CHAPTER 723: 168, EAT AND BE EATEN_2

The Crown Prince showed no expression.

The Seventh Princess had already fallen completely silent.

Lin Yue frowned slightly, feeling that something was not quite right.

"So..."

The Second Prince looked at the Fourth Prince and said, "Do you want the descendants of the Human Clan today to be extinct and, in a hundred years, only the Demon Clan to remain?"

The Fourth Prince slowly said, "As long as the heart of man does not change, the Human Clan will live on forever. If being born into this world is a mistake, it would be better to never have been born at all. That is the true salvation. The dead can still undergo reincarnation and be born as members of the Demon Clan."

This was his true thought.

It was also the answer he had sought for many years.

The Second Prince fell silent for a long while before he softly began to speak, "Thousands of years ago, someone had thoughts very similar to yours."

"Back then... in the Eternal Night, there were not so many mutant beasts, nor was there a Demon Clan. When the Human Clan was weak, the mutant beasts were also weak. But as the Human Clan grew stronger, the mutant beasts also became more formidable."

"Although the mutant beasts fought amongst themselves, after observing for a long time, the Human Ancestor finally determined..."

"In the Eternal Night, it seemed as if there were two invisible colossal hands. One hand created most of the mutant beasts, which saw the Human Clan as food. The other hand created a group of mutant beasts that did not feed on humans. These two groups of mutant beasts battled against one another, and only then could our Human Clan barely survive in between."

"But as the Human Clan grows stronger, the groups of mutant beasts that feed on humans also inexplicably grow stronger, as do the groups of mutant beasts that fight those that eat humans. When the Human Clan faces disasters and weakens, the groups of mutant beasts stop growing."

"Therefore, the Human Ancestor was sure."

"This world, this Eternal Night, targets the Human Clan."

The Second Prince slowly continued, "Therefore, among the disciples of the Human Ancestor, there was one who came up with an idea similar to yours... no, it should be said that many people had this idea, but the hatred between the mutant beasts and the Human Clan was just too great. Embracing the bloodline of mutant beasts was a taboo and a disgrace, only that person truly did so and achieved it."

He looked at the Fourth Prince and said, "That person was the direct disciple of the Human Ancestor, ’Heaven,’ who is now known as the Heavenly Demon Ancestor."

The Fourth Prince listened quietly and then spoke, "The Heavenly Demon Ancestor and I indeed share many similar thoughts. I respect him and believe he truly seeks a way out for the Human Clan, which is why I help him. What’s wrong with that?"

The Second Prince sighed and said, "I once argued with the Human Ancestor about this, but sometimes, he indeed looked further ahead."

"Further ahead?" the Fourth Prince looked at him and the Crown Prince and said, "I know that the Second Prince and the Crown Prince are the true saviors of our Human Clan. We just have differing ideologies. What did the Human Ancestor see?"

The Second Prince quietly said, "Have you ever wondered why the Eternal Night came into existence?"

The Fourth Prince slightly furrowed his brow.

"To be honest, even the Human Ancestor and I are not so sure."

The Second Prince continued, "But do you know why the Heavenly Demon Ancestor continues to keep the people of Liangwang City?"

"Why?" asked the Fourth Prince.

"If I’m not mistaken," the Second Prince spoke softly, "it’s not just to seize the fate of the Human Clan of Great Yong, but also to ensure the survival of the Human Clan."

"To ensure the survival of the Human Clan?" The Fourth Prince frowned. "Isn’t the Demon Clan set on annihilating the Human Clan?"

"Why would the Demon Clan want to annihilate the Human Clan?" the Second Prince countered.

Although it seemed like he was just saying nonsense, Lin Yue’s heart stirred slightly, vaguely understanding.

"Instinct and faction," the Fourth Prince seriously answered.

The Second Prince shook his head, then asked again, "Instinct? Why is there such an instinct? And why is there such a faction division?"

The Fourth Prince pondered for a long while, then said, "It stems from the Eternal Night."

Lin Yue understood what the Second Prince was implying.

At their core, members of the Demon Clan are just people with the bloodline of mutant beasts. Mutant beasts eat humans, so the Demon Clan also has the instinct to eat humans.

As for factions?

Although he did not understand why there were so-called faction divisions, beings who transcended heaven and earth seemed to understand this division.

It all stemmed from the Eternal Night.

The Human Clan stands opposite the Eternal Night, while the mutant beasts and the Demon Clan are in the same faction as the Eternal Night.

