Five days after Vance Skyler’s departure, the little island filled with strangely dressed people—men and women of all ages. First, one planted a great flag on the island; then, with a flash of light, dozens more banners appeared.
When the banners were stowed away, hundreds of people appeared, sitting around the island in precise positions, scattered like stars on a board, motionless.
However, every two hours, these people would rise and change their positions, and this pattern never altered.
Under the trees, Drake Dandy shivered, quickly dragging herself inward toward the center of the island.
Serena Yunxiang, on the other hand, was cheerful, cooking for everyone so no one would go hungry.
Lynn Ling’s face was grim as she looked around. She could tell this was a grand formation trapping them on the island, giving them no chance to leave. If anyone tried to force their way out, the array would activate, turning into a killing field and transforming the island into an Asura field!
Once this grand array was triggered, it would be unimaginably terrifying!
She also noticed some of the odd people wore court robes—imperial officials, butchers from the market, executioners, and even Imperial Academy supervisors. It was truly a bizarre mix!
The strangest part was that every two hours, these people shifted positions, altering the array to prevent the Dao Lord from fully calculating and breaking its transformations.
"The Cult of the Heavenly Demon really deserves its reputation as the number one demonic sect—they’ve calculated this perfectly."
The Dao Lord also studied the killing array, quietly admiring it. "It takes me exactly two hours to deduce each change, and just as I finish, they shift the array again. The Formation Hall Master is truly cunning."
The Formation Hall Master was the Imperial Supervisor of the Imperial Academy’s Formation Hall, recently favored as a Hanlin Scholar by Emperor Evan. Though the emperor withheld real power due to his Holy Cult background, most military formations were designed by him.
Clearly, the Formation Hall Master had calculated the Dao Lord’s abilities to perfection: if Quinn Shepherd were ever in danger, the Dao Lord would never be allowed to leave alive—if he left at all, it would be as a corpse.
Unnoticed, the fourteenth day arrived. Quinn Shepherd opened his eyes beneath the stone stele, stood up, and saluted the Dao Lord: "Thank you, senior brother, for letting me study Dao Sword."
The Dao Lord rose and returned the salute. "No need for thanks. As Human Emperor, you have every right to study Dao Sword. Just as I have shown you Dao Sword, the World-Honored One will show you the Grand Buddha Mahayana Scripture. You are worthy of it."
Quinn said, "I have already read the Grand Buddha Mahayana Scripture."
The Dao Lord paused, then laughed. "That old fox always gets ahead of me. Lucas, return the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra to the Human Emperor."
Lucas Lin awoke from his study, quickly gathered up the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra into a thread ball, and respectfully handed it back to Quinn Shepherd.
Quinn smiled, "We’re about the same age—no need for such formalities."
Lucas Lin shook his head. "Too much courtesy never hurts. Until I become Dao Lord, I’ll always be your junior."
Quinn Shepherd smiled helplessly, "Dao Lord, though you’ve never read the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra, your comment about storing good and evil truly grasps its essence. When you studied the Sutra, how much good and evil did you see within it?"
Lucas Lin hesitated. The Dao Lord laughed, "Cult Master Quinn is an expert in this field. Just say it."
Lucas Lin said, "Maybe I was prejudiced at first. When I first read the Sutra, every line seemed harmful. By the middle, I started to sense its flavor, and the distinction between orthodox and demonic blurred. By the end, I realized I might have misunderstood, so I reread it from the beginning and felt differently again."
Quinn asked with a smile, "How much of it still feels demonic to you?"
"About twenty percent," Lucas Lin answered honestly.
Quinn said, "Your dao-heart is still twenty percent demonic. But you’re already much better than the Buddha’s heir—when he reads the Sutra, he sees nothing but demons. He has the appearance of a Buddha, but his heart is hopelessly demonic."
Lucas Lin was stunned, then suddenly understood. "So that’s how it is!"
Still unconvinced, Lucas glanced at Quinn. "How much of the Sutra seems demonic to you, Human Emperor?"
Quinn said, "Every chapter of the Grand Fostering Heavenly Demon Sutra is both orthodox and demonic. It all depends on how I use it."
Lucas Lin was dumbfounded. "This..."
Quinn said meaningfully, "The way of sages lies in daily use among the common people. The very first line of the Sutra makes this clear: you and I are also commonfolk. When our hearts hold righteousness, the Sutra is righteous; when our hearts hold demonic intent, the Sutra is demonic. I can use it as a righteous law, or as a magic-path scripture. Its subtlety lies in the heart."
"Its subtlety lies in the heart?" Lucas Lin was stunned again, finding it deeply reasonable.
The Dao Lord immediately snapped, "Enough! Don’t listen to his teachings—pure spontaneity is a crooked doctrine! You are the next Dao Lord; guard your mind and don’t let his clever words lure you into the Holy Cult!"
Lucas Lin snapped awake, breaking into a cold sweat, drenched. He thought, "He used the pretext of guidance to sneak in demonic doctrine! His pure spontaneity is not the same as our Dao Gate’s ‘dao follows nature!’"
The Dao Lord said sternly, "Cult Master Quinn’s heart is indeed a cut above yours. In the future, when he opposes you as Cult Master, be careful—not just remembering he’s the Human Emperor, but that he’s also the leader of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon!"
Quinn could only smile wryly. Even in friendly conversation, the Dao Lord treated him like a flood beast, always on guard lest his disciple be led astray.
The Dao Lord asked, "How does the Human Emperor view Dao Sword?"
Quinn replied solemnly, "Its numerology is exhaustive and exquisitely subtle. The final moves seem to transcend calculation and approach dao itself."
