Against The Heavens

"What are you blabbering about?! There is no way we can do anything against them, they are far too powerful."

Li Yang turned towards the one who had shouted, an older man who had a large scar going over his empty left eye, Liang Situ. Li Yang"s lips curled up slightly, a faint sneer appearing on his face as he spoke up.

"That is only because you guys are weak right now. But what if you could become stronger, so strong that you don"t need to listen to their orders?"

His words caught the attention of the people in the surroundings, their blood starting to heat up slightly. No one liked to be bossed around by others, forced to listen to their orders. But their warming blood was cooled down again by another loud shout by Liang Situ.

"Are you dumb, do you want us to against the great clans and sects? That would just doom the entire tribe. What we need to do is quietly endure, that way we can at least protect our dignity and secure our future."

His words reminded the others who their enemies were, the three great clans and several mighty sects they had never heard about before. Facing behemoths like that, just securing their survival was a great thing. But after hearing Liang Situ"s words, Li Yang burst into a loud laughter, turning towards a middle-aged man with a missing leg.

"HAHAHA! Your dignity, your future? Liang Yiyun, I can"t see your wife and son, where are they?"

Liang Yiyun had lost his left leg when he was young, so despite his ripe age, he had not been taken away to serve as a guide. Being singled out by Li Yang and becoming the focus of everyone, Liang Yiyun could not help but be slightly taken aback. He lowered his head somewhat, a low voice escaping from his lips.

"...They were taken by someone from the Puppet G.o.d Sect and someone from the Tian clan..."

A soft sigh rang through the crowd, people looking at Liang Yiyun with pity. They already knew what happened to his wife and son, but they still grew sad upon hearing about it. Li Yang did not look at Liang Yiyun with pity, instead pressing on with the same faint sneer.

"And what did you do to stop them from getting taken?"

After hearing Li Yang"s question, Liang Yiyun grew deathly pale. After a short moment, he raised his head to look directly at Li Yang, his eyes having grown somewhat red as he responded in a voice that was barely a whisper.

"...I did nothing..."

Liang Yiyun was ashamed, but at the same time, he was afraid. Faced with people from the great Tian clan, and a sect that seemed equally strong, what was he supposed to have done? Li Yang stepped forward slightly, throwing his arms wide open when he stood at the edge of the platform, his loud voice reaching everyone.

"Look around you! They have taken your women, your young and able! And none of you did anything to stop them. your dignity is already worthless. And your survival? By the time they have finished what they have come for, I can guarantee that most, if not all of the taken people will have been killed, your future dying with them."

If the people from the clans managed to learn that the remains of a Golden Crow and a Torch Dragon were located here, they would kill anyone else who might have learned of it. At that time, all the tribes might just be wiped out. The crowd descended into silence after Li Yang"s loud shout, but Liang Zhou broke the silence.

"You know what they have come for?"

From listening to Li Yang"s words, it was clear that he knew what the clans had come here for. But Liang Zhou could not help but wonder, how had Li Yang learned about it? Exactly what had he been doing for that one year where he was gone? Li Yang turned away from the crowd, giving Liang Zhou a slight nod.

"I do, but I cannot tell you."

Liang Zhou looked at Li Yang in silence for a short moment, studying him closely. He still looked very similar to the day he had left the village. He had grown taller and his features more p.r.o.nounced and manly, becoming rather handsome, but he could still clearly tell that he was Li Yang, the same person he had considered as a little brother.

But there was something different about him, about the look in his eyes. For his eyes to become like that, Liang Zhou could only a.s.sume that something horrible had happened to Li Yang during this last one year. Liang Zhou could not help but take a step forward, placing his palm on Li Yang"s cheek as he continued to observe him.

"You have changed, brother Yang. What happened to you, what caused your eyes to become so sharp?"

In the past, Li Yang had always seemed so carefree and calm, his eyes bright as he observed everything around him with a touch of nonchalance. But the eyes of the Li Yang that had returned, while still bright as a dark star, were far sharper, like an unsheathed blade. Li Yang did not remove Liang Zhou"s hand, he simply gave a slight smile and shook his head.

"It"s a bad habit that I can"t seem to kick."

