Chapter 542: The Most Terrifying Closed Loop

This is a real-life version of the story of the farmer and the snake.

The Ancient Feng Clan took in Dìshì, removed his evil bone, raised him to adulthood, yet he repaid kindness with hatred and destroyed the Ancient Feng Clan.

As A Cheng said, many things he only heard as stories, cannot be told to me in detail, so many problems arise here; some problems, when thought through and pushed forward, can be figured out.

Yet some problems contain fatal logical flaws.

I asked: "No, A Cheng, after Dìshì's evil bone was removed from his body, he had no cultivation talent left, so where did he get the power to slaughter the entire Ancient Feng Clan?"

Even if the evil bone remained in his body, he couldn't cultivate such great power, could he?

"This is the fundamental reason he could catch the Feng Clan off guard." A Cheng said, "No one expected him to do this, perhaps not even Dìshì himself at first imagined such a day would come.

Only much later, when I awakened to a fragment of the most ancient witchcraft, did I glimpse the Sān jiǎo yā, no, perhaps I should say the secret of the Solar Divine Bird clan."

"Huh?" My curiosity was instantly hooked, "From your tone, can the Sān jiǎo yā truly ascend to become the Solar Divine Bird?"

I had always thought the Solar Divine Bird was a height the Sān jiǎo yā fantasized about but could never reach.

A Cheng solemnly said under my gaze: "The true form of the Solar Divine Bird is the three-legged golden crow; it is indeed formed when a Sān jiǎo yā undergoes tribulation and ascends, and only those Sān jiǎo yā born with an evil bone can obtain this opportunity."

I could hardly believe my ears: "Isn't the evil bone supposed to represent great evil and wickedness?"

"Legend says the Solar Divine Bird is the only bird among all birds that can set foot on the sun." A Cheng narrated gently, "The Solar Divine Bird lives under the scorching sun, its body cannot be stained by any darkness, so it has always been a symbol of purity and nobility."

"To reach this height, the Sān jiǎo yā must endure countless trials, and the evil bone is a crucial test for the Sān jiǎo yā; passing this test is the first step for the Sān jiǎo yā to transform into the Solar Divine Bird."

My mind couldn't quite turn.

If I understood correctly, only those Sān jiǎo yā born with an evil bone are the fortunate fate chosen by Shang Cang and the Buddha.

Dìshì's father had cultivated in seclusion beside the Buddha for many years, receiving no favor all along; instead, Dìshì was born already bearing this evil bone.

Ironically, perhaps not even the Ancient Feng Clan, nor even Dìshì's father, knew how special this 'evil bone' was to their clan.

"The 'evil bone' is a double-edged sword; if one can hold to their original heart and withstand its trial, the future is bright, attaining Buddhahood or godhood is imminent; but once it backlashes, losing one's life is the lightest outcome, and once one falls into the demonic path, they become an existence that everyone in the Three Realms and Six Paths can punish."

I understood: "The path to godhood for the Sān jiǎo yā is to step upon the 'evil bone' step by step; this tests both their cultivation level and mind, a test even unknown to outsiders, including the Sān jiǎo yā clan."

"Because successful examples are far too few." A Cheng said, "The vast majority of Sān jiǎo yā suffer from the evil bone's torment as soon as they hatch, and quickly perish.

Yet Shang Cang is not stingy toward the Sān jiǎo yā clan.

A Sān jiǎo yā can cultivate at most three golden true feathers in a lifetime; each time a golden true feather grows, the cultivator receives a great opportunity of 'Buddha's Light Illuminates All', gaining a large amount of merit and mana in a short time; if seized, their cultivation will undergo a qualitative leap.

So that's how it is!

I finally have a clearer concept in my heart regarding Dìshì, the evil bone, and the Sān jiǎo yā clan.

"To preserve Dìshì's life, the Ancient Feng Clan tried every means to strip away his 'evil bone', enshrining it in the main hall of the Ancient Feng Clan, constantly bathed in merit and incense; this enshrinement's effect is even better than Dìshì cultivating himself.

Thus, when Dìshì just came of age, his head sprouted the first golden true feather..."

I couldn't help but sigh: "That was the first time he obtained such great power after having his 'evil bone' removed; his first reaction upon gaining power was not to seize the opportunity to cultivate well, but... revenge!"

In Dìshì's view, the Ancient Feng Clan's removal of his 'evil bone' was hatred.

Not raising him together with the other outstanding younger members of the Feng Clan was also hatred.

After the 'evil bone' was removed, causing him to lose his cultivation talent and become ordinary, this was hatred upon hatred...

As the saying goes, 'a meal of rice breeds gratitude, a bushel breeds resentment'—this was fully manifested in Dìshì.

"Yes, he perhaps never felt protected by the Ancient Feng Clan, but rather felt persecuted, excluded, and shackled by them, preventing him from displaying his extraordinary cultivation talent; thus, when he first received the 'Buddha's Light Illuminates All', he launched a surprise attack, personally killing the phoenix couple who had raised him."

"How long does the 'Buddha's Light Illuminates All' last?"

"Not long; according to my estimate, after his sneak attack on the phoenix couple, the power of the 'Buddha's Light Illuminates All' should have been exhausted, and what supported him in slaughtering the entire Ancient Feng Clan was still that 'evil bone'."

My brows knit tightly: "Does he think the phoenix couple didn't protect him but stole his treasure?"

"This cannot be examined; perhaps only Dìshì knows best in his heart." A Cheng said, "But he indeed reclaimed the evil bone, and the evil bone is the greatest yin and evil existence in this world; it is utterly corrupt, and once it returns to its place, if not deliberately suppressed, it will continuously absorb all negative emotions from the outside world.

So-called negative emotions cover a very broad range—anger, hatred, resentment, etc., are negative emotions; fear, obsession, even mere crying, also belong to negative emotions.

For Dìshì at that moment, the instant he reclaimed that evil bone, everything formed a closed loop.

Slaughter, accompanied by endless negative emotions, these negative emotions are absorbed by the 'evil bone', sustaining Dìshì's continued killing..."

Perfect closed loop.

Yet also the most terrifying closed loop!

No wonder!

No wonder a youth without cultivation talent could, by his own power, slaughter the entire Ancient Feng Clan; it turns out his background hid such a great secret.

At this moment, my feelings are mixed.

I can roughly infer what happens next.

Dìshì has committed such monstrous sins; surely someone will come to intervene.

In the end, he was escorted to Wǎngsǐ Chéng; during the heavenly punishment, an accident occurred...