The Grand Alliance of Grandfathers

The two collided, and in an instant, a burst of light erupted between them, illuminating the entire sky.

The edge of the sun peeked out from behind the mountains, just beneath their intertwined arms.

“Whoosh!” A fierce gale swept across the land, swaying the wild grass, and animals in the distance scattered in a panic.

“Not bad.” The Ghost General grinned, his fangs protruding from the corners of his mouth.

He understood now; the person before him was no weaker than a minor Incense God who had achieved minor success in the Path of Incense.

In terms of cultivation, this meant they were at least in the Soul Transformation realm, above both Nascent Soul and Soul Severing.

“My strength is merely mediocre among demons,” the True Demon stated nonchalantly, as if not pursuing power for its own sake.

He acted on impulse, driven more by the passion in his heart.

“Old fool, it seems you haven’t been doing so well, have you?” The Ghost General brandished his six weapons, striking at the True Demon like a surging tide.

They were evenly matched. While defending, the True Demon managed to land a few punches on him.

Spitting out a mouthful of black blood, the True Demon scoffed,

“Ghost, your strength is on par with mine… you’re not so great either!”

“Ridiculous! With the immortal gods now journeying to the outer seas, my strength is already considered top-tier.” The Ghost General spread his six arms, and a black profound array unfurled, enveloping his entire body.

Several shackles appeared on his form, clanging together and producing explosive sounds.

“Crack!” As if breaking free from restrictions, he shattered the chains, his aura surging severalfold.

“Honestly, you Incense Gods always love to burst with power, it’s really annoying.” The True Demon sighed, as a pair of black bat wings unfurled behind him, casting a shadow over a vast expanse of land.

“Old fool, this is merely standard procedure for me.” The Ghost General charged forward, his massive, hundreds-of-meters-tall body stomping the ground, shaking mountains and rivers.

It was hard for them, the Incense Gods. They usually didn’t dare to absorb too much incense, living frugally.

So, when the time came to use it, was it wrong to take a big gulp?

“Ghost, we True Demons can burst with power too!” The True Demon soared into the sky, trailing streams of fire, descending like a falling meteor.

It was hard for them, the lower-tier True Demons. They usually didn’t dare to absorb too much demonic energy, living frugally.

So, when the time came to use it, was it wrong to take a big gulp?

The two ‘paupers’ fought, each move calculated against their ‘savings.’

Perhaps, this kind of exasperation was only understood by the gods of their lower ranks.

Thus, with ample ‘savings,’ they fought heartily until noon.

Under the scorching sun, amid the cracked earth, beads of cold sweat trickled down the brows of both formidable beings.

“Damn it, this old fool, he’s surprisingly good at saving. Did he quit an addiction or something?” The Ghost General narrowed his eyes, feeling his remaining incense, his mood complex.

Across from him, with a blood-red arm hanging limp, the True Demon twitched his lips and thought,

‘Damn it, this ghost is so good at saving, did he quit an addiction?’

Their eyes met, a hint of negotiation in the air.

“Ghost, if you’ve got the guts, remove the incense blessings and let’s fight hand-to-hand!”

Pretending not to hear, the Ghost General had waited hundreds of years to finally utter these words:

“What? Could it be, old fool… you’re a pauper? How pathetic.”

“Ghost, you have successfully attracted my attention!”

As if entering a berserk state, the True Demon charged forward.

And so, their ‘wallets’ rapidly emptied as they fought until evening.

On one side, the moon ascended, on the other, the sun set.

Light and darkness intertwined, directly above the demon and the god below.

“Ghost, shall we continue fighting?” The True Demon spoke tough, though the bat wings on his back were already flickering in and out of sight.

His demonic energy was almost depleted. It was only autumn; how would he survive the winter?!

“Heh, old fool, we Incense Gods are quite powerful. If I may say so, my temples are spread across all the great rivers and mountains…” The Ghost General continued to mock.

It was rare to encounter someone even poorer than himself.

Normally, those immortal gods from the outer seas would summon him and treat him like a mere ‘lackey’!

They would say something like:

“Oh, little Nether, please help with the blessings for this Divine Festival. The capable do more! Ah yes, we all value your strength, so keep up the good work! Next time we allocate temple territories, we’ll give you a bit more…”

To say his temples were ‘spread across’ was truly because he constantly helped out everywhere, visiting all sorts of temples. Wasn’t that essentially ‘spreading’ across the great rivers and mountains?

The True Demon was so amused he nearly choked. Such blatant lies, without even a shred of effort to conceal them.

If that were truly the case, he would have been strung up and beaten long ago.

“Unconvinced? Then… let’s keep going!” The Ghost General steeled his heart, squandering his incense as he lunged forward.

This battle lasted the entire night.

By the next morning, the god and the demon sat on the ground, back to back, engaged in a war of words.

“Ghost, I acknowledge your strength.” The True Demon had not a single drop left.

“Old fool, you’re not bad either.” He smiled knowingly, a sudden feeling of mutual appreciation washing over him.

Perhaps it was a shared understanding, but they both burst into laughter, welcoming the first gentle breeze of dawn.

Slapping the ground beside him, causing a section of hills to tremble, the True Demon sighed with emotion,

“It’s not easy for us demons; we can’t just do as we please. Back then, if our families hadn’t been destroyed, we never would have embarked on this wretched path.”

