Chapter 20

Zhao Si did not hesitate much and quickly came up with a response:

"Feigning profundity to confuse Guang Chengzi and their judgment, making them mistakenly think my identity is extraordinary, then having them voluntarily explain the trade proposal."

【Faced with the probing of the Jie Sect disciples, you decided (feigning profundity, to seize the initiative in communication).】

【You laughed inexplicably, indicating that you knew their purpose.】

【Guang Chengzi was doubtful and uncertain, then feigned calm, saying he didn't understand what you, Dao friend, meant; he had brought his fellow disciples merely to help you develop the human race better……】

【You smiled without speaking.】

【He slapped his hand, Guang Chengzi solemnly asked how much you actually knew; you shook your head, indicating you knew all you should know, after all humanity is the creation of the goddess Nüwa, I can already work here, Dao friend you are an outsider, what you know may not even be as much as mine……】

Again, need to write.

You seem a bit too extreme.

【Seeing you bring up Nüwa, Guang Chengzi suddenly realized, finally dropping the pretense, frankly stating that he and his companions came for merit, and please, Dao friend, grant us a convenience.】

Guang Chengzi's suggestion must absolutely not be listened to!

But if we just refuse outright, that bunch of merit‑crazy sage disciples might do something crazy, landing us with a deadly big task.

【This way, humanity fundamentally cannot break free from cultivators to survive independently; it's just a merit‑grinding machine!】

Looks like heaven still has eyes; after all, it finally rounded up these heaven‑defying things……

【Guang Chengzi's heaven‑defying remarks left you greatly shocked, and you couldn't help but retort: 'Aren't you also of the Demon Race?】

A gift?

Zhao Si's heart stirred:

"Bind!"

【Ding! A gift from an important figure of the wilderness has been detected; bind it?】

Zhao Si sighed; he naturally could not accept Guang Chengzi's proposal of 'de‑cultivation,' after all the fundamental goal of this simulation is still to cling to humanity as the 'heaven‑mandated protagonist'.

【But because your tiger skin was overstretched, even related to the sage Nüwa, Guang Chengzi ultimately could not bring himself to kill you, so he reluctantly agreed to your win‑win terms as a fallback.】

【Guang Chengzi smiled and asked, 'Dao friend, can you accept this?】

No wonder during the Investiture of the Gods catastrophe, everyone claimed they had committed multiple killing calamities; after the battle, the Jie Sect basically all ascended to the list, while the Chan Sect had only a few big and small cats—turns out the root lies here.

As mortal vassals, you just need to kowtow respectfully; who knows, if I, the immortal, am in a good mood, I might grant you favorable rain……

【You inquired about his trade proposal; Guang Chengzi said they originally planned to destroy all human cities, drive everyone back to villages and tribes, then use brainwashing to abolish writing, language, and all civilizational achievements, after which they would rebuild……】

【As part of the trade, you allowed disciples of the Jie Sect and Chan Sect to seek merit in humanity through proper means; although the disciples were dissatisfied with your conservatism, they still paid you the corresponding price.】

【Thus you frowned and shook your head, indicating that while merit is good, how could humanity possibly survive alone in the wilderness under such conduct? With so many demons and monsters……】

If humanity were truly that useless, even if in the future we relied on the sage disciples' help to successfully overthrow the Heavenly Court, such a heaven‑and‑earth protagonist could basically not become the backing I desire.

【You continue to smile without speaking.】

【Guang Chengzi's forehead showed sweat.】

【Guang Chengzi began to reconsider the possibility of doing away with you……】

【The Heavenly Emperor's ideal of making all spirits equal under one race—really…… is it wrong?】

So, the trade must still be carried out, but we cannot sell off humanity's future……

Zhao Si widened his eyes, finally understanding why humanity, after overturning the Heavenly Court, always ends up slaughtering the Demon Race everywhere—it turns out you lot of old timers from that sect have extreme ideas!

【In a wilderness where Taiyi immortals walk the ground and Golden Immortals are worse than dogs, how can a group of utterly un‑cultivated mortals possibly scrape by? This is simply forcing humanity to be bound to the cultivators of the two sects; once timely aid fails, casualties are horrendous to behold.】

【Guang Chengzi wore a blank face, then snorted, saying he was an innate spirit who attained the Dao, not a lowly Demon Race; the other Jie Sect and Chan Sect disciples also laughed loudly, calling the 'Demon Race' a false collective concept utterly ridiculous; if we follow that theory, then sages are demons, patriarchs are demons, and Pangu is a 'fairy' born of Chaos!】

【Seeing their disdainful smiles, I only feel we are not on the same path…… Why must we divide sentient beings into ranked races? Let us all join the Demon Race together, set aside prejudices born of racial differences—wouldn't that be good? At least now that the concept of the Demon Race has taken root in people's hearts, it is truly peaceful.】

"Agree to let them participate to earn merit, but do not agree to deprive them of the opportunity for mortal cultivation; seek a win‑win approach between the two."

【Bound gifts from important wilderness figures received: 'Guang Chengzi's Immortal‑Slaying Sword!' and 'Duobao Daoist's Five‑Element Fruit Trees!'】

【Guang Chengzi's face slightly changed color.】

【Thinking this, you grow ever more averse to those self‑proclaimed noble sage disciples; thus you (?) please fill in freely.】

As the orthodox lineages of the sages, the Jie Sect and Chan Sect certainly have plenty of good things, especially during the Investiture of the Gods era, when both sides exchanged various magical treasures, immortal arts, and grand formations; theoretically, their gifts should probably be magical treasures of that sort.

【You told Guang Chengzi that you could agree to let them earn merit in humanity, but must allow humanity to cultivate freely.】

【Of course, since Dao friend has made clear that you are under the command of the goddess Nüwa, there's no need to go that far; they intend only to strip the cultivators among humanity of their cultivation, leaving everyone as powerless mortals.】

【This way, humanity living in the peril‑filled wilderness would have endless troubles for everyone to help solve; although it yields less merit than building from scratch, it's still not little, enough to share……】

Zhao Si gritted his teeth in hatred; obviously the culprit behind the endless mutual slaughter of the two demon peoples is this bunch of merit‑crazy sage disciples, who also refuse to let humanity cultivate universally and spread extremist ideas.

【You still smiled without speaking.】

"I was just saying, even if the Demon Race killed many humans back then, there's no need to implicate the nine clans in revenge—turns out this is your doing!"

The newly built Heavenly Court will not be humanity's Heavenly Court; it will merely be a false power institution where these sage disciples and lineage holders inherit heavenly offices, representing neither humanity's own interests nor heeding its opinions, because humanity itself is their vassal.

【Guang Chengzi drenched in sweat…… Dao friend, stop laughing, let's talk properly.】

【Your demand puts Guang Chengzi in a difficult position, for if humanity cultivates, there won't be so many troubles for them to help with, and naturally their merit will greatly diminish, which does not serve their interests.】

【You: ……】

【Guang Chengzi calmly said, 'Then why not just kill all the Demon Race in the wilderness?】

Zhao Si entered thus:

【Faced with Guang Chengzi's proposal, you chose (to work out a win‑win solution).】

【After hearing that, you only felt this bunch truly were merit‑crazy; not to mention the wasteful losses from starting from scratch, even the latter approach is extremely inhumane, not treating people as people.】

Two? One each from the two sects?

Zhao Si's eyes lit up.

……

(End of chapter)