Debate

Shen Shuibi returned to the outpost of the Unreturning Disciples.

The octopus that went down seemed to be waiting.

Upon seeing Shen Shuibi arrive, he immediately stepped forward and said, "Madam, you've returned quite quickly. How is it? Are the Human Path reserve forces sufficient for battle?"

"I almost lost, but... never mind, they've already escaped anyway," Shen Shuibi sighed and shook her head.

Gou Lou exclaimed in surprise, "You almost lost?!"

Mrs. Li almost lost? That's unbelievable, isn't it?

Isn't she ridiculously strong? Is Human Path stronger than her?

If that's the case, then we'll probably have to revise our strategy. If the enemy has such a skilled fighter, then forcing their other skilled fighters to return to defend will be extremely difficult.

"We need to change our approach. It's probably difficult for us to defeat the Human Path reserve force on our own. We need support," Shen Shuibi said, frowning as she walked.

Cha Xike had just arrived, had a strange expression. "You said before that we had no support."

"There's definitely no support from Li Qi. Li Qi needs to expend a lot of effort to gather a large army to respond, and he also has to confront the main force of Human Path aid head-on. Maintaining the front line is already difficult enough, so he definitely can't spare any time to help us," Shen Shuibi said, shaking her head.

They were only facing reserve forces, but Li Qi was fighting on the front lines of Human Path. On that battlefield, hundreds of fifth-rank soldiers were involved, and the intensity and scope of the battle far exceeded the anti-Japanese operations that Shen Shuibi was involved in.

Therefore, we cannot rely on Li Qi. The fact that Li Qi was able to gather the supplies he brought over is already the greatest help we can offer.

At this moment, Gou Lou suddenly realized something, and his octopus tentacles touched his head. "So, we actually have other support? Or at least possible support?"

"I don't know if it's possible, but we can try," Shen Shuibi said. "Before the war started, the Shaman Path originally promised that a batch of reinforcements would arrive after the war began to join the main battlefield and contain the special operations elites of the Human Path."

"If those reinforcements had arrived smoothly, the situation wouldn't be as passive as it is now."

"So, reinforcements didn't come, and it was done by Human Path?" Cha Xike asked.

"I don't know who did it, but... it's true that reinforcements haven't arrived. We can choose to do something in this direction next. We don't need to rush into guerrilla warfare behind enemy lines. Let's spare some manpower and capture some of our Human Path vassal soldiers. We should be able to find out something from them."

"Human Path beings are very tight-lipped; it would be very difficult to get answers from them through torture," Gou Lou said with some concern.

Shen Shuibi said, "It's alright, let's try it first. We'll split up. You guys capture some prisoners and interrogate them to see if they know anything about the situation. I'll build a large detector and then go away from the battlefield to try to locate the reinforcements and confirm their situation in an undisturbed place."

"A detector? That's dangerous!" Gou Lou raised his voice. "This plan must not be taken!"

What is a detector?

It's essentially like a telescope or radar, emitting a special wave and then waiting for this special 'wave' to return. Based on the returned data, it can be inferred what the wave collided with during its journey.

This search method is very useful in peacetime, but now it's wartime!

When you use a detector to broadcast a search, it's like shouting into Human Path, "I'm right here, I want to eavesdrop and spy!"

This is too dangerous.

"We're already behind enemy lines, what is there to worry about? It's best if it attracts more attention. Be prepared, this is not the small-scale probing we did before, people could die," Shen Shuibi said.

"We were prepared." Gou Lou nodded. "Then leave the task of capturing them alive to me."

"I will be in charge of building the defenses, but I know nothing about detectors, so you'll have to prepare that yourself, Madam. If you need any supplies, we will collect them," Cha Xike said.

"We do need some supplies. My Alchemy Fire seed has been extinguished, so I can't forge weapons. But these are minor issues. I can recreate the fire seed in a little while." Shen Shuibi said, "Then it's settled."

"Yes," Gou Lou and Cha Xike replied in unison.

We've identified the reserve of Human Path resources; now it's time to get to work.

Now that Madam Li has chosen what to do, let's trust her wisdom.

Time flies.

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Two months is not a long time, but the Unreturning Disciples have done a lot of things.

