My brother is so cunning

Chapter 1070 What is a human being?
Yun Zhongzi spared Wen Rui back then because of extreme contempt. Wen Zhong was dead, and Wen Rui was just a mere mortal. Even if he could use some tricks, it wouldn't matter to the big picture.

Yun Zhongzi was so disgusted with killing Wen Rui that he thought it would dirty his hands. He regarded Wen Rui as a green fly that would crawl out of its belly if it were swatted.

But now the situation is completely different. Even if the balance of power between the two sides is reversed, Yun Zhongzi does not believe that Wen Rui will allow him to go to Yuxu Palace to complain.

Attracting the attention of a sage is tantamount to annihilation for any schemer who attempts to overthrow the Three Realms, even if that schemer also has another sage backing him up.

When he was escorted to the Immortal Palace of Creation to face Wen Rui, Yun Zhongzi still had the thought of resisting.

However, after experiencing life in the Demon Alliance city for some time, Yun Zhongzi had lost the courage to resist Wen Rui when they faced him again.

Previously, Yun Zhongzi only thought that Wen Rui's Taoist magic was mysterious and unpredictable. Even if it was skillful, it was not so much that his peak Golden Immortal cultivation would be powerless against it.

This is like a monkey facing the Buddha for the first time, emphasizing that a newborn monkey is not afraid of the Buddha, and that ignorance is bliss.

Having lived in the city of the Demon Alliance who worshipped Wenrui for some time, Yun Zhongzi finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel and glimpsed the profound and extensive nature of Wenrui's Dao of Creation.

A deity who can manifest the universe, move mountains and fill seas, and even hold stars in his hands is nothing to fear in Yun Zhongzi's eyes, as he himself can also perform these great miracles in the eyes of mortals.

True deities are neither cold, aloof gods who dwell high in the clouds and look down upon all living beings, nor are they detached beings who manipulate power for their own selfish desires.

Its most moving and powerful aspect lies in transforming "divinity" into a warm force that nourishes humanity—with compassion in its heart, it observes the suffering of all people in the smallest details, brings sweet rain to irrigate the fields during droughts and floods, uses benevolent methods to save people from disasters during epidemics, and spreads the seeds of civilization in times of ignorance, so that the hungry can have food, the cold can have clothes, and the dangerous can have safety, and truly spread blessings to every piece of suffering land.

Its greatness lies in its transcendence of temporary relief, leaving a profound impact that benefits future generations.

Not content with solving immediate difficulties, they wished to establish a lasting foundation for humanity: perhaps defining the rules of farming in the four seasons so that agriculture and sericulture could be carried out in an orderly manner; perhaps establishing principles for educating people and ensuring that propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame were passed down from generation to generation; or perhaps leaving behind the wisdom of managing rivers so that future generations would be free from the scourge of floods.

Their achievements never fade with time; instead, like a flowing river, they nourish generation after generation, allowing future generations to feel that timeless goodwill in their peaceful lives and the transmission of civilization, even if they have never seen them in person.

Even though not all those who believe in Wenrui are human beings favored by Heaven, and the vast majority are even aliens, Wenrui has truly accomplished something, completely changing the fate of millions of people.

Yun Zhongzi dared not imagine how magnificent and sublime his achievements would be if Wen Rui had joined the Chan Sect, disregarded the alien races rejected by Heaven, and followed Heaven's will to favor only the human race.

Even the Jade Emperor would probably feel ashamed and obediently abdicate in his favor. Becoming a saint through merit would be a natural outcome.

This is not some clever trick, but supreme wisdom. It's just a pity that it was used in the wrong direction and went against the way of heaven. The greater the wisdom, the more reactionary it becomes.

The wisest among the gods must possess great supernatural powers and magical abilities.

It was only when Yun Zhongzi understood this point that he gained a clear understanding of Wen Rui's true strength. He realized that the gap between his own meager skills and those of Wen Rui, who were struggling to survive in the world he created, was unimaginably vast.

If things got serious, Yun Zhongzi believed Wen Rui had a hundred ways to kill him, just like how he had inexplicably slapped himself just now, leaving him utterly terrified and not even knowing what methods the other party had used.

“Uncle-Master, all beings share the same root, and the three religions share the same origin. Why fight to the death over such an illusory omens of Heaven?” Wen Rui shook his head with a wry smile, then suddenly looked at Zhao Mingcheng and said, “You didn’t misjudge him. This Teacher Zhao is not some treacherous villain. He passed the test of Dao heart. Most of the self-proclaimed Western Buddhist saints who advocated persuading people to do good, upholding precepts and worshipping Buddha, and transcending worldly affairs, would not have been able to escape unscathed without leaving behind a few young monks.”

"But do you know why he was being so evasive, trying to find an opportunity to inform me?"

Yun Zhongzi followed Wen Rui's gaze and looked at Zhao Mingcheng. This immortal, who was the first in the Chan Sect to see through Daji's disguise, was actually very accurate in judging people. This time, he focused his attention and carefully examined Zhao Mingcheng. He found that Zhao Mingcheng had a calm and composed expression, and his emotions were peaceful and stable. He had no evil thoughts at all. Just as Wen Rui said, he was indeed a sincere and simple good person.

"Why?"

Since he had already fallen into Wen Rui's hands, Yun Zhongzi had no way to escape safely. Wen Rui wasn't afraid that the villain would die from talking too much, so Yun Zhongzi was naturally willing to play along and asked in a humorous manner.

"Zhao Mingcheng, you answer him yourself."

Zhao Mingcheng nodded and said, "Okay, mentor."

The followers of the Creator God do not, like some religions, constantly show false, supreme reverence for their deity. Even when face-to-face with the true God, their tone and attitude are very ordinary; they show respect, but not in an exaggerated way.

The reason is simple: once believers accumulate enough faith points, they can summon Wen Rui's avatar to ask questions and learn knowledge from the deity's avatar.

In the early days of this faith summoning system, many female believers exploited system loopholes to summon the Wenrui clone managed by Jarvis and learned many techniques.

In the eyes of believers, Wen Rui was a knowledgeable and responsive mentor. The respect for Wen Rui was like that of students respecting and being grateful to their first teacher, rather than worshipping him as a god.

"Master, the Heavenly Dao foretells the great prosperity of the human race. Even if this prophecy is true, I would like to ask you, why do you insist on defining the human race as a pure race?"

"Aren't demons human? Aren't monsters human? Aren't beastmen human? Aren't insectoids human?"

"If they are not human, why use the word 'human' in their name?"

"When the Chan Sect explains the Dao of Heaven, is the concept of 'human' a clear definition bestowed by the Dao of Heaven, or is it merely the self-deception and arbitrary interpretation of the Chan Sect's immortals?"

Yun Zhongzi was stunned by the question. He had never thought about it from this perspective before and really didn't know how to answer Zhao Mingcheng's question.

"Am I a pure human? But 85 percent of my genes are identical to those of pigs."

"My genes are 30% or 40% the same as slime mold's, so why do you treat me as a pure human instead of a pig or slime mold?"

Zhao Mingcheng continued, "There is a kind of creature that looks like a human, acts like a human, has a human character, and even has a human soul when stripped of its skin. People love them, and they love people too. They can even unite with humans to give birth to humans. What is this kind of creature? I regard them as human beings, but you regard them as demons and monsters, as the source of the world's destruction. So, is there something wrong with me, or is there something wrong with you?"

(End of this chapter)