The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 1081

Chapter 1081: Chapter 1078: The Answer Chapter 1081: Chapter 1078: The Answer Shen Luo furrowed his brows as he looked around, and saw no sign of a treasure's emergence; he didn't understand why they were fighting each other.

The burly man grabbed the teenager by the neck and lifted him into mid-air; as his palms came together, the immense strength almost crushed the teenager's throat with a “gurgle,” threatening to break it.

The teenager's face was beet red, but he refused to let go; he stirred the longsword with all his might, as if he was determined to shred the burly man's heart and lungs even in death.

Just as the two seemed ready to kill each other, Fu Donglai couldn't bear to watch any longer and stepped forward; with a hand on each side, he pried open the burly man's grip and snatched the longsword from the young man in white.

“Fellow Daoists, this is just a trial, why go to such lengths?” Fu Donglai returned the longsword and tried to persuade them.

After being forcibly separated, both men took a moment to catch their breath and then looked at Fu Donglai; a flash of wariness in their eyes was quickly replaced by anger.

“Demon Variant, do not interfere with our fight. If you want to scavenge the corpses, wait until we have finished battling to death,” the burly man said angrily, holding his chest as he tried to stop the bleeding and heal.

“Hmph, if you had not interfered, he would already be a ghost under my sword,” the young man in white said ungratefully.

“Even the Demon Clan friend knew enough to preserve life, intervening to prevent both of you from dying; yet you still act so unappreciative?” Shen Luo remarked with displeasure, showing himself and stepping forward.

“What do you know? Our Windfire Valley and their Evergreen Sect are sworn enemies. Under the constraints of the Great Tang Dynasty Government, we are not allowed to seek private vengeance at whim. Coming to this Three Realms Martial Arts Conference is exactly for the purpose of settling our vendettas. Those who die do so for the glory of their sect; their death is honorable. And those who survive by chance become the true heirs of their sect, and thereafter…” The young man in white stopped speaking mid-sentence.

Hearing this, Shen Luo silently sighed to himself, finding it rather senseless that a Three Realms Martial Arts Conference had turned into a venue for private clan vendettas and struggles for power.

Yet, reflecting on his own recent fight with Zhao Tong, Shen Luo couldn't help but give a wry smile at the similarity to the current situation.

“The matter of our life and death is not for you to concern yourselves with; please stay away and don't hinder us any further,” the burly man said in a low voice.

“If you want to act the part of the noble hero in this Martial Assembly, you are welcome to do so elsewhere; do not come here and disturb us any more,” the young man in white said, brandishing his sword and speaking harshly.

Hearing this, Fu Donglai stood still, a look of puzzlement still in his eyes.

“Let's go,” Shen Luo stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.

After the two left, the sound of battle resumed in the forest behind them, but it soon returned to silence.

Shen Luo and his companion walked on in silence for about a mile.

“Elder Brother Fu, in your opinion, can humans, demons, and immortals coexist peacefully and bring tranquility to the Three Realms?” Shen Luo suddenly asked.

“I don't know. The reason I took a position with the Great Tang Dynasty Government was to understand the Human Race and the Three Realms. Compared to the Demon Clan, the Human Race has created a more splendid civilization, and the antagonism between the Immortal Clan and the Demon Clan seems even more irreconcilable. If there is any chance of achieving peace in the Three Realms, I think the answer is most likely to be found among humans,” Fu Donglai shook his head and said.

As Shen Luo heard this, he seemed to ponder something, looking off into the distance in silent contemplation.

“Brother Shen, what are your thoughts?” after waiting a while, Fu Donglai spoke up again.

“As you just saw, even within the Human Race, they fight to the death; you say the answer lies within the Human Race, but I don't really have much confidence in that,” Shen Luo sighed lightly and said.

Just as he had mentioned to Lu Huaming earlier, there were many traitors among humans, some of whom even wished for Chiyou's revival more ardently than the Demon Clan.

As long as such people existed, the Three Realms would never have a day of peace.

“I'm still observing, still learning; such infighting exists in all clans and places. As long as the world's general direction is good, there is always hope,” Fu Donglai said, rather optimistically.

“Speaking of which, it was members of the Demon Clan who stopped the Demonic God from reviving. This is already a great merit for all beings in the Three Realms,” Shen Luo said with a smile.

“The Demon Clan's feelings towards the Demonic God Chiyou are quite complex. On one hand, he is our common ancient ancestor, and on the other, he is the cause of chaos and war in the Three Realms. Our clan once flourished because of him, but also declined because of him. Some hope he would lead the Demon Clan and stand at the pinnacle of the Three Realms once again; but that is ultimately the glory of a bygone era. It's unfair to force such expectations on the Demon Clan of today. Not all Demon Clan members are bloodthirsty warmongers; they too have families and loved ones. Naturally, preventing a great war and sparing the lives of innocents is the best outcome,” Fu Donglai said, his expression growing complex as he slowly spoke.

As the two were speaking, they had already arrived at a valley, and from afar, they could hear continuous roaring sounds. The colliding noises were amplified through the horn-shaped valley entrance and sounded like thunderous rumbling.

“That sound…” Fu Donglai's expression changed slightly upon hearing it.

“What's wrong?” Shen Luo asked, frowning.

“Let's go take a look,” Fu Donglai said immediately.

As he spoke, he took the lead and charged straight into the valley entrance.

Without hesitation, Shen Luo immediately followed.

The moment they arrived at the valley entrance, they saw a seven- to eight-foot-tall emerald-green young tree in the center of the valley, crystal clear like jade, with no leaves on its branches, and bearing only eight plump, longan-sized red fruits.

Even from a distance, Shen Luo and Fu Donglai could smell the sweet fragrance emanating from those fruits.

In front of the fruit tree stood a thin old man who looked like he was in his seventies. His body was covered in innumerable bloodstains, his gray-white hair disheveled and spreading out, presenting a very pitiful sight.

“It's him,” Shen Luo exclaimed softly.

“Brother Shen knows him?” Fu Donglai asked.

“He is the head of a small human Sect called the Green Forest Sect. Before entering the Secret Realm, he stood right by my side,” Shen Luo replied.

In his hand, the old man was holding an octagonal formation disc, embedded with a round bronze mirror, which he was now earnestly operating. It emitted a curved arc of light, like an inverted large pot, enveloping the green tree with red fruits.

“What are those things?” Shen Luo asked, looking down and frowning.

Outside the barrier sustained by the old man, three monstrous creatures, resembling Qing Niu but over ten feet tall, were charging at the light curtain from different directions. The thunderous sounds were coming from them.

Beyond the Qing Niu, coiled a pitch-black giant snake a hundred feet in length. It too was raising its massive tail like a long whip, continuously striking the top of the light curtain barrier.

“Those are Scale Bulls and a Rhino Python, all fierce Magical Beasts. The three Scale Bulls are manageable; they appear to be merely at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, but that Rhino Python must be at least at the Early Mahayana Stage. They seem not to be using their full strength; otherwise, that human cultivator would've already been unable to hold on,” Fu Donglai said with furrowed brows.

Upon hearing this, Shen Luo's gaze shifted slowly, surveying the surroundings, but he noticed nothing unusual. After a moment's thought, he asked again, “Does Brother Fu recognize the green tree in the center?”