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Amongst the skies of the ancient world of Bestia, the Heavenly Demon roared at a large army of over a thousand Immortal Demonic Cultivators of all shapes and sizes. Some resembled huge insects, other cats, dogs, wolves, bears, rats, birds, and many other animals. However, they were all covered in scars, their eyes were unyielding, and they possessed mighty auras of bloodthirst.
They were unlike other constellations, as they overflowed with an innate sense of malice and selfishness, yet that didn't mean they were devoid of humanity, or well, of personhood, in their case.
No, perhaps these people were the embodiment of what a true person, the concept of "being a human" for the humans themselves, was. Unlike the orthodox factions, they didn't pretend to be nice; they didn't wear masks either.
They were themselves, scarred by life, by their traumas and the many things they have gone through; these people, these beast-people, were strong.
Such powerful people would never unify below a single banner; they were only loyal to themselves and their own desires and freedom.
Yet when the Heavenly Demon stepped in, they saw him…
And they didn't see a tyrant, a monster, or a foe.
He was the embodiment of all their greatest desires, of their desire of freedom, of their desire of "fighting against the heavens" and even "fighting against the laws of the world".
He was the man that had stepped into the heavenly court and singlehandedly slaughtered the stuck-up old men that once controlled it.
If anything, they admired him!
He was their idol, what they all wanted to be!
There was also a great sense of respect, perhaps purer than any respect the heavenly court could ever have to the heavenly empress, who had boundlessly given them everything.
"Listen here, you bastards! Today we're fighting not for ourselves, not to beat those stuck-up old men of the heavenly court either… Today we're fighting to defend our world!"
And his words resonated across the skies as they flew; his words thundered into their hearts. A sensation they had never felt before—the world itself—was in danger.
Why would they care about it?
That is, of course, a question many would think: why would these monsters care if their damn world is coming to an end?
Well, they did care.
"The world…?!"
"What's going on, heavenly demon!?"
"Do you truly mean there's aliens coming to invade us?!"
"That's…!"
They were not shrugging it off, and they seemed genuinely worried.
Why?
Because amongst all cultivators in the world, the demonic cultivators were the ones that actually loved the world the most!
Well, it was more like a relationship of hatred and love.
They loved its wilderness, they loved its animals, they loved its expansive world, they loved what it created—countless opportunities.
They loved the beautiful skies, the sunsets, the moonlight in the night, the breath of fresh air, and the smell of blood of their enemies.
If there is no world, how can they keep fighting?
If there is no world, how are they even going to keep growing stronger?
If there is no world, how will they be able to one day reach the pinnacle of martial arts?!
It was simply ridiculous! Who would ever want the world to end?!
Maybe they wanted to CONQUER the world, but only a blistering fool would ever desire the beautiful world, that only keeps on giving, to end!
Or even worse… to give it to somebody else, aliens.
"It seems you actually believed me?" laughed the Heavenly Demon. "Indeed! Demons from another world, aliens, whatever you call them, they're coming here and are fucking going to take everything that's us away from us! Do you want that to happen, you filthy bastards?!"
The Demonic Immortals roared angrily.
"NOOO!"
"What do you want then?!" The Heavenly Demon smiled.
"The world is mine!"
"I'll plunder the heavens!"
"I shall ascend and become a venerable!"
"I will reach the pinnacle of swordsmanship!"
"I shall become the strongest martial arts!"
"I will avenge my family!"
"I will protect my clan!"
"I shall slaughter the bastards that destroyed my village!"
"I will fight for the poor and kill the rich!"
They were all selfish reasons, their own desires. Well, some were better than others, but they were all selfish; they didn't think of themselves as a "team." They never said they were going to do any of this together, even less that the world was "theirs," only that it was "mine.".
Yet… that's exactly what truly embodied a demonic cultivator!
The Heavenly Demon couldn't help but smile!
"Hahah… HAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed in the skies as his mighty powers overflowed from him, his powerful cursed seals activating. "That's right, you ruffians! Well fucking said! The world is mine too! And I am not letting any of you fuckers steal my throne… But you're also free to try and get stronger if you want! I'm waiting, and I'll gladly accept my death if someone stronger one day appears!"
The demonic immortals smiled with wicked expressions, their eyes glowing red with bloodthirst.
That's right!
This was the true doctrine of demons.
Kill me if you can!
If not, sit down or fuck off!
You want to get stronger? Sure, do as you please!
Want to have revenge? Get stronger and slaughter your foes!
You're still weak? Then die!
"But now is not the time!" laughed the Heavenly Demon. "If you bastards let those aliens kill everyone and then steal our damn world, there will be no tomorrow, and none of you mutts are going to ever achieve your dreams and desires, isn't that right?!"
"YEAAAH!"
They roared in unison again, roaring like the beasts they were.
"Then today, my fellow demonic brothers… WE SLAUGHTER! AND PROTECT THE WORLD THAT IS OURS TO PLUNDER!"
"OOOOHHHHH!!!"
The howls, roars, cries, and screams of the beast-people of the demonic faction echoed across the skies, right by the side of the Orthodox Faction gathering.
Aside from the Heavenly Court's strongest immortals and their elders, there were the ten greatest sects of the world unified together, their powerful masters and talented disciples, making a force of over ten thousand.
They outnumbered the demons by ten times, yet they couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by their demonic gestures and roars, their appearances, and their savagery!
The elders of the heavenly court glanced at the heavenly empress with worried expressions.
"Heavenly Empress! Are you sure that allying ourselves with those demons is the right thing to do?!" asked one of them.
