Chapter 4804 Who Is Long Chen?
“You...”
Long Chen’s heart sank when he saw his heart-devil. His heart-devil had the same face as him. However, instead of wearing black robes, he was wearing white.
Long Chen himself had never worn such white robes. These white robes were untouched by a single speck of dust, and his heart-devil looked rather holy and grand in them.
Yet, when Long Chen looked at those white robes, a trace of fear crept into his heart. For some reason, he was afraid of this white.
“I’m here. Did you really think that the Earth Cauldron could trap me? You’re too naive,” said his heart-devil.
Both of their voices were identical and so did their looks. However, there was a stark contrast between them, with one in black robes and one in white. It was an intense visual clash, as if the two of them were like water and fire.
“I really do look down on you more and more. Back then, you didn’t dare to fight me directly, scheming against me because you were afraid. From that moment on, you became the loser. When I escaped the Earth Cauldron, I didn’t immediately get my revenge. Instead, I chose to leave to do something even more important,” said the white-robed Long Chen.
“Something more important? More important than taking control of this body?” Long Chen suppressed his shock, trying to speak calmly.
“Correct. Ever since you schemed against me, I knew that you weren’t qualified to match me. Taking control of this body is only a matter of time,” replied the white-robed Long Chen.
“What is your goal?” asked Long Chen.
“I want to destroy this hateful world.”
Every single one of the white-robed Long Chen’s words were filled with confidence. Just hearing his voice, Long Chen could see a vision of the Heavenly Daos being destroyed, of the ten thousand worlds collapsing, of all life turning to dust. It was like his words were a prophecy.
“Why would you do that?” Long Chen forcibly suppressed his anger.
“Why?”
The white-robed Long Chen raised his head and laughed. “What a laughable question. This world has been reduced to this kind of state. Wherever you go, you are targeted like a stray dog. Tell me, have you ever had a day of peace since you ascended? The human race and the other races of the myriad world attack you wherever you go; even the heavens want to destroy you. There’s nowhere for you to flee throughout heaven and earth.
“Why don’t you tell me how much of a coward you are? You don’t even have the guts to topple heaven and earth. What qualifications do you have to control this body? What qualifications do you have to call yourself Long Chen?
“I told you, I am the real Long Chen, and you are nothing more than a seal, some kind of shackles that someone else placed on my body. Your naivety and foolishness block my path forward. However, it’s fine. I will soon take control of this body. When the seal comes undone, you will forever sink into darkness, and I will destroy this loathsome world.”
The white-robed Long Chen’s voice was ice-cold, and each of his words was filled with hate and bloodthirst. Moreover, his will was as firm as a boulder. It felt like nothing in this world could change his way of thinking.
Long Chen firmly confronted him. “I won’t let you do as you please. Although I also dislike this world, it still has things I care about. My goal is to change the world, not destroy it.”
The white-robed Long Chen’s thinking was completely different from Long Chen’s. His attempt at frank communication showed just how differing their thoughts were.
“You think you can stop me?” The white-robed Long Chen sneered, “You’re already being targeted by countless experts, and the Heavenly Daos view you as an irredeemable convict. Should I be impressed by how badly you’re doing? You really believe that you can stop me? Don’t you think that is a huge joke?”
Not waiting for Long Chen to respond, the white-robed Long Chen continued, “Have you not noticed? You aren’t Long Chen. I am.”
“Oh?”
“If you were Long Chen, you would be following your instincts, doing whatever you want to do. Why can others do evil, but you can’t? Why can others try to kill every last one of you, but you can’t? Why is it that so many people provoke you and want to kill you, but you don’t destroy them all? Do you think that it is mercy? That it is wisdom? That you are showing respect for life? Wrong. Every person has the right to live the life they want. In fact, not even the heavens can stop them. The most foolish thing is for you to restrain yourself even as the entire world targets you. Tell me, are you really Long Chen?”
Long Chen sank into thought. Although he knew that his heart-devil was attacking the weakest part of his heart, he had no choice but to admit that there was nothing he could say against this.
The white-robed Long Chen’s words were entirely correct. Long Chen had been constantly restraining himself. He didn’t even know when it had occurred, but he indeed started to get afraid of his unrestrained self.
This entire world was targeting him, but he continued to restrain himself. Why was he making things so hard on himself?
“Outside the gate to the ninth heaven, you wanted to show your might, but you were unable to deal the necessary ruthless blow. You knew that kindness would bring you harm, but you still betrayed your instincts. You knew that the people you spared would not spare you if the tables were turned. You knew that a brutal, b.l.o.o.d.y method would make others afraid of you and buy you more time. You knew that killing more of those heavenly geniuses would produce more Heavenly Doyen Fruits, benefiting you. You knew all this, but you still went down the wrong path and are continuing down on it. If you aren’t the heart-devil, what are you?”
Long Chen was silent for a long time before nodding. “Your questions are well said. I also thought the same, but I couldn’t find the answer. But now that you say I am the heart-devil, I have to admit that compared to finding the answer, I would prefer to trust my intuition.”
“Intuition? What intuition?”
“When my lovers and hot-blooded brothers are with me, I feel like my path isn’t wrong. This path isn’t just mine; it is theirs as well. They are people with their own dreams and bright hearts. I can’t block their path to walk my own,” answered Long Chen.
“Bright? This world has long since been covered in black clouds. Even the Heavenly Daos are no longer just. Where is there light?” The white-robed Long Chen suddenly grew angry, as if Long Chen’s words had provoked him.
“Light is not in this world. It is in our hearts, both of us,” replied Long Chen.
“What a joke. Is there anything darker than people’s hearts in this world?” snorted the white-robed Long Chen.
“I don’t know if there’s anything darker, but I do know that there is light in people’s hearts. This light is what I want to protect. As long as they are present, even if I am lost in the abyss of darkness, even in the deepest pits of despair, I can still find my way back.”
“Then why don’t you show me this so-called light of yours? Are you ready?” the white-robed Long Chen snorted, and a wild aura suddenly erupted out of him. In the end, this battle was unavoidable.