The Three Teachings Converge into One: The Path of the Mortal and the Saintly is the Same

Poetry:

The sacred realm is never without its flaws; the demonic roots within each person are determined by their own actions.

A single thought can unleash a raging torrent across nine realms; a mere word can traverse the sea of ​​illusion and demons.

"Everyone possesses the seed of demonic energy, even saints are no exception," the Celestial Venerable said in a gentler tone.

"The difference is that ordinary people are controlled by the demonic seed, while saints control the demonic seed."

The seed of evil can become a demon in your heart, or it can serve as a warning bell—constantly reminding you:

Do not harbor evil thoughts, do not indulge in hatred, and do not lose your true self.

"Today's calamity is both a misfortune and a blessing for you."

The misfortune was that you almost succumbed to demonic possession, but the blessing was... that you finally saw it.

Su Qingxuan slowly raised his head, the dark red in his eyes gradually fading, and clarity returning.

He saw it.

Deep within his own soul, that demonic seed had already sprouted.

Like a black lotus seed, it takes root in the primordial spirit.

Its roots are connected to its own seven emotions and six desires, and intertwined with the karma of killing over thousands of years.

It is not merely an external demonic force, but rather a manifestation of one's own inner shadows.

Anger, guilt, helplessness, hatred... everyone experiences these emotions.

Sages do exist; they are those who can be controlled.

"I understand," Su Qingxuan said softly.

He released his grip, and the demonic sword "Sin and Punishment" began to disintegrate.

The crimson runes dissipated, and the chaotic energy returned to the body.

The dark clouds in the sky dispersed, the earth ceased its wailing, and the flames returned to their normal color.

Chi Ying and the "Candle Dragon" team members breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed to the ground.

Su Qingxuan collapsed onto the ruins, utterly exhausted, his clothes soaked with cold sweat.

Fighting against demons is more mentally taxing than battling powerful enemies.

"Young Master!" Chi Ying rushed over and helped him up.

"I'm fine," Su Qingxuan shook her head, her voice weary.

"Let me... have some peace and quiet."

He closed his eyes and looked inward, observing the demonic seed.

The demonic seed has now returned to calm, but it still exists.

It's like a time bomb, and also like a mirror.

He recalled his past and present lives, those battles and bloodshed.

During his northern expedition against the Di and Man tribes, he led his army to defeat hundreds of thousands of enemy soldiers, leaving the battlefield littered with corpses.

He once stood atop a mountain of corpses, gazing at the blood-red sunset, and felt a moment of bewilderment:

Do these people really deserve to die?

When he was sent as an envoy to the Western Regions to suppress bandits, he ordered that they be killed without exception, leaving no one alive.

At that time, his thought was to "eradicate evil completely," but what about the families of those bandits?

Should none of those potentially innocent children be allowed to live?

In the fight against demons in the celestial realm, he fought a bloody war against the demon race for a hundred years, slaying countless demon generals and soldiers.

He told himself, "Those who are not of my kind must have different hearts."

But do demons possess the instinct for survival?

Is being born a demon a form of original sin?

These questions are usually suppressed by beliefs such as "righteousness," "the right path," and "protecting all living beings," but they have not disappeared.

They settle deep within our hearts, becoming nourishment for our killing karma and fertile ground for the seeds of evil.

Today, the demonic seed has been awakened, and these questions have also surfaced.

"So... I was never a perfect saint." Su Qingxuan smiled bitterly.

"I also have doubts, confusion, hatred, and...the urge to destroy everything."

"This is the real you." The Celestial Venerable's voice rang out for the last time.

As they drift further and further apart,

"Accept it, confront it, and then transcend it; only in this way can you 'be in harmony with the Tao'..."

The sound dissipated.

Su Qingxuan opened his eyes, which were now clear.

Still exhausted, but the madness is gone.

He looked towards the garden, his guilt still lingering.

The pain remains, but the urge to destroy is gone.

"Red tassels".

"exist!"

"Gather everyone, clear the rubble, and search... for the children's remains."

Su Qingxuan stood up, swaying slightly, but managed to steady himself.

"Find as many as possible and put them away properly."

They shouldn't be like this... scattered here.

Chi Ying nodded emphatically: "Yes!"

……

At dawn, the sky was a pale, fish-belly white.

On the girls' academy's playground, they were neatly arranged...

One hundred and sixty-nine small corpses.

Most of them were caught in the blast wave and their bodies were mangled.

Many more have been completely annihilated in the rubble and flames, and are now impossible to find.

One hundred and sixty-nine girls, the youngest being six years old and the oldest eighteen.

They should have been wearing their school uniforms and reading in class.

Now all that remains are dust, mud, and scorch marks.

Su Qingxuan, Chi Ying, and the "Candle Dragon" team members

In addition to the Chengbang Charity Association and local volunteers who arrived later,

It took a whole night to find these things from the ruins.

Su Qingxuan stood in front of the line and looked at each body one by one.

The first body was a blonde girl, about seven years old.

Her eyebrows and eyes were still intact, her eyes were closed, and her long eyelashes drooped.

