Chapter 278 Demotion
"I must live up to the expectations of all living beings in the primordial world, and to the offerings and worship of the human race. I must be responsible for them, be selfless, and never act against the natural order by placing the demon race in a position of supreme authority. The human race is in power, and its momentum is unstoppable."
Although Chang Hao is nominally the second Heavenly Emperor, in reality, he is the one who truly shoulders the responsibilities of the Heavenly Emperor. He is the first Heavenly Emperor truly recognized by the Heavenly Dao in countless reincarnations.
He is not a mere echo of saints, nor a puppet of the Way of Heaven, but a truly supreme and selfless Heavenly Emperor who holds absolute power and authority.
Feilian, Jimeng, and Shangyang were furious. They hadn't figured it out at all and felt extremely wronged. The person sitting above them was their second Demon Emperor, but what kind of words were they saying?
Killing the newly born quasi-saints of the demon race without batting an eye as a warning to others is a minor matter. After all, they made a grave mistake, and the crown prince was unwilling to forgive or offer them amnesty. So killing them was no big deal, and new quasi-saints would appear afterward. They didn't care.
But the Crown Prince treats the demon race as equal to other living beings, which is a huge matter and something they cannot understand. According to the Crown Prince, then the demon race needs to avoid the human race. Is the Eastern Continent really going to be handed over to others?
"How can Nuwa's creations compare to our demon race? Why should we, who occupy Dongsheng Shenzhou, retreat into the deep mountains and give them large tracts of land?" Feilian said with a face full of indignation. "Your Majesty, since you have said that you are the Heavenly Emperor and are responsible for all living beings, will you care if the demon race suffers losses?"
"Do you lack the land occupied by the human race? Before, the Wu Clan occupied the Eastern Continent, and the Demon Clan occupied the mountains while the Wu Clan occupied the land. Whose territory are the humans occupying now?" Chang Hao laughed angrily. "Is it because you, Ji Meng, know how to farm, or because you, Shang Yang, need to fish for a living? Or because you, Fei Lian, need to hunt for a living?"
Are these three trying to fool him? Even if humans go up the mountain, they'll only wander around the outskirts, chop wood, and hunt some wild beasts. What harm could that possibly cause?
“No need,” Shang Yang replied, “but since we have defeated the Wu tribe, the territory naturally belongs to the demon tribe. Why should we give it up? You are also the Demon Emperor, so why do you not seek the benefit of the demon tribe, but instead suppress them at every turn?”
When Di Jun was alive, the demon race enjoyed all sorts of special treatment. Once they returned to normal treatment, it was not easy to reverse the situation. This was the case with demons like Shang Yang.
"If it weren't for me, the Witch and the Demon would have been severely injured in the battle. I would have been the one to win, not the Demon. Didn't I designate a new mountain for the Demon to move to after their mountain was damaged? The Southern Continent and the Northern Continent are both very suitable for the Demon. The prehistoric world is vast and boundless. Why only focus on the Eastern Continent?"
"Humans live in peace and prosperity within the Eastern Continent designated by me. Even if you are unwilling to leave the Eastern Continent, I have not forced you. I only require you to move into the deep mountains and that the demons who have gained sentience not kill humans at will. Instead, you should cultivate diligently, do good deeds, and accumulate merit to become immortals as soon as possible. What, you can't even do this?"
Don't think Chang Hao doesn't know. Humans are terrified of monsters. If they know there's a monster on this mountain, they're lucky if they don't move the whole village. How could they possibly dare to slay the monster?
"This..." Shang Yang was speechless, and lowered his head in silence.
The Eastern Continent is a land of outstanding people and abundant resources. No matter how many high-sounding reasons they have, the essence is that they are unwilling to give up the Eastern Continent and vainly hope to drive the human race to other places through the current Demon Emperor. Unexpectedly, the Demon Emperor wants to drive them away.
“The recently promulgated Heavenly Rules are too harsh. Every single one seems to be targeting the demon race,” Fei Lian said, feeling extremely aggrieved. “Not to mention the tribulations that must be overcome to transform into human form and become an immortal, what kind of nonsense is this, that cultivators must not kill humans and must cultivate diligently and do good deeds to achieve enlightenment? We demons are used to being free and unrestrained, how can we stand being restricted?”
