Chapter 814
All Men Are Devils
Chapter 814 All Men Are Devils (7000+ words, please vote with monthly tickets)
Fukihime said, "The use of demonic arts? So this is what happened in this guy's memories?"
Zhang Yu's gaze turned serious as he watched this scene. He had countless curiosities and doubts about the reforms that the Wanfa Sect used during the war between the righteous and the demonic.
……
Faced with Jun Xuance's questioning, Ying Xintian coldly said, "The demonic techniques do have their merits. In order to defeat the demonic path, using demons to subdue demons may not be a bad idea."
Looking at Ying Xintian's unfamiliar face, Jun Xuance's face flashed with disbelief: "Senior brother, do you know what you're saying?"
Ying Xintian: "Junior brother, you should mature a bit. Exorcising demons and protecting the righteous path isn't just about risking your life. The righteous path also needs to keep up with the times."
Jun Xuance suspected that Ying Xintian had fallen into demonic possession, so he quickly went to find their master, Fa Yuanzi, only to find Fa Yuanzi playing with a Heavenly Demon Banner. The greed, desire, and longing on Fa Yuanzi's face made Jun Xuance feel extremely unfamiliar.
Hearing the wails of countless living beings emanating from the Heavenly Demon Banner, Jun Xuance retreated repeatedly.
A sinister voice reached his ears: "Xuan Ce, you've come?"
"You've come at the perfect time, Master has a treasure he wants to show you..."
Fear surged into Jun Xuance's heart, and he stumbled out, arriving before Zhenjizi, the leader of the Wanfa Sect.
"Sect Leader!" Jun Xuance said in alarm, "Senior Brother, and Master and the others... they've all fallen to demonic possession."
From his appearance, Makoto was a kind-looking Taoist priest with a long white beard.
He stroked his white beard and said slowly, "Don't rush, tell me slowly."
Jun Xuance recounted the events involving Ying Xintian and Fa Yuanzi with a look of lingering fear. When he mentioned Fa Yuanzi's Heavenly Demon Banner, the sect leader Zhenjizi suddenly said, "Xuance, look at the Heavenly Demon Banner you mentioned. Is this the one?"
When Jun Xuance saw the sect leader pull out a Heavenly Demon Banner from his sleeve, he felt as if he had been struck by lightning, and stood there stunned, seemingly frozen in a daze.
At the same time, a voice came from behind him.
"Xuan Ce, you child, why are you running around in such a hurry?"
As soon as Jun Xuance turned his head, he saw his master, Fa Yuanzi, with a sinister expression, walking towards him step by step through the shattered space, accompanied by a cacophony of wails.
Upon seeing Jun Xuance, Fa Yuanzi smiled coldly and said, "Now that the demonic flames are raging and the righteous sects are suffering defeat after defeat, it only proves one thing: the righteous path has fallen behind in both immortal techniques and the concept of governing the world."
On the other side, Ying Xintian's tall figure descended from the sky, stepping through the void to stand before Jun Xuance.
Ying Xintian said, "Junior brother, do you know why our righteous sects must eliminate demons and protect mortals?"
Jun Xuance gritted his teeth and said, "We are originally mortals, protecting mortals... this is a matter of course, why is there a question?"
Behind Jun Xuance, Sect Leader Zhenjizi stroked his white beard and said with a profound expression, "Of course there's a reason."
"The reason why the righteous sects protect mortals is that only with a larger number of mortals can a sufficient number of outstanding disciples be born."
"If the number of mortals becomes increasingly scarce, the disciples of various sects and schools will also decline with each generation. How then can the path of immortality be promoted?"
Ahead of Jun Xuance, his master, Fa Yuanzi, sneered, his voice laced with the wails from the Heavenly Demon Banner, and said in a sinister tone, "The righteous path protects mortals in order to have more outstanding disciples. The so-called protection of mortals by the demonic path is nothing more than having more disciples who cultivate immortality."
