What lay before their eyes was a bridge.
The bridge was built from the edge of the cliff and stretched all the way to the end of the sky. In the far distance…
There was a floating stone gate, and it was impossible to estimate its size with the naked eye. It stood tall amidst the clouds, thunder and lightning mixed with torrential rain could not extinguish the scarlet flames emanating from its surroundings.
"Shizun, do you still remember? In the past, you told us that a long, long time ago, after the devils went to Gouchen the Exalted to help Fuxi wipe off the demons, they drove the demons out to the human world, and hoped that they would stop after that."
Taxian-Jun placed his hands behind his back and looked towards the grand and majestic stone door, and said: "The Demon Lord was defeated, and he fled with his armor. After returning to the Demon Realm, because of his defeat, he felt even more ashamed. Therefore, he ordered all the doors that are linked to the mortal world to be sealed, since then, it has nothing to do with the secular world."
He paused for a moment and continued, "But there is no absolute in everything. Just in case, the Demon Lord has left a final opening… This is the one in front of us."
Bang! A thunderous sound was heard.
"The Door of Martyrdom."
However, Chu Wanning's gaze was not on the Door of Martyrdom. Ever since he came here, he had been staring at the bridge that connected the land of demons and the mountain behind the Sisheng Peak.
When he saw that bridge, he was first shocked, then his face turned deathly pale. In the end, his entire body seemed to have been shattered, almost like a crazed demon.
He turned his head abruptly, "Mo Weiyu, are you crazy?! This bridge…"
"This bridge is so spectacular." Even though he had seen Chu Wanning's reaction, Taxian-Jun still smiled, raised his eyelids and asked, "What's wrong with you? Don't you like it?"
... Like it?
In front of him was a five-foot-wide bridge without half a log and half a nail. From the beginning to the end, it was formed from the overlapping of a human body!
The corpses were piled on top of each other, suspended high in the sky, forming a bridge of corpses that could not be seen. The corpses were of both men and women, both young and old. They were densely packed like ants, and they directly led to the grand Devil Realm gate. How many were there? It was simply incalculable.
"Since it is a Door of Martyrdom, there must be a Path of Martyrdom."
Taxian-Jun's expression was indifferent, it was as if these corpses were no different from the stones he picked up on the roadside. The wooden stakes he felled from the forest were no different from what he'd felled from before. Then he blew his whistle, and a bright blue light flashed in the distance, as if something were running toward them from the far end of the bridge.
"Actually, there are some secrets about the demon realm that Shizun isn't clear about." Then, he turned around and smiled, "If you don't mind, this disciple will talk to Shizun for a bit."
Chu Wanning: "…"
"Shizun only knew that during the great battle between Fuxi and the Demon Lord, Gouchen the Exalted rebelled and built the first 'sword' in the world for Fuxi. However, he did not know that the Demon Lord had been harboring hatred in his heart for this, and had deliberately wanted to take revenge on Gouchen the Exalted. Although he could do nothing to the Lord of All Soldiers, he could punish the people of Gouchen's tribe. He expelled his mother's clan from the demon realm."
Taxian-Jun hold his sleeve, staring at the faint blue light in the distance and spoke in a low voice.
"Demons have a tyrannical spiritual energy since ancient times. It is because of this powerful bloodline that their physical energy consumption is enormous. Only by continuously eating the flesh of grain and fish that grew in the Demon World can they maintain a normal flow of their spirit cores."
"After the mother race of Gouchen the Exalted left for the mortal world, due to the lack of suitable food for a long time, their spirit cores gradually shrank and changed. In the end, most of them became useless trash. The only demon characteristics they possess are that their bodies are suitable for cultivation and breeding."
Taxian-Jun paused for a moment, then turned to look at Chu Wanning, "Shizun should know the origins of Gouchen's mother race, right?"
"…" Even if he did not want to answer, it was a matter of great importance. After a moment of silence, Chu Wanning gritted his teeth and said, "The Butterfly-Boned Beauties?"
"That's right." Taxian-Jun clapped his hands and laughed. "That's the Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast."
"The Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast are also extremely strong demons. In order to pass on its heritage, it has taken a very long time for it to transform into a cultivation cauldron, giving birth to its physique. A body that was originally suitable for dual cultivation with a powerful spirit core could allow their children to continue to grow stronger with each passing generation. But the door to the Demon World is closed, and they can no longer get any more spiritual energy, so the strong spiritual cores are no longer there. All that is left is their spiritual bodies."
