Chapter 38: Wandering Under the Night Moon, Roaming Across Heaven and Earth

"Stop immediately."

A cold voice rose.

This world trembled.

The ten directions of the earth shook; Shanhe quaked, lakes and seas surged.

In the present world, above the Arakawa District, the Yunhu trembled too; lake waves overturned, an infinite, formless, terrifying aura pressed down on the four directions of heaven and earth, the sea of clouds grew heavy as if the sky were about to collapse.

Everyone in the Arakawa District felt their minds sway, a shiver rising from the depths of their souls.

They heard it.

From the scene within the Yunhu, a sound emerged for the first time.

Even Takahashi, the Chief Inspector at the distant Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department in the Arakawa District, and countless viewers watching the live broadcast across Japan.

Their bodies turned ice-cold, feeling as if they had fallen into an ice cellar; body, mind, soul, will, spirit—all trembled, shivering without cease.

This voice seemed not heard by the ears, but to ring directly within the mind.

It contained overwhelming, awe-inspiring majesty.

It shook heaven and earth.

Countless people vaguely realized that something extraordinary had arrived; before it even revealed itself, a single phrase had triggered anomalies in that world, even affecting this one.

The Great Monk, the demons present, and the countless demons roaming this sky and earth froze as if struck by a paralysis spell, halting their movements and stopping their actions.

The scene within the Yunhu seemed frozen.

Time appeared to stop.

Even the massive waves rolling above the Yunhu in the Arakawa District came to an abrupt halt.

The scene was bizarre.

It terrified the world.

"What is there..." someone in the Arakawa District murmured.

The image looked frozen, yet it was not stopped; those demons merely stood still in place, their bodies trembling incessantly, all gazing in one direction, their eyes filled with a mixture of shock, fear, and reverence.

It seemed that in that direction, something made thousands of demons afraid.

At this moment.

Everyone was looking in that direction, holding their breath, eyes unblinking, staring fixedly.

They knew deeply that some great terror must have appeared.

That earlier cold voice was the best proof; the instant the sound rose, from the depths of everyone's hearts arose an innate panic rooted in pure instinct.

In the present world, silence reigned.

In the Twilight World, heaven and earth were solemn and quiet.

The innocent girl and the junior felt a fear that made them dare not speak, as if making a sound would disturb an unknown great terror and invite immense guilt.

In this world, the roars of ghosts and demons were gone; it was incredibly quiet, as if even the air had stopped flowing.

It could be seen that in that direction, from the horizon's end, demonic energy surged skyward, condensing into a dark, oppressive mass, like a black ocean churning, covering heaven and earth, swallowing sun and moon.

Overwhelming demonic energy covered the vast sky, swept across the earth, pressing heaven and earth into rolling turmoil.

"That is!" Professor Zhongtian's pupils contracted; he felt his blood stop flowing.

Everyone gasped in shock, their eyes filled with fear.

At the horizon's end.

A carriage, riding the heavens, slowly approached.

It was not large, resembling a large bed covered with thin curtains, making it impossible to see what lay inside.

This was a terrifying and mysterious carriage, spouting rainbow light, ten thousand feet of rosy radiance, accompanied by chaos-like energy; the power it revealed was such that even gods feared it, drawn by a creature wreathed in Lei Ting.

That creature had three tails, resembling a weasel or marten, its entire body seemingly composed of Lei Ting, with lightning swirling around it, shining brilliantly; wherever it passed, thunder exploded, booming like the King of Thunder from the Nine Heavens, with immense momentum.

It pulled the carriage, crossing the sky, as if striding across heaven and earth, riding over the azure void.

Behind the carriage, a group of demons followed; their number was not large, only about a hundred, yet each possessed overwhelming demonic energy surging skyward, shaking the universe into reverberation, as if heaven itself were wailing.

They were extremely powerful; their demonic momentum swallowed the sky, cracking heaven and earth, like fallen deities transformed into demon gods, and the demonic energy covering the horizon and sky was caused by them.

Unbelievable.

Demons resembling demon gods willingly took a subordinate position, following behind the carriage.

It was hard to imagine what kind of existence within the carriage could make a hundred demon gods willingly follow at its side.

"This is the true Night Parade of a Hundred Demons!!"

Professor Zhongtian's face flushed red, excited to the point of madness; he quickly spat out some fast-acting heart medicine and shoved it into his mouth, so excited he risked a heart attack.

"What?"

"Professor Zhongtian, what do you mean by that?"

The big shots present were confused and puzzled.

Does "Night Parade of a Hundred Demons" not mean countless demons roaming about? Why say this is the true Night Parade of a Hundred Demons?

Professor Zhongtian did not beat around the bush; with eyes full of admiration and reverence, he said:

"The term 'Night Parade of a Hundred Demons' first appeared in Japan in 'The Uji Shūi Monogatari', implying 'A practitioner encountering the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons'; roughly translated, it means 'A practitioner meeting the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons'."

The meaning expressed is roughly that demons gather and appear on moonlit nights; transmitted to the present, it has evolved to mean demons gathering together at night and roaming without restraint.

Of course, there is also a saying that the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons refers to a grand parade of demons on summer nights.

These interpretations are correct, yet also wrong.

The modern concept of the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons is a misinterpretation; the true ancient Night Parade of a Hundred Demons was not this concept.

Its true meaning in ancient times was actually to follow or lead, symbolizing immense power.

In classical texts such as 'Kojiki', 'Nihon Shoki', and 'Fudoki', demons are recorded; the contents vary yet share similarities, describing demons as invariably terrible, terrifying, evil, and bringing disaster to humanity.

From the ancient records of monsters, we have reason to believe that in the past, people feared monsters greatly, for monsters represented power, arrogance, and were beyond the reach of ordinary men.

Moreover, reviewing ancient records, there has never been any account of a monster being tamed by humans, which further illustrates a major characteristic of monsters.

Besides being powerful and arrogant, they are also proud, unruly, look down on the weak, and revere strength.

The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, as mentioned before, refers to a grand procession of monsters. Yet ancient records long ago stated that monsters are unruly; how could they parade together? After all, a monster parade must involve a vast number of monsters, and they cannot all be equally powerful; there must be distinctions between strong and weak.

As monsters who revere strength, look down on the weak, and are proud, how could they be willing to parade alongside the weak? How could they submit to monsters of equal power?

They would inevitably clash; no one would submit to an equal existence, and they would fight to enslave the weak.

To hold a parade, a leader is absolutely necessary.

A leader standing before all monsters, capable of intimidating the hundred demons and guiding the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons.

Ruling the hundred demons, making them follow in his wake, parading under the night moon, and rampaging across heaven and earth.

This is the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons!!

Therefore, the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, in its deeper meaning, represents command and power.

To be able to rule monsters that even humans fear, making them follow—that is the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons. The Night Parade of a Hundred Demons is the symbol of a king!

It is also the symbol of supreme power!"

As he spoke the final words, Professor Gutian felt his blood burning, boiling and surging backward.

The fast-acting heart pills in his hand poured into his mouth like beans being dumped from a sack.

Oh my god!!

I have witnessed the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, even a Night Parade of a Hundred Demons that rules over demon gods...

What kind of monster is inside that carriage?

Professor Gutian felt his mind was insufficient; one after another, the information and records of famous legendary great monsters flashed rapidly through his brain, as he sought a monster capable of ruling over demon gods and the hundred demons.

Which one could it be!

Which legendary monster could it be!

(Begging for recommendation votes!! Begging for recommendation votes!! QAQ)