The Way to Peace

Tu Wangyue did not answer. Seeing this, Si Ming tactfully asked, "Why did you bring up these two people, Senior?"

Wu Xiu said, "Because I have met these two people, apart from their names and appearances, these two former Holy Maidens have the same personality, the same tone of voice, and even the same attitude towards life as the current Holy Maiden. Hehe, the reason behind this is truly terrifying to think about."

Si Ming immediately chimed in, "It sounds a lot like an evil martial art."

Tu Wangyue said without changing her expression, "This is because every Holy Maiden cultivates the Supreme Harmony Heart Sutra. This mental cultivation method can make people's State of Mind peaceful, tranquil and detached, so it is inevitable that they will give people a similar impression."

Wu Xiu chuckled twice and said, "It's one thing to fool the ignorant with such words, but it's laughable to deceive experts. Most Daoist School Internal Cultivation do have the effect of calming the mind and spirit, but at most they can teach those with a bad temper to control their emotions. However, the bad temper will still remain bad temper; that won't change at all. To give an analogy, their Internal Cultivation is like a filter that filters out the dregs of medicine, but the dregs are still there. Your Internal Cultivation, on the other hand, refines all the dregs away. The two are not the same thing."

Si Ming also said, "It drastically changes one's temperament. This is fundamentally an evil and demonic practice. However, evil practices tend to make people become irritable and easily angered, while tranquility and detachment are praised qualities. As the saying goes, 'Without tranquility, one cannot clarify one's ambitions; without serenity, one cannot go far.' Just as parents hope their children will study diligently, no one thinks there's anything wrong with this Cultivation Method. Yet, its essence is still an evil practice that distorts the mind."

Tu Wangyue said, "This is only your side of the story; it's not reliable."

Wu Xiu said, "Finding evidence is not difficult. There may be very few people who know Dong Chengling and Xi Yesi anymore, and even if there are, so much time has passed that they may not still remember them. But there are quite a few people who knew Tu Wangyue before she became a saintess. Just ask them and you will know whether you know how to control your emotions or your personality has changed drastically."

Yan Jinghong also spoke up, "I've heard about this as well. When candidates for the Saintess Candidate are selected, they often undergo months of secluded cultivation. After emerging from seclusion, their personalities change significantly. However, in the past, people attributed this to the effects of the Supreme Harmony Heart Sutra, and believed that the changed personality was more suitable for the position of Holy Maiden, so no one questioned it."

Si Ming, "I believe this Cultivation Method must be examined to determine whether it is righteous or evil. If it is truly an evil technique, it should be explicitly prohibited. If it does not have such effects, then it proves that the Holy Maiden's successor's personality change has another reason."

Faced with the three's persistent questioning, Tu Wangyue felt immense pressure and could only reply, "This is a necessary ritual for the Holy Maiden's succession; outsiders have no right to interfere."

Si Ming snorted coldly, "You're wrong. You are a saint only if everyone acknowledges you as a saint. If no one acknowledges you as a saint, you are nothing. Whether someone is a saint has nothing to do with whether they have received the inheritance ceremony. If this inheritance ceremony is dangerous, then simply abolish it and replace it with another ceremony. This will not affect the inheritance of the saint's position. I will raise this issue at the next Heaven's Will Palace meeting."

Si Ming discovered that Heaven's Will Palace's identity was indeed useful. As long as you had the moral high ground, you could openly reveal it. Any problem in Su State could be solved by the principle of majority rule, and even national policies could be changed. Although it had the suspicion of majority rule, it was indeed a way to break the deadlock.

If you are right, you have nothing to fear from public opinion.

Tu Wangyue remained silent for even longer this time, even closing her eyes and sitting motionless. Just when Si Ming thought she was going to refuse to answer, she suddenly opened her eyes again.

"Since you're so eager to know the truth, then I'll tell you the truth."

Tu Wangyue looked at Wu Xiu and said, "I am Tu Wangyue, and also Dong Chengling and Xi Yesi. The only thing that remains unchanged is my identity as the Holy Maiden."

Si Ming asked suspiciously, "Possession?"

"It's not about possession, but the inheritance of memories. Starting with the sixteenth Holy Maiden, each one will pass on their memories to the next."

Si Ming suddenly realized why the other person's tone of voice sounded similar to that of the Netherworld Insect Princess; neither of them were "individuals."

If it were just one person's memories, that would be fine, but with the memories of many people being transferred all at once, can the succeeding saintess still maintain her original self?

Just like Tu Wangyue before her, she already believed that she was no longer just Tu Wangyue; Tu Wangyue had become part of the "Saintess".

Si Ming felt a chill run down his spine. He remembered that Liu Qingqing was also Saintess Candidate, and she had stood out among many candidates, so her chances of succeeding her were very high. He did not want to see Liu Qingqing also accept the inheritance, become a part of the Holy Maiden, and be forcibly brainwashed.

"Where did this absurd lineage come from? Has the sixteenth Holy Maiden gone mad?"

Chapter 867 The Law of Peace

"The reason the sixteenth generation saintess decided to pass on the memories was related to the Grandmaster at the time."

Although Tu Wangyue used the third person, her tone sounded very much like that of a first person.

Yan Jinghong recalled, "I remember the sixteenth generation Holy Maiden was named Qiao Muyi, corresponding to the ninth generation Grandmaster."

Saintesses have term limits, not exceeding thirty years. In contrast, Grandmaster have no such limits. They can continue in office indefinitely unless they encounter an accident, voluntarily resign, or face opposition from the majority of the Heaven's Will Palace.