"Whether it's the righteous path or the demonic path, they all have their own ways of using mortals. Protecting mortals eventually turns into fighting for them."
Jun Xuance murmured, "Use?"
"Of course it's about exploitation," Ying Xintian shouted. "If there were no profit at the expense of others, do you think the various sects and the great masters of the past would be so willing to protect the common people? Just because of a slogan like 'Eliminate demons and defend the righteous path'? 'Good and evil cannot coexist'?"
Sect Leader Zhenji chuckled lightly, his white beard trembling slightly, and said calmly, "The reason why our sect is suffering defeat after defeat is because we are far less efficient than the Demonic Sect in dealing with and utilizing mortals, so we must change our approach."
Jun Xuance stared incredulously at the sect leader, master, and senior brother before him, and demanded, "What are you trying to do? What do you take people for?"
Master Fayuanzi sneered and said, "No matter how you view people, people are a resource. No matter how you think about it, this is an undeniable and unchangeable fact."
"The essence of the war between good and evil is a dispute over different ways of utilizing human resources."
"Only the party that masters a more efficient profit model and has more profits to distribute can achieve ultimate victory."
Ying Xintian nodded repeatedly and continued, "If we want to reverse the decline, the only way for the righteous sects to do so is to use demons to fight demons and to use the demonic path in a righteous way. Only in this way can we gain stronger power to defeat the demonic path."
On the other side, Master Fayuanzi agreed, "Only in this way can we gain more profits and strengthen the sect."
The sect leader, Zhenjizi, sat on the throne, his long white beard trembling rapidly as he exclaimed, "Only in this way can we unite the people and protect the world."
Ying Xintian: "Junior brother, let's practice demonic techniques together."
"Good disciple." Fa Yuanzi handed over the Heavenly Demon Banner and said, "This is the Heavenly Demon Banner that I snatched from the 'Free Heavenly Demon.' You can take it and use it."
Sect Leader Zhenjizi smiled and said, "Xuan Ce, hurry up and thank your master."
"They've gone mad." Looking at the countless struggling and twisting souls within the Heavenly Demon Banner, Jun Xuance retreated step by step: "They've all fallen into demonic possession! You've all fallen into demonic possession!"
After saying that, he turned and ran wildly, his body soaring into the sky.
How to do?
what should I do?
Watching his master, senior brother, and sect leader fall into demonic possession one by one, Jun Xuance felt an overwhelming sense of fear, as if the sky had fallen and the earth had collapsed, leaving him completely at a loss.
"Junior Uncle..."
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck him like a thunderbolt: "Go find Junior Uncle. He must not have fallen into demonic possession. He must have a way to turn Senior Brothers back."
Jun Xuance traveled thousands of miles in search of his junior uncle who was away fighting.
When he followed the news to a village where his junior uncle had once saved and stayed, he saw a scene that made his eyes widen in horror.
Several outer disciples were dismembered by the villagers, who used them as medicinal ingredients for the villagers to enter the path of immortality.
"why?"
One by one, the villagers who were still eating were slaughtered. Jun Xuance looked at the old man in front of him and asked, "Why are you doing this?"
The old man before them was covered in blood; only his upper body remained after Jun Xuance's sword struck him.
When he heard Jun Xuance's question, his eyes lit up as if he had a sudden burst of energy before death, and he said, "Why can't we cultivate immortality?"
"It's because they look down on people and won't even teach us when asked."
“I’m sick and about to die, so I might as well use the method taught by the immortal master…”
His eyes revealed boundless longing and yearning, as if he could already see his future of seeking immortality and eternal life...
The sword flashed, and the villagers before them were completely slaughtered.
Jun Xuance knew that the "immortal master" the other party mentioned was a member of the demonic path.
The demonic cultivators are not only hunting and devouring mortals everywhere, but also spreading their demonic ways throughout the world.
During the long war between good and evil, Jun Xuance had encountered mortals who secretly practiced demonic techniques.
