The Third Person's Wish

Please give me a little more courage.

Chapter 611 The Third Person's Wish

When Si Ming returned carrying the empty body, Wan Ziqiu couldn't help but burst into tears. His grief overshadowed his joy at successfully killing the Beast King Anye.

However, after his tears subsided, Wan Ziqiu wiped them away and immediately directed his disciples to clean up the battlefield, treat the wounded who had been affected by the residual force, and discuss with the other elders the relocation of the Righteous Qi Palace and the reconstruction of the mountain gate. It seemed as if in the blink of an eye, he had shed his immaturity and completed the transformation from a boy to an adult.

"Master Wan's spirit in heaven would surely be gratified."

Upon witnessing this scene, Zheng Jingyuan and Zhou Anping felt a pang of sadness, yet also a glimmer of hope for the future.

With mixed feelings of sorrow and joy, the two expressed their gratitude to Si Ming: "Thank you, Alliance Leader, for coming from afar to help us, uncovering the Beast King Anye's conspiracy and killing him. Otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. If he had continued to impersonate our sect leader and issue orders, I'm afraid our sect's reputation, built up over hundreds of years, would have been ruined in his hands."

The two were well aware of the dire consequences of having their sect infiltrated by the enemy and having high-ranking members seize positions within it. In just a few years, the Evil-Slaying Sword School Sect might become a hollow tree, seemingly vibrant on the outside but already devoured by termites within.

Si Ming accepted the thanks without hesitation, nodded, and said, "I will be staying at your sect for a few days and will need your help to collect some materials for array formations. Thank you all for your assistance."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Jingyuan said gratefully, "We have troubled the Alliance Leader."

He knew perfectly well that the other party meant to stay and oversee the Evil-Slaying Sword School to prevent it from being taken advantage of by petty villains. After all, the Demon -Evil-Slaying Sword School was currently at its lowest point, with only three Grandmaster left, the lowest number in its history, and all of them were injured, with two of them having their arms broken.

Even with the regenerative abilities of Spirit Transformation Grandmaster, it would take at least three to five years to regrow an arm. This period would undoubtedly be the most difficult time for the Evil-Slaying Sword School until the next batch of disciples grows up.

The Beast King Anye was a great enemy of the entire Eastern Martial World. Countless sects were destroyed by him. The Evil-Slaying Sword School Sect killed him, which can be called eliminating a scourge for the martial world. It was a meritorious deed with immeasurable merit. In theory, both the righteous and the Evil Dao should thank them. However, people's hearts are unpredictable. It is not uncommon for people to be ungrateful and act perversely in this world. As for those who are blinded by greed, they are even more numerous.

A person who usually seems quite shrewd can suddenly do something incredibly foolish. This happens all the time, and the Evil-Slaying Sword School has to be on guard. After all, there are few people in this world who will help you in times of need, many who will add to your success, and even more who will kick you when you're down.

The only saving grace is that the Beast King Anye, a formidable enemy that had plagued them for hundreds of years, is dead. The future of the Evil-Slaying Sword School is now clear, and the heavy burden on their shoulders has been lifted.

It's just mutual benefit and assistance.

From Si Ming's perspective, on the one hand, he was being considerate of Wan Ziling, and on the other hand, he didn't want to see a righteous organization like the Evil-Slaying Sword School, with its ideals, determination, and action, being bullied by villains. Although it's a common saying that good people don't live long while evil people live for thousands of years, he couldn't stand it and wanted to change things to make the world more in line with his own wishes. Besides, someone had come to him seeking a humiliation, so he naturally had to make them feel welcome.

"I will ask Senior Wu for the list of materials needed to set up the formation later. If your sect has the corresponding reserves, that would be best. If you are lacking a certain material, I will have to trouble your sect to send disciples to collect it."

"That's only right, please rest assured, Alliance Leader. As long as it's available in the Eastern Martial World, we will definitely find it for you." Zheng Jingyuan's attitude was extremely respectful.

