Passing through that gateway, they arrived in another world.
Zoran gazed at the somewhat bewildered Po Kong standing before him and sank into thought. Unlike his other brothers and sisters, Po Kong's situation was unique. Even before being sealed into the Netherworld, she was a demon who found it nearly impossible to suppress her appetite. Now, after being eroded by the Netherworld for tens of thousands of years, the only thing that remained unchanged was her primal ability.
In other words, she had forgotten almost everything except how to eat.
But therein lay the advantage. Zoran had already found a way to help them recover what had been lost. When glory was restored to them, power would return alongside wisdom and emotion. For Po Kong, this method would be equally effective. He simply needed to keep feeding her until her power grew past a certain threshold.
At this moment, Zoran and Po Kong stood at the foot of a mountain range draped in dense clouds and mist.
"Where is this?" Po Kong asked, confusion flitting across her face as she patted her short, chubby hands together.
Zoran looked toward the mountain peaks; his vision spanned vast distances. Within his sight, a continuous black line snaked along the ridgeline, thousands upon thousands of human figures standing in a queue.
He withdrew his gaze, reached out to capture a wisp of the faint mist, and said to Po Kong, "Try this."
Po Kong looked puzzled but obeyed regardless. She opened her mouth wide and sucked the cluster of mist from Zoran's hand in one breath. The force was so great that Zoran felt even the air at the foot of the mountain had become significantly clearer.
"How is it?" he asked.
"It doesn't fill me up, but it seems to have a little bit of an effect. It would be better if it were salty," Po Kong replied, hanging her head.
Hearing this, a look of satisfaction appeared on Zoran's face. He knew the true nature of his younger siblings. Po Kong's gluttony stemmed from an uncontrollable, instinctive craving for power. She grew stronger through consumption.
In the ancient era, the reason she could devour a continent until only an island remained was that the food in their original world contained far too little power. Before it could even be digested, her stomach would be empty again. Since quality was lacking, she could only use quantity to compensate.
In short: the ingredients were too poor.
Therefore, to prevent Po Kong from hunger-induced rampages that threatened to swallow the world, he simply had to elevate the power level of her "ingredients."
With that thought, he shifted his form. A dark moon instantly appeared where he stood. Zoran then emerged from the dark moon, his appearance having quietly transformed.
His long black hair was now gathered into a bun, and he wore a vermilion Taoist robe accented with faint purple, hovering in mid-air. He appeared as a lean, handsome middle-aged man around forty, with jet-black hair and beard. His spirit was restrained, and his aura was calm and composed, like a deep, quiet pool of water. Anyone seeing him would marvel at his transcendent, immortal grace.
Zoran looked at Po Kong. "You must change as well."
"I want to eat," Po Kong said stubbornly, her eyes fixed on the immortal mist swirling in every direction around the mountain base.
"Obey me first," Zoran said gently. "I will give you good things to eat in a moment."
Po Kong nodded. Fortunately, the ability to shapeshift at will was a fundamental demonic skill. She observed Zoran's appearance and followed suit.
A moment later, a somewhat young and plump woman appeared before Zoran. She wore light green palace attire, and her hair was neatly gathered into a bun. The woman Po Kong transformed into looked mature in age, but the craving for food in her eyes and expression made her appear rather... simple.
After being eroded for so long, her demeanor had actually drifted closer to that of a child. Since mountains are considered beautiful for their majestic forms, Po Kong followed a similar logic; as the Mountain Demon, her human form was plump but not greasy. With her simple aura, she looked more like a sheltered woman with a bit of "baby fat" and a bewildered expression.
"This is much better," Zoran noted with a satisfied nod. He instructed her, "Speak little, do little, and follow my lead in everything."
Po Kong watched the dispersing mist, swallowed her saliva, and nodded silently.
"Good. Let's move!" Zoran laughed heartily.
Po Kong took a step forward, and suddenly, the earth shook.
Zoran paused, suddenly realizing that although his sister had changed her appearance, her essence remained the largest and most massive of the eight demons. A hint of helplessness flashed in his eyes as he manipulated gravity to anchor Po Kong's weight, masking her true nature.
Gravity lifted the two of them, drifting toward the mountain peaks.
Through the layers of clouds and mist, at the highest point, a mountain gate floated in the sky, radiating extraordinary nobility. Beneath the gate, along the ridgeline, the dense crowds of human figures looked like a thin black line. These were mortals who had come seeking the Dao to become immortals.
Zoran laughed again. Since arriving in this world, his temperament seemed to have changed slightly, showing a more composed and divine charm. Observing the grand scene before him, he chanted softly:
"Immortal mist drifts atop the Kunlun peaks, ten thousand bow in worship... to join the Chan Sect."
Indeed, this world was a land of immortals. However, it was different from the conventional Investiture of the Gods lore; this was a place possessing the so-called Demon Orb and Spirit Pearl.
The world of Nezha.
The magnificent sight before them was the training grounds of the Chan Sect in this world, the Jade Void Palace on Mount Kunlun. And the thing Zoran needed was inside Mount Kunlun, within the Chan Sect.
If there was anything composed of pure power that could fill Po Kong's stomach on a mechanical and spiritual level, it was magical artifacts and immortal elixirs. Refining scattered energy into solid matter was the most thorough method of an immortal cultivation world.
His original world's methods in this regard were too primitive, lacking reliable artifacts. Even with Zoran's power, he had only mastered gravitational and repelling authorities and Dark Chi magic. Immortal arts and magical artifacts were specialties of other worlds.
Of course, a demon could learn anything. All things share the same origin; Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire were the rules of this world as well.
Within the Chan Sect of this world, there was a magical artifact called the Tianyuan (Heavenly Origin) Cauldron, a supreme treasure for alchemy belonging to Yuanshi Tianzun. Conveniently, that was exactly what Zoran needed.
His younger sister's diet had been too simple. As the Eldest Brother, how could he not provide her with better "feed"?
He accelerated in an instant, leading Po Kong straight toward the gates of the Jade Void Palace. The mist at the summit parted before him. A flash of vermilion was particularly eye-catching as it soared into the sky.
Along the ridgeline, countless mortals longing for immortality looked up, their eyes reflecting hope and envy.
"An immortal! An immortal has appeared!" someone cried out.
"What a divine presence, what an aura..." Every mortal who saw that flash of vermilion marveled.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait!" A disciple wearing a light gold short robe arrived upon hearing the news, stopping them at the entrance.
Zoran slowly came to a halt, using gravity to support Po Kong so she remained as steady as a rock.
"Fellow Daoist, may I ask for what purpose you have come?"
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