From the end of the world

Chapter 653 There are still three people.
Previously, when I personally killed the cultivators of Peach Blossom Village, Jiao Shu did not have the insight to see through the ins and outs. But now, she has personally experienced the spatial teleportation method of the Great Impermanence. This experience seems to have made her gradually accept the fact that I am the Great Impermanence.

I then summoned a fireball and launched it high into the sky at high speed. Instantly, the fireball transformed into thousands of "fireflies," flying in different directions, searching for traces related to Zhuang Cheng's followers.

Due to the resistance within the city's barrier, the "fireflies'" signal was weak, and their detection range was limited. Thousands upon thousands might sound like a lot, but for a vast urban area, it was a drop in the ocean. Even though Jiao Shu had outlined a rough area for me, it was still insufficient, and I could only use it for the time being.

At the same time, I started moving around myself. Although it was just a somewhat presumptuous opinion, I thought that the probability of encountering those Zhuangcheng believers was relatively higher when I moved around than when I encountered those flying "fireflies".

Of course, Jiao Shu, this source of information, wasn't so easily released. I took Jiao Shu with me while I moved, intending to ask her questions whenever I encountered something I didn't understand. Perhaps she had her own ulterior motives; after discovering my true identity, I noticed that the emotional fluctuations on the surface of her soul were gradually becoming more concealed. She also seemed to realize that she was under some kind of invisible mental influence and wanted to consciously break free from this situation where she could only answer questions involuntarily.

Let her hide her emotions if she wants; trying to fake it in front of me isn't so easy, and my power of words isn't something you can easily break free from. After being secretly manipulated by me so many times, her body has now become so sensitive that it reacts involuntarily whenever I make a sound.

If she wants to cause trouble on the road, I'm curious to see what kind of commotion she'll make. At the same time, I hope she's mentally prepared; I'm not a forgiving person. If she fails to challenge me, the consequence could be her own life.

She overheard my conversation with Xuanming earlier, so she should be very clear that there is currently an irreconcilable conflict between us. Although she hasn't shown any explicit hostility yet, as a devout follower of Xuanming, she certainly won't easily submit to me.

Speaking of tolerance, I recalled a question I had asked before but had not received an answer to, so I brought it up again.

“What exactly is this ‘human sacrifice’?” I asked.

Upon hearing this, Jiao Shu's expression immediately changed, "This..."

“According to that Peach Blossom Spring monk, the reason you Xuanming believers protect those ordinary survivors is to turn them into living sacrifices to achieve some purpose, right? You 'rescued' me from the monsters' encirclement in the first place for this reason as well,” I said. “What exactly do you want to do? Although the god you worship is Xuanming, who betrayed Luoshan, I don’t think you are an evil force.”

The moral character of a religious group can be directly observed from the deity they worship. In secular society, religious groups that promote benevolent deities may have leaders who are self-serving villains who amass wealth. This is because the deity they worship does not actually exist, so they do not need to worry about divine punishment even if they commit numerous wrongdoings.

However, this logic doesn't apply to Luoshan. Because the Great Impermanence (Da Wuchang), as a deity, truly exists and can genuinely hear the prayers of believers, groups worshipping such deities must be consistent in word and deed. Furthermore, if one cannot genuinely identify with the deity from the bottom of their heart, they cannot receive power from the deity's manifestation through faith. Within the Great Impermanence's followers, the power of faith is evidence of piety; those who do not receive this power cannot rise to the upper echelons of the community.

While Xuanming's moral principles may clash with modern ethical systems, they at least possess a strong sense of righteousness. By extension, his followers cannot be self-degrading villains. Especially considering these individuals entered the city to fight against the forces of Taoyuan Township for Xuanming's faith, they are undoubtedly fervent believers even within the Xuanming community.

Hearing me say this, Jiao Shu faintly showed a sense of pride, and then said in a deep voice, "Our goal is to stop the Peach Blossom Village Lord's plan."

"Stop—without your help?" I said. "Although I don't know the details of your plan, how much of an obstacle can a few demon hunters, who aren't even Great Impermanence, possibly pose to the Peach Blossom Village Lord's plans?"

“The specific method we use is to pollute the dream network of the Peach Blossom Village Lord,” Jiao Shu said. “People who die in this city will be incorporated into the dream network. Although this result still requires the step of ‘being killed by the cultivators and monsters of Peach Blossom Village,’ we can also send the modified souls of the dead into the dream network ourselves by launching a sacrificial ritual against the dream network.”

