Chapter 1701: Seeking Help by Worshipping Gods Is Not as Good as Trusting Oneself, Self-Inquiry Aligns with the Way

The Emperor of All Beings was stumped!

He certainly provided an answer, but it was no longer decisive; instead, it carried a sense of helplessness and gravity.

Such circumvention, in itself, demonstrated a lack of genuine care for all beings.

He evaded the core issue of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, yet in doing so, he revealed another source of error.

Who was the mastermind?

Throughout the Five Domains, everyone still watching the battle felt their curiosity peak.

“Who?”

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man's voice turned incredibly cold: “Who was the mastermind behind it?”

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man already knew the answer to that question.

But his answer was useless, and so was Xu Xiaoshou's.

They were like humus worms buried in dark soil, forever hidden from light. The Sacred Temple's decree that 'one must not blindly trust or favor those from dark forces' ensured their voices would never be accepted by the world.

Because, according to them, they represented justice!

Xu Xiaoshou had cried out and roared countless times, yet what was the world's response?

Surprise, shock, forgetfulness, apathy…

People remained uninvolved, adopting an attitude of 'it's none of my business'.

And then it was over.

But it couldn't just pass!

If no one spoke for that small fraction of beings who couldn't even voice their concerns, they would truly be condemned to eternal submersion in the darkness.

If you claim 'those born as humans are not wrong,' then why are some children born 'wrong,' and as they live, they are chosen by the darkness?

“Answer me, Emperor of All Beings!”

“Who is the mastermind?”

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man knew his appearance was an anomaly.

But weren't anomalies meant to create miracles?

Some answers were inconvenient for them to reveal, so at this moment, he could only approach the Emperor of All Beings, allowing those who stood in the light to speak.

The Emperor of All Beings looked at him.

Then, he looked at the Preaching Mirror.

Finally, he glanced at the sky far above the Five Domains and gently shook his head:

“You wouldn't remember.”

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man, like a firecracker set alight, suddenly erupted with demonic and ghostly energy, hissing:

“But you remember!”

“So you know everything!”

“You know, yet you refuse to speak or resist. Instead, you aid the oppressor, claiming neutrality while standing before this ferocious tiger, willingly serving as his shield and becoming the watchdog for those powerful families.”

“Is this the justice you uphold, your Grand Dao, your lifelong conviction?”

Under the intense gaze and expectation of the Five Domains, all they received was a gentle shake of the head from the Emperor of All Beings.

He kept his lips sealed, as if silently accepting everything, regardless of the severity of the curses.

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man was thoroughly enraged by his dismissive attitude, roaring:

“Emperor of All Beings, what exactly are you doing?!”

This seemed a very simple question, to which the Emperor of All Beings chose to reply:

“Protecting the Dao.”

Protecting the Dao?

What a load of nonsense!

Guarding a mere door, and calling it 'protecting the Dao'?

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man's eyes widened in utter shock, as if he had seen a familiar person suddenly become a complete stranger. He murmured helplessly:

“Protecting the Dao? Ignorance may be forgivable, but inaction despite knowing is not…”

The Emperor of All Beings fixed his gaze, calmly responding:

“I cannot.”

“But you're not powerless!” the Five Decays of Heaven and Man's emotions erupted again. “You are the Emperor of All Beings, one of the Ten Sovereigns! If you cannot, then am I to do it? Can I?”

“Nor can you.”

“Hee hee hee…” The Five Decays of Heaven and Man seemed to find it amusing, laughing shrilly and eerily. “If neither of us can, then at least be like me, like him!”

He pointed to the side, at Xu Xiaoshou, and to the rebels far away in the darkness beyond the heavens, who were still fighting to pursue the light:

“At least be like them; even if you're temporarily bent over, you're standing!”

“Unlike you, even while sitting, you are kneeling!”

The Emperor of All Beings, still elevated on his wheelchair, his expression utterly detached and indifferent, no longer bothered to speak further:

“This is your path. I have no right to influence it, nor will I.”