They raided Human Path squads, harassed them behind enemy lines, and hijacked Human Path transport routes. In short, they used their position behind enemy lines to roam and fight everywhere.

During this period, the Human Path also resulted in arrests, but the small groups arrested numbered only a few hundred, which was not a large number compared to the total number of the Unreturning Disciples.

However... this minor incident has little impact on the Unreturning Disciples, and even less on Human Path.

Doing such trivial things is unlikely to really disrupt the battlefield; it's no different from being a fly.

However—this did indeed allow the Unreturning Disciples to capture some Human Path practitioners.

We haven't captured Human Race from all over the world yet, but we have captured some civilizations that follow Human Path.

Most of these people were very resolute and would rather die than submit, so they had no choice but to die.

However, there are still a few points of breakthrough, and it is possible to extract some information through interrogation.

Gou Lou was in charge of this matter; this martial artist had been keeping an eye on those who might relent.

The reason they might soften their stance is because these people are all recent members of the Human Path; their understanding of Human Path is not as firm, and they haven't been brainwashed into being like them.

Yes, in Gou Lou's view, this is brainwashing, so he plans to brainwash these people back. If he can't brainwash them back, he will use the pressure of a fifth-rank official to force them to talk.

In a dead zone of an unknown world, inside several floating, hollow asteroids.

This is both a prison cell and an interrogation room.

In the void outside, Gou Lou is talking with the guards.

"Sir, do you want to interrogate him personally?" At this moment, a sixth-rank Unreturning Disciples asked Gou Lou.

"Oh, right, you don't need to call me sir. We're on the same path. Just call me by my name. Your name is... Kebosi, right?" Goulou remembered this person's name.

"Yes, I didn't expect Lord Goulou to still remember me." The man also changed his address, no longer calling him "sir," but replied with a smile.

"We're all fighting for the same goal, so what's wrong with remembering each other's names?" Gou Lou's tone was still friendly; he was very approachable.

Upon hearing this, Ke Bosi paused for a moment, then raised his eyebrows as if by reflex, before realizing what he meant and awkwardly laughing, "Uh... oh, you're right."

"What's wrong?" Gou Lou asked, looking at him with a puzzled expression.

"Ahem... well, I've been hearing these kinds of things a lot lately," Kebo explained.

"Oh." Gou Lou nodded, suddenly realizing, "Human Path also like to say such things?"

"That's right." Kebosi acknowledged this statement.

"Then we can say it differently later," Gou Lou said with a smile.

Human Path is not a good thing, and there's really no need to use the same language as them.

But... can Human Path truly remember every person, every auxiliary soldier, and even every prisoner?

Gou Lou had some doubts, but it was his first time interrogating Human Path being, so he didn't know what was going on.

For the previous month, Gou Lou was only responsible for arresting people.

However, after a month of interrogation, most of the people arrested had died, and no useful information had been extracted. They had only identified a few possible leads.

Therefore, Gou Lou decided to personally interrogate them and see if these Human Path cultivators could withstand the pressure of a fifth-rank official.

He chatted and laughed with the others along the way, and finally arrived at the prison.

"From now on, you can just wait outside. When I release my pressure, it might hurt you, so it's best to stay away," Gou Lou instructed the others.

"Yes." The others naturally knew the oppressive feeling of a fifth-rank official, so they immediately agreed.

Then, Gou Lou entered the prison cell.

Entering the cell, there was nothing inside, but it was clean and tidy.

After all, they are cultivators, so they don't actually create much waste, nor do they need food.

It's just... no different from a hunger strike.

This is, after all, the outer void, where there is no energy. Most cultivators cannot replenish their energy here; their internal energy will only decrease, eventually leading to exhaustion and death.

Only those who possess the method to draw energy from the void can survive there. However, this place has been placed under a forbidden spell, so even if the Human Path trapped here have the method, they cannot replenish their energy and can only weaken day by day.

Gou Lou arrived at the prison cell and looked at the Human Path cultivators imprisoned inside.

This is a typical humanoid creature, a male with long black hair tied in a bun. He looks very similar to Human Race in the world. He is dressed neatly, but his expression is somewhat listless and weak.

