I am neither passionate enough to become a Saint who overturns the heavens, nor indifferent enough to be a bystander, yet I am clear-headed enough to be a good person.

Le Yu hid in the dark corner of the courtyard, watching the Martial Artists fight against the foreign races from afar, listening intently to the sounds of battle and roars outside, his eyes blood-red, and involuntarily drooling.

Although the battle wasn't over, Yanjing had already lost.

As early as when the Demon Race conspired with the National Relief Association, and when the National Relief Association had a foothold in Yanjing, it was destined that Yanjing would have tonight's defeat.

All the gifts fate bestows are secretly marked with a price.

After Le Yu sorted through Wu Zhiqi's memories, he realized that the Holy Sword they had always nervously protected was merely an add-on. The Sea Wave Powder, these products of the National Relief Association, were the core of the 'Demon Blood Transformation' plan.

Actually, as early as when Le Yu chatted casually with Cha Huan, Cha Huan had a question: How was the Sea Wave Powder, Spirit Condensing Pill, which had no harm, no addictive nature, yet could refresh the mind, accelerate body recovery, and even improve comprehension, made?

At that time, although they guessed it was made from Blood Essence Stone, production still required basic materials, and Blood Essence Stone at best was just a middleman earning the difference, so what were the basic materials?

Later, learning about the Immortal Palace plan and Immortal Blood, Le Yu faintly guessed Immortal Blood might be related to Sea Wave Powder Spirit Condensing Pill, suspecting Sea Wave Powder might be formulated with Immortal Blood, but that was the extent of his thoughts—Sea Wave Powder was formulated with Immortal Blood, so where did the massive amounts of Immortal Blood needed to formulate Sea Wave Powder come from?

The answer was obvious: the vast majority of condensed Immortal Blood in Blood Essence Stone was provided free by wild Demon beasts!

Countless dying, old, or disabled wild Demon beasts would offer all their flesh and blood to Blood Essence Stone, letting Blood Essence Stone grind them to dust, even creating a religious concept because of this—'Return'!

In the Demon Race's view, they who have lost their ability to survive should return their flesh and blood to the tribe that cared for, nurtured, and protected them, and their souls would reunite in the Sacred Artifact, Blood Essence Stone, which contains a soul resting place named 'Burial Ground', where all Demon Race members would find eternal rest, jointly weaving the dreams of the Demon Race, providing enlightenment for descendants in dreams.

Because when Blood Essence Stone was grinding, rainbow light like flames would appear on the Demon Race, so 'Return' is also known as 'Burn My Wretched Body for Heaven's Grace, henceforth My Life is Not My Own'.

Even Wu Zhiqi didn't know when 'Return' began, but throughout the Demon Race, it was taken for granted and even seen as the last honor, showing that the custom of 'Return' had lasted for at least hundreds of years. Blood Essence Stone also stored the Primordial Spirit of thousands of Demon Race members, purifying countless drops of 'Immortal Blood'.

Although Blood Essence Stone served as a filter, after years of wear and tear, Blood Essence Stone had long taken on the shape of the Demon Race, with all inside being hereditary material of the Demon Race, the purified 'Immortal Blood' and 'Demon Blood' being indistinguishable.

However, when formulating Sea Wave Powder, Smile added not only 'Immortal Blood', but also his own blood!

Smile was called the Demon Emperor not just because of his immense strength, but also because he was a born Demon Emperor!

Apart from humans, other foreign races actually had this concept of royalty, such as the World Tree Elf in the Elf Race, the Blazing Black Dragon in the Dragon Race, the Ancient Titans in the Titan Race; all were born as royalty, inherently suppressing lower-ranking members of the same race, forcing them to yield to their will.

At the same time, the existence of royalty would also bestow beneficial shelter upon their surrounding kin. For example, a target locked by the World Tree Elf would instantly become the aim for other Elves, receiving a 100% hit rate blessing, with launched projectiles penetrating 100%, truly embodying 'United as One, All Arrows Fired'.

