Chapter 41 - The Only Path—Uncover the Source!
Chapter 41: The Only Path—Uncover the Source!
“Three-thousand-li express! Three-thousand-li express! The Demon Lord has struck Tang!” Outside Chang’an, the courier’s cries startled sleeping night birds. The tranquil city ignited with panic. “What!?” “The Demon Lord attacked!?” “He’s the Demon Realm’s master—what can we do!?” “Is Tang doomed!?” City guards dissolved into chaos, terror gripping them. To them, Demon Lord Chong Lou was a god, and his assault spelt despair.
In Daming Palace’s Zichen Hall, deep into the night, Emperor Li Shimin pored over memorials. A frantic shout pierced the silence. “Your Majesty, disaster! Huizhou reports: the Demon Lord has struck!” Clatter! Li Shimin’s brush fell, fury flooding his chest. “Bring it!” he roared, rising and striding forward. The courier, ashen, knelt, offering the letter. “Your Majesty, the Demon Lord attacked in Huizhou!” Li Shimin snatched it, skimming before the seal broke. His face blanched: Chong Lou appeared in Huizhou, struck Tang’s soldiers, crippling 200,000 with one blow.
The letter crumpled in his fist. Teeth clenched, he bellowed, “Court convenes in Zichen Hall in one incense stick! Latecomers face severe punishment!” The edict spread, and within moments, all officials gathered, bleary but silent. Li Shimin, a benevolent emperor, turned stern in crisis, and none dared complain. On the dragon throne, his face was ghostly, hands gripping the desk, eyes swirling with shock, fear, and a trace of despair. The court sensed calamity.
A chill extinguished the incense. Li Shimin waved, purple text floating in the hall: Demon Lord appeared in Huizhou, struck Tang’s soldiers, crippled 200,000 with one blow. The brief words struck like thunder. Breathing halted, the hall so still a hair’s fall would echo. Then, pandemonium erupted. “This…!” “Why attack Tang!?” “He’s beyond even the Celestial Realm—what can we do!?” “One strike felled 200,000—how many more can Tang muster!?” “A demon god older than time, unstoppable even by Gou Mang! If he comes to Chang’an, what then!?”
Shock, fear, and despair swept the court. Even the steadfast Zhangsun Wuji clenched his fists beneath his robes. Amid the chaos, his voice boomed. “Your Majesty!” Stepping forward, he declared, “Chong Lou’s power is unmatched; Tang cannot resist. The only path is reconciliation—find what he seeks and offer it!” His words, bold to the point of treason in calmer times, rang true now. Against the Demon Realm’s lord, pride was folly. Li Shimin, unoffended, shared their dread. Tang was his all, and he’d seize any chance to save it. “All of you,” he commanded, “use every means to uncover what Chong Lou seeks. Report to me at once if you learn anything!” “We obey!” they chorused.
Chong Lou’s attack rocked the world. Beyond the court, Tang’s factions, great and small, learned of it. At Shu Mountain’s Misty Peak, in Infinite Hall, the Five Elders, upon hearing of Chong Lou’s strike, summoned all disciples. Headmaster Qing Wei, grave, sighed, “Disaster looms over Tang!” Disciples gaped—Qing Wei’s rare alarm outdid even the Ten Demon Kings’ chaos. He cut to the chase: “Chong Lou struck in Huizhou, crippling Tang’s soldiers!”
The hall exploded. Chong Lou attacked Tang!? Why? Had someone provoked him? The Demon Realm’s master, a supreme being far beyond the Demon Kings, was untouchable. Another strike could spell doom—how to respond? The storm of panic was expected. Even the Elders had reeled at the news. Chong Lou’s might defied mortal resistance. Tang faced a calamity worse than the Demon Kings.
Qing Wei addressed the disciples solemnly. “Our only course is to investigate why Chong Lou acted. If this catastrophe can be resolved, we must spare the common folk. If not, Shu Mountain stands or falls with the world!”