Chapter 96- King Zhou Resorts to Suicide and the Three Demon Consorts Fle...

The scene is just... it's set in fire and chaos. The challenger, King Wu of Zhu, and his strategist, Jiang Shang, have finally brought their forces to the capital. They've surrounded the reigning king, the tyrant King Zhu, right outside the noon gate. Exactly. And this chapter is just a masterpiece of drama because it captures the psychological breakdown of power. You see King Zhu's immense, almost divine capability right up against the the overwhelming reality of his defeat. So let's start right there on the battlefield with the fury of this final stand. The source material, it spares no expense describing this. It's a cataclysm. This isn't just a messy battle. It's like watching heaven's decree physically change on the ground. The imagery is so intense. The text paints this picture where killing energy locks the ground. And smoke and dust cover the mountains. The scale is just staggering. You have 800 princes. 800. A literal coalition of all the regional lords, all of them arrayed against this one king. Right. The narrative even says, one time the earth turned upside down and the heavens overturned. It's that epic. What's really astonishing, I think, given that he's completely surrounded, is King Zhu's personal response. He doesn't just fold. Not at all. He's described as possessing Shen Cheng Tian Zang. And that's, I mean, it basically translates to divine power, this kind of heaven-sent martial spirit. He's operating on a superhuman level. So he doesn't panic. He just fights. He fights with the ferocity of a cosmic power. He actually succeeds right at the start in killing the southern duke, Yishun. Just cuts him down. Wait, how is that even possible? He's surrounded by this massive army, and he just wades in and takes out a major commander. What does the source say gives him that kind of power? It's his sheer unstoppable momentum. The text has this fascinating detail. It says he has the strength of three spring mellow grasses. What does that mean? It's a crucial metaphor. It doesn't just mean he's strong. It means his power actually increases the longer the fight goes on. He's basically inexhaustible. He's designed to be impossible to defeat by any, you know, ordinary means. So the allied forces, they must have realized pretty quickly that just throwing soldiers at him wasn't going to work. Numbers weren't enough. Exactly. And that's the tactical shift. The tide doesn't turn because of mortal strategy. It turns because of divine intervention. Ah, so the heroes of Zhu step in. Right. The powerful disciples like Nezha, Yang Jian, Lei Zhenzi, they see these mortal princes getting cut down, and they realize they have to prove they are not inferior. They have to use their celestial powers. And this is where it gets tragic for the last of Shang's loyal men. Three ministers, Liu Renji, Lei Kun, and Lei Peng, they charge into this supernatural chaos. They do. They know the dynasty is doomed, but their duty, their loyalty compels them to protect the king. And their deaths really show just how overwhelming the odds were. They really do. I mean, they weren't just overpowered in a fair fight. They were annihilated by magic they couldn't possibly counter. Liu Renji, for instance, is struck down by Nezha's magic weapon, the Qiankun Circle. That's a weapon of destiny, isn't it? It's not just a weapon of war. Precisely. It's almost like an unjust death for a loyal soldier. You're not facing a general, you're facing an executioner from the heavens. And the other two. Lei Kun is killed by Yang Jian, and Lei Peng is just struck down by a massive glow from Lei Zhenzi's club. The way they die underscores the inevitability of it all. They were brave, but their fate was sealed. That shift from a military battle to a supernatural takedown is, it's just so palpable. And once that happened, we move pretty quickly to the king's personal humiliation. Yes, because despite all that divine strength, Zhu is still mortal, and his personal stand is broken by a very human, very symbolic blow. Delivered by the eastern duke, Shang Wenhuan. That's the one. Zhu is still fighting, but Wenhuan gets off his horse, throws down his sword, and takes out a whip. A whip, not a sword. A whip, and he strikes King Zhu right on the back. It's this profound injury that almost knocks the king off his horse. It forces him to flee, wounded and humiliated, back into the noon gate. I mean, to be struck down by a soldier is defeat. But to be physically beaten by a former vassal, that's a whole other level of disgrace for a king. It is. And what's so fascinating here is the immediate