Royalty is regarded as the soul and backbone of foreign races, thus, naturally, became the first targets hunted to endangerment. The Elf Race, Titan Race, Dragon Race no longer have royalty. Although the Naga also have royalty, if they leave the ocean, the Naga royalty cannot exert their influence.

Therefore, on this continent, Smile is the last royalty. And the strategic ability of Behemoth royalty is only one: when Behemoth releases the "Furious Roar", all members of the Demon Race would enter a berserk state, significantly enhancing all attributes.

If there is fresh blood of Behemoth royalty in one's body, then "Furious Roar" would bypass distance limits, even without hearing Behemoth's roar one would enter a berserk state due to Demon Blood resonance.

Smile conducted tests and discovered that any human who received 'Immortal Blood', upon hearing "Furious Roar", would have the Immortal Blood in their body boil, temporarily transforming them into the Demon Race and entering a berserk state!

Smile, Behemoth royalty, Demon Blood of Blood Essence Stone, together comprise the core of the 'Demon Blood Transformation' plan. Each pack of Sea Wave Powder contains Smile's Demon Blood and Blood Essence Immortal Blood, Martial Artists eating Sea Wave Powder is like installing a timed bomb in their body, which Smile can detonate at any moment.

So, just how many people have eaten Sea Wave Powder?

Although Sea Wave Powder is priced extremely high, affordable only to the wealthy, its cost-effectiveness is extraordinarily high, praised by everyone who has used it, and it circulates only within small circles, positioning itself as high-end, naturally attracting everyone.

Moreover, Martial Artists generally have some spare money, either spending it on food and drink or lavishly splurging in Red Dream Arena, Martial Artists who settle down and start families are rare—once past a certain age they can't have children anymore, what's the point of marriage without kids—so there are quite a few who can afford Sea Wave Powder.

Even if one can't afford it, Martial Artists can rely on their parents, relatives, or family business. If all else fails, they can use collective buying services to secure a purchase.

In a sense, Sea Wave Powder is not just a tax on intelligence, but also a tax on singles. The Imperial Court turns a blind eye to this, only collecting taxes; they're simply unable to reject the temptation of large tax revenues from this group of non-consuming single Martial Artists.

On the other hand, one doesn't necessarily need to buy Sea Wave Powder.

This year's festival without giving gifts, giving a gift of Sea Wave Powder is perfectly fine, right?

Official, you have a water character in your name, gifting some Sea Wave Powder for free to try out, right?

Transport requires official's help, gifting Sea Wave Powder to reward your labor, alright?

Not to mention bribery.

People also have a tendency to conform; if your colleagues have eaten Sea Wave Powder and invite you to try a bite, do you refuse? If your superior enjoys Sea Wave Powder, do you buy some yourself, and verify its purity upon purchase?

Although Martial Artists have an inkling that Sea Wave Powder is not something good, the issue is everyone persuades each other: If there's a problem, why doesn't the Imperial Court act? You see, some high-ranking officials love Sea Wave Powder, if there's a problem why do they indulge in it? Everyone says it's fine, you're being difficult, if you claim there's a problem give us a concrete example, lacking evidence that's called spreading rumors!

Through years of accumulation, Martial Artists who managed to consistently avoid Sea Wave Powder are few and far between. Although Sea Wave Powder would diminish in the body due to metabolism, the vast majority who have encountered Sea Wave Powder seldom refuse the pleasure of 'I'm smarter', leading to a 100% re-use rate.

Optimistically estimating, at least a quarter of Martial Artists at the Mastery stage in Yanjing have fallen into demon transformation, and at least a third at the Integration and Mastery stage—even more so, as the higher realm means more wealth for such external assistance—even the Martial Artists Pillar included one or two demon transformations, Yanjing has become quite a mess.

Yet the problem doesn't lie within Yanjing but in the two critical chokepoints near Yanjing: Beichen Pass, Nanming Pass!

