Chapter 1160: Chapter 159: Justice
Next, it’s your turn, Mr. Mo Da.
This sentence spoken in such a setting felt like a threat, like a coercion,
but Batman’s tone was flat and straightforward, without any fluctuation.
The crowd below was in fear and unease, some martial heroes standing at the edges of the crowd near the woods, looking at the deep pits in the forest emitting green smoke,
looking at the blurred flesh hanging from the trees,
cried out in terror and unease,
shoving and pushing their way towards the crowd.
They had seen Palm Thunder before, they often used Thunderbolts themselves,
but something like this, that could blast a person into blurred flesh without a piece of iron armor left, this "Palm Thunder",
was unheard of, unseen.
On the platform,
the tall and thin, face as withered as tree bark elderly dressed in a green gown was silent for a while, looking at the iron stick in Batman’s hand, asked: "What you hold, is it a hidden weapon?"
"Yes,"
Batman nodded, "This item is named a gun."
A gun?
The gun is the foremost of a hundred weapons, longer than a blade, upright and straight, it can be nimble and swift, unpredictably like gods and spirits; also move like thunder, with power like lightning.
Below, there were many gun experts, but none had heard of a gun shaped like this.
As if in response to Mo Da’s silence, Batman calmly introduced: "M16A4 assault rifle, caliber 5.56×45mm, full length 1000 mm, 6 right-handed rifling grooves, twist rate 178mm, theoretical rate of fire 700~900RPM, muzzle energy 1765k. Magazine capacity 30 rounds."
His tone was without ripple, like two swordsmen meeting on a narrow path, introducing their weapons before battle.
"..."
Mo Da did not understand what Batman was talking about, but years of wandering the martial world allowed him to, by virtue of a feeling in the dark, see through things ordinary people couldn’t discern.
Like Batman wasn’t lying, like the already prostrate Yu Canghai deserved his punishment, like the M16A4 assault rifle was a murder weapon.
"Since it’s a hidden weapon, it must have mechanisms and projectiles,"
Mr. Mo Da said intensely: "Projectiles mean it will run out.
The hidden weapon in your hand will eventually be exhausted."
"Correct,"
Batman admitted straightforwardly, "Mr. Mo Da, Abbot Xuan Ci, Taoist Head Chong Xu, all three of you possess martial arts skills unfathomable, since you have seen the operational mechanism of the long gun in my hand, you won’t charge straight like Yu Canghai,
you will dodge, you will flee, you will avoid the gun’s muzzle.
Although beyond seven steps, the gun is fast,
within seven steps, the gun is both accurate and fast.
But if you three scatter and flee, I don’t have complete confidence that I can hit all three of you in one magazine without wasting too many bullets.
Therefore, I won’t shoot at you..."
Batman pointed the gun’s muzzle at the Shaolin monks, Wudang Taoists, and Hengshan Sect disciples below the platform.
"If you escape, I will shoot them.
At this distance, you definitely can’t support or rescue them."
Batman said: "All three of you are leaders of reputable sects, presumably you won’t risk your disciples being slaughtered because of fearing benevolence detection,
and flee alone."
Batman’s words were exceptionally calm, completely indifferent to whether the one he was supposed to reward or punish and his current self were inconsistent in speech and action.
Mr. Mo Da was silent for a long time, below the platform Hengshan Sect disciples were terrified and aggrieved, many yelled in anger, "Masters must never listen to demons and evil words,
we would rather be crushed than drag down the master..."
"Enough."
Mr. Mo Da finally spoke, a layer of sadness dyed his face that resembled withered wood, he said softly: "A long while ago, I also suspected Zuo Lengchan and Yu Canghai’s character,
but fighting against tyranny with my sole strength was truly impossible, publicly opposing was futile, it would only lead to disciples accompanying me into the abyss,
so I traveled the world with my qin, facing a chaotic world, slaying evil when I saw it, supporting good deeds when I saw them.
I couldn’t kill Dongfang Bubai, couldn’t kill Zuo Lengchan, couldn’t kill Yu Canghai, so I just killed some bandits to alleviate my inner sorrow and depression.
I am alive, but my heart is long dead,
since this is the case, let me, a decaying corpse, go first."
Having said that, he inserted the thin sword in his hand back into the fiddle, stepped forward two steps, squatted on the ground,
impressed his palm into the Benevolence Detector.
