The Dao Spirit Human Race Submitted!

After Shi Xiao left, the hall remained silent for a long time.

Chen Yan had his eyes closed, as if he were asleep; but the two Nascent Soul elders beside him were restless, their gazes constantly drifting towards the outside of the hall.

The young Nascent Soul from the Giant Bear Clan has left, but the words he left behind carry more weight than he himself, and may even determine the fate of this group.

"Chieftain..."

The female cultivator finally couldn't help but ask, "Can the Giant Bear Clan truly be trusted?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan didn't even open his eyes.

Do you think we have any other options?

The female cultivator opened her mouth, but no words came out.

Another middle-aged man whispered, "In the past hundred years, three groups of cultivators from other races have passed through the outer perimeter of our clan's protective barrier."

The first two groups were alright; they just glanced at them from afar and left.

"But that wave last month..."

He paused, a hint of lingering fear appearing on his face.

"That Savage Flood Dragon in the Early Spirit Transformation directly crushed through our clan's outer layer of restrictions with its Divine Sense; if it hadn't been in a hurry to get on its way and hadn't been interested in dealing with a small clan like ours, it would have wiped us out long ago."

"Everyone, we outwardly call ourselves the Dao Spirit Human Race, a branch of the Human Race; but in the end, we are nothing more than a bunch of lowly scum of the Human Race."

"In all realms, Nascent Soul is nothing more than a slightly larger ant; let alone those great clans with Spirit Transformation cultivators, royal families with Dao Venerable in charge, or even imperial families!"

"The Dao Realm is currently in chaos. We are just a few incompetent ants; any slightly larger Nascent Soul clan would be enough to annihilate us."

"Let's all face reality. Being able to connect with the royal family is our honor, and it's also the best way out for us right now."

"Though I do not seek further advancement, I only wish for a peaceful life, to die of old age, and that will be enough. I should not ask for more."

After he finished speaking, the hall fell silent again.

Everyone understands the principle: three thousand years of seclusion, generations of people hiding and lying in wait; relying on remoteness and luck, but luck always runs out one day.

We must always think of future generations and ourselves, and find a way to survive.

Chen Yan finally opened his eyes.

The bitter smile on the old man's gaunt face had long since vanished, replaced by a calm that came from having made a decision.

"Pass down the order to summon all cultivators of the Golden Core stage or above in the clan."

"Chieftain, do you mean...?"

Chen Yan stood up, brushing the dust off his robe with his withered hand. "Just going through the motions, giving those old fogies in the clan some face."

He walked to the palace gate and looked at the Purple Lightning Ginseng fields that covered the mountains and plains in the valley.

"For three thousand years, my race has fled from the Human Realm, wandering through countless worlds, losing countless lives, before finally finding this peaceful place."

"Having a place to live is not the same as having a safe life."

"Small clans without powerful backers are nothing more than easy prey in the Dao Realm; if they aren't eaten today, they will be tomorrow."

"That young man from the Giant Bear Clan is right; if he can find this place, the next one to arrive might not be so polite to us."

The two elders exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

"Besides..."

Chen Yan lowered his voice slightly, "That young man is so young and already at the Nascent Soul, his status must be quite high."

"Trying to make a living in the future is already considered kind."

"If it were another ethnic group, they would probably take everyone, including the law, in one fell swoop; death might be better than death, but the worst thing is to become livestock for some other ethnic group, with one's descendants becoming food for them."

That night, the Dao Spirit Human Race's meeting proceeded as Chen Yan had predicted, without much trouble.

Although some of the Golden Core elders in the clan were stubborn and shouted, "Our clan would rather die than be slaves to Demon Beast," the hall fell silent when Chen Yan mentioned that the Savage Flood Dragon had broken through the restriction.

"Rather die than surrender" sounds nice, but if you really die, you lose everything.

More than three thousand years of heritage, and the lives of thousands of people, cannot be contained by a single harsh word.

Ultimately, the matter of submission was settled.

The next day, early morning.

Shi Xiao's Divine Sense detected the change in the restrictions in the valley; half of the outer layer of restrictions had been removed, which was a sign of goodwill.

He rose from the low hill outside the valley, and with a flash of light, landed in front of the stone hall.

Chen Yan was already waiting outside the hall, with two elders by his side and more than ten Golden Core Human Race standing behind him, each with a different expression.

Some felt relieved, some were unwilling, and some were apprehensive.

Chen Yan forward, cupped his hands in a respectful bow, and lowered his posture considerably.

"On behalf of the Dao Spirit Clan, I wish to submit to the Lightning Bear Line; in the future, whenever the Lightning Bear Line needs my services, my clan will serve them with utmost loyalty."

Shi Xiao nodded, his face showing no extra expression.

"Get up! Submitting is not the same as becoming slaves. If your clan is of use, my Lightning Bear Line will naturally protect you and give you a way to live."

He glanced at the Golden Core Human Race in front of the stone hall, his gaze lingering on a few of them for a moment.

