Chapter 1692: I Have a Dream, Meng Yun's Story (Part 2)

No sooner had King Yi Luo's command been issued than Meng Yungui, far from retreating, charged forward with the few dozen remaining Feathered Warriors, boarding the ship!

King Yi Luo's expression was peculiar. Meng Yungui actually dared to charge in this direction at such a moment! Charging outwards offered a chance to escape the trap, but charging onto the ship was essentially walking straight into it. To sacrifice his own life to save these slaves on the ship was, in King Yi Luo's eyes, an incredibly foolish act.

"A Master Celestial of astonishing talent, renowned across the land, yet you repeatedly make foolish decisions. Your great reputation is hardly deserved! Meng Yungui, prepare to die!"

King Yi Luo let Meng Yungui force his way onto the ship. There was no need for him to intervene; the divine armies on both flanks had already cornered Meng Yungui and his few dozen Feathered Warriors. With the Divine Martial Guard attacking from the rear, this battle had become a trap, like catching a turtle in a jar.

King Yi Luo watched coldly as Meng Yungui and his men, caught in a tight encirclement, continued to fight fiercely, attempting to reach him. The number of Meng Yungui's remaining Feathered Warriors steadily decreased as they fell one after another. Yet, they continued to staunchly defend their commander, shielding him from the Heavenly Army's divine weapons and abilities. If they couldn't block with their weapons, they used their own bodies, their very lives, to block.

"Such bravery is indeed admirable." King Yi Luo clapped his hands repeatedly in praise. "Meng Yungui," he said, "to have such valiant warriors follow you shows that you are quite the hero yourself. What a pity that today you will die here alongside them."

He still made no move, continuing to watch coldly as one by one, Meng Yungui's soldiers fell. He observed Meng Yungui's injuries mount, his blood flow freely, and his energy and spirit steadily wane.

King Yi Luo began to walk, and as he did, he seized a young boy. "Is this the kind of human you seek to protect?" he asked with a chuckle.

The boy trembled uncontrollably, unable to move.

"Punch me just once, and I'll let you go," King Yi Luo told the boy.

The boy's mouth opened and closed, and after a moment, he stammered, "My lord..."

King Yi Luo opened his mouth and devoured the boy. He burst out laughing, "Is this the kind of people you want to protect? They aren't your kin; they're just cattle! No, even cattle resist before being slaughtered. These people are worse than cattle!" He then seized an old man, continuing to undermine Meng Yungui's conviction. "The humans of Southern Heaven are maggots," he sneered. "They possess no thoughts, no wisdom, merely walking meat. And yet you are sacrificing your life for this walking meat! Meng Yungui, do you truly believe it's worth it?"

Meng Yungui, now on the ship, was covered in blood. Only a dozen or so soldiers remained by his side.

King Yi Luo swallowed the old man whole, then abruptly spread his wings, signaling the Divine Martial Guard to withdraw. The armies on both flanks also pulled back.

Meng Yungui gasped for breath, utterly spent and with little strength left. Still, he raised his head, glaring fiercely at King Yi Luo.

King Yi Luo, with his hands clasped behind his back, said calmly, "Master Meng, if you can defeat me, I will spare everyone on this ship. Come, attack."

Meng Yungui attempted to steel his resolve, but his gaze fell upon his utterly exhausted soldiers. He hesitated, realizing that these soldiers, who had fought by his side, no longer had the strength to continue.

Suddenly, a thud sounded beside him. An old general collapsed to his knees, his head falling forward, completely lifeless. Meng Yungui stared, stunned. This old subordinate, who had always followed him, was covered in wounds. He had sustained fatal injuries long ago; his Divine Palace and Heavenly Treasures were shattered, and his primordial spirit was riddled with holes. Now, he could no longer hold on, his soul finally dispersing.

Beside the old general, a young human deity swayed precariously. Propping himself up with his sword, he could no longer stand. He grinned, "Master Celestial, I can't follow you any further..." His eyes wide, he suddenly drew his sword and slashed it across his neck, severing his own head. The young deity held his own head, and the head smiled, "This humble officer swears to die rather than burden the Master Celestial!"

"Master Celestial." Another Feathered Warrior plunged his broken spear into the deck, its tip against his chest. "To have followed you, Master Celestial, has been the greatest honor of my life! Master Celestial, may we meet again in the next life!" He leaned forward, pushing the spear tip into his heart. His body remained standing.

"We have no more strength to fight. If we remain by your side, Master Celestial, you will be unable to fight King Yi Luo with your full power, as you would be preoccupied with protecting us!" The remaining Feathered Warriors activated their divine weapons. Each bowed, then used their weapon to sever their own primordial spirit.

