Chapter 300: Night Talk with the Venerable One
It's not easy to break into the demon realm. Once, under the leadership of Buping College, the cultivators of the cultivation league entered the demon realm.
What were the consequences?
They all remained in the demon realm, unable to come out for the rest of their lives.
Even now, Li Pan still deeply resented this.
The number of people going to the demon realm cannot be too many or too few. How to choose them became a crucial step.
After the discussion, the conclusion was that they couldn't save Meng Guangze, at the very least, they needed to ensure that half of the people came back.
If Venerable One Miaofa joined, their chances of winning would immediately increase by a large margin. But until the final step, Ma Huaizhen truly hesitated to use Venerable One Miaofa, not just for the sake of the Cultivation Alliance, but also for Venerable One Miaofa's own life. He respected any hero who was willing to sacrifice themselves.
In the evening, after returning to the tent, Qiao Wan sat upright inside, watching the burning charcoals in the center of the brazier.
Li Pan was sitting across from her.
She cleared her throat and said, "I want to hear the story of Meng Guangze."
Li Pan remained silent for a moment before slowly speaking.
He and Meng Guangze, along with a few other comrades who have passed away, were true friends on the same path. They came together for a belief.
A rare sense of relief appeared on Li Pan's face, and he smiled. When he smiled, the fine lines on his forehead also creased. "Although Meng Guangze held the position of leader, he wasn't very competent in that role."
In the academy, when the group of young ones threw a tantrum or cried, the men would become helpless and try everything to calm them down in a gentle and soft voice. It was nothing like the demon warrior from the demon realm who had experienced battles.
So, the young ones took advantage of the head of the mountain and became even more unruly. It was only Li Pan who could control them.
Every day, Li Pan would stand at the back of the classroom, frowning and expressionless. The disciples of the academy immediately jumped back to their seats and dared not make a fuss.
And then, later on, these young ones all died in the demon realm. None of them came back alive.
Qiao Wan stared at Li Pan intently, and Li Pan looked at her. He said in a deep voice, "I don't want you to stay there. I want you to come back alive, all of you."
After they left the camp, looking at the deep blue sky, Qiao Wan clenched and unclenched her fist. She hesitated for a moment and felt it necessary to visit Venerable One Miaofa.
Venerable One Miaofa's camp was set nearby.
Qiao Wan stood hesitantly at the doorway for a moment, and then a voice from inside the tent, with both a rhythmic and solemn tone, said, "Come in."
Qiao Wan paused for a moment, then directly pushed aside the curtain and walked in.
As she looked up, she was deeply struck by the dignified appearance of the other person.
It was said that Venerable One Miaofa had already merged with their inner demon.
Their face was a dark shade of green, but their eyes sparkled with golden light at the corners. Their slender figure, disheveled hair resting on their shoulders, had a delicate and awe-inspiring beauty.
Qiao Wan hesitated for a moment, then bowed.
For Venerable One Miaofa, this was their first encounter with the girl since their separation at Luhua before.
The girl in the pink dress looked at him with clear and pure eyes, without the former admiration. She was cautiously contemplating how to treat this "senior" with whom she had a good relationship, according to rumors.
Venerable One Miaofa slightly closed their eyes, composed themselves, raised their long, pitch-black eyelashes, then lowered them again, as if a faint golden light flickered at the corners of their eyes.
Qiao Wan felt a slight shock in her heart and quickly composed herself, respectfully saying, "I have come to pay my respects to the senior."
This Venerable One was truly handsome and had an indomitable aura, even when fused with the inner demon, with three eyes on their forehead and four hands behind them.
A strong desire to kill surged in their heart, causing them to silently stay within the camp and avoid going outside.
But when they caught a glimpse of the young girl standing outside the tent, her figure outlined by the flickering fire, Venerable One Miaofa became still and eventually spoke up.
As a highly gifted and insightful member of the revered Zen sect, Venerable One had seen through countless tales of love and hate. They were accustomed to enlightening and guiding others. Now, seeing Qiao Wan's clear and respectful gaze, a slight change stirred within Venerable One Miaofa's heart - that noble and worshipped heart began to subtly falter.
But the Buddha's practice emphasizes meditation. In just this moment, he furrowed his brow and then returned to a calm state of meditation.
He had to exert a lot of effort to suppress the strong urge to harm Qiao Wan. Therefore, he had to quickly end this conversation and understand Qiao Wan's intentions. After a moment of contemplation, Venerable One Miaofa spoke up.
The girl's neck was delicate, as if a gentle squeeze could break the bones in his hand.
"Did you come here late at night for this matter?" he asked. His voice was still deep and solemn, giving clarity to one's mind. But paired with this pretty face, it somehow seemed a bit provocative...
Qiao Wan paused. Small talk didn't hold much significance at this moment, so she confessed calmly.
"Please forgive me for my audacity. I want to know why you have inner demons, Senior."
Venerable One Miaofa fell silent and closed his eyes. "Ever since I began my practice, I have had the appearance of a demon in my heart."
The so-called enlightenment cannot change human nature, because it has witnessed the evil in people's hearts. Compared to those gentle monks, Qiao Wan became a kind of fierce Buddhist figure. She often speaks harshly and shows no mercy to evil.
