All along the way, she passed through countless illusory realms born of greed, hatred, delusion, arrogance, and doubt, until she finally reached the foot of the Mountain of Self-Nature.

At the foot of the mountain, great numbers of men and women were gathered together. Every one of them was oddly dressed and wore bizarre hairstyles; most of the women were naked, their bodies painted with all kinds of patterns and designs in oil colors, and they stood in orderly rows across the square.

Dabei walked over to ask a woman who was not wearing any clothes, “What are you all doing?” The woman squinted impatiently for a moment and said, “Haven’t you heard? Today the King is returning from his long journey, and he will bring his Consort Li past this place to give a speech.” No sooner had the woman finished speaking than waves of cheers and sharp whistles rose and fell across the square. A small silver-gray airship landed in the middle of the square, and many people retreated toward the temple. Dabei happened to be standing right beside the airship. The airship’s door opened, and several men dressed in black stepped out. Everyone in the square immediately fell to their knees, and Dabei knelt down at once.

At a glance, all she could see was a tall man with a handsome, cold face, holding a staff that glowed with green light. In Dabei’s Heavenly Eye Mirror there immediately appeared a ferocious, hideous face. “This must be the Demon King,” Dabei thought.

The Demon King arrogantly surveyed the subjects kneeling before him and said, “Hello, everyone. Not many people have come to the square today. I know that many of my subjects have gone off honorably to take part in the war. This year our demon world has launched a total of ten wars across numerous illusory realms, and every one of those wars has been fought to defend and spread the truth and freedom of our demon world. We have also succeeded in establishing our various organizations in other illusory realms, and these organizations have played a crucial role in spreading the truth of our demon world. When all the illusory realms have vanished and we truly become the masters of this planet, how wonderful this world will become! When that time comes, the poison in your bodies will be completely removed.”

“We must destroy the illusory realms, and we will surely be detoxified!” Many of the demon brood began shouting excitedly. Just then, a guard led three people before the Demon King and quietly reported something to him.

The Demon King listened and suddenly burst into loud laughter. “My subjects, these three people have committed treason. They have even openly spread the claim that in our world the poison cannot be removed. How should we punish them?”

“Burn them to death! Burn them to death!” Hysterical cries rose and fell in waves from the crowd.

Just then, Dabei’s Life Detector suddenly went off. When Dabei looked through the Heavenly Eye Mirror, one of the three turned out to be a member of the rescue team, and Dabei grew so anxious that she didn’t know what to do.

“Great King, stay the fire and spare these people!” A sweet, delicate voice rang out. The airship’s door opened, and a woman dressed in gorgeous, incomparably beautiful attire stepped out. Dabei’s Life Detector went off again, and the Heavenly Eye Mirror reflected the image of Duoli. “Oh heavens, it’s Duoli, Duoli!” Dabei blurted out. Hearing the call, the woman gently turned her head and smiled at Dabei.

“So beautiful! Truly, one backward glance and a smile give rise to a hundred charms,” Dabei thought to herself.

The woman walked straight up to the Demon King’s side, and gasps and murmurs rippled through the crowd. “Consort Li, why have you come down here?” A tenderness appeared in the Demon King’s cold eyes. “Great King, today is my birthday—have you forgotten? I was hoping that today we could forgo the execution by fire.”

“Consort Li, how could I forget your birthday? But these people must be punished today no matter what. They cling to heretical teachings, and I want to bless them with my demonic fire, so that in the flames they are transformed into higher life forms, come to understand the truth of the demon world, and gain eternal life.”

“Great King, I am learning how to deliver others from suffering. How about letting me take one prisoner back to the palace so I can gradually liberate him?” As she said this, the woman radiated every kind of charm and allure. The King hesitated for a moment, then said, “All right. But these people carry a heavy poison of evil, so you must be careful.”

The woman immediately pulled the rescue team member aside. The Demon King gave a few cold, sneering laughs. Dabei suddenly saw the King’s face turn a blackish green, with pale blue flames rising from his head and two eyes like terrifying black holes. With a low groan from his mouth, the King spat out two fire serpents, and the two people were burned to ashes in an instant. The Demon King then drew the two fire serpents back into his mouth.

The Demon King gathered his thoughts for a moment and became calm and stern again, as if nothing at all had happened. The crowd burst into cheers, and many people jumped up in excitement, crying, “How wise the Great King is! The Great King’s demonic power is boundless!” The Demon King waved to the cheering crowd and was about to leave when everyone fell to their knees again, saying, “We respectfully see the King off.”

As the woman passed by Dabei, Dabei called out, “Duoli! Duoli!” The woman turned her head and looked at Dabei in bewilderment. “Duoli, I am Dabei.” Just then the Demon King suddenly noticed this exchange, and his gaze stabbed into Dabei like two swords. All at once the Demon King’s eyeballs began to spin, his pupils dilated outward, and a faint green light shone from within them. Dabei instantly felt the world spinning around her. “It’s demon poison,” Dabei thought to herself. The Mani Jewel began to spin, rapidly absorbing the Demon King’s light, and Dabei felt a little relief.

