Before the Barrier at Mount Primordial Flame.

As the Young Saints fiercely debated over which “Way” could ignite the fire of humanity, the presence of darkness had already arrived.

Within the valley, all the Cultivators who had followed along now felt a deep unease and foreboding.

All eyes gathered, and a middle-aged man clad in a black robe appeared.

Beside him were three other powerful beings of darkness—two women and one man. The man, a large, corpulent figure, was gazing greedily at the Cultivators present.

“Wait… those two women… they are… the Fire Emperor and the Wood Emperor?”

Suddenly, an elder Cultivator exclaimed in shock, staring with disbelief at the Dark Fire Emperor and Dark Wood Emperor!

“It truly is them… I have seen their portraits before…”

“Didn’t they die in the darkness long ago? Why are they reappearing now…”

“Something is not right. Their state… it’s abnormal. Surrounding them is the Dark Origin Qi…”

“Could it be that they were corrupted by the darkness and have turned into Dark Creatures?”

A storm of chatter erupted among the crowd!

The reemergence of the Dark Fire Emperor and Dark Wood Emperor was truly earth-shattering.

Those once dead have now been reborn through the darkness.

The three Young Saints, seated around the campfire discussing the “Way,” were also deeply astonished.

“The descent of darkness… You are beings who walk out of the darkness!”

Zhu Meng spoke warily.

“What purpose do you have here…”

Han Shengfa asked cautiously, his face full of apprehension.

The three of them felt immense pressure.

After all, these were four Great Emperors of darkness. Not only was it far above any of their capabilities, even the Great Emperors of the Forbidden World would have to bow their heads before them.

Mo Zheng turned to look at them, chuckling lightly, and said:

“Do not be afraid. I have not come to kill you.”

“I have come… to enlighten you.”

Though his words were spoken gently, at the moment, they penetrated like an ethereal mist, compelling everyone to listen to him intently.

“Benevolence? Benevolence and righteousness arise from the heart of compassion. But, what happens if compassion is absent?”

Mo Zheng chuckled faintly and continued:

“What does benevolence bring to the world? A lofty Great Emperor could obliterate all life with a single thought. Does that have anything to do with whether they possess benevolence?”

“If I were supremely powerful, why should I care about benevolence? Act as I please, unrestrained—who could stop me? Benevolence, in truth, is nothing but rhetoric used to comfort the ants beneath.”

He extended a finger, and beside Zhu Meng appeared a series of images.

The images portrayed a failed scholar enslaved by the doctrines of benevolence and righteousness, who wasted his life consumed by moral essays and articles, impoverished and insignificant. His greatest pleasure came from demonstrating how many ways the character for “fennel” could be written…

It showed a famous personality who preached morals and chastity, calling for the eradication of human desires, while simultaneously violating his own daughter-in-law with lustful hunger, as if possessed by the depravity of a Ghost…

It revealed an era of strict moral teachings, wherein an elderly scholar, crazed and delusional, lost his sanity after his failed attempts to produce imperial candidates…

At this moment, Mo Zheng was unveiling truths!

He employed some causality mystic art to let Zhu Meng witness the sordid outcomes when his benevolence and righteous doctrines had influenced the world!

“No…”

At this moment, Zhu Meng clutched his head in agony, roaring:

“This is not my original intent. My creation of Benevolence was meant to save the world, and this… this is nothing but a poison that has harmed generations, destroying life—abominable!”

His Dao Heart collapsed in that instant!

“Follow me, and I will show you what true future looks like.”

Mo Zheng spoke like a merciful father, placing his hand on Zhu Meng’s head.

In that moment, Zhu Meng suddenly quieted down, becoming like a Puppet, silently following Mo Zheng.

Mo Zheng smiled and turned towards Han Shengfa, saying:

“Law? I genuinely don’t understand why so many people would follow your path.”

“Law is made by people. Those who create the laws—are they doing so for the sake of the world? No. It’s only to perpetuate their imperial rule and secure their throne for eternity.”

“Law and rules are merely leashes used by the strong to tame the weak. They’re no better than benevolence and righteousness in essence!”

With a wave of his hand, Mo Zheng suddenly forced Han Shengfa to kneel, coldly saying:

“Now, I decree this law: You are born inferior and destined to kneel. Kneeling before me—that is law. Those who disobey shall die.”

