This speculation made everyone in the room tremble with fear.
The apocalyptic demon—the entity that had covered the earth, devouring the flesh and blood of living creatures—was the least conspicuous presence in centuries of legend.
Jean Ussy, the biologist, seemed struck by a thought. He lifted his head and, after several attempts, finally spoke:
“Could the nuclear detonation at Kimberley be… another Campfire? “
This voice seemed to shatter the last glimmer of hope in everyone’s hearts.
They turned to look at the three elders of the Hellfire Sect, whose lips were trembling.
“Can you tell us about the Hellfire Sect? ” Yang Zicang gestured downward with his hand, signaling them to wait before asking further, “Is it your mission to light bonfires everywhere? “
Ma Shuo also asked, “Yes, and why are members of your sect either travelers or people from those various professions that require frequent international travel? “
The voice of the older man echoed through the reception room.
“Those speakers and non-ruling faction figures who were unwelcome by the authorities of various countries became members of our Hellfire Sect only became most popular over a hundred years ago. In the beginning, the main purpose of our sect members joining was not to easily cross the borders of various countries. “
Da·Jiair said somewhat dazedly:
“An ancient prophecy once described that the world would see an invincible demon appear near the end of the second century. “
“How ancient? ” Yang Zicang pressed.
“Uh, ” Old Jiair recalled, “It should have been a tale passed down since the arrival of humanity in this world. “
The General and others listened quietly with tightly shut lips.
“Please continue, ” someone said.
The older man nodded and continued: “A long, long time ago… “
……
“A long, long time ago. “
“When the world was still a land of black mountains and foul waters, uninhabited by any soul. Non-human humanoid creatures lived on this strange, ancient continent. “
Inside the airship, Hailikoni sat on a soft cloth-covered stool by her tiny room’s bed, telling Xue Qi and Hua Mi the ancient legends of her family about this land.
“Are they demons? ” Hua Mi asked with a look of someone listening to a ghost story.
“Hmm, not really. They just found a way to turn themselves into inhuman monsters, surviving from the distant age into the era of human migration. They are the true natives of this land. “
“Commoners?” Xue Qi finally realized that this land had commoners.
“Yes. Apparently, back then the world was uninhabited, with only strange creatures existing. Very few could maintain a human form. We call them ‘Ancient Demon Humans’.“
Hua Mi hugged her knees, listening to Hai Li Koni’s story like a well-behaved girl, while Hailikoni knitted her brows.
“So your family must be very powerful.“
Hai Li Koni gave a reserved smile:
“Not really. When our family ancestors first came to this land, life was very difficult, and we lost many members. Later, we finally acquired land as vast as several mountains, but it was gradually sold off or absorbed by successors. At one point our family almost fell to the status of ordinary commoners in the world.“
“Then later you joined Hei Wen Zi Ke?“
“No.” Hai Li Koni shook her head. “By the end of the second century, many alarming rumors appeared in the world. They said, just like now, that there were waves of fear about demons everywhere. But back then, ‘Ancient Demon Humans’ were still walking among people.“
“Ah, so there were doomsday prophecies similar to the current ones even back then?“
Hai Li Koni gave a slight nod of her head.
“Yes. They… I mean, the Ancient Demon Humans, said that all life in this world would be devoured by the demons of the apocalypse in so many years. That’s how their world disappeared.“
The two girls, huddled on the soft cotton blanket, tightened their arms around their knees, their faces grim.
“At that time, many people came up with various ways to deal with the demons. Some lit campfires, ran in the direction opposite to the chaotic beasts, or drew various totems. The craziest of all was to find the ‘Ancient Demonfolk’ and become their descendants to seek shelter. “
“This… “
Hailikoni chuckled lightly and said, “Or they captured weak, borderline ‘Ancient Demonfolk’ aberrant creatures and enslaved them to gain exorcism knowledge for their families. But in reality, these confused creatures rarely made any useful contributions. In the end, to avoid being labeled as researchers polluted by evil, such matters were largely discontinued. “
“Ah, that’s a relief, ” Hua Mi said, patting her chest. “I thought Ancient Demonfolk were all very powerful. Then what happened? “
“Later, a traveling scholar group claimed they had obtained from a certain ‘Ancient Demonfolk’ a way to counter the ultimate evil—by lighting campfires on the ground to communicate with the earth, thereby gaining the power to drive away the most terrifying demon. They even conducted bait-and-butcher experiments. “
The two girls listened quietly.
