Upon hearing the Heavenly Emperor's words, the ancient demons, demon saints, and demon gods alike raised their wine goblets and drank them dry.
Di Jun's gaze swept across the hundreds of great demons before him, his eyes filled with an unquestionable resolve. "My lords, mere dozens of epochs ago, the Wu clan's Hou Yi shot and killed ten of my sons, leaving only the youngest, Little Ten, alive.
As a father, I have tasted the pain of losing a child. I wish to annihilate the Wu clan's billions, to slay all eleven Ancestral Witches, to fight them to my last breath!"
Di Jun's face was contorted with rage, with endless hatred, with the fierce love of a father for his son, the fury of one willing to sacrifice everything for his offspring.
Xi He's smile had long since vanished, replaced by a coldness as deep as a frozen abyss.
Kun Peng, seated beside them, shivered slightly. Only the Wu clan dared to provoke the most formidable couple in the Primordial World.
The great demons below felt a pang of emotion. The Heavenly Emperor, usually so solemn and majestic, now displayed no composure whatsoever, revealing the depth of his hatred. The pain of losing a child was indeed unbearable, a hatred that could not be appeased.
If they were in his shoes, if their children were killed…
The Wu clan had already slaughtered countless of their own descendants. The thought alone reawakened the buried pain and hatred in their hearts.
The suffering of that time, the boundless hatred, the desire to drink Wu blood, devour Wu flesh, and tear apart Wu bones, to kill every last member of the Wu clan!
Di Jun, seated at the head of the table, spoke again. "That day, I held the bodies of my nine sons, watching the True Sun Fire, inherited from me, extinguish little by little within them. I felt, in that moment, what did the Great Dao matter, what did the Wu clan matter, what did Saints matter?
I only wished for my sons to awaken, for them to live well.
In that moment, I truly wanted to fight the Wu clan to the death, to sever their heads, to trample their corpses underfoot, and lay them before my children's bodies, forcing them to atone with their deaths.
But as I stood, I saw the imperial robe I wore and remembered: I am the Demon Emperor, I am the Heavenly Emperor. I am not just the father of my ten sons, but the father of billions of demon children across the land.
The countless demon citizens of the world place their hopes upon me. I must be responsible to them, bear the responsibility of a Demon Emperor. I cannot abandon the demon race for my own selfish desires, nor can I abandon the innocent demon children still living on the earth, hunted and violated by the Wu clan. I cannot abandon all of you present today, nor the countless demon lords, celestial demons, and demon venerables across the land.
If I were to avenge my sons and die, the Heavenly Court would fall into chaos, the myriad demons would be without a ruler, without a guiding heart. The demon race would be thrown into turmoil, suffering immensely, and the Wu clan would seize the opportunity to invade. Countless demon offspring would be slaughtered.
If I were captured, it would only bring shame upon the myriad demons, and only cause those aloof, ancient ancestors and powerful beings to mock our demon race.
If I were to fight the Wu clan with all my might, it would only fulfill the wishes of those Saints who see us as mere ants.
Therefore, I, Di Jun, have suppressed all the anger, unwillingness, humiliation, and hatred within my heart."
The ancient demons and demon saints in the great hall were moved by Di Jun's words, touched by his heart. Even the old demons who had followed Di Jun since the inception of the demon race, recalling the rise of their kind and their endless hatred for the Wu clan, could not help but shed tears of sorrow.
The Lord of the Heavenly Court, the Master of the Myriad Demons, had to endure the pain of his sons' deaths. Even one of the most noble beings in the Primordial World had to suppress the vengeance for his murdered children, shedding his Heavenly Emperor's dignity to protect the demon race and their countless future generations.
Di Jun spoke again. "I know I am not the only one who harbors such hatred for the Wu clan.
Our demon race comprises myriad tribes. All living beings in heaven and earth are either Wu or demon. Our people have endured too much humiliation from the Wu clan, a deep-seated hatred of blood.
All of you here have attained the Da Luo realm. If you wish to seek revenge at any cost, there are certainly ways.
But like me, you have all endured for the sake of the demon race and the Heavenly Court, patiently gathering strength, biding your time, and refraining from action.
During the first Wu-Demon War, the Demon Ancestor Qi erected the Jian Mu Heavenly Ladder. As our demon race ascended to the heavens, countless of our kin perished. Numerous elders and relatives, facing death, sacrificed their lives, using their flesh and blood to forge a magnificent Great Wall that intercepted the heavens. This is a migration history of tears that our demon race can never forget. The countless kin who died along the way, the elders who willingly gave their lives to block the Wu clan, their heroic spirits watch us from the nine heavens, waiting for us in the netherworld to see us slay all the Wu clan, to wait for the day we avenge this blood-drenched hatred!
