Chapter 588 - 368: A Clean Sweep, Let There Be No More Secrets

Chapter 588: Chapter 368: A Clean Sweep, Let There Be No More Secrets

Yi Beidou didn’t answer Hong Datong right away. A terrifying black light flickered deep in his eyes.

FWOOSH!!

The Black Flame suddenly erupted, lunging at Hong Datong and instantly engulfing him.

The two were currently in an illusory world of consciousness, but Yi Beidou’s Black Flame was a condensation of Essence, Qi, and Spirit. Even in this phantom mental realm, it retained its searing nature and its ability to test one’s true heart.

If Hong Datong harbored ill intentions or was being deceitful, Yi Beidou was confident that no matter how well he hid it, the searing Black Flame would force him to reveal a flaw.

However, within the raging inferno, Hong Datong’s expression remained unchanged from start to finish. His body was like an incorruptible statue, so tough that even the Black Flame struggled to burn it. Soon, deprived of fuel, the Black Flame extinguished on its own.

"It seems you weren’t lying. At least, this is truly what you’ve planned."

Yi Beidou said, his mind flashing through everything that had happened since he first set foot on the path of Cultivation.

’The cycle of fate, the karmic debt of a master’s teachings.’

His gaze drifted to the surging river below, his mind weighing the possibilities. Finally, he spoke. "You are my master. I owe you a tremendous karmic debt. Your plan doesn’t go against my principles, so I can do my best to help you."

"However, if you’ll forgive my bluntness, this plan still has many flaws. You intend for me to be the failsafe of this system, but how can you guarantee that I will always remain true and correctly discern the right path for human civilization’s future?"

"It’s as the old saying goes: ’So long as sages exist, great thieves will never cease.’ Since ancient times, whenever a lofty ideal is put forth, corruption inevitably follows in its wake, and it gradually becomes a shackle on the masses. Even if you possess an unchanging moral baseline after your ascension to godhood, there’s still a chance you could be deceived. And if your authority is ever usurped—and by then I’ve left human civilization, or I’m simply unable to stop it—something far worse could happen. This is a Pandora’s box," Yi Beidou continued.

"You’re right, but this world is filled with uncertainty. To achieve anything great, you must rely on a sliver of destiny. We just have to do our part. The rest can be handled by those who come after us."

"Can the two of us truly create a perfect world alone? No. If all living beings are to benefit, then they must all be participants. They have the right to choose. Our job is simply to build the staircase, to create the platform—not to define the future for them."

"As for your concern that I might one day be manipulated, and that the Human Dao River could be influenced by malicious entities... that is indeed a possibility. But we can’t let potential risks stop us from acting."

"In fact, something similar has happened before. The Human Dao River was permanently altered, trapping every living being in the world. Why do you think the Earth Immortal Era vanished? Why are there no historical records, no written accounts? Why can’t even the Human Dao River trace what happened? The reason is self-evident."

"Conversely, if we make the Human Dao River public, with all of humanity watching, pulling off something like that would become far more difficult," Hong Datong said.

Yi Beidou nodded slightly. ’As things stand, Hong Datong’s plan is indeed feasible. If it really succeeds, I’d be interested to see what this new era looks like.’

"I’m on board with the basics of the plan. When do you intend to start? Or rather, how do we begin?"

Yi Beidou asked for the details.

"In truth, while the preparations are complete, the time isn’t yet right to truly implement the plan—that is, for me to shed my human desires and ascend to godhood. We’re primarily lacking two things."

"First, we need a sufficient amount of Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood. The initial phase of the plan requires a signal terminal built with technology developed by Beretta. The more powerful this terminal is, the more power from the Human Dao River I can channel, and the more people we can cover. With the amount of Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood we currently possess, if we were to start now, I could only guarantee a connection for sentient beings at or above the Saint Realm. However, with enough Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood, we could enable even Martial Artists with minor Cultivation—or even ordinary people with none at all—to connect to the Human Dao River through Meditation."

"Second, I need to strengthen my control over the Human Dao River. The present belongs to you, so with your help, my will can cover every corner of the Human Dao River as it exists in this era. I can access all its information and present it to the outside world. But the past... the past does not belong to us."

"It belongs to the Ancient Ones who still survive—ancient wills that once shaped entire eras and have persisted to this day. They act like solid anchor points, radiating their influence to seal off vast sections of the Human Dao River’s past. They control the key information of those bygone eras, information I cannot access. Worse, if I were to rashly ascend to godhood now, they might band together from their place in the past to influence me, and in doing so, seize authority over our present."

"Therefore, before the plan can begin, I need your help to eliminate as many of these anchor points as possible. This actually ties into the first requirement. By eliminating these anchors, we can also collect more Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood."

"Of course, during this process, I will use my own abilities to track these anchor points and help you pinpoint the real-world locations of these hidden entities, leaving them with nowhere to hide," Hong Datong said.

"So you want me to clean house—to annihilate all Seven Great Secret Organizations? And then hand over the Earth Immortal Flesh and Blood we collect to you?"