starry sky.”
The Oracle Immortal pointed to the sky. “Each star is a Star Demon, corresponding to the powerful figures in Yan Prefecture. The stars form star domains, corresponding to various powers. Look at this circle; it is the destiny star domain of the Mongol Yuan Nation. And look at this area; it is the destiny star domain of the Jianghan Nation.”
The Sleeping Old Man could not help but sigh. “There are so many powerful beings on Xingzhou! They are as numerous as carp and crucian carp crossing a river, countless! The Teng List only displays a small portion. Who knows how many hidden masters there are in the mortal world. Where is the star domain of our Archipelago?”
The Oracle Immortal then pointed it out to him.
It was the most chaotic star domain in the sky, with many bright stars shimmering, but they were scattered and disintegrated, far from neat like other star domains.
“Huh?” Suddenly, the Oracle Immortal exclaimed in surprise, looking at the night sky with great astonishment.
“What is it?” the Sleeping Old Man asked, confused, and looked up.
In the night sky, within the star domain representing the Archipelago, two groups of stars suddenly erupted in radiance, competing for brilliance. However, after a few breaths, many stars in one cluster quietly extinguished. In the other cluster, the stars became even brighter and more dazzling.
“What is happening? So many important stars have fallen at once! A major event, a major event!” the Oracle Immortal cried out in alarm. He then peered intently and suddenly froze, his pupils contracting. “Not good! My disciple is dead!” (PS: I wrote this chapter rather slowly, as it involved a lot of world-building and took a lot of thought. I thought a lot and finally decided to reveal this part of the setting. I hope you all like it and give me encouragement.)
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