Chapter 245 - 240: The Human Race Lost Its Mandate of Heaven

The Flying Boat journeyed steadily south.

It flew past the Wu Kingdom and through the Yue Kingdom before entering the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Unlike in some novels, there were no Demon Beasts in these Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Of course not. Momenan was the Human Race’s own backyard; how could they possibly allow Demon Beasts to survive here?

While there were plenty of ferocious beasts and venomous insects, they only posed a threat to ordinary people.

For Cultivators, however—especially those with high Cultivation and Mighty Powers—this place was a walk in the park.

But, no Cultivator would normally go out of their way to travel to a place like this.

To Du Youqian, this place was nothing more than an ordinary nature reserve.

A vast array of plants and animals thrived here.

But because there were no Spirit Veins, the ambient Spiritual Qi was too thin, so no precious Spirit Plants grew here.

While there were a few Gang Pools and Evil Pools, they only required a handful of people to stand guard.

Therefore, despite having lived for several hundred years, Du Youqian had never once been here.

That wasn’t surprising, though.

Of all the people he knew, none had ever been to the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Throughout the journey on the Flying Boat, Feng Xiaoyi chattered endlessly.

Perhaps to dispel Du Youqian’s suspicions, she took the initiative to tell him about her past.

Of course, she had certainly applied the Spring and Autumn Brush Technique to certain parts, but for the most part, her story was logical and consistent with her persona.

For example, she wasn’t actually of the Human Race, but rather...

A Fox Demon.

"Surprised?" Feng Xiaoyi giggled. "Before the Human Race separated this Small World from the main world, I was already a spy in the human camp. Back then, when people held contests for the ’Top Ten Fairies’ and the like, I even made the list, you know."

"So, you’re actually over eight thousand years old?"

Du Youqian was, of course, very surprised.

He had always believed Elder Liu Hua was a Nascent Soul Expert of the Human Race.

But he didn’t like being led by the nose, so he said it deliberately to hide his shock.

A dark look crossed Feng Xiaoyi’s face. "Do you want to hear the rest or not? If you do, stop interrupting!"

Du Youqian smiled. "Please, continue."

"After I learned to assume a human form, I spent over a century learning how to act human and integrate into your society. Later, I posed as a fledgling young Kun Cultivator within the human camp. It took me five hundred years to slowly reach the Nascent Soul Realm, and unbelievably, no one ever suspected a thing."

"But there was a problem. After spending so long among the Human Race... I found I didn’t hate them as much anymore."

"It’s just like they say in books: there are good people, and there are bad people. When I first read that, I dismissed it. But after centuries of meeting all kinds of humans, those words took on a profound weight in my heart. I despised the wicked, of course, but I couldn’t bring myself to harm the good ones. That’s why I decided I didn’t want to be a spy anymore."

A nostalgic look appeared in Feng Xiaoyi’s eyes as she briefly explained her change of heart.

It sounded reasonable enough; at least, there were no major flaws on the surface.

So Du Youqian didn’t press for details. He accepted her story with reservations for now, simply nodding for her to continue.

"The Nascent Soul Realm is considered the upper echelons of the Human Race, like being a provincial Governor in a Mortal Realm, you see? So I was quite well-informed. Later, I learned that because the war was going badly, the Human Race was preparing to create a sanctuary to preserve their people. The project required the help of many Nascent Soul and Divinity Transformation Cultivators, so I eagerly threw myself into the effort."

"This sanctuary is Momenan. Do you know what Momenan is really like? For instance, what do you think you’d find if you just kept walking in one direction?"

Du Youqian was a learned man, so he naturally knew this was a world with a flat earth and a domed sky, not a spherical planet.

"You would reach the end of the world."

Feng Xiaoyi nodded, then corrected him. "To be precise, if you head east, south, or west, you’ll eventually hit a boundary. It’s invisible and intangible. There’s seemingly nothing there, yet it cannot be touched or surpassed. That is the end of the world. But the north is different. You’ve probably heard that the north is an endless Desolate Desert, seemingly without limit. Over the years, every Core Formation Cultivator who tried to explore the northern border has either retreated in the face of its dangers or died in that endless wasteland."

Du Youqian had read about this in the Sect’s records. "They say there is no life in the north, that the environment is incredibly harsh. You can even encounter spatial turbulence and rifts. One careless move, and even a Core Formation Master could be torn apart by a spatial rift."

"That’s right," Feng Xiaoyi said.

"We’re heading south. Why are you telling me about the Desolate Desert in the north, Master?"

