Chapter 1931: Far Apart by One Hundred and Eighty Thousand Miles

Beijia’s success was largely coincidental. At that time, the Great Reversion Sect, which occupied Lingxu City and Mount Xuhai, had already declined and was embroiled in a fierce conflict with nearby human nations. "To be honest, at that time," Xin Yi pressed his brow and placed a piece on the chessboard, "there were also internal divisions within Lingshan, and people were not united. So, six hundred years ago, in what is now Beijia's territory, several major sects and factions were at odds with the Great Reversion Sect. Their mutual weakening created an opportunity for the demon race."

"The Demon Emperor also had the advantage of favorable timing when establishing Beijia. Over six hundred years ago, spiritual energy was even weaker than it was seven years ago. This environment was difficult for immortal sects and cultivators, but human nations thrived in it," Xin Yi said softly. "The Demon Emperor seized this opportunity."

Sun Fuling blinked. "If spiritual energy weakened and immortal sects and cultivators were uncomfortable, were demons spared? Why was it instead a good time for the Northern Demon Nation to rise?"

"Of course, demons also suffered. But looking at history, every time the spiritual energy tide receded, the advantages of human nations became prominent. In my opinion," Xin Yi said earnestly, "their unique advantage lies in 'humanity' itself."

"The way humans organize and operate, and their concepts of governance, almost always update with each spiritual energy tide. Sometimes for the worse, sometimes for the better, but overall, they are superior to immortal sects and demon races."

He Lingchuan nodded thoughtfully.

What Xin Yi was now saying was his own opinion on Beijia's success, but immortals were generally arrogant towards humans. How many of them would genuinely gather information and study evidence?

Arrogance easily leads to prejudice.

So, this was likely Xin Yi's own observation, or what his subordinates had gathered for him.

Hmm, this must have taken a long time.

"The founding Demon Emperor of Beijia realized this, which is why he extensively employed humans to manage the empire." After bowing his head for too long, Xin Yi rotated his neck, producing a cracking sound. "It is said that the resistance encountered at the time was immense. Demon Kings and generals were furious, questioning the Demon Emperor why he so easily handed over the fruits of their bloody struggle to humans who had contributed nothing?"

"The resistance was indeed significant. The founding Demon Emperor had a long-term strategy and knew how to make trade-offs." The Demon Emperor knew that to utilize humans and leverage their intelligence, he would have to grant them high offices and generous rewards—in short, power. Naturally, other powerful demons would not agree. The wars to expand territory had been fought with the blood and sweat of demons, so why should power and wealth be given instead to weak humans who had contributed nothing beforehand?

Was this fair? Of course not.

They absolutely refused to surrender it.

However, for such a vast empire to gain a firm footing and develop, it had to be pragmatic.

The newly established Beijia at the time had not yet found a firm footing, was still facing a powerful threat from Lingshan, and there had never before been a successful demon nation. The pressure on the leader was immense.

Between "fairness" and "ability," the founding Demon Emperor leaned towards the latter. That's why He Lingchuan said he knew how to make trade-offs.

"The Demon Emperor established an institution called the 'Tongzhiyuan,' which broadly recruited talent, accepted proposals, and prepared for governance, granting corresponding official ranks and remuneration. However, soon after the Tongzhiyuan was established, seven or eight of its talents were killed, including some whom the Demon Emperor particularly relied on." The chess game grew increasingly difficult, and Xin Yi could only spare half his attention to converse with He Lingchuan. "The Demon Emperor was enraged. He uncovered that the mastermind behind the killings was a great general who had contributed significantly to the founding of the nation. He showed no leniency, executing all participants despite immense pressure, including many soldiers who had performed great deeds in the founding wars. This great general was also stripped of his cultivation and thrown into the dark dungeons of Mount Xuhai."

"Because of this incident, the newly established Beijia nearly collapsed again. Fortunately, the Demon Emperor—or rather, the human officials he had newly brought in—were very resourceful, and with the strong support of the Heavenly Demon, this crisis was ultimately overcome without major mishap. One of the costs, or rather, the compromise the Demon Emperor made, was that he had to enfeoff the most meritorious demon generals as kings, granting them larger territories and greater influence. Only then did the voices of opposition slowly diminish."

"I see," He Lingchuan asked him. "Then why did the Northern Demon Nation succeed, while the human nations aided by Lingshan failed? The founding Demon Emperor of the demon nation clearly faced greater resistance."

It was natural for human nations to employ human officials. How could it be compared to a demon nation's initial use of human officials, which required a difficult period of breaking through resistance?

"Indeed, that's the key point." A few golden osmanthus petals drifted into the courtyard. Xin Yi turned his head to look at the sky, his tone filled with a sense of exasperation. "When it comes to 'employing talent,' Lingshan is truly light-years behind the demon nation!"

Sun Fuling chuckled. "That's an exaggeration, isn't it?"

"Not at all," Xin Yi shook his head. "Let's not even mention the human nations that couldn't be supported. But any that *could* be supported were quickly demanded tribute and offerings from by the immortal sects. After all, spiritual energy was scarce. Since they had vassal states, they naturally tried every means to make them gather resources and provide services for themselves. Just think, in such a spiritual energy environment, the human nations' output was barely enough for themselves, and the immortals would take away a large portion. Would the common people then have a way to survive?"

Neither of them asked whether immortal sects could restrain themselves from exploiting newly emerging human nations. Because the answer was no.

Imagine you've been starving for seven days and seven nights, and suddenly a steaming bowl of fatty braised pork rice appears before you, its aroma wafting temptingly. How long could you resist?

And what if there were other hungry spirits who also saw the bowl of rice? Even if you could resist eating it, what would happen if others ate it?

"Furthermore, beyond the public tributes, ambitious individuals within the human nations conspired with certain immortals from the immortal sects, forming corrupt alliances and stirring up trouble within the royal courts. I won't go into more detailed reasons, but suffice it to say, these small nations were already unstable, and after being severely battered a few times like that, it would have been strange if they hadn't dissolved."

Xin Yi sighed. "Actually, the State of Yu, which Lingshan assisted, came closest to success. The ruler of Yu possessed both courage and foresight. After establishing the nation, he allowed the people to recover and prosper, implemented effective policies, and knew how to negotiate with the immortal sects, largely breaking the vicious cycle that human nations had previously fallen into. Alas—"

"Why didn't it succeed?" He Lingchuan thought to himself that there had actually been many enlightened rulers in the Glittering Gold Plains, but they were all short-lived, unable to stabilize their foundations or pass on their legacy effectively.

"He died suddenly in his prime," Xin Yi lamented. "Heaven did not grant him a long life; there was nothing to be done. After his death, subsequent rulers of Yu lacked his talent, and with Beijia stirring up trouble from the side, the State of Yu collapsed within twenty years."

Sun Fuling thought for a moment, then sighed with emotion: "I never imagined that the Heavenly Demon's inability to personally descend would actually become an advantage when facing immortals."

Hearing this, Xin Yi clapped his hands. "It truly is so!"