Chapter 204 Identities

Vivian and Lily’s identities would not be revealed immediately.

In fact, Hao Ren knew this from the start. The First Saint and the Fourteenth Saint—this event would have a shocking impact on the demon hunter community as a whole, especially in this unstable and turbulent situation. All demon hunters had already begun to doubt their beliefs, and if you told them at this time that the entire six-thousand-year history of the demon hunters was a joke, the consequences would definitely not be therapeutic.

Collapse was certain; don't expect any therapeutic effect.

So Vivian and Lily’s identities would remain secret, but at the appropriate time, these things would still be slowly and gradually passed on.

After a solemn and fiercely debated closed-door meeting, corroborated by Grigori's memories, various ancient artifacts, documents, physical evidence, and Lily's memory testimony, the elders acknowledged both matters: one was Vivian's status as the Fourteenth Saint, and the other was Lily's identity as the "reincarnation of the First Saint." Of course, not everyone believed these things one hundred percent; almost all attendees had doubts about it to varying degrees, but overall, the identities of the bat and the husky were a foregone conclusion. The elders' doubts were understandable, but would not affect the overall situation.

Currently, this astonishing truth would only be passed among the elder-class demon hunters, who would then slowly tell these things to their reliable assistants and apprentices, including the masters of the New Elders Council. At the same time, they would organize people to explore the library and antique treasury in the Spirit World Clock Tower, gradually revealing part of the truth in the process. Next, they would prepare public opinion and create momentum, laying the groundwork for the facts through discussions of the "hunting war" itself.

This involved a whole bunch of problems: guiding public opinion, creating momentum, maintaining stability, ensuring freedom of speech. Every problem was an unimaginable hassle for Hao Ren, but Hao Ren didn't need to worry about these things: the wise elders would take care of everything. And Hao Ren also believed that the demon hunters could successfully overcome these difficulties—their strong organization and obedience had not been lost, which was their greatest reliance at the moment.

Next to a small shrine near the Star Cluster Tower, Hao Ren and several demon hunters stood on a high ground, watching the Spirit Race technicians calibrate the legion teleportation portals. Although there were still more than half a month before the return date, the technical experts of the Demon King's army had already begun preparing for the journey home. These legion teleportation portals required huge energy support, and this time, Lanina did not intend to trouble Hao Ren to help solve the energy problem. The Spirit Race technicians were trying to connect the legion teleportation portals to the energy nodes that were common in Corpus, using the energy network left by the Creation Goddess to power these gates.

The technicians' experiments were fruitful—earlier this morning, they had successfully used Corpus' ancient energy to drive a teleportation portal… and then blew it up.

Lanina said there was no need to worry. There was no technical problem. The reason for the teleportation portal's explosion was that Elizabeth was passing by the gate at the time. Although it was not certain what the little princess had taken off it, she definitely took something off…

"Fate really played a rather nasty joke on us," Hasu stood beside Hao Ren, looking at the demons and devils clamoring in the square with his only eye, his tone low. "The demon hunters' six thousand years of 'noble ideals,' the mission that many people pursued for a lifetime, turned out to be just the whispers of a fallen weapon constructing illusions in our minds. The highest leaders of the demon hunter order… one is a vampire, and the other has now become… a werewolf."

Hasu deliberated for a moment, and finally didn't call Lily a "husky spirit" like Hao Ren.

"Will you acknowledge this 'supreme leader'?" Hao Ren looked at the old hunter beside him with a non-smiling expression.

Hasu replied faintly, "What do you think?"

Hao Ren waved his hand indifferently, "It's okay, anyway, the two of them have no interest in staying in this godforsaken place to help you rebuild. Corpus… this stage is too small for the things we usually do, we can't spread out."

Hasu was silent, the light in his only eye flickering, not knowing what he was thinking.

"But you must always remember," Hao Ren continued, "morally and logically, you do have these two 'supreme leaders.' Lily can perhaps say that she resigned because she died once, but Vivian… she is your current Fourteenth Saint. A title itself may not have any practical significance, but I believe its impact on you is still huge."

