Ye Tiancheng was now packing up the belongings of Qin Long and the others, especially the snake staff that belonged to Xie Xie. He showed great interest in it because it possessed immense power.
Perhaps to gain something, one had to give up something. While it seemed quite good to him, in reality, for Ye Tiancheng, this item brought a great deal of pressure and negative consequences. Although he was reluctant to voice these things, they were laid bare before him. No matter how much he wished to abandon them, he had to accept this reality. For Wang Kezhang, the snake staff had become a source of immense pressure. Time was ticking away, and the demon race watched him with great concern, fearing that if Ye Tiancheng were to falter, it would be troublesome. His current combat prowess was truly chilling; he seemed blessed by heaven, as if no one could restrain him. If such a heaven-favored individual appeared, who could do anything to him? It was like ordinary people facing a god, capable of being shattered at any moment. Those who understood this dared not be arrogant, meekly accepting their fate. If they disobeyed the remote command, they would only be annihilated. No one wished to die, so they had to accept this regrettable reality. Thus, everyone found Ye Tiancheng to be someone to be kept at a distance.
Now, he felt incredibly comfortable. If anyone dared to offend him, he could certainly bite them to death. However, he was not a person who particularly enjoyed killing, as such actions already caused him a sense of revulsion from the bottom of his heart.
To be a good person was impossible, for good people die young while evildoers live for a thousand years.
The orphan did not wish to be a good person at all. He preferred to be selfish and self-serving, ensuring his own long existence. After all, heaven and earth were inherently selfish, and the heavens favored certain people according to their own whims. Therefore, one must cherish and respect oneself, completely escaping the heavens' manipulation. Ye Tiancheng believed that man could conquer heaven, and thus, before making any decision, one must think thrice.
If this was achieved, things would not turn out too badly. In his heart, he already harbored a plan that others could not comprehend. Wang Guofan's plans were, of course, beyond everyone's understanding. If these people could grasp what was in his heart, they would truly be astonishing. He, in the martial world, had never easily revealed his thoughts or his reasons for doing things. Therefore, in Ye Tiancheng's heart, his existence was entirely to compensate for the deficiencies he felt.
When he chose to cooperate with the catfish monster, he understood that the catfish monster was also cooperating to protect its master's interests and its own. If he had not appeared formidable, he would have been looked down upon by the catfish monster.
Ye Tiancheng absolutely refused such a situation. For him, he could already act independently, but to ensure the most secure gains here, he still chose to cooperate with the other party. This was because it would allow him to more accurately locate their supposed opponents and obtain superior materials, further advancing his cultivation. Every student was making monopolistic gains during this period of resource scarcity.
This was because people, by nature, later unintentionally favored permanent plans. But who among people did not want to monopolize gains and eliminate competitors? Therefore, this was human nature and instinct; no one was not selfish.
As for Ye Tiancheng, he had long known what the catfish monster intended to do, but he simply did not voice his thoughts. Some things were best known to oneself and did not need to be spoken aloud, as it would lead to extreme awkwardness.
Ye Tiancheng said to the catfish monster, "Let's not dwell on these matters for now. Let's cooperate, and then we can obtain the most advantageous things. If you wish to proceed this way, then our cooperation will naturally be pleasant. Otherwise, we can hardly proceed with further cooperation."
Ye Tiancheng naturally had to strongly oppose such words, as he could not be manipulated like a fool. Those who wished to succeed must seize the initiative. Those who could not seize the initiative were naturally people who would be abused like dogs. At that moment, he did not want to see Ye Tiancheng wanting to be the master of others, nor did he want others to be his master. Having others be his master would make him extremely passive. If he could be the master of others, he would naturally hold a very proactive position. Therefore, even a fool knew that to become the master of others. The catfish monster immediately understood Ye Tiancheng's intention and gave a bitter smile, "It seems, Your Excellency, you definitely want the initiative. That is meaningless. Without my guidance here, you cannot find the lair of your snake monsters."
Ye Tiancheng said nothing to the arrogant and confident catfish monster, merely pursing his lips into a smile.
"What do you mean by that? Are you agreeing to it and then planning to go back on your word?" The catfish monster, seeing his strange smile, felt very worried. If Ye Tiancheng went back on his word midway, he would be in trouble. Therefore, this was his greatest concern. Ye Tiancheng chuckled, shook his head, and said, "I think Your Excellency is overthinking it. I have no such plans. The reason I am smiling at you is entirely for other reasons."