But this was the first time he had encountered... a mortal who actually turned around and hunted down outer disciples.
How exactly did they manage to do it? Was it poisoning? Deception? Or did they collude with demonic cultivators?
Jun Xuance had no intention of distinguishing between them. After all, outer disciples were inherently dull-witted and weak, and theoretically, they could be killed by ordinary people.
But this action, coupled with the fact that the sect leader, master, and senior brother had all fallen into demonic possession one after another, made him feel even more apprehensive.
"If mortals also begin to increasingly pursue the demonic path... if the world is filled with demons... what should I do?"
Just as Jun Xuance's heart was sinking, a man found him standing in a pool of blood.
"Junior Uncle!" Jun Xuance looked at the tall, straight man in front of him, as straight as a spear, and a glimmer of hope seemed to appear in his eyes.
The man looked at him, then at the corpses scattered on the ground, listened to Jun Xuance's account, nodded, and said, "I already know what you're saying."
Jun Xuance said in despair, "Uncle-Master, if all living beings in the world are willingly turning to demonic possession, what should we do?"
The man said coldly, "Xuan Ce, the demonic path amplifies desires and caters to people's hearts, so it's normal for it to gain the covetousness of the common people."
"Our righteous path, from the very beginning... has been to defy the heavens, to fight against the many with the few, to fight against the greed in human nature, and to fight against the endless yearning for immortality in human nature. We are destined to be the enemy of all living beings."
Jun Xuance said, "But what about Senior Brother, and Master..."
"Good and evil cannot coexist." The man looked at Jun Xuance and said, "Have you forgotten the oath you took when you joined the sect? If a friend becomes a demon, I will kill that friend; if a relative becomes a demon, I will exterminate that relative; if my sect becomes a demon, I will exterminate that sect."
"No matter who tries to oppress the world, who tries to lead the people astray into evil, or who tries to spread demonic teachings, we will cut them down with a single sword."
After that, the former fellow disciples of the Wanfa Sect gradually parted ways due to their different philosophies and different choices for the future.
What started as a minor argument gradually escalated into a fight, which then turned into a full-blown battle, eventually leading to a fight to the death.
Finally... on the battlefield known as Thundercloud Gorge, a great battle that would determine the future of the Myriad Laws Sect unfolded.
That was the final siege against the cultivators who still insisted on opposing reform and the use of demonic arts.
Jun Xuance's junior uncle was the first target of the encirclement and suppression.
In this battle, all the remaining experts and strongmen of the Wanfa Sect, as well as all the elites of the entire sect, gathered here.
This time, however, they were not fighting to eliminate demons and defend the righteous path, but to uphold their own choices and adhere to their chosen path of development. They were going to unleash their strongest power, most ferocious magic weapons, and most terrifying techniques on their former fellow disciples in the coldest and most ruthless way.
Looking at the fallen bodies, Jun Xuance felt heartbroken. Even if these fellow disciples were to die, they should have fallen on the battlefield between the righteous and demonic factions, not in this internal strife within the Wanfa Sect.
Looking at his fellow disciples, their faces contorted with rage and filled with murderous intent, and watching them charge forward, corrupted by self-interest, Jun Xuance felt an overwhelming sense of alienation.
"Why have you become like this, resorting to intrigue and trickery against your fellow disciples and defeating opposing experts one by one?"
Although he lacked the assistance of several top experts, Junior Uncle stood like a pillar supporting the sky, single-handedly blocking the front line and thwarting the vast majority of the encirclement forces.
Jun Xuance watched as the sect leader, master, and Ying Xintian unleashed various immortal and demonic techniques within the rolling black clouds, repeatedly attacking his junior uncle.
Their faces were sinister, and their attacks were vicious and ruthless, their demonic energy soaring to the sky. They no longer had any semblance of righteousness and looked more like old demons.
Although Junior Uncle was powerful, he couldn't fight alone. As the others were either killed or suppressed one by one, Junior Uncle, shrouded in rolling black clouds, was like a firefly, growing weaker and weaker.
