The one speaking now was an inky-black qilin. Magnificent and noble in appearance, its voice was nonetheless as crisp as a young child's.
Hovering above the myriad demons, Di Yi let out a series of low, rumbling chuckles upon hearing the Black Qilin's doubt.
"Experience is truly a double-edged sword. It gives us the confidence to face crises, yet inadvertently pushes us toward the abyss."
The pitch-black mass of flesh churned, seemingly giving vent to an inner dissatisfaction.
"This great tribulation is unlike any disaster we have ever endured throughout history.
"Its origins stem from..."
As Di Yi spoke up to this point, numerous hideous beastly faces suddenly surfaced within the mass of flesh.
"Shut your mouth, you!"
"Why waste words on these useless creatures! If they won't obey, devour every last one of them!"
"Who cares about the myriad demon clans? In this world, as long as there is I, Di Yi, that is enough!"
...
This bizarre display instantly silenced the gathered demons, leaving them as quiet as cicadas in winter.
Yet it was clearly not the first time they had witnessed such an aberration.
In their eyes was only dread, without a shred of surprise.
The cloud of flesh surged again, swallowing those vile-tongued, clamoring heads back inside.
Acting as if nothing had happened, Di Yi continued, "Therefore, this tribulation exceeds the upper limit of what the Xuanhuang Realm itself can resolve.
"Without an additional variable, everything in this world will ultimately meet its end in annihilation."
Di Yi spoke with utmost solemnity, and the demons grew solemn as well.
"However, since I said I would take you away, I have naturally already devised a means of escape."
Di Yi's voice, like the resonance of ten thousand manifestations, echoed throughout the space.
"Among human cultivators, there is a faction known as the Heavenly Sword Sect. Seeking a slim chance of survival in this great catastrophe, they wish to forge a Boundary-Breaking Divine Weapon capable of shattering space and time, thereby escaping this Xuanhuang Realm.
"Setting aside the feasibility of their plan, their initiative gave me an inspiration.
"The very mountain beneath our feet happens to be a natural Boundary-Breaking Divine Weapon. With only a few modifications, it can carry us away from here."
Di Yi spoke with boundless confidence.
"Mount Nanming is the edge of the sky and the rim of the sea—the boundary of the world. As such, it gathers a vast amount of energy dissipating from the world itself..."
Di Yi began explaining the underlying principles to the gathered beasts.
The myriad demons dared not show any negligence. Whatever they thought in their hearts, on the surface, every one of them listened with rapt attention.
Meanwhile, in the transparent chamber high above, Xu Ke was yawning repeatedly.
"How boring. Why does the strongest demonic beast love to prattle on so much? It's not imposing at all," Xu Ke muttered under his breath.
He turned to look at the child beside him, who was even smaller than himself, and asked, "Why did you bring us here anyway? This is an internal meeting of the demon race. It's not good for us to eavesdrop, is it?"
"It doesn't matter. It won't mind," the child said calmly, looking down at the Di Yi Beast speaking eloquently below.
Though Xu Ke was naturally carefree and innocent, that did not mean he was a fool.
He glanced left and right, lowered his voice, and asked warily, "Judging by your tone, you seem pretty familiar with Lord Di Yi.
"You aren't its illegitimate child, are you?"
"If you insist on thinking so, you wouldn't be wrong," the child admitted openly, much to Xu Ke's astonishment.
Xu Ke froze in shock.
"Or rather, Di Yi is me. But I am not Di Yi," the child added.
Xu Ke's eyes went wide, brimming with disbelief.
At this moment, Li Fan's attention also shifted from the flesh mass's speech below back to the fair, tender child before them.
Though he had suspected it earlier, seeing the exalted sovereign of demonic beasts actually evolve a human body still shocked Li Fan somewhat.
Observing the stunned expressions of the boy and the bird, Di Yi revealed an enigmatic smile that was entirely incongruous with his childlike exterior.
"What, surprised?"
Xu Ke nodded vigorously.
"There's really no need to be. Tracing back to their origins, all living beings in this world ultimately stem from the same source.
"Whether demonic beast or human, there is fundamentally no difference."
Di Yi spoke these world-shaking words with a placid expression.
Li Fan was certain that if anyone other than the sovereign of the demon race had uttered such words in this sacred sanctuary, they would have been devoured alive by the enraged horde of demons long ago.
"It's funny to say, but only recently did I finally understand this truth, after a very long time.
"And that is how I came to be." Hands clasped behind his back, the child Di Yi looked down at the beasts below, speaking in the tone of a seasoned elder.
"Years ago, Lu Ya once told me that the reason demonic beasts are so strong is that our power is inherited from our primordial bloodlines. Yet with each passing generation, that bloodline gradually thins. While mutations and ancestral awakenings cannot be ruled out, the overall strength of the demon race is undeniably weakening."
