Chapter Fifty-Eight: The Red Cloud Faces Calamity

Hongyun gazed in a daze at the Taoist before him, shaking his head slightly. Yet in his heart, he was filled with anger; this Taoist seemed unbearably arrogant, making people uneasy.

The Taoist, however, spoke with disdain. “Hongyun, you may not remember me, but I certainly remember you. Had you not made things so difficult for me back then, how would I have lost my one chance to become a saint?”

Upon hearing these words, the color immediately drained from Hongyun’s once rosy cheeks, leaving him pale as snow. “You’re the Demon Master Kunpeng?” At that moment, Hongyun recognized the man’s identity.

He recalled how, in the past, he had wagered with Kunpeng to visit the Zixiao Palace, and, joining forces with others, had used words to “squeeze” Kunpeng out of the group.

This incident had always filled Hongyun with dread, for Kunpeng’s status and position were formidable, while he himself was merely a wandering cultivator—what right did he have to bargain with someone of such stature?

Only now did Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi understand the calamity Tongtian had mentioned. It turned out that by taking the opportunity for sanctification from Kunpeng, he had sown the seeds of this karmic retribution. Hongyun forced a bitter smile and said, “There’s no need for anger, my friend. After all, we are fellow practitioners. Please, let me pass this time. If I attain sainthood one day, I will surely protect you and shield you from calamity for generations to come.”

Hongyun was indeed naively optimistic. Wasn’t Kunpeng’s grievance all about this opportunity for sainthood, the primordial purple qi? Instead of hiding his light, Hongyun flaunted his possession of it, seemingly oblivious to the danger he was courting.

Sensing the awkwardness in Hongyun’s words, Zhenyuanzi, standing nearby, turned to the five who blocked their path and said, “My brother may not be skilled with words; I hope you will forgive him. We have urgent matters to attend to, so please excuse us.”

With that, he dragged the still rambling Hongyun by the sleeve and tried to flee toward his own Five Villages Temple. But at that moment, Kunpeng stepped in to block his way.

“Zhenyuanzi, this is not your concern. Please, step aside,” said a Taoist from behind.

“And you are—?” Zhenyuanzi was puzzled. When had so many experts of the Da Luo Golden Immortal rank appeared in the wilderness? Why had he never seen them before?

“We are the good and evil facets of Emperor Dijun,” two of the Taoists stepped forward and announced.

“And we are the good and evil aspects of Donghuang Taiyi,” said two more.

“This… this…” Zhenyuanzi was stunned. Since when had the demon clan grown so powerful?

It was only now that Hongyun understood Kunpeng’s scheme: he had brought the good and evil incarnations of the two demon emperors to help him seize the primordial purple qi. Realizing this, Hongyun abruptly channeled his energy and struck Zhenyuanzi with a palm, sending him flying northward.

Still fumbling for a solution to their predicament, Zhenyuanzi was caught completely off-guard by Hongyun’s sudden attack.

As he soared through the air, Zhenyuanzi managed to twist around, ready to curse Hongyun for his betrayal. But then he caught sight of the bloodshot red in Hongyun’s eyes and instantly understood his intent.

“No, no, no…” Zhenyuanzi, propelled through the sky by Hongyun’s palm, clenched his fists and strained with all his might to return and fight alongside his friend, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t muster any magic.

“I know that today I cannot escape my fate,” Hongyun said, his former carefree elegance replaced by an expression of deep sorrow. “But may I beg you to spare Zhenyuanzi?”

Though Hongyun was usually rather boisterous, faced with true crisis, his calmness was astonishing.

Never trust in oaths; in this world, no one’s word can truly be believed. This was the hard-earned lesson Hongyun had gleaned from his years in the wilderness. Though Taiyi’s good side had said they would spare Zhenyuanzi, how could such assurances be trusted?

“We can let Zhenyuanzi go,” said the good aspect of Dijun, “but you must surrender the primordial purple qi.”

With a cold laugh, Hongyun replied, “If you want my primordial purple qi, you’ll have to step over my dead body.” Though he was terrified, Hongyun’s gesture was merely to buy Zhenyuanzi a bit more time to escape; otherwise, he would have already begun fighting. If he was to die, he would die fighting. He would not let future generations say that Ancestor Hongyun was a coward who clung to life!

