This Human Immortal Is Too Serious-Chapter 408 - 406 "Prayer" [Vote Request]
Human Domain Demon Soldiers.
Wu Wang had only heard this news from Lin Qi yesterday—about six months ago, Lin Nuhao, the head of the Lin Family, had led a large number of his family retainers to become Demon Soldiers.
The method of forging Demon Soldiers originated in the brief era after Emperor Suiren perished and before Emperor Fu Xi had risen to prominence.
At that time, the armies of the Heaven Palace, under the guidance of the Divine Spirits, pushed forward relentlessly. The Human Domain’s experts fought bravely but were routed, unable to form a cohesive army, and the nascent Human Domain was utterly destroyed.
In their despair, Cultivators sought ways to protect those they sheltered, which led to the emergence of a method: forcefully fusing with fierce beast bloodlines to boost their own combat power.
To this day, the method of demonic transformation remains, sealed away by the Human Emperor Pavilion and known only to the heads of the various Military Families.
Demonic transformation is an irreversible process and is extremely perilous.
If a Heavenly Immortal Realm Cultivator undergoes demonic transformation, seven or eight out of ten will die. Half of the survivors will lose their sanity, and the remaining Demon Soldiers may not even gain a significant increase in strength.
If a Transcendent Realm Cultivator undergoes demonic transformation, the survival rate is one in ten. Most survivors lose their sanity, but they can become Demon Generals capable of fighting minor Innate Gods head-on.
Moreover, after demonic transformation, their Lifespan is reduced to only a thousand years, and Demon Soldiers are constantly at risk of their bodies collapsing from within.
This was actually a measure the Human Domain would absolutely not use until the very last moment.
The Human Domain, lacking the blessings of Gods or the infusion of Divine Power, could only resort to such methods to resist the Heaven Palace and fight back against the oppression of the Innate Gods.
"Sigh."
Wu Wang let out a soft sigh as the ripples in his Dao heart gradually calmed.
He continued to sit quietly atop the tree branches, awaiting an opportunity to strike.
Wu Wang believed he understood why Lin Nuhao had undergone demonic transformation six months ago. Lin Nuhao possessed keen foresight, aware that a great war was inevitable within a few centuries.
This was the Lin Family’s only chance to reverse their fortunes.
If Lin Nuhao succeeded in his demonic transformation, the Lin Family would effectively possess power equivalent to an Innate God. Although this wouldn’t significantly impact the world’s overall situation, there was a strong possibility the Lin Family could pull itself out of its predicament.
If Lin Nuhao failed, he would seize the opportunity to perish, allowing the Lin Family to settle peacefully in the Southeastern Region.
Had Lin Nuhao been born a few years earlier, the Human Domain might have gained another great leader.
A touch of regret inevitably surfaced in Wu Wang’s heart.
He looked up, his gaze piercing through layers of Formations.
In the spacious, hall-like pavilion, Ling Xiaolan gathered the hem of her skirt, sitting quietly behind a zither table. Her delicate hands, wrapped in thin gauze, were adjusting each taut string of the zither.
In front of her and behind her, young women dressed in long gowns knelt quietly, uniformly propping up their Longswords with precise, synchronized movements.
A rich aura of Immortal Spirit permeated the area. Hundreds of Daoist Essences, seemingly unshielded, flowed freely, yet overall, they did not feel overwhelmingly powerful.
—They were striving to create the illusion that this place was heavily defended, yet lacked true experts.
Suddenly, deep in the sky, a small black dot flickered faintly, like a bird swiftly darting past.
Twenty-three figures materialized out of thin air, suspended on a cloud high above, looking down upon the layered pavilions nestled amidst the mountains and rivers below.
A female Divine Spirit raised her hand and gestured. Instantly, black flames ignited around all the Divine Spirits, concealing their features.
Ambushes had always been the despicable acts of lowly creatures.
To achieve their goal today, they had chosen to ambush this place. They felt they had lost status and tarnished their reputations by stooping to such a tactic. Hiding their identities this way offered a sliver of psychological comfort.
Some of the Gods were already eager to crush the beings here, their lips curling into slightly cruel smiles.
The female Divine Spirit clenched her fist and thrust it downward!
All twenty-three Innate Gods vibrated the Great Dao simultaneously. Myriad colorful beams of light erupted from high above, raining down upon the land below!
