Chapter 754
In the eyes of many, the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor was the true nemesis of the Tianhe Sect.
They were oblivious to the underlying truths, watching the live broadcast with a sense of bewilderment.
On the screen, the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor began to speak.
It was unclear whether he aimed to clarify the truth for everyone or simply provide the Four Sects' True Immortals with a starting point for discussion, but he began recounting some past events.
"In the last epoch, as the Immortal Gates waned, the Demon Ancestor ruled. Though the Four Sects were powerful, the disciples of the Demon Sect dominated the Xuanwei mainstream. When the Dao Fruits could not enter Xuanwei, the Demon Sect was the true sovereign of Xuanwei."
"While the Demon Ancestor could not directly confront the Four Sects, the disciples of the Four Sects traveling through Xuanwei had to avoid the sharp edge of the Demon Sect."
The old monk Zhitong and others did not refute this.
Clearly, it was not a fabrication.
From the historical accounts that Zheng Fa had gathered, it was evident that the Demon Ancestor had once annihilated the world—
In other words, the Xuanwei human race in the last epoch were all descendants of the Demon Ancestor.
When the Dao Fruits of the Four Sects were restricted from entering Xuanwei, the strength of the Demon Sect was all too apparent.
"Resources in Xuanwei are limited. Many non-direct disciples of the Demon Sect lacked the qualifications to cultivate, and the major demon clans did not value these individuals, allowing them to fend for themselves."
"These people held a lowly status within the Demon Sect, suffering oppression and unable to cultivate, forced to survive in the mundane world, and of course, unable to escape the Demon Sect's rule."
"Later, they intermarried, their bloodlines gradually mixing, and they became even less regarded by the major Demon Sects."
Zheng Fa pondered; if one were to calculate over a span of a hundred thousand years, the number of these mixed-blood Demon Sect disciples would be staggering.
"They lacked pure bloodlines and could not practice the Demon Sect's techniques, which instead provided an opportunity for the Four Sects to seize, passing down their teachings and beginning their revival."
"But initially, the major sects were no match for the Demon Sect."
"At that time, the Demon Sect was known as the Thirteen Immortal Dynasties, and beneath the Immortal Dynasties were the sects."
As the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor narrated, Zheng Fa truly understood what Xuanwei was like in the last epoch.
The demon race ruled through the Immortal Dynasties, while the Four Sects retreated in fear.
Though the major sects had inherited teachings, they were incomplete and could not possibly rival the accumulation of an entire epoch of the Immortal Dynasties, forced to rely on their favor.
Compared to the current Xuanwei, the situation back then was likely even more suffocating.
The Demon Sect inevitably moved towards elitism.
The lower tiers were instead exploited by the Four Sects—one might say this was a natural development.
When there are no "outsiders," the "insiders" become the "outsiders."
If all went as expected, the final outcome would be a conflict between the Immortal Gates represented by the Four Sects and the various Immortal Dynasties.
But then, an unexpected turn of events occurred.
"The Tianhe Sect was a small sect back then," the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor continued, "yet Tianhe himself was exceptionally talented, renowned for his invincibility even at the Golden Core stage."
"After he reached the Transformation stage, he rampaged through Xuanwei."
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor was not one for many words, and he spoke only briefly about the revered Tianhe.
But Zheng Fa could easily imagine the astonishing presence of the revered Tianhe at that time.
Clearly, the revered Tianhe's journey was far more arduous than his own:
Zheng Fa had always believed that his greatest strength was self-awareness—
He understood the limits of his own wisdom, which is why he preferred to borrow the minds of others.
He recognized his own lack of strength, which is why he welcomed collaboration.
In comparison to the revered Tianhe, he was acutely aware of one thing: his current achievements, while earned through hard work, ultimately stemmed from the Yin-Yang Fish jade pendant.
Such luck was more significant than any effort, wisdom, or strategy.
The only thing he could take pride in was seizing that stroke of luck and maximizing its potential.
But the revered Tianhe likely did not have such fortune.
Thus, his accomplishments were all the more precious.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor continued, "At first, Tianhe was proud and clashed with the Four Sects, but they had no way to deal with him."
At that moment, the Yaochi Nizhang Yuanjun finally spoke up:
"Wasn't it because you, Jiuyou, were protecting him? Don't forget, how many retaliations from the Demon Sect did you block for him back then?"
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor fell silent for a moment before responding, "At that time, my path of the Dharma body had also reached its limit. Tianhe... gave me another hope."
This statement from the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor made Zheng Fa involuntarily think of his own uniqueness.
While other Golden Immortals could not enter Xuanwei, he could.
Even the Jiuyou Demon Sect seemed to operate outside the confines of family structure.
It truly did not resemble the Dharma body method.
