Deep Sea Starship Apocalypse

The heavens opened their divine eyes, the three paths merged into one body: the rebellious remains returned to silence, and the world was left with sorrow.

The world of Cangyuan Star remains immersed in the sorrow of all spirits weeping and the despair of the arrival of the rebellious demon.

After being deconstructed, reshaped, and infinitely expanded by the Supreme System, Cangyuan Star has long transcended the realm of mortal stars, transforming into an ancient realm star stretching across the cosmos. Its diameter reaches an astonishing 11,467,800 kilometers, its radius 5,733,900 kilometers, its surface area a vast 1.6526 x 10^14 square kilometers, and its volume exceeding 6.3173 x 10^21 cubic kilometers—a million times its original size and nearly 900,000 times the volume of Earth. Its vast territory stretches for billions of miles, with endless mountains and valleys, ruined cities crisscrossing the continent, and boundless pools of corpses and blood. This absurdly massive size, even bearing the ravages of peak-level demon gods of the Heavenly Realm and the apocalyptic phenomena of the Heavenly Dao weeping blood, has never shown the slightest sign of collapse. Only under the erosion of endless evil and bloodlust, it has become a cosmic inferno destined for eternal damnation.

Above the heavens, the dark crack previously blasted by Cang Yuanmi's punch still gurgled with the aura of Cang Yuan's annihilation. Dark crimson blood energy intertwined with dark green evil mist, like a rotting sore, stretching across the sky and tearing the already solidified, jade-like heavens to shreds. The dark golden blood scattered by the Heavenly Dao Avatar as it burned its origin was still slowly falling. Tiny particles of light, like dying fireflies, flickered weakly in the thick blood energy. Each drop of golden blood that touched the earth could dispel some of the putrid stench, bringing a moment of peace to the withered bones and a trace of relief to the remnant souls. However, under Cang Yuanmi's overwhelming evil power, this sacred radiance was as weak as a candle in the wind, ready to be completely swallowed up at any moment.

The earth was already decayed and cracked, with countless bottomless, pitch-black fissures crisscrossing like the earth's ferocious veins. From these fissures, a chilling, abyssal aura constantly surged, mingling with the viscous, dark red blood on the surface, producing a sizzling, corrosive sound. The pool of bones and blood continued to boil and churn, with billions of withered bones piled up like mountains, from mortal remains to ancient divine bones, all blackened and rotten from being soaked in blood. Crimson maggots and black fungi wriggled between the bones, each roll stirring up blood bubbles filled with resentment and venom. The subtle sounds of these bursting bubbles intertwined with the suppressed wails of all living beings, creating a symphony of despair that pierced the soul. The ruins of the city trembled under the pressure of the peak of the Xiaoyou Realm. Bricks and stones crumbled and fell, and withered bones rolled and collided, making a crisp yet mournful sound. The whole world was devoid of any vitality, only decay, desolation, sorrow and violence, like a graveyard abandoned by heaven and earth, a prison filled with sin.

A thousand-foot-tall, malevolent figure stood in the center of the blood pool, its bony scales shimmering with crimson light. Twisted, resentful patterns writhed like living creatures, and two orbs of blood-and-ink flames burned fiercely in its eye sockets, reflecting the golden blood and shattered sky. A crimson halo, a billion kilometers wide, slowly rotated around him. With each rotation, countless resentful souls were drawn into the halo, becoming nourishment for his power. The purifying power of the Heavenly Dao's golden blood was steadily defeated under the halo's suppression, and the atmosphere of despair in the world grew increasingly heavy. He threw his head back and laughed wildly, his voice rough and violent, filled with contempt for the Heavenly Dao and trampling on all things. His laughter shattered the void, caused the golden blood to flow backward, and silenced all spirits. Only the evil and madness that penetrated to the bone marrow spread rampantly between heaven and earth.

Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue, collapsed in a corner of the ruined city, were covered in blood, their souls shattered, and they had lost even the strength to lift a finger. The golden blood of the Heavenly Dao fell upon them, its faint life force slowly nourishing their broken bodies and souls. But Cang Yuanmi's oppressive aura was like a million mountains pressing down on them, making even breathing a luxury. They could only watch helplessly as the rebellious demon reveled in his madness, feeling the last vestiges of sacredness in the world dissipate. Despair overwhelmed them like a tidal wave, completely drowning their last shred of will to resist. They knew that the Heavenly Dao had fallen, all spirits were left without refuge, and this world would ultimately fall into Cang Yuanmi's grasp, all living beings sinking into eternal pain and annihilation.

At this extreme moment, where deathly silence, grief, and madness intertwined, all sounds in the world suddenly ceased.

The wailing of all spirits abruptly ceased, the boiling of the blood pool returned to calm, the struggle of the vengeful souls completely stopped, and even Cang Yuanmi's maniacal laughter was abruptly cut off by an invisible force at this moment.

Time seemed to freeze once more, but this time, it wasn't a desperate stagnation, but rather an extreme oppression originating from the very source of heaven and earth. An indescribable pressure, like an ancient behemoth slowly awakening from its slumber, quietly spread from the pinnacle of the heavens, the depths of the earth, and the very souls of all living beings. This pressure was unlike Cang Yuanmi's violent evil, nor like the previous divine gentleness of the Heavenly Dao avatar; rather, it was a primordial power that transcended all laws, encompassing the birth and death of all things, and governing the order of heaven and earth. It was heavy, vast, and majestic, carrying the weight of countless ages and the resolute determination to protect all living beings. In an instant, it enveloped the entire Cang Yuan Star, from the depths of the starry sky to the core of the earth, leaving no place untouched.

At first, this oppressive force was as faint as a thread, like the breath of a slumbering being. But in an instant, it swept across the heavens and earth like a tsunami, distorting the void, forcing the blood energy to retreat, and even causing the crimson halo surrounding Cang Yuanmi to tremble. A muffled rumble came from the depths of the earth, as if the heart of the earth, which had been sleeping for billions of years, was beating anew; a faint light appeared in the sea of ​​myriad souls, a resonance originating from the very source of life, an instinctive awe of the awakening of the ruler of heaven and earth; above the sky, the flowing evil energy and dark crimson blood energy of Cang Yuanmi retreated frantically as if encountering a natural enemy, revealing large swathes of the sky that had been obscured.

The maniacal smile on Cang Yuanmi's face froze instantly. His towering body trembled violently, and the evil fire in his eye sockets flickered intensely, revealing for the first time an expression of unbelievable horror. He could feel that this pressure far surpassed the previous Heavenly Dao avatar, and even exceeded the complete Heavenly Dao that had suppressed him in the past. It was the will of heaven and earth itself, an inviolable primal power. Even though he had broken through to the peak of the Xiaoyou Realm, in the face of this pressure, he was like an ant facing a dragon, feeling an irresistible fear in his heart.

"What is that?!"

Cang Yuanmi let out a low growl, a hint of barely perceptible panic in his voice. His right hand gripped the bone staff tightly, the crimson bone bead at the top of the staff shining brightly. Countless vengeful spirits howled wildly within the bead, attempting to use the power of ten thousand souls to resist the sudden pressure of the primal force. But no matter how he urged his evil power, that vast and majestic aura continued to rise, like the sky constantly sinking, causing his bony scales to creak under the weight, barbs to crack, and the crimson light to dim. The evil aura of Cang Yuan around him was constantly suppressed and compressed, and even his thousand-foot-tall body showed a faint tendency to hunch over under the pressure.

Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue also felt this strange pressure. Their shattered souls slowly calmed down under this pressure, and a faint glimmer of hope quietly rose in their despairing hearts. They struggled to raise their heads and looked at the sky that had been driven back by evil energy and blood energy, their eyes filled with shock and bewilderment.

At that very moment, at the very top of the sky, in the center of the torn heavens, endless darkness slowly surged, parting to both sides like a tide.

