Chapter 787: Humanity Is Not Weak

After the immortal departed, the emperor held the glowing scroll. After a moment of stunned silence, a flicker of excitement crossed his face. The scroll, the Golden Book of the Heavenly Ranks bestowed by the immortal, clearly revealed a profound truth: as the ruler of his nation, he now possessed the power to command the ghosts and gods within his realm!

"My imperial might, combined with this book bestowed by the immortal, can actually command ghosts and gods?"

Immediately, some courtiers below began to flatter him.

"Your Majesty is the Son of Heaven, wielding celestial power; it is only right!"

Several military officials immediately seized this opportunity to offer further counsel.

"The immortal's bestowed scroll proves our dynasty is destined to flourish. Minor enemy nations cannot possibly stand against us. Your Majesty, we should swiftly defeat the enemy states and then return our forces to our borders to eliminate bandits!"

"Indeed, Your Majesty, we also need to conscript and train new recruits to replenish our troops. This matter is of the utmost urgency!"

Several remonstrating officials, glaring at their military counterparts, immediately stepped forward, bowed before the imperial throne, and offered their counsel.

"Your Majesty, the immediate priority should be to cease hostilities!"

"Precisely, Your Majesty. Before bestowing the scroll, the immortal mentioned the need to erect an altar, make a petition, and proclaim it to all under heaven. More importantly, our forces must return to the nation to purge the impurities. This is the method for strengthening the country and its foundations; it should be implemented immediately!"

The emperor, a faint smile playing on his lips, gazed at the scroll in his hand, which still emitted a soft glow. He paid no mind to the heated arguments in the hall. After a long silence, he finally issued a direct command to those assembled below.

"I already have a brilliant strategy. Our existing combat troops will neither advance nor retreat. We will conscript and train new soldiers to eradicate internal threats. Concurrently, I command the Ministry of Rites to prepare a ritual altar and summon various masters from the capital and its surrounding areas to assist in the preparations."

"Your Majesty! Are you not intending to halt the warfare?"

The emperor rose from his dragon throne, his gaze sweeping over the remonstrating officials and numerous ministers in the hall.

"If our dynasty withdraws its troops, what of the empire? They will certainly not heed our words. What if they seize the opportunity to counterattack? How then would we defend ourselves, having abandoned such a favorable position? Enough, my decision is resolute!"

The emperor's words momentarily silenced the ministers below. It wasn't that no one could formulate a rebuttal, but rather that the emperor's mind was clearly made up, and his proposed course of action was, in fact, a reasonable compromise for the current circumstances.

As the emperor issued his decree in the grand hall, numerous immortal cultivators were traveling swiftly to various regions to deliver messages. The Qianyuan Sect was responsible for one portion, while other sects, factions, and immortal abodes handled the rest, striving to reach every accessible nation within a short period.

This effort was not merely about dispatching messages or immortal texts. A contingent of cultivators also had to assist, striving to guide ghosts and gods to offer their aid. Otherwise, even if the emperor's altar and petition had an influence on ghosts and gods, not all would necessarily manifest.

Naturally, this process was far from straightforward. Firstly, the mortal realm is inherently complex, and human nature even more so. Affairs of the court are never simple, and the rulers of various nations are shrewd and cunning. Many believed they had stumbled upon a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, leading to a proliferation of strange schemes. Countless others found their desires swelling, not to mention the kings and ministers who yearned for methods or elixirs of immortality.

Secondly, as rulers in various nations successively erected altars to perform rituals to Heaven and Earth and petition ghosts and gods, thereby to some extent stirring the spiritual currents of humanity, their actions were swiftly detected by the Apocalypse Alliance. Consequently, demonic incursions and harassment intensified, affecting mortals and immortal cultivators alike.

Due to the altered weather patterns this year, winter proved longer and more severe than in previous years. By the twelfth lunar month, temperatures had plummeted to the point where common folk preferred to remain bundled in blankets even within their own homes.

Amidst such freezing conditions, righteous forces, encompassing practitioners of divine paths, immortal paths, and even some Buddhist sects, united under the leadership of the Qianyuan Sect, vanquished countless demons over several months.

Furthermore, while mortal nations often performed inadequately, many elite, battle-hardened armies displayed unimaginable strength. Equipped with a certain number of talismans and bolstered by righteous dharma, the martial spirit and bloodlust of these seasoned soldiers, aligning with the power of humanity, manifested astonishing might. They were even able to confront and engage a significant number of demons head-on. Should highly cultivated immortal practitioners be present within such armies, even more formidable power could be unleashed.

However, the situation in Tianyu Continent did not appear to improve substantially. While the Qianyuan Sect's initial decision to break with tradition and directly intervene in human affairs, coupled with their swift response, did indeed surprise the Apocalypse Alliance, it merely presented a greater nuisance. The world is vast, and there will always be instances where one cannot attend to every single matter.

New demons continued to emerge throughout Tianyu Continent. Some were born from the world's inherent chaos, others were drawn from external realms, and a few simply arrived to partake in the upheaval. Most were highly dispersed, and there were no benevolent demons; all were malevolent, wantonly unleashing their malice and desires whenever an opportunity arose.

Despite the extensive efforts of the righteous path and humanity's own inherent resistance, a significant portion of human territories was safeguarded from widespread demonic devastation. Nevertheless, Tianyu Continent as a whole inevitably devolved into a chaotic conflict between good and evil, presenting a landscape where demons ran rampant across the land.