In fact, it wasn't just him; all the disciples of the Evil-Slaying Sword School looked at Si Ming with the same fervent gaze of fans seeing their idol. But it wasn't the kind of star-struck adoration; it was more like the awe one feels when seeing a spiritual leader. For example, when fans see a celebrity, they might have the urge to break through security and get close to them, but when they see the president or prime minister, they would never have such thoughts; they would only feel excited and nervous.

This is not hard to understand. After all, the Evil-Slaying Sword School and the Beast King Anye have been fighting each other for hundreds of years. The latter has become the obsession of the former. It can be said that every disciple is told what the desire to slay evil is when they join the sect. Their lifelong goal is to kill the Beast King Anye.

When Si Ming defeated the Beast King on his own, the disciples of the Evil-Slaying Sword School already held him in the highest esteem. Now that they learned that Si Ming had completely slain the Beast King and fulfilled the sect's great wish, their emotions were elevated once again, and they worshipped Si Ming almost as a god.

However, adhering to the principle of "treating others with respect," Si Ming did not become arrogant. Following proper etiquette, he clasped his hands in thanks and said, "Thank you."

Zheng Jingyuan hurriedly replied, "I wouldn't dare."

Watching Si Ming leave, Zhou Anping suddenly said, "Senior Brother Zheng, do you think if we also try to cultivate the 'Fierce Spirit Art' and emulate the Beast King's fusion of Power of Sacred and Evil, could we become just as strong?"

Zheng Jingyuan's expression changed, and he hurriedly warned, "What nonsense are you thinking? Putting aside whether Human Race can adapt to Power of Anomalies, as an elder of the Evil-Slaying Sword School, you're practicing the martial arts of Monster Race. Do you know what the consequences will be if word gets out?"

"Since the Beast King was able to possess the sect leader's body, it proves that Human Race are also capable of wielding Power of Anomalies; they just need another force to counterbalance them."

"You saw the Beast King's process of fusing Power of Sacred and Evil. He was able to revive after his body exploded. Do you have that kind of ability?"

"There are always more solutions than problems. As long as we know the potential problems, we can always find a way to solve them, such as finding a substitute or creating an avatar. The Beast King was caught off guard because it was his first time trying this. With this lesson learned, we can avoid the trap."

Zheng Jingyuan knew that his junior brother Zhou Anping was a martial arts fanatic, but being a martial arts fanatic to this extent was too dangerous. If he was not careful, he might become possessed by a demon, which was secondary. He might also ruin his reputation and implicate the sect. So he quickly changed his story.

"Even if you master the Power of Sacred and Evil, so what? The Beast King did master it, but what happened? He was still defeated by Alliance Leader Sima. He didn't rely on fusing Power of Anomalies, but on bringing Buddhist School martial arts to their peak. If you want to become stronger, you shouldn't focus on the martial arts of the losers, but learn from the victors."

Zhou Anping was taken aback and said, "Our sect does not possess the Method Formula the Tathagata's Indestructible Body of the Tathagata."

"Before Alliance Leader Sima appeared out of nowhere, who else had cultivated the Tathagata's Indestructible Body of the Tathagata? Even those who achieved the Bodhi Golden Body were few and far between. This shows that it's not that our own Cultivation Method are inferior, but rather that we, the later generations, are incompetent. Do you dare to say that you have completely comprehended the 'Evil-Slaying Sword Art'?"

"Senior brother, why deceive me? The 'Evil-Slaying Sword Art' is incomplete; it is only the second volume of the 'Record of Ten Thousand Slaughters and Evil's Extermination.' We lack the Internal Cultivation method of the first volume, so no matter how much we cultivate, we can never reach perfection. But we can learn from others..."

"Then you can study Buddhist School martial arts. Our sect can vouch for you; I think the Glazed Temple will give you face. And even if they don't agree, as long as we join the Heavenly Martial Alliance, we can exchange for them using contribution points."

