"Chieftain, leave the remaining Earth Bear Clan to us. We'll make sure to kill every last one."
After surveying the surviving, weaker members of the Earth Bear Clan, Sui Ren Shi naturally sought Huang Tian's approval.
"Spare us!"
"Spare us!"
At his words, the surviving Earth Bears panicked. They hurriedly prostrated themselves and begged for mercy again and again.
For thousands of miles, cries for mercy filled the air.
"Silence!"
Before Huang Tian could say anything, Sui Ren Shi irritably unleashed streams of blood qi, sealing away their ability to speak.
"Aw-oo!"
"Aw-oo!"
In an instant, the Earth Bears were barking like dogs.
"No need to kill them."
Huang Tian, who had originally had no intention of getting involved, couldn't help raising an eyebrow and stopping Sui Ren Shi from striking them down.
"Chieftain, why?"
Seeing this, Sui Ren Shi couldn't help asking Huang Tian.
The Human Race creatures present also looked at Huang Tian in confusion.
After ten thousand years of slaughter, the Human Race and the Earth Bear Clan had both been stained with the blood of each other's people.
"Essentially, the Demon Clan is still part of the Ten Thousand Races. It was only after Di Jun established the Demon Court, to distinguish his people from the Ten Thousand Races, that he named them the Demon Clan."
"Since Di Jun can keep the Demon Clan as livestock for his own use, why can't we humans keep demons to guard our homes?"
Smiling at Sui Ren Shi, Huang Tian spoke calmly.
As history would have it, the Human Race would domesticate various demon beasts and turn them into livestock.
Cattle, sheep, horses, pigs, dogs, and chickens—the six domestic animals—were indispensable to the growth of the Human Race.
The Earth Bear Clan could manipulate Earth Vein Power, which would help the Human Race build cities and accelerate its transition to an agricultural civilization.
Keeping the weaker Earth Bears and taming them as livestock for the Human Race was clearly more valuable.
When necessary, they could even be used as a vanguard, charging into battle for the Human Race.
It served several purposes at once. Why not?
"I, Huang Tian, Chieftain of the Human Race, hereby proclaim to Heaven and Earth!"
"The Earth Bear Clan defied Heaven's will, disrespected the Sages, and slaughtered the Human Race. Their crimes are unforgivable!"
"Today, I subdue them and order them to atone for their crimes: they shall guard the homes of the Human Race and defend its lands!"
"If they disobey, may Heaven and Earth destroy them!"
As Sui Ren Shi and the others watched in confusion, Huang Tian proclaimed his decree to Heaven and Earth.
"Huh?"
Sui Ren Shi and the others were even more baffled.
It wasn't that they refused to accept the Earth Bear Clan because the two races had fought and accumulated too much hatred.
Rather, Sui Ren Shi didn't believe the Earth Bears were fit to protect the Human Race.
"Rumble!"
Whatever Sui Ren Shi and the others thought, the Nine Sounds of Heavenly Thunder rang out. Heaven and Earth had acknowledged Huang Tian's proclamation.
From that day onward, generation after generation of the Earth Bear Clan would guard the homes of the Human Race and atone for their crimes.
"Seriously? Is the Human Race really Heaven's chosen people?"
The powerful members of the Ten Thousand Races were stunned.
The Earth Bear Clan was, after all, a powerful mid-tier race among the Ten Thousand Races. Just like that, it had become a vassal of the Human Race, tasked with guarding its homes.
Unless the Human Race truly was Heaven's chosen, the powerful members of the Ten Thousand Races couldn't understand why Heaven and Earth would accept such an outrageous decree from Huang Tian.
"Sui Ren Shi, you're in charge of assigning the Earth Bears."
"Distribute them proportionally among all the Human Race tribes to guard their homes."
"Now that Heaven and Earth have acknowledged the decree, the Earth Bear Clan's destiny is linked to the Human Race. Their fortunes are bound together."
Huang Tian fixed his gaze on Sui Ren Shi and gave his instructions calmly.
As he spoke, Huang Tian released the Earth Bears imprisoned within the Kongtong Seal as well.
Heaven's will had acknowledged them, so the Earth Bears were one of their own. There was no need to keep them imprisoned.
"Yes, Chieftain."
At his words, Sui Ren Shi promptly left to carry out the order.
Under Sui Ren Shi's personal arrangements, every Human Race tribe gained Earth Bears to guard its homes.