“The experimental results were satisfactory. Thus, this traveling scholar group, which had existed since the first century and whose name has long been forgotten, was later renamed ‘Hellfire’ and established the Hellfire Sect, recognized by many nations. “
“In that era of greatest fear of demons, they were granted the privilege of crossing borders without any paperwork or inspection to reach any location of their choice to light campfires. “
“Lighting campfires… a demon-exorcism organization that’s only about traveling and starting fires can somehow survive… ” Xue Qi pondered in bewilderment.
“So, in the end, you still have no idea what that demon really was? “
“Back then, ‘Ancient Demon Men’ and the Fear Caused by Abnormal Zones Were Widespread. “
Hailikoni let out a light laugh. “So, we never really found out which demon it was in the end. “
Hua Mi knitted her delicate brows, deep in thought. Xue Qi let out an “Eh? ” and said,
“Koni, you still haven’t told us—how did your family manage to flourish again? “
“Well, this… ” Hailikoni looked a bit embarrassed.
“In that chaotic and crazy era, our nearly broke ancestor married a widow who held a title of honor from a noble family, and inherited her estate. “
“Oh. ” Xue Qi nodded dumbly. “So that works, too? I thought… “
“Thought what? ” Hailikoni gave a playful smile.
She was about to say something when she suddenly noticed something off about the little girl beside her. Xue Qi and Hailikoni both noticed that Hua Mi’s emotions were shifting oddly.
“What’s wrong? “
“I… I think I’m… seeing something. ” She shuddered as she spoke. “When I recalled something and tried to infer more, it suddenly just appeared. “
“What is it? ” Xue Qi stood up, tense with worry.
“It’s… It’s… Ancient Gold. “
……
Yang Zicang’s head was spinning, dizzy and heavy.
As Da Jaiir’s words reached his ears, blurry outlines seemed to reappear in his eyes from time to time, presenting fragments of ancient images.
“Through the efforts of our Hellfire Sect, the demonic disaster that might have swept across the continent, spoken of by the Old Devil mouths, was repelled by the Campfires spread throughout the world. “
The older man in his fifties listened to Da Jaiir’s narration with a tone full of pride.
“Since then, many strange methods of exorcism have dwindled. The power of many organizations has been constantly revoked, or gradually refused recognition by the public and the various nations. “
“You’re right, ” added the woman in her sixties:
“Especially after you Fog People arrived, the work of exorcism basically stopped being valued by us locals. Even if there are strange anomalous zones, the national forces handle them. “
“The prestige of our Hellfire Sect, eroded piece by piece under those elders who issue certificates for money and those people who take transboundary refuge as their purpose, now holds less and less weight in opinion. “
General Ross quietly listened to the implicit complaints within these older folks’ words.
“Back then, two hundred years ago, were there also unnatural migrations of life and unusual changes in temperature? ” asked the Biologist.
The question caused the three Hellfire Sect members to sink into a long, silent recollection.
Clearly, they hadn’t paid too much attention to that sort of thing.
Yang Zicang struggled to prop himself up by the arms, then stood up from the chair.
“So, according to the intelligence grasped by the Hellfire Sect, we can be certain that the current civilization in this world all came from the migrants of the Chiying Era. “
He turned and addressed them all solemnly:
“This underground apocalyptic demon that fears flames has completely wiped out this world’s more ancient civilization. “
“Yes, that’s right. “
“Yet the ‘Ancient Demons,’ whose appearance is vastly different from humans, have survived. “
“This… ” The Hellfire Sect members were startled. “That should be the case, yes. “
“First, the Ancient Demons survived; second, they are not normal living beings. “
Murmuring mentally, Yang Zicang recalled the surprisingly named Scientific Council President—Mr. Dawuti—whom Kruun had mentioned.
As well as those Blood Beasts that brought the Steven Lion Empire’s strength to its zenith.
“If… it’s the family relatives of the Ancient Demons. ” Yang Zicang gently rubbed his forehead.
The participants present could finally sense that Yang Zicang’s state of mind seemed somewhat off.
“Modification… “
“What’s wrong with you? ” the botanist Edmund asked with concern.
