Chapter 374: Clearing the Source and Returning to Righteousness!

"The True Monarch's contingency was originally extremely obscure; having fallen into madness, he should not have been able to perceive it. Yet now, due to the obvious catalyst and other factors that seemed inexplicable, he suddenly awakened and realized there was something amiss at the source of the River of Tears. Thus, he launched a counterattack, slaughtering all those who had been stealing and exploiting it..."

Du En thought this, feeling a secret concern, and glanced back at the innocent infant.

At this moment, because the conflict on the field had temporarily subsided, the child had begun to stop crying.

Luo Heng, on the other hand, had a complex expression; he had never imagined that the one to stop the Great Sorrow Human Demon would be a sacrificial victim he had previously intended to offer to the Spirit Mother.

In the clash between the Great Cultivators, that infant was as light as dust; he should not have possessed such weight.

"Ya, haha..."

At this moment, he completely stopped crying, noticed Chang Lingfeng from afar, stared with his large, pitch-black eyes, and then let out a laugh, clearly having recognized the other party.

"... Your Excellency."

All the turmoil had quietly extinguished, and Chang Lingfeng's voice sounded as it had in the past.

"I have fallen too deep into madness, committed countless wrongs, and am beyond saving; there is no need for forgiveness... Your Excellency, destroy me as quickly as possible. This brief moment of clarity is, after all, nothing more than the lingering smoke of this world..."

After the source was purged, the River of Tears had begun to gurgle and flow backward; it looked calmer, yet also more oppressive.

The sentient beings weep in sorrow, needing a vessel; the Great Sorrow Human Demon would be conceived from within it.

Chang Lingfeng knew very clearly that his current state—which, like in the past, always seemed clear-headed—was actually just a wisp of residual ash and drifting smoke.

"This is not something a genius can bear; no, it should be said that this is not something that can be shouldered by mere talent. The boundlessness of the River of Tears is truly forged from the suffering and extreme joy of all sentient beings. Although I was able to divert the flow to launch a counterattack and erase the various imprints at the source, its essence remains the same. A human demon poured out from the great joys and sorrows of human hearts is, in the end, just a demon."

Chang Lingfeng revealed an expression of relief. At this very moment, after finishing speaking, he gave a light laugh toward the infant in the distance, making his final response.

Then, he looked at Du En.

Du En was calm, merely lowering his eyes as if sighing.

Then, he thrust his spear out.

The Phoenix's Lingering Hatred had been barely suppressed by him, but even so, a source of hateful fire continued to surge out. Consequently, the River of Tears was triggered and began to accelerate its flow, pouring directly over.

Fire and water clashed; in the silence, this upward-surging outlet of the Phoenix's Lingering Hatred was directly shattered and completely vanished.

Normally, it is easy to invite a deity but hard to send one away; the Phoenix's Lingering Hatred was not so easily dismissed, but the timing was just right, so it was easily sent away.

Faintly, one could hear the sharp cry of that eternal hatred! Compared to the now-stable River of Tears of sentient beings, this divine being's never-ending hatred was even more terrifying, striking fear deep into the heart! As water and fire dissipated, when Du En looked at the opposite side again, Chang Lingfeng, who had faced death with equanimity, had already turned to ashes and smoke.

His death seemed to make the River of Tears a bit clearer. The people within the great cavity looked on, their bodies trembling, and also began to wake up. But at this moment, tears flowed uncontrollably; they felt as if they had lost something, yet were also celebrating something.

Sorrow and joy intertwined, and the River of Tears faded away.

Finally, a sword was spat out from within, spinning round and round, appearing around the innocent infant, circling to protect him.

As for Du En?

Was he someone who needed protection? Besides, it should have been clear from the Phoenix Blood Spear that he could conjure a new one.

"However, the key is not this Six Heavens Sorrow Demon Sword, but the River of Tears. It is merely a fulcrum that triggers the River of Tears, a legacy, a kind of extreme; even if one can conjure a shell, it ultimately has no great significance..."

