Chapter 868: Conflict

"There are a total of twelve Human Sword Heroes in Lianghe City, along with three hundred Sword Immortals, and... over three thousand ordinary Humans. Vulnerable, utterly vulnerable." On a tower along the city wall, a bald Heavenly Demon High Priest looked down at the city, bracing himself against the ramparts. "One of us from the Spirit Race can naturally handle three of these frail Humans. Not to mention that our numbers are double theirs."

"Indeed, this is all due to your proper arrangements. In fact... the Academy alone has as many Spirit Race students as there are Tu Man Jie students, so we have even more manpower to spare." Beside him, a blue-skinned Heavenly Demon who looked like a fish, with gills on both cheeks, replied.

"Hm? Did I not tell you to have all the Spirit Race members in the Academy withdraw? Why did you still include them in the count?" The High Priest turned his head abruptly, his bald scalp reflecting the moonlight from above, appearing almost brighter than the light of a Lamp.

His stature was actually not tall, only slightly taller than an average Human, while the fish-man Heavenly Demon behind him was nearly twice his height. The disparity was stark, yet the fish-man kept his head lowered, not daring to meet the eyes of the exceptionally powerful and influential High Priest Tianyou.

"It is like this. However, several Spirit Race juniors wanted to stay and fight; they were very enthusiastic and sincere. They also said they could salvage the results from the Research Institute and the Workshop, and to the greatest extent, win us..."

"No need!" The bald High Priest waved a hand and barked, "Those so-called results are not worth saving at all; they are trash, understand? Trash! They are nothing more than freaks born from the crossbreeding of Human junk and a small amount of Spirit Race essence, having no value from the very beginning. Agreeing to manufacture this trash was a mistake in the first place. How many resources were wasted over three years? It has no meaning. Remaining in this world, they are only a testament to the corruption of my Spirit Race. Destroy everything, leave not a single one!"

He growled in a low voice, and after a while, he calmed down slightly and said: "As for those people, they dare to ask for battle, but I dare not let them join. Who knows what kind of ghosts they have learned from living with the Tu Man Jie day and night..."

The fish-man Heavenly Demon hurriedly said: "Priest Wu, they are all elites selected by the Hundred Races of our Lingjie. Their bloodlines are very noble among their respective clans, and they are all loyal to the Lingjie; there is absolutely no chance of them committing any act of betrayal."

Priest Wu snorted: "I did not say they betrayed us. It is bad enough that they are soft-hearted toward the Tu Man Jie. Having stayed for so long, perhaps some have become confused, thinking those Tu Man Jie are truly their fellow students. It is inevitable that they will become weak and unable to strike. As for things like inadvertently leaking information, that is even harder to guard against. Therefore, do not take the risk from the start. I have said it: only we shall take action. This time, the city must be destroyed, the people must be slaughtered, and everything must be burned clean. Not a single bit, not one person, not one dog, not even a bug is to be left! Do you understand?"

The fish-man Heavenly Demon said: "Yes."

Just as he was about to go down, he heard someone behind him say: "Do you know what you are talking about?"

Priest Wu turned back and saw a woman with outstanding features and an extraordinary temperament, appearing almost like a celestial being, walking up the city tower. He felt annoyed, but still said politely: "Your Excellency Shengnyu."

The Shengnyu walked up and said: "You are squandering heaven's gifts! Over these past two years, we have carried out many meaningful research projects in Lianghe City..."

Priest Wu said impatiently: "Your Excellency Shengnyu, those are all illusions. In fact, they are all conspiracies manufactured by the Tu Man Jie. Do you not know the cunning of the Tu Man Jie? You should know; I remember three years ago in the Wanshendian you cried that a Tu Man Jie had toyed with you and swept away all your savings..."

Having her shortcomings exposed, the Shengnyu was embarrassed into anger and said: "I have never denied that the Tu Man Jie are cunning, nor did I intend to hinder your actions. If the Wanshendian issues an order, I can even go to fight. But knowledge and technology are not wrong. They do not distinguish between races or species. Over these years, the Lingjie has increasingly looked down upon knowledge. We researched in cooperation with the Humans, distributed the results to both realms, and then the Humans applied them properly and progressed daily, while we remained stuck in our old ways, shelving perfectly good technology, never utilizing it, and even despising it, taking pride in that. The result will only be falling further and further behind. A mere Communication Bracelet—they have improved it so many times, yet we can only borrow..."

Priest Wu interrupted: "You have all disposed of your Bracelets, have you not?"

The Shengnyu said indignantly: "Of course! For the sake of secrecy, we all have that resolve. It is a very convenient tool; it is precisely because we cannot produce them ourselves that we have to throw them away for nothing! Everyone cannot communicate in time and has become deaf. If we utilized technology properly, it should be them who are constrained! Now you say all technology is to be discarded; all our efforts over these years have been in vain, acting as a wedding dress for the Humans..."

Priest Wu sneered: "Then do you know why we do not use them? Because we have something better!"

He raised his head with an arrogant expression and said: "Does Your Excellency Shengnyu not know? When the Holy Ship was built, your so-called technology could only play a supporting role; what it truly relied on was the power of the Holy God. Now that the Holy God has ascended to the peak of the Wanshendian, its power illuminates the Hundred Races of the Lingjie. With its support, what is technology, what are Rune Formulas? They are merely children's tricks. What necessity is there to keep them?"