“Consort Li, do you know her?”

“It seems I’ve seen her somewhere before, but I can’t recall at the moment.”

“Take her back to the palace,” the Demon King said, motioning to his attendants.

Dabei secretly rejoiced: “Once I enter the Demon Palace, I’ll be able to find the Mountain of Self-Nature.” Dabei walked into the silver-gray airship together with the Demon King.

The airship took off and flew in complete silence. Sitting in the magical cabin, one’s consciousness drifted and split apart as if in a dream, like passing through a tunnel of time and space; one had barely sensed any change in time or space before the airship had already landed smoothly. As soon as Dabei stepped off the airship, she saw the resplendent Demon Palace. It was stunningly beautiful—the entire Demon Palace reflected a strange light and kept changing its colors and shape. Dabei couldn’t see where the door was. Just then, music began to play, and a door opened right in the middle of the Demon Palace. A red ribbon of light strewn with flowers stretched out from the doorway. Songs wishing a happy birthday resounded through the air, all kinds of flowers and golden leaves danced in the sky, strange lights flashed in turn, and all manner of rare and exotic beasts kept appearing in the air. Then, all at once, every sound and image stopped, and only a beautiful voice and the music continued to play. The Demon King, holding his consort, stepped onto that red ribbon of light, and Dabei followed along into the Demon Palace.

“Have this woman stay in the room next to mine and Consort Li’s,” Dabei heard the Demon King say to the several demon women who came up to greet him.

“Yes, Great King.” Clustering around Dabei, several demon women led her into a luxurious room. It was filled with all kinds of rare treasures that reflected brilliant, dazzling light, and a bed studded with jewels stood in the middle of the room, with a green mist rising from it. “All of you, leave now,” Dabei said to the demon women at her side. “We can only leave once you’re asleep. Anyone who stays in this room is a distinguished guest of the Great King, so we dare not be negligent.” “I’ll rest now.” Dabei lay down on the bed. No sooner had she lain down than she caught a strange fragrance that penetrated her heart and lungs; her whole body immediately went limp and weak, and her head began to spin. “It’s demon poison!” The Mani Jewel started spinning, ceaselessly absorbing the poisonous emanations from the bed. But Dabei still could not speak, and her hands and feet would not move; she sank into a deep sleep at once.

Star Path—3: Passing Through the Demon Palace (Part Two)

“Wake up, quick! Wake up, quick!”

After who knows how long, Dabei was startled awake by urgent shouts. At the same time, a few drops of cool water flowed into her mouth, and Dabei immediately woke from her dream. A beautiful woman was standing before her bed.

“It’s Duoli!” Dabei grabbed Duoli’s hand excitedly.

“Who are you? I’m not called Duoli. Everyone just calls me Consort Li.”

“Duoli, do you still remember King Duobao Ruyi? Do you remember your rescue mission? I am Dabei.”

“You are Dabei!” Duoli exclaimed in delighted surprise, tears streaming from Duoli’s eyes.

“At last, you’ve come, Dabei. Yesterday I still thought you were just an ordinary rescue team member. When the Demon King came back, he told me he saw a jewel on you and brought you back to the palace because he planned to take the jewel from you. He also said the jewel on you didn’t seem to be a treasure of our planet, so I guessed you were sent by King Duobao.”

“Duoli, how did you fall into the Demon Realm?”

“All of our team members were poisoned, and for a time we couldn’t find a way to cure it. I heard the Demon King had many pills that could neutralize poison, so I found a way to become his consort. The Demon King doted on me and gave me many pills, saying they could make me immortal. Those pills also had the power to cure poison, so I carry fewer of the five poisons in my body, but I was then poisoned by a new demon poison — the moment I leave the range of the Demon King’s demonic power, I will die. My Life Detector hasn’t rusted, so when the demon poison isn’t acting up, I still recognize our rescue team members. I’ve sent many distress signals to the Kingdom of Duobao. Now that you’re here, we all have hope.” As she spoke, Duoli smiled, overcome with emotion, tears glistening in her eyes.

“Duoli, I need to cross the Demon Palace as quickly as possible to reach Mountain of Self-Nature and find the Divine Being with Ten Thousand Hands and Eyes. Only he can help us cure the poison. Do you know the way from the Demon Palace into Mountain of Self-Nature?”

“Everywhere in the Demon Palace there is demon poison born of demonic power. Look at this bed you’re sleeping on — it is the poison of delusion, an infatuation poison formed under the influence of demonic power. You just fell victim to this very poison. If I hadn’t dripped the water of forgetting feelings into your mouth, you would have lain unconscious on this bed for a long time. But there’s no need to fear — I am fully capable of helping you cross the Demon Palace. It’s just that only the Demon King knows the gate into Mountain of Self-Nature.” Duoli lowered her head with worry.

“Don’t worry too much. If we really can’t find the gate leading to Mountain of Self-Nature, I’ll find a way to leave this place first,” Dabei consoled her.