That was all he said.

However, everyone in the Five Domains understood the Emperor of All Beings' unspoken message: Likewise, you need not interfere with me.

How could the Five Decays of Heaven and Man not understand the Emperor of All Beings' meaning?

He lowered his head, and then his upper body slumped completely as if broken, his head resting against his calves, his hands dangling limply on the ground.

The mountain terrain was shattered.

His withered fingers fell from his sleeves, aimlessly scratching and fumbling on the gravel.

But all he could find in the dust and smoke was a shattered version of himself; he could grasp nothing else.

“At least don't bend, even if you just say a few words…”

“At least don't bend, even if you just do something…”

“At least…”

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man's maniacal self-muttering suddenly ceased. With a 'crack,' his upper body snapped upright, and from beneath his mask, he shrieked, his eyes almost bursting:

“At least kill me, Emperor of All Beings!”

This cry, imbued with sacred power, reverberated outwards, causing the unprepared spectators before the Five Domains' Preaching Mirror to suffer excruciating pain, their eardrums swelling and threatening to burst.

Seeking death?

Was the Five Decays of Heaven and Man genuinely seeking death?

The Preaching Mirror zoomed in for a personal close-up, showing the Five Decays of Heaven and Man desperately suppressing all his power.

Including the rampant demonic energy from his cultivation deviation…

Including the uncontrollable, surging ghostly energy…

Including the power of the Death God, the power of decay, and the power of consumption…

He even sacrificed his soul blood, forming hand seals, but not for external use; instead, he directed some sealing technique at himself, as if suppressing 'immortality'!

—He genuinely sought death!

The Emperor of All Beings' Grand Dao Eye saw through everything, and the Wicked Sin Bow on his lap gently vibrated, as if ready to move.

In the end, however, he merely shook his head slightly and said indifferently:

“I will not kill you. Leave.”

The Five Domains grew anxious!

This was a golden opportunity!

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man had clearly reached the most extreme stage of cultivation deviation, having disregarded even his own life and death.

If they didn't kill him now, even capturing him and suppressing him in the Sea of Death would be acceptable. How could he just let him go?

Zhong Yuanzi could no longer bear it.

He had been here, enduring the Five Decays of Heaven and Man's madness for so long, but he didn't want this outcome. At the very least, he should be apprehended, right?

However, just as he moved, the Emperor of All Beings, from the shattered mountain pile nearby, spoke without turning his head, as if explaining to him, and also to the Five Domains:

“If you were the Five Decays of Heaven and Man from before, I would kill you.”

“If you hadn't spoken these words just now, even if you had mastered the power of decay to wield it freely, I would still kill you.”

“But you can communicate, you have sanity, you want to resist, and you will resist… You are a normal person. I will not kill you, but I will be watching you closely from now on.”

The last time the Grand Dao Eye declared it would watch someone, it left even the gods blank for thirty years.

Hearing this, Zhong Yuanzi paused, a trace of reluctance in his heart.

But upon reflection, apart from indulging in a few quick retorts, the Emperor of All Beings' stubborn nature wouldn't change.

More words wouldn't change anything, so he could only retreat, letting out a long sigh:

“Releasing the tiger back to the mountains, then…”

The Five Domains felt no relief whatsoever!

This was the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, and his state was still so unstable!

What if one day the Grand Dao Eye dozed off, and he happened to go mad, causing a disaster for an entire domain? Who would bear that responsibility?

“Kill him!”

“He killed Qin Duan and Qiu Gu, and you just let him go, you dog-lover? Are you sick? Why does it feel like everyone's gone mad?!”

“The Five Decays of Heaven and Man is a mad dog; whoever he bites, dies. What's the point of keeping him around? So he can bite you back?”

“Emperor of All Beings, you're being controlled by the Blood World Orb!”

Even the Spirit Refiners in front of the Five Domains' Preaching Mirror now felt that the Blood World Orb was at work.

