NOVEL NEXT Chapter 431 Heavenly Master 138
In the dramas Situ Shuangshuang used to watch with her master, there was always an immortal person living in great pain and loneliness, proclaiming that life must be short to have meaning, to be exciting.
To Situ Shuangshuang, this was as laughable as a beggar claiming to regard gold and silver as dirt, for how could one scorn what one never possessed?
"Master, this thing claims to be the Main God!" Dong Wentao's incredulous exclamation interrupted Situ Shuangshuang's thoughts. He looked at Shuangshuang and said, "Why do I feel like this thing is an Evil God? When has a God ever harmed people?"
Situ Shuangshuang sneered, "It's nothing more than a petty demon, not even an Earth Immortal, yet it dares to crown itself as the Main God; it sure has some nerve."
"Master, what exactly is this thing?" Dong Wentao asked curiously, studying Situ Shuangshuang closely.
"It's not that powerful, akin to the house nightmare your Master raises. Though inherently a house spirit, the house nightmare fell into the Yin Realm by accident and became a nightmare, but it never considered doing evil. This thing, however, was born a nightmare, destined to be a malevolent, life-threatening entity from birth."
"I remember Master told me that most nightmares are spirits transformed. It's rare for one to be born a nightmare. If this thing is born of human obsession, then it must have been many people's malicious obsessions that gave birth to it. However, the game that serves as this nightmare's core is enjoyed by countless people. How many harbor sinister intentions? In such cases, shouldn't a being born of human obsessions be a spirit and not a nightmare?" Dong Wentao asked, puzzled.
Situ Shuangshuang smiled faintly, "It's not surprising. In the world of games, the law of the jungle prevails. The more players kill, the more benefits and respect they gain. If someone were born into this world with no knowledge of the real world, their worldview would naturally be skewed."
"We humans created games and imbued the game world with rules of blood and violence. These rules can subtly influence humans. News reports have shown that not only children with weak resolve and unformed worldviews but also a few adults have, in moments of impulsivity and dissatisfaction, been incited by games to commit crimes. What more when talking about a nightmare born from a game?"
With a rare note of lament in her voice, Situ Shuangshuang said, "It was born in a game world where killing is not a crime, and it has no concept of a proper worldview or understanding of kindness and compassion. Killing and consuming souls are as normal to a game-born nightmare as it is for us humans to slaughter monsters and players freely. Although it was born evil, it's understandable to some extent. Sadly, such a nightmare has a nature of slaughter. I lack the ability to redeem it, so I can only send it away to prevent further harm."
"Master, when you put it that way, I suddenly feel this nightmare is quite pitiable. It does evil without knowing what evil is. It's merely following its survival instincts, yet it's doomed to be killed by us! Just because it killed humans, whereas humans also slaughter various animals for food. Why isn't humanity ever condemned for born evil because it kills animals?" Dong Wentao lowered his eyes, feeling very upset.
Situ Shuangshuang looked at Dong Wentao with surprise! She hadn't expected her young disciple to have such thoughts. Unable to resist, she patted Dong Wentao on the head and said lightly, "Who says humans aren't guilty when they slaughter animals?"
"Ah!" Dong Wentao raised his head, looking at Situ Shuangshuang in surprise, slightly bewildered. His first thought was to calculate how many animals he'd eaten and how many sins he'd committed!
Situ Shuangshuang saw through Dong Wentao's thoughts at a glance, and with both amusement and annoyance, flicked his forehead, "What nonsense are you thinking?"
"Ah, that hurts." Dong Wentao raised his hand to rub his forehead, looking at Situ Shuangshuang with dissatisfaction and complained, "Master, you're going to make me dumb from knocking me like this!"
Situ Shuangshuang gave him a sidelong glance and said, "You're not smart in the first place! You still haven't mastered the simple task of channeling spiritual energy into your body after so much practice!"
Dong Wentao blushed. He was smart with everything except when it came to spells. But even back when Shuangshuang taught him, his lack of seriousness, coupled with an inability to comprehend, was partly to blame!
To avoid having Situ Shuangshuang dwell on his mistakes, Dong Wentao hurriedly cleared his throat and changed the subject, "Master, you still haven't explained why humans slaughtering animals is a sin? If that's the case, should I become a vegetarian from now on?"
"There's no need to go to extremes. If eating meat were sinful, carnivorous animals and humans wouldn't exist. Humans eat grains and wild beasts to fill their stomachs, not for the sake of slaughter, much like beasts eat smaller creatures. This is a natural law and, naturally, not a sin. The sin lies in gratuitous slaughter. Killing a chicken to eat to fill your stomach is not a sin. Raising a flock of chickens to ensure future meals is not a sin. But if you kill for the thrill and joy observing the dying chicken during slaughter, that's sinful."
Seeing Dong Wentao's thoughtful expression, Situ Shuangshuang said lightly, "We fill our stomachs to stay alive. Our survival as the law of heaven and earth naturally makes such killing innocent. However, killing for perverse satisfaction, senselessly slaughtering living beings, or indulging in bizarre culinary practices with cruel means, like drinking fresh monkey brains or raw donkey sashimi, is sinful!"
"You shouldn't pity a game-born nightmare. Nightmares have bodies and can eat any food, or even survive by absorbing spiritual energy. The only thing they don't need is human souls. The reason this nightmare devours human souls is that they can quickly boost its power, much like humans believe cruel culinary practices make foods tastier. It's undeserving of any pity!"
After Situ Shuangshuang's words eased his mind, Dong Wentao no longer felt compassion for the nightmare. Gathering his spirits, he nodded and asked Shuangshuang, "So, Master, how do we subdue this nightmare?"
As he asked, Dong Wentao secretly resolved that no matter how terrifying the situation, he would control his fear. Someday he would become a great heavenly master like his master, a figure that demons would dread! How could he let small ghosts scare him forever!