Chapter 573 "No Other Way"

Natural will can obviously influence the afterlife, which is why Asahi is always plagued by misfortune in the afterlife.

However, to say that this is all the effort the will of nature has made to save itself, placing the entire burden on Asahaya's shoulders, seems like an exaggeration. The will of nature may also be making efforts in other areas, and Asahaya may simply be one of them.

I couldn't help but think of the enormous full moon hanging in the night sky of the afterlife. The Naraku Gospel currently enshrined at the Gospelin Temple is also a being that seems to have invaded the human form of the afterlife from the outside, an unknown will of unknown origin. Could this be the same existence as the natural will, which can also radiate its power into the afterlife?

But it doesn't seem to make sense. If it is the manifestation of the Earth's natural will, then it should be manifested in the form of the Earth. Why does it appear as a full moon?

Am I questioning things in the wrong direction? Is Naraku Gospel not the natural will of Earth?

Xiao Wan's thoughts seemed to have shifted to another area, "...From this perspective, the reason why Sister Ma Zao couldn't connect Brother Zhuang Cheng's magical fluctuations with the Great Demon of Calamity is probably also partly due to the influence of the will of nature."

From the cultivators we've captured now to the little girl the cartographer adopted and cared for, in the afterlife, anyone who can sense the fluctuations of magical power and has some understanding of the Great Demon of Calamity can connect me with the Great Demon of Calamity at a glance.

It's somewhat unreasonable that Asahina, who had once faced the Great Demon of Calamity head-on and was nearly killed by it, couldn't do this.

When we first met, things were alright. At that time, Mazao was suffering from severe soul injuries and low perception, while I was only at the Great Completion stage. The gap between me and the Great Demon of Calamity was so vast that it was incomparable. However, after I became the Great Impermanence, and she also greatly repaired her soul, she still seemed unaware of the connection between me and the Great Demon of Calamity.

Was it because Mazao was worried that I would hurt her and Xiaowan because of my "future self" that she intentionally didn't mention it? I'm sure it's not. She's not good at lying or acting, and she couldn't hide it from me.

The little bowl seemed to have found the answer at that moment.

“This might be because if Sister Mazao had realized from the beginning that Brother Zhuangcheng was a great demon of calamity, she might not have chosen to act with you,” she said. “And from the perspective of the will of nature, someone like you, a born god, can be considered one of the ultimate errors in the world, so the will of nature tends to create situations that make it easier for Sister Mazao to be with you.”

"The soul is a collection of consciousness. People who have suffered such severe damage are prone to memory loss. Although Sister Asaha later repaired her soul with the Divine Elixir, there is probably still some damage. Important memories may still be recovered with the power of return, but minor details such as the 'magical fluctuations of the Great Demon of Calamity' may not be included. This creates space for arranging 'coincidences'."

"...It sounds like Asaho is the protagonist of the story," I said.

In many fantasy adventure stories, the "shocking truth" is often revealed late in the story: "the protagonist's background and journey so far have all been meticulously orchestrated by the final villain."

Asaho also reveals similar characteristics. The misfortune she has carried to this day is due to the heavy mission of "saving the world" bestowed upon her by the will of nature; her subsequent life experiences are also arranged by an invisible hand.

Some fantasy novels refer to "people who are like protagonists" as "chosen ones," whose lives are filled with countless hardships and opportunities, and who are also lucky enough to "survive even the most desperate situations." All of this is so that the "chosen ones" can grow up quickly—this may correspond to Asahi's experience of rapidly growing into a master monk during her time at Fukuinin.

The closer you are to the center of the stage, the more constrained you become. The seemingly glamorous lead actor is often the most powerless puppet. Every gift that fate bestows comes with a hidden price.

Even if Asaha knew the whole truth, she would probably choose to accept the mission of "saving the world" after being shocked, which is very similar to the protagonist in an adventure manga.

Xiaowan quickly understood what I meant and then said, "However, the many coincidences that occurred in order to bring Sister Mazao and Brother Zhuangcheng together probably stemmed more from my wishes."

"So you're one of the 'invisible forces' that orchestrated Asahi's fate?" I retorted.

Xiao Wan gave an embarrassed smile.

Number Seven then looked at the cultivator who was pretending to be an ostrich next to him.

“Then I’ll investigate his memories to see if I can find any clues about the technical data of Dushuo Mountain and the fragments of the Divine Seal,” she said.