Hearing him mention Senior Brother Lu Ya, Xu Ke's eyes lit up, and he listened closely to the child Di Yi's words.
"Meanwhile, the demon race's adversary—humanity—grows continuously stronger through generations of learning and accumulation. Cultivation methods, talismans, artifacts, arrays, pills, and medicine—the sources of human power can be passed down from generation to generation.
"The gap widens further and further. Where, then, does the future of demonic beasts lie?
"I pondered this question for three whole days and nights, and in the end, I could not find an answer.
"Force those brainless fools to learn pill refinement and artifact crafting?
"Even I could never achieve that. Lying around every day, eating and drinking, sleeping when tired—if doing just that makes them stronger, why would they ever strive?
"That is the plight of the demon race. Even if unique individuals arise, they cannot alter the nature of the entire species."
He seemed to be explaining to Xu Ke and Li Fan, yet also seemed to be talking to himself.
"So, you want to turn demonic beasts into humans? Just like you are now?" As if suddenly understanding, Xu Ke cried out in utter horror and bewilderment.
The feathers on Li Fan's body bristled slightly as well, a chill running through him.
"Yes.
"And no."
Di Yi shook his head, then nodded.
"As the sovereign of all demonic beasts, I must consider and decide matters from the perspective of the entire race, not based on personal preferences."
The child Di Yi pointed toward the Ten Thousand Demons Convention underway below.
"The me down there has decided to lead the demonic beasts in fleeing the Xuanhuang Realm.
"Even though I have utter confidence, I cannot deny the possibility of failure.
"Even if that chance is only one in a hundred million, I must take it into account.
"To ensure that the demon clans do not meet their doom on account of a single decision of mine, I must have an alternative plan," Di Yi explained slowly.
"I get it! That's what my senior brothers always say: prepare for both contingencies!" Xu Ke said, growing a little excited.
"No, you don't understand," Di Yi retorted mercilessly.
"Two preparations? For a vast race of demonic beasts, that is no different from courting death.
"For those beasts that refuse to leave and choose to remain in the Xuanhuang Realm, how accepting would they be of turning into humans? Without even thinking deeply, one knows that only a tiny fraction would ever accept my plan.
"Coercion would only bring harm to an already fractured race, which is why I must execute this plan in secret."
Xu Ke scratched his head, his young face full of confusion. "What on earth are you trying to say? I'm getting dizzy, and I understand less and less!"
With a gentle wave of Di Yi's hand, a luxuriant, leafy tree materialized before them.
At the tip of one branch, Xu Ke was astonished to see his own silhouette.
"This is..." he asked, bewildered.
"This is the future," Di Yi answered gravely. "A possible future.
"One of the demon race's potential destinies is closely tied to you." Di Yi looked at the small Xu Ke, his eyes filled with age and vicissitudes.
Xu Ke stared blankly at the phantom tree, which continued to branch out and proliferate.
The scenes of the demon race displayed on those various branches were sometimes strikingly similar, and sometimes diametrically opposed.
Some were drenched in blood, where the demons were entirely wiped out; others showed them multiplying to an extreme, recreating the peak glory of the ancient demon race.
Some depicted humans and demons coexisting peacefully, jointly building a magnificent civilization.
Still others were entirely blurred, permeated with the aura of death and ruin.
"An infinite future holds infinite possibilities.
"This also means that no matter how minuscule a probability may be, under the premise of 'infinity,' everything is bound to happen.
"Therefore, as the leader of my race, I must reasonably account for the future destiny of the demon race under every single possibility."
At this moment, coming from Di Yi's childlike frame, his words carried the weight of towering mountains.
"This is my answer to Lu Ya's question from back then.
"Humanity may be brimming with potential, possessing an infinite future, but you operate as separate camps. You cannot unify the greatest power of your race; instead, you exhaust yourselves in ceaseless infighting.
"Once a catastrophe strikes, you will inevitably suffer devastating blows.
"Perhaps you can rely on luck to weather successive disasters, but over a vast timeline, the more calamities humanity endures, the higher the probability of your extinction becomes.
"We demonic beasts are different. As long as I am here, I will plan everything for my kin.
"Though they have their own thoughts, on critical matters of life and death, they must obey our will and carry out orders accordingly.
"As long as I exist, the demon race will never truly perish.
"Since we cannot compete with humans, then so long as we live long enough, we need only wait for humans to bring about their own extinction."
Di Yi's voice carried a hint of mockery as he spoke indifferently.
Xu Ke's face was full of defiance, eager to argue back.
Yet for a moment, he could not find the right words.
After holding it in for a long time, he managed only one sentence: "Then how can you guarantee you won't die before the demon race perishes?"
Di Yi cast a profound look at Xu Ke, but said nothing.
Chapter 535