He changed Tiwat

"We are the guardians of the city, pacifying demons and evil spirits." The Divine Eye in Jiang Xue's arms flashed with golden light. "...I'm sorry, Senior Brother. This is mine, Shao Yuan's, our duty."

Chapter 261 Cultivating the Skill of Deafness and Blindness

In the former Hilichurl tribe, the two Ancient Swords of Thousand Rocks came to a standstill after a fierce battle.

One weapon was knocked to the ground, while the other was pressed against Jiang Xue's chest.

"You still acknowledge me as your senior brother, so I won't kill you."

Ye Mingxiang sheathed her greatsword.

He used only one hand.

Just as he sheathed his greatsword, Jiang Xue mustered her remaining strength and unleashed a sword finger strike at Ye Mingxiang.

An invisible sword aura struck Ye Mingxiang's chest, but he did not parry. A burst of blue flames emerged, completely absorbing the sword aura.

"That was well done, but it's not enough. You're not strong enough."

"Come on! Kill me!" Jiang Xue roared.

Ye Mingxiang remained unmoved.

Why would I kill you?

"Because I'm going to kill you!"

“But you don’t have that ability. I will only kill you when you truly have the ability to threaten me,” Ye Mingxiang stated calmly.

Jiang Xue took a deep breath.

"Then you'd better kill me now. When I'm strong enough, I'll get justice for Shaoyuan."

“Yes, that’s justice. A life for a life, that’s the law.” Ye Mingxiang’s tone remained unchanged. “I can get this justice from Shaoyuan because I’m strong enough. You’re not strong enough, so you can’t get justice.”

"Hmph, you want to say it's survival of the fittest? What kind of justice is that?" Jiang Xue sneered.

"Then isn't it the law of the jungle when humans hunt monsters? The monsters couldn't get justice because they weren't strong enough to eliminate humans, right?" Ye Mingxiang narrowed her eyes. "And I just happen to be strong enough to seek justice from you."

"Ha, then Liyue has immortals and the Rock King, can't they also seek justice from you?" Jiang Xue asked back.

"Sure. As long as you can get them to come find me."

Ye Mingxiang leaned on her greatsword and gently stroked the hilt.

"I let you go, naturally taking into account that you can send people to kill me. If immortals and gods can seek revenge on me for the sake of a mortal, what does it matter if I die? This is also justice. Liyue has always been under the rule of immortals and gods, and I was prepared when I chose to seek this justice."

Jiang Xue was speechless for a moment. Even though he was one of the Seven Stars of Liyue, the Seven Stars did not have the authority to command immortals, and the Emperor had probably not made a move for five hundred years.

The Thousand Rock Army always suffers casualties during missions. If every casualty requires the intervention of immortals and emperors, what is the point of having the Thousand Rock Army?

Even if they were willing to help, what would I be?

What does the justice that the immortals and gods helped Shao Yuan get have to do with him? He didn't get it.

The killer was his senior brother, or even his master; the victim was his subordinate and also his friend.

But he can do nothing?

Does he still deserve to utter the phrase "defending the city with armor, pacifying demons and suppressing evil"?

"The same question remains: When we uphold morality in the world, do we merely judge right and wrong based on our own conscience?"

Ye Mingxiang asked that question again, the question that Jiang Xue had never been able to answer.

"Good and evil are determined by those who uphold the Way. If the sword were in your hand, and you called me evil, then I would be evil. But now the sword is in my hand. So, who is good? Who is evil? Isn't your so-called 'eliminating demons and upholding the Way' just 'survival of the fittest'? I say you are a demon, and then I'll draw my sword and eliminate you. What can you do then?"

Jiang Xue opened her mouth, but no sound came out.

"You know the answer. Yes. To defend the world is to judge right and wrong solely by one's own mind. Just because you are the one defending the world, and you hold the power to defend the world, you have the power of life and death to decide everything based on your own mind."

"If it is fair for humans to kill monsters, it is also fair for monsters to kill humans. If you wish, you can treat me as a monster; I don't mind."

"But have you ever thought about it? Maybe one day, you will become the monster in your own eyes."

"I...can also...become a monster?" Jiang Xue suddenly realized something.

Ye Mingxiang pointed to a row of graves behind her.

"They are merely ugly in appearance; they are merely less intelligent than you; they are merely unable to speak your language; but none of these are reasons for you to deny that they are human."

"Otherwise, why do you think I would have kept that child?"

"That...child?" Jiang Xue was taken aback.

He suddenly realized that Shaoyuan and Duanya's orphan, Jiang'er, was still alive.

"The woman told him she wanted to play a game with him, and that he should hide so she wouldn't find him. Then she ran out of the house and tried to lure me away from the front door."

"That child has a crooked mouth and slanted eyes, and is intellectually disabled. He's clearly over ten years old, but he can't even speak a complete sentence... He's hiding behind a tree, with most of his body showing, but he thinks he's hiding very well. Is he even human?"

