Chapter 415: Lies, Obsession, and Broken Truth
"I don't understand you," it said flatly. "I'm not lying. The end of the world is approaching."
"I believe that's what the old man told you, but do you believe it yourself?" Chu Hengkong asked, "Where are the righteous allies in this doomsday scenario? Did all the righteous gods die before the end of the world?"
"There's nothing they can do—"
"We just saw the Canxin Life Master chasing after your old man and hacking him, but we didn't realize he was so incompetent." Chu Hengkong sneered, "How dare you determine the fate of the rest of the Supreme Beings based on the prophecy of one Supreme Being? If you don't know, you might think it's the Creator talking about the fish in his own tank!"
Wang Quan spread his hands and smiled, "It's hard to persuade a ghost seeking death with kind words, and even great compassion won't save a person who has already killed himself."
"Then let's see if Great Compassion is willing to save me." Chu Hengkong suddenly said.
He raised his wrist, and the chains on the silver prosthetic body unraveled, the insect-shell-like nested tissues opening one by one, revealing the filthy flesh sealed by the steel. Wang Quan's face changed: "You——"
"Protector of the original dream, guardian of the cradle of oblivion, generous and loving benefactor!" Chu Hengkong shouted to the sky, "If you are truly loving, then answer my question: Is the future of this world already predetermined?"
He also has the flesh and blood of the Fallen within him, a foundation for the formation of the Arm of Misfortune, a "gift" bestowed upon him by the Benefactor himself in the wilderness of despair. Even within the Fallen, this is the highest level of catalyst, and he can pray to the old man if he so desires.
——You already have the answer, why ask me?
The old man laughed, a hint of amusement. Chu Hengkong stared at Wang Quan and adopted the same tone he had used before: "Some people are accustomed to confusing right and wrong, telling lies so often that they even believe them themselves. If you don't ask them to speak, they will never wake up."
Wang Quan suddenly interrupted, "Old man, please don't interfere in our affairs."
——My child, I can't do this. Since someone sincerely prays to me, I will definitely respond.
—The vision of destiny revealed by the totem earlier is indeed the future that Black Moon and I divined. Its contents are absolutely true, every word accurate. However…
The old man's voice sounded meaningful.
If fate really did determine the outcome, the cradle would have long been a dead star in deep space. In my opinion, there is no such thing as "destiny" in this world!
It laughed and departed, leaving no sound in the past space. Wang Quan's face was expressionless, leaning against the old courtyard wall like a forgotten puppet. Chu Hengkong tapped the hilt of the murderous knife, his eyes filled with nostalgia.
"When I first arrived in the Shendong Realm, the funeral procession said that Huilong City was going to be destroyed. When I went to Jinye City, the monks told me that I was destined to die. Later, in the Despair Wilderness, those who were destined to die were slaughtering each other in the past, and the monks themselves didn't know how to judge. Now in Jingsha City-State, the funeral procession has come again, but the city-state still has not died."
"It's destined, it's destined..." He chuckled and said, "From the time I entered the Shendong Realm until now, every battle I've fought has been destined! If prophecies were truly so believable, the Shendong Realm would have long since become a realm of funeral processions. How could you, a fallen being who doesn't believe in fate, have the right to tell me about doomsday scenarios?"
Ultimately, the Dark King is a fallen one.
The Black Moon they believe in is the first abyss of immortality. Its essence is a deformed life that transcends the end, and its existence is in opposition to its fate and end.
Could such a lost being believe in the end of the world? How could it possibly be? In the eyes of the lost, the world exists forever. As long as they return to their cradle, nothing can harm them, not even the raging floods of the earth. The lost have no fear of the future; their true faith lies in the supreme, omnipotent God.
It's just another psychological tactic.
Telling partial truths to shake the enemy's will is a common lie used by the fallen to shake their fighting spirit!
"——If you think so, you're wrong."
Wang Quan said calmly.
"Unlike those fallen ones you're familiar with, I'm basically a freak. I don't believe in miracles, or forever, or any future in this terrible world."
