Chapter 408: Once There Were One Hundred Thousand Demons, Treading the Heavens and Breaking the Demon Court

The atmosphere in the valley was somewhat oppressive.

Li Changshou looked at the figures before him, feeling as if he was directly confronting a bloody chapter of human history.

The Grandmaster was sitting by the river, roasting fish. Ling'e and Youqin Xuanya, standing behind Li Changshou, also frowned, observing the more than one hundred figures standing by the river.

It was difficult to call these figures living beings; they had no aura fluctuations, their eyes were lifeless, and they stood motionless, resembling stone or clay statues.

Yet, they were indeed living beings; they were still alive. Most of them bore various scars, and half had missing limbs. Beneath their ancient-style battle armor, a dormant fierceness seemed to lurk.

"Senior Brother, they are..."

"Humans."

Grandmaster Xuandu stood up, holding his roasted fish. He smiled and made a gesture, and from the more than one hundred figures, a man and a woman stepped forward.

The man was nearly ten feet tall, his body rippling with dark, bulging muscles. The iron armor on his body seemed to have fused with his flesh.

The woman was somewhat delicate and petite; a scar adorned her cheek. Yet, she still gave off a predominantly gentle impression.

Both raised their right hands, placing them over their hearts, and knelt on one knee, speaking in unison:

"Greetings, Lord."

Behind them, the more than one hundred figures stood silently, indeed resembling clay statues even more.

Ling'e instinctively hid behind Li Changshou, while Youqin Xuanya gazed at the figures, slightly lost in thought.

"Alas..."

The Grandmaster sighed. "Communicating with them is quite troublesome. I spent several months just to speak with each of them once. They are all willing to return to the Primordial World to follow your commands and hunt down the demon race that escaped in ancient times. Junior Brother, use them wisely."

Li Changshou, uncharacteristically, remained silent.

Ling'e softly asked, "Grandmaster, where do these seniors come from?"

"Xuandu City," the Grandmaster chuckled. "In ancient times, Xuandu City faced intense warfare, and the Human Sovereign dispatched these warriors to assist in its defense. Now, the conflict in Xuandu City has stabilized, and Dao soldiers are sufficient for its protection. They are bored there; it would be better for them to return to the Primordial World and fight the demon race again."

"I can handle the current demon race," Li Changshou said. "Senior Brother, please let these seniors return to Xuandu City to recuperate."

"Yes," the man and woman responded, lowering their heads. They stood up and returned to their formation, standing silently as before.

Grandmaster Xuandu asked, surprised:

"Why? Do you know their strength? Although there are only one hundred and eight people here, they are all human elites who survived from ancient times. The strongest human army that brought down the Demon Court and broke through the Grand Heavenly Formation back then was their predecessor."

Li Changshou gave a wry smile. "Senior Brother, what qualifications do I have to command them?"

"So you were worried about this. Come and sit," Grandmaster Xuandu said with a smile, beckoning them. "Both commanders, please come over as well."

Presently, the group sat by the bonfire. Ling'e volunteered to take the stick with the roasting fish, while Youqin Xuanya went to the stream to catch more spirit fish.

The man and woman sat upright and solemnly, with lowered gazes.

Li Changshou sat opposite the two and lightly steered the conversation.

"Senior Brother, what kind of conflicts could Xuandu City possibly face?"

Grandmaster Xuandu slowly said, "Minor matters, just some outer-realm fiends wandering around the Chaos Sea. When heaven and earth were created, some innate gods and demons who escaped Pangu's divine axe also brought forth some beings. Most of these beings are inherently murderous and harbor a strong covetousness for the Primordial World. Fortunately, the power of the Heavenly Dao envelops the three thousand worlds of the Primordial World, preventing their invasion. However, the Heavenly Dao is not flawless, so there are bound to be omissions. Therefore, the Dao Ancestor acted back then, establishing Xuandu City to actively expose the Heavenly Dao's loopholes and allow Xuandu City to block the path for those beings to enter the Primordial World. Towards the end of the ancient war between the Witch and Demon races, both sides suffered heavy losses. The vitality of all beings in heaven and earth fell to its lowest point, and the operation of the Heavenly Dao was affected. Those outer-realm fiends seized the opportunity to stir up trouble, and Xuandu City became lively for a while..."

Ling'e whispered in admiration, "There really are outer-realm fiends."

"Tsk," the Grandmaster shook his head. "Those fellows are formless and exceedingly ugly; they're certainly not as handsome as your Senior Brother."

