Chapter 163: No afterlife, only seek this life!

Of course, Zhao Si ultimately rejected these ideas:

First, Jiao Ming could not possibly sacrifice anyone; his very purpose is to save the myriad spirits sacrificed due to the birth of the Heavenly Dao, and fundamentally, the innately divine are also among those myriad spirits.

Sacrificing the innately divine or ordinary living beings makes no difference to Jiao Ming!

Second, Jiao Ming lacks that strength……

Zu Feng is innately divine, Hongjun is as well, and Di Jun and his ilk are too.

If Jiao Ming were to act against them, setting aside whether he could bring himself to strike, even in a straight fight he could not defeat so many!

So after Zhao Si thought it over a bit more, even he felt his idea was unrealistic……

"Then how exactly should we do it?"

Zhao Si was utterly stuck; sacrifice is unavoidable, yet Jiao Ming forbids sacrifice—this is an unsolvable contradiction!

"Thinking this way, the fundamental contradiction Jiao Ming faces is actually the same as Jin Bing's—both are unsolvable paradoxes. Jin Bing cannot resolve the fundamental contradiction of humanity being superior to the demon race, and Jiao Ming cannot resolve the fundamental contradiction of having to sacrifice some people……"

The fates of the two game protagonists coincide remarkably; each must solve an unsolvable problem.

However, Jin Bing's 'demon-over-demon' contradiction lets him muddle along anyway—since humanity lacks the power to overturn heaven, as long as Jin Bing relies on the Six Saints for absolute suppression, the fundamental contradiction can be considered nonexistent.

This is the benefit of having sages exist!

And Jiao Ming……has no sage father to rely on, so once the fundamental contradiction erupts, he can only flounder, unable to think of any solution……

"No!"

Zhao Si suddenly spotted a blind spot, and thus furrowed his brow:

"I seem to have fallen into a thinking trap……"

"Damn it, I'm a player, aren't I? I'm not the protagonist, so why must I stubbornly cling to the protagonist's life?"

"To me, this is merely a simulation game; I am completely an extraneous existence independent of the Primordial World."

"The more I view the problem from the game protagonist's perspective and mindset, the more I become lost as an authority, only able to end up in a deadlock like Jiao Ming!"

"I should use my own perspective to deal with the problem!"

A jolt, and Zhao Si, who had been deep in thought, suddenly had an epiphany:

"It's just a game; if you lose, you lose!"

"Just start another round, right?"

"I'm not Jiao Ming; as the game protagonist, his sole purpose is to help me uncover more game content and secret information."

"In theory, this round of the Primordial simulation can totally be treated as a test product, rather than having to be taken as a finished product!"

"I should use this test product to learn more secrets about the Heavenly Dao and sainthood, then compile the information to form a strategy for achieving a perfect ending in the next round……"

"Since the game can give me such a plot to play, it must mean there is a solution; Jiao Ming's 'unsolvable problem' is merely unsolvable at his level of information."

"Unsolvable? Surely it's just lack of information—die more……no, just try a few more times and it'll be fine!"

Once Zhao Si's train of thought finally cleared, after a slight hesitation he directly issued to Jiao Ming a heaven-defying order that ran counter to his beliefs:

"Remember, everything in this world can be fake! Only you yourself are real!"

"As long as you achieve a perfect ending in the final round, all your previous mistakes can become nothingness; thus you need bear no psychological burden!"

"Now, immediately agree to Hongjun's plan to slaughter the myriad spirits, and after the Heavenly Dao is born you must secure a saintly position; then you can die and restart—whatever it takes, just become a saint for me! Gather information!"

"Say the important thing three times: this is all fake! Fake! Fake! Only you are real!"

【Ding! Faced with the dire straits of inner turmoil, you choose: (distinguish virtual from real, discern true from false, simulation is all false, only self is true! Indulge slaughter, first become a sage, after the sage's demise, ultimately return to truth!)】

【Your heart shocked, the despair that had long plagued you turned into flowing water in these few short strategy lines……】

【Simulation is all false, only self is true! And oneself……will ultimately return to truth!】

【Thus the knot was buried deep, you gradually let yourself go completely, no longer insisting on the ideal perfection.】

【"Perfection is not in this life, only in the next……"】

【You mutter to yourself, your entire aura sinks low, as if undergoing some major ideological shift……This causes Hongjun, who had been trying to persuade you to join his side, to shudder, thinking you've been provoked!】