fallout among the victors. You'd think they'd be celebrating, right? They've broken his spear and he's on the run. But King Wu, the new leader, he's actually distressed by this. Very distressed. And it's not a tactical concern, it's philosophical. King Wu says that Jiang Wenhuan's act was a great loss of the distinction between ruler and minister. Because he physically struck the sovereign. Exactly. And this little detail gives us this huge insight. King Wu isn't just trying to conquer a land, he's trying to establish a new moral order. He's worried that if a vassal can strike a king, even a terrible one, it sets a dangerous precedent. It cheapens the whole office. That's a really sharp political concern. He's worried about his own reign. He's basically saying, if you can hit this king, what stops you from hitting me one day? That's the core of it. It's this question of revolutionary justice versus maintaining political order. If the revolution becomes just chaos and disrespect, then the new dynasty has no legitimacy. But Jiang Wenhuan pushes back. He pushes back hard. He gives the moral justification for the whole war, arguing that King Zhu is so cruel, so tyrannical, that even killing him in the city square wouldn't be enough to pay for his crimes. So it's a perfect standoff. The challenger says the crime is so huge, the old rules don't apply. But the future king is worried that the methods they use will taint the very dynasty they're trying to build. Right. This is the moment you see the weight of the mandate of heaven settling on King Wu's shoulders. He has to prove he's worthy, not just through strength, but through moral restraint. So we've seen the tragedy of the loyalists and the political dilemma of the victors. Now the story shifts from that kind of heroic tragedy to something much more cynical. Yes. Once the physical battle is lost, the whole question of loyalty is tested in a very different arena. We move from the battlefield into the nine-room hall where King Zhu has retreated. And his whole demeanor changes. The fight is gone. Completely. He starts lamenting his fate. He's genuinely remorseful. The text says he accepts that the Shang dynasty is lost in an instant. He mourns his fallen loyalists and specifically says he regrets not listening to loyal counsel. So for the first time, he drops that divine arrogance and just admits his human failures. And while he's having this moment of introspection, two of his key ministers approach him. Grandmaster Falian and Eli. And they offer comfort, I assume. On the surface, yes. They say things like, oh, suffering a wound is normal. Wise men have the protection of heaven. But it's all theater. The second Zhu is distracted, their real plan comes out. They realize the end is near. Immediately. And their first thought isn't about the king or the dynasty. It's about their own status. The source points out their first concern. If they do nothing, their million family assets will be lost. Pure transactional self-interest. Just completely overrides any fealty. They decide right then and there to abandon Zhu and return to Zhu, as in King Wu. But just defecting isn't enough for them. They need leverage. They need to bring a gift. A very specific gift. This is the really cynical part of their scheme. They plan to wait for the city to be breached, then sneak into the inner court and steal the imperial seals. The Chuang Guofuxi. Why the seals? The imperial seal isn't just a stamp. It's the physical symbol of the mandate of heaven. It's legitimacy. It's the transmission of power from one dynasty to the next. So by stealing the seals, they ensure King Wu can't immediately proclaim his legitimacy. Their plan is to hide them and then present the seals to King Wu later. This makes them look like loyal and patriotic subjects who secured the symbols of the state, not like common traders. It turns their betrayal into a huge political asset. That's the ultimate act of opportunism dressed up as patriotism. And the text even notes how they justify it to themselves. They believe future generations will call them wise for following the philosophy of wise birds choose their wood, wise ministers choose their master. That is such a powerful idiom. It defines self-serving cynicism as just political wisdom. They're not worried about honor. They're worried about which branch is the strongest one to perch on. They've completely replaced true loyalty with transactional service, and they believe they'll be admired for their foresight, not condemned for their betrayal. They value the symbol of power way more than the man who holds it. And while these two are busy calculating their