“Hmm — I’ve got it!” Duoli suddenly grew excited.

“Dabei, there’s a gate in the back courtyard of the Demon Palace. It should lead to Mountain of Self-Nature — it’s just that I’ve never seen him open it.”

Beads of sweat ran down Duoli’s forehead.

Dabei knew that Duoli was very worried about her. In her anxiety, the demon poison had flared up and her face had turned crimson, so Dabei consoled her.

“Duoli, don’t be too nervous. As long as there’s even a glimmer of hope, we have to give it a try. Think carefully — has the Demon King ever shown you the key to this door?”

“The Demon King does keep a snake-shaped key on him at all times, but I don’t know what it’s for. I even asked him once; he just smiled and never answered. My guess is it’s very likely the key to this door.”

“Duoli, once the Demon King wakes up, I won’t be able to leave. Go and steal the key so we can give it a try. If it doesn’t work, we’ll think of some other way.”

“All right.” Duoli turned and left the room. After a while, Duoli came back holding a very large snake-shaped key, then led Dabei toward the back courtyard. Along the way, to avoid the places where the demon poison was heaviest, they ran into some demon women, but the moment they saw it was the consort, the demon women respectfully stepped aside at once. They soon reached the door Duoli had mentioned. Though it was night, the back courtyard of the Demon Palace was brightly lit. Above the door were written two characters: “Gate of Goodness.” Dabei found it both amusing and exasperating. “This Demon Illusion Realm actually has a Gate of Goodness.” Looking closely at the door, it appeared to be nothing but a smooth boulder — you couldn’t find even a single crack in it.

Dabei steadied her mind and set the Mani Jewel spinning, sending a blinding beam of light at the Gate of Goodness. The door began to emit a dull rumbling, “rumbling, rumbling.” Suddenly a black shadow flashed past, and Dabei hastily shouted, “Watch out!”

But it was already too late. A giant python lunged down from the door and coiled around Duoli, a huge gaping maw snapping at Duoli’s face. On instinct, Duoli shoved the key into the great snake’s mouth. A long, strange shriek burst from the snake’s mouth, and with it a column of foul, stinking venom shot out like a water jet, drenching Duoli’s whole body.

“Consort Li!” The Demon King suddenly appeared in midair. Grabbing the snake by the head, he tore it into several pieces in a few pulls, then gathered the dying Duoli into his arms.

“Consort Li!” the Demon King called out anxiously. Duoli opened her eyes, but her face was pale and her breathing was rapid.

“Consort Li, why have you come here?”

“Great King, she is my friend. I want to send her to the Mountain of Self-Nature. I want to open this door. Great King, I’m about to die. Please promise me you won’t hurt my friend — you already have so many treasures.” By the time Duoli had said this, her lips and face had already turned black.

“Consort Li, quickly use your mind power to protect your heart meridian — the poison is about to invade your heart!” The Demon King was frantic.

“Great King, you must open the door and let my friend go.” Duoli strained to get out these words, her breath as faint as a silken thread, then closed her eyes.

“Duoli!” Dabei cried.

“Consort Li, this door simply has no key. The key you are holding is the one to the palace treasure vault. This door has always been here, but it has never been opened. In the hollow of this door dwells the Serpent King, whose venom is the most poisonous in the entire demon world. By now the poison has already reached your heart—even my demonic powers cannot save you.” Having said this, the Demon King actually collapsed onto Duoli and wept like a child, and pressed his mouth to Duoli’s mouth, trying to suck out the poisonous water from Duoli’s heart meridian.

Suddenly a thunderous “rumble” rang out, and the two characters “Door of Goodness” blazed with ten thousand zhang of golden light, illuminating nearly the entire Demon Palace. Seeing that the door was slowly opening amid the golden light, Dabei immediately understood: the Demon King, stirred by emotion and unafraid of being poisoned by the serpent himself, had risked his life to save Consort Li. His moment of selflessness and love had at last caused the “Door of Goodness” to open. Dabei glanced at the Demon King, who was wholly absorbed in saving Duoli; Duoli still lay with her eyes closed, her fate unknown.

Thinking of her mission, Dabei said silently to herself, “Goodbye, Duoli. Wait until I find the Divine Being with Ten Thousand Hands and Eyes, then I’ll come back to save you.” She turned and hurried through the Door of Goodness. The moment she came into contact with the golden light the Door of Goodness gave off, all the demon poison on Dabei’s body vanished instantly. She had barely taken a few steps inside when the Door of Goodness slammed shut with a “boom,” and from the other side of the door came the Demon King’s heartrending cries.

“Duoli.” Dabei knew that Duoli had already died. Even though it was all within an illusion—and at the same time her Heavenly Eye Mirror showed Duoli transforming into countless beautiful white lotuses in the demonic illusion realm—when she thought of the beautiful Consort Li from moments ago, the five poisons in Dabei surged up into her heart, and her tears flowed like a spring.