Phi-Fic Chapter 1077 Self-Preservation
Chapter 1077 Self-Preservation
Half an hour later, the Void Demon retreated precisely on time.
Jian Yunyuan sheathed his natal sword, sat cross-legged on the wasteland, and held a spirit pill that could replenish true essence in his hand. However, he hesitated to take it, staring blankly at the bright spirit pill, lost in thought, not knowing what he was thinking.
Zhao Lang, who had been rescued by Jian Yunyuan earlier, came before this disciple of the Sword Court and thanked him profusely:
"Thank you for your help, Fellow Daoist Jian... If it weren't for you, today would have been the day I, Zhao, perished."
Jian Yunyuan was slightly taken aback, forced a smile, and nodded: "Fellow Daoist Zhao, you flatter me."
“Well… Fellow Daoist Jian, I am now completely exhausted, and unfortunately, I don’t have a single immortal stone or elixir left! Even if you save me today, the Void Demon will return in a few days, and I will still be unable to escape death.”
Zhao Lang, in the mortal world, was also a true disciple of the Golden Immortal lineage, usually so full of vigor and ambition. Now, however, he was weeping and saying:
"Fellow Daoist Jian, since you've gone all the way to save lives, would you be so kind as to bestow some of your elixirs upon me..."
Jian Yunyuan's expression changed.
"Zhao Lang! Just now, when you were in mortal danger, everyone else stood by and watched coldly, but only Fellow Daoist Jian couldn't bear to see it and stepped in to help. It's one thing if you don't remember their kindness, but how can you repay kindness with enmity?"
Luo Zixuan couldn't stand it and rebuked him, "In the Void of Return, pills are related to everyone's path of cultivation and life. You asked Fellow Daoist Jian for pills, isn't that the same as asking for his life?"
Zhao Lang cried out, “How could I not know? But… but I have cultivated for thousands of years and finally achieved what I have today. How could I be willing to give up my life here like this!”
Jian Yunyuan's expression changed several times, clearly indicating an internal struggle. Just as he was about to speak with difficulty, he saw Jing Yu pat him on the shoulder:
"Jian Yunyuan, you will die."
Jian Yunyuan turned his head in surprise, and Jing Yu repeated:
“If you give him the elixir, you will die.”
“In this Void of Return, the stronger a cultivator is, the longer they live. You should have been the last to die, but because you gave him the pill today, you will die much faster than you originally would.”
Jian Yunyuan shook his head and said, "Although I am a disciple of the Sword Court, in terms of wealth, I am not as wealthy as the two Fellow Daoists Fu. Even if I had not saved Fellow Daoist Zhao today, I would not have been able to hold out until the very end."
"No, you're wrong. In the Ruins of Return, the one with the strongest combat power is always the last one to die."
Jing Yu said seriously, "It's pointless to discuss who has more supplies now, because everyone's supply quantity will change."
His implication was quite clear.
Jian Yunyuan stared blankly at Jing Yu, his eyes filled with struggle and confusion.
"The strongest fighter... died last?"
Jian Yunyuan repeated the question, his voice somewhat hoarse: "The supply quantity... will change?"
Jing Yu nodded, her gaze sweeping over the other prodigies not far away, some with their eyes closed in meditation, others with blank expressions, before finally returning to Jian Yunyuan's face: "Fellow Daoist Jian, you are a gentleman, with a scale in your heart and your own path. That's very good. In such a desperate situation, you can still uphold your principles and help people. It's truly commendable."
He paused, his tone slightly somber: "But a gentleman is not a pushover, much less a clay idol who endlessly satisfies the demands of others. Especially here—Guixu."
"Here, the heavens are devoid of spirit, the earth is devoid of life, and all things have returned to nothingness. The supplies in each of our hands are the countdown to our future lifespan, the only means to resist the demons of the void and maintain our existence. Use a little, and it will be gone, with no possibility of replenishment."
Jing Yu pointed at Zhao Lang, then at the silent figures in the distance: "You took pity on him today and saved him for a while. What about tomorrow? The day after? The Demon of Ruins arrives every few days. How will he survive the next one? Are you going to continue giving to him?"
"And this is just him alone."
Jing Yu's voice grew even colder: "You've set this precedent today. Tomorrow, Li Lang, Wang Lang... all those who run out of supplies, who think they have some connection with you, or who simply rely on your reputation as a gentleman, will come begging. Will you give them to them or not? No matter how wealthy you are, Jian Yunyuan, how many people can you support? And for how long?"
Jian Yunyuan's face grew paler and paler, and the fingers holding the pill tightened slightly.
Zhao Lang, who was listening from the side, had an expression that changed. He opened his mouth as if to say something, but was immediately silenced by Jing Yu's cold gaze.
"I'm not teaching you to be cold-blooded."
Jing Yu's tone softened slightly, carrying a hint of barely perceptible complexity: "On the contrary, Fellow Daoist Jian, I admire that you can still act according to your conscience at this moment. This shows that your Dao is still intact, and your sword heart has not been tarnished. In this despair that can drive people mad, it is already extremely difficult to maintain this original intention."
“But I hope that you can hold onto this Dao heart for a longer time. I don’t want you to exhaust yourself too soon because of a moment of reluctance, forcing yourself to face even crueler choices—to rob, to scheme, to watch helplessly as your companions die because you are powerless to save them, or even… to become the kind of person you once hated the most in order to survive.”
"You think... I'll become like that sooner or later?" Jian Yunyuan gritted his teeth.
"I do not know."
Jing Yu shook her head frankly: "The Void can change many things. Even the most steadfast Dao heart can be distorted under endless despair and the pressure of survival."
"I just think it would be a real shame if someone like you were ever forced to abandon all your principles and become a monster who would stop at nothing to survive."
He patted Jian Yunyuan on the shoulder, very lightly: "So, Jian Yunyuan, don't hasten this day. Protect your strength, protect your supplies."
"Even a virtuous person can only cultivate their own virtue at times. Everyone has their own destiny. You only need to uphold the four words: 'to do one's utmost in benevolence and righteousness.'"
Zhao Lang stood there blankly, watching Jing Yu's back, then looking at Jian Yunyuan, whose expression kept changing before he slowly put the pill away. The hope on his face gradually faded, turning into a deeper despair.
"Who...who can give me a few pills? If I, Zhao, escape from this place, I will surely be richly rewarded in the future!"
In despair, Zhao Lang tried to ask others for help. He looked at the Fu siblings, only to see Fu Changting looking at him with a gloating expression and a mocking gaze.
He glanced at Yue Liusu, the wealthiest person in the area, only to see that this Yuan Dan true disciple merely shook his head slightly and then turned to transmit his voice to his younger brother, Yue Xingzhou:
"We could have accepted him to use, but he was the first among all the prodigies to give up, which shows that he is the weakest. Keeping such a weakling around would only be a waste of pills... There's no point in accepting him."
He looked at Yuan Jiqing, only to see this true disciple of the Ancestral Demon Palace cursing: "Damn it, you useless human! If you had known this would happen, you should have committed suicide a hundred years ago and given us all your pills. Now you've eaten them all and they've turned into excrement and urine, wasting so many supplies! And you still have the nerve to ask your Master Yuan for food?"