"In ancient times, Mount Shu, together with the Great Brahma Sound Sect and the Lesser Sage Manor—Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian schools, the three great powers of the age—formed an alliance of the righteous to strike at the demonic path.
"Each of these three was a giant of the cultivation world. Demonic cultivators did not dare provoke them. We also had our own methods for identifying demons.
"To weaken the demonic path and shrink their space to survive, each of the three sects dispatched nine Union of Void and Dao experts.
"But in the end, the cultivation world is filled with small sects and clans.
"These minor forces lacked the means to tell demonic cultivators apart. Their only method was this: better to kill by mistake than let one escape.
"Though many demonic cultivators were slain, before long madness set in. Any who cultivated the demonic path were executed without question.
"In time, countless wrongful deaths followed."
Jiang Yan's voice grew heavy, and the crowd held its breath, sensing what was coming was grim.
"The demonic alliance seized on this. They turned public opinion against us, stirring the cultivation world into an uproar. The righteous alliance's movements became constrained.
"Taking advantage of this, many demonic cultivators skilled in disguise slipped into great orthodox sects.
"With the weight of public opinion pressing down, the alliance dared not risk further backlash by striking too boldly.
"For though cultivators stand above the mundane, the voices of countless rogue cultivators and cultivation clans, united, brought real pressure.
"And so… the so-called Peace of Eight Thousand Years began."
The listeners exchanged uneasy glances. They could already imagine the scene: the righteous struggling against the demonic path, only to be stabbed in the back by those they protected.
"Did the alliance never think of using the same tactic against the demonic path?" Ganyu asked quietly.
Jiang Yan smiled bitterly.
"Slander the demonic path? Everyone already knows they are filthy and vile—what need is there?
"As for smearing the righteous—perhaps we might hesitate for the sake of the rogue clans' opinions.
"But to slander the demonic path? Who would dare provoke those bloodthirsty madmen?
"The principle of 'the kind-hearted are bullied' holds true even in the cultivation world."
The crowd sighed. Even here, power had its bitter compromises.
"But Mount Shu is the head of the righteous path, unmatched under heaven," Keqing pressed, unwilling to accept it. "Would you just sit idly by and watch such things happen?"
Jiang Yan shook his head.
"I told you already. Mount Shu, the Great Brahma Sound Sect, and the Lesser Sage Manor—each sent nine Union of Void and Dao elders.
"But Mount Shu would never throw all its strength into a single alliance. Mount Shu transcends such ties.
"The alliance was the alliance's affair. Mount Shu has always stood apart."
His brows lifted slightly, a faint smile forming.
"Still, Keqing, you are not wrong. In the end, it was indeed Mount Shu that resolved it."
He continued:
"The demonic path, emboldened, incited the rogues ever more, who grew madder upon discovering their collective voice could shackle the great sects.
"Even cultivation clans, tempted by the alliance's resources, began to slander in secret.
"In time, the righteous alliance stood beset by enemies on every side.
"And then—they made the fatal mistake of setting their sights on Mount Shu."
Gasps rang out.
"Greed that swallows elephants whole," Zhongli muttered. He already knew the outcome.
Mount Shu might slay demons, but that did not mean it was meek. With its peerless power, those who courted its wrath had only one end: annihilation.
"When the first rumor spread—that Mount Shu was harboring demonic cultivators—it spread like wildfire through half the cultivation world.
"The ignorant, together with the schemers, thought they could bind Mount Shu in chains.
"But they forgot—in the cultivation world, intrigue may win a moment's advantage, yet the only law that truly matters is the rule of strength!"
Jiang Yan's gaze blazed like fire.
"When the rogue alliance clamored to storm Mount Shu, demanding an answer—
"The sect master spoke.
"Five peak Union of Void and Dao elders emerged, accompanied by forty-nine enforcer elders.
"From Mount Shu they fanned out in every direction. Any who spread rumors against the sect were executed on the spot.
"Only then did the rogues realize they had provoked the wrong enemy.
"They begged for mercy. But once Mount Shu drew its sword, no life was spared. Mount Shu's decisiveness extended not only to demons."