Li Yang was not lying. The sharpness in his eyes was a result of his time as the Thunder Monarch when he spent so long fighting to protect those close to him. Even now that he was no longer the same Thunder Monarch, his eyes would still occasionally gleam with that same sharpness. After a short moment, Li Yang turned back to the crowd.

"What is your answer, do you want my help? Do you want the strength to stand tall and proud, to protect that which you love? Or are you fine with cowering in the dirt while everyone steps over you?"

Silence covered the area, the people in the crowd looking a bit pale as they thought it over. Liang Zhou also looked like he was thinking hard about it, but the first one to break the silence was an older man who was blind in one eye. He kneeled heavily on the ground, his voice tearful as he spoke out.

"I...I am willing to accept your help. Just please, give me the strength to bring my daughter back home!"

Once the first man kneeled, the others quickly started to follow, with Liang Yiyun being the second one to kneel to Li Yang. As the crowd started to kneel to Li Yang and accept his offer, Liang Zhou also tried to kneel, but Li Yang stopped him. Liang Zhou was a friend, after all, there was no way Li Yang was going to make him kneel. Once everyone but him kneeled, Liang Zhou asked the question everyone was wondering about.

"Please give us the strength to protect our own. What do we need to do?"

How was Li Yang going to have them become strong enough to resist the three great clans? Was it even possible to strengthen several people that quickly? But Li Yang quickly gave a confident reply, glancing at a few older men within the crowd.

"Good. We are going to need a large amount of Demonic beast blood and bodies, the stronger the Demonic beast the better. Later on, I will head deeper into the wilderness to check out the various groups that have arrived, I will bring back a few Demonic beasts then, but we need some to start. I suggest sending out the few older warriors you have left, they should be able to find some quickly."

The men he glanced at looked normal, even a bit frail. But Li Yang knew that they were the older warriors of the tribe, they had a large amount of experience and were adept at fighting, they just hid it deeply, which was why they had not been picked as guides. Liang Zhou could not help but tilt his head slightly after hearing what Li Yang needed.

"Demonic beast blood and bodies? What do we need those for?"

If Li Yang"s plan was to have them infuse their bodies with Demonic beast blood, there was no need to gather their bodies as well, so it was clear that he was planning something else. Li Yang"s smiles curved into a mysterious smile as he looked at Liang Zhou.

"It"s very simple. You will become the new generation of Demon Warriors, the first ones to be born since the fall of the Devil"s Gate."

After Li Yang spoke out, a dumbfounded silence descended over the area. Demon Warriors? Devils Gate? No one in the Liang tribe had ever heard about either of those things. But how could they possibly know about either of them? The Devil"s Gate had been a sect that existed back when Li Yang was at his peak, and it had been the birth and death of the Demon Warriors. They had committed such atrocities with their Demon Warriors that the rest of the world had collectively decided to wipe out any remaining Demon Warriors, branding the practice heretical and banning it completely. Liang Zhou knew a bit more than the others, so his brows furrowed slightly as he questioned.

"Demon Warriors? Are those the same as the Demon Race? Or are they people with Demonic beast bloodlines?"

Liang Zhou had never heard about Demon Warriors, but he knew that the Cloud Wilderness was in fact ruled over by a people called the Demon Race, so he guessed that they had a connection. But contrary to what he expected, Li Yang shook his head as he responded.

"No. The Demon race consists of people who are the result of humans and Demonic beasts mating, while people with Demonic beast bloodlines are humans who have transfused Demonic beast blood into their own bodies to strengthen themselves. Demon Warriors are humans who have infused themselves with not only Demonic beast blood, but also used a special technique to acquire the limbs and organs of Demonic beasts, a heretical fusion of both man and beast."

While explaining, Li Yang transmitted everything he knew about the Demon Warriors directly into Liang Zhou"s mind, allowing him to continue creating Demon Warriors after Li Yang left. After going over the information, Liang Zhou could not help but let out a small mutter.

"You are turning us into monsters."

Just like Li Yang had said, a Demon Warrior was a fusion of man and beast, replacing parts of one"s body with Demonic beast parts. Their strength would quickly increase, but they would never be able to call themselves human again, nor could they call themselves Demonic beasts or Demon Race. Li Yang heard Liang Zhou"s mutter, but he only let out a slight snort.

"Everyone who is powerful is a monster, it is one of the requirements to become strong. And I am only giving you the option. If you refuse, you can still try to use your own efforts to become stronger, but the time it will take is far longer. The choice is yours."

