"What would the meat soup made from my own flesh and blood taste like?" Yun Ce asked calmly, his tone revealing no trace of the fact that he himself was the main ingredient in the meat soup. "You can tell me in the afterlife someday."

"A-Ce." Yun Da hadn't expected his usually quiet and taciturn apprentice to have such a sharp tongue, and his tone carried a hint of warning.

How could Yun Ce possibly obey?

Barefoot people aren't afraid of those wearing shoes.

He's not afraid of death now!

"You say to stop war with war, and I agree—disobedient people are like wildly growing branches; only by pruning them can the nutrients saved allow the saplings to grow into towering trees, capable of fighting for a foothold in the dense forest. But look at what's in the bowl! In your opinion, is cannibalism and human flesh as food an inevitable path?"

"You say that a strong army is all it takes to become king and conquer the world, but why can't the Northern Desert do the same? Isn't the answer right here in this bowl? No one can conquer the world without losing their own people, but it's rare to see someone conquering the world by eating their own flesh and blood! Today, they can eat wounded soldiers, the old, the weak, and the disabled for the sake of Shexing Pass, but what excuse will they use to eat others in the future? Is the Northern Desert fighting for the greater good? It's clearly driven by greed and ambition!"

"And you—"

Yun Ce was unusually emotional, and leaned forward slightly.

He declared emphatically, "Putting the cart before the horse and turning the crooked into the straight!"

Despite speaking words that seemed to pierce the heart, Yun Ce's eyes reddened first, tears streaming down his face. He knelt dejectedly on the bed, sobbing, "Master! Turn back! If it's truly just to avenge the Gongxi clan's century-long siege, everyone in the sect will respond!"

Yunda was like a teacher and a father to him.

The other person has been there ever since I can remember.

From his first words and steps to receiving instruction and passing on his mantle, everything about Yun Ce was shaped by Yun Da. Yun Da was the role model he aspired to emulate, the guiding light in his life, and the spiritual pillar and faith he regarded as a god.

What is Yunda doing now?

He personally destroyed the idol in Yun Ce's heart.

A towering mountain collapsed overnight.

The pain of having one's cultivation destroyed is far less than the mental torment.

Yun Da looked down at his closest disciple—even though the boy's more than twenty years of hard work had been wasted in his hands, his heartfelt words at this moment were without resentment, which made Yun Da find it somewhat amusing.

He laughed too.

"A-Ce, you don't know anything."

The color drained from Yun Ce's face: "Master..."

Yun Da raised his hand to stop him from continuing, then lifted his robe and sat down beside Yun Ce's bed: "It's precisely because we know nothing that we can still harbor such naive thoughts. You've been following Shen Youli for quite some time now, so you should know about the inner and outer societies of the Gods Society, right?"

Yun Ce hadn't expected the topic to jump so drastically.

He nodded: "I know."

He also knew that his master, Yunda, was connected with the Gods Society.

The tattoos on my body can attest to this.

Yunda curled his lips into a smile, the smile barely reaching his eyes: "Do you know who the true originator of the Pantheon is?"

Yun Ce felt inexplicably uneasy after hearing what Yun Da had said before and after contacting him.

Yunda: "It is Shen Youli, your master."

Yun Ce retorted without hesitation: "Impossible!"

Yun Da retorted, "Why is it impossible? Just because Shen Youli perfectly matches the image of the benevolent ruler in your mind? A Ce, you have followed me for so many years, and you haven't even seen through me. How dare you say so confidently that you understand Shen Tang?"

One sentence left Yun Ce speechless.

Yun Da calmly said, "Shen Youli and the former master actually have many similarities. If she were someone else instead of Shen Youli, I would have no problem with her."

Yun Ce: "Your disciple dares to guarantee it with his life!"

Yun Ce admitted that he was bad at judging people.

But could Qi Zhongshu and the others also become completely blind?

Yun Da met Yun Ce's resolute gaze, knowing the stubbornness of this foolish boy, and laid his cards on the table: "The inner society of the Gods Society worships an evil god called 'Mother Goddess.' According to my research, the first generation of inner society members all received the 'Mother Goddess's' blessing, allowing them to survive the great calamity. They claim to be descendants of gods, of divine blood, but no one knows how long these monsters have lived. This 'Mother Goddess' is your current master..."

Yun Ce's mind was in complete chaos.

What his master said was beyond his comprehension.

Yun Da's sneer reached his ears: "According to the records of the Covenant of Gods, a natural disaster destroyed the world. Ancient humans discovered the 'Mother Goddess' and received hope for the continuation of the human race from her. However, perhaps the power of the gods was too extraordinary for mortals to bear, and in the end, only a few lucky ones received the gods' mercy. These lucky ones eventually left the place where they were born."

"Master, this is just a myth."

Yunda's tone turned serious: "It's true."

Yun Ce was completely stunned: "Really?"

Yunda's smile was somewhat strange, but his words sent chills down one's spine: "It's all true. That cataclysmic disaster was real, and Shen Youli as the 'Mother Goddess' was also real. A-Ce, do you think your master should be grateful for her mercy towards humanity? No, in my eyes, this behavior is utterly foolish. There is no need for an existence that can reach the brink of destruction to interfere."

Yun Ce: "..."

Judging from Master Yunda's words, the so-called "Mother Goddess" neither stirred up trouble nor committed murder or arson. The founder of the Pantheon had only received favors from her, and his subsequent actions were not at the "Mother Goddess's" behest. It's like someone using a knife bought from a blacksmith's shop to commit murder; the murderer is the buyer, not the seller. No matter how the authorities judge it, they would never sentence the blacksmith to death.

