That person was precisely Chuci, the one the Heavenly Emperor spoke of with such deep fear and wariness.
Jiang Yang was no ordinary bystander. When it came to past connections, her relationship with Chuci predated even that with the Heavenly Emperor. In those times, when the primordial chaos still merged the Four Directions, Jiang Yang was nothing but a tiny Cultivated Snake. She only gained human form after receiving a single breath of Chuci’s Demon Energy. Later, when Chuci was ambushed on Kunlun Mountain Peak, she had Jiang Yang turn the ambush to their advantage, becoming her final, decisive chess piece to reclaim heaven and earth.
The Heavenly Emperor was excessively paranoid. Jiang Yang had lain dormant in the Upper Realm for forty thousand years in silence, forming no factions, involving herself in no affairs. Every thousand years, she had to act as a comforting companion for the Heavenly Emperor. It was stifling to the extreme, but at last, it hadn’t been entirely fruitless.
Jiang Yang recounted everything she had witnessed in the Chaos Realm and heard from the Heavenly Emperor, word for word, to Chuci. Chuci simply gazed at her intently. Her eyes were uniquely shaped—long but not narrow, with a pronounced curve on the upper eyelid that swept into an elongated outer corner. Unlike Jiang Yang’s, which tilted upwards in a seductive, bewitching manner, hers sloped gently downwards with a touch of warmth. Her eyelashes were long and thick, her gaze innocent and clear. Paired with her white fur cape, she didn’t look like a demon at all.
Even the red lotus mark at the center of her forehead—if shown to mortals who couldn’t recognize the true faces of immortals, they’d likely mistake her for some sort of Lotus Fairy.
What Chuci detested most in her life was being lumped together with those lowly immortals. So, every time she went out, she would make the two red demonic lines on her cheeks visible and flash her long fangs, sending anyone who saw her fleeing in terror and panic.
Though, every time, Kunlun would give her a scolding afterwards. And after the scolding, she’d go right back out to frighten people.
—Those fragile, worthless little things; what was there worth protecting?
—If you’re so powerful, why do you go and tease those mortals?
“My King?” Jiang Yang had finished speaking. Seeing her silent, she probed.
“I heard you.” Chuci pulled her thoughts back, her gaze shifting from Jiang Yang to the exit of the Scroll. She said, “So, that brat hid my physical remains in the Chaos Realm, then set up a seal he believed no one could break? His last words were: ‘The final trial, someone will block it for me’?”
“In this world, no one can block me. There was once, but now?” Chuci paused briefly, baring her teeth in a rather dangerous smile. “There is none.”
Jiang Yang: “My King, as I see it, the Heavenly Emperor’s only reliance is likely that one in the mountain again.”
“Oh?” Chuci looked at her with a squinting smile, feigning ignorance. “Do tell?”
Jiang Yang raised her head and stated decisively: “When the snipe and clam grapple, the fisherman profits!”
Chuci’s smile widened. “Ah, he does love playing these tricks. But that requires my cooperation, doesn’t it? Not to mention, that one in the mountain’s magical power is far from what it used to be. Even at her peak, she couldn’t beat me.”
“Indeed, my King is brilliant and mighty.”
Jiang Yang lowered her head, blinked, the teasing intent in her eyes completely unconcealed.
Back then, Kunlun was nearly dead. How did you still end up defeated at her hands, ultimately needing a lowly servant like me to come to the rescue?
Chuci: “…”
Her beast ears suddenly popped out, the two fluffy tufts pushing aside her side hair and trembling. She cleared her throat lightly. “This King is not someone who shies away from the past. Back then, I was caught off guard, allowing that brat Heavenly Emperor to exploit the chaos. After all these years, the Heavenly Emperor still thinks he can use the same trick…”
Chuci raised a hand to rub her erect beast ears, then retracted them. Coldly, she said: “Even if it means mutual destruction, I will lop off his head first, pull out his Divine Sinews to dry fish, and feed his flesh and blood to the lowest animals. Scheming against me is one thing—this Seat, the grand Demon King, won’t hold a grudge. But that one in the mountain… is she someone a little thing like him can touch? A mote of rice-grain light, daring to rival brilliant radiance?”
Chuci mused with confusion: “Even mortals weigh a pig before selling it. Jiang Yang, you’ve been with him so long. Where exactly does that brat get his confidence?”
Jiang Yang had to laugh.
If someone as arrogant as the Heavenly Emperor knew he was being compared to a pig here by Chuci, he’d certainly vomit blood in rage.
Raising an eyebrow, Jiang Yang said with amusement: “Perhaps because of Fuxi and Nuwa’s relationship? He considers his bloodline noble and can’t tolerate gods stronger than him, right? Especially demons like you, My King, who have already transcended the Three Realms and are beyond the Five Elements.”
“Were Fuxi and Nuwa that brother-sister pair playing with mud at the foot of Kunlun Mountain long ago?”
Jiang Yang was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. “I didn’t see the mud-playing days. I had no memories right after birth. The Nuwa I later knew about was already revered in the Mortal Realm as the Creator. And Lord Fuxi, one of the Three Sovereigns, is already dead. The specifics aren’t too clear.”
