Chương 70: The Truth of Conservation

Fang Cheng had been a low-level cultivator and a Land God for over a decade. He should have felt a surge of empathy and righteous passion. But then he looked at the three tokens on the table and thought of Su Mu's Seventh Realm cultivation. He sneered inwardly. If a Seventh Realm cultivator was "low-level," then what was Qin Hao, a First Level cultivator? Nothing but worthless trash?

"Great Cult Master Su, your words sound pretty, but I am not so easily fooled. Because I have sharp eyes! With these sharp eyes, I can see your heart. It is filled with ugly sins. And I love them... I mean, I hate them!" As a righteous cultivator, Fang Cheng should be filled with passionate fury. He needed to show Su Mu that his good deeds were not just empty boasts. Where was the anger? Let it burn! He stood up, staring at Su Mu with burning eyes.

His expression was complex: three parts disgust, three parts indignation, and the rest sorrow and regret. He began his righteous speech.

"Look at you, Great Cult Master Su. You paint yourself as so pitiful. You try to blend in with us low-level cultivators. But your condescending attitude cannot fool me.

"Su Mu, open your eyes. Look up. The factory workers are being exploited like slaves. Look down. The men of the Hero Gang are being played like puppets.

"You, Su, do not even respect the lowest working people. How can you talk about leading low-level cultivators to rise up? They are all just tools to you. You never treat them as human beings. You deserve to die!" Su Mu gave a surprised grunt after hearing Fang Cheng's speech. He thought, "This guy's pretty good at swaying people too. But hey, I'm no pushover either. Hmph." He smirked coldly and began his counterattack.

"Tools? People? What does it matter if I treat them like people or not?

"Fang Cheng, your thinking is too narrow. All things in the world have spirits. Humans are just one of them.

"The pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep you eat every day are pitiful, humble creatures. The ants and dung beetles you step on are even more humble and miserable than humans. But do you sympathize with them?

"Do you say a prayer every time you eat meat?

'Oh, I am sorry. I really should not eat you. I am so terrible. How could I be so cruel as to eat cute little piggies and lambs?'

"No, you do not. You are just as cold and indifferent as I am. That is the nature of all living beings." Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. Fang Cheng thought about it seriously. He really did not. Especially when eating delicious meat, he felt not guilt but a tiny bit of excitement. Oh, I am so terrible. As a good person, how could I be so cruel! He slapped himself twice and raised his hand to speak.

"I confess! I apologize! Admitting mistakes makes one a good child. From now on, every time I eat meat, vegetables, rice, sweet potatoes, or anything delicious, I will say this first: "Oh, I am sorry. I really should not eat you. Slurp..." Fang Cheng's face was full of sincerity. As he spoke, he wiped the drool from his mouth. It had been so long since he had eaten a delicious roasted sweet potato. He missed them so much. Su Mu was stunned. He had wanted agreement, not confession. But this guy...

he was something else.

"Does apologizing help? Does confessing help? No! It is completely useless! They have already been cruelly killed by you. They have become cold corpses. They cannot accept your apologies."

"Exactly! I should kill them first, then apologize. That way, I will not hear any accusations or insults. It is as if they have all forgiven me. Haha. Of course they have forgiven me. Everyone knows I am a truly good person!" Fang Cheng laughed happily. He was so kind. So kind that all the dead creatures refused to accuse or curse him. They all accepted his confession. Su Mu fell silent. He had run into a master of masters. He suspected this guy was actually possessed by a demon.

But there was no demonic energy on him. He had surely attained the highest form of lying: self‑deception, and willingly walking into his own trap. Fine. He would have to use his ultimate move. Su Mu straightened his collar, rose slightly, and wore an expression of unparalleled solemnity, as if he were a majestic mountain to be admired, and as if he were a vast ocean that embraces all rivers. He said, "Fang Cheng, do you know that I have discovered the truth?"

"Discover whatever you want. Just do not discuss it with me, or I will stab you." Fang Cheng warned.

"The truth does not need discussion. It is right before your eyes!" Su Mu shouted, pointing at the sky. His expression was solemn, like a new era pope. Below him, countless fanatical believers prostrated themselves, pressing their foreheads to the cold ground, trying to ignite it with their fervor. They chanted, "Long live the Emperor! May he reign for ten thousand years!" Su Mu declared, "Long live the Truth! May it reign for ten thousand years!" Behold, he is about to speak.

Though his lips have not yet parted, his voice rings out from nowhere, shaking the whole palace like a clap of thunder.

"The world is conserved." That was his first sentence. As the words echoed through the empty palace, a thunderbolt seemed to strike him personally. His ears rang, his body trembled, and his mind buzzed. Across from him, Fang Cheng scratched his head. A giant question mark appeared above it. Su Mu snorted and continued, "Energy is conserved. It cannot be created or destroyed.

"All living beings are also conserved. When someone dies in a house, an ant colony may be born by the roadside. The total number of living beings may differ, but the total energy is the same. Do you understand?" Fang Cheng scratched his head harder. The question mark grew bigger.

"I know you do not understand. I did not either at first. But after creating this array and conducting countless experiments and tests, I have proven it: all things are conserved!" Su Mu smiled. He began to explain. This was not a discussion. It was a sermon.

"I used the array to create countless Life Crystals. But one day, the array stopped working. No matter how hard my disciples tried, bringing in more people and forming more bonds, no Life Crystals were produced.

"I was furious. I slapped two lazy disciples to death. And at the moment they died, two new Life Crystals appeared. Their energy was so familiar. Hahaha. That was it. That was the truth of life. All things are conserved!

"Shuili City, enveloped by the array, becomes a small, closed world. Everything here is conserved. Energy merely shifts. If I want more Life Crystals, I cannot allow new life to be born. I must even kill all useless living beings!"