From the end of the world

Chapter 703 VS Meng Zhang 4
If the topic is transcendence or political ideologies, I simply can't bring myself to engage with it. But the thoughts of Meng Zhang, the lord of Peach Blossom Spring, transcend those boundaries, reaching the realm of madness. This, ironically, has piqued my interest.

While I couldn't fully grasp the driving force behind Meng Zhang's pursuit, I now roughly understand his argument. Because of the differences among humans, perfect justice and peace can never be achieved; all conflicts arise from these differences. By eliminating these differences through a "Shangri-La," all individuality can be eliminated. There will no longer be a distinction between "you" and "me." The dream network can connect all consciousnesses into one, naturally eliminating conflict.

The resulting "Shangri-La" is both a community and an individual; it is both a perfect social form and an incredibly powerful life form. This ultimate existence, born after the elimination of internal conflicts, also possesses the power to resist external threats and can traverse the void, traveling and traversing the universe.

The premise is that this ultimate existence will not collapse due to the apocalypse caused by humanity. However, considering that the completed "Shangri-La" is equivalent to another universe and has the essence of a dream, it may have unimaginable powers within itself.

Meng Zhang's goal is to become the leader of "Shangri-La," which means he might have authority within "Shangri-La" comparable to that of the Lord of the Divine Seal. Under those conditions, he might even have the opportunity to eliminate the Doomsday from within.

Therefore, I didn't comment on the apocalypse. Whether his own thoughts were correct or not, he couldn't have been unaware of those obstacles. I simply raised another question: "—But, would that still be human?"

"This kind of question is meaningless," Meng Zhang said. "Tens of millions of years ago, humans were cave-dwelling mammals trembling in the shadow of dinosaurs, and millions of years ago, they were ancient apes struggling to survive on the boundless permafrost. Our life forms have evolved step by step to what they are now, and will continue to evolve in the future. Our current structure has no sacredness whatsoever, and we should not allow it to become an obstacle to progress."

"Putting aside other factors, human civilization has developed far too rapidly. From the hunter-gatherer era to agricultural civilization, and then to the Industrial Revolution and modern civilization, only a few thousand years have passed. However, the speed of genetic evolution is far slower. While enjoying countless technological conveniences, our bodies are still essentially those of primitive humans from the hunter-gatherer era. At the same time, our genomes contain countless redundant and defective components inherited from the cave-dwelling mammal era, and even from more primitive periods..."

"When gene editing technology truly matures in the future, sooner or later humans will begin to alter their life forms from the most fundamental level. They will possess stronger bodies, superior intelligence, more acute and multidimensional senses, and be able to ward off countless diseases, eliminate a range of congenital physiological defects, and overcome the limitations of natural lifespan."

"Especially assuming that human civilization enters the interstellar age in the future, and can move and colonize planets with different environments, the current form of life will be even more out of place. At that time, the human race will undergo a major genetic transformation, becoming a completely different life form from what it is now. Even the material basis will be very different, and the ideology will be completely overturned."

"By today's standards, were humans still human then? If we can acknowledge that life forms with completely different genes and consciousness are a reasonable evolutionary path for humanity, why can't we acknowledge that 'Shangri-La' is also a form of human evolution?"

Like the divination masters and Xuanming, Meng Zhang's perspective on the development of human civilization was incredibly broad, far exceeding the conceptual framework of ordinary people. From this perspective, even the absurd development path of "Shangri-La" seemed to reveal some rationality. After hearing his explanation, I also began to think that it might be a possible path.

Moreover, for people living in the present, I don't think many care about what form humanity will take in the distant future. Meng Zhang also offers people living in the present a prospect of infinitely beautiful dreams, in which they can obtain any happiness they can't enjoy in the real world. Although I don't have the right to speak for the majority, I think most people would probably want to spend the rest of their lives in such a world.

Even if humanity evolves into a form of life vastly different in both matter and spirit in the distant future, I believe it will be fundamentally different from the "Shangri-La" path. Specifically, the former is a natural development, while the latter is radical and forced. It's less a choice of civilization and more like Meng Zhang's choice.

"Or do you, like Xuanming, believe that humanity should choose its own path, and that we shouldn't interfere rashly and forcibly reverse its course?" Meng Zhang asked.

I countered, "What's wrong with that?"

“Xuanming is too aloof; he truly sees himself as a god, detached from humanity,” Meng Zhang said. “But ultimately, he is human, and so am I. Why should the choices of future generations be solely human choices, while my choices cannot be human choices?”

