Chapter 23: Words of the Strong

“Master of the Hall… Did I do the right thing?”
Yang Luo stood alone in the washroom, focusing his thoughts as he addressed that distant, mighty existence.
Though he could no longer sense the “connection” he had once established with the Lord of the Temple of Divinity, he had a vague intuition—whatever he did, that being would know, would see.
It was just like the relationship between worshippers and their God in religion; believers always instinctively regarded their deity as omniscient and omnipotent.
“I killed those three people… the Wang siblings, and Huang Cheng.
“Though I knew Wang Ruo had his own difficulties, and that killing is a sin, in that moment… I could not suppress my murderous intent.
“…If Wang Ruo had truly been an irredeemable villain, I might not have felt the urge to kill. But when I saw that he too had family, that he said he was forced to do what he did to pay for his sister’s medical treatment, dragging me into that same pit of despair… I found it unbearable.
“Does that mean the pain I endured in the past can simply be wiped away by such words?!
“Hearing his explanation, my fury flared even greater than before, beyond what I’d felt when he had simply wronged me.
“…Master, I am well aware that from an ordinary person’s point of view, perhaps his actions were understandable. Yet I killed them mercilessly. Neither social morality, the law, nor any other reason can justify what I did…
“…So, was I wrong?”

Outside Clear Summer City, in a house on the outskirts.
Xi Gu lounged lazily on the sofa.
At his side, the two strange beasts: Grey Shadow was happily watching a pet cartoon on the phone, while Black Moon sat intently absorbed in a film on her tablet.
Only Xi Gu himself hadn’t even turned on the TV before him; it seemed as though he was staring into space, lost in thought.
Yet he knew all too well that he was not absentminded, but was instead listening to the “voice of the heart” drifting to him from afar.
“…So, was I wrong?”
Yang Luo’s bewildered voice rang in Xi Gu’s mind.
Xi Gu blinked, putting on an innocent air.
—What’s going on? The “Divine Evolution Elixir” (the Blood of Evolution) I just handed out has already produced the first extraordinary individual in human society, and this fellow has killed three people in just a few short days?!
Bear in mind, all these years, as the first true superhuman on Earth, he himself had never killed—he hadn’t even used his powers to harm another person!
Of course, through the connection forged by the Blood of Evolution, he could directly sense Yang Luo’s state of mind, review his memories, and understand his motives for doing all this.
Even so…
He still felt a flicker of shock.
Propping his chin on his hand, Xi Gu fell into contemplation.

Since awakening his abilities at fifteen, Xi Gu had gradually uncovered their essence and transformations, crossing continents and delving into the ocean depths. His mindset had long since shifted fundamentally.
—Perhaps he wasn’t yet so arrogant as to view himself as “destiny” or “the one true god,” but he did possess a sense of gazing down from a higher plane.
So, after a brief moment of surprise, Xi Gu realized that, for something like this—
Maybe, perhaps, it wasn’t so unexpected after all?
“Human history has always been a cycle of slaughter and war… Once I cast the seeds of the extraordinary into it, it’s inevitable that bloody waves will rise within the human world.”
A clear understanding dawned in Xi Gu’s heart.
“If I truly intend to reshape this world according to my vision, to usher in an era where the extraordinary emerge in endless numbers, then what happened with Yang Luo will not be the only instance, nor will it be the last.”
So, should he stop now?
Should he strip Yang Luo of his power?
—He could do so, if he wished.
The Blood of Evolution originated from him; even if absorbed by other life forms, it remained under his control.
With a single thought, he could seal off or even erase the extraordinary traits of the Blood of Evolution within others.
Thus, if he truly feared that the advent of the supernatural would unleash a torrent of violence upon humanity, warping the course of the age, he could snuff out this seedling here and now.
Such was the situation…
But…
However…
A sudden smile appeared on Xi Gu’s face, and a gleam flashed in his eyes.
“—At this point, am I supposed to play the innocent youth and say, ‘Oh no, I didn’t mean for this to happen, I was just having fun and never thought it would lead to such consequences, I’m sorry to those killed by Yang Luo, I’ll atone for your deaths’? I’m not the protagonist of a Japanese light novel, nor am I a child with the mind of a ten-year-old.
“—I have to admit…
“—In fact, I find this very interesting!
“—And I am eager to see how it unfolds!
“—After all, extraordinary power is both a symbol of evolution and an embodiment of cruelty—evolution itself is cruel, and these two are always two sides of the same coin!”
With these thoughts, Xi Gu had no intention of answering Yang Luo.
It wasn’t just that he wanted to preserve the lofty, mysterious image of the “Lord of the Temple of Divinity”; more importantly, he was now intrigued, eager to see how Yang Luo would act according to his own will—how he would live as an extraordinary being in this world.
Yet, as he waited, Yang Luo’s “voice of the heart” began to shift.
“Master… can you hear my confusion?
“Master…

“Master?
“Master… right… wrong…
“…Law, morality, social order…”
His chaotic thoughts began to settle.
From hesitation, he grew resolute; from lost, he found conviction.
“Master… I’ve finally made up my mind. I don’t know if you can hear me, but I believe that as a supreme being, you must know all things, and someone like me, your disciple, cannot escape your gaze.
“I recall your words. They’re like a beacon guiding me.”
Yang Luo seemed to have gathered his thoughts; his “voice of the heart” now held a note of joy, though Xi Gu found himself perplexed.
—Huh? What did I say? Weren’t those just some impromptu, mysterious lines I made up?
“Just as you said before: ‘No taboos, no needs’… and ‘The Old Ones are returning, the gods will rise again’… This world will eventually be ruled by gods and the extraordinary like you.
“In such a world, all existing rules and social structures will be utterly overturned. The moral, legal, and social dilemmas that trouble me are nothing but my own wishful thinking!
“When the gods descend, divine will is law, and the will of the gods is the order. Under such circumstances, whether to kill, to save, to be kind, or to be evil… the standards of good and evil will be utterly transformed!
“So, as a strong one, as a ‘Disciple of Divinity,’ I should not be constrained by these existing morals!
“In this era of pioneers, I am not the follower of rules, but their maker. All my anguish over standards of judgment was just self-pity!
“So… you revealed everything from the start!
“‘Walk the world, free of all taboos!’ As an extraordinary being, this is the awareness I must possess! The fact that I was troubled by something as trivial as killing only proves my heart isn’t strong enough!
“I understand! At last, I understand everything!”
After this torrent of “strong man’s rhetoric,” having convinced himself, Yang Luo’s confession in Xi Gu’s mind ended with a sense of clarity and relief.
But Xi Gu only blinked in astonishment.
—Wait, what?
I just tossed out a few vague, mystical-sounding ideas, and how did you so naturally arrive at the conclusion, “If I’m troubled by killing, my mindset isn’t strong enough”?
And… wait a second…
Xi Gu’s expression gradually grew strange.
Because he could sense that, as Yang Luo’s “voice of the heart” faded away in contentment, his body was undergoing subtle, yet fundamental changes, beyond the normal pace of “rapid development.”
“…You must be kidding me?!”