Free Web NovelChapter 1790: Chapter 1657: The Blood-Stained Road
"Although we lost, I still have a request."
Just as the crowd was cheering for victory, the Quasi-Demon Emperor Chi Lin led a large number of Demon Clan Demon Kings to the Holy War Platform. Looking at everyone, he spoke calmly.
"What request? As long as it’s not excessive, I think we can still agree to it."
Elder Lin spoke on behalf of the Human Race, conversing across the distance with Chi Lin.
"I admit that according to our agreement, we lost, and will naturally continue to lie low and not fight you for control of this world. But we also cannot remain aloof from worldly affairs like before."
"Because this is a great era. The Immortal Path will open, and our Demon Clan will never let this opportunity slip by!"
Chi Lin said in a deep voice, "My request is that when certain Secret Realms emerge, our Demon Clan must also participate in exploring them and jointly compete for fortunes."
"In addition, some of our young Cultivators must enter the Xing Kong Gu Road to temper themselves!"
"If you agree, we will stop here. Otherwise, I would rather bear the infamy of breaking the pact and launch an all-out war!!"
"I alone cannot make this decision. I need to discuss it with the other Saints before I can give you an answer!"
Hearing this, Elder Lin pondered for a moment and gave his reply.
"Very well!"
Chi Lin said, "Discuss it quickly. I’ll wait here for your answer. I hope you don’t disappoint me. After all, I don’t wish to see this world’s living beings plunged into misery, rivers of blood flowing."
A threat, a naked threat!
Chi Lin was forcing the Humans to make concessions.
The Demon Clan had always racked their brains to start a war. Their goal was not to wipe out Humans completely, but to seize back control of this world and rekindle their former glory.
Now, though they had been defeated and lost the contest, the Immortal Path was about to open, and they absolutely refused to give up this chance.
This little scheme of the Demon Clan was something Elder Lin and the others were well aware of; they simply hadn’t laid it bare!
Back at the Yuan Su river on the edge of War City, Elder Lin conveyed Chi Lin’s words to the Old Bastard, the Sloppy Elder, and the Heroic Lords of the various major forces.
"Absolutely impossible!"
"If they want war, then war it is!"
The crowd instantly exploded!
Some radical Heroic Lords believed they could not agree. Otherwise, the Demon Clan would surely push their advantage; this opening must not be made.
"The Demon Clan’s request actually isn’t too excessive. We can take a step back."
"That’s right, this request has negligible impact on us Humans. Why force a mutual destruction??"
Most of the Heroic Lords were still very rational. They knew the Demon Clan would never give up this chance to Prove Dao and become Immortal. Once pushed into a corner, the Demon Clan might truly burn their boats.
That was not an outcome they wished to see.
It could be said that this peace had not come easily. If not for Ye Fan single-handedly withstanding the Demon Clan’s young generation of kings, the result would likely have been far worse than it was now.
Although Humans had won the contest and gained a thousand years of peace and stability, in truth, the current Human Race was nothing but a paper Tiger: it looked frightening, but could not really fight.
After hearing the rational faction’s words, those radical Heroic Lords also realized this.
This was a golden great era. In the younger generation of the Human Race, heroes emerged in copious numbers, and all kinds of long-lost inheritances appeared. Humanity would usher in a brilliant great age.
But this was likewise a cruel great age. With all manner of physiques and long-lost inheritances emerging, they would, without a doubt, clash and spark dazzling flames.
Especially since this life was a great era of Proving Dao. The influence left behind by the Nine Heavens Xuan Emperor had completely vanished and would no longer suppress others from Proving Dao.
This was also a great era in which an opportunity to become Immortal appeared. After deductions by the various Great Emperors and Demon Emperors, the Immortal Path would inevitably open within this thousand years.
Cultivators cut off Hongchen, cultivate with a pure heart and few desires, and grow strong amid loneliness and solitude—for what? Is it not for eternal life and soaring to the Immortal Realm?
Becoming Immortal, Proving Dao—this is the ultimate dream of every Cultivator, something no Cultivator is willing to miss, be they Human Race or Demon Clan.