He even began to form some conjectures in his mind.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor briefly mentioned himself before continuing, "Back then, Tianhe's rise was too rapid for you Four Sects to suppress, so you changed your stance and chose to cooperate with him to resist the Demon Sect."
At this point, Zheng Fa finally understood.
He had previously been puzzled as to why the Four Sects allied with the revered Tianhe.
He had overlooked the Demon Sect.
With a common enemy, cooperation naturally became possible.
In Zheng Fa's view, the Four Sects were quite flexible, and their attitude towards him was rather ambiguous.
"With Tianhe's talent, my protection, and the foundation of the Four Sects, Tianhe progressed rapidly," the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor said softly. "In less than ten thousand years, he had leveled the Eight Immortal Dynasties and even attained the Dao Fruit, truly becoming invincible in the world."
"You all must have harbored ulterior motives from the moment he attained the Dao, right?"
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor suddenly asked.
...
On the screen, the Xuan Ding True Immortal surprisingly spoke first.
"When the revered Tianhe attained the Dao, the Dao Sovereign appeared, and we realized he was not practicing the Yang Spirit method."
It turned out that Xuan Ding could string together so many words at once.
"Tianhe did not start with the Yang Spirit method," the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor said. "He had just been hiding it in his early years."
Xuan Ding shook his head and replied, "Whether you believe it or not, Demon Ancestor, at the beginning, the Taishang Dao did not mind the revered Tianhe's new method."
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor's voice turned cold: "But that was the beginning of everything."
Xuan Ding fell silent again, as if the person who had just spoken was not himself.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor did not care about him and continued, "Back then, only the Four Immortal Dynasties remained, and they were the strongest and most formidable force of the Demon Sect."
"But both Tianhe and I were confident we would eventually achieve victory, and we were already close to winning."
"Then Tianhe suddenly perished, and you all immediately betrayed the Tianhe Sect."
"Why?"
...
The old monk Zhitong suddenly spoke up: "It was the Taishang Dao."
Zheng Fa turned to look at the old monk.
"The Taishang Dao sent word to the Four Sects, claiming that the revered Tianhe had colluded with the Demon Sect."
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor laughed in anger:
"Colluding with the Demon Sect? Beneath Tianhe's Qingping Sword, there are the souls of three Demon Ancestors!"
"The Taishang Dao says he colluded with the Demon Sect?"
"So you all believed it?"
Zhitong asked:
"Isn't he colluding with you?"
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor did not answer, seemingly stunned.
"The revered Tianhe, at that time, although he had defeated the Four Immortal Dynasties, also destroyed mountains and temples, acting in defiance," Zhitong continued. "Shouldn't our Four Sects be suspicious of his actions?"
"Because of me, you all think Tianhe colluded with the Demon Sect?"
"My Jiuyou Immortal Dynasty has long since fallen apart!"
Zhitong said:
"Demon Ancestor, your origins are extraordinary, yet none of us in the Four Sects know your true background."
"You say the Jiuyou Immortal Dynasty has fallen apart, but we only see that among the Thirteen Immortal Dynasties, yours is the only one that has not been destroyed by the revered Tianhe."
"And you have become the second-generation leader of the Tianhe Sect."
"Isn't that suspicious?"
...
In the main hall of the Tianhe Sect, the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor stood up, his expression dazed.
Listening to Yun Zhenxian continue:
"Moreover, the revered Tianhe did not pass his position to a disciple, but to you."
"If it weren't for you, Jiuyou Demon Ancestor, manipulating the revered Tianhe, how could this be?"
"How could we allow you to usurp the position of the Tianhe Sect's leader?"
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor fell silent.
He looked at Master Yan and suddenly asked:
"Is it just because Tianhe passed his position to me?"
Master Yan lowered his head.
Zheng Fa listened, frowning.
If what Zhitong and Yun Zhenxian said was true, then from their perspective, the revered Tianhe's later actions of destroying mountains and temples were indeed difficult to explain, making them uneasy.
And passing his position to the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor made the possibility of a collusion between the revered Tianhe and the Demon Sect seem plausible.
If the revered Tianhe had been present, exerting pressure on Xuanwei, they would have had nothing to say.
Yet, with the revered Tianhe's demise and his passing of the position to the Jiuyou Demon Ancestor, they naturally would not sit idly by.
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor remained silent for a long time. He had not anticipated that the truth he had been desperately seeking regarding the chaos of Tianhe might somehow involve himself.
But the problem was, the revered Tianhe had never colluded with the Demon Sect.
Who had spread this rumor?
The Taishang Dao?
The Jiuyou Demon Ancestor turned to Xuan Ding True Immortal and asked, "How could your Taishang Dao conclude that Tianhe, or I, had any connection with the Demon Sect?"
Xuan Ding's expression shifted slightly, quickly realizing that someone had already revealed part of the truth.
"It was the Zao Hua Tian Mo who said so."
"..."
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