Chapter 1203: All Races Are Human — A Theory

Great Sun Heavenly Pool, within the Sun Abyss.

Jiang Ding was convening a general-officer-level military conference of the Jiao Jiao Mingyu Second Expeditionary Army Group; all Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun and Soul Transformation Canghai Tianjun were in attendance.

"Our objective this time is to pacify the one hundred Minor Thousand Worlds of Jiao Jiao Mingyu."

"The strategy adopted by the General Staff is to combine suppression with pacification — it is both a military war and a political war. While exterminating the resistance forces, we must establish our own order."

A vast, hazy star map spread out before Jiang Ding, with numerous generals seated upright and solemn below.

"Given this, military discipline is of the utmost importance."

"I do not know how you ordinarily regard the army, but here in the Immortal Gate, one must obey military orders completely. Those who disobey die; those who slaughter without authorization die; those who privately hoard spoils will be severely punished."

"Of course, for your military merits, the Immortal Gate has corresponding rewards — they may be magic treasures, pills, scripture-grade Gong Fa, or they may be changes in position, advancement in sect ranking. Within the legal scope of the Immortal Gate, nothing is off-limits. The division of spoils also has a corresponding system; you may refer to the regulations just issued to you."

"Is this clear?"

Jiang Ding asked.

"Deputy Commander, we understand!"

Many Nascent Soul Master Dinghai Zhenjun and Soul Transformation cultivators felt an inexplicable chill in their hearts and respectfully assented.

"Deputy Commander,"

After a while, Hua Shen Chu Qi cultivator Fire Leopard Three, mustering his courage, asked: "If one accumulates enough military merit, can one become a citizen of the Immortal Gate through merit?"

At these words, many cultivators looked over at once, revealing gazes of longing.

Immortal Gate citizenship had become, in their hearts, something nearly sacred.

It represented safety, acceptance, countless Gong Fa and scriptures, cultivation far surpassing the present, and a bright future on the great Dao.

Yet becoming an Immortal Gate citizen always seemed like the moon in water, a flower in a mirror — forever before one's eyes, yet never truly attainable.

"No."

Jiang Ding did not conceal or gloss over anything, and said with a trace of regret: "I am pushing this matter forward, however, at present it still cannot become reality. The rewards you may earn for merit are only the Gong Fa, pills, magic treasures, and so forth mentioned above, along with an increase in your ideological-moral virtue score."

"You ask whether I can accumulate merit to become an Immortal Gate citizen?"

"My answer is: not at present."

The Immortal Gate's ideological-moral virtue is not merely the Ji De Xiang Fa in a cultivator's heart, but also their actual conduct. A cultivator who has Li You Da Gong to the Immortal Gate naturally has a high ideological-moral virtue score.

A person who has caused grave harm to the Immortal Gate — regardless of what they think in their heart, whether benevolent or malicious — must necessarily fail the ideological-moral virtue standard.

Ideological-moral virtue is idealist, and moreover materialist.

"I understand."

Fire Leopard Three, unable to hide his disappointment, saluted upward and sat down.

The spirits of the surrounding Minor Thousand Worlds cultivators visibly sank.

"Our enemies are the various races and tribal powers of the Minor Thousand Worlds — the former slave races of the Jiao Mo Imperial Clan."

Jiang Ding's expression was calm as he continued: "As for the Badaxian Sect, they may be present, but they have not yet come out openly under a clear banner. They merely instigate the various slave races toward independence, standing behind the curtain. We need only be on our guard against them."

The Immortal Gate need not consider anyone's Ren De Xiang Fa in order to provide anyone a channel of advancement.

From beginning to end, the Immortal Gate has always proceeded from its own interests.

If these cultivators harbor resentment in their hearts, then let them harbor resentment.

Since ancient times, no ruler of a realm has failed to accumulate resentment — neither the Jiao Mo Imperial Clan nor the Badaxian Sect could guarantee the interests of all.

Those who cannot overcome their own resentment, whose Dao heart of ideological-moral virtue is altered by this matter and who harbor divided loyalties — they are not the immigrants the Immortal Gate desires.