Rather than letting Zhou Anping ponder the Unity of the Sacred and Evil, it would be better to advise him to try the common origin of Daoism and Buddhism. At least the latter would not attract controversy. Zheng Jingyuan breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Zhou Anping nod, but reminded himself that he had to keep a close eye on this junior brother in the future and not let him go astray. There are many examples of righteous masters being seduced by power and falling into the demonic path by practicing evil arts.

"The Beast King, who has condensed the Power of Sacred and Evil, has surpassed the King of Monsters and reached an unprecedentedly terrifying level, yet he was completely defeated by Alliance Leader Sima. Just how strong is this person?" Zhou Anping exclaimed.

Zheng Jingyuan gave a bitter smile and said, "I don't know. This is beyond our reach. Before today, I couldn't imagine that anyone in the world could be this strong. He probably looks at us the same way we look at ordinary martial artists... Being born in the same era as him may be a blessing for ordinary people, but it is a misfortune for us."

"I disagree with Senior Brother's opinion. I believe that limited perspective also restricts strength. Before Alliance Leader Sima appeared, I had no idea that a person could be this strong. To punch the Spirit King and trample the Beast King is a dream come true. We were all narrow-minded and thought that Grandmaster was the limit, and that only through teamwork could we deal with the King of Monsters. Now someone has set an example, showing us that this is far from the end, and there is still a long way to go. Punching the Spirit King and trampling the Beast King is not a dream. With him as a guiding light, even if we don't catch up with or surpass him, we should at least be able to catch up to his level."

Zheng Jingyuan was silent for a moment, then sighed that perhaps he really was getting old and had lost that enterprising spirit, and said, "This is not an easy thing."

"I know, but at least there's hope now, and a direction to strive for. I can't wait to train and become stronger."

"Until then, you should focus on healing your injury, unless you're planning to learn a one-armed Swordsmanship."

Si Ming did not hear Zheng and Zhou's discussion, otherwise he would have said that they overestimated him. Not to mention that the Tathagata's Indestructible Body came from the enhancement of the formation, not from his own strength, even if he had the Tathagata's Indestructible Body, he would not have been able to crush the Beast King who possessed the Power of Sacred and Evil. If the strength was quantified, the two sides would be roughly equal in strength.

The reason why the performance was so one-sided, to the point that even though the Beast King Anye was the strongest enemy Si Ming had ever encountered, it did not pose much of a threat, was because he made two mistakes.

Firstly, he had not mastered the Power of Sacred and Evil. Although breaking through in battle boosted morale, it also meant there was no time to adapt. If the opponent had no way to deal with it, he could easily overwhelm the master with a flurry of punches and take him down in one surprise attack. However, once the opponent could withstand the newly generated power, the disadvantage of being unfamiliar with it would become apparent.

Although Si Ming was also using the Tathagata's Tathagata's Indestructible Body the first time, it was a Tathagata's Indestructible Body skill that did not require him to focus on controlling it. In contrast, the Power of Sacred and Evil was an active skill that required a lot of skill and timing in its use.

If it were just this, it wouldn't be a big deal. Lack of skill can be compensated for by momentum. A 40% chance of winning means that as long as you seize an opportunity, you can completely turn defeat into victory. However, battles are full of unpredictable variables. Unfortunately, the Beast King committed a major taboo in martial arts duels—he was not prepared to risk his life.

When two equally matched individuals engage in a decisive battle, one who loses will die, while the other will have a chance to make a comeback. In such a case, the former will most likely emerge victorious. This is similar to the principle of burning one's boats or fighting with one's back to the river. The Beast King Anye believed that even if he lost this battle, he could turn the tables in ten years, thus sealing his fate.

This is also why Si Jingyu devised a plan and tried every means to conceal Wan Ziling's existence, and why the Beast King Anye cried out in unwillingness before his death. If he had known about Wan Ziling's existence and knew that there was no way out, he would never have been defeated so easily, and the final outcome would still be uncertain.