BOOM!
Above the branch pavilion of the Four Seas Pavilion, a thick, hemispherical Protective Array immediately materialized!
The moment the beams of light struck, the hemispherical Array erupted with intense brilliance!
But facing the combined might of twenty-three Divine Spirits, even though this grand Formation drew upon a vast amount of the power of Heaven and Earth, it could only delay them for a moment.
In the blink of an eye, spiderweb-like cracks spread across the hemispherical Protective Array.
Several Innate Gods within the beams of light descended slightly, their Divine Power surging forth!
The light barrier below rapidly collapsed. Surging Spiritual Energy erupted from the numerous cracks, creating ephemeral fireworks in the mid-air as the energy transformed into shockwaves that ravaged the surroundings.
Within a hundred-mile radius, mountains crumbled, rivers reversed their flow, and massive sections of the earth caved in!
The twenty-odd pillars of light, now unobstructed, struck the ground directly. They shattered the multiple layers of protective barriers that had illuminated and demolished more than a dozen pavilions. Like a cage, they sealed off Ling Xiaolan’s pavilion from all directions, cutting off every escape route!
Amidst the chaos in the branch pavilion, figures rushed out from the periphery, unleashing a barrage of attacks towards the pillars of light.
It was all in vain.
The Immortal Cultivators responsible for routine defense were vastly outmatched by these Innate Gods. They were now receiving constant telepathic warnings, urging them to stay as far away from the area as possible.
CLANG!
The pavilion, illuminated by Divine Light, suddenly resonated with the explosive twang of a zither. A shockwave blasted away the roof and walls, revealing figures standing within.
Most of the twenty-three lesser Gods sneered coldly at this sight.
Sixteen lesser Gods plunged suddenly from the columns of light!
Seven Divine Spirits stretched their arms towards the sky. Amidst the intertwining of Divine Power and the Great Dao, Heaven and Earth were sealed, and all sound ceased, as if the world had been plated with a layer of gray.
Surrounded by layers of protective figures, Ling Xiaolan closed her eyes, seemingly oblivious to the rampant Daoist Essences swirling around her, her fingers lightly plucking the zither strings.
Charging cavalry trod icy rivers; three thousand strands of silken hair played the melody of a flourishing age.
The sixteen Divine Spirits surged in from all directions, yet Ling Xiaolan remained unperturbed, continuing to play her zither.
The figures around her suddenly shattered—they were mere straw effigies! From beneath them, individuals clad in long robes dashed out!
Their auras surged dramatically!
The sixteen Divine Spirits were momentarily taken aback. Among the dozens of Human Domain experts who had now revealed themselves, half were Transcendent Realm cultivators and half were Heavenly Immortal Realm experts. Although they formed simple battle arrays in groups of three, none among them truly posed a threat to the Divine Spirits.
"Finish this quickly!"
"Activate the Formation!"
The commanders on both sides shouted orders. The Human Domain cultivators surged forth with their immortal power, first forming patterns of three talents, then assembling the nine palaces, instantaneously creating a turtle-shell-like Protective Array.
The Fu Xi River Chart Formation!
Within the tall buildings beneath their feet, Spirit Stones piled like mountains were activated simultaneously, pouring abundant Spiritual Energy into this grand Formation!
The sixteen lesser Gods attacked simultaneously. Divine Light surged and Weapons glinted as they struck, causing the figures within the Formation to cough up blood repeatedly.
But the wooden planks beneath the pavilion were continually flung open, as more Heavenly Immortal Realm Cultivators emerged, pouring their immortal power into the grand Formation!
On the Formation’s barriers, the phantom image of a Divine Turtle appeared, its back revealing the shadow of the River Chart.
DONG!
A deafening drum-like sound erupted from the earth, shaking it violently.
A dark figure suddenly shot up from the ground, wielding a long saber in his left hand and raising a Longsword high with his right. Half of his face was covered in black scales, the other half contorted in rage. His presence seemed to press down on Heaven and Earth, leaving faint marks.
The Deity targeted by the Longsword’s tip instantly paled. Abandoning all dignity, she broke away from the assault on the pavilion, her figure shooting backward out of the column of light condensed by her Divine Power!
The Longsword cleaved through the light column without hindrance, its tip almost grazing her nose and leaving faint scratches on her forehead!