"I think this is insanity! Are aliens really coming?! I can't feel a thing!" a second cried.
"Please reconsider this! It would greatly sully the Ten Sects Alliance!" a third protested.
"Silence," the heavenly empress, had no time to concentrate on their petty disputes or about "saving face." The orthodox faction's endless obsession with appearances and prestige is what has made them so weak compared to the demonic faction to begin with. "There's no time! I saw them with my own eyes; believe me! I am the Venerable! Since when you have begun to question me, when I have saved all of you so many times?! When I healed millions, when I fed tens of millions, when I created this heavenly court, and when I inaugurated the ten-sect alliance?! Do you truly believe you even have the right to question me?! Perhaps I've been too soft lately! I've been too nice… As they say, no good deed goes unpunished! Now the entire orthodox faction has grown conceited and cocky!"
Her reprimanding came down like a lightning storm and spared nobody; the elders immediately shut up, and even the other elders of the sects couldn't say a single word!
It was as if… their mother was scolding them!
"P-Please forgive our rudeness, great empress!"
"W-We are completely aware of everything you've done for us and the world!"
"We apologize for ever doubting you!"
The elders bowed down to her, yet the empress didn't even look at them; her eyes were completely set in the sky; they were moving as quickly as they could, but the pressure of the gate in the sky made the winds denser, making it harder to fly faster.
"Without me, you wouldn't be anything," she said. "Always remember the good deeds others do for you! Why must I have to remind you of them?! People are always thinking and concentrating on everything bad, so they never sit down to see what's beautiful or good in the world either… Just because you felt frustrated we're allying with the demons, you have now just forgotten all the good things I've done that we've all done? We're an alliance of goodness; we're merciful; we protect and guard the weak. This is the reason I created it all! The power of Hope… it lies within the hearts of all of you, my dear disciples. So please, enlighten your minds and your hearts, and remember that we're fighting for a greater good! To protect our beautiful world and all the innocent souls below, the beautiful people I love so much—no, that we love!"
Her speech struck their hearts, making them feel even more moved. The orthodox faction immediately realized the wrongs of their thoughts and actions. Even the cockiest and deceiving of elders felt ashamed of himself once the great venerable scolded him as if he were a child.
"We deeply apologize for our blindness!"
"We will do better from now on, great empress!"
"We shall fight at your side no matter what!"
"We've been wrong, so wrong! You have enlightened our minds, great empress!"
"Please forgive my sect's rudeness; they're stupid and ignorant fools, but their hearts are in the right place!"
"This world… of course we love it! Let us protect it together!"
The Heavenly Empress smiled lightly; her speech was much more inspiring and also nicer than the Heavenly Demon, showing the great contrast between the two and their factions.
Yet at the same time, the two were connected—a hidden love, a relationship that has been ongoing for tens of years.
There were many differences in their hearts, perhaps too many.
But this conflict, this difference.
It complemented each other.
The bad and the good, they cannot live without the other.
The world will never be completely good, nor will it be completely good.
Even if everyone lives happily and in peace, darkness will arise, and corruption will emerge once more.
And the demons will rise again to fight back.
And once the demons fight back and take over everything and selfishly declare everything is theirs, the weak will gain hope, and they will rally together to fight the tyrants.
An endless cycle that only the venerable had truly understood, and because of this…
They know they cannot live without each other.
It was balance, harmony between the good and the bad, the sun and the moon, the darkness and the light.
Yin and Yang.
"Great Heavenly Demon, the pressure of the atmosphere is too strong; our speed is slowing down!"
"I know that fool!"
"Heavenly Empress, the air is too thick; we can't fly as quickly as we can!"
"I'm aware."
The heavenly demon and the heavenly empress looked at one another and nodded.
"For our son, let's protect this world, my love." The heavenly demon's voice echoed inside the head of the heavenly empress.
"Yes, dear, let's do our best. Together!" She responded. "For this beautiful world I love so much, for you, and our beautiful boy!"
A love they couldn't reveal, but that burned with the heat of a thousand suns.
Their Auras combined together as the two factions gasped in disbelief.
"{Dual Demonic Cursed Seal and Heavenly Heart of Hope Arts}: {Primordial Phoenix of Yin and Yang}!"
"CRYYAAAAH!"
A gigantic phoenix of golden and black flames materialized as it carried all eleven thousand immortals into the skies at lightning speed, piercing through the immense atmospheric and spatial pressure and reaching the sky above the sky!
RUMBLE!
As the immortals saw what the two Venerables unleashed, the heavenly demon and the heavenly empress looked in front of them with yes, full of resolve.
What they had done was no mere technique but a combination of their powers, something that could only be done if both knew each other's powers incredibly well.
And were also connected, with both their bodies and souls…
It was pretty much a declaration to the two factions that they loved one another.
They were left speechless; none could say a word.
"Today we fight together, demons!" said the heavenly empress. "To protect this world you love to plunder, to protect this world you love to liberate, to protect this world you love to roam freely!"
"Today we fight together, righteous bastards!" said the heavenly demon. "To protect the world you love to control, to protect the world where your damn kids are, to protect the world you promised to protect!"
"Today, we unify as one, both the demonic and the orthodox faction!" they said at the same time. "For the greater good of the world we equally love!"
The gigantic phoenix charged forward, as both demons and orthodox cultivators found themselves touched, if not slightly pissed too…
"OOOOOHHHH!"
But they smiled and roared in unison; some were in tears, others full of bloodthirst, but they all shared the same sentiment.
"Wait for us, Anna! We're coming!" The heavenly empress golden eyes flashed with bright light. "Let's hurry!"
FLASH!
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