Looking at his junior uncle, who was now extremely weak under the onslaught of the crowd, Jun Xuance felt despair.
"We have lost."
At this moment, Jun Xuance seemed to be in utter despair.
"An unprecedentedly brutal battle, in which countless people with righteous ideals and spirits perished."
"After this defeat, the righteous path will gradually disappear from the world."
"After the demonic path is used properly... in the future everyone will be a demon. At that time, all living beings will be available for consumption, all people will be demons, and there will be no place in heaven or on earth that is not hell."
Accompanied by an overwhelming sense of despair, everything before him was plunged into darkness. Gazing at this endless darkness, Zhang Yu seemed to vaguely sense the despair and desolation in Jun Xuance's heart at that moment.
Fukuhime said, "What's next? Is that all? Shouldn't we start the credits and the post-credits scene?"
As the darkness dissipated, lines of writing appeared above the remains of the deceased.
Zhang Yu knew that it was the message left by Ying Xintian.
“Ever since the reform of the Demonic Path began, Junior Brother Jun has been full of regret.”
"As he watched Kunxu undergo rapid changes, his regret grew deeper and deeper."
"He regretted supporting the reforms used by the demonic path."
"I also regret participating in the battle to besiege my junior uncle."
"When I saw him again, he had lost the will to live."
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback upon seeing these two sentences, while Fu Ji said, "This Jun Xuance's dream memories are embellished a bit too much. Does it mean that this person actually supported the righteous path of the demonic sect back then?"
"So it seems that the state of Ying Xintian and Fa Yuanzi in the dream was also smeared? Jun Xuance subconsciously attributed the reason for his use of the demonic path to other people."
Zhanxian said, "It's also possible that the part of yourself that you can't accept was grafted onto someone else in your dream memories."
Zhang Yu remained silent, instead continuing to read the text left by Ying Xintian, focusing on the conversation between Ying Xintian and Jun Xuance when they met.
“Senior brother…” Jun Xuance sighed, “When I saw the mortals dividing the outer disciples into medicinal ingredients, I felt that the mortals were beyond saving.”
Ying Xintian: "Then why did you oppose the reforms in the first place, along with your junior uncle?"
Jun Xuance said calmly, "At first I thought... Junior Uncle could win. I thought he could stop the righteous use of the demonic path."
"But as the situation took a sharp turn for the worse, and as more and more people learned magical techniques and supported their proper use... I was also swept up in it."
"I'm starting to think that there might be some truth to the idea that the demonic path is being used for good."
"Am I starting to think that Junior Uncle is being too old-fashioned?"
"So in the end... I betrayed him."
Watching the conversation between the two, Fu Ji said, "A dream is just a dream, and it will always be different from reality. In Jun Xuance's memories of his old dreams, the self he imagined was probably much more courageous and resolute than the real him."
Zhanxian said, "The final battle scene at Thundercloud Gorge seems to have been embellished. It's probably not that Junior Uncle blocked the attack for Jun Xuance, but rather that Jun Xuance and the others surrounded and attacked Junior Uncle."
The handwriting continued to emerge, followed by a dialogue between Ying Xintian and Jun Xuance.
Jun Xuance said with a pained expression, "Senior brother! We are all sinners! Our descendants have become the most wicked of demons, our disciples are oppressing the world, skinning and ripping the people alive... I regret it so much!"
Ying Xintian looked at the other person and said calmly, "After the battle at Thundercloud Gorge, do you want to know what Junior Uncle said to the Sect Leader and Master in the end?"
Jun Xuance murmured, "What did they say?"
Ying Xintian: "In that battle... when it came to the very end, neither side could hold back any longer. To avoid casualties, before using the Supreme Immortal Artifact, the Sect Leader still wanted to persuade Junior Uncle..."
……
The sect leader said, "Junior brother, the righteous path can only talk about the future if we survive first. If we are annihilated by the demonic path, then no choice we make will be meaningful."