Upon receiving the Emperor of All Beings' reply, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, far from being pleased, became even more frenzied.

He threw his head back and burst into laughter, his body leaning to the right like a crooked arch bridge, his left hand, exposed from his sleeve, raised high and tensed into a claw.

His posture was wild and unrestrained, shaking his head as he laughed, as if tears would burst from his eyes:

“Hahahaha!”

“Won't kill me…”

“But won't help me either…”

“Indifference? Disregard? Letting me roam free? Letting me develop? None of your business? Hiss, hiss, hiss… Excellent, truly excellent!”

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man twisted as if about to mutate!

Suddenly, a splitting headache seized him, and he curled back into himself.

Yet, his hands, still clenched into claws, covered his head without releasing any tension, causing sharp fingertips to pierce his skull and splatter blood and flesh fragments into the air.

“Splat!”

This act of self-mutilation, with blood splattering, sent shivers down the spines of everyone in the Five Domains.

Feng Zhongzui, carrying the Preaching Mirror, was so startled he nearly dropped it; it was too bizarre.

But the self-mutilating Five Decays of Heaven and Man did not die!

He was inherently immortal, in agonizing pain, wishing he were dead!

“Good, good, good…”

“A fine Sacred Temple, a fine Emperor of All Beings, a fine example of neutrality, a fine display of impartiality…”

“All the same! Exactly the same! You're all alike!!!”

With a violent burst, the inner demons that the Five Decays of Heaven and Man had long suppressed were completely unleashed.

Torrential demonic energy surged around him, followed by the burgeoning power of the Death God, and then ghostly energy…

However, his ghoul-beast transformation had not yet occurred.

His power of consumption fully erupted, devouring all the abnormal energies into his body.

This appeared to be the only path to survival he had discovered in his desperation:

Using the power of consumption to continuously absorb the power that erupted after his cultivation deviation caused him to madly draw in spiritual energy, digesting it and then feeding it back to himself, achieving… self-sufficiency?

The Five Domains were completely stunned.

Even Xu Xiaoshou was dumbfounded.

This 'cultivation method' was simply too extreme, too radical. No wonder his growth and transformation were faster than his own…

“Is this really alright?”

This thought flashed through everyone's mind.

Even the Emperor of All Beings began to doubt his earlier decision, grasping his bow and attempting to pick it up.

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man's chaotic mind seemed to stabilize after his power of consumption devoured the abnormal phenomena.

Rumble!

Tribulation clouds gathered in the nine heavens, and thunder roared incessantly.

“Caw—”

Short wings of a three-legged black owl unfurled behind the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, barely lifting his slumped body and slowly floating him into the air.

He was still breaking down, but it was a rational breakdown.

He continued to murmur, and with his murmuring, the Blood World Orb slowly materialized above his head:

“You should have killed me from the very beginning, instead of ignoring me…”

The Emperor of All Beings watched him with wary eyes, offering no response.

This person was truly insane. He had already killed him once upon their first meeting, and it was only thanks to his immortal body that he had survived to this point. Had he gone so mad that his memories were distorted?

It had to be admitted, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man was indeed an experimental subject.

There had never been such a complex existence in the history of Spirit Refining; he was utterly incomparable.

The Emperor of All Beings hesitated.

On one hand, rationality told him that he truly couldn't let this situation continue unchecked.

On the other hand, he wanted to watch, to wait, to see if such a haphazardly assembled monster could eventually coalesce into something he also anticipated, perhaps something… bizarre…

“Ten”?

“Sealing Saint!”

“He wants to re-seal as a Saint!”

From a distance, Feng Zhongzui, eyeing the Saint Tribulation, understood something after seeing the Blood World Orb emerge above the Five Decays of Heaven and Man's head.

In the scene, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, as expected, raised both hands, presenting two Half-Saint Sainthoods.

Feng Zhongzui suddenly had an epiphany, interpreting with all his might from his own perspective:

“He came to Saint Mountain partly to question the Emperor of All Beings, to seek an answer.”