There was no earth-shattering roar, no dazzling brilliance, only utter emptiness. In that emptiness, an eye slowly opened.

It was an eye belonging to the very origin of heaven and earth, a supreme divine eye capable of traversing billions of miles of starry sky.

Its eyes were immeasurably large, their eyelids formed from the chaotic laws of heaven and earth. The whites of its eyes were a clear yet vast, dark starry sky, deep and boundless, as if containing the ancient galaxy and the birth and death of all living beings. The pupils were pure dark gold, as if condensed from the golden blood of the Heavenly Dao, with seven-colored Dao rhythms flowing at their center. Birth, death, decay, prosperity, good, evil, cause, and effect—thousands of laws intertwined and operated within the pupils, each Dao rhythm containing the supreme power to govern the order of heaven and earth. Countless fine golden divine patterns wrapped around the edges of its eyes, connected to the laws of heaven and earth, extending to every corner of Cangyuan Star, closely intertwined with the earth's veins and the sea of ​​myriad souls.

This divine eye, devoid of emotion, possessed an inherent majesty that overlooked all things; without any movement, it radiated an aura of suppression that had lasted for millennia. It hovered silently above the heavens, its gaze sweeping across the blood-soaked earth, over the mad and terrified Cang Yuanmi, over the grieving remains of countless spirits, over the decaying and cracked earth. Wherever it passed, the blood energy receded, the evil spirits subsided, the void calmed, and all spirits found peace.

The oppressive aura reached its peak as the divine eyes fully opened.

It wasn't a violent oppression, but a primal awe, like a mortal facing a supreme god, like an ant facing the vast天地 (heaven and earth). No rebellious thought arose in his heart, only endless reverence and submission. Cang Yuanmi trembled violently, his thousand-foot body retreating continuously. The pool of corpses and blood beneath his feet was crushed and boiled by the pressure, and the ten-billion-kilometer-long crimson celestial ring let out a mournful cry of unbearable strain. The resentment patterns on the ring crumbled inch by inch. His proud peak power of the Xiaoyou Realm was, before this divine eye, like a firefly before the bright moon, fragile and utterly vulnerable.

"The will of Heaven... you haven't been completely annihilated!"

Cang Yuanmi roared, his voice filled with horror and rage. He couldn't believe that the Heavenly Dao Will, which had burned its clone and severely damaged its origin, would awaken in such a terrifying way. This power far surpassed the complete Heavenly Dao of the past and was already a manifestation of the origin of heaven and earth!

And this is just the beginning.

As the Heavenly Eye opened, a deep and resonant rumble echoed from the depths of the earth, like the earth's core awakening from its slumber.

Endless, earthen-yellow light surged from the core of the earth, spreading along the crisscrossing veins of the earth to every inch of Cangyuan Star. This was the revival of the Earth's will. The Earth, which governs the earth's bearing, the rest of all spirits, and the cycle of life and death, broke free from the erosion of Cangyuan's evil energy under the call of the awakened will of the Heavenly Dao, and regained control of the earth's laws. Wherever the earthen-yellow light passed, the cracked earth slowly healed, the decaying soil returned to its heavy state, the boiling pool of blood gradually calmed, and the writhing corpse fungi and maggots turned to ashes. The earth's cold and decaying atmosphere was slowly dispelled by the Earth's heavy and steady presence.

Countless earthen-yellow Dao patterns emerged from the earth, intertwining to form a protective barrier that kept the evil energy of the Cangyuan at bay. Nourished by the will of the earth, the wounds of all living beings slowly healed, and their despairing souls found a peaceful refuge. Within the earth's veins, ancient, dormant spiritual veins slowly awakened, pure earth energy rising and seeping into every inch of soil, planting seeds of rebirth for this desolate land. The ancient mineral veins and divine materials buried deep underground, awakened by the will of the earth, once again emitted a warm glow, mingling with the earthen-yellow radiance, adding a touch of hidden vitality to the heavy earth.

Immediately afterwards, a faint yet tenacious ray of light quietly shone within the sea of ​​myriad souls.

That is the revival of the will of humanity.

Humanity, governing the hearts and minds of all beings, the choices between good and evil, and the transmission of civilization, is the weakest of the three paths. It exists dependent on living beings, and after enduring war, slaughter, and the erosion of evil forces, it is already broken and weak, like a candle flickering in the wind. Yet, under the call of the will of Heaven and the will of Earth, this wisp of will originating from the very heart of all beings stubbornly awakens. A pale white radiance of humanity emanates from the souls of every surviving being, converging between heaven and earth. Though lacking the majesty of Heaven or the weight of Earth, it carries the unique warmth of all beings—their yearning for life, their longing for good, and their hope for the future.

Beneath the ruins of the city, a faint white light emanated from the dying souls of small beasts. Their terrified eyes gradually calmed, and their trembling subsided. For the critically wounded cultivators and mortals, a touch of warmth dispelled the despair in their souls, and their fragmented souls slowly coalesced, rekindling the will to live. Even the remnants of souls corrupted by resentment, under the radiance of humanity, saw their madness fade, and a long-lost clarity flickered in their eyes. The radiance of humanity, though faint, was omnipresent, surrounding all beings, soothing their terrified souls, awakening the remaining goodness within them. Even after the carnage and despair, the will of humanity had not been completely extinguished, like a spark in the darkness, upholding the last vestiges of humanity's true nature.

At this point, all three wills were revived.

The will of Heaven resides in the heavens, its divine eyes overlooking all things, governing the laws of the universe, the order of heaven and earth, and the flow of Yin and Yang; the will of Earth governs the earth, its thick soil bearing all spirits, controlling the changes of mountains and rivers, the cycle of life and death, and the flourishing and withering of all things; the will of Humanity roams the world, its sparks connecting the heart, governing the nature of living beings, the choice between good and evil, and the continuation of civilization. Then, Humanity spoke in a sorrowful and grief-stricken tone.

The three wills, residing in the realms of Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, resonate with each other, their origins aligned. The vast and majestic Heavenly Will, the profound and steady Earthly Will, and the gentle and resilient Humanistic Will, flowed like three ceaseless rivers, intertwining and interacting. The laws of Heaven and Earth, originally crumbling due to the fall of the Heavenly Will, the suppression of the Earthly Will, and the devastation of the Humanistic Will, began to slowly repair and reorganize at the moment the three wills resonated.

In the void, the shattered spatial rifts gradually closed, and the distorted patterns of laws became regular again; on the earth, the rampant evil energy of the Cangyuan was continuously suppressed and purified, and the decaying aura was replaced by the thick earth energy; among all living beings, the atmosphere of despair was diluted by a glimmer of hope, and the sorrowful sobs turned into low murmurs, which were awe for the revival of the three paths and an expectation for the reappearance of life.

As the resonance of the three wills grew stronger, a power that transcended the three wills was born—the will of heaven and earth.

This is the primordial will of Cangyuan Star, a perfect fusion of the Heavenly Way, the Earthly Way, and the Human Way, the supreme ruler who governs all life, death, order, good, and evil in this realm. It is not a simple superposition of the three wills, but a completely new existence born from their fusion, encompassing the strengths of the three and compensating for their weaknesses. It possesses the supreme majesty of the Heavenly Way, the magnanimous support of the Earthly Way, and the compassionate empathy of the Human Way.

The fused radiance continuously contracted and condensed, transforming from a vast and boundless wave of three-colored laws into a human-shaped light and shadow that slowly manifested between heaven and earth.

It was a divine image that could stand tall and upright, towering ten thousand feet between the heavens and the earth. It had the Heavenly Eye on its head, the Earthly Soil beneath its feet, and was surrounded by the Starfire of Humanity, perfectly embodying the majesty and compassion of heaven and earth.

