Chapter Fourteen: The Cataclysm of Heaven and Earth

The Black Moon Cave was the dwelling place of the demon fox. As its name implied, it was not designed for humans to walk freely within. Upon seeing this, the young celestial fox transformed into a fluffy white fox, its two bushy tails swaying as it led the way. Even the narrow and rugged passages of the Black Moon Cave could not hinder him.

But Ji Feichen was not so fortunate; he could not enter at all. Helpless, he smashed the cave open with his Demon Dragon Mace, forcefully forging a passage. The twenty-four orbs spun around him, and even as he acted, he reserved a measure of strength to guard against the celestial fox.

The white fox seemed to understand Ji Feichen’s intentions and took the initiative to walk ahead, finally arriving at a cavern. This was a stalactite chamber, rich with a subtle fragrance and swirling with colorful light. Age-old stalagmites formed platforms, upon which were sealed all manner of rare treasures, elixirs, and magical artifacts—the demon fox’s collection accumulated over centuries.

“These are all yours,” the white fox said, dropping Ji Feichen behind as he leapt onto the largest stalactite. His small paws tapped a few times, a smile breaking on his face as he rotated the tip several times, revealing a golden casket within the column.

Upon opening it, he found his three family treasures: a fragment of a golden decree, an immortal longevity pill, and a seven-colored bead of the Celestial Mansion.

With joy, the celestial fox claimed the three treasures.

Ji Feichen wandered through the cave, smashing one seal after another with his Demon Dragon Mace, gathering the demon fox’s various magical artifacts and medicinal herbs into his leopard pouch.

His pouch had a capacity of three cubic meters, but it quickly filled up. “When I return, I’ll need to repair my leopard pouch,” he thought, considering the need to kill another divine leopard and use its hide to expand the pouch’s space.

The white fox watched from the side, then suddenly pointed at the largest stalactite, “There’s a Celestial Purity Stone here as well, a material for crafting world-altering artifacts. If you need it, take it.”

Upon hearing this, Ji Feichen went over and chopped the stalactite into several pieces, searching for the Celestial Purity Stone within. This treasure, formed from condensed azure energy, could be refined with the earth’s core fire to forge world-altering artifacts. Most such treasures—bracelets and rings—were made from this material.

He took out Qian Chu’s leopard pouch and stored the Celestial Purity Stone inside.

Ji Feichen realized that although he had achieved his purpose in coming here, he had only received a small share of the spoils. The three ancestral treasures claimed by the celestial fox were the true prizes.

But those belonged to the fox family, and Ji Feichen felt no greed. His aim lay elsewhere. “May I ask you something?” he ventured.

“What is it?” The white fox fiddled with the bead of reunion and separation, a precious gem lost from the realm of the Nine Heavens and now an unmatched treasure in the mortal world.

“Regarding your cultivation path—it seems to follow the lineage of the ancient qi refiners?”

“Hm?” The fox raised his head, looking at Ji Feichen not far away. “What, are you interested?”

Ji Feichen nodded silently. He had shown courtesy to the fox, and given that the celestial fox’s strength rivaled his own, it was difficult to force him to speak. He could only seize the chance for conversation: “Your path seems different from the immortal and demon sects.”

The celestial fox spoke freely, “Ask away, since I am in good spirits today. Whatever you wish to know, ask.”

“Regarding the methods of vital energy—how do qi refiners avoid the conflict between pure and impure spiritual energies? Can they freely convert between the two types of power?”

“As long as one cultivates to the state of unified primal energy, the conflict is avoided. This is the power mastered by the ancient tradition,” the white fox replied without hesitation. “As for freely converting between the energies... that is possible once you achieve the immortal dao fruit.”

The white fox transformed again into his youthful form, smiling as he continued, “In ancient times, cultivation paths were many, but broadly divided into two lines. One pursued a return to the origin, emulating ancient gods and demons, proving the dao through the physical body and forming the supreme divine physique. The other sought to understand the secrets of heaven through the spirit, perceiving nature. Returning to the origin, primordial unity, this was called the primal dao. Profound upon profound, the nameless great dao was called the Mystic School. At that time, regardless of humans, monsters, ghosts, or spirits, all beings cultivated according to these two philosophies, refining vital energy. They cultivated unified primal energy and condensed the supreme dao pill. The golden pill of the great dao is the method passed down by the qi refiners.”

