HSSB1087: The peak of the Devils
When talking about the devils of the Nine Underworlds, Yan Zhaoge, the Encompassing Emperor and the Brocade Emperor no longer kept it from Meng Wan.
As Meng Wan who was listening quietly heard the name of the Primordial Heavenly Lord now, she could not help but exclaim, “While I knew the Nine Underworlds to be terrifying when in the Eight Extremities World back then, I never once thought that it is actually so powerful.”
Yan Zhaoge said, “While over the ages, the dao flourishes with the devils diminished most of the time, no one would deny the strength of the Nine Underworlds.”
“The Primordial Heaven Devil probably lost against the founder of the Jade Clear lineage?” Meng Wan asked.
Yan Zhaoge said, “This is only natural. That is why the Primordial Heavenly Lord is still the Primordial Heavenly Lord whereas the Primordial Heavenly Devil had to be reduced to the Primordial Heaven Devil.”
The Encompassing Emperor said, “The Primordial Heaven Devil indeed lost. Afterwards, he was suppressed by the Primordial Heavenly Lord and prevented from appearing again. If he ever reappears, though, that would probably be a scene from the end of the world.”
“Speaking of the descent of the end of the world, we would have to look at the Finality Law Heavenly Devil,” The Brocade Emperor now said, “After all, that is an existence like the Lord of Numinous Treasure who signifies all things going from being to nothing.”
Meng Wan recited, “The Finality Law Heavenly Devil…”
Beside her, Yan Zhaoge explained, “Even though they are called the Twelve Devilish Gods, one of them has never appeared in this world as he has always been missing from his seat. He is the final one of the Six Ancestral Devils.”
“The Ancestral Devils are all gods of earlier heaven times that existed before the heavens and earth were split apart and creation began. He is the sole exception.”
“Despite being an Ancestral Devil, an ancestor of the myriad devils, his birth will only be at the end of the world, at the finality of later heaven.”
“As for what his real title is, that is actually still an unknown. ‘Finality Law Heavenly Devil’ is just a placeholder which others addressed him by. Over time, it eventually became his title.”
Meng Wan realised, “Like the Lord of Numinous Treasure, the founder of the Prime Clear lineage, he signifies all things going from being to nothing, with everything entering destruction and the laws of finality descending as creation ceases to exist?”
The Encompassing Emperor nodded, “That’s right. The Finality Law Heavenly Devil signifies the end of the world. The moment he descends into this world will also signify that a true great tribulation has come.”
“The Primordial Heaven Devil and the Finality Law Heavenly Devil who are the first and last are already so powerful. The other four of the Six Ancestral Devils would surely not be simple too,” Meng Wan sighed as she said.
Yan Zhaoge smiled, “That’s right, isn’t it?”
He pointed at the Nine Underworlds beside them, “This Nine Underworlds is formed of the corpse of the second Ancestral Devil after the Primordial Heaven Devil, the Existence Creation Heavenly Devil.”
Meng Wan’s gaze flickered, “I remember it being stated in the ancient records that the size of the Nine Underworlds is such that it and the entire human realm in pre-Great Calamity times were like two equivalent extremities. A world such as this is actually formed from the corpse of a great devil?”
The Brocade Emperor laughed, “Wan’er, while the Existence Creation Heavenly Devil died, we must still look at who killed him to decide on whether he was powerful or not.”
“The one who slew the Existence Creation Heavenly Devil was none other than one of the founders of our Daoism’s Three Clear lineages, the Lord of Numinous Treasure.”
Meng Wan blinked, “Well, it is no wonder then.”
His hands behind his back, the Brocade Emperor looked leisurely beyond this dimensional space at the darkness of the Nine Underworlds, “While this and the human realm were like two extremities, the Nine Underworlds is a desolate wilderness at the end of the day. Therefore, it naturally tries to encroach on the great thousand worlds of our human realm.”
“This might be a sort of yearning.”
“The Nine Underworlds borders the area where the Primordial Heaven Devil is sealed, preserving the last bit of vitality for the Devils. In order to avoid the Primordial Heaven Devil breaking out from his seal, it is hard to go all out in trying to exterminate every last one of the Nine Underworlds’ devils.”