【"Fellow Daoist, speak calmly, don't get agitated……"】

【Hongjun broke out in a cold sweat, after all your crazy behavior over the years has indeed been terrifying; for the sake of ordinary myriad spirits' lives, you could slay the primal qilin, also slay the primal dragon, exterminating the dragon race is a thunderbolt means……If not for Zu Feng promptly giving up, turning from dark to light, Zu Feng himself would likely die!】

【Throughout the Primordial realm, nobody fears you—not even Hongjun; you are the genuine primordial first fiend, the ultimate boss of the Primordial!】

【And just as Hongjun was drenched in sweat, you slowly spoke.】

【"I agree……"】

【Upon these words, Hongjun froze instantly, then incredulously: "Really?"】

【"Really."】

【Faced with your affirmative reply, Hongjun, who should have been pleased, instead furrowed his brow and stared at you, his eyes seeming to grasp something……】

【But he also said nothing more, only nodding: "Everything is up to me."】

【In your silence, Hongjun drew a deep breath, likewise falling silent.】

【……】

【In the Demon Calendar, the seven-yuan two-meeting six-cycle, Hongjun privately visited the innately divine beings Qiankun and Yin Yang, both Great Luo Peak cultivators, who all spoke of the method for true spirits to attain the Dao, wishing to emulate the Three Ancestors with them to form a small group, thereby indirectly attaining the Dao together!】

【The two were half‑believing, half‑doubting, so Hongjun voluntarily promised to personally lock down Jiao Ming, the Heavenly Court's reliance; the rest of the Heavenly Court are at most ordinary Great Luo cultivators, and if the two join forces, even slaughtering all Primordial beings would pose no problem.】

【Hongjun boasted: "Once we attain the Dao, the three of us can forever reign supreme over all beings!"】

【Faced with Hongjun's tempting words, the two old ancestors, though still somewhat doubtful, found the lure of attaining the Dao endless; for these Primordial beings whose moral quality is generally low, since there is a sliver of hope, they naturally must seize it with all their might.】

【Of course, their daring to slaughter stems ultimately from their formidable cultivation: two Great Luo Peak cultivators, unafraid of Hongjun's betrayal nor of Jiao Ming's targeting; as for the Heavenly Court……they're just juniors!】

【Thus, under the lure of attaining the Dao and confidence in their strength, the two old ancestors Qiankun and Yin Yang began their slaughter……】

【In the Demon Calendar, the seven-yuan two-meeting eight-cycle, the two old ancestors slaughtered a corner of the East Wasteland; under Great Luo Peak methods, a diagram of the circulation of two vapors and a cauldron of mingled azure vapor, in only a short time the dead numbered in the hundreds of millions!】

【The disaster report reached Mount Buzhou; the Heavenly Court was shocked and alarmed, whereupon the Heavenly Emperor and other Great Luo Golden Immortals personally confronted the two old ancestors, and with combined forces barely managed to repel them.】

【But this was merely a probe; seeing that you, the madman who guards the myriad spirits, still hadn't arrived, the two ancestors breathed a sigh of relief: it seems you were indeed blocked by Hongjun, that old man truly wasn't lying……】

【If that's the case……】

【The Second Ancestor completely let loose himself!】

【Next era, slaughtering a corner of the Southern Wilderness, the Ancestor Phoenix was startled into battle.】

【However, under the combined suppression of the Heaven-Earth Cauldron and the Supreme Ultimate Diagram, the Ancestor Phoenix could only be driven out of the Southern Wilderness territory, temporarily residing on Not Complete Mountain.】

【Again in the next era, slaughtering a corner of the Western Wilderness, and engaging in a great battle with the Heavenly Court's various Great Luo and the Ancestor Phoenix; after the battle, the Second Ancestor voluntarily withdrew……】

【Once more in the next era, slaughtering a corner of the Northern Wilderness……】

【Without your active suppression, the two old ancestors simply went berserk; the Heavenly Court could only drive them away, and was never able to effectively control them.】

【In the end, even though the Heavenly Court's faction exerted itself to protect the myriad spirits to the utmost, it had little effect, and the number of those slaughtered was countless!】

【And you and Hongjun delayed taking action to surround and suppress the Second Ancestor, which naturally aroused Di Jun and company's confusion; the Ancestor Phoenix even flew in a rage to Jade Capital Mountain, wanting to confront you face to face and get things clear……】

Eastern Wilderness, on Jade Capital Mountain.