future, King Zhu is completely oblivious. He's dealing with the devastating personal cost of his defeat in the inner palace. Yes, let's go there. The scene shifts completely. We move from that cold power politics to the vulnerability of personal heartbreak. King Zhu meets his three main consorts, Daji, Hu Shimei, and Wang Yiren. And his fear here isn't just death, it's dishonor. Exactly. He tells them plainly he can't bear the humiliation of being captured by Jiangshan. He says he must commit suicide beforehand, but his deepest pain is for them. He's heartbroken that they'll be handed over to King Wu. He says the heart is pained at the mention of it. This concern for them is kind of the last vestige of his humanity we really see. It is, and the consorts, they match his drama. They know their fate is tied to his. They kneel, they weep, they cling to his robe, saying his love is engraved on their hearts and bones. Even Daji, who's so often portrayed as a source of all his corruption. Even her. She clings to his knee, asking how he could possibly abandon them. It's this moment where, despite all his cruelty as a ruler, he acts only as a grieving husband. And his final act is to order a farewell drink and write a poem for them. A truly heartbreaking poem. It uses this classical imagery to convey that the separation is absolute, it's final. He writes, parting phoenixes today only. Emphasizing that the break is right now, and it's forever. And then he uses the image of mandarin ducks, which are the symbol of eternal devoted love. He says their reunion is separated by a chasm. It's an insurmountable gulf of despair. Wow. And he ends it with the physical pain of his grief. He writes that with his cup of farewell wine, the heart is as if drunk. It's this intoxicating mix of sorrow, regret, and just acceptance. The divine warrior from the battlefield is gone. He's just a weeping, broken man facing the end. Jiang Ziya's forces have King Zhu backed into the very last corner of his own capital. And Ziya, you know, he's this master strategist, but at this point, he's not just fighting, he's waiting. Waiting for what, exactly? He knows the end date. The text calls it jia zi ji qi, which is like the due date. He's literally counting down the hours to the dynasty's predetermined collapse. But the sources, they make it really clear that even with destiny on his side, these last few days, they're not going to be walking the park. No, not at all. Our whole focus is on this one last desperate move by the antagonists, Daji, the nine-tailed fox spirit, and her two sisters. So it isn't really about human warfare. It's all about sorcery and psychology. King Zhu has, you know, he's run out of generals. He's run out of ministers. He's got nothing left. He has nothing left but these three consorts. And that forces them to get their hands dirty, to move from just manipulating the court to actually fighting on a battlefield. And the wild chase that follows. And the chase, yes. Let's start with the king's state of mind. To really get why the demon's plan is such a Hail Mary, you have to understand just how far he'd fallen. He is just drowning in despair. Daji is offering him wine, trying to lift his spirits. But he just, he pushes it away. He says something like, this wine is hard to drink, right? Unable to swallow. It feels like a metaphor. It absolutely is. He can't swallow the reality that his 600-year dynasty is just over. And his vulnerability at this moment is total. He's given up. He has. And Daji senses this. And she knows, you know, she has to pivot right now from despair to action. So she and her sisters, Husame, the pheasant spirit, and Wangren, the pipa spirit, they walk in with the most audacious pitch in the entire novel. It's a fantastic deception. Daji, the fox spirit, she stands there and claims she grew up in a general's family and learned its swordsmanship. She's casting herself as a warrior. And then she uses that to sell her sisters, claiming they excel in the arts of sorcery and understand battle tactics. So they're claiming mastery over everything, both the physical warfare, the Daoma, sword and horse, and magical arts, the Daoshu. Exactly. And if you're listening, just think about that for a second. A king who is supposed to command millions of soldiers is now getting military advice from a fox spirit pretending to be a general. But what I find so fascinating is the level of detail the source gives us about their gear. It really grounds this whole supernatural plan. We don't just picture them in robes. They are geared up. Daji has twin swords. Hu Simei has two precious swords. And Wangren, the pipa spirit, she's