The East Sea smiled faintly, lowering his voice: "Guen may be mad, but he did say one thing right."

"What is that?"

The East Sea’s tone turned even more peculiar, and he said flatly: "When the Old Ancestor founded the cultivation technique and the Ghost Race, it was not out of compassion."

Chen Yan’s heart trembled: "What do you mean?"

The East Sea laughed, though his eyes remained indifferent: "You made a hammer to nail things.

When you’re hammering nails, do you care if the hammer gets damaged or scratched?

If someone refrains from using a hammer just because they’re afraid it might get scratched or damaged, then what’s the point of the hammer’s existence?

After all, a hammer is meant for smashing things.

If it gets broken, just replace it with another hammer."

Seeing Chen Yan’s surprised look, the East Sea chuckled.

"A Saint, walking the path of the Heavenly Dao, is no longer human.

Since not human, there’s no mercy!"

Chen Yan recalled his conversations with Guen in the library, and suddenly it all became clear to him!

The Ghost Race Chieftain’s success is never judged by whether the Ghost Race people are satisfied, nor by whether the interests of the Ghost Race are preserved.

It is determined by whether it pleases the Old Ancestor!

If the Old Ancestor is displeased, no matter how well the Ghost Race is managed, it is still a crime!

If the Old Ancestor is pleased, even if the entire Ghost Race perishes and all eighteen tribes are wiped out, it would just mean replacing them with a new batch of "eighteen tribes"!

Such events have occurred in the history of the Ghost Race!

Since the establishment of the Ghost Race, the so-called eighteen tribes have been replaced too many times to count!

If the hammer is broken, replace it!

A hammer was made to smash nails.

You can’t avoid using it just because you care about the hammer.

·

Beyond the Inner City, the Black Wood Tribe’s village appeared much more solemn than before.

The bustling comings and goings had vanished. Instead, many Black Wood Tribe samurai patrolled in teams, emanating a sense of Evil Qi.

Chen Yan even noticed some damage marks on buildings in the village, and occasionally, suspicious black stains on the ground.

Having seen blood before, he quickly recognized the color left by blood splattered on the soil and then dried. Because it seeped into the earth, merely washing with water wouldn’t clean it.

Seeing such bloodstains on some village roads, along with the Evil Qi emanating from the samurai, made Chen Yan secretly alert.

The East Sea appeared calm, noticing Chen Yan’s change of expression, and slowly said, "No need to worry, there was a bit of chaos some days ago, but now it’s stabilized."

Chen Yan remained silent for a moment, then slowly said, "It’s because enough people were killed, so it’s stable?"

"Right, kill all those who rebelled, and peace follows."

The two continued talking as they walked through the village.

The village was silent, doors shut tight, making the narrow streets suddenly feel spacious.

Occasionally, when a patrol of samurai passed by, they would stop immediately at the sight of the East Sea, standing solemnly, watching the East Sea and Chen Yan until they had passed before resuming their patrol.

"The day after I killed those tribal elders of the Black Wood Tribe, there was again a bit of chaos."

The East Sea slowed down, speaking softly to Chen Yan: "Tribal elders are human too, and as humans, they all have personal desires.

Those elders, who among them doesn’t have kin or family, children, or confidants? Those people live by relying on the elders, often comprising whole families, deeply rooted.

Once the elders are slain, naturally their influence within the tribe must be eliminated. People, after all, are reluctant to give up their interests.

When cornered, they choose desperate measures.

Even knowing defeat is certain, some will still choose to fight to the bitter end."

Chen Yan nodded: "You... how many did you kill?"

The East Sea looked up at the sky: "One or two thousand."

Chen Yan’s heart trembled.

The East Sea then laughed lightly: "That’s actually not many. I don’t particularly like slaughter. I spared those elders’ families who were willing to surrender.

The one or two thousand killed were those who, being desperate, attempted to incite rebellion. Conveniently, I needed some heads to intimidate the entire tribe—while I personally killed nine elders in the hall, not many witnessed it.

Without seeing it firsthand, many wouldn’t fear it.

So, since those people chose to continue rebelling, when they delivered themselves, I didn’t mind using their heads to assert power and intimidate the masses."

Chen Yan slowed down, glancing back at a junction he had just passed, the large patch of blackened soil on the ground...

It was then Chen Yan finally sighed, recalling something important, and asked, "How long was I locked inside?"

"From the day I sent you into that building to today, it’s been twenty-four days."

Twenty-four days, not yet a month.

Chen Yan spent three years and four months in the library, while outside, only twenty-four days passed.

The time flow is indeed vastly different.

"So... the Heaven-Crashing Ceremony is already over?" Chen Yan sighed.

"It’s over," the East Sea glanced at Chen Yan: "Why, do you feel it’s a pity? You didn’t need the ceremony to aid your cultivation."

Chen Yan shook his head: "That’s not it. After all, I always planned to participate, but in the end, I missed it. There’s a sense of regret, not having the chance to witness the renowned Heaven-Crashing Ceremony of the Ghost Race in this Domain Realm."