Xuandu's faint snicker rang out with unusual clarity in the tense, deathly silence.
His gaze remained calm as it slowly swept over Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi, both of whom wore grim expressions.
Xuandu spoke. His voice was not loud, yet every word struck the minds of every mighty figure present.
"I just heard Your Majesty say that our Human Race offended the Demon Court's Heavenly Might, and that was why you slaughtered us."
He paused briefly, his tone carrying a hint of indescribable mockery.
"But before today, which of the Demon Court's laws had my countless unarmed clansmen ever violated?"
"Why, then, have countless demons treated my people as food for years, slaughtering us at will and treating us like weeds?"
The myriad humans below recalled the horrors of the past. Grief and fury filled their hearts as they gazed at the two radiant figures in the sky.
Di Jun furrowed his brows. The ominous feeling in his heart grew stronger.
He had a feeling Xuandu was up to something.
Eastern Emperor Taiyi, however, laughed in anger. He was domineering by nature and had never once regarded the Human Race as worthy of his attention.
"Hmph!"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi let out a sneer. His undisguised contempt echoed through heaven and earth.
"The strong prey on the weak. That is the law of the Great Wilderness!"
"You humans have meager origins and are as frail as ants. To serve as food for my demon warriors is already your good fortune!"
"So what if we slaughter you? Do we need your permission?"
His words were cutting, trampling the dignity of the Human Race beneath his feet.
At his words, countless humans saw red. They clenched their fists, nails digging deep into their flesh.
Suiren Shi, Youchao Shi, and Ziyi Shi, the Three Human Ancestors, also looked grim, their hearts heavy with pent-up anger.
And yet.
Faced with Eastern Emperor Taiyi's near-insulting words,
Xuandu, standing atop the altar, did not grow angry. Instead... he smiled.
It was a faint smile, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
He even gave a small shake of his head, as if he had heard something amusing.
Everyone watching was stunned.
Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi knitted their brows, a trace of confusion flashing in their eyes.
Had Xuandu gone mad with rage?
The Twelve Ancestral Witches exchanged glances as well. A glint flashed in Di Jiang's eyes as he murmured to Houtu beside him:
"What's that kid... up to?"
Houtu furrowed her delicate brows, her lovely eyes resting on Xuandu's calm face. She found him increasingly unfathomable.
She had a vague feeling that Xuandu had not done this without reason.
Even the Three Human Ancestors behind Xuandu, along with the myriad humans, stared blankly at his back, unable to understand why their master was smiling at a moment like this.
With all eyes upon him and suspicion hanging in the air,
Xuandu's faint smile faded.
He raised his head and met Eastern Emperor Taiyi's gaze once more. His voice carried clearly across the land:
"So, in the Demon Emperor's eyes, slaughtering my Human Race is entirely justified."
His tone abruptly turned cold.
"Then allow me to ask you two something..."
Xuandu's gaze swept over Di Jun before settling on Eastern Emperor Taiyi. He spoke each word distinctly, and his question struck like thunder:
"My Human Race was created by Saintess Nuwa from clay, born through a Sage's creation, and blessed by the merit of a Sage founding our race!"
"The demons have slaughtered a race personally created by a Sage with such impunity..."
He leaned forward slightly, his voice carrying a cold accusation:
"Could it be... that Saintess Nuwa ordered you to do so?!"
"BOOM!!!"
His words fell like Chaos Divine Thunder!
The entire East Sea Coast seemed to freeze in time!
Di Jun's pupils contracted to pinpricks. The authority he had been forcing himself to maintain crumbled in an instant, replaced by utter disbelief and alarm!
The Solar True Fire surging around Eastern Emperor Taiyi abruptly stalled. The hand gripping the Chaos Bell even trembled slightly.
The arrogance and fury on his face froze, leaving it utterly blank!
Saintess Nuwa!