got this amazing embroidered phoenix knife, the Si Luan Dao. And they're riding out on peach blossom horses, the Ta Hua Moth. The whole image is just, it's this chaotic mix of deadly and beautiful. And King Zhu, he buys it. Completely. He's so starved for hope that he has this brief moment of joy. He's anticipating a success for 100 generations by Xi Jinping. He thinks this one battle will save everything. Yeah. And that relief lasts, what, a few minutes? About as long as it takes them to ride out of the palace. They launch this midnight raid. But Xia, he was so focused on the big picture, the historical timeline. He wasn't paying attention to the details. Exactly. The source says he was not paying attention and almost lost because he didn't guard against the attack. The raid hits late at night around 9 p.m. and goes on for hours. And the impact is, well, it's immediate. It's catastrophic. The demons charge in using what the text calls Ya Feng Gui Wu. Demonic wind and strange fog. Right. And they're kicking up sand, scattering stones. It's a total sensory overload. And there's this poetic description, the Fu, that really brings it to life. It calls the wind cold and chilling, Leng, Leng Su Su. Yes. And it says the wind gathers monsters and hides demons. This isn't just bad weather. The wind is a weapon. It's a physical manifestation of evil. It literally overturns the camp's barriers. The whole camp is just east topples west. And the text says it causes ghosts weeping and gods startled. Absolute supernatural pandemonium. And what's the effect on the actual soldiers? They're useless. Completely disoriented. They can't tell north from south in the fog. Patrols are paralyzed. Men are just running blindly. It is total chaos. So it sounds like a tactical masterstroke for the demons. But this is the moment Zia finally acts. This is when he stops waiting for destiny and decides to force the issue. He counters this chaos by deploying his elite team. His A-team of celestial disciples. A masterclass in counter-sorcery. He sends out his seven best. You have Nezha on his windfire wheels with his spear. You've got Yang Jing with his three-pointed knife. Li Zhenzi, the heavy hitter, with his golden staff. And it's a coordinated assault. Wei Hu has his demons of Deering Pestle. Li Jing has his halberd. And the Zha brothers are there with their swords. They immediately surround the demons, cutting them off. But the physical fight isn't what wins it, is it? No, because the demons are still controlling the chaotic magic. The decisive move comes from Zia himself, who's still sitting calmly in his tent. He unleashes the Wuli Zangfa, the Five Thunder Righteous Dharma. Why is it so important? Because it's not about force. It's, um, it's about order. The Five Thunder Righteous Dharma is a technique of celestial order that's used to suppress evil energy. So he's not fighting chaos with more chaos. Precisely. He neutralizes it with pure, disciplined order. When he unleashes that technique, the demons are hit by this thunderclap that just terrifies them. Their magical power source is just shut down. And that's the turning point. That's it. They realize they're not fighting mere soldiers. They're up against men of true sorcery. They lose their nerve completely, use their own strange wind to flee, and they run straight back to the palace. An attack that lasted six hours. And it ends with them just running in terror. And now we cut back to King Zhu. He's eagerly waiting for his hundred generations of success. But Daji has to come back and spin this absolute disaster. And she tries to minimize it. She says Zia was somehow prepared that they were almost trapped, that they nearly failed to see your majesty again. She doesn't admit they were completely routed. Not at all. But it doesn't matter. The king isn't fooled. This failure, this one last hope that combined military force and sorcery, seeing it defeated is the final crack in his sanity. He finally gets it. He says the words himself. Heaven's will cannot be reversed. Shani Nanwei. All the evil, all the sacrifices. It was for nothing. Destiny was already written. And the emotional weight of that. He just sheds one tear, says his time is up, and then... He waves his sleeve. And without another word to the demons, he just heads for the star picking tower to commit suicide. He's done. He's abandoned them, the world, everything. Wow. His mental collapse is almost more dramatic than the battle. He just surrenders to fate. Which leaves Daji and her sisters with only one option left. Survival. Exactly. They have this very pragmatic conversation. Daji admits it. They have officially