However, in his heart, he was conjuring up the terrifying truth that nuclear radiation was ineffective—a fact that really deserved for the formidable Mr. Medwiser to hear as well.
“Are you alright? ” General Ross also supported Yang Zicang by the arm.
He knew very well that the intel they’d inferred tonight was also a devastating blow for the Fogfolk. Even if faced with the apocalyptic demon, the long-lived Fogfolk weren’t everlasting or immortal.
“I’m fine.” Yang Zicang shook his head, then looked at the people gathered here and said, “So now we can confirm the third point.“
“What third point?“
“Zorro, have you read about the measures taken by those people in the previous cycle within the Fog Folk’s leased land?“
The locals, of course, had no idea what this was about. But Zorro immediately understood what he meant.
“You mean?“
Yang Zicang, already certain in his heart, continued, “The ancient demon folk survived by modifying themselves.“
Everyone looked at Yang Zicang in a daze.
“That’s the result of their own modification?“
Yang Zicang, holding his forehead, spoke as if possessed:
“Now we already know that the Iron Vine’s Doomsday Nightmare is a demon that emerges from beneath the earth every few hundred years. Having destroyed the original civilization of this land, it will surely strike again and again at the life on this land. Even if we escape this time, another will come hundreds of years later. And we are destined to leave.“
“This…” The locals felt a surge of fear.
Faced with their terror and the General’s widened eyes,
Yang Zicang continued, “So… I suspect that the ‘modification plan’ of the original Steffin Lion Empire… was actually the true means to allow the original inhabitants of Mutao to completely avoid the doomsday disaster!“
In his eyes, a phantom image with faint golden outlines emerged.
Yang Zicang suddenly felt a small pair of claws on his shoulder slip, losing their balance.
General Ross looked over with great confusion. “President Buchen, how did you reach this conclusion? If we are to modify the soldiers, wouldn’t encountering Apocalyptic Iron Vines mean they would still be pierced through and killed? “
Yang Zicang looked at him with sorrow, “I cannot tell you how I know this. I can only say that in a similar place, amidst a similar disaster—one that we Fogborn are meant to save, a catastrophe where everyone is doomed to die—someone used a certain method. “
General Ross and the guard, who had slightly recovered from his mental collapse on the stool nearby, lifted their heads. The Biologist, the Botanist, and Kim Clayton of the Hellfire Sect all stared intently at the White Violet Hero.
General Ross asked, “Averting a catastrophe where everyone is doomed to die—what method did your fellow townsman use? “
“They turned all the humans of that land into zombie-like walking corpses. “
The guard sat frozen and stunned on his stool.
General Ross scooted his chair back as he stood up. “You… ” he said, having initially believed such a thing was impossible.
But then he thought of the underground tunnels quietly and soundlessly collapsing the entire southern region of the continent, and of the plan that mercilessly used nuclear explosions to wipe out many cities worldwide, exhibiting no shred of pity as it herded over a billion people into zones of radiation.
General Ross’s Adam’s apple bobbed with difficulty.
He turned to look at the young Fogborn man beside him.
It was still acceptable to take immediate action to save oneself upon discovering traces of a conspiracy on the island.
But to use the entire cabin as a weapon to chase and hack at enemies inside an airplane, and even unhesitatingly leap out of the cabin afterward—these actions were all utterly insane.
Moreover, afterwards, there was the wave of liberating labor that began spreading from White Violet City, and a series of subsequent events.
It was only because these actions were not acts of brute destruction that I failed to perceive the wildness hidden beneath the surface of these events that stirred the people—a wildness no less fierce than those destructive acts.
“This brings me to the third point, ” Yang Zicang said with difficulty. “Transform yourself into something inhuman. Or rather, I guess… after becoming something that does not exist in this world—any kind of creature—the iron vines that crawl up from underground… they might just… “
“Just what? “
“…fail to recognize this completely new kind of organism. “
Everyone around the table was already gaping unconsciously, frozen in their chairs.
“Just like those zombie-like living dead, ” Yang Zicang murmured. “As long as you are no longer considered human… then you can become an ‘Ancient Demon’ capable of continuing to survive on the earth after civilization has been destroyed. “
Zorro, He Yishu, and even Ma Shuo suddenly looked up in shock toward their front.
General Ross, trembling, used a shaky hand to move the chair from behind him, sitting down with difficulty.
