Chapter 631 - 624: Journeying East
"Senior Brother..."
Hearing Dong Wanming’s words, Wang Ze Kai suddenly understood what his Senior Brother was planning to do. A chill ran down his spine, his whole body tingling as if struck by lightning, and he whipped his head around to look at Dong Wanming.
"Senior Brother, don’t do anything foolish! That’s an Ancestral Incarnation! Even an expert like Elder Zhou, the East District Guardian, couldn’t last a single exchange with it! What’s more, what’s more, so many other masters haven’t even made a move. If they won’t act, how can you..."
Wang Ze Kai said to Dong Wanming, his face a mask of horror and anxiety.
After this period of intense training, combined with the unfolding global conflicts, Dong Wanming had undergone numerous real battles and trials. Spurred on by Zhou Yuanjue’s theories and power, his cultivation had progressed by leaps and bounds, and he had now reached the initial stage of the Celestial Phenomenon level.
Such cultivation and progress would have been considered world-shaking achievements in the past. But with Zhou Yuanjue hogging the spotlight, shining upon the world like a Scorching Sun, the brilliance of others like him was eclipsed.
However, even if Dong Wanming was a heaven-sent genius, the gap between his power and the Ancestral Incarnation’s was still as wide as the sky and the earth. If he really went, it would be no different from suicide.
"Silence!"
Dong Wanming’s voice suddenly turned stern. An immense pressure instantly bore down on Wang Ze Kai, and a terrifying light seemed to bloom within his eyes.
"Have you forgotten what it is that we of the Holy Heart Sect cultivate?"
"It is the Assassin’s Path. And what is the Assassin’s Path?"
"When Zhuan Zhu assassinated King Liao, a comet struck the moon. When Nie Zheng assassinated Han Kui, a white rainbow pierced the sun. When Yao Li assassinated Qing Ji, a goshawk struck in the palace hall! They acted not for selfish desires, but for the great righteousness in their hearts. For that, they cast aside life and death, abandoning everything!"
"The goal of the Dao we cultivate is to be a paragon for the world, a warning bell in chaotic times, a yardstick for good and evil! This sword in our hands is not merely for slaying enemies, but for piercing a ray of light into this dim and murky world!"
"Assassins, since ancient times, have been the epitome of ’courage.’ We cultivate the three-foot sword, hidden in its sheath, all for a single, brilliant moment! In this era, the Celestial Demons are bearing down, humanity is in retreat, the valor in the blood of the living has fallen silent, and the suffering of all creatures is imminent. Since my Holy Heart Sect is the orthodox lineage of Donghua’s path of assassination, at such a critical juncture, it is precisely the time to step forward. And among those on this path, I am the strongest. If I do not do this, who will?"
"Perhaps I will die here. Perhaps, like Elder Zhou, the East District Guardian, I will be unable to harm the enemy in the slightest. But so what? This is my mission. It is my responsibility. My will, my spirit, my body, the sword in my hand—all have been waiting for just such an opportunity!"
"Don’t you understand? Don’t you realize why I brought you here today and said these things to you?"
Dong Wanming said, his expression utterly solemn.
"But... but... Senior Brother, I don’t want you to die..."
Wang Ze Kai’s voice trembled, and tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
Although he called Dong Wanming Senior Brother, in truth, Dong Wanming was more like his teacher. Ever since Dong Wanming had broken through to Saint Awakening, he had been the strongest person in the entire Holy Heart Sect.
"Don’t cry. Humanity’s greatest freedom isn’t choosing how to live, but choosing how to die."
"This is not my tragedy. It is my glory."
Dong Wanming patted Wang Ze Kai’s head one more time, then turned to look again at the statue of Mr. Tan, his eyes filled with resolve.
...
...
「Shanghai Prefecture.」
Although it was nighttime, anyone within the borders of Shanghai Prefecture could see what appeared to be a Scorching Sun floating in the sky, one that would never set.
Under the "rays" of that Scorching Sun, an intense sense of oppression and panic would spontaneously arise in people’s hearts.
This extreme feeling of fear would, unbeknownst to them, cause a certain magnetic field and power to seep from their living bodies, only to be absorbed by the Scorching Sun in the sky, making its light grow even more blazing and searing.p>This was tyranny and conquest. Day or night, it plunged the lives under its rule into extreme panic and depression. Everything was under the control of the Tyrant’s will.
Under this rampant exploitation, the essential power of these life forms would grow weaker and weaker, until they finally became like the Sick Man of old—listless and feeble, dragging out a meager existence, numb and apathetic.
At this moment, the entirety of Shanghai Prefecture had become Rainbow’s territory.
East District Secret Inspection Bureau Headquarters.
This place had now become Rainbow’s temporary headquarters. After killing Zhou Qian, the intense shock and stimulation, combined with the influence of Rainbow’s power, had caused some of the East District Secret Inspection Bureau’s senior officials in the conference hall to defect. In the following days, a steady stream of Celestial Demons landed via Shanghai Prefecture. After finding hosts, they began a comprehensive "remodeling" of the entire prefecture.
Here, the status of the Celestial Demons was supreme. As for the ordinary people who hadn’t managed to escape, all but a very few were relegated to the status of outcasts.
The order of Human Society had completely collapsed.
All forms of entertainment were open only to Celestial Demons. Everything served them: fine food, amusement, money...
The Celestial Demons could kill and carouse as they pleased. Under the oppression of Rainbow, and with the city controlled by its will-dominated army and the Celestial Demon People, escaping was nearly impossible.
Every single person, regardless of their former status, lived under intense pressure.
If Zhou Yuanjue were here now, he would surely feel a familiar sense of déjà vu.
The city had become so similar to the Lawless City he had personally brought to an end back in the Black Continent.
The only difference was that in that city, power and money had reigned supreme. Here, it was the Celestial Demons.
Night fell, the time when the city was at its most frenzied.
A figure dressed all in black stood on a high point overlooking the city. His presence was so restrained it was as if he didn’t exist at all.
He could clearly see everything happening on the streets below.
The Sun Guard, composed of defectors, patrolled the streets, searching house by house. Nominally, they were looking for hidden spies, but in reality, their depraved eyes were fixed on women, wealth, and everything else of value.
They weren’t searching entirely for themselves, but for the Celestial Demon People.
The Celestial Demons occupied human bodies and integrated human memories, so naturally, they also possessed human desires. When such desires were left unchecked, the consequences were terrifying.
Screams rose and fell, and cries of anguish echoed through the streets...
If he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, Dong Wanming could never have imagined that this once-thriving city, the former Pearl of the Orient, could have fallen to such a state in just one week.
When the Celestial Demons unscrupulously unleashed their "cursed" power, it was a colossal disaster for both life and civilization.
Dong Wanming slowly raised his head and looked at the Scorching Sun suspended in the sky, a sun that existed only in the mind. His eyes narrowed slightly.
His resolve hardened, and a blazing fire ignited in his heart.