"That Black Mountain Old Demon is the demon king who has seized control of part of the underworld," Yan Chixia explained gravely. "His magical power is tremendous - I don't know how many cultivators with profound abilities have perished at his hands."
"A demon king entrenched in the underworld?" Fahai's voice carried disbelief. "How could the gods of the underworld tolerate such occupation? Aren't there any immortal deities to oppose this Black Mountain Demon? What about great gods like Empress Houtu or Emperor Taishan? Shouldn't the Ten Kings of Hell intervene to resolve such a problem?"
Yan Chixia studied Fahai with a puzzled expression. "Master Fahai, do you truly not know what has transpired in this world? Anyone with a certain level of cultivation should be aware of what happened to the immortal and underworld realms. Given your obvious strength, you surely shouldn't be ignorant of such matters."
"Brother Yan, let me explain the situation," Gustave interjected, realizing that without revealing their true origins, they would never understand this world's circumstances. "The truth is, we're not from this world. We're..."
He proceeded to explain their identities as interdimensional travelers and how they'd arrived in this realm.
"Ah, that makes perfect sense now!" Yan Chixia's expression cleared with understanding. "No wonder you three possess such formidable power yet I've never heard of you before. And no wonder you're unaware of our world's condition."
He settled into a more comfortable position, preparing for a lengthy explanation. "Since you've shared your true origins with me, I'll tell you what befell this world. I learned this story from people in Kunlun during my travels."
Yan Chixia's voice took on a somber tone as he continued. "About a thousand years ago, the famous sects like Kunlun and Emei suddenly found they could no longer contact their ancestors in the upper realms. Soon after, elderly masters preparing for ascension discovered that the immortal gates wouldn't open - the path to immortality had simply vanished."
The demon hunter paused, letting the weight of his words settle before continuing. "Panic spread throughout the cultivation world. The great sects and those ancient masters preparing for immortality joined forces, using treasures left by their ancestors to forcibly tear open a passage to the immortal realm."
His expression grew even darker. "But when they arrived in the immortal world, they found it dead and silent - no longer the prosperous realm of legend. They searched everywhere but couldn't find a single immortal, not even any living creatures. Worse, the immortal realm had lost its celestial energy and become much like the mortal world, though with slightly richer spiritual energy."
"The underworld suffered the same fate," he continued grimly. "All the underworld gods had vanished without a trace. Apart from the Six Paths of Reincarnation, which still functioned normally, everything else mirrored the immortal realm's condition. The only difference was that the underworld's yin energy remained thicker."
Yan Chixia shook his head sadly. "No one knows why the immortals and gods disappeared. But a protracted war erupted over control of both realms, which wasn't stabilized until three or four hundred years ago."
"The famous sects, with their profound foundations and numerical advantages, claimed the immortal world. Meanwhile, various demon kings seized control of the underworld. Initially, the cultivators could suppress the underworld's demon kings, but as time passed, the elderly masters in the cultivation world couldn't achieve immortality and simply died when their lifespans ended."
His voice carried bitter irony. "The demon kings were different - they possessed much longer lifespans. As one side weakened and the other grew stronger, the great sects had to strategically withdraw to the human world to maintain their control over the immortal realm. That's why the mortal world is now overrun with demons."
"The immortal gods vanished overnight?" Gustave frowned as he absorbed this incredible tale. He'd visited many worlds, but this was the first time he'd encountered such a situation. Could the world of A Chinese Ghost Story have entered the legendary Age of Dharma's End?
"Brother Gustave, given what Brother Yan has described, should we ask the great saint to come investigate?" Fahai could only think of requesting the Moral Lord, who spent his days gaming aboard the Bamboo Staff, to examine what had befallen this world.
"We'll definitely invite Master to investigate eventually, but now isn't the right time. Let's wait until we've dealt with the Black Mountain Demon," Gustave replied thoughtfully.
With no immortals or gods remaining in this world, he had nothing to fear. Though the Black Mountain Old Demon sounded formidable, his strength was probably comparable to Gustave's at most. It wasn't often he found such a suitable opponent - he decided to defeat the Black Mountain Demon first.
"Very well. Since Brother Gustave suggests it, let's eliminate the Black Mountain Demon first," Fahai agreed with a nod.
"Gentlemen," Yan Chixia interjected curiously, "I wonder who this saint you keep mentioning might be? From your conversation, it seems you don't take the Black Mountain Old Demon's territorial control seriously at all. And you keep referring to this saint - his identity must be quite remarkable."
"The sage is Taiqing Daode Tianzun - the Moral Lord - and he's also Brother Gustave's master," Fahai explained.
"Taiqing Daode Tianzun!" Yan Chixia's eyes widened as he stared at Gustave with an expression mixing envy and awe, though he quickly recovered his composure.
"It seems the Black Mountain Demon's comfortable days are numbered," he said with a wry smile, already feeling pity for the doomed creature.
Meanwhile, back at the Water Residence, the situation was growing increasingly tense.
"Xiaoqian, what's that movement in your bathtub?" Xiaoqing had noticed the subtle disturbance in the water.
"Oh, I was just preparing for my bath!" Xiaoqian quickly moved to the tub and stirred the water with her hand, hoping to mask any signs of the hidden scholar.
"Really?" Xiaoqing frowned suspiciously.
"Xiaoqing, since your sister wants to bathe, we shouldn't disturb her," the tree demon interjected with an affected gesture. "Xiaoqian doesn't need to hunt for victims these next few days - you can handle that work for her."
"Thank you, grandmother!" Relief flooded Xiaoqian's voice.
"Xiaoqian, bathe quickly now. Make sure you're clean and fragrant for the next few days. In three days' time, I'll arrange your wedding to the Black Mountain Demon in grand style."
The tree demon's smile carried a chilling undertone that made Xiaoqian's blood run cold.
Despite ordering Xiaoqian to bathe, the tree demon showed no signs of leaving the pavilion.
"Grandmother, Xiaoqian understands." She bowed respectfully and began removing her outer garments.
She knew that if she didn't actually bathe in the tub, the tree demon would likely remain suspicious and refuse to leave. With trembling fingers, she continued disrobing until only her undergarments remained, then modestly stepped into the water with her arms positioned to preserve what dignity she could.
Xiaoqian settled into the bath and began washing herself with cupped handfuls of water, acutely aware of the tree demon's scrutinizing gaze.
Satisfied with this display, the ancient creature chuckled with malevolent amusement. "Xiaoqing, let's go."
She turned and led her subordinate from the pavilion.
But after walking only a short distance, the tree demon glanced back at the structure with a knowing smirk.
"Xiaoqian, do you really think hiding that scholar in the bathtub will prevent me from finding him?" she murmured to herself with dark satisfaction.
"I don't know where Yan Chixia and those three troublemakers have gone, but they haven't emerged yet - they must be watching from the shadows. The Black Mountain Old Demon has bullied me for too long. Let me arrange for you all to fight each other while I reap the benefits."
Her voice carried vindictive pleasure. "Let that scholar enjoy himself a bit and put horns on the Black Mountain Old Demon ahead of schedule."
With her spirits considerably lifted by this scheme, the tree demon grandmother continued into the night.