The Dharma Image was composed entirely of a tapestry of dark gold, earthy yellow, and pale white light, its flowing robes condensed from the most fundamental laws of heaven and earth. Embroidered upon them were countless Dao patterns—the movement of stars, the alternation of sun and moon, mountains and rivers, the life and death of all beings, and the cause and effect of good and evil—all flowing ceaselessly on its robes. Each pattern contained supreme power capable of destroying the world or creating all things. The Dharma Image possessed unparalleled handsome features, noble and elegant, unlike the sharp majesty of mortal gods or the ferocious terror of demons. Instead, it carried the peace of having witnessed countless ages, the compassion of all beings in its heart, and the serene composure of looking down upon all living beings.

His eyes, like miniature versions of the celestial eyes, flowed with seven-colored Daoist principles in their dark golden pupils. Wherever his gaze fell, all things returned to order, and all spirits found peace. His hair, formed from starlight and the earth's energy, was a pale dark gold, swaying gently in the wind, carrying an inherent sacred aura. Tiny sparks of humanity flickered within his hair, shimmering with a warm light. Three divine rings surrounded him: the innermost was a dark golden Heavenly Dao ring, suppressing evil and demons, and upholding the laws of nature; the middle was an earthen yellow Earthly Dao ring, bearing all things and nourishing life; the outermost was a pale white Human Dao ring, discerning good from evil and soothing the soul. As the three rings rotated, the evil energy, bloodlust, and resentment in the world were continuously purified and dissolved.

The Dharma Image's hands hung naturally at its sides. A Tai Chi Yin-Yang symbol appeared in its left palm, signifying the power of life and death; its right palm radiated a blue lotus pattern, embodying a compassionate heart. Its feet stood firmly on the earth, every inch of its skin flowing with tri-colored light, intimately connected to the origin of heaven and earth. It stood silently, without any movement, yet emanated an unparalleled pressure that suppressed eternity and encompassed all things. This pressure was not like the violent oppression of Cang Yuanmi, but a primal awe that brought peace to all things and subjugated all evil, like facing the heaven and earth that nurtured it, filling its heart with only reverence and a sense of belonging.

The manifestation of the will of heaven and earth caused the entire Cangyuan Star to tremble.

Above the heavens, the Heavenly Dao's divine eye shone brightly, echoing the Dharma Image from afar; within the earth, the ley lines roared, and a golden-yellow radiance shot into the sky, supporting the Dharma Image's feet; among all living beings, the sparks of humanity surged, and a pale white radiance enveloped the Dharma Image. The collapsed order of heaven and earth was completely reshaped the instant the Dharma Image manifested, and the desolate world finally welcomed back its long-awaited vitality.

The blood pool of corpses, teeming with blood and gore, gradually dried up, the viscous blood seeping into the earth and being purified by the will of the earth. The surging evil energy of the abyss was swallowed up by the three-colored light and dissipated into nothingness. In the void, the broken cracks completely closed, and the pitch-black sky became clear again, letting in a faint light. On the decaying earth, the cracked soil gradually became moist, and a few tender green shoots sprouted from the soil, growing tenaciously under the nourishment of the humanistic light.

Gazing upon the magnificent, noble, sacred, and compassionate divine image, all the spirits' despair vanished, leaving only boundless awe and hope. Within the ruined city, Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue struggled to their feet. Their wounds slowly healed under the pressure of the will of heaven and earth, their shattered souls stabilizing once more. Looking at the divine image, tears welled in their eyes, and they bowed deeply in its direction. They knew that this world, having endured so much calamity, had finally received true salvation, and this towering figure would be the final shield protecting all spirits.

As Cang Yuanmi gazed at this towering, earth-shattering avatar of the will of heaven and earth, his bony scales crumbled inch by inch, and the evil fire in his eye sockets throbbed violently. After the initial shock came overwhelming rage and resentment.

He spent countless eons, trapped within half a celestial corpse, enduring the agonizing pain of soul-devouring, devouring billions of vengeful spirits, desecrating ancient divine remains, defying the shackles of the Heavenly Dao, and undergoing endless suffering before finally breaking through to the peak of the Heavenly Realm, believing he could now rule the world and trample all rules. But now, with the fusion of the three paths and the manifestation of the will of heaven and earth, the appearance of this supreme Dharma form makes all his efforts, all his ambitions, and all his obsessions seem like a colossal joke!

"No--!!!"

Cang Yuan let out a furious roar that shook the earth, his voice shrill and mad, filled with resentment and venom. He could no longer suppress the surging power within him, and unleashed the full evil might of the peak of the Xiaoyou Realm without reservation.

The crimson celestial ring, spanning a billion kilometers, spun wildly. The vengeful patterns on the ring emitted blinding crimson light. The billions of vengeful souls that had been suppressed roared and struggled madly once more, transforming into endless vengeful power that surged into Cang Yuanmi's body. The half-heavenly skeleton beneath him let out a painful wail, its remaining divinity completely extracted and fused with Cang Yuanmi's evil energy, forming a world-destroying evil power. The bone staff in his hand trembled violently, and the crimson bone beads at the staff's head shattered. Billions of vengeful souls rushed out, transforming into a crimson torrent that swept across the heavens and earth.

"Smash it!!!"

Cang Yuanmi's thousand-foot-tall body leaped up suddenly, gripping his bone staff tightly with both hands. He poured all his cultivation into a massive, blood-red fist that spanned the heavens and earth, and slammed it fiercely towards the Dharma Image of the Will of Heaven and Earth! This punch had no fancy moves, only the ultimate power, the ultimate evil, the ultimate defying the heavens, and the ultimate annihilation. It was his full-force strike at the peak of the Xiaoyou Realm, enough to shatter stars and tear apart the laws!

The blood-red giant fist, carrying boundless violence and evil, shattered the recently healed void once more, the purified blood energy surged anew, the earth was cracked by the fist's force, and the souls of all living beings, which had just found peace, were once again assaulted by the violent energy, causing them to tremble uncontrollably. This was the final madness of the Demon Lord, the ultimate provocation against the will of heaven and earth!

However, the Dharma Image of Heaven and Earth merely raised its hand slightly, and three-colored light flowed, instantly unfolding an invisible yet indestructible barrier that blocked the blood-red giant fist.

"boom--!!!"

The crimson fist struck the barrier, but instead of producing the expected earth-shattering roar, it failed to create even the slightest ripple. Like a clay ox sinking into the sea, it was instantly swallowed, purified, and disintegrated by the three-colored light. The full-force attack of a peak-level Celestial Realm cultivator was as fragile as a child's play before the will of heaven and earth; not even the robes of the Dharma Image were stirred.

Cang Yuanmi's pupils shrank sharply, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror. He had exerted all his strength, yet he was so easily defeated!

Before Cang Yuanmi could react, the Dharma Image of Heaven and Earth shone brightly in its palm. The power of Heaven, the weight of Earth, and the thoughts of Humanity intertwined and merged, transforming into an enormous three-colored sealing array that descended from the sky and enveloped Cang Yuanmi.

The sealing array was circular, with a diameter of hundreds of millions of miles, covering the entire pool of corpses and blood, locking Cang Yuanmi in place with nowhere to escape. Above the array, countless Dao patterns flowed: Heavenly Dao patterns suppressed evil, sealed demons, and imprisoned souls; Earthly Dao patterns pressed down on the body, solidified the array, and severed power; Human Dao patterns purified the mind, calmed the spirit, and extinguished resentment. These three Dao patterns intertwined, forming layers upon layers of sealing shackles, each containing the power of the very origin of heaven and earth, enough to suppress all evil spirits in the world.

"No! I'm not reconciled!!!"

Cang Yuanmi struggled frantically, brandishing his bone staff, his vengeful spirits howling, and his evil power erupting. He mobilized all his strength, bombarding the sealing array time and time again. The blood-red torrent crashed against the three-colored light, emitting a "sizzling" corrosive sound, but he could not shake the array in the slightest.