A mature, bewitching smile touched Feng Xiaoyi’s lips. "You’ll find out soon enough. Anyway, back then, while helping to build Momenan, I devised a plan to secretly leave a back door for myself. As you know, I’m a Fox Demon; Illusion Techniques are my specialty. I did it without anyone being the wiser. Later, once Momenan was complete and had been separated from the Human World, I found an opportunity to sneak in."

Du Youqian keenly picked up on an issue and quickly asked, "The Human World? I’ve searched through all the records, but I’ve never come across that name."

Feng Xiaoyi smiled. "That’s what we of the Demon Race call it. After all, that world is dominated by the Human Race."

Du Youqian pressed on. "Does that mean the Demon Race are the invaders?"

Feng Xiaoyi shot him a look that was equal parts playful and reproachful. "Must you be so black and white about everything, my dear disciple?"

Du Youqian feigned embarrassment. "My apologies, Master. Please, continue."

In his heart, however, he resolved to get to the bottom of the matter someday.

As if reading his mind, Feng Xiaoyi sighed and explained, "To call us invaders wouldn’t be accurate, because we also originated and flourished in this world. Once, the Human Race was favored by Heaven’s Mandate, masters of all creation. The demons were just another ordinary form of life. This ’Demon Race’... that’s just what you humans call us. From our perspective, there’s no such thing. There are only the Ten Thousand Races, huddled together for warmth, surviving at the whim of the Human Race."

"It wasn’t until the Human Race lost Heaven’s Mandate that the Ten Thousand Races began to vie with them for it."

Du Youqian interrupted again, "What is Heaven’s Mandate?"

Feng Xiaoyi pouted. "You troublesome disciple, are you going to listen or not? You keep interrupting me."

After a brief pause, however, she explained, "Heaven’s Mandate is... Heaven’s Mandate. If you ever have the chance to go to the Human World, you’ll understand. For example, back when the Human Race held Heaven’s Mandate, its Cultivators didn’t need to undergo a Tribulation to advance. Only the Ten Thousand Races had to face such difficult trials. Ever since the Human Race lost that favor, their Cultivators began facing tribulations starting from the Core Formation Stage."

Du Youqian still had many questions, but he decided not to interrupt again so that Feng Xiaoyi could continue her story unimpeded.

Feng Xiaoyi continued, "I snuck into Momenan and found myself in the Desolate Desert. I was already prepared. I took out a Teleportation Array, got my bearings, and quickly teleported out. I had intended to transport myself to the Central Plains, but I unexpectedly ended up deep within the Hundred Thousand Mountains in the south, in the middle of nowhere."

"It was only later that I discovered a miraculous object right where I had landed. I built my cave abode around it and set up another Teleportation Array that could connect back to the one in the Desolate Desert."

Feng Xiaoyi deliberately left him hanging, not explaining what the miraculous object was, and Du Youqian didn’t interrupt to ask.

She continued, "I spent my time studying that miraculous object, but unfortunately, a mishap occurred that left me unable to leave the confines of my cave abode. There was no Spiritual Qi there, and I was suppressed by the world itself, unable to maintain my Transformation. I grew weaker by the day. In my desperation, I created a Jade Scroll and cast it into the outside world, hoping to attract someone to investigate and perhaps give me a chance to escape."

"But centuries passed, and the Jade Scroll failed to attract any Human Race Cultivators... I investigated later and found it was just bad luck. The moment the Jade Scroll appeared, it was fought over, sparking all sorts of incidents until a Sword Cultivator chopped it into three pieces, all of which were subsequently lost..."

"And so, in fear, I faced the end of my natural life. But unexpectedly, I discovered that after spending so long with that miraculous object, my soul had been affected. It had undergone a fundamental transformation and developed new properties. Long after I died, my soul did not dissipate. I then tried moving only at night, traveling as a spirit to the Central Plains. I found a body with a Spirit Root, performed a Possession, and lived another lifetime... When that body’s life came to an end, I performed another Possession..."

"And so, I have lived for a dozen or so lifetimes, right up to the present day."

"In this life, my name is Feng Xiaoyi. I joined the Holy Blood Sect, quietly cultivated to the Core Formation Realm, and then took on a troublesome disciple like you."

When she finished, she looked at Du Youqian with an expectant gaze.

"All I want is to return to my cave abode, regain control over it, and use that miraculous object to resolve some of my... lingering issues."

"You’ll help me, won’t you? All my hopes are pinned on you."

Du Youqian mulled this over for a moment before changing the subject. "So, Master, you’re not just over eight thousand years old. You’re over nine thousand, aren’t you?"