Chapter 81 81 On "The practitioner masters violence, the practitioner...
September 14, the first year of the Reiki Recovery, appeared in the abandoned warehouse factory.
The smell of blood filled the air. Li Bo's body lay quietly on the ground, twitching slightly from time to time.
The members of the executive team stood there in a daze, not knowing whether they should put down the spiritual weapons and swords in their hands.
Everyone was still digesting the incident that had just happened. In the silence, one person moved slowly.
"Can you let me take care of the burial?" Yue Jingting's voice was still steady. He squatted down beside Li Bo's body and stretched out his hand: "I mean, I'm an expert in formations. I can tell... whether there are any remaining techniques on the body."
"Let me examine the body." He added absentmindedly, seemingly not caring how pale his words were.
If your hands weren't shaking as you tried to close Li Bo's eyes, I would still believe that you were just preparing to examine the body in a businesslike manner. Chi Zhaoming sighed.
There is no time for sentimental love. Chi Zhaoming took a last look at the body on the ground and cleared his throat.
At this moment, the silence was broken by the sound of hurried footsteps. The person spoke quickly:
"Sorry, the spiritual environment here is too chaotic. It took me a while to find an opportunity to teleport over."
"I just investigated the formation that pulls the demiplane here, and the general structure has been input into the formation automatic solution system. It will probably take some time to run out the complete results, but we can start the analysis now."
"As for the energy problem, I have already notified the surrounding spirit stone production factories to give priority to transporting spirit stones here. If the transportation time is not enough, we can also transport it by manpower. The flying sword may be even faster..."
Bai Xian's eyes widened. Chi Zhaoming beside him asked hesitantly, "Ms. Chu...?"
The bluebird who had hurried over turned off his phone and said calmly, "It's me. I'm here to help."
September 14, the first year of the spiritual energy recovery, the demiplane Jiuli.
The first sound that came into my ears was the sound of metal hitting stone, but it was duller and more powerful than the sound of temple bells. I could almost imagine the scene of a hammer hitting an anvil.
This was followed by the crackling sound of flames licking metal, mixed with the low hum of matter transforming under high temperature.
Even deeper is the sound of the hot liquid flowing in the mold, like lava slowly advancing under the earth's crust, deep and viscous.
The air is filled with the smell of iron and fire, and the rusty sky makes people wonder: is it the brine from the salt pond that has flowed back into the sky, or is it the blood shed by Chi You under the city of Zhuolu that has left an eternal mark.
Ning Changkong's gaze fell on the person in front of him, or rather the god.
The breath of the gods washed over his face, more intense than the remaining image of the Queen Mother of the West in the Yaochi illusion.
...It seems that there is no way to resolve the situation through force. I don't know how long I need to delay Chu Qingge outside, and I don't know if it will be helpful to bring in top combat forces such as Chi Zhaoming.
The other person looked calm, and his deep eyes seemed to contain the sediment of history. He spoke first:
"I know you, the descendant of Yinglong, the child of Phoenix."
The first person in Chinese history to invent metal weapons. His achievements in ancient Chinese warfare history made him the God of War. [1]
The Lord of War, Chi You.
"Ning Changkong." Ning Changkong nodded in a calm voice.
The frozen time seemed to start flowing again at this moment, and the scene in front of him changed accordingly. In a flash, Ning Changkong found himself in a study with ancient furnishings.
However, the place where bookshelves should be placed in the study is actually filled with rows of various weapons. From the oldest bronze swords to... a row of modern spiritual weapons?
Ning Changkong finally understood who developed the long-range spiritual weapon.
Li Gui waved his hands behind his desk, his voice carrying an irresistible power: "Forget that awful derogatory name. My name is Li Gui."
Chi You and his eight brothers, including himself, made a total of nine people, all with the surname Li, and were known as the "Nine Li". [2]
The ruler of the Jiuli tribe was called Chiyou.
