Chapter 193 - 190: The Human Who Dares to Be Sober in an Upside-Down World

When Song Ciwan’s name was called, her heart instantly seized.

Everyone’s gaze fell upon her in unison. The child in front of them was even more focused, staring intently at her.

The child had one hand behind his back, while the other was bent in front of him, his fingers twitching gently, almost idly.

The daylight was brilliant. The white goose in front of them cocked its head, its flat beak opening to let out a "CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK" sound.

Call the goose a chicken, and recite a poem to the "chicken."

It wasn’t that Song Ciwan couldn’t recite a poem about a chicken. Rather, a doubt suddenly bloomed in her mind: ’At this moment, is going along with the child’s wishes—calling a goose a chicken—really the correct response?’

This Deceitful Realm was highly unusual; everything within it was bizarrely inverted.

Eighty-year-old men were called young students, while a small child became the school’s teacher. A perfectly good cat was forced to bark like a dog, and its torn-off ears were called eyes by the child!

The white goose thought it was a chicken, clucking and cackling, and it wanted the world to be blind and deaf along with it. If anyone refused... ’what would happen if someone refused?’

Zhang You, who had failed to recite a poem earlier, was sentenced to copy it one hundred times. To be honest, the punishment seemed mild enough, something an ordinary person could endure.

But Song Ciwan saw that Zhang You’s head and face were drenched in sweat.

As the sweat poured endlessly, fine white hairs on his head began to fall out one by one, carried away by the moisture.

A gentle breeze blew over, and strands of white hair drifted away on the wind.

Before their very eyes, Zhang You’s scalp became bald, and the wrinkles on his face deepened.

If Xie Yunxiang had become ten years younger by successfully reciting the poem, then Zhang You had aged ten years by failing.

Zhang You’s punishment was far more than just copying a poem a hundred times!

Seeing the child ahead tilt his head slightly, as if wondering why she hadn’t responded, Song Ciwan took a step forward and said slowly, "Teacher, I am the student Xin Mian. Greetings, Teacher. Greetings, fellow classmates."

The corners of the child’s mouth curled up. His eyes, dark and deep, stared at Song Ciwan with a look that was both innocent and profound.

An indescribable sense of horror crept up Song Ciwan’s back. A thousand thoughts raced through her mind as she split her Thought, sending half of it into the Heaven and Earth Scale to search rapidly.

She wanted to see if there was anything suitable in the Heaven and Earth Scale to handle the current situation.

Time dripped by. Though it takes long to describe, everything happened in an instant—in the span of just one or two breaths.

Just as the smile on the child’s face was about to fade, the half of Song Ciwan’s Thought submerged in the Heaven and Earth Scale happened to sweep past an object. Her mind stirred—

At that very moment, something burst out from the village entrance ahead, running wildly.

CLANG CLANG CLANG! The thing was on all fours, kicking up a cloud of dust like a hurricane as it sped down the road toward them.

Behind it, several teenage villagers were giving chase with rakes and hoes, shouting and cursing, "Stop, you beast! If you keep running, we’ll report you to the village chief and have you skinned alive!"

"You bastard! Instead of being a good donkey, you started biting people like a mad dog! And you dared to overturn the mill? You must have a death wish..."

"Stop! Beast, halt!"

Amidst the shouts and curses, the sprinting creature drew closer and closer to Song Ciwan and the others.

Song Ciwan could finally see it clearly. The thing clanging as it ran wasn’t a donkey at all. It was clearly a person!

A man in silver armor, his face covered in dust.

He was on all fours, his back bent, and his running posture was indeed not human—it bore the distinct look of a donkey.

But his expression was filled with madness and defiance. He shouted back at his pursuers, "I am Jiao Zuo, Demon-slaying General of the Great Zhou Dynasty’s Lantern Hanging Department! I have slain countless evils and rendered great service to protect my people. I am a Human, not a donkey!"

"You abominations! You may force my body into this shape, but you will never break my will! I am a Human, not a donkey!"

He screamed over and over that he was a Human, not a donkey.

With every shout, pieces of his armor weathered and flaked off. CLANG CLANG CLANG. As he sprinted, parts of his armor fell and scattered across the ground.

On the road ahead, the large goose blocked the way. The child teacher and his crowd of white-haired students stood slightly behind it, forming another roadblock that completely cut off Jiao Zuo’s escape.

A twisted, unwilling look appeared on Jiao Zuo’s crazed face. He laughed maniacally and screamed, "I am a Human, not a donkey! That thing up ahead is a goose, not a chicken! Calling a goose a chicken, calling a man a donkey, calling the old young and the young old... Do you think you’ll find salvation by turning everything upside down?"

"No! You can’t be saved! You think you’re doing this for yourselves? HA HA HA..."

"You’re just a bunch of low-level abominations with clouded hearts and blinded eyes! You were nobodies when you were human, and now that you’re monsters... you’re still just low-level monsters! Lackeys! Animals! When have you ever stood up and been yourselves?"

"I won’t accept this! I am not a donkey! I am a Human—AH!"

Jiao Zuo, still running and screaming, suddenly let out a bloodcurdling cry.

Ahead, the white goose—the one he had just pointed out was a goose and not a chicken—suddenly craned its neck back, let out a "GACK," and violently exploded on the spot.

Yes, the goose self-destructed.

There was a loud BANG!

"AH!" Jiao Zuo shrieked in pain.

Innumerable bits of flesh and blood splattered out from the explosion. CHH-CHH-CHH! Some of it splashed onto the charging Jiao Zuo, instantly searing countless tiny holes into his body.

Jiao Zuo’s face was instantly riddled with pockmarks from the blast. Blood oozed from multiple places on his body, his arms suddenly buckled, and his entire frame lunged forward.

THUD THUD THUD!

Like a donkey that had lost its forelegs, he cried out as he collapsed to the ground.

The brutality of the scene left the white-haired students behind the child stunned and terrified. An eerie silence fell over the area, and everyone was as quiet as a cicada in winter.

This was the fate of a rebel!

It must be known that this Jiao Zuo was no ordinary Cultivator in the real world.

Lantern Hanging Department, Demon-slaying General, a Seventh Grade official—these titles were one thing.

The key point was that Jiao Zuo, a veteran Demon-slaying General, had originally been a figure of great renown throughout Pinglan City.

His fame was even on par with Ye Sheng’s.

Every one of the white-haired students present was, in fact, a Cultivator from Pinglan City. Though their bodies were bound by the Deceitful Realm, it was clear that no one had lost their memories. Therefore, there was not a single person present who didn’t recognize Jiao Zuo.

Even Song Ciwan recognized Jiao Zuo.

Back on the Floating Platform in Illusory Nether City, Jiao Zuo had been the first to emerge from the Wooden Man Array and had taken the initiative to push open the gate. Although Jiao Zuo’s attempt had failed, Song Ciwan still remembered him vividly.

Now, this Demon-slaying General had collapsed before them in such a state. Even if not everyone was overcome with grief, they couldn’t help but feel a sorrow born of shared suffering.