Du En thought this, just glancing over there, though he actually felt puzzled in his heart.

Because this sword also seemed to have undergone a fundamental change. It was as if, when Chang Lingfeng died, he was clear-headed and relieved, and after his death, his origin returned to the River of Tears, also prompting the change in this life-bound demon sword.

At the very least, for a long time to come, there was no need to worry about this sword returning to its original path and becoming a demonic sword that would cause its wielder to suffer great sorrow, hatred, joy, and weeping.

"What exactly was the factor? It seemed like just a light push, yet it caused so many changes?"

Du En did not believe that Chang Lingfeng's own good intentions had been stimulated; that would at most have allowed him to barely wake up and choose to face death with equanimity, thereby ending this disaster of the Sorrow Demon, but it could not have led to this series of events.

"... Forget it, let's go solve the matter at hand first."

He did not probe further at this moment; taking advantage of the brief moment of contemplation, he had already used his ceaseless Dharma power to forcefully push himself to complete his recovery.

This made Luo Heng's brows twitch, and his attention was also gathered back.

Clearly, they had just been fighting to the death, and the man had been covered in scabs and burns—wounds of hateful karma that had penetrated deep into his primordial spirit—yet in the blink of an eye, he had forcefully recovered. It was as brutal as scraping bone to remove poison. The experience and sensation of it made even this Queguang Sect Master feel a chill, followed by admiration, feeling he could not compare at all.

At the very least, he could not achieve that expression of stillness like an ancient well, with energy to spare to ponder other things.

Du En beckoned and pointed into the distance; the infant fell asleep again, and the small stone statue was repaired, protecting him once more.

The Six Heavens Sorrow Demon Sword also faded away, diligently guarding in the shadows.

The worries on this side had been truly removed.

He did not delay, nodded from afar to Luo Heng, and then, still carrying the little tail, took action, stepping into the reverse side of the surface space.

Since the disaster of the Sorrow Demon had been resolved, the next step was to drag the Spirit Mother out and kill her! Whoever survived would do the same thing!

Just like the choice between the charge of reason and emotion, or the path of distinguishing between order and chaos...

Without stopping, without rest.

Luo Heng was actually the same; he was currently located in a ruin, the Demon Domain and Wood Domain were gone, leaving only broken walls and scattered flames.

He stood up, raised a hand, and used the Dharma power he had taken the opportunity to accumulate to issue some commands through the air.

At the same time, under the observation of his divine sense, he saw that the two sides—one large, one small—who had been in a daze, were about to become restless again.

Once the slaughter began, inertia would push people forward!

At this very moment, many former demon disciples had already awakened, realizing they had done wrong things before, just killing indiscriminately without rhyme or reason.

But now, seeing those few remaining people from the central camp, who had also come to their senses and were looking at their side with hatred and resentment, a thought suddenly emerged in their minds! Cut the weeds and dig up the roots!

Since they had already killed, they might as well kill them all!

Once the thought slipped, they were immediately eager to act.

"Stop."

Luo Heng's voice reached their hearts just in time.

Thus, the seeds of the slaughter and turmoil were suppressed by violence.

Although the disparity in numbers was vast, and although this Queguang Sect Master had been severely wounded, even with only a sliver of strength left, a Great Cultivator was still a Great Cultivator. Killing ordinary cultivators below the Spirit Transformation stage only required a single thought, let alone these special mortals who had cultivation but no substance.

Therefore, for a moment, everyone fell silent.

At the same time, Du En was galloping, having already smashed the self-sealed gate and dragged the Spirit Mother out from within.

The people of the central camp, who had just felt confident because the Holy Sect Master was still alive, instantly changed color, because in their ears, it seemed as if the painful roar of the Spirit Mother had sounded.

"All of this, it is not just your fault alone; I am actually at fault, many people are at fault, but right now in this Queguang land, without a doubt, my fault is the greatest, because that situation where the hierarchy is clear, where some enjoy and some suffer, is something I foresaw, yet intentionally set out to create."