Kunpeng was the first to strike. As a being formed from both a great fish and a great bird, he spread his talons and with a mighty cry lunged at Hongyun.

But Hongyun was no easy target. He grabbed the red sand gourd at his waist, and as he opened its lid, a torrent of crimson sand filled the sky, turning the heavens scarlet.

Seeing Kunpeng attack, the others joined the fray.

Hongyun kept the red sand swirling tightly around him, preventing his foes from drawing near.

Yet despite their numbers, Kunpeng and his allies hadn’t even managed to graze Hongyun’s robes; five Da Luo Golden Immortals unable to subdue a mere Taiyi Profound Immortal—if word of this got out, the entire wilderness would be in stitches.

Kunpeng was thoroughly frustrated. Dijun and Taiyi had invited him to help, and he had devised this plan to rid himself of the “inner demon” haunting his heart. Ever since he had discovered the machinations behind the incident at Zixiao Palace, his cultivation had stalled. Though he was a Da Luo Golden Immortal, both Dijun and Taiyi had already severed two aspects of themselves, while he only had an evil aspect to protect him. Resolving this blockage had become an urgent obsession.

Kunpeng turned to Dijun and Taiyi and said, “Your Majesties, what now?” The red sand enveloped Hongyun’s body; should even a grain touch him, its terrible corrosive power would melt him instantly. Its potency was undeniable.

“Would the Demon Master devote himself wholly to aiding our demon clan?” Dijun, ever shrewd, was still intent on harnessing whatever could strengthen the upper echelons of the demon clan.

“I will, I will,” Kunpeng agreed without hesitation. By this point, he had no other choice. He’d dreamed of this day for countless years; how could he waver now?

Upon hearing Kunpeng’s reply, Dijun and Taiyi nodded and each took up position at the four cardinal points. They transformed into their true forms—three-legged golden crows—and said,

“Demon Master, you’d best retreat.”

Knowing that Dijun and Taiyi were about to unleash their full power, Kunpeng swiftly soared away, dodging the blazing light overhead.

Hongyun, meanwhile, secretly laughed at their incompetence. These fools couldn’t do a thing to him—utterly hopeless! Suddenly, he felt the temperature around him rise sharply. The heat was so intense it began to melt the red sand. This was the power of innate pure fire!

From outside, one would see a burning fireball at the center, exploding again and again, while above it, four great suns beat their wings, fanning the innate pure fire against the ball of flame.

Kunpeng was awestruck. No wonder these two led the demon clan; with such power, they could command all under heaven.

Alas, the first rainbow cloud of creation, before it could even display its true abilities, was roasted to death by the innate pure fire of Dijun and Taiyi, leaving only a drifting red cloud that instantly reverted Hongyun to his original form.

Seeing that Hongyun was now defenseless, the four ceased their assault.

It was at this moment that Kunpeng rushed forward, revealing his true form and grabbing at Hongyun with a talon. Yet Hongyun, realizing that Dijun and Taiyi had only spared his life to put on a show for Kunpeng, was incensed. As Kunpeng’s claw closed in, Hongyun detonated himself in a burst of energy.

With a thunderous boom, the red cloud that had floated in the air vanished from the world. Kunpeng, too, was gravely injured; his form began to blur and dissipate. Panic-stricken, Kunpeng cried out, “Majesties, save me! Majesties, save me!”

“This is the power of karma Hongyun owed you. We are powerless to help,” Dijun replied bluntly. In moments, Kunpeng’s figure faded entirely from existence.

When the four turned to the site of Hongyun’s self-destruction, they found no trace of the primordial purple qi. What was going on? At that very moment, a roar echoed from the east, and the four, faces darkening, transformed into beams of light and vanished.

Zhenyuanzi, in a panic, hurried back to the scene of battle. He called forth the gourd that Hongyun had used, catching it in his hand and gently stroking it. “Friend, let’s go home.”

The red glow was gone, tears streamed from his eyes. If only we had known today’s effect, why sow yesterday’s cause? What was planted before, bears fruit now.

Today is the last day of 2012. May all fellow practitioners cherish the present and look forward to tomorrow!