jdhmnovel Chapter 553 Gods and Demons
Chapter 553 Gods and Demons
"Tsk tsk tsk, that's too violent!" The second senior brother shook his head and sighed.
Xu Youan remained expressionless, and just as he was about to walk to his senior sister's side, he immediately felt a piercing gaze fixed on him. He stiffly turned his head and saw Jiang Junze's narrowed eyes.
Xu Youan paused for a moment, then moved a little further away from her senior sister.
The cold gaze behind him was still fixed on him, but he felt much more relaxed at the moment.
Having just "escaped" from the underwater waters, the group, looking disheveled, rested under a large tree and discussed which marked location on the map they should head to.
To be honest, although there are attacks from monsters in the underwater waters, it is not considered dangerous. Obviously, this is the last chance for the sect to give these disciples who participated in the competition to back out.
This further confirms the danger of this competition, especially those two words—"demon race."
The demon race, a species that exists only in legends and historical records, is something that these younger generations know very little about, or even a complete blank.
Because of the tragedy five hundred years ago, later generations have always kept the demon race a closely guarded secret. If the demon race hadn't returned to the public eye this time, the world would probably still be pretending to be at peace, as if such a bloodthirsty creature had never invaded before.
Even Jiang Liqian, despite having lived two lives, knew very little about the demon race. The only time she truly fought against the demons was when Shen Qingqing framed her for colluding with them. After that, she learned that most of the most powerful demons were sealed in the Outer Heavens. Unable to defend herself, she thought of personally entering the Outer Heavens to slay the demons and prove her innocence. Even if she couldn't prove her innocence, she could at least die as the senior sister of the Tianqian Sect, upright and heroic. But later, she didn't even have that chance.
As for how the demons invaded the cultivation world afterward, and how "powerful" they were, she had no idea, because she was already dead by then.
He died from the betrayal of his closest relatives and friends.
However, to her surprise, her junior brother Xu Youan actually had quite a bit of knowledge about the demon race.
"In ancient times, there were two most powerful and ferocious races. One race was nourished by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, while the other race was fed by the turbid energy of heaven and earth. The two races fought each other constantly, and the battles were so fierce that some races were almost wiped out."
"Later, the race that relied on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth finally defeated the race that relied on turbid energy, and also subdued other weaker races. They ascended to the Nine Heavens, proclaimed themselves gods, and became the rulers of heaven and earth. The race that relied on turbid energy was banished to the dark Nine Netherworlds and called demons."
"In ancient times, gods and demons did not distinguish between good and evil, nor did they have the concept of right and wrong. They were simply two powerful races in this world."
The crowd exchanged bewildered glances as they listened to Xu You'an's words. Luo Qing'an couldn't help but ask, "Are the demons really that strong? Only the gods can suppress them, is that right?"
Then they...
Xu Youan nodded, then shook his head.
Instead, they asked a question that baffled them: "Senior brothers and sisters, do you know how mortals communicated with the gods, prayed for blessings and warded off disasters, and fought off demons in ancient times?"
Fu Wennian pondered, "It must be that sincere prayer led to a miracle and the calamity was averted, right?"
Luo Qing'an thought for a moment, then weakly added, "Should we also set out some offerings of fruit and food? Food must have been very precious back then, right?"
Xu Youan was neither right nor wrong; his eyes were filled with a mysterious light that sent shivers down one's spine.
Abruptly, Jiang Junze's voice rang out: "It's a sacrifice." He looked into Xu You'an's eyes, his face cold and stern. "A sacrifice of cattle and sheep, or of slaves?"
Xu Youan smiled faintly, not avoiding his gaze at all. Her voice was clear and cool, like a spring water falling on a stone: "Not cattle or sheep, nor slaves, but people of noble sacrificial status."
For some reason, Jiang Liqian felt a tremor in her heart and suddenly looked up to stare at Xu Youan's face.
Upon meeting his senior sister's trembling gaze, Xu Youan's expression froze. He immediately suppressed all his hostility, fearing that his senior sister would dislike him. He quickly adopted a gentle and harmless demeanor, and his voice became much softer.
"Whether it is a divine oracle or a curse depends entirely on whether the person performing the sacrifice can gain the favor of a god or a demon to subdue their soul. The more noble a person is, the easier it is for them to receive the mercy of the gods; the more lowly a slave is, the more difficult it is for them to attain the grace of the gods."
Luo Qing'an was a little confused: "Junior Brother, what do you mean?"
Jiang Junze had a vague guess in his heart, while Fu Wennian and Jiang Liqian immediately thought of one thing the moment Xu Youan finished speaking—the God and Demon Sealing Array that existed in the Outer Heaven Domain.
Sacrifice, offering... to Master!
Is that so? Miracles come at a price, and the price that gods require is the pure soul of the one performing the ritual.
"If we put the ancient times into the current cultivation world, the more superior the artifacts, talismans, arrays, and techniques one possesses, the more favored one is by the gods. The more outstanding one's talent, the better one is a candidate for sacrifice. There are no miracles without a reason, and no good deeds obtained for no reason."
At this point, Xu You'an's eyes darkened: "Third Senior Sister, can't you even glimpse how our ancestors annihilated the Demon Clan?"
Luo Qing'an was stunned.
Everyone present was stunned into silence.
Xu Youan sighed: "So, the demons are just that terrifying. They are not meant to appear in our world. We are no different from the weak mortals of ancient times... Second Senior Brother, Third Senior Sister, Senior Brother Jiang, now you know how to face the upcoming battle with the demons, right? If we let our guard down, we won't even have time to offer ourselves as sacrifices and hope for a miracle. They will devour us all, just like the gods."
silence.
Beneath the lush, verdant trees, there was a deathly silence.
A cold wind howled, brushing against everyone's face, and for no apparent reason, everyone felt a chill.
In fact, none of them had ever come into contact with the demon race, so their excitement far outweighed their fear. Now, after hearing Xu Youan's words, even though everyone present was an extraordinary individual, a sense of unease and fear still unconsciously swept over their hearts.
They didn't even dare to think about it—if their ancestors had repelled the demons and preserved five hundred years of peace in the cultivation world through self-sacrifice, what about now? Would someone also...?
If they were chosen, would they be able to resolutely dedicate themselves to the greater good for the sake of the millions of beings in the cultivation world?
If their relatives are chosen, can they calmly watch them go to their deaths while they themselves live a life of ignominy?
No, no, no, nothing is absolute. Five hundred years have passed. Perhaps the sect leader and the others have found another way to eliminate the demons. Or perhaps, they can exterminate these demons on their own without needing a miracle!