With four Da Luo Demon Gods and more than fifty thousand Earth Bears at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level, the Human Race's overall destiny soared.
The Human Race had suffered considerable losses in this battle, but by subduing the Earth Bear Clan, it had grown stronger rather than weaker.
Feeling the mighty surge of destiny, Huang Tian smiled.
The Human Race had far too little time to develop.
Even if it progressed steadily and passed down the Martial Dao, Huang Tian couldn't guarantee it would survive the Lich Tribulation without disaster.
But if they kept subduing other powerful races and putting them to work for the Human Race, linking their destinies together, anything was possible.
The Twelve Zodiacs and the six domestic animals of the Human Race were among the forces they could bring under their control.
"The eastern part of the Shore of the East Sea has been pacified. We'll establish a Human King City here, guarded by eighty-one Human Race tribes."
"We'll establish another Human King City in each of the remaining regions: west, south, and north."
"Once the Shore of the East Sea has been pacified, I'll appoint a Human King to each of the four Human King Cities."
Huang Tian's gaze was sharp as he continued his announcement.
"Yes, Chieftain!"
The Human Race creatures eagerly accepted the order.
They knew all too well that the higher their standing in the tribe, the greater the boost they received from its destiny and the faster they could advance in the Martial Dao.
Driven by the rewards promised to the four Human Kings, the Human Race creatures fought with wild abandon.
Over the next ten thousand years, led by powerful members of the Human Race such as Sui Ren Shi, Zi Yi Shi, You Chao Shi, Da Ting Shi, and Jiu Tou Shi, they swept across the surrounding lands.
One Human Race tribe after another sprang up, surrounding the Human King Cities at the centers of the four regions.
The four Human King Cities occupied the cardinal directions and guarded the Human Ancestral Hall at the center.
For a time, the destiny of the Human Race grew faster still.
Feeling his cultivation unable to break through as his foundations continued to accumulate, Huang Tian knew it was time to leave the Shore of the East Sea.
"Chieftain!"
Soon, Huang Tian summoned Sui Ren Shi and the other two Ancestors.
"My cultivation has reached a bottleneck. I'm going traveling to seek an opportunity to break through."
"You are the strongest members of the Human Race after me."
"While I'm away, you must consult with one another on all matters concerning the Human Race."
Huang Tian fixed his sharp gaze on the Three Ancestors and gave them his instructions in a grave voice.
"Yes, Chieftain!"
Daring not to delay, Sui Ren Shi and the others hurriedly accepted Huang Tian's instructions with respect.
"I sense that, under the influence of the baleful energy from the Lich Tribulation, the Sage's Barrier will protect the Human Race for no more than another eight hundred thousand years."
"When the time comes, it won't just be the Ten Thousand Races. Even the Witch and Demon Clans may set their sights on us."
"Right now, at best, the strength of the Human Race ranks in the middle among the Ten Thousand Races."
"But the Witch and Demon Clans are so powerful that even the combined might of the Ten Thousand Races couldn't stand against them."
"The Human Race is destined to become the overlord of the next era. We have an inherent conflict with the Witch and Demon Clans, and we're bound to fight them."
Huang Tian stared intently at Sui Ren Shi as he continued.
"Then..."
At his words, the Three Ancestors of the Human Race grew solemn.
The Witch and Demon Clans were colossal powers, far stronger than the Earth Bear Clan.
They had struggled so much even against the Earth Bears.
If they ever faced the Witch and Demon Clans for real, wouldn't the Human Race be crushed in an instant?
"Chieftain, could we ask the Holy Mother to establish another barrier?"
Sui Ren Shi drew a deep breath and asked Huang Tian.
"If the Holy Mother were willing to protect the Human Race for the long term, she wouldn't have created a barrier that lasted a mere million years."
"That barrier was simply repayment for the karmic debt the Holy Mother owed the Human Race."
"A gentleman must strive constantly to improve himself. The Human Race must be self-reliant."
"Depending on outsiders is no long-term solution."
"Only our own strength matters."
"Right now, with the Spirit Transformation Pool and the Twelve Star Palaces, the Human Race has no shortage of martial artists at the middle and lower levels."
"To stand against the Witch and Demon Clans, we need enough top-tier powerhouses."
"For that reason, I've decided to carry out the Human Race Torch Legacy Plan!"
Huang Tian fixed his gaze on Sui Ren Shi and the others and declared his decision without hesitation.
Before you continue