NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40: The Title of Pillar Belongs to Her!
Seeing that it was the Second Master who personally came, Yue Ruifeng sensibly took his leave first.
"Mr. Cui, this humble Taoist awaits in Youdu City."
"Daoist Yue is too polite. I am inspecting each garrison, strong city to find any demon puppets or traitors hidden within the Human Race. However, I believe that inside Youdu City should be clean."
Second Master Cui Sheng smiled and clasped his hands together, without the slightest air of an old ancestor of the Human Race.
"Thank you for the praise, Mr. Cui. This humble Taoist is fearful."
"After all, with Chen Yi in Youdu City, right?"
Yue Ruifeng seemed to realize something, smiled, and nodded. He could forgo taking credit for himself, but the praise Second Master gave to Chen Yi was undoubtedly accurate.
After he left.
Chen Yi followed Second Master, aimlessly strolling through Sky Dome City, feeling inevitably sentimental.
Back when he was in Kyoto Prefecture, he met the Great Master a few times, and the other party always maintained an equal attitude, neither patronizing with age nor preaching, at most offering reconciliation.
Unexpectedly, the current Second Master was the same.
Could it be a tradition passed down by Kyoto Academy?
Cui Sheng, oblivious, continued to walk leisurely, looking at the large stone houses on both sides, smiling as he said:
"Sky Dome City is the first city the Human Race of Tianyuan Continent built on Taizhou Mountain during the dark years when they were oppressed by the Demon Court. Life and death were beyond one's control."
"In such an environment, the ancestors found the Beizhili Ferry to reach the Taizhou Mountain Battlefield, and in just ten years built this strong city."
"It is said that at that time, fearing discovery by the Demon Court, a Taoist ancestor skilled in arrays spent five years setting up a Concealing Array here, with thousands of ancestors cautiously collecting stone and timber from secret realms around to gradually build Sky Dome City day and night."
At this point, Cui Sheng paused, pointing to a towering stone monument at the street corner and said:
"That is the 'pillar stone' specifically made to commemorate the ancestors' achievements when Sky Dome City was completed."
Chen Yi stopped, gazing at the stone monument, "'Pillar stone'?"
"The term 'pillar stone' was initially an honorific our Human Race used for those who made significant contributions," Cui Sheng said with a smile, "Gradually, it became a symbol of status and strength."
"And the Demon Court?"
"That's right, they imitated by creating so-called 'Twelve Pillars,' a mere clumsy mimicry," Cui Sheng's smile faded as he spoke blandly:
"What do those demons of the Demon Court know about sacrifice and dedication? To them, everything, including their tribe, can be used as a bargaining chip to enhance their power. Using the term 'pillar stone' on them... laughable!"
Chen Yi slightly nodded, his eyes scanning the names on the stone monument, finding at first glance over fourteen thousand, with Sword Edge Ancestor Mu Qing prominently placed at rank thirty-three.
Cui Sheng, noticing his gaze, also looked up at the stone monument and said: "Ranked first is Hong Gu, the grandfather of Ancestor Hong Tian today."
"During the critical period of constructing Sky Dome City, dozens of Great Demon Kings unexpectedly passed through here. In urgency, Hong Gu led five predecessors to deliberately expose their whereabouts, drawing those Great Demon Kings away and fought to death over three days."
"At the time, he was only forty-three years old, and his cultivation had reached the upper stage of the Heavenly Human Realm, with divine skills at the sixth level. If he hadn't perished so early, perhaps he could have progressed further."
"Second ranked Cai Ying was a predecessor from our Confucian branch, a great scholar who paved the Saint Dao, with cultivation hardly differing from Hong Gu, died on the day Sky Dome City was established."
"That day, the Demon Court discovered the existence of Sky Dome City and launched an assault. Countless ancestors fought fiercely, taking fifteen days to repel them."
"The subsequent twenty-five names on the stone monument all died in that battle, which was the greatest calamity for our Human Race."
Cui Sheng looked at Chen Yi, smiling: "Of course, the ancestors also caused considerable damage to the Demon Court."
Hong Gu, Cai Ying, Sun Changming...
Hearing this, Chen Yi focused on those names, recalling the scout captain his senior sister once spoke of in his mind.
"The Human Race has suffered much hardship."
Thinking, Chen Yi asked: "Second Master, what mindset do those traitors collaborating with the Demon Court to annihilate our Human Race have?"
Cui Sheng paused, then chuckled wryly: "This question... in my years of experience on the Taizhou Mountain Battlefield, there are no more than two cases."
"I would like to hear the details."
"Firstly, they are subverted by demons from the Demon Court skilled in manipulating minds, controlled through great divine power over their heart spirit, or led to amplify their heart demons."
"Secondly... perhaps due to some unjust treatment within the Human Race, which bred resentment."
Cui Sheng, smiling, shook his head: "In the world, there is no absolute fairness. Right and wrong lie within people's hearts. What they perceive as unfairness might be a misunderstanding or indeed an unbearable hardship they suffered, but it's merely an excuse to cover up their selfishness."
"In the face of the great righteousness of the Human Race, such people cannot be allowed to exist."
After speaking, Cui Sheng looked at Chen Yi, with a serious expression: "Therefore, this time, I inspect each city to find them all."
"Wish you swift success, Second Master." Chen Yi clasped his hands with a smile.
Cui Sheng smiled, then continued walking forward, explaining each thing they encountered along the way.
He was so familiar with Sky Dome City that he could even recount stories of a small claw mark damage, detailing when the Demon Court attacked, which demon caused it, and what stories lay behind it, etc.