"We are all just individuals who have emerged from the masses of our race, and the future will sooner or later become the present. When a future genius develops a technology that will transform the human life form, or when a future leader faces a fork in the road that will change the course of civilization, will they also separate themselves from humanity and be preoccupied with entrusting their legacy to future generations?"
"Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow, how many tomorrows there are! Since we have found the best answer in the present, we should put it into practice with all our might. This is the responsibility of human beings living in the present."

"Why did your tone suddenly become so high-sounding at the end?" I noticed something amiss. "I feel like you're not being entirely sincere... What are you hiding?"

Meng Zhang's face darkened.

I must admit that Meng Zhang's views have merit, but I find it hard to believe that someone who worries about the future of human civilization would actually share Meng Zhang's thoughts. Especially someone like Xuan Ming, who loves human civilization so much, would be even less likely to make a decision that completely negates the current form of human life.

I seem to be gradually getting a feel for Meng Zhang's heart. What he harbors about this world is definitely not hope, but a deep disappointment, even despair.

It's not that he was lying. Through the intense clash between magical powers, I could sense that he genuinely believed what he pointed out was the brightest future for human civilization. But in the end, he was mostly driven by a destructive inner force pushing his desires forward.

During this process, I also vaguely sensed the magical power of "Shangri-La" amplifying Meng Zhang's abilities. I don't know if it was just my imagination, but the amplification from "Shangri-La" wasn't as high as I had expected. Although Meng Zhang's power was increased, he didn't significantly widen the gap between us. This could certainly be explained by the fact that "Shangri-La" is still in its embryonic stage, making it inconvenient to expend too much power, but it also seemed to reveal a less than enthusiastic attitude.

"Shangri-La"...did it not want to be born?
This thought inexplicably popped into my mind.

“Meng Zhang, I’ll admit you have a point,” I said. “So I’ll also tell you what’s on my mind. Going back to the initial question, why did I reject your ‘Shangri-La’… Actually, there aren’t many high-sounding reasons; I just found it uninteresting.”

"What did you say?" Meng Zhang was stunned.

“Your ‘Shangri-La’ is boring to me, and I don’t want to see that kind of thing become popular,” I said.

This topic should end here. I don't really want to continue discussing grand issues with him; in the end, we'll have to settle things with sheer force.

A harmonious, orderly, and conflict-free world is the exact opposite of what I seek—now I see. Regardless of whether his theory is right or wrong, it at least explains the reason for our conflict. If "differences and individuality" are the root of human misfortune, then the difference between my individuality and his ideals is the biggest factor that makes us irreconcilable.

His alter ego once said that hatred is the power of justice, love is the power of evil, and "Shangri-La" is the ultimate life form without love or hate, possessing a tranquil heart. And now, I, too, stand on the opposite side of his perfect world based on my love for something.

Meng Zhang must have sensed my emotions as well. He was first taken aback and silent, then a clear anger appeared on his face.

This seemed to be the first time he had shown such a strong reaction.

"You...you're either doing it for your own benefit or for some higher cause, but, but you fucking...just for your own personal interest, for fun or not...just for that kind of thing!!!"

As his furious emotions surged, the power source of "Shangri-La" increased by one or two points, and the azure lightning erupted with unprecedented ferocity.

His movement speed suddenly increased, and his fist, crackling with dense blue lightning, slammed into my face with lightning speed. There was no time to defend myself, because by the time I realized I should defend, my head had already been shattered.

My spirit was severely damaged, so I retreated to a distance and regenerated my head. Meng Zhang's second punch came like a shadow. As I made a parrying move, he suddenly made a sharp turn and attacked from behind me.

Thanks to the enhanced predictive abilities granted by the Little Bowl's blessing, I reacted in time this time, narrowly blocking the attack. The violent impact sent me flying like a baseball. Meng Zhang, having come into direct contact with my corona, also suffered a wound, but it instantly healed and resumed its relentless pursuit.

Even if I can further digest Xuanming's experience in battle, gaining the upper hand will still be extremely difficult. Meng Zhang's insistence on using the strategy of trading blows for blows clearly stems from his belief that he can achieve victory first. Rather than letting my flames continue to delay the creation of "Shangri-La," it's better to end this quickly.

More importantly, Meng Zhang is currently exercising considerable restraint in using the power of "Shangri-La." If he were to fight to the death, I fear I would soon be defeated. To be precise, my current enemy is not just Meng Zhang, but both Meng Zhang and "Shangri-La" are enemies.

Since there are two opponents, I can't fight alone. The real key to victory in this battle lies with the naval commander, Genbu.

I must find a way to rescue the naval commander Xuanwu.

A specific plan gradually took shape in my mind.

(End of this chapter)