“A thousand years from now, will your descendants still be able to rise? Even if a Heavenly God grants them the opportunity to stand, they would kneel again of their own will.”

“For kneeling becomes ingrained in the marrow.”

“Ruling through law only grants others a weapon to use against you. The world you construct, by its nature, remains a paradigm of survival of the fittest, where privilege shields the noble. And this—does it deserve to ignite the fire of humanity?”

Mo Zheng’s words roared like thunder, and Han Shengfa suddenly coughed up blood. His face turned pale, as he murmured:

“Thus… I become a sinner across the ages—a victim of my own laws, harming my descendants… harming my descendants, indeed…”

His Dao Heart collapsed, and he too knelt!

In mere moments, both Zhu Meng and Han Shengfa had been defeated by Mo Zheng.

At this moment, Su Mo casually smiled and said:

“You cannot defeat me, for what I pursue is truth.”

“Benevolence and Law are merely rotten constructs of humanity—both are fundamentally mechanisms for humans to enslave other humans, and the societies they create are inevitably decadent for the elite above and miserable for the masses below, cycling endlessly without escape.”

“But my study of nature is different. One is one, air is air, water is water; no one can distort Black and White, nor invert right and wrong within the study of nature. It is an untainted discipline.”

Mo Zheng chuckled faintly and replied:

“You are correct.”

“I have no interest in enlightening you, because you cannot survive.”

“Those who dominate the world are always those adept at leveraging Benevolence and Law to manipulate society’s masses. What about you? Seeking truth? Seeking truth is a path that leads to death. With the Forbidden World’s emperors and ministers ruling the soil, they will not offer you room to grow.”

“If your philosophy were to flourish, it would need to go to the Dark Firmament—because there, no one would teach you to be human before gaining knowledge. There, no one would target you for lacking social niceties. There, even if you were a madman, you would be accepted.”

“Within the Dark Firmament, wisdom is more valuable than emotional intelligence.”

Hearing this, Su Mo thought deeply for a moment and said:

“What you say is true.”

“I am willing to go to the Dark Firmament.”

He offered Mo Zheng a respectful bow.

In an instant, Mo Zheng had triumphed over the three Young Saints!

－－Masters of Benevolence and Law, Zhu Meng and Han Shengfa, had been easily crushed before him, while Su Mo required assistance to find fertile ground for his philosophy.

A complete victory!

“Benevolence has crumbled… no…”

“Law cannot ignite the fire of humanity either?”

“Where is the path forward?”

At this moment, countless Cultivators and followers who had accompanied the three Young Saints were bewildered. They plunged into a state of doubt.

“I told you, let me feast first! Look at what you’ve done—you’ve shattered their Dao Hearts. Without belief, their flesh is no good!”

Beside them, Mo Tie casually grabbed several Cultivators, chewing them up while complaining.

The more resolute the belief, the tastier the bones—a phenomenon unrelated to the object of faith. Even faith in a mere stone, if pure and profound, would generate immense strength.

Now, however, the collapse of belief made Mo Tie dissatisfied.

“The fire of humanity?”

Mo Zheng chuckled. As he gazed at the extinguished campfire, he said:

“Fire inherently defies universal law—it is an impure creation!”

He turned to the Dark Fire Emperor and Dark Wood Emperor, saying:

“Destroy the Fire Seed.”

The Dark Fire Emperor, in her black dress, regarded the crowd with cold detachment. Then, with a wave of her hand, a dark mist surged forth, intending to engulf all life.

“No… We refuse to enter the darkness!”

“Even if Benevolence and Law are wrong, we must continue seeking. Once veiled by darkness, the true answer may never be found…”

“Escape! Those who came here are the Fire Seed—go out and leave your thoughts behind. One day, there may yet be a chance to ignite the fire of humanity!”

Many shouted to flee!

But, in front of the Dark Fire Emperor, they were merely ants—incapable of even the slimmest opportunity!

Yet, at that moment:

“The Fire Seed is Indestructible; the flame… endures still!”

A melodious female voice suddenly rang out, and a vast palace’s projection appeared, shielding everyone present. Even the dark mist could not breach it!

At the other side of the valley, two young women emerged side by side. One of them wore a fiery red dress and held a wooden-carved miniature palace in her hand.

Engraved upon the palace were four characters:

“Li Tian Xuan Palace.”

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