Chapter 00223: Transforming Evil
# Transforming Evil
Chapter 223
Novel: Above Destiny
Chapter 223: Transforming Evil
"Good morning, everyone."
Under the everlasting night, atop the highest point of Spring City, overflowing with immense malevolent spiritual essence like a waterfall from the towering buildings, someone pushed open the grand door.
With an ever-present smile, he greeted politely: "How did everyone rest yesterday?"
A small fish quietly swam in the tank; a frail old monk sat silently in the corner, his eyes hidden in meditation; a young girl, seemingly lost in thought, lowered her eyes with a faint smile playing on her lips; an elderly craftsman, draped in gray, closed his eyes in deep contemplation, ignoring everything around him.
Only the middle-aged man standing at the large floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the glowing waves of flames, furrowed his brow and glanced over.
"Eh?"
Lu Changsheng chuckled in confusion, entered unabashedly, and took his seat in his own chair.
"Everyone seems to be in rather poor spirits."
The old monk from the Wulu Temple looked up, his lips moving as countless scriptures flowed between them, stitching the flesh like fine threads.
His voice was indistinct: "The three realms are like a fiery mansion; who can truly hope for a peaceful night's rest?"
"I, on the other hand, did not sleep a wink."
The 'young girl' mentor from the Heavenly Heart Society grinned, relishing in the mischief: "After all, it’s rare to witness such abundant fun. Such a small place like Haizhou can be so lively, don’t you think, Master Jianyuan?"
Jianyuan remained still, too lazy to respond to her.
For someone like her from the Heavenly Heart Society, who would risk their life just for amusement, even giving her a glance could be considered a defeat.
Only the leader of the Dragon Festival Society, Adrian, frowned and looked towards Lu Changsheng.
"The situation has deteriorated to this extent, and you can still manage to smile?"
"Deteriorated?"
Lu Changsheng was baffled.
"Where?"
The young mentor burst into a fit of laughter, doubling over, while Adrian's expression grew increasingly dark and gloomy.
It was a certainty that Lu Changsheng was feigning ignorance while fully aware of the situation.
Just hours prior, the chaos and turbulence caused by the arrival and departure of the upper realms' malevolence had kept everyone on their toes.
The resulting fallout nearly sent an entire district of Spring City plummeting from reality, and they were still barely holding on using the remnants of the Wulu Temple's cursed body.
Not to mention, the Security Bureau took the opportunity to strike back and oppress them.
Tao Cheng was indeed a seasoned Celestial with profound insights; just a few hints and clues dropped within his heavenly eye immediately allowed him to deduce the overall situation with alarming accuracy.
Without hesitation, he retaliated by reinforcing the blockade on Spring City with two more iron hoops, ensuring that the changes were all sealed within and cut off from the outside world.
To rashly ascend now would instead reveal their weaknesses; in this realm, they could still rely on the connections between the cracks in reality to traverse freely.
Now, however, they had fallen into the trap and found themselves caught in a corner.
Shouldn’t someone stand up and take responsibility for the current situation?
In an instant, everyone’s gaze turned towards Lu Changsheng.
Until the man leaned back in his chair with a helpless sigh, "I understand, Mr. Adrian, your obsession with victory and your thirst for results, but really, there's no need to be so oppressed by sorrow."
"Sometimes, it’s best not to aim too high; one must eat bite by bite, and walk step by step."
Lu Changsheng said with indifference: "Moreover, haven't you all already gotten what you wanted? With my Evil Transformation Society backing you, can you not summon the courage to fight back?"
"What’s the point?" Adrian shot back.
The monk from Wulu Temple finally raised his eyes, and in the darkness beneath his eye sockets, countless swirling shadows danced.
His lips parted, and amidst murmurs of scripture, he spoke:
"Everything has reached its conclusion; why not depart early?"
"Why seek meaning, and why should we leave?"
Lu Changsheng chuckled, spreading his hands wide: "What do you think we’re doing at this moment?"
Adrian answered coldly:
"—Seeking our own demise."
Everyone gambles, but who would ever dare to place their entire fortune and life on the line alongside Lu Changsheng, the madman who went all in like this?
Even though there had been guarantees, contracts, or promises of rewards…
The standoff and balance between both sides were far too fragile, existing only in the tacit understanding between Lu Changsheng and Tao Cheng, with the situation potentially escalating at any moment.
Once the chaos spiraled out of control, it could turn into an astronomical disaster.
The consequences were unpredictable.
At present, the entire realm's attention was drawing near, countless unseen eyes watching quietly, ready to strike at any moment, not to mention those planning to profit from the chaos or take advantage of the flames.
Lu Changsheng had already started to play with fire, but would he drag them down with him when he ignited the blaze?
"Do you know?"
Lu Changsheng sighed lightly: "I admire Nirvana, even if I’ve never had the chance to meet that great commander—yet when even evil factions like you feel like everything in this world is commonplace, there are still some who dare to step forward and say, 'To hell with this world.'"
"I admire Mo, who made the decision to entrust the choice of the world to them; they acted resolutely, despite being unable to gauge the future."
Lu Changsheng spoke with fervor: "Not to mention, much earlier, the first rebel who drew their dagger against the divine, followed closely by the kings who established new rules during the chaotic era, and even the first Emperor and the last ruler of the eternal age. In my view, true heroes are those who, knowing what kind of evil consequences their actions will bring, still choose to act independently and bear all repercussions. Even if the sins they create inevitably lead to boundless disasters..."