It was as if she had simply fallen into a deep sleep.

Su Qingxuan squatted down, took a white cloth from the side, and gently covered her body.

The second body is a black-haired girl, around ten years old.

Her right hand was clenched tightly, and Su Qingxuan carefully pried it open.

In his palm was a star- and moon-shaped necklace, now darkened by blood.

The third body, with brown curly hair, is eight years old.

She was also protecting an even smaller girl in her arms—

Maybe she's my younger sister, or maybe she's just a close classmate.

The two were so close together that they could not be separated, so they had to be buried together.

The fourth, the fifth, the sixth...

Su Qingxuan read it very slowly and carefully.

He memorized every face he could still recognize, every tiny object…

This is his sin, and this is his debt.

He stopped when he saw the ninety-third body.

She was a girl around nine years old, with flaxen hair and a still-intact face.

One can still vaguely see her delicate features from before she was born.

Her left hand was severed at the wrist—

It was the hand that Su Qingxuan had held in the ruins.

In her amputated right hand, she tightly gripped the strap of a pink backpack.

The schoolbag was tattered, but the handmade lucky knot was still there.

Samar.

Su Qingxuan remembered this name.

He took the blood-stained schoolbag from his pocket and placed it next to the girl.

He then took out the third-grade textbook from his schoolbag, opened the title page,

"Samar, nine years old, third grade, class two."

My dream is to become a doctor and cure everyone's illnesses.

Su Qingxuan's fingers traced the words, and he said softly:

"I'm sorry I couldn't help you achieve your dream."

He closed his textbook and put it back in his bag.

He then tore a strip of cloth from his own clothes.

Use your true energy to write two lines of text on it, then slip it into the girl's hand:

"Samar, rest in peace."

May you be reborn as a doctor, healing the diseases of this world.

After doing all that, he continued walking.

By the time I finished reading everything, it was already sunrise.

The rising sun should bring hope, but instead, it shines on this graveyard-like playground...

It only made it seem more desolate.

The priests of the city-state have arrived, ready to preside over the requiem ceremony.

But as soon as she opened her mouth, she burst into tears.

He had watched many of these children grow up.

Su Qingxuan walked to the center of the playground and sat down cross-legged.

"Young master, what are you going to do?" Chi Ying asked.

"To see them off on their final journey." Su Qingxuan closed his eyes.

"Their deaths were so sudden, their spirits were scattered, and if they are not comforted..."

They might become wandering spirits, or be corrupted by demonic energy.

Chi Ying remained silent and stepped aside.

Su Qingxuan formed the Rebirth Mudra with both hands and chanted the sect's Soul-Crossing Mantra.

This is not an ordinary scripture; it is a secret technique of soul-crossing from the orthodox Xuanmen sect.

He chanted it with the true essence of the three channels combined, making it more powerful than ordinary methods.

The clear, melodious chanting echoed through the ruins.

At first, there were no unusual signs.

But as the incantation deepened, a soft white light emanated from Su Qingxuan's body.

That light was warm and compassionate, like a mother's embrace, like the warm sun of spring.

Gradually, faint lights began to rise over the playground.

The "Candle Dragon" team members couldn't see it, but Su Qingxuan and Chi Ying could—

That is the soul of the children.

They floated out from among the corpses, most of them dazed and confused, some still sobbing.

Some people held their heads in their hands, seemingly still remembering the loud bang and tremors of the explosion.

Their ghostly figures were dim and ethereal, filled with fear and bewilderment—

This is a sign of a violent death; the soul has been severely damaged.

To Su Qingxuan's surprise, there was not a trace of resentment or hostility about them.

Such a tragic death, such an injustice, one would expect them to be filled with resentment.

But the souls of these children, though filled with sadness and fear,

Yet it remains pure, like an unpolluted spring.

Su Qingxuan understood.

Because they are too young, they don't understand what hatred or revenge is.

All they know is pain, all they know is fear, all they want is to find their mother, all they want is to go home.

That is why they are the easiest to appease and extradite.

"Come here," Su Qingxuan said softly, opening her arms.

The spirits seemed to sense his goodwill and slowly drifted over.

They surrounded Su Qingxuan like a flock of lost birds.

Su Qingxuan continued chanting the mantra, his voice becoming softer and the white light brighter.

A white light enveloped the soul, and those dim and ethereal parts began to slowly repair themselves.

As the shock subsided and the wounds healed, the fearful expression gradually eased.

She was restored to her innocent and gentle self from her previous life.

They were still children, with clear eyes and innocent faces.

Samar's soul was also within it; she looked at Su Qingxuan and suddenly spoke—

It's not sound, it's the transmission of thought:

"Uncle, is that you? The uncle who held my hand?"

Su Qingxuan nodded, tears welling in her eyes: "It's me."

"I don't blame you," Samar said.

"I know you want to save us. I see it, you open your arms,"

It blocked the light... though it didn't completely block it, I know you wanted to save us.

Other children also conveyed similar sentiments:

"Thank you, Uncle."

"I don't feel pain anymore."

