Chapter 189: A Thousand Years Later
One day, long after, the Demon Lord Nero watched the blizzard cascading from the sky being devoured by the abyss behind the Demon Palace, and suddenly recalled the snow in White Emperor City.
Snow Old City was battered by wind and snow year-round, and he had witnessed countless blizzards, but none left as deep an impression as that snow from long ago.
White Emperor City lay in the south, with a warm climate and proximity to the Western Sea, so snow was rare. Yet that day, the snowfall was immense.
In just half a night, the city by the Red River was blanketed in white, and the yellow sand in that courtyard was entirely painted over.
The Demon Lord withdrew his gaze from the abyss and said to Chen Changsheng, "I was wrong. That day, I should have killed you at any cost."
Nan Ke said coldly, "I think the same."
Chen Changsheng was covered in blood, but his expression was calm. "That is already in the past."
...
...
In that blizzard, which had long since passed, Chen Changsheng arrived at the courtyard not far from the Lixiang tribe's estate.
The Demon Lord indeed had no intention of killing him, at least not at the start.
Chen Changsheng pushed open the courtyard gate and stepped inside. The soles of his boots pressed into the soft, fresh snow, producing a rustling sound that was quite pleasant.
He still wore his plain Daoist robe, with only a cloak added over it.
The cold wind stirred the snow on the ground, quickly erasing the footprints behind him and lifting a corner of the cloak.
Deep in the courtyard stood a tree, beneath which was a small clay stove. On the stove sat tea, and across from it were two seats.
The Demon Lord sat in the northern seat.
The southern seat was left empty, awaiting its occupant.
Chen Changsheng walked to the tree.
The tea in the pot happened to come to a boil, emitting a pleasant sound.
Much like the Demon Lord's voice.
"A thousand years."
Chen Changsheng understood the meaning of the Demon Lord's words.
He believed that anyone who knew of today's conversation would share a similar sentiment.
Exactly a thousand years ago, Emperor Taizong and the previous Demon Lord had held a conversation in Luoyang City.
That conversation was famous—no one on the entire continent was unaware of it. Even now, a thousand years later, it remained a topic of nostalgia and discussion among the people.
Even countless millennia from now, it was believed that this conversation would occupy the most important chapter in the history books.
That conversation determined the future situation of the entire continent.
The human race submitted and paid tribute; the demon wolf cavalry returned north.
For humanity, this conversation should have been the greatest humiliation, but because Zhou Dufu appeared among the willows by the Ba River, it took on a different meaning.
From this perspective, that conversation was not merely between Emperor Taizong and the previous Demon Lord, but a dialogue among three great figures.
A thousand years later, the leader of humanity and the sovereign of the demons finally met again, about to engage in a conversation.
How could one not feel a sense of melancholy?
Chen Changsheng said, "Today's conversation has no observers, so it may quickly vanish into history."
The Demon Lord said, "In the future, I will have the historians record today's conversation and require every child to memorize it."
Chen Changsheng shook his head and said, "I won't do that, because I don't think it's that important."
The postures of these two statements were completely different, but their meanings were very similar.
Whether it was the Demon Lord or Chen Changsheng, both revealed an extremely powerful, even terrifying, confidence.
—How history records it, or whether it is recorded at all, is the privilege of the victor.
...
...
After the initial exchange ended, silence lingered in the courtyard for a long time.
The tea on the stove kept boiling, but the Demon Lord showed no intention of pouring it. He simply gazed quietly at Chen Changsheng.
Chen Changsheng also gazed quietly at the Demon Lord.
This was not his first meeting with the other party; to be precise, it was the third.
But it was the first time he clearly saw the Demon Lord's face.
Like most members of the demon royal family, the Demon Lord's complexion was very pale—not like jade, nor like wind and snow, but somewhat eerie.
Yet it was not a sickly look; rather, it was like a mark of being different from the world, carrying an inhuman quality.
The Demon Lord suddenly laughed.
His smile was peculiar, revealing a lot of gums, which, against his pale complexion, was not particularly ugly, but somewhat bloody.
"You really are an interesting person,"
the Demon Lord said. "Or rather, you are not a person, because there is no human aura about you... more like an artifact?"
Chen Changsheng had considered that the Demon Lord might vaguely know his origins, perhaps even better than he did himself.
But it didn't matter.
Whether an artifact or a fruit, he knew who he was, and that was enough. Naturally, he would not have his Dao heart disturbed by such words.
Seeing no reaction from Chen Changsheng, the Demon Lord's smile faded slightly, and he said indifferently, "I came to White Emperor City this time mainly for three matters."
Given how solemnly he stated it, they must be major affairs. Chen Changsheng thought it over but could only come up with one.
The Demon Lord naturally would not mention what happened to him during the Heavenly Tree Wildfire Refinement. He said, "Up to this moment, I have completed one and a half matters, and now comes today."
Chen Changsheng asked, "Is it related to me?"
The Demon Lord said, "Of course, because the most important matter is to see you."
Chen Changsheng asked, "When you left Snow Old City, were you certain you would meet me here?"
The Demon Lord said, "I planned to marry Princess Luoluo, and the demon race intended to ally with me. You would definitely come, so we were bound to meet."
Chen Changsheng asked, "Why must you meet me?"
The Demon Lord said, "I thought that if I couldn't kill you, I would ask you one question."
Chen Changsheng asked, "What question?"
The Demon Lord asked, "What is the purpose of our existence?"
Chen Changsheng fell silent.
A few days ago, after Bie Yanghong left the world, he sat in the courtyard gazing at the stars in the night sky, feeling that black void like the mouth of a well, and had pondered this question.
In fact, on many nights after the incident at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum, he had thought about it.
To many ordinary people, such a question might seem too profound, a bit sour, full of scholarly arrogance, and laughable.
But it truly was a question worth pondering.
People like him and the Demon Lord naturally understood this principle.
"Different positions require doing different things and thinking about different questions,"
the Demon Lord said coldly. "We are the highest beings between heaven and earth, so we must see the farthest."
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then asked, "Where does your gaze fall?"
The Demon Lord said, "Above the sea of stars."
Chen Changsheng understood his meaning.
The Demon Lord continued, "And for eternity."
Any ordinary person would surely fail to grasp this dialogue, but the Demon Lord knew Chen Changsheng would understand.
Chen Changsheng indeed understood, because it was also his thought, as he was the Pope of the human race.
The Demon Lord said, "This is a responsibility and a pressure, but also the greatest source of pleasure, the hardest meaning of existence."
"What lies above the sea of stars? The alien races of the Holy Light Continent?"
Chen Changsheng looked steadily into the Demon Lord's eyes and asked, "What is your relationship with them? What are the Fire Thieves?"