Chu Wanning was the first to walk out of the tunnel. Unlike the narrow tunnel, when he stepped out of the last stone step, what entered his eyes was a large and empty platform. It was difficult to see the end of it, as if it was a pure land floating above the nine heavens.
At this time, a bright moon was hanging in the sky. The high platform was lonely and barren. When he looked up, he could only see gusts of cold wind and hazy clouds. At the center of the high platform, there was a person sitting there.
Xu Shuanglin.
The people behind him came out one after another, but when they saw Xu Shuanglin, they all fell into a daze. Xue Zhengyong was even more shocked, "What … this is … what is going on?"
Another person gasped and whispered, "Heavens, how could this be?"
"Is he dead or alive?"
Mo Ran walked towards him. The closer he got, the more goosebumps he saw. Xu Shuanglin was sitting cross-legged on the ground with his eyes closed. The right half of his body was completely rotten. It was impossible to see the shape of a human. Pus and black water constantly gushed out from his body. The stench was overwhelming. In front of him, to the left, and to the right, there were five extremely fierce Divine Weapons.
Mo Ran's fingertips couldn't help but curl — he saw the No Return.
The No Return stabbed deeply into the ground. A faint green glow climbed up from the ground and finally merged with the radiance of the other four weapons into a stream. It surged into Xu Shuanglin's heart cavity, illuminating Xu Shuanglin's bony face, making it flicker between light and dark.
Behind Xu Shuanglin, there was a mass of black smoke spiraling and twisting. It seemed to be some kind of enchantment that was about to take shape.
The others followed one after another.
Huang Xiaoyue muttered in disbelief, "This is … this is the Martial Spirit Technique?"
Xue Meng didn't know what the Martial Spirit Technique was. Just as he was about to ask his father, he turned his head and saw Xue Zhengyong's pale face. Obviously, he didn't believe that someone would use this kind of technique.
"What the hell is this?"
It was clear that Xue Meng wasn't the only one who didn't know about the Martial Spirit Technique. Another junior asked softly.
Chu Wanning stared at Xu Shuanglin's face and said, "The Martial Spirit Technique is to offer one's soul to the blood-stained Divine Martial and make a contract with it. After death, one's soul will be devoured by the weapon spirit of the Divine Martial and become a sacrifice to refine the Divine Martial."
"Sacrificial weapons?" Xue Meng was stunned. "Why would you do that?"
"Because he doesn't have enough spiritual energy," Chu Wanning said. "This is a method that can rapidly and greatly increase one's strength. He offered his soul to Shen Wu, and Shen Wu lent his power to him. "
While they were talking, they suddenly heard a faint sigh.
Almost everyone couldn't help but take a step back. Xue Meng unsheathed Dragon's Sword and stared at Xu Shuanglin's face.
Xu Shuanglin slowly opened his eyes. Under the moonlight, he raised his head. Half of his face was normal, but the other half was a puddle of smelly mud.
"Grandmaster Chu … … Everyone, you still found me."
He supported himself with one hand on the ground and stood up shakily. His eyes swept across the faces that were either vigilant, disgusted, or fearful.
He didn't care. His normal eye moved, and there was even a kind of malicious teasing and evil aura in it. However, he scanned the area again and again, but did not find the existence of that person. The malicious smile on his face froze and disappeared.
Xu Shuanglin fiercely shouted, "Where's Ye Wangxi?!"
Xue Meng angrily said, "You think you're worthy of mentioning her name?"
"What did you do to her?!"
Xue Meng was even angrier. "Why do you care? You're such a heartless person without blood and flesh. What right do you have to worry about Ye Wangxi? "
"Worry about her?" This word seemed to provoke Xu Shuanglin. He was stunned at first, then narrowed his eyes and seemed to slowly calm down. "No, why would I worry about her? How ridiculous … … "
Jiang Xi said coldly, "Why are you talking so much nonsense with him? Kill him! "
As he spoke, he raised his right hand and the Snow Phoenix Sword appeared in his palm. He was about to slash at Xu Shuanglin when a black shadow as fast as lightning blocked his attack.
Jiang Xi raised his eyebrows and gritted his teeth. "Grandmaster Mo, why are you stopping me?"
"I have something to ask him!" Mo Ran said as he turned around. His eyes flashed with a complicated light. He pursed his lips. He seemed to want to say more, but in the end, he only spat out four words. "Where's your partner?"