"Don't want to comply? Then you may do as you please. Considering your loyalty, if you can't survive the tribulation of the gods, I won't mind reserving a suitable place for you on the Investiture of the Gods."
Chang Hao believed he had been incredibly tolerant of the demon race, but there were always demon generals who were dissatisfied and wanted to recreate the glory days of the demon race in ancient times, which he had long since reached his limit of tolerance for.
If it weren't for him, the demon race would have been hated by everyone long ago. They are still not satisfied with what they have today.
The Investiture of the Gods? Fei Lian blinked, and rumors about the Investiture of the Gods surfaced in his mind. Suddenly, he was speechless. Once you're on the Investiture of the Gods, you have absolutely no freedom.
"There are just too many restrictions on the demon race. For example, immortals are not allowed to think about mortals. If an immortal demon finds a little demon pleasing to the eye, but she has just transformed and has not yet become an earth immortal, then he can't take her, right?" Ji Meng was really confused.
"Those who haven't become immortals are all mortals. Does the great demon who asked you to speak think that mortals are easy to bully and harbor a desire to mock them? If you really like her, why not help her become an immortal first, and then become her Daoist partner? Wouldn't that be a win-win situation?" Chang Hao wouldn't tolerate such evil practices; there aren't that many people with love-struck minds.
Chang Hao looked at Ji Meng with a probing gaze. He would have to investigate Ji Meng's connections in the prehistoric world later. He was worried that one of the demons under his rule might be a monster who cultivated by absorbing soul essence. The great demons who could talk to Ji Meng were also of a high level. If he really kept humans or lesser demons to absorb soul essence, the number would be in the tens of thousands, which was unforgivable.
Ji Meng was a little confused. "It seems so..." If you really like someone, you should help them rise to the top and live forever together. Why rush things? Why be so eager for love? Aren't you afraid that your beloved will die and disappear after the five signs of decay?
"Out of consideration for your loyalty to the demon race, I am patiently explaining this to you. However, as the three of you, as the five marshals of the Heavenly Court, you harbored selfish motives, ordering the heavenly soldiers and generals not to harm them, and allowing your fellow demons to trespass into the Lingxiao Palace without ordering their capture, which almost caused chaos. You should take responsibility and seek resignation. Effective immediately, your military power will be withdrawn as a warning to others."
I hereby offer you two choices: either demote you to celestial soldiers to guard the Southern Heavenly Gate in rotation, to observe your future performance and then seek further merit; or, I will set you free to return to the primordial wilderness to fend for yourselves.”
Chang Hao's series of swift and decisive actions made Fei Lian, Ji Meng, and Shang Yang fully realize that the glory of the demon race was over, the Heavenly Emperor was no longer the Demon Emperor, and they were no longer the Demon Saints of the past, but Heavenly Generals of the Heavenly Court.
"We are willing to accept punishment and guard the South Heavenly Gate." Fei Lian, Ji Meng, and Shang Yang were disheartened and felt a chill run through their bodies. If they were to leave the Heavenly Court, the Western Saints would surely capture them, skin them alive, chop them into hundreds of pieces, and drag them out to feed their mounts.
"Feilian, Jimeng, and Shangyang, you have caused such a great disturbance that I will only give you a minor punishment as a warning. I hope you will not disappoint my expectations. The demon race is a thing of the past. Now, you are the true gods of the Heavenly Court, people of the Heavenly Court. The Demon Court no longer exists in the world, and there are no more Demon Saints."
Chang Hao suppressed his anger and patiently explained to them that if it weren't for their loyalty and the fact that they were truly being used as pawns, he would have let them go long ago.
"Yes, Your Majesty." Fei Lian, Ji Meng, and Shang Yang could no longer call Chang Hao "Crown Prince." They handed over their tokens and left Taiwei Palace, their backs exuding a sense of desolation.
They should have realized it long ago, but they were just taking a chance.
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