Batman was stunned for a moment, then respectfully retreated three steps,
only to see the light of the Benevolence Detector flickering, soon a soft female voice emerged from the iron box,
"March 3rd, Hongzhi Year 11, infiltrated Poison Dragon Village under cover of night, killed eleven bandits in the mountain.
May 19th, Hongzhi Year 11, invaded County Magistrate’s residence in Anning County under cover of night, killed one magistrate..."
Mr. Mo Da’s age was long, the richness of his killing experience surpassed Yu Canghai,
and the crowd below erupted in astonishment, for they heard a significant number of familiar names among them.
Green forest heroes of Hedong Road,
Sun Moon Cult undercover agents of Hexi Road,
not only did Mr. Mo Da kill road-blocking bandits and city thugs, he also killed rebels, evil officials, and even government magistrates! Killed young heroes of reputable sects!
Each and every blood case sealed in history was revealed one by one by the Benevolence Detector,
and a chaotic discussion filled with anger and confusion erupted below — among the names mentioned by the Benevolence Detector just now, many were familiar or even friends and family of those present.
Meanwhile, the faces of Hengshan Sect disciples below grew even paler,
uncertain whether they worried about Mr. Mo Da’s fate or feared that their revered and other-worldly sect master was a murderous demon.
"Beep!"
Accompanied by a crisp sound, the Benevolence Detector finally finished evaluating Mr. Mo Da.
"Detected evil value of -50 points, assessed as cautious in private charity, recommended to reward with a Guiyuan pill."
Good?
Upon hearing this evaluation, the astonishment below intensified,
among them, presumably many had friends and family who silently died under Mr. Mo Da’s sword,
yet Mr. Mo Da, like Yu Canghai, was equally murderous, why did Yu Canghai suffer the torment of lingchi, while Mr. Mo Da remained unharmed?
Speaking of lingchi,
the dying cries on the platform became increasingly subdued, Yu Canghai’s back no longer had a single piece of whole flesh, his whole body curled into a ball like a boiled shrimp, his face twisted to the extreme.
He wasn’t painless, but in so much pain he couldn’t scream — that strange bat-shaped machinery injected medication, silencing his screams, exacerbating his suffering.
Mr. Mo Da’s eyes swept over the prostrate Yu Canghai on the ground, as a sliver of surprise emerged faintly on his tree-bark-like face.
"Benevolence Detector will not err,"
Batman shook his head and said: "Though Mr. Mo Da hasn’t stood against Zuo Lengchan, Yu Canghai, et al. publicly, that’s due to circumstances,
human power is weak, hard to resist great trends, then do well in yourself, guard your heart, emitting a faint light alone in darkness.
Even if it’s just removing a small evil, performing a small good,
it’s far better than concocting myriad excuses, willingly drowning in filth, depraving oneself, too much better."
With that said, Batman reached behind his back, from what seemed like a bottomless cloak,
produced a pill, handed it to Mr. Mo Da, "Please."
Mr. Mo Da remained silent for a moment, in the martial world, gallant knights and ladies loved visiting grand cities and towns.
There were brothels and taverns, rouge-shops and boats, poetic scenery, free and easy charm,
but only he himself, over the years, traversed through fields and paths, trod on deserted mountain trails, battled those lowly bandits committing evil in the dirt,
and opposed so-called knights who exploited the name of reputable sects for personal gain.
At this moment, hearing the Benevolence Detector’s good evaluation, his mood was even more vigorous compared to when he was entrusted by his teacher to become the Hengshan Sect’s head, feeling a sense of relief,
stepped forward, took the pill from Batman’s hand, directly swallowed it.
Gulp.
The large pill was difficult to swallow down the throat, but once it entered the stomach, it dissipated instantly, turning into a gentle warmth flowing throughout his body.
Exclamations rose around him,
Mr. Mo Da looked around at himself, discovering that his head full of white hair was falling out, replaced by black strands,
and the deep wrinkles on his haggard face were swiftly becoming full and supple.
Old injuries were healing by themselves, his palms grew sturdy and strong once more, and when all the white hair had fallen, Mr. Mo Da seemed to be thirty or forty years younger, returning to his prime.
"Rejuvenation... are you truly an Immortal?"