The Dao Lord, with hidden meaning, smiled, "Dao Sword can also be seen as the problem of accurately measuring a circle. The digits of pi are nearly infinite; the relationship between diameter and circumference cannot be ended by invoking emptiness and purity—there are always more digits. Dao has no endpoint, and neither does the circle’s circumference. So, why must dao be changed, and law be reformed?"
Quinn was taken aback—the Dao Lord was preaching Dao Gate’s doctrine to him!
"Dao Lord, let’s stop here," Quinn said with a smile.
The Dao Lord laughed heartily and told Lucas Lin to put away the stone stele. "Human Emperor, your identity is special and you’ll have many terrifying enemies. You’d best return to the Great Ruins soon. The Dragon King’s daughter came at my request—will you allow me to take her away?"
Quinn glanced down at the Yellow Jing sprouts beneath their feet. Many had grown several leaves, but quite a few had already died.
"Don’t worry. She’ll listen to me—she won’t come back here again."
The Dao Lord smiled, "You haven’t lost anything; if anything, she’s the one who’s lost a great deal."
Quinn nodded and called Drake Dandy forward. She forced herself to endure the pain and staggered up.
Quinn asked, "Are you still my enemy?"
Drake Dandy replied, "Because of you, my Dragon Tamer Sect was exterminated. I have no choice but to be your enemy."
"Even without me, your Dragon Tamer Sect was doomed. That was the way of the times. Even if I hadn’t been at Heaven-Wave City, the result would have been the same."
Quinn said, "I was just there by chance. It’s only natural for you to hate me, but if you come for my life again, I won’t show mercy."
Drake Dandy gritted her teeth. "I won’t show mercy either!"
Quinn shook his head. "You have no more chances left. If you shed your skin again, you’ll only grow old. Go with the Dao Lord."
Drake Dandy stood beside the Dao Lord, her mind blank. Every time she met Quinn, he seemed stronger than before. Would she ever be able to match him?
Did she still have a chance?
But soon her mind was drowned by hatred, and she pushed the confusion aside.
The Dao Lord cupped his fists, performing the outer taiji and inner ziwu mudras. "I take my leave."
Quinn returned the salute and said, "Farewell, Dao Lord."
All around the island, Hall Masters, Protectors, and Heavenly Kings of the Cult of the Heavenly Demon rose to their feet, opening a path.
The Dao Lord led Drake Dandy and Lucas Lin off the island. A cloud rose beneath their feet, carrying the three of them away.
Quinn looked at the surrounding Holy Cult members and waved with a smile. "That’s all—everyone can disperse now."
Everyone saluted, the great banner rolled up and vanished. Yet Jade Heavenly King and Master Heavenly King stayed behind, clearly still worried about Quinn’s safety.
Quinn smiled, "No need to be so anxious about me. You should go as well."
The two Heavenly Kings exchanged a glance, covered themselves with their robes, and disappeared.
"I doubt they’ll go far," Si Yunxiang remarked.
Quinn nodded. Ling Yuxiu frowned, "Great Cult Master, you were showing off in front of your subordinates and let them leave—how are we supposed to get out of here now?"
Quinn hesitated; he had, indeed, been showing off. The village elders had always taught him never to lose face, so he hadn’t let the Holy Cult members escort him from the East Sea, lest he lose dignity before his followers.
"Do you think Fan Yunxiao will come back for us?" he asked tentatively.
The two women sneered in unison, "He cried so miserably when he left—he won’t be back!"
Quinn mumbled, "Then... we’ll just have to walk back across the sea."
"There’s no other way."
Si Yunxiang glanced back at the Spirit Spring, reluctant to leave. "Do you think the Yellow Jing, once awakened, will still recognize us?"
"No idea."
Quinn looked back; the Spirit Spring was lush and green. He shook his head, "They’ve died once. If they had souls, those souls should have gone to the dark Youdu. But now they’ve come back to life. Whether their souls and memories are the same as before, or new souls have formed with blank memories, is anyone’s guess."
Si Yunxiang felt a pang of melancholy, but seeing Quinn and Ling Yuxiu already walking on the sea, she hurried to catch up. Waves rose beneath Quinn’s feet like a dragon’s head, carrying them westward.
Meanwhile, in another place, the Witch Sovereign of Loulan’s Golden Palace received news from Bangongcuo and immediately set off westward.
He traveled far, skirting the vast Great Ruins, crossing snowy plateaus and the Flame Desert, entering the Western Lands and ascending its highest peak.
At the golden summit of this sacred mountain, there was nothing but an altar. The Witch Sovereign lit three sticks of incense, their smoke curling up to the heavens.
Where the smoke vanished, a faint green face appeared in the sky, seeming to merge with the blue heavens.
"A new Human Emperor has appeared," the Witch Sovereign intoned, bowing before the incense.
Note ①: ‘Mi Rate’ and ‘Yue Rate’ are terms for pi. The mathematician Zu Chongzhi calculated these rates during the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Zu Chongzhi was a Daoist of the Celestial Master tradition and a mathematical master, who wrote: ‘Devoted to mathematics, searching through ancient and modern times.’
So, you want to cultivate immortality? How’s your math? Chemistry (like Daoist Tao Hongjing)? Medicine (like Daoist Ge Hong and Sun Simiao)? Philosophy (Laozi, Zhuangzi)? Statecraft (Wei Zheng, Li Mi)? Economics (Fan Li), strategy (Zhang Liang), calligraphy and painting (Wang Xizhi, Wu Daozi), astronomy (too many), poetry (Li Bai)?
Study hard and ascend early!
PS: Zhai Zhu will be attending author salons in Shanghai and Japan, hosted by Yuewen. I’m leaving today—no idea if I can post chapters from Japan, so updates may be irregular or interrupted. If posting is possible, I’ll do my best to keep writing. Don’t worry, the notes and PS are free.