Chapter 236: I, Boundless Merit
Hongmi Immortal’s words left Yan Liyuan speechless.
“But… those are the people…” Yan Liyuan said in a low voice.
“The people?” Hongmi Immortal shot Yan Liyuan a sidelong glance. “Sacrifice one group of people to ensure the survival of countless others. Which would you choose?”
“Besides, as I’ve said, I’m not the one who slaughtered the people. The Red River Dragon Python, the Locust Demon Crown Prince, and the Plague God Sparrow did. What does that have to do with me?”
“Without me, the people of Red River Prefecture would live in perpetual misery. From that perspective, it’s better for them to sacrifice themselves to fulfill my grand ambition!”
Spiritual Power surged around Hongmi Immortal. He thrust his hands forward, and with a grasping motion, seized the Locust Demon Crown Prince and the Plague God Sparrow, pulling them toward him.
A Dragon Ball floated beside him, while the Red River Dragon Python was already draped over his arm like a common snake, gasping for breath.
“A century of planning has finally brought me the power of the Fusion Realm!”
A wild smile spread across Hongmi Immortal’s face as he glanced in Zhu Ge’s direction.
“Zhu Ge, you are gifted and intelligent. The Six Paths Palace lacks a solid foundation. If you take me as your master, the Six Paths Palace will have someone to truly hold down the fort in the future. Are you willing?”
Hongmi Immortal could have broken through right then, but he chose to ask Zhu Ge this question instead. It showed he truly cherished talent.
Previously, he had feigned submission to Zhu Ge, but now, he had dropped the act entirely.
“Our paths are different; we cannot walk them together,” Zhu Ge shook his head.
Unexpectedly, Hongmi Immortal reacted as if a sore spot had been hit. He chuckled softly. “Oh? Different paths? But I’ve heard that you also harbor ambitions of sweeping across the world and saving all of humanity?”
“When you schemed against that Jingzhe Official, how were your methods and strategies any different from mine?”
“You led tens of thousands of Soldiers, yet only a few thousand survived. How is that any different from a slaughter?”
“You were once a mere Loose Cultivator. Have you never experienced the suffocating frustration of having nowhere to turn?”
Hongmi Immortal fired off one question after another, and Zhu Ge listened intently until he was finished.
Meanwhile, Yan Liyuan and the others fell silent.
Many of his points were, admittedly, difficult to refute.
However, after hearing him out, Zhu Ge simply shook his head.
“Your salary—where does it come from?” Zhu Ge asked.
Hongmi Immortal raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
Zhu Ge smiled. “Do you think your salary is paid by the Holy Emperor of the Da Sheng Dynasty?”
“Is it not?” Hongmi Immortal’s eyes narrowed.
Zhu Ge gestured to the world outside. “Your salary is paid by the people of this land.”
“They toil tirelessly, cultivating the land, providing you with food, clothing, and other necessities when you were weak. They enabled you to grow, to develop.”
“What do they want from you? Your breakthrough? Or your protection?”
“I, a mere Loose Cultivator, still understand the way of the Human Race. You, who hold a high position, constantly feel powerless and without influence?”
“Some farm the fields, some practice Clothing Making, some perform in operas, some work as butchers. We of the Human Race each have our own duty, and we all strive to do our best in our own positions.”
“And you—your position, your fundamental duty, is to govern and protect this land, to safeguard the light in every home. That is your path. In essence, you are no different from the farmer who tills the fields.”
“It’s entirely possible that a farmer’s mastery of agriculture is far more profound than your mastery of being a Pavilion Master.”
“This is the Human Race. This is the way of the Human Race.”
“In the end, you’re just someone who repays kindness with cruelty. Instead of whining about how oppressed you are or how your talents are unrecognized, it would be more respectable if you were just honest. Just admit that you want more, that this is all for your own selfish desires. I would actually think more highly of you then.”
Zhu Ge said coolly, “Only when you add everyone together do you have the Human Race. No matter how strong an individual is, they are still just one part of the whole.”
“Why do you seek to become stronger? To survive. But if you were the only person left alive in the world, wouldn’t you find it boring?”
“Do you know how to cook? To stir-fry a delicious plate of *jianshouqing* mushrooms and savor it—would you have to do that yourself?”
“Do you know Clothing Making? To create a magnificent yet dignified robe—would you have to do that yourself?”