Recalling how he, the Ghost General, had to toil like an ox and a horse before other immortal gods, tending to all the affairs of the inland.

He sighed, and after a long moment, he shook his head and said,

“Being an Incense God isn’t easy either. There’s no end in sight; it’s all driven by a surge of passion.”

A chord struck, the True Demon turned his head, looking back to ask,

“Ghost, I still haven’t asked your name?”

“My name? I discarded it long ago. We all call each other by our divine names.”

With a light chuckle, the True Demon teased,

“Your divine name must be quite ridiculous, just randomly made up, wasn’t it?”

He dared to say it without even hearing it. Frowning, the Ghost General stated solemnly,

“My divine name is attested by heaven and earth, a truly deserved title…”

Then, he proclaimed loudly,

“The Great Immortal Venerable of the Underworld, Dispelling Demons, Exorcising Ghosts, Accumulating Virtue, and Enlightening the World!”

“Pfft!” The True Demon almost died laughing.

Under the Ghost General’s death glare, the True Demon finally caught his breath, raising his eyes to say,

“You? The Great Immortal Venerable of the Underworld? Should I just call you Nether Venerable?”

“Click…” Twisting his neck, the Ghost General spread his hands and said,

“Want to spar?”

“Who’s afraid of who!”

They tumbled about, the world turning topsy-turvy.

In the distance, a cultivator, drawn by the commotion, arrived to observe and reported back to their sect thus:

“Two Supremes battled to the very edges of the mountains and rivers; even the Grand Dao was worn away!”

The sect master glanced at the report, casually tore it up, and cursed,

“What nonsense is this?!”

After another round of passionate sparring, they truly became acquainted through combat.

The Ghost General lay on the ground, watching the stars revolve, and finally asked,

“Old fool, you’re looking for Su Mo for some other purpose, aren’t you?”

“…” After a long silence, gazing at the same sky, the True Demon sighed deeply.

This time, it wasn’t a demon trying to gain sympathy or lie.

He looked at the same starry sky and said earnestly,

“I see that the Demon Realm has fallen into great chaos. With this opportunity, I want to try and carve out a future. From now on, I wish to be a demon among demons, never again needing to conserve demonic energy.”

Hidden within his words, a trace of sadness lingered in his blood-red eyes.

He had been tricked into becoming a demon years ago; a voice had told him:

“Become a demon, and you can resurrect your family.”

Later, he learned that this was something only an Unrivaled Supreme Demon could achieve.

Only the strongest could accomplish what ordinary demons could not.

Even after becoming a demon, he remembered the promise of ‘resurrection’ and fought for a thousand years.

In the end, he still found himself living a life of careful calculation.

“Talk of a Supreme Demon? How laughable.” He had mocked himself more than once.

“Oh? What does Su Mo have to do with you fighting for the Demon Realm?” The Ghost General’s eyes flickered.

He was certain that having exhausted all the demon’s demonic energy, he didn’t need to worry about the old fool lying.

After all, the trace of incense he had specifically preserved was precisely for this moment, to discern the truth in the True Demon’s words.

Was it true? Was it false? He would know at once.

“Of course it’s related! I’ve fought for so many years, battled fiercely in the wilderness, entered trial grounds three times, faced life-or-death situations nine times… and I finally realized one thing!”

Curious, the Ghost General looked up.

“What?”

“I am a piece of sh—!” The True Demon raised his massive head, not bothering to hide it.

Startled, the Ghost General used a secret incense technique and heard that it was the truth.

He truly believed himself to be sh—!

Likewise, he surmised a few of the demon’s intentions. He feigned ignorance and continued to ask,

“So, you’re looking for Su Mo because?”

“Such talent, under my full nurturing, will surely become the Supreme of the Demon Realm!” The True Demon declared confidently.

He didn’t believe himself to be sh—, and therefore, what he taught wouldn’t be sh— either.

“So that’s it, you plan to raise a granddaughter, old fool.” The Ghost General teased, lying weakly on the ground.

It was all true; he had roughly guessed the demon’s thoughts.

He probably trusted Su Mo’s pure heart and wasn’t afraid of her betraying him.

And seeing her potential, he decided to invest in her?

One could call it foolish, too idealistic.

But how many methods had this old fool tried before? It was unknown.

When thirsty, any drop of water is sweet.

Just as he said, he wanted to try.

“Ah, Ghost, are you willing to give up Su Mo?”

“No, don’t even think about it.” The Ghost General smiled faintly, then changed the subject.

“I still haven’t asked your name, old fool…”

Standing up, the True Demon looked up at the bright moon and chuckled,

“I do remember my own name… Gong Nianxian.”

Rising, the Ghost General continued,

“Then your memory is still good, but I don’t trust leaving her to you… How about we raise Su Mo together?”

“You ghost, you want to be someone’s great-great-grandfather too?” Gong Nianxian chuckled, extending a fist.

After a moment of surprise, the god and the demon bumped fists, sealing an unspoken pact.

As for how much calculation each still held for the other? Only time would tell.

****

Much later, Su Mo never imagined that her seemingly ordinary grandfathers were actually the ‘Old Fool’ and the ‘Ghost.’

And the ‘Old Fool’ and the ‘Ghost’ never imagined that the ‘granddaughter’ they tentatively decided to raise would become their pride.

A cry of “Granddaughter! Save me!” echoed through heaven and earth, striking fear into all who heard it.