683: Chapter 94 Persuading Xu Changqing

"Then after you arrived in the Divine Realm, why didn't you try to send Daoist Xu away immediately to place the box into the Heavenly Pool?"

Hearing Meng Li's words, Jing Tian honestly replied, "Because I had just arrived in the Divine Realm and hadn't figured out the situation. Furthermore, once the box was put into the Heavenly Pool, the contents inside would be purified, and the five old men of Shushan would also lose their lives. Although this was unavoidable, if there was a chance, I still wanted to let them live a little longer."

"After all, they are decent people. Even that old man Cang Gu was just a bit fierce."

Upon hearing this, Meng Li had a sudden realization.

Immediately after, he turned to look at Xu Changqing, released the restraints on him, and asked, "How much do you know about the thing inside this box?"

Xu Changqing was slightly taken aback, then recounted everything precisely: "I only know that He was born from the collective evil thoughts of my Master, the Sect Head, and several Elders. Once He is purified by being placed in the Heavenly Pool, the Sect Head and the others will also pass away with Him."

"Correct." Meng Li nodded, affirming the statement, then continued, "Then do you know how this thing came to be?"

Xu Changqing shook his head.

Meng Li said, "He is a byproduct derived from Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others cultivating the forbidden technique of Shushan."

"About twenty years ago, the Monster Realm and the Evil Spirit Realm jointly invaded the Human Realm. Although Shushan tried its best to resist, they were ultimately too few and lacked the strength. To maintain the peace and tranquility of the Human Realm, Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others had no choice but to take a drastic measure and jointly Cultivate Shushan's forbidden technique, the 'Supreme Purification Technique'."

"As a Disciple of Shushan, you should be aware that cultivating a forbidden technique violates Shushan's statutes; it is a transgression, and a major one at that."

Xu Changqing hurriedly defended, "The Sect Head and the others did it to resist the Yao and Evil spirits and maintain peace in the Human Realm..."

Before he could finish speaking, Meng Li interrupted, "Their motivation and original intention were indeed good, but that doesn't mean the act of 'cultivating a forbidden technique' has no problems. Otherwise, why would Shushan prohibit it?"

Xu Changqing was speechless.

Because what Meng Li said was the truth.

A good initial intention does not mean the action itself is without fault.

For example, if a person harms another to save someone else.

Saving the person is not wrong, but that doesn't mean one can harm another because of it.

Harming someone is inherently wrong, even if it is excusable.

Meng Li continued, "The reason forbidden techniques are forbidden is because cultivating them leads to terrible consequences."

"The Supreme Purification Technique is no exception. It allows a person to expel all their evil thoughts, reaching a state of ultimate goodness, increasing their magical power by hundreds or thousands of times. But the consequence is that the expelled evil thoughts transform into supremely evil and wicked life forms. Because they share the same origin, the life and death of this evil life form become bound to the cultivator."

"After Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others cultivated the Supreme Purification Technique, their power greatly increased, and they resolved the invasion problem from the Monster Realm and the Evil Spirit Realm in a very short time."

"But they also created an evil entity, which is the thing inside the box."

"When this thing was first born, Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others didn't understand the situation, and at the same time, they felt the matter was dishonorable, so they didn't consult anyone on how to handle it and directly sealed He inside the Lock Demon Tower. As a result, they later discovered this was a wrong move because this thing could absorb the evil thoughts of other living beings to grow."

"By the time Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others realized this, it was already difficult to deal with Him."

"Most importantly, after calculations, they discovered that if this thing fully matures, it will cause great harm to the Six Realms."

"To prevent the Human Realm from suffering disaster and the Six Realms from being harmed, Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others could only choose to have Jing Tian and you bring this thing to the Heavenly Pool for purification."

"I cannot!" Hearing this, Xu Changqing became agitated again.

His eyes reddened, "Once the thing inside the box is purified, the Sect Head and the others will also die. How can I commit such an act of patricide? If a person can kill the Master and Elders who raised him and treated him with immense kindness, what difference is there between him and a beast?"

"Even worse than a beast!"

"I absolutely cannot let you do this!"

Saying this, he was about to attack.

Meng Li raised a hand and pointed, restraining Xu Changqing, then sighed, "Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others knew you couldn't accept it, so from the beginning, they never intended to let you know or participate in this matter. Not just you, but the other Disciples too."

"Their original plan was for themselves, or any one of the five, to come to the Divine Realm with Jing Tian."

