The Netherworld.
When Zoran appeared, six demons stirred at the sound of his arrival. They swarmed around him, their gazes burning with intensity.
"Brother, you're back? Who's next?" Hsi Wu asked, his voice trembling with excitement.
He voiced the question every brother and sister wanted to know. Zoran had not lied; even Lü Dongbin had been cast into the Netherworld, making their individual rescues a mere matter of time. Having endured tens of thousands of years in this purgatory, this short wait meant nothing to them. They only wondered who the next lucky soul would be.
Zoran stood composed, his gaze warm as he observed his siblings. He had not delayed a single moment since returning from the other world, rushing straight to the Netherworld. This haste was not without purpose; he had brought back something vital, and he was about to unleash its true potential.
The soul of Shendu also arrived in the Netherworld to personally witness this momentous occasion.
Zoran looked at the six demons and held out his hand. A trace of primordial power, extracted from the other world, radiated a soft glow in his palm. He gazed at this Authority taken from the King of Earth and Mountains.
The power wasn't particularly grand. As he had initially predicted, even with his augmentations, it barely reached a usable level. Although the original owner held the title of "King of Earth and Mountains" in the other world, their essence was still significantly weaker compared to a Demon Sorcerer.
Zoran's gaze shifted among the six demons, finally landing on a mountainous figure.
"Po Kong, my sister," he called out.
Po Kong, the Mountain Demon.
Ranked second among the eight Demon Sorcerers, she was the oldest after Tso Lan, the elder sister to all the others.
"Oh, it looks like Po Kong is leaving ahead of us," Hsi Wu chirped excitedly.
The other demons turned their eyes toward Po Kong. As expected, though their spirits were shaken, there was no infighting or greed. In the Netherworld, time was the cheapest commodity. Since the Eldest was fulfilling his promise, the order was merely a matter of sequence. If anything, seeing the reality of Tso Lan rescuing his siblings allowed the emotion of hope to finally take precedence.
"Po Kong... is leaving this wretched place! Po Kong finally doesn't have to starve anymore!" Po Kong pounded her chest in excitement, the sound echoing like rolling thunder.
In the Netherworld, every demon had suffered a degree of "erosion," though their conditions varied. Those in better shape, like Xiao Fung, remembered more than the others. Those in worse condition, like Hsi Wu, had forgotten almost all their magic, and their strength had dwindled to pathetic levels.
Po Kong's condition was also quite poor. She had been eroded to the point of remembering little more than the instinct to feed. While she was never the most refined in ancient times, at least then she merely had a lack of self-control; it was just that the world's resources were too scarce and barren for her. Now, she remembered almost nothing but eating.
"My sister, do not be anxious," Zoran consoled her softly.
A wisp of Moon Demon Chi pushed the Authority in his hand, fusing it into the Netherworld and slowly soaking it into the blood-red sky of the purgatory realm. Zoran activated his newly refined three-in-one magic, his Taoist robes fluttering violently as he strained to weave the Authority into the rules of the Netherworld.
Simultaneously, his mind worked without pause. Po Kong was different from the other demons; her danger level far exceeded that of her siblings. If left unchecked, she would eventually devour the world clean. If that happened, by the time the other siblings were released, they would be greeted by a hollow, empty void.
Zoran could not allow her to remain in this world for long. Even if she was to wreak havoc, now was not the time. He had to lead her to another world immediately.
With a massive, distinct shudder, the Netherworld began to vibrate uncontrollably. Within this world of despair, a second Authority of a Mountain Demon had suddenly appeared. A conflict arose within its fundamental operating rules, exactly the effect Zoran intended!
Towering Demon Chi surged forth. Po Kong suddenly felt a massive push acting upon her mountain-sized body. This force was rejecting her. Following her brother's instructions, she offered no resistance, allowing the power to grow.
In the next instant, her vision blurred. Like a foreign object being purged, she was expelled from the Netherworld.
She saw the light of day!
Po Kong waved her small hands in excitement, her eyes greedily scanning her surroundings: it was a super-luxury mansion.
"I'm hungry... I've been hungry for so, so long..." A deep, irrepressible rumble emanated from her stomach. The ground shook, and humans in servant uniforms scattered in terror beneath her feet.
The next second, her movements were frozen.
It was Shendu. He stood before Po Kong, looking resigned. "This is my territory."
He had feared exactly this, which was why he had rushed back the moment Zoran's spell was completed. It was a close call; his home was almost a snack.
"Then where is Po Kong's territory? I can't hold back!" Po Kong roared, her patience wearing thin.
Just then, Zoran's soul returned after saying his goodbyes to the remaining siblings. He spared a quick glance at Lü Dongbin's situation. It was fine; even with one Po Kong missing, the Netherworld wouldn't have issues, and Lü Dongbin couldn't stir up much trouble. It was actually a miracle that the man was still kicking after being harassed by the six demons for so long.
But facing Po Kong, even Zoran felt a bit of a headache. She was a being capable of swallowing the sky and the land; filling her stomach was no easy task.
In the past, her territory was Japan. In the ancient era, that land was originally a continent comparable in size to Asia. But her appetite was insatiable; through non-stop feeding, she had devoured the continent until it was nothing but a lonely island nation.
If Shendu hadn't stopped her just now, this place would have been gone. Shendu didn't want the Second Sister to celebrate her release by eating his house.
He waved a hand. The servants who had fled earlier gathered again, carrying massive, salt-covered insects to begin the feeding process. Po Kong clapped her hands in delight, her short arms eagerly grabbing an insect and stuffing it into her mouth. This was food Shendu had cultivated in advance. He had promised to welcome his siblings into this world, and he wasn't about to enjoy himself alone.
The servants formed a long line, carrying demon-rations toward Po Kong. But even this could only solve the immediate crisis.
Shendu turned his gaze to Zoran, his eyes filled with a helpless look. No words were spoken, but everything was understood.
Zoran sighed. Such was the burden of the Eldest. He raised his hand, and a massive golden portal appeared instantly. Demon Chi wrapped around Po Kong, drifting toward the gateway with him.
"Let's go," he called out.
Po Kong blinked, though her hands never stopped eating. "Where?" she asked, confused.
Zoran's palm pushed gently, a soft but irresistible repulsion nudging her forward. He whispered:
"To eat, my sister. Of course."
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