Xu Shuanglin slowly — — he was like this, but he could still slowly — — and rubbed his toes.
Mo Ran noticed that he didn't wear shoes today.
"I already said that he's my partner." Xu Shuanglin revealed his eerie white teeth and smiled. The smile on one side of his face looked very bright and carried a trace of ridicule. "Then you should know that I definitely won't tell you. I, Xu Shuanglin, still understand the code of brotherhood in Jianghu. You heroes, gentlemen, don't waste your time. "
He deliberately glanced at the ghost in Mo Ran's hand and said, "There's no need to use other interrogation methods. At worst, I'll just cut off my own tongue — — I always have a way to not tell the truth."
Xue Meng seemed very astonished. "You, someone like you actually has the nerve to talk about the code of brotherhood in Jianghu … …"
"That's strange. Why can't I talk about the code of brotherhood in Jianghu?" Xu Shuanglin said, "Friends help each other, brothers respect each other, teachers are kind and disciples are filial. The good enjoy peace and the evil receive punishment. This is how the world should be. Do you think that only people like you can understand this principle? "
Xue Meng was dumbfounded by his thick skin. She pointed at him and said, "Brother, brother, brother and brother? Teachers are kind and disciples are filial? … … You? "
Xu Shuanglin said slowly, "Yes, so what?"
"Do you still have any sense of shame? You're the one who fought with your brothers. You're also the one who instigated Nangong Liu to eat Luo Fenghua's spiritual core. You've done all kinds of bad things, and you actually … … you actually have the nerve to say that this is how the world should be? "
Faced with Xue Meng's series of questions, Xu Shuanglin grinned and didn't deny. Instead, he suddenly said, "Little brother, how old are you this year?"
"Why are you asking this?"
"It's fine if you don't tell me." Xu Shuanglin looked him up and down and said, "I think you're around twenty years old. Twenty years old people are always hot-blooded, innocent, and arrogant, thinking that there's nothing in the world that they can't do. "
He paused and said with a smile, "It's really the best age."
The radiance of the Divine Martial Spirit on the ground continued to flow, continuing to give him strong spiritual power. He used this spiritual power to maintain his control over the thousands of precious chess pieces and resist the counterattack of the chess pieces. But even so, his skin was festering at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Xu Shuanglin didn't care. He seemed to not see his body being swallowed by the evil spirit. He paced back and forth in front of the coiling barrier behind him. "Twenty years old … … Do you know what I was doing when I was around your age?"
"What else could you have been doing?" Xue Meng said with righteous indignation, "Who doesn't know what you did? You stole the Sect Leader's Ring and replaced your brother as the Sect Leader of the Confucian Wind Sect. In just two months, you killed two High Lords from the Upper Cultivation World. Later, someone came to you to ask for an explanation, but you dug out all their eyes. You damn pervert! You're unjust, heartless, and deaf! You're everything! If I were like you and did these things when I was twenty years old, I'd rather die at the age of twelve! "
Xue Zhengyong saw that he was agitated and was afraid that he would attract Xu Shuanglin's attention. He whispered, "Meng 'er, don't talk too much."
"Don't." Little did he know that this sentence was heard by Xu Shuanglin. He smiled and waved his hand. "Go on. Why don't you talk too much?"
Xue Meng saw that he was still smiling. His expression was like watching a parrot flapping its wings and singing on a shelf. He was full of amusement. He couldn't help but feel hot blood rushing to his head. He said angrily, "You, you're really shameless! You're incurable! "
"What's there to be shameless about? What you said is nothing," Xu Shuanglin said, "You said that I stole the Sect Leader's Ring. Since ancient times, high positions have been occupied by the capable. My brother is a good-for-nothing. He doesn't know anything, but he can still make a name for himself by relying on his smooth tongue. People who haven't actually competed with him think that he's one of the best and call us the Confucian Wind Duo Gongzi. We're on par with each other in terms of spiritual power and magic arts. Don't you think that's ridiculous? "
"Me and him?" Xu Shuanglin slapped his forehead and sneered, "Don't be ridiculous. Since I was young, I could beat him with one hand and use four legs. You want me to be on par with him? When I was cultivating all day long, he only knew how to act spoiled in his mother's arms and peel oranges to eat! When I practiced in winter and summer, he didn't study in spring, and the hot summer was perfect for sleeping! Later, in order to get a proper reputation at the Soul Mountain Conference, he played tricks behind my back and enjoyed the fruits of my labor! What happened after that? You put the name of plagiarism on the hardworking people, but you gave him … the good name of the world's most outstanding person. Is this fair? "
Xue Meng hesitated, but still insisted, "But you didn't have to go to this extent …"
"Nonsense! It's easy to just stand there and talk. It's easy to criticize others with empty words, but when it comes to yourself, it's a completely different face. If it were you, would you be able to tolerate something like the Soul Mountain Conference?! "
Xue Meng was caught off guard by his counterattack. She was stunned.