The National Relief Association also has transport caravans, what they transport isn't important, what's important is when they pass through, they can lavishly gift Sea Wave Powder to the checkpoint soldiers under the pretext of 'respect'!

Over time, the soldiers at the two checkpoints all know the National Relief Association is a fish releasing water upon pressure, and upon discovering soldiers consuming Sea Wave Powder, officers noted they were more alert during shifts, thus wouldn't intervene, even joining in the fun. When the National Relief Association caravan passes through, it becomes a joy day for the checkpoint soldiers to indulge in drugs.

Now, Beichen Pass and Nanming Pass must be in chaos, while the National Relief Association holds one final trump card: the president spent a fortune secretly colluding with the Storm Army, Ta Bai Army, Henghui Army, Blood Source Army, and Linhai Army, inviting them to enter the capital and seize the realm!

Tomorrow morning, Beichen Pass and Nanming Pass will change flags, the five armies will drive straight into the central plains, targeting Yanjing!

This is the ultimate goal of the Demon Blood Transformation plan: Demon Blood Transformation, Ghostly Land Emergence.

When the winds scatter the ashes of the Demon Race, it signifies the time of human civil war.

Under normal circumstances, even if the Outer District really launched a rebellion, its impact on Yanjing would be negligible. The two major gates guard the crucial routes, making it impossible for a single district and army to conquer. Even capturing the gates would be useless, as you'd still need to besiege the 'Eternal Imperial Capital' Yanjing.

The few dark chapters in Yanjing's history always involved a domination of three or four Outer Districts by an Outer District overlord, surrounding Yanjing with overwhelming military force. Yanjing fell only when an insider opened the gates to welcome the Imperial division.

Moreover, all this presumes that the Outer District overlord must be of the Ming royal family!

Everyone knows that the true ruler of Glory is the Holy Sword, and only the Ming Imperial family can wield the Holy Sword. Besides the Mings, all other overlords are mere fleeting shadows.

However, the National Relief Association has created a perfect opportunity: the Holy Sword still hangs in the balance, Yanjing is in a vulnerable internal conflict, the major gate passages stand wide open, and the seven royal members eligible to inherit the Holy Sword are in Yanjing. This means... as long as they seize Yanjing and eradicate the Mings, the two-thousand-year-old Glory Dynasty will be ripe for a change of era!

Looking throughout the history of Glory, there has been no better chance than now!

This is the true reason why the five armies of the Outer District suddenly mobilized—the money from the National Relief Association was merely the key; the internal chaos of Yanjing was the tempting bait driving them to madness!

Whether they succeed or fail, the pace of the Glory civil war will accelerate. Initially, everyone was keeping up appearances, amassing strength behind a facade of peace. Now that the pretense is torn, attacking Yanjing means they can no longer fake it, advancing the conflict from a farming phase to a team battle, entering a brutal elimination game for overlords.

After tonight, it will be a time of chaos.

Leyu, who knows everything and foresees everything, is now crawling through the weeds. Due to his Immortal Blood constitution, he is unaffected by the "Furious Roar"; and also because of his Immortal Blood constitution, he has given up the opportunity to save the world.

Leyu naturally has a way to stop all this.

The best plan is to directly substitute Smile. As long as he controls the exclusive Behemoth machine, Smile, he can immediately interrupt the demon blood transformation. Consequently, nothing will escalate, and no one will transform, making it impossible for the five armies to invade the capital region.

But Leyu dares not.

Even though after substituting Wuzhiqi, Leyu maintained his sanity and personality with his Immortal Blood constitution, he knows this was purely due to luck.

The Immortal Blood constitution does not protect Leyu's personality; it simply 'forgets emotions.' In other words, if Leyu knows he's Leyu, the Immortal Blood constitution helps him forget Wuzhiqi's 'emotions'; but if Leyu thinks he is Wuzhiqi, then the Immortal Blood constitution helps him forget Leyu's 'emotions.'

