Chapter 40

This would benefit our plans going forward.

We only needed to use him to divert some attention.

He knew nothing of the Witch Slaying Sword plot, so how could he guess our true intentions?

Taiyi fell silent for a moment before asking, "Using the Imperial Son's descent alone to complete the Witch Slaying Sword's refinement will likely burden them with immense karma and Karmic Debt. They will inevitably be drawn into the calamity."

"After all, they are our elder brother's bloodline..."

Di Jun's smile faded at those words.

After a moment, a vicious glint flashed through his eyes. "If all goes well and the Witch Slaying Sword is forged, the Witch Clan will vanish from the primordial world completely!"

"Then you and I will rule Heaven and Earth. With this merit and the Heavenly Court's fortune, we will attain sainthood. None of this will matter."

Seeing that his elder brother had made up his mind, Taiyi stopped trying to dissuade him and chose to offer his full support.

After leaving the Heavenly Court,

Lu Tian used the demon clan's grand formation to teleport repeatedly. At last, he left the Thirty-Third Heaven and returned to the primordial land.

He sped westward all the way.

With the spirit vessel's aid, he traveled far faster than before. He crossed mountains when he encountered them and forded rivers when they blocked his path, collecting quite a few system rewards along the way.

After flying like this for more than a thousand years, he had already covered over half the journey.

Unfortunately, he had yet to encounter any top-tier Blessed Lands, and the rewards he obtained were nothing remarkable.

Until this day—

Lu Tian suddenly halted, his brows tightly furrowed.

Recently, the protective jade stones he had given the human race had been destroyed one after another.

The human race was weak, so damaged jade stones were normal. Yet the frequency had been steadily increasing lately.

He had given out several hundred jade talismans. More than half had shattered in the past few decades, exceeding the total number destroyed over the previous twenty thousand years.

Such an abnormal situation caught his attention.

At that moment, he sensed someone nearby activating another jade talisman.

Lu Tian decided to investigate.

Human Tribe Disturbance Shocks the Three Pure Ones!

A mere Taiyi Golden Immortal's Divine Sense dared to show off?

It was their fortune that the human race possessed such a thing.

But how could ants know how high the heavens were?

On the wasteland, a demon general with a bird's head and deer's body held a blood-red jade bottle in his left hand and a soul-binding chain in his right. Demonic winds obscured the surrounding lands.

Below him, a crowd continuously kowtowed toward a hovering jade talisman.

The phantom figure formed by the jade talisman mechanically cast its arts, only to be shattered by the demon general's upturned palm. As a descendant of the demon sage Fei Lian, a peak Taiyi Golden Immortal, crushing this Divine Sense took no effort at all.

The blood jade bottle tipped upside down, and several hundred humans instantly had their flesh and blood dissolved. Their souls became bloody streams that flowed into the bottle's mouth.

"Bullying mortals—is this the conduct of a demon sage's descendant?"

The moment the cold voice rang out, the demon general saw only a flash of blade light before both body and soul were obliterated.

The survivors kowtowed frantically, but Lu Tian stared at the jade bottle now in his possession. This crude artifact did not even qualify as a low-grade spiritual treasure, yet the churning sea of blood inside made his pupils contract sharply.

Lu Tian looked up. That jade bottle had devoured at least a million living beings!

Even so, the space inside was only one-tenth full.

It seemed that whoever had refined this object was still unsatisfied with the blood essence of a million beings.

What use did human blood essence and souls have?

Thinking of the primordial world's legends, three words suddenly flashed through Lu Tian's mind—

The Witch Slaying Sword!

In the past, the demon clan had slaughtered the human race precisely to forge this sword against the Witch Clan!

This demon belonged to Fei Lian's lineage and had to be a trusted core subordinate.

Sending such an important figure down to gather blood essence made the purpose obvious.

No wonder jade talismans had been shattering so frequently lately...

They did not even spare scattered migrating humans...

One could imagine that the casualties in human settlements were likely even worse.

The crowd below the mountain was still kneeling devoutly before Lu Tian.

Twenty thousand years had passed.

They were no longer the humans who had received Lu Tian's aid and migrated westward back then.

