"They'd done nothing wrong, at least on the surface. No one could find fault with them."
Ancestor Sui said helplessly. The chance to cultivate among the Demon Clan was so precious that others couldn't even dream of obtaining it.
The Human Race had been given this opportunity, yet not only were they ungrateful, they even worried there was some scheme behind it. In the eyes of others, they were the classic case of getting a good deal and still complaining.
The world wouldn't understand them, nor would anyone say the Demon Clan had done anything wrong. They'd only say the Human Race didn't know how to appreciate kindness, mistaking a donkey's liver and lungs for a good heart. Even many of their own people would think the same.
"Going to the Demon Clan is fine, but we have to make things clear to our people. The Human Race is different from before. In the past, without the Body Refining Method I passed down, the Sacred Dao Aura in most of our people's bodies was dormant, and few could detect it."
"But now, with the Body Refining Method spreading, the Sacred Dao Aura in most of our people's bodies is active. Anyone can detect it."
"As a result, in the eyes of other races, the Human Race has become a Walking Elixir. Anyone who eats one of us can improve their cultivation."
"If they aren't afraid of being eaten, they can gladly accept the Demon Clan's invitation and head to the Heaven Realm."
After thinking it over, Jiang Yuan said this. He wasn't trying to frighten his people; he was simply telling the truth. Those who still wished to go to the Heaven Realm after hearing this were truly devoted to it. There was no need to force them to stay.
"If you put it that way, I expect it'll scare off quite a few."
Emperor Sui nodded, agreeing with Jiang Yuan. It was one thing for their people to want to go; it was another for them to find ways to stop them.
"If we've told them all that and they still want to go, then let them. You can't force someone to stay if their heart isn't here. Forcing them will only deepen their resentment and make trouble more likely."
"However, once they reach the Heaven Realm, they can't go just anywhere. They'll have to cultivate in Azure Heaven."
Jiang Yuan added another condition. The Heaven Realm was divided into the Nine Heavens, arranged like the Nine Palaces. Azure Heaven, where he had designated the people to go, lay in the Eastern Lands and was ruled by Emperor Xi.
Emperor Xi's other title, Azure Emperor, came from his being the lord of Azure Heaven. Azure Heaven was blue, so its lord was called the Azure Emperor.
Jiang Yuan insisted that the people heading to the Heaven Realm go to Azure Heaven for one reason only: he wanted to place a restriction on them, making them think twice before leaving the Human Race to join the Demon Clan.
Although Emperor Xi was the Demon Emperor, he was undoubtedly closer to the Human Race, created by his younger sister, than he was to the Demon Clan. Naturally, the Human Race would receive special treatment while cultivating in his territory.
Remember, they were receiving special treatment because they came from the Human Race. That was important. If they forgot this and chose to abandon the Human Race and join the Demon Clan—
Would Emperor Xi be happy to see that?
Wouldn't that be the very height of ingratitude? No matter how broad-minded Emperor Xi was, he couldn't possibly look kindly on this group of people who had betrayed his younger sister. Even if he didn't punish them, he would certainly stop treating them well.
Losing that special treatment might not seem like much, but it would clearly reveal Emperor Xi's displeasure with them.
That would be enough. From then on, their lives among the Demon Clan would only grow harder. Plenty of demons eager to curry favor with Emperor Xi would go out of their way to target them.
This was the restriction Jiang Yuan had set for them—a perfect Open Scheme.
If they remained loyal to the Human Race, then under Emperor Xi's protection, their treatment among the Demon Clan wouldn't merely be better than that of ordinary demons; they might even rank above the rest.
But if they betrayed the Human Race, they would immediately sink to the bottom of Demon Clan society. They would suffer every kind of abuse, and it would be all too easy for them to become food.
"Excellent!"
Hearing this, Ancestor Sui couldn't help but praise the plan. The only way for the Human Race to receive special treatment among the Demon Clan was to go to Azure Heaven.