The tricolored light continuously seeped into his body, like thousands of fine needles piercing his bones, blood, and soul, suppressing his cultivation level and sealing his power. His cultivation at the peak of the Xiaoyou Realm was constantly suppressed, falling from the peak to the late stage, mid stage, and early stage, until he was finally sealed at the threshold of the Reincarnation Realm. The evil aura of the Cangyuan was completely imprisoned, unable to leak out even a bit; the resentment patterns on his bone-like scales completely subsided, no longer writhing; the evil fire in his eye sockets became extremely weak, no longer as violent as before; his thousand-foot-tall body was continuously compressed by the sealing power, shrinking from a thousand feet to a hundred feet, then ten feet, and finally becoming the size of an ordinary person, firmly bound by the sealing array, unable to move.

The sealing array slowly contracted, its light receding, eventually transforming into a three-colored altar about a thousand feet tall, suspended deep within the earth's core and underground passage. The altar was constructed from massive stones of dark gold, earth yellow, and pale white, its surface engraved with Daoist patterns. A three-colored pearl floated atop the altar, continuously releasing sealing power, suppressing Cang Yuanmi in the center of the altar, permanently imprisoning his power, sealing his movements, and preventing him from ever again wreaking havoc on the world or harming all living beings.

"ah--!!!"

Cang Yuanmi, suppressed and sealed, reached the pinnacle of rage and resentment. Within the altar, he roared and struggled madly, his body a bloody mess from the binding shackles, yet he felt no pain, only the endless resentment and grief deep within his soul. His voice, piercing and chilling, echoed throughout every corner of Cang Yuan Star, shaking the earth and reverberating through the void.

"I am not reconciled!!! I have spent countless ages, endured what ordinary people cannot, defied the laws of heaven, and reached the pinnacle, why must you seal me away!!!"

"Heavenly Will, by what right do you suppress me?! Just because you are the ruler of heaven and earth?! Just because you are high above and can judge all living beings at will?!"

"Everything I did was forced upon me!!! It was heaven and earth, it was all living beings, that forced me onto this path!!!"

His face was contorted in a grimace, and tears of blood slowly slid from his eyes, dripping onto the altar with a hissing sound, yet they could not budge the seal in the slightest. Those tears of blood were not conjured by evil power, but rather stemmed from the genuine grief of his broken soul, the accumulated resentment and bitterness of millennia, transformed into scalding tears of blood that flowed down, staining the foundation of the altar crimson.

Just then, the Dharma form of the will of Heaven and Earth spoke, its voice compassionate, gentle, and solemn, without a trace of violence, yet clearly resounding throughout the entire Cangyuan Star, reaching the ears of every living being, and imprinting itself on every soul:

"Human nature is neither good nor evil; it is you who choose the color of your soul."

"You have slaughtered billions of living beings, desecrated the remains of ancient gods, disrupted the order of heaven and earth, caused countless souls to weep and the heavens to bleed, committed a heinous crime, and your sins are so grave that heaven and earth cannot tolerate you."

"The wicked may win a temporary victory through their strength, but only those who uphold goodness and care for all living beings can withstand the test of time, win a lifetime of peace, and earn the respect of all souls."

The voice was calm, yet carried the majesty of the laws of heaven and earth, like a morning bell and evening drum, striking the hearts of all living beings, including Cang Yuanmi's soul, causing his frantic struggle to pause slightly.

These words, however, ignited the pent-up rage and grief that Cang Yuanmi had suppressed for millennia. As if his deepest wound had been pierced, he writhed madly within the sealed altar, his tears of blood flowing ever more violently, his maniacal laughter and roars echoing across the land, each word dripping with blood and filled with hatred:

"Winning in this world? The virtuous win in this world? Don't try to fool me with these high-sounding words!!! These are just tricks used by you high and mighty beings to deceive the masses!!!"

"You think I wanted to walk this path? You think I was born wanting to be a demon?! It was you! It was all living beings in this world who blocked all my paths!!! Leaving only this one dead end, stained with blood and covered in thorns, and now that I've walked it, you blame me for being too resolute!!!"

"Good and evil? Don't try to judge me with such childish tricks!!! I've lived for countless ages, seen all the ugliness of the world, and I no longer care about good or evil!!! I only choose the side that allows me to live!!!"

"You stand in the sunlight, of course you can talk about justice, about good and evil!!! You were born with the protection of Heaven, the support of Earth, the warmth of humanity, no worries about food and clothing, and a path to spiritual cultivation!!! But what about me?!"

"When I was struggling, crawling, and barely surviving in the mud, who offered me a helping hand?! When I was being hunted, tortured, and living a life worse than death, who gave me a shred of warmth?! Who ever showed me even the slightest pity?!"

"If given the choice, who would willingly choose to be born in a time of war and chaos?! My hometown was merely a small village on the outskirts of Cangyuan Star, a place of simple, honest people, peaceful and unassuming, yet it was trampled to pieces by cavalry wielding sharp blades!!! My parents, my relatives, my neighbors—all were mercilessly slaughtered, rivers of blood flowing, corpses strewn across the fields!!! Where were you then?! Where were you, this high and mighty will of Heaven?! Why didn't you step out to stop it?!"

"I watched my parents being hacked to death, watched my village being burned down, watched my former home turn into a living hell!!! I hid among the corpses, covered in blood, trembling, not daring to even cry out!!! Where was justice then? Where was righteousness?!"

"If given the choice, who would choose to be the villain?! Who would want their hands stained with blood, becoming an enemy of heaven and earth?! Who wouldn't want to live a peaceful life with a kind heart?! But this world has never given me the right to choose!!!"

"After the war, I became an orphan, begging on the streets, suffering all kinds of bullying, being beaten and scorned, and not even being able to get a leftover meal!!! I wanted to cultivate to protect myself, but the sects disliked my poor aptitude, and the powers disliked my lowly birth. No one was willing to take me in, no one was willing to teach me!!! I could only struggle on the edge of life and death, trying to survive in the mud. I had to fight for a piece of dry food, for a sip of water!!!"

"Later, I was captured by my enemies, thrown into a dungeon, and subjected to unimaginable torture, a fate worse than death!!! They cut off my flesh, pulled out my tendons, destroyed my cultivation, and tormented me like a plaything!!! At that time, who would save me?! Who would pity me?!"

"It wasn't until I accidentally fell into the Abyss and was corrupted by the evil energy of the Half-Heavenly Remains that I was able to survive!!! But the soul-consuming pain was worse than being torn to pieces!!! I struggled in agony day and night, needing to devour vengeful spirits to alleviate the pain, and needing to kill to maintain my life!!! I was forced into this!!! It was all the evil and injustice in this world that forced me into what I am today!!!"

His roar was filled with endless grief and indignation. Blood and tears blurred his eyes, and beneath his狰狞 (zhengning - ferocious/hideous) face lay a broken soul, utterly abandoned by the world and utterly destroyed by suffering. He was not born evil; he once possessed a kind heart and longed for warmth and security. But the cruelty of the world, the slaughter of war, and the wickedness of human nature drove him to desperation, forcing him to fight evil with evil and seek survival through killing. He sank deeper and deeper into darkness, ultimately becoming a vengeful demon whom everyone wanted to kill.

The voice of the will of heaven and earth resounded once more, still compassionate, yet tinged with inquiry:

"Good and evil in this world have their own cause and effect. Heaven and earth are not unaware of the suffering you have endured, and the hardships you have faced are also predetermined. Yet you take your own suffering out on all living beings, venting your anger through slaughter, using countless souls as stepping stones, and divine remains as a catalyst to defy heaven and earth. You have already strayed from your true nature and fallen into evil. What have the living beings done to deserve such a devastating price for your pain?"

Upon hearing this, Cang Yuanmi burst into maniacal laughter, a shrill laugh filled with mockery and venom. His voice was hoarse, like a broken gong, yet every word pierced the heart:

"Deviating from one's true nature? What have all the souls done to deserve this? Justice? Don't bring up these ridiculous words with me again!!!"

