Chapter 309: Demons and Demon Cultivators

Although demons and demon cultivators seem similar in the eyes of many people, they are actually fundamentally different. Demons are a race that exists naturally between heaven and earth. Their existence is opposed to spiritual energy. They absorb demon energy for survival. They are naturally powerful. Their bodies and souls are far superior to those of ordinary people. They have a long lifespan and demon blood naturally flows in their bodies.

As for the demon cultivators, they are ordinary cultivators who gradually change their attributes by practicing the magic techniques and rely on devouring spiritual energy or living beings to cultivate. The essential difference between the two is reflected in their bloodline, cultivation methods, and the meaning of existence.

The demons have been extremely powerful since their birth. Their power comes from the demonic energy between heaven and earth. This aura is extremely poisonous to ordinary cultivators. If inhaled, they will go crazy at best, or be destroyed at worst. However, for the demons, the demonic energy is like a sweet rain, which can make them grow rapidly and even evolve.

The bodies of demons are naturally strong, far superior to those of human monks. They usually do not need to practice martial arts, and can easily tear through the defenses of mortals or low-level monks with their physical strength alone. Some demons even have innate magical powers, such as fire, corrosion, charm, etc. These abilities are part of their bloodline.

The social structure of the demons is to respect the strong. The nobler the bloodline, the higher the status. The upper demons often have huge reserves of magic energy and unique racial abilities, which can easily suppress ordinary demons. Under the rule of the tribe, all demons have only one goal for survival: to continue to grow, plunder resources, and provide more magic energy for the continuation of the race.

The demons are cold and ruthless by nature, and they follow the law of the jungle to the end. In their eyes, there is no distinction between good and evil, only between the strong and the weak. To them, the so-called righteous cultivators are just food, and the demon cultivators are just tools, or even low-level creatures.

Compared to the demons, the demon cultivators are a more complex group of beings. Most of them were once mortal cultivators who chose the path of demons for various reasons. Their choices may come from ambition, revenge, or even the desire for power.

There are two main sources of power for demon cultivators: one is to devour spiritual energy and transform it into demon energy by practicing demonic techniques; the other is to directly devour the essence, blood, souls, and even the vitality of living beings of other cultivators to strengthen themselves. Although this method of cultivation is fast, it is usually accompanied by a great risk of backlash. If you are not careful, you will lose your mind due to the erosion of demon energy.

Demon cultivators are different from demons. Although they practice magic, they are still human in nature, with human emotions and thoughts. Some demon cultivators are not even truly evil. They practice magic for survival or to pursue higher power. However, the process of practicing magic will gradually corrode their will, causing many demon cultivators to become bloodthirsty, cold-blooded, and even completely lose themselves during the practice.

Because of their own cultivation methods, demon cultivators are regarded as heretics by righteous cultivators, and the demons also look down on demon cultivators, believing that they are "pseudo-demons" who do not have the noble bloodline of the demons. In the rejection of both sides, the living environment of demon cultivators is often even worse. They can usually only form loose organizations or wander between various domains, looking for strong people to rely on.

Although the demons and demon cultivators are both "demons", they are not true allies. The demons have an instinctive contempt and vigilance towards demon cultivators, believing them to be despicable counterfeits. Especially when demon cultivators absorb the blood of demons to cultivate, this behavior is even more blasphemous to the demons.

The demons regard the demon cultivators as tools and use them to expand their power. On the other hand, the demon cultivators often covet the blood power of the demons and try to improve their own cultivation by devouring the blood of the demons. The cooperation between the two sides is full of contradictions. Once the interests diverge, conflicts are inevitable.

To the righteous cultivators, both the demons and the demon cultivators are equally evil. The demons are the mortal enemies of the righteous due to their inherent predatory nature, while the demon cultivators are regarded as traitors and heretics because they betray humanity. Whether it is the demons or the demon cultivators, as long as they appear in the sight of the righteous cultivators, they will become the targets of extermination.

The demons are predators by nature, strong by nature, and believe in the order of blood supremacy; while the demon cultivators are acquired mutants, gaining strength by devouring and practicing magic techniques. Although both survive on demonic energy, they have completely different natures and development directions. In this world, the demons and demon cultivators are both enemies and occasional allies, but in the end they cannot escape the pursuit and rejection of the righteous. Their existence makes the entire continent even more bloody and turbulent.

