Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

by <unknown>

  "It is the war!

  "Before, the lowly chaotic-blood demons who have mixed bloodlines were absolutely not qualified to join the war.

  "But do you know what human beings, our enemies in the war, are exactly?

  "Human beings are a brand-new species that the Nuwa Clan created by integrating the essence of the twelve ancient demon clans. If we get to the bottom of it, human beings are a kind of chaotic-blood demon, too."

  "Ah!"

  It was the first time that many of the young demons had heard such a theory. They could not help but exclaim.

  Lei Chuang sneered. "Now you see. Human beings are the traitors among the chaotic-blood demons. Therefore, the Pantheon of Demons specially granted us permission to join the war. We now have the chance to participate in the greatest war in history!

  "All that probably sounds dull and boring. So, let's talk about something more practical.

  "Because of the identity of the chaotic-blood demons, not only are we charged with the heaviest taxes, we are also despised everywhere. Many of you have been to the towns outside before, haven't you? Are you not clear how other demons treat us?

  "Now, the chance to change our fate has come!

  "The Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector are about to merge. An earthshaking final battle is going to break out soon!

  "Therefore, the Pantheon of Demons has issued a call to arms and even bestowed the right to be part of the war upon the chaotic-blood demons.

  "As long as you fight valiantly and make contributions to the war, your taxes will be waivered, and your family will no longer starve. We will never struggle to make a living by reaping the Ghost Teeth Flowers anymore!

  "If your accomplishments are distinguished enough, it is not unlikely that territory that solely belongs to us in the Heaven's Origin Sector will be granted to us. If so, we will be able to establish a town whose residents are exclusively chaotic-blood demons. Or, you may be appreciated by a high-level demon who will take you as a servant. Even better—"

  Lei Chuang paused for a moment. His eyes full of hope, he went on. "For the chaotic-blood demons who have made the most contributions, the twelve demon emperors of the Pantheon of Demons will work together to cleanse their blood and purge the dirty constituents in their veins so that they will become the purest demons!

  "At that time, we will be able to find our place in the three thousand rules of the Great Dao!

  "Black-blood or bronze-blood, it is better than chaotic-blood, which absolutely belongs nowhere!"

  All the young demons were fascinated by the story. They could not help but sit up or stand straight.

  A young demon, who had pure white wings on his back but had a forked tongue, asked hesitantly, "Brother Lei Chuang, hiss, I'm told that human beings are quite strong. Hiss. They've defeated two enormous attacks on our side. We seem to have suffered heavy losses in the latest attack.

  "After my father returned from the fair in town, he said that the demons in the fair were only half of those who came last year. The young demons of several villages have been entirely wiped out.

  "Do you think we can win the war?"

  Hearing his words, all the young demons were talking.

  "Yes, I've heard that, too."

  "My uncle lives in the Broken Leaf Village. He said that twenty soldiers were called in their village but only three returned with their limbs or wings broken. Quite rough!"

  "I'm told that the firepower of human beings is much fiercer than ours. When our army pushes forward like a tide, they will be blown out of shape and forced to retreat in less than half a day. Even the awesome silver-blood demons have been bombarded into piles of meat by the crystal warships of human beings."

  "What's there to be scared of? Listen to me!" Lei Chuang bellowed to quiet all the young demons, before he waved his paws and said, "Of course, human beings are quite tough. Otherwise, they would not have been able to stir trouble again after being suppressed by us for thirty thousand years.

  "Honestly speaking, we will not necessarily be the winners of the war. It is very likely that we will fail, die, and be obliterated!

  "But failure is not important, death is not scary, and obliteration is certainly not our destination!

  "As recorded in the 'Mutation of Demons', the demon race will have to be obliterated and reborn three times before we find immortality eventually!

  "Zhurong, Gonggong, Kuafu, Nuwa… The fallout of the thirteen ancient demon clans was the first obliteration. Forty thousand years ago, they are reborn as the modern demon race!