"The justice you speak of is nothing but the selfish desires of the majority, cloaked in the guise of morality! Haven't those hypocrites who spout benevolence and righteousness, those high-ranking sect elders and powerful families, committed countless evil deeds behind the scenes?!"

"For resources, for cultivation levels, for power, they burn, kill, plunder, scheme against each other, harm their own kind, and wipe out entire families—they are more ruthless and vicious than I am!!! Yet they wear the cloak of justice, speak high-sounding words, and are revered and adored!!! The only difference is that I dare to admit it, I dare to be myself, and I dare to bear all the infamy, while they dare to do it but not to admit it, only hiding behind the mask of morality to commit despicable acts!!!"

"By what right do you judge me?! By what right?! Just because you were born noble, ruling the order of heaven and earth, and have never fallen into my situation?! Just because you stand on the moral high ground, able to arbitrarily judge my right and wrong?!"

"I was born lowly, like a blade of grass or an ant, barely surviving amidst war and struggling to make ends meet in the mud, enduring all the bitterness and sins of the world! And you, born to be the ruler of heaven and earth, high above, looking down upon all things, living a life of abundance and wielding absolute power! You have never experienced my suffering, never felt my despair, so what right do you have to dictate my choices?! What right do you have to judge my sins?!"

"Justice? There is never absolute justice in this world!!! There is only the justice of the winners and the lives of the losers!!! The strong live, the weak die, this is the eternal truth of the world!!!"

"Look at those people you're risking your life to protect, are they really worth it?! I've seen their true colors when they turn away—selfish, greedy, cruel, hypocritical. For profit, they'd sell out everything, hurt everyone!!! They're no different from me in essence!!! It's just that I've become evil in the open, while they've become filthy in the shadows!!!"

"You think I'm inherently cold-blooded? You think I was born evil?! Wrong!!! Utterly wrong!!! It's this world, it's all living beings in this universe, that taught me that soft-hearted people don't live long!!! Kindness, in this chaotic world, in this cruel realm, is the original sin!!!"

"What you see is the now ruthless and defying-the-gods Banque Tianhai Cangyuanmi!!! But what you can't see is that boy who once cried, laughed, was kind-hearted, and longed for warmth!!! He died long ago!!! He was killed by those so-called righteous people, by this cruel world, by this merciless heaven and earth!!!"

"Before I become stronger, even breathing is wrong!!! Everything I do is wrong!!! The logic of the weak is utterly worthless in the face of the strong!!! Only by becoming stronger, only by killing, only by becoming a demon that no one dares to provoke, a demon that heaven and earth fear, can I survive!!! Only then can I stop being bullied, stop being tortured!!!"

"I defy the laws of heaven, tread upon the might of the heavens, seal countless souls, and slaughter all living beings. I have no regrets!!! If I could do it all over again, I would still choose this path!!! Because only this path can allow me to survive!!!"

His words, both frantic and truthful, dripped with blood and tears, leaving two deep bloodstains on the sealed altar. They were the desperate accusations of someone abandoned by the world, the blood and tears of someone driven to the brink of despair. Every word struck at the cruelest truth in the world, and also expressed the grievances and anger that had been accumulating in his heart for thousands of years.

The world was deathly silent.

Upon hearing Cang Yuanmi's accusations, Wanling was filled with mixed emotions—anger, hatred, and a touch of indescribable sorrow and sympathy. They hated his slaughter, feared his evil, and resented him for destroying their homes and killing their loved ones. Yet, listening to his past and the suffering he had endured, they could vaguely sense that he was not born evil, but rather forced into his current state by the cruelty of the world.

The will of heaven and earth fell silent.

In its compassionate eyes flowed countless Daoist principles, as if it were looking back at Cang Yuanmi's past, feeling the suffering he had endured, and weighing the cause and effect of good and evil in this world. It could suppress evil, restore order, and protect all living beings, but it could not erase the suffering in the world, could not change the tragedy that had already occurred, and could not allow a soul that had been completely destroyed to return to its original goodness.

It knew that what Cang Yuanmi said was not entirely false. There was indeed injustice, hypocrisy, and suffering in the world; among all living beings, there was a distinction between good and evil. But even so, it could not justify his slaughter of all living beings and his rebellion against heaven and earth. All living beings were innocent; what wrong had those tragically deceased children, innocent mortals, and kind cultivators done? Why should they pay the price of their lives for the injustices of this world?

Heaven and earth sighed, the aftershocks gradually subsided.

The silence of the will of heaven and earth lasted for a full hour.

The entire Cangyuan Star was immersed in an eerie silence, with only Cangyuan Mi's suppressed sobs and the sound of blood and tears falling echoing between heaven and earth.

Then, the will of heaven and earth fell silent, and the three-colored radiance bloomed once more, even more brilliant and profound than before. The light of the sealed altar surged, and the sealing powers of the Heavenly Dao, Earthly Dao, and Human Dao completely merged, transforming into an indestructible primordial shackle that utterly imprisoned Cang Yuanmi's roars and resentment deep within the earth, preventing them from escaping even a fraction.

A long and sorrowful sigh emanated from the Dharma form of the will of Heaven and Earth, resounding throughout the world.

The sigh, gentle yet heavy, was filled with pity for the suffering of all living beings, regret for the fall of Cangyuan, helplessness in the face of good and evil in the world, and a steadfast adherence to the order of heaven and earth. As the sigh subsided, the violent energy in the world completely dissipated, leaving only a faint sorrow and tranquility.

Just then, several terrifying auras suddenly rose from all directions of Cangyuan Star, their power no less than that of Cangyuan Mi before he was sealed.

Some came from the far north ice plains, where the ice sheets that had frozen for thousands of miles suddenly shattered, and an ancient demonic claw covering thousands of miles reached out, its demonic energy soaring to the heavens, freezing everything in its path; some came from the abyss of the South China Sea, where endless seawater surged back, and a deep-sea evil god with a body tens of thousands of feet long emerged, its evil light shining everywhere, and all fish submitting; some came from the desolate mountains of the Eastern Regions, where billions of mountain ranges collapsed, and an ancient ferocious god covered in withered bones awakened, its ferocious power overwhelming, and all beasts kneeling in worship; some came from the demonic realm of the Western Regions, where the gates of the demonic realm opened wide, and countless demonic shadows surged out, the leader of which created heaven and earth, its power pressing down on the nine heavens.

These are all rebellious demons, evil gods, and ancient ferocious creatures lurking throughout Cangyuan Star. They have been dormant for countless ages, absorbing the evil energy of heaven and earth, cultivating wicked arts, and possess terrifying power. Previously, they lay dormant due to Cangyuan Mi's power and the collapse of heaven and earth. Now, sensing the awakening of the will of heaven and earth and the sealing of Cangyuan Mi, they have become restless, attempting to break the seal, wreak havoc on heaven and earth, and seize the power of heaven and earth while the world is still relatively stable.

"The will of Heaven and Earth? Perfect! You have just manifested, your power has not yet recovered. Today we will seize your authority, destroy your Dharma form, and we will become the new masters of Heaven and Earth!!!"

"That piece of trash Cang Yuanmi, a mere peak cultivator of the Xiaoyou realm, was easily sealed away! Watch us destroy this celestial Dharma image and unify the Three Realms!!!"

Roars and maniacal laughter came from all directions as several peerless demons attacked simultaneously. Their demonic arts, evil spells, and ferocious power transformed into devastating attacks that crashed down on the will of heaven and earth. The void shattered, the earth sank, and Cangyuan Star, which had just begun to recover some vitality, once again faced the crisis of annihilation.

The spirits were terrified. Their hearts, which had just been at ease, were once again in suspense. Looking at those terrifying demons, their eyes were filled with despair, as if they had just escaped one wolf's den only to fall into another.

But the will of Heaven and Earth remained undisturbed.

Faxiang slowly raised his hand, and endless three-colored blessing light, like spring rain, showered down on the entire Cangyuan Star.

