Chapter 990: Human Realm

However, when Li Zhiyi's hand left Bai E's shoulder, within Bai E's line of sight, they turned back into three Ancient Divine Beasts.

"What... is going on... I..."

"Senior's eyes are playing tricks on you," Li Zhiyi said with a smile.

"Mm... mm."

Bai E nodded:

"Right, I saw wrong; sometimes I see things wrong."

Li Zhiyi wore a faint smile as he looked at the woman behind him, his smile gradually fading.

"Senior, let's go."

With his hands behind his back, his body slowly floated upward, taking Bai E to travel across this shattered land.

"Senior has endured ten thousand years of suffering, yet you are still too unfamiliar with the way of punishment.

The amount of a person's suffering does not stem from the lowest limit, but from the magnitude of the change in their emotions."

Bai E was surprised:

"What do you mean..."

Li Zhiyi smiled faintly:

"If Senior were to slash someone who is accustomed to being hacked by blades and swords, would they feel pain?"

Li Zhiyi shook his head:

"They would not feel pain; they are already used to it.

But if this person has lived a life of comfort and has never encountered even the slightest bit of suffering,

then at that moment, Senior only needs to prick them slightly with a needle tip, and they will fall into an abyss of pain."

Bai E fell into deep thought; he was moved by Li Zhiyi's words.

"Just like these Ancient Divine Beasts, they have now encountered life and death, encountered fear; if Senior comes to slaughter them now,

they won't feel much pain."

Li Zhiyi reached out his hand, as if stroking this vast, desolate land:

"What we should do is give them a non-existent hope, making them start to get excited, start to hope.

When this hope reaches its climax, they arrive at the peak threshold of their emotions.

They will disdain us, they will start to become arrogant, and even start to look forward to a better tomorrow.

And at this moment, we then tear apart all their fantasies, making them fearful, making them despair.

Their emotions will plummet rapidly from the highest peak to the lowest valley.

This is the magnitude of the change in emotions; the greater the length, the greater the emotional fluctuation, and the more painful the person is!"

Li Zhiyi looked at Bai E:

"This is the best punishment, the best revenge!

Senior, are you satisfied?"

Bai E listened, completely stunned.

He instinctively wanted to refute, but at this moment, he actually felt that what Li Zhiyi said made a lot of sense.

The next moment.

They arrived above a piece of land.

Here.

The earth was cracked like a spiderweb, fissures snaked and swallowed buildings, broken bricks and tiles fell with a rustle, and thick smoke wrapped in flames soared into the sky.

A man's clothes were charred and tattered, sparks burning on his hair tips, yet he held the girl in his arms tightly.

He knelt half-way amidst the broken walls and ruins, his spine arched into a protective curve, letting the tongues of fire lick his hem, only bowing his head to embrace the girl tightly.

"Hahahaha!"

The man laughed out loud, lifting the girl in his arms up high.

Amidst this constantly spreading sea of fire, under this human catastrophe, he was, however, so joyful.

Beside him, one by one, the already burned corpses had long since died with their eyes wide open.

"What... is it laughing at?" Bai E asked in a daze.

Li Zhiyi looked at Bai E:

"Because his children have all been burned to death by the great fire."

"But it is laughing..." Bai E was even more puzzled.

"Because he saved himself," Li Zhiyi explained.

"It clearly saved a little Ancient Divine Beast that has nothing to do with him, why would you say he saved himself?"

Li Zhiyi looked at Bai E:

"Because the moment he saw his own children die, he had already lost the desire to live.

But that sliver of fear stemming from biological instinct required him to exhaust everything to find a hope that could allow him to survive."

Li Zhiyi pointed at the man:

"Just like when a person is procrastinating, they need to exhaust everything to find a reason that is clearly procrastination but looks reasonable and compliant.

This is the instinct of living beings; laziness, survival, sexual desire, dignity, and self-actualization are all the same.

When he saved that girl.

His biological instinct overcame his inner thoughts.

At this moment, his instinct brought him the final glimmer of light.

He obtained an imperceptible hope in the midst of despair."

At this moment, he was the happiest person.

Bai E fell silent.

"Senior only needs to move a finger to kill that girl.

That man will also fall into despair once again.

Ushering in the most painful moment of his life."

Li Zhiyi coaxed him step by step.

Bai E nodded, extended his own hand, and pointed at the girl.