Furthermore, the requirements for becoming Grandmaster are much stricter than those for becoming a Holy Maiden. It is better to have none than to have someone of poor quality. For example, the position of Grandmaster is currently vacant, while the position of Holy Maiden is rarely vacant. Some of those who have held the position are not even at the level of a Nascent Spirit Transformation.

"At that time, the various kingdoms of the Northern Continent were constantly at war, attacking each other and causing immense suffering to the people. Within our own country, there were also pro-war factions who proposed sending troops to the Northern Continent to achieve 'unification of the world,' believing that only unification could bring peace. The ninth Grandmaster could not bear to see the people suffer and, in order to realize his ideal of 'non-aggression,' finally found a solution after traversing all over the Sea Continent."

Tu Wangyue's tone showed a slight excitement, though it was very small, it was still quite noticeable compared to her usual calm and composed tone.

"The best way to unite conflicting forces is to introduce a powerful external enemy, forcing them to set aside their disputes and cooperate."

Yan Jinghong swayed slightly, her expression changing abruptly. "So, the demon tide was actually brought by the Grandmaster."

Tu Wangyue nodded slightly. "The Grandmaster has traversed mountains and rivers, found the sealed location of the Demon Race, and used the Sacred Sword to cleave a crack in the Four Fiends and Five Sages Great Barrier."

Even Wu Xiu couldn't remain calm now, her face showing shock. Si Ming blurted out, "It seems the one who's truly gone mad is the Ninth Grandmaster; the Sixteenth Holy Maiden is merely being influenced by him."

The Grandmaster and Holy Maidens had many opportunities to interact, and since the Grandmaster were mostly outstanding figures of their time, the Holy Maidens were easily attracted to Grandmaster. Historically, two couples actually became lovers, but most others were rejected. This was because some Grandmaster already had loved ones and were devoted to their relationships, while others dedicated their lives to the Mohist School cause and never got involved in romantic love. Of course, not becoming lovers did not prevent them from becoming companions in the pursuit of the Way.

"The Grandmaster isn't crazy, it's just that his methods are too advanced for ordinary people to understand, but he has indeed achieved his goal of stopping the war!" Tu Wangyue retorted sternly, "Since the emergence of the demon tide, there have been no large-scale wars in the Northern Continent, only some small-scale conflicts in some local areas. They have used more of their forces to protect civilians and prevent the invasion of Demon Beast."

Si Ming retorted, "What's the difference between dying at the hands of Human Race and dying at the hands of Demon Beast? Do you know how many people died in those two wars between humans and demons?"

"Of course I know. You're the one who doesn't know. You haven't experienced the chaos of war, so you have no idea how many people die in wars between Human Race. The sword is always sharpest when it's wielded against one's own people. The casualties of the two human-demon wars combined don't even equal the number of people who died in a single war against a nation. Just look at the statistics. Although civilians die every year after the demon tide appeared, the number is only one-tenth of that in the past war-torn years. The Grandmaster did his best to maintain peace and protect the people of the world."

Tu Wangyue raised her voice, slightly agitated, and said, "Those who do nothing can naturally stand on the moral high ground to judge others. Doing nothing is equivalent to being without fault. They just shout slogans of justice and dump the evil deeds on others. But what use are high-sounding words? Can shouting mutual understanding stop war?"

Or perhaps, do the three of you have any brilliant ideas on how to end the war and maintain world peace without causing any casualties? If so, please speak frankly; I am willing to commit suicide to atone for my ignorance and incompetence.

Si Ming had no rebuttal. Even on Earth with nuclear weapons, wars still raged year after year. At most, major powers would restrain each other, but would a major power dare to allow a small country to acquire nuclear weapons?

Perhaps the best way to achieve peace is to unify the world into a single global government, or to merge small countries into several large ones, each wary of the other's nuclear weapons and hesitant to use force. But these are ultimately just beautiful ideas, theories on paper, and who knows how many variables will arise in practice.

Just like the Mohist School's advocacy of unification, the idea that a unified world would bring peace is certainly not wrong, but can it really be achieved?

Cross-continental warfare is no easy task. If the campaign fails, not only will the Mohist School's reputation for "universal love and non-aggression" be destroyed, and they will no longer be able to call themselves pacifists, but they will also incur deep-seated hatred.

Sacrificing the minority to save the majority— Yan Jinghong felt she had no right to criticize anyone in this regard, and simply asked, "Why did you further widen the cracks in the barrier?"

"Because times are progressing and national strength is developing, the demon tides that could once restrain most of a country's military force are no longer a concern. If they are not strengthened, it will only lead to the recurrence of war. In fact, Nation of Valor did have plans to prepare for war. If it hadn't been disrupted by the sudden outbreak of the demon tides, the Northern Continent would probably have already restarted the era of great strife."

While explaining, Tu Wangyue did not shy away from admitting his mistakes. "The appearance of the Demon Emperor was beyond my expectations. He disrupted the balance of power and made the threat of the demon tide too great, so I had to use the Sacred Sword to defeat him and maintain the balance."

Wu Xiu sneered, "The sixteenth generation Holy Maiden chose to pass on her memories to ensure the plan's implementation, right? After all, this secret cannot be exposed, otherwise it would damage the reputation of the Grandmaster and the Mohist School. However, a person's lifespan is limited. If the secret is not told to the successor, it is impossible to maintain a balance between the demon tide and the growth of national power, nor can it be guaranteed that the successor will continue to carry out the plan. Therefore, the best way is to pass on her memories and will."