After Ye Sha's relentless questioning, he finally got to the bottom of the truth behind the Demon Realm and the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.
The so-called Oni Clan referred to bandits and outlaws—sloppily dressed, covered in blood, leaping out at night while shouting strangely to kill and rob people. In this era, that was what "demons" meant.
Those with a fearsome reputation, bizarre appearances, a taste for killing and eating people, and some ability were called monsters. Likewise, those who did not kill and eat people were called gods.
Of course, these gods were merely minor gods. The great gods and certain other strange existences were all metaphysical and connected to natural phenomena, existing only as concepts.
In short, anything ordinary people found difficult to accept was given the title of monster, demon, ghost, or spirit. It had become customary.
On one hand, this was due to the ignorance and superstition of the people. After all, cannibalism was no laughing matter. Those bandits truly possessed hearts like ghosts. The villagers were poor to begin with—what could the bandits rob from them? At least Shuten Doji's gang truly killed and ate people, which was enough to terrify ordinary folk.
On the other hand, when Onmyōdō was introduced to Fusang, people found it profound and mysterious despite not understanding it. Many used it to support their theories, eventually shaping the current situation.
The reason the Onmyōji possessed such great authority to explain things was naturally that the Emperor himself was a god, along with the court's inaction.
The Heian Period was an age of cultural peace and comfort. The Kugyo craved pleasure and ignored the impoverished regions. Suppressing the Oni Clan was simply too troublesome.
If they said the bandits were human, the people would naturally demand that the court