Ning Changkong's eyes involuntarily followed his movements and turned to the desk where manuscripts were scattered. He vaguely made out a book called "Advanced Mathematics" among the piled up reference books.
Hiss, this is not easy to deal with.
"You came to see me to delay time." Li Gui stated the facts calmly.
Yes, it would be better to kill you right here and now, Ning Changkong thought absentmindedly.
"That era has passed for too long. Every old friend who stayed is precious. Don't you think so?" Ning Changkong considered his words and said softly: "For example, Senior Xuanwu."
Xuanwu's name did touch Li Gui. He sat down behind the desk and said, "You should have brought your father's attendant with you. Maybe I could have something to talk about with him."
Li Bo did not tell Chi You that he was Lin Jinsong, which was a blessing in disguise. Ning Changkong breathed a sigh of relief. It was probably because Li Bo had saved Lin Jinsong's life out of personal feelings.
Ning Changkong's brain was working rapidly, and he said, "Senior, I think——"
"I know what people think." Chi You interrupted him, his eyes calm, "Freedom, equality, how stupid."
Ning Changkong shook his head in disapproval and nodded at the Advanced Mathematics on his desk: "Without spiritual power and without practitioners, they still created a great civilization."
Li Gui glanced at the book and said calmly, "I agree with this."
“So I will support them.”
"I want to give them the best entertainment and the most suitable education. They should make full use of their brains and continue to study everything they can; or sell their physical strength and become workers on the assembly line."
"Everyone will be happy, and only in this way can they realize their greatest value."
The god of weapons calmly promised happiness to ordinary people, like promising a reward for their work to the cattle and horses that plowed the land, or promising a life without worries to the beautiful pets that soothed the soul.
The only thing is that he doesn't seem to be talking about people who are his equals.
He considered how to amplify the beneficial traits of ordinary people in a utilitarian and cold way, just as humans domesticate animals and plants.
Domesticated large mammals provided humans with meat, milk, fertilizer, and the ability to pull plows, and until the advent of railways, they served as an important means of land transportation for humans. But would you say that history was created by humans together with oxen that pulled plows and horses that transported goods? [3]
Things were taking a turn for the worst. Ning Changkong felt a sinking feeling in his heart.
As expected, Chi You did not adhere to the concept of survival of the fittest and the law of the jungle, and wanted to magnify the military gap between practitioners and ordinary people into a class gap.
—— He never considered ordinary people and practitioners as the same species, so naturally he would not get pleasure from the artificially constructed high and low status.
Do practitioners treat ordinary people as human beings? -- For example, would a monster that can transform into a human form treat ordinary animals as its own kind?
Su Yunyao respected the Phoenix and Bai Xian, but he still ate the fried chicken because he didn't think the captive broiler chicken had anything in common with the two powerful bird demons.
A carnivorous monster will not become an animal protectionist and change from a carnivorous diet to a vegetarian diet just because it has gained intelligence. Bird monsters raise birds and horse monsters ride horses, but they just think that ordinary animals without intelligence are not of the same kind as themselves.
Ning Changkong retorted: "You are the god who forged weapons, you should understand the power of tools."
"No need for modern firearms, just a poisoned bronze dagger—"
"—— The weakest ordinary person can also kill a cultivator? That's because the cultivator is too weak." Li Gui shook his head and interrupted.
Li Gui: "The huge gap in martial arts between ordinary people and practitioners can be made up with weapons, but it is not necessary."
"I believe in the power of weapons, but the power of weapons needs people to exert it. The question is not whether ordinary people holding weapons can kill practitioners, but whether these weapons can exert their greatest value when equipped on practitioners."
The introduction to "Common Sense of Cultivation" compiled by the Li Bo Organization says: To equip a modern mortal army, an industrial assembly line needs to be operated day and night, but to destroy them, one man and one sword is enough.
It is not impossible to forge weapons that allow ordinary people to defeat most practitioners, but the cost-effectiveness is too low. When investing equal human and material resources to manufacture weapons, the practitioners' military strength will undoubtedly be more significantly improved.