The Light of Blessing is composed of three light particles: dark gold, earth yellow, and pale white. It contains the protective power of the Heavenly Way, the nourishing power of the Earthly Way, and the comforting power of the Human Way. It is gentle yet vast, warm yet majestic.

The light of blessing fell upon the surviving beings, instantly healing all their wounds, stabilizing their broken souls, awakening the goodness and courage in their hearts, and freeing them from fear and despair.

The light of blessing fell upon the earth, all decay vanished, life sprouted, withered trees came back to life, blood pools turned into clear springs, and dry bones turned into spring mud. The cracked earth was completely healed, mountains and rivers returned to order, and green grass and flowers grew on the vast wilderness.

The light of blessing fell into the void, the shattered space was completely repaired, the twisted laws were completely regulated, the rampant evil and demonic energy were instantly purified and dissolved, the dark sky turned azure, and the sunlight pierced through the clouds and shone on the earth, warm and bright.

The light of blessing fell upon those restless, malevolent beings, transforming into three-colored shackles. The power of Heaven suppressed their demonic nature, the power of Earth subdued their ferocity, and the power of Humanity dissolved their resentment. Under the shroud of the light of blessing, those terrifying, peerless demons had their demonic arts crippled, their evil power sealed, and their ferocity suppressed. They let out mournful screams and were forcibly suppressed throughout the earth and the desolate corners of the starry sky, no longer able to wreak havoc on the world.

In a short while, the crisis in the world was completely resolved.

After doing all this, the Dharma form of the will of heaven and earth slowly dissipated and re-divided into three wills.

The dark golden will of Heaven returned to the top of the sky. The divine eye that spanned billions of miles slowly closed and fell into slumber again, leaving only a primordial pressure to protect the order of heaven and earth and suppress all evil spirits in the world.

The earthy yellow will of the earth returns to the core of the earth, merges into the earth's veins, and the heavy aura subsides, continuing to bear all spirits, nourish the earth, maintain the cycle of mountains and rivers, and protect the earth's vitality.

The pale white will of humanity returns to the sea of ​​all souls, transforming into sparks of light that reside within the hearts of every living being, guarding the last vestiges of goodness and hope, guiding all beings toward goodness, and upholding their true nature.

The three wills returned to their respective places and fell back into slumber, leaving behind only the revitalized Cangyuan Star and the indelible awe and hope in the hearts of all beings. Then, the Human Realm spoke to all living beings in a sorrowful tone.

Humanitarian lament: Good people are rare, and hypocrisy breeds evil.

I often wonder whether the existence of good people is to preserve that pitiful bit of their original nature, or whether they are destined from birth to become stepping stones for evil people, used to highlight the cruelty, cold-bloodedness and bloodlust of evil people.

Or perhaps, there is no pure good or evil in this world. So-called evil is simply a backlash forced upon those hypocritical people who spout benevolence and morality but are actually selfish and ruthless.

This thought arose from the depths of all beings' hearts, carrying endless sorrow and bitterness. It is the sigh of me—the will of humanity—pressed deep within the soul after countless ages, witnessing countless partings, deceit, and the survival of the fittest. I was born from the heart of all beings, existing only in the fleeting thoughts of all, and should have witnessed the brilliance and warmth of humanity. Yet, what I see is boundless darkness, layers upon layers of hypocrisy, where the good are as few as candles flickering in the wind, and the evil spreads like wildfire.

People always like to clearly distinguish between good and evil, as if there were an innate, distinct boundary. Books say that good deeds are rewarded, songs sing of evil deeds being punished, and the halls of power proclaim that heaven rewards the virtuous and that people's hearts should turn towards warmth. But those who have truly crawled through the mud, licked blood from the edge of a knife, and had their souls trampled underfoot at the bottom of society know that the vast majority of evil in this world is never innate, but rather nurtured and crushed layer by layer by so-called "righteousness," "justice," and "rules," ultimately forcing them to grow fangs. And those who are born with kind hearts and have never been tainted by any violence become the rarest, most fragile, and most easily perishable beings in this world.

Good people are few, as few as a drop in the ocean; good people are rare, as rare as the starlight before dawn.

Across a vast territory and among billions of living beings, one could be found among millions who truly embody pure goodness.

It's not that all beings are inherently evil, but rather that the soil of this world has never nurtured good roots.

The root of all this lies with the immortal cultivation families who occupy the most precious lands and hold the power of life and death, and the secular nobles who reside in the imperial court and control the lives of the people.

They are the most extreme, most insidious, and most justified evil in the world. They are the source of hypocrisy, the breeding ground for malice, and the culprits who crush the good and drive out madness. With the eyes of humanity, I have witnessed their actions generation after generation, seen them cloak themselves in justice while committing the most heinous acts, and seen them use morality as shackles to lock away the hopes of countless lives. The sorrow in my heart burns like a raging fire, never ceasing.

Cultivation families have always considered themselves orthodox and claim to be inheritors of the Heavenly Dao.

They occupy the most beautiful and auspicious lands, monopolize mineral veins, medicinal fields, ancient traditions, and ancient relics, firmly grasping the purest fortune and opportunities in the world in their bloodline, ensuring their eternal wealth and power for generations to come. They constantly preach about the principles of universal justice, equality for all beings, compassion for humanity, and the extermination of demons, portraying themselves as guardians of heaven and earth and protectors of all spirits. Yet, in their actions, they are far more ruthless, greedy, ruthless, and devoid of humanity than even the most wicked demons of the underworld.

This precious land is only for the direct descendants to breathe;

Outside this precious land, all living beings are like ants and dust.

Any precious land they designate as their family territory will be fought for relentlessly, not yielding an inch, not yielding a single advantage. The surrounding mortal villages, scattered cultivator strongholds, minor sects, and small families are not even worthy of a foothold in their eyes. To defend a piece of precious land and expand their territory by an inch, they can slaughter the inhabitants of three surrounding cities in a single night, leaving no one alive, not even infants, the elderly, women, or children, their blood staining the earth red, their bones piling up like mountains, all to clear a clean place for their own descendants to cultivate. To seize a spiritual spring, a celestial herb, or an ancient secret realm, they can wage sect wars that last for hundreds of years, leaving corpses strewn for miles, rivers of blood flowing, countless lives reduced to cannon fodder, countless homes turned to scorched earth—all they care about is the final spoils, whether their family's strength can be further enhanced.

To consolidate their family's position and maintain the absolute rule of their direct lineage, they can turn fathers and sons against each other, brothers kill each other, masters and disciples turn against each other, and husbands and wives become enemies. Kinship, friendship, and gratitude are worthless in the face of precious land and power. Direct descendants, for the sake of inheritance, can secretly poison, frame, and kill their own siblings; collateral descendants who harbor even the slightest covetousness will have their entire family wiped out; between masters and disciples, for the sake of inheritance and treasures, they can turn on each other, cripple each other's cultivation, and leave their bodies to rot in the wilderness; marriage is merely a tool for forming alliances, and once it loses its usefulness, it will be ruthlessly abandoned, or even murdered.

So-called benevolence and morality are nothing more than tools they use to bind the lower classes and consolidate their rule.

They stipulated that the weak must be polite, obedient, grateful, and accept their fate.

They told the outer disciples that they must work diligently and make selfless contributions in order to obtain a sliver of opportunity.

They told the wandering cultivators that they should be law-abiding, not covet the treasure land, and not touch anything that did not belong to them, in order to preserve their lives.

They told all living beings that they should have good intentions, not harbor evil thoughts, and not resist authority, so that they could receive the protection of Heaven.

But they themselves can plunder at will, kill at will, betray at will, and exterminate entire families at will.

The rules they set are always used to restrain others, but never to restrain themselves.

