Pearls hang from the ceiling, and the cave is as bright as day.
Hong Can and the others were trembling as they listened to Zhang Ke's explanation of the dispute between the 'Heavenly Demon' and the cultivator bit by bit.
Naturally, this also includes the matter of ‘setting up banners’ and the three ‘war contracts’.
When Zhang Ke finished speaking, there was deathly silence in the cave.
After a long time, Red Silkworm said bitterly:
"What the layman means is that in the next four hundred years, in this 'mountain and sea realm' there will be countless creatures controlled by practitioners and 'demons' to kill each other, and the purpose is just for a bet?"
Hong Can's words didn't express what she meant, but Zhang Ke was not prepared to correct her and nodded slightly.
"Well, you can say that."
Shixiong stood up with a roar and shouted angrily:
"Why?"
Zhang Ke glanced at the faces of the other people and said in a somewhat indifferent tone:
"look!"
As he spoke, he pointed to the ground.
Red Silkworm and others looked at the ground in the direction of Zhang Ke's finger. Except for some ants crawling around on the ground, there was nothing else.
Shan Qiao asked doubtfully:
"Businessman, what are you looking at?"
"See the ant hole?"
"Saw it!"
"Pour some water in that ant hole!"
"yes!"
After hearing Zhang Ke's instructions, Shan Qiao was the first to pour some water into the ant hole from the stone jar beside him.
As bubbles continued to emerge from the ant hole, some ants floated out of the hole amidst the sound of "gurgling".
Zhang Ke looked at the confused expressions of several people and said softly:
"Have you ever thought about how the ants feel when you water the ant holes?"
‘Danglang~!’
Upon hearing this, Hong Can and others were shocked, and they all suddenly understood the meaning of Zhang Ke's words.
Shan Qiao's hand seemed to have been stung by a tiger-headed swallow-tailed wasp, and the stone jar in his hand let go and fell to the ground.
Red Silkworm forced a smile.
"I understand what the layman means, but...but we are human beings, how can we be the same as ants?"
Zhang Ke glanced at her expressionlessly.
"In our eyes, there is no difference between the two."
Red Silkworm and others were silent, looking down at the numerous ants struggling in vain to float in the water.
Everyone's mood is very complicated, including shame, anger, fear, and even despair.
These people are three meters tall. Even if Zhang Ke is sitting on Wen Yu, he does not reach their chests.
But his short body was unusually tall at this moment, weighing down like a mountain, making several people breathless.
After a long time, Red Silkworm regained her composure and spoke.
"The layman should be one of the practitioners in this war, but why are you telling us this? If you do this, wouldn't it be..."
She didn't finish what she said, but everyone understood the meaning.
Zhang Ke sighed slightly.
"Although the human race in this world is tall and looks different from the human race in the outside world, in the final analysis, we are all of the same race.
I don't have the ability to stop or change all this, but it's okay to tell the truth.
As for you being dissatisfied or hating me because of this, that's your freedom."
Shan Qiao silently chewed Zhang Ke's last words in his heart, especially the last two words.
'free!'
What is freedom?
What do these two words mean?
At this moment, a trace of doubt arose in young Shan Qiao's heart. In addition, he was eager to stand higher and look forward to seeing this unknown world clearly.
Fengli is slightly older than Shanqiao by two years. He has awakened three magical powers, acts decisively and fairly.
As a woman, she is more valued by Red Silkworm, and they even secretly train her to be their successor.
Fengli glanced at Hongcan and saw that she was frowning and thinking about the meaning of Zhang Ke's words.
He turned around and looked down at Zhang Ke and asked:
"Buddha, I heard what you just said, because you are bound by the three 'War Contracts', you cannot harm the creatures in this world, right?"
Zhang Ke nodded.
"Well! If that were not the case, I could destroy the Tiger-headed Swallowtail bee swarm with just one hand, so there would be no need to guide you to form a formation to eliminate the bee swarm."
Three months ago, during Zhang Ke's three-day stay at the Xiawan tribe, Zhang Ke also took action against the monsters and spirits that attacked the tribe.
No matter how powerful the monster was, Zhang Ke killed it lightly.
Therefore, Zhang Ke did not kill the bee swarm before, but only used light points to guide the Xiawan people to fight against the bee swarm independently, which made Hong Silkworm and others feel strange.
