RIIDMDR chapter 170

A sense of relief jolted their hearts. Yao Lin, who was standing at the edge, saw Nan Xu and hurried over to ask what had happened. Nan Xu explained the result of their seven-day debate.

Yao Lin pursed his lips and pondered for a moment. Then, he greeted them and rushed back to the group of demons in the South Sea.

Nan Xu heard them discussing something in the South Sea dialect. His expression was extremely serious. Several demons were arguing about it.

A moment later, Yao Lin ran back, pleading with them to participate in the final vote.

Logically, this was right: every demon in the demon realm had the right to make their own decision. However, they hadn’t experienced the seven days and seven nights of debate or heard the words spoken during those debates. Making a choice directly would make it seem like all their previous efforts had been wasted, so naturally, they were reluctant.

Seeing the uproar that followed Nanxu’s delivery of the request from the South Sea, Yao Lin knew that things were going to be difficult. Just then, a young demon shouted, “We’ve been at Zhuyu Mountain for over ten days and have been debating here for seven. The South Sea may be far away, but it’s not that far from the central demon territory. Now that the result is in, is it appropriate for you to join us?”

This question was met with a chorus of agreement, mostly from spirited young demons. Facing the barrage of questions, Yao Lin remained unfazed. He glanced at the demons of the South Sea not far away, gritted his teeth, raised his spiritual power, and shouted, “I know you are all dissatisfied with the slow arrival of my South Sea demon race, but there are reasons for this. Could you grant me some time to say a few words first?”

Yao Lin used all his strength to make his voice as loud as possible. However, he did not control his power well, and the echoes reverberated throughout the valley. As the echoes gradually diminished, the questioning voices slowly faded away.

Yao Lin breathed a sigh of relief and loudly asked, “You all know the people from the South Sea arrived late, but do you know why? Half a month ago, just as we were about to set off, we encountered a group of demons seeking help from within the South Sea. In recent years, the water shortage has worsened each year. Seawater has flooded the land. Fish and shrimp in the rivers are dying in large numbers. Vegetation is withering, and spiritual energy is dissipating. The demons living on the plains are rapidly aging. I wonder if some of your clan leaders knew about the situation in their clans when they arrived. Among those who came to the South Sea seeking help, there must be some from your demon clans.”

“Isn’t seawater intruding into the land a matter for the South Sea to handle?” one demon said angrily.

Yao Lin paused, seemingly anticipating such a response. He couldn’t pinpoint the speaker among the assembled demons. Judging from the serious and unresponsive expressions of the others, however, it seemed that they did not share the same view. This reaction made Yao Lin feel somewhat better.

“How could the drought be the fault of our demon race?” Yao Lin responded to the demon who had spoken. Then he continued, “If you ask the South Sea to do everything in its power to stop the drought, remember that we are already struggling to protect ourselves. Our senior, Jing Yuan, has fallen into a deep sleep due to insufficient spiritual energy, and he hasn’t awakened for nearly six months because of this natural disaster.”

Six months ago, news spread throughout the demon race about Jing Yuan’s poor condition, but there has been no news of his passing since then. Lacking information, some demons assumed he was simply suffering from illness as before and was still relatively healthy. They were unaware that he was in a deep sleep. If he hadn’t awakened in six months, it was likely a grave mistake.

The fate of the South Sea’s guardian deity remained unknown, leaving the demons with a profound sense of emptiness. They hadn’t noticed before when Jing Yuan was present, but now they realized how many crises he had shielded the land from. Otherwise, why hadn’t the land been affected by the sea during the past two years of drought?

A buzzing sound filled the air. After the noise subsided somewhat, Yao Lin continued, “The array that we, the hundred races of the South Sea, painstakingly set up over ten days to prevent seawater from eroding the land can only last a few months at most. But is this the only problem the natural disaster has brought? As we traveled north, we saw locusts everywhere. The vegetation was barren, the ground was cracked, and the rivers were dried up.”

“How long can the demon realm continue like this? Our South Sea turtle race has discerned a terrifying secret through deduction. You are unwilling to face the calamity of the Heavenly Cave, yet you are unaware of the calamities that await the demon realm.” “Actually, we’ve been here for a while. If we want a new life, we must cut out the rotten flesh as soon as possible. Our cultivation is currently hindered, and the outlook is grim. The demon realm rarely produces a newborn cub, not even once every hundred years. By the time we regret it, our strength will be far inferior to what it is now. The longer we delay, the lower our chances of victory become. I hope you seniors will consider this carefully.”

The discussions resumed. Those present were familiar with this principle, yet they still felt a strange unease when it was mentioned again. Yao Lin wasn’t putting pressure on them; it was simply the undeniable truth.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yao Lin saw that the South Sea demons who had come with him were excited and wished they could interrupt him to give another impassioned speech. Yao Lin cleared his throat and proclaimed, “We, the hundred races of the South Sea, are willing to contribute to the rebirth of the demon realm. We are fearless of death and unwavering in our resolve. We desire the continuation of our clans and the advancement of our cultivation. We want Senior Jingyuan to be healed and awakened. Publicly, we desire the restoration of our spiritual veins so that the demon realm may prosper for another ten thousand years!”

He stood tall and resolute. Nan Xu marveled at the power of belief seen in the Bird Clan and now in the South Sea.

Looking at the northern tribes standing on the opposing side, the contrast was stark. The destruction of the Golden Crow wasn’t just the permanent annihilation of that tribe. It also scattered the fierce spirit of the northern lands.