So Jiang Yuan's restriction was perfectly reasonable. It was entirely for the good of their people and would benefit everyone who went to the Demon Clan. Anyone who opposed it must want to harm their own people.
As for the fact that this raised the cost of betraying the Human Race, wasn't that only right? Only traitors would worry about it. Those truly loyal to the Human Race would only be glad.
"Those who don't want to go to the Demon Clan don't need to be sent there. The Human Race now has thriving trade and no shortage of resources. With Lady Nuwa here, we also lack for no inheritance. There's no need to go to the Demon Clan for further study."
Remembering that Ancestor Sui intended to send trustworthy people to study among the Demon Clan, then have them return to help develop the Human Race, Jiang Yuan stopped him.
There was no need for that at all. It would be a gamble on human nature, betting that they would remain loyal to the Human Race even after witnessing the Demon Clan's prosperity.
Everyone knew that gambling could end in either victory or defeat. Those Ancestor Sui would personally send to the Demon Clan would surely be among the finest of the Human Race. If the gamble paid off, all would be well; if it didn't, the loss would be far too great.
So there was no need to gamble. The Human Race's own inheritance was enough for them to cultivate. If there really was a need, they could send people for further study once the Human Race had grown strong enough.
"True enough. The civilization of the Human Race has only just begun to rise and is still in its infancy. There's no need to come into contact with the Demon Clan so soon. We should wait a little longer."
Ancestor Sui considered this and agreed. The Human Race had only just developed a civilization of its own. If they came into contact with the Demon Clan too early, they could easily be influenced by them and gradually become demonized.
That was something Ancestor Sui didn't want to see, because he always felt there was something wrong with the Demon Clan's civilization and that it couldn't last.
Of course, Ancestor Sui hadn't reached this conclusion through his own observations. His standing was too low; he wasn't qualified to judge the merits of the Demon Clan's civilization.
He had reached this conclusion by considering Lady Nuwa's choice. If the Demon Clan were truly so good, why would Lady Nuwa have left them?
She had left the Demon Clan, which meant that in her eyes, there had to be something wrong with them. Since the Demon Clan had problems, the Human Race couldn't learn from them.
Otherwise, if the Human Race really did imitate the Demon Clan, what would have been the point of Lady Nuwa leaving them? The Human Race would have jumped from being one Demon Clan to becoming another. Then the Human Race would have been created in vain, and Lady Nuwa would have left the Demon Clan for nothing.
As long as Ancestor Sui understood that, he knew the Human Race must never imitate the Demon Clan. For the Human Race to become demonized would be the greatest betrayal of Lady Nuwa.
"Also, tell the demons that the Human Race needs Essence of Stars. How is taking us to the Heaven Realm supposed to count as repaying a debt of gratitude? That would only weaken the Human Race. It'd be closer to revenge."
"Besides, if the Human Race wants to go to the Demon Clan, why would we need them to show us the way? The connections our Human Race has among the Demon Clan are beyond their reach, even if they spent their whole lives looking up at us."
"Tell them that only giving us Essence of Stars directly would count as repaying their debt."
Jiang Yuan added this final point. These demons had gone too far. They claimed to be repaying a debt of gratitude, but were really seeking revenge. Unless he taught them a lesson and made them pay dearly, he wouldn't be able to swallow his anger.
"Agreed!"
Ancestor Sui nodded. He wasn't some kindly old man; he was decisive and ruthless, too. In the Primordial World, kindhearted people didn't live long—even if they were powerful cultivators.
The broad strokes had been settled, and the Third Ancestor would handle the rest. Jiang Yuan didn't need to worry about it.
But with Ancestor Sui busy dealing with matters involving the Demon Clan, he couldn't keep up with some of the Human Race's affairs. Those fell to Jiang Yuan.
"What?"
"The baleful energy was poisoning them because they ate too much Fierce Beast meat?"