“Let’s get back to the point,” Hall Master Mo frowned, “What are your opinions?”
The Seventh Peak Master thoughtfully said, “Perhaps the Sect Leader has no other intentions.”
“After all, the person was once the elder of our sect. Even if he acts unconventionally, as long as he remains a member of the Guiyuan Sect, his actions are not out of line.” As for the controversy he caused — which family doesn’t have one or two rebellious individuals?
The Third Peak Master raised his voice: “Instead of making wild guesses here, why don’t we just ask the Sect Leader directly?”
“Exactly, we are all leaders of our respective peaks. If the Sect Leader is planning something, he can’t avoid involving all of us.”
“That’s true.”
With the conversation came to a halt, the peak masters immediately went to find Sect Leader Lu.
…
During this time, Lu Yaoyao and her group never stopped talking about this elder.
“I heard that there will be a grand memorial ceremony for the fallen elder, but it shouldn’t be so soon. The sect leaders of various sects and many prominent figures will attend too.”
Before the news broke out, nobody within the sect knew about Lu Yuandao, but there were a few powerful figures over a thousand years old in the Cultivation Realm who had some connection with him and wanted to come to pay their respects.
“We also have to wait for the eldest senior brother to return.” Lu Junyang was Sect Leader Lu’s personal disciple and also the chief disciple of the entire Guiyuan Sect. He must attend such a major event, but he had gone to Tiangu Valley to investigate a case and couldn’t return immediately.
“If the elder was still here, he would have had a lot in common with us.” Du Qianshan sighed. Isn’t that the case? His friends’ own ideals aligned with the deceased elder. As for himself, although he verbally agreed with them, he did not truly believe it. Now, hearing that His Venerable’s own master had the same thoughts, he was finally convinced. His friends’ ideals were not abnormal, just a bit unconventional.
Wen Zixing, facing such a situation, was even more at a loss for words. He always felt that the plot had changed completely. If such intense ideological clashes had occurred in Guiyuan, there should have been some mentions in the books. But no. According to the plot, by this point, the humans and the devils had become irrevocably at odds.
“If only we could read the elder’s insights,” Du Qianshan lamented. All they had was either rumor or hearsay from other disciples. They also wanted to visit the library and learn from a first-person account, but too many disciples were flooding in. To limit the flow of people, the library pavilion set a threshold of ten points needed for entry, and the number of people entering daily was limited.
The disciples’ points could be exchanged for most of the sect’s resources, usually earned through contributions to the sect or completing sect missions. Lu Yaoyao and her group, who had not been in the sect for long and were still in the learning phase, had not earned any points and could not enter the library.
It used to be free to enter the library, alas.
Unlike Lu Yaoyao and her group, who accepted the elder’s ideals positively, other disciples were very indignant and resentful. If it weren’t for the fact that this person was their respected Dao Venerable’s master and the previous first elder of the sect, they wouldn’t even bother to respect the deceased and might have spoken ill of him.
“Devils and demons are so cruel and bloodthirsty, slaughtering even their own kind. How can we coexist peacefully with them? It’s like asking for skin from a tiger.”
“I agree! My family is now in such decline because of the devil race’s slaughter. I will never co-exist peacefully with them!”
“That’s right! According to our family records, the devil race has killed 103 members of my Nie family. Without eradicating them, the hatred of our ancestors cannot be appeased!”
“…”
Some more rational disciples spoke up, attempting to be fair, “Aren’t we now peacefully coexisting with the demon and devil races?”
“That’s not true. What we are doing now is recuperating and gathering strength, preparing to strike. One day, we will return to the battlefield to exterminate demons and devils!”
“That’s right!”
“…”
Everywhere Lu Yaoyao went, most of what she heard were such extreme opinions, which saddened her. This was the bitter fruit of endless wars and conflicts, something she understood even better after reading many historical records. Between the three races of humans, devils, and demons, a cycle of vengeance and retaliation had perpetuated through generations, entangling them in an inextricable knot of deep-seated enmity.
Even after three hundred years of peace, the younger generation of disciples, who had not experienced these wars firsthand, still harbored such extreme thoughts. Lu Yaoyao was tempted to speak out but nearly ended up in a conflict with other disciples. To avoid trouble, her group retired to a secluded spot, looking at each other in silence.
Chao Muxue sighed, “Actually, the elder’s ideals are correct, but unfortunately, they are hard for most people to accept.”
“Every being has a spirit. Humans, devils, and demons — we are all living beings and can coexist despite our differences. There’s no need for relentless fights and slaughters. If we set aside our biases, we’ll see that they, too, are people with blood, flesh, and emotions.”