At that very moment, Xuandu had dragged out the Human Mother of the Human Race and the Demon Race Sage, who lived beyond the Thirty-three Heavens and had long kept out of the Great Wilderness's affairs!
This... this was downright damning!
If this were linked to a Sage's orders... the matter would take on an entirely different nature!
It would be a desecration of a Sage's dignity! It would cast a Sage as cruel and unjust!
Empress Nuwa was the Human Mother. She had created the Human Race and become a Sage, receiving its fortune and worship.
If she had ordered the demons to slaughter her own children, and word of it got out, what would become of Saintess Nuwa's reputation?
Would the foundations of her Sainthood be shaken?
What was more, Nuwa had come from the Demon Race and had once been the Wa Empress of the Demon Court.
Though she had transcended worldly affairs after becoming a Sage, she still had ties to the Demon Court.
Xuandu's question had effectively put Saintess Nuwa over a blazing fire!
It forced her to choose between the Human Race and the Demon Race!
Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi felt a chill shoot from the soles of their feet to the crowns of their heads. Their scalps prickled!
They had slaughtered the Human Race to forge the Witch-Slaying Sword. That secret had nothing to do with Nuwa's orders.
But there was no way they could explain it!
Were they supposed to admit in front of the Witch Clan and Interception Sect's direct disciples that they had discovered human blood could counter the Witch Clan?
Wouldn't that be telling the Witch Clan that the Demon Court was plotting against them?
Would the Witch Clan let that go? The tribulation would erupt in full force at once!
They were caught between a rock and a hard place!
Di Jun's face turned ashen, his chest heaving violently as he glared at Xuandu, wishing he could tear him apart.
This brat... what a vicious mind! What sharp words!
Eastern Emperor Taiyi was so furious that his face flushed red. Solar True Fire rampaged through his body, yet he could not utter a single word.
Deny it?
How could he explain their earlier slaughter of the Human Race?
Admit it?
That would be asking for death!
It was not only Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi who were stunned.
Even the Twelve Ancestral Witches, who had been bristling with hostility just moments ago, were dumbstruck.
Di Jiang stared wide-eyed at the figure in fluttering green robes atop the altar and murmured:
"That kid... really has the nerve to say that!"
He had never imagined Xuandu would drag Saintess Nuwa into this.
In an instant, the standoff between the Witch and Demon Clans had turned into a quagmire involving a Sage!
Zhu Rong, Gong Gong, and the other Ancestral Witches exchanged glances, their murderous auras unconsciously subsiding.
When Sages were involved, they could not afford to be careless.
Houtu's eyes flickered as she looked at Xuandu with even greater depth.
At last, she understood the meaning behind Xuandu's smile.
It had not been a helpless smile, but the smile of someone in control, luring his prey into a trap!
First, he had revealed his identity as a direct disciple of the Interception Sect to intimidate the Demon Emperor.
Then, he had used the Human Race's suffering to raise his challenge.
Finally, he had revealed his trump card, invoking Saintess Nuwa and dealing the Demon Emperor a fatal blow!
Every step linked to the next. His plan was flawless!
Behind the altar,
the Three Human Ancestors and the myriad humans, after their brief shock, were overcome with confusion and suspicion.
Suiren Shi held the Firewood Staff of Eternal Flame, his fingers trembling slightly.
"Empress Nuwa... Why... why would Master Xuandu say such a thing?"
Youchao Shi furrowed his brows, his bronze-colored face filled with confusion.
"Holy Mother Empress created us. That is an immeasurable kindness. Why would she order the demons to slaughter us?"
Ziyi Shi's lovely eyes were also filled with confusion and a hint of... indescribable fear.
Nuwa was the Human Mother, their creator, and the source of their faith.
If even the Holy Mother had abandoned them... what hope did the Human Race have?
Wouldn't Master Xuandu's words shake the very foundations of the Human Race?
Countless people whispered among themselves as confusion and other emotions spread.
They believed in Xuandu and revered him.
But this claim was far too shocking.
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