"..."
The Old Demon did not speak immediately, but instead fell into thought.
Something kept replaying in his mind.
After a long while, a flash of inspiration struck him.
"I know now."
The Old Demon suddenly understood, and looked at the old man before him in horror, "Could it be... you were part of the Western Expeditionary Army back then?"
"Roar."
The old man's eyes instantly turned blood red, "You are not qualified to mention the Western Expeditionary Army, you traitors, let go of me, let go of me..."
The mention of the Western Expeditionary Army seemed to have provoked the old man.
His emotions became extremely agitated.
"What is the Western Expeditionary Army?" Chen Fan asked, puzzled.
"Alas."
The Old Demon's expression became dejected, "Speaking of which, everyone on the Eastern Continent owes them..."
Chen Fan: "???"
"Hahaha."
The old man laughed maniacally, "Yes, you owe us, all of you owe His Majesty the King of Qin, owe the Western Expeditionary Army, you traitors..."
Excessive excitement caused the old man's head to flush.
He descended into a state of madness.
Those blood-red eyes were filled with boundless hatred.
The disheveled old man, like a madman, stood there and roared incessantly.
"Western Expeditionary Army."
Looking at the roaring old man, Chen Fan remained silent for a long time.
"Alas."
The old man sighed and said in a deep voice, "I didn't experience this myself, I only heard about it."
"Tell me."
Chen Fan wanted to hear.
"If we are to trace this matter back, it goes back five hundred years."
The Old Demon's tone was solemn as he spoke of a past that had not been mentioned for five hundred years.
Five hundred years ago, on the continent of the East, several kings contended for supremacy.
Each of those kings was a hero of heaven and earth.
The Eastern Continent plunged into a fierce war, almost shattering the entire eastern land.
Later, the several kings felt that internal strife was meaningless.
The battles had dragged on for too long, yet no one could truly establish dominion over the realm. Thus, they began to discuss expansion outwards.
Damelia was their first choice.
Eventually, the kings reached an agreement and jointly advanced into the continent of Damelia.
The King of Qin's territory bordered the East Sea, and his was the first powerful army to head towards Damelia.
The kings were all confident.
The King of Qin led all his strong warriors into Damelia.
It was agreed that the others would follow later.
...
At this point, the Old Demon fell silent.
"The others didn't come?"
Chen Fan had already guessed the outcome.
"Yes."
The Old Demon nodded, "This matter is recorded in the annals. None of the other kings went to Damelia, leaving the King of Qin and his army to face Damelia alone."
The Old Demon did not conceal the entirety of the matter.
Chen Fan frowned, "Do you know why the other kings did not go to the continent of Damelia?"
He had a question.
According to the Old Demon, the King of Qin was not a fool.
He could lead everyone to conquer Damelia, which meant he must have had great trust in the others.
How could kings capable of conquering the realm be so treacherous?
"It is indeed as the City Lord surmised."
The Old Demon's face was grave, "According to ancient records, the day after the King of Qin left, a world-shattering battle erupted on the Eastern Continent."
"???"
A world-shattering battle?
Hadn't the war between the kings five hundred years ago already been a world-shattering battle?
The Old Demon shook his head, "I don't know. The records do not state it."
"So, those kings did not betray the King of Qin, is that right?"
"Yes."
In the Old Demon's opinion,
Although the King of Qin became an isolated lone warrior back then, the kings who remained in the East did not fare well either.
"What else did the records say?" Chen Fan asked curiously.
"Nothing more."
He had told all he knew, "This document only had a few brief lines, but one thing is certain: we still live in the Eastern World today, which proves that the kings of that time won."
"But if they won, why has the East been so barren all these years?"
"My guess is that although the kings won back then, it was a Pyrrhic victory, or more likely, a mutual destruction."
"Although the enemy was driven out, those few should have also perished."
This was not a mere guess, but based on some reasoning.
"But the Western Expeditionary Army did not know this, did they?"
The Old Demon nodded.
It could only be this way; back then, both Damelia and the Eastern homeland were facing very powerful enemies.
By the end of the battles, the kings remaining in the East were helpless.
The Western Expeditionary Army in the West believed the kings had betrayed their pact.
It was hard to say who was right or wrong in such a matter.
Both sides had their own constraints.
"Alas."
Chen Fan, as a descendant, also lamented the twists of fate.
What could anyone do in such a situation?
One could only say that fate played its hand.
Or perhaps, it was just bad luck?
Looking at the mad old man, Chen Fan didn't know what to say for a moment.
"This person, they weren't wrong."
But, were the Eastern kings of that time wrong?
Not exactly, both sides had their own difficulties.
The old man was still cursing there.
It was evident how much he hated the kings of that era.
"Make him quiet down."
It was impossible to talk with all this noise and commotion.
"Mm."
The Old Demon nodded.
A trace of demonic energy spread out, intending to suppress the old man.
However, this tattered old man seemed unfazed.
His defiant expression was as if death itself was merely a release.
There was no other way, so the Old Demon had to try another method.
"My friend, we have no connection with those kings. Could you please calm down for a moment so we can talk?" The Old Demon's lips were almost worn out before the old man finally quieted down.
However, his breathing was still unstable.
The flames seemed to have engulfed his very being, amplifying his hatred infinitely.