My brother is so cunning

Chapter 1082 The best of both worlds
“Fellow Daoists, Wen Rui’s actions and the actual situation in the mortal world are far more complex than I have described. We should not rush to conclusions.”

Yun Zhongzi mustered his strength and tried to persuade them: "I suggest that you all be more patient, investigate thoroughly, understand the whole picture, and then report to Master in detail after he comes out of seclusion. Only then can he discern the truth and make a judgment."

After Yun Zhongzi finished speaking, Guang Chengzi suddenly spoke up, his tone calm yet undeniably firm: "The Creation Celestial Venerable's conspiracy is now clear. If we wait for Master to emerge from seclusion, who knows how many years it will take? He will probably have already cultivated countless hybrid races. At that time, stopping him will be as difficult as ascending to heaven."

"In my opinion, the four of us should set off immediately for the Demon Capital, where demons gather, to rescue the pure-blooded humans who have been captured by the demons. We should first thwart the hybrid conspiracy. Wen Rui will surely come to stop us then, and we can set up an ambush to capture him and bring him back to the Jade Void Palace. We can then deal with him after Master comes out of seclusion."

"Ah this..."

Yun Zhongzi felt a pang of regret, thinking that he shouldn't have told them about Wen Rui's hybridization plan before even meeting Yuanshi Tianzun.

"Brother Dao, I once infiltrated the cities of the Demon Alliance for a period of time. The humans living in those cities where humans, demons, and monsters coexisted were all willing naturalized citizens who joined without being coerced or manipulated by the demons..."

"What? They've willingly fallen into depravity and sided with demons! These humans must have been bewitched by some evil spell!"

Upon hearing this, Guang Chengzi said with great distress, "Demons are adept at bewitching people's hearts. Just like the demon queen Daji, whose bewitching arts were able to bewitch the mind of the executioner responsible for killing her. Surely there must be a great demon in the demon alliance who is skilled at bewitching people's hearts. Let's kill that bewitching demon first, and then rescue the humans after they have regained their senses."

"The humans in the city have not been bewitched by any evil magic."

Yun Zhongzi continued to explain helplessly: "Joining the Demon Alliance and obtaining citizenship is the dream of the human race in the mortal world. Once they obtain Demon Alliance citizenship, they will be protected by the Demon Alliance's law of equality for all beings. Any demon, noble, or cultivator who dares to oppress, learn, or harm them will be a criminal of the Demon Alliance and will be severely punished by the Demon Alliance's military and police."

"In the cities under the rule of the Demon Alliance, the labor they put in can be exchanged for relatively fair compensation, which is far better and more dignified than living as slaves under the exploitation of the feudal lords."

Guang Chengzi was puzzled when he heard this. Even an immortal could not immediately understand a concept he had never encountered before just from words.

"It is not wrong for the Zhou emperor and the feudal lords to collect taxes on behalf of Heaven to protect the people and ensure their safety. People are divided into different classes and social groups based on the blessings and karmic rewards accumulated in their previous lives. Even if they suffer in this life, it is the result of their past karma. The vast majority of people should accumulate more blessings and accept their fate. How dare they say that they have been exploited by the emperor and the feudal lords? How can they turn to demons just to suffer less in this life?"

After a moment of confusion, Guang Chengzi, following the teachings of the Chan School, clarified his thought process and decisively stated:

"These humans who have sided with demons have serious problems with their thinking. They have been deeply corrupted by the evil thoughts of demons. Just like the soldiers and generals of the Shang Dynasty who aided and abetted the tyrant, they disregard the cycle of heaven and the teachings of the righteous path for their own selfish interests. They deserve to be punished!"

Master Huanglong stroked his beard and said, “We should treat these humans who have sided with the evil path just like we treated the Yin soldiers back then. We should not be soft-hearted just because they are human. Let them be sent to the underworld to serve as ghost soldiers and perform labor to atone for their sins.”

His tone was like that of a celestial judge who held the power of life and death, deciding the fate of millions of people with a single word.

The Chan Sect elucidates the Way of Heaven, and its words become law; that's how powerful and domineering it is.

Does Heaven need a reason to kill someone?

During the Investiture of the Gods, countless soldiers of the Shang Dynasty died on the battlefield. Many of them were caught in the aftermath of the gods' battle, but the sins of these Shang soldiers were not counted in the merit book of the immortals of the Chan Sect.

