The Three Demons, in particular, all looked gratified. That only left the Demon Empress wondering what was wrong with her.
Breathing hard, she stared at them, then gave a rueful laugh. "Interesting. Very interesting! You Three Demons have ideals of your own? I remember the Three Pure Ones' ideals: Laozi's rule through nonaction, Yuanshi's exposition of the orthodox Heavenly Dao, and Tongtian's teaching without distinction. Three ideals, one for each of them, and their differences nearly led them to tear the world apart. So what ideals do you Three Demons have? And how does Ren fit them?"
The Three Demons gave the Demon Empress a headache, but she found them intriguing too. She could not resist asking.
Asked about their ideals—and with those of the Three Pure Ones brought up—the Heaven-Piercing Sword Demon stepped forward, his gaze sharp. He snorted. "Hmph... The Three Pure Ones' ideals are idiotic! Expounding the Heavenly Dao, teaching without distinction, ruling through nonaction—every last one is idle fantasy! Cultivation has always been a hard road. To walk it steadily, you need to kill. You need to pave it with your enemies' corpses!
"Flesh turns to mud and white bones to stone, building a grand road. That is the path cultivators like us walk! Whatever the ideal or method of cultivation, if it makes us stronger, we take it!
"If something can make us stronger, we use it—anything and everything within reach! Only then can we go farther along this brutal path. Unlike the Three Pure Ones' idealism, brutality lies at the heart of cultivation!
"That is why we Three Demons follow the Uniqueness Theory. What does it mean? It asks what one cultivates for. Some cultivate to satisfy their desires, some for revenge, and some for glory. But a true cultivator has only strength in