Zhou Tianyan smiled indifferently. "That is a narrow view. Gu Yuanqing, you are a cultivator too. Do you not know that beneath the Heavenly Dao, all are straw dogs? Cultivation has always meant seizing the creation of Heaven and Earth, plundering the mysteries of the Sun and Moon, and gathering mighty power within oneself. A hundred boats vie against the current, and the victor reigns supreme. This is an immutable truth stretching back through eternity. What right or wrong is there?"
"The Exquisite World has limited resources, and its Dao paths have their limits. If those who come later wish to reach the summit, they must naturally contend with their predecessors, with their fellow cultivators, and with Heaven and Earth.
"Zhuo Ming failed because he could not prevail against you. His fortune and methods were inferior, so this was his rightful outcome. If we seize your Dao foundation one day, the same principle applies. This is the Dao."
Gu Yuanqing said, "By your reasoning, the strong may freely strip the weak of everything. If I slaughter and refine all of you someday, I presume I may do so with a clear conscience?"
Starlight rippled faintly across Zhou Tianyan's Dharma Body, but his tone remained indifferent. "If that day truly comes, it will simply mean that my attainment was insufficient and I failed to contend for passage. I will have nothing to say."
Gu Yuanqing laughed. "Indeed, that does make sense. Since that is the case, do you have anything else to say? If not, I can send you on your way!"
Zhou Tianyan shook his head. "Not much. I doubt you would answer any other questions. As for the rest, there is no need to trouble yourself."
As he spoke, his Starlight Dharma Form began to annihilate itself.
Gu Yuanqing