Chapter 499: The People Who Makes Others Shout Impossible
Translator: Subudai11 Editor: Chrissy
After entering the desert oasis area, Wang Lu found out that there were marks of the invisible devil all over the city. As the nightmare that plagued the demon race for two thousand years, the marks were everywhere.
For example, on the day the banquet was arranged by the elder of the demon race, Wang Lu saw the following scene.
"Thank you god for giving us food."
On the dining table, several of the old demons with prominent status devoutly closed their eyes and prayed before the meal.
Seeing the scene, Wang Lu found it strange. Thank you god? Do demon race actually have a god?
Of course, in the strictest sense, demon race also have a god, which was Demon God. Just like the True Immortal in Nine Regions, and god in Western Continent, demon race similarly also had the most powerful entity, which they called Demon God. But just like the cultivators of Nine Regions didn't worship the True Immortal, demon race also wouldn't build a totem of the Demon God to prostrate and pray before it. And with his understanding of demon race, at least the royal family of demon race was a group of unbelievers because they themselves were the most supreme in the demon world with countless believers.
But now, what were these descendants of the royal family thinking?
"Alas, actually that god is the invisible devil."
The tribal elder who sat next to Wang Lu sighed bitterly and then secretly said through a spell, "Since the last group of radical rebel within the tribe was killed by the invisible devil one thousand years ago, the tribe had completely given up their resistance. And after hundreds of years, some people even gradually put down their dignity. They were overwhelmed by the powerful force of the invisible devil, willing to worship it day and night. The number of these people are increasing. In the tribe, there are more than twenty percent of them."
Wang Lu nodded. "Yes, it's Stockholm syndrome. You guys being able to persist for one thousand years before twenty percent of you completely surrendered, you guys are indeed worthy of the blood of the royal family."
After more than one thousand years of high pressure domination, if it's creatures like pigs or chickens, they would've long been domesticated, completely losing their wild nature. At present, most of the demon race tribe could still maintain their independent personality, so this was indeed commendable.
However, it seemed that the tribe's insistence was already near its limit. There were more than thirty demons who attended the banquet that day, and as a result, more than ten of them came over and excitedly asked Wang Lu and Ouyang Shang about whether they had the ability to help them out. It was clear that they had regarded the two of them as their life-saving straw. Among them, a few were so emotional that they kowtowed on the ground in front of Ouyang Shang on the spot, which turned the banquet into a complete mess. Finally, the tribe great elder flew into a rage, picked them up by the neck, and threw them out of the dining room to calm the atmosphere. Nevertheless, the festive atmosphere on the table was already gone.
However, the cultivators of Spirit Sword Sect themselves did not enjoy the feast. The material condition of the desert demon was too difficult. Despite the elders trying everything they could, the dishes on the table were still shabby. Most of them were local plants that grew around the oasis. They tasted thick and rough, as if they were carrying sand. There were also a few farmed livestock meat, but the processing technique was very immature, and moreover, the quantity was scarce that it wasn't enough for everyone. For those who were accustomed to a normal meal, although it was not difficult to swallow, they also couldn't enjoy it.
In particular, they realized that the tribe was on the verge of collapse under the oppression of the invisible devil, which depressed their mood and thus caused them to lose their appetite. In fact, no one at the banquet has the mood to eat. Even Wang Lu only drank carelessly two fruit juices and was lost in thought. The only sound of chewing and swallowing came from one corner of the dining table—it was Wang Wu. As she sped up the magical power circulation within her Jade Mansion, she mechanically put the food on the table into her mouth. As a matter of fact, she didn't even taste the food, but at the end of the banquet, at least one fifth of all the food on the table had entered her stomach, including a small plate and a soup ladle.
After the end of the banquet, Ouyang Shang and Wang Lu went to the dwelling of Feng Yin and the other disciples to settle down and listen to the accounts of their Junior Brothers and Sisters. The two of them then went out to the oasis for a night tour to carry out a field survey of this place.
Although they could also ask this from Feng Yin and the elder of the demon race, but second hand information was always inferior to the first one. In particular, their next opponent was an unfathomable opponent, so any intelligence omission might result in fatal consequences.
The two people's investigation efficiency was very high. After a day, they had roughly understood the situation in this demon race city.
In the tent where the Spirit Sword Sect cultivators were resting, Wang Lu began to explain the things that he got to the crowd, "The population of this demon race tribe is not much, only about one thousand and one hundred. Most of them are young, and the old are very few. Because the invisible devil needs continuous blood sacrifice to quell the curse, most of the demons would choose to sacrifice themselves to protect the interest of the tribe when they are old. At the same time, this special living environment makes the members of this tribe very different from those demons during the great war of immortal and demon. The first is that, their average lifespan is greatly shortened. In theory, a common demon race royal family will have a lifespan of more than five hundred years. This does not count any lifespan advancement through practice. If they are diligent in their practice, when their stage is increased, their lifespan will be extended. At the level of demon king, usually they would have the same lifespan as the world, and would not die due to nature. In general, it should be a race that lives longer than human. However, the average life expectancy of the demons at this oasis is only forty years old. Right now, the great elder of the tribe is currently the oldest among them, sixty-two this year."
