506: Chapter 506 Cannibalism as a Way to Attain Dao - Shocking News from the Heavenly Court

Jiang Chen laughed heartily, took one, and bit into it, chewing with relish. "Delicious! Truly delicious! Come, come, don't just stare, one for each of you, there's plenty!"

The children cheered and jumped for joy, scrambling to pick their favorite pieces. Their cheeks were puffed out, and their laughter was as clear as a babbling brook in a mountain stream.

He had stayed in this ordinary little tribe for over a hundred years, yet his face showed no trace of time. The tribespeople all regarded him as an enlightened master; whenever they saw him, they would bow their heads, their respect bordering on stiffness—which actually made him feel quite uncomfortable. Only when he was with these fuzzy little ones could he truly relax: eating meat in big bites, laughing loudly, stepping barefoot in the mud, and burping at the sky, casting all worries behind him.

"It's bad! It's bad! Dashan was swallowed by a monster! So many fellow villagers... they're all gone! It's too terrifying! Too terrifying!" A young man stumbled into the village, his clothes torn, blood still seeping from wounds all over his body, his face as pale as paper, his pupils filled with lingering terror.

"Dahe! Stop shouting! Steady yourself!" The chieftain strode out, shouting in a deep voice to stop him. Though his tone was stern, his hands were already supporting the young man's shoulders. "Speak slowly, we are listening."

"Chieftain... we went into the mountains to hunt as usual, but who would have thought a group of monsters would suddenly crawl out of the forest! They pounced on anyone they saw, their eyes glowing with green light, like a pack of starving wolves... We couldn't fend them off at all! I only escaped because I risked my life rolling down a cliff... They... they will definitely come back! Chieftain, how... how are we going to survive?"

The surroundings fell into a dead silence, and every face instantly drained of color. If they truly couldn't stop them, the old and young of the entire village would likely be gnawed until not even their bones remained. Everyone looked at the chieftain in unison, but the chieftain's Adam's apple bobbed, his heart pounding like a drum—if not for the lives of the entire tribe on his shoulders, his legs would likely have gone weak by now. He forced himself to steady his mind, his gaze sweeping over the panicked faces, knowing he could not delay any longer.

In a flash, he turned and ran, falling to his knees before Jiang Chen, his forehead slamming heavily against the ground. "Immortal Master! Please save us! Please save all the old and young in the village!"

Before his voice had even faded, men, women, the old, and the young all prostrated themselves, their voices trembling yet uniform. "Immortal Master! Please save us! Please save us!"

Jiang Chen had sensed something strange the moment Dahe stumbled in—but the thought hadn't fully settled. It wasn't until he heard the words "monsters eating people" that his spine suddenly stiffened, and his expression darkened abruptly: he had actually forgotten this tribulation! The most tragic catastrophe of the Human Race, the darkest bloody night in history, was happening right now! His heart trembled slightly, and for a moment, he found it hard to decide.

Save them? He feared disrupting the trajectory of fate. Not save them? The Human Race might fall back into ignorance and be doomed forever.

He hesitated, the pleas rising and falling around him. A bitter smile appeared on his lips: he could protect them for a while, but not for a lifetime. If the Human Race wanted to stand at the center of heaven and earth, they had to undergo the tempering of a thousand cuts—no one else could bear this pain or block this tribulation for them. Could he protect them for a lifetime? He could not. The truth was cold and hard as iron: the true way out was never in the heavens, but in the people's own straightened spines.

He took a deep breath; he would save as many as he could—he would do his best. He straightened his back, his voice steady yet filled with unquestionable authority: "Everyone, withdraw to the Human Race Ancestral Land immediately! There are ancient formation patterns there that can ensure temporary safety. If you encounter other tribes on the way, you must explain the monster disaster clearly; if they do not believe you or are unwilling to leave, do not force them. But you yourselves—must race against time, not a single moment can be delayed!"

Upon hearing this, the tribespeople's hearts sank heavily. There was no comfort in his tone, only the grim atmosphere of a storm about to break. No one dared to ask more, and they even held their breath—if it could make this Immortal Master knit his brows and speak in such a heavy tone, the matter had long since exceeded the scope of an ordinary disaster. The chieftain immediately knelt on one knee, his voice tight: "Understood! Rest assured, Immortal Master, we will set off immediately!"

