Chapter 362: Dialogue with Luo Heng

Facing Du En's blunt pointing out, Luo Heng actually did not mind, and it was even less possible for him to have the panic of being caught on the spot.

After a tacit understanding, he simply nodded and spoke: "As the High Envoy said, this was just a small farce, the result of that High Priest being too stupid. However, that you would quietly watch this clumsy farce to the end without intervening or interrupting, that is what I am surprised by."

High Envoy... as expected, is he from my sect? No, that's not right, this form of address is not appropriate.

Admittedly, as an acting special envoy, Du En can be said to be basically equivalent to this, but if one looks closely, there are still differences.

Simply put, only those at the middle level and below, those at the lower and bottom levels, would call him High Envoy, while those at the middle level, who are also great cultivators, would use either 'acting' or 'special envoy', and would not specifically use 'High Envoy' unless they intended to flatter! "High Envoy? Why do you address me as such?"

Since Du En had doubts, he spoke his mind directly.

Now it was Luo Heng's turn to be somewhat surprised.

"The envoy of the High God, isn't that a High Envoy?"

He asked back as a matter of course; because he lacked the premise and did not know Du En's position, he felt surprised, and thus a misunderstanding that hit the mark by accident occurred.

Sure enough, this High Envoy is different from the previous ones!

Thinking this, Luo Heng continued: "I actually realized long ago that above us, at the other end, there is actually an existence that truly dominates everything in this underground. Since the Spirit Mother is a god who has descended to the world, then she is a High God residing in the upper realm."

"I also boldly speculated that if the High God is not a single entity, then there must be those with conflicting philosophies, so even a High Envoy cannot be generalized."

The tree covered in people dripping with ointment can already prove this point.

So Luo Heng appeared certain.

Upon receiving the explanation, Du En's brows lifted slightly.

Not someone from his sect, but a person of this realm, and, not ignorant.

This is not strange; after all, with that tree of people placed there, as long as one can find a way to ask something, one can naturally know some intelligence and information.

Although perhaps out of fear of True Monarch Huiqing, they dare not investigate too deeply.

"It seems that my sitting by and watching your farce cannot be said to be a waste of time."

"If the High Envoy can be lenient, please wait for me a moment; after I finish this play, I will come to meet and talk in detail."

"Very well."

Du En did not refuse, because this Luo Heng was truly quite unexpected, so he would just wait and see what he could say after he was prepared.

Thus, while waiting and watching, this sect leader of the Queguang Sect finished the scene in a very familiar way, and with great pomp, took a sedan chair again to return to the sect's main camp.

Walking alongside, Du En was not afraid that this place he had already entered and exited would become a dragon's den or tiger's lair. That consistently calm demeanor made Luo Heng, who had been secretly paying attention, feel it was thorny, and it was also the first time he had encountered such a person.

Recalling the upper-realm envoys he had met before, each one was arrogant, treating them as lowly natives, acting recklessly before being beaten down, and when they were finally hung up, they were as miserable as could be.

"Truly worthy of being a figure who can purge the Blood Demon and penetrate the Buddha Land to walk through hell!"

Especially the Buddha Land hell; back when that Spirit Light Evil Buddha was rising, he had gone to see it. He considered himself unable to cross those layers of hell, nor could he stop the change in people's hearts, and in the end, he could only adopt a passive strategy, letting it grow step by step until now, brewing a conversion that almost spread across the entire West.

Thinking of all these things, a trace of fatigue and desolation could not help but flash in Luo Heng's eyes.

Still acting?

Du En glanced at him, speculating thus.

It was truly because the style of the Queguang Sect was not a righteous path either, but a bona fide evil sect, so he would naturally speculate with such malice.

But this evil sect leader seemed to be sincere. After arriving at the main camp and entering his daily living quarters, he directly waved away his attendants and began to speak to himself.

It seemed that words that had been stagnant in his heart for a long time had finally found an outlet to pour out.

"At the beginning, we couldn't bear the various things in our northern homeland, so we gathered together to head south to pioneer. In today's terms, we were a group of refugees."

"At that time, there was no central camp, let alone a central large cavity; it was just a relatively spacious karst cave with a water source that could be used to establish a new camp."