After saying these, Wang Lu looked at everyone whose eyes were already caught in deathly stillness, and the corners of his lips curled upward. "In other words, most of the people present are actually older than him."
"Damn, I have always respected him as an elderly…"
Several cultivators of Spirit Sword Sect also found it both funny and ridiculous.
However, Wang Lu quickly made a one hundred and eighty degree turn. "But you have a good reason to respect him. Because if you put him in the human world, he is a peerless genius who has reached the Yuanying Stage in sixty years of cultivation. At least, he does not lose to any of you."
"What? Yuanying Stage?" Feng Yin and the others were amazed. "I can't feel it at all. Although the sand-shaping spell is beautiful , but…"
"Wait a minute, though his strength is weak, his ingenuity in using the surrounding spiritual energy is far superior to us. I thought it was the natural magical ability of the desert natives. But now that I know they're demon race, where did that desert magical ability come from? It is clear that their stage is very high, but merely limited by their own strength."
The people present were after all the elites of Spirit Sword Sect, with just a hint from Wang Lu, they already could grasp the meaning.
"Moreover, if we think further, in such an extremely difficult condition, reaching Yuanying Stage in sixty years… If it were you, can you do it?"
Feng Yin and the others were silent, obviously, they were not confident that they could do it.
"Although there is only one great elder in this tribe, the royal family of the demon race is indeed the royal family of demon world. Even after two thousand years of deterioration, there are still rare talents within the tribe. In the fight against the invisible devil, this local force is indispensable."
When it came to this, the topic of discussion was continued by Ouyang Shang. "In fact, these demons actually accomplish something in two thousand years. How to resist the invisible devil, they have formed a rigorous approach that runs through the bits and pieces of their lives."
A disciple of Spirit Sword Sect sneered and said, "Is it to honor it as god, worshiping it three times a day?"
Ouyang Shang actually didn't laugh, instead he grimly said, "In the two thousand years of hopeless resistance, only twenty percent of them who give up resisting. If they were human, how much of the percentage do you think it would be?"
Wang Lu answered, "In fact, this desert demon has been carrying out a desperate resistance plan for two thousand years. Among the more than one thousand members of the tribe, some of them that have a special talent will be chosen to take on a special mission, these people are known as spark. From the time where they were born, the tribe elder would draw magic marks on their body. The magic marks have no other effect, but they could obscure the devil's perception, and makes it not aware of the existence of that person. Then the tribe would do their best to cultivate these sparks, and when they become adults, they would try to leave the oasis."
Ouyang Shang said, "Once these trapped demons are away from the oasis, they would trigger the curse of the invisible devil and die without a burial place. But they developed the magic mark, which can deceive the devil's perception. Once successful, it means that someone in the tribe can escape from the shackles of the devil, like a fish entering the ocean…"
Feng Yin asked, "But only a few people can be saved, what about the others?"
Wang Lu explained, "The effect of the magic mark is limited, it's impossible to give the mark for more than one thousand of them and move together. In fact, two thousand years have passed, they failed to deliver even a single spark. The best record was created by the incumbent elder, who was discovered by the invisible devil when he left the oasis, and then survived the sandstorm and learned the magical sand-shaping spell. But it's still far away from escaping the devil."
"Then what's the point in doing that?"
"The point is, it's their only hope. At the same time, it's also the key to our next move." Wang Lu said, "The magic mark can deceive the devil's perception, and the closer it is to the devil, the stronger it would be. One thousand years ago, the demon race had done a radical experiment, they sent a spark bearing the magic marks to the blood sacrifice area, and when the devil came, the devil turned a blind eye to it!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Yin and the others had vaguely guessed the plan of Wang Lu and Ouyang Shang, but that bold idea was unbelievable to them.
Then they heard Ouyang Shang say, "Therefore, the next step, we are going to the devil's den with this magic marks. Know your enemy and yourself, and you will be undefeated in many battles."
"Big Brother, that is too risky!" Feng Yin immediately tried to discourage.
Wang Lu sneered, "Would you like to go then?"
"Em…"
Wang Lu of course knew the risk, but what else could he do?"
If he could stand by and take no risk, he and Ouyang Shang wouldn't have stayed at all. The problem was weighing the pros and cons, and facing the invisible devil directly was actually the most rational choice. Based on this, the existence of the magic mark was actually a positive factor that forced them to take the risk—If they still hesitated with such a good condition, what else could they be waiting for?