If they truly severed all hope, the Demon Clan might indeed burn their boats and fight the Human Race to mutual destruction.
If things really developed to that point, the Xuan Realm would be awash in blood, and both the Human Race and Demon Clan would suffer grievous losses of Primordial Qi!
Under such circumstances, if Human-shaped creatures were to reappear and a dark uprising erupted, both the Human Race and Demon Clan would be in danger!
In the end, after arduous negotiations, the Heroic Lords of all major forces reached a unified consensus: they would agree to the conditions raised by Chi Lin.
The Demon Clan could explore the unearthed Secret Realms.
As for the younger generation geniuses entering the Xing Kong Gu Road to temper themselves, there was nothing unacceptable about that either. Opportunity is equal to everyone; it depends on whether you can seize it and how much you can comprehend.
In addition, the various Heroic Lords put forward a rule of the game: the older generation strong people on both sides must not bully the young with the old, must not carry out acts of extermination to strangle the other side’s geniuses. Otherwise, it would be a fight to the death.
When Elder Lin conveyed the result of the discussions and the suggestions of the Heroic Lords to Chi Lin, Chi Lin agreed readily. He too feared that Human strong people would commit acts of extermination and cut off the Demon Clan’s young geniuses.
This rule provided excellent protection for the young geniuses of both sides. The future belonged to these young people.
Especially given that their older generation strong people could not casually emerge, it made the younger generation’s training all the more perilous.
Rather than saying this proposal protected the Human Race’s young geniuses, it would be better to say it benefitted their Demon Clan more. Chi Lin fully understood this logic; that was why he agreed so readily.
The agreement was set, both sides swore with blood, and the younger generation of the Demon Clan could emerge and enter the Xing Kong Gu Road together with the younger generation of the Human Race to temper themselves and vie for opportunities.
After the grand ceremony, the Demon Clan retreated their army in extreme frustration and continued to lie dormant.
Meanwhile, the Human cultivators were all beaming with joy; every face showed the ease and delight of a heavy burden lifted.
The news quickly spread to every corner of the Five Domains, and people all came to know the course and outcome of this battle.
Amid the cheering, Ye Fan also became the hero of the entire Human Race, his fame unrivaled for a time.
Everyone knew very well that if Ye Fan had not, at the last moment, stood alone against the five young kings of the Demon Clan, the result might have been entirely different.
With the Demon Clan retreating, War City on the borderlands was festooned with lanterns and decorations everywhere, lively beyond compare. All taverns, teahouses, restaurants, dining halls, Gambling Houses, and even pleasure establishments were free of charge. The whole city celebrated wildly to commemorate this great victory.
And as the meritorious ones of this contest, Elder Lin, the Old Bastard, Ye Fan and the others received the highest treatment and became heroes of the entire Human Race.
Especially Ye Fan, who could truly be said to have turned the tide when all seemed lost; when the Human Race’s morale had sunk to rock bottom, he used his domineering might that swept the world to win back confidence and prestige for the Human Race.
Although in terms of the Imperial Academy’s foundation, Elder Lin, the Old Bastard, Seng Dao Yan and the others far surpassed Ye Fan in strength, they could not match him in popularity.
The reason was very simple: if Ye Fan had not struck with overwhelming force at the critical moment and suppressed the rampant arrogance of the Demon Clan, the outcome now would likely be completely different.
All of a sudden, Ye Fan became the hero of the Human Race, a celebrity in War City. Wherever he went, crowds of Cultivators would gather to watch.
In the end, it was the Great Demon and the others who, under the pretext of a gathering, dragged Ye Fan away, thus sparing him further embarrassment of being surrounded.
The two of them went up to a restaurant, ordered some dishes and wine, and the Great Demon spoke up: "Let’s eat first. When they get here, we’ll let them order more."
Just as he said that, footsteps came from the stairway, and the first to appear before them was the gleaming bald head of the Buddha, Yu chanzi.
Right after, Yaling, Princess Yue Bai, Sikong Po, Shi Ye and the others also arrived. Sikong Po, full of swagger, directly tossed out a fist-sized top-grade spirit stone and booked the entire floor.