Qi refiners were not just human cultivators; spirits and monsters followed the same path. All gathered the vital energy of heaven and earth and cultivated the path of mystical origin.

“Later, the holy sites of the demon path were destroyed, and the immortal and demon sects flourished, gradually forming the division of pure and impure energies.”

Ji Feichen felt a stir in his heart, “There seems to be a hidden story behind this?”

“That, I do not know,” the youth shrugged. “One can only say it is the will of heaven.”

Heaven? Ji Feichen pondered in silence. Those referred to as ‘heaven’ could mean not only the empty firmament, but also several celestial lords.

“Heaven divides into yin and yang, with polarity, light and darkness, day and night, strength and weakness, motion and stillness, life and death—all are the balance of the two principles. Back then, in qi refining, all cultivators used humanity as the boundary, dividing humans and monsters into two warring groups, thus reducing the number of cultivators.”

“Later, the monster race declined, their holy sites perished, and humans dominated the continent of Mystic Righteousness, leading to internal divisions. Pure and impure energies separated, cultivators ceased their internal struggles, and massacres ensued. All was to reduce the number of cultivators, the way of heaven itself.”

When the number of qi refiners exceeded what heaven and earth could support, their numbers would naturally be reduced. At first, it was the war between humans and monsters; later, the war between immortals and demons—all followed this pattern.

“The interplay of spiritual energies and endless calamities is not what I desire,” Ji Feichen sighed softly. Compared to the celestial fox, who followed the ancient path and avoided calamity, those in the immortal and demon sects had to endure a tribulation every fifteen hundred years.

Noticing Ji Feichen’s yearning for the methods of vital energy, the youth sneered, “To an outsider, the view is of flourishing flowers, unaware of the bones buried beneath. You envy my ancient lineage for avoiding tribulation, but we envy how easy your immortal and demon struggles are!”

“Remember, humans do not compete with heaven. Your immortal and demon wars merely resolve a few causal debts of spiritual energies; after completing the tribulation, you enjoy fifteen hundred years of peace. Unlike us, who must contend directly with heaven itself!”

“If you wish to focus on the path of vital energy, let me make one thing clear. There is no human tribulation in this path, but there are heavenly disasters. And their severity is three times that of ordinary cultivators.”

“Three times?” Ji Feichen’s expression changed. “That high?”

Cultivators who sought the fortune of heaven must endure tribulation. Heavenly tribulations are called disasters; human tribulations are called difficulties—hence the saying, ‘three disasters and nine difficulties.’ The fifteen-hundred-year immortal and demon tribulation is the nine difficulties. With so many calamities, a single misstep could mean death.

But according to the youth, heavenly disasters were even more arduous?

“Heavenly disasters are simply wind, fire, and thunder tribulations. You immortals and demons face thirty-six calamities in total. We face ninety-nine great tribulations, three times the power. Of course, once past them, we enjoy true freedom, with fewer restrictions than you.”

For demons, celestial energy was poisonous; for immortals, the reverse. But qi refiners feared neither pure nor impure energies; any vital energy could be refined, any elixir consumed, any artifact wielded.

Ji Feichen wished to disguise himself as a Mystic School cultivator; practicing the path of vital energy was essential.

“To contend with heaven is a joy beyond compare. Compared to the scheming of human hearts, I prefer to gamble with heaven. Besides, there are ways to reduce heavenly disasters.”

“You mean merit?” The youth regarded Ji Feichen skeptically. “Indeed, merit can reduce the power of heavenly tribulations, but do you, a demon cultivator, possess such benevolence?”

Ji Feichen merely smiled, saying nothing. He had established the twenty-four solar terms, acting in accordance with the laws of heaven, and thus earned merit. Who said merit must be earned through good deeds?

Acting in harmony with heaven is enough.

“May I ask, how does one practice the path of vital energy?” Ji Feichen calculated. There were several ancient sects in the Mystic School maintaining the traditions of qi refiners. Would he have to steal their methods?

“Do you truly wish to change your cultivation?” The youth was surprised, white light flashing in his eyes as he scrutinized Ji Feichen’s determined face. He nodded, then shook his head. “To change your cultivation to the path of vital energy is neither difficult nor easy. First, you must find a Mystic School technique that suits you. I can tell you have a secret method for cultivating the primordial spirit—that is sufficient.”