Even if it's true, the Lord is innocent.

Yun Ce swallowed a few mouthfuls of saliva.

He asked cautiously, "What does Master mean..."

My master's lifelong wish was to end the chaos. As long as this wish could be fulfilled, it didn't matter if the victor was some nobody, or how many people died in the process. The most important thing was that the chaos would be ended, and everyone would be free of prejudice and no longer distinguish between us.

Yun Ce overlooked one point.

Even if all humankind in the world were wiped out, the goal would still be achieved.

Yun Da said, "It's exactly as you understand it."

He originally thought that the human race was just fighting and deceiving each other now, and still held the idea that "the path to peace is difficult but there is a glimmer of hope." However, he did not expect that long ago, the existence of humans had rotted to the core, and no medicine could cure them.

Is it worth continuing if we never learn from our mistakes?

Are we just waiting for the same mistake to happen again?

How many more tragedies of killing will occur before the same mistakes are repeated?

Rather than that, it would be better to completely annihilate it.

Yun Da does not believe that Shen Tang is an evil god. She protected the human survivors from the cataclysmic disaster, but the surviving humans did not learn their lesson, and the struggle was forced to continue for thousands of years. Now, this "mother goddess" has even lifted the coffin lid and personally entered the fray.

Shen Tang's purpose was very clear.

But Yunda doesn't believe that peace will come in the future. As long as there are people, as long as people have emotions and desires, struggle will be everywhere.

There will be countless tragedies like Amuqing's.

"Shen Youli's arrogance lies in her complete lack of understanding of people. She thinks she's doing a good job and is self-righteously saving people. The problem is, does humanity need the condescending salvation and charity of so-called 'gods'? Rather than drinking poison to quench thirst and prolong life, ha, it's better to just poison them directly."

The matter of the human flesh completely extinguished his last glimmer of hope.

It was like a resounding slap across his face.

really--

Only a thorough cleansing can prevent people from creating new conflicts.

Yun Ce fell completely silent.

He didn't know what to say at that moment.

Good news, Master wasn't so stubborn as to aid and abet evil.

Bad news: Master wants to kill all the living people.

That would be worse than aiding and abetting evil.

He stammered out, "Heaven and earth are divided into yin and yang, and there is good and evil in the world. There are not only tragedies in this world, but also things that bring joy. The days when my fellow disciples and I are in the sect are the best."

Yunda neither confirmed nor denied this.

Xianyu Jian, using Yunda's name as a shield, forcibly obtained two servings of normal food without any added ingredients from the kitchen. He figured it was about time, so he headed back, only to run into Yunda. The other man simply said, "Zigu, take good care of your senior brother."

Xianyu Jian nodded in agreement.

Upon entering, I saw Senior Brother Yun Ce staring blankly into a corner.

His eyes were still red, so he must have been crying.

Xianyu Jian sighed: "Senior brother, eat something. Don't think about Master anymore. He's over two hundred years old. How can we juniors persuade him? You know his personality. Once he's made up his mind, he can't change it. You should take care of yourself first."

Yun Ce opened his mouth as if to say something.

"eat!"

Xianyu Jianqiang forcefully shoved the chopsticks into his hand.

Yun Ce managed to eat two mouthfuls of wheat porridge.

He looked preoccupied.

at the same time--

Shen Tang was also preoccupied. She rested her chin on her hand and twirled the challenge letter in her other hand, examining it closely. The recipient's name on the challenge letter was blank, and the signatory was Yun Da. This was a challenge letter from a 20th-rank Marquis.

Shen Tang can send someone to fight.

Of course, you don't have to go.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated, Yunda's target was her.

But she was not only a brave and skilled warrior, but also the ruler of a country.

Werder Bremen's challenge can be completely ignored.

"Sigh, it's a difficult choice."

Shen Tang sighed again, looking at Kang Shi with a melancholy gaze.

He asked, "Ji Shou, how about we take a gamble?"

Kang Shi felt his scalp tingle and jumped up, wanting to escape—after the last heart-pulling incident, he couldn't bear to hear the word "gamble," fearing he might accidentally gamble Shen Tang to death.

He said, "How can I possibly accept such a challenge?"

Who does Yunda think he is?

This is a war between nations!

This is not a contest between two roughnecks.

Issuing a challenge is a rare move indeed.

Shen Tang carefully read the contents of the challenge: "I think we should go and take a look. We're going to face each other either way. If it's not this time, it will be the next time on the battlefield. Whether we stick our necks out or not, we'll still get a beating."

Bai Su: "My lord, I am worried that this is a trap."

The Northern Desert forces are still unsure of Shen Tang's fate.

This challenge might just be a test.

Shen Tang said, "I didn't plan to show myself either."

Gong Xiqiu crossed his arms and said, "In that case, I'll go. Let's see what this 20th-rank Marquis is really up to."

The old priest's notes mention Yunda.

The old priest's description of this old friend was quite subtle.

He was simple-minded and easily deceived, yet possessed a stubbornness and principles that were difficult for ordinary people to understand—in a battlefield confrontation, there was no room for words, just fight, but issuing a formal challenge was a different matter. Gong Xichou also preferred to go and see: "Brother, come with me."

For safety's sake, it's best to disguise it.

()

This chapter is a bit short today; it will be longer tomorrow.

Yunda is also going offline soon...

That said, it seems that Yunda is the first person to acknowledge that Tang Mei is not an evil god.