After hearing that, the curses around were echoing nonstop. Some of the excited believers of Chaos were even trying to rush forward and argue with Chu Zhengqing.
Li Yao and the other guards hurried to stop the frenzied crowd.
Li Yao more or less understood why Yuchi Ba asked him, a newcomer, to protect Chu Zhengqing.
Judging from the way the guy was talking about crystal trains, it would have been hard for a zealot of Chaos to resist the urge to stuff their fists into his mouth if they were his bodyguards.
"Master Chu!"
Yuchi Ba said coldly. "Let's focus on the problem at hand. Even if the dead bodies do belong to the believers of Chaos forty thousand years ago, what do you think about the cause of their death?"
"For a certain reason, they went on a rampage and attacked each other," Chu Zhengqing said. "I know that many poisons, venomous gases, and even head-piercing sounds can achieve the same result.
"However, there is no telling whether the poisons and venomous gases were released from the outside world or generated deep inside the Mausoleum of Chaos."
Right then, a researcher in a white robe whispered something to Yuchi Ba's ears. Yuchi Ba nodded quickly and said in relief, "We have not detected any components of poisons or venomous gases in the air, the soil, or the dead bodies."
"It's just that they haven't been detected yet."
Chu Zhengqing smiled and said, "Master Yuchi, it seems that our initial speculation was correct. Judging from the scale of the first level of the Mausoleum of Chaos, its structure is so enormous that it is beyond our imagination.
"According to the official and unofficial records, Chaos never seemed to have the highest power in the three thousand Sectors. Then, such an underground base couldn't have been established purely for the purpose of worship or bragging.
"In other words, this place could've been used for military purposes and experiments. It was a research center, or a secret base, for Chaos.
"Right now, the question for us is, what is Chaos exactly? And who was his enemy? What kind of magical equipment, weapons, or soldiers did he develop to deal with the enemies?
"Right. Perhaps, the Blade of Chaos is only interested in the last question?
"However. Before we explore deeper, I'd like to remind you of one thing.
"Both the Blade of Chaos and Elder Nether Spring have tried everything possible to crack the secrets of Chaos, but as you can see, even if you get close to the secrets … Such gory slaughters once took place.
"Are all of you really prepared to decipher that answer? Even if the answer is not what you really want, and even if it is the opposite of your point of view? "
Yuchi Ba took a deep breath and said resolutely, "Yes, we are ready. Now, please enter the second level."
While they were studying the Skeletal Throne and the corpses that killed each other. The ancient architects and array scientists had probed the structure of the second floor through the ventilation tubes. As the arrays were activated one after another, the center of the temple trembled slightly, and the complicated sound of gears running came from deep below the ground.
Then, huge cylindrical black stones rose up from the ground.
It was the lift that led to the second level of the Mausoleum of Chaos.
Judging from the general structure, the Mausoleum of Chaos was divided into three to four sections. The second section of the Mausoleum of Chaos was much vaster than the divine hall, but the terrain inside was extremely complicated. They were separated into different spaces.
"Master!"
When the ancient architecture and the array specialists were adjusting the lift platform, Li Yao couldn't help but ask Chu Zhengqing, "You said that 'Chaos' might be a human being? What was that all about? "
Chu Zhengqing and his daughter, Chu Feiyin, glanced at him in surprise, only to find that he did not have the fascination and zeal of other believers of Chaos on his face. Chu Zhengqing thought for a moment and asked back, "Have you ever heard the theory about the birth of demons?"
Li Yao blinked, not knowing whether he should say that he had heard of it or not.
Chu Zhengqing took his hesitation for confusion and said quickly, "In the legends of human beings, forty thousand years ago, a Cultivator invented a gene potion. It was a cultivator who invented a genetic medicine called 'Demon God', which accelerated the evolution of spirit beasts and caused them to mutate into powerful demon beasts. "
"However, in the process of refining the demon beasts, evolution went out of control. Many demon beasts, in just a few decades, or even a hundred years, finished the path of evolution that took the human race millions of years to complete, and evolved intelligence that was comparable to that of the human race."
"That is us, the Demon Clan."
Li Yao swallowed hard. "Is that true?"
"Of course not. Or rather, not entirely," Chu Zhengqing said.
"Today, after forty thousand years, we have such a profound understanding of biochemical technology and genetic theories, and we can even create biochemical brains with high computational ability. But still, we cannot endow the demon beasts with real intelligence. How could the ancient people from forty thousand years ago have accomplished that in only a hundred years?" Chu Zhengqing asked.
"But the theory of human beings has its merits, too. Perhaps, if we combine the theories of human beings and demon beasts, we will find the real history."
"Combine?"
Li Yao thought quickly and breathed fast.
"Exactly," Chu Zhengqing said.
Chu Zhengqing said, "Perhaps there really was a human who came up with a powerful biochemical medicine forty thousand years ago that could mutate spirit beasts to a certain extent."