Those from humble backgrounds with exceptional talent who accidentally stumble upon this treasure land, or whose extraordinary abilities are discovered, often meet a tragic end. If they are born with a physique suitable for cultivation, they will be forcibly abducted, their independent consciousness destroyed, and turned into a furnace for the direct descendants, their essence drained day and night until they are exhausted and their souls are scattered. If they refuse to submit, their spiritual roots will be destroyed in public, their souls extracted, and they will be imprisoned, subjected to endless torture, and ultimately die in despair. Even if they manage to escape, they will be wanted by the entire world, hunted down to the ends of the earth, leaving no chance of survival.

Any rogue cultivator with even a little talent who approaches a family's territory or shows any intention of vying for resources will be falsely accused of being a heretic or a bloodthirsty demon, killed on the spot, their family property confiscated, their wives and daughters kidnapped, and reduced to playthings, leaving no trace of their remains. They might even deliberately spread rumors to completely ruin the reputation of these rogue cultivators, ensuring they bear eternal infamy even after death, while the families themselves become heroes who rid the people of a scourge.

Even members of the same clan, if they threaten the status of the direct line or touch upon core interests, will be dealt with quietly. They may die "accidentally" in secret realms, or "go mad" and explode during cultivation, or be secretly poisoned and die silently, their bodies thrown into the abyss of the desolate swamp to be devoured by ferocious beasts. To the outside world, they show regret and offer generous condolences, pretending to be heartbroken, while in private they are celebrating the removal of a major threat.

They wear the robes of righteousness while committing the most insidious, vile, and cruel acts in the world.

They revel in the endless resources of this precious land, the adoration and reverence of mortals, and the supreme power of life and death, yet they never share a single ounce of it with the lower classes. They squander and waste the spiritual springs, immortal herbs, minerals, and inheritances within this land, yet they refuse to give a single grain of food to starving mortals, or a single blade of grass to desperate rogue cultivators.

While absorbing the fortune of all people to strengthen their own cultivation, they also condemned mortals as ignorant and incapable of being cultivated.

While they devoured the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and monopolized the creation of heaven and earth, they also cursed the rogue cultivators for their insatiable greed and delusions.

As they climbed over countless corpses, their hands stained with blood, they taught future generations to be kind, to win people over with virtue, and to be compassionate.

This is the "goodness" in the world of cultivation.

Glamorous and aloof, stained with blood, hypocritical and sanctimonious.

The secular elites have ingrained this hypocrisy into their very bones, transforming it into a more naked, cruel, and suffocating reality.

The emperor, perched atop the golden throne, proclaimed his love for his people, his promise of national peace and prosperity, and his blessings upon all. Sitting on the dragon throne, worshipped by all, receiving tributes from all directions, and enjoying endless glory, he secretly imposed exorbitant taxes and levies, and forced labor and military service that suffocated the people. To build palaces, gardens, and mausoleums, he conscripted countless laborers, many of whom died on construction sites, their remains carelessly discarded. To expand his territory and wage war, countless young men were forcibly conscripted, dying on the battlefield, leaving their elderly, women, and children unattended, starving to death and becoming homeless.

Fertile fields were seized by the powerful and wealthy, and prime lands were divided up by the rich and powerful. The common people toiled year-round, their faces to the earth and their backs to the sky, yet they were often hungry and poorly clothed. In years of famine, there was no harvest, and the tragedies of cannibalism and starvation were commonplace. Corpses lay everywhere along the roadsides, while the powerful and wealthy continued their lavish lifestyles, indulging in wine, women, and delicacies, completely disregarding the suffering of the people. They even hoarded grain, driving up prices to make a fortune during years of disaster, utterly ignoring the lives of the common people.

Generals guarding a region, proclaiming their duty to protect the people, loyalty to the emperor, and defense of the land, don armor, wield heavy troops, and are revered by the populace. Yet, in private, they allow their soldiers to plunder, massacre villages, burn houses, abduct women, and embezzle military funds. Wherever they go, it's like a locust plague, leaving nothing but devastation. The people's possessions are looted, houses burned, men are conscripted, and women are kidnapped and wantonly violated. They kill innocent people and claim credit, passing off the heads of the innocent as military achievements and the destruction of villages as political accomplishments, reporting to the court to gain promotions and titles. They collude with bandits, oppress the weak, exploit the region, and commit all sorts of atrocities, yet their official careers remain prosperous, praised by all, and no one dares to interfere or express anger.

Scholarly families and officials, spouting Confucian virtues like propriety, integrity, loyalty, filial piety, and the ways of the sages, dressed in elegant robes and reading classical texts, appear refined and gentle. Yet, behind the scenes, they form cliques, frame loyal officials, oppress the poor, and seize land. They control public opinion, official careers, and all avenues for the common people to rise. They establish laws and regulations, forcing the poor to obey and the weak to endure; they promote morality, leading the people to accept their fate and the poor to give up the struggle. They oppress poor students, steal others' achievements, and frame upright officials, all to maintain their own status and interests. They tell the common people that their misfortune is not the fault of the court, and their poverty is solely due to their own lack of effort, while they themselves, relying on the protection of their ancestors and through plunder and oppression, are born into privilege, enjoying everything.

They use morality to blackmail kindness, use rules to lock away despair, and use justice to cover up plunder.

They held pens in their hands, defining what is good and what is evil.

Those who obey them and submit to them are good citizens, virtuous people, and loyal officials, who are praised and recorded in history.

Those who resisted them, those who tried to struggle, were considered troublemakers, villains, and rebels, and were cast into hell, their infamy lasting for eternity.

In such a world, those who truly harbor good intentions have become the rarest, loneliest, and most tragic beings.

There are so few good people that even my humanitarian will feels despair.

I have traveled to every inch of Cangyuan Star, witnessed the lives of billions of beings, and seen countless selfish, greedy, cruel, and hypocritical souls. Yet, truly pure good intentions are as rare as springs in the desert, few and far between.

Those who are virtuous are often born into the humblest circumstances, face the most difficult situations, and suffer the most tragic fates.

They had no illustrious family background, no powerful connections, no privileged location, and no powerful fathers. They were born into poverty, grew up in hardship, struggled at the bottom of society, and survived amidst suffering. They remained true to themselves, never stealing, cheating, or harboring resentment or hatred. They were kind to others, compassionate to all things, and could not bear to see others suffer or the weak being bullied.

But their kindness was met with endless oppression, plunder, betrayal, and sacrifice.

They kindly helped others, only to be bitten in return and repaid with ingratitude.

They were law-abiding and did not cause trouble, yet they were bullied and trampled on at will.

They held firm to their principles and refused to compromise their integrity, yet they were seen as outcasts, ostracized, suppressed, and driven to extinction.

The kinder they are, the easier it is for them to be trampled underfoot;

The more you yield, the easier it is to be driven to the brink of destruction;

The more you follow the rules, the less likely you are to survive.

In the eyes of cultivation families and worldly nobles, kindness is nothing more than a synonym for weakness. The kind are nothing more than ants that can be manipulated at will, pawns that can be sacrificed at will, and dust that can be trampled on at will.

I once knew a boy who was kind-hearted by nature. He would feed stray animals and help suffering people, even if he himself was starving, he would share his meager food. But in the end, because he refused to help the sons of wealthy families oppress the villagers, he was beaten, his legs broken, and he was left on the street to starve to death, forgotten by all.

I once met a woman who was gentle, kind, and generous. She was a thrifty and hardworking wife, but because her husband climbed the social ladder by marrying into a powerful family, she was ruthlessly abandoned. In the end, she was kidnapped by the sons of the powerful and wealthy, suffered endless humiliation, and died with resentment.

I once met a monk who was compassionate, unwilling to kill or plunder, and devoted himself to cultivation to help the world and save people. Yet he was slandered as a demon, hunted down by powerful clans, and his soul was scattered. All his good intentions vanished like a bubble.

I have seen countless such good people. They are like sparks, shining briefly before being swallowed up by boundless darkness, leaving not even a trace.

Goodness is worthless in this world.

