Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 332 Taking Responsibility
Zhao Huihui returned disappointed.

The capital region was not breached, for two reasons.

Firstly, the capital region was the last stronghold for the scholar-officials, and they were indeed going all out.

On the other hand, the rebels were not united. How could such a large-scale rebel army be maintained? Who would provide logistics?

Many people have been arguing fiercely about this.

Upon seeing this situation, Zhao Huihui knew that "this fellow is not worth planning with" and decisively decided to lead his men back.

He soberly judged that ensuring the safety of his hometown was more important than conquering the capital region.

However, when he returned to Mozhou, he discovered... good heavens, the emperor Ying Hua and his family of three, along with several serving eunuchs, were already waiting for him on Mount Mo.
Was their house raided?

Obviously not. Zhao Huihui realized that being able to settle down on Mount Mo must have been arranged by their ancestors.

Zhao Huihui still felt lost, wondering how he should conduct himself in this chaotic world.

Even if he wanted to redeem someone, he could only sweep the snow from his own doorstep, a feeling that made him very uncomfortable.

He was very clear about the distinction: he could only do what he could within his capabilities, and he would only consider other matters after ensuring the well-being of his fellow villagers.

……

At this time, Zhao Yifu also transformed into a human and walked among mortals.

He witnessed the true beginning of a chaotic era.

And it all started when the rebel army that besieged the capital was retreating. No one knows who struck first, but it gradually turned into a large-scale plunder of the people around the capital!
Many rebel armies lacked sufficient provisions for their return journey, so they resorted to preying on the people of the capital region.

Thus, the soldiers passed through like a comb, leaving behind only a desolate scene.

Zhao Yifu felt a little sad, but surprisingly not as intensely as he had imagined.

He wondered what he would have thought if he had seen this scene in the past.
He's probably already standing in the middle of the field with just his sword, and he wouldn't hesitate to cut down all these bandits one by one!
But now he seems much more indifferent.

Why?

Because he knew that more than half the people on this land had to die!
When he saw such macro-level figures, he became less easily moved by the micro-level life, death, and tragedy.

Zhao Yifu felt that his perspective was too broad, which was a normal reaction...

But when his gaze moved down and he saw the human tragedy unfolding on the ground, he suddenly felt a sense of urgency.

He found himself unable to remain calm, simply because he could not reconcile the current tragedy with the 'fate' of his inevitable death.

He was just giving himself a reason to accept the horrific state of humanity with a clear conscience.

But can he accept it?

Zhao Yifu pondered for a moment, then suddenly remembered some evil practices he had encountered in a very distant era.

Back then, he felt he didn't need those things, but now...

He suddenly realized he could use it.

But how do I use it?

While he was comprehending the Great Luo Mystic Realm, his primordial spirit also separated some thoughts to ponder them carefully.

Then, after pondering this for a moment, he suddenly snapped out of his reverie, because he was about to do something funny!

His primordial spirit split into more incarnations, which meant that he had brought the entire mortal world under his sight.

He wanted to try and see if he could make a change in his own way.

His incarnation used a very advanced method, directly using the resentment of those who died tragically as raw materials to perform an evil spell.

He added a touch of dark energy to this evil technique. Under the influence of the aroused resentment, the tormented corpse rapidly transformed, eventually becoming a monster-like entity.

Originally a woman who had been tortured to death, she now had four segmented tentacles and a large, gaping mouth that covered most of her face. She then pounced on the soldier who had caused her death and began to bite him viciously.

The soldier was torn to pieces in terror, while the monster rampaged wildly...

Even more people began to transform into all sorts of bizarre and monstrous creatures.

But these monsters all have one thing in common: they are driven by 'revenge'!
After they have completed their revenge, they will immediately return to the underworld without lingering for a moment.

This is Zhao Yifu's magic, 'Death Revenge'!
All those who die unjustly will be driven to change by their resentment.

After the transformation, the original victim becomes the perpetrator, launching a brutal counterattack for a period of time, killing all the targets of resentment, and then the resentment used as fuel is exhausted, and the soul returns to the underworld.

This whole sequence of actions was absolutely brilliant.

