Chapter 1364: Chapter 1365: Indifferent to Life and Death, Fight if You Disagree
Beichen Feng spoke slowly, his words quietly erupting like another thunderclap.
“What do you mean?”
Yitilou and Yan Zuzi were particularly concerned about this question. It was a lingering doubt in everyone’s hearts: creating a new cultivation technique could lead to ascension to the Upper Realm. However, throughout the ages, many have developed new techniques, yet only the pioneers themselves managed to ascend to the Immortal Gods Realm, while their successors, practicing the same techniques, were invariably stuck at the Saint Realm cultivation level.
“Do you remember the last person from the Central Origin Realm to ascend?”
“It was a Living Buddha from the Buddhist Sect. He created the Power of Faith, broke through the Saint Realm and the Three Divine Flames, and was worshiped by the people. Yet, after he ascended, he abandoned his roots, taking on the role of a ruler who exploited the masses. Sadly, the Central Origin Realm remained ignorant of this and continued to supply him with the Power of Faith. This was something my master witnessed in the Immortal Gods Realm.”
Beichen Feng recounted calmly, unravelling a corner of the iceberg of truths from back then.
The full picture of the Immortal Gods Realm’s situation was only seen by Xueshenzi. According to him, some Immortal Gods treat the Central Origin Realm as a slaughterhouse. This had once sparked strong dissatisfaction among many enlightened individuals, including that Living Buddha. After ascending with the Power of Faith, he initially fought fiercely against this system but, as dreams met the harsh reality, and after enduring severe oppression in the Immortal Gods Realm, he eventually joined the ranks of those slaughtering cultivators from the Central Origin Realm.
After all, the Immortal Gods possess methods to forcibly accelerate a cultivator’s growth to reach the pinnacle of their cultivation, making them ripe for consumption. This ensures an endless supply of power, allowing their strength to grow at an accelerated pace.
Those who ascended to the Immortal Gods Realm with the intent to rebel against divine oppression either died in battle or joined the slaughtering forces. This army grew so vast, not only possessing extraordinary power but also being intimately familiar with the cultivators of the Central Origin Realm!
Because of this, the powers available to cultivators in the Central Origin Realm are comprehensively restricted. Unless they innovate new paths of cultivation, it is entirely impossible for them to break through their cultivation limits and ascend to the Upper Realm!
“The Dragon Slayer eventually becomes the dragon. In the end, we all become what we hate.”
Yitilou and Yan Zuzi also spoke, having long harbored predictions about the cultivation methods relentlessly sought after in the Central Origin Realm.
So many historically accomplished individuals had vanished into obscurity among the seas of people—claiming there was no conjecture about this would be impossible.
“This means that every new cultivation technique in the Central Origin Realm is now inevitably under the command of the Immortal Gods!”
Li Xiaobai nodded. He understood that because the Immortal Gods controlled the power of the Central Origin Realm, they could continually suppress its people, ensuring that lower-level cultivators would never rise up.
Moreover, it was highly likely that Xueshenzi had the support of that Living Buddha. After all, his strength originated from the Power of Faith of the Central Origin Realm. If he were to lose the vast number of followers from this realm, his power would inevitably weaken. Whether for personal gain or public interest, he would be the most unwilling to see the Central Origin Realm decimated.
But it was ironic to think that those who wholeheartedly prayed to and worshiped gods and Buddhas were, in fact, devoted to such despicable beings.
“But how could they guarantee that the Central Origin Realm remains peaceful for a thousand years? If chaos like today is instigated and Xueshenzi is killed, wouldn’t the Immortal Gods’ conspiracy be ruined?”
Li Xiaobai asked.
“This is something the Immortal Gods Realm naturally prepared for long ago. I’ve already mentioned before—every movement in the Central Origin Realm is under complete control, including population management measures. Young Master Li, as someone who ascended to the Central Origin Realm, haven’t you taken note of those numbers above everyone’s heads?”
“Why do you think every cultivator in the Central Origin Realm has a string of numbers above their heads? That is the Immortal Gods’ method of controlling the population. Those numbers represent the Merit Value and Sin Value, manifesting in real-time to guide cultivators toward accumulating Merit Value. This, in turn, drastically reduces the number of murderers. Couple that with the supervision by the Enforcement Team, and unless someone becomes a heinous, irreparable demon head, most people choose to cultivate Merit Value.”
Beichen Feng explained.
This was the glaringly unnatural aspect of the Central Origin Realm—something perhaps only someone like Li Xiaobai, newly ascended to this realm, could notice. Yet even someone like him would gradually accept these peculiar rules after being subtly influenced over time, eventually even paying attention to the rankings associated with them.
Indeed, the existence of these two rankings directly divided cultivators into the camps of good and evil. Perhaps most of them were hypocrites wrapped in a guise of virtue, but the Immortal Gods’ goal wasn’t to temper their spirit; it was merely to reduce killings. As long as the ultimate goal was achieved, it didn’t matter if the entire Mainland was filled with heart-hiding devils posing as righteous individuals. The Central Origin Realm was nothing more than penned livestock—if they killed each other, decreasing their numbers significantly, those above would simply have less to feast on.
“So, are the List of Villains and the Merit Value rankings artificially created?”
Li Xiaobai was dumbfounded. Even the rankings turned out to be fabricated, like rules imposed on unruly children to stop them from playing rough. This was truly treating them as livestock, using two rankings to forcefully transform the cruel and bloodstained Cultivation World into a place where everyone feared killing.
Not only did this restrict the slaughter, but it also left most cultivators bereft of the trials of blood and bone. How can someone lacking in life-and-death experiences even dream of innovating their own cultivation techniques?
The actions of the Immortal Gods Realm were nothing short of maliciously manipulative.
“Exactly. One could say that everything currently existing in the Central Origin Realm either originates from the Immortal Gods or is subject to their control.”
“My master understood this deeply, which led him to make the decision to abandon futile resistance and devotedly serve the Immortal Gods, sacrificing a small group of people in exchange for the stability of the entire Central Origin Realm!”
Beichen Feng stated.
“But he used geniuses, effectively stamping out any hope for the rise of the Central Origin Realm!”
“With Immortal Gods above, the lives of all beings in the Central Origin Realm are mere ants. Whether or not they are geniuses hardly matters—all are mere dishes on a platter. Geniuses are chosen only because their ‘flavor’ is superior!”
Beichen Feng maintained his unflinching composure as he uttered words that left everyone horrified.
“But that’s all in the past now. My master is dead, and the Central Origin Realm lacks anyone to bridge the gap above. The Immortal Gods have grown restless and are preparing to act against the Central Origin Realm—chaos is descending.”
“Thankfully, the Central Origin Realm still has Young Master Li as a pillar. For now, the common people won’t fall into total disarray before the Immortal Gods arrive.”
With Xueshenzi gone, Li Xiaobai stood above all others, and the task of resisting the pressure from the Immortal Gods Realm naturally fell squarely on his shoulders. Xueshenzi chose to sacrifice small to save big, but Li Xiaobai’s vocabulary did not include the words “compromise” or “submission.”
“Has Young Master Li devised a plan to respond?”
Li Xiaobai lit a Huazi cigarette, took a slow drag, and said, “Expose the secrets of the Immortal Gods Realm. The creatures of the world will make their stance known.”
“What do you mean?”
“Face death lightly—if unwilling, fight!”