Life for some is a devil. If a person lives as if in heaven, then this world holds boundless meaning and happiness for him. Whether a person is happy or not depends on how much control he has over the things in this world. The more resources you control, the happier you live. The less you obtain, the unhappier you will live, because happy people are built upon material wealth. Although this is a somewhat demonized understanding, the essence of reality is just this.
Ye Tiancheng's understanding completely subverted those who set traps for their own benefit. They always promulgated strange theories, turning the masses into fools, constantly providing them with high-quality wealth and services. Therefore, for Ye Tiancheng to become like them, or even surpass them, he would need to put in a great deal of effort.
Thus, Wang Gaofan understood clearly that to avoid being such a pathetic person, he had to become someone at the top of the food chain. Therefore, he had to work hard, to surpass the conventions of this world, otherwise, he would live out this miserable life. For Ye Tiancheng, if he did not achieve his dream, his life would be very tragic. Although such a thing seemed ethereal and unattainable, having a dream was better than living like a walking corpse. Everyone lives for their own aspirations. People without aspirations have no meaning in their lives. To live meaningfully is entirely because they want to obtain what they desire. Simply put, that's how it is.
Ye Tiancheng obtained the short sword and gave the other party some rare herbs. Wang Youcai was very happy to receive these herbs. Although he did not recognize them, he felt that herbs given by a cultivator like Ye Tiancheng must be extraordinary. Therefore, he cherished them greatly and smiled faintly, saying to Wang Yuantao, "Thank you for your gifts. I am very grateful... For your future prospects, you must remember one thing: there are too many wolves in this world. You must be careful, lest you fall prey to their schemes and tricks. If a person falls, they won't care. If you try to climb, they will definitely list you as an obstacle and want to eliminate you as quickly as possible, because the path forward is too narrow, and everyone wants to reach the pinnacle of martial arts."
Ye Tiancheng naturally understood this statement very well, but hearing it from Wang Youcai's mouth made him very happy, as meeting this fellow made him feel quite pleased.
Regardless, it was like meeting a kindred spirit, with whom he could exchange many thoughts and feelings. This was something that made him very happy. However, there were many things Ye Tiancheng had not anticipated, namely, that he had oversimplified certain matters. After all, this world was full of all sorts of complex things, and these complex things could very well cost him his life.
Thinking about it, his heart was filled with complex emotions. Because of these complex emotions, he kept repeating some inexplicable thoughts. To say he hated this world, he didn't really hate it that much. To say he didn't hate this world, yet he detested it greatly. He hated this world, and he also liked this world. "That is also very correct. Thank you for your concern. We shall meet again." Wang Pengfan cupped his fists at him, made a gesture, and prepared to leave. Just as he was about to leave, Xiao Liuzi suddenly hugged his leg.
Seeing Xiao Liuzi's action, the villagers were all very surprised. Ye Tiancheng's eyes revealed a devilish look. As Xiao Liuzi's fellow villagers, they naturally did not want to see this child follow a bad person and go astray. Therefore, they all showed looks of concern for him. Xiao Liuzi naturally knew what the villagers were thinking. Although he was still a child, children from poor families had to mature early. They already understood the ways of the world very well. Don't look at him being only eight or nine years old; he already understood the thoughts of the adults. These uncles and elder brothers, they simply saw Ye Tiancheng as a bad person. A bad person's expression isn't written on their face. What looks like it might not be, and what doesn't look like it might be. Every person with a smile on their face might be someone who kills without shedding blood.
Because Xiao Liuzi had seen too many such people before. The Jin Yi Wei who came to see them in the past were like kind and courteous people, but in the next moment, those Jin Yi Wei inexplicably killed seven or eight people.
From that moment on, Xiao Liuzi knew that people who are liked are not necessarily good people, and people who look fierce are not necessarily bad people.