Even with cultivation methods passed down, the first generation of humans had long since died. These were now descendants of who knew how many generations later.

Yet Lu Tian's appearance remained etched into their bloodline.

Looking at these people, a plan suddenly formed in Lu Tian's heart.

Now that the demon clan was forging the Witch Slaying Sword, the human race's vitality had been greatly damaged—

The Three Pure Ones, who controlled the human race's fortune, surely knew of this matter.

Since they had chosen to stand by and watch, then perhaps...

He could take this opportunity to secretly move some humans west. It probably would not attract attention.

He had previously feared the Three Pure Ones holding him accountable and had not dared act rashly. But since they had tacitly allowed the loss of fortune, they likely would not investigate where it went.

The more he considered it, the more feasible the plan seemed.

Even if it was discovered, he had an excuse: he could simply say that he pitied the human race and knew nothing of their fortune.

Speaking of pity—

Lu Tian did hold some old affection for the human race.

But after surviving in the primordial world for tens of thousands of years, the law of the strong devouring the weak had long since seeped into his bones.

If it benefited himself without harming others, what was wrong with doing it casually?

He descended from the clouds and solemnly asked, "Over these twenty thousand years, have you continued migrating west as I instructed?"

The leading Human Immortal hurriedly kowtowed. "We would never dare disobey the immortal's decree. Generation after generation, we have traveled west without daring to stop!"

"However, our cultivation is weak, and our tribe still has mortal elders and children. Our progress has been slow... We have not yet reached even halfway."

Lu Tian nodded slightly.

He had not known the progress of the Witch-Demon Calamity before, so he had intended to let them travel slowly anyway.

Time was long. A hundred thousand years or even a million years was no more than the flick of a finger.

"Have you worshiped the Western Teachings?"

"Reporting to the immortal, we burn incense and pray every day. We simply know little of the teachings or the names of the sect's leaders, and we hope the immortal will guide us."

Lu Tian lowered his head, pretending to be moved.

The act had to be convincing.

"Alas, I was once just like you..."

"Forget it. Let us not speak of old matters."

"Since your hearts are sincere, I will grant you an opportunity. Are you willing to travel west with me?"

The human cultivators froze, then immediately prostrated themselves and kowtowed like rain. "We are willing! We are willing to follow the immortal!"

To the human race,

there was no difference between east and west.

Survival and a good life were what truly mattered!

With a compassionate immortal like Lu Tian protecting them, traveling west would be even safer. Was that not a fine thing?

The corners of Lu Tian's mouth lifted slightly.

With a sweep of his sleeve, he gathered them into the spirit vessel's cabin space and settled them there.

He then urged the spirit vessel westward, traveling along the way.

He searched for Blessed Lands while "happening upon" humans.

Those he found agreeable, he brought aboard the vessel.

Three thousand years passed. By the time the spirit vessel reached Two Realms Mountain again,

the cabin already carried a million living beings!

If he allowed them to take root and multiply in the west,

then within ten thousand years, they would surely give rise to a flourishing civilization!

However—

Just as Lu Tian crossed the border mountains,

within Kunlun Mountain's Eight Sceneries Palace,

Dao De Tianzun abruptly opened his eyes!

He sensed that,

apart from the human race's fortune consumed by the demon clan,

another stream of fortune was strangely flowing westward!

A saint perceived every detail:

the demon clan's calamity was decreed by Heaven's Dao,

but someone was clearly meddling with the fortune flowing west!

His gaze pierced through the void,

reaching directly beyond the mountain range—

"Lu Tian?"

"Why is he taking humans west?"

"Is this Jieyin and Zhunti's scheme?"

Dao De Tianzun's expression darkened,

and he immediately sent word to Yuanshi and Tongtian:

"Come to Two Realms Mountain at once!"

Three beams of holy light shot into the sky from Kunlun Mountain,

crossing the heavens in an instant

and halting the spirit vessel amid the clouds!

The spirit vessel stopped,

and the ones blocking its path were none other than the Three Pure Ones themselves!

The saints had come in person,

showing just how important the human race's fortune was.

Lu Tian had ultimately underestimated the saints' abilities!