“But all of that was illusory. Perhaps he already understood what he truly wanted, and knew that what he hoped for and expected to happen had a probability of virtually zero!”

“But that's how people are, isn't it?”

“Even if there's one chance in ten thousand, as long as that 'one' isn't extinguished, he will hope for a miracle. But if what truly awaits him is a 'negation'…”

Feng Zhongzui's eyes felt dry and his nose stung.

He dared not approach the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, yet he was grateful.

After listening to the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, he could now understand the person's plight:

“Only by being completely denied can one embark on another path without hesitation. But his path is destined to be utterly different from ours… from us humans!”

Wiping the corners of his eyes, Feng Zhongzui looked at the two Half-Saint Sainthoods held high in the image, recomposed himself, and declared loudly:

“On the other hand, the practical aspect, he was simply after the Half-Saint Sainthoods!”

“Sealing Saint with the Blood World Orb is ultimately a shallow path; he would never reach its end or advance further.”

“Only by finding Half-Saint Sainthoods, re-sealing as a Saint, and removing the extremely bizarre Blood World Orb from his body, perhaps then he might find a sliver of light… brightness…”

Feng Zhongzui's interpretation suddenly halted.

He stared, dumbfounded, as the Five Decays of Heaven and Man in the mirror abruptly sacrificed both Half-Saint Sainthoods in his hands to the Blood World Orb.

“Merge!”

This single word 'Merge' shook heaven and earth!

What merged was not just the orb and the Sainthoods, but also the Five Decays of Heaven and Man's unique Grand Dao!

The power of the Half-Saint Sainthoods flowed into the Blood World Orb.

The Saint Tribulation rolled in, then meekly rolled away.

“I was wrong…”

“The Five Decays of Heaven and Man had no intention of re-sealing as a Saint at all!”

Feng Zhongzui shrieked in shock. As he spoke, his eyes held a newfound realization, immediately followed by an even greater horror, excitement, madness, and crimson intensity:

“Why seek others when you can rely on yourself?”

“Why worship gods when you can worship me?!”

“I've asked throughout the world, but the Emperor of All Beings cannot help me. Who else in this world can?”

“Those Half-Saint Sainthoods could make me normal, but the end of the Dao I seek is already twisted. How can I still be called 'normal'?”

“A humble, frail, normal me cannot win.”

“With the Blood World Orb guiding a deranged me, there's still a glimmer of hope!”

As Feng Zhongzui spoke, he raised his hands high, his face full of devotion: “If so, world, why not descend into darkness with me… fizz… fizzz…”

Feng Family City.

Old Patriarch Feng Tingchen's face was as dark as ink. He pressed the spirit orb in his hand again, ensuring the Preaching Mirror's sound was blocked and Feng Zhongzui's insane words wouldn't reach the Five Domains. Only then did he somewhat relax, beginning to curse furiously:

“How dare you say anything and everything?!”

“Who told you to take the perspective of the Five Decays of Heaven and Man?!”

“Are you having an episode, Feng Zhongzui? If you can't commentate and want to ruin the entire Feng family, just give a peep, and I'll find someone else to replace you. Why make such a spectacle?!”

Halfway through listening, Feng Tingchen sensed something was wrong.

That kid, Feng Zhongzui, was definitely being influenced by some power. Although he was usually carefree, he was stable at critical moments and wouldn't have such an outburst.

“Was it the Blood World Orb?”

Fortunately, while the Blood World Orb was indeed powerful, Feng Tingchen's cutoff of the sound was also very timely, as if some entity of a higher caliber than the Blood World Orb existed simultaneously, guiding people to stop it.

When the Preaching Mirror only displayed visuals, with no sound to be heard.

On the Eastern Domain battlefield, after sacrificing the power of the two Half-Saint Sainthoods to the Blood World Orb, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man hovered above, his aura full and no longer depleted.