  "Ten thousand years ago, the Demon Beast Empire collapsed, and human beings restored their reign and established the Star Ocean Imperium. It was the second obliteration of the demon race.

  "After ten thousand years of rest, we are reborn again today!

  "We are very likely to experience the third obliteration, but it will the last obliteration we go through!

  "After the obliteration, we shall be reborn again and embark on the real path of immortality!

  "At the end of the path of immortality is the splendid, magnificent Pantheon of Demons, where all demons with a firm belief will be gathered!

  "In the Pantheon of Demons, we will recover the perfect form of the thirteen ancient demon clans, or even the Pangu Clan in the very beginning, and destroy human being and Chaos!

  "Do you understand now?

  "The war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector is the beginning of the last obliteration!

  "The outcome of the war is not important.

  "We may die, and we may fail. But as long as we try our best to demonstrate the valor and courage of the demon race, we shall be reborn in the glorious Pantheon of Demons with the most perfect body and the most marvelous strength, which will destroy our enemies!

  "When all the enemies are destroyed, all the demons will gather in the Pantheon of Demons and claim their rewards while they enjoy the eternal ecstasy. The bravest and most fearless demons will ascend from the identity of demons into existences of a much higher level!"

  All the demons held their breath, hooked. After a long while, a young demon with a pig nose asked cautiously, "Brother Lei Chuang, what are the existences of a much higher level exactly?"

  Lei Chuang smiled. "Gods. Real, eternal gods!"

  All the young demons gasped and jumped to their feet in excitement, waving their hands and talking to each other.

  "That explains a lot. No wonder the slogan of the Pantheon of Demons is 'Obliteration! Rebirth! Immortality!'

  "As long as we kill our enemy bravely, we will get fertile land in the Heaven's Origin Sector and be freed from the identity of chaotic-blood demons if we win the war and make great contributions.

  "Even if the war fails and we die, it does not matter because we will be reborn in the glorious Pantheon of Demons!

  "Pantheon of Demons, Pantheon of Demons. What does the real Pantheon of Demons look like? Can they have two delicious meals every day in the Pantheon of Demons? Can they enjoy a bowl of the Sweet Root Water every day? I want to go there and look now!"

  "Idiot, why are you drinking Sweet Root Water in the Pantheon of Demons? They certainly drink their water with candy directly! But you are too weak and timid to go to the Pantheon of Demons anyway. You will only be entitled to go to the Pantheon of Demons and die a hero's death after you kill many evil human beings on the battlefield!"

  Another young demon was amazed. "You do know a lot of stuff, Brother Lei Chuang. Then do you know what 'Blade of Chaos' is? I accidentally overheard my father and my uncle talking about it the other day. They looked worried and said that it was likely that our village would not be called for soldiers because of the Blade of Chaos. Is it true?"

  The words 'Blade of Chaos' were like a whip that slapped Lei Chuang right on his face. His smile suddenly disappeared.

  The simmering vibe suddenly turned weird.

  Chapter 836: Blade of Chaos |

  Lei Chuang spat hard, and
his saliva pierced deep into the earth like a nail.

  He replied fiercely, "What about the Blade of Chaos? It doesn't matter to tell you their story!

  "But those traitors of the demon trace and the heretics who believe in Chaos are scumbags that are forbidden from the Pantheon of Demons forever. It will be enough that you stay alert and learn a thing or two about them. Don't ask around anymore after you leave the training field!"

  The young demons looked at each other in bewilderment when they saw Lei Chuang's gloomy face. Their merriness had entirely disappeared, and it was not until a long time later that they nodded their heads.

  Lei Chuang thought for a moment and said, "The saint-blood demons serve the gods, the silver-blood demons govern the earth, the bronze-blood demons fight bloody battles, and the black-blood demons mine and farm. Those are the rules of the Great Dao and the ultimate laws of nature.

