Chapter 364: Chapter 60: I Hope So
A millennium of obsession. It had vanished.
And so, the Dragon King, who had always remained expressionless, finally broke into a smile. "They can live so well even without Divine Techniques and Cultivators. That’s more than enough. To think they could develop a civilization like this without Spiritual Power... We underestimated the Human Race... I was wrong. And I’m glad I was!"
Upon hearing such good news, even his dim, remnant soul flickered, shining for a moment with renewed brilliance.
"Time is running out, Su Zhou." Just then, Su Zhou heard the voice of the Artifice Sage. It was most likely an artificial intelligence the Sage had created as a copy of himself, one that was eternally rational and possessed the authority of a Holy Seat. "We can explain later, but since the remnant soul of a Dragon King is here, it would be better to ask him directly. Let him—a true Demon God from the primordial era—explain the relationship between the Mimic Dao and humanity."
"Of course." This was precisely Su Zhou’s goal, so he began to ask.
The Dragon King’s voice rang out, tinged with a slight surprise. "Is that so? You are also troubled by the distinction between the Mimic Dao and humans... Heh. In my time, there were often Immortal Gods who believed that since we had our own methods of Cultivation, there was no need to preserve the Mimic Dao Cultivation Methods."
As he spoke, the Dragon King’s remnant soul, which had dimmed a little more, shook its head forcefully. "But is there any meaning in distinguishing who is human and who is not based solely on the physical body? The root of one’s bloodline... that can be changed. And being born human does not mean one will always remain human."
"Let me give you an example. Suppose someone rapes and pillages, abuses the elderly and children, even commits acts against humanity and trafficks their own kind, causing immense harm to other humans... Do you think there is any meaning in simply killing it? Does such a creature still deserve to bear a human name, to die in a human body?"
At this point, Cen Yun’s tone became calm again. He stated flatly, "The Evil Ones think this is only natural. They were born human; that is a fact of their birth. They believe that even if they commit evil, they are still human and should enjoy ’human rights.’"
"But they are wrong."
"And I can change that."
As he said this, the Dragon King’s remnant soul, which had grown somewhat ethereal, casually pointed toward the outer surface of his draconic skull. Spiritual Qi coalesced into the shape of his hand and plucked a small sea cucumber from the surroundings. The sea cucumber was somewhat deflated, as if it had recently expelled its innards.
Then, before the sea cucumber could react, an ocean of vast Spiritual Power surged from the deep blue Dragon Pearl behind the Dragon Soul, pouring into the tiny creature.
In an instant, before everyone’s shocked eyes, the creature—which just moments before had been a common sea cucumber with no trace of Spiritual Power—transformed into a small Dragon, complete with scales and claws!
’It even has horns! That’s faster than I was!’ Nine Nether also stared in astonishment at the small Dragon in the remnant soul’s hand. It could sense that, aside from a low amount of Spiritual Qi, the small Dragon already possessed a perfectly complete circulation of Spiritual Qi Organs throughout its body. In terms of life Tier, it had instantly reached the Extraordinary High-tier!
Then, before most of the onlookers could even process the sheer power of the Cen Yun Dragon King’s display, the remnant soul performed another Divine Technique. The small Dragon instantly transformed into a person. This person, though faceless, was otherwise complete with a full set of internal organs. If one were to test its blood, its genes would undoubtedly be perfectly human!
"I did not shape his face, for his countenance is something he must determine for himself in the future. I will not presume to interfere. But aside from that, he is identical to a human in every way." Cen Yun offered a brief explanation for why he had not given the being a face. He then activated another Divine Technique, turning the person into a deep-sea fish. This transformation was just as precise, with not a single flaw to be seen.
Finally, the creature reverted to its original sea cucumber form.
Throughout the process, every stage was clearly visible. The sequence of each Spirit Technique and the flow of Spiritual Power were perfectly distinct. Su Zhou and the members of the exploration team, being the closest observers, had no instruments to verify it, but they knew with certainty that the Dragon King had no reason to lie. If he said he could alter the very root of a bloodline, it meant he could truly manipulate organisms at the genetic level, forcing them to transform!
After that series of transformative Divine Techniques, the sea cucumber had not only regained its innards but had even gained a Junior Level Soul. The Dragon King returned it to its original spot, but everyone knew that this creature’s destiny was no longer that of a simple sea cucumber.
"Sovereign Nüwa once performed a miracle, allowing even mud to take human form... For beings such as us, the physical body is merely the foundation upon which wisdom is built, but it is not the foundation of the ’Human Race.’"
After returning the sea cucumber to its place, the Celestial Pool Dragon King shifted his gaze back to Su Zhou and the others. His form had already begun to slowly crumble; the hand that had just performed the Divine Techniques had dissolved into fragments of Spiritual Light. But he spoke with utter indifference, "I once inflicted punishment on a descendant of the Feng Clan who preyed on mortals and wantonly indulged his beastly desires. He considered himself a scion of Sovereign Nüwa’s line and believed his ancestral bloodline was enough to protect him from all harm."
"Indeed, the bloodline of Sovereign Nüwa cannot be dishonored. So, with tacit approval, I altered the root of its bloodline, making it no longer the son of its parents, nor a member of the Feng Clan. Finally, I turned it into an ox and gave it to the mortals whose families and friends it had killed—it was no longer a person. We had no obligation to protect it. All laws are written for people, not for a masterless wild ox."
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