In the blink of an eye, the tribe was in orderly chaos: people rushed into low mud houses, grabbed a few handfuls of coarse grain and a few rolls of animal skins, then picked up the crying young children. Under Jiang Chen's gaze, silent as an abyss, they stepped through the morning mist and dust, looking back every few steps as they left the homeland where they had resided for over seven hundred years. The attachment was real, but survival was an ironclad rule.

Jiang Chen's eyes suddenly turned cold, his lips pressed into a thin line, a trace of piercing chill flashing across them. He whispered like a blade: "Since you have torn open this gap, do not blame me for cutting off your roots—I will send you on your way first, buying time where I can. If the Human Race still does not wake up, then let it be, and consider it paving a bloody path for future generations."

Before his voice had even faded, his figure was like a streak of light across the sky, instantly pinning him to the site of last night's tragedy. The stench had not dissipated, thick enough to almost condense into fog. His throat felt choked, and his heart felt as if it were being repeatedly gouged by a dull knife. Damned beasts... sooner or later, I will make you taste the suffering of eternal doom! He tapped his toes, his figure tearing through the wind, flying straight toward a withered cliff a hundred miles away—sure enough, three monsters were dragging a living person, tearing and gnawing. His rage exploded; he didn't even raise his eyes, just clenched his hand in the air!

The world instantly fell silent. Time froze, the monsters' bodies stiffened in the moment of their sinister grins, tearing, and swallowing, and then, with three crisp sounds—"Bang! Bang! Bang!"—they shattered into a sky full of blood mist, leaving not even a residue behind.

He swept his sleeve lightly, and the entire cliff face collapsed silently, rock powder rustling down to bury the bloodstains, leaving not even a wisp of monster energy behind. The most troublesome thing right now was that many monster races had already realized that eating humans could rapidly increase their cultivation, but fortunately, it had not yet alerted the Heavenly Court. There was still a sliver of opportunity to buy a few more hours for the Human Race to flee. As for those who did not believe, did not leave, and did not escape? Then let it be; consider it using their lives to cast a monument, paving the way for the future Human Race.

A long-lost burning sensation suddenly rushed to his fingertips and crashed into his temples—it was a bloodthirsty agitation. How many years had it been since his blood had surged like this? It turned out he was not a stone after all. Instead, he raised an eyebrow, a cool smile on his face. He immediately calculated with his fingers, his figure turning into a green streak, flying straight toward the next lair hiding monster tracks.

Even with thunderous methods, it was hard to block all the gaps. He frowned slightly and finally withdrew his momentum—the message that needed to be sent had been sent, and the people who needed to avoid this should have hidden in the Ancestral Land by now. Then, with a slight movement of his mind, two clear sword chimes rang out from afar; it was Mei Lingzi and Qing Zhuzi, whom he had personally taught, who had received the order and set off.

Upon hearing the news, the two disciples didn't even bother to set down their teacups properly and immediately prepared themselves. Having spent a hundred years among the Human Race, they had long since carved this yellow earth and these faces into their very bones. Seeing that a great disaster was imminent, how could they care about their own limited strength? Doing their best was their duty.

This matter had been silent for a hundred years, but finally, like muffled thunder rolling across the clouds, it shook the Heavenly Court.

At that time, the Monster Heavenly Court was also sharpening weapons and training horses. Suddenly, one day, the Monster Saint Zhuyan strode into the Lingxiao Palace and bowed to report a strange occurrence. Dijun was stunned upon first hearing it, and only after a moment did he ask in a deep voice: "Are you sure? That little monster has truly stepped into the threshold of a True Immortal?"

Zhuyan was resolute: "Absolutely certain! This general personally set up a trap and tested it three times; the aura before and after eating humans was as different as cloud and mud—its mind became clear, its magical power became thicker, and even its life-bound monster fire condensed golden threads!"

Dijun's expression fluctuated between shadow and light, and he remained silent for a long time. Taiyi saw this and slowly stepped forward: "Why not go to the Nüwa Palace first and ask the Empress to decide? What does Big Brother think?"

