Supreme Swordsman of the Nine Heavens

What is a Deity?

“I see. No wonder why I have random thoughts. Whatever. I’ll go stomp him with Mu Yu next time. I’ll be the swordsman, and Mu Yu can wink. We’ll turn Divine Executioner into Divine Kneeler,” Xiaoshuai enthused as he flicked his hips side to side.

“Xiaoshuai, what do you mean by ‘wink’? How does such an epic domain sound so lame when you refer to it?” Mu Yu chortled.

“Divine Executioner isn’t that easy to beat. I don’t think Divine Executioner has recovered, though I’m not much better off. If he does return, it’ll be on all of you to stop him.” Feng Haochen eyed his disciples.

“We will.” Cheng Yan swept his gaze over his brothers, hoping they would also swear the same oath.

Indirectly speaking on behalf of his brothers, Mu Yu decided to query, “Shifu, why do you have so much faith in the human race. You of all people should know that not all of them deserve to be protected.”

“I trust humans for the world they create it harmonious. We aren’t as barbaric as other races. Humans might not be physically perfect. Generally speaking, nonetheless, humans are kind. Most of them are polite, respectful, grateful and loyal. Those you would condemn exist everywhere you go regardless of race. We can’t say all eggs are bad just because there are bad ones.”

Feng Haochen gazed back up. “Perhaps I can kill the cowards and ungrateful people. Let me ask you this, though: how do you know what’s good without the bad? If everyone is good, do we have new standards? Will people be divided into slightly good and really good? Will there be conflicts between the slightly good and really good? Where do you draw the line between poor and rich? It’s impossible to eliminate the contradictions between people in a world that worships power.

“Do you kill the new group to resolve the new contradiction? Expecting there to be a society where lost articles would always be returned is wishful thinking. Where there are people, there are differences. There is no way to overcome that. You want to get rid of the bad eggs without thinking that the bad eggs are telling the good eggs what not to do.

“By no means am I saying to leave blemishes. What I’m saying is that it’s those in the same group who should erase the blemish instead of those who stand at the top. Humans are able to learn from mistakes to move forward. The bad people are just another standard, one that people ought to learn to steer clear of. As humanity develops, those bad ones will be eliminated by natural selection over and over and over. That’s how mankind works.”

“I want to eradicate all the ungrateful people,” Mu Yu asserted.

Mu Yu could not forgive people turning their backs on Feng Haochen. Xiang Nan gleaned that mankind was the obstacle in the way of his revenge on Third Heaven Palace. Lie Shang’s faith in humankind swayed after hearing Mu Yu’s opinion at Clearwater City.

Feng Haochen responded, “Even if you don’t slay them, other humans will do the work on your behalf. Every human has the right to hunt those who betrayed their own kind; it’s not just you who harbours a grudge. The hard times they just went through revealed who would stick with them through thick and then as well as those who’d betray them. Those who chose to side with the foreign races won’t have the privilege of enjoying this triumph.

“Mu Yu, your goal isn’t to kill people. You merely feel vexed on my behalf. If you remove me from the equation, I reckon you would choose to take an optimistic stance on this world. Do we not grow stronger so that we can live with less woes, so that we don’t have to beg people, so that we aren’t bullied, so that we can protect those we want and be with those we want? We are a rule. Why bind yourself with rules, shackles that you spent years of your life to escape?”

Mu Yu’s dream was for him and those he cared about to be free of concerns, fears and bullying. On his way to achieving the dream, he became engrossed in trying to put others into cages and picking up a task he never intended to take up, taking him off the track he planned to walk.

Was it more important to cleanse the world of evil or return to Mount Dustfallen to be yourself? What was the point of cultivating power? To trample on people? If one could hypothetically do so, would he be at peace? Would he never be worried again? Establishing a kingdom and rules, then toiling away to maintain them did not make one an immortal, deity, empyrean or whatever. It made one a man who just happened to have more power. You removed a concern you were a slave to, only to self-impose different concerns that you were now a slave to.

“The point of cultivating is to cultivate your mind. Only when you’re one with your mind, when your heart is at peace can you call yourself a deity,” Feng Haochen elucidated. “For as long as you cannot stop being petty and coveting things, you are not at peace. You are constantly chasing more and more. You have not found closure; you are a man with interests. Deities are those who don’t need to have their minds occupied to feel at peace. They are those who can enjoy a sunset, go where they like, able to lend a hand where it is needed, able to relieve emotions freely instead of bottling them up.”

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