Mr. Mo Da instinctively asked, but Batman chuckled silently, "There are no God Immortals transformed from bats in this world; even Zhang Guolao, one of the Eight Immortals, is merely the White Bat Demon,
not related at all."
Taoist Head Chong Xu, who had been silent for a long time beside them, finally broke the silence. He stepped forward and also placed his hand on the Benevolence Detector.
As usual, the Benevolence Detector began assessing the good and evil of this Head of Wudang Sect.
"Seventh of July, thirteenth year of Hongzhi..."
Compared to Yu Canghai and Mr. Mo Da, Taoist Head Chong Xu’s experiences with killing were not abundant, even considered meager.
The ones he killed were mostly people from the Sun Moon Cult or long-term notorious bandits and bullies on the martial paths.
Finally, the Benevolence Detector gave its evaluation,
"Your detected Evil Value is -15 points, rated as minimal evil and minor good, recommended for neither reward nor punishment."
Taoist Head Chong Xu silently raised his palm, exchanged a glance with Mr. Mo Da, sighed lightly, and expressed his acceptance.
The Wudang Sect during Zhang Sanfeng Zhang Junbao’s era was at its peak, faintly holding the momentum of the world’s largest sect, surpassing Shaolin,
but Zhang Junbao refined his skills into harmony, achieving mastery in both form and spirit, while his disciples became progressively less skilled generation by generation,
by Taoist Head Chong Xu’s generation, they could only maintain the inheritance of Tai Chi Swordsmanship and Tai Chi Boxing, unable to counter even the subtle pressure from the Songshan Sect, only able to occasionally kill a few criminals on the martial paths.
The Benevolence Detector’s evaluation was not unjust.
Witnessing Mr. Mo Da’s rejuvenation,
and seeing the ever-inflexible and openly accepting Taoist Head Chong Xu acknowledge the Benevolence Detector’s evaluation,
some people in the audience felt even more hopeless.
They were acutely aware of the things they had done in recent years,
murders and arson, pillaging and looting, as long as they remain undiscovered, they are still gallant knights and heroes.
Taking a thousand steps back, even if they hadn’t committed acts of harming the innocent,
they still had engaged in negligence, protecting their own while ignoring wrongdoing—being in the Martial World, actions are often constrained, many things are neither black nor white, not something that can be clarified with a few words.
Mr. Mo Da and Taoist Head Chong Xu were recognized as good men in Jianghu; the two could pass the Benevolence Detector test, be acknowledged by that seemingly divine or ghostly bat creature,
but those in the audience might not have such good fortune.
In fear, martial artists on the edge of the crowd, exerted their Inner Strength, leaping toward the dense forest, stepping on the trunks several times,
attempting to escape the forest without touching the ground by stepping on the trunks.
However, before they could escape long, they heard the sound of "zeng zeng zeng."
The tripwires tied to the trunks rang.
The explosion shook the skies, flames burst forth,
those fearing their sins being discovered and attempting to flee from the Martial World were blasted into the sky.
"I said, no one escapes,"
Batman said calmly, not like mockery, released his hand from Zuo Lengchan, and pressed the latter’s palm onto the Benevolence Detector.
With the gentle voice from the metal box, the audience was once again shocked,
Zuo Lengchan had killed many, even more than Mr. Mo Da and Yu Canghai, but he didn’t do it personally; he instructed his subordinates to handle it.
And those he killed were not only from the Demon Cult but also from Reputable Sects.
Mr. Mo Da and Taoist Head Chong Xu exchanged a glance, knowingly realizing that Zuo Lengchan had long aspired to be the Five Mountains Hierarch, the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch, cultivating the Thirteen Guardians, revising the Songshan Sword Technique, integrating Songshan Sect into the largest sect in the Martial World, even slightly overshadowing Shaolin and Beggar Gang,
for the sake of ambition, he resorted to unscrupulous methods, even secretly instructing the Thirteen Guardians under him to invade and attack Reputable Sects in the name of the Demon Cult, causing widespread fear, forcing them to rely on the Songshan Sect to create momentum for him as the Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch.
And the Benevolence Detector’s result was, "Detected Evil Value of 30 points, rated as ambition-driven, a mixture of good and evil, recommended moderate punishment."
