Ji Meng's Report

Chapter 46: Ji Meng's Report

Inside the Lingxiao Treasure Hall, the Gilded Coiled Dragon Pillars cast stern shadows.

Di Jun sat high on the Nine Dragon Golden Throne, his fingertips unconsciously tracing the cold tortoiseshell patterns of the River Diagram and Luo Book. His gaze, heavy as substance, fell upon the upright figure in the hall.

Eastern Emperor Tai Yi stood silently below the steps, the Chaos Bell phantom rising and falling at his side. The bell's surface reflected shattered images of the primordial mountains and rivers, while a single point of Chaos Profound Light swirled restlessly at its heart, pressing the air in the hall into a leaden stillness.

Ji Meng knelt on one knee, his dark gold war robe draping over the cloud bricks. The silver scales on his back gleamed with a cold light under the pale glow of the hall's ceiling pearls. He took a deep breath, and the syllables rolling from his throat carried the lingering resonance of a Dragon's Roar, piercing the dead silence:

"Your subject was stranded at the foothills of Buzhou Mountain. On the verge of death, I stumbled into a small courtyard."

"Outside the courtyard, the turbid primordial Qi churned, and Sha Qi gnawed at the bones. But the moment I stepped through the gate, heaven and earth changed!" Ji Meng lifted his head, golden light bursting from his eyes. "The spiritual energy was pure and condensed, far surpassing the solar essence of the Sun Star Palace! It was as docile as a tamed river, requiring no refinement, reaching straight to the origin of the demon core!" His fingertip brushed the faint silver crescent scar on his neck. "The wound that pierced my throat healed completely in seven days. Not because of any divine medicine, but by the rules of that courtyard—an unparalleled Dao field, isolated from the primordial chaos, a world unto itself!"

The River Diagram and Luo Book in Di Jun's palm suddenly blazed with flowing light. The tortoiseshell patterns madly deduced, yet crashed against an invisible barrier, the light abruptly dimming! Tai Yi's pupils contracted. The Chaos Bell phantom hummed and trembled, its bell waves sweeping toward the direction Ji Meng had described, only to vanish like a mud ox sinking into the sea, not even a ripple stirring!

"The Courtyard Master appears as an ordinary youth, with simple and unadorned manners." Ji Meng's voice was deep and steady, each word falling like gold and jade striking the ground. "Yet his every word and action secretly aligns with the supreme principles of the Dao!"

"At dawn, he stretched and exercised: his arms traced arcs as if drawing the stars, his steps shook the earth as if harmonizing with the veins of the land. Your subject observed his momentum and actually comprehended the workings of the Great Zhou Heavenly Stars Formation! The stagnation in my demon power vanished! This is a supreme Body Refining Technique!"

"Bending down to weed: the stone hoe swung down to sever the grass stems, its trajectory secretly matching the 'Severing Heaven Line' sword intent! His five fingers pulled out roots and removed filth, the knuckles tensed like the 'Dragon Capturing Hand' seizing inner demons! And he spoke a maxim—"

"'Cut Grass and Remove Roots!' Those four words struck Di Jun's divine soul like a nine-day tribulation thunder! The River Diagram and Luo Book trembled violently, projecting phantom images of the factions within the demon court, the 'poisonous weeds' like Kun Peng and Nine Infant!

"Boiling meat soup: ordinary beast meat and wild vegetables, in his hands, actually contained Chaotic Vitality! Your subject drank it, and my demon core broke and then was reestablished, only then obtaining this strand of Chaos Qi!"

"The Courtyard Master often says, 'Unity is strength.'" Ji Meng's tone suddenly rose with fervor. Dark gold demon power surged out like a tide, condensing into phantom images in the hall—

"On the left phantom: the various divisions of the demon court fought each other, great demons vied for power and profit, the demon army was like scattered sand, shattered by the Wu Clan's giant axes into a routed force!"

"On the right phantom: ten thousand demons arrayed in formation, moving as one as if they were an extension of the arm. Demon power converged into a torrent, the light of the Great Zhou Heavenly Stars Formation surged, smashing the Dutian Divine Fiend phantom to pieces!"

"The demon court has been riven by internal strife for ten thousand years, exhausting itself from within—that is why we face today's crisis!" Ji Meng's gaze was like a torch, staring straight at Di Jun. "If we unite as one, why fear the brute force of the Wu Clan? These two words, 'unity,' are the key to breaking the deadlock!"

"Boom—!"

The Chaos Bell rang out with a thunderous roar! Tai Yi's Mysterious Yellow Qi surged around him. On the bell's surface, the images of the defeated battlefield between the Wu and Demon clans shattered inch by inch! The River Diagram and Luo Book in Di Jun's hand blazed with light, the tortoiseshell patterns frantically recombining, finally freezing into a scene of ten thousand demons paying homage, the stars blazing bright!

Silence enveloped the great hall. After a long while, Di Jun spoke slowly, his voice as cold as a frozen abyss: "The Courtyard Master's... title? Where is his Dao field?"

"Your subject does not know." Ji Meng bowed his head. "The Courtyard Master keeps a low profile, hidden among the mortal world. When I took my leave, I kowtowed three times to express my gratitude. The Courtyard Master only smiled and said, 'The little dog is polite.'"

"'Little dog'?!" Tai Yi blurted out, the Chaos Bell's Profound Light exploding! An existence that could enlighten a Demon Commander and command Chaotic Vitality, addressed as a 'little dog'? Absurdity masked a bone-chilling, unfathomable depth!

Di Jun closed his eyes. The light of the River Diagram and Luo Book flickered in his palm like a candle in the wind. Deduction of the heavenly mechanism: a thick fog. Tracing the location: a void of nothingness. This small courtyard was like a chess piece that defied the rules on the chessboard of the primordial chaos. Its very existence was a subversion of the 'eternal constancy of the Dao'!

He snapped his eyes open, his golden pupils churning like molten lava: "Matters concerning this Courtyard Master are classified as the highest secret of the demon court. Anyone who leaks it—"

The Chaos Bell rang in response, its bell waves sweeping across a Gilded Coiled Dragon Pillar in the corner of the hall!

"Crack!"

Half of the pillar silently annihilated, the severed surface smooth as a mirror!

"—shall have their divine soul utterly destroyed!" Those four words, like a decree of the Heavenly Dao, were branded into the deepest divine souls of all the demon generals!

Di Jun's gaze shifted to Ji Meng, majesty tinged with a burning intensity: "Ji Meng, since you have received the enlightenment of a sage, you shall take the post of 'Envoy of the Sacred Edict.' Reorganize the demon army, purge internal corruption—this path of 'unity,' you shall put it into practice!"

"Your subject, accepts the decree!" Ji Meng kowtowed, his forehead touching the cloud bricks. As he rose, the silver scales on his back shimmered with dark gold. The majesty of a Demon Commander blended with Chaos Qi, as steady as a mountain or a deep abyss.

In the shadows outside the hall, Kun Peng gently fanned his feathered fan, a cold glint flashing in his eyes before vanishing.