“I don’t hate this world. It’s the opposite. I love this world and am grateful for it. This world has many kind people and those worthy of my respect. This world is beautiful, but it is definitely not perfect. Fairy Zi Yan, it should be noted that you are living your life, while I am busy surviving. In your position, you don’t need to worry if you’ll have food to eat, a roof over your head, or clothes on your back. You don’t need to worry about gathering cultivation resources or your safety. That’s really living. As for me, I am stuck in the center of a constant struggle, with idiots constantly pestering me. They might come at me to try taking my life at any time. They are fiends to me but respectful to you. They are the same people, but they have a double standard. That’s why you don’t need to waste any more effort. I understand your heart, but unfortunately, you will never understand mine. All I ask you to remember is that everything you see is just what people want you to see. You see the leaf that others put in front of you, blinding you from the mountain behind. The reality of this world is far crueler and bloodier than you think.”

Long Chen shook his head as he looked at Zi Yan. He understood that Zi Yan was doing this out of kindness toward him, but she had been brainwashed by the Illusive Music Immortal Palace since her childhood. Some things were deeply imprinted in her brain and could not be changed.

He knew that no matter how high his cultivation base grew, he wouldn’t be able to change her thinking. Perhaps she was right and the two of them were simply fated to be enemies. It was an unchangeable destiny.

“Long Chen, you fiend, fairy Zi Yan is trying to guide you to the right path, and you spout such arrogance to hurt her! You really are worse than a beast!” scolded one of the Righteous path’s disciples.

Despite both being from the Righteous path, it was unknown just how many disciples looked down on Long Chen, viewing him as having nothing more than dogshit luck. They thought that if they were that lucky, they would definitely be stronger.

That was especially true when they saw his words cause tears to fill Zi Yan’s eyes. That disappointed expression provoked their desire to protect her, and they immediately pointed their spears at Long Chen.

“Yes, I really am worse than you,” sighed Long Chen.

This reply first dumbfounded people before they quickly realized that he was cursing them as beasts.

“Long Chen, do we really need to fight to the point of you die or I die? Life in this world should comply with the Heavenly Daos. Whether you’re living or surviving, it’s the same thing. We can all grow under the protection of the Heavenly Daos. Look at the Sovereigns. Which one of them walked to the peak by being merciless and vicious? Which one of them relied on slaughter to solve their problems? Bloody methods only intensify the conflict,” said Zi Yan.

Long Chen’s expression changed slightly. He thought of the crux of the problem. The Sovereigns had been respected by all races, not just because of their power, but because of their wisdom and magnanimity.

This was something that he knew as well. There were many legends regarding the Sovereigns, and although some of those stories might have been embellished, it was true that only the Sovereigns had been able to obtain the approval of all races.

He thought of when he had encountered Sovereign Yun Shang. At that time, Sovereign Yun Shang had been wearing white robes and had seemed a bit surprised to see him wearing black.

However, the Sovereign had then said that Long Chen walked a different path from them. Now that Zi Yan brought up the Sovereigns, he seemed to understand something.

“Zi Yan, there’s no need to say any more. You are right, but I am also not wrong. Neither of us will give up our way of thinking, so don’t try any longer. The more you try, the more it will hurt. Your so-called Heavenly Daos are nothing more than a joke. They also treat people according to different standards. Kind people always end up bullied, while evil people go unpunished. As for the cycle of karma, I’m too impatient to wait for karma to punish them. I remember enmities, and anyone who tries to kill me or harm my people will not be let off. I am not so magnanimous. I do not have that skill, or that self-restraint, or that interest in being a good person. What I need to do is protect the people beside me. As for how others view me, their hostility toward me, whatever.” After saying this, Long Chen turned away, no longer acknowledging Zi Yan.

This was an argument with no solution. Saying any more was meaningless. However, there was one thing that he didn’t understand, and it was the role of Illusive Music Immortal Palace in the Martial Heaven Continent.

They claimed to be the protectors of the continent, but their true origins were a mystery. No one knew.

Zi Yan saw Long Chen turn away, clearly not wishing to continue this conversation. Then, she lowered her head and sadly walked away to find her own corner to sit down in. Waves of divine light came out of her, screening her from the other people’s sight. She didn’t want others to see her like this.