Moderate punishment? Batman’s jaw twitched slightly, Zuo Lengchan’s ambition outweighed everything, perhaps at first he still held the resolve to be implacable towards Sun Moon Cult, but as his martial arts improved, his status rose, having seen the decay of Martial World sects,
that heart wanting to act was swallowed up by greater power desires.
To act, one must have power, and for the sake of power, one can sacrifice everything, even at the cost of one’s humanity.
Throughout this process, regardless of how many evil cults he eradicated or how many righteous knights he defeated, they were merely insignificant footnotes on his ambitious path.
"Just a self-absorbed hero devoured by ambition."
Batman gave a light appraisal and gently pressed Zuo Lengchan’s abdomen, destroying his dantian and martial arts, and knocking him unconscious.
"Next, it’s your turn, Abbot Xuan Ci."
Batman turned to look at the only monk on the stage,
With kind eyes and a gentle demeanor, Abbot Xuan Ci smiled broadly and suddenly lifted his arm, striking toward the top of his head.
Bam!
The sound of a shot rang out, causing Abbot Xuan Ci’s left shoulder to get injured, making it difficult to strike down.
Batman, holding a gun, frowned and said, "Trying to commit suicide? To cover the secrets?"
Abbot Xuan Ci slightly smiled, seemingly unfazed by the pain, and lifted his right arm again.
Bam!
Another shot rang out,
Disabling Abbot Xuan Ci’s arms, Batman rushed forward, punching Abbot Xuan Ci’s chest, stopping his attempt to bite his tongue and end his life.
Savagely, Batman pressed Abbot Xuan Ci’s palm onto the Benevolence Detector.
Evil Value, 50 points,
Had only killed one innocent person in his life, feeling extremely guilty about it, and was indifferent to the mass deaths of martial artists, allowing evil to prosper...
The evaluation from the Benevolence Detector was highly contradictory, causing Batman to furrow his brow deeply. He was about to call Divine Dragon to ask what was happening when a loud shout was heard from below the stage, "Release the Abbot!"
A bold and airy man with a white turban wrapped around his head leaped from the crowd and charged at Batman, a sweep of his palm carried the sounds of dragons and tigers roaring faintly.
"Qiao Feng! It’s him!"
Exclamations of surprise arose from below, the person who appeared was none other than the Six-Pouch Elder of the Beggar Gang, the one most likely to become the future Beggar Gang Helper, Qiao Feng.
This man, renowned for his stalwart and valiant nature, had countless friends and high esteem in the Jianghu, his martial arts were excessively high, revered as South Murong North Qiaofeng, just recently suspected of involvement in the mysterious death of the previous Beggar Gang leader Wang Jiantong, forced to lay low and seek the truth, to prove his innocence,
Unexpectedly showing up here.
Batman, facing one of the strongest of the young generation, Qiao Feng, facing his Dragon Subduer Eighteen Palm, made no move, his palm still pressed against Abbot Xuan Ci’s hand.
He knew, he would not be harmed.
Bam bam bam!
Sudden gunshots rang out in the dense forest, over ten bullets flew to block Qiao Feng’s path, forcing this turbaned hero, seemingly with an inherent theme song when appearing, to halt.
The people who fired these shots leaped out from the dense forest, onto the stage,
Each was dressed in bizarre attire, looking extremely odd.
A middle-aged man with a penguin-like obese figure,
A handsome young man dressed in colorful clothes, wearing a hat with a question mark pattern,
A stunningly beautiful woman dressed in tight black leather, accentuating her fiery figure,
A stern young man with half of his face burned,
And a strange person dressed in a purple suit, face painted with clown patterns.
Qiao Feng halted on the stage, cautiously observing these suddenly appearing oddly dressed guests, they differed from Batman, having inner strength,
Moreover, the aura of their inner strength was very familiar, resembling...
"Qingcheng Sword Faction!"
Exclamations arose from below the stage, "They’re all disciples of the Qingcheng Sword Faction!"
What?
Mr. Mo Da and Taoist Head Chong Xu looked in shock, revealing under layers of disguise, these oddly dressed with Batman were indeed young disciples of the Qingcheng Sword Faction,
The disbelief from those below the stage from Qingcheng also confirmed this fact.
"Wrong,"
Batman said solemnly, "They were once disciples of the Qingcheng Sword Faction and participated in the siege against Yongcheng Escort Bureau,
But now they have a new name.
Called the Justice League"
