Chapter 489: Chapter 384: Ideological Conflict_3

Huff! A dark figure suddenly leaped forward, tightly clutching the golden figure.

The next moment, fire burst forth from the figure’s body, engulfing all three people in flames.

“Open fire!”

Amidst roaring shouts, the dim golden figure stumbled out, his face covered in blood, he looked furiously toward the camera and said, “You pieces of shit…”

The next moment, the dim golden light completely vanished, and his skull was blown open by a bullet. His body convulsed as it fell to the ground.

The camera quickly moved over, sweeping toward the two bloodied, indiscernible forms.

Then from behind the camera, a handgun appeared, its muzzle aimed at one of the gasping figures.

Zeng Li’s voice came from off-screen, “Brothers, you go on ahead, I’ll catch up soon.”

…

Through the night-vision lens of a drone.

Fireworks of flames lit up a village.

A shadow flung fire all around while shooting panic-stricken villagers dead.

It wasn’t until every single person in the village had been killed that Zeng Li stopped. He looked at the village consumed by flames and let out wild laughter.

A commanding voice came from the drone, “Zeng Li, you left the squad without orders and massacred civilians. Do you realize how grave your mistake is?”

The laughing Zeng Li raised his head, chuckled and said to the hovering drone, “If they hadn’t snitched, how would we have fallen into an ambush?”

“There is not a single innocent person in this world.”

“Only when the beasts of this world also feel pain and fear, will they not treat the present world as a hunting ground, each one eager to run here.”

“Rather than being passively resistant all the time, better to kill until they are afraid.”

“In terms of the speed of slaughter, are we really going to be outdone by them?”

A sigh came from the drone, “You’re insane.”

…

Through the surveillance camera.

Under the aim of countless gun barrels, Zeng Li spoke angrily, “You want to capture me?”

The soldier opposite him, with a hint of fear on his face, slowly said, “Mr. Zeng, if you wish to cross the Spirit Cave, you must accept an inspection and subsequent surveillance…”

Zeng Li sneered, “Are you afraid of me?”

The soldier explained, “Everyone who has mastered the second inheritance must undergo 15 days of surveillance upon returning to the country. It’s the rule.”

Zeng Li took a deep breath and after a long while, he said, “Then let’s follow the rules.”

…

Zhao Wanxi looked over one file after another, along with various videos, and summed up indifferently, “Through round after round of massacres, Zeng Li grew increasingly powerful, quickly becoming one of the rare persons in the present world who had mastered the second inheritance.”

“But at that time, although his emotions were increasingly extreme and self-centered, he still maintained a certain restraint due to the inertia of his past life.”

“Until the year Xia Country and New Country began peace talks.”

“Zeng Li saw someone in the news, someone he would never forget.”

“That person was a Mirror World criminal that Xia Country was about to release back to New Country, and was also the person who killed Zeng Li’s wife and daughter.”

“Zeng Li attacked the convoy transporting the prisoner at that time, killing everyone except the driver.”

“Afterwards, he fled all over the place under the joint pursuit of Xia Country and New Country, killing more and more along the way, including over three hundred people from the present world…”

As Zeng Li’s various files appeared in front of Lin Xing, more and more news and intelligence reports similar to Zeng Li’s case emerged one after another.

“Zeng Li’s case is not an isolated incident, I could easily find thousands of similar examples,” Zhao Wanxi said.

“Whether it’s Mirror World or the present world, after the great changes in the heavens and earth and the surging of spirit mechanisms, all cultivators who have rapidly increased in strength share the common characteristic of having extreme emotions and acting recklessly.”

“The more reckless they are, the stronger they become, and the stronger they are, the more reckless they act.”

“The current stability of the world,” he said, “is merely supported by the aging rulers clinging to their past ways of thinking. Since their powers have grown little due to their age, they haven’t been affected too much.”

“But as they grow older and retire, what do you think the world will become when the new generation of strong beings begin to take charge?”

