Chapter 1136

The Cang Baiyi looked surprised, not expecting his opponent to actually do it. But he had nowhere to retreat, so he immediately unleashed all his power and slammed his staff into the ground. Countless staff shadows burst forth from the ground, rushing towards Xiao Xuan like a waterfall flowing backward. Each staff shadow seemed to Blink with dragon-shaped runes.

"White Flood Pours into the Sun!"

Xiao Xuan reached out and threw a large, incandescent fireball formed by the convergence of three orbs of light. It descended from the sky at a slow speed, yet it gave the impression of being unstoppable. It devoured the shadow of the staff one by one and fell steadily downwards. Some onlookers on the periphery turned pale with fright at the sight and quickly turned and fled.

They had witnessed Xiao Xuan's battle with the Demon Emperor and knew that every move this former Grandmaster of the Mohist School made was earth-shattering and incredibly powerful, easily affecting onlookers. They only regretted that their parents hadn't given them a leg.

Si Ming arrived at that moment, frowned, and was about to intercept it. Although he preferred to stand on Xiao Xuan's side, if this fireball were to land, the surrounding area would be barren and innocent people would inevitably be harmed.

However, Tu Wangyue acted first, her face expressionless, as if a god had descended. With a wave of her hands, a divine light rose from the ground, forming a hundred-foot-long curtain. Compared to the destructive light released by Xiao Xuan, the divine light she released was full of gentleness, like a mother's embrace.

"Ice has stood cold for millennia, all things are still, the heart should be calm, gaze upon my solitary spirit, mind and spirit unite, heaven and earth return to my heart!"

The phantom of the Goddess of Mercy appeared in the air, about ten feet tall, standing behind the light barrier. Her hands formed Law Seals, her face showed compassion, and she released vast divine power. The fireball, weakened by the staff shadow, crashed into the light barrier and was dissolved at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Just as the Cang Baiyi breathed a sigh of relief, she suddenly realized that Xiao Xuan had disappeared from mid-air. She quickly turned around and warned, "Holy Maiden, be careful!"

Unfortunately, it was too late. Xiao Xuan had already closed in, unleashing a series of palm strikes. Tu Wangyue raised her hand to block, but was forced to take a half-step back. However, her holy aura remained strong and she maintained her composure. At the same time, she shook the ground with her lotus steps to dissipate the force. The Cang Baiyi who had reacted quickly rose from the ground and raised her staff to strike Xiao Xuan's crown.

Xiao Xuan remained calm and composed. He raised his left hand, and a powerful shockwave repelled the Cang Baiyi. He then flicked his right finger again, unleashing a drilling finger strike that instantly pierced through Tu Wangyue's protective holy aura. This was followed by a close-range inch strike that immediately injured Tu Wangyue.

Tu Wangyue staggered back several steps, spitting out a mouthful of blood. Xiao Xuan frowned upon seeing this, but did not continue the pursuit.

"Xiao Xuan, have you gone mad?"

Taking advantage of the situation, the Cang Baiyi stepped in, separating the two, staring intently at Xiao Xuan, his hands gripping the staff exerting force secretly, his eyes already showing a killing intent.

But Xiao Xuan didn't notice the Cang Baiyi figure. He looked at Tu Wangyue and asked, "Why don't you draw the Sacred Sword?"

"The Sacred Sword is only for the common people; it cannot be used for my personal purposes," Tu Wangyue said in a matter-of-fact tone.

These words moved Si Ming, who had just arrived, but Xiao Xuan's face was full of disbelief. "Do you dare to say that you have never shown favoritism in your entire life?"

Tu Wangyue said calmly, "It might have been true before becoming a Saintess, but it's no longer true after becoming a Saintess." Her tone made people subconsciously want to believe her, to think that she wasn't lying.

"It seems there's more to the Saintess's position than meets the eye; she may not be as clean as the Dark Maiden."

The Cang Baiyi roared, "Xiao Xuan, even if you are a former Grandmaster, you are not allowed to slander the Holy Maiden's innocence! The Holy Maiden's virtues are evident to all. She relieves disasters, spreads her teachings, and comforts the people. Wherever disaster strikes, she is there. Countless people have benefited from her kindness. You cannot smear her reputation with just a few words!"

Xiao Xuan said, "I'm not denying her contributions and merits, but I'm not the kind of person who can smile and forgive someone after being stabbed in the back. Good people aren't necessarily incapable of doing evil. I only ask her one question: back when I was plotted against and trapped in the snowy mountains as a madman, did you intervene?"

The Cang Baiyi retorted indignantly, "This matter has absolutely nothing to do with the Holy Maiden..."

"Yes."

Tu Wangyue readily admitted it, which surprised the Cang Baiyi, but he quickly recovered and explained, "The Holy Maiden must have had her own unavoidable difficulties."