The other patrons in the restaurant, upon learning that Ye Fan and the others were gathering here, all consciously took their leave. The spacious third floor suddenly felt much emptier.
"Brother Ye Fan, we really owe you this time. If you hadn’t turned the tide, we’d probably already be at war with the Demon Clan by now!" Yue Haoyu said with deep emotion.
"That’s right. If Ye Fan-gege hadn’t, with his own strength, won five battles in a row and dealt a huge blow to the Demon Clan’s arrogant momentum, they absolutely wouldn’t have conceded so easily." Princess Yue Bai chimed in as well, her beautiful eyes flashing with a brilliant light.
"This isn’t my Merit alone; it’s the result of everyone’s efforts together."
Ye Fan spoke modestly, then raised his cup. "To our victory, let’s drink!"
"Yes, yes, yes, drink first."
Everyone hurriedly raised their cups. The wine was fine and mellow, sweet and smooth, with an endless aftertaste.
After learning that Ye Fan had come to his restaurant for a gathering, the owner spared no expense and had people bring out a thousand-year-old aged brew.
The hero of the Human Race and his friends had come to his restaurant for a small get-together—he could not afford to make it seem shabby.
With three rounds of wine and five courses of dishes, everyone’s tongues loosened, and they chatted freely about all sorts of strange news and anecdotes from the Cultivation World.
On the faces of Yaling, Princess Yue Bai, and Ling Ziyuan, the three girls, there was a seductive blush. Their eyes, when they looked at Ye Fan, were bright and limpid, full of unspeakable coy charm.
"Brother Ye Fan, what are your plans from now on?"
Usually as silent as a gourd, Li Yu’er also became lively after drinking a lot of good wine. With his arm slung over the Great Demon’s shoulder, he asked Ye Fan.
Li Yu’er’s talent was mediocre, but he obtained Clumsy Fist’s inheritance, and with the most ordinary kind of talent cultivated to the Early Lord Realm. His Combat Power was astonishing. He was definitely someone of great perseverance who could endure loneliness.
Ye Fan pondered for a moment and said, "I don’t really have any plans for now, but once the Xing Kong Gu Road opens, I’ll definitely go and give it a try."
The Xing Kong Gu Road...
Everyone could not help but feel a distant yearning. Aside from Ye Fan, everyone present had an extraordinary background, and the powers they belonged to all had ancient lineages. Naturally, they had heard some of the Cultivation World’s hidden secrets.
The Xing Kong Gu Road was a supreme trial road opened up by the strong people of the Human Race before the Taigu era, and at the same time, it was also the most dangerous Ancient Road.
The Xing Kong Gu Road was strewn with corpses. Many Heavenly Pride figures never returned after entering it, their bones buried in desolate Star Domains.
In the history of the Human Race, many Great Emperors had once ventured onto this supreme trial road and obtained immense opportunities.
Back then, the reason the Nine Heavens Xuan Emperor was able to Prove Dao and become Emperor Cheng under circumstances where it seemed most impossible to Proving Dao had an enormous connection to the Xing Kong Gu Road.
It was said that he did not enter from the entrance, but instead forced his way in, ultimately seizing creation against the heavens, obtaining everything he desired, defeating all opponents along the Xing Kong Gu Road, and finally Proving Dao amid the endless starry skies.
"The Nine Heavens Xuan Emperor truly defied the heavens..."
Ye Fan, unexpectedly learning such a piece of information, could not help but stare blankly, his mind drifting, filled with boundless longing and yearning for this supreme trial road.
The Xing Kong Gu Road was filled with all kinds of dangers and opportunities. Previously, only young strong people recommended by the major powers were qualified to step onto this supreme trial road.
It was likewise a road full of the unknown. Some people could return alive in just a year, coming back in force.
While others fell forever beyond the domains, their bones buried in foreign lands.
One could say it was a blood-stained road. From ancient times to the present, of all who stepped upon it, very few managed to come back alive.
Of course, any who did return alive were all existences that stunned the ages. Even if they ultimately failed to Proving Dao, they could still protect a clan’s prosperity for thousands of years!
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