“Of course he is human…” Jiang Xue replied softly.

"Because he's not ugly enough? Doesn't he have enough body hair?" Ye Mingxiang continued to ask.

“…The child is just sick.” Jiang Xue had a premonition when she gave this answer.

And the premonition soon became a reality.

"...Have you ever considered that they are just sick? Some people are born deaf and mute, some are born with intellectual disabilities, some are born ugly, and some are born with missing or extra limbs. You call these illnesses, so why can't they be sick?"

Ye Mingxiang pressed closer and closer.

"What kind of person is human, and who defines them? It's you, the one who fights demons and protects the righteous path."

"No...no..." Jiang Xue felt a bang in her head, and was even a little dizzy and had tinnitus.

What if the demons he slew were all once humans? What if the demons were transformed from humans? What demons were he eliminating, and what principles were he upholding?

"Don't stop, keep thinking. If you agree with judging good and evil by your own heart, then you should agree that demons are born evil and immortals and mortals are born good. This world is a never-ending cycle of the strong preying on the weak, and there is no justice in this world."

"If you don't agree with judging good and evil by your own standards, and also believe that demons are not born evil, and immortals and mortals are not born good, and that there should be justice in this world... then who gave immortals and mortals the responsibility of eliminating demons and protecting the righteous path?"

"You should know the answer. Not only do you know it, but immortals and gods also know the answer. They just close their eyes and cover their ears, pretending to know nothing."

"Who has the power to turn humans into monsters? Who has the power to define good and evil in this world?"

Ye Mingxiang suddenly raised a finger and pointed it straight to the sky.

"The Way of Heaven".

He lowered his hand and looked directly at Jiang Xue.

"Now, answer me. If one day you also become a monster, who will seek justice for you?"

Jiang Xue couldn't answer; he was speechless.

Ye Mingxiang picked up his ancient sword and walked past Jiang Xue.

Jiang Xue suddenly came to her senses: "Where...are you going?"

Ye Mingxiang paused briefly.

“A deep abyss of rock. I will grow old there.”

Before he took a step, he seemed to remember something and turned back to say, "Come with me to our sect. After we go, it's up to you whether you stay or leave."

Chapter 262 My Will Is Like a Straight Run

"After that, I followed my senior brother to the Abyss of Layered Rocks."

"That was my first time going to the Layered Rock Abyss. Back then, the Layered Rock Abyss was just a simple mining area. No 'Wishing Stones' had been dug out, no Thousand Rock Army was stationed there, and there were no seals. The two of us easily evaded the miners' eyes and ears and entered the camp we are in now. Then we went through the secret passage from the rugged stone hall to the lower level of the Layered Rock Abyss, which is that ruin."

"The Abyss Order hadn't come here yet, the black mist barrier didn't exist, and there were no Hilichurls in the ruins, but... there was already black mud. However, my senior brother didn't tell me what black mud was, and I didn't investigate further."

"We didn't go to that pool, but further north. There was an empty palace there, probably the residence of the original rulers of this ancient civilization. However, besides the pillars, there was only a stone throne standing alone in the center of the hall... My senior brother said that was where our 'master's sect' was located. I'm sorry, at the time..."

When Jiang Xue mentioned her sect, she gave Han Fulai a somewhat apologetic grin.

"Don't worry about it, I understand," Han Fulai replied with a smile.

Jiang Xue knew that she had visited the ancient ruins before, but throughout the entire exploration process, including their second trip to explore the ancient ruins with Haidifu and his group, Jiang Xue remained silent, clearly hiding something.

If Jiang Xue concealed her sect's existence during her first exploration to guard against Daines Reeb, then her second trip was naturally to guard against Ye Lan.

Even if Jiang Xue hadn't said it, Han Fulai could have understood.

Jiang Xue's willingness to share these secrets with him clearly demonstrates her trust in him.

Jiang Xue scratched her cheek and continued, "It's called a 'master sect,' but we didn't actually see a 'master' or any 'fellow disciples.' There were only the two of us alive... It's just that our senior brother found some deserted ruins and took it upon himself to call it our 'master sect.'"

"There are only two living people... does that mean there are other dead people there?" Han Fulai asked.

“Yes. Next to that stone throne, there were a few ‘empty shells’. You know what mechanical puppets are, right? The Liyue Clan seems to have similar creations, but they’re made of wood… Back then, those ‘empty shells’ behaved like some kind of mechanical puppets. They had no will of their own. If you didn’t give them a command, they wouldn’t move an inch.”

"At that time, my senior brother hadn't put on that armor yet, and I didn't know about the connection between those 'Black Serpent Knights' and Kanria. My senior brother explained to me that these were all servants of our sect, just mechanical creations, without life. However... I didn't quite believe it."

"It was only then that I learned that my senior brother actually possessed a 'private army' that was absolutely obedient to orders at the bottom of this giant rock abyss!"