Perhaps Yao Lin’s speech or the South Sea’s stance stirred the blood of some demons. Some requested a re-vote. Objections arose, but they were gradually drowned out by louder agreement. Nan Xu could no longer hear any dissent.

The re-vote had unanimous support. Nan Xu organized it once more. This time, the South Sea demons moved confidently among the other clans to their chosen positions. Yao Lin stayed close to Nan Xu, watching the leaders move. Sweat beaded on his temples, and his hands clenched nervously.

He could not incite a third vote, so this was his only chance. If the same result was achieved, the hopes of the South Sea would be dashed and the Demon Realm would have no future. He couldn’t reveal the Turtle Clan’s predictions because doing so would plunge the Demon Realm into chaos.

Finally, the moving demons stopped. This time, the result was almost obvious; most demons stood facing the Heavenly Cave. Nan Xu counted them once more before announcing the result. Upon hearing the result, the supporting demons showed varying expressions—some resolute, others bewildered. They didn’t know what the future held.

Nan Xu set the removal of the spiritual veins suppressed by the remaining mountains ten days later. The meeting officially concluded, and each clan leader arranged for their clan’s demons to be deployed.

No one knew what would happen in ten days. The fear in their hearts grew stronger with each passing day. Even the most powerful demons couldn’t withstand the Heavenly Cave three thousand years ago; how could they possibly succeed now? Some demons considered backing out, but reason overcame their fear. They all knew this battle wasn’t forced upon them; they were acting for themselves and their descendants.

Ten days passed quickly. During this tense time, no one cared about their appetite, including Nan Xu. Even when he looked at the watermelons scattered on the ground, he wasn’t interested in eating them. Tingchuan, however, seemed unaffected, watering the vegetable garden as usual. The weather was dry, and the level of the well water had dropped considerably; the soil held very little water.

“Don’t you feel panicked?” Nan Xu asked.

Tingchuan continued to scoop water. “Of course I’m panicked. My Nine-Tailed Fox clan was almost wiped out thousands of years ago. Besides You An, you’re the only one I care about. This time, you and You An are both by my side, fighting alongside me.”

“If that’s the case, why are you panicking?” Nan Xu asked, puzzled.

Tingchuan stood up straight and turned to look at Nan Xu. “If I perish, I fear that we won’t be able to continue our bond for millions of years. Then, no one in the demon realm will know you, and you will be lonely.”

He had endured many years of suffering without seeing the light of day. In the end, he would still have to live alone for tens of thousands of years—that was too torturous.

Nan Xu pursed his lips, a strange lump forming in his throat. He thought of how Jingyuan had been so determined to ensure the demon realm remembered the little demon. Now, Tingchuan was also saying he feared he would be lonely in the vast demon realm after he left. They all thought the little demon had no relatives or home. But they forgot that the calamity that struck the demon realm three thousand years ago had also taken their families; they were lonely, too.

Even in his state, he wanted to offer him warmth, which moved him.

The ten-day deadline arrived. The demons who had flocked from all over the land had long since left the area outside Zhuyu Mountain, and the mountain itself was teeming with people. Nanxu and Tingchuan reached the summit of the main peak.

The sunlight was as scorching as ever today. Nanxu felt the heat on his skin but also felt the increasingly refreshing breeze as he climbed higher. He stood on a boulder, closed his eyes, and circulated his energy. He channeled the spiritual energy of the entire Zhuyu Mountain to release the suppression that had bound his spiritual veins.

He had been tempered in the boundless darkness for thousands of years, achieving perfection in his control over spiritual energy. The demons of the mountains, who were only aware of the dangers of Zhuyu Mountain, were unaware of its abundance of spiritual energy. They had almost never heard Nan Xu’s name, yet they were awestruck by the spiritual energy they sensed.

“This spiritual energy…even now, it’s only a fraction of what it was before,” the White Phoenix of the Bird Clan remarked to her fellow demons.

The demons who heard this were even more shocked. Compared to its previous thinness, such concentrated spiritual energy made their years of fighting tooth and nail for that meager amount seem laughable.

Even before the mountain range stirred, a surge of powerful spiritual energy flooded the demon realm. The demons in the other mountains sensed it first. The white phoenix demon, who was being supported, took a deep breath, seemingly trying to calm her agitated emotions. Gripping her cane tightly, she instructed the demons around her to release their own spiritual energy to resist.

The demons were puzzled, but they did as she said. However, faced with such abundant spiritual energy—something they had never encountered in their thousand years of life—it was incredibly tempting. When a demon who had secretly allowed the spiritual energy to flow into her body exploded and died, the other demons turned pale with fright. They had only then realized the lingering fear.

By the time the spiritual veins were fully opened, Nan Xu had nearly exhausted all of Zhu Yu Mountain’s spiritual energy. The surrounding vegetation began to wither. Having not used his power so extensively in years, he staggered back, dizzy. Tingchuan reached out to steady him.

Spiritual energy surged into Nan Xu’s body from the meridians. Caught off guard, he groaned softly and felt the person beside him grip his arm tightly. After adjusting slightly, he smiled at Tingchuan and said, “I’m fine.”

There was discomfort, of course, but it was nothing like the spiritual energy he had received from heaven and earth over three thousand years ago. Although he had given up on becoming a god, his spiritual sea was vast and boundless after countless days and months of tempering.

Spiritual energy surged into the demon realm from the spiritual veins. Some withered plants in the mountains seemed to feel a refreshing breeze and perked up again. As Nan Xu looked at the lush greenery, he also saw the slowly expanding abyss overhead, as if it were about to swallow the sun and moon.