Vivian and Lily's identities would be announced one day, and that day was not far away. Hao Ren had previously thought about what would happen if this matter was kept secret forever—after all, the demon hunters didn't know the truth for the past six thousand years, and they still lived well. But after yesterday's closed-door meeting, he realized that the disclosure of this matter was inevitable: because the demon hunters were about to usher in a turning point.

They had been struggling in lies and mist for six thousand years, and this mist eventually brewed the Second Madness Disaster. Now that they were about to set off again soberly, they should take this opportunity to announce the truth, which would also become an opportunity to end the "hunting activities."

The few people were silent for a while, and Hao Ren suddenly sighed, "The biggest trouble is not inside Corpus, but outside."

None of the people present were stupid, of course they understood what Hao Ren was saying. Elder Andaher looked in the direction of the Star Cluster Tower, his gaze seeming to penetrate the space rift above the tower and directly look at the distant surface world, "The demon hunters have lost most of their strength in this battle, and this is not the worst thing. The worst thing is that the defense lines and fortresses that we have operated for six thousand years have been abandoned. The different races will never let go of this opportunity. Once the territory is lost, it will not be easy to take it back… The balance has been broken, and all the sanctuaries will probably be opened."

"So Vivian and I are going to Athens next to meet with the representatives of those other races," Hao Ren said, hugging his arms. "In fact, before we came here, some small families were already eager to move, but they were suppressed by their elders."

Hasu stared at Hao Ren, and suddenly showed a strange smile (this expression was not easy to appear on his face), "When we first met, I firmly believed that you were from the other race camp."

"I'm not in any camp, I'm truly neutral," Hao Ren shrugged. "I only serve the higher-level balance. Also, you just said that your six thousand years of hunting war was just a joke? I don't think so."

He paused, and then continued, "Indeed, the hunt itself is absurd, but it essentially ended the chaos on this planet. Even without the Dark Sword amplifying the darkness in your hearts, the alien races on Earth would still continue to kill each other, and you would eventually join this killing because of the 'Godblood Sin,' it's only a matter of time, and the victory or defeat is different. The whispers of the Dark Sword made you the most powerful supernatural race on this planet, and it also ended the slaughter of all other races in advance—ending the endless melee with a great decisive battle. If those alien races continued to fight, they would not necessarily die less than those hunted by you. And you also indirectly allowed the true civilization of this planet: human civilization, to develop, and in fact protected the aborigines of this planet. You must know that those alien races in the mythological era could not be called 'standard civilizations,' and the true heritage of this planet is still in the hands of humans. This is my view of the hunting war from the perspective of an 'observer': an absurd war, with results that outweigh the disadvantages."

"...A very cold judgment," Grigori said in a low voice. "Those hunted races probably won't like your point of view."

"That's right, so this is just my judgment from the perspective of an 'observer,' based on the standard of 'most beneficial to the civilization as a whole,'" Hao Ren glanced at the demon hunters around him. "Now, from my personal point of view—you are all a bunch of clowns, to put it mildly."

Hasu thought for a while and nodded slowly, "Indeed, the mildest way to put it."

Another half day passed, and it was time for Hao Ren and his party to leave.

The reconstruction of the demon hunters was left to the demon hunters, the affairs of the Demon King's army were left to Lanina, and Hao Ren and the others had to go to the Athens Sanctuary to keep an eye on those restless alien families, so naturally they couldn't delay here for too long.

And this time, they brought a special "traveler" when they left.

Mimir's head was fixed on a huge stone platform. Hao Ren moved the entire stone platform out of the Spirit World Clock Tower, and now he was directing the autonomous machines to send this huge head to the hangar of the Petrified Tortoise. The giant's head left the Spirit World Clock Tower for the first time in thousands of years, and he sighed a little, "I've lived in this place for so long… I have feelings for it."

"You're quite talented to be a prisoner to this extent," Vivian joked with this old friend. Although she had lost all memories of Mimir, the two were getting to know each other again. "Do you have anything to say to them?"

Mimir glanced at the demon hunters on the platform, and closed his eyes slightly, "Live well, that's all I have to say."

Half an hour later, the Petrified Tortoise left the temple platform, tore a crack above the Star Cluster Tower, and disappeared in front of everyone's eyes in an instant.