Having obtained a soul without resentment, the underworld can naturally resume its normal activities and proceed with the rapid disposal process.

And justice in the world is also carried out by the victims themselves, which not only punishes the wicked and eliminates evil, but also allows them to directly "exorcise themselves"—it's simply a winning proposition.

At most, Zhao Yifu's actions undoubtedly violated the Heavenly Rules.

But so what?

Given that he has already dismantled all the departments of the Heavenly Court, how strong can the divine punishment sent down by the Thunder Department be?

Even Marshal Xin and Marshal Liu, who came to "enforce the law," brought alcohol with them.

With wine and food, plus the impending upheaval in the Three Realms that brings endless gossip, everyone is naturally very happy.

How much impact could such a light, sprinkling divine punishment have on Zhao Yifu, who is now at the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm?

nonexistent.

Since the Heavenly Court was unable to organize another celestial army to encircle and suppress them, it was destined that it could only let Zhao Yifu do as he pleased.

In the end, Zhao Yifu accumulated a huge amount of power and used the spell to attack the entire mortal realm.

This spell covers the entire sky above the mortal realm and will be automatically triggered once the conditions are met.

Under this spell, people gradually came to call this situation another name: the final justice!

Perhaps this is another form of compassion in chaotic times, making the wicked think twice before committing evil deeds.

But an even greater disaster struck.

War was one problem, famine was another, but the most serious was the plague. This world was finally beginning to face a test.

Massive deaths began to occur in the mortal realm.

Zhao Yifu had no way to reverse this situation; he could only try his best to provide fairness at the micro level.

His 'death revenge' clearly conforms to the operating rules of the current world, so much so that he doesn't need to deliberately maintain it, it can operate on its own.

Zhao Yifu casually used an avatar to maintain the depletion of dark source power in this spell, while his real body went to the underworld and found Lady Pingxin again.

The place where Consort Pingxin resides remains peaceful, but the number of souls gathered in that palace has increased.

The Great Emperor of the Eastern Peak has departed, and now a large number of souls are pouring into the Gates of Hell. The Eastern Peak Imperial Palace is the gateway to the underworld, and it must be under great pressure recently.

Zhao Yifu approached Consort Pingxin and said, "Your Majesty, I think I am ready to begin accepting souls."

Empress Pingxin showed a delighted expression, but after thinking for a moment, she said, "But just to be on the safe side, let's conduct an experiment first."

Zhao Yifu nodded and asked, "I wonder how Your Majesty plans to conduct the experiment?"

Lady Pingxin said, "Fengdu is already overrun with ghosts. I wonder if you could first find a way to relieve the pressure in Fengdu City?"

Zhao Yifu asked, "What kind of ghosts can be selected to enter my dream world? This is actually the question we will face next. Should we select ghosts of specific types to enter my dream world, or should we directly replicate a separate underworld system within my dream world?"

Empress Pingxin said, "I have already considered this issue. If your dream world can really be established, it would be best to use it to settle those kind souls."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu asked, "Why is that?"

Empress Pingxin said, "Because the world that is about to come will be extremely cruel, and it will be like a purgatory for all good beings."

"In that case, it would be better to let the sinners continue to atone for their sins on earth, while the virtuous enjoy peace in your land."

"Until this calamity is over, and everything starts anew, let those souls be born into this world one after another."

Zhao Yifu had a strange feeling when he heard this, as if his place had become a 'safe', specially for storing hope for the Three Realms.

Empress Pingxin seemed to see through his thoughts, and then smiled gently: "My views are different from those of the sages. The sages believe that when the ancient grievances run rampant in the world and cannot be eliminated, the only way to fight for a glimmer of hope is to repeat the chaos."

“But I think that ancient resentment also has its end. When there is no true spirit in this world that can bear these resentments, or when there is no longer enough to bear them, it will naturally lose its basis for existence.”

"When that time comes, things will turn around and things will be much better."

Zhao Yifu understood. Empress Pingxin truly lived up to her reputation as a great deity guarding the six realms of reincarnation, or rather, in some aspects, she had approached sainthood. And this understanding based on reincarnation was indeed deeply moving.

He couldn't help but probe further: "Your Majesty, as you said, to what extent is it expected?"