"This is a very simple principle."

The Second Prince said, "In the natural world, there are many creatures that are natural enemies, in a relationship of predator and prey, like sheep and the grassland. Do the sheep truly hate the grassland? In order to survive, the sheep must eat the grass, but if the grassland turns into a desert and the grass is eaten up, the sheep will also starve."

He looked at the Fourth Prince and said, "Mutant Beasts were born to target the Human Clan, and the Demon Clan is also in the same camp as the Mutant Beasts. If the Human Clan perishes, would there still be a need for Mutant Beasts to exist? Would there still be a need for the Demon Clan to exist?"

The Fourth Prince fell silent.

After a long while, the Fourth Prince gently shook his head and said, "Among all things in heaven and earth, though there are invisible rules and chains, many species do not only focus on one type of food. Sheep certainly love to eat grass, but without grass, they can eat leaves, roots, and tubers. It’s just a conjecture that the Human Clan is targeted by Eternal Night; the Demon Clan does not have to eat humans. Why would they perish if the Human Clan is extinguished?"

This was a clash of ideologies.

Everyone had lived for countless years, each person had their own thoughts and opinions; how could they be persuaded by just a few words?

"You can’t see the reality of this realm from your vantage point, but I and the Human Ancestor have seen more of the truth."

The Second Prince said calmly, "I know you won’t believe it; it’s your freedom, but... unfortunately, people in the Human Clan who think about their tribe like you are becoming increasingly rare. This Divine Array protects the Human Clan, but it also blinds them."

"Perhaps," the Fourth Prince slowly shook his head and said, "I am just seeking the answers that I can see with my own eyes. Now that I have achieved my goals, life and death no longer matter to me."

"What a pity."

The Second Prince slightly shook his head, "Fourth Brother, please enter Reincarnation. I hope that in the next life when we meet again, the Human Clan will have found its path and reached the truly ideal situation. Then I can tell you whether this answer is right or wrong."

The Fourth Prince paused, then said, "The Great Yong Divine Formation is about to be broken. Do you think the Human Clan still has a chance?"

"You have another error, which is underestimating the Human Clan." The Second Prince sighed. "The Demon Clan is strong, but our Human Clan is not without the power to protect itself."

"In your current state, you can barely protect yourself, Second Prince. How can you protect the Human Clan?" asked the Fourth Prince. "Where is the hope?"

"We are enemies, no need to say more."

The Second Prince sighed softly and said, "It seems there’s no need for questioning anymore... Crown Prince, send him into Reincarnation."

The Crown Prince, who had been standing by indifferently, responded in a subdued voice, "Though a Proving warrior’s Divine Soul is immortal, I can still shatter your Divine Soul, make you suffer through Reincarnation. Until the Human Clan finds hope, even if you successfully reincarnate, I will keep an eye on you, forbidding you from pursuing Cultivation, reincarnating over and over."

"Hope..."

The Fourth Prince slowly closed his eyes, murmuring.

The Crown Prince slightly raised his hand, and deep in the sky, a massive Eye of Heaven slowly opened, watching the Fourth Prince below.

"Rumble—"

Endless clouds of calamity surged forth, thunder rolling and lightning flashing, beginning to madly congregate the supreme power of Heavenly Punishment.

"Annihilate."

A thread of faint black lightning, carrying the power to extinct everything, streaked across the sky, striking directly at the Fourth Prince.

This terrifying power, unpredictable by even the celestial mechanisms, would assuredly mean death even to those who had refined Divine Power.

Yet, the Fourth Prince suddenly opened his eyes.

He looked towards Lin Yue.

"Seventeenth brother, you must be the hope the Crown Prince and the Second Prince talked about..."

A sigh resonated in Lin Yue’s heart.

Lin Yue was taken aback.

Impossible!

The Fourth Prince had clearly been sealed by the Crown Prince, only able to speak. How could he possibly use Divine Thought?

Unless...

In this moment, a strangely familiar, dark, twisted, and cold, insane aura quietly rose from within the Fourth Prince.

In an instant, black thunder penetrated the Void, striking the Fourth Prince’s body.

Then...

Like a needle piercing through air, this all-destroying Heavenly Thunder passed directly through the Fourth Prince’s body, causing him no harm!

"The aura of the Ancient Lord!"

The Second Prince’s voice, tinged with shock, resonated through Divine Thought: "Act quickly!"