In the southern seas, on the small Mount Yu, there lived a strange and fearsome deity with the head of a tiger and the claws of a dragon. Her eyebrows were like massive pythons, and her eyes resembled those of a dragon. Her appearance was bizarre and ancient, and she was known as the “Demon Mother,” also called the “Demon Aunt.”
The Demon Mother possessed immense power. According to legend, she was responsible for the creation of the world—when the heavens swirled with winds and clouds, and the earth brought forth all living things.
She also had the ability to give birth to demons. In one go, she could give birth to ten demon sons. These demon sons were all grotesque in appearance. When born, they only consumed flying insects and drank dew, growing at an astonishing rate. In just one day, they could grow very tall. The demon sons would often emerge at night to howl and cry out, a sound that angered the Demon Mother greatly. So, every morning after giving birth to them, she would devour them again by nightfall. The energy of the world that the demon sons absorbed during the day was also consumed by the Demon Mother, making her stronger and stronger over time.
Years passed, and the Demon Mother became not only able to summon winds and rain, but also capable of traveling to the heavens and into the earth.
However, her appearance was so terrifying—her tiger-head and dragon-claws stained as if by blood—that the Jade Emperor forbade her from entering the heavens. Instead, he sent her to rule over the realm of demons. In the demon realm, there were all kinds of spirits—those who had died unjustly, those killed in battle, wandering souls, and wild ghosts. Upon seeing so many demons in the realm, the Demon Mother ceased giving birth to more and focused entirely on managing the domain of the dead.
She confined and separated the various kinds of demons, using different methods of enlightenment and punishment to teach them the difference between good and evil. Under her rule, the demon realm gradually improved.