"The old man's words gave you a lot of hope, didn't they? However, what he said was only a tiny probability, and he didn't deny his own prediction either!"
“Perhaps the process will change, perhaps the efforts of some people can delay or alter something, but from a broad perspective, the tide of fate will continue to roll forward, unaffected by these random events.”
It conjured a model of the Earth, threw up a glittering fireball, and let it slowly crash into the Earth.
"Let me give you an example you can understand. Imagine the sun is broken and about to crash into the earth. There are 7 billion people on Earth. Anything could happen before the sun crashes into the earth. Even an old man can't predict all the possibilities..."
"But can these random elements keep the Earth alive?"
It let go and watched the sun set, turning the planet they were familiar with into ashes.
"No way."
"No matter how hard you try, you can't do it."
"Hard work, luck, miracles, willpower—add them all together and magnify them ten million times. Even the setting sun will eventually reach its destined destination. I didn't mention those vague probabilities because I truly don't want to see you struggling in despair!"
He spoke earnestly.
Like a compassionate and sad prophet.
However, the more this happened, the more impatient Chu Hengkong became.
Still lying, still talking nonsense, even at this point, this bastard still refused to speak his mind. He sighed deeply, then roared: "This is none of your business!"
Wang Quan looked bewildered: "You..."
"So what if the world of Shendong Realm ends?" Chu Hengkong sneered. "It's just another boring world you'll enter after death, where strangers enjoy the tragedy of their own making. It has nothing to do with you and your meaning is not your responsibility. Even if Shendong Realm smashes to pieces on the ground, what does it have to do with your Dark Kingdom?"
Wang Quan leaned against the wall, making a distressed expression: "I also love some people in this world. It is for them that I—"
"Then who do you care about?" Chu Hengkong interrupted harshly.
Wang Quan remained silent, so Chu Hengkong pressed him, "Didn't you say before that you loved the city-state? Who in the city-state do you like? What do you think is worth protecting here?"
"Do you support 'Love Alone'? Then why don't you just help Perriman to the end? Do you support 'Unity'? Then why do you keep fanning the flames within the city-state?"
Chu Hengkong spoke rapidly and aggressively. Wang Quan, always eloquent, remained silent, staring at him with empty eyes. The more he spoke, the more irritated Chu Hengkong became. At this moment, anger trumped hatred.
His voice gradually rose. "I can't even put it into words. I don't even know where to start a lie. Without relevant experience, I can't come up with any credible words. I just use the ambiguous word 'love' to fool people!"
"Then let me help you say that you don't care at all."
"You don't care about the city-states, you don't care about the Shendong Realm, and of course you don't care about the end of the world. After all, if you don't care about things on Earth, how can you love the life in the Shendong Realm!"
Wang Quan seemed to be angry as well, clenching his fists. "How could you forget even this? I love humans. Ever since the death of the king who raised me, I've learned the meaning of 'love'!"
"You don't love humans at all!"
Chu Hengkong roared at it.
Exposing the biggest lie that has been hidden until now.
After all, the lost are the lost.
The twisted lives born from the Black Moon maintain only their bonds of affection with their own kind. Even if they occasionally consider others important, they cannot completely change their nature. Yet, the Kingship truly acts for the well-being of Earth, restraining its desires and impulses, wholeheartedly pursuing its plan to save the world, as it once promised.
There is only one simple reason that can explain all this.
It lied to itself too.
"—You just gave yourself a new definition. You defined those indifferent and indifferent feelings as 'love'!"
There was a sound like shattering glass. A crack appeared on the delicate face of the white-haired boy. It tore diagonally across his calm smile, like porcelain that had been shattered long ago and then pieced together, finally revealing its true form under the erosion of time.
It covered its face, trying to mend the cracks, to force a smile. But no matter how much divine power it poured into it, its wounds refused to heal. Dark blood continued to flow from the wounds, soaking its white clothes. The cracks spread as it moved, covering its neck and the backs of its hands like a spider web.
"Stop talking." Wang Quan whispered, "That's it."