Distinguishing between good and bad people is too complicated, because time reveals the heart, but time may not always reveal the heart, because people are like clouds in the sky; they are constantly changing. A good person might be forced to become a bad person due to changes in the social environment. It is very easy for bad people to turn good people into bad people, and it is also not easy. This is how the world is. Ye Tiancheng also greatly admired Xiao Liuzi's maturity, because when he was his age, he didn't understand anything. He had to admire him for understanding human relationships and worldly affairs so well at such a young age, making him completely impressed. If heaven gave Ye Tiancheng a chance to do it again, he would definitely learn to be sensible earlier, so as not to be a good-for-nothing in his twenties.
Some people are very successful at seventeen or eighteen, but they are not successful in their twenties. Thinking about this makes him very anxious. This can be described as comparing oneself to others and dying of anger. Some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouths; their social status and starting points are very high. As a rural person, he would naturally envy these noble sons or second-generation officials born with a silver spoon.
It is truly an era of nepotism. Having a good father is certainly very good.
At the very least, one can live a comfortable life for a long time without having to work hard. But he was different; his starting point was very low, and for several years, he lived a life worse than death, like a dog.
Living like a dog for too long makes people very dissatisfied. So much so that if they had great power, they would definitely choose to change this unfair world, because the rich are constantly oppressing and exploiting, making people's moods and lives very bad. Everyone believes that these rich people have stolen their happiness, so they harbor strong hatred towards these rich people. But thinking about it now, this kind of pointless hatred and strong emotions is very useless. The only useful thing is to become like them, to be called a useful person. Money has a great impact on life and the changes in material life.
Therefore, everyone is passionately pursuing wealth. Only by obtaining immense wealth can one live like a human being. When you lack wealth and have to work, you are completely bound by life, with no freedom, no status, and even less dignity. Therefore, those who work are those who, by cultivating immortality, ultimately wish to stop cultivating immortality through arduous effort. Everyone takes a different path, but everyone wants to reach the same goal.
Ye Tiancheng saw that Xiao Liuzi wanted to follow him, and he did not refuse Xiao Liuzi's request. He agreed. Xiao Liuzi was infinitely happy to see Ye Tiancheng agree. He smiled with his eyebrows curved, "It's so happy to witness everything with big brother. I must say I've followed the right person."
This guy is good at flattery, but Ye Tiancheng doesn't dislike his flattery.
Because he finds it very satisfying, he smiles faintly and taps his forehead with his finger, saying, "The path of cultivation ahead is long and arduous. I hope you, little fellow, can withstand all kinds of difficulties, all kinds of temptations, and all kinds of threats that may bring death, because once you step onto this path, you can only move forward; there is no turning back."
"I know that, because this path is too narrow. Every cultivator wants to obtain great benefits, wealth, and all sorts of rare demonic beast materials. Otherwise, you wouldn't be able to have the Catfish Demon clan guarding the entrance to the demon world, preventing other cultivators from finding it."
Ye Tiancheng never expected this little fellow to be so smart. Even Da Qing She didn't expect this. Da Qing She was very unhappy to hear Xiao Liuzi's words early in the morning. This was clearly looking down on his wisdom as a mountain god.
"Don't be unhappy. Although you've lived for hundreds of years, you've spent all these years just eating. You haven't truly interacted with humans or understood human thoughts and the human world. Humans are very interesting but also very evil creatures. Their thoughts are very complex, and their actions are sometimes very strange. Everyone has their unique aspects, but most people have been brainwashed into being work machines. They don't live for themselves at all; instead, they live their entire lives for money, because they constantly produce profitable things to supply the luxurious lives of the upper class. Therefore, this has led everyone to want to pursue profit." Da Qing She smiled. Da Qing She never expected this fool to think so much. Although he was much older than her, having lived for tens of thousands of years, he had been firmly controlled within the soil of Xiaohe Village all these years. If he hadn't coincidentally met Ye Tiancheng, he would never have had the chance to see the world in his entire life, always buried beneath the soil.
To appear in this world, it could be said to be a coincidence, or perhaps it was arranged by fate. Heaven arranged all this with its own intentions.
Therefore, all things in the world have their own destiny, and no one can stop it, and no one can change it. So-called change is just a form of brainwashing, because if you want to get something, you must give up something. No one can have both fish and bear's paw.
