Chapter 44 A path leads through mountains of corpses, love is the way; a boundless sea of blood, suffering is the boat.
Bai Zhe stood still, a cold smile in his eyes, his deep-seated contempt and confidence seemingly the sole expression of his existence. Despite the fact that his three terrifying techniques—the Blood Bacteria Devouring Heaven Disease Scripture, the Evil Heaven Conceived Endless Black Goat Transformation Technique, and the Eternal Reincarnation Time-Space Worm Rebirth Divine Art—had all been shattered by Dongfang Jingyun's Three Deadly Barriers, which he had comprehended from the tragic lives of the poor.
Even so, Bai Zhe remained utterly fearless, displaying the arrogance of a "God of Existence," as if no power could truly destroy him. He knew that his life was no longer dependent on matter, and had long since transcended the comprehension of ordinary people.
Dongfang Jingyun's gaze turned cold as he began to make his move.
The first of the three great tribulations of suffering and calamity is suffering.
As soon as this move was executed, the space around Dongfang Jingyun distorted abruptly, and his figure gradually blurred, merging into endless sorrow and grief. It was a spiritual connection from countless impoverished people in the world—their painful memories, their helplessness and despair were all absorbed into Dongfang Jingyun's body. Countless oppressed souls, carrying their tears and sighs, accompanied Dongfang Jingyun's breath, seemingly transforming into an invisible force that surged and turbulently around him.
This agonizing power, like a surging tide, began to flow into Bai Zhe's consciousness along with Dongfang Jingyun's will. Bai Zhe's eyes suddenly contracted violently, as if he were instantly plunged into a vortex of darkness. Thousands upon thousands of memories, thoughts, and painful recollections involuntarily crashed into his mind.
These memories are filled with poverty, hunger, disease, and endless humiliation. One ravaged soul after another, whether civilians deprived of their homes by war or laborers struggling to make ends meet due to unemployment, their tears and cries instantly flooded Bai Zhe's brain.
Every sigh, every sob, carried an indescribable sorrow, crashing against Bai Zhe's spirit. His former confidence and sense of invincibility were utterly shattered in that instant by a wave of agony; Bai Zhe could almost hear his own head exploding. Pain and despair engulfed his consciousness like a flood, as if everything was collapsing, even his most basic rationality gradually crumbling in that moment.
As expected, Bai Zhe's head exploded.
However, unexpectedly, Bai Zhe did not completely collapse. Instead, a disdainful smile bloomed on his spine, as if he had expected all of this, and even felt that this painful shock was insignificant.
"Dongfang Jingyun, you've been tricked!" A wicked and arrogant voice came from Bai Zhe's spine: "My head and brain are completely unimportant! They're just a deceptive facade. Hitting my head is pointless! I can still live without a head!"
At that moment, Dongfang Jingyun remained silent, but he concentrated his aura even more deeply, and with an incomparably resolute power, he unhesitatingly unleashed the second move of the Three Great Calamities of Suffering and Calamity—"Suffering and Calamity".
Dongfang Jingyun took a deep breath, his body trembling, a sharp pain filling the air. It was the endless suffering accumulated within him, almost crushing his body to pieces. Dongfang Jingyun had personally experienced this pain—the erosion of pneumoconiosis, the shattering of bones, the wounds and decay caused by long-term labor, and even the smallpox that had long since healed but still ached faintly.
He unleashed all those painful memories and physical wounds he had shared. This was not merely physical torture, but also the torment and suffering of countless impoverished people he had absorbed throughout his life. With this strike, the wounds that had left Dongfang Jingyun's body in such a terrible state transformed into destructive power, rushing towards Bai Zhe.
Countless illusory, invisible wounds instantly appeared on Bai Zhe's body. His skin was as if slashed open by sharp blades, blood gushing from every crack, bones breaking continuously, and his internal organs instantly turning into rotting filth. The stench of decay almost permeated the entire battlefield, and the destruction of his body drove Bai Zhe to the brink of madness.
As expected, Bai Zhe's body exploded.
