Chapter 437 Shared Fear

"Why can't I be in a place like this?" I asked.

Seeing that I didn't intend to kill him right away, the "Preacher" should have realized that I wanted to extract information from him. He looked at me with fear and shut his mouth, then hesitated. I think he probably wanted to keep the secret, but knew he couldn't do that in front of me, so he began to consider whether he should confess.

Before he could make a decision, I used the power of words to command him to tell the whole truth.

Previously, I needed to use the Black Rope Heart-Locking Ring to extract information from my opponents. But with the power of words, I can achieve the same effect even without the Black Rope Heart-Locking Ring on hand. The "Preacher" can only honestly state the information they know, and cannot add lies to it, nor can they remain silent.

As I asked him questions, I examined his body and found the "white book" mentioned in Xiao Qiao's account. Just as Zhu Shi had said, the cover of the white book bore the words "Peach Blossom Spring," and the contents were filled with descriptions and praises of how wonderful this "Shangri-La" was. Interspersed within the text were runes with mysterious power, capable of influencing the consciousness of the viewer.

The power of this influence is not strong. After all, it is just a tool used to interfere with the minds of ordinary people, so its performance does not need to be too powerful. That's why it's no wonder that the amulet wood carving that Zhu Shi gave to his junior sister Xiao Qiao could resist its interference.

Furthermore, according to the "preacher," he also used the white book to turn two agents who were originally patrolling the abandoned construction site against their beliefs. Although the agents were ordinary people who could not manipulate magic, they all had protective items, just like Xiao Qiao. Unfortunately, unlike the situation with Xiao Qiao, the "preacher" knew very well that the agents had ways to protect themselves, so he first removed all their protective gear and then forcibly "brainwashed" the two of them.

Two agents who were originally my followers defected to the Peach Blossom Spring. Although some might think they lacked faith, from another perspective, people who believe in deities are usually dissatisfied and disappointed with their real lives, choosing to place their hopes on the other side. Even I can't deny that I have that tendency myself, wanting to pursue unrealistic adventures more than my current, realistic life.

The "Shangri-La" of Taoyuan Township is the embodiment of the other world.

As for why the "preacher" dared to attack Xiao Qiao, a junior at my university, and even dared to use this unfinished building connected to me as a trap to confront others, and thought I wouldn't be there, I now have the answer. At first, I wondered if there were some complicated reasons, but that's not the case at all.

To put it bluntly, in his mind, the Great Impermanence was a super-powerful figure far away, and he found it difficult to consider him as a real threat.

To me, he was insignificant; to him, I was enormous. While viewing ordinary people as mundane and uninteresting, he was also acutely aware that compared to the seemingly divine and unpredictable Great Impermanence, he was merely a tiny mortal. Therefore, in his intuitive perception, we were like characters living in different universes. Rationally speaking, he had considered whether his actions might provoke me, but ultimately, he couldn't visualize in his mind the actual scene of his behavior provoking my attack.

He couldn't imagine that he was qualified to have contact with the gods, nor could he imagine that the gods would condescend to cause the failure of his actions.

If a high-ranking demon hunter were located in the historically significant Mount Luo, they would certainly be more sensitive to such matters; however, the "preacher," being outside Mount Luo and originally only a low-ranking demon hunter, lacks this sensitivity.

"No wonder he named his weapon 'Zhuangcheng's Blade.' It's like someone who never thought they might meet the real thing in their lifetime." Zhu Shi hit the nail on the head with his sarcastic remark.

While I was interrogating the "preacher," Zhu Shi also took the opportunity to give Xiao Qiao a brief "educational" on the meanings of the words that appeared in our conversation, such as Luoshan, Peach Blossom Spring, Demon Hunter, Agent, etc., and told Xiao Qiao that she might not be able to escape the shadow of the strange world in her future fate.

Xiao Qiao, the junior, looked at the "preacher" with a complicated expression. I guess she still yearns for supernatural power, or at least hopes that she can obtain the power to protect herself and those around her in the future.

"Can I ask a question?" asked Xiao Qiao, a junior student.

“Go ahead and ask,” I said.