The Brocade Emperor turned and glanced at Yan Zhaoge, “After the Primordial Heaven Devil and the Existence Creation Heavenly Devil, the third Ancestral Devil is called the Grand Supreme Heavenly Devil while the fourth is called the Faceless Heavenly Devil.”
Meng Wan was slightly taken aback, “Grand Supreme…Heavenly Devil?”
Yan Zhaoge said mildly, “The Grand Supreme Heavenly Devil is the devilish clone of the founder of one of Daoism’s Three Clear lineages, the Lord of the Dao and Virtue. The Faceless Heavenly Devil was the devilish clone of the Gautama Buddha of Buddhism.”
“The two peak bigwigs used their supreme intelligence and might to wrest and occupy the seat of the Ancestral Devils, cleaving the vitality of the Devils during earlier heaven times to some extent. Hence, over millennia past, it is always the dao that is flourishing with the Devils diminished most of the time.”
“Even when the Devils do gain an advantage, those times are merely fleeing and temporary.”
“Therefore, excluding the Sixth Ancestral Devil who has never truly descended into this world, the only of them who was often active back then was the Fifth Ancestral Devil, the Vast Freedom Heavenly Devil,” Yan Zhaoge now shrugged, “Still, that was already a very long time ago.”
“In this day and age, Ancestral Devils have rarely appeared since long, long before the Great Calamity. Those who rampage in this world are the later six of the Twelve Devilish Gods, the Six Supreme Devils.”
Yan Zhaoge’s gaze fell on the two entangled sword-intents, “This Yin Shiyang, the Sword Devil, has merged with the devil of the Six Supreme Devils who possesses the seat of aged metal.”
A lengthy process was needed from when one became a devil to when they truly became the manifestation of a Devilish God, a monarch of Devils.
It was just that this lengthy process had been extremely short for Yin Shiyang who had already become the manifestation of a Supreme Devil.
This had already been prematurely terminated by Yin Shiyang before it could truly bear fruition.
The Sword Devil Yin Shiyang had thus become history.
The Encompassing Emperor said, “While Yin Shiyang is dead, the Supreme Devil is unextinguished, only awaiting its next rebirth. Previously occupying the seat of aged metal of the Five Elements were numerous devils such as the Spear Devil and the Sabre Devil. With a Sword Devil Yin Shiyang having been produced in post-Great Calamity times, another will surely appear in the future as that devil rises from the ashes.”
The so-called Six Supreme Devils referred to the Heart Devil and the Devils of the Five Elements.
The names of the Devils of the Five Elements were not fixed.
For example, the devil who had occupied the seat of Metal after the initial Spear Devil had perished was the Sabre Devil, after which many had come and gone till the Sword Devil Yin Shiyang.
Of the devils who had occupied the seat of Earth, there had been the Earth Devil, the Soil Devil and the Stone Devil etcetera.
Of the devils who had occupied the seat of Water, there had been the Ice Devil, the Water Devil, the Fog Devil and the Blood Devil etcetera.
Some of these repeated themselves, though it was always a different person who got manifested as that same Devil.
Over the course of history, while numerous great devils had perished completely, not being reborn after they were extinguished, none of the Twelve Devilish Gods had even fallen for good aside from the Existence Creation Heavenly Devil.
However, they still needed luck and opportunity in order to return after having died.
Lifeforms that could become their manifestations could appear the next instant, in a thousand years or even only after ten thousand years. These great devils could only stay silent between life and death, quietly awaiting.
“In the ancient records left behind from before the Great Calamity, there are only the Heart Devil and the Shadow Devil who initially occupied the seat of Wood who have continuously existed. The other four have been extinguished and reborn many times,” Yan Zhaoge looked at the Encompassing Emperor and the Brocade Emperor.
The Brocade Emperor smiled, saying, “After the Great Calamity, there has also been no news of the deaths of these two Devils.”
Yan Zhaoge looked at those two streaks of sword-light, “More than two thousand years have passed since this Sword Devil died. I wonder who will suffer the devilish tribulation of the new Devil of aged metal, reborn after being extinguished.”