Ling'e chuckled, "That's hardly a fair comparison."

"Hahaha," Li Changshou laughed a few times. Then, looking at the two commanders, he took out a tea set from his sleeve, brewed six cups of tea, and, using immortal power, floated them before everyone.

"Seniors, please."

"Thank you," the tall man said in a low voice. Beneath his long, flowing hair, his broad, square face was filled with tranquility.

The woman held the hot tea with both hands, lowered her head, and took a sip. Her gaze shifted slightly.

"It's very good."

"I'm glad you like it, seniors," Li Changshou said gently.

The Grandmaster chuckled, "Junior Brother, do you know why these two are commanders? It's not because of their strength, but because only these two can still communicate normally with others at this time, retaining their seven emotions and six desires, making them almost no different from us. However, these two are also the most burdened... You should interact with them more."

Li Changshou slowly nodded, naturally knowing that the Grandmaster was trying to persuade him to keep this force.

For a moment, he hesitated and fell silent again.

Ling'e once again acted as a skilled mediator, enlivening the atmosphere. She softly asked, "Grandmaster, are these seniors from ancient humanity?"

"Hmm," Grandmaster Xuandu said, his gaze distant. He held his teacup and looked at the clouds in the sky.

They sat on low stones, listening to the Grandmaster recount the stories of the past...

The human race, created by Saintly Mother Nuwa, was born with innate Dao bodies. They were inherently weak at birth, but apt at cultivation and close to the Dao. At that time, humanity was merely one of the myriad races in heaven and earth. Due to Nuwa's attainment of sainthood, most other races kept their distance from humanity, allowing them to multiply and thrive. Human footprints spread across the plains and mountains of Nanshanbhu.

But disaster followed. Due to the human soul's closeness to the Dao, the Demon Master Kunpeng presented a method of refining secret treasures using human souls to the Eastern Emperor Taiyi. To completely defeat the Witch race, the demon race began to wantonly slaughter humans and capture human souls to refine divine weapons for slaying Witches. Humanity was slaughtered until only one in a hundred remained, yet the demon race still refused to stop, intending to wipe them out completely...

At this point, this period of human history begins to blur. It seems that later generations of humanity deliberately obscured this part of the story. The Grandmaster was a witness and participant in history, and knew its full extent.

"...Although my teacher and Saint Nuwa joined forces to save the last of humanity, humanity had already etched hatred deep into their bones."

Grandmaster Xuandu said calmly:

"The humans who survived the disaster hated the demon race to their core. They desperately sought to raise their cultivation, even deviating from the proper path of cultivation, transforming themselves into demons. Although the Saints intervened to preserve the human lineage, humanity was at its weakest at that time. And the demon race, fearing future troubles, wanted to eradicate them quickly... That was humanity's most arduous epoch, which is why they came to be."

Li Changshou said, "One hundred thousand demon soldiers, trampling the heavens."

Ling'e, pursing her lips, carefully handed a roasted fish to the female commander closest to her.

"Senior..."

The latter gently shook her head, showed a slight smile to Ling'e, and continued to sit upright.

The Grandmaster casually took the roasted fish and chuckled, "Give it to me, don't let it go to waste."

Ling'e quickly handed the roasted fish over.

Youqin Xuanya then asked, "One hundred thousand demon soldiers... could you elaborate?"

Li Changshou sighed and explained to her:

"Entering the demonic path means transforming one's obsession into a Dao realm, achieving rapid Dao realm advancement in a short time. However, it very easily leads to mental collapse and loss of self-control. To gain power quickly and prevent losing control, these seniors first entered the demonic path. They used secret methods to enhance their Dao realm, then severed their Dao hearts, sealing their seven emotions and six senses, and cutting off all external perception. They sealed their souls within their bodies, using only special secret methods to distinguish friend from foe, transforming into demon soldiers who obeyed the Human Sovereign's command to defend humanity."

The Grandmaster clicked his tongue in wonder. "As expected of my Junior Brother, you even know such secrets!"

"I read about this on a piece of parchment..."

Li Changshou sighed. "I originally thought this was just a rumor, but after I visited the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors in the Fire Cloud Cave and learned about Senior Suiren, I realized that human demon soldiers truly existed. Mortal lifespans are too short, and the Primordial World's time is too long; too much history is lost over the long years..."

"Junior Brother, do you know that after the Demon Court's destruction, only 3,623 of them remained."

