### Chapter 4: Double Trouble (5)
“Everyone here is a notable figure from the major sects, and having you visit our stronghold today is truly an honor.”
Lin Nan stood with her hands behind her back, her gaze slowly sweeping over the crowd, whose eyes were tinged with a hint of trepidation.
“It’s a pity, though, that the Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s son, Shiyuan, has already left the stronghold and is nowhere to be found.
Of course, you didn’t just come here to look for someone—the true reason for your visit is the wealth that have accumulated here over the years, isn’t it?”
With the bow and arrow aimed at them, the over a hundred members of the Demon-Subduing Alliance fell into an uneasy silence.
After all, Lin Nan hadn’t really started yet. What they really wanted to hear was what fate awaited them.
“Under normal circumstances, the first to be worried about Young Master Shi should be the Shi family estate.
Yet all they’ve done is issue a bounty for you to lead the charge. But so far, have any of you seen a member of the Shi family in Lehua Town?”
As soon as Lin Nan said this, the martial artists felt something was off about this situation.
Before this, they might have had an inkling of doubt, but hearing Lin Nan spell it out was like a light bulb turning on.
Yeah, why hadn’t anyone from the Shi family estate shown up during all of this?
Could it be that for Shi Jinghai, this son of his is just an afterthought, so much so that he hasn’t even bothered to show his face?
The so-called bounty felt more like a routine formalities, reassuring everyone that the Martial Arts Alliance had not ignored the matter. Instead, they were just rallying heroes to take down the demoness together.
After all, the Demon Sect had recently been wiped out, so it was only normal for its remnants to seek revenge on the Martial Arts Alliance Leader’s son.
But… Shi Jinghai’s indifference was quite contrary to what a father should be, really.
The Masked Man frowned slightly. Why is this woman rambling so much? Wouldn’t it be better to announce the rules of the game cleanly and quickly?
What on earth does she want to say?
Liao Chen clasped his hands together, squinting his eyes as he silently recited scriptures, as if he were trying to bless the dead or storing up power.
“Five hundred years ago, there was no Lehua Town.
This place was a junction between the human world and the underworld, where countless demons and monsters roamed, leaving the land barren within a hundred miles as if it were a wasteland.
And during the melee between the demons, a very powerful demoness was born, known as the Demon Emperor.
Once this demon appeared, the demons ceased their infighting and, under the leadership of the Demon Emperor, attempted to invade the human world, turning humans into mere fodder.
But would the brave heroes of the human world let the Demon Emperor’s plans go unchallenged?
In a blink of an eye, the vicinity of Lehua Town was drenched in bl**d, with countless martial arts masters falling beneath the Demon Emperor’s hand.”
The crowd, including the Masked Man and Liao Chen, sank into silence, clearly taken aback by this story they had never heard before.
The Masked Man had intended to interrupt her, but it seemed that the legend of the Demon Emperor had struck a chord, compelling him to listen further.
Having spent 10 Luck Points to set the storytelling mood, could the effect be any better?
Lin Nan gritted her teeth and continued.
“Unfortunately, the gap in strength between mortals and demons was far too great. After a series of fierce battles, those brave souls who participated in the demon hunt suffered heavy casualties, and humanity was about to fall under the shadow of the Demon Emperor’s reign.
But just when it mattered most, a boy stepped forward, later to be known as the Human Emperor.
He possessed the powers of ‘Monk, Demon, and Dao’, and surprisingly held his own against the Demon Emperor!
Instantly, the people saw a glimmer of hope and, in their glee, built several temples and monasteries around Lehua Town to enhance the boy’s strength with incense offerings.
After a prolonged tug-of-war, it took the Human Emperor a full three years to completely slay the Demon Emperor and destroy the crossing point between the realms.
The people celebrated this victory, believing that peace had been restored.
But who could have predicted that after fighting for so long within the demon’s territory, the Human Emperor unwittingly became tainted by demonic energy, and the Heart Demon began to take hold of him.
Then, during a grand celebratory event, the Human Emperor lost control of the Heart Demon’s backlash, and the dragon-slaying hero became a dragon himself—
slaughtering nearly ten thousand people in one fell swoop.
After a fleeting moment of clarity, the Human Emperor was filled with regret, realizing that all of his previous heroics couldn’t undo the horrific mistakes he had just made.
To make amends and prevent himself from becoming a demon like the Demon Emperor,
the Human Emperor voluntarily sealed himself within the mountains, hoping that with the passage of time, the demonic energy would wane.
As long as the demonic energy remained, he would not exit the barrier.”
“You mean, the Human Emperor is in the mountains near Lehua Town?” the Masked Man was the first to ask.
As a renegade, he adored the tales of the strong.
Hearing that the Human Emperor was still alive, the Masked Man was immediately interested in meeting this powerful figure to see who was truly the mightier one.
In this way, Lin Nan successfully captured his interest.
After all, before this, the Masked Man had only been focused on slaughtering everyone to show his strength to the Martial Arts Alliance.
She had to stall for time and tell this story to attract the Masked Man.
Otherwise, if the rest of the martial artists were wiped out, her approval rating in Liao Chen’s eyes would probably drop to negative numbers.
Though she didn’t directly lift a finger, she was definitely an accomplice in the annihilation of the Demon-Subduing Alliance, working alongside the Giant Wave Gang.
“Technically, it’s right beneath the stronghold,” Lin Nan replied.
【Ding! Under the influence of level 7 Luck,
You have successfully constructed a relevant history for this dimension, and you may continue to improve the information. The system will provide some key evidence to substantiate this historical existence.
Please be aware that if any contradictions appear, leading to an illogical narrative, you may fall into a time rift and be lost forever.
Ding! As a reward for constructing this history, your Luck Points have increased by 600,
You now possess 1190 Luck Points.】
Lin Nan, “…”
She really just wanted to spin a tale to see if she could boost the affection of the Masked Man and Liao Chen.
Unbeknownst to her, her casual words, under the influence of the Luck level, had turned into the actual history of this martial world.
Oh no…
It seems like, to some extent, she has inadvertently altered the fundamental elements of this dimension.
So, this was a world where humans and demons coexisted?
But the demons were in decline, allowing the humans to flourish.
However, as times of peace continued, the martial artists gradually became obsessed with martial skills, and the majority had forgotten how to eradicate demons.
Except for that bald fellow, Liao Chen.
“I had heard old folks talk about bits and pieces of the demon-slaying war a few hundred years ago; I thought they were just legends. I never expected to hear the truth of it here today.”
“Demons? Do such things really exist in this world? I don’t believe it!”
“But what does all this have to do with the Martial Arts Alliance?”
“Yeah, those are old tales. Would the Martial Arts Alliance care about ancient myths?”
Lin Nan sighed, “What I’m telling you is, of course it relates to the Martial Arts Alliance.”
P.S. Best of luck to all those taking their exams! May you ace everything and get everything right! Keep it up!