The Deity’s hairband shattered, and a few strands of her long hair floated down before her face as crimson divine blood oozed from her forehead.
She froze, anger about to flare on her face, but the incoming sweep of the saber gave her no chance to voice her outrage!
The saber’s light, like a crescent moon, seemed to cause Heaven and Earth themselves to fracture and splinter.
The Deity crossed her arms defensively, unleashing a torrent of Divine Light forward as she desperately retreated.
Whether it was her misperception or not, the saber light didn’t seem fast, yet her retreat felt even slower. Her surging Divine Power couldn’t block the terrifying sharpness emanating from the saber. The figure behind the saber light, that half-fearsome demonic face, and that ominous horn—rumored among Innate Gods to be a harbinger of ill fortune...
PFFT! A muffled thud, and divine blood splattered!
The Deity was sent flying by the saber’s impact, her arms nearly severed!
The sudden assailant, Lin Nuhao, hovered for a moment. He stood in mid-air, saber and Longsword in hand, a savage sneer playing on his lips as his gaze locked onto the female Deity he had ambushed and grievously wounded.
A God!
The fifteen surrounding lesser Gods froze for a split second. Only when the demonic figure lunged at their comrade did they remember they needed to support each other...
The ground near the pavilion suddenly caved in, and the buildings, which had been relatively intact moments before, were now half-destroyed.
Dark figures charged out from the ground—tens, then hundreds of them—exuding billowing demonic auras as they hurled themselves fearlessly at the Divine Spirits, intent on slaughter.
"Demon Soldiers! These are the Human Domain’s Demon Soldiers!"
"It’s an ambush! We’ve been ambushed!"
Just then, almost at the same moment the Demon Soldiers surged from the ground, more than ten elders flew out from the pavilion where Ling Xiaolan stood.
A Fire Lotus mark appeared on each of their foreheads. They unleashed Daoist Essences so potent they nearly blotted out the sky, causing the Great Dao of the Innate Gods to tremble violently.
Although there were no true peak cultivators present who had followed Shen Nong during his rise, the might of these dozen or so elders was enough to extinguish any will to fight within the lesser Gods.
"Kill!" The Human Domain cultivators let out a heaven-shaking roar.
"Retreat quickly!" The Gods had lost all will to fight.
Retreat?
High in the sky, Wu Wang had arrived at some unknown point, standing quietly between Heaven and Earth.
Not far beneath his feet, a ’river’ suddenly seemed to materialize.
This ’river’ meandered through the sky, completely encircling the battlefield. It appeared silently, yet in a very short time, it formed another seal around this part of Heaven and Earth, outside the perimeter of the seal previously established by the seven Divine Spirits.
Divine Power flowed, and the Daoist Essences of the Great Dao surged.
The ’river’ gradually grew turbid, congealing into iridescent Scales, transforming into a gigantic, four-winged serpent that seemed to span the heavens.
Then, the serpent opened its massive maw and spat out dozens of figures!
Human Domain Transcendent Realm experts!
Xiao Jian Daoist let out a long howl. Immortal Light coalesced into a colossal Longsword around him, and he brought it down upon the head of the most powerful Main God from the Heaven Palace present!
Dozens of Transcendent Realm experts, upon seeing that Innate God, their eyes turning red with fury, fearlessly charged at him as one.
Wu Wang closed his eyes. The urge to ensure all these Innate Gods were left behind welled up in his heart, but he still chose to restrain himself.
Impatience can spoil great plans.
I need to save a few Divine Spirits and bring them back to build my own power base, take the opportunity to claim credit for this victory, warn the Anti-Spring Alliance... and so on.
I long to draw my sword and slay the enemy, to experience that liberating joy.
But while such a thing is possible for Xiong Ba, and even for Wu Wang, it is not for the Eastern Emperor.
What is Zhong correcting?
And what is he trying to prevent?
Wu Wang wasn’t foolish. He had already vaguely sensed that without Zhong’s interference, even if he were to win, it would be a pyrrhic victory at best. Neither Emperor Shun nor Candle Dragon were opponents to be taken lightly.
His Immortal Consciousness focused on Lin Nuhao’s figure. Gazing at that half-human, half-demon form, Wu Wang heaved a soft sigh...
