Free Web NovelChapter 595: Chapter 87: The Saint’s Impurity (Part 2)
The Sect Leader nodded. During humanity’s most difficult times—the Ice Age—all families retreated to sunless sanctuaries for survival. Yet, the most powerful families still had the strength to remain active on the surface. Slaying demons remained a priority task. Despite the humans barely ensuring their own survival, they persistently eradicated the surviving Demon Race on the continent. Even though humans were extremely weakened, the Demon Race was in a more dire situation, having lost the Demon Empress. Most powerful demons went extinct in the late stages of the Immortal Demon war. The ones who survived were of inferior quality. After ages of trials, the Demon Race’s frailty surpassed that of humanity.
The Ice Age was undoubtedly a mass extinction for weakened species. Humanity perished by ninety percent, let alone the Demon Race that faced harsher conditions?
This is why later academic consensus held that the Primordial Era, which once devastated Jiuzhou Continent with terrifying demons, saw them completely extinct during the Ice Age. In subsequent Dark Era and two millennia of the Civilization Era, no revival of demons occurred—until last year when remnants of Demons awoke at Cyan Cloud Peak.
Zhao Chenlu added, "In fact, the Demon Race was not completely extinct, nor could they so easily be entirely wiped out. If one personally experienced the Immortal Demon war, they’d know how tenacious the Demon Race’s life force was, how vast their numbers were. The Demon Race’s reproductive capacity did not match their powerful individual strength. As long as there was a mother nest and sufficient resources, Demons could continually breed new individuals through eggs. During the fervent period of the Immortal Demon war, the number of demons on Jiuzhou Continent surpassed humans—note, not just cultivators but humans as a whole! Such a large ethnic group being entirely erased would be incredible."
Wang Jiu nodded, "Moreover, the Laws of Heaven and Earth in Xiangzhou Continent were somewhat polluted by the Demon Emperor’s power, offering some home field advantage to Demons. Thus, it’s very possible a few lucky individuals survived. Among them, the two who founded the Saint Sect were the luckiest."
Zhao Chenlu said, "Indeed, according to the Holy Record, the two awoke deep underground, with five hundred meters of rock and soil above them, effectively shielding them from Demon Hunters’ perception during the Ice Age, also preventing them from freezing completely in the cold. Conveniently, that subterranean earth was once the battlefront of the Immortal Demon war, saturated with the flesh and blood of humans and demons. After thousands of years of fermentation, it became a deadly poison that humans could not touch, but for the Demon Race, these remnants symbolizing slaughter and destruction were the best nourishment. These two demons absorbed nutrients from their surroundings in insect eggs for thousands of years, finally reviving during the Dark Era. But after awakening, their situation hardly improved."
Here, Zhao Chenlu couldn’t help but laugh: "If your imagination is rich enough, try to empathize with those two demons. How would you feel if you were a demon awakening during the Dark Era? Alright, you, old man, are honest and straightforward, likely can’t imagine, so I’ll say it directly: It’s despair, unspeakable despair."
"Firstly, the death of the Demon Emperor was fundamental for the Demon Race’s existence, the source of faith. Without the Demon Emperor, there would be no Demon Race to destroy the Myriad Realms. So, when demons realized they lost connection with the Demon Emperor upon waking, it was like newborns abandoned by their parents."
"Secondly, they were placed in an extremely oppressive environment. Though Xiangzhou Continent, polluted by the Demon Emperor, offered Demon Race a home field advantage, untouched parts bore deep-seated hatred for Demons, strongly suppressing them. Simply put, Xiangzhou Continent allowed demons to exist but perpetually inhibited them, akin to a human pigpen or slaughterhouse, an extremely adverse environment for Demons."
The Sect Leader slowly nodded, digesting Zhao Chenlu’s explanation.
"Finally, the existence of humanity. After the Immortal Demon war, humans acutely understood the notion that those not of our kind would harbor divergent intentions. Exterminating demons became an instinct engrained in their bones. Even during the challenging Ice Age, Demon Hunters existed, let alone after the Ice Age ended, when humans began rapidly recovering vitality, having more strength to deal with alien creatures. Though the two demons were lucky enough to survive previous hardships, the awakened world remained harsh for them."
Zhao Chenlu laughed again, saying, "In fact, when the two demons first emerged from the earth, they still contemplated restoring their power through massacre of humans. But coincidentally, they encountered a massive human demon-hunting operation. One demon that awoke two years before them launched into widespread slaughter of humans, attracting an assault from major families. According to the Holy Record, that demon was extraordinarily powerful, far surpassing any human. Yet it stood alone, while humans understood collaboration well. After a year-long relentless chase, that demon was ultimately slain by hundreds of human cultivators using rudimentary Immortal Techniques at a solitary peak. Below the mountain, the two newly awakened demons trembled as they watched this unfold."