Junior Uncle looked at him coldly and said, "Do you rely on the dirty tricks of the demonic path to survive? Such a righteous path is better left untaught."
The sect leader solemnly said, "In the face of danger, there is only responsibility. As the sect leader of the Myriad Laws Sect, I must pass on the Myriad Laws Sect and the righteous principles. And the primary condition for doing so is survival."
Junior Uncle shouted, "The righteous and the demonic are irreconcilable! If we also force mortals to commit suicide and enter the Heavenly Demon Banner, force them to kill each other's families, force their sects to kill each other, and force everyone in the world to become a demon, then what difference is there between us and the demonic path? You have betrayed the predecessors of all ages!"
"You're turning the Myriad Laws Sect into a demonic path. Passing it down will only add another demonic path to the world. What's the point?"
The sect leader said, "If all the sects in the world were like the demonic sects they are now, then the world would be doomed. My reform of the Myriad Laws Sect, promoting the righteous use of demonic arts, even if it only leaves a trace of righteousness in the world, is better than losing the war between good and evil and being wiped out!"
"Why can't you understand? Once we lose, we have nothing! Future generations won't listen to the losers. If we lose, today's demonic path will become tomorrow's righteous path, and today's righteous path will become tomorrow's demonic path. From then on, the demonic path will be unrestrained, respected by everyone, and everyone will be free to cultivate the demonic path. That would be the greatest defeat!"
The junior uncle's sword energy surged, his vast sword intent seemingly tearing the heavens apart. He uttered each word with a sound like the clanging of refined iron: "What's the use of winning if we turn to the demonic path? Do you not know how useful demonic techniques are? Or do you not know? Human nature is driven by profit, and the heart yearns for the immortal path. Once we promote demonic techniques, there's no turning back! This is human nature, and you can't change it!"
The sect leader said coldly, "We have no other choice. Knowing that we are going to lose, continuing to resist in vain is tantamount to admitting defeat. I may lose, but the righteous path cannot lose."
"Even if I am nailed to the pillar of shame in the future, even if it brings disaster to future generations and harms the world, even if I suffer the backlash of the orthodox tradition, I will change it to the end."
"This is my responsibility as the sect leader."
"Now that this decision has been presented to me with no other choice, I must make it."
"Change might lead to the demise of our sect, but if we don't change... the world will surely perish."
The sect leader walked step by step to his junior uncle, his gaze shining like two bright suns, radiating a tangible pressure.
The junior uncle stared at his opponent without backing down, and retorted sharply, "Victory that can only be achieved by succumbing to demonic possession is meaningless. You have only accelerated the spread of demonic forces."
"Once this step is taken, one will be condemned to eternal damnation, and all living beings will never be able to turn back."
Sensing the other party's intentions and determination, the sect leader, though he had long known that there was no possibility of persuading his junior uncle, still couldn't help but feel a pang of heartache, just like the heartache he felt when he suppressed and annihilated the elites of the Myriad Laws Sect.
But now that things have come to this, he understands that all communication has lost its meaning.
At this moment, only absolute power, only the final and strongest violence, can determine the winner and the outcome.
Sect Leader: "Everyone, obey my orders."
Junior Uncle: "The righteous and the demonic are irreconcilable; all disciples, follow me..."
Sect Leader: "Kill!"
Junior Uncle: "Exterminate demons and defend the righteous path!"
……
“Junior Uncle…” Listening to Ying Xintian’s story, Jun Xuance murmured, “Why did it turn out like this? Everyone clearly wanted to save the world…”
Ying Xintian said calmly, "If you want to govern the world, you must have the responsibility to govern the world. In order to uphold this, they are all willing to risk their lives, fight against their own relatives and fellow disciples, and are not afraid of failure, and take on the heavy responsibility of changing the world."
Jun Xuance: "But failure is not just their problem; failure affects everyone in the world."