Xiao Xuan said, "Tell me your reasons. I have enough patience to listen to your explanations, and as long as your reasons are reasonable, I'm willing to be used by you."

"... I'm sorry, I can't say, at least not now, but I assure you, this matter is for the public good, and there is absolutely no personal motive involved. I have a clear conscience."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Xuan threw his head back and laughed loudly. After laughing, he solemnly said, "Sacrificing the lives of others to achieve a great cause is a very easy thing, because the person being sacrificed is not oneself. Therefore, such people can always be righteous and awe-inspiring."

Tu Wangyue met his gaze without a trace of shame and said, "What I seek is not my personal career, but the well-being of all people. What I can sacrifice is not only the lives of others, but also my own."

Xiao Xuan sneered, "Killing one person to preserve the world is not killing one person to benefit the world; killing oneself to preserve the world is killing oneself to benefit the world."

If killing one person would benefit the world, should that person be killed?

Even in the 21st century, this topic remains a subject of endless debate, with various viewpoints. Similar storylines have appeared in numerous films, television shows, and literary works, with some even proclaiming, "If the world needs to be saved by sacrificing a woman, then let the world perish!"

Admittedly, this person can say such things only because the "world" he refers to is the world in his work, not the real world. Destroying someone else's world is certainly an easy thing. If this world included him, his parents, his lover, and his children, his stance would likely change immediately, and he would no longer be able to utter such words.

This question elicited different answers from various schools of thought during the Warring States period. Daoists, needless to say, disagreed. Daoist School insisted on using the Legalist School to execute people; if the law deems execution justifiable, then execution is warranted, otherwise it is not. Confucian School, however, believed it depended on whether the person to be executed was innocent. "Even if it were to gain the world by committing one injustice or killing one innocent person, it would not be done." If the other party was innocent, they should not be killed; but if the other party was a tyrant like Jie or Zhou, then killing them for the benefit of the world would be a just act.

As for the Mohist School, many people believe that the Mohist School pursued utilitarianism and had boundless love, should definitely be killed, but this is not actually the case.

The Mohist School believed that killing someone to preserve the world was not truly beneficial to the world; sacrificing oneself to preserve the world was the only way to truly benefit the world.

The key point is that "I" cannot make choices for the people of the world; "I" can only make choices for myself. If the people of the world believe that someone should be killed, and I carry out that killing, then my actions are "beneficial to the world," because it is a choice made by the people of the world.

However, the standard of "all people under heaven" is too vague. It is not possible to hold a referendum with one person, one vote. Therefore, the right to choose should be given to the person involved. If you disregard the person's wishes and forcibly kill them, that is not righteous. Only when the person voluntarily commits suicide is it righteous.

Xiao Xuan used this to refute Tu Wangyue's statement: his willingness was what truly benefited the world; otherwise, it wasn't.

Upon hearing this, Tu Wangyue slowly said, "Within the body, the weight of importance is called 'power.' Power is not about right or wrong, but about righteousness. Cutting off a finger to save the wrist means choosing the greater benefit from the greater harm and the lesser harm from the lesser harm. Choosing the lesser harm is not about choosing harm, but about choosing benefit."

Xiao Xuan remained silent, because the other party's answer was not from the perspective of "righteousness or injustice," but rather from the perspective of choosing the lesser of two evils.

The Mohist School believed that "power" is neither right nor wrong; it is a legitimate action, like cutting off a finger to save the wrist. It is choosing the greater benefit from the lesser harm, and has nothing to do with right or wrong.

Imagine a future scenario where a train crashes into a group of people. One track has one person, while the other track has a group of people. The switch to switch tracks is in your hand. What would you choose?

According to the Mohist School, it didn't matter.

From a global perspective, there is no difference between an individual and a group of people. It has nothing to do with morality. You can choose the lesser of two evils, but it has nothing to do with right or wrong. At most, it can be considered a legitimate behavior.

"So, you've harmed me because of 'power'," Xiao Xuan said, laughing instead of getting angry. "I'd like to ask, what kind of 'power' is it? How can living a good life harm the world?"

"... I'm sorry, I can't say right now."

Do you think I can accept such an answer?

Xiao Xuan stepped forward with an imposing aura, and the Cang Baiyi hurriedly raised his staff to block him, protecting Tu Wangyue behind him and preventing him from attacking.

"Baiyi, who do you think is right now?" Xiao Xuan didn't make a move, but instead asked the Cang Baiyi, "She harmed me for ten years, but in the end she didn't even give me a reason. Do you think I should choose to forgive her?"

The Cang Baiyi was silent for a moment, then sighed, "You have your reasons, and you have your grounds for not forgiving... However, I believe in the Holy Maiden. Please, Brother Xiao, consider our timely rescue and show some leniency. The Holy Maiden knew you were here, and knew she would be questioned by Brother Xiao upon arrival, yet she still came without hesitation. If she had something to hide, why would she do this?"