“Oh,” Chuci dredged up some long-distant memories. “Kunlun seemed to say those two were alright, good people. One day, when Kunlun and I were playing on the mountain, they kowtowed at the mountain’s foot, saying: ‘If Heaven agrees to our union, let the clouds of Kunlun Mountain gather. If Heaven disagrees, let the clouds of Kunlun Mountain scatter.’ Kunlun was still deliberating when I raised a hand and gathered the clouds.”
Jiang Yang’s smile froze on her face: “…”
“I rarely did a good deed. I thought, since Kunlun and I have each other, I’d let Fuxi and Nuwa be companions too. Had I known they’d produce something like the Heavenly Emperor, I wouldn’t have left them a single cloud.” Chuci remarked nonchalantly.
Jiang Yang: “…”
Chuci: “Still, aside from giving birth to that worthless thing, Nuwa and Fuxi could be considered… hmm, worthy of being called gods. Kunlun felt they inherited Pangu’s will, which is why the Mortal Realm became so thriving and prosperous.”
Jiang Yang blurted out: “And what does My King think?”
“Me?” Chuci raised an eyebrow, speaking with abandon: “What does that have to do with me? I’m no god. And what is Pangu anyway? What will, what legacy? He’s long dead. Only these fools cling to it obsessively.”
Chuci’s expression turned so cold it seemed ice chips might fall off. “What are gods? What are demons? Why must there be a distinction between gods and demons? Why was I forced to grow in the abyssal depths, never seeing sunlight? Why do they lord above, pampered and honored, receiving the worship of all under heaven?! Why must my people, generation after generation, eke out a miserable existence only in the Myriad Demon Grotto?! Why do their people enjoy fertile wilds, rain, dew, and dawn in the Mortal Realm?! WHY?! Ah? Are my people destined to be lowly from birth?! Since Heaven and Earth birthed me, why confine me to one corner? Pangu? Hah… whatever he valued, I will deliberately overturn and show him!”
Decades upon millennia of accumulated fury and unwillingness seemed to erupt in this moment. The silver beads tied to the ends of her hair clinked sharply together. The red lotus on her forehead seemed about to drip fresh blood.
Chuci took two steps forward, her gaze falling upon Jiang Yang, who was now completely stunned. Jiang Yang jolted back to her senses, making to kneel, but was caught and held up.
Slowly, Chuci reached out, placing her palm over Jiang Yang’s head. Her movement was surprisingly gentle. She stroked Jiang Yang’s long hair, again and again, then spoke softly: “Good child, don’t you want your kin to come out from underground?”
She said: “I will give you a Mortal Realm. A Mortal Realm belonging to demons. I want my people to live more freely and joyfully than anything.”
Jiang Yang looked up at her steadily, and suddenly there were tears in her eyes.
She knelt down, her voice choked with emotion: “My King.”
“Why cry?” Chuci lifted a finger to wipe the corner of her eye, her voice gentle. “This was always something I owed you all. It’s just been delayed far too many years. Now, nothing can stop me anymore. Except this seal. As long as the seal remains, I cannot leave.”
Jiang Yang wiped away her tears. “Please rest assured, My King. Your subordinate will definitely find a way to break the seal. Then, I will lead the assembled demons in the Myriad Demon Grotto to welcome you.”
Chuci helped her up, then suddenly smiled beautifully. “Good, this King will wait for you.”
Jiang Yang’s heart skipped a beat. Inexplicably, she dared not look directly at her. She lowered her head. “Regarding the seal, the Heavenly Emperor recently dispatched Star Lord Du Heng to Kunlun Mountain. I hear he carries the aura of a seal. This subordinate thinks… perhaps we should start with Star Lord Du Heng?”
“That will do. Be careful in your actions.”
“Then, this subordinate takes her leave.”
“Haven’t you always addressed me using ‘I’ these past years? Why suddenly switch to ‘this subordinate’?” Chuci pointed at her own ear and shook her head, smiling. “It sounds uncomfortable to me. Just keep it the way it was.”
“This subo… I understand.”
Chuci added: “Also, haven’t you forgotten something?”
Jiang Yang said: “That one in the mountain is well in every way. I hear she’s been raising a little doll by her side these recent years, keeping her close every day, even sleeping together.”
A flash of annoyance crossed Chuci’s face. Her beast ears immediately popped out. She cursed under her breath: “Spineless thing.”
She knew that half of the primordial spirit would run towards Kunlun Mountain. When no word came in earlier years, she’d assumed it had found someplace to cultivate on its own. And now it had gone back again.
“What was her reaction?”
“She treasures her like a priceless jewel.”
Chuci’s expression eased slightly. She pressed her ears back down and mused: “Find a way to get close to ‘me’, then return and report. Kunlun only knows your original form from childhood. And with her level of magical power, you can easily cast a spell to deceive her eyes. No need to worry about being discovered.”
“Yes.”
After Jiang Yang left, Chuci wearily closed her eyes and rested her mind.
Hmm, what a loyal and devoted subordinate.