Luo Heng spoke slowly and in detail, leaving the people stunned and speechless.

He further opened his mouth to say: "Also, leaving the Buddhist followers behind before and not completely liquidating them was not because I had any good intentions, but simply to keep them to monitor the changes in the situation. Look, didn't they all die the very first moment a change occurred?"

Upon hearing this, the headless rebel soldiers were all terrified! Their main body consisted of residents from the west of the center, so they naturally knew very clearly what Chang Lingfeng, this Demon Lord, was doing when he gathered them! Eradicating the Buddhist followers!

"However, if we abandon the perspective of mortals and get to the root of the matter, looking at it from a deeper, higher angle, then the suffering of Queguang over the past ten thousand years, all those disasters and pains, actually lie with the Spirit Mother, lie with the High God!"

Luo Heng's words were like a thunderclap, exploding so that the people in the central camp instantly changed their expressions wildly, looking toward the center of the center in panic and confusion. They, whose faith could be called the deepest and most sincere, felt their faith collapsing immediately after their revered Holy Sect Leader bluntly stated that the God was wrong.

Moreover, looking around, there were corpses everywhere and bloodiness all over.

He, they had just fought hard to kill the enemy to defend their faith, had they not become a joke?!

"Everything is woven into lies. Whether you are a devout believer or a former demon follower, you are all just people manipulated and deceived by us. There is no other reason. Now, continuing to kill each other is just insects in a cage biting one another, serving as a joke for us to watch..."

"Shut up! Although we were a bit confused just now, our choice to follow the Demon Lord came from our hearts!"

"Please, stop talking, we cannot bear it!"

People from both sides spoke up, and more people did not.

Thoughts were chaotic, each with their own ideas.

But generally speaking, the vast majority of people indeed lost the idea of killing each other, only feeling deep horror and terror, their hands and feet icy cold, completely unable to accept the various impacts of words and actions received in such a short time! However, there will likely be further disagreements because of this later, right? But the problem is not big; after all, the east still has some troops left, as well as other arrangements, enough to stabilize the situation for decades to come... as long as there are no accidents. Accidents, ha, whether for me or for the High God, it is actually the same. Then, just believe in those who come after.

It is about time.

Luo Heng thought this in his heart.

Although the disaster of the Sorrow Demon erupted suddenly, fortunately, his true layout was never in those actually conspicuous places, but in the parts that even the High God True Monarch could not solve or erase.

Therefore, the current situation, by a stroke of irony, is actually the most appropriate scene.

"High God, I don't know if you know, and it doesn't matter if you know, in short..."

Thoughts began to settle, and remaining strength began to be squeezed out.

One could feel that in the space on the other side, the Spirit Mother was at a critical juncture.

It still needs more nourishment; it does not yet have enough nourishment to allow it to become Him! —Chang Lingfeng killed the remaining Buddhist followers earlier, but the resentment of the Buddhist followers did not flow over because of this; instead, it was intercepted by the Tear River, invisibly washed away and obliterated by the Tear River, so the Spirit Mother is still lacking a lot.

And Luo Heng's words just now directly caused the survivors here to begin to breed and emerge with all kinds of resentment!

Although exceptionally mixed and impure, it does not matter; as long as it can be used, it is fine. Now that it is on the verge of being beaten to death, it naturally will not care about so many trivial things and is already trying its best to stretch its tentacles over.

However.

Luo Heng chuckled, looking up at the ceiling that had been shaved away, yet still unable to see the high sky, only the obstruction of darkness, as if eternal, and he laughed very happily.

"It's so good. A person like me was never qualified to see the blue sky and white clouds..."

The firelight of Dharma power glowed, beginning to emerge all around, then suddenly turned pitch black from the center. Countless ink-colored chains emitted a sound of rust and burning, suddenly rushing out, piercing through the void, and first penetrating the body and mind of all the survivors here.