He paused, then spoke with iron finality:
"The meaning of the sect masters through the ages has been clear—
Any who defy Mount Shu are demons.
"Mount Shu has always held the authority to define what 'demon' means.
"It is simply that we choose to direct that authority against true evils first."
He let his words sink in.
"The Five Elders' campaign painted the world in blood for thirty years.
"Eighty percent of rogue cultivators were exterminated. Seventy percent of cultivation clans erased.
"Mount Shu even called upon ancestors from the upper realms. Entire clans were rooted out, their bloodlines cut off.
"The slaughter shook the world. For thirty years, the five elders and forty-nine enforcers killed without pause—and not one of them fell.
"Even their karmic sins were cleansed by the ancestors themselves.
"With that, Mount Shu declared: we possess power unrestrained, yet we will never misuse it.
"But if any dare provoke us, we will wield that power as devils do."
"From then on, Mount Shu stood utterly untouchable. None dared speak its name lightly."
The listeners exhaled in awe, as if they themselves had stood witness to that war.
"Terrible though it was, such slaughter was just," Xiao said coolly. "To slander the guardians of the world—death is deserved."
Jiang Yan's smile turned complex.
"Do not think this was mere impulse.
"Afterwards, when the dead were counted, it shocked the cultivation world: nearly seventy percent of those slain—rogues and clans alike—had ties to the demonic path. Many were infiltrated outright.
"This revelation drove the righteous alliance into a frenzy of self-examination.
"In the end, nearly ninety-seven million infiltrators were uncovered.
"Some sects had been wholly replaced, from sect master to outer disciple.
"Lifelong companions, beloved parents, even children—revealed as demons in disguise.
"The infiltration had lasted eight thousand years.
"Once exposed, civil war erupted within the alliance.
"None dared trust their own kin. None knew when a hidden demon's blade might strike.
"In the end, Mount Shu, the Great Brahma Sound Sect, and the Lesser Sage Manor joined hands once more.
"They suppressed the alliance itself, and spent over ten thousand years purging the infiltrators one by one.
"Only then were they all destroyed."
Jiang Yan's voice grew grim.
"The once-mighty righteous alliance, dominant for tens of thousands of years, collapsed utterly.
"No one dared rebuild it. To do so would only paint a target for the demonic path.
"And so the cultivation world entered an era where each sect cared only for itself.
"This age was called the Era of Demonic Reversal.
"In that time, casualties tied to the demonic path included:
—732 Union of Void and Dao cultivators.
—Over 1.3 million Return-to-Void experts.
—1.9 billion Foundation cultivators.
—At least a hundred billion Qi Refiners.
"And as for mortals… beyond counting.
"Over three thousand righteous sects perished.
"Thirteen middle worlds destroyed. Countless minor worlds shattered.
"Even the three great powers themselves suffered heavy losses."
Jiang Yan shivered slightly as he recalled what the jade records had described.
"Compared to other epochs lasting hundreds of millions of years, the Era of Demonic Reversal lasted less than ninety thousand.
"But its devastation equaled entire eras.
"Afterwards, it took both the Era of Revival and the Era of Return—seven hundred and eighty million years—to restore the cultivation world to strength.
"And yet, throughout all history… the demonic path has never vanished.
"In every age that followed, the righteous remembered the terror of that time.
"They grew ever more extreme. Any who cultivated demonic arts—slain on sight.
"Countless wrongful deaths followed, but no one dared change course.
"The three great powers could bear the consequences, but no one else could gamble.
"To discover a demonic cultivator and not destroy them instantly was unthinkable.
"The rift between righteous and demonic grew only deeper, more absolute.
"All of it, born from the venom and cruelty of the demonic path.
"As you yourselves said just now…
"Demonic cultivators are inhuman.
"If such beings rise to power, the entire world faces calamity."
His voice softened, but carried weight.
"So let me remind you, Lisa, Tartaglia—
"As Mount Shu continues to grow, more and more cultivation worlds will be linked.
"Perhaps one day, the true cultivation world itself.
"When that day comes, never reveal your ties to demonic arts.
"Or you will be besieged by every righteous sect alive.
"For they have long since been scarred beyond measure by the demonic path."
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