The Shengnyu's expression remained angry, but she also had a bit more wariness, saying: "The Holy God indeed has powerful strength, but the Lingjie does not only possess one kind of power..."

Priest Wu barked: "Shengnyu, do you know what you are saying?"

This sentence was the one the Shengnyu had asked earlier; now he asked it back exactly as it was. The Shengnyu's face gradually turned pale, and finally, having nothing more to say, she pursed her lips and turned to leave.

Priest Wu reminded her: "Do not forget your students. When you withdraw, do not leave any behind, otherwise it will not be good if you are implicated later."

The fish-man Heavenly Demon beside him was somewhat uneasy; after all, the Shengnyu's status was still very lofty. He said: "Priest, there is no need to offend her like this. If she goes back to the Wanshendian and says a few words..."

Priest Wu sneered: "The Wanshendian? Sooner or later it will be renamed the Holy God Hall. She is a Shengnyu of the Wanshendian; in the future, there will naturally be a true Shengnyu of the Holy God Hall. She still wants to say a few words? Where is there any room for her to speak?"

The matter of the Shengnyu was a small interlude to him. The Shengnyu had been teaching at this Research Institute for over a year; although it was her own wish, it could be seen that she had been squeezed out. Now she was left with a title, and sooner or later, even that title would be gone.

There were still quite a few people like the Shengnyu in the Lingjie, while Priest Wu was the exact opposite—he was a man currently in power; how could he take any Shengnyu to heart?

Now, he only had the Holy God in his heart, and completing the mission entrusted by the Holy God. If there was anything else, it was to avenge his son who was killed by the Humans.

"How is it? Those Tu Man Jie have not noticed, have they?"

"No, they have no unusual movements, nor are there any signs of reinforcements."

"Very good. Stupid Tu Man Jie, just go to your deaths in this muddled state." Priest Wu looked down at this new city that possessed both Human and Heavenly Demon styles, and muttered: "Burn, destroy! This freak city should not exist. Let us use the complete erasure of these three years of mistakes to open the magnificent prologue!"

"This is only the first step. In the future, the Lingjie, the Tu Man Jie, and even the Void will all belong to my God."

"May the Holy God bless us!"

"They haven't noticed, have they?" On the top floor of the Research Institute, a handsome Sword Guest with an arrogant expression asked.

"It should be that they haven't." A young Sword Guest had just come in from outside, his expression calm. "I just circled around them and overheard some news. They haven't noticed in the slightest and are even quite smug."

The arrogant Sword Guest nodded and said: "As expected of the legendary Honghu Sword. With you here, their cover is like paper. Let them make the first move in their muddled state. We will not strike first. However, after they strike first, whether that hand can be pulled back will not be up to them. It has been three years, and the Heavenly Demons' despicableness and shamelessness have not improved at all. This is what they call a dog unable to change its habit of eating excrement."

The young Sword Guest, who was the Honghu Sword Wei Zhangle, agreed: "Indeed, this style of the Heavenly Demons is not surprising at all. It is precisely because we guarded against them that we could surely stop them. After this time, the great war that will sweep through both realms will begin, right?"

The arrogant Sword Guest heard his sigh: "That was originally unavoidable... It seems you do not want to fight."

Wei Zhangle sighed and said: "Who wants to fight? In war, city after city turns into ruins, young person after young person dies halfway, and there is never time to do the things one likes... So, if only we could end it quickly."

The Sword Guest, who had thought he was war-weary and was about to say some encouraging words, raised an eyebrow: "End it quickly?"

"Yes, end the battle quickly, kill all the Heavenly Demons, seize the land, have it fully inhabited by Humans, and the unification of the two realms will be finished." Wei Zhangle seemed to smile as he said this, revealing his teeth.

The arrogant Sword Guest did not expect that Wei Zhangle, the quietest among all the instructors, was actually a hidden radical, and could not help but smile: "Who wouldn't want that? It is a pity that three years of recuperation is still too short. In these three years, there has been a storm of blood on the Heavenly Demon side, but the situation on our side has not changed much. No powerhouse capable of overturning the heavens and earth has appeared. It is a pity; ten years to grow, ten years to teach—if only there were twenty years of rest and recuperation."

Speaking of this, he himself smiled: This was truly too whimsical. Even this three-year truce was won from a world-ending crisis. Three years of time was not enough for everyone to heal their wounds; at most, they were just sticking out their tongues to lick their wounds before having to set out for battle again.

This battle was once again without a foreseeable end.

Wei Zhangle wanted to say something, but finally shook his head and only said: "They are going to take action today. I have already arranged things for the students; they can all withdraw on time. However, there are a few students who are particularly smart; they saw that there would be a battle tonight and want to join us."

The arrogant Sword Guest said in surprise: "That is fine, they are very sharp, much better than that bunch of brainless Heavenly Demons. Whether to allow it or not is up to your arrangement; after all, you are the commander for tonight."

Wei Zhangle said: "Yes, I am the commander of Lianghe City now."

At least for now.