What Ye Tiancheng truly wanted was to cultivate into the demonic path one day, and then go to the Heavenly Court to see the world of gods and immortals, to see if it was as good as described in books. If the divine realm was also filled with evil, deception, and exploitation like the human world, then, as the divine realm said, he would overthrow the Jade Emperor and change the divine realm.
If the Jade Emperor knew about this idea, Ye Tiancheng would definitely not even have the chance to cultivate now, because the Jade Emperor would not allow him to have such thoughts. Such thoughts would be against his will and intentions. They would surely nip such thoughts in the bud.
This is also one of the reasons why Da Qing She is very worried. Her worry is of no use, because Ye Tiancheng has already decided and will not care about so much. No one knows what he is thinking in his heart, but Ye Tiancheng knows what he is thinking. Although he knows what he is thinking, he will never say it out loud, because saying these things out loud means that many things have already changed.
It's like a wall that has been built. If you want to change the mortar used to lay the bricks, you must tear down this wall and start over.
If Ye Tiancheng wants to change everything in the divine realm, then it is like pushing down a built wall and rebuilding it with new sand and mud.
In this way, the order of the entire world will be disrupted, and everything will be rewritten. But Ye Tiancheng does not care about this change, because the feet of every victor tread on the bones of others. Only the strong have the right to speak with such confidence, while the weak are destined to become dust. This is a cold and inhumane world. Everyone plots against each other for profit. No one is trustworthy.
He only trusts himself, because in this world, only he will not deceive himself, and only he will treat himself well. Everything is born around profit. Without profit, this world would become a stagnant pool, devoid of any vitality. This is not what Ye Tiancheng is willing to see.
Therefore, he hopes that this world will be more prosperous and that the struggle for profit will be more intense. The more intense the struggle, the better. This way, fighting against heaven, fighting against earth, and fighting against people is endless joy. If a person does not court death, then life becomes meaningless. Only those who court death are more likely to achieve glory and wealth by taking risks. Therefore, Wang Gaofan possesses a fervent heart that desires to pursue his dreams.
It cannot be said that such a perverted heart is not taboo in the eyes of some people, but isn't everyone doing this? It's just that everyone doesn't say it out loud.
Everyone is actually very hypocritical. If they act with benevolence and righteousness, and do some immoral things with the intention of extreme pleasure, the world is very receptive, because most people are simple and kind, and they have been domesticated into such people. Only such people are easily bullied and exploited. Therefore, most people believe in the false and meaningless benevolence and righteousness in this world. In reality, those who believe in such people are destined to become rabbits at the bottom of the food chain.
To be bullied and used. If you become a tiger, congratulations, you have reached the top of the food chain. You can use these rabbits, and they will fear you and revere you as a god when they see you. Therefore, only sufficient power can make people respect you greatly. Conversely, you are just a useless rabbit, only able to flee from tigers or be eaten.
Ye Tiancheng does not want to be such a person. For him, the meaning of life is to become a tiger. Of course, perhaps being a tiger is a bit too demeaning for him. He wants to become someone who overthrows the Jade Emperor and becomes the first person to change the divine realm. Because of what Da Qing She said, it has greatly influenced him, making him feel disgusted with the divine realm. From this moment on, he might embark on a rebellious path, or perhaps his choice will lead to eternal damnation, or even annihilation of his soul.
From then on, he will vanish into nothingness, because the Jade Emperor has the ability to completely erase a person's existence and make their soul vanish without a trace. If a person's soul is completely gone, then they will not exist.
Others won't even know of his existence. Therefore, he is embarking on a path of no return. Once he makes such a choice, he is likely to be finished.
Ye Tiancheng knows this, but he feels that since he has chosen, he has chosen. He has no regrets, and there is nothing to escape from, only to adhere to his choice.
Perhaps this quality will bring infinite pain, but he feels very happy, because constant struggle makes him feel the meaning of existence. Perhaps life will become more exciting this way. Thinking of this, the dark things in his heart become even darker, and the demonic core in his dantian also becomes darker and brighter. That power becomes even more fervent.