The cultivator at the Chengjing realm showed a fearful expression and said, "You...you won't kill me afterwards, will you?"

"Don't you think you shouldn't be killed? You were determined to embark on a path of conquering the world of the living and killing eight billion humans, and you've already killed countless survivors in the afterlife?" Number Seven asked.

"We had no other choice!" the cultivator in the Chengjing realm said excitedly. "We've explored other avenues... but for the sake of our race and the continuation of the world, this is the only path!"

Upon hearing this, Number Seven was surprised for a moment, and then said, "You can actually hide some of your thoughts... Oh, is it because Zhuang Cheng said earlier that we can't lie or hide anything when faced with our questions, so you just told us on your own? You're such a sly old fox, you found the loophole so quickly."

"Or have you been hypnotizing yourself for so long that you've started to believe it? What 'exploring other directions'? Do you really think I don't know your true colors? Huang Quan did order you to explore other directions, but you were just going through the motions. You didn't actually put in much effort. I already know about these things through my intelligence agents."

"The human extermination plan was the first method discovered, but it may not be the last. If you had explored all possible avenues and concluded that 'this is the only remaining possibility,' then I would have nothing to say. But you stopped researching all other routes after obtaining this method, voluntarily abandoning all other possibilities. Isn't the root cause because you believe that all humans other than yourself are insignificant?"

"What 'only way'? Don't try to pull that kind of sophistry on me!"

The cultivator at the Chengjing realm broke out in a cold sweat, then turned his gaze to me. He clearly knew that I was the one who carried the most weight here, and he said in a trembling voice, "You... no, since you were summoned as the Great Demon of Calamity, you shouldn't be a hypocrite like Rainbow Grass, right? I..."

“I don’t care,” I said. “I’m not hostile to your Evangelical Fellowship for that reason. You can do whatever you want, whether it’s slaughtering humans or running your own supernatural movement. It’s your freedom to do whatever you want. Just don’t complain or regret it when it’s your turn to be killed.”

"Don't rush to die now. First, show her all your memories about the inside of the Gospel House. Once we've extracted all the information from your brain, leave this room, remember to close the door, and then find a place where no one will notice to end your life."

In the latter half of my speech, I used the power of words, which the cultivator at the completion stage could not disobey and could only obey with a look of despair on his face. Number Seven stepped forward, grabbed his head, and began to establish a telepathic connection, receiving the memory images transmitted from his side.

I have no right to criticize this cultivator who has reached the Accomplishment stage, because I am not much different from him. It's not a matter of morality, but rather the fact that he "treats the first path he finds as the only path."

To be honest, I didn't actually have any motive to be an enemy of Huang Quan, nor did I necessarily want to stand against the Gospel House. It's just that Huang Quan, for some reason, had an unknown motive to kill me, and put it into practice twice. Since they want to kill me, it's only right that I fight back.

That being said, I am not truly going with the flow or acting under external pressure. I myself enjoy conflict and seek higher-intensity conflict. Therefore, even if I need Huang Quan's Dushuo Mountain technical data and divine seal fragments, I will not first try to engage in dialogue, ask Huang Quan what the essential contradictions are between us, and I will certainly not seek to resolve or de-escalate the conflict.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, pushing the conflict to its most intense stage. It seemed I had no other choice, accepting this approach from the very beginning. But was I truly without other options? Or did I reach this conclusion only after diligently exploring other avenues?

"There is no other way" is just a convenient excuse; I just want to have a good, unforgettable experience with Huang Quan.

It's very likely that Xiaowan has already seen through my thoughts, but she didn't comment at all, and instead continued to look through the documents on her desk.

Besides the documents related to Ma Zao, other files and materials were scattered haphazardly on the table. Xiao Wan seemed to quickly sift through them, picking out the noteworthy ones, her gaze settling on one particular file.

She picked it up, frowned, examined it for a moment, and then said hesitantly, "This is..."

"Did you find anything?" I asked.

"...This is information related to Peach Blossom Spring," Xiao Wan said. "Brother Zhuang Cheng, I remember you mentioned that the Gospel Institute has established a cooperative relationship with Peach Blossom Spring in the world of the living...is that right?"

"Yes." I was filled with immense curiosity.

Ever since I heard about the Gospel Institute's human extermination plan from Number Seven, the cooperative relationship between Peach Blossom Village and Gospel Institute has been a great mystery to me.

(End of this chapter)