Chapter 1673: Clearing Up The Situation
Xie Aman nodded. "That's roughly the idea."
Fang Chen felt a sudden clarity. The situation in the Nine Mortal Realms was becoming increasingly clear. If the world were a chessboard, then before, a thin veil had covered it. If you couldn't even see the board, how could you play?
"Now let's talk about the Fallen Immortals and the demon race," Xie Aman said. "You should know a thing or two about how the Fallen Immortals came into being."
Fang Chen nodded.
Xie Aman continued, "The Fallen Immortals are something even the demon race can no longer control. That's why they are unwilling to continue cooperating with them. The Fallen Immortals are inherently greedy, ruthless, cunning, and vicious. They have long coveted the Nine Realms. The clues you obtained allowed us to link the Divine Dao Sect with the Fallen Immortals. At the same time, we arrived at a terrifying conclusion.
"You heard this in the Elder Council, the True King Clan possesses an ancient spiritual treasure called the True Immortal Ancient Mirror, ranked third on the Spiritual Treasure Rankings. The Divine Dao Sect possesses an ancient spiritual treasure called the God Decree Ranking, ranked fifth.
"If the spirits of these two treasures are awakened and they join forces, they can independently control the Blood Gate Border of the Lesser Immortal Realm. That gives the demonic race the foundational condition to cooperate with the Fallen Immortals."
"The demons may be playing with fire," Fang Chen said solemnly.
Chen Enxue smiled faintly. "Cooperating with the Fallen Immortals is indeed playing with fire. But they believe the flames will burn us first."
"Because we humans, like the demon race before us, attempted, and succeeded, in occupying the Nine Realms?" mused Fang Chen. "If that's the case, then the demonic beast race's desire to exterminate humanity is logically consistent. If I were in their position, I might think the same."
"You underestimate the human heart, or perhaps you're still too naive." Xie Aman scoffed. "According to historical records, the demonic beast race had been nearly destroyed at that time. When we humans arrived here, this place was already in ruins. We drove the invaders away and allowed the demonic beasts to exist instead of wiping them out."
She huffed. "If they wish to hate someone, they should first hate the invaders who beat them into fleeing strays."
This was the first time Fang Chen had heard such a version of history, leaving him stunned.
"Senior Sister, are you saying there was another force in the Nine Realms back then?"
"Yes. I suspect that force was the earliest incarnation of the demon race." Xie Aman let out a cold laugh. "After being driven away, they settled elsewhere. After many years, perhaps they could no longer remain there, or perhaps the demonic beasts contacted them through some method. In the end, they once again returned to the Nine Mortal Realms, triggering chaos across the Three Realms."
She smiled faintly. "So the current stance of the demonic beast race requires little speculation. They want to exterminate the Human Race. They may have nearly succeeded already, though they have mostly relied on borrowed strength rather than acting directly. Only this time, they likely feel things are slipping beyond their control. The demon race's movements have grown increasingly frequent. Perhaps sensing danger, they chose to ally with the Fallen Immortals."
Fang Chen's mind raced. "So that means the Human Race now faces not only the Demon Race, but also the demonic beast race, the Fallen Immortals, and potentially the Motian Division.
"Meanwhile, the demonic beast race and the Fallen Immortals are allied, treating humanity as their primary enemy. After dealing with us, they would turn on the demon race. As for the demon race, their goal is to seize the Nine Mortal Realms and establish themselves here. So aside from us, they must also confront the demonic beast race and the Fallen Immortals. Only the Motian Division might remain detached from the fray."
Fang Chen then caught another key point. The demonic beast race did not need to divide its strength to deal with both humans and demons separately. At this point, the humans and demons had essentially become indistinguishable. From another perspective, among the five factions, the humans and demons had ironically become the most likely to ally.
Xie Aman looked at him encouragingly. "You've realized something."
Fang Chen exhaled. "The human race and the demon race may be able to ally and fight the demonic beast race and the Fallen Immortals together. And whichever side can bring the Motian Division into their camp would likely win this war."
For the first time, the chessboard was fully laid out before him, yet the thought that humans and demons might ultimately ally was almost laughable.
Xie Aman nodded with a smile. "Your reasoning is mostly correct. And the Motian Division is also relatively close to us, and they are already cooperating with the demon race. There's little chance they would be drawn over by the demonic beast race or the Fallen Immortals. Cooperating with the demon race is like bargaining with a tiger. What they want isn't just a small patch of land. They want the entire Nine Mortal Realms."
Chen Enxue smiled lightly. "And given their nature, they would never hand the Underworld over to Motian Dizang. He surely understands that as well. So even during cooperation, the Motian Division may turn against them."
Xie Aman rubbed her temples. "It truly is a troublesome situation."
"Senior Sister, what do the higher-ups say?" Fang Chen asked.
"We still have some time. The demonic beasts have hidden themselves deeply in recent years. We aren't fully certain of their strength. But we can confirm the True Immortal Ancient Mirror has not been awakened for long. And their cooperation with the Fallen Immortals is still in its early stages. Their intention is that if we can identify the most crucial members of the demon race during this window, everything will fall into place."
Fang Chen nodded. "So for now, our primary enemy remains the demon race."
Xie Aman nodded. "That likely requires action in the Taicang Realm."
Chen Enxue frowned. "But we don't know who is human and who is a demon. They are hidden in the shadows, while we stand in the open. How do we fight such a war? Even if the Enlightenment God Palace goes to the Taicang Realm, our core disciples may walk into one trap after another."
"No need to worry. Someone has already gone to the Shenwang Realm. The Grand Limitless Divine Mirror should be returning soon. With that artifact, no demon will be able to hide." Xie Aman smiled faintly. "For now, we wait. It may not be long before we depart for the Taicang Realm. Unfortunately, you won't be going. Stay here and rest."
Depart for the Taicang Realm?
Fang Chen's expression shifted slightly.
It seemed the higher-ups had indeed formulated a countermeasure. Also, if the Grand Limitless Divine Mirror could really distinguish between humans and demons as Xie Aman said, then it would be a decisive asset in the coming war. He was curious who the Enlightenment God Palace had sent to retrieve it from the Shenwang Realm.
Has the Palace Master gone personally?
"I don't particularly want to go to the Taicang Realm either. Staying here gives me a chance to rest." Chen Enxue smiled faintly, then glanced at Fang Chen. "Ninth Brother, I'll leave that item with you for now. Don't lose it."
"Don't worry, Third Senior Sister. Even if I lose myself, I won't lose it."
"What item?" Xie Aman asked curiously.
Chen Enxue said coolly, "Do you have to ask about everything? Are we not allowed any secrets?"
"Fine, I won't ask. Ninth Brother, come back with me."
Xie Aman snorted and pulled Fang Chen to his feet, leaving with him.