"I miss my mom..."

"What's it like up there? Can I go?"

Su Qingxuan's tears finally fell, and he choked out:

"Yes, you can all go... There is no war, no explosions, no pain there."

There are flowers, candy, and a mother who is always smiling.

"Can you tell my mom?" a six-year-old girl asked.

Tell her I'm not in pain, and tell her not to cry.

"I also want to tell my dad that I got a hundred points on my math test."

He promised to buy me a new dress…

"My younger brother is still young, tell him not to worry about me..."

Each child's words, like the gentlest knife, cut into Su Qingxuan's heart.

He nodded emphatically: "I will, I will tell everyone."

You are very brave. You are not in pain. You have gone to a better place.

The children smiled, their souls emitting a faint light.

Su Qingxuan knew that the time had come.

He took a deep breath and recited the last part of the mantra:

"...The golden light of merit shines in all directions. The darkness and obscurity are instantly illuminated."

The departed souls are delivered, and the lingering spirits ascend. Their souls and spirits are purified, and they journey directly to the spirit world.

He raised his hands upwards, and a beam of white light shot into the sky, transforming into a bridge of light.

Towards the unseen other shore...

The children walked toward the bridge of light, turning back every few steps, but eventually stepped into the light.

Samar walked last, turning back to wave to Su Qingxuan:

"Uncle, you must live well and cure more people's illnesses."

Although I didn't become a doctor, you can become one for me.

Su Qingxuan smiled and said, "Okay, I promise you."

Samar smiled, turned around, and disappeared at the end of the bridge of light.

The light bridge dissipated, and the white light gradually faded.

The playground was silent, save for the mournful sound of the morning breeze blowing through the ruins.

Su Qingxuan opened her eyes, tears streaming down her face, but her heart was at peace.

Those souls have peacefully passed away.

They will not become wandering spirits, nor will they be reduced to tools of the demonic path.

They entered the cycle of reincarnation with purity and goodwill.

Perhaps in the next life, I will be born in a peaceful era, in a tranquil country.

To realize the dreams that were not fulfilled in this life.

"Young master..." Chi Ying stepped forward and handed over a handkerchief.

Su Qingxuan wiped away her tears, stood up, and looked at the rising sun in the east.

"The war continues," he said softly.

"More people are dying, and more children are suffering."

"Then let's go rescue them!" Chi Ying said decisively.

Su Qingxuan shook his head: "It's impossible to save them all, unless the war ends."

Otherwise, we can save one college, but not all of them;

You can save one city-state, but not all of them.

"What should we do then?"

Su Qingxuan was silent for a moment, then said:

"I think I understand what my 'death trap' is now."

Chi Ying's heart tightened.

"It is not the death of the physical body, but a test of one's Dao heart."

Su Qingxuan looked into the distance.

"This war, these deaths, will constantly stimulate the demonic seed within me."

I would feel angry, guilty, and want to kill to stop the killing again and again.

Each time is a trial; those who overcome it become even more resolute in their resolve.

If one cannot overcome this, one will fall into the demonic path.

"Then... will the young master be able to get through this?"

"I don't know," Su Qingxuan said frankly.

"But I will try my best, and..."

He looked down at his hands:

"I've discovered the existence of the Demon Seed, that's a good thing."

The unknown enemy is the most frightening; the known one can always be dealt with.

"What method?"

"Constantly observe, constantly reflect, always remember—"

My spiritual practice is for saving people, not for killing them;

It's about stopping the fighting, not about revenge.

Su Qingxuan said slowly, "Anger is acceptable, but one must not be controlled by anger."

Hatred is acceptable, but one should not be driven by hatred.

Killing... is sometimes unavoidable, but one must not be bloodthirsty or indiscriminate in killing.

Furthermore, one must not revel in killing.

This was his admonition to himself, and also a warning to the demonic seed.

Chi Ying seemed to understand but not quite, yet she said firmly:

"Whatever you do, young master, I will always follow you."

Su Qingxuan patted her shoulder and looked at the "Candle Dragon" team members:

"Brothers, you've had a long night, but we can't rest yet. In this city-state..."

There are still many injured people waiting for treatment, and there may still be people alive under the rubble.

Let's continue.

"Yes!" the twelve answered in unison, without a single complaint.

Su Qingxuan took one last look at the children's bodies and said to the priest:

"Please give them a proper burial, and have each of their names engraved on their tombstones."

They shouldn't be just cold numbers; they were once living, breathing people.

The priest nodded with tears in his eyes.

Su Qingxuan turned around and walked deeper into the city.

There, countless cries still await his comfort;

Countless wounds await his healing.

As the sun fully rose, golden light bathed the earth.

The ruins remain, the death continues, and the war continues.

But Su Qingxuan knew that some things were different now.

The demonic seed within him remained, but he saw it and acknowledged it.

Start learning to live with it.

This is difficult, like walking on thin ice...

It is:

The desolate hill silently displays its fragrant bones, and the innocent voices are etched into the traveler's heart.

Even though the inner demons have not yet vanished, I vow to stop the fighting.