Chapter 558

Fa Hai: "In my world, about five hundred years ago, the Three Realms underwent a great upheaval. The immortals fell, and Lingshan collapsed. Since then, the world has belonged to demons and monsters."

Fa Hai: "Jin Shansi is one of the few places in the mortal realm where cultivation is still practiced, and together with other cultivation factions, we have struggled desperately to ensure humanity's survival."

Bai Suzhen: "Lingshan collapsed?"

Xiao Bai: "Even the immortals and gods fell?"

Su Xiao: "That can't be possible, can it?"

Fa Hai: "As for the cause, I don't fully understand it myself. At the time, my cultivation base was too low to ever hear of such matters. The Great Wrath Heavenly Dragon Spell and the Ksitigarbha Spell you see were both refined during that period."

Fa Hai: "Without the protection of gods and immortals, and with demons rising, the cultivation factions of that era turned their attention to the power of incense worship. This 'five-one-three' force is profoundly mysterious: as long as you forge statues of Buddhas and gods and collect incense offerings, you can still manifest the divine powers of those deities—it is humanity's greatest reserve."

Fa Hai: "Thanks to this, humanity has managed to hold back the demon clans beyond our borders and ensure peace within our nations."

Fa Hai: "Aren't you curious why I have a dragon tattooed on my back?"

Xiao Mai: "I'm curious—apparently, only disreputable people in ancient times got such tattoos!"

Hu Yifei: "That's correct. Tattooing originally began as a form of punishment."

Chan Chan: "In ancient times, even the lowest street thugs wouldn't dare tattoo themselves unless they had completely given up, resigned to living as outcasts and using tattoos to intimidate others."

Fa Hai: "Exactly. Even street thugs refused tattoos—would a Monk want one? But we had no choice. The ink used for the Eight Heavenly Dragons isn't ordinary ink—it's forged from incense energy, making it easier to manifest divine powers."

Fa Hai: "Before Lingshan collapsed, why would we need such trouble? Just by worshipping Bodhisattvas and Buddhas and reaching a certain level of cultivation, you could summon divine power with a single thought!"

Zhang Sanfeng: "Dao Jun, what do you think?"

Zhang Taixuan: "After calculation, it's true—just as Master Fa Hai said, there are no Lingshan or Heavenly Court in his world!"

Xiao Mai: "It's really true?"

Fa Hai: "So every time I go out to slay demons and subdue evil, how could I possibly waste time distinguishing good demons from evil ones? Once they enter human lands, who can guarantee they won't destroy the current incense system? Deliberate targeting doesn't exist—because the universal consensus is: absolutely no demons allowed in human territory. Otherwise, if the incense flow shifts, humanity becomes lambs waiting for slaughter."

Xiao Bai: "I see. If that's the case, I understand. When a race stands on the brink of extinction, it can no longer afford to judge whether demons are good or evil as it once did when humanity held dominance."

Bai Suzhen: "The people in your world, Master, suffer so terribly."

Fa Hai: "Sigh. If it were only the absence of gods and Buddhas, it might still be bearable. But with demons threatening us, humanity truly suffers more than in any other world."

Xiao Mai: "【Shocked】 Master actually said that? Aren't you a Monk?"

Su Xiao: "Said 'it'd be better without gods and Buddhas'?"

Fa Hai: "I am a Monk, but I am also human. As a human, I have my own thoughts. I've wondered—if there were no gods, no Buddhas, and no demons, wouldn't humanity's life be much better?"

Zhang Sanfeng: "Even without demons, humanity's condition wouldn't change much. Humans are exceptionally skilled at killing each other."

Zhu Yuanzhang: "I can attest to that. The world has never grown worse simply because of demons. Even without demons, human hearts still corrupt the world."

Hu Yifei: "We have a popular saying in my world—more terrifying than demons is the human heart!"

Fa Hai: "It seems every world has its own problems. Without demons, there are still human desires. No wonder the Buddha always said—'All sentient beings suffer!'"

Zhong Suqiu: "Dao Jun, since Master Fa Hai's world faces this crisis, could we transmit the Immortal Martial Path to him? With the Immortal Martial Path, wouldn't demons no longer be a problem?"

Xiao Mai: "Exactly! We have the Dao Jun!"

Ye Hei: "With the Dao Jun here, Master Fa Hai doesn't need to be so pessimistic."

Zhang Taixuan: "【Sweating】 Haven't you all wondered how the gods fell? How Lingshan collapsed?"

Bai Suzhen: "Are you suggesting that the Immortal Martial Path cannot change anything in that world?"

Han Paopao: "Could it be the spiritual energy?"

Fa Hai: "??"

Zhang Taixuan: "Master Fa Hai, you should read our previously uploaded theory on spiritual energy, Chapter 0… then you'll understand the cause."

Zhang Taixuan: "You guessed right—the changes in the Green Snake World originated from the Divine Killing Catastrophe."

Zhang Sanfeng: "The Divine Killing Catastrophe was this terrifying? Not even one god remains?"

Su Xiao: "Even the Investiture of the Gods wasn't this horrific—it just sent people to the Investiture List!"

Zhang Taixuan: "The horror of the Divine Killing Catastrophe varies by world. If the world perceives gods and Buddhas as its poisons, it will eradicate them utterly—leaving no room for anything to remain."

Zhang Taixuan: "In the Green Snake World, the Heavenly Court and Lingshan collapsed instantly for this reason—the heavens themselves intervened! Had mortal cultivators been stronger, they too would have perished in this celestial slaughter."

Fa Hai: "Dao Jun's calculation is correct!!! That great heavenly upheaval wiped out every single Gao Jie cultivator in the mortal realm—it was the Heavenly Killing Catastrophe! This… this… the legendary Heavenly Tribulation is terrifying beyond belief! It leaves no room for survival!"

Zhang Taixuan: "The reason humanity still has cultivators in the Green Snake World is simple—most cultivators draw upon incense energy, which is tied to humanity's collective fortune. Humanity is the Third-Generation race the heavens use to evolve civilization—the so-called 'Heavenly Protagonists'!"

Xiao Mai: "Heavenly Protagonists? So does that mean there's still hope?"

Zhang Taixuan: "The Heavenly Protagonist isn't eternal. When you're useful, you're the protagonist; when you're not, the heavens discard you. You've heard the legends of the Primordial Chaos, haven't you? Who was the Heavenly Protagonist before humanity?"

Su Xiao: "The Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans, the demon race, the Witch Clan…"

Fa Hai: "Dao Jun means—if cultivators remain tied to humanity, humanity itself will be dragged down and lose its status as Heavenly Protagonist. This… why does the heavens relentlessly persecute us? If humanity loses its cultivators, won't the demon clans see us as mere blood food? Where then is humanity's future!"