His cultivation level is seventh rank, which is a fairly appropriate level; after all, any lower and those people would find it very difficult.

"You... ha, you can't do anything to me? Even a fifth-rank cultivator has come." The Human Path cultivator sneered.

"It's not that we can't do anything to you, but... we're very curious. We've captured many Human Path cultivators, and they're all like you. I don't understand. I've heard that your home world has been destroyed, even by Human Path beings. Don't you hate that?" Gou Lou said.

This was his purpose; he planned to use words and intimidation to shake the other party's Dao heart and pry open their mouth.

"Only narrow-minded creatures like you would hate that," the other person said casually, seemingly completely unaffected by the Human Path destruction of their home world.

"Narrow-minded? That's the world that gave you birth and nurtured you, the reason for your existence, your home, your family, and the place where everything resides. Now it's been torn apart by the place you serve, and you think that's normal?!" Gou Lou looked at the other party, raised his voice, and rebuked him in this way!

At the same time, he also revealed a trace of the pressure of a fifth-rank cultivator, attempting to destroy the opponent's mind.

However, to everyone's surprise, the Human Path cultivator burst into laughter. Although he was unable to straighten up due to the pressure of the fifth-rank cultivator, he raised his neck.

This caused his cervical Dragon Bone to crack and pop, but it still couldn't stop his roar.

This seventh-rank young man roared in his own way as he faced a fifth-rank martial artist!

He said, "That's why I say you're narrow-minded! You Shaman Path, you so-called Unreturning Disciples, don't understand what we're pursuing at all!"

"What world? Is the world all you pursue? Is your entire life, your Dao Lineage, just for a tiny world? Simply because you were born there?"

"You're a fifth-rank official! You're a human being! Why do you spend your whole life like animals, protecting your animalistic 'nest'? What's the point of that nest? Why can't you broaden your horizons, look to the boundless universe, to the vast space and the future!?"

"You so-called civilized people fight each other for those illusory rights, status, and interests. How are you any different from other animals in the world?"

"You clearly enjoy intelligence, yet your pursuits are exactly the same as those of wild animals. You are only pursuing the corresponding goal, the so-called power, the ability to control other individuals. You are just pursuing the 'monkey king'!"

"Fighting for resource allocation and for priority is nothing more than pursuing mating rights just like a pride of lions."

"You are wasting this great self-awareness, wasting your innate wisdom, wasting your Three Innate Treasures, and willingly degenerating, forever trapped in mutual restraint and struggle!"

"Our goal is for everyone in this world to be happy, joyful, and free."

"Everyone can achieve their own wishes! They can strive and act for their goals, even if it brings war, they will still feel happy."

"We are working to build a better future, and we are happy because of our hard work and struggle!"

"We have clear goals, a bright future, and countless things we want to do. Our skills, intelligence, ideas, and energy can all be put to good use."

"Whether we are Old Soldier on the battlefield, craftsmen, farmers, or scholars, we can all join hands and move forward together. We are people running towards the future, not beasts clinging to their own dens!"

"I know you fifth-rank cultivators are civilized, you are the noblest and most outstanding life forms in the entire universe, yet you are racking your brains to turn yourselves into complete animals! So short-sighted, so despicable! You petty scoundrels, what virtue or ability do you have to be worthy of your cultivation? What right do you have to grasp that power?"

He roared, expressing his questions and anger at Gou Lou.

For a moment, Gou Lou was even stunned by him.

However, the next moment, Gou Lou stretched out its tentacles.

The Martial Way Divine Intent of the fifth rank unfolded at this moment.

There was no hostility or murderous intent; if there had been, this seventh-rank official would probably have been torn to pieces.

He simply made a move; this punch was thrown seriously, a manifestation of his Martial Way Divine Intent. The move was complete, only he didn't use his full strength.

But even without exerting force, it was enough to crack the inner world of this seventh-grade punch.

His Martial Way Divine Intent was revealed.

That is—civilization itself.

This is Gou Lou's Martial Way Divine Intent.

But then they heard the rather unattractive octopus say calmly, "I may not have Human Path noble virtues, but I know that's my home."

The Human Path cultivator simply shook his head silently and did not respond.