Han Fulai nodded, knowing the seriousness of the problem in Jiang Xue's eyes.

While listening to Jiang Xue recount her past, Han Fulai was also constantly thinking.

The "Dark Shell" or "Black Serpent Knights" are, after all, an army. Although wealthy merchants and noble families in Liyue keep servants and guards, and Liyue also has martial arts sects, they are not part of the military and do not wear full knight armor.

What's even more terrifying is the absolute obedience to the master's orders—neither servants nor martial artists can completely obey their superiors' commands.

At least in Liyue, forming an army privately is strictly prohibited. Liyue's regular military force consists solely of the Thousand Rock Army, and even the troops maintaining order are drawn from the Thousand Rock Army. Before Han Fulai became the acting leader of the Ancient Flower Sect, there was no such thing as martial artists in Liyue defecting to the Seven Stars government as "temporary workers."

Simply put, Ye Mingxiang's possession of a private army can be considered a rebellion.

Ye Mingxiang's identity is still shrouded in mystery, but Han Fulai has some ideas about it.

He can use the "True Arts" of the Kanria royal family, control the "Black Serpent Knights," has the appearance of a Liyue person, speaks the language of Liyue, and wields the Ancient Sword of Thousand Rocks from Liyue... He also mentioned the time "four hundred years" to Jiang Xue.

In summary, this person has deep connections with both Canria and Liyue, and has lived for at least four hundred years.

Five hundred years ago, the kingdom of Kanria was destroyed.

Han Fulai was almost certain that Ye Mingxiang was a survivor of the Kanria, and like Daines Reeb, he had somehow maintained his sanity and remained unaffected by the curse. Furthermore, he had lived in Liyue for a long time and was very familiar with everything there.

He still remembered what Zhongli had told him at the "Rock Tea House".

The Winter Queen took in the remnants of the Kanria, while the other six gods offered them some assistance. As a gamer, Han Fulai was also well aware that the cavalry captain of the Knights of Favonius in Mondstadt, who had almost gone to the Abyss of Lapis Lazuli but was forced to accompany Klee to the locked-up Kaeya, was also a Kanria survivor.

Did Zhongli take in any of the survivors of Kanria back then?

To be honest, Han Fulai felt that if he asked Zhongli, he might understand everything.

Unfortunately, he can't ask now. Even if he wanted to, he couldn't find Zhongli.

Zhongli explicitly stated that his assistance ended there, and the rest was up to him. Combined with the series of "coincidences" in the Abyss of Layered Rocks, the fact that Zhongli bestowed upon him the power of the Salt God, and the relationship between Ye Mingxiang and Liyue…

Han Fulai already knew that he was probably in another "test".

Whether he, as the "successor of the emperor," can walk the path of the "Salt King Emperor" probably depends on whether he has the ability to solve these problems.

only……

"Mr. Zhongli, and Gan Yu... were the exam questions a bit too difficult this time..." Han Fulai thought to himself, a bitter smile involuntarily appearing on his face.

"Then... my senior brother sat on that stone throne, took out an engraving from his robes, and told me that this was the engraving of the 'Ancestor.' It's very similar to the engraving you got from Dain."

As Jiang Xue spoke, she made a gesture, and Han Fulai understood, taking out the newly made spear, or rather, staff, from his storage space.

"This is it."

Jiang Xue pointed to the "gun head," which was the engraving that Dai Yin had given to Han Fulai.

Above the carving is a one-eyed king, his face resolute and cold, as if carved by a knife and axe.

“The 'Ancestor' carving I saw is somewhat different from yours. I remember it very clearly; that carving was entirely deep red, with two horns on its head, and I couldn’t tell what material it was made of… When I stared at that carving, I always felt a chill in my heart, as if an immense pressure was pressing down on me.”

"Then... I seemed to hear someone whisper in my ear, saying to me: 'Look, my child. All things under the throne of heaven will perish in turmoil. The eternally tranquil, dark depths of space will encompass all.'"

“My senior brother told me that the technique passed down in our sect is called ‘The Art of Ultimate Truth’, and our master’s name is… Irming.”

Chapter 263 How Could I Accept It? Life has its nobility and lowliness; Heaven has its blessings and misfortunes; the world has its coldness and indifference. [4k]

Behind the "Gate of the Rock Hall" lies a vast rock hall. It is surrounded by sheer cliffs, spiraling outwards from the center like a miniature map of a massive, layered rock abyss. Only at the very center of the cliffs is there a flat area, like a plaza.

A huge "rock nail" hangs above the square.

Like the "Wishing Stone," the "Layered Rock Nail" is surrounded by satellite-like rocks that defy gravity, resembling stars orbiting the moon.

Unlike the "Wishing Stone," this "Layered Rock Nail" is dark in color, with five thick black mists coiling around its body, covering almost every inch of its surface. These forces from the abyss are eroding the "Layered Rock Nail" every second.

The "Layered Rock Nail" itself glowed with a ghostly blue light, like a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.