"I... I..." he stammered, cold sweat beading on his forehead again.
Seemingly sensing his hesitation and fear, Lin Hao paused, then spoke again, his tone carrying a detached tolerance:
"Fine, if you don't want to talk about it, then don't."
"If I really want to know, I will find out naturally; there's no need to force you."
Upon hearing this, Wang Ergou suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief.
He... he actually didn't pressure me?
In the Douluo Continent, even a lowly Soul Master, if they suspect an ordinary person like him, has a million ways to make him talk.
But this supreme being, who could sever the Undying Daoist's arm with a mere thought, actually... respected his silence?
An indescribable warm current, mixed with immense guilt and complex emotions, surged into Wang Ergou's heart.
This long-lost feeling of being treated as a "person" rather than an "object" or an "ant" brought tears to his eyes.
"This is the Undying Mountain, Life Forbidden Zone, not a place for you."
Lin Hao continued, his voice tinged with a warning, "Leave as soon as possible. Return the way you came; there's still a glimmer of hope."
As soon as he finished speaking, Wang Ergou clearly felt that the invisible will belonging to the Heavenly Emperor, which had been watching him from the shadows, had completely disappeared.
He stood there, stunned, gazing at the desolate black mountain range, then looked back at the seemingly endless wasteland behind him.
Lin Hao's words, "If I want to know, I will know; there's no need to force you," kept echoing in his mind.
"Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor..."
Wang Ergou murmured to himself, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.
He took a deep breath, bowed deeply once more in the direction of the Undying Mountain stele, then turned around and, following the direction he had come from in his memory, took a few unsteady but incredibly firm steps.
He wanted to leave this place; he wanted to survive!
Live on, bearing this incredible "respect" from the Heavenly Emperor of another world!
"This..."
On the Douluo Continent, all the major powers watched this scene through the Heavenly Screen, and a strange look flashed in their eyes.
"It seems that this Heavenly Emperor not only respects those he knows, but even a nobody like Wang Ergou is treated as a person in his eyes?"
Within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
Bone Douluo Gu Rong, stroked his beard and pondered, his voice tinged with a hint of amazement and confusion. "Judging from the Heavenly Emperor's actions today, he first used swift and decisive means to suppress the Undying Daoist and maintain order at the Undying Mountain, and then treated the mortal from another world who had mistakenly entered with a peaceful attitude..."
Their code of conduct doesn't seem to be simply based on the survival of the fittest, but rather contains a certain... balance between order and benevolence?
Ning Fengzhi slightly, seemingly lost in thought, " Uncle Gu is absolutely right."
If one were to act arbitrarily, the simplest course of action when faced with an otherworldly visitor who might expose one's secrets would be to search their soul and silence them, thus ending the matter once and for all.
But he didn't. He said, "If I want to know, I will know; there's no need to force you." What this reveals is an absolute confidence in his own wisdom and ability, as well as a certain... acknowledgment of the independent will of the "other."
Even if this 'other' is as weak as an ant.
Gu Rong nodded and exclaimed in admiration, "That's exactly right."
"From this perspective, His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor may not be a bloodthirsty tyrant who regards all living beings as worthless."
He seems to have higher aspirations and bottom lines in the use of power.
Imagine if this Heavenly Emperor were to one day learn of the existence of our Douluo Continent, or even have the ability to descend upon this world... Given the nature he has displayed today, we might not need to immediately worry about facing a world-ending massacre.
He is more likely to appear as an observer, or even as a creator of some kind of order.
This might be our only chance, but also our biggest variable.
Ning Fengzhi to be deep in thought, "If that's true, this is indeed quite different from any top-tier expert we know."
Shrek Academy.
A hint of disdain flashed in Tang San's eyes as he thought to himself, "Hmph, it's nothing but pretense."
If you have the ability, why would you care about ordinary people?
In the face of absolute power, so-called respect is nothing more than the pity bestowed by the strong, and is utterly meaningless.
If I possessed his power, I would have long ago unified the Douluo Continent, established my own rules, and made all living beings grovel before me. Why would I be so indecisive and concerned with the thoughts of ants like him?
In his eyes, strength is truth, the strong set the rules, and the weak can only obey.
Tang San believed that only absolute control and the display of power could be the foundation of rule.
Tang San wasn't the only one with this idea.
Spirit Hall.
"Order and mercy?"
Ghost Douluo Gui Mei tone carried a hint of confusion. "In the face of absolute power, these are nothing but embellishments."
I think that so-called Heavenly Emperor is just doing whatever he pleases. He just happens to be in a good mood today and doesn't want to bother with ants.
If he's in a bad mood one day, it's not impossible for him to destroy the world with a wave of his hand.
Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan gently twirled a chrysanthemum and said in a sweet voice, " The Gui Mei is right."
What's the point of acknowledging the will of ants? The strong rule and the weak are prey to each other; this is the fundamental principle of nature.
His Holiness the Pope's grand vision is the right path—only by bringing everything under control can an Eternal and unchanging order be established.
However, Bibi Dong's gaze was profound, and her views were completely different from the two men's.
"No... Yue Guan, Gui Mei, didn't you notice? He... is different."
She slowly rose, walked to the window, and looked into the distance. "What amazes me is not the so-called 'dignity' he gave to ants, but the way he wielded power."
We all know that the essence of power is domination and destruction.
But he seemed to be trying to use this supreme power to maintain an order that included a certain basic respect for the weak.
Bibi Dong stopped and turned to look at the two elders, her tone becoming serious and full of strategic vision:
This is neither hypocrisy nor weakness.
This is an extreme form of self-confidence, an arrogance that believes that even if the will of the weak is preserved, it will not affect their absolute dominance in the slightest.
Imagine if my Spirit Hall, in implementing the Sacred Plan and establishing a new order on the continent, could also demonstrate such a flexible and tactful approach, instead of resorting solely to oppression and ruthlessness. Wouldn't that, amidst fear, also inspire an inexplicable sense of obedience and even acceptance among those stubborn opposition forces?
She narrowed her phoenix eyes slightly, a dangerous yet shrewd glint flashing within them:
"That's what amazes me the most."
He showed us an art of domination that transcends mere violent conquest.
This kind of 'mercy' may be more penetrating than simple destruction, and more capable of fundamentally undermining the opponent's will to resist.
This... may be an extremely dangerous threat to the future path of our Spirit Hall, but it may also... be a new form of formalization worth pondering.
Meanwhile, in the Shrouding the Heavens World, somewhere in the Eastern Wasteland.
Lin Hao, dressed in white, withdrew his gaze from the direction of the Undying Mountain.
"Interesting," he muttered to himself.
"A person who doesn't belong to this world? Could it be Perfect World or the Sacred Ruins? It seems we'll have to..."
Just as Lin Hao was about to instruct the Heavenly Court to arrange for personnel to investigate the matter—
Buzz!
Above their heads, the void twisted without warning, and a narrow spatial rift suddenly tore open!