The only way

Chapter 934 We cultivators can only save ourselves by striving to cross the river!

Chonghe Zhenjun regained his gentle and warm gaze and looked at Ling Chu quietly, his eyes filled with tolerance and peace.

"No, this conflict between the two races is not about the creation of heaven and earth."

Chonghe Zhenjun's answer was unexpected.

As Ling Chu looked up, Chonghe Zhenjun lightly tapped the table, activating all the formations in the hall. Even Nascent Soul cultivators could not see what was happening inside.

"Taiwei, you must remember, in this conflict between the two races, what we are fighting for is the path to ascension! It is the chance for the survival of the cultivation world!"

The Path to Ascension!

A chance to survive!

Ling Chu suddenly looked up, her eyes filled with emotion once again.

Today's conversation with the sect leader is destined to overturn many of Ling Chu's perceptions.

Ling Chu's turbulent emotions quickly calmed down after years of reciting Taoist scriptures, and she slowly spoke, "Sect Leader, I don't understand."

She didn't understand that even if starting a conflict between the two races reduced the number of people, cultivators, and even demons vying for the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, the path of the Spirit Ruins Realm would still be predetermined, and it wouldn't be of much help to the path of ascension.

She didn't understand why they would abandon Yunzhou. Was it just to keep sacrificing sentient beings in the world to prolong the life of the cultivators in the Spirit Ruins Realm?

In Lingchu's view, this was a ridiculous act of drinking poison to quench thirst, and a futile effort that was like a drop in the ocean.

She couldn't understand how Chonghe Zhenjun and so many senior cultivators from the five major immortal sects could be so short-sighted.

Chonghe Zhenjun would not be so short-sighted. If they wanted to do such a thing, the Lingxu Realm would have been plunged into conflict long ago, instead of the peace that lasted for thousands of years.

"What do you think is the purpose of the Demon Race's large-scale invasion of the Eastern Continent?"

This was another problem that Lingchu had not anticipated.

It seemed to have nothing to do with the path to ascension, but Ling Chu knew that the sect leader would not ask meaningless questions. So she pondered for a moment, abandoning the well-known reasons of the Eastern Continent's occupation and conquest, and turned to think in other directions.

Demon race? Ascension?
Ling Chu suddenly raised her eyebrows slightly, a hint of shock appearing in her eyes. "The Demon Race also wants to open the Path of Ascension? And this Path of Ascension is in the Eastern Continent? Or rather, it's related to our human race?"

If this were in the Eastern Continent, how could the Demon Race even have a chance? The human race has been rooted in the Eastern Continent for tens of thousands of years. If there were a path to ascension, it would have been occupied by the major immortal sects long ago. How could the Demon Race possibly know about it and take it over?

If it's not because of the Eastern Continent, but you insist on having the Eastern Continent, then it can only be because of the human race on the Eastern Continent.

"Is the demon race's target our human race?"

Ling Chu, with her quick wit and sharp mind, managed to untangle the hidden threads in a few breaths and gently grasped the end of the thread.

The admiration in Chonghe Zhenjun's eyes was almost overflowing, and he nodded repeatedly, "Not bad, worthy of being one of the successors I have chosen."

When Ling Chu had just entered the Nascent Soul stage, Chonghe Zhenjun jokingly said that he wanted Ling Chu to succeed him as the sect leader, but he had a lot of real intentions in mind.

To become the leader of the Sanqing Dao Sect, one needs cultivation, temperament, and intelligence—all three are indispensable.

Among the younger generation in the sect, there is more than one person who meets both the requirements of cultivation and intelligence.

However, they differ in their temperament.

Si Bai is naturally aloof and indifferent, unconcerned with worldly affairs, which is excellent for cultivation. However, if he were to become the sect leader, putting everything else aside, his outspoken nature would make dealing with other sects...

Chonghe Zhenjun just wanted to cover his face.

Then look at Gu Tianqiu, the eldest disciple of True Lord Duanyi and senior brother of Lingchu. He's a promising talent, calm and gentle in nature, and his cultivation is not weak either. However, he's too responsible. True Lord Duanyi doesn't manage affairs, so Gu Tianqiu is in charge of everything for the entire Taiqing Mountain lineage. If he were to become the sect leader, he would be meticulous in every aspect, taking on all matters himself. He's the complete opposite of Sibai. But with such a personality, True Lord Chonghe is truly afraid that he'll exhaust his son and die in the position of sect leader…

His second disciple, Meng Wei, was exceptionally talented, but he was a cultivation fanatic who only knew how to cultivate...

Mingyue has connections to a cultivation family and Penglai Island, and her personality is just as fierce as Sibai's...

As for those who have not yet shown any signs of breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage, they will not be considered for the time being.

Ling Chu before me is undeniably talented and intelligent. Her personality is neither aloof nor overly enthusiastic, and she has no entanglements behind her, making her the most suitable candidate. However…

Chonghe Zhenjun thought of the junior in front of him. Whenever he went out, eight out of ten times he would be inexplicably involved in other places and would disappear for decades without a trace.

If someone becomes the sect leader, what difference is there between having one and not having one, since sect leaders often disappear for decades?
It really is...

Chonghe Zhenjun felt a wave of weakness. How much longer would he have to work diligently in the position of sect leader?

The sudden grief only swept through Chonghe Zhenjun's heart like a breeze. He quickly regained his composure and nodded earnestly in response to Lingchu's answer.

Ling Chu guessed correctly; the Demon Clan's goal from the beginning was never the Eastern Continent, but the human race located on the Eastern Continent.

"The demon race has a forbidden technique called the Summoning of Gods. When this technique is used, it can summon demon gods to descend to earth. Using a sacrificial vessel as a body, the demon god can be brought to the world and one can obtain three-tenths of the demon god's power. It is said that some sacrificial vessels are special and can even bear five-tenths of the demon god's power."

"And the first thing to do in order to cast this forbidden spell is to perform a blood sacrifice! Only by sacrificing enough living beings can the channel for guidance be opened and the demon god be summoned to the world."

This time, Lord Chonghe directly revealed the true purpose of the demon race.

Blood sacrifice, offering human lives to the demon god, is the only way to summon the demon god to descend upon the world.

"How many people are needed?"

Ling Chu asked the question with difficulty, her voice as soft as a gentle breeze.

"Ten thousand years ago, one hundred thousand would have been enough, but now... perhaps five hundred thousand? Perhaps... a million?"

Chonghe Zhenjun slowly uttered the answer, each word causing people to furrow their brows and find it difficult to relax.

Ling Chu already guessed the gist of what was to come without Chonghe Zhenjun even needing to continue.

The demon race's divine summoning technique should be successful, because the Thousand Machines Pavilion did not obstruct it, and the five major immortal sects all chose to remain silent. This is enough to explain the answer.

Sacrificing hundreds of thousands, even millions, of humans to open a path to ascension for all cultivators and for the Spirit Ruins Realm.

Those who were sacrificed were the humans of Yunzhou; those who were etched as evil by history were only the demons.

The five silent immortal sects and the entire cultivation world were the ones who opened the path to ascension and successfully gained the benefits.

Or rather, all the monks who knew about it.

Now she knows.

Ling Chu lowered her eyes, concealing all her emotions, but the tips of her fingers holding the teacup turned a faint white.

The atmosphere inside the hall suddenly became as murky and oppressive as a swamp.

Chonghe Zhenjun seemed oblivious, only raising the corners of his mouth in a half-smile as he said, "Taiwei, you must remember this."

"The Great Dao is like the sea, with no cliffs or shores. We cultivators can only cross it by striving to cross it!"