If it were him, would he be able to tolerate it?
"Hundreds of people in the venue are pointing at you and saying that you are shameless. The ranking and applause are all his, and all that's left for you is an injustice that you can't wash away for the rest of your life. Your hard work and hard work are utterly defeated in front of his brilliant tongue. Is this fairness?"
"I …"
Seeing that Xue Meng was stunned and speechless, Xu Shuanglin sneered, "Let's talk about the matter of me killing the two leaders. Of the two of them, one knocked on the wooden fish all day long, reciting Namo Amitabha better than anyone else. The other was awe-inspiring, an upright and plainspoken gentleman whose reputation was known throughout the world. But for their own selfish interests, they expressionlessly pushed me into the bottomless abyss. Let me ask you all, why should I spare their worthless lives? "
When the people of the two sects heard him talk about the former leaders like this, their faces turned green and purple. They wanted to refute, but they couldn't say anything. In the end, Master Xuanjing of Wubei Temple sighed softly, closed his eyes and put his palms together, "Revenge breeds revenge, when will there be an end to it …"
"Yes, when will there be an end to it? Everyone wants to end their hatred, but why me?" Xu Shuanglin said each word angrily, but his face was still smiling. His smile was light and even a little sarcastic, "If I slap you and then say that revenge breeds revenge, when will there be an end to it? If I don't let you slap me back, would you be willing, bald donkey?"
Someone said angrily, "Nan Gongxu, clean your mouth! How can you talk to your senior like that! "
"I'm also your f * cking senior." Xu Shuanglin smiled and said, "Little darling, you better watch your mouth."
"…"
Huang Xiaoyue twisted his beard and said, "Nan Gongxu …"
Before he could finish, the other party gestured for him to stop. He pulled the corner of his mouth, which was half intact and half rotten, and said, "Let's discuss, can you call me Xu Shuanglin? I don't like the name Nan Gongxu. "
Huang Xiaoyue flicked his sleeves and said, "Even if you want to seek justice, you should have done it long ago by killing the two leaders. What's the reason for gouging out so many people's eyeballs?"
Xu Shuanglin said cheerfully, "In the past, I tried to reason with you. But no one listened to me. "
He paused for a moment, then chuckled. "What happened after that? I became a lunatic, but you guys wanted to drag a lunatic into a debate about black and white. You gentlemen … Interesting." He clapped his hands. "This is so interesting."
Mo Ran, who had been standing at the side and hadn't said anything, suddenly asked, "So, you want to be fair, right?"
"…" Xu Shuanglin's gaze moved up inch by inch, moving to Mo Ran's face.
The two of them looked at each other on the cold stone platform.
In Mo Ran's eyes, Xu Shuanglin's figure gradually blurred. It was as if he didn't see the man in front of him with rotting limbs.
He saw another figure through Xu Shuanglin, wearing a pearl crown and a black and gold robe. He saw the Emperor Ta, he saw himself in his previous life.
"On the way here, we met Nangong Liu. He called you Your Majesty, and you gave yourself the title of God," Mo Ran said, "You became the Emperor of this Heavenly Palace, holding the power of judgment. Whatever you say is right, whatever you say is right, whatever you say is wrong, whatever you say is wrong, whatever you say is wrong. Life and death are all up to you. Is this what you call fairness? "
Xu Shuanglin was silent for a moment, then laughed coldly.
Mo Ran saw the Emperor Ta laughing coldly, his pale and handsome face full of ridicule.
"So what if it is? You saw it too, I used to believe in you gentlemen, believed in the so-called fairness of the world, but what happened in the end? "
He paused, pacing back and forth in front of the Divine Battle Array, his eyes flashing with excitement, "It was you who worshipped cowards as heroes, and trampled heroes under your feet. It was you who treated hard work as dirt, and turned the latrine into an altar. It was you who saw flattery as friendliness, and pride as arrogance. You did all kinds of evil things, and trampled me into the mud! Then you tell me that no matter how many sins I have suffered, even if I am framed by my brothers, even if I am not fully clothed and humiliated, that is my own business. No matter what, I should not vent my resentment on innocent people. Ha, what a joke! "
Mo Ran saw the Emperor Ta's cold laugh become more and more exaggerated, and gradually turned into a hideous grin.