Qiao Wan tightened her lips. She knew coming here might not be a reliable choice, but she still wanted to seek help from this senior.
With some hesitation, she clasped her hands together, bowed deeply, and sat down.
"Senior... have you ever thought that this is not a solution?" Qiao Wan said.
As their conversation went back and forth, the unfamiliarity and awkwardness made Venerable One Miaofa furrow his brows slightly. But he quickly suppressed it and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me."
Talking to Venerable One, Qiao Wan couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by the sight of bloody organs. She couldn't understand why this senior had strayed so far.
Wasn't this kind of simplistic and brutal thinking the same as Thanos'?!
But what Qiao Wan didn't understand is that if you don't stray from the right path, then you won't have to deal with this thing called "inner demons".
Noticing that the senior didn't immediately ask her to leave, Qiao Wan thought for a moment and decided to continue speaking.
She knew that as a junior, it seemed quite audacious for her to lecture her elders in this place, but there were some things she still wanted to say.
"Every step of progress that humans take comes with the cost and destruction of resources," Qiao Wan raised her eyes, with a bright gaze.
She started talking calmly, and kept on talking, about the Industrial Revolution and the future society.
"Even without cultivators, humans can still have wars and slaughter other species, causing them to face extinction."
"The only thing we can do," Qiao Wan pursed her lips, "is to strive for the liberation of productivity."
"Liberating productivity has its benefits and drawbacks."
Just like how people later discovered clean energy, they started using "wind power." The development of civilization led to the birth of environmental ideas, and people understood their arrogance and arrogance.
"If cultivators can control spiritual energy, why can't they use it to promote the development of productivity in this world?"
Qiao Wan firmly believed that if they could make good use of the resource called "spiritual power," this world would definitely develop better. She was completely capable of surpassing her hometown.
The so-called cultivators and demons, theories like "stealing yin and yang, seizing the power of creation, killing to be reborn, twisting energy machines," while they had some truth, she did not agree with blaming all the problems on the existence of "cultivators" and "demons."
No matter which species, if they want to live better, they must develop, and development will inevitably bring both good and bad consequences.
If this idea is correct, then everyone would regress back to primitive society, and even in primitive society, hunting and gathering would be necessary for survival. So the best solution would be for everyone to cease to exist, with a lifeless and quiet universe being the most logical one.
What's the difference between this and extreme environmentalism? Qiao Wan couldn't help but silently comment.
People can't simply stop progressing. The question of survival and death is the ultimate challenge faced by humanity. All they can do is rely on practical actions to make this world a better place.
"Ending this war and changing the world and society is much better than simply obliterating everyone." In the end, Qiao Wan concluded her "speech" with this statement.
"Liberating productivity" is a novel concept, especially for this world, it's an unprecedented concept.
Venerable One Miaofa's eyes flickered with a hint of admiration.
In front of him stood a young girl, a junior, who was much more talented than he had imagined. He had always treated her as a junior, but it seemed like he had never seen her as an equal, as an excellent woman standing before him.
From the moment she leapt in Kunshan, to now, the young girl stood tall, like a flower of war blooming in the ruins of a bloodstained battlefield.
He believed, and hoped, that she would not indulge in romantic love and go further in life. This memory loss may have been an opportunity for her, washing away her admiration for him.
Now, this calm and respectful junior of his dreams, was truly walking on a righteous and honorable path. Venerable One Miaofa felt a momentary daze.
-"The Confucian saying goes, the friendship between gentlemen is as light as water. Perhaps only with such a light and lasting friendship can one find true companionship in this world."
-"Qiao Wan, would you be willing to disregard my age and become my equal friend on this journey of cultivation?"
Once again, she lowered her eyelashes, not giving him the answer he had hoped for.
Qiao Wan was still waiting for the reply from the venerable person.
Whenever she spoke to this venerable person, Qiao Wan always felt a mixture of respect and distance. This distance stemmed from her admiration for religious people as an ordinary person without any affiliation. She respected anyone who remained steadfast in their beliefs.
Qiao Wan pursed her lips and asked uncertainly, "Senior?"
A feeling of hunger accompanied by other subtle emotions spread through her heart, but she suppressed these emotions one by one. Venerable One Miaofa frowned and spoke again.
"Qiao Wan, I need your help with something."
Qiao Wan's expression became solemn, and she respectfully bowed, saying, "Senior, please feel free to speak. If there is any way I can be of assistance, I will do my best."
She behaved like an ordinary younger person, displaying respect, politeness, and humility, while maintaining a sense of reverence and distance.
Just like with Xiao Boyang, Qi Feidao, and any other younger person interacting with venerable individuals.
"I understand what you're saying," said Venerable One Miaofa. "You don't need to worry. Hall Master Ma and I, along with the Spiritual Cultivation Alliance, had already made an agreement. It's just that ever since you disappeared, we haven't been able to find a suitable candidate."
Venerable One Miaofa's eyes were as serene as a clear spring, with a solemn expression and a resolute voice. Though he had a fierce appearance, with his slightly lowered eyelashes, it was as if he had found tranquility amidst mountains and rivers, nestled in the embrace of clouds and mist, like a pure Bodhisattva at the end of the evening's colorful glow.
"After I finish this battle, I hope that you can, before I make a grave mistake, be the one to kill me with your own hands."
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