Grandmaster Xuandu said, "I brought them to Xuandu City. Many years have passed, and those with limited lifespans have already perished. As for the remaining ones... Junior Brother, take them to slay demons. Allowing them a dignified release on the battlefield is the kindest thing you and I can do for them."

Li Changshou said, "Senior Brother, is there no way to help them regain their senses?"

The Grandmaster frowned, "That would be too cruel to them."

"If we don't ask them, how will we know what they truly desire?"

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, a light flickering in his eyes; he had an idea.

"They are heroes of ancient humanity; they should not be forced to fight again in this era. Senior Brother, I will take them to Anshui City for a hundred years to see if I can help them regain their seven emotions and six desires. If they wish for release, it needn't be tragically on the battlefield. The dignity and respect due to human ancestors must not be lacking. They protected humanity to reach this day; it would be unfitting for them to still stand at the forefront of humanity today... I don't believe that's right."

The Grandmaster's face showed surprise, and he asked, astonished, "You've already thought of a way?"

"Just a few ideas..."

Li Changshou uttered two words. The Grandmaster was first stunned, then clapped his hands and laughed heartily, praising continuously that Li Changshou's mind was truly sharp.

Ling'e blinked... It feels like I still don't know Senior Brother well enough.

As these two Human School senior and junior brothers discussed the matter, the two demon soldier commanders remained silent; but their gazes toward Li Changshou gradually gained a touch of gratitude.

Seeing that Li Changshou had no intention of using these more than a hundred ancient humans for battle, the Grandmaster did not press the issue further.

To be fair, the Grandmaster was a little dejected. He personally made a trip to Xuandu City and 'invited' back these one hundred and eight ancient human demon soldiers. Not only did they fail to become Li Changshou's 'demon-slaying divine soldiers,' but he actually gave Li Changshou more work to do... As the Senior Brother, the Grandmaster felt a little embarrassed deep down.

So, the Grandmaster proactively inquired about the demon race's rebellion against the Heavenly Court, implying that if the Heavenly Court faced too much pressure, he, as an elder of humanity, would appropriately intervene directly...

Li Changshou truthfully reported the current 'achievements', and the Grandmaster burst into laughter upon hearing it.

Conversely, Ling'e and Youqin Xuanya, upon hearing about the Heavenly Court's various methods, had somewhat strange expressions. Ling'e naturally felt a bit disdainful; after all, the methods of the Latrine God Temple were a bit too 'dirty' in every sense... Youqin Xuanya, however, said, "What do matters of karma and destiny have to do with fighting? The demon race certainly deserves to die; we should defeat them honorably. Isn't acting this way too unscrupulous?"

Li Changshou and the Grandmaster exchanged glances, and both burst into laughter.

The Grandmaster said, "Being 'unscrupulous' isn't always a derogatory term."

"Junior Sister Youqin," Li Changshou said seriously, "In the Heavenly Court, ninety percent of the Heavenly Soldiers and Generals are now of human origin. And today, humanity is the main body of heaven and earth, so the Heavenly Court can also be considered a Heavenly Court that protects humanity. I don't care about the lives or deaths of these openly rebellious demons, much less about their karmic relationships. Effectively weakening the enemy's strength, dispelling their morale, and increasing internal conflicts among them is to protect our own Heavenly Soldiers and Generals. Naturally, I don't harbor animosity towards all spirits who are friendly to humanity, and there are also evil-doers among humans. But are these rebellious demons truly being persecuted by the Heavenly Court? The Heavenly Court has only just begun for how many years? These rebellious demons are merely feeling threatened and are afraid deep down. Supporting the Heavenly Court is because the Heavenly Dao is utterly impartial, and the Heavenly Court acts according to the Heavenly Dao. The stronger the Heavenly Court becomes, the sooner good and evil in heaven and earth will achieve balance."

Youqin Xuanya fell into thought beside them.

Ling'e softly mumbled, "Senior Brother, Senior Sister Youqin isn't accusing you, don't get angry..."

Li Changshou chuckled, "Don't worry, don't I know Junior Sister Youqin's temperament? The Heavenly Court needs talents like Junior Sister Youqin."

Ling'e slightly pursed her lips. He just called her Xuanya!

"Hmm," Youqin Xuanya acknowledged with a lowered head, but she did not give up her stance on the matter.

The Grandmaster watched silently from the side. He seemed to recall something else, and his smile never faded. If Junior Sister Yunxiao also joined the discussion, I wonder what the situation would be like...