"Your Excellency, what exactly do you intend to do? Speak clearly first, to avoid significant unpleasantness between us in the future." This fellow spoke very plainly. He did not want to delay important matters over trivial issues. In fact, Ye Tiancheng simply wanted the initiative, wanting the catfish monsters to submit to him and become his subjects. Otherwise, he would lose much of his initiative. Once one possessed the initiative of others, one could control many things. There was something in this world called power, because with power came profit.
The benefits derived from power were limitless. Everything in this world was managed by those in power, so they could set rules to fleece you, making you contribute benefits indefinitely. This, then, was called power.
Regarding power, Ye Tiancheng certainly wanted to pursue it and firmly grasp it in his hands. Only by possessing such a thing could he indefinitely restrain others. Those who were restrained could only be treated like slaves; they had no meaning in living. Such trash seemed inherently fixed at a certain level, accepting the exploitation and draining of others.
Ye Tiancheng did not look up to their clan, for "Those who are not of my kind must have different intentions." The demon race should be looked down upon like this; who told them they were not the masters of this world? As a proud human, one should naturally take the initiative to control the distribution of this world, thereby ensuring their interests never declined. Those who could grasp such things were not those who ate people without spitting out bones; they were those who had stepped on thousands of skeletons. Only such people could deter the petty and assert what they wanted to express. Thus, Ye Tiancheng smiled calmly, a look of extreme mockery on his face.
This kind of expression was truly a great irony for Ye Tiancheng.
Because in his heart, these things should have been held by him alone.
In any case, Ye Tiancheng felt it was truly meaningless. To turn all of this into the disaster of others was truly his idea. Therefore, the dark things in his heart gradually turned into real things.
Then he looked at the other party, his eyes filled with a look of blood and fire. These things could actually cause great trouble.
But Ye Tiancheng was completely indifferent now.
In his view, as long as he could do something, it was enough.
What the catfish monster did not expect was that Ye Tiancheng would have such evil thoughts.
This surprised him greatly, because as Ye Tiancheng emitted such evil thoughts, the evil within him began to surge, and an immeasurable aura of evil began to surround Ye Tiancheng as if it were unstoppable.
A human possessing more powerful evil aura than the demon race – how could this not feel threatening?
"Actually, there's nothing wrong with doing this. We all strive to protect our own interests. If people had no drive to advance for the sake of profit, then this world would become stagnant water. Therefore, we should be a bit more lenient; this is just a normal part of life," the Great Green Snake said to the catfish monster, appearing very calm about the current situation.
The catfish monster laughed upon hearing the Great Green Snake's words, "Alright, alright, let's not argue about these things. Since you want to cooperate with me, at least let us have some benefits. You can't take all the benefits for yourselves."
"Still arguing about the issue of benefits? In this world, the strong are respected, and the weak must obey the strong. If not, how can I speak to you? I don't like playing those fancy games; I'll speak to you directly." This fellow's words were quite blunt. He was someone who could not accept anything, but his words also made sense. In the world of cultivation, the weak must obey the strong; this is an eternal truth. So, whether you obey or not, you must accept this decision.
Ye Tiancheng did not expect to encounter such a complete idiot who would lecture him with so many unnecessary reasons.
"Whether you are willing to accept it or not, the path before you is the only one. Whether you are willing to accept it or not, you must accept it." The Great Green Snake, seeing Ye Tiancheng's resolute stance, had no choice but to let the catfish monster accept Ye Tiancheng's condition, otherwise, there was no way to continue the discussion, as there was nothing more to discuss. In the face of benefits, this fellow would not let you back down; he was a very firm and persistent individual. Whoever stepped on Ye Tiancheng's tail would be bitten, and might even lose their life.
For Ye Tiancheng, he truly did not want to suffer a loss. He had to make the other party understand the outcome clearly, otherwise, greater trouble would arise in the future. Therefore, he would resolutely state this matter clearly, leaving the other party no room for rebuttal.
If the other party did not understand, then this matter could not be discussed. The catfish monster probably understood that he had no choice in this matter, so he reluctantly said, "Since things have come to this point, let's do as you say." kuAiδugg
It had to be said that he was helpless. Things had reached a critical juncture, and speaking more unnecessary words was meaningless. The only meaningful thing was to complete what he wanted to do at this juncture, so that he could have a glimmer of hope. To negotiate with someone much stronger than them was equivalent to delivering themselves to the chopping block.
If he still couldn't understand this outcome, it would truly be a wasted life.