“The source of Dawuti’s knowledge is indeed very mysterious. I wonder if they themselves know about this matter. “
Yang Zicang said, “It’s hard to say they were unaware. However, even the physical conditions of the Prime Minister and the top brass at St. Evan’s haven’t shown any changes. I suspect that this kind of complete transformation towards enhanced martial prowess is subject to numerous limitations. “
Zorro, who had already understood the reason for Yang Zicang’s emotional state, could hardly contain the fear in his heart. He looked up, his tone agitated:
“Just look at Dawuti’s successful transmutes. That state of apathetic numbness, utterly devoid of likes and dislikes–Even if I were given that kind of power, I wouldn’t want it. They’re exactly like cold-blooded creatures, snakes and lizards. “
A strange, oppressive silence filled the room. The only exception was the several “Fogfolk ” present.
“So that’s the third point you mentioned, ” General Ross said, rubbing his head. “Is this the real solution? To become something other than human? “
“If the Golems didn’t succeed, perhaps it’s only because our current transformation technology isn’t advanced enough yet. “
“Technology, ” Upon hearing that word, the guard erupted into a neurotic snarl: “Isn’t humanity’s strongest technology always used to scorch the earth with flames?! Those blazes are a thousand times more awe-inspiring than that Campfire plan you’re all discussing here are they not! “
The effort to create atomic bombs, born from Kim Crest’s legacy, inadvertently achieved the same effect as the countless campfires of the Hellfire Sect.
Just then, Kim Crest, looking somewhat conflicted, raised a hand and spoke:
“Forgive me. There’s something you might not have noticed, but… Mister Jean Ussy, you should be quite clear on it, shouldn’t you? “
“What’s wrong? ” The Biologist snapped out of his thoughts.
“It’s about those beasts you mentioned earlier. Especially the mass deaths in places with relatively lower temperatures. “
“Oh, you mean the great biological migration. “
Edgar Jin Christie, under the gaze of everyone, hesitated for a long time before saying, “I’m sorry, I’m afraid this is the fourth characteristic of the Doomsday Demon. “
“There’s a fourth characteristic too? “
Jin Christie seemed to speak with great difficulty:
“Actually, everyone, my travels across various lands were a pretense. The truth is, I was collecting strange bones everywhere to make artworks and sell them to nobles who like to show off. “
The Biologist Jean Ussy immediately replied, “I know. Those bones of yours have given me great inspiration. “
“What are you trying to say? ” General Ross asked nervously, but there was already a hint of daze in his eyes. His thoughts were still mired in the fear and shock of the truth about ‘Modification’ and the ‘Radiation Zone’.
Beside him, the murmurs of the security guards drifted:
What about the people in Scorched City? So many of them haven’t been issued protective suits.
Even if they survive the next wave of the Doomsday Demon’s attack, they will suffer lifelong incurable illnesses due to contact with nuclear radiation…
Suddenly, he heard the voice of the young man from the Hellfire Sect clad in red robes say:
“The final destination of a great biological migration always converges in certain places. That’s the principle I rely on. By looking up historical records of anomalies in these areas, I can find relatively good bones, with beautiful textures and well-preserved ones. “
“Hold on, you! ” Yang Zicang quickly reached out, touched the notebook, and moved it closer. He rapidly flipped through two pages, his gaze fixed on the crude hand-drawn map laid before him.
“The Talasur Grassland… the wolves and tigers in the south, the roe deer, and the birds in the sky… This is where a great biological migration used to end up. “
“A Great Migration. ” The Biologist stood up and roared, “Claist, why didn’t you say so earlier? Do you have any idea how dangerous this is! “
Jin Claist leaned back and cried out:
“It’s been buried in history for over two hundred years, damn it! How the hell was I supposed to know those bones were polished by those accursed Ender Vines! “
General Ross pounced on the notebook, staring wildly at those crude, written descriptions of the migration destinations.
Everyone in the room understood exactly what he was worried about.
“If that’s the case, young man, you should have said this is the second characteristic of the Ender Deity. ” The General’s mind had already begun to obsess over it.
“No, the fourth one is migration. ” Jin Claist said.
“Biological migration is being controlled. Where do those migratory creatures get their ability to move? Why do they travel along abnormal routes toward strange, unplotted gathering places! “
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