The demon race suffered immense losses in this world war, an unprecedented scale. Both sides employed weapons of immense power, and any demon above Blue Qi basically perished. Finally, two Peak Black Qi Great Demons of the "Grassland Shanhai" tribe refused to surrender on Japanese soil. In desperation, the Demon-Human Alliance had to use their latest developed weapon. Two such weapons were used, obliterating these two Peak Black Qi Great Demons.
Henceforth, the demon race understood one thing: human technology had surpassed demon martial strength. Even the most powerful demons were no longer a match for humans, as evidenced by the fate of those two Great Demons.
From then on, both the Shanhai and Bai Ze demon tribes chose a low-key approach, once again aligning with humans and refraining from causing trouble.
After listening to Little Yama King's explanation, I was stunned for a long time. It turned out that behind the entire history of human civilization lay the rise and fall of two great demon tribes!
"So, interesting?" Little Yama King asked.
I swallowed, realizing with a start that over an hour had passed. Yan'an and Xiaomei had already accompanied two physical education classes on the sports field.
I gradually returned from history to reality, took a breath, and asked Little Yama King again, "You were talking about the Shanhai and Bai Ze tribes. And, by your tone, it sounds like Shanhai and Bai Ze are two individuals?"
"That's right. The leader of the Shanhai demon tribe is called Shanhai, and the leader of the Bai Ze demon tribe is called Bai Ze. Unlike ordinary demon race members who can live forever, Shanhai and Bai Ze, the leaders, have lifespans and need to reincarnate to maintain their abilities and memories."
"Are they still demons then?" I asked.
"Shanhai is, but Bai Ze is not," Little Yama King replied. "Bai Ze's true form always appears in human form. They mostly serve in advisory roles and rarely become emperors themselves, reincarnating roughly every one to three hundred years. For example, famous reincarnated Bai Ze figures in history include: Jiang Ziya of King Wu of Zhou, Li Si of Qin Shi Huang, Deng Yu, the first of the Twenty-Eight Generals of Yuntai under Liu Xiu, Sima Yi during the Three Kingdoms period. The Southern and Northern Dynasties were too chaotic, so I had to step in myself, that is, Tuoba Tao mentioned earlier. During the Tang Dynasty, it was rather unfortunate to live during a prosperous era, so I could only be an immortal, like Li Taibai. During the Song Dynasty, Yue Wumu led an expedition against the Shanhai demon tribe, but unfortunately failed. In the early Ming Dynasty, Liu Bowen, and later Fan Wencheng of the Later Jin, who I mentioned before, helped the Manchus successfully Sinicize them and seize rule over the Central Plains."
I counted on my fingers. "Then there should be another one in the late Qing Dynasty?"
"Precisely, the last reincarnated Bai Ze, named Zeng Guofan. Unfortunately, his reincarnation was ill-timed. During the gap between two Bai Ze reincarnations, the Western Shanhai demon tribe, which dominated the world, had already industrialized and completely surpassed Yanxia. Although Zeng Guofan initiated the Self-Strengthening Movement, the Shanhai demon tribe had already begun to invade Yanxia, co-opting Christianity and launching a localized Taiping Rebellion, which hindered Zeng Guofan's development."
I was even more astonished. So the Taiping Rebellion was actually the work of the Shanhai demons!
Based on what Little Yama King had told me before, I thought this internal conflict was caused by internal division within the Bai Ze tribe.
"Although Zeng Guofan suppressed the Taiping Rebellion, he had no remaining strength and could not lead Yanxia to surpass the enemy, dying with regret," Little Yama King said, shaking his head.
"So, just a hundred years later, Bai Ze couldn't wait any longer and chose to reincarnate again. However, it also didn't anticipate the tremendous changes that would occur on Planet Blue in this century. After two world wars, Shanhai and Bai Ze were no longer in direct confrontation, and Yanxia had so quickly revived from its low point. Therefore, this generation's Bai Ze reincarnation has never awakened within its host, constantly monitoring the movements of the Shanhai demon tribe, waiting for the opportune moment."
"There's a host too? Who is it? Where are they?" I asked.
"This host is named Wu Chengfeng," Little Yama King said with a smile.
"You mean me? How come I don't know? I scratched my head, not feeling anything inside me. Besides, is this Bai Ze male or female? If it's female, then once she 'revives,' won't I become an intersex person...?"