Chapter 81 Transcendentalism 2
I somewhat understood what Lu Youxun meant.
He didn't believe the divine seal truly existed, but he did believe the power that changed everything truly existed. Although he didn't know whether the source of that power was a person, an object, or simply a phenomenon, one thing was very clear: the source of that power was quite biased towards ordinary people.
Even Luo Shan and Da Wuchang are wary of the unknown. They dare not act rashly until they fully understand the truth of that power.
If I were the ruler of Luoshan, where would I think that power originated?
The first group that must be questioned is the class that actually rules secular society and benefits the most from the existence of that power.
“We once suspected that the ‘Divine Seal’ might be in the hands of the official forces.” Lu Youxun still used the term “Divine Seal” to refer to the source of that power.
As far as I know, the Lord of the Divine Seal is the giant who resides in the Dream of the Mist and is referred to as "Zero" by Number One.
Are the Titans affiliated with the official forces?
Did he make a wish to the gods in the distant past, allowing ordinary people to rule the world? And is his wish directly related to what No. 4 Xuanming said about "bringing the world to the brink of destruction"?
I am very curious about this topic.
If it's just about taking sides, I'll just want to end the conversation quickly; but if it's about topics involving the apocalypse and bizarre history, I'll find it fascinating.
"You said you 'had suspicions,' which means you've now ruled out the possibility of official interference?" I asked.
“At least 90% of the suspicions have been ruled out,” Lu Youxun said. “In fact, the ‘divine seal’ of the past affected not only us cultivators, but also ordinary people.”
"If you calm down and think about it, you'll understand. We cultivators live under the same sky as them mortals. To turn a blind eye to each other, it's not only necessary for the cultivators to distance themselves from the secular world, but also for the mortals to keep to themselves. Since ancient times, countless people have sought immortality and the Dao, and there have been countless emperors and nobles who wanted to live forever. If they weren't also restrained by that force, how could they truly keep to themselves?"
"When that force's influence disappeared, the official forces were also plunged into great confusion. Although they made many efforts to cover it up, they still couldn't hide it from our eyes. However, as the saying goes, 'the greatest hermit hides in the court,' we also thought that the 'Lord of the Divine Seal' might have hidden himself in the court and the countryside, and even the official forces themselves were unaware of him, which is why we did not act rashly."
“You must have done a lot of testing,” I said.
“Yes. And the result of the probe is that the ‘Divine Seal’ is very likely not with the official forces, and the ‘Divine Seal’ itself may not even exist anymore.” He nodded. “This is something that is easy to deduce. No matter how great an impact the ‘Divine Seal’ had on our world, its influence has ultimately disappeared.”
"Why did it disappear? If it wasn't because the 'Lord of the Divine Seal' changed his mind, then the 'Divine Seal' itself malfunctioned. Although other possibilities are not ruled out, we believe that the possibility of a malfunction has more potential for in-depth investigation."
"Assuming that the 'Divine Seal' is indeed a divine artifact, we can even boldly suspect that this artifact may have been broken due to some kind of unforeseen event."
This bold suspicion turned out to be correct.
Moreover, considering that Xuanming, the fourth of the Great Impermanence, has already obtained the fragment of the Divine Seal, I suspect that the information that "the existence of the Divine Seal" and "the Divine Seal has been broken" may not be a secret among the Great Impermanence.
"Now that things have come to this point, you can probably foresee that the conflict between Luoshan and the official forces will officially begin in the near future." Lu Youxun moved the topic to the next stage, "Zhuang Cheng, I hope you can join our camp."
It's finally here.
"Don't you still have internal disagreements? Transcendentalism isn't the absolute mainstream in Luoshan, is it?" I asked.
“That’s right, there are voices within Luoshan saying that the cultivator community should integrate into secular society. But you may have misunderstood something. Their so-called integration does not mean that they hope cultivators will become cogs in the machine of secular society,” he said. “They also aim to become a new ruling class. It’s just that our transcendentalism aims to become ‘gods,’ while their aim is to become ‘monarchs.’”
"Does Zhu Shi think so too?" I asked.
He smiled helplessly: "She probably prefers things to remain unchanged. But she can't deny that the replacement of the old ruling class by the monks is an inevitable historical event, and it is the past that has made mistakes."
“The official forces cannot sit idly by. If war breaks out, many ordinary people will die. Zhu Shi cannot be involved in such a thing,” I said.
"It won't escalate into war. Luoshan has overwhelming power, and the conflict will end in a very short time."
"Because Mount Luo is home to the Great Impermanence?"
"We don't even need the Great Impermanence to intervene; Luo Shan is enough to rule this country." His calm tone revealed unwavering confidence. "Zhuang Cheng, what do you think of the strange man you fought tonight? If Luo Shan doesn't intervene and only relies on official forces to contend with him, how do you think things will develop?"