"You weren't the one who was condemned, and you weren't the one who bore the groundless accusation. Of course you can say all kinds of beautiful words! And I, I'm just using my own way to seek justice in the world, that's all. "
"… Justice in the world?" Mo Ran stood opposite the Emperor Ta, and he asked, "How many people have you killed for your own justice in the world? You self-proclaimed yourself as the Emperor, and there are piles of bones and blood under your feet. Don't you have the slightest bit of repentance? "
"What is there to repent for? I killed them, but I will give them a chance to be reborn. They will all become my chess pieces, and from then on, everything they do will be under my control. From then on, black and white will be clear, and good and evil will be clear. This is justice in the world. "
Mo Ran was silent for a while, and said, "It seems that you really think of yourself as the ruler to measure the world."
"I am this ruler."
Xu Shuanglin stood in the wind.
He was Nan Gongxu in everyone's eyes.
He was the Emperor Ta in Mo Ran's eyes.
He said, "Look at the front hall, don't you think it's beautiful? The good people all live and work in peace and contentment, while the ugly people are burned by fire, cooked in a cauldron. Whoever stabbed others with a knife, let them stretch out their neck to be killed. Every debt will be settled clearly. A debt of blood must be paid in blood. Is there anything wrong with that? "
Mo Ran said, "You really think highly of yourself."
Then he heard the Emperor Ta reply, "Why should I look down on myself? In my opinion, this is the best karma. "
For a while, no one said anything.
Most of the people were shocked by Xu Shuanglin's crazy words.
Before they came, many people thought that Xu Shuanglin did all this for power, for personal revenge, and so on.
None of them thought that Xu Shuanglin would think that everything he did was right, for the sake of justice.
But in this world, who could be the fairest ruler? Even the Temple of Heavenly Music might not be able to do it.
Mo Ran stood in the same place. After a while, his heart finally calmed down a bit. He looked at the Emperor Ta who was standing opposite him.
The crown disappeared, and his handsome face sunk in and became charred black.
He blinked. The person in front of him was Xu Shuanglin, not the Emperor Ta. Because Xu Shuanglin's actions were too similar to his actions in his previous life, he actually had the illusion that he was talking to himself through time and space.
"Okay, then can I understand that as the chess pieces in the hall, even if you don't supply enough spiritual power, you still want them to keep their minds when they were alive. You have built your own state in this heavenly palace. From now on, you are the God, the Buddha, the Emperor. You have divided the world into two. Good is good, evil is evil. This is the fairness you want."
He said this passage.
At the same time, his mind was like a blizzard, quickly flashing through many fragments of memories related to Xu Shuanglin.
— — In his previous life, in order to save Ye Wangxi, Xu Shuanglin died under his sword.
Standing barefoot in the Sansheng Courtyard, Xu Shuanglin laughed and teased the parrot.
Beside the Jincheng Pond, Xu Shuanglin asked his elder brother for a piece of tangerine as a reward.
The tangerine tree on Jiao Mountain, Nangong Liu, whose mind returned to its childhood, Luo Fenghua, which was snatched back from the Avici Hell … … One by one, they all came together and rushed into his mind like a tsunami.
Mo Ran raised his dark eyes. There was neither ridicule nor disdain in those eyes. He just looked at him calmly. "Am I right, Nan Gongxu?"
"Call me Xu Shuang … …"
"No, you are called Nan Gongxu." Mo Ran stepped forward step by step. He looked at the man whose flesh and bones were festering. He knew that there was no one present who knew better than him what Nan Gongxu was thinking at this moment. They were both people who had been forced into a dead end. The Emperor Ta in his previous life, and Xu Shuanglin in this life, were the same.
He saw everything clearly. He stared at Xu Shuanglin's face and did not miss the slightest change.
He stopped and suddenly looked down.
"The sky is so cold, and the ground is so cold," Mo Ran said softly. "Nan Gongxu, why don't you wear shoes?"
