Chapter 309: Another Cynical Demon

"Pure Land? Do you believe it?"

The Flood Dragon waved his hand, and an illusion appeared. In the illusion, a gaunt woman with a large belly had just given birth, and her family, eyes gleaming with predatory intent, seized the infant.

"Ah—ah—"

With a cry, the infant was placed into a pot. It struggled and kicked twice, its skin rapidly turning from reddish-purple to white.

Only the woman's eyes remained numb, tears streaming from them.

"Wife, don't blame us for being heartless. There is nothing to eat now, and even if he lives, you have no milk to raise him. Rather than letting him be born to suffer, it is better for him to enter our bellies to save our lives and accumulate blessings..."

Then the illusion changed again. The woman crawled up in the night, blood still dripping from between her legs, and grabbed a stone, smashing it fiercely against the man's head—once, twice, three times...

The others saw this and cried out in terror: "You're mad!" They lunged at her together, pinning her to the ground: "Mad! Mad, there's no saving her, just beat her to death..."

A slightly older boy, seven or eight years old, watched this with indifference.

The one eaten was his younger sister, the one smashed was his father, and the one pinned down was his mother. Yet he felt nothing.

The scene shifted again... the famine had passed... the boy grew up. He treated cannibalism as a matter of course. On the surface, he was an honest man who was amiable and quiet, but whenever a new life arrived in the village, he would go to watch.

Yet he was always disappointed: "Why don't they boil and eat it? How delicious it would be?"

Until one day, a matchmaker kindly arranged a marriage for him...

The scene shifted again. The man looked at his wife's growing belly, his expression gradually becoming deranged. He often talked to himself, but his wife did not take it to heart.

After the birth, the man smiled and happily sent the midwife away.

He picked up the baby, handling it with extreme care. His wife smiled weakly: "Don't hurt him."

He paid no heed, went to the kitchen, and a pot of water had long been boiling... He threw the baby inside. A shrill cry rang out, then the lid was placed on the pot. The splashing ceased, and he smiled as he added firewood to the stove.

After it was cooked, he gulped down a large bowl and ate plenty of meat, thinking to himself: "So fresh! I should let my wife have a taste too!"

So he brought it to her. When the wife saw the tightly clenched fist in the bowl, her face filled with horror. She wanted to scream, but could make no sound, and tears flowed from her eyes...

Later, rumors spread in the village that the man's wife had gone simple-minded. She had given birth to a healthy boy, but he died right after birth, and unable to bear the blow, she had gone mad.

The illusion the Flood Dragon projected was not the only one, but they were all stories of people eating people. "I have cultivated for over a thousand years. Do you know when the darkest time was? It was the era when Heavenly Master Xu Xun ruled the world. The Qi of the universe was inverted, yin and yang were overturned, plagues raged, and demons, ghosts, and monsters lived among men."

"People were truly miserable back then, talking of mystery and Dao all day, worshipping ghosts and demons... Why not worship the True Gods? Because the True Gods would not pay attention to such trivial matters. They believed that the nature of heaven and earth was the only truth, and that if these people did not cultivate morality, they were bound to face such retribution. The Buddhist school was the same; cause and effect, all determined by how one lived in a past life, resulting in the present."

"Thus, demons and ghosts responded. Mortals were always praying and chanting; eventually, there would be some efficacy. With Incense Fire and wishes, the uses were infinite. Once they tasted that flavor, they naturally answered every request."

"At first, there was actually no custom of offering young boys and girls. Even a tiger does not eat its own cubs, let alone demons that have cultivated for a long time. They worshipped the moon and prayed to the sun, drawing the essence of the sun and moon into their bodies. This was the Clear Spirit Qi of heaven and earth."

"It was human Greed that was infinite, and Desire Thought that was infinite. They felt that no matter what, it was never enough. At first, they offered incense, flowers, and fresh fruit, but felt the rewards were insufficient, believing that they must pay a greater price to obtain greater benefits. So they sacrificed cattle, sheep, and pigs... Thus, the spirits enjoyed Blood Food. They were demons by nature, so this was not strange. Moreover, Blood Food that had undergone sacrifice could bring them immense power, so massive rewards were bestowed."

"Your family sacrifices cattle and sheep, but my family has none. But I am jealous, what should I do? I have a pair of children, I will sacrifice them too!"

The Flood Dragon said: "The demons wanted to become gods, but they underestimated the desires of mortals. At first, we felt that the True Gods in heaven didn't care about anything, so how could they deserve Incense Fire?"

"But now that the demons have become gods, they have been eroded step by step by desire and dragged into the water. Only then did they realize that doing nothing was already very good. Often, it is the act of doing things that is to be feared."

"The protection of demons and Ghost Gods brought favorable weather, game from the mountains and forests, clean spring water, and gold and silver treasures..."

"At this point, the extremists among those in power became arrogant. They thought, 'Heaven, by what right do you become Heaven? Earth, what virtue do you have to be Emperor? I want to be the master of heaven and earth...' And so, war after war began..."

The Flood Dragon's illusion began to demonstrate as he spoke. He said: "Heavenly Master Xu was one of the few who awakened in that era. He also wanted to lead the human race to save itself, but in the end, he could only sigh. He killed many fallen demon gods, but he could not change the human heart. He could only take his family and ascend, leaving the Desire Realm. The Desire Realm is a place of suffering and hardship. The so-called Hell of the underworld is merely an imitation of certain things in the human world."

"You say he was different and that he could govern demons. I believe that. Small demons are chaotic and ignorant; I think that is possible. But he let small demons go to educate humans? That point was erroneous. Humans will only drag demons into the water. Just like the large number of Flood Dragons that Heavenly Master Xu slaughtered back then—who didn't want to become a Dragon? How did they end up becoming wicked dragons?"

"He wanted to save all sentient beings. How to save them? He kills me to save sentient beings? If my death could save sentient beings, what would it matter if I died? But what if he kills ten, a hundred of 'me'? Those who oppose him—can he succeed?"

"This is sophistry, and you are a frog in a well who has never truly seen one with great Divine Ability." Shunji's original form had stayed in the Immortal Pond in heaven and felt that what the Flood Dragon said was truly too dark.

"The beings of the Desire Realm are the lowest of the low, forever suffering in reincarnation. Very few can jump out of it. The birth, aging, sickness, and death of man, the rise and fall of dynasties... Take me, for instance. I have been a God Immortal for hundreds of years, yet I still cannot ascend. Why? Because I did not accumulate merit according to their rules. This merit is extremely hypocritical. I do not recognize it, nor do I wish to ascend."

"Only in the surging waves of the red dust of this Desire Realm can my illusions be vivid."

"You also know it is an illusion. Since it is an illusion, it is not real. Sight, sound, taste, smell, and touch may all be false. What you see is not necessarily true. You are too obsessed with appearances," Shunji consoled.

"Then what is the truth?" the Flood Dragon said. "If what is seen and heard is not true, must one rely on thoughts in the heart or realization in the brain?"

(End of chapter)