I frowned at Zhang’s words. “All of them? What about the demonic beasts?” I asked.

“All of them brother, they have all vanished seemingly without a trace,” Zhang replied.

“That is… unnatural,” Xi Shie—the diplomat from the Shie clan that had arrived here just a couple days ago—remarked. Unlike Liuxiang, the boy did not possess the Shie bloodline and looked more or less like a normal person. It was startling how normal he was in fact, though some of the mannerisms I saw in Liuxiang were still definitely present in him.

“It’d be great if they remained gone forever. The only issue is that I cannot bring myself to believe that’s going to happen,” I replied.

“I appreciate the report, Zhang, it’s something I’ll need to discuss with Lord Zhou. For better or worse, I am lacking in knowledge and information about the demons.”

“You’re not alone in that,” the Shie boy replied. “The demons have been the eternal enemy, but for that fact, we know next to nothing about them.”

I sighed. “This is why I wanted access to the sect’s resources. Those damned elders had to lock everything up before they left the sect.”

“We have managed to open up one of the treasuries within the inner sect, but the core vault is still locked. Elder Tian Feng is working on it as we speak,” Zhang replied.

I nodded and Zhang’s words, reminding myself to keep my internal thoughts quieter. What I said and what I did, now had more influence on other people than ever before. The thought made me hold back a sigh.

“Given our presence within the capital, we have had less interactions with demons than frontier settlements like the seventh peak. But the Shie clan still has warriors on the borders of the empire fighting demons so we aren’t unaware of their abilities either. If the sect requires, our agreement could include helping provide information,” Xi Shie said.

I looked at the boy, nodded, and gave a smile. “That is a very generous offer, but I believe we will be able to obtain our own resources for now.”

The boy’s smile didn’t slip an inch, as he maintained his even expression, continuing. “Then I hope you will not mind if I just ramble about my knowledge regarding the demons.”

I had a hard time rejecting that, and the boy knew it as he continued. I had to play their games. Diplomacy and politics was not something I was used to, while these clans had children learning it from the moment they could speak.

I tried not to worry about the hidden price that this gift might bring. Despite my connection to Liuxiang, I had to treat the Shie as their own entity, separate from her. There was only one reason the clan was so willing to help me out.

Heeding the fact that I could not take a favor at its face value anymore, I began to pay attention to the words being spoken.

“As you must be aware, the demonic activity is the highest in places near the borders of the Azure-Jade empire, places such as the seven celestial Peaks have always received and held back the brunt of the demonic movement. The mountain ranges of the peaks themselves allow for natural barriers to stop the demonic beasts from gaining ground,” Xi Shie said.

I nodded at his words. That was basic history that everybody knew.

“This much is common knowledge. But what is not known, is what lies beyond the seven peaks,” Xi Shie said, glancing around the room, before picking up a brush and a piece of parchment as he began to draw.

On the sheet, I saw seven mountains, forming a mountainous range that protected the empire’s northern and western borders. Beyond it, mountains continued, rising ever higher into the skies.

“The seven celestial peaks are merely the start of the greater mountainous ranges that extend beyond the borders of the empire. Here, ancient elementals of snow and ice, and divine creatures from before the formation of the empire itself reside. It is they who protect our borders, killing most of the demons off. It is also within these places where many of the northern barbarians have formed settlements, beyond the mountain ranges and well into the plains that run across the greater continent beyond our empire. We know little of these people, besides their lack of societal structure, culture, and literacy. But if there’s one thing they do not lack, it is strength, and the ability to fight,” Xi Shie said.

I looked at the maps, intrigued by all this information. I had already known that the world was a large place, and our empire just a small piece of it, but this truly put into perspective just how much was out there.

“Our ancestor, the great Divine Serpent, had originally arrived from beyond these mountains. There are few who can match these creatures in strength, besides the Divinities,” Xi Shie said.

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“Do we not have any neighboring kingdoms to trade with?” I asked.

“There are certain Western kingdoms that trade through the Southern ocean, but beyond that, we are not aware of any besides the barbarians.”

I hummed in thought to myself. That was one of the major differences between the history of my world and this one. The Azure-Jade empire was more or less isolated on the continent. Given the way it was cut off from both the North with the mountains and the South with the seas, it was more or less an island. That would explain the corruption, and the monolithic culture.

Bringing my attention back to the map, I looked at where Xi is pointing.

