Xuandu darted through the void, his thoughts fixed on a faint, mysterious beckoning.
It came from the depths of his bloodline, pointing toward the heart of the Human Race's fortune.
In just a moment, he crossed boundless mountains and rivers and arrived among a range that seemed ordinary, yet secretly gathered fortune.
Deep in the valley stood a simple altar. Its incense was faint, but it carried a tenacious vitality.
Three figures sat around the altar.
They were the Three Ancestors, blessed by Heavenly Dao Merit and leading the Human Race through the hardships of survival in the Great Wilderness.
Suiren Shi, Youchao Shi, and Ziyi Shi.
At that moment, all three wore sorrowful expressions that would not fade.
The news of the Demon Race's rampage and their kin being slaughtered had clearly reached them.
Suddenly, all three sensed something at once and looked up sharply.
A Green Clad Figure had appeared before the altar without a sound.
He looked young, yet his eyes were as deep as the eternal Starry Sky. His presence was calm, as if he had become one with heaven and earth.
What shocked the Three Ancestors even more was the Human Race's fortune within them, bestowed by Heavenly Dao Merit.
In this man's presence, it stirred of its own accord, showing a sense of closeness!
"You are..."
Suiren Shi was the first to rise. He held a Firewood Staff of Eternal Flame, his eyes full of uncertainty.
He had never seen this man before, but the stir deep in his blood told him that the person before him shared their origins!
Moreover, this man's level of existence was so high that they could not begin to understand it!
Xuandu's gaze swept over the Three Ancestors, and a trace of emotion flashed through his eyes.
These were the Three ancient sages who had led the frail Human Race in kindling the Flame of Civilization in the darkness, building the Nest of Habitation amid danger, and weaving Clothing for Body against the cold and heat.
He cupped his hands slightly, his voice respectful.
"Xuandu pays his respects to the three ancient sages."
"Xuandu?"
Youchao Shi furrowed his brow, finding the name somewhat familiar.
A gleam crossed Ziyi Shi's beautiful eyes, and he exclaimed, "Could you be the Xuandu who went alone to Shouyang Mountain all those years ago, hoping to become a Sage's disciple?"
Xuandu nodded slightly.
"That's right."
The Three Ancestors exchanged glances, each seeing the disbelief in the others' eyes.
They remembered the young man with the steadfast will, but how many years had really passed?
That ordinary young man from back then had now become... unfathomable!
Suiren Shi took a deep breath, suppressing his shock, and asked solemnly, "May I ask why you have returned? The Demon Race is running rampant, and our Human Race..."
Xuandu interrupted him, his gaze sharp.
"That is exactly why I have come."
He swept his sleeve, and a Clear Light Screen unfurled.
It showed clearly what had just happened on the East Sea Coast: Ghost Chariot's massacre, Xuandu's intervention to slay the Demon Saint, and the destruction of the demon horde.
As the Demon Saint fell and the demons vanished in the screen, the Three Ancestors' breathing quickened. Their eyes blazed with a light they had never shown before!
"Well slain!"
Youchao Shi could not stop himself from growling, his bronze face flushed with excitement.
Ziyi Shi clenched her jade-like hands, tears in her beautiful eyes—a release of grief and hatred at long last avenged.
Suiren Shi, however, thought further ahead. He looked at Xuandu, his voice trembling.
"Sir... you are now..."
Xuandu did not answer directly. He merely let his presence show for a moment.
A Hunyuan Dao Rhyme naturally flowed from him. Though it lasted only an instant, the Three Ancestors felt as though they had glimpsed the Origin of the Great Dao!
No words were needed. The Three Ancestors understood.
The man before them had attained a realm beyond anything they could imagine! He was the greatest powerhouse the Human Race had ever known!
Xuandu continued, "I have returned to find my people a way to survive."
His gaze burned as he looked at the Three Ancestors.
"Alone, I may be able to protect one corner of the world, but I cannot look after everything."
"Only by finding the Human Race a powerful and lasting refuge can we escape this dead end."
The three men were overcome with excitement at his words.
After all, they knew the Human Race's predicament.
The Human Race was caught between the Wu and the Demon Clans, and the Demon Race slaughtered them from time to time.
Even collateral damage from the fighting killed at least tens of thousands of humans.
Ultimately, it came down to the Human Race being weak.
That was what worried the Three Ancestors.
Now Xuandu was saying he had a solution. How could they not be excited?
Suiren Shi asked urgently, "Please, tell us more."
Xuandu slowly uttered two words.
"The Interception Sect."
The Three Ancestors froze.
They knew of the Sage Tongtian's lineage, the great sect to which Myriad Immortals Come to Court.
But the Interception Sect was far away in the East Sea, and its Sage stood high above them. Why would he readily shelter their frail Human Race?
Xuandu understood their doubts and said, "I have become a Personal Disciple of the Interception Sect."
His words exploded in the Three Ancestors' ears like thunder!
A Personal Disciple!
A Sage's honored position, a direct disciple!
Xuandu continued, his voice carrying an indisputable force.
"I can recommend that our people join the Interception Sect."
"Not everyone needs to receive the true teachings. Even as Outer Disciples, or even Registered Disciples, they can still gain the protection of the Interception Sect's fortune and the Sage's lineage!"