Ye Tiancheng is destined to walk the path of demonic cultivation, but he believes that as long as he uses his power to do good deeds and seek well-being for others, what does it matter if he cultivates demonically? It is merely a means of cultivation. If a person cultivates immortality but does bad deeds, then he is also cultivating demonically. If a person cultivates demonically but does good deeds, then he is also cultivating immortality.
Some people consider demon cultivators to be wicked and unforgivable.
But they never know that immortal cultivators also like to do bad deeds, but they hide them very deeply and are good at using hypocrisy to conceal their true faces, making people unable to distinguish whether they are good or bad people. Good and bad people are actually meaningless, because good and bad are merely definitions made by people who align with their own interests.
Humans, as long as they align with their own interests, then it is naturally good. As long as it harms their interests, then it is naturally a bad person and an evil person. Therefore, good and bad are merely things defined for one's own benefit.
Ye Tiancheng has long known this, but he doesn't want to say it.
Because for him, saying it is meaningless. It is better to refine his demonic cultivation more purely and then ascend to the divine realm to reason with the Jade Emperor, or to completely change the rules of the divine realm, so that not everyone who achieves enlightenment can ascend.
Therefore, he will not allow such a thing to happen, and will naturally change the rules of the divine realm, which will make the gods and immortals hate him and define him as a bad person.
What Ye Tiancheng needs to do now is to immediately tell Xiao Liuzi about his plan. Xiao Liuzi knew that Ye Tiancheng was going to the Underworld and immediately agreed. Although this place is very dangerous, as long as he can see his father, he doesn't care. He is very simple and doesn't care what will happen next. Seeing his innocent look, Ye Tiancheng felt a pang of heartache.
Regardless, going to that place was his suggestion. If they encountered any danger, it would be quite troublesome. To prevent Xiao Liuzi from encountering danger, Ye Tiancheng chattered incessantly.
He talked endlessly. Seeing him babbling like this, it truly made the other party feel surprised. If it were a woman saying these words, of course, people would not feel anything. But for him, a man, to say so much nonsense, it naturally made people feel very confused.
What Ye Tiancheng wants to do next, he has not told anyone. He does whatever he wants. In this situation, he is now very arbitrary. As time goes by, this view makes others feel extremely surprised and incomprehensible. He will not tell others what he wants to do. This man does whatever he wants and never tells others his thoughts. In his eyes, these things are actually very simple. If he tells others these things, it means redistributing these things. He, Ye Tiancheng, is not such a simple and casual person.
Even if he does something, he does it after careful calculation and thorough consideration, not just wanting to do it casually. Therefore, sometimes it is unreasonable to speculate with such thoughts, but some people just like to do things unreasonably. This can easily cause great misunderstandings, but for us, it is meaningless, because he feels that no matter what.
It is what he wants to do. What does it matter if others misunderstand? He said to Wang Youcai, "The road to the Underworld is very dangerous. I don't know if I will see you again. If I don't have the chance to return alive, then on this day next year, please come to my grave and offer a stick of incense, and pour a cup of fine wine. That will be my sincere gratitude."
This fellow said it very casually, as if he truly couldn't return if he went. This made people feel very uncomfortable, especially Wang Youcai. He was not that kind of person. He felt that Ye Tiancheng should be able to return well, at least to return the dagger intact, because he had high expectations for this guy. So he cursed and said, "If you don't come back properly, I will definitely not forgive you. Also, I'm telling you, you must upgrade this dagger. If you want to do that, you'll have to find the elves."
"I know. Don't keep babbling here, it's very annoying."
Ye Tiancheng laughed heartily, then stepped out and walked towards the outside. He walked very潇洒ly, like a hero departing for a distant land without hope of return. For Ye Tiancheng, he did not want to accept this change. As he gradually moved away from Huangjia Village towards Fengdu City, Ye Tiancheng didn't know where Fengdu was. He couldn't ask casually, because this was not a place that ordinary people could know about. He had to find those who were skilled in communicating with the Underworld.