"Help! Save me! The humans forcibly took my demon core, and they're going to use the Soul Refining Lamp to capture my primordial spirit... Ah! Ah!"
"Demonic path! The humans are using the ancient Rahu demonic arts! Humans! You are all dead! The great Hongjun Dao Ancestor, the teacher of all saints, will not let these demonic arts go unchecked..."
Numerous demon soldiers were collapsing.
For the first time, they felt true fear towards humans.
This fear was even greater than facing the Wu clan!
While the Wu clan was powerful, and countless demon soldiers died at the hands of the Wu clan during their wars, at least the Wu clan did not engage in this practice of refining soul lamps, specifically using demon primordial spirits as an endless source of torment!
This was something the humans were doing intentionally!
Realizing this, the demons immediately labeled the humans' actions as demonic!
They believed it was the inheritance of the ancient Dragon-Phoenix tribulation and the demon ancestor Rahu!
Such actions were too cruel!
"Demonic path... a fine demonic path indeed!"
A human soldier, while skillfully using the Soul Refining Lamp to capture a demon primordial spirit, said to the spirit within the lamp:
"Heh heh! You came this time, didn't you, to refine the Witch-Slaying Sword with our human essence blood, the origin of our human blood?"
"Slaughtering ninety-nine percent of humanity, killing billions of humans, is not the demonic path?"
"Normally, the myriad races of the Demon Court prey on humans, deliberately bullying and toying with them, and that's not the demonic path?"
The demon primordial spirit, screaming in agony within the Soul Refining Lamp, retorted indignantly:
"Humans have strong reproductive capabilities and a vast population; they are inherently our demon food. Otherwise, what would we eat?"
"This is a necessity for survival, how can it be called the demonic path?"
"Slaughtering billions of humans and refining the Witch-Slaying Sword is for the Demon Court to defeat the Wu clan, for the bright future of the myriad races of the Demon Court. This is pursuing a future dream, so how can it be labeled as the demonic path?"
"You humans, deliberately tormenting demon primordial spirits and extracting energy, that is the true demonic path! The Rahu lineage!"
"Ah! Humans..."
The refining power of the Soul Refining Lamp suddenly intensified, and the demon primordial spirit's screams grew even louder.
The human soldier slowly said, "So, for the needs of survival, for dreams, it is not the demonic path."
"My apologies, but for us humans, refining your demon primordial spirits for soul lamps is also a need for survival, and also for our dreams."
"Demons eat humans, so why can't humans eat demons? Why? Because of double standards?"
"This Soul Refining Lamp technology collects the emotional fluctuations of demon primordial spirits to provide the energy required for our human cultivation. Treating you as large batteries is also a need for our human survival!"
"You demon primordial spirits, by helping us humans achieve the dream of defeating the Demon Court, contributing your energy, will make it easier for us to defeat the Demon Court."
"This is also your contribution, helping us humans realize a bright future."
"It is by no means a demonic path."
The demon primordial spirit seemed to collapse from the torment, only managing to utter a few words.
"Twisting... logic..."
"Twisting... logic..."
"Ancient demonic path, Rahu's demonic path, the beings of the Primordial World cannot tolerate it... Dao Ancestor cannot tolerate it..."
"You humans, in the hands of the Dao Ancestor, will not survive..."
"You will face retribution..."
The human soldier increased the refining power of the Soul Refining Lamp.
He smiled and said, "Whether we humans will face retribution, I do not know."
"But you demons have oppressed us humans for millions of years, slaughtered and devoured countless humans, so you are now facing eternal life within the Soul Refining Lamp as retribution."
"As for whether it is demonic or not, that depends on how the demonic path is defined."
"If your Demon Court believes that defying the Demon Court is the demonic path, and obeying the Demon Court is the righteous path."
"Then we humans are indeed on the demonic path now."
"However..."
The human soldier's expression turned serious.
"When we humans push the Demon Court from its position as the overlord of heaven and earth, and when the demon saints and demon emperors fall."
"Obeying us humans will be the righteous path."
"And you demons, by defying humans, no matter what you do, will be committing – demonic acts!"
...
As the Zhu Yan Demon God was flying at speeds many times that of light, suddenly, in the next moment, a spatial rift tore open before him, and a human figure walked out.
Just as the Zhu Yan Demon God's expression changed drastically and he retreated, his body froze.
Around him, countless spatial rifts flickered, and more than a dozen figures emerged from them.
These more than a dozen figures were all, without exception, Human Great Luo Golden Immortals!
The Zhu Yan Demon God had nowhere to flee, no way to escape!
Even more terrifying was that one of the human figures, in the Zhu Yan Demon God's perception, was incomparably powerful.
His figure seemed to eclipse the sun, moon, and stars, his aura terrifying, no less than that of a Demon Court Demon Saint.
The Zhu Yan Demon God knew clearly that this human before him was one of the three ancestors of the human race, You Chao Shi!
His cultivation was sufficient to rival a quasi-saint with great divine abilities!
And if what the demon soldier he had executed had told him was all true...
Then You Chao Shi should also possess an ultimate imperial weapon comparable in power to a congenital supreme treasure!
More than a dozen Human Great Luos, plus You Chao Shi, a quasi-saint combatant wielding a congenital supreme treasure...
The Zhu Yan Demon God knew that once he was caught, he would have no place to be buried!
"Not running anymore, Demon God!"
"Do you know you can't escape?"
You Chao Shi said slowly. Although the words were ordinary, they seemed to directly strike the Zhu Yan Demon God's soul.
Humans were merely post-natal beings...
But these more than a dozen humans, comparable to Great Luo Golden Immortals, along with You Chao Shi, a quasi-saint, surrounding him.
Where was there any hope for him?
As a congenital divine being, was he to be shamefully killed by a group of post-natal beings?
To die at the hands of post-natal beings?
"Hateful!"
"I regret not listening to that demon soldier back then!"
"I regret not inviting Lord Jiuying Demon Saint, not reporting to His Majesty the Demon Emperor!"
"That's why I've fallen to this fate today!"
Within the Zhu Yan Demon God's heart, there was overwhelming regret!
The demon soldier he had executed back then had told him everything.
He had provided him with detailed intelligence about the humans.
He had analyzed many aspects of the situation, all to persuade him not to lead a team to invade humans himself, but to quickly report to the Demon Saints and the Demon Emperor about the true strength of the human race.
If only he had listened to that demon soldier back then and reported it, how good would that have been?
His Majesty the Demon Emperor would have immediately dispatched trillions of demon soldiers, hundreds of demon gods, and ten great demon saints, forming the Zhou Tian Star Dou Array to deal with the humans.
Then, he would not have died.
He would have survived.
If he had chosen to report back then, instead of stubbornly choosing to invade humans himself, how could he have ended up like this?
Regret!
Remorse!
He hated himself for executing that demon soldier under false pretenses after listening to him.
He had not heeded his words!
A single thought, and it led to a difference as vast as heaven and earth, a difference between life and death.