Goodness is utterly vulnerable in the face of these hypocrites.

Therefore, people driven to the brink of despair have no choice but to become evil.

They are not inherently bloodthirsty, but rather they have seen too much hypocrisy, seen through deception, and had enough of injustice;

They are not inherently cruel, but rather, their only way to survive is after their kindness has been crushed, their hope extinguished, and their escape route blocked.

Just like Cang Yuanmi, now sealed away, the world only sees his later madness, cruelty, slaughter, and defiance of the heavens; they only condemn him as a demon, a monster, an enemy of heaven and earth, but they cannot see that he was once a person who could cry, laugh, believe in light, and yearn for warmth. The world only criticizes him for being too resolute in taking his own life, but no one ever asks who sealed off all avenues of life. The world only sees his hands stained with blood, but they cannot see that his childhood was destroyed by war, his family was slaughtered by iron cavalry, his kindness was crushed by the world, and his escape route was completely blocked by powerful families and nobles.

He was once a kind-hearted boy who longed for stability and warmth, but this world gave him no choice whatsoever.

It was those immortal cultivation families who occupied precious lands, those secular nobles who held high positions in the imperial court, and those hypocrites who spouted benevolence and morality that personally killed that kind man and forced out this bloodthirsty demon.

People always say that there is a difference between good and evil, but true evil is never those who are driven to the brink and have no choice but to show their fangs.

The real evil is those who stand on fertile ground, cloaked in the mantle of justice, enjoying the sustenance of the masses, creating despair with their own hands, yet remain complacent and sanctimonious.

True evil is making rules but not following them, defining good and evil but trampling on them, plundering everything but blaming the lower classes for greed, and crushing kindness but praising compassion.

Goodness is too rare, too fragile, and too insignificant in this world.

They held fast to their principles, but could not withstand the cruelty of the world;

They have warmth in their hearts, but it cannot illuminate the boundless darkness;

They upheld justice, but were no match for power and hypocrisy.

As a human being whose will depends on the very nature of all living beings, I should be celebrating the goodness in the world, but instead I am filled with sorrow, bitterness, and helplessness.

I watched as good people fell one by one, as evil thoughts grew again and again, as hypocrites ran rampant, and as countless lives were forced to become demons, yet all I could do was utter this powerless lament.

Good people are few and far between; they are rare in this world.

The evil of hypocrisy thrives everywhere.

This is the human world I have witnessed, this is the humanity I uphold, this is the sorrow and desolation that weighs on the depths of my soul for eternity.

Everyone fell silent, and then it was unclear how much time had passed.

On the earth, the pools of corpses and blood vanished completely, replaced by clear lakes, verdant grasslands, and majestic green mountains; on the ruins of the city, bricks and stones were gradually reassembled, houses were slowly repaired, and surviving creatures began to emerge from the corners to rebuild their homes; in the sky, cracks healed, the blood aura dissipated, blue skies and white clouds reappeared, the sun, moon, and stars moved in an orderly fashion, the sunlight was warm, and the breeze was gentle; all living beings no longer wept or feared, and the laughter of children, the cries of beasts, and the whispers of cultivators once again echoed between heaven and earth, full of vitality and life.

Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue stood atop the rebuilt ruins, gazing at the transformed world before them. Their hearts were filled with awe for the will of heaven and earth, and with anticipation for the future. They knew that this catastrophe had finally ended, peace had returned to the world, and all living beings could finally live in tranquility.

Deep within the earth, at the sealed altar, Cang Yuanmi fell into utter silence. His roars, his resentment, his grief were all permanently sealed away, never to disturb this land again. His blood and tears seeped into the altar, merging with the earth, becoming part of the land's history of suffering, a warning to future generations.

This planet, Cangyuan, which has endured the cataclysm of the apocalypse, the rampage of the rebellious demons, the revival of the three paths, and the restoration of order to the world, has finally returned to peace and ushered in a long-awaited vitality under the protection of the will of heaven and earth.

However, good and evil in the world have never disappeared, suffering has never gone away, and hidden evil still exists. The road ahead for all beings is still long. Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue understand that those evil spirits will soon break through.

The slumber of the will of heaven and earth is not the end, but merely a means to accumulate power, waiting for the next time heaven and earth tremble and all living beings suffer, so that it can awaken again to protect this world that it has given everything for, and to protect all goodness and life in this world. Yu Moyan and Jiang Duyue sold their house deeds and other property, exchanging tens of millions for a luxury mansion to cultivate peacefully and wait for the next crisis. Afterwards, Jiang Duyue said to Yu Moyan.

"Brother Yu, can't you take revenge?"

Yu Moyan smiled and said to Jiang Duyue

Why not report it?

Then Yu Moyan spoke to the system again.

"Check-in"

As usual, only a few fewer people had moved to a different place and an old locust tree had appeared, reminding Yu Moyan of the time she was adopted in her previous life.

Summer, shedding the rhymes of spring, arrives quietly, bringing with it even more abundant life.

Amber sunlight streamed down from the clouds, bathing the entire world in scorching golden waves. The wind carried the scent of sun-dried tar, the sweet fragrance of gardenias, and the earthy aroma of grasses spreading beneath the dense shade of old locust trees. The air gradually churned with warm waves, the temperature rising to a fever pitch, as if trying to melt everything into the pulse of the earth, to infuse the world's lifeblood with a touch of verdant green. Before the cicadas even began to sing, the sunlight had already made the leaves shine, each one gleaming with an oily sheen. Even the passing breeze carried warmth, causing a fine sweat to break out on one's nose, and even breathing was enveloped in a vibrant heat.

A breeze rustled through the lush foliage, and the once quiet trees seemed to unleash a sudden cacophony. Leaves swayed in the wind, surging like green waves on the branches, the flowing emerald green on the trunks taking on the shape of the wind itself, swirling dappled sunlight and shadows onto the ground, creating a patchwork of cool, dappled patterns. An old wicker chair creaked under the shade of the trees, a palm-leaf fan carried the sweet scent of watermelon, and even the air was filled with the fizz of an ice-cold soda bottle being opened, infusing every wisp of summer's languor into the breeze.

The cicadas' chirping shatters the lingering tranquility of spring, awakening the entire summer with their first clear, long cry. Hidden among the dense foliage, their rising and falling calls weave a scorching net, adding a touch of lively clamor to the summer days and setting the stage for the next chapter of life. At midday, when the sun is at its strongest, the cicadas' song is at its loudest, mingling with the shouts of street vendors, the bells of popsicle carts, and the laughter of children chasing each other, pushing the summer's intensity to its peak, making even the air seem to boil.

As the scorching sun slowly sank, painting the horizon with a fiery orange and pinkish-purple glow, a bright moon rose from behind the clouds. The gentle moonlight swept away the daytime heat, dissipating some of the oppressive heat, leaving behind only the brief darkness and coolness of a midsummer night. A gentle breeze carried the fragrance of lotus blossoms from the pond, fireflies danced among the grasses with their tiny lanterns, and the croaking of frogs and chirping of insects mingled to create the prelude to the night. Old people fanned themselves with palm-leaf fans, reminiscing about the past, while children chased after the lights through the alleyways. Even the daytime heat transformed into the gentle breeze of the night.

Summer, unlike the calm of the other three seasons, is flamboyant and passionate, vibrant and scorching. It is the sweetness of an ice pop melting on the tongue, the coolness of the very center of a watermelon, the languid moment under the shade of a tree, and the starry sky of a midsummer night. It carries the unrestrained laughter of youth, the vigorous growth of plants, and the world itself flows with unbridled freedom, etching the most vibrant, passionate, and scorching vitality into every sunrise and sunset, every breeze, and every cicada's song.

Then Yu Moyan sighed because her adoptive parents in her previous life had died, and she was adopted by others and abused by her second adoptive parents. She survived by sheer luck. Then she said to Jiang Duyue.

"Togetsu, I miss home..."