“That’s true!” Wen Zixing lamented. No wonder Chao Muxue was a female lead. She had a kind and gentle heart, hoping for peace in the three realms and steadfastly working towards it. Unfortunately, her efforts ended in failure, and she inadvertently became the catalyst for renewed warfare.
Wen Zixing vowed to himself: For the sake of the world, he must change Chao Muxue’s tragic fate!
“That’s my thought exactly. If everyone could take a step back, the three realms would surely present a different future.” Lu Yaoyao sighed.
Du Qianshan couldn’t help saying, “Even if our human race wants peace, the demon and devil races might not be willing! Some things can’t be achieved just because we wish for them.”
“I’ve never met demons or devils, but I heard from my great-grandfather that both races are cunning and cold-blooded, devoid of any goodness. My great-grandfather had a friend who once kindly saved a demon, but that demon repaid the kindness with treachery, annihilating his friend’s entire family…” After a pause, Du Qianshan added, “There are many similar incidents.”
“But there must be good demons too, right?” Lu Yaoyao wanted to say that the demons she knew were not like that. Even if nine out of ten demons were bad, it didn’t negate the existence of a good one.
“Indeed, there are quite a few such incidents!”
A voice suddenly emerged, startling Lu Yaoyao and her group. Lu Yaoyao looked up to see Yan Zihui perched atop a rock near them.
“Senior Brother Zihui.”
“Hey!” Yan Zihui jumped down to greet them.
“Senior Brother Zihui, what brings you here?” Lu Yaoyao asked in surprise.
Yan Zihui curled his lips into a smile, “I came looking for you.”
“For me?” Lu Yaoyao pointed to herself.
“Yeah.”
Lu Yaoyao quickly remembered. Previously, she had inquired Yan Zihui about the name Lu Yuandao. Given that this name had suddenly become so prominent and caused such a stir, it was natural for Yan Zihui to think she knew something about it.
Given the complexity of the situation, Lu Yaoyao couldn’t reveal how she knew, so she tried to change the subject, “Then, have you found out anything?”
Yan Zihui raised an eyebrow, “I don’t know much, but it seems that an incident over a thousand years ago that nearly led to the destruction of our sect is somehow linked to this elder.”
“What happened?”
Yan Zihui, facing the curious eyes of his junior brothers and sisters, fanned himself with a fan and said leisurely, “Think about it, the deceased elder is the master of His Venerable, yet no one knew his name. And I heard that His Venerable was actually taught by his master’s brother. Under what circumstances would one’s disciple be taught by someone else?”
“Our previous Sect Leader was a person who despised demons and devils. Considering his own brother’s radically different ideals, what do you think their relationship was like?”
“It must have been very bad.”
“Not just bad, but terrible. Given His Venerable’s genius talent, the previous Sect Leader certainly wouldn’t want his brother to lead him astray. Isn’t it likely that he took the young Venerable under his wing to personally teach him?”
“Moreover, the fact that everyone in the sect has been unaware of this elder for a thousand years speaks volumes.”
Lu Yaoyao remained silent, lost in thought. The things Yan Zihui was saying aligned with her previous guesses, making them seem likely true.
As Yan Zihui spoke, he looked at Lu Yaoyao, “Yaoyao, do you know something?”
Lu Yaoyao tilted her head in thought, realizing she didn’t know much more than Yan Zihui. So, she shook her head and asked back, “Senior Brother, what about the near-destruction of our sect a thousand years ago?” Although she knew something major happened a thousand years ago, she hadn’t delved into it and was unclear about the details.
Yan Zihui also shook his head, “I don’t know either.” He loved hearing such gossip and had speculated based on what he had heard. He was here actually to see if Yaoyao could provide some information.
Looking at the little girl, he asked, “Do you really not know? What did you hear from others last time?”
< Previous | TOC | Advanced TOC | Next >
Translator’s Note:
Hello, everyone! My Son is a Reborn Villain is nearing ending, so I’ve prepared a replacement: Transmigrating into the Genius Cannon Fodder’s Aunt. For this week only, there will be daily updates, and then it will follow MSRV’s update schedule: Monday and Wednesday.
Enjoy~
Wants more chapters?
Click this page for the status of sponsored chapters.
Click this page for advanced chapters TOC.
It’s a shame that the actions of some demons cause a bad reputation for the entire race, but at the same time, since demon-human interactions are so few, humans can only make assumptions based on their experiences and the experiences of others. At least it seems like Yan Zihui doesn’t seem to hold any ill will toward the radical ideals of Lu Yuandao.
Thanks for the chapter! 😀