Ying Xintian: "If you are afraid of bringing disaster to the world, then you will never have the courage to change the world. Although I have many regrets in my heart, even if I had to choose again, I would still support the righteous path of the demonic way."
"Because this is the only way out."
"Given the overwhelming trend of the Immortal Path, we have no other choice."
"The sect leader and the others couldn't solve the problem, but at least they delayed it and bought us more time."
Seeing the determination in Ying Xintian's eyes, Jun Xuance was slightly taken aback and said, "You...you don't actually want to..."
Ying Xintian looked at him and said, "Back then, the demonic path was extremely fierce, and the sect leader and the others launched the righteous demonic path in order to survive."
"So much time has passed, it's time to change it back."
Jun Xuance gave a wry smile and said, "Really... can it be changed back?"
Ying Xintian said, "If this generation can't change it, then the next generation will continue to change it... Good and evil cannot coexist. Even if all the people in the world have evil thoughts, there will always be people with righteous thoughts."
"In the past, our understanding of the struggle between good and evil was too superficial."
"The war between good and evil has never ended, and it never will end; it is a long and endless battle."
Jun Xuance murmured, "If you were to cause trouble, I'm afraid Kunxu would be thrown into turmoil, and countless people would be implicated."
Ying Xintian said, "This is the choice I made for the world, and I will stick to it no matter what the outcome."
……
Looking at the dialogue between the two parties in the handwriting, Fu Ji sighed, "Jun Xuance is quite decisive in the dream, but in reality he is hesitant and indecisive."
Zhan Xian suddenly said, "He who bears the stain of the nation is called the master of the state; he who bears the misfortune of the nation is called the king of the world."
Zhang Yu was slightly taken aback before saying, "I still remember this? As expected of me, as expected of my clone."
Zhan Xian said, "If you want to change the world, you must have the responsibility and courage to do so. Zhang Yu, if you want to change the world, you will eventually encounter this problem."
As the writing and Jun Xuance's corpse vanished simultaneously, a phantom appeared before Zhang Yu; it was Jun Xuance's true spirit.
He looked at the cave before him, then at Zhang Yu, and said, "So you are the successor chosen by your senior brother?"
How is he now?
Zhang Yu briefly described the changes in Yingxintian and the lower realm.
Listening to Zhang Yu's story, Jun Xuance sighed and said, "Our generation has ultimately failed."
"The rest is up to you."
"I'm just a useless old man, I'll help you a little further on this journey."
After saying this, Jun Xuance's true spirit shattered with a roar, turning into streaks of flame that pierced through the space before him, as if transforming into a bridge that spanned the void, connecting Zhang Yu's cave heaven with the mysterious place on the other side.
At the same time, Zhang Yu's [Descendant of Immortals] also suddenly rose to level 4.
Looking at the newly appeared bridge, a realization dawned on him: "Level 4 [Descendant of Immortals] can open the Cave Heaven Bridge to traverse the void and reach certain pre-determined locations..."
If we were to explain it using Zhang Yu's own terminology, then a level 4 [Descendant of Immortals] can open a fixed portal, teleporting from the cave to certain fixed locations.
Just as Zhang Yu's [Descendant of Immortals] leveled up and Jun Xuance's true spirit transformed into a long bridge spanning the void, the entire labyrinth changed once again.
Amidst a deafening roar, the roads in the office and factory areas were completely opened up.
Seeing this, Ling Chiye was slightly surprised. He looked at Ying Aikun, who was casting a spell, and exclaimed, "Senior Ying is indeed a descendant of immortals. She broke through the barrier of the maze so quickly."
Ying Aikun was slightly taken aback, thinking to herself, "I haven't even used much force yet, and it's already broken? Did it sense my bloodline?"
Did the old man have a moment of clarity before he died, and realize he should leave the good stuff to his own people?
Of course, no matter what, Ying Aikun would not deny the praise from others or downplay her own contributions.
He nodded and said calmly, "Just some petty tricks. Let's go in and see what else the old man left behind."
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