The Three Thousand Provinces Are Too Small, The Foreign Lands Are Too Evil

The sharp questions lashed at everyone's hearts like a whip.

Some clenched their fists, some lowered their heads, their eyes filled with a mixture of humiliation and anger.

"But..." another voice rang out, belonging to one of the few mixed-race women in the group, with unusual amber eyes, "Using the blood of our own kind to exchange for a title from Alien Race."

"Brother Tan, does what we're doing mean... that we've defected to Alien Race?"

"Seek refuge?"

Tan Lingfei abruptly interrupted her, his voice rising sharply and echoing briefly in the stone chamber. His voice was filled with barely suppressed mockery and indignation.

You guys are still so stupid!

He looked around at everyone, speaking slowly and deliberately, as if trying to imprint each word into their souls. "Open your eyes and look!"

What do Alien Race see us as?

"They are bastards with impure bloodlines, a stain on their noble heritage!"

What do Human Race see us as?

"It's a disgrace to have been mixed with the blood of an outsider, a stain on the family tree that we desperately want to erase!"

What did we get in return for kneeling?

"Is it charity? Is it acceptance? No! It's a deeper contempt, a favor that can be withdrawn at any time, like that given to livestock!"

Tan Lingfei took a deep breath, suppressing his surging emotions, and his voice turned cold and resolute:

"I'll say it again, this is not about defecting to either side."

"This is how we, in the cracks of society, tore open a new world with blood and fire!"

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and pointed to the circled area on a map on the stone table.

"A powerful figure from Foreign Lands, eager to vie for greater power, has made an ancient pact with me—if we offer this pledge of allegiance and help him suppress the arrogance of the Human Race and disrupt their rear, he will, in accordance with Foreign Lands laws, bestow upon me the title of king!"

"King..."

Someone murmured the same thing over and over, an unbelievable fervor flashing in their eyes.

This term is merely a general term in the context of the Three Thousand Provinces.

But in vast Foreign Lands, it carries a completely different weight.

In Foreign Lands, the king reigns supreme.

The position of King Sovereign is not an empty title; it is a special authority derived from ancient covenants and divine recognition.

The core point is that whoever obtains this position will be recognized by "Heaven" and will be legally qualified to rule over a territory.

For Tan Lingfei and his group, cultivating step by step and waiting for the day when their strength is enough to crush all prejudices... is too slow and too hopeless.

But the position of King Sovereign is different--

It means that you can immediately own a piece of land that is entirely your own.

That was the only piece of driftwood that could be seen and grasped in such a desperate situation.

"That's right, Your Majesty!"

Tan Lingfei said firmly, "At that time, we will no longer be drifting duckweed, no longer bastards!"

"They are a different species with their own territory, their own laws, and even their own name! On that land, we are the ones who call the shots."

"Not only that, we can even turn the tables and protect all our fellow countrymen who have been exiled like us, building a new land free from discrimination!"

His gaze was intense, as if he could already see the territory he would rule:

"Since the vast land of Three Thousand Provinces cannot accommodate even a fraction of us; since both sides of the high walls have their gates firmly shut to us—"

Tan Lingfei's voice was resolute, echoing in the ears of every mixed-race individual whose soul trembled:

"Then why not seize this opportunity and create our own 'sky'!"

He paused briefly, gazing at the faces—faces trembling with shock, ignited with rage, yet still bearing the last vestiges of moral unease—before slowly uttering the final word, like a final judgment. "Killing for survival."

Is this wrong?

No one spoke.

Seeing this, Tan Lingfei nodded, then spoke again:

"I'll repeat myself, the plan is very simple."

"The targets are several Human Race Prodigy immense potential who have been registered in the Foreign Lands."

"The method must be clean, appearing to be the work of a radical faction from Foreign Lands. The clues left behind should point to several Alien Race tribes with a long-standing grudge against that That Lord, using someone else to do the dirty work."

He paused, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd. "This is our 'pledge of allegiance'."