I pondered for a moment, and then realized a terrifying possibility.
He then answered his own question, saying, "Perhaps in your eyes, that strange person is just a nobody on the roadside, nothing special. But let me make it clear to you, that strange person actually possesses physical enhancement abilities that are outstanding even among cultivators in the realm."
"His skill level would be around mid-range among freaks. He can move at speeds exceeding 200 kilometers per hour, and his magic-enhanced body can easily tear through steel armor. He possesses dynamic vision capable of detecting bullet trajectories and reflexes sufficient to defend against them in time, while also being able to withstand the onslaught of firearms directly. Individual weapons are essentially ineffective against him."
"Just by combining these conditions, all he needs to do is use assassination and guerrilla tactics flexibly and make full use of his off-road mobility to kill or capture him, which would be an incredibly difficult task. And this doesn't even take into account his supernatural abilities."
"The monster can teleport long distances at any time through the shadows, and can also summon powerful clones. The monster you fought tonight even has the ability to regenerate immediately after being killed, which means that modern weapons' surprise attack tactics of bombarding him with heavy firepower when he is unprepared are useless. He can enter the shadows at will and appear anywhere, killing whomever he wants, and then simply disappearing into the shadows afterward. The more people he kills, the stronger he becomes, and the more difficult it is to fight against him."
"A strange individual like him could easily dismantle the political system of a small country with just a little thought, yet among us cultivators, he's merely a mere cultivator at the 'Dwelling Realm.' If we were to face a major power, and replace him with a cultivator at the 'Completion Realm,' I dare say we wouldn't even need ten of them to defeat the target without a fight. Our Luoshan Sect alone has nearly ten Great Impermanence cultivators, and the 'Completion Realm' cultivators are countless. With such a vast disparity in power, how can any official force possibly contend with us?"
Although I am not an expert in modern military affairs, I must admit that he has a point.
In the past, I used to think of modern armies as my hypothetical enemy, and I even imagined what would happen if I were bombed by missiles and nuclear bombs. I also did some serious research on the internet.
The reason I researched so diligently wasn't because I actually planned to fight a modern army; it was just a kind of imaginative exercise based on interest. Many people may never encounter a tiger in their lifetime, yet they still imagine themselves fighting one, even earnestly asking online how humans could kill a tiger bare-handed. It's the same principle.
After careful investigation, I realized my enormous advantage as a superhuman against modern armies. It wasn't that I could ignore physical attacks, nor that I could teleport freely across the battlefield using fire. Rather, it was that modern military technology, from the very beginning, lacked the means to counter "super-individuals."
Whether it's nuclear weapons, which I see as the epitome of modern technological destructive power, or aircraft carriers that roam the oceans like steel behemoths, these strategic military technological creations were never intended to deal with "super-individuals" possessing powerful offensive and defensive capabilities and mobility. Instead, they were designed to target immobile strongholds and groups. Their threat to "super-individuals" is far less than I initially thought.
Moreover, the demon hunters of Luoshan possess not only the violence of "super individuals," but Lu Youxun and the strange man have also demonstrated to me mysterious and unpredictable methods. The former can temporarily resurrect the dead and force them to reveal information, while the latter has a tool to seal his opponent into a "space outside of reality." It's likely that within the demon hunter community there are also masters of mind manipulation and curses, powers that would be immensely destructive to modern society.
Whether or not power in the human world will change hands, and when it will change hands, has never depended on the efforts of the current ruling class, but on Luo Shan's ideas.
Luo Shan's fear of the "Master of the Divine Seal" is a thing of the past. The reason he hasn't taken any action yet is probably because they haven't figured out how to divide the spoils.
"Furthermore, it seems that Zhu Shi misunderstood something when she spoke with that strange person earlier." Lu Youxun pointed to the electronic telescope he had used earlier, which was now on the table. "She believes that current technological civilization is the product of human effort, and I don't deny that. But strictly speaking, technology is not 'the power of mortals,' but 'the power of wisdom.'"
"The power of technology never favors any side. Mortals can wield this power, and so can cultivators, and they can only do it better than mortals. To regard it as proof that mortals are superior to cultivators in certain aspects is wrong from the start."
"What cultivators can use, mortals may not be able to use. This is enough to prove that we cultivators are beings who completely surpass mortals on the basis of including all the advantages of mortals, and are the true 'superhumans'."
"We are now at a turning point in history. It is an inevitable historical trend for monks to replace mortals as the rulers of the human world."
"Therefore, Zhuang Cheng, I extend an invitation to you here."
Join us.
(End of this chapter)
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