The news of the demons' comeback swept across the entire continent like a violent storm. No matter whether it was the sects, families, or independent cultivation groups, they all fell into unprecedented panic and shock because of this sudden shadow.

The evil reputation of the demons originated from the world-destroying war thousands of years ago. At that time, countless lives on the continent turned to ashes, and large areas of cities became ruins. It took the combined efforts of various forces to seal the demons. However, the power of the seal has gradually weakened over the years, and the breath of the demons has resurfaced, bringing blood and fear.

The demons' attack did not come suddenly, but infiltrated silently like a venomous snake. From the initial sporadic disappearances to the news of the massacre in the town, the signs of disaster gradually appeared.

Tianshuang City on the border of Beizhou was the first to be hit. This small border town became famous for its rich mineral resources, but it completely lost contact within a few days. The exploration team sent out later found that Tianshuang City had become a dead city. The city was a scorched earth, with countless corpses, and even the walls were covered with claw marks and bloodstains, which was obviously the work of the demons.

The most terrifying thing about the demons is not only their individual strength, but also their ability to quickly increase their strength by devouring living beings. Whenever they capture a place, they will convert all the living beings into their own combat power, making their army grow rapidly like a snowball.

After the news spread to all the major regions, people's panic spread rapidly. Although the major sects and families remained calm on the surface, they strengthened their defenses in private and began to summon their disciples to prepare for the storm. However, the threat of the demons did not unite the various forces. Instead, they became increasingly antagonistic due to resource allocation and competition for interests.

Some independent cultivators also began to stir, trying to take advantage of the chaos to plunder resources or seek shelter. For those who usually survived in the cracks, the arrival of the demons was terrifying, but it also provided an opportunity to reshuffle. Many independent cultivators gathered into groups and chose to take the initiative to go deep into remote areas to search for resources, hoping to gain a glimmer of hope in the chaotic world.

"Hmph, so what about the demons? The big forces will inevitably suffer heavy losses when fighting against the demons. That is the opportunity for us independent cultivators to come forward!" someone sneered.

But more casual cultivators were not optimistic, especially those who had personally experienced the rampage of the demons. They had seen their loved ones slaughtered and their homes destroyed, and the anger and fear in their hearts were intertwined, forcing them to face the cruel reality.

In Lingtian Territory, several major forces gathered together to discuss countermeasures against the invasion of the demons. The atmosphere of the meeting was heavy and everyone looked solemn. Representatives from the Loose Cultivator Alliance, Jinyang Sect, Beast Taming Sect, and Tianlei Sect attended the meeting, but soon a dispute broke out due to their respective positions.

"The demons have reappeared. We must unite immediately and combine all the forces we can mobilize to resist together!" The elder of Jinyang Sect said anxiously.

"Join forces? Your Jinyang Sect has already controlled most of the resources in Nanzhou. Now you are talking about joining forces, do you want us to share your risks?" The leader of the Tianlei Sect snorted coldly.

"Shut up!" A high-ranking member of the Loose Cultivator Alliance shouted in a stern voice. "The threat from the demons concerns the survival of the entire continent. Arguing at this time will only put us at a deeper disadvantage."

But even if there are people with authority trying to mediate, all parties still have their own agenda. The powerful rise of the demons has made all parties panic on the surface, but behind it lies a deeper game of interests.

As time went by, the invasion of the demons gradually spread from the Northern Province to the entire continent. The major sects and families were forced to fight, but the news of defeats that came one after another made everyone realize that the scale of this disaster was far beyond imagination.

Countless cities were captured, civilians were displaced, and monks suffered heavy casualties. In a major war, a main force of the Beastmaster Sect tried to encircle and suppress a vanguard of the demon clan, but was ambushed and annihilated. Such battles occurred one after another, and people's fear of the demon clan continued to deepen.

The righteous monks rose up to resist, and the scattered cultivator organizations also joined the battle. But every victory came with a huge price, and failure meant greater panic.

Ye Fan, who was far away in Tianyuan Domain, also heard the news. He was silent for a long time, and his eyes gradually became firm.

"The rise of the demons is a disaster for the entire continent, but if I can take advantage of this opportunity, perhaps I can find a way to fight against the Blood Demon Sect." He whispered to himself.

The reappearance of the demon clan not only brought destruction, but also made Ye Fan see some possibilities. In troubled times, opportunities and crises coexist. He must seize this only opportunity to avenge himself and those who died tragically at the hands of the Blood Demon Sect.