Chapter 1

“You yellow-…”

“Hm?”

“Little brat…”

This martial artist originally wanted to explode with anger, but after Su Zhou revealed his Grandmaster aura, his tone immediately weakened by eight notches.

However, even so, he was still indignant: “So what if you’re a Grandmaster? The world is in turmoil, and who can change it? The Hundred Schools of Righteousness? How laughable. In the past, millions of people in Liao Province received no assistance from a single Grandmaster, no protection. Now, how can the Hundred Schools of Righteousness protect us ‘mere’ three thousand people?”

The state of the world was like a rampant flood, chaotic and unbearable. Who to follow to change such a situation? Certainly not the Hundred Schools of Righteousness—he was resentful that the Hundred Schools of Righteousness hadn't sent anyone to help defend the city during the demonic disaster in Liao Province, resulting in millions becoming food for the demonic army.

“We also have crossbows, machines, and Vermilion Bird Boxes. If we encounter the demonic army, we will make them regret it!” Another tall, thin martial artist, while not as direct, was equally blunt: “But rather than accompany you to fight that Demon Emperor, it’s better to simply run far away. No matter how rampant the demonic army becomes, they won’t reach the other side of the sea… As long as we hide well and leave this land, the Demon Emperor and his demonic army will naturally be destroyed by the backlash of the Divine Tree.”

This referred to the fact that captured demonic soldiers, if they didn't receive nourishment from flesh and blood for a long time, would gradually become petrified, becoming true kin of the Divine ‘Tree’. From a human perspective, that was self-destruction—but this reason was equally laughable, because if they didn't eat humans, the demonic soldiers could still eat pigs, cows, and sheep! Of course, eating these meats wouldn't increase their strength, nor would they feel the ultimate pleasure, but at least it would maintain their form.

But the people in these remote areas simply believed it, or rather, they forced themselves to believe it, using it as the basis for their actions.

Having trained in martial arts to this level, who was truly stupid? How could they not know that the power of the Hundred Schools of Righteousness wasn't yet strong enough to protect the thirty-four provinces of Tianzheng, and how could they not understand that the Demonic Dynasty could raise other creatures as food?

It was simply to find an excuse for their actions.

They would even mock those who spoke the truth to deceive themselves: "Isn't it just a waste of blood for you Hundred Schools of Righteousness to gather the power of the world to attack the Demonic Dynasty? The more people die, the more lush and verdant the Divine Tree becomes. Isn't this helping it grow?"

Without even using his brain, relying only on instinct, Su Zhou could hear seven or eight flaws in a second: “This statement is full of holes—these ancient people from another world, who haven't received professional education, are truly ridiculous in their ability to find excuses for themselves!”

But just as he was preparing to use his rich modern experience in struggle to properly educate the other party on what it meant to ‘reason,’ Zhou Buyi glared angrily, stepped forward, and said one step ahead of Su Zhou: “You want to leave, no one will stop you. We will even risk notifying any possible demonic army chasing after you—but Huang Bode, Cui Chengzhong, you two are about to enter the Grandmaster realm. Ask yourselves, if a person encounters any difficulties or obstacles, and the first thing they think of isn't ‘overcoming’ but ‘escaping,’ then what can they accomplish?”

He was clearly familiar with these two Houtian experts and was probably often mocked by them with such words. If it were just his group, it would be fine, but with Su Zhou by his side, Zhou Buyi couldn't stand it and had to retort: “It’s the same for people, families, countries, and the world—if you encounter a tyrannical ruler, a tyrannical world, and don’t think about punishing them, about changing them, but only think about hiding in the deep mountains and old forests, then wouldn't you have to live in the wilderness with birds, beasts, fish, and insects for generations to come?”

“Laughable!” The martial artist named Huang Bode, who was of normal build, flushed red: “Do you think we haven’t resisted? That one million seven hundred thousand in Liao Province…”

He seemed to want to use the demonic disaster in Liao Province and the lack of support from the Hundred Schools of Righteousness as a reason again, but before he could finish, Fang Hui interrupted.

“My Buddha, Benefactor, you are the one who is laughable.” The martial monk, leaning on his ironwood staff, stepped forward and said calmly, “This humble monk’s hometown is located on the side of Nanjiang, and has been a land of fish and rice for thousands of years, but when the demonic disaster came, ten thousand families fled together, but only one person crossed the Daze Lake and the Three Rivers—is that because the Hundred Schools didn't provide support? The Hundred Schools fought a frontal battle with the Demonic Dynasty’s army there, directly driving the demonic army back to Nanjiang, and three demonic generals were beheaded!”