"At that time, I was not the leader, just a small headman. The group was very weak, similar to the current outer edge camps, and because the demonic beasts were hard to kill and resources were scarce, to be honest, we who migrated and fled south were soon unable to hold on, once falling to the point of exchanging children to eat..."

Recalling and recounting these past events, Luo Heng could not help but fall into silence, looking up at the magnificent camp he was currently in, his divine sense then crossing the camp to look at the bustling and vibrant central camp.

The past in his memory and the current state formed a strong contrast.

He could not help but reveal a trace of pride, which vanished in the blink of an eye, crowded out by a more complex expression, his gaze landing on the bonfire in the camp.

Or rather, the malice hidden within it, those greasy eyes that opened with a sense of awareness; they seemed particularly concerned about this spokesperson of theirs, the frequency of opening their eyes to monitor far exceeding other places.

And what made Du En even more concerned was that he was in the same place as Luo Heng, which theoretically should have caused the attention to overlap, thereby attracting more Spirit Mother power and opening more malicious eyeballs.

But it didn't; these malicious intentions were instead slightly quiet! Clearly, in the silence, Luo Heng stood on the stage, masking Du En's role in the shadows.

Is it good intentions, or a threat... the former, I suppose; after all, using the Spirit Mother to threaten him is too ridiculous.

—It was beaten by Du En into self-sealing, and now it is hiding and licking its wounds!

Since Luo Heng could seize the opportunity to get rid of the High Priest, he was clearly very clear about the Spirit Mother's current situation, so he could not be stupid enough to use this as a threat.

In other words, it was just good intentions.

Showing goodwill, why?

Let's continue listening.

Luo Heng slowly continued to speak, expounding on the starting point of all the changes. "At that time, as a small headman, I naturally had to work hard to earn resources, but because I gave the last of the family's stored food to my family, thinking I could hold out until I got prey, I ended up fainting from hunger on the way during that hunt."

"It was in that hazy state of consciousness that I saw it. That was my first time encountering the Spirit Mother, and also the first time I obtained Spirit Ointment. It said to me: whoever believes in it shall be given food and warmth."

"Spirit Ointment, what a delicious thing that was. I still remember it vividly to this day, unable to forget the taste of that first time, that first bite. I only felt that after eating one bite, I truly came alive, waking up with an unprecedented sense of fullness, an unprecedented sense of power, and in a prime state!"

"Suddenly escaping from poverty and hunger, it gave people enough leeway to give birth to many desires other than seeking food..."

As Luo Heng spoke, he could not help but reveal the expression he had then, extremely satisfied, yet mixed with various desires.

Normally, Du En should have spoken bluntly and sharply, digging into the wound without caring about others' feelings, and giving spicy sarcasm, but at this moment, there was no change in his expression, nor did he have any intention of saying anything.

Thus, Luo Heng's expression vanished instantly. Looking at Du En, who was like a stone at the bottom of a lake, his attitude became solemn and singular.

This was his true side.

"That was certainly not a good thing; it was an ointment that could catalyze and solidify the greed in people's hearts, but it was also the only thing that could save us at that time. So, I brought it back to the camp and offered it to the leader to distribute to everyone."

"At that time, I did not have such a clear understanding, but only vaguely sensed it. I was too naive, so later, when the leader learned the inside story, he tried to swallow it alone after trying it, and he also beat me until I was crippled and threw me into the depths of the dark karst cave, which was a very normal development."

Speaking of this, there was a slight pause.

A complex look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes, and he continued leisurely: "Fortunately, at that time, I secretly hid a little Spirit Ointment, originally intending to keep it for my family who had already split off to explore further south, so it became a lifesaver at that time, and my injuries healed as a result."

"Perhaps there was something about me that made the Spirit Mother covet and favor me; in any case, in the end, I succeeded in killing the leader who clearly possessed more spirit paste."

This "something" was, quite obviously, talent.

True Monarch Regretful Emotion valued this point.

Even when cultivating gu insects or spirit beasts, one must select the robust ones—those that eat less but grow fatter—so although such people are often harder to control, one has no choice but to make that selection.

Especially when the controller has a great deal of leeway.

Du En thought this, and then thinking of that room full of books belonging to Luo Heng, as well as other information he had just revealed, he did not believe he was unaware of this.