However, unexpectedly, Bai Zhe did not completely collapse. He was left with only a pure force of survival, but his laughter became even more maniacal. The mockery from the depths of his heart seemed to proclaim a ruthless fact: "Hahahaha, Dongfang Jingyun, you've been fooled again! My body is also a decoy! Hitting my body is pointless! I can still live without a body!"
As expected, although Bai Zhe's body was shattered, he maintained his existence in a near-indestructible form. No matter how his physical body was destroyed, his consciousness and life force could still exist as a pure force of survival.
Dongfang Jingyun's gaze grew increasingly resolute, as if he had made a decision in that instant, a determination that had been brewing for a long time and was bound to come to an end. He stood in the void, radiating endless loneliness and resilience—a sense of existence that transcended life and death, transcended all matter. At this moment, heaven and earth seemed to sense his intention, and an unprecedented sense of oppression began to spread.
As Dongfang Jingyun uttered the word "bitter calamity" in a low voice, his aura suddenly changed.
If we say that among the three great calamities of suffering, hardship, and calamity, suffering is the memory of the poor, and hardship is the wound of the poor, then hardship and calamity is the death of the poor—a silent, predetermined death that leaves no trace in the history written by God.
But this land where they once existed and worked remembers their lives!
In that instant, the world around us seemed to be distorted by an invisible force, the temperature in the air suddenly dropped to freezing, all the light seemed to disappear at that moment, and the world fell into a deathly silence.
Immediately afterwards, tens of millions of ghosts began to appear in this world, sweeping in like a black mist. These ghosts were the poor souls who died in the long river of history due to exploitation, oppression, and torture! They had no faces, their bodies were broken, their clothes were tattered, and their eyes were empty and lifeless, as if they had lost all their memories and emotions from their previous lives, leaving only the heavy marks of oppression and death.
However, despite having lost their thoughts and consciousness, they could still sense Dongfang Jingyun's call! They seemed to gather silently and imperceptibly; the power of a single soul is small, but tens of millions can coalesce into a massive storm. This black mist swirled in the air, sweeping across the entire battlefield like a hurricane. Their existence was solely to respond to the call of this person destined to bear all suffering.
Bai Zhe's pupils constricted sharply; he couldn't comprehend what he was seeing. The blurry, fragmented spirits before him seemed utterly devoid of reason, almost devoid of even the last vestiges of their souls. Yet, it was precisely these unconscious ghosts who, with some inexplicable force, began to rebel against him. He realized that these former souls had formed a powerful force behind the scenes, using their grievances and anger at death to clash with and contend with his own will to survive.
"No! This is impossible!" Bai Zhe roared, his voice filled with shock and anger. His life force began to surge forth, trying to find a chance to break through in this endless torrent of death.
However, as the power of these ghosts relentlessly crashed into him, Bai Zhe's body and soul were swallowed up by an invisible torrent, and for the first time, his pure life force began to waver. Each impact of the ghosts carried the aura of death, the fury of those on the brink of life and death, threatening to tear him to shreds.
He began to feel extreme pain, not just physical torment, but also a crushing weight on the depths of his spirit. Those ghosts, without tears, without resentment, without even any thought, attacked him aimlessly, driven only by the injustice and despair of death. Their power surged from every inch of air, as if to completely devour Bai Zhe's existence until he was utterly annihilated.
Bai Zhe struggled frantically, trying to resist the attacks of these undead, but each act of resistance was crushed by the power of death. His strength was gradually suppressed, and his life force dissipated under the impact of countless ghosts, like a majestic mountain finally collapsing under the erosion of countless years. That life force representing eternity began to disintegrate in the black tide of death, like a lone boat gradually sinking in the surging waves.
The power of death grew stronger, almost unstoppable. Moments later, Bai Zhe's existence vanished completely in this endless power of death, turning into nothingness. There was no sound, no trace, not even a last breath remained.
Dongfang Jingyun stood in the air, his gaze still calm: "I won. I owe you a favor, and I'll repay you when I have the chance."