“These are the southern borders, and beyond here are the lands that the demons have conquered. At the border is where the main front lines are, and the empire keeps a constant stream of cultivators and warriors standing at the front lines, engaging in an eternal war against them to hold back the invasion. Many young cultivators rise to prominence here at the frontlines, fighting against the demons. Many times we have tried to claim back the corrupted lands from the demons, but the miasma in the air prevents us from doing so. That’s partly why holding these lines is so important to the existence of the empire. Any land that the demons can take from us, we will not be able to take back. These creatures corrupt everything they touch,” Xi said.

I frowned, continuing to listen, as my mind went back to the images I had seen within the frame when bonding with Ash, and the deathless present there. Did the empire already know of their existence?

“Is there anything that we found when going to the demon lands,” I asked, looking at Xi.

“There were a few things we found out. The first was that demons did not like living above land. They do not like the sun, they do not like Qi, and thus their primary numbers exist underground, in caverns full of Gu where they can thrive easily. If not for that fact the empire would’ve fallen ages ago.”

I raised my eyebrow at the words. “Don’t we have a lot of powerful people of our own?”

“Indeed, we do. But strength is not the concern here,” Xi said, his expression shifting slightly, as he rolled up the map he’d drawn. “If the estimates we have are right… for every cultivator we have, the demons outnumber us ten to one.”

There was a moment of silence as both Zhang and I took in the number. A sprawling living empire, down underneath the earth that we knew nothing of.

“How have we held the battle lines so far?” Zhang asked.

“A combination of factors. Superior weaponry, better arts, better formations, and the demons are not a whole lot smarter than demonic beasts. This has allowed us to exploit their weaknesses. But…”

I caught the trailing words. “But now they’re starting to become smarter.”

Xi Shie gave me a nod.

“Do we know why they fight the empire? Is it even known when they first appeared? Or how, for that matter?” I asked.

“No... we know very little of their motives. We had, once upon a time, captured demons to try and interrogate them but those in our custody died rather quickly, without us being able to learn much. If they had been natural predators, it would’ve been one thing. But the demonic beasts for the most part ignore other creatures and spirit animals, solely focusing on the empire,” Xi Shie said. “As far as we know, demons have existed since before the empire itself and are its sworn enemies.”

“That is… strange,” I said, thinking over what I knew. I could see some motives the demons may have had to try and destroy Qi or take down the heavens, but… if so, why target the empire specifically? “You said demons have existed since before the empire, do we know where or how they lived?”

Xi Shie shook his head. “There were some insights of an era preceding them, but we know next to nothing of it. Or didn’t, until you arrived.”

“Right,” I replied. I had not told him everything. Truthfully, I had not told him much. But the Shie knew of Chi now, and knew it’s connected somehow to the Divine Tree. They knew less about my connection to it, but the knowledge was out there one way or another.

“And that is roughly the extent of what I know of the demons. And what most people do. There are more things, but most are kept within the royal family and within the emperor’s command,” Xi said.

I gave a nod. “Let’s shift topics to matters at hand. We need to figure a way out to protect the villages surrounding Taizhou for the winter, including Taizhou itself. Even if the demons have all vanished, we can’t count on them staying that way.”

“What is the issue with simply doing what has always been done before?” Xi Shie asked.

“We lack people. A significant number of the more powerful cultivators left the sect when I took over, and we do not have access to all the wards and formations. Due to the change in power, villagers have begun rushing into the city itself to try and gain protection for winter, but we can’t house that many people in such a short time span,” I said.

Xi Shie thought over my words. “And thus the talks with the Patriarch,” he said, and I nodded.

“If the talks go smoothly enough, I could potentially try and get enough resources to be able to protect people, and give the new cultivators the weapons they need to help add to that security.”

“Very well, in that case, let us discuss our propositions regarding co-operations after you’ve spoken with the Patriarch,” the boy said, nodding his head as he bowed ever so slightly to me.

I nodded as well, watching Xi step out of the chamber, before letting out one last sigh.

Zhang looked at me with a concerned expression. “Anything I can do for you, Brother Jie?”

“No, you should rest. You’ve done enough already. This is something I more or less need to sort on my own,” I said.

The boy ignored my words, as he so often did whenever I told him to take a break, and I shook my head. A moment later, there was a knock at the door before Qiao Ying stepped in, bowing to me.

“Elder, the preparations for the scrying formations have been completed. The Patriarch will be shortly awaiting the meeting.”