It was unknown whether she was furiously venting behind her curtain of light, or whether she was silently sobbing.

Long Chen knew that Zi Yan was hurt right now. He didn’t feel good either, but this reality made him helpless. He really hated those people who brainwashed others. They were a bunch of conmen.

The Corrupt path and Bloodkill Hall were like that. After their brainwashing, their faith would become so solid that it made their people frightening.

When a person thought that there was only one correct answer to something, and all other answers were worthy of death, that meant there was a problem with that person’s cognitive abilities.

One person might see a sapling and be correct in that, but if an ant looked at it, they would see a towering tree. Their responses would naturally be different.

If you thought that your answer was the only correct one and you had to force that ant to accept your answer, then that was bigotry. And bigoted thinking was frightening.

All things had two sides. How could there be an absolute correct answer?

If a thief was caught, people would want to beat him to death. But what if he stole a few pieces of bread to save his starving mother on her last breaths?

Then you would need to view this problem from multiple angles. Standing in the position of the thief, the spectator, the person who was stolen from, or the thief’s mother, that was four viewpoints already, four different answers.

However, brainwashed people did not see four different answers. They only had one answer, and if others did not have the same answer, they would criticize and condemn them, forcibly educating them to the correct answer. If you refused, they would raise their butcher’s blades.

The reason Long Chen didn’t dare to rapidly increase his cultivation base was because he was afraid of one day becoming a crazy person due to the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art’s influence. He had to make sure he could always see himself clearly.

As for Zi Yan, the only things in her mind were the teachings of the Illusive Music Immortal Palace. She was like an empress standing on the city gates, looking at starving commoners eating tree bark just to stay alive and then curiously asking why they didn’t eat meat.

Long Chen’s eloquence wouldn’t lose to anyone, but he was profoundly helpless when it came to Zi Yan. He had no time nor energy to fight with her like this. So in the end, one of them would very likely fall.

Zi Yan was heartbroken, but Long Chen was also distressed. Zi Yan knew that there was no way for her to change Long Chen, but she continued to try, fighting for the slightest hope. In comparison, Long Chen felt a bit ashamed of how he had given up. Zi Yan was still fighting for him, but he didn’t have the time.

He was in a race against time. Anything that blocked his way might come with a great price in the future. He couldn’t hold back just for Zi Yan.

One of the ancient race experts took this chance to speak. “What a despicable man you are Long Chen. How dare you hurt fairy Zi Yan like this? Just wait until we enter the Yin Yang world, I will personally kill you to avenge fairy-”

“Then let’s not wait.”

Long Chen’s figure suddenly flashed forward. He charged at that ancient race expert.

No one had expected Long Chen to suddenly attack. He arrived in front of that expert in an instant.

However, that person was also an expert, and he didn’t panic. He had no time to summon his manifestation, but a pair of runic wings appeared behind him. He smashed a fist at Long Chen, while his runic wings also slammed toward his head.

This was a two-prong attack, simple but vicious. When Long Chen’s fist met his fist, his wings would slam into Long Chen’s head.

If Long Chen tried to block the wings, he would have to endure the punch. If he focused on the punch, his wings would shatter his head. The wings were one of the ancient race expert’s divine abilities.

However, Long Chen ignored the pair of runic wings. His fist continued to smash into that ancient race expert’s fist.

The ancient race expert was surprised. He had expected Long Chen to retreat and block his wings. Long Chen’s most likely course of action would be to launch a kick at his opponent’s abdomen to escape his current predicament.

That would naturally cause Long Chen to fall into a trap. The ancient race expert had a chain of backup moves that would even give him a chance to kill Long Chen if he acted as expected.

However, Long Chen was acting very foolishly by charging in a suicidal manner, causing this expert to be a bit panicked.

If it was anyone else, he would be confident in killing them. But it was Long Chen. This seemingly foolish act of his made him feel very uneasy.

By this point, there was nothing else he could do. He could only circulate all his power.

Just as Long Chen’s fist was about to strike, he spread his fingers, turning his fist into a claw that caught his opponent’s fist.

At that moment, the two runic wings slammed toward Long Chen’s head. However, just as they were about to strike, lightning flashed. The two wings shattered.

Crack.

With his right hand clenching and pulling on the ancient race expert’s fist, his left hand smashed into the ancient race expert’s nose.