Chapter 050: Deity

“Shen Qingjin, do you really trust him that much? No matter the flaws of the Dao Court, it has protected humanity for many years. We are far better than the heretical cults that delight in blood sacrifices, treating our people as livestock for slaughter. And what of the other races and strange beings? When have they ever regarded humanity as equals? To them, we are nothing more than cattle left to graze.

You have apprenticed yourself to one of these beings; sooner or later, you too will turn on the common folk of our race.

Think carefully. If I use you as a whetstone, the sacrifice is only you, your family at most, but the benefit extends to all humankind. There are countless mortal youths like you; what difference does it make if a few are sacrificed?”

Smack!

Shen Qingjin could endure no more; she slapped Zhou Xiaocheng hard across the face.

Damn you, sacrificing me and my family—how dare you act as if you’re in the right? You’re the true monster with a twisted heart!

Perhaps in the future I won’t fit in with the heretical sects either, but right now, I certainly can’t fit in with you or the Dao Court you represent!

Qingjin thought rebelliously—if nothing else, I’ll go my own way and carve out my own path.

Zhou Xiaocheng calmly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his expression cool but earnest. “I speak the truth. I know it is human nature to be selfish, to understand the necessity of others’ sacrifice but never wish to be the one sacrificed.

But for the people, should we not look to the greater good and be brave enough to sacrifice?”

“Then why don’t you sacrifice yourself? Why not let me use you as a whetstone?” Shen Qingjin countered in confusion.

“Because I am the Dao Child chosen by the Dao Court. I am destined to bear the responsibility of our race and our court. That is why you are the whetstone, the sacrificial one—your contribution allows me to protect more of our people in the future.”

“Do you think yourself so noble, standing atop a pile of corpses? Are you driven by selfish ambition or a desire to protect humanity? For someone so quick to call for sacrifices, do you really think you’ll do anything for the greater good? Or will you simply use your position to advance your own interests, trampling over the bodies of thousands?”

Hahaha… Ning Kunlun burst out laughing. “Well said! Exactly right.”

Zhou Xiaocheng, on the other hand, frowned deeply.

“I don’t know who has filled your head with such twisted logic, but one day, Shen Qingjin, you will see whether I am right or wrong. Don’t ruin yourself.”

“Please leave. You are not welcome here. You have already shown disrespect more than once to that one in my domain. Even if I am just an ignorant youth, I know that his patience is limited. If you don’t want to leave here maimed, you’d best have your guardian spirit take you away now.”

No sooner had Qingjin finished speaking than a dark figure appeared behind Zhou Xiaocheng.

Zhou Xiaocheng seemed to sense something and turned to see his uncle hidden within the shadow.

“Leave immediately.”

“But I—”

Before Zhou Xiaocheng could finish his protest, the shadow whisked him away in a flash. Barely a breath after they vanished, an eerie mist rose where they had stood, then disappeared as suddenly as it came.

“That was fast,” Ning Kunlun exclaimed in astonishment.

“Fast? What do you mean?” Shen Qingjin asked.

“They were being hunted by that great demon. Chased all the way out of the mountain pass,” Ning Kunlun replied as he sensed the situation.

“Are you not a Qi Refinement cultivator either?” Shen Qingjin asked, rubbing his temples.

“No, I am still in Qi Refinement. Our lineage values a solid foundation; in fact, I’m only at the eighth level, just like you. But even at this stage, I am not someone an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator can bully.”

“You can fight across realms?” Shen Qingjin asked in surprise.

“My cultivation method is different from yours. I focus on body refinement, honing physical abilities—like speed, strength, boiling blood, and so on,” Ning Qi explained.

“Are physical powers really that strong?” Shen Qingjin asked suddenly.

“Of course,” Ning Qi replied. “Think about it—if you attack so quickly your opponent has no time to react, wouldn’t every strike be fatal?”

“True.”

“Likewise, if your strength vastly exceeds your enemy’s—even if their cultivation is higher and they know countless spells—as long as a single punch is enough to smash them to pulp, you won’t need to wait for them to cast a spell. Just finish them with one blow.

It’s like knocking down children with your fists—utterly satisfying.

What’s more, a single punch could wipe out a group of Daoist priests.”

Qingjin’s eyes sparkled at this.

“Sis, I want to change my cultivation method. What if I become a disciple of that Dao Lord and specialize in body refinement?” he asked.

“No matter what you want to practice, it still needs to suit you, doesn’t it? You have a wind attribute spiritual root. Such roots usually flourish in the garden of spell cultivation, not in the bloody fields of body refinement. Do you really think that fits you?” Qinghu retorted, exasperated by her fourth brother’s whims.

So impulsive—never thinking things through.

A cough, a cough—Qingjin fell silent.

Shen Qingjin could only curl her lips in resignation.

“I had no prior information about the Dao Lord here. I didn’t know a new Daoist temple had been established. So, Qingjin, if that one summons you, you’ll have only yourself to rely on,” Ning Qi said.

“Is it just my imagination, or do you seem quite pleased at the idea of me apprenticing myself to him?” Shen Qingjin asked.

“That’s the second secret I wanted to share with you today. The first, of course, is my identity.” Seeing Qingjin’s astonished look, Ning Qi cleared his throat and continued, “The second secret is that I received word from our sect that a powerful deity may soon awaken within our human lands.

It’s said that several treasures in our sect have recently shown signs of abnormal activity. This makes the news about the awakening gods likely to be true.

It’s believed that the earliest beings in this world were a race known as the gods and demons. Later, civil war broke out among them, and many fell in this land, which fostered the world’s growth and gave rise to other life.

But gods and demons are not so easily destroyed. Even a single wisp of their soul, after ages of slumber, can revive again.

If that one is reborn, he will surely investigate the state of the world, and most likely take the form of a Dao Lord.”

“You think the one who founded the Daoist temple here is a true deity?” Qingjin asked in shock.

Qinghu was even more stunned than Qingjin. Was she being blamed for this, or did some ancient sect truly possess a treasure capable of detecting her presence?