Li Changshou was concerned about the 'mastermind' behind the demon race, so seizing the opportunity of the Grandmaster's presence, he directly inquired:

"Senior Brother, I always feel someone is secretly guiding Lu Ya. It's not that I look down on Lu Ya; it's just that if Daoist Lu Ya had such foresight, the demon race would surely not be in its current state."

"A small matter. Let me calculate."

The Grandmaster performed a quick divination and soon let out a soft exclamation of surprise.

Li Changshou quickly asked, "The Red Thread Ball?"

"It's not Saintly Mother Nuwa's doing. The other party actually has the ability to erase heavenly secrets!"

The Grandmaster narrowed his eyes slightly, raised his hand to summon the Taiji Diagram, holding it in his palm, and closed his eyes, concentrating. This time, it took a full quarter of an hour, as the Dao essence of the Taiji Diagram flowed unceasingly...

Finally, the Grandmaster softly spoke a name:

"Bai Ze."

Li Changshou was slightly stunned, then his face showed understanding. "No wonder, so it's this ancient Demon Commander. A Demon Commander who could survive the Witch-Demon War is certainly not an easy opponent! Senior Brother, this Bai Ze absolutely cannot be left alive. Could I trouble Senior Brother to act and eliminate this Bai Ze early? If he assists Lu Ya again, the Heavenly Court will indeed face some trouble."

"Good," the Grandmaster said. "Bai Ze actively entering the tribulation this time is something I hadn't expected. I'll go find trouble for him right away! However, Bai Ze is also considered an innate auspicious beast, possessing the ability to foresee good and ill fortune. This brother will also need to expend some effort and time."

Li Changshou pondered for a moment, then said, "Perhaps we can use his ability to foresee good and ill fortune against him, by reversing yin and yang, luring him into a trap."

"Oh? That's interesting, elaborate."

Immediately, the two senior and junior brothers by the bonfire began to research... one hundred ways to persecute an auspicious beast. One hundred ways was, of course, an exaggeration. Li Changshou only provided the Grandmaster with seven or eight ideas, and based on the Grandmaster's understanding of Bai Ze, found several potential weaknesses of Bai Ze. For instance, an auspicious beast skilled in divination, whose innate ability is self-preservation, has always had a smooth life and might overly trust its own intuitions.

After discussing with Li Changshou from noon until dusk, the Grandmaster was already impatient to meet Bai Ze. Taking two roasted fish to eat on the way, he tore open space and vanished instantly.

Before leaving, the Grandmaster also left Li Changshou two jade talismans, which contained methods for refining demon soldiers — to help Li Changshou find a way to restore the demon soldiers' seven emotions and six senses.

In front of Ling'e and Xuanya, Li Changshou took out a paper effigy. The paper effigy rode a cloud and took the one hundred and eight puppet-like demon soldiers away. They didn't utter a single word throughout; at this moment, they only recognized Li Changshou's commands.

What a terrifying force this was! Their cultivation started at the immortal level. They strictly obeyed all orders, knowing nothing of fear or retreat, were proficient in combined attack formations, made the most efficient use of their immortal power, and each possessed several spirit treasures...

The Grandmaster handed them over to Li Changshou's command, essentially wanting them to perish together with the demon experts of North Continent, giving these demon soldiers a final resting place. Such a thought was not inherently wrong, but Li Changshou was more inclined to let them make their own choices... Now, humanity enjoys an era of peace and prosperity, and the Heavenly Court is strong enough to suppress the demon race. Why should these human spirits still have to die valiantly? Presumably, they also wish to see how magnificent the prosperous era they fought so hard for truly is...

Regarding the placement of these demon soldiers, Li Changshou deliberated repeatedly and decided to take them to Anshui City, to let them live in the mortal world for a period. He planned to wait until the situation with the demon race at the Northern Continent border became more stable before trying to find a solution. He wondered if, with Empress Houtu's power of emotional resonance, they could be helped to return to normal...

However, before Li Changshou and the demon soldiers could reach Anshui City, Ling'e hurriedly flew to the alchemy lab, holding in her small hand a jade talisman wrapped in over ten layers of immortal power.

"Senior Brother! Someone at the mountain gate sent this jade talisman, the gate disciples said!"

Li Changshou's attention returned, and he asked, "What did they say?"

"A Daoist calling himself Zebai left it, specifically for you, Senior Brother!"

Li Changshou was also stunned.

Zebai... Bai Ze?

If it truly is him, this ancient Demon Commander truly cannot be left alive!