Whether they understand or not, everyone must understand one thing.

The interests of citizens must come first!

Otherwise, although the Immortal Gate has always presented itself as equal, not like the Immortal Sects that constantly demand Minor Thousand Worlds cultivators perform the kneeling bow, and although Immortal Gate cultivators speak in mild tones, not condescending or overbearing —

Yet if Minor Thousand Worlds cultivators thereby neglect the Immortal Gate's dignity, forget that this is a hegemonic power of a realm, and believe they should enjoy the same treatment as a hegemonic power of a realm —

Then those who hold such thoughts need to be naturally eliminated.

A faint, cold aura arose upon the Immortal Gate cultivators such as Great Sun Canghai Tianjun and Teacher Gu Lin.

Many Minor Thousand Worlds cultivators felt an inexplicable jolt in their hearts.

At this moment, even those who truly harbored resentment fiercely hid their thoughts, their faces growing ever more reverent, wearing down the resentment in their hearts, not daring to let it spread further.

"Your main mission is to hold the Minor Thousand Worlds already occupied, and to serve as mid-level officers in the Jiao Jiao Mingyu conscripted legions."

"You need not fight for kills; you need only hold your ground and wait for the Immortal Gate's reinforcements."

Jiang Ding's gaze swept over the many Minor Thousand Worlds cultivators below.

"Yes, Deputy Commander!"

The many Soul Transformation and Nascent Soul cultivators of the Minor Thousand Worlds thundered their assent.

"In addition, among the rebellious Minor Thousand Worlds slave-race forces, there exists a power called the Blood Vine Demon Imperial Court."

"This power, this race, slaughtered over ten thousand citizens of the Immortal Gate."

Jiang Ding said with keen interest: "What do you all think should be done?"

Many gazes turned toward the Blood Vine Demon Emperor's child, Flower Vine.

She was a Canghai Tianjun in the form of a human woman, with delicate features and a gentle, frail air; her hair was

a tangle of emerald-green, dewy vines, sprouting many branches and leaves.

"Deputy Commander!"

"All guilty Blood Vine Demons, and all Blood Vine Demons who directly or indirectly participated in this matter, should be put to death."

Flower Vine said without the slightest hesitation: "The remaining Blood Vine Demons are a subordinate race of the Immortal Gate, who were deceived; this matter has nothing to do with them. It was these criminals like Steel Bone who committed an unforgivable Da Gong."

"Very good."

Jiang Ding nodded slightly.

Such words might well have come from the heart.

After all, she had lived within the Immortal Sect's territory since childhood, and the Skeletal Blood Vine Demon clan of the past also followed the law of the jungle, with fierce infighting within the race and no real familial bonds.

Even if there were any, it would only be affection for the entire race, not for any specific individuals.

It could also be a disguise.

This might cause her ideological-moral score to plummet below passing — no Soul Transformation cultivator could deceive the Central Array Spirit Computer.

Neither of these two matters.

The realm's prodigies are inexhaustible; no one is indispensable. The Immortal Sect merely selects a batch of people it needs, who fit its own path, and does not care about any particular prodigy.

However, judging from past learning assessments, Flower Vine should be sincere — her ideological-moral score is very high, basically above one hundred and thirty on every test, and she genuinely supports the Immortal Sect.

For this reason, she even came up with a theory.

Namely, the "All Races Are Human" theory.

Tiger race, fox race, ghost race, ant race… and so on — are these demon races?

No, they are not.

They are the human race.

Normally, all cultivators take human form, only revealing different combat forms when fighting — just like human cultivators who practice transformation Gong Fa, nothing unusual about it.

This is the reason Flower Vine displays a human form.

She believes that all races are merely different forms of the human race, with no essential distinction.

Hum!

After the military council ended, officers of every rank returned to camp, the realm passage teleportation array activated, countless spatial teleportation lights flickered, and Dayang Dayang Tianchi, carrying several million troops for the suppression campaign, vanished from the Nine Spirit Domain.