“And what about performing operas? Or the people who blow sugar figures, cultivate new types of fruits and vegetables, train crickets for fighting contests…”
Zhu Ge’s calm and composed voice echoed throughout the Six Paths Valley.
Humans are social animals.
No matter how strong a person is, even if they could shatter the sun with a single punch, it has nothing to do with their quality of life.
The creativity to come up with the “One More Bottle” cap prize has nothing to do with power.
The person who came up with “otaku happy water” wasn’t powerful either.
Games, novels, movies… all these things make people’s lives better.
This world can’t function without power, but it can’t function on power alone either.
This was the greatest lesson Zhu Ge had learned since he’d transmigrated.
Without toilet paper, you have to wipe your ass with a wooden slat.
Without a phone, you can only pass the days by staring at the sky.
Without bottled water, the water he drank was probably teeming with who-knows-how-many parasites.
And so many other things… all of them were created through talent and wisdom, not forged by guns or fists.
This is the wisdom of the working people.
You can’t look down on any working person.
Shattering the sun with a punch and developing a cure for cancer—both are equally incredible achievements.
In fact, to many patients, the latter is far greater.
Only the immature, those who have never truly experienced society, would think that power is everything.
“…And you have completely forgotten why you sought to become strong in the first place.” Zhu Ge shook his head. “The Soldiers under my command may die, but I tell them what they are fighting for. You sent the people to their deaths—did you ever ask for their consent?”
“I schemed against the Jingzhe Official to avenge his crimes of exploiting the locals and raping and murdering a young girl, not for my own selfish gain. You manipulated the Plague God Sparrow and the others to slaughter the people, all for your own selfish gain.”
“It’s like a knife. Can you compare using it to protect your mother, wife, and daughter from being raped by villains, to using it to force another’s wife, daughter, and mother into submission? Are they the same?”
“How many people just want to live a peaceful life? Why must they be afflicted by a degenerate like you, whose very nature has been twisted?”
‘When I first transmigrated here, I thought about how wonderful it would be if this were a peaceful world.’
‘To travel after work, to see the mountains and rivers, to appreciate the natural and cultural wonders of this world.’
But that was just a beautiful wish.
“The world suffers, and the people are in misery, precisely because there are too many people like you, blinded by greed.” Zhu Ge shook his head. “If you were really just a Loose Cultivator, it would be one thing. But you clearly hold a position yet neglect its duties. How is that any different from the Territorial Lord you mentioned, who only cares for his own clan?”
“‘All for one, and one for all, and all for all again.'”
“Since everyone has been for you, yet you are only for yourself, then don’t blame us for overthrowing you.”
Zhu Ge delivered his speech calmly, but Hongmi Immortal’s expression grew darker and darker.
When Zhu Ge finished, Hongmi Immortal’s expression suddenly changed, a hint of mockery creeping in. “When all is said and done, you still lack the power to oppose me.”
“From a public, moral standpoint, you are not wrong. I have no rebuttal.”
“From a private, personal standpoint, our interests are indeed in conflict, so it’s natural for you to oppose me. But…” Hongmi Immortal shook his head. “You can’t beat me.”
“That’s right. I am simply in conflict with your private interests,” Zhu Ge said frankly. “For reasons both public and private, I have a reason to kill you.”
“Then we shall wait and see.” With those words, Hongmi Immortal seemed to lose all interest in continuing the conversation.
He turned his head to look at the spectral image of a great tree on the horizon, which was holding back the Plague God Sparrow’s plague.
“I despise fools like you who sacrifice yourselves for the common people,” Hongmi Immortal sneered. “Wood Daoist? Heh. You gave your life for those people. From now on, who will even remember you?”
As he spoke, he waved his hand. A torrent of majestic Spiritual Power poured out, transforming the spectral image of the great tree on the horizon into a string of red rice grains.
But upon closer inspection, each grain of rice looked like a human head.
Countless densely packed heads, all with their eyes closed and mouths wide open, screaming and wailing in agony.
Then, an endless plague infused with the power of fear surged toward the Plague God Sparrow.
The Plague God Sparrow, still held captive, could not speak. It could only stare, its eyes wide with terror.
“Today, I shall slay the Plague God Sparrow, the Red River Dragon Python, and the Locust Demon Crown Prince! I will ascend to the Fusion Realm and deliver justice for the million citizens of Red River Prefecture! My merit will be immeasurable!”