“But the fleeing refugees could starve themselves to death, even kill each other by a third, and encounter scattered demonic soldiers and be wiped out by another third. Those who escaped successfully accounted for a third… In less than half a year, the vast fertile fields became deserted, and millions of people were sucked dry of blood and flesh to be used as fertilizer without any resistance.”

“Isn’t it the same with Liao Province? The Hundred Schools sent reinforcements as quickly as possible, but the upper echelons of Liao Province surrendered. A third of the ordinary people held onto illusions, a third wanted to resist, and a third wanted to run. The people who wanted to resist were dragged down and couldn’t form a formation… In less than three days, the entire Liao Province fell. Having personally experienced this, don’t you know what happened back then? The opposite is Xiang Province. Because my hometown served as an example, knowing that surrender meant certain death, everyone from top to bottom resisted the demonic army with one heart, and even a border town persisted for twenty-seven days and nights, waiting for the Hundred Schools of Righteousness to arrive.”

Holding the ironwood staff in his hand, Fang Hui, the monk, spoke fluently. He usually recited scriptures and spoke logically, leaving the two migrant martial artists speechless.

But simple words obviously couldn't convince the other party. The tall, thin martial artist surnamed Cui immediately waved his hand in rebuttal, as if chasing away flies: “That sounds nice, but it’s just trying to trick us into throwing our lives away. The Demon Emperor has the Undying Tree and has become that ghostly thing. Now that your Hundred Schools have taken the Undying Tree, how can you be an exception? It’s better for us to leave this chaotic world and live in the deep mountains with insects and birds than to be mixed up with you lunatics!”

“Forgive me for speaking frankly, but you have been changed by this world.”

Following behind Zhou Buyi, Liu Xizhao, holding his saber, poked his head out from behind his captain and said indifferently, “But we have vowed to change this world.”

“Forget it, forget it. But you two, if you still consider yourselves children of Shenzhou, then listen to us.”

At this time, Zhou Buyi also waved his hand. He seemed to have said the same thing many times and was already tired of arguing with those who couldn't understand their aspirations. The young man with frost at his temples just sighed: “Our Shenzhou civilization, with its tens of millions of people, the graves of our ancestors, the blood of loyal martyrs of past generations, all lie settled upon this land… Our glorious and magnificent historical legends, our myths and stories, are all sung upon this land.”

“Land, people, and heritage are one—detaching from any one of them is destined to scatter! When this land encounters difficulties, if we descendants of Shenzhou think of escaping, then that is not the right way!”

“The Confucian sage once said: ‘We cannot associate with birds and beasts; if I do not associate with people, with whom shall I associate?’”

“If the world is righteous, we will not change it!”

—We rebel against the An Dynasty in order to change the world. We do not leave this place to live in seclusion with birds and beasts in the wild, because we will only be with all living beings in the world, fighting against everything in this unrighteous world!

—If this world were righteous, we would not have joined this revolution! But, if it is unrighteous.

“Unlike you, who have left your homeland.”

At first, it was just Zhou Buyi making a concluding remark. His expression was neither angry nor sad, but simply calm as he cupped his fist towards the martial artists among the migrants: "The more chaotic the world becomes, the less we will choose to live in seclusion. The rise and fall of the world is the responsibility of every individual, and we, as people of Shenzhou, and the Hundred Schools, as righteous soldiers, have the responsibility to change this chaotic situation."

But afterwards, the three members of the team all turned around, facing away from the migrants, and recited in unison the oath made by the Hundred Schools of Righteousness when they raised their banners in the past.

[Since the emperors are tyrannical, wreaking havoc on the common people.]

[Then we, the Hundred Schools, shall act on behalf of Heaven, uphold the Way; punish the demons, and eliminate the rebellious!]

With such an oath spoken, both sides fell silent. The two Houtian experts on the migrants’ side sighed. They seemed to want to say something, but in the end, they closed their mouths, simply cupped their fists towards the backs of the ‘righteous soldiers,’ and then turned around to return to the group and continue leading the migrants away.

However, Su Zhou could hear that Zhou Buyi was softly murmuring the second half of this oath.

[Then, to pacify the world, and to bring peace to this chaotic age—]

This man who couldn't even speak words of persuasion, or rather, all the righteous soldiers who had always been rebelling against this unrighteous and chaotic world, had this sentence engraved in their hearts.

[—For the sake of all the people in this world, to usher in a new era of peace!]