Looking at the "Preacher," Xiao Qiao said, "You must have also gained greater power through that so-called Dreamland Token, right? But according to Xiao Zhu, the stronger the power, the deeper the connection with the strange world, and the easier it is to encounter dangerous monsters. Many demon hunters have died tragically because of this... Why do you still want to become even stronger?"

“Answer her question.” I was curious too.

"...Attraction only determines the frequency of encountering strange things. It doesn't mean that as long as you keep yourself at a sufficiently weak level, you won't attract strange events that are beyond your ability to handle." The "preacher" answered honestly, "Cultivators can obtain a lifespan far exceeding that of mortals from the initial stage of cultivation, and some even from the initial stage of cultivation. However, there are still many cultivators who die young, and the same is true for cultivators who have reached the completion stage... Even great completion cultivators cannot escape this calamity."

"For a cultivator to become a Great Impermanence is incredibly difficult, almost impossible. Yet, at its peak, there were more than ten Great Impermanences in Luoshan, but now there are fewer than twenty Great Completion cultivators. How do you think this unreasonable ratio came about?"

"If you think that remaining weak will bring you safety, you'll only die faster and more miserably. In fact, didn't I fall victim to the Great Impermanence right here?"

There was a self-deprecating tone in his voice.

Zhu Shi seemed to share a similar sentiment. Lu Chan had previously mentioned to me that Detective Kong became a monstrous killer and soul-reaper because he feared one day dying in an inescapable bizarre event. The shared fear of the bizarre world's vortex among demon hunters and detectives is a concept that holds an extremely heavy place in their collective consciousness, yet it's something I've never truly explored. Because my feelings about this are completely opposite to theirs; what they fear is precisely what I yearn for.

If we cannot understand their shared fears, we may not be able to truly understand the core of the demon hunter community's consciousness. And it's hard to say that the death worship culture of Luoshan is unaffected by their fear of an inescapable and terrifying death.

My attitude toward what they consider serious issues may appear frivolous to them. Of course, I don't believe I approach risk with a frivolous mindset.

"So... is this your reason for joining Peach Blossom Spring?" I asked. "Does this 'Shangri-La' offer the safety and peace of mind you seek?"

"Isn't this acceptable?" The "Preacher" seemed to have given up entirely. "I finally attained this power, while mortals can live more peacefully than we do, without worrying about inexplicable horrors befalling them without warning, without fearing that their lives will be lost without anyone noticing..."

"If we just die an ordinary death, that would be fine. But we might not even know that we are dead, and we might become something that is not our own in a daze. We might even fall into a bizarre situation where even death is a luxury, literally unable to live or die... Who can bear such a thing!"

"Is this something that should happen in the real world? Even if I just fall asleep and have a random dream, it would be more realistic than this bullshit!"

"There might even be an apocalypse in the future, and the world will be destroyed within ten years! But as long as you enter the 'Shangri-La,' you can obtain inexhaustible lifespan and happiness. Is it a nightmare reality or a vivid dream? Which one is the right choice? Is there even a question?"

Junior student Xiao Qiao exclaimed in surprise, "What... the end of the world?"

I'll explain this to you later.

I first said something to Xiao Qiao, then looked at the "preacher" again and asked, "What you said sounds reasonable, but there is a very important premise for all of this: that 'Shangri-La' can really exist."

"But are you so sure that the Lord of Peach Blossom Village will keep his promise and truly create a 'Shangri-La'? Or, even if he does create a 'Shangri-La,' will it really be the perfect otherworld that you expect?"

"Perhaps that place is not the beautiful dream promised by the Lord of Peach Blossom Spring, but a sweet lie fabricated purely to achieve some kind of ambition of his. In his eyes, you may just be the necessary materials to realize his ambition."

"Have you all seriously considered this issue?"

Upon hearing this, the "preacher" showed no hesitation or doubt on his face. Instead, he nodded directly and admitted, "We are well aware that the ultimate goal of the Peach Blossom Village Lord is not 'Shangri-La'."

"For us, 'Shangri-La' is the goal itself; but for him, it is merely a stopover, a necessary means."

"This is an open secret within Peach Blossom Village; he never hid it from the beginning."

(End of this chapter)