The Supreme Cloud Dragon Jade Essence and the Mysterious Demon Dragon Scripture both related to dragons, one righteous and one evil, perfectly suited to aid Ji Feichen.

“Next, you must find the portion of celestial energy that corresponds to yourself. Refine it into a pill, consume it, then remain in a yin-yang spiritual chamber for forty-nine days. Only then can you condense a strand of unified primal energy and truly enter the path.”

“Celestial energy?” Ji Feichen pondered. “Must I kill a cultivator?”

“No, it must be the portion that matches you. And it must be done before reaching the Human Immortal stage. Changing your foundation only happens once.”

The youth drew a gesture, and a diagram of the Taiji appeared before him, the yin-yang fish entwined, spinning endlessly. “Chaos and primordial origin, Taiji unity. Since the dawn of heaven and earth, pure and impure energies separated, the two principles established. Pure energy ascends to form the heavens, impure energy descends to make the netherworld. Yet there is much vital energy dispersed throughout the world, drifting among mountains and rivers. We qi refiners gather the world’s vital energy, beginning with this.”

If the separation of pure and impure energies at the beginning of the world is seen as innate creation, then the formation of celestial and demon energies from the world’s primordial vital energy is the work of the postnatal world.

“Treat vital energy as neutral, each strand as a small Taiji. When a cultivator extracts celestial energy from vital energy, where does the remainder go?”

Ji Feichen’s expression changed. With his intelligence, he vaguely understood what the youth was hinting at.

He was pointing to the essence of the immortal and demon tribulations!

“You mean, when a strand of vital energy is refined into celestial energy, the leftover impurities become demon energy?”

“Exactly. When the immortal path flourishes, cultivators extract celestial energy from vital energy, inevitably creating corresponding demon energy. It might be absorbed by demon cultivators, or settle within the earth over time.”

“And after a few centuries, when the demon energy rises, a great calamity ensues?” Ji Feichen exhaled a turbid breath. “The earth stirs with murderous intent, dragons and serpents emerge.”

“Precisely. When the immortal path prospers, demon tribulations arise; when the demon path thrives, immortal tribulations occur. Generally, every fifteen hundred years sees one cycle. The method for resolving tribulation is simple: you absorb celestial energy, then kill the one who absorbed the corresponding demon energy.”

The corresponding person, not just any demon. Ji Feichen thought carefully and finally understood why some immortals would enter the world to slay a demon they had never met during tribulation.

Perhaps they had never met, but when one absorbed celestial energy and another absorbed the residual demon energy from the same vital energy, the two became destined adversaries.

“The tribulation is the process of returning demon and celestial energies to unity, back to Taiji. When tribulation begins, one must slay the other, releasing the corresponding energy back to the world. Though it doesn’t return to Taiji or revert to vital energy, breaking the causal bond allows another fifteen hundred years of freedom.”

Every tribulation, immortals and demons would seek their destined adversaries—the counterpart formed from their cultivation. Such arrangements and calculations were the concern of earth immortals.

Thinking carefully, sometimes immortals suppressed demons without killing them, waiting for the tribulation to begin before acting. Perhaps this was to resolve the tribulation.

“What if you cannot find the corresponding person? Not everyone can locate their adversary.”

“Of course, finding the one with matching spiritual energy is troublesome. There is another method. Within fifteen hundred years, if you kill three cultivators of your own level and release their power to transform into vital energy, you can dispel the tribulation.”

Killing three peers was risky, easily leading to disaster. This further strengthened Ji Feichen’s resolve to change his cultivation. He did not wish to be pushed by an unseen hand into the immortal and demon war. Becoming a qi refiner and escaping tribulation was the fastest way.

“You must first find where your corresponding celestial energy lies. But this deduction of fate is generally only possible for those above the Human Immortal stage. Only earth immortals can truly arrange for their destined adversaries. Even if you wish to find it, you cannot see the lines of causality on yourself.”

“But once you reach the Human Immortal stage and gain the dharma eye, you lose the chance to change your cultivation to qi refining.” The youth spread his hands. “It is a paradox, nearly impossible to accomplish. I advise you to give up early!”