"However, such a drug was not enough to endow the mutated demon beasts with wisdom comparable to that of human beings. It could not play a decisive role in the outcome of a war, either.
"Think about it. How difficult would it be to endow a demon beast with wisdom comparable to that of human beings?
"However, it is much simpler if we think in a different way.
"If demon beasts cannot be endow with the wisdom of human beings, what's the point of endow human beings with the body of demon beasts?"
Li Yao was dumbfounded. He swallowed hard.
Chu Zhengqing continued. "You don't understand human beings, especially the ambitious, insane Cultivators. If there is a drug that can increase the combat ability of demon beasts by ten times and turn them into tough demon beasts, at least one of the ten thousand Cultivators will not be able to hold themselves back from injecting themselves with the drug."
"That is to say …"
Chu Feiyin continued her father's words. As a young and vigorous girl, she seemed to be particularly fond of the look of shock on the face of a believer of Chaos. "The demons are very likely the descendants of human beings. They are just another kind of human beings who have been injected with the Demon God Virus and unlocked part of their genetic chains, activating the primeval form.
Li Yao hesitated for half a second, wondering whether or not he should really be appalled.
However, this "dumbstruck" appearance of his was also a huge blow to him.
It was not until three seconds later that he finally shut his mouth and stammered, "How — how did you know?"
"We don't know," Chu Feiyin said. "Everything is just a hypothesis. That's how research works. When a marvelous phenomenon is discovered, we will propose a hypothesis to explain it until we find new evidence and prove or disprove the hypothesis.
"Different demons, and even demons and human beings, do not have any reproductive isolation. They can give birth to offspring.
"The elite experts of the Blade of Chaos can switch between two or even multiple forms freely."
"The demons that are just born, regardless of their species, are very similar to human babies regardless of whether they are silver-blood or black-blood. As they grow, more features of the demon race will appear on their faces.
"Everything supports our hypothesis that human beings and demons share the same origin.
"However, we are still short of conclusive evidence. That's why we were hired by Elder Nether Spring and the Blade of Chaos before we came here to find the answer and figure out … who we are exactly."
Right then, the lift leading to the lower level was activated. Bright blue lines popped up around the black cylinder, which slowly split and intertwined into rune arrays that looked like flowers.
"Master Chu!"
Li Yao gnashed his teeth. "You used to work for Elder Nether Spring. You must've met him before, right?"
Chu Zhengqing looked at Li Yao suspiciously.
"Did you tell Elder Nether Spring your theories?" Li Yao asked. "Did he trust you, Master Chu?"
Chu Zhengqing nodded and said, "Elder Nether Spring might not have been a saint, but he did boast a remarkable brain and was a real specialist in the studies of Chaos.
"In fact, I often discussed with Elder Nether Spring. Even the hypothesis that human beings and demons share the same origin was created and perfected by him together with me.
"Without Elder Nether Spring's abundant funds and resources to support our research, the exploration of the Mausoleum of Chaos wouldn't have progressed so fast."
"The hypothesis that human beings and demons share the same origin was created by Elder Nether Spring?"
Li Yao was completely dazed. "I don't understand. If — if what you said is true, and the demon race is really a human being in a different form, what's the significance of our war against the Tian Yuan Realm?"
Chu Zhengqing's eyes suddenly turned sharp.
Li Yao blinked and lowered his head. "I'm told that a lot of people have died because of the war. Countless people have lost their homes. Even my sister and I were enslaved because of the wretched war. I'm also told that the Heaven's Origin Sector is very large, and the human beings of the Heaven's Origin Sector are very strong, too. Even if the entire Blood Demon Sector is drained, it will still be impossible for them to occupy the Heaven's Origin Sector.
"In the past, I thought that human beings and demons were mortal enemies and that they would fight to the death even if the last drop of blood was shed.
"However, if even such a big shot as Elder Nether Spring partly agrees with the hypothesis that human beings and demons share the same origin, what's the reason for the two parties to destroy each other?"
Chu Zhengqing smiled. All the wrinkles on his face were piled together, making him look like an old tree that had been growing for more than ten thousand years.
He patted Li Yao's shoulder softly and said, "Your name is Blood Claw, isn't it?
"Blood Claw, you are too young. Maybe in your eyes, wars need a reason. We are demons, and they are human beings. That's why we have to fight each other.
"No, it's not like that.
"In the age of the ancient Cultivators forty thousand years ago, there were no demons, but human beings still fought each other for tens of thousands of years. Eventually, the ultimate war that almost destroyed the three thousand Sectors was launched.
"Similarly, in the age of the Demon Beast Empire thirty thousand years ago, humanity declined, and the demon race flourished. But the demons still fought each other. The demons who were killed in the civil wars caused by the change of dynasties were much more numerous than those who were killed by the blades of human beings.
"That was war.
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