CHAPTER 722: 168, EATER AND EATEE

"For the sake of our race?"

The Seventh Princess looked at him and said, "The goal of the Demon Clan is to annihilate the Human Clan. By helping the Demon Clan, how can you ensure the perpetual existence of the Human Clan?"

The Fourth Prince sighed and replied, "Humans can never truly understand each other. In your eyes, I am nothing but a traitor to the Human Clan who has defected to the Demon Clan... Does my thought even matter?"

The Seventh Princess fell silent for a moment and then spoke, "I don’t care about the others, but you are my brother, and it was to save my life that you left a flaw."

The Fourth Prince also fell silent briefly, then shook his head with a smile and said, "The answer is quite simple; in fact, I’ve just given it."

He looked steadily into the eyes of the Crown Prince and the Second Prince and spoke slowly, "Crown Prince, Second Prince, I’d like to hear your answers as well. What exactly is a human? What is the most important thing about being human?"

The Crown Prince indifferently said, "Aren’t you yourself a human?"

The Second Prince thought earnestly for a moment before stating, "A human is a human, and what’s most important is... the heart."

"Correct."

The Fourth Prince continued slowly, "Many Cultivators have practiced various special Cultivation Methods, transforming themselves into dry bones, into stone, or into something else, making themselves no longer resemble humans. Can they not be considered human? Those who have become Saints have completely transformed into pure Spiritual Bodies, entirely different from others. Can they not be considered human either?"

The Second Prince’s expression was calm, as if he had already anticipated his thinking.

"If these are considered human, what about the Demon Clan?"

Facing the gaze of everyone around him, the Fourth Prince said, "I have traveled to the Demon Country in spirit. It’s where the Demon Clan lives and is no different from our Human Clan. They need to eat and procreate; they have various needs that come from life, they can practice Cultivation and achieve immortality. Even their instinct to devour the Essence Qi of the Human Clan is bestowed by Eternal Night. Even without consuming humans, they can live well."

"From a certain perspective, the Demon Clan is just a branch of the Human Clan. Moreover, the Human Clan is repelled by Eternal Night, standing in opposition to it, but the Demon Clan is different; they are a part of Eternal Night."

He looked at his palm, "The human heart determines whether we are human or otherwise. Why can’t we become part of the Demon Clan? Only the body is different; it’s simply a transformation. If the entire Human Clan were to transform into the Demon Clan, we would no longer be threatened by Mutant Beasts. We would become a part of Eternal Night, and everyone could continue to live well within it."

The courtyard fell silent.

After voicing the thoughts that had been buried in his heart for many years, the Fourth Prince seemed to have lightened his burden. Looking at the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, he said, "I know you don’t want to choose this path. You have your adherence, and I have my persistence. If it’s about persuasion, let’s not say any more."

The Second Prince shook his head slightly and asked, "You’ve communicated with the Heavenly Demon Ancestor, haven’t you?"

"Indeed." The Fourth Prince replied slowly, "The Heavenly Demon Ancestor, representing the Demon Clan, signed the Eternal Night Contract with me. Even if he breaches the Great Yong Divine Formation, he won’t slaughter our Human Clan. He has promised to use the power of the Demon Clan to help the population of Great Yong undergo Demon Transformation."

The Second Prince sighed and said, "Indeed, every idealist is too naive."

"Do you think the Heavenly Demon Ancestor is deceiving me?" the Fourth Prince countered.

"No, the Eternal Night Contract originates from the primordial; he naturally cannot violate it."

The Second Prince shook his head slightly and continued, "But even if the Heavenly Demon Ancestor is the foremost among the twelve Demon Ancestors, he is not the king of the Demon Clan. The twelve Demon Ancestors have their own factions. The Heavenly Demon Ancestor agreed, but what about the others?"

"I’ve naturally considered this point."

The Fourth Prince replied calmly, "The Heavenly Demon Ancestor’s strength is unrivaled in the Demon Clan, much like yourself and the Crown Prince—his voice can suppress the other factions within the Demon Clan. The contract requires this, so he must act accordingly."

The Second Prince said, "Very well, the Heavenly Demon Ancestor will try his best, which is the ideal scenario. If so, it indeed seems like a good decision."

He paused for a moment, staring at the Fourth Prince, and then said, "But have you considered how few the Demon Clan are? Great Yong has over five billion people. To transform them all into the Demon Clan, how many resources will be needed?"

"I have traveled with the Heavenly Demon Ancestor throughout the Demon Country."

The Fourth Prince said, "There are about one hundred and eighty million members of the Demon Clan living and multiplying in the Demon Country. That number is their limit for balancing resource collection and consumption. But Great Yong occupies the most auspicious land between heaven and earth, which could also support several hundred million more of the Demon Clan’s propagation."

He shook his head lightly and said, "I know that it is impossible for over five billion people to all become members of the Demon Clan. The vast majority of them are mere mortals with mere centuries of life. To select suitable candidates for Demon Transformation from these billions, along with collecting resources for the Transformation, will take at least a hundred years. During these hundred years, as candidate members of the Demon Clan, humans will also enjoy a state of peaceful coexistence. After a hundred years, besides those who have undergone Demon Transformation, the great majority of the mortal members of the Human Clan will have died a natural death."

"Died a natural death..."

The Second Prince laughed mockingly and asked, "What about their offspring?"

"All life is suffering."

The Fourth Prince sighed, "The Human Clan stands in opposition to Eternal Night; whether it’s Mutant Beasts, the Demon Clan... even the heavens and earth are repelling us. Even if the God Emperor had saved the Human Clan, it was not for us, just because He was undecided, still unsure whether He should help the Human Clan."

"But..." he continued gravely, "what if Your Majesty decided to abandon the Human Clan? No one can fathom the thoughts of a divine being, and He is also reluctant to communicate too much with us, simply balancing the situation. We cannot place all our hopes on Him, we must take action. Having thought it over, only by becoming a part of Eternal Night does the Human Clan have any hope of survival. I do not expect everyone to understand, but I must do it."