Bloodied tears blurred Meng Yungui's vision. The sight of eleven figures who died standing, and his old subordinate kneeling lifelessly, filled his heart with profound sorrow, yet he remained oddly calm. He blinked hard, squeezing out the blood-tinged tears that would only obstruct his vision at this crucial moment. He was not much better off than his fallen subordinates; his Divine Treasures and Heavenly Palace were similarly fractured, and his primordial spirit teetered on the verge of collapse. He, too, was not far from death.

"Gentlemen, wait for me for a moment." He staggered towards King Yi Luo. At this moment, his aura was intense, mingling with his blood and vitality, staining the ship crimson.

In that moment, King Yi Luo was surprisingly moved. Meng Yungui was clearly at the end of his strength. In his current condition, Meng Yungui couldn't even unleash a tenth of his usual power!

"'Numbers are techniques. One must follow the principles of Yin and Yang, and harmonize with numerical arts.'" As Meng Yungui advanced, he murmured, "'Yin and Yang are zero and one, binary. The Three Talents are heaven, earth, and man, ternary. The Four Aspects are the Four Emperors, quaternary. The Five Elements are the Five Planets, quinary...'"

King Yi Luo frowned. Meng Yungui was reciting the most fundamental incantations of numerical arts, phrases that King Yi Luo himself had heard and even studied. However, the path of numerical arts was incredibly complex. As a demigod, he had not immersed himself in it, choosing instead to rigorously cultivate divine methods and abilities. Meng Yungui appeared to be unconsciously chanting these fundamental numerical incantations, all while channeling his remaining spiritual energy. Around him, this energy gradually transformed into runes, which then evolved according to various numerical systems.

King Yi Luo's expression grew serious. While he didn't understand the purpose of Meng Yungui chanting these basic numerical incantations, he witnessed Meng Yungui's runes transforming into Dao patterns! The Dao patterns encircling Meng Yungui rapidly combined, forming Dao chains, which in turn began to form a domain! The grand numerical arts domain surrounding Meng Yungui deepened, ascending layer by layer! In his current state, Meng Yungui lacked the spiritual energy to manifest such a formidable domain. Yet, he relentlessly extracted energy from his primordial spirit and physical body, forcing his domain to grow increasingly potent! More crucially, King Yi Luo perceived that Meng Yungui's grand numerical arts domain was specifically tailored to counter his own cultivation methods and abilities. Every Dao pattern, every Dao chain, targeted his precise weak points!

This single strike had the potential to kill him! King Yi Luo's eye twitched. He swiftly deduced that the most probable outcome was a mutual annihilation with Meng Yungui.

Finally, Meng Yungui took his last step, and his grand numerical arts domain was complete. This ultimate strike was like a boundless ocean of numerical wisdom, brimming with profound mathematical principles!

Just then, King Yi Luo stepped back, spread his wings, and enveloped countless Southern Heaven humans from the ship within their span, charging towards Meng Yungui. The numerical arts domain instantly halted, stopping inches from the nose of the first Southern Heaven human.

Meng Yungui stood there, his strength suddenly completely drained, and he collapsed onto his knees with a thud.

King Yi Luo let out a long breath. The humans enveloped by his wings fell one by one. His forehead was beaded with cold sweat, and he burst into laughter, though his voice trembled. "Master Meng, it turns out you're still soft-hearted; you still can't bring yourself to harm these animals." His body trembling slightly, he chuckled, "If you didn't care about these animals, you would have killed me. Heh heh, but you care too much for your people's lives. That's precisely why you humans will never achieve anything!"

His body no longer trembled, and he stepped forward.

Meng Yungui knelt on the ground, his head bowed.

King Yi Luo plucked a feather, transforming it into a golden sword, and advanced towards him. King Yi Luo raised his sword. At that moment, an old man, kneeling on the ground, trembled as he crawled to King Yi Luo's feet, positioning himself in front of Meng Yungui. He looked up, pleading, "My lord, don't kill him..."

King Yi Luo frowned, eyeing the old farmer who clearly spent his life toiling in the fields. "Repeat that," King Yi Luo said indifferently.

The old farmer began, "My lord, don't kill..."

King Yi Luo's sword descended, and the old farmer's head rolled to the side. King Yi Luo kicked his body away, then raised his sword once more.

At that moment, a young man stood up, spreading his arms to shield Meng Yungui. "My lord, don't kill him!" he pleaded.

King Yi Luo looked at the young man with surprise, then smiled. "You dare to stand when addressing me?"

"My lord..." No sooner had the young man uttered those words than the sword flashed, leaving him a headless corpse.

King Yi Luo scanned the surroundings, chuckling. "Who else dares to stand in my way?"