Staring intently at the Emperor of All Beings, he waved his sleeve:

“Spirit Ghoul Relocation!”

Boom, boom, boom…

It was as if something had been transported from various parts of the Five Domains using a marking technique.

Beneath the Five Decays of Heaven and Man, figures crashed down, some in red robes, some in white robes, others in ordinary attire…

Without exception, these individuals were either Grandmasters or Sovereigns; none had reached the Transcendent Realm, with the highest being the Dao Severing stage.

“What is this?”

Among the crowd, Lu Ke stood up in a daze, leaning on his Dragon Sword Green Scaled Spine.

He looked up and saw the Emperor of All Beings not far away. Then he turned his head and saw Xu Xiaoshou, as well as the terrified Elder Zhong!

There seemed to be a shadow above…

He looked up, and there was the Five Decays of Heaven and Man!

Little Red Cloak stumbled and fell, horrified, unable to believe he had directly appeared on the Eastern Domain's front battlefield from the Central Domain's Saint Mountain?

“Remember these people.”

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man formed a hand seal with one hand, raising it slightly.

“Screech, screech, screech…”

“Ugh, ugh, ugh…”

Ghostly energy rose from below, and wails erupted.

Lu Ke clutched his chest, his body convulsing violently. He quickly lost all control, and from his body surged…

“Transcendent Power?!”

People across the Five Domains couldn't hear any sound, but they could see the suddenly appearing red-robed and white-robed figures, all of whom, despite insufficient cultivation, had manifested Transcendent Power.

These people…

“Are they possessed by ghoul-beasts?”

“No! They haven't undergone ghoul-beast transformation at all; they're all normal humans…”

“But how could normal people be tainted by ghostly energy? And how could normal people, without reaching the required cultivation level, comprehend Transcendent Power?”

“Red Cloaks! Are those Red Cloaks? Red Cloaks have ghostly energy too? What is going on?!”

The Five Decays of Heaven and Man pointed at the figures below, his cold gaze sweeping over Zhong Yuanzi and the Emperor of All Beings.

He wore a mask.

No one could see if his lips were moving.

But they sensed that at this moment, he should be speaking…

“What is he saying?”

The Five Domains grew anxious; everyone knew this was a critical moment.

Yet, precisely at this crucial juncture, Feng Zhongzui had fumbled. “Feng Zhongzui, you bastard!”

“I will kill him, Bei Huai!”

Before the Five Domains' Preaching Mirror, the Five Decays of Heaven and Man dared to speak the name of the mastermind that the Emperor of All Beings wouldn't dare utter.

He even fully activated the power of the Blood World Orb.

He wanted the entire world to remember Bei Huai.

Bei Huai, the root of the Red Cloaks' affliction, the nightmare of the Spirit Refining world.

Even if he enabled this group of people to wield Transcendent Power at low cultivation levels, even if he allowed ancient sword cultivators to develop Transcendent Power, he deserved to die; he was the true culprit!

He had no idea how many lives he had toyed with, how many ghoul-beasts he had tortured, how many thousands or tens of thousands of experiments he had failed, just to cultivate this group of nobodies.

Bei Huai was deformed.

His Dao was also deformed.

The Emperor of All Beings, who protected his Dao, was even more deformed.

Feng Zhongzui had said one thing correctly…

Why seek others when you can rely on yourself? Why worship gods when you can worship me?!

If there existed such deformed perverts among those who could ascend to godhood and claim ancestry, then why couldn't there be one more Five Decays of Heaven and Man?

If the 'Dao' in the Great Dao Struggle allowed for such existences, why couldn't it tolerate one more Five Decays of Heaven and Man?

“Fizz… fizzz…”

The Preaching Mirror's sound was soon repaired.

Everyone watched as the Five Decays of Heaven and Man turned and drifted away, and the Emperor of All Beings did not stop him.

The last words they heard were a hoarse resolve, a fervent prayer:

“He will surely die, I curse him.”