Dijun closed his eyes for a moment and nodded: "That is the only way."

The two of them immediately flew through the air, their sleeves fluttering, heading straight for the Nüwa Palace.

The matter they were discussing was the Human Race. It turned out that a lowly little monster had accidentally eaten a human hunter and felt its mind become clear, its bones glow, and its cultivation surge madly. It was timid and afraid of trouble, so it did not dare to make a sound. For the next few decades, it specifically ambushed lone humans in remote places and quietly devoured them, with its cultivation soaring all the way until it approached the Immortal Gate.

It should be known that for the monster race to cultivate into immortals, it had always been a bitter task of enduring time and grinding one's aptitude—even those with exceptional talent needed at least a thousand years as a baseline. Yet, this little monster, with only ordinary roots, caught a glimpse of the Immortal Gate in just a few decades; how could it not be shocking? It happened to be discovered by an old flood dragon: it clearly remembered that decades ago, this little monster was still splashing in the swamp, unable to even recite the most basic transformation spell properly...

The current Human Race was far from comparable to the Human Race of later generations. Their first-generation bloodline was vigorous, filled with spiritual energy, and their lifespans started at three hundred years. Any mountain villager picked at random would be a talented embryo that major sects in the later cultivation world would fight over. Their aptitude was so abundant that it crowned the Great Wilderness. If a little monster with ordinary aptitude could achieve this, what if it had been someone with extraordinary talent? The consequences would be unimaginable.

That great monster waited until the little monster broke through to the Earth Immortal realm of the Immortal Path, then immediately captured it and forced it to reveal the whole story. When the truth was revealed, it couldn't help itself and tried it once personally—the pleasure of cultivation surging like a tide still left an aftertaste on its tongue. After confirming it was correct, it weighed the pros and cons for a long time, and finally reported it to its direct superior, the Monster Saint Zhuyan. Zhuyan did not dare to believe it lightly, verified it personally, and only then reported it layer by layer to Dijun. Once this matter came out, the Human Race's tribulation could no longer be avoided.

Even though Jiang Chen tried his best to cover it up, it was still difficult to block all the gaps. Who would have expected such a meticulous little monster to emerge? It was truly a case of human planning being no match for the overturning of heaven's will—a hundred years late, but what was destined to come had finally arrived. As soon as the news stirred in the Heavenly Court, Jiang Chen already felt it in his heart. He looked up at those tribes that had not withdrawn and had not obeyed his orders, his heart sinking slightly: the tribulation was at the door, and there was no hiding from it.

He simply stopped hiding, stood with his hands down, stood quietly upon the Great Wilderness, and silently gazed at the ignorant and fearless appearance of the Human Race. Was it laughable? Not entirely—the ignorant are fearless, and isn't that a kind of blessing? Let them enjoy this last bit of time in peace. Time and space quietly wrapped around Jiang Chen's figure, and in an instant, he retreated into the Wuji Grotto-Heaven. It was just an unwillingness to face it, nothing more than self-deception.

Mei Lingzi and Qing Zhuzi became alert almost the moment their master's message arrived. Their spines stiffened, and they immediately flew to report to the Six Ancestors of the Human Race, ordering them to quickly gather cultivators and defend the Ancestral Land to the death. As for the other territories, even if they had the heart, they lacked the power to protect them.

Upon hearing the news, the Six Ancestors, while stepping up their defense, hurried to the two of them.

Mei Lingzi got straight to the point: "Master has an order—the Monster Race is already aware, and concealment is meaningless. Those stubborn tribes that will not leave must be left to fate. But the Ancestral Land must never fall; otherwise, the foundation of the Human Race will collapse, and they will be doomed forever! This place is adjacent to Master's cave abode and has its own protection; the outer defense line depends entirely on all of you to forge with your flesh and blood."

"We respectfully obey the Holy Envoy's decree! We will defend the Human Race Ancestral Land with our lives!" The six bowed their heads in agreement, but their throats felt tight. The tribespeople who could not make it in time could only be entrusted to the heavens; those who did arrive were few, because the Human Race's territory was too vast and the people were too numerous, making it truly impossible to attend to everything.