Chapter 554: The Origin of the Demon Race

“I imagine you’ve guessed by now. I need you to help me obtain the Realm Spirit Heart of the Floating Shadow Realm.”

Chen Dong had his suspicions, but he was still surprised to hear it confirmed. ‘I don’t even know what a Realm Spirit Heart is, let alone how to obtain one.’

Liu Ling glanced at Lord You. There were some things Lord You couldn’t explain too clearly, so Liu Ling had to explain on his behalf.

“The Three Thousand Great Realms, much like the Three Thousand Great Dao, is a figurative number. Among the infinite realms, every world has its own Spirit Heart. Once you gain the approval of a Realm Spirit Heart, you can become that world’s Realm Lord. Without disrupting the fundamental laws of the world, you can draw upon its entire spiritual essence. Furthermore, you will master the world’s laws. Within that world, you will be invincible.”

Chen Dong wondered, ‘If obtaining the Realm Spirit Heart makes you invincible, how could a war between realms have broken out in Lord You’s era?’

Before Chen Dong could even ask, Lord You answered coolly, “Because of its unique nature, no one has ever obtained the Floating Shadow Realm’s Spirit Heart.”

“If no one’s ever obtained it, doesn’t that mean it’s incredibly difficult to find?”

Liu Ling confirmed, “Extremely difficult. I am a being born of the Floating Shadow Realm myself, and in the several epochs I have existed, I have never once sensed the presence of its Realm Spirit Heart.”

Chen Dong frowned. “And you’re sure I can find it?”

Lord You shook his head slightly. “I’m not certain. But the Realm Spirit Heart tends to emerge whenever a tide of Spiritual Qi erupts. The Spiritual Qi in the Floating Shadow Realm has since stabilized, so the Spirit Heart is likely somewhere in this world. Furthermore, the most probable moment for the Spirit Heart to appear is when a single being achieves absolute dominion over the realm.”

“What does that mean?”

Lord You fell silent once again.

Liu Ling had no choice but to explain. “It means that when a being rises above all other races to dominate a realm, the Realm Spirit Heart will very likely appear directly before them. The Demon Race’s appearance in the Floating Shadow Realm isn’t just about plundering its inhabitants; they also want to seize the realm’s Heart of the Realm. Once the Heart of the Realm is taken, the existence of the Hongmeng Dao Artifact can no longer be concealed. After a being becomes the Domain Lord, nothing in the entire realm can escape their notice.”

“My efforts to stop the Demon Race aren’t just for atonement—I also don’t want the Hongmeng Dao Artifact to be discovered! I believe that Lord You here didn’t set up the All Heaven Guarding Array just to save the Human Race; he did it for the Heart of the Realm as well.”

Lord You floated with his hands clasped behind his back. “The Floating Shadow Realm is my homeland. As a member of its Human Race, I would have done this even if the Heart of the Realm weren’t at stake!”

Then, after a moment of thought, Lord You continued, “I should probably tell you about the origins of the Demon Race.”

He seemed to ponder for another moment before finally speaking. “After a Cultivator reaches the Nascent Soul realm, they form an Immortal Infant. At this stage, a being’s innate aptitude no longer has a significant impact; every Nascent Soul has the potential for immortality. What influences a Cultivator’s progress from then on is their spiritual essence. The strength of a being’s spiritual essence determines the speed and power of their future cultivation. The Demon Race, however, does not refine the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi. Instead, they draw upon Demonic Qi from outside the realm to cultivate. They can also devour the spiritual essence of other living beings to enhance their own power.”

“Originally, the Demon Race didn’t exist in any world. It began in ancient times with a stunningly talented Cultivator. After reaching the Nascent Soul realm, he found he could never break through to Divinity Transformation because his own spiritual essence was far too weak. Finally, as his life drew to a close, he created a Cultivation Technique called the Spirit Devouring Technique and began to devour the spiritual essence of others. But spiritual essence is an innate part of a person; by absorbing it, he also absorbed the personalities and thoughts of other Cultivators. In the end, the overwhelming influx of malevolent thoughts transformed into demonic desire. In a violent eruption of this desire, the Cultivator was completely corrupted, becoming a creature of the Demon Race that knew only slaughter and destruction.”

“No one knows what ultimately became of this Demon Ancestor, but the Spirit Devouring Technique spread. More and more Cultivators began to practice it in secret, eventually forming the Demon Race. The demons you see now are all beings who have been completely consumed by that demonic desire. Back when the Floating Shadow Realm hadn’t yet severed its Realm Passages, we heard rumors from other realms: any world invaded by the Demon Race would suffer total extinction of all life. Its Realm Spirit Heart would be devoured, its laws would collapse, and it would become a barren, desolate wasteland. So, even if not for my sake, you must give it your all.”

Lord You’s final words were firm, and it seemed he had other reasons he wasn’t stating directly.

Chen Dong asked with a frown, “At the end of the day, what does this Realm Spirit Heart even look like? I’ll need some kind of clue if I’m supposed to find it! Surely you don’t expect me to wipe out the Demon Race, conquer the Yao Race, and become the supreme ruler of the Floating Shadow Realm just so the Realm Spirit Heart will come looking for me?”

‘If it’s the latter,’ Chen Dong thought, ‘I might as well just give up now.’ ‘Never mind anything else, I once saw that Demon Marshal, Chi Xiao, from a distance outside Immortal Fox City, and he was no ordinary Divinity Transformation Stage expert. Besides, the Demon Race has three Demon Marshals. I’m only at the Golden Core Stage. If I ran into one, it would be certain death, let alone trying to wipe out their entire race.’

Lord You shook his head slightly. “Of course not! I suspect the demons have already located the Realm Spirit Heart. This is just a suspicion, of course! But numerous demonic artifacts have begun to appear among their ranks. Logically, the Demon Race presence in the Floating Shadow Realm is still weak; they shouldn’t have been granted such artifacts. Moreover, they are now capable of breaching the Guardian Array, yet they haven’t rushed to attack the Human Race. This goes against their typical methods. The only possibility is that they’re scheming to acquire the Realm Spirit Heart!”