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The dying words of their master filled the eight disciples with deep sorrow.
But just then, Lü Dongbin frowned in confusion and asked,"The eight masters, you've always told us the Demon Lords are ruthless and cruel. But why is it that the Fire Demon Lord on this continent doesn't seem to have any such reputation?"
"From what I've heard, he mostly stays in his palace, keeps to himself, and never causes trouble."
"Even his demons don't go around slaughtering humans."
That comment caught the the eight masters off guard, and before any of them could speak, Iron-Crutch Li's eyes lit up with a thoughtful glint.
He realized Lü Dongbin might have a point. He himself had been born in a territory ruled by the Water Demon Lord, and while humans were treated as inferior, they weren't casually slaughtered.
Thinking about that, Iron-Crutch Li chimed in too,"Yeah, Basha, the Water Demon Lord, doesn't really go around killing humans either.""And from what I know, that Moon Demon Lord, Cursed Blue, hasn't done anything that bad to humans either, right?"
Their comments made tthe eight masters—who'd been dead set on guiding the disciples to fight the Demon Lords—go pale in an instant.
"If not for the Demon Lords, would humans still be treated like slaves?" one master snapped."Sure, maybe a couple of them aren't openly cruel, but they're still demons!"
"They're not one of us. They'll never think like us!"
"A world without demon rule would be a far better place for humans!"
"And don't forget—it was the Demon Lords' armies that hunted you down, and the mages and wizards who protected you gave their lives for it!"
"That alone means you're already locked in a life-or-death battle with the eight Demon Lords!"
"There's no going back. This is black and white—you're either on the side of righteousness, or theirs!"
"It's either them or you. There's no third option!"
Their words stabbed deep like thorns, crushing any doubt or hesitation in the hearts of the eight.
After a long silence, the eight disciples looked to their the eight masters, nodded together, and said in unison:"Please don't worry, Masters. We will follow the path of destiny and fight the eight Demon Lords to the end!"
The eight old men nodded in satisfaction.They'd finally managed to pull the disciples back onto the right track.
In their hearts, though, they couldn't help but sigh.
Among all the Demon Lords, only the Fire Demon Lord allowed humans a surprisingly decent life—if they just paid some tribute, they could live their lives in peace.
Not like the other territories, where humans were born with low status and rarely lived past fifty.
But just as they were feeling relieved, another problem knocked them back into frustration.
"So, how do we break past the Grand Mage level? We can't just meditate our way through it forever, right?" Han Zhongli asked casually.
He was from one of the crueler Demon Lord territories, and he hated demons with a passion. He didn't share the doubts that Lü Dongbin and Iron-Crutch Li had.
"Uh…"
Han Zhongli's master paused, then suddenly remembered an old rumor. He activated a teleportation spell and pulled out a dusty, ancient book.
He blew off the thick dust, flipped it open, and sure enough, there was a method that might help them break through the Grand Mage ceiling.
Noticing the others watching him, he cleared his throat and said,"According to these ancient texts, quite a few human mages in the past broke through their limits not by training harder, but by going out into the world, traveling far and wide, living like ordinary people, and experiencing life."
"And in doing so, they naturally reached a breakthrough and soared to new heights."
Then Iron-Crutch Li's master turned to the eight and added,"You guys have never lived in the real world. Since you were three, you've been studying magic with us."
"So maybe this method really is the right one for you."
"If righteousness has chosen you, maybe when the time is right, you'll naturally break through the Grand Mage level and open a whole new path."
Even Han Zhongli's master, after saying it out loud, couldn't believe it.
Where the hell did this method come from? He'd read thousands of books and never seen anything like it before.
And the book had been sitting in his magical storage all this time.
As he pondered it more, a realization hit him—this had to be a sign from the power of righteousness.
All these years and he'd never noticed the book, but as soon as Han Zhongli asked the question, it appeared in his mind.
What else could that be but divine guidance?
The others quickly agreed with the plan.
After discussing it, they decided the eight disciples would start their journey right here—on the Fire Demon Lord's land.
Only this territory offered basic safety for normal humans. And more importantly, it meant the disciples couldn't recklessly use their magic when threatened.
The other demon lands were far too dangerous. Humans there were like bugs—easily crushed underfoot.
So the plan was set. Lü Dongbin and the others would begin their journey through the human world, seeking to understand life, the world, and ultimately unlock the realm beyond Grand Mage.
No one—not even the demons—knew what the eight were planning.
Even the all-seeing power of Shendu, which blanketed the entire Ancient Asia Continent, hadn't detected them.
Why?
Because righteousness itself was shielding their presence, making it impossible for demons to track them.
The last time they were found and hunted down, it was because a human wizard loyal to the Demon Lords had betrayed them.
That's why Shendu keeps those human wizards around—to sniff out the Eight Immortals, because only humans can sense their kind.
The shield of righteousness makes them much harder to detect, but not totally invisible.
If a human mage really tried, the Eight Immortals couldn't hide.
And now, the very ones destined to overthrow the Demon Lords were openly wandering Shendu's land, learning about human suffering and hardship.
Meanwhile, Shendu was still deep in seclusion, trying to master the Moon Authority he'd traded for with Cursed Blue, hoping it would push him to the next level.
He'd already maxed out the power of the Fire Authority—the world itself was limiting his growth, so now he needed a different path.
His strength far surpassed that of any other Demon Lord, and he was fully aware that the Pure Yang Sword Immortal who once sealed him—Lü Dongbin—had already been born.
But righteousness had cloaked Dongbin's whereabouts so well, not even Shendu could find him.
Even if he went out searching personally, he'd find nothing.
So there was no point wasting time trying to track down eight fledgling Immortals.
His current power was already way beyond the peak-level Saint Lords from the original timeline.
Western wood-based magic users couldn't compare to his mastery of demonic spells.
Even the divine authorities—twelve in total—had all reached their limits with him. He had nothing more to squeeze out of them.
So honestly, whether he found the Eight Immortals or not didn't matter.
He just had to wait.
Either they'd show up themselves, or righteousness would stop shielding them, and then he could go meet them head-on and see if Lü Dongbin could actually seal him again.
Even if he found them now and wiped them out—so what?
Righteousness would just bounce back harder.
The Eight Immortals fall? New ones would rise.
The backlash of righteousness wouldn't stop until it ran its course.
Just like how in the future, the demon Xiaolong would absorb eight strands of demonic energy.
That was a backlash of darkness—even though his father had already drained the Ice Trio of their energy, one spell from Xiaolong took it all and fused it back together.
That moment triggered a dark age ruled by black qi.
If the Eight Immortals were wiped out too early, history itself would spiral into the unknown.
"....."