Zhao Wanxi gently tapped her delicate toes on the sea of illusion below and saw the chaos that was unfolding in various foreign countries.

There were strong beings dividing territories, each establishing their own nations on certain islands.

There were rulers beheaded, with power struggles erupting in some minor countries.

There was also complete anarchy, with some grassland plunged into a state of lawlessness.

“Senior brother,” Zhao Wanxi looked at Lin Xing with a face full of despair, “I hate the Zhao family I was born into, I hate He Xi Mansion, I hate New Country, I really hate that place called Mirror World filled with lunatics…”

“But now it seems that, after the turmoil, the real world has inevitably followed in the footsteps of the Mirror World.”

“It’s a world where only the strong can dominate, and the quest to become powerful invariably leads to madness. As long as the environment remains the same, this world is doomed to hopelessness.”

“No matter how the major powers of this world strive and struggle, they will inevitably end up breeding the same kind of madmen as those in the Mirror World.”

“And to change the environment, you must break the layout of the Immortal Court.”

“But is that possible? No matter how powerful you become, the Immortal Court could simply strip away your cultivation, making you start all over again.”

“A single upheaval in the Spirit Veins could prevent anyone in the entire world from advancing to the fourth lineage.”

“The transfer of malevolent energy could change the mindset of an entire world’s people.”

“Senior brother, what do you have to change this world?”

Lin Xing stared at the countless realities sinking and floating in the sea of illusion before him. He didn’t answer Zhao Wanxi’s question but instead asked her, “Can you find the Great Bright Buddha?”

…

The Real World.

In the land of Bright Buddha Country, formerly the northeast of White Eagle Country.

The city was filled with variously shaped Buddhist statues.

From time to time, broadcasts emitted the sound of Buddhist scriptures being chanted.

Xia Jianlong sat cross-legged in front of a Buddha statue, tapping a wooden fish while his eyes darted around, his face full of impatience.

Having been in Buddha Country for a year, he became increasingly uncomfortable with life there.

Previously he had been working for Jing Shiyu in Xia Country, but with Lin Xing likely to have perished on the Moon and Xia Country’s weakness, New Country was becoming more and more aggressive. Xia Jianlong thought it best to plan ahead and find a new backer.

He’d made too many enemies in New Country over the years and didn’t dare to look back.

The Great Bright Buddha was renowned for his profound strength, ranking no less than the four Immortal Emperors. His Buddha Country, suspended in isolation in the northeast of White Eagle Country and far from the front lines of the two realms’ battlefields, became Xia Jianlong’s prime option.

Moreover, he had heard that in Buddha Country, all tasks were carried out by Buddhas, and the citizens had nothing to do, supposedly making it the happiest country in the world.

But after arriving, Xia Jianlong realized…

“It’s all bullshit. Goddamn it, reciting scriptures and praying all day long; I’m really going to go insane.”

Six years had passed, and though Xia Jianlong had not mastered the third lineage, he had reached the peak of the second.

He never imagined that he, a peak second lineage strong being and one who had once had his hands on a major faction like the Divine Dragon Gang, would end up here, tasked only with praying to Buddha every day.

Just then, an old monk above him glared at him and bellowed, “Concentrate.”

Seeing the sober demeanor of the old monk, Xia Jianlong grew even more dissatisfied.

This old monk named Hui Yin prioritized innate talent above all else. To him, everyone in the world seemed to belong to one of two categories.

One was the truly strong, and the other would be the strong of the future.

As for others? In his eyes, they seemed to be mere air or just tools for praying to Buddha, cattle for chanting scriptures.

And, of course, Xia Jianlong, who had cultivated for years but still remained in the second lineage, was seen as just that in Hui Yin’s eyes, at most a strong ox fit for overtime praying.

Xia Jianlong abruptly stood up, looked at Hui Yin, and said, “I’m not here to chant scriptures. I want to see the Great Bright Buddha! I have important information to report to him!”