From the crowd of Southern Heaven humans, figures silently stepped forward, positioning themselves before Meng Yungui. There were elders, women and children, and young adults. Not one of them knelt; they stood in silence. The number of people blocking Meng Yungui grew, surprising King Yi Luo and fueling his rising fury.

"You maggots! How dare you defy divine authority!" King Yi Luo exploded in rage, bellowing with laughter, "There are so many heavens in Southern Heaven! Even if I exterminate all of you, there will still be countless slaves left!"

His aura erupted, sending every Southern Heaven human in his path flying. Then, suddenly, a gentle force suspended those flung by his power in mid-air.

King Yi Luo snorted coldly, then sharply looked up at the approaching Bai Yuqiong. "Master Bai," he said blandly, "are you also going to rebel for these maggots, just like Meng Yungui?"

Behind him, the Southern Heavenly Gate of the Ancestral Court blazed with light, emanating boundless Dao power.

Bai Yuqiong looked directly into King Yi Luo's eyes, without wavering. "Your divine powers are unparalleled, King," she said softly. "Subduing the rebel Meng Yungui and killing him would only soil your hands. Allow me. The rebel Meng is proficient in numerical arts; it's hard to say he hasn't hidden a trick."

King Yi Luo raised an eyebrow, a sardonic smile playing on his lips. "Master Bai wishes to personally execute the Meng rebel? I hear you both hail from the same Daoist sect, considered senior and junior siblings. Can you truly bring yourself to do it?"

Bai Yuqiong stepped forward, approached Meng Yungui, drew a divine sword, and pressed it against his chest. Seeing her back turned to him, King Yi Luo felt a surge of alertness and quietly retreated, wary that she might suddenly turn and strike. He was inherently cautious and did not fully trust Bai Yuqiong.

Bai Yuqiong's gaze settled on Meng Yungui's face. To her surprise, Meng Yungui was smiling, looking up at her.

"Senior Brother, why did you choose this moment to rebel against the Heavenly Court?" Bai Yuqiong's right hand, gripping the sword, had white knuckles from the sheer force. She lowered her voice, gritting her teeth, "This isn't like you! You can't save Southern Heaven!"

"I can save them. They have risen." Meng Yungui coughed up blood repeatedly. He reached out and grasped her sword, slowly but forcefully pushing it towards his own heart. "They still have hope, Junior Sister," he gasped. "Kill me, and you can gain King Yi Luo's trust. You can protect these awakened people, and you'll have an opportunity to kill King Yi Luo..."

"No!" Bai Yuqiong lowered her voice as much as possible, pulling the sword away, preventing it from piercing his heart. "I can't fight the Southern Heavenly Gate, Senior Brother!" she cried. "I can't fight the Divine Martial Guard! I can't fight King Yi Luo!"

"You can." One of Meng Yungui's fingers broke, yet he continued to use his last vestiges of strength, holding her sword and forcing it into his chest. He grinned. "You ask why I rebelled against the Heavenly Court? I'll tell you: someone told me he had a dream. In his dream, humanity stood up and never knelt again. He said that in his dream, humans were no longer slaves, no longer fodder for gods and demons. In his dream, humanity controlled its own destiny. This kind of dream..." Blood spilled from his mouth, making his words somewhat slurred. "I had it too. When I became a human god and ascended to the Heavenly Court, I carried such a dream. Later, I dismissed the idea as childish and forgot it. But then I came to Southern Heaven and saw everything here, and that dream was reborn, like a demon in my heart." Tears streamed down his face. Looking up at Bai Yuqiong, his eyes held a pleading glint. "Junior Sister Bai," he choked out, "only just now did I realize that this isn't a demon in my heart at all. I used to wonder how to master the numerical arts domain, but I always failed. Yet, when this dream was reborn, it happened naturally. My past fears were the true inner demons..." His Adam's apple bobbed as he coughed up great gouts of blood, forcing his remaining words back down.

In the distance, King Yi Luo sneered, "Master Bai, what are you waiting for?"

Meng Yungui used his last strength to guide Bai Yuqiong's sword into his own heart. Bai Yuqiong's hand trembled, but this time, she did not stop him.

Meng Yungui sat calmly on the ground, raising a finger to point at the people of Southern Heaven. A smile touched his face as he murmured, "'What a person can do without learning is their innate ability. What a person knows without thinking is their conscience... A child knows how to love their parents... And as they grow, they know how to respect their older siblings... Loving one's relatives is benevolence; respecting elders is righteousness. It is nothing more than extending these to the entire world...'" His head tilted, and he collapsed onto the ground.

Bai Yuqiong withdrew the sword from his chest, then turned to look at the people of Southern Heaven. Before he died, Meng Yungui had imparted one final truth to her. It was that everyone possesses an inherent conscience. The people of Southern Heaven were not beyond redemption.