After hearing Zhang Ke's explanation at this time, Hong Can and others finally understood what was going on.
Fengli was silent for a moment, looked at Zhang Ke and asked tentatively:
"Does that mean... does it mean that we can refuse you to join the tribe? After all, you can't take action against us."
"Hahaha~~!"
Zhang Ke couldn't help but throw his head back and laugh.
Hong Can and the others heard disdain and sarcasm from the laughter, and all of them looked ugly, but they did not dare to show off.
Stopping his laughter, Zhang Ke said meaningfully to the Red Silkworms:
“When the ‘War Contract’ was signed with the ‘Devil’, the ‘Devil’’s initial request was to shorten the duration of the war to one hundred years.
It is at my request that this war will be extended to four hundred years, and within the first two hundred years, the two sides will not be allowed to fight to give the creatures in this world a chance to develop.
Do you think the Xiawan tribe can continue in such a cruel war without me?"
Red Silkworm's breath was stagnant, and when he was about to speak, Feng Li had already spoken:
"I would like to ask, layman, which one will do more harm to the living beings in this world, a one-hundred-year war or a four-hundred-year war?
The reason why you make such a request is just to enhance the chances of winning as a practitioner.
After all, the so-called ‘demons’ in your mouth have already gained great advantages since you came to this world six hundred years ago, right?”
The corners of Zhang Ke's mouth curved in an arc, revealing a hint of ridicule.
"What you said is correct. I asked for an extension of the war time limit just to increase the practitioners' chances of winning.
And a four-hundred-year war resulted in far more casualties than a one-hundred-year war.
Because in my opinion, if this war ends within a hundred years, most practitioners will not be able to win this war.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! But despite this, I will still ask for an extension of the war time limit. The fundamental reason is not only because we have our own selfish motives, but also because we want to prevent the ‘Devil from Heaven’ from establishing a foothold in this world.”
The fire snake couldn't help but speak at this time.
"Buddha, why are you so afraid of the 'Devils'? What exactly is a 'Demon', and..."
She hesitated for a moment and then said:
"When the lay monks came to us, Lang Hu once said that you are the 'devils' who are coming to destroy this world.
Which of you is telling the truth?"
The eyes of Hong Can and others were fixed on Zhang Ke's face for a moment, trying to read Zhang Ke's thoughts from his expression.
Zhang Ke thought for a while and decided to explain some things.
"What the Fire Snake said is correct, the existence of the 'Heavenly Demon' was born to destroy all living things in the world."
Hong Can and the others felt their hearts tremble and twisted their bodies uncomfortably.
In fact, they had discussed who was the 'Devil'. Because they had received help from Zhang Ke before, they believed that what Zhang Ke said was true.
But now after listening to Zhang Ke's narration, this idea has been shaken.
"If you want to know which side is the 'Devil' between us and the other party, we have to start with the birth of the 'Demon'."
Zhang Ke said briefly first, and then continued:
“All living beings in the world have emotions, including joy, anger, sorrow, and desires such as greed, jealousy, fear, despair, anger, lust, hatred, etc.
The ‘Devil’ is born based on the negative emotions of living beings.
Because it is a spiritual body born from emotions, the 'Devil' does not have a physical body, it is just an idea or a thought.
The original ‘Heavenly Demon’ was born naturally because of the intense obsession.”
‘Oh~~!’
Hong Can and others responded slightly in their hearts, finally understanding the origin of the 'Heavenly Demon'.
Just listen to Zhang Ke continue:
“Among the many creatures in the world, the human race has the most complicated minds and the most intense emotions.
Therefore, the ‘Devil’s’ favorite is the human race.
There is a saying that "evils arise from the heart", which means that evil thoughts and desires exist in everyone's heart.
But most of the time, we will restrain this desire and evil thoughts.
Since the ‘Devil’ is born with negative emotions, if you want to survive and grow, you must stir up the darkest and most selfish desires in the hearts of creatures and amplify them.”
Looking up, he saw an unnatural look on the faces of Hong Can and others, Zhang Ke smiled and said:
"Everyone has desires and evil thoughts, not just you, I also have them. This is inherent in human nature, so don't worry too much about it."
