Chapter 118: Chapter 25: Thoughts in the Darkness
That one sentence struck like a thunderclap, instantly shattering Su Zhou’s focus. He snapped his eyes open and gasped, "What? Go back now? Is there a problem with the Celestial God Scale?"
"I’ve only killed a few Demon Soldiers and one Demon General, and I have to go back already? Or... are you saying that if I leave now, time in this world will pause?"
Even as he said it, Su Zhou knew how ridiculous it sounded. The transmigration caused by the Celestial God Scale wasn’t something he or Yara truly controlled. So far, they were merely using it. The world it sent him to was, of course, a real world. How could time in a real world just pause on command?
’Just because we talk about it like a dungeon run, does that mean it actually is one?’
Yara’s answer confirmed his fears. "No, there’s no problem with the Celestial God Scale. And time, of course, won’t pause. When you leave, you’ve left. This world will carry on as usual."
"But, even so, why not?" Yara’s tone was calm, as if she didn’t sense Su Zhou’s shock and reluctance. "You’ve already gained more than enough from this world. Think about it. The Qi Condensation and Object Manipulation Technique has taught you the basics of controlling Spiritual Qi. The Rigid Shooting Technique has given you a ranged attack. And Thousand-Mile Walk has made you as fast as a speeding car."
"Then there are the local Spiritual Materials, giving you the reserves to quickly advance to Awakening Peak. The Spirit Pill lets you unleash a burst of power. Your weapon has been upgraded. And you even stumbled upon an Extraordinary Level Innate Secret Technique... It’s only been a few days. It’s more than enough, Su Zhou. As you are now, you could easily deal with that Extraordinary Organization back on Earth."
Su Zhou opened his mouth to argue several times, but found he had no grounds to refute her. Yara continued calmly, "You’re at the center of a vortex. Your gains have already peaked. From here on out, the rewards won’t be proportional to the risks."
"Su Zhou, you should know without me telling you how terrifying the final assault from the assembled Demon Soldiers will be. What’s more, the enemy could send even stronger forces. What if the Demon Emperor or the National Preceptor decides to act personally? That’s a real possibility, isn’t it? After all, the Imperial Palace can be rebuilt. If he becomes an Innate Expert and destroys the Divine Soldiers, he’ll be invincible. He could found a new empire whenever he pleases."
"You haven’t been a Transcendent for long. You probably can’t comprehend their logic, nor do you understand what ’true power belongs to the self’ really means, or the choices people make because of it. This is a risk that could get you killed. I advise you to avoid it."
Yara’s words were like a bucket of ice water, instantly dousing Su Zhou’s optimism. He bit his lip, his brow furrowed, and sat frozen in his tent.
Seeing this, Yara chuckled. "Don’t fret. It’s not such a big deal. This isn’t your home world, after all. You must remember, your destiny is to travel to countless worlds and exterminate Evil Gods. You can only save more people by staying alive. You’re still in your infancy right now. There’s no need to force yourself to shoulder a responsibility that isn’t yours."
It was like the tempting whisper of a Demon, yet every word she spoke was the honest truth.
But her tone and attitude only served to ignite Su Zhou’s temper.
"Absolutely not! I promised the Hundred Schools’ Righteous Army I would protect the Divine Soldiers until they are complete. I made a pact, and I will see it through! If I don’t kill that Demon Imperial Master, my thoughts will never be clear!"
He plucked Yara from his ear and looked her straight in the eye. "Yara, I know exactly how much of a cheat I’m running."
"My Yinglong Bloodline is an ancestral throwback; I was born with Spirit Awakening. I used to chase Ghosts and other weird things, but they avoided me like the plague. I’m not a normal person. I’ve known that for a long time."
"Then I met you. I made a pact with the remnant of a ’Great Being’—something I still can’t properly describe or even imagine. You gave me a stronger bloodline, power, and a legacy. You even guided me in using the Celestial God Scale, allowing me to travel to other worlds to gain resources and strength."
"After eating the Wisdom Fruit, my thinking, which was average at best, improved drastically. The Basic Three Techniques, the Spear Technique, all the Secret Techniques I’ve learned since—I pick them up instantly. There’s nothing I can’t understand or master. I’ve only ever fired a few dozen arrows in my life, and I’ve used the Rigid Shooting Technique just four times in combat, yet I can hit a target from hundreds of meters away... This instinctive ability to calculate and predict trajectories... even I’m frightened by my own talent!"
At this, Su Zhou paused. He tightened his grip on the Spirit Iron Spear beside him, his earnest tone softening into a wistful sigh.
"Most importantly, a person needs a purpose. What am I supposed to do with all this hacked power and talent? I think that’s a really important question. Not long ago, I said I would kill Evil People, right? But it’s only been a few months, and I’ve already realized how shallow that was."
"You have to kill Evil People, and you can kill them all, but as long as the objective conditions that create them exist, they will inevitably reappear once the pressure is off."
