Chapter 144: Humans Eat Chickens, Monsters Eat Humans

On a quiet afternoon, the house was enveloped in complete silence.

The sunlight was lazy.

The air was scorching.

The chirping of insects and birds intertwined, bringing a unique tranquility to the scorching summer.

Inside the room, Xu Xi, upon seeing the word “Azure Dragon,” suddenly fell into a prolonged silence, his gaze fixed on the paper, repeatedly examining its contents.

Azure Dragon Gang Qi…

Azure Dragon devouring humans…

Both involving the Azure Dragon—could there really be no connection between them?

Xu Xi’s eyes lowered as he looked at the ancient legend recorded on the paper, recalling the Azure Dragon Gang Qi that Wu Yingxue had demonstrated for him years ago.

The exaggerated details of that moment finally found their answer now.

“An extraordinary being like the Azure Dragon, even if not unique, could never be widespread.”

“In other words, the Azure Dragon imitated by the royal family’s martial arts and the man-eating Azure Dragon from this legend are very likely one and the same.”

“The Great Qian Dynasty’s royal family, which claims to protect humanity, practices the martial arts of man-eating demons and monsters?”

Is this dissonant?

Is this absurd?

Perhaps because he had long harbored suspicions about the Great Qian Emperor, Xu Xi felt little shock at the truth of “human traitors.”

What truly gripped his mind was something else behind the Azure Dragon.

“The Azure Dragon Gang Qi proves the existence of the Azure Dragon, and the existence of the Azure Dragon proves the authenticity of mythical legends.”

“Those seemingly bizarre records, those seemingly fantastical legends, including that vast and wild world—could they all be real?”

Then, why has no one in the Great Qian Dynasty ever seen such sights?

Why is all they see the narrow Thirteen Provinces?

The answer wasn’t hard to deduce.

Xu Xi quickly thought, “The real world, the true human race, live beyond the Ten Thousand Mountains. The so-called Thirteen Provinces of the Great Qian Dynasty are merely a breeding ground established by the Azure Dragon and other demons and monsters.”

Yes, that makes sense.

Past confusions and doubts found their answers at this moment.

“Sir, what are you talking about? I don’t understand.”

The girl’s voice was filled with confusion.

She suspiciously peeked out, glancing at Xu Xi and then at the paper on the table, unable to comprehend the “Azure Dragon” and “world” he spoke of.

Wasn’t the world just the Thirteen Provinces of the Great Qian Dynasty and the endless Ten Thousand Mountains?

Wu Yingxue, who grew up in the Great Qian Dynasty, had long formed a fixed worldview.

“Yingxue, don’t let the surface of things blind you. Sometimes, what you see is only what others want you to see.”

Xu Xi taught the girl, explaining his discoveries to her.

About the Great Qian Dynasty, about the Azure Dragon, about the truth behind the world.

At first, Wu Yingxue was stunned, her mouth agape in disbelief.

Gradually, her stunned expression turned to anger. She slammed the table, declaring she would stab that inhuman dog emperor to death, a billion times over!

Though speculative, many past events could indirectly prove it.

The Great Qian Emperor, sitting high in the imperial court, was actually one of the demons and monsters.

Even if he still had a human form, his heart was as cold as a demon’s, mercilessly driving countless commoners to the borderlands to be devoured by demons.

Even the mysterious Human Immortal might be a demon in disguise.

“Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!”

Wu Yingxue gnashed her teeth, then thought of another question.

“Sir.”

“You just said that beyond the Ten Thousand Mountains is the real world, and the people of the Thirteen Provinces are merely convenient food for the demons.”

“But we… the people of Qingniu Town, the Army of Survival.”

“All these years, we’ve been fighting against the Great Qian Dynasty, with countless casualties. Doesn’t that go against the demons’ intentions?”

Wu Yingxue’s voice was filled with confusion.

Demons want to eat humans, so they created the Great Qian Dynasty as a cage.

By that logic, they should suppress uprisings and rebellions to avoid wasting too much food.

“Heave-ho!”

“Heave-ho!”

“Eat! Eat!”

In the quiet noon, another group of eager Army of Survival soldiers passed by the house, shouting excited slogans.

Even through several walls, Xu Xi and the girl could hear their eager voices.

Xu Xi slightly raised his hand.

Mottled light and shadow slanted across his palm, revealing the golden brilliance and the surging qi and blood hidden beneath his skin.

“Yingxue, do you think everyone is eating well now?”

Xu Xi suddenly asked in return.

The girl was puzzled.

After a moment of hesitation, she answered truthfully, “Barely enough, I guess. At least we’re not starving like before.”

Xu Xi asked again, “Then do you think everyone is eating well?”

The girl shook her head decisively, “No.”

Having experienced a life of luxury, she knew how richly and variedly the nobles of the Great Qian Dynasty ate.

Compared to them, the delicacy the Army of Survival longed for was just a bowl of plain white rice.

Xu Xi’s final question: “Then do you think everyone wants to eat better?”

“Of course! Who wouldn’t…”

Wu Yingxue’s voice abruptly stopped.

Her stunned expression was as if struck by lightning, frozen in place, her mouth slightly open, as if she had realized something, unable to recover for a long time.

In the warm and gentle sunlight.

In the quiet and comfortable room.

Xu Xi spoke the final answer for the girl: “Those demons also want to eat better human flesh…”

When mortals eat chicken, there are distinctions like castrated chickens, free-range chickens, and flying chickens.

So, who’s to say that intelligent Great Demons can’t categorize humans the same way?

“The so-called world, the so-called Great Qian Dynasty, the so-called Thirteen Provinces.”

“Are merely cages where demons raise martial artists as food.”

“And our fight against the Great Qian Dynasty is causing more Innate Martial Artists to be born, as life-and-death battles are the easiest way to break through bottlenecks.”

“That’s all there is to it.”

Xu Xi’s voice was calm and gentle, yet it felt like a cold, merciless blade, shattering the worldview the girl had grown up with.

At this point, Xu Xi felt he was very close to the truth.

But out of a rigorous attitude, he planned to conduct more research and not rely solely on his own reasoning and speculation.

If, after verification, everything aligned with his conjectures, then the goal of the Army of Survival would need to change.

Before today, Xu Xi’s goal was to overthrow the Great Qian Dynasty and create a new era where everyone could survive.

But according to the current information, the end result would merely be jumping from a cage called “Great Qian” to another cage called “Overthrowing Great Qian.”

In essence, they would still be food for the demons of the Ten Thousand Mountains.

“Perhaps I am not the first to discover this horrifying reality.”

At the desk, Xu Xi recalled the girl’s long-deceased parents.

Perhaps Prince Dingyuan, who had reached the Third Stage of the Innate Realm, rebelled so suddenly back then because he discovered this unacceptable truth.

“Overthrowing the Great Qian Dynasty won’t let everyone survive.”

“The day we reach the Imperial Capital will be the day the demons come to feast.”

“The only way, the only path, is to break free from this cage of heaven and earth.”