Shan Qiao is still young and limited to the development level of civilization in this world, so he doesn't know much about many things.
I couldn't help but ask:
"Businessman, do you mean that human nature is inherently evil?"
Zhang Ke shook his head and said:
"Human nature does not distinguish between good and evil. When a person is born into this world, his heart is as clear as water.
But as he grows older, desire will naturally arise.
It is precisely because of desire that the human race is a unique existence in the universe."
Seeing confusion on the faces of Shan Qiao and others, Zhang Ke simply extended this point.
"You should know something about the creatures out there. No matter what kind of animal they are, they basically only do two things in their lives.
Eat and mate!"
Speaking of this, Zhang Ke paused for a moment, and after waiting for Hong Can and others to think deeply, he continued:
"Looking at the human race, even if we are full, we will still plunder the outside world.
We want to eat better, wear warmer clothes, and live more comfortably. Even if all these are achieved, we still want more.
For example, more and more beautiful partners, the respect and awe of others, the power of life and death, ambition, etc.
This is desire, it is endless."
Hong Can and others looked at each other, and they suddenly discovered that everyone seemed to have a mask on their face, making it impossible to see each other clearly.
Zhang Ke then brought the topic back. He was not here to educate a few people today.
"Okay, these things are worth spending a lifetime of energy to study. Now we are talking about the 'devil'."
After a brief pause, Zhang Ke continued:
“Because they are good at playing with people’s hearts and stirring up emotions, practitioners call them ‘demons’, and this group is also called the ‘demons’.
There are many types of ‘demons’. Those derived from our own emotions are called ‘inner demons’, while the ‘demons’ that cross borders from outside realms are called ‘extraterritorial demons’, or ‘demons’ for short.”
Hong Can and others couldn't help but say "oh".
“‘Devil’ doesn’t agree with this title.
They believe that they control the thoughts of living beings, allowing you to live and die. If you anger them, they can even make your life worse than death, just like 'gods'.
Therefore, they consider themselves to be the best race in the universe, and when introducing themselves to the outside world, they often call themselves the ‘gods’.”
‘Eh~~!’
Red Silkworm and others' minds were moved.
Before the practitioners came to this world, Lang Hu showed off his status as a 'god' more than once.
From this point of view, it is obvious who the ‘devil’ is!
While they were thinking, the voice of layman Ruyi could still be heard in their ears.
“‘Demons’ are born out of thoughts and have no entity, but if they are not nourished by negative emotions, they will slowly dissipate and perish on their own.
Therefore, the 'demon' will use its special ability to enter the host's spirit and occupy the host."
Hong Can and others couldn't help but shudder.
They couldn't understand the word 'host body', but they understood what Zhang Ke meant.
"At the same time, in order to strengthen itself, the 'devil' will continuously amplify the negative emotions of living beings through various horrific tortures, thereby nourishing itself.
However, every living being has its limits. The behavior of the 'devil' will not only destroy the consciousness of the living being, but also accelerate the disintegration of the body itself.
Therefore, when their own host body collapses, they will replace other hosts to occupy it.
This is why I say that ‘demons’ are born to destroy all living beings in the world.”
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Yu~!"
Hong Can and others exhaled gently, finally understanding what a 'demon' is.
But they would rather not know this at the moment, because the 'demon' is really a bit too scary.
Shi Xiong spoke for the first time today.
"Laity, is the 'demon' very powerful?"
Zhang Ke said ‘hmm’.
"That's right!"
He guessed Shi Xiong's thoughts and continued:
"'Devils' cause great harm to living beings in the world, especially because their special abilities can easily take over a person's body.
If it occupies an extremely powerful individual, it can not only display all the abilities of this individual, but also display various weird powers of its own.
However, nothing is absolute in the world, and the devil also has his nemesis in the universe.
They are believers who believe in a great existence. Not only will they not be possessed by body snatchers, but they also possess special powers to extremely restrain the 'demons'.
This great being is named ‘Jiutian Demon Dang Tianzun’, and his followers are also called ‘Dang Demon Disciples’.
Every 'disciple of the devil' will have a 'gold pattern of the devil' between his eyebrows, and the power to restrain the 'devil' comes from here."
After hearing Zhang Ke's words, Hongcan and others couldn't help but lower their heads and look at Zhang Ke's eyebrows.