The soldiers who died in battle were heroic spirits, among whom those with higher merits were fortunate enough to ascend to the Heavenly Court to serve as heavenly soldiers and generals.

The fallen Yin soldiers became vengeful spirits and malevolent ghosts. The immortals of the Chan Sect, fearing their resentment was too strong, sent them to the underworld to serve as soldiers, essentially as penance for their sins. Only those who served as underworld soldiers for a thousand years and accumulated merit could be reincarnated. This both expanded the underworld's army, which was lacking in manpower, and suppressed the vengeful spirits. The gods of the Chan Sect were not afraid that the karma and karmic debts they incurred with these spirits would affect their cultivation progress.

This approach at the time resulted in a period of peace and tranquility for hundreds of years afterward, without harming the merits of the immortals. The Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect were quite pleased with themselves, believing that they had handled the matter extremely fairly and appropriately.

Is it a sin for ordinary people to want to live a better life?

Yun Zhongzi murmured helplessly, "They didn't kill or set fires, nor did they rob or steal; they lived in harmony with their neighbors, enjoying a peaceful and happy life, creating a good life through their labor, and their days were becoming more and more fulfilling. What did they do wrong?"

"Fellow Daoist Yun Zhongzi, you seem to have truly damaged your soul. Why are you spouting nonsense?"

Master Huanglong frowned and said, "To defy the will of Heaven is a grave sin against Heaven. If all the billions of living beings in the world wanted to defy Heaven and change their fate, and all wanted to be like dragons, wouldn't the Three Realms be in chaos?"

"My reincarnation as a dragon is the will of Heaven, a result of the good fortune I have accumulated over countless lifetimes."

"Many ordinary people are destined to live a life of mediocrity, to be beasts of burden, and to be slaves. This is their fate, the retribution for not cultivating virtue in their previous lives."

"That's how the world works. Everyone is greedy and wants to live a good life, but where does the world have so many resources to support them?"

"Heaven gives birth to all things and to man, but man gives nothing to Heaven. The spirits and gods are clear; they should reflect on their own actions. If these human beings do not examine themselves and do not respect Heaven, they should not complain when retribution comes."

Yun Zhongzi recalled the lively atmosphere of the new Binhai City and heard the murderous pronouncements of Huanglong Zhenren and Guang Chengzi, feeling as if his heart was being torn apart.

Doesn't this mean he indirectly caused the deaths of countless innocent people who were living their lives earnestly?

Not to mention the humans who have pledged allegiance to the demons, even the demons themselves, Yun Zhongzi felt they were innocent and had not done anything wrong.

It was one thing to call for the demons to kill those who plundered and ate people back then, but now that they have reformed, abide by the law, and are working diligently, we still have to call for their killing.

Should they feel sorry for being born as demons?
What kind of utter nonsense is this?
If the principles of Heaven are true and cannot possibly be wrong, then the person who interprets them in this way must have a serious problem.

Seeing the unusual expression on Yun Zhongzi's face, Guang Chengzi comforted him, "Fellow Daoist, are you worried that those humans who have sided with the demons will lose their immediate benefits and be severely punished, thus harboring resentment and hatred towards my Chan Sect?"

"Fellow Daoist, please rest assured. We would never commit indiscriminate killing. For example, those mixed-race newborns, although their blood is dirty, do not deserve to die. They can still be saved."

"We, the immortals of the Chan Sect, uphold the order of Heaven and teach humanity to follow the principles of Heaven, which is our duty as immortals. It is just a pity that our sect's methods are too profound and mortals' comprehension is too poor. Our master has begun to consider borrowing Buddhism from the Western religion. Buddhism is much simpler and easier to understand than our sect's methods. Although mortals may not be able to achieve immortality through the dual cultivation of body and mind, they can still enhance their spiritual power and gradually gain enlightenment."

“The mixed-race offspring will be sent to the Western religion to enter the Buddhist sect, and they will be sent to the sect with the strictest precepts. They will spend their lives eating vegetarian food, chanting Buddhist scriptures to purify their minds, strictly abiding by the rules and precepts, and no longer passing on the filthy blood of demons. This will show our religion’s compassion and mercy, and also cut off the remnants of the demon bloodline. It is the best of both worlds.”

(End of this chapter)