Although his words were earnest and there were no signs of lying overall, he left room for maneuver everywhere and secretly harbored all sorts of ulterior motives; he was truly a person of deep schemes and could not be underestimated.

Therefore, he still did not speak, continuing to maintain the high-ground advantage of information.

Luo Heng seemed not to have noticed, as if he did not care, and just continued on his own: "Naturally, I became the leader and began to venerate the Spirit Mother, thereby causing the originally dilapidated camp to rapidly become the central camp it is today."

His tone had clearly changed, becoming simple and rough, because the information outflow from Du En's side was truly sparse, causing him to change his rhetoric, yet he still revealed kindness and magnanimity.

Thus, he could continue to reveal some brief information, and, his own resolve! "In order for civilization and the race to continue, in order for the underground to once again possess order and law, some people must be sacrificed; that is why there are sacrificial rites for infants, why there are soldiers devised and created, and why soldiers are sent to suppress and strangle those who flee."

"So you divided the current underground status quo into such distinct levels?"

At this moment, Du En spoke up suddenly.

Luo Heng paused, somewhat surprised, and also somewhat grave.

Because the other party had cut into a very important key point, he could not help but examine whether the other party had detected some of his subtle arrangements during previous actions.

Then, he sighed.

"That's right, these are all helpless matters; I only did what had to be done. I do not regret this, even if I were to do it all over again, I would only do the same, perhaps even more thoroughly. It is just that, occasionally, I cannot help but sigh: if only I were more capable, if only the situation were more tolerant, perhaps it would not have come to this."

"What exactly is the current state of the Spirit Mother?"

Du En changed the subject at this moment, actually talking about this instead of dwelling on the previous topic.

Regarding his philosophy and his sighs, there was no denial here, but also no affirmation; therefore, as long as one possibility was confirmed, there was no need to keep harping on it.

"... You really are sharp and, and, hmm, colder than I imagined."

Regarding such words, Du En had not the slightest ripple, and Luo Heng was used to it; after a slight pause, he actually answered directly, "Its state is quite strange now. Before, it was brewing a metamorphosis; even though I used the form of extracting spirit paste to turn its power to my own use while trying my best to slow down its metamorphosis, I still did not succeed. Or rather, I fell into a trap instead."

Regarding the matter of that strange tree, he clearly had no self-righteousness.

Regarding the "transaction" with the Spirit Mother, he was also very clear that it was like asking a tiger for its hide.

Therefore.

"I tried all sorts of methods, even risking a return to my homeland, before finally finding the method of the Binding Rope of Obsession, and further bringing in the flame belts that are unavoidable in underground life; in the name of 'Rejecting Light,' I created a fervent faith to forcefully pull it above the status quo. Those in the light within the fire, and those in the darkness, actually already have a clear, certain deviation."

So he used a force even more intense than the Spirit Mother could have imagined to push and consolidate the rule of the Rejecting Light Sect; by the time it, which needed people's offerings, came to its senses, it had already been bound by the "Spirit Mother's Shell."

"In other words, it had actually obtained enough nourishment long ago and should have achieved metamorphosis long ago, but was just slowed down like this?"

"No, what the High God wants is not that kind of common fruit; therefore, this should be going with the flow. And because of this, naturally, the Pure Light Sect appeared, and the obsessions of the human heart appeared in the west of the west in a form even more terrifying—one that even I find horrifying."

Luo Heng paused and stated his speculation, "I fear that the moment you removed that Sinful Buddha and trampled the hell, the High God's goal was already achieved!"

Resentment! People who crave the blessings of past lives pin their hopes on their own suffering in this life.

Then, the moment the target of this hope is destroyed by Du En, the original obsession will instantly turn into an unresolvable barrier of resentment!

Although the Spirit Mother is evil, it is ultimately not *Him*, not at the level of a Resentful Sin.

—Even if cultivated in a conventional form, what is ultimately obtained is not the Resentful Sin that True Monarch Regretful Emotion wants to get his hands on; therefore, it is necessary to fill it with as much resentment as possible, extreme resentment, to make it become *Him*, to make it metamorphose into a true Resentful Sin!

(End of chapter)