One in a red robe, one in a purple robe, the two sat beneath a tree, silently gazing at the horizon's sun, seeming quite lost in thought……

A streak of fire flew in, landing on the mountain and transforming into a flustered red-clad woman; as soon as she landed, she shouted:

「Jiao Ming! Hongjun old man! Do you still care about the myriad spirits' lives or not! 」

Jiao Ming didn't speak, merely staring blankly at the sun with an expressionless face.

Hongjun, on the other hand, took out a jade register to calculate, then shook his head:

「Still not enough, lacking about a half……」

「What do you mean lacking about a half? 」

The Ancestor Phoenix blinked, her brows furrowing tightly:

「You……」

Suddenly, her heart startled:

「Indirectly attaining the Dao? ！」

She naturally had also long heard Hongjun speak of these things, knowing that besides the bloodline method, there is another way to attain the Dao.

But……

「You aren't supposed to allow slaughter, are you? 」

The Ancestor Phoenix couldn't help but ask, for Jiao Ming's ideal she had even voluntarily given up the path to the Dao; how is it that now the two of them instead want to attain the Dao?

Jiao Ming still didn't speak, merely lowered his head and closed his eyes again.

Just don't provoke him!

Seeing the situation was not good, Hongjun hurriedly pulled Zu Feng aside and, as quietly as possible, told her everything…

After hearing that, Zu Feng also became a bit dazed, for she only knew the method of attaining the Dao, but did not know that attaining the Dao had such an important role in the wilderness; after all, no one had ever attained the Dao before.

But Zu Feng is ultimately Zu Feng; as an innate divine being, she never really took all spirits to heart, and her years of withdrawing from the world were only because of Jiao Ming.

Now that she had seen Jiao Ming's "awakening" and also received Hongjun's promised "sacred position", Zu Feng's thoughts shifted, and she felt the problem wasn't big…

But unexpectedly, Zu Feng's few unintentional questions earlier harshly stirred Jiao Ming's originally dead-hearted thoughts.

Amid the thick stillness, a tiny spark suddenly sprang up!

He jumped to his feet and, under the two's astonished gazes, walked forward.

What are you doing going?

Hongjun's heart gave a jolt, a bad premonition surged up, and he hurriedly called out to stop him.

Destroy heaven and earth and yin and yang.

Jiao Ming opened his eyes and silently replied.

Hongjun was dumbfounded:

There's still about half missing! Why are you rushing?

I've changed my mind…

Hongjun:???

Hongjun suddenly felt speechless:

You're really... like a child! How could you change your mind like that? If you're unwilling, why did you agree before?

That wasn't me agreeing; it was another me.

Hongjun:?

Alright, he's started talking nonsense!

But Jiao Ming didn't think he was speaking nonsense; he just silently said in his heart:

Another me, I'm sorry…

Your strategy is good, the direction is also correct; for you, I should indeed do as you said, coldly treating everything in this life, so that the next life can be more perfect.

Anyway, each life is a brand-new life; before the perfect final life, each life can be false, but…

Jiao Ming took a deep breath:

But you are you, I am I!

You transcend the material world, you can regard each of my lives as illusory and thus make the most correct choice… but I have never been such a transcendent existence; I truly live here, and each life is real to me.

I don't seek a perfect afterlife; I… just want to seize this life!

In this life, I have Hongjun as a friend, also Xi He, Di Jun, Tai Yi as juniors, further down there's Huang Long… More importantly, I have Zu Feng; the childhood dream of hatching an egg is truly about to come true…

You made me distinguish between false and real, true and false; I have distinguished them, but it's not as you thought, even the opposite—this life is real, the next life is false.

I won't be a qualified tool, so whether this life is perfect or deficient, I am satisfied… I voluntarily give up the next life!

【Ding! Detected that protagonist Jiao Ming has unilaterally rejected your strategy and advice!】

【Ding! System forcing…】

【Ding! Detected that Jiao Ming voluntarily gave up the identity of the simulated protagonist…】

【Ding! System forced failure.】

【Ding! Second Protagonist Jiao Ming has lost control, the True Spirit no longer relies on the system… The free bird chooses to fly solo, you have lost control over Jiao Ming!】

Zhao Si:?

Protagonist……rebelled?!

……

(Chapter End)