"As long as we present this Grand Gift to that That Lord, we can possess a world that belongs solely to us."

Silence filled the stone chamber.

Murdering a Prodigy of the Human Race is no longer a simple act of resistance.

Instead, it led to utter betrayal and slaughter, a complete departure from the opposite side!

"But those Prodigy..." Some with soft hearts still showed reluctance.

Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trivial matters.

Tan Lingfei's eyes were icy cold. "Their lives matter, but aren't the humiliations and oppression we've suffered over the years also lives?"

"Think about the cold shoulders and exclusion you've suffered because of your mixed blood! Think about our potentially bleak future!"

"This is war, our counterattack against this fucked-up world!"

"War... how can there be no bloodshed?!"

The stone chamber fell Deathly Stillness once more, broken only by heavy breathing and rapid heartbeats.

Moral unease and the yearning for the future clashed fiercely in everyone's heart.

Ultimately, the intense desire to change their fate and the yearning for the "new world" depicted by Tan Lingfei gradually overcame their hesitation.

"Done!" someone growled, bloodshot eyes.

"Yes! Rather than die a cowardly death, let's give it our all!"

The low growls and vows echoed in the stone chamber, carrying a resolute determination to burn one's bridges.

The plan to Prodigy the Human Race has officially begun.

After everyone left.

The underground palace returned to Deathly Stillness, with only the faint glow of fluorite flickering weakly in the dust.

Tan Lingfei's previous resolute and indifferent demeanor vanished, and his taut, bowstring-like back suddenly relaxed.

He leaned against the cold, rough stone wall, slowly slid down to sit on the ground, tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and took a deep breath of the air mixed with dust and mildew.

"New Heaven...?"

Tan Lingfei muttered to himself, his voice so low that only he could hear it, carrying a hint of weariness and bewilderment as he shed all pretense.

The top of the stone chamber.

The faint glow of the fluorite fell on his face, illuminating his eyes filled with pain and struggle.

"Even if the plan succeeds and we leave, what about our compatriots in the Three Thousand Provinces?"

"The blood of those Human Race Prodigy become oil poured on the flames. At that time, who will be burned by the raging fire that has been ignited because of us?"

As he spoke, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice was dry.

"Naturally, the anger will be directed at the mixed-race compatriots who remain here."

"They will hate this world even more because we are facing a catastrophic disaster."

"This act is also the seed of destruction..."

Tan Lingfei raised his hand and covered his eyes, as if trying to block out the non-existent gaze, and also to block out the surging guilt and helplessness in his heart.

Between his fingers, a suppressed, almost choked whisper escaped:

"But there's no other way... someone has to step up."

"Three Thousand Provinces are too small to contain our impure bodies."

"The Foreign Lands are too wicked; I do not wish to fall into the clutches of such evil spirits."

"Ahead lies a sheer cliff, behind is an abyss. What else can we do but grab onto this thorny Vines that we managed to dangle down and start climbing?"

A moment later, he lowered his hand, all the struggle and vulnerability on his face vanished, leaving only a frozen resolve.

He raised his other hand, his palm holding a dark object shaped like Stone Chisel, wrapped in layers of restrictive runes.

"You only get one chance; you must succeed."

"To break free from the cage, to reach that pure land."

The stone chamber fell completely silent, save for Tan Lingfei's heavy breathing and the dust motes floating silently in the faint light, as if bearing silent witness to his unknown repentance and helplessness.

As he said, they could have skipped the pursuit of King Sovereign and simply gone to the Foreign Lands to join them.

But -- the Foreign Lands is too horrible.

If someone has risen from humble beginnings and harbors evil intentions, how could they have waited until now to unleash them?

Those gathered in this dark underground palace are precisely those who still retain a glimmer of kindness in their hearts, without exception.

In the distance, the faint sound of the bell tolling for the start of classes at the Wandao Academy could be heard, distant and solemn.

This formed a silent and ironic contrast with the darkness in which Tan Lingfei found himself.

Everyone in the Academy has a bright future.

Aside from those mixed-race individuals.