Chapter Twenty-Seven: The Drought Demon

“Boss—oh, wait, Master—I am not a machine! I am a magical artifact!” The Raging Vajra jabbed the scorched monk lying on his shoulder with fingers as thick as pillars.

“Remarkable! You’ve actually awakened intelligence! Just as Master said, the power of merit is truly the best. Maybe I should find a way to obtain some for my whip too!” Ling Mei observed their exchange with thoughtful eyes, seriously examining the whip in her hand.

“Who are you?” After absorbing a considerable amount of blood essence, the corpse demon’s body grew robust, a stark contrast to her earlier emaciated, hairy form. She no longer attacked, but instead swallowed the surrounding black aura, and her body began to manifest feminine features. She opened her mouth and let out a piercing, shrill voice directed at Wu Ming and his companions, though it was unclear whether she was addressing the Vajra or those on his shoulder.

“Well, what should my name be?” The Vajra, newly awakened to intelligence, began to ponder.

“You idiot, you’re a fool!” Monk Luokong’s rage was unabated, and he was near exploding with fury.

“Oh, so my name is Fool. What’s yours?” the Vajra replied with a simple-minded grin.

Wu Ming was speechless, awkwardly covering his face in embarrassment—this was mortifying.

“Amitabha!” Monk Luokong, at a loss for words, simply chanted a Buddhist prayer.

“Hehe, why don’t we give you a name?” Music seemed to have a fondness for this big oaf and carefully produced a dictionary, pointing out possibilities.

“Great idea!” The Vajra clapped his hands in delight, nearly shaking everyone off his shoulder, but quickly steadied them.

“Am I invisible to you? You’re all dead!” The corpse demon shrieked, extending her elongated claws toward the Vajra.

A screech of sparks erupted as her claws scraped the Vajra’s surface, producing a teeth-grinding sound.

The Vajra grabbed her hand and, with a casual toss, flung the massive corpse demon across the ground, leaving a long trail behind her.

“You’d better come down for now—it’s dangerous up here!” The Vajra set everyone on the ground, flexed his limbs, and beckoned the corpse demon in a provocatively combative manner.

“You resemble the legendary Vajra from Buddhist tales. Perhaps you were forged in the image of that mythic warrior. The name ‘Vajra’ suits you perfectly—let’s call you Vajra!” Ling Mei stroked Music’s head and addressed the Vajra.

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“How did I not think of that? Yes! Big guy, your name is Vajra!” Music seemed quite satisfied with the name.

“Wonderful! I finally have a name—Vajra! Hey, little flower, did you hear? I’m Vajra, isn’t that impressive?” Vajra waved his hands and feet, shaking the earth so vigorously that everyone staggered, unable to stand steadily. Luckily, aside from the dead, all the ordinary people had fled during the corpse demon’s attack, or there would have been even more casualties.

“Little flower, get up, let’s keep playing!” Vajra beckoned the corpse demon to continue.

A guttural roar escaped the corpse demon as she lunged at Vajra.

Vajra sidestepped easily and kicked her squarely on the backside, sending her sprawling face-first into the dirt.

“Vajra, Mom always said boys shouldn’t kick girls, and certainly not their backsides!” Music scolded like an elder sister.

Vajra nodded obediently, making the scene even more bizarre.

“Little flower, get up, we’re playing!” he called.

Wu Ming could hardly bear to watch Vajra toy with the corpse demon. This fierce and mutated giant corpse demon was being tossed about like a cat playing with a mouse, utterly powerless to resist.

“How strong is this guy, really?” Wu Ming was at a loss.

“He’s probably as powerful as the gods of this world. He possesses the merit and destiny of this realm, and any opponent is suppressed, unable to use their full strength!” Ling Mei earnestly explained to Wu Ming.

“Goodness—so he’s invincible!”

“Not entirely. In this world, he’s nearly unbeatable, but only if the world’s will continues to favor him!”

“Vajra, keep beating her—her saliva is disgusting!” Music was revolted by the corpse demon’s green drool and abandoned her earlier admonitions, urging Vajra to pummel her.

After a thorough beating, the corpse demon was completely subdued, scurrying about with her head covered until she finally just crouched on the ground, bracing herself for more blows. Vajra, scratching his head, could no longer bring himself to hit her.

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“What should we do with her now? She’s kneeling and begging for mercy—it wouldn’t be right to kill a prisoner, would it?” Wu Ming asked.

“You decide,” Ling Mei turned and walked away.

“Director, what do you think?” Wu Ming looked to Director Tyrannosaurus.

“This is best handled by the sect master,” Director Tyrannosaurus replied, showing Wu Ming only the back of his head.

“Sect master, don’t ask me. My gourd won’t take her—she’s too filthy!” Music pouted and chased after Ling Mei.

“Maybe, monk, you could perform a release ritual?” Wu Ming finally turned to Monk Luokong.

“Corpse demons are a kind of undead; they can’t enter the cycle of reincarnation, nor can they be released. I am powerless in this matter!” Monk Luokong shook his head at Wu Ming.

Just as Wu Ming was at his wit’s end, a golden glow began to rise from his chest—a mirror, the thin bronze mirror he had acquired from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, inscribed with strange characters.

The Mountain and Sea Mirror floated upward, shooting a beam of golden light at the corpse demon. The massive corpse demon gradually shrank and was absorbed into the mirror, which then lost its energy and dropped.

Wu Ming caught it deftly. Instantly, a stream of information flooded his mind:

The female drought demon was the daughter of the Yellow Emperor. Her head was bald, surrounded by a radiant aura of flames, with immense heat within her. Wherever she went, waves of heat would roll out, and even the greatest of rains, or vast oceans, would vanish in an instant. Thus, when the drought demon appears, thousands of miles become barren.

She once used her powers as a deity of drought to help humanity defeat the Wind Lord and Rain Master, but after the Sacred Tree was sealed, she could no longer return to the heavens. Homeless, she wandered the earth, bringing heat and drying rivers, with winds and sand covering fields and forests. People began to resent her, calling her “Drought Demon” and driving her away. Having exhausted her divine power and unable to replenish it, she was tainted by the negative emotions of human resentment, gradually growing hateful and losing herself, until the Yellow Emperor banished her to the Red River.

Wu Ming found it perplexing. This corpse demon and the drought demon shared only a similar name, and seemed to have nothing to do with the Yellow Emperor’s daughter. But it didn’t matter—so long as this burden was dealt with.

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