Chapter Ten: The divine black horse carried the two up a steep mountain peak, surrounded by mountains, cliffs, and rampant vegetation. Descending was perilous; the paths were narrow and steep, a slight misstep would lead to a deadly fall. They made it down, through the valley, where the road widened, leading to a vast field of blooming flowers, exotic plants in full bloom, a spectacle of color and beauty. “Wow, it’s beautiful,” Xu Caitong exclaimed, dismounting to run among the flowers, arms outstretched, eyes closed, breathing in the fragrant air. Liu Bugun dismounted, leading the horse into the flower bed, where the beauty of the woman amidst the flowers was even more captivating, her face flushed with the reflection of the flowers. “Ziyue…” Liu Bugun’s heart swelled with emotion, as if seeing her among flowers in a distant past. He let go of the reins, impulsively running to her, wanting to embrace her, to tell her he loved her, that he would love her for eternity. “Ouch-” Xu Caitong suddenly fell, cut by a sharp thorn, blood trickling out. “Caitong!” Liu Bugun, sword in hand, swiftly came to her side, pulling her from the flowers, and swept his sword through the foliage, suspecting an ambush. The flowers were cut down, but there was no sign of enemies; Xu Caitong, tearful, held her injured arm, blood flowing from a deep cut. “You’re bleeding,” Liu Bugun said, quickly lifting her from the flowers to a clean, flat spot, setting down his Mo Ye sword, taking out a hemostatic agent, and tearing his robe to stop the bleeding. Droplets of blood fell onto the ground and onto the Mo Ye sword. A miracle occurred on the sword; the scabbard’s sun, moon, mountains, and rivers began to move under the influence of the blood, as if depicting an ancient scene where the sun was in the sky above the mountains, the moon by the flowing river, mountains linked, rivers flowing, and the land fertile and prosperous. Liu Bugun and Xu Caitong simultaneously discovered a miracle on the sword. The two stared at the Mo Xie Sword in astonishment. Xu Caitong gaped and pointed at the Mo Xie Sword, “What… what’s happening?” “The seal on the sword has been opened,” Liu Bugun picked up the Mo Xie Sword. With a “clang,” a flash of cold light, the sword was drawn from its sheath. “Heaven and earth, the Mo Xie Sword is drawn. Who dares to challenge the demons?” The clouds in the sky radiated light, encircling the Mo Xie Sword, casting a seven-colored glow. But in an instant, dark clouds covered the sky, turning it as black as the bottom of a pot. With a “rumble,” the earth shook as if mountains were collapsing. Liu Bugun was greatly alarmed, quickly sheathed the sword, and with Xu Caitong, swiftly mounted their horses.
The drawing of the Mo Xie Sword had alarmed the gods of the three realms, the spirits of the heavens, and the demons underground. Tens of thousands of years ago, Mo Xie had swung his sword to create the world, slaying the demons, and the immortals of the Heavenly Court breathed their immortal breaths, weaving the Heavenly Silkworm Net, using heavenly thunder and earthly fire, refining a hundred stones of the mortal realm into a giant pillar, which pinned the evil dragon beneath the Giant Pillar Mountain, ensuring it could never rise again.
As time flowed by, thousands of years passed, and Mo Xie’s soul, now known as Mo Xiu, awoke. His first act upon waking was to attempt to merge heaven and earth back into one, where there would be no distinction between sky and ground, only a murky world where he alone would reign supreme. “Mo Xie, we are sworn enemies,” Mo Xiu, gathering his inner strength, declared after another hundred years when his powers had mostly recovered. He rallied all the demons and monsters, vowing to destroy everything.
He sent out his minions to destroy the Mo Xie Sword, but after many twists and turns, not only was the sword not destroyed, but it also returned to Mo Xie, who had reincarnated. Purple Moon, ever by his side, was the only one whose blood could unlock the sword’s seal. Without her, the Mo Xie Sword could slay demons and beasts, open the heavens, but it was as good as a useless sword. Seizing Purple Moon, Mo Xie would once again be powerless to stop Mo Xiu from altering the heavens and the earth.
In ancient times, after Mo Xie opened the heavens, he cast a spell on his sword: only Purple Moon’s blood could unlock it. “Let the Mo Xie Sword become useless, hahaha,” Mo Xiu changed his strategy, secretly reviving demons in Shiba Pu Town and using dreams to lure souls in a small village, but Mo Xie thwarted his plans each time. Mo Xiu ordered the village to be burned to force Mo Xie into submission. However, Purple Moon returned to the future world, and Mo Xiu thought he had control over everything, but with the guidance of a divine horse, she returned to the Five Dynasties. Mo Xiu chased Purple Moon, attempting to capture her through dreams in Xiaodai Village, and at Wufeng Mountain, but was defeated by Mo Xie time and again. Frustrated and enraged, Mo Xiu absorbed all the spiritual energy of Wufeng Mountain, leveling it to the ground. “Mo Xie, what can you do to stop me from changing the heavens and the earth?” Mo Xiu had waited too long, enduring thousands of years of loneliness under the Giant Pillar Mountain. Breaking through the Heavenly Silkworm Net, he lifted the mountain with a loud crash, shaking off the dust, and his dragon tail flicked as he soared towards the Heavenly Court. “Jade Emperor, get out here. You’ve sat on that throne long enough; it’s time for a change.” Leading his demons, Mo Xiu attacked the Heavenly Court, vowing to destroy both heaven and hell, trample immortals and monks underfoot, and rule the world.
With a “whoosh,” Mo Xiu exhaled fierce flames, directly blowing at the South Heavenly Gate. Inside the gate, the ten major marshals of heaven and forty golden-armored deities, each holding halberds and whips, were scorched black by the sudden flames, causing chaos within the South Heavenly Gate. A celestial reported to the Jade Emperor, “Your Majesty, Mo Xiu has attacked the South Heavenly Gate.” “Go check again,” the Jade Emperor commanded. “Yes,” the celestial officer complied. Suddenly, a loud noise shook the Heavenly Court. The thirty-three heavenly palaces, seventy-two treasure halls, the court officials, and the immortal guards all trembled like startled birds. “Your Majesty, Mo Xiu has breached the South Heavenly Gate.” The celestial reported again. The gods gathered in the Golden Throne Hall, looking at each other, at a loss for what to do. Another loud crash made the Heavenly Court shake. The Jade Emperor, seated on his dragon throne, nearly fell off. “Ministers, Mo Xiu is causing chaos. Heaven has its fate, but what of Mo Xie in the mortal world?” “Your Majesty, Mo Xie has reached the foot of the Yuyan Mountain,” reported the dignified Wu Qu Xing Guan. “Do not worry, Your Majesty, Mo Xie will surely subdue the demons again, and Mo Xiu’s destruction is imminent. To prevent future troubles, after Mo Xie destroys Mo Xiu, we must annihilate his spirit, ensuring he can never be reborn.” The Jade Emperor approved the plan, waiting only for Mo Xiu’s destruction to scatter his spirit. Meanwhile, Zhang Tianshi and the King of Qin Guang from the underworld reported, “The demons under Mo Xiu have caused chaos in the underworld, attacking ghost messengers and injuring the Ten Kings of Hell, causing disarray in hell. We beseech Your Majesty to send divine troops to restore order in the underworld.” “Send the Ghost King of Great Strength, the Five Plague and Five Prison Gods, the Six Spirits of Ding and Jia, and the Four Dragon Gods to uphold justice in the underworld and subdue Mo Xiu’s minions,” the Jade Emperor decreed. “Yes,” the celestial officers accepted the command and proceeded to the underworld.
