Open Scheme

"At the very least, on the surface, their actions are beyond reproach."

Ancestor Sui said helplessly. The opportunity to cultivate among the Demon Race was incredibly precious, something others would beg for.

Instead of being happy about this opportunity, the Human Race worried there might be a scheme involved. To outsiders, this looked like a classic case of biting the hand that feeds you.

The world wouldn't understand them, nor would they fault the Demon Race. They would only say the Human Race was ungrateful, mistaking kindness for malice. Even many of their own kin would think so.

"You can go to the Demon Race, but you must make it clear to your kin. Our Human Race is different now. Before I passed down the body-refining techniques, the Sacred Dao Aura within our kin was mostly dormant, rarely noticed."

"But now, with the widespread adoption of these techniques, the Sacred Dao Aura in our kin is mostly activated, noticeable by anyone."

"This has led to our Human Race being seen as Walking Elixirs by other races, anyone who consumes them can improve their cultivation."

"If they aren't afraid of being eaten, they can accept the Demon Race's invitation and go to the Heaven Realm."

After a moment of thought, Jiang Yuan said. He wasn't trying to scare his kin, merely stating the facts. Those who were still willing to go to the Heaven Realm after hearing this were truly devoted; there was no need to force them to stay.

"Saying it like this will likely scare off quite a few of our kin."

Emperor Sui nodded, agreeing with Jiang Yuan's assessment. It was one thing for their kin to want to go, and another for them to find ways to prevent it.

"If they say all this and are still willing to go, then let them. We can't keep those who don't want to stay. If their hearts are no longer with us, forcing them to stay will only increase their dissatisfaction and breed more trouble."

"However, once they reach the Heaven Realm, they won't be able to go anywhere. They must cultivate in the Azure Heaven."

Jiang Yuan continued to elaborate. The Heaven Realm was divided into nine heavens, arranged like a nine-palace grid. The Azure Heaven, which he designated, was located in the east and was under Emperor Xi's control.

Emperor Xi's other title, the Azure Emperor, stemmed from his being the lord of the Azure Heaven. The Azure Heaven was blue, hence its lord was the Azure Emperor.

Jiang Yuan's instruction for those going to the Heaven Realm to go to the Azure Heaven was not without reason; it was to impose a restriction, preventing them from easily leaving the Human Race to join the Demon Race.

Although Emperor Xi was a Demon Emperor, he was undoubtedly closer to the Human Race, created by his sister, than to the Demon Race itself. If the Human Race cultivated on his territory, they would naturally receive his preferential treatment.

Remember, this preferential treatment was because they were from the Human Race. This was crucial. If they forgot this and chose to leave the Human Race to join the Demon Race, would Emperor Xi be happy?

Wouldn't that be blatant ingratitude? No matter how magnanimous Emperor Xi was, he wouldn't have a good expression towards those who betrayed his sister. Even if he didn't punish them, the preferential treatment would certainly be gone.

The revocation of preferential treatment might seem minor, but it would clearly indicate Emperor Xi's displeasure with them.

And that would be enough. The situation for these individuals in the Demon Race would become increasingly difficult, as a large number of demons eager to please Emperor Xi would find ways 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, under Emperor Xi's care, their treatment among the Demon Race, even if not the highest, would certainly be better than that of ordinary demons.

But if they betrayed the Human Race, they would immediately be relegated to the bottom of the Demon Race, subjected to bullying and easily becoming food.

"Excellent!"

Ancestor Sui couldn't help but exclaim. For the Human Race to receive preferential treatment among the Demon Race, they had to go to the Azure Heaven.

Therefore, Jiang Yuan's restriction was flawless; it was entirely for the good of their kin and would benefit all who went to the Demon Race. Anyone who opposed it would be the one trying to harm their kin.

As for increasing the cost of betraying the race, wasn't that as it should be? Only traitors would worry about this; those who were wholeheartedly loyal to the Human Race would only be happy about it.

"Those unwilling to go to the Demon Race don't need to be sent. Our Human Race's trade is prosperous now, we don't lack resources. And with Holy Mother here, we don't lack inheritance. There's no need to go to the Demon Race for further study."

Recalling that Ancestor Sui intended to send reliable individuals to the Demon Race for advanced study and then have them return to develop the Human Race, Jiang Yuan couldn't help but object.

This was completely unnecessary. It was a gamble on human nature, betting that even after witnessing the prosperity of the Demon Race, they would remain loyal to the Human Race.

As everyone knows, gambling has wins and losses. Those sent to the Demon Race by Ancestor Sui would undoubtedly be the most outstanding members of the Human Race. To gamble with them, if they won, it would be fine, but if they lost, the loss would be too great.

Therefore, there was no need to gamble. The Human Race's inheritance was sufficient for their cultivation. If there was a genuine need, it would not be too late to send people for advanced study once the Human Race became powerful enough.

"Indeed. Our Human Race's civilization has just begun to flourish, still in its nascent stage. There's no need to interact with the Demon Race too early. Let's wait a while longer."

Ancestor Sui considered it and agreed. The Human Race had only just developed its own civilization. If they interacted with the Demon Race too soon, they would easily be influenced and gradually become demonized.

This was something Ancestor Sui did not wish to see, as he always felt there was something problematic with the Demon Race's civilization, that it couldn't last.

This conclusion, of course, was not something Ancestor Sui had reached on his own; his level was too low to judge the merits of the Demon Race's civilization.

This conclusion was derived from Lady Nuwa's choice. If the Demon Race were truly so good, why would Lady Nuwa have left it?

Her departure from the Demon Race indicated that, in her opinion, there were indeed problems with them. Since the Demon Race had issues, the Human Race should not emulate them.

Otherwise, if the Human Race truly learned from the Demon Race, what would be the point of Lady Nuwa leaving the Demon Race? Jumping from one demon race to another, wouldn't the Human Race have been created in vain, and the Demon Race's departure also be in vain?

Ancestor Sui only needed to understand this point to know that the Human Race must not become like the Demon Race. The demonization of the Human Race would be the greatest betrayal of Lady Nuwa.

"Furthermore, tell those demons that the Human Race needs the Essence of Stars. Taking our kin to the Heaven Realm is not repaying kindness; it's weakening our strength. It's more like seeking revenge."

"And if the Human Race wants to go to the Demon Race, they don't need anyone to guide them. The backing our Human Race has among the demons is something they could only look up to their entire lives."

"Tell them that directly giving us the Essence of Stars is what would be considered repaying kindness."

Jiang Yuan added as a final point. These demons were going too far. Under the guise of repaying kindness, they were actually seeking revenge. If they weren't taught a lesson and stripped of some of their wealth, he couldn't swallow his anger.

"Agreed!"

Ancestor Sui nodded. He was no soft-hearted old man; he was decisive and ruthless. In the Primordial World, soft-hearted people didn't live long, even if they were great divine beings.

The general direction had been set, and the remaining matters would be handled by the Third Ancestor, so Jiang Yuan didn't need to worry.

However, due to Ancestor Sui's preoccupation with matters concerning the Demon Race, some Human Race affairs that required his attention were neglected, and thus fell to Jiang Yuan.

"What?"

"Poisoned by Sha Qi? Caused by eating too much Fierce Beast meat?"