He only needed to make a light swipe.

That girl would die.

That middle-aged man would fall into utter despair, blame the injustice of the world, and then commit suicide just like the woman before him.

"Do it, Senior!"

Li Zhiyi shouted:

"Think of your younger sister, think of our human race, think of these heinous Ancient Divine Beasts!"

"Kill!"

Bai E roared, light condensing at his fingertip.

With a snap!

Li Zhiyi patted Bai E on the shoulder.

The next moment.

Bai E's eyes widened; within his vision, those were no longer two Ancient Divine Beasts.

But a middle-aged man laughing loudly and a small girl who had fainted.

"Senior, do it." Li Zhiyi said in a low voice.

Bai E fell silent and looked at Li Zhiyi:

"Let me look again..."

Li Zhiyi frowned and nodded coldly.

The next moment.

They arrived in Jin Province.

Here, far from Qi Province, the tremors of the earth had not reached this place.

But the entire Jin Province was in a state of panic.

Countless people were running through the streets and alleys.

Bai E and Li Zhiyi entered a courtyard.

A young man with a cloth bag slung over his shoulder had just stepped over the threshold when a woman hurried forward and grabbed his sleeve.

Her fingertips trembled, her eyes were red, and her voice carried a suppressed sob:

"Child, don't go, you are only in the Origin Realm."

The young man's eyes trembled, tears glistening:

"Mom, in the Origin Realm, one can already fly; I can go."

The mother's eyes shed tears:

"If you go, you will die."

The young man was silent, then turned around and fell to his knees on the ground with a thud:

"Mom!"

He shouted aloud:

"I am a bastard!"

He cried out:

"I know that me going is useless, but if there are hundreds or thousands of me, then it will definitely be useful.

I had already planned to become an instructor, earn some money, and properly provide for Mom in her old age...

But I can't!"

The young man's eyes were bloodshot:

"The strongest of the human world have not abandoned us, so how could I abandon them and live on alone!"

With a bang!

The young man's head slammed hard against the ground:

"I know that by going to seek death, I am doing right by myself and right by everyone, but I am failing Mom.

I have failed Mom!"

Bang, bang, bang!

His head kept hitting the ground, tears streaming down:

"Just let me go, just let me go..."

The young man sobbed uncontrollably.

Bai E and Li Zhiyi watched this scene.

Li Zhiyi explained:

"These Ancient Divine Beasts do not want Senior Fanni to wake up, and now they are going to suppress her at all costs."

With a wave of his hand, he and Bai E arrived at a plaza.

A dense crowd of people filled the plaza, and banners fluttered in the wind.

Tens of thousands of young martial artists, clad in battle armor, their expressions cold and stern, flames of certain death burning in their eyes, stood together in the center of the plaza.

Surrounding the plaza were patches of elders, children, wives, and mothers seeing them off.

They gazed at their kin who were about to face death, hot tears rolling from their eyes one by one, yet they forced themselves to remain silent.

"Salute!"

An elder with withered lifeblood spoke with a trembling voice.

Swish, swish, swish!

Large swathes of those seeing them off offered a salute to the young soldiers.

"Salute!"

A military guard's voice was deep and resonant.

Swish, swish, swish!

The soldiers heading to Ji Province saluted one by one, their faces fierce, their hearts filled with the will to die.

"On this journey, we shall not return!

Elders, do not be sad, because..."

A military guard spoke:

"Though we may die, we shall not perish!"

He laughed out loud:

"Depart!"

Boom, boom, boom, boom!

Creation Realm martial artists unleashed their lifeblood, transforming it into long dragons of lifeblood to carry the tens of thousands of military guards south to Ji Province!

Above the ground.

There was a chorus of weeping.

How many children on backs were calling out for their fathers or mothers.

How many elders were watching their own children go, never to return.

Throughout the entire Great Xia.

Within every courtyard, streams of light flew out, clustering around the golden dragon, heading toward Ji Province together.

Above the night sky, brilliant streams of light flickered across the entire Great Xia.

Like a passing of the stars.

Accompanied by weeping, shouting, and sounds of reluctance.

They would eventually vanish from sight.

Bai E and Li Zhiyi slowly floated upward, watching this magnificent scene.

PS: Happy New Year, so I posted early.

I originally thought I could finish this month, but it looks like it will take a few more days.

In any case, Happy New Year.