ruined the entire Qingtang dynasty. And they immediately pivot to an escape plan. And the plan is to go back to where it all started. Right. Hu Shimei suggests they flee back to their original hideout, the Xuanyuan Tomb, Xuanyuan Fen. Their own lair. They figure if they can just get there, they can regroup. But Zie is one step ahead. Of course. After he calms his camp, his mind immediately goes to the loose ends. He knows these demons are too dangerous to leave alive. So he doesn't even wait for mourning. He sets up an incense table and performs divination right then and there. Yes. He casts the coins, Jingkan Paisiya. And what he finds out just accelerates everything. He realizes if he delays any longer, the three demons will escape. They're already on the move. So Zie switches from diviner to commander. He issues formal warrants, Zhuantai, to his disciples. And the threat level on these is extreme. Oh, it's life and death. He tells them, you will be executed under military law if you fail. This is a high-stakes capture mission. And the assignments are very specific. Almost surgical. Yang Jian is sent to get the nine-headed pheasant spirit. Lei Zhenzi, who is kind of the most volatile, goes after Daji, the fox spirit. And Wei Hu, with his pestle, has to get the jade pipa spirit. But they have a problem. How do you find three fleeing demons in a massive dark city? And this is where Yang Jian shows his tactical genius again. He figures, okay, the king is giving up, so the demons have to be leaving the palace. So the best place to catch them is at the exit. Exactly. He suggests they use earth-tunneling magic to basically hover in the air invisibly right above the palace gates and just wait for them to come out. Brilliant. But before they escape, the source gives us one last chilling detail. A very dark detail. It says that before they fled, the three demons ate several palace servants. Just a final horrifying act of consumption before they run for their lives. A dark punctuation mark on their entire reign of terror. So they do that, and then they rise into the air using their demonic light, their yaoguang, to fly toward the tomb. Only to find Yang Jian and the others waiting for them. Right there in the sky. The fight is immediate, but it's very short. Less than five rounds. The demons are desperate. They just turn and flee again. And this is where Yang Jian deploys his secret weapon. He does. It's not his spear. It's not his skill. It's his dog. The Xiaoshan Quan, the celestial hound. Which the source describes as a celestial dog cultivated to spiritual intelligence. I love that. A spirit dog, cultivated for centuries, is now the ultimate weapon against the dynasty's most powerful demons. And the result is, I mean, it's gruesome. It's shocking. The dog just leaps out and attacks the nine-headed pheasant spirit, Hu Shimei, and bites off one of her nine heads. Just rips it right off. Yep. And the pheasant spirit, bleeding, wounded, now one head short, just keeps flying. This isn't a battle anymore. It's a high-speed hunt. And the source material captures that perfectly. The demons flee like arrows, and the pursuers fall like a storm. Lei Zhenzi after the fox. Yang Jian after the wounded pheasant. Wei Hu after the pipa. It's the ultimate contrast, isn't it? Just hours earlier, they were in the palace, promising the king an empire. And now they're fleeing for their lives, with a celestial dog having just torn one of their heads off. The fall from grace is just... It's absolute. And this whole pursuit, it confirms that larger theme, right? That even the most powerful sorcery is no match for Tian Yi, for destiny, for heaven's will. The thing Ziya was calculating all along. Exactly. And just when this high-speed three-way chase is at its most intense, the chapter just slams on the brakes. The biggest cliffhanger. The chase is abruptly stopped by a major interruption. Two massive yellow banner-swung fans suddenly appear. And fragrant smoke xiang ya and ai-ai billows across the sky. These are the signs of a supreme, incredibly powerful celestial being just arriving out of nowhere. This is an outside intervention. Something so powerful that it makes three fleeing demons and three relentless pursuers just, like, stop dead in their tracks. Yes. So you now know the terrifying stakes of that midnight raid. You know the power of Ziya's discipline. And you know about the desperate, head-missing flight of the consorts. The knowledge you now carry to the next chapter is this. Who has just arrived under those yellow banners? And what could this sudden intervention possibly mean for the final fate of the three running demons?