"Then, if the Demon Race dares to massacre our people again, they will be making an enemy of the entire Interception Sect!"
The Three Ancestors' hearts pounded, their blood surging!
If the Interception Sect sheltered them, the Human Race's crisis might truly be resolved!
Suiren Shi's voice was hoarse with excitement. "If that is truly possible, then our Human Race... our Human Race is willing to honor the Interception Sect above all! Anyone with the will to pursue the Dao may go!"
Youchao Shi and Ziyi Shi nodded firmly as well.
This was the only path to survival for now—and the best one.
Xuandu nodded, feeling reassured.
The first step was complete.
He looked east, as though he could already see the countless Human Race Disciples among the future congregation of immortals.
By then, the Human Race's fortune and the Interception Sect's fortune would be linked, and the prosperity of one would bring prosperity to the other.
And with the vast numbers feeding power back to him, he too would advance toward a higher realm!
"There is no time to lose."
Xuandu said gravely, "Three ancient sages, gather the chiefs of your tribes immediately and tell them about this. Those who are willing can wait here."
"I must go ahead and return to Golden Ao Island to report to my master and make preparations."
Knowing that the matter concerned the survival of their race, the Three Ancestors quickly replied, "Very well!"
Xuandu said nothing more. With a flicker, he merged into the void and disappeared.
The Three Ancestors remained before the altar, their hearts surging, unable to calm down for a long time.
At the same time that Xuandu met with the Three Ancestors and settled on a plan to lead the Human Race into the Interception Sect,
on the frontier where the Wu and Demon Clans' territories overlapped,
a streak of white light skimmed over the mountains like a ghost, soundlessly.
It was Bai Ze, sent there on Di Jun's orders.
He concealed his entire presence, his eyes calmly scanning the ground below.
Soon, he spotted a squad of Wu Clan warriors on patrol.
Their leader was a burly Primordial Unity Witch General, holding a giant axe and radiating a fierce aura.
"You'll do."
Bai Ze murmured inwardly, and his figure dissolved like smoke.
In the next instant, he appeared behind the Witch General.
The Witch General felt a chill at the back of his neck. Before he could react, his vision went dark and he lost consciousness.
Bai Ze swept his sleeve and took him inside. The entire process was clean and swift, over in an instant.
The other Wu Clan warriors on patrol did not even notice that their leader had vanished.
The white light flashed again. Bai Ze had already left Wu Clan territory and was heading for the East Sea Coast.
He moved swiftly, reaching the coast in less than half a day.
He found the ruins of a remote, deserted tribe that had just been massacred, where the Blood Qi had yet to dissipate completely.
Bai Ze waved his hand and set up a concealing barrier, sealing the area off from the outside.
First, he placed the unconscious Primordial Unity Witch General to one side.
Then he took out a White Jade Pure Bottle and gestured toward the dark red bloodstains left among the ruins.
Strands of blood essence that had not yet dried were drawn together, flowing into the Pure Bottle.
Before long, he had collected enough blood essence for a hundred people.
This was the result of careful deliberation.
After all, if he killed humans, who knew whether that mysterious being would appear?
It would be troublesome if he got held up then.
But this residual blood was different.
Even after finishing, Bai Ze did not leave immediately.
He looked at the Pure Bottle in his hand, then at the unconscious Witch General beside him. His eyes gleamed with curiosity.
His Majesty suspects there is something strange about this blood...
After a moment's thought, he decided to test it on the spot.
Better safe than sorry.
He carefully scanned the Human Race blood with his Spiritual Sense but found nothing unusual. It seemed no different from the blood of ordinary living beings.
He controlled a drop of blood and gently let it fall onto the Witch General's arm.
The Witch General's bronze skin, tough enough to withstand an ordinary spirit treasure, developed a tiny, charred spot!
The Witch General's powerful vitality healed it in an instant, but the effect had been real!
Bai Ze hastily drew back the blood, his face filled with shock!
He understood!
He understood everything!
Why had that mysterious Quasi-Saint stopped Ghost Chariot from letting the Witch General touch human blood?
This seemingly ordinary Human Race blood actually...
It actually had a natural power to counter the Wu Clan, famed for their formidable bodies!
If he could temper a divine weapon with this blood...
The thought appeared in Bai Ze's mind and made his whole body shudder. He was so excited he could barely contain himself!
If they forged a divine weapon specifically designed to counter the Wu Clan's bodies,
then the Wu Clan's proud, formidable physiques would be no better than paper before the Demon Race's divine weapon!
This... this was a peerless weapon that could turn the tide of the war between the Wu and Demon Clans and decide who would rule the Great Wilderness!
"Heaven favors the Demon Race! Heaven favors the Demon Race!"
Bai Ze roared inwardly, no longer able to keep calm.
He carefully put away the Pure Bottle, then looked at the unconscious Witch General on the ground. A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
The Witch General was no longer of use, but his body might still be worth taking back for further study.
Without another thought, he swept up the Witch General and turned into a streak of white light. He burst through the concealing barrier and raced at full speed toward the Demon Court in the Thirty-three Heavens!
He had to report this earth-shattering discovery to Your Majesties immediately!
Human Race blood contained the secret to annihilating the Wu Clan!
And the Quasi-Saint who had slain Ghost Chariot must know this secret too!
His intervention was proof that it was true!
Before you continue