  "Although the black-blood demons and the chaotic-blood demons are too humble to pick up the more decent jobs, it is all a test of the Great Dao and part of our training. As long as we are content with ourselves and loyal to the Great Dao, we can consider all the suffering and the pain as our training. When we claim our rewards in the Pantheon of Demons in the future, it is equally possible for us to get rid of the lowly bloodlines and realize the brilliant immortality!

  "Besides, the black-blood demons and the chaotic-blood demons have been granted the right to fight for the first time ever so that we will be able to accumulate more battle accolades!

  "How merciful, how benevolent!

  "However, under the enchantment of Chaos, a tiny proportion of black-blood demons and chaotic-blood demons are not satisfied about their class. They claim that 'the bloodlines of all demons are the same, and every demon is equally noble and humble'!

  "Listen to what they are talking about! That's truly insane and unpardonable!

  "When the demons who believe in Chaos gathered, they gradually established an evil organization named 'Blade of Chaos' for the propaganda of their theories of equality of demons and break of social classes!

  "It is said that they also have secret arts that allow them to change their appearance. They can change from a tiger demon into a snake demon, or from a snake demon into an insect demon. They can even shift from multiple kinds of demons freely at will. It is indeed creepy and evil!

  "Over the past thousand years, the Blade of Chaos has been lurking in the darkness, fanning flames and fooling folk. Occasionally, they caused minor problems, too.

  "But things cannot go evil's way all the time. Even when such a cult led a riot with the disobedient believers, it was suppressed by the army of the Pantheon of Demons very soon.

  "However, things changed over the past few decades.

  "Since the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector were gradually melding, a few large-scale bloody battles have broken out. As a result, a lot of elites were mobilized to the frontlines, and the defense of the Blood Demon Sector was weak. The Blade of Chaos took the opportunity and developed very fast.

  "You all know the 'Battle of Dawn', don't you?

  "It was the first head-on clash of the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector!

  "A great army was summoned in the Blood Demon Sector. The twelve demon emperors, the thirty-six demon kingdoms, and all the elites of our world attacked the Heaven's Origin Sector. A large batch of black-blood demons and chaotic-blood demons were enlisted, too.

  "When the battle was fiercest, we occupied more than half of the Grand Desolate Plateau. The Grand Desolate War Institution, the human beings' bureau on the Grand Desolate Plateau, was demolished. Our vanguard even reached the edge of the Grand Desolate Plateau. As long as we broke through the 'Giant Blade Pass', the last stronghold in our way, we would have been able to enter the most prosperous area of the Star Glory Federation!

  "Hehe. Those sordid, timid, and weak human beings were absolutely no match for the warriors of our race despite the aid of their crystal suits and their crystal warships. The best they could do was hide behind their defensive lines, shuddering.

  "We were on a winning streak over the one year of bloody battles. Just when our army was about to break the last defensive line of human beings and sweep the prosperous area of mankind, the black-blood demons and the chaotic-blood demons who served as the vanguard could not persist any longer and collapsed!

  "Damn. Those fearful cowards!

  "As black-blood demons and chaotic-demons, what a great honor it was for them to fight in a war! But those scumbags wavered at the critical moment!

  "Not only did they collapse on the frontline, putting the army into an awkward situation, they also mutinied when the high-level demons demanded them to return to their posts. Eventually, our army fell apart and was crushed. Less than thirty percent of the soldiers returned to the Blood Demon Sector.

  "After everybody returned to the Blood Demon Sector, naturally, the soldiers who defected at the frontline needed to be tried.

  "But those fellows did not stop there. They started a revolt known as the 'Riot of Bloody Blade'!

  "It was half a year ago, but our village is too remote and only got the news last month.

  "It was not until the revolt that the silver-blood demons discovered that the evil influence of the Blade of Chaos had infiltrated the army.

  "In the past, the black-blood demons and the chaotic-blood demons were scattered in the Blood Demon Sector. No matter how the Blade of Chaos developed, they were still loose sand and could not cause any serious problems.