Even the most righteous of cultivators had the blood of countless people and Demonic beasts on their hand. The mighties cultivators could wipe out cities and countries with mere waves of their hands, if such people did not deserve to be called monsters, then who did?

Liang Zhou turned towards the crowd that was looking at the two of them. They had also heard what a Demon Warrior was, they knew what it meant to become one. But despite that, their gazes were determined and steely, no one standing up from their bow. Seeing them like this, Liang Zhou nodded his head and turned to Li Yang.

"For the Liang tribe."

If it was to protect his people and those he loved, Liang Zhou was willing to become a monster. Li Yang"s lips curved into a ferocious smile as he looked at Liang Zhou and the others, giving a nod of his head.

"Good. Since you have accepted my help, I will make you the Demon Warriors of the Cloud Wilderness, a force that no one will be willing to offend."

Once they became Demon Warriors, they would be able to hide deeper within the Cloud Wilderness, out of the reach of the clans. And as they got stronger, they could kill stronger Demonic beasts, which in turn would strengthen them even more. Once they got strong enough, who would care about the fact that they were training in a heretical and banned technique? While the blood of the Liang tribe people was boiling, Li Yang gave a loud clap of his hands.

"But before we do any of that, let us deal with a slight annoyance."

While everyone was dumbfounded at what he meant, Li Yang turned towards a spot on the ground a small distance away from the platform. Without him having to say anything, Jinwu and Shenlong turned into blurs and flew towards the spot. Golden flames and lightning flashed, a loud explosion sounding out as the earth in the spot was completely shattered.

After the dust settled, Jinwu and Shenlong were grabbing onto a female youth with long black hair and pale skin. There were shattered fragments of a humanoid doll scattered around her, so she had clearly hidden within a doll. While the people of the Liang tribe were shocked, Li Yang casually walked over to the girl, shaking his head slightly as he grabbed onto her neck and raised her up.

"You are a bit silly, aren"t you? As the spy, you must always send out a message once something strange happens, otherwise, you might never get that chance."

He had detected her the moment he entered the village, constantly keeping an eye on her as he spoke. Even when he mentioned Demon Warriors, she had not reacted in the slightest, not even sending a message to the rest of her sect. This caused Li Yang to guess that she had either never heard about Demon Warriors, or was waiting to gather more information before she reported it. The girl tried to talk, blood pouring out of her mouth as she stuttered slightly.

"You...can"t do...this...I am..."

Li Yang squeezed her throat a bit to stop her from talking, even without her saying anything, he could easily guess who she was and what she was doing here.

"From the Puppet G.o.d Sect, I can tell. What a neat puppet you have, it works much like a transportable abode. But I really don"t care where you are from."

Li Yang truly found the puppet neat. She could hide within it and decrease its size, allowing her to easily hide within the ground, looking like a normal pebble. As Li Yang looked at the girl with indifferent eyes, she glared at him and did her best to stutter out a few words.

"You...will regret...this..."

She was from the Puppet G.o.d Sect, so she knew how they dealt with anyone who went against them or those who insulted them. It was as if she could already see Li Yang"s body being turned into a living puppet. But Li Yang merely chuckled at her words, carrying her towards the platform.

"You have no idea how many times I have heard that. But not once have I regretted my actions."

Once Li Yang reached the platform, he punched the girl in the back, shattering her spine and preventing her from moving. He then threw her towards the crowd, which quickly backed away from her. Li Yang"s voice was cold as he pointed at the girl.

"Kill her."

Not only the others, but even Liang Zhou was also shocked at Li Yang"s words and cold voice. They had prepared to go against the clans and sects, but when faced with the act of killing one of their people, they could not help but hesitate. As Jinwu and Shenlong returned to Li Yang, he continued to talk, his voice causing the blood of the others to boil.

"She is part of the people that have taken everything from you. Kill her, start your journey towards freedom with her blood."

The old man who had been the first to kneel was also the first one to step forward, his hands trembling as he looked at the girl with a steely and somewhat hateful gaze. He had no weapon, so he could only grab a rock that was lying on the ground, grabbing it with both hands and using it to bash the girls back. Seeing his actions, the others also grew determined, picking up anything they could use as a weapon and hitting the girl, who could not even scream because of her shattered spine.