Chu Hengkong pointed around, towards the familiar courtyard in his memory. "Escape back to the past, hide in the happiness of memories. It sounds like the typical thinking of a lost soul. But do you really believe it? Do you really think the past was beautiful?"
"I'm afraid not, Dark King. You know better than anyone that the past wasn't so beautiful. Your memories are filled with endless expectations and pain. You can't find much childhood happiness. Your childhood is filled with only accumulated regrets and mistakes!"
Wang Quan tried harder to piece his face together, but the shattered face eventually fell away, leaving only the black blood stirring within the hollow skull. His voice, emanating from the blood, was filled with pain: "Shut up. Please. Don't say any more."
Chu Hengkong said angrily: "How could you want to go back to the past when you are like this! How could you care about the future of Shen Dongjie!"
"You've been planning within the city-state until now, all for the sake of this mutually destructive situation. Your true purpose is to complete the mission entrusted by the Black Moon and help it devour the city-state to fulfill its wish. Then, it will return your wishes and descend upon Earth, 'saving' humanity as you desire."
"—In this way, you will finally be able to complete the final 'mission' you were given!"
The expression on Wang Quan's face shifted constantly. From anger to dullness, from pain to indifference. Countless emotions shifted in his shattered eyes, like a talented actor imitating the appearances of all beings.
Chu Hengkong rushed forward and punched the cracked humanoid figure. The disguised body shattered completely, and filthy blood gushed out like a beheaded person!
Skin, hair, muscle, bones, all the components that made up a "human" shattered into fragments and faded, leaving only the endless black blood flowing from the heart. But the human form still existed, like another person hidden within the leather suit, standing in the center of the black blood.
The black blood spread to both sides, revealing bloodless lips.
"Yeah, I hate this world."
"From the moment I was born, I felt that you humans are simply disgustingly ugly."
It made a dry, faint, corrupt sound.
Foolish creatures, meaningless biological activities, a fragile and ugly society. Ignorant fools languish in shelters. Decadent old men indulge in fantasies of salvation. Blood-sucking parasites slaughter each other under the banner of justice.
I can't find any rationality in it. I don't know why such a life form exists. Just looking at it makes me want to vomit. Even using it as a toy is disgusting. It's so disgusting!"
The black blood stopped flowing and clung to the body's surface, forming a black battle suit. Beneath the blood, pale, almost sickly skin and pure white hair were revealed.
"I was once a perfect and happy being, but because of you, I have become a contradictory, incompetent, inferior being. Without the grace of the gods, without the moonlight to illuminate me, I left the warmth of my homeland and came to this suffocating, ugly world."
"Every day, every minute, every second, I want to personally slaughter all of you meaningless, ugly lives, one by one! And then, in the end, die with this disgusting world!"
"But I must protect humanity!"
Scarlet tears welled up in her eyes.
Roaring at the last of his kind.
"Because I promised him! Because someone loves me! And I am carrying his love!"
"I must realize his ideal. This is the meaning of my existence!!"
The illusion of the past collapsed with her cry, and the true appearance of the world under the sea was revealed.
There was nothing. No sky, no earth, no life, only the boundless expanse of monotonous pure white. Everything in the past was an illusion; only the true state of Wang Quan's heart was revealed at this moment.
She stood on the pure white horizon, discarding all disguise to reveal her true appearance. It was still the same face Chu Hengkong knew well, though much older than when they first met. She was the same white-haired girl he had first met, with crimson eyes and pale skin, like a fragile doll thrown into the human world.
She was no longer the Dark Moon Goddess. She was the Blood Alliance's number one, the world's most powerful assassin, a dark monarch with a disregard for all living things. But she was no longer indifferent. Flames of emotion rose in her eyes, brimming with deep hatred and pain.
"I will do anything to fulfill my purpose."
"Even if it means killing you, Chu Hengkong!"
Chu Hengkong smiled.
A happy smile like a long-awaited reunion.
"Very good. This is the dark kingship."
"This is my best friend!"
