Chapter 261: Chapter 213: Doing the Impossible (Part 2)
But just like the well-known "don’t think of an elephant," the more you’re told not to think of something, the more unavoidable it becomes to think of it—so Du Chengfeng simply changed his approach or, in other words, tried another way to challenge himself.
That is, can ghosts and gods accomplish what he cannot?
"Hmm..."
Du Chengfeng once again fell into silence.
As for whether ghosts and gods can do it, he didn’t know, but as for him, he probably could—after all, the reason he stayed in this village was to challenge himself to do what he couldn’t before.
So, could he do it now?
"Should be... able to, right?"
Thinking this way, Du Chengfeng simply packed up his things and walked toward the direction of the mountain ruins.
There were already some fields by the mountain ruins, cultivated since Yu Lao’er’s father’s time. Even if Du Chengfeng didn’t know how to open up land properly, he could mimic it somewhat—it was something his former self couldn’t have done. Back then, all he knew was to wield a large blade and collapse the entire mountain.
But now, he should be able to do it.
Do what his past self couldn’t.
"Rise!"
With a wave of his hand, the grass, trees, and rocks within more than ten feet floated into the air.
"Come!"
Du Chengfeng clenched his fist, and the grass, trees, and rocks flew together, forming a mass.
Supporting such a massive weight with Evil Qi was a rather arduous task even for him now—so that ball was soon thrown aside, marking the failure of his attempt.
However, Du Chengfeng was not disheartened, as attempts are always bound to fail, and throughout his journey, he had experienced far more failures than this small matter.
Moreover, this attempt brought not only failure.
But also, some new inspiration.
Making those stones and trees fly with Evil Qi seemed impressive, but it was merely for show. In essence, it was no different from a monkey throwing stones—but the reason monkeys evolved into humans by overcoming many fierce beasts wasn’t just by throwing stones; it was by shaping stones into various tools, transforming them into real "weapons" for combat.
Using tools, this is the manifestation of human wisdom.
So, can Evil Qi itself be used as a tool?
"Yes, it indeed can."
Not all weapons are solely for killing; many weapons also have tool-like attributes. For example, axes can chop wood, and knives can cut through vegetation for paths... Speaking of this, what impressed him most was the time he had just left Yizhou City.
The old eunuch sent by the Southern Chen royalty to greet him excelled with fine, resilient threads. These expensive threads could slice through necks, weave into clothes, or even patch up a ship’s hull to stop leaks. If truly necessary, they could even be woven into a makeshift boat for escape.
This was only what the old eunuch showed; there were surely many uses he hadn’t demonstrated.
Following this line of thought, Evil Qi is far more flexible than threads, and there’s no reason Evil Qi can’t achieve what threads can—of course, it requires skill to weave this formless power into a tool. But why stick to using Evil Qi itself as the tool, like the old eunuch did?
"If you attach a weight to the end of a thread, it becomes a formidable Meteor Hammer."
With this thought, Du Chengfeng couldn’t help but look at the grass, wood, and rocks he had originally considered as garbage.
Yes, wood and stone.
In the past, he thought of these things as trash, obstacles in his path, but now he realized... weren’t these the very things those ancient monkeys used to defeat fierce beasts?
"Rise!"
With Du Chengfeng’s gesture, the grass, wood, and rocks flew up again—but this time, as he clenched his fist, they didn’t just form a simple ball.
Instead, under Du Chengfeng’s conscious control, they interlocked and bolstered each other in a formation.
Until a massive digger appeared in Du Chengfeng’s vision.
"Should have done this earlier!"
Du Chengfeng’s thoughts had never been so clear; things returned to his familiar field—indeed, he might not know how to make every stone in the ruins fly, but manipulating a digger to clear the ruins? Surely he could do that?
Of course, he couldn’t, as he hadn’t learned such a skilled profession as operating a digger. However, the Evil Qi he now controlled was far more useful than machinery.
No need to follow operational protocols or master professional techniques, for Evil Qi was a power easily maneuvered by him—indeed, now even more so, capable of more than mere destruction; it could truly lift things.
"Perhaps this is the most fitting use for Evil Qi?"
While excavating the buried vegetation and rocks, Du Chengfeng scratched his head.
Although something felt slightly off, from his personal experience, this was how it seemed—using Evil Qi to kill was straightforward, just blast it away, and if that’s not enough, add more... Such acts were devoid of technicality, much like throwing stones, something any monkey could accomplish.
But now, things were entirely different.
Combining the ethereal Evil Qi with various real-life materials creates the most perfect tools—even if the materials were ordinary. As long as the imagination was rich enough, everything impossible could become possible.
Just like now, while he couldn’t make all the stones fly at once, he could create five diggers to excavate the ruins at the same time, and as more grass, wood, and stone were dug up, the number of diggers increased.
The reason those ancient monkeys could conquer other fierce beasts was primarily that they understood the creation and utilization of tools.
The creation and utilization of tools are interconnected. If one only uses existing tools, they would at best be a smarter monkey.
Understanding how to create tools tailored to the situation reflects true wisdom, providing the confidence to contend with ferocious beasts and enabling them to do what they couldn’t before.
And now, Du Chengfeng had finally embarked on this path.
He no longer sought connection with ghosts and gods; such pursuits were unnecessary.
For true power had always been in his hands all along.
"So this is what omnipotence feels like."
At this moment, Du Chengfeng recalled the question he had posed to challenge himself earlier.
If it were him, could he create a stone so heavy that he couldn’t lift it, no matter what?
Yes, that would be simple; just cast a building from concrete, and ten of him combined couldn’t lift it.
But if he wanted, he could also demolish that building into ruins and move it elsewhere with a powerful machine driven by Evil Qi.
Perhaps this is what true omnipotence is.
Although his power hadn’t increased, Du Chengfeng clearly realized that at this moment, he could likely crush ten of his former selves.
This wasn’t a difference in strength.
But the difference between humans and monkeys.
And what is the greatest difference between humans and monkeys?
That is, monkeys would never be foolish enough to drink more than thirty bottles of cheap liquor.
"Ugh."
The fifteen rock-formed diggers fell to the ground as Du Chengfeng already clutched his knees, vomiting.
"No, feeling unwell, better get some sleep..."
Thinking this, Du Chengfeng summoned some rocks and grass to use as a blanket and covered himself right there.