Empress Pingxin said, "At least 99% of the gods and Buddhas in the sky should perish."

Zhao Yifu felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing this, then realized that this path would absolutely not be approved. After all, even sages have disciples and followers; if they followed the path of Lady Pingxin, wouldn't it mean that all the sages would become powerless?
However, Lady Pingxin quickly added, "So you are a backup. With you here, it's like having a backup for the Three Realms."

"Your dream world is actually more important to me than the Dark Spring."

"The Dark Spring merely brings more energy to this world, allowing it to develop better. But you can ensure that this world 'does not die'."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yifu suddenly realized something: So what if all the gods and Buddhas in the heavens are dead? As long as their true spirits remain in his dream world, then with the power of a sage, he can resurrect them at any time after the world recovers!

The only question is whether the saints would be willing to entrust him with such an important task.

Zhao Yifu hesitated for a moment, then realized that at least two sages of the Daoist sect had already placed their bets on him.

As for Buddhism?
Their opinions seem to be divided, but at least Ajita should be showing him goodwill. The concern is which faction the Buddha Dipankara represents.
Zhao Yifu stopped his reverie and said, "So, in other words, my dream world is ultimately meant to contain the vast majority of the true spirits of the Three Realms?"

Then how is it different from the real world?
Empress Pingxin said, "This is your responsibility, and perhaps it is also your destiny."

Are you willing to shoulder such a heavy responsibility?

Zhao Yifu took a deep breath and said, "I came prepared. Perhaps I can't take on too much right now, but I think I will continue to improve."

Lady Pingxin nodded and said, "Alright, since that's the case, why don't you send all the souls queuing here into the Dream Realm now? This place is secluded enough, and I think it's best to keep what you're doing as secret as possible."

Zhao Yifu nodded heavily after hearing this.

He then sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

A moment later, a dreamlike, illusory world unfolded behind him.

After this dreamlike world appeared, all the dead souls in the Pingxin Palace rushed in.

Just a moment ago, Zhao Yifu hadn't felt anything was wrong.

But the next moment he felt a heavy weight.

That was truly heavy!
The number of souls waiting in line in the Pingxin Hall is more than a million.

With so many souls entering the dream world at once, it's enough to form a country!

The weight Zhao Yifu felt came from the increased weight of the entire dream world.

However, its source is not the souls themselves, but the aura of destiny brought by these souls after they join the operation of this world!
To put it simply, that's the weight of fate!
If the faint aura of destiny that Zhao Yifu saw in the dream was merely the destiny of the illusory world of dreams, then now that the world truly has millions of souls as its vessels, the aura of destiny is more intense than ever before, and its weight is almost suffocating Zhao Yifu.

This immense pressure acted directly on the depths of his primordial spirit, making his head feel heavy and even causing it to throb and ache quickly.

He covered his head in distress and said, "Your Majesty, this is my limit right now. I'm sorry, this is all I can hold at this time."

Empress Pingxin walked over gently and wiped Zhao Yifu's sweaty forehead with a silk handkerchief. She said with a hint of heartache in her voice, "I'm sorry that such a heavy burden has to be placed on a young man like you."

Empress Pingxin is indeed the most compassionate being in this world. Zhao Yifu covered his forehead and said, "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I'm just not used to it yet. I'll get used to it soon."

However, before he could finish speaking, Xuan Du's voice came from outside the door: "This humble Taoist, Xuan Du, greets Lady Pingxin."

Empress Pingxin was taken aback, then said, "So you are a disciple of the Sage, have you come to pick up this child?"

Xuandu said helplessly, "Master is currently refining pills in Taiqing Heaven, I didn't expect this kid to be in such a hurry..."

"You child, you've already reached the level of an invincible immortal, can't you just relax for a while?"

Even with a splitting headache, Zhao Yifu still chuckled and said, "Grandmaster, I've been in seclusion for ten years. Isn't that enough?"

Xuan Du sighed helplessly and quickly reminded him, "Why not take this opportunity to reflect on your destiny?"

Zhao Yifu immediately understood. He was being crushed by the weight of fate, so was it possible to find the technique to manipulate fate?

(End of this chapter)