Silence fell, and no sound remained in the world. Only the endless ghosts continued to float in the void, bearing endless grievances and resentment, never finding peace.
Just then, a dazzling light descended silently, and the goddess of light, Ophelia, appeared before him.
Her gaze held an indescribable awe as she looked at Dongfang Jingyun and asked, "What kind of martial art is this?"
Dongfang Jingyun didn't recognize the god before him, but a strange sense of nausea rose in his heart, something he had never felt even when he was giving a discount. However, adhering to the principle of politeness, Dongfang Jingyun still calmly replied, "Sunflower Manual."
Ophelia's gaze was fixed on Dongfang Jingyun, her thoughts seemingly churning, a complex expression appearing in her eyes. She had seen countless powerful figures and witnessed many different kinds of power, but the aura and power emanating from the man before her were completely different from what she had previously known.
"The Sunflower Manual?" She repeated softly, seemingly pondering the meaning of the name. Then her eyes suddenly lit up, and with a look of sudden realization, she slowly said, "How about calling it the 'Great Sun Manual'? You are the sun, and those poor people are like sunflowers, spontaneously drawn to you no matter how much hardship they encounter, as if forever following your sun-facing rays. That makes more sense."
Dongfang Jingyun was silent for a moment, then looked down at his fists, hands scarred and etched with countless struggles and pain. His voice was calm, yet carried a barely perceptible sigh: "I've never considered myself the sun." He raised his head, his gaze like the deep night sky, looking towards the endless void in the distance. "Just as I've never considered myself a savior. I'm just an ordinary person, a drop of water in the ocean, a blade of grass in the forest. I don't think I have anything that makes me worthy of being followed. Greatness, salvation—those words are too far removed from me. I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do, nothing more."
Ophelia was stunned. Her eyes flickered slightly, as if touched by Dongfang Jingyun's answer. She was used to the words and beliefs of heroes, used to the steadfastness and boldness of the strong when they shouldered heavy burdens. However, the person in front of her spoke in such a calm tone, as if he didn't care about anything, as if he didn't have any great mission, but only a very small, trivial, and simple wish.
"You…" Ophelia began, but didn't know what to say.
Dongfang Jingyun turned and left, reciting a poem:
The bitter cold of death is like a dream; life and death are but a fleeting moment, impossible to look back upon.
The desolate land is buried by the cold moon, and a lonely lamp flickers, obscuring the barren hills.
Heroes are buried and no one cares; when will the bloodshed in our hearts cease?
.
Last night, I awoke with a start from my delirium, only to see a lingering star hanging over a distant building.
Heaven's mandate is filled with calamities and tribulations, yet it leaves all living beings with no way to die.
I do not seek the path to immortality, but rather dedicate this body to the flow of heaven.
.
A path leads through mountains of corpses, a route paved with compassion; a boundless sea of blood serves as a boat of suffering.
I dare not indulge in pleasure and ease, but only seek to be accompanied by hardship and diphtheria.
When dawn breaks and the heavens open, let us rekindle the flame of our hearts through the ages.
...
At this moment, in the Divine Court of Creation, Bai Zhe, who had just been resurrected through the power of faith, pondered and stroked his chin:
"They actually lost...?"
"Interesting, truly interesting, Dongfang Jingyun. It's incredible that such a remarkable person as you could be born into this world. You've made this dull and tasteless world full of delightful interest."
"If I want to understand the great Dao of life and death, I still need to rely on the hands of a sage like Dongfang Jingyun to complete my corpse dissolution. Otherwise, it would be bad if all my life information fell into the hands of bad people."
Knowing only of life and not death, Bai Zhe always felt that something was missing from his body. Now, after deliberately courting death with Dongfang Jingyun, and Dongfang Jingyun actually beat him to death, Bai Zhe felt that his entire being had undergone a very important transformation and was rapidly moving towards a more bizarre state.
"This Dongfang Jingyun is truly formidable. He annihilated me completely, leaving not a single trace of me out here. Hehehehehehe