  "However, the war against human beings of the Heaven's Origin Sector had concentrated the low-level demons in every part of the Blood Demon Sector. The black-blood demons and the chaotic-blood demons were grouped into the same legion to learn battle formations and combat skills.

  "The Blade of Chaos developed crazily in the army and disseminated their evil and dangerous theories everywhere. The low-level demons lost their fighting will and their belief. In the end, unprecedented damage was caused.

  "I'm told that, when the 'Riot of Bloody Blade' was most severe, even 'Bone Sand City', the famous town in the north, was broken by the rebellions of the Blade of Chaos. All the bronze-blood demons in the city were killed, and the honorable, sacred silver-blood demons were savaged, too!"

  "What?"

  Many young demons exclaimed in shock and disbelief.

  Several young demons even spat and stomped on the ground in fury, as if they were trying to step on the insane rebels.

  Lei Chuang sneered and said, "No need to fret, everybody. The members of the Blade of Chaos are just mobs, and their victory could not last. When the army arrived, the revolt was extinguished immediately. Several secret bases of the organization were uprooted, too. The leaders high and low have all been captured. Only some stray dogs are still on the run, living in fear all day long."

  The young demon all heaved a long sigh in relief.

  "It is certainly not good news for the chaotic-demons who are loyal with firm beliefs," Lei Chuang said. "Because of those goddamn traitors, it is even more difficult if we want to join the army, and the vetting is become ever more rigorous.

  "Therefore, we must train ourselves harder and improve our capability in order to wash away that disgrace we are born with!

  "Obliteration! Rebirth! Immortality!"

  All the young demons were shouting in frenzy.

  Li Yao narrowed his eyes, somehow feeling cold.

  …

  At night, in a quiet woodhouse, several fireflies were emitting a gentle, red glow like giant lanterns.

  Li Yao pondered inside his sleep bag of vines calmly.

  "I got it!" Deep inside his brain, his mental devil was sitting cross-legged in the golden, giant tree that was Ou Yezi's memory pieces. It shouted, "I know the origin of the chaotic-blood demons now!

  "The chaotic-blood demons are the mixed-blood of human beings and the demon race!

  "Think about it. During the Great Dark Age that lasted thi
rty thousand years, human beings were not exterminated by the demon race but captured as slaves and servants. They had close contact with the demon race. In the dynasty-shifting wars between different clans of the demon race, human beings even had the opportunity to go to the battlefield!

  "Then, is not it normal and reasonable that, during the thirty thousand years, some of the demons mated with human beings and had children?

  "Thirty thousand years are enough for the hybrids to reproduce into the chaotic-blood demons today!

  "The assumption perfectly explains why the chaotic-blood demons carry so many features of human beings and why their social status is even lower than that of the black-blood demons. It is because they are half-demons. They are half human being and half demon!"

  Li Yao frowned. "Nonsense.

  "The assumption cannot explain the 'reproductive isolation'. Besides, the aesthetics of different species are vastly different. Perhaps the most beautiful human girls are just a pile of meat in the eyes of demons. Why would they be interested in them anyway?

  "Anyways, in the Great Dark Age, the demons were the rulers, and human beings were the slaves. Even if such relationships did exist, the demons must have taken the initiative.

  "Therefore, their posterity after generations should have more features of the demons, and the features of human beings might just be the adornments.

  "But as far as I can see, features of human beings prevail in the chaotic-blood demons. For some of them, they look absolutely no different from human beings as long as they keep their mouths shut.

  "Therefore, even if there were hybrids of human beings and demons, there were certainly enough to give birth to such a large number of chaotic-blood demons that look so similar to human beings. There must be a deeper reason."

  The mental devil was dazed. It tilted its head and pondered for a long time, mumbling to itself, "On second thought, it is indeed strange.

  "Why do you think the monsters in ancient classics and the high-level demons in modern times have to train themselves into the appearances of human beings?