Lu Changsheng slowly rose, surveying everyone with curiosity, asking: "But do you think they ever considered the consequences while taking action?"
There is no perfect outcome in this world.
Sometimes, someone must choose between two evils.
The blood of the divine flows dry, and the highest righteousness takes shape from that blood, as the pillars of the world undergo replacement, leading to the automatic destruction of all that is old.
The kings establish themselves and grasp the highest righteousness, opening up the realms for humanity, yet they recklessly rewrite the origin of the world and its end, binding the past and future.
In the midst of mutual attacks and bloodshed, the world becomes unrecognizably distorted, creating the cause of malevolence.
The emperor builds an empire and reformats everything, yet rules over all with the Celestial Origin, forcibly suppressing all evil causes, while casting a shadow of malevolence under the current realm.
The obstinacy of the last monarch leads to worldwide rebellion, as the Mo ignites the first flame.
After the collapse of the heavenly pillar, it falls into shadow and turmoil.
And calamity rages like flames, burning the present for ninety years and causing a pervasive toxin and hidden dangers for the four hundred years thereafter.
The harm left behind and the achievements made intertwine; who can separate them?
Who could have anticipated that the sword that once severed the Tower of Celestial Origin would result in the demise of two descending great malevolence after severing the eternal generations?
The highest righteousness comprises twelve aspects, yet only nine correspond to great malevolence.
Those not included are Celestial Origin, the White Deer, and the Wasteland.
The manifestation of the Wasteland is found everywhere in this world, ubiquitous and encompassing, which also makes it impossible to divide.
But in some respects, that vortex beneath the current realm, which accommodates the nine great malevolences, is the shadow of the Wasteland; the endless natural disasters of this world are the malevolence of the Wasteland.
Once the Wasteland completely undergoes malevolence, it signifies the absolute arrival of the world's end.
After subjugating the other highest righteousness for a millennium, Celestial Origin should have birthed the strongest malevolence, but with the collapse of the heaven pillar, it instead welcomed an enduring creation, completely splitting into many fragments, the largest two being the Federation and the Empire.
At the moment of transformation’s edge, the stagnant lands were finalized, yet Celestial Origin could no longer unify.
At the same time, it also blurred the distinctions between rules and chaos completely.
Celestial Origin and White Deer, the duality of entwined highest righteousness, suffer together, and the wasteland of the White Deer can never return to its completeness, resulting in them no longer being pure; you contain me, and I contain you.
The malevolence of Celestial Origin’s demon died in the womb, while the demon of the White Deer lay dead in the wasteland.
The shadow of the high tower sank beneath the vortex, never to rise again.
The maintainers of order dread being transformed by the rules, causing them to gradually become unrecognizable.
Meanwhile, the wolves of the wasteland are consumed by the White Deer in the forest, and hunters and wild beasts hunt each other, with struggle never ceasing.
The world continues to exist to this day because of its benevolence, yet it is still wounded.
When a monument stands tall, it is destined to add countless scars.
Since the birth of everything, it seems as if everything is in a cycle and repetition, sometimes rising, sometimes falling, maintained on the edge of a cliff, precariously rotating.
Swaying and trembling, moving towards a dark future.
Just like now.
"I understand that what you all worry about is the irretrievable bad situation. But one thing you haven't grasped, is…"
Lu Changsheng turned around, his back facing the deep, dark world behind him, and told them: "Our standards of victory and defeat, between us and the Security Bureau, are different."
"For the gentlemen, when pests and vermin appear on the streets, they have already lost. But for us, if we hold onto so-called victory and flee in panic at this moment, how is that different from genuine pests and vermin?"
"You worry about the consequences, but consequences are inevitable!"
"It’s similar to our confrontation and war with the enemy right now."
"If this world had no me, no you, no so-called Evil Transformation Society, this day would still come. Up until now, you can still withdraw at any time, just as I have guaranteed."
Lu Changsheng grinned, not hiding his mockery: "But after I’m buried in Spring City, where will you go to find the next me?"
In the long silence, a small fish released a series of bubbles; the girl scoffed, Jianyuan remained indifferent, and Adrian kept silent.
In the darkness of the old monk's eyes, a sudden flicker of radiant change surged forth.
"Lu Changsheng—"
His lips parted, and the strands of scripture broke loose, as creeping blood surged from the wound, bringing forth a voice of decay and hoarse murmurs: "Wherein lies your desire?"
"Need I even ask? It is right before your eyes, in this very moment!"
Lu Changsheng spread his arms wide, showcasing the tumultuous world behind him where darkness and fierce light clashed continuously, laughing heartily: "The moment the horn sounded, we have already declared to this world—"
If the existence of the highest righteousness is the primordial cause, then the birth of great malevolence is the inevitable outcome behind that brilliance.
If humans must commit evil to survive, then committing evil is the righteous truth.
If one must repel evil to ascend, then repelling evil is the righteous path!
"One day, I shall transform evil into good!"
That solitary figure looked down upon all, softly declaring to the enemies: "At that time, what will be deemed evil in this world?"
Ah, I’ve been stuck on this for an entire day, involving many settings and subsequent plotlines; it’s quite hard to write.
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