A single continent is simply too vast. Even a considerable number of righteous cultivators with profound attainments could not possibly oversee everything, especially given the equally substantial number of formidable adversaries who possess considerable ability to conceal and obscure heavenly secrets.

Perhaps the most significant good news was that after half a year of devastation, any previous animosities between the various mortal nations had temporarily subsided, and all their collective energy was now directed towards resisting the demons.

In the monastery where Ji Yuan resided in the Southern Wilderness, a sword-shaped beam of light pierced through the celestial winds, descending from the sky. With a flash, it landed within the confines of Ji Yuan's monastic cell.

At that moment, Ji Yuan was reclining against a tree in the courtyard, engrossed in a book. The sword-light descended swiftly, as if to strike him directly, but he simply raised his left hand, effortlessly catching it. Ji Yuan's gaze shifted to his hand, which now held a small, transparent sword. Divine intent then flowed from it, which Ji Yuan absorbed.

After a considerable time, Ji Yuan finished deciphering the divine intent contained within the transparent flying sword and tossed it back into the sky. He now possessed a clearer understanding of the situation in Tianyu Continent, which, broadly speaking, affirmed his conviction that humanity was not inherently weak.

Although Niu Batian, the mole, had delivered only a single message, that specific transmission proved to be the most critical. Without it, humanity might well have suffered devastating losses before descending into its present state of intense anxiety.

"The power of humanity itself can indeed contend with demons. With more appropriate methods, it would undoubtedly achieve even greater feats... Yet, I wonder what those individuals have managed to uncover through their probing?"

The first half of his soliloquy reflected Ji Yuan's affirmation of humanity's performance against demons in Tianyu Continent, noting that they were not merely slaughtered as some cultivators had conjectured. Although individual power discrepancies remained immense, by forming military formations and leveraging some coordination, they could, within reasonable limits, genuinely withstand a substantial number of demons.

The latter half of his thoughts, however, dwelled on the strategist who had initiated the next move, specifically whether their so-called "probing" had yielded any conclusive results.

The various cultivation paths across Tianyu Continent, led by the Qianyuan Sect, largely believed they could control the situation, confident that evil would not prevail over good. After all, several major cultivation sects that had initially secluded themselves for quiet practice within Tianyu Continent had successively emerged, and with the inclusion of ghosts and gods, this constituted, to some extent, an unprecedented alliance of righteous forces across the entire continent.

Under these circumstances, would the strategist withdraw in the face of adversity? Or had they, perhaps, already foreseen this very outcome? If matters were to halt here, Ji Yuan could anticipate that the righteous forces in Tianyu Continent would gradually stabilize the situation—which would, of course, be a positive development. Yet, at this moment, Ji Yuan felt somewhat conflicted about such a prospect.

Ji Yuan's thoughts drifted as he watched the snowflakes clinging to the branches. Simultaneously, he detected movement within the monastery: someone was approaching him at a brisk pace.

Compared to six months prior, Li Feng had grown somewhat taller, though he remained essentially within the typical stature for a three-year-old, his growth rate mirroring that of an ordinary child. At this moment, he walked briskly, head bowed, clutching two books, and appeared somewhat dejected. However, upon spotting Mud Dust Monastery, his spirits noticeably lifted, and his pace quickened considerably.

"Teacher, I'm here!"

Li Feng jogged into the courtyard and immediately spotted Ji Yuan seated beneath the tree. Ji Yuan, in turn, observed the child, who was so heavily bundled in winter clothes that he appeared several sizes plumper.

Seeing the child standing at the courtyard entrance, Ji Yuan smiled and beckoned to him, as he always did.

As if anticipating this very moment of Ji Yuan's smiling gesture, Li Feng, upon seeing it, joyfully dashed towards him. As he ran, he fumbled in the pocket of his bulky clothing, retrieving a handkerchief wrapped around some pastries.

"Teacher, I've brought you some pastries!"

Li Feng excitedly ran up to Ji Yuan, placed his books on the ground beside him, and then unfolded the handkerchief with both hands. Inside lay flaky pastries, now crushed into small pieces.

"Hmm, they smell quite fragrant. I shall gladly accept them then."

Ji Yuan took the handkerchief from the child, placed the book on his lap, and began eating the crushed pastry bits with his fingers.

Li Feng remained squatting nearby, watching as Mr. Ji consumed the larger pieces of pastry, then gathered the crumbs together and brought them to his mouth. Finally, he shook the handkerchief clean before returning it to the child.

"Teacher, aren't you afraid I might have wiped my nose on it?"

Ji Yuan handed the handkerchief back to the child, then reached out and playfully tapped his forehead.

"Come, let's go inside. It's cold out here."

"Oh… Teacher, why do you always like sitting under that tree?"

"Hmm, perhaps because there's also a tree back home, and I enjoyed reading beneath it when I was there…"

Ji Yuan looked down at Li Feng, gently touching the child's small, reddened, frost-nipped cheek.

"Feeling down again?"

"No… Well, not entirely…"

Li Feng looked up at Ji Yuan, then lowered his head once more.

"Teacher, my mother is expecting again. She's smiling so happily… I’ve never seen her that joyful before… My father is also very happy, and so are the servants in the manor…"

"And you?"

At Ji Yuan's words, Li Feng immediately broke into a grin.

"I'm very happy too!"

Ji Yuan frowned slightly, then shook his head and ruffled Li Feng's hair.

"Don't hold it in."

The monastic cell door swung open. As they stepped inside, Ji Yuan could distinctly feel the child's body trembling beside him, and a faint sense of malice noticeably dissipated at that moment.