"But regrettably, perhaps because they expelled their evil thoughts, leaving them incomplete, or perhaps due to insufficient Karma and cultivation."

"None of the five could make the through-heaven stone react, so they couldn't enter the Divine Realm."

"Later, Chang Yin also tested it, and it was the same result."

"Only you possess the aptitude for Immortal Ascension and could open the Heavenly Gate with Jing Tian to enter the Divine Realm."

"Regarding this outcome, they were extremely helpless. But in order to save the Human Realm and the Six Realms from a catastrophe, and also to atone for the mistake of cultivating the forbidden technique and sealing the evil entity in the Lock Demon Tower back then, they could only choose to let you execute this mission."

"To prevent the matter from going wrong and causing the current situation, Sect Head Pure Subtlety specifically instructed that you must not be told the truth."

"While his actions did involve deceiving you, it wasn't intended to harm you or trap you in injustice, but rather to allow you to be carefree and at ease by being ignorant of the matter."

"The most important thing is that no one forced Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others to purify the evil entity in the box; this was all their own choice. Whether it was for the sake of the common people in the Human Realm or to compensate for cultivating the forbidden technique back then, these were all their own decisions."

"They have all accepted it calmly; why must you cling to it?"

"They are my Masters!" Xu Changqing shouted out, tears streaming down his face, his voice filled with sorrow, "They raised me from childhood; how can I knowingly watch them die? How can I?!"

Meng Li countered, "It is precisely because of this that you should respect their choice even more."

Then, he shifted his focus, "Did Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others know about your trip to find Zi Xuan?"

Xu Changqing started, unable to follow the line of thought immediately, but still replied, "They knew."

"Then did they stop you or prevent you from going to find Zi Xuan?"

"No."

"That's the point. They didn't stop you because they respected your choice. You should also respect their choice. Moreover, you are someone who possesses the memories of three lifetimes; you should know that life and death in this world are merely a Reincarnation."

"Furthermore, there is Karma and retribution in this world."

"When the Monster Realm and the Evil Spirit Realm joined forces to invade the Human Realm, the Human Realm was destined to face a great calamity."

"Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others, lacking the strength, cultivated the forbidden technique to forcefully offset this calamity."

"The Karma for this calamity fell upon them."

"The thing in the box is the fulfillment of that calamity. If it is not dealt with promptly, the Human Realm will eventually suffer because of it."

"At that time, do you think this evil entity would spare Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others? Absolutely not!"

"They would still inevitably die, perhaps even more miserably. Because the thing in the box harbors resentment towards them, it would definitely torture them doubly."

Xu Changqing's expression was dull.

He subconsciously wanted to say that the evil entity should be eliminated, but then he thought about it—if he did that, the Sect Head and the Masters' lives would be forfeit. In the end, Xu Changqing said painfully, "Isn't there any other way?"

Meng Li shook his head, "This concerns your own life and the safety of the Human Realm. So many years have passed, if there were any other methods, why would Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others have come to this point?"

Afterward, he comforted him, "You don't need to be overly grief-stricken. If the thing in the box is purified now, saving the Human Realm and even the Six Realms from a catastrophe, Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others can be considered sacrificing themselves for righteousness, and they will surely accumulate Karma."

"When this life ends, in the next life, they will receive blessings, and it is not impossible that they might even attain Immortal Ascension and escape the suffering of Reincarnation."

Meng Li wasn't fabricating this. Because the world of chinese paladin 3 indeed had the concept of Karma.

In the original story, the Shushan Five Elders also spoke of their great undertaking being close to completion or failure. There must be some connection involved.

This made it understandable that Pure Subtlety and the others could view life and death with detachment. After all, if Reincarnation truly exists in this world, and good deeds in this life bring blessings in the next, people's fear of death would naturally decrease.

However, the Shushan Five Elders' fearlessness of life and death was more due to their own circumstances—the expulsion of evil thoughts and their high state of mind.

"Is that true?" Seeing Meng Li say this, Xu Changqing showed some wavering, half-believing and half-doubting.

Meng Li said faintly, "Of course it's true. You yourself are the best example. In this life, you possess the aptitude for Immortal Ascension, which, besides your exceptional innate talent, is most importantly due to the significant Karma accumulated from your cultivation in the previous two lives."

"In the future, when you attain Immortal Ascension, perhaps you will meet the Reincarnation of Sect Head Pure Subtlety and the others in the Divine Realm and become a Fellow Daoist with them."

"At that time, when you look back on all of today's events, you will likely just smile."

Xu Changqing: "..."