"Of course." He seemed to have thought of someone, and his black eyes dimmed for a moment. "And also the extraordinary looks that demons are born with."
He did not need to explain, as Chu Wanning was very clear about this.
In the world of cultivation, there were only two ways of thinking about Butterfly-Boned Beauties: eating flesh, and using them for dual cultivation.
Previously, during the Xuanyuan auction, Song Qiutong had been used as an item for auction, but wasn't that why she was being auctioned? Even someone as reasonable as Jiang Xi wouldn't treat the Butterfly-Boned Beauty as a living person, not to mention those cultivators with inferior characters.
"A beautiful face and an alluring body. If they were used on a powerful expert, that would only add to their beauty." As he spoke, he cast a glance at Chu Wanning.
After a while, he continued, "But if these two things appear on the weak, it will be the feather in the snow, the white fox in the dark. It's bound to be violated and massacred."
The line of blue light in the distance was still slowly approaching, approaching…
Taxian-Jun: "At first, the Butterfly-Boned Clan still retained the demon race's strength and was able to symbiosis with mortals. But slowly, it became weaker and weaker until it was almost completely annihilated. As you and I have seen, in the early days of the primordial era, the strong ate the weak. As for the rest, in order to protect themselves, they have no choice but to conceal their identities."
"… How can they hide this?"
"Well, this is the first time you've asked me anything since we've met." Taxian-Jun rolled his eyes and said flatly, "Actually, it's very simple. You should remember that when Song Qiutong cried, her tears were golden. This is a characteristic of the demon race. If you want to conceal your identity, you just have to not shed tears."
Chu Wanning did not utter a word.
It was easy to say to not cry, but it was not easy to do it.
The Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast's beauty was naturally stunning, it was a beauty that was chosen from the crowd, if it aroused suspicion, the cultivators would have ways to force them to shed tears.
"Those Beauties who were not discovered survived, some lived in seclusion in the mountains, while others chose to marry ordinary people… Those who were married to mortals had given birth to children that were sometimes demon-blooded and sometimes ordinary. If one was a demon, it would be difficult for a child to control themselves. Tears of grievance would fall from their eyes, and if others saw that they were golden, then the adults and children would all face disaster. If they were ordinary, then there would be nothing to be happy about, because the demon blood would still exist in their bodies, and who knows what kind of generation will produce a Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast.
Hearing his words, Chu Wanning suddenly thought of a person and said two words with a slight crease of his brows.
"Song Xingyi…"
"Oh, the one called Song Xingyi, lord of Huabi, a few hundred years ago." Taxian-Jun nodded, "That's right, during the process of reproducing, there will occasionally be extremely lucky children. They are just like ordinary people, when they cry they don't shed golden tears, and their bodies won't have any obvious cauldron characteristics. In fact, because their bloodlines are so well mixed, they can quickly produce a spirit core, and their spiritual energy is tyrannical and does not lose to the pure demons. However, the possibility of that happening is extremely small. After a few thousand years have passed, those who have reached the Grandmaster Realm can clearly be counted on one hand."
As he spoke, he stretched out his five slender fingers and waved them in front of his eyes in a somewhat mocking and seemingly interesting manner.
After a while, he continued, "Therefore, in such a precarious situation, many of the Butterfly-Boned Beauty Feast Seats want to return to the Demon World. As long as they returned, they would no longer have to live a life where they were on tenterhooks and could not shed tears. They would no longer have to worry about someone selling them for dual cultivation or ravaging them for food. In those years of war and chaos, in which people frantically searched for Butterfly-Boned Beauties to earn a living, they did not need to cut their own face."
After speaking slowly for so long, he could finally make out a faint blue light in the distance. It seemed that five horses were galloping towards him from the Path of Martyrdom.
Taxian-Jun said, "However, it won't be that easy to return to the demon realm. The Demon Lord had a blood feud with Gouchen the Exalted. In his eyes, Gouchen the Exalted was a traitor, a traitor to the Demon Realm. Therefore, it would be impossible for them to rise up from the roots of the nine clans for generations to come. Of course he doesn't want the fallen Beauties to return to their homeland."
"…"
The rain was still pouring down fast, overflowing the ground.