「To the north of the battlefield, the Human Domain’s troop assembly ground.」
Drums thundered everywhere as two groups of cultivators surged from the water. The central army’s Immortal Soldiers slowly unfurled their battle formations between Heaven and Earth.
Scouts monitored all movement from the directions of the Eastern Wilderness and Yang Valley. The Immortal Soldiers stationed here were responsible for intercepting any invading enemies.
Above the clouds, Lin Qi had stepped out from the grand hall. Flanked by three cloaked family retainers, he gazed toward the northern sky.
Lin Qi’s vision blurred slightly as his thoughts drifted back to that rainy night half a year ago.
He had been roused from his cultivation. Accompanied by two family retainers, they had followed a tunnel—one he hadn’t known existed or when it had been dug—hurrying deep into the earth.
There, an altar stood, with hundreds of Lin Family retainers seated in meditation around it.
The altar was inlaid with countless Huge Beast Beast Cores. This suddenly reminded Lin Qi that his father had used half of the Lin Family’s wealth, brought to the Southeastern Region, to trade for these Beast Cores.
Lin Qi was led to the foot of the altar.
He looked up to see his father conversing with several family elders. The elders seemed to be trying to dissuade Lin Nuhao from something, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Come up," Lin Nuhao said quietly.
Lin Qi pursed his lips, lowered his head, and ascended the steep stairs to stand behind Lin Nuhao.
The elders sighed deeply. With a dismissive wave from Lin Nuhao, they bowed their heads and retreated.
"Father," Lin Qi asked softly, "what is this?"
"The Demon Pool," Lin Nuhao said calmly, his gaze fixed on the Blood Pool at the center of the altar. "It uses beast souls to contaminate the Primordial Spirit, thereby unleashing its latent demonic power—a method our Human Domain ancestors used to create Demon Soldiers."
Lin Qi remembered feigning calmness at that moment, nodding and saying, "Father, are you going to do this again? You still haven’t given up, have you?"
Lin Nuhao remained silent.
"Father, His Majesty the Human Emperor spared our Lin Family once. The northwestern region of the Human Domain flowed with blood because of us..."
Lin Nuhao whirled around. His face, though not contorted in anger, radiated a commanding presence, and his bloodshot eyes were terrifying!
"I may have been defeated, but it’s not your place to lecture me!"
"Father!" Lin Qi’s eyes reddened, his arms trembling. "What exactly are you fighting for! What is it! After all this fighting, do you really want to end up with nothing?"
"I’m fighting for my dignity!" Lin Nuhao’s neck veins bulged as he roared,
"Why should those established Military Families inherit their glory generation after generation, relying on their ancestors’ honor to obtain everything so easily!
Everything I have, I’ve fought for, I’ve bled for!
In what way am I inferior to them? How is our Lin Family inferior to the Ji Family? And how are you inferior to that Ji Mo!
You ask what I’m fighting for? I’m fighting for that respect, fighting to prove them wrong!"
Lin Qi smiled bitterly, his face etched with sorrow. He looked down at his own hands and murmured, "Father, you might as well kill me now, before you continue down this path."
Lin Nuhao closed his eyes, tilted his head back, and slowly exhaled. Since arriving in the Southeastern Region, his rapidly graying hair now seemed even more withered and lifeless.
Figures began to appear around the subterranean altar, brought in one by one. They were the closest kin of the hundreds of Lin Family retainers present—mostly wives and children.
The family retainers slowly rose, silently walking over to their family members and placing a blood-red Crystal into each of their hands.
It’s unknown who cried out first, but soon, those frail figures were sobbing uncontrollably. Several young children, their eyes wide with confusion, merely clutched the Crystals in their small hands tightly.
"Demonic transformation," Lin Nuhao said softly, "was the last resort the Human Domain used to confront the Heaven Palace, back before Emperor Fu Xi rose to prominence."
Lin Qi’s fingers trembled.
"Those who enter the Blood Pool have a twenty to thirty percent chance of survival. They can gain immense strength and extend their Lifespan by a thousand years."
Lin Nuhao spoke as if discussing a trivial matter. His hands were clasped behind his back as he looked down at the viscous Blood Pool, his voice consistently calm, deep, and even.
"The Lin Family has fallen to its current state because I failed to resist the Divine Spirits’ deceptions.
I wanted to strive—for status, for fame, to earn a name revered through the ages!
But I am, after all, a member of the Human race.
