Yan Xiaobao learned for the first ti the na of the opponent he and Lan Feng swore to kill together.
"Tell more about An Hee," Yan Xiaobao asked, looking at Wan Qiao. "Alright," she agreed, clearing her throat, trying to dispel the anger still simring inside her. "He’s a human cultivator. Four thousand years ago, he was active in our world; however, he withdrew from worldly affairs a thousand years ago. No one knows where he is now or what he’s doing. Either way, he’s a brilliantly talented boy, even if I don’t want to fight him. As for why he disappeared, we can only speculate."
"He once resided in the Central Palace, but whether he’s still there now, no one knows." Wan Qiao fell silent. "Over the past thousand years, many things have happened in the world. The ti has co for our beasts to try to return to the rest of the world. Our beast clans far exceed the Divine Domain. There are many beasts we must hunt among ourselves. I don’t want us to continue this anymore. I hope we can resist the humans who caused the Divine Domain to seal itself off for so many years."
"If he shows up, what will you do?" Yan Xiaobao asked curiously, noticing a sly smile on Wan Qiao’s face. "I’ve lived a long life," she shrugged. "We’ll bet on him not interfering. I think he’s sitting sowhere, perfectly content to watch all these people struggle to survive."
Yan Xiaobao sat in silence for a while. He would never take such a risk, but he understood that he was far younger than Saints who had lived for thousands of years. For those who had experienced everything life had to offer, their final wish often was to raise their heads high once more and retreat freely to the lands where they had dwelled for years. Although they were safe within the Divine Domain, to the beasts, it felt more like a prison than a sanctuary. To see Wan Qiao take this step, one could understand the imnse pressure she faced as the most powerful being in the Divine Origin Forest.
"Why are you telling all this?" Hui Yue asked, gazing at Wan Qiao in contemplation. A wide smile suddenly broke across his face as he posed the question.
"The most talented young man who ever lived on this plane back then was An Hee," she said with a hint of expectancy in her voice. "He was strong. At just thirty years old, he reached the rank of Emperor. But you... you are different. With the special help of these strange phenona, you might achieve the rank of Emperor even sooner."
"You want to beco the new An Hee?" he asked curiously, glancing around the room, uncertain if he had guessed correctly. He knew he wasn’t very enthusiastic about his own appearance. He wasn’t sure if he was willing to get involved in the war.
"This war requires talent," she sighed. "If you can’t survive it, you’ll have no chance of fighting An Hee. Why not see it as a learning experience? I swear we’ll guarantee your friends’ safety."
Hearing this, Yan Xiaobao cared little for the conflict between humans and beasts. The only thing he truly cared about was his holand and his friends in the Capital. Hearing Wan Qiao promise their safety, he was sowhat inclined to help her. He had undergone a transformation himself and understood the urge for freedom. He understood that for beasts, being confined within the Divine Domain wasn’t an easy way of life. While holy ranking experts could leave as they pleased, lower-ranked beasts were not so fortunate.
All Divine Beasts in the Divine Origin Jungle had long been consud, and the beasts feasted on one another. Given the hostility between beasts and humans, the beasts would prefer eating humans.
That said, these beasts weren’t shy about fighting one another. While they possessed human intelligence, they were, at their core, pure beasts—beasts fighting for survival, devouring their kills, and living off instinct. Even Wan Qiao, who seed completely human, was filled with murderous intent at the thought of humans. If she were a beast, her feral self wouldn’t hesitate to devour a few humans.
This was sothing Yan Xiaobao couldn’t picture himself doing. Although he felt like a magical beast and knew he could fully imrse himself in that identity, he still couldn’t bring himself to eat humans. He had been raised among humans, and most of the people in his life were human.
Letting out a deep sigh, Yan Xiaobao felt as though he were perched on the edge of a cliff, one wrong decision sending him plumting to his doom. However, if he could push past this, his strength would multiply tenfold. Where did his loyalties lie? Would he side with the beasts, or would he support the humans?
No matter his decision, for now, he had no choice but to befriend the beasts. He was in Unihorn Eagle City, the capital of the Divine Domain, surrounded by beasts. Returning to the Sun Kingdom’s capital also relied on the beasts in front of him. Thinking about all this, Yan Xiaobao couldn’t help but feel a bit anxious.
Although Yan Xiaobao felt this way, he was unwilling to fight his friends and family or place his friends in a disadvantageous position, forcing them to choose between him or their own friends and family. Although they were safe for now, was it truly possible to guarantee the safety of everyone connected to Yueyue? Where was the line? Where were the limits?
Thinking along these lines, Yan Xiaobao looked at Wan Qiao, recalling the first ti he t her in the Divine Domain. It was clear she had been deeply enraged by this young man and the Phoenix within him, but now she had completely changed, actually viewing him as a pivotal figure in her future plans. He hoped he wouldn’t regret what was being offered.
"To be honest," Yan Xiaobao said, his face weary, "I need to know what exactly your beasts are trying to achieve. Who are we fighting, and why are we fighting them? What do we hope to gain from this struggle? Do we want control over the entire continent? Do we want a kingdom? Do we want to blindly slaughter humans?"
"I truly can’t give you an honest answer at this point. I know so little about your plans."
Hearing this, Wan Qiao’s eyes narrowed slightly, and she sighed. "I understand," she said. "I suppose I’ve been a bit too hasty."
Taking a deep breath, she noticed Yan Xiaobao focused entirely on her. A sly smirk appeared on her face, as if she were preparing to say sothing cunning.
"We won’t aim to conquer the entire continent. We’ll either settle in one of the kingdoms or intimidate two neighboring kingdoms enough for the Magic Village to establish itself within their borders. We wish to outlaw the hunting and enslavent of humans. We really only want freedom, though we haven’t decided what form of freedom we seek. Perhaps you’re ready to take on greater responsibility and help us? After all, you’re soone who can see what’s possible, unshackled by growing up in the Divine Domain."
Every word Yan Xiaobao heard darkened his expression and worsened his mood. Was this war nothing but a ga for this revered expert?
"Wan Qiao," Yan Xiaobao called her na. His tone was bitter, his gaze sharp. "Are you telling you’re waging war against humanity, but none of you know where you’re headed, or who exactly you’re fighting? And all you know is that you’re fighting for freedom?" He felt nothing but disdain for the Single-Horned Jasmine Hawk’s almost cavalier attitude toward the whole matter.
"In truth, I haven’t discussed this war with anyone else," Wan Qiao admitted. "You’re the first I’ve spoken to, because I feel you’re heaven-sent. You’re both beast and human; you’re living proof that humans and beasts can live in perfect harmony, sothing I know the beasts within the Divine Domain have long missed." Her face grew somber as she spoke, but Yan Xiaobao was left utterly stunned by her words.
"War isn’t a simple matter," he said, unaware of how this woman, who had lived for so many years, viewed it as though they could plan one together over a cup of tea.
"We need infantry. We need cavalry. For the sake of nobility—or in the Divine Domain, for the Forest King—we need warriors and cultivators ready to die."
"Do you even have an army?" he asked, feeling entirely drained of energy by the conversation. In his studies of history, Yan Xiaobao had beco well-versed in war. He had even written a paper on China’s famous work, *The Art of War*. It had given him a deep understanding of the truth about war.
...
User Comments
0 comments from readers