Taxian-Jun watched as the carriage drew near. Only after a long time did he continue, "It was only when the first Demon Lord was annihilated and the second Demon Lord ascended the throne, that the new Emperor relaxed slightly."
Chu Wanning's eyes shifted slightly, "He allowed the Butterfly-Boned Beauties to return to the Demonic World?"
"He granted permission." Taxian-Jun smiled, "But, as Shizun saw, he set up a natural barrier that can't be overcome unless someone uses forbidden techniques. If the Beauties want to go home, they have to do it."
Chu Wanning's heart tightened, he finally understood the whole story.
Taxian-Jun pointed at the bridge of the Dead Sea in front of him and said, "Look at the Path of Martyrdom in front of you. It is the only bridge that connects the entrance of the demon realm with the human world. This bridge must be voluntarily sacrificed by the living people in order to be slowly built downwards."
He chuckled, "It's already lucky to find one person who is willing to sacrifice his own life to pave the way for someone else. It's also lucky to find five, but it's really hell to find a hundred. If you are alive and well, who will willingly die for the sake of the descendants of the demon race?"
Chu Wanning looked up, "So, they have to play Zhenlong chess."
Taxian-Jun did not expect him to reply. He was stunned for a moment before baring his teeth, "Correct."
He turned his head and looked at the magnificent Path of Martyrdom, his pupils gradually narrowing, "These people are people who, over the years, I have used my Zhenlong chess game to confuse the mind, making them willingly sacrifice themselves."
"… How many people did you kill?"
Taxian-Jun rolled his eyes. His black and purple pupils stared at Chu Wanning for a long time before he spat out two words, "All of them."
"…!"
"Almost everyone."
The bridge before his eyes seemed endless and without boundaries. It was as if everything was very quiet in the torrential rain, and it seemed that there were ghosts screaming and crying, roaring hoarsely and begging for mercy.
Chu Wanning shuddered.
"Do you know how long this bridge is?" Before Chu Wanning could reply, Taxian-Jun said calmly, "I've almost killed everyone in this mortal world. I'm afraid not even ten thousand are left alive. However, this bridge has only been more than half filled — the rest, even if we kill the last ten thousand people, will not be able to be filled."
"… So, you want to open the Gate of Life and Death?"
"You can always think of the worst answer at once. That's right. I need to open the Gate of Life and Death and acquire enough Zhenlong chess pieces from another mortal world before I can finish paving this path."
The torrential downpour did not affect their surroundings at all. They looked at each other, their brown eyes staring at the dark purple and black clouds. Finally, they were met with a furious scolding from Chu Wanning.
"You're crazy!"
Within the purple lightning, Taxian-Jun only formed a sneer, "I knew you would react like that." As he spoke, he turned his gaze away. The carriages were approaching, and he could gradually make out the details of their appearance.
"Gate of Time, Zhenlong Chess." He paused. "It's best to have a rebirth technique. When someone had done all this, the Devil's Gate would open again. They can all return to their homeland."
"…" Chu Wanning trembled. His anger and fear rendered him speechless.
"You must want to ask why the Demon Lord allowed them to go home because he had to break these forbidden arts, right?" Taxian-Jun looked at the approaching horse carriage with a rare look of understanding, "It's actually very simple. The three forbidden arts were created by Gouchen palace, representing the ability of the demon race to travel through heaven and earth. However, in the end, they were viewed as the source of disaster.
He paused for a moment before continuing, "The Clan of beauties were convicted because of Gouchen, so it is only natural that they demonstrate their irreconcilable determination to sever all ties with Gouchen. They have to stand opposite of Gouchen the Exalted and violate Fuxi's heavenly might in order to obtain the Demon Realm's forgiveness."
Suddenly, with a long hiss, the five Heavenly Horses broke through from the flames of the Path of Martyrdom, facing the miserable wind and rain in the world, standing upright in front of the hoof bridge.
Taxian-Jun's black robe fluttered in the wind. He stepped forward and stroked a Heavenly Horse that had the skull of a skeleton, then said to Chu Wanning, "Breaking the restriction technique disobeys the orders of Gouchen the Exalted, and swore to be Fuxi's enemy. As expected of the descendant of the demon race. All of Hua Binan's plans are for the Butterfly-Boned Beauties, Shizun, do you understand now?"