Sure enough, there was a strange white-gold spirit pattern between Zhang Ke's eyebrows.
Zhang Ke reached out and touched his eyebrows, and said with a smile:
"The sign of a 'disciple of demons' is not like this. I came to this world this time to eliminate the 'demon troubles' just to clear up the cause and effect of my past experience as a 'disciple of demons'."
Hong Can and others did not understand this sentence very well, and Zhang Ke did not want to explain it clearly, so he continued:
"The 'Devil' has a terrifying ability, which is dyeing.
If there is a person next to you who is possessed by a "demon", then when he continues to provoke and amplify negative emotions, an aura will be formed.
Other living beings living in it will gradually be infected by negative emotions and gradually become another kind of "demon". This kind of "demon" is called "devil dependents" by practitioners.
The greater the number of ‘demons’, the faster they will infect living beings.”
Seeing that Hong Can and others could not fully understand the meaning of this sentence, Zhang Ke explained it from a different angle.
"For example, Hongcan, you are the clan leader of the Xiawan tribe. If one day you have a straight face because you are in a bad mood, then other people in the clan will become cautious after seeing you, for fear of angering you. This is
Aura.
Therefore, the objects possessed by the 'demon' will usually choose the leader, and they will only switch targets when they encounter an individual with special abilities or a particularly powerful one."
In this way, Hongcan and others can easily understand.
"Because of the special power of the 'devil', this race has been rejected and attacked by all races in the universe.
Therefore, as long as a 'devil' appears, it will be surrounded and suppressed by other races, among which the human race is the most active.
Because the ‘Demon Disciples’ have extremely strong restraint on them, that’s why we came to this world.”
Understood.
Hong Can and others finally understood the connection between the practitioners and the ‘demons’.
Fengli analyzed Zhang Ke's words bit by bit in her mind, and she suddenly said:
"Thank you for the layman's explanation. Since the practitioners are here to exterminate the 'demons', why not take action directly, but instead set up [contract flags] and use the war between the creatures in this world to complete it?"
Zhang Ke was silent, and after a moment he said:
"Fengli, how long is your lifespan?"
Fengli didn't understand what Zhang Ke meant, so he hesitated and replied:
"The longest-lived person in the clan once lived for two hundred and twenty years. If there is no disease or disaster, I should live as long as I do!"
Although the civilization level of the human race in the 'Mountain and Sea Realm' is very low, they also have their own counting methods.
Fengli is talented and intelligent, and is one of the few people in the Xiawan tribe who has mastered the art of knotting ropes.
At this moment, her reply to Zhang Ke's "two hundred and twenty years" was to convert the clan's counting method into a meaning that Zhang Ke could understand.
Zhang Ke said ‘hmm’ and asked:
"Do you know what my lifespan is?"
Before Feng Li could make any guesses, he held out three fingers and said:
"Three thousand years!"
"ah--!"
Red Silkworm and the others couldn't help but let out a soft cry.
They could not imagine how long this number was, but they all understood the meaning contained in this number.
Zhang Ke stared at Fengli with his misty eyes and said:
"If you had the chance to live for three thousand years, what price would you be willing to pay?"
Feng Li's eyes lit up and he said without hesitation:
"I'm willing to pay whatever it takes for what I have."
Zhang Ke looked at her with a half-smile and said:
"If you were asked to kill a person from another tribe, would you be willing?"
Feng Li said firmly:
"I do!"
"What if you are asked to kill a tribe member?"
Fengli hesitated for a moment and still said:
"I do!"
Zhang Ke did not test any more and said with a 'haha' smile:
"The realm I practice is called the Yuanshen realm. If I can continue to advance, I can achieve the Tao Lord realm.
The lifespan of a practitioner in this realm can reach 10,800 years.
The reason why [Contract Flags] should be set up in this realm is because the outcome of this victory or defeat may improve the realm of some practitioners.
To them, you are equivalent to the other tribes you mentioned, and they will not care about your life or death.
Now you understand why the [Contract Flag] was erected in this world, right?"
Zhang Ke's words were a little cruel, but they directly revealed the nature of a practitioner.
Hong Can and others figured out everything they wanted to know, but their hearts were filled with despair.