He had assumed the Three Pure Ones would not care about such a trifling loss. Compared to the demon clan's actions, this small loss of fortune was but a drop in the ocean.

Yet the Three Pure Ones had noticed, and they had arrived in an instant.

Lu Tian hurriedly stepped out of the spirit vessel and respectfully bowed to the Three Pure Ones.

"Lu Tian greets the three senior uncles."

Before saints, one had to bow when it was time to bow.

"Martial Nephew Lu, why are you taking these humans with you on your return to the west?"

Dao De Tianzun was the first to question him.

Lu Tian let out a long sigh.

"To be honest with you, Senior Uncle, when I traveled to Kunlun Mountain years ago, I saw the human race's perseverance and was moved. I merely did what little I could to help."

"During my return west this time, I happened upon the demon clan slaughtering humans. Unable to bear it, I intervened to save them."

"Seeing these humans, I seemed to see my former self—when I traveled from the west to the east in search of the Dao, I too suffered constant bullying due to my low cultivation..."

As he spoke, his voice choked with emotion and his expression became sorrowful.

The Three Pure Ones fell silent for a moment.

For some reason, the scene felt strangely familiar.

Lu Tian lowered his head, not daring to look up.

He feared that a moment of carelessness would make him laugh out loud.

Compared to his two masters, he was still lacking in skill.

But now that he was plotting over the human race's fortune and facing the Three Pure Ones, he had no choice but to use the Western Teachings' signature technique.

"Good disciple, you have suffered!"

A pained cry came from the horizon. Two streaks of light arrived in an instant, shielding Lu Tian behind them.

His masters had arrived.

Lu Tian secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Facing the Three Pure Ones directly felt like having thorns pressed against his back. One misstep could bring eternal doom!

Zhunti placed a hand on Lu Tian's shoulder, tears glimmering in his eyes.

"After enduring such hardship, you still retain kindness in your heart. That is truly rare."

Lu Tian gazed into his master's eyes and secretly sighed in admiration—

This performance of compassion for all living beings had truly reached perfection.

Dao De Tianzun's face darkened. "Lu Tian, regardless of your reasons, send the humans back at once, and I will let the matter rest."

He turned to Jieyin and Zhunti, his tone stern.

"You two should know that the human race concerns the calamity. How can you be allowed to act so recklessly!"

"I say this for your sake as well. If you become entangled in the Witch-Demon Killing Tribulation, it will be too late for regret."

Jieyin and Zhunti's expressions abruptly turned cold.

"Fellow Daoist, are you lecturing this poor monk?"

"My disciple is mine to discipline. It is not for outsiders to meddle!"

A chill flashed in Jieyin's eyes, and the pressure around him surged abruptly, throwing the skies of the West into turmoil!

Zhunti's expression darkened at once, his chest heaving as he said hoarsely, "This humble monk has always been compassionate. Seeing the human race suffering, I could not bear it and offered a little aid. What is wrong with that? Must you obstruct even this?"

Alas, the spiritual veins of our West have been utterly destroyed, our resources depleted. We have long since become a barren land...

The two played off each other so smoothly that Taiqing Daoist was left speechless.

Lu Tian watched his two masters' flawless performance, a thoughtful glint passing through his eyes.

Age truly brought wisdom.

Compared to his masters, he was still far too inexperienced.

Taiqing Daoist's hands trembled slightly within his sleeves.

Zhunti had only been putting on an act earlier, but now Taiqing Daoist was genuinely enraged.

This master and his two disciples were all troublemakers!

"I must take these people away today!" he declared resolutely. "Since you two are saints of the Heavenly Dao, do you not know how grave this calamity is? If you insist on stopping me, do not blame the three brothers for settling this with our hands!"

"Grave?" Jieyin raised a brow mockingly.

A saint's heart was aligned with the Heavenly Dao, so he naturally understood the importance of the human race in this calamity.

But to the human race, these million living beings were no more than a drop in the ocean!

Taiqing Daoist's lofty words were nothing more than an unwillingness to let the West share in the fortune of destiny.

Though he had yet to discern the mysteries of the human race, Taiqing Daoist's anxiety made it clear that Lu Tian had stumbled into a tremendous opportunity for the West!