Yet, merely substituting Wuzhiqi nearly drove Leyu insane, and Smile's age is much greater than Wuzhiqi's. If Wuzhiqi's memories amount to a city library, then Smile's might be a provincial library.

Even though substituting Smile does not guarantee his memories will immediately drown Leyu into a 'new version of Smile,' there is ever a chance, be it 99% or 1%.

No matter the likelihood, once it happens to Leyu, it's a hundred percent.

So this best plan, though thorough, is one Leyu absolutely won't take.

Through his reincarnations, Leyu deeply understands that no matter how tightly he clenches, what must be lost will slip through his fingers. The only thing he truly possesses, from beginning to end, is his personality, his will, his self—his soul named 'Leyu.'

Leyu is not afraid of death, of pain, of loss, nor even of dying as a substitute to become a pretty girl; but the one thing he dares not do is gamble his personality on the table.

This alone, he cannot afford to lose.

And the middle strategy is to substitute as the Chair. The Chair is certainly not older than Wuzhiqi, so substituting as Chair poses no 'personality override' risk.

By becoming Chair and wielding the Holy Sword, the world would belong to Leyu, neutralizing the civil war crisis.

But the problem is, if Leyu acted rashly earlier, it might not be the Chair who killed him, but the Chair might have sent those death soldiers to kill him. If he substituted one of the Chair's controlled death soldiers, Leyu cannot guarantee he could resist the Chair's commands.

So Leyu chose to take the worst strategy.

Crawling all the way, Leyu emerged from the grass and finally reached the edge of a large pit. He did his best to calm his breathing, wiped the saliva from his mouth, and cautiously poked his head out.

Below, the Chair stood before seven scabbards, protected by five death warriors, chanting grand and solemn scriptures. The Holy Sword Radiance before him is more than halfway woven and seems about to be completed!

Indeed, the worst plan is to—directly seize the Holy Sword, Radiance!

Even if he can't take it away, just touching it will do!

If the Chair makes a move, he will switch from the worst plan to the middle plan! The reason Leyu helped the National Relief Association move the scabbards here was for this very moment!

Leyu is neither grand enough to be a self-sacrificing Saint nor detached enough to be a bystanding observer, but he can be a good person doing his best!

"...You are the friend of kindness, the master of evil; you are the yearning of light, the hope of darkness; you are the truth beyond everything, the color God colors the mortal world... The Book of Immortality, pray for Radiance!"

As the last thread of light melted into the Holy Sword, the sword's body erupted with a brilliant yet not blinding glow, rocketing into the night sky like a rainbow, illuminating ten thousand miles and reigning supreme over the world!

Should he rush out to snatch the treasure? How should he rush? Where should he escape after grabbing it? Or should he turn around and kill the Chair?

Being his first time acting as a thief, Leyu's skills were unpolished. At the critical moment, he was still daydreaming, even tangled up about whether to simply rob or find a chance to rob and kill?

As the dazzling beam of light contracted inch by inch, Leyu stopped his musings, planning to immediately rush over and snatch the Holy Sword, Radiance, once he assessed the situation in the underground hall!

However, once the glory returned wholly to the Holy Sword Radiance, when Leyu could clearly see the entire underground hall, he dared not move.

Because the hilt of the Holy Sword, Radiance, was already gripped by someone.

"So it was you..." The Chair was not surprised by the man suddenly appearing and seizing the Holy Sword Radiance; everything seemed to be within his expectations: "Yes, such a big flaw, why did we all overlook it... How could someone like Cha Huan have living relatives? His relatives would have been implicated and died long ago."

"Tea Shiyin, Ming Shiyin... you had long placed the answer in plain view."

The Chair bowed deeply and respectfully said, "Pleased to meet you, Ancestor Shiyin."

Tea Shiyin took the Holy Sword, Radiance, and calmly said, "Pleased to meet you, the unworthy descendant of my second brother."