"A wise person does not oppose someone many times stronger than themselves, as it will bring about their own demise." Ye Tiancheng smiled coldly, appearing very domineering. The reason he said this was entirely to warn the other party not to play tricks in front of him. In fact, no one dared to play tricks in front of him, at least not currently. Of course, it would be difficult to say in the future, as his personality would attract many enemies. Those enemies would remember his appearance and also cause him a lot of trouble.
Ye Tiancheng also wondered if he would eventually fall into a situation where people would beat him while he was down. Therefore, he would bear the consequences of his actions alone. In the days to come, he would absolutely not give anyone any opportunities.
Of course, he would continuously become stronger, making those who dared to pay attention to him fall far behind. Only when one reached such a realm, making themselves unreachable and impossible to surpass for generations, would no one dare to say anything to them. When someone surpassed others by a little, others would definitely see them as an object to strive for. When someone surpassed others by a large margin, others might feel a little disappointed at the difficulty of surpassing, but they would still target and eliminate you. When someone surpassed others by a margin that could not be surpassed for generations, others would only look up to you, treating you like a god and daring not to have any further thoughts, completely prostrating themselves in worship.
To become a great god in others' mouths was the ultimate goal. For this ultimate goal, Ye Tiancheng was certainly working hard. He did not want to become a laughingstock in the end. For this goal, he was relentlessly becoming stronger, making himself unreachable to others.
"Move forward; within 1 kilometer, you will encounter people from the snake tribe." The catfish monster said to Ye Tiancheng at this moment, hoping he would remember his promise and not harm their kin.
The catfish monster and the snake tribe were separated only by a large river. This river originally belonged to the catfish monster, but because they could not defeat the snake tribe, this river was occupied by the snake tribe. Now, all control was in the hands of the snake tribe. To take this river back from the snake tribe, they naturally needed the strength of Wang Kupan. Ye Tiancheng knew they were planning such a conspiracy, but he did not reveal everything he knew. After all, he would eventually recruit the catfish monster clan to work for him. Why not?
Therefore, benefits were mutual, not one-sided. Even the strongest people needed weaker people to set them off. If there were only strong people in this world, without weaker people to set them off, then they would be playing amongst themselves, which would be meaningless. It was like a game; no matter how powerful a paying player was, they needed non-paying players to set them off. If the entire game consisted only of paying players, then what was the point of playing? Where would they show off? Where would they find a sense of existence? To find a sense of existence, of course, was to flaunt themselves in front of those without money. Only then could they find a sense of showing off.
If this sense of showing off disappeared, then their value of existence would also disappear. Therefore, he was very annoyed, but he understood the meaning of their existence to himself. Thus, he accepted this relationship of benefits. It was impossible to take everything for himself and leave nothing for others. If that were the case, he would truly become a solitary figure. It was also the correct choice to give some benefits to others. Thinking of this, the darkness on his body gradually receded, and the black mist also gradually disappeared. Instantly, a small black pill condensed in his dantian, like a black inner core the size of a glutinous rice ball.
"Sometimes your thoughts are truly strange. I don't know what you are ultimately thinking about. No one can figure out the thoughts hidden in your heart," the Great Green Snake returned to Ye Tiancheng's sea of consciousness, asking with a bewildered expression. Ignorance was bliss; knowing would only lead to greater disappointment. Therefore, he would never reveal what he was thinking in his heart. This was a secret that Ye Tiancheng absolutely needed to protect; he could not let everyone know what he was thinking. Having one's inner secrets spied upon was not a good thing.
The more secrets were hidden, the better. Of course, it was even better if others did not know. Every superior person had their own secrets. If one's secrets were known, it would be equivalent to revealing one's trump cards to others, making it very easy for them to scheme and frame him. Even in such matters, he felt the need to guard himself and never trust anyone. Only oneself would truly cherish oneself; only oneself could truly protect oneself. Others were not worth trusting or relying on. In this world, only oneself was the truest self. Everything that left one's body was merely fleeting clouds.
Although he was somewhat extreme, Ye Tiancheng absolutely would not easily believe anything in this world, including those who had been by his side for a long time. He still felt an inexplicable distance, as everyone was an individual existing to protect their own interests. No one could sacrifice their own interests to help you, nor did they have the obligation or inclination to do so, because everyone carried different missions and stances.
There was no need to bind others to your benefit policies, but you must be responsible for your own interests. No matter what you did, you had to bear the consequences alone.