Chapter 996: The Human Race

This old skeleton blood-vine demon is actually Dong Xue He Wang in disguise, having lain hidden here for countless years.

In fact, the rise of the Skeleton Blood-Vine Demon Clan is tied to him; during this process, no one knew that Dong Xue He Wang secretly siphoned blood as nourishment for healing right under the Demon Rock Clan's noses.

Why, then, is Jiang Ding, a stranger with no local ties, here—and found Dong Xue He Wang when the Jiao Jiao Mingyu demon emperor clan could not?

It's simple: treat the great adept like cattle or horses.

Dong Xue He Wang's ability to hide and escape is actually quite good; with the vastness of space shielding him, Jiang Ding could never find a cultivation master deliberately evading him without luck and the Fixed Realm Array.

The world is so vast—if someone refuses to show themselves, no matter how powerful one's spiritual sense or sword intent, it's utterly useless.

But even if Dong Xue He Wang's concealment is unmatched—even if he hides beyond this world, in another Minor Thousand Worlds—it's useless. The calculation arts of a Cultivation Void great adept are profoundly mysterious; once they decide to find a Soul Transformation cultivator, as long as he's not too far away, it's a sure thing.

Jiang Ding is not a Taiyi Qingmu Xianzong Candidate Daozi, and thus has no deep reservations or hesitation toward Cultivation Void great adepts.

As long as the Cultivation Void great adept doesn't refuse, he'd gladly let the great adept do everything for him, needing only to open his mouth and eat—reducing all risk to the absolute minimum.

"Spare my life!"

"Your Reverence, spare my life!"

The old skeleton blood-vine demon dropped to his knees instantly, showing not a shred of dignity befitting a Soul Transformation cultivator, and pleaded pitifully: "This humble cultivator lacks proper lineage; besides a few tricks for escape and hiding, I am hardly worthy of the title of King."

"This humble cultivator was falsely accused! I never dared to spy on the Great Emperor Scripture! This was all the sabotage of Mo Shan of the Demon Rock Clan!"

He gritted his teeth: "That Mo Shan, for the selfish interests of the Demon Rock Clan, eliminated rivals—he's truly unworthy of being called human!"

Dong Xue He Wang looked as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Clearly, in his eyes, the man before him was a Jiao Jiao Mingyu demon emperor clan cultivator—and an extremely powerful one at that.

Otherwise, how could he suppress a Soul Transformation peak cultivator with mere thought?

"Injustice?"

"Perhaps not."

Jiang Ding had no intention of revealing his form before Dong Xue He Wang; he smiled and sighed: "The human race is precisely this Fan Gu Shen Zhong species, born unwilling to submit to others."

"This is tied to the human race's method of growth."

"No powerful bloodline, no stable class hierarchy, no one is born strong."

"In the process of ascending to higher realms, one by one, peaks once thought insurmountable are crossed, flattened—every task that once seemed impossible to the young self is accomplished."

"Step by step."

"Now, they've reached the edge of the Da Di Jing."

"When others tell you this is your final limit—do you accept it? Are you willing?"

"Someone tells you this is your endpoint — are you convinced? Are you willing to accept it?"

"Willing?"

The old skeleton blood-vine demon trembled.

These words struck straight to his heart, perfectly mirroring his deepest inner cry—as if another version of himself were speaking.

The old skeleton blood-vine demon fell silent for a long while, no longer offering excuses.

"Emperor clan,"

"Do you have such profound understanding of our human race, a species no better than ants?"

Dong Xue He Wang let out a bitter laugh: "So I see—why the emperor clan became the dominion's masters. Every aspect is powerful, not the reckless, shallow fools we once believed them to be."

"It's truly disheartening."

His heart sank to the lowest depths.

Strong as they are, that's fine.

But to remain humble and clear-minded even toward ants—this leaves him no possible way to overthrow the Jiao Jiao Mingyu demon emperor clan's rule.

"Within any clan, there must always be those who study every aspect."

Jiang Ding neither confirmed nor denied Dong Xue He Wang's misconception, nor did he intend to confide in him or beg for his aid.

No need.

A Soul Transformation cultivator raised in the brutal environment of Jiao Jiao Mingyu has abysmal morals and no bottom line; survival justifies anything, but such a person is utterly untrustworthy.

Of course, even if he seemed trustworthy, Jiang Ding still wouldn't accept his help.

"Answer my question."

"Why didn't you drink this blood-spirit wine?"

Jiang Ding asked: "I've reviewed your dossier—you're meticulous, rose from the lowest slave class, and as a youth, you hoarded spiritual stones penny by penny; this was one of your key reasons for rising—skilled at wealth-building, frugal, and once served as Grand Treasurer of the Ministry of Finance in Huoshidi Palace, heavily favored by the Yan Shi family."

"You never abandoned this habit even when you reached King rank."

"So why abandon this bottle of blood-spirit wine?"

Jiang Ding asked curiously.

He was evaluating, stirring Dong Xue He Wang's emotions and soul energy, preparing for what came next.

"Because this wine is brewed from human blood."

Dong Xue He Wang said, downcast.

He appeared utterly defeated, yet secretly still clung to hope, searching for every possible chance, still buying time, refusing to abandon even the tiniest possibility of escape.

"Human blood?"

Jiang Ding was puzzled, skeptical.

"You've killed billions by now to reach your current state—most of them human, since humans are your own kind, whom you understand best, knowing exactly how far to go without provoking the Jiao Jiao Mingyu emperor clan's suppression or the resentment of other slave-king rivals."

"Aren't the blood and souls of these dead humans the very nourishment that fueled your growth?"

"These dead members of the human race — their blood, their souls — didn't they all become the nourishment for your growth?"

"No, this is different."

"No, this is different."

Blood River King shook his head: "I cultivate using their blood and souls; this is the law of strength and weakness, where the weak become meat for the strong. If I were weak and defeated, I too should become nourishment for others' cultivation. This is only right."

"But this wine is different."

"It is food."

"I cannot use humans as food."

"I can kill them, I can plunder everything they have for cultivation, but I cannot use humans as food, because humans are not food to begin with; they are sentient beings with spirits."

He possessed a rigorous logic of Dao-heart.

Although this result made no difference to those who died under his hand; whether as food or as cultivation resources, they were all dead.

"The strong prey on the weak."

"Is this your Dao-heart, your 'principle'?"

Jiang Ding pondered thoughtfully.

"In that case, it is fitting..."

"Fitting?!"

A strong sense of warning surged in Blood River King's heart.

But before he could do anything, everything before his eyes grew dim and hazy; a few breaths later, his soul lost consciousness, and he collapsed to the ground.

Jiang Ding watched silently.

Under his gaze, the old skeleton blood-vine demon's body crumbled, revealing a middle-aged cultivator with snow-white hair and a robe of blood. His face was handsome yet eerie, with light like flowing blood in his pupils, looking bizarre and terrifying.

This was Blood River King's true form.

At this moment, wisps of gray-black sword qi spread from Blood River King's limbs, flooding into his heart, surging into his meridians, pouring into his dantian, and then rushing into his skull and soul, beginning to control everything within him.

It is estimated that full control will be achieved in ten years.

This is the secret technique of the Shadow Demon Abyss: the Puppet Soul-Thread Guiding Art.

Continuing tonight.