"This, what is this?!"

"He is going to kill us!"

"Damn it, why, why..."

The people on both sides were immediately terrified, yet they had no power to resist at all. Having been fixed by the ink-colored chains, they could only wait for their outcome in hesitation and terror.

The Spirit Mother roared wildly, still wanting to struggle.

The next moment, more ink-colored chains pierced through the void, following a connection in the dark, the consistency brought by that Daoist method, capturing everyone underground, and even some special demonic beasts, piercing them all through.

"What is he doing?"

As the person who actually controlled this realm, True Monarch Huiqing immediately sensed the earth-shattering change here.

That was a change even greater than the demonic disaster Chang Lingfeng had wantonly stirred up, one that already involved subverting the foundation!

And the most critical thing is that the Spirit Mother cannot eat meat over there either, and its situation has suddenly become precarious!

The various layouts surrounding it, and the various peculiarities of the Queguang Star Realm, are now all on the way to falling off a cliff, about to be smashed to pieces! She naturally wants to take action, she, naturally, is powerless...

Opposite, Meng Changqing only slightly raised his head, without needing to do anything at all. Right now, naturally, other True Monarchs who were taking the opportunity to beat a dog in the water cast their gazes over and began to interfere.

The few of them are just like this; no, it wasn't so obvious when there was an alliance before, but now, they are almost all doing their own things, so only True Monarch Buyi is still clinging to a title.

Therefore, casting gazes over at this moment and beginning to intervene and cut off interference is naturally a very logical development.

"However, why did even Senior Brother Buyi take actual action?"

Meng Changqing had some hidden worries about this in his heart, because True Monarch Buyi's behavior was a bit strange, but the focus right now was not here, but on the Queguang Realm.

Countless ink-colored chains pierced through everyone in this realm, and Luo Heng's painstaking planning also reached its end.

"Hahaha!"

"You can't stop it, right! It's really surprising; it turns out that a God is actually so weak and powerless!"

"Then, let it end. Let this Daoist method that sustains us, and also binds us, be completely concluded!"

Queguang, Queguang, rejecting the light of others! Therefore, from the moment it accepted the radiance of outsiders, this realm seemed to have fallen into an endless abyss!

And now, Luo Heng is precisely going to excise it, precisely going to drag Queguang out of the abyss!

"Disintegrate and subvert the foundation, divide and peel away layer by layer, gather the resentment of the masses into one body, and use my death to tie up the law!"

"All kinds of suffering, all return to me. When a person dies, the lamp goes out, and everything is settled. I, have no complaints and no regrets!"

Countless alien resentments, deep-rooted tumors, along with the chains that suddenly turned into a rusty, bloody red, dragged everyone out—the tangible and intangible, resentment and Daoist methods, the roots of disaster and turbid seeds, all dragged out.

The flames burned brilliantly, yet were dim and lusterless.

All chains were retracted, and Luo Heng vanished into thin air!

People were at a loss and bewildered, having thought they would surely die, but now they suddenly felt refreshed and looked at each other in dismay for a moment.

"Eh? Strange, this feeling of Qi in my body?"

"Wait, why has your realm slipped?"

"You too, only the Qi Refining stage is left!"

People discovered that their empty realms had slipped severely, falling all the way from the originally highest Foundation Establishment stage to the early Qi Refining stage, but that was the cultivation level most appropriate to their current situation.

Because the spiritual Qi is surging and the flesh and blood are being refined, it is transforming into true magic power.

It is no longer in name only, but truly real!

"Is everyone like this?"

"Yes, everyone is like this!"

"This..."

"Holy Sect Leader..."

The people lowered their hands, silent for a moment, as the clanging sounds were dense and numerous.

Only at this moment did they truly put down their blades and weapons, turning silently to look at the very center of the ruins.

And there, not a single trace remained, only empty, broken walls and ruins.

(End of this chapter)