"Only the wars between practitioners have meaning."
"Without violence, there is no rule. Without rule, there is no order. Practitioners control violence, and practitioners establish order." Li Gui spread his hands: "It is that simple."
This topic ended much faster than he expected. Ning Changkong gritted his teeth and dragged out the next argument.
"To impose the values of the spiritual cultivation era on humans who grew up in an era of spiritual exhaustion is like transplanting trees from the south to the north." Ning Changkong lowered his head. "It won't survive, Li Gui."
What does Reiki Resurrection mean?
It means a collective evolution of mankind, and it means that the material basis of all ideological theories related to social structure has changed and must be torn down and rebuilt.
If this was a civilization that developed from scratch in an era of abundant spiritual energy, Ning Changkong would not be in the mood to argue with Chi You. Because in such a high-magic worldview, at least in the early stages of civilization development, power would inevitably be concentrated in the hands of powerful practitioners, forming a society like the demon race, where strength is respected.
In the low-magic worldview where the gap in martial power between people is quite limited, any civilization beyond primitive society will evolve into a slave society, not to mention the high-magic worldview where there is an extreme gap in martial power.
But this is the worldview of the resurrection of spiritual energy. The civilization here has broken countless ideological shackles, and the human beings here have opposed all discrimination based on innate differences. How can we make these people degrade themselves to being tools and stepping stones for others?
The power of ideas and social inertia are enormous.
"The decline of spiritual energy is a mistake that should not have happened. If a bone grows crooked, it must be broken and reconnected. If a sword is cast incorrectly, it must be melted and recast. This is the way it is in the world." Li Gui said indifferently: "Many people will die, but in the end, a powerful civilization that is more suitable for this era will be established."
Then my salary and year-end bonus will be gone, Ning Changkong thought expressionlessly.
If you keep doing this, you can probably speed up World War III, and then send me to a quick-pass hearing, where I'll spend several days paraphrasing the World War as part of saving the world.
But what is this “error that shouldn’t have happened”?
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Li Gree took the initiative to open the next topic with interest: "Feng Huang, who are you defending and why?"
For my salary. Ning Changkong interjected in his mind. Emergency missions always pay more - because the quick traveler who takes the mission has no time to do preliminary investigation.
Li Gui continued, "Your true form can cover several miles of sky with its wings spread out. Even if tons of dynamite exploded before your eyes, the mundane flames would not be able to touch even your feathers."
"You can move mountains and seas, fly through the sky and hide in the ground. Ordinary monsters can't compare with you. What similarities do cultivators like you have with mortals, except that you can have sex and give birth to offspring?"
Ning Changkong blurted out: "That's enough."
The young Phoenix stood before the ancient Lord of Arms and spoke loudly:
“No matter how different our innate endowments are, as long as we are of the same kind, we have an obligation to cooperate and care for each other. This kind of love does not need any talent as a basis.”
“The difference between people and tools is that people do not need to be useful, and do not need to contribute to some great purpose. Human existence itself has value.”
"—— This concept is deeply rooted in the hearts of mortals. I believe that the thousands of years of historical accumulation in the era of spiritual decline, as well as the development of science, technology, economy, and culture, are enough to prevent mortals from completely separating from each other."
What is civilization? The highest level of civilization is when things whose impact we cannot accurately measure become of paramount importance. [4]
"I defend ... a world in which spiritual attainment is just one of many mundane traits of a human being, like height and weight."
The wind that had been blowing here since ancient times blew up the corners of the phoenix's clothes. Chi You narrowed his eyes, revealing a hint of nostalgia.
At the same time, in the spiritual connection.
"Sister, I can't stand it anymore. Have you guys finished your investigation? How long do you want me to delay?" Ning Changkong wailed, "I really have nothing to say. Whether it's a topic that can get him talking or a topic that can make him waver, I'm almost done."
Chu Qingge: "The investigation is done. It will take two or three days."
"ah?"