The smile on Xu Shuanglin's face suddenly froze. However, he quickly froze his sparkling eyes and said, "I don't want to wear shoes. I want to … …"
"Do you like Ye Wangxi asking you this question?"
"… …"
"That day when I went to Sansheng Villa and saw you for the first time, you didn't wear shoes." Mo Ran said, "She was the one who told you to wear them. I'm afraid you didn't notice the satisfaction on your face."
Mo Ran stared at Xu Shuanglin's face.
That was the answer he had guessed in his heart when he was on Feihua Island and looked at the blazing hellfire on the opposite shore of Linyi.
"Nan Gongxu, you've been hoping that someone would notice your bare feet. You've been hoping that someone would tell you … …"
Xu Shuanglin, who had been smiling all this time, suddenly had a trace of fear on his face. He took a step back, wrinkled his nose, and said with a ferocious expression, "Shut up."
Mo Ran naturally would not shut up. He looked at Xu Shuanglin. What was originally just a guess turned into reality when Xu Shuanglin suddenly reacted violently.
Mo Ran looked at him. He felt that he was not looking at Xu Shuanglin, but the him from his previous life who was trapped in the darkness and could not escape.
"Put on your shoes. The ground is cold."
Suddenly, Xu Shuanglin leaped up like a cheetah. Light and shadow flashed, and Xu Shuanglin suddenly pounced on Mo Ran and grabbed him by the collar. The normal human hand and the smelly ghost claw grabbed him at the same time. Xu Shuanglin's eyes were bloodshot. He gritted his teeth and said, "Shut up! You shut up! "
"Okay, before I shut up, I'll say one more sentence."
"Don't say … …!" Xu Shuanglin was almost desperate. He was like a dragon who had its reverse scale pulled out. Blood flowed out like a stream. "Don't say … …"
"Ye Wangxi, you really look like Luo Fenghua."
Xu Shuanglin's voice was casual, but it drained all of his strength in an instant.
He was speechless and stood on the ground blankly.
Some of the people around them who had seen Luo Fenghua and Ye Wangxi were stunned. In their minds, they recalled these two completely different people. They were not related, and even in the turbulent world of mortals, one had already died, while the other had just been born … … But with this reminder, they suddenly realized … … Ah, it was really like that.
Ye Wangxi's every move, every move, even his temperament, voice, and expression were exactly the same as Xu Shuanglin's teacher, Luo Fenghua.
Xu Shuanglin suddenly withdrew his hands from Mo Ran. His fingers twisted ferociously. He buried his face in his palms, and his shoulders trembled slightly.
Xue Meng muttered, "He … … is he crying?"
Crying?
That's impossible.
Xu Shuanglin buried his head in his palms. After a long time, the trembling of his shoulders became more and more obvious. A twisted and strange smile leaked out from between his fingers. "Ha … …" That smile spread like ripples. He suddenly put down his hands and laughed crazily. "Hahahahaha, similar? That's nonsense! Grandmaster Mo, have you seen Luo Fenghua? You only caught a glimpse of his corpse when the Avici Hell opened. How can you say they look alike just based on that one glance??? Aren't you a bit too confident? "
"Since you yourself mentioned the Avici Hell and Luo Fenghua's corpse," Mo Ran said, "then let me ask you, where is he?"
Xu Shuanglin's eyes were ruthless. His smile suddenly tightened. "What do you mean, where is he?"
"In your territory, good and evil punishment, whether it's good or bad, whether it's good or bad, it's all under your control. But you didn't even kill Nangong Liu in the end. You even removed the curse of his Lingchi Fruit. I don't know why you did that, but since he's here, there's no reason for you to abandon Luo Fenghua. Your spiritual power is insufficient, and you want to offer your soul to Shenwu. But Jin Chengchi and Peach Blossom Spring fought against you several times. I know that your strength isn't so weak. "
Xu Shuanglin: "… …"
"The reason why you can't hold on is that, besides using the Exquisite Chess Game too much, there's another reason. That's the second forbidden technique you've been painstakingly cultivating all these years."
Mo Ran paused for a moment. His knife finally pierced down. "Did your Rebirth Technique finally save Luo Fenghua from the Eighteen Levels of Purgatory?"
Before he finished speaking, Xu Shuanglin's face had turned ashen. He was about to say something, but suddenly, the black formation behind him that had been circulating all this time emitted a white smoke.
Xue Zhengyong, who was experienced on the battlefield, reacted the fastest. "Oh no, there's something behind that formation!"