During the second Wu-Demon War, the Wu clan ascended Mount Buzhou and attacked the Heavenly Court, slaughtering countless of our demon warriors, slaughtering your descendants, including many of your direct bloodlines, and even your parents, wives, and children. Their blood stained the white jade stairs of the Heavenly Court and flowed across the celestial realm where we stand. Their corpses lay upon the Heavenly Court, where we have survived for millions of years.
Even our Heavenly Court's Five Emperors, Emperor Fu Xi, died for the demon race, falling at the hands of the Twelve Ancestral Witches. In his last moments, he was still concerned for the demon race, even sacrificing himself to protect Saint Nu Wa.
Aside from the two great Wu-Demon Wars, every day, every hour, every moment, whenever the campfires of the Wu clan are lit in the lower realms, whenever their songs are sung and their dances are performed, their feet stand upon, and their cauldrons contain, the corpses of our kin. They dance and sing, crushing the white bones of our demon race, eating our flesh, drinking our blood, with laughter and joy.
Even the descendants of the Wu clan, generation after generation, continue to hunt and kill the descendants of our demon race, generation after generation!
My lords, the Wu clan is forever unforgivable!
The grief of Saint Nu Wa over her brother's death, the demise of Emperor Fu Xi, the tragic deaths of countless descendants, the elders and seniors who sacrificed themselves on the path to heaven, the mountains of corpses and seas of blood of demon kin piled in the Heavenly Court – for them, we must never forgive the Wu clan!
We have conserved our strength, bided our time, and poured our hearts and souls into creating the present glory of the myriad demon race. All under heaven belongs to our king. Within the four seas are all our kin. All directions pay homage, all tribes bow, immortals and gods retreat, all beings worship. In this world, even Saints must yield to the might of our demon race, even the Heavenly Dao must acknowledge our sharpness.
This is not merely the result of our efforts, but the culmination of the efforts of our ancestors who sacrificed themselves for the demon race!
Today, I declare to you all.
The Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth has arrived, and the Killing Tribulation has begun. Only one can exist in the Primordial World: the Wu or the demon!
Today, I announce to you all, from this moment onward, there is no need to endure, no need to yield. The decisive battle between Wu and demon begins now!
I guarantee you that our descendants, generation after generation, will forever exist in heaven and earth. Whether the demon race wins or loses, whether in the past or the future, we demons have a fallback. Therefore, do not worry about what lies behind us. This time, we only need to do what our hearts desire: slaughter all the Wu, fearing neither life nor death!
I, Di Jun, will live and die with you all. As long as the Heavenly Court stands, Di Jun stands. If the Heavenly Court falls, Di Jun dies!
My lords, do you possess a fearless heart? Do you possess a heart that fears neither life nor death? Do you possess a heart to join me in eradicating the Wu clan? Do you dare to challenge heaven and earth? Do you dare to contend with Saints?
If so, raise your wine goblets and drink with me, sealing our pact of life and death!
Do you agree?"
The Heavenly Court trembled, heaven and earth quaked, heavenly sounds boomed, the sky changed color, the world was astonished, murderous intent filled the heavens, Di Jun's words echoed through the clouds, reaching beyond the nine heavens, permeating the twenty-eight realms, entering the hearts of billions of demons, reaching the ears of every shocked immortal, resonating in the silent hearts of every powerful old ancestor, and reaching the ears of the Five Saints seated upon their cloud beds.
Between heaven and earth, billions of demons raised their heads to the sky, tears streaming down their faces, their unyielding gazes fixed upon the highest reaches of the firmament, calling out with their lives, their voices hoarse, "The Demon Race requests battle!"
"The Demon Race requests battle!"
"The Demon Race requests battle!"
A surging tide of fighting spirit, embodying the hearts of billions of sentient beings, countless ants, and the beings of heaven and earth, coalesced into the great trend of the demon race, surging through the great trends of heaven and earth, and the great trends of all beings.
Before this overwhelming trend, no transcendent immortal could avoid being swept into it, not even the ancient powerful beings could escape, finding themselves helpless.
Even the six Saints of heaven and earth could not resist it. Their power could move stars, overturn mountains, and transform the world, but they could not reverse the hearts of men.
At this moment, the tribulation energy arose between heaven and earth. It was not the killing intent of heaven, nor the killing intent of earth, but the killing intent of man!
It was the killing intent unleashed by billions of sentient beings. Without waiting for the will of heaven, without awaiting the manifestation of the earth's intent, the demon race initiated the Great Tribulation of Heaven and Earth. It was no longer a tribulation of heaven and earth driving the masses, but the masses, driven by human intent, initiating the tribulation. The killing intent of man turned heaven and earth upside down!