"Take the Divine Wood World, for example, with the conflict between the Divine Wood Clan and ordinary life. The Divine Wood Clan can absorb the flesh, blood, and Spiritual Energy of mortal beings to grow, and they don’t need to rely on anything else to survive. There’s no reason for them to negotiate peacefully or seek mutual benefit with lesser beings. And those lesser beings, facing a superior lifeform that can sustain itself on them, could never unite without traitors and spies emerging from their ranks. To solve this problem, you don’t just kill Evil People; you have to eliminate the ’Source of evil.’"
"Is that evil? To me, yes, it is. But from the perspective of the world, of entire Races, it’s just natural ecological development—a rather violent form of replacement. I’m well aware that my so-called good and evil is just a subjective, chaotic standard I’ve set for myself, one that’s probably full of double standards and constantly shifting."
At this, Su Zhou fell silent. But the Spirit Iron Spear in his hand began to glow with a faint Spiritual Light, wreathed in purplish-blue flames.
After a long silence, he spoke again, his voice slow and resolute with new-found determination. "And precisely because that standard is so fickle, the one thing I must hold on to is ’action.’ I have to go and cut down that Divine Tree and sever the Source of what I perceive as evil. No matter how difficult or dangerous it may be."
"Because I believe this is what I’m meant to do with this talent I’ve been given, no matter how much of a cheat it is."
There was something else Su Zhou left unsaid, but the meaning was clear to anyone.
’If I have this kind of power and opportunity, yet I can’t even hold on to my own ideals, to the justice in my heart... if I abandon my principles before the very first major crisis in the very first world...’
’...then how many more times will I give up in the future? Will I just make an excuse every single time?’
"Are you an idiot?"
But Yara just sneered, attacking his most basic premise. "Have you been doing Extraordinary Cultivation for more than a few days, and you’re already trying to do ’Refining Heart’? Don’t be so stubborn. Your journey has only just begun. When you’re stronger in the future, you won’t have to give up. But for now, why not take a step back and see the bigger picture? Don’t forget your original goal."
"I *am* sticking to my original goal—killing Evil Gods to help Earth, and killing Evil People to increase my own strength."
Su Zhou shifted his posture, placing Yara on the "Gale Armor Secret Manual". With one hand on his knee and the other gripping his spear, he retorted, "This world doesn’t even have any Innate Experts. The strongest are only Grandmasters. If I can’t win, you think I can’t run? You’re just changing the subject and moving the goalposts. I can be a contrarian too, Yara! I’m very familiar with this trick of changing the subject and deflecting the main point! If things really get dangerous, do you think I’m going to fight to the death? You think I’m going to insist on living and dying with the Hundred Schools’ Righteous Soldiers?"
"Or are you trying to say that this is our only chance to return to Earth? That’s not it, is it? Running away when you can’t win is normal. That’s a ’strategic withdrawal’! But planning to run before the fight even starts? That’s ’a coward’s retreat’! And you’re a Great Being? Have you no shame?!"
Finally, Su Zhou picked up Yara—who was shaking her head and grinning, clearly feeling no shame whatsoever—and placed her back on top of his own head. He concluded in a firm tone, "Besides, if I stick with it, I can get more Evil Souls from Demon Generals, plus the resources and Secret Technique support from the Hundred Schools. The longer I stay, the more rewards I get. I’d have to be an idiot to run away without even giving it a shot!"
"Hehe... It’s good that you have your own ideas." Seeing that Su Zhou was determined to end the conversation, Yara didn’t press the issue. "Anyway, I was just offering a suggestion. What you choose to do is your own business. I’m going to get some rest."
"Alright. Good night."
As she retreated into Su Zhou’s hair, the Snake Spirit chuckled to herself. ’Guidance... since when did guiding someone have to rely on temptation and sweet talk?’
Being a contrarian was also a form of guidance. Or perhaps, a form of test.
Meanwhile, Su Zhou, who had closed his eyes once more and settled back into his cultivation posture, was having his own thoughts. ’Being a contrarian is also a form of guidance. Is Yara trying to test my determination? This is a good opportunity for that, but it’s pointless. I have my convictions, and I want to help the people of this world, but I’m not an idiot. This isn’t a do-or-die mission. I just have to do my best, and that will be enough to have a clear conscience.’
Yara, with her eyes closed, thought, ’It doesn’t matter if Su Zhou has figured me out. People only unleash their full potential when they argue and resist. That’s especially true for him.’
Su Zhou, cultivating his "Gale Armor", thought, ’Yara must know that I can guess what she’s thinking. But that doesn’t matter either. Because I was going to become the strongest in the world anyway.’
’And this Divine Wood World is just my first stepping stone!’
Spiritual Power howled within the small tent, kicking up a tornado of wind.
The young man, just eighteen and newly an adult, contemplated his future, while a pair of eyes in the darkness looked on, their gaze filled with shock and a sigh.
After a sleepless night, morning came.
Su Zhou had successfully formed his first "Gale Seed".