"In secular terms, it's a hacker cyberattack... by introducing a virus into the target system, causing it to crash or become partially paralyzed."

"I see, that's quite ingenious." I suddenly realized, "The size difference between a virus and a human body is enormous, yet a tiny virus can cause extremely dangerous diseases in the human body... But don't you care about the opinions of the survivors you turned into 'human bombs'?"

Jiao Shu said in a cruel tone: "Faced with a huge disaster, if it can be quelled by making some sacrifices, then the sacrifice is worthwhile. As for whether the people who are sacrificed are willing—they have no choice but to be willing."

"What if you were the ones who had to sacrifice yourselves?" I asked. "I would gladly accept it," Jiao Shu said frankly.

It's easy to say it, but that's how I might describe others. However, Jiao Shu, who was once caught in the crossfire of Xuanming's influence and died, never harbored any resentment and remained a devout believer in Xuanming. Her words are quite convincing.

From her, I vaguely sensed a kind of alienation, an ancient set of values ​​that seemed out of place in this era. Was this a common trait among Xuanming's followers, or was she the only one who was so extreme? For a moment, I felt as if I were not conversing with Jiao Shu, but with Xuanming himself.

I recalled the scene inside the Luoshan branch base that I had attacked in the past.

In that base, where the Grandmaster-level Wu Chang was in charge, everyone was influenced by his ideology. The demon hunters became more cruel and violent than usual, while ordinary people who were captured, imprisoned, and turned into experimental subjects easily developed extreme servility and a strange sense of happiness from their masochistic experiences.

A powerful soul will pull all the weaker souls around it into its orbit, just as a divine soul will influence the souls of believers in the same way.

While blindly worshipping deities, imitating their deeds, and receiving their power, believers' values ​​gradually align with those of the object of their faith. Jiao Shu's attitude at this moment can, to some extent, be seen as Xuan Ming's own stance.

In this city where Xuanming and Taoyuan Township Master Mengzhang are at odds, the conflicting powers of the two great impermanent forces—ideas—permeate the area at a high concentration. The believers of both sides are more likely to become more fanatical than usual, and more clearly exhibit the personality traits of the deities they worship.

“However, ‘Shangri-La’ is not a simple network system, but an ultimate existence that is about to be created, transcending the Great Impermanence. Your little tricks won’t work, otherwise Xuanming would have actively cooperated with your plan, and you wouldn’t be so unaware of his current location in this city,” I said.

“We are well aware that what we have done is insignificant, but even so, we will follow the path of the gods and fight to the very end in our own way,” Jiao Shu said.

I ultimately decided to refrain from commenting on practices that drag innocent people into such situations, since the path I've followed is no different in this respect.

Even considering the current situation, my actions are far more egregious. Xuanming's goal is to save the world, while my aim in attacking him is merely to protect Xiaowan. This is a battle unrelated to the greater good, purely based on personal feelings. It might even harm the greater good—because Xuanming also condones the human extermination plan and is a potential enemy of the Fukuin Institute. Leaving aside Xiaowan's fate, he is an ally that could be won over. Yet, I still choose to kill him. This is a completely self-centered decision.

I changed the subject. This time, I inquired about the whereabouts of the naval commander Xuanwu. One of my purposes in entering this city was to find Xuanwu, and I hadn't forgotten that.

I had no expectation that Jiao Shu knew any relevant information, but unexpectedly, after I asked her, I caught a fleeting emotion on the surface of her soul—she knew something.

“Tell me, what do you know?” I asked.

Jiao Shu seemed to realize that her inner thoughts had been seen through. She paused for a moment, as if struggling with whether she should tell me, but in the end she could only honestly answer: "...After the city's first destruction and restart, we believers, in our confusion, wanted to seek Xuanming's guidance and tried to establish a connection with him through ritual means. Then Xuanming responded and gave us, in our confusion, a task..."

"A mission?" I asked curiously. "What does this have to do with Xuanwu?"

“Xuanming told us that besides him and Taoyuan Township Lord, there may be three other Great Impermanences active in this city.” Jiao Shu said something astonishing. “One of them is the Great Completion level Impermanence ‘Shuishi’ who once boldly assassinated Xuanming and then went into hiding for a long time. He is also the newly promoted Great Impermanence whom Xuanming now calls ‘Xuanwu’.”

(End of this chapter)