He raised his Divine Slash and pointed it at Wang Quan's brow. "What's the point of dragging out this fight?! My opponent is the Blood Alliance's number one, the Dark King who will do anything to kill me!"
He swung his sword and roared, "You want to carry out your life, don't you? Then give it your all! Come and kill me!"
Wang Quan wiped away her tears and raised her hand. Red blood flowed from her body, forming a simple, Western-style longsword. She grasped the sword and took a stance. Her last tears fell on the blade, transforming into a pale, burning fire.
"Then die, sacrificial snake!"
She slashed out with the flaming blade, the tip of the sword piercing Chu Hengkong's elbow holding the knife. Chu Hengkong spun the knife to catch the sword, but Wang Quan changed his tactics mid-sentence, and the sword suddenly jumped back and shot towards his head.
Chu Hengkong unfurled his bony wings, using his death wings as a shield to block the blow, thrusting his divine slash towards Wang Quan's chest. Wang Quan met the blow with his fist, then sidestepped and drew his sword back without hesitation. Her side was wide open, but Chu Hengkong could not pursue, suddenly feeling extremely weak. White flames burned along his death wings toward his head, the flames, like a living thing, climbing up his bones and piercing his eyes.
Pseudo-secret White Flame.
For 2,000 years, the Blood Alliance has made various efforts to revive martial arts techniques. The so-called "pseudo-secret" is the result of this delusion passed down from generation to generation. It is completely different from the true Longxiang boxing method and is a deformed martial art constructed by ignorant people based on fantasy.
Yet, Wang Quan transformed this false art into reality, the vitality of the Dark Moon filling the final gap in her imaginary technology. Her white flames were the polar opposite of Burning Night, engulfing the enemy's spirit, skill, and even consciousness itself, feeding on their life to generate a calamity fire that would annihilate her enemies.
She raised her sword high, white flames entwining the blade like a dragon. A dragon's roar echoed as the blade slashed down, and white flames erupted with the strike, transforming into a violent storm that burned the world!
Chu Hengkong was still entangled in the white flames, and even though he saw the flaming wind coming, he didn't draw his sword. He raised his wrist and shot out a crimson ray. The fire of ambition burst out at his will, draping around his body and forming a blood-red beast head that burned everything.
"The Secret Art of Canxin's Anti-Soul!"
The secret technique activated, and the killer's body was coated in a fiery aura. His hostility and murderous intent transformed him into a demonic Shura, a demon from hell. The blood-red beast's head lunged at Yan Feng, tearing and swallowing Bai Yan whole without regard for the damage, devouring the enemy's power with a nearly identical mindset.
Red and white flames clashed in the sky, while black and white killers raced across the ground. Long knives slashed at heads, swords stabbed at hearts, punches were dodged, and the two turned and flew high into the sky, only to plummet back down.
Equally matched in speed, nearly identical in strength, and even similar in technique, the two men now engaged in a fierce battle were like mirror images of each other, yet they looked so different. The white-haired, crimson-eyed woman remained expressionless, her entire attention focused on her enemy. The black-haired, crimson-eyed man laughed wildly, his spirit surging with the intensifying intensity of the battle.
"With such skills, how can you defeat me!"
According to common sense, such a fight would never happen. Wang Quan is the son of Dark Moon. Even without the blessing of divine power, she has the strength to fight with the captain. Her strength, her endurance, and her reaction ability are far superior to Chu Hengkong. Now that she has abandoned lies and fought with all her strength, she should be able to end the battle in seconds.
However, the Canxin Soul Resurrection Secret Technique bridged the gap between the two, their strengths devouring each other as they fought. Since they were both fuel, there was no such thing as burning out before death. The side that should have been weaker thus became unreasonably tough, bombarding with increasingly sophisticated skills.
He was an irrational man to begin with, born powerful despite no inheritance, and he had rushed into the world under the sun, destroying all common sense. Now that Wang Quan was giving his all, he no longer had any concerns, and his willpower would only grow stronger as the battle intensified!
(End of this chapter)
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