Although these Human Race cultivators were not highly skilled, the calluses on their hands and the lingering Spirit Plant aura on their fingertips indicated that they were experienced Spirit Plant growers.

It can cultivate Spirit Plant, refine weapons, and build structures. These are skills that Demon Beast cannot perform before they reach the Nascent Soul.

What Lightning Bear Line lacked was precisely these qualities.

Back when my father was on the Profound Spirit Continent, he signed a contract with the Human Race to achieve mutual benefit and coexistence; the Human Race would manage his affairs, and he would repay him by protecting some of the Human Race.

Shi Jian had mentioned that experience to him more than once.

Shi Xiao thought to himself, what his father could do back then, he could naturally do too; in this way, he would put into practice what his father had done.

"Your clan's method of cultivating Purple Lightning Ginseng is truly remarkable."

Shi Xiao spoke, his tone calm yet sincere, "However, I suspect your clan possesses more than just the ability to Spirit Plant."

Upon hearing this, Chen Yan was slightly taken aback, then showed a hint of surprise.

"Fellow Daoist has excellent eyesight."

The old man nodded, "Although my Dao Spirit Clan has a low cultivation level, we do possess many unique Human Race skills passed down through generations, and the cultivation of Spirit Plant is just one of them."

"What about weapon forging?"

"Yes, there are three in the clan who are third-tier weapon-refining masters. Although their skills are not top-notch, they are more than capable of refining ordinary Law Artifact and low- to mid-tier Law Treasure."

"Where is the formation?"

"There are also a few people skilled in setting up formations, but they are all good at small formations, such as those for protecting mountains and gathering spiritual energy; as for large formations, they are not up to the task."

"In addition, there is the art of construction. There are many Dao of Wood in our clan who are skilled in civil engineering; they are good at finding the four elements of feng shui and building palaces and mansions, or finding the spiritual energy of the earth and regulating spiritual fields and medicinal gardens."

Upon hearing this, Shi Xiao became even more satisfied.

The Demon Beast are enormous, with clumsy claws, and those below the Nascent Soul are simply unable to take human form; those jobs requiring delicate craftsmanship are simply a pipe dream for Demon Beast.

Even if they have Dao of Refinement of alchemy skills, their general techniques are not considered very advanced.

Although Lightning Plain is now taking shape, the cultivation of Spirit Plant relies entirely on the clumsy digging and planting by demonic Demon Beast, which is frighteningly inefficient.

With the help of these Human Race, Lightning Plain's business will surely reach new heights.

"Your clan doesn't need to rush to move away."

Shi Xiao suppressed his smile and said seriously, "I will continue my journey south for several decades before returning."

"I will personally come to escort you to Lightning Plain for resettlement."

Chen Yan's expression shifted slightly, "Decades..."

"What, can't wait?"

"No, not at all." Chen Yan shook his head, a bitter smile forcing at the corner of his lips. "It's just that in the past few decades, if any foreign cultivators were to intrude again..."

Shi Xiao reached into his sleeve and took out a token.

The token is entirely purple-gold, engraved with a roaring giant bear surrounded by lightning patterns; it is Lightning Bear Line, personally forged by Shi Jian, and each one is infused with a wisp of the power of the Spirit Transformation.

"Take it."

Shi Xiao tossed the token to Chen Yan, "Hang it at the core of the restriction. Cultivators below the Spirit Transformation will sense its power and naturally dare not act rashly."

"Even if someone is at the Spirit Transformation, most of Spirit Transformation will give me face if I show this item; if anyone insists, then activate this token, and my clan's superior cultivators will provide support."

Chen Yan accepted it with both hands. It felt heavy in his hands. Although the power of the Spirit Transformation was extremely weak, it was like a sleeping beast, making people dare not underestimate it.

Chen Yan gripped the token tightly and bowed again.

"Thank you, sir."

Shi Xiao didn't say anything more and turned to leave; after taking a few steps, he suddenly stopped and glanced at the field of Purple Lightning Ginseng in the valley.

"By the way, if your clan has the resources, you could cultivate more Purple Lightning Ginseng of Rank 3 or higher; these will be very useful once you reach Lightning Plain."

"The higher the rank, the better. If you can cultivate a fourth-rank or even a fifth-rank cultivator, your clan might very well produce a Nascent Spirit Transformation in the future!"

Having received the promise, Chen Yan responded and watched as the purple-gold light soared into the sky and disappeared into the southern horizon in an instant.

The crowd stood in front of the hall for a long time until the streak of light completely disappeared, and only then did someone let out a long sigh of relief.

An old man in the Golden Core stage muttered under his breath, "To submit to Demon Beast... If our ancestors knew, they'd probably crawl out of their graves."

Chen Yan put the token into his pocket and didn't look back.

"Our ancestors were shameless when they escaped from the Human Realm; we are merely continuing tradition."

"Being alive is more important than anything else."

The old man opened his mouth, but ultimately remained silent. Yes, living is better than anything else; once you die, everything is empty.

This is the way of the world.