I merely wished to stand before them, to face the Gods, my Longsword singing as I met their challenge.
I never wished to stand beneath others, bowing and scraping, entrusting my life and the Weapons in my hands to the mercy of others!"
Lin Nuhao’s voice trembled. He ended with a desolate smile, his back radiating an immense loneliness.
"Forget it. There’s no point dwelling on a loss.
I’m not a sore loser, Lin Qi. Remember that. I am not incapable of accepting defeat.
After His Majesty passes, the Human Domain will inevitably face disaster. Whether the enemy is Emperor Shun or Candle Dragon, without a paramount leader, a supreme existence, the Human Domain is doomed to be ravaged by other powers.
But the Human Domain will absolutely not be extinguished. When the majority of its people have perished or been wounded, a new Human Emperor will emerge. The Dao of Fuel and Fire belongs to the Human race, to the Human Emperor’s throne; it does not belong to any single Human Emperor.
So, you will still have a chance to return to the Human Domain.
The children of these, my brothers-in-arms, will also have a chance to return.
The Human Emperor’s throne need not be aggressively pursued. Rely more on your teacher. If our Lin Family can atone for its past sins and establish itself as a stable Military Family, that will be enough."
Lin Qi opened his mouth, asking anxiously, "Then why must you undergo this... this demonic transformation?"
Lin Nuhao glanced back at him, extending his left hand. In his palm rested a Crystal shaped like a sharp cone.
"Take it."
Lin Qi subconsciously took it.
Lin Nuhao said, "The combined might of a hundred True Immortals or Heavenly Immortals cannot match the power of a single Transcendent Realm expert. And a hundred Transcendent Realm experts, unless they burn their own life force, cannot even harm the strongest Divine Spirits of the Heaven Palace. Demonic transformation gives us the chance to make that leap, the chance to actually harm those Gods. The greater one’s existing strength, the lower the probability of surviving demonic transformation. I’ve calculated it: if I successfully cross that threshold, I will be able to battle the Divine Spirits of the Heaven Palace. I will have a chance to wash away the Lin Family’s sins. Later, I will be the first to enter the Blood Pool. If I survive, they too will enter, one by one, to try their fate. If I do not survive, this path offers little benefit to the Lin Family. In that case, as the family head, you will order them to abandon this endeavor."
"But..."
"My mind is made up," Lin Nuhao said, waving his hand dismissively without looking at Lin Qi. He let out a soft sigh. "It’s possible to survive demonic transformation yet lose all reason. If I lose my sanity later, you are to crush this Crystal. That is all... Take care of yourself."
With that said, Lin Nuhao took a step forward.
A large hand suddenly shot out from behind, grabbing Lin Nuhao’s arm.
The hand was trembling. Lin Qi’s mouth hung open, his voice caught in his throat, his eyes already blurred with tears.
"You..."
Lin Nuhao’s wrist trembled slightly, and his son’s hand was gently pushed away.
He turned his head slightly, a rare, faint smile touching the corners of his lips.
"If you have children one day, don’t be like me. In this life, I have wronged you more than anyone... Still, if you could have grown up happier, more carefree, that wouldn’t have been so bad."
With that, he stepped forward and plunged into the Blood Pool, sending up a splash of crimson.
Not focusing on cultivation, who can you ever surpass! Your aptitude is merely above average. If you don’t push yourself, how can you ever compete with those cultivation prodigies!
Damn it! Drive his Maidens out of the residence!
Come here and recite your texts! If you cannot comprehend this scripture passage, you will kneel here all day! No one is to give him any food!
Congratulations, General, on the birth of your precious son! Have you chosen a name for the young master yet?
Let’s call him Lin Qi. May our ancestors bless the Human race, may the Human Domain soon break free from the Heaven Palace’s oppression! May we forge ahead together, you and I, and bring about an era of peace and prosperity!
...
"Family Head! Family Head!"
"Hmm?" Lin Qi immediately snapped back to the present, his voice steady. "Any sign of the enemy?"
The cloaked elder said in a low voice, "Look to the south..."
Lin Qi turned his head. Seeing that soaring pillar of blood-red light, his fingers trembled slightly.
"Don’t be distracted. Keep a close watch on all sectors," he said softly, withdrawing his gaze. "Be vigilant against attacks from Innate Gods."
"Yes!"
