LRAB Page 181
Page 181
When he realized that the person who came was Wang Ye, the displeasure on his face turned into a hint of doubt.
"Master Wang Ye? What brings you here so late?"
The usual laziness and casualness were gone from Wang Ye's face; in its place was a cold, impending storm of seriousness.
He didn't answer Ma Xianhong's question, but walked straight up to him, his clear eyes fixed on him, and asked, word by word:
"Village Chief Ma, I only have one question for you."
"Besides being able to transform mortals into extraordinary beings, does your cultivation furnace...?"
Will it also establish some kind of unbreakable soul connection with the user?
Ma Xianhong's pupils suddenly contracted.
The doubt on his face froze instantly, replaced by an incredulous look of horror.
"You...how do you know?!"
This is the most crucial secret of the Body Cultivation Furnace, and also the biggest point of contention between him and Jin Yangzi.
He has been trying to use technical means to weaken or even sever this link, but he has never been able to do so.
Wang Ye, who had only been in the village for a day, was able to reveal the secrets of heaven in a single sentence!
“I know more than just this.”
Seeing the horrified expression on his face, Wang Ye's last shred of hope vanished completely.
He took a step forward, his voice not loud, but like a chilling wind from the depths of hell, instantly dispelling all of Ma Xianhong's hopes.
"I also know that this furnace of yours isn't for saving lives at all!"
"It's overdrawing! It's slowly and continuously overdrawing the life essence of everyone who enters it and uses it in a way we can't understand!"
Wang Ye pointed to the village outside the workshop, which appeared exceptionally quiet in the night, and his voice suddenly rose, like a thunderclap, which exploded in Ma Xianhong's ears!
"Village Chief Ma! Wake up! Look at those villagers outside! The satisfaction on their faces is nothing but an illusion of excitement produced when their life force is prematurely ignited!"
"You think you're creating a utopia? No! You and those behind you are practicing poison! You're using the lives of the entire village to support your so-called 'divine artifact'!"
"This thing is not a divine artifact that benefits all living beings at all; it is a demonic furnace! A source of disaster that, once it spreads, will surely plunge the world into chaos!"
Every word Wang Ye uttered was like a red-hot iron hammer, striking Ma Xianhong's heart hard.
The words "refining Gu" in particular struck him like a thunderbolt, causing him to tremble violently and stagger back two steps, his face ashen white.
His previous subtle doubts about the cultivation furnace, his concerns about the villagers' overly excited state of mind, and his worries about the soul connection.
At this moment, Wang Ye's words completely connected and amplified, forming a terrifying torrent that was enough to break down all his psychological defenses.
"No...impossible..."
He shook his head dejectedly, his lips trembling, trying to defend his ideals and Jin Yangzi, the one who had given him hope.
"Mr. Jin said this is only temporary... a side effect caused by the imperfections in the technology... as long as... as long as the core algorithm problem is solved, everything will be alright..."
His voice grew softer and softer, increasingly lacking confidence.
That unwavering belief, built on a delusional ideal, has begun to crumble bit by bit in the face of harsh reality.
Seeing his dejected appearance, Wang Ye didn't say another word.
He knew that he had said enough.
The rest is up to Ma Xianhong to think about, observe, and verify for himself.
He gave Ma Xianhong a deep look, then turned and left the workshop without looking back.
Ma Xianhong was left alone, standing blankly in front of the blueprint filled with grand plans, all the light in his eyes dimming at that moment.
After a long internal struggle, he suddenly raised his head, a resolute glint in his eyes.
He strode out of the workshop and headed straight for the secret chamber deep in the village, a place accessible only to him and a few others.
He was going to find Jin Yangzi and ask him directly!
Chapter 216 Jin Yangzi's Ambition, Ma Xianhong's Pawn
The door to the secret room was smashed open with tremendous force.
A cold, damp air rushed in, carrying a faint, strange, fishy smell of grass, wood, and metal.
Jin Yangzi was standing with his back to the door, in front of a row of huge glass containers, seemingly adjusting something.
Hearing the loud banging on the door, he slowly turned around. His face, which always carried a gentle smile, was now filled with a cold indifference.
He pushed up his frameless glasses, his gaze behind the lenses falling on Ma Xianhong, whose breathing was disordered and whose eyes were bloodshot. His tone was as calm as if he were asking about the weather.
"Village Chief Ma, what's the matter that's causing such a panic?"
Ma Xianhong did not answer him, but stared at him intently. Those eyes, which always shone with the light of idealism, were now burning with suppressed anger and a final, unwilling question.
He walked step by step to Jin Yangzi, his voice trembling slightly with extreme anger.
"Mr. Jin, tell me."
"Is the Body-Cultivating Furnace really draining the user's life force?!"
"Is that soul link it established something that can never be broken?!"
Jin Yangzi looked at him quietly, and the feigned gentleness on her face finally disappeared completely.
Instead, there was a condescending indifference, as if looking at a unreasonable child.
He didn't deny it, nor did he even attempt to explain himself; he simply asked in return:
"So what?"
These three seemingly insignificant words struck Ma Xianhong's heart like three invisible giant hammers, causing him to tremble violently and almost unable to stand.
Jin Yangzi slowly walked to a metal chair in the center of the secret room and sat down, her posture elegant, as if she were in her own study.
He crossed his arms and continued in a cold, almost reasoning tone:
"The pursuit of power always comes at a price."
"The reason why mortals are mortals is that their lives are too short and their souls too weak to bear great power."
The cultivation furnace merely helped them 'pay' this price in advance.
"As for the soul link..."
A cold, almost mocking smile curled at the corner of his lips.
"Village Chief Ma, you can't really be so naive as to think that our Immortal Refining Sect spent such enormous resources to help you build this divine furnace just to help you realize your ridiculous dream of 'equality for all extraordinary people under heaven,' can you?"
Ma Xianhong was trembling with anger. He pointed at Jin Yangzi, but couldn't utter a single word.
Jin Yangzi ignored his murderous gaze and continued speaking to himself.
That voice, without a trace of emotion, laid bare a cold and cruel truth before Ma Xianhong.
"I can tell you the truth without hesitation."
Jin Yangzi sneered, his tone carrying a hint of arrogance and helplessness that was difficult for ordinary people to understand:
"Do you think my Immortal Refining Sect doesn't want to descend directly to this world and recruit disciples?"
If the laws of this world didn't so strongly repel us, and if forcibly descending in our true form wouldn't require an unimaginable price, why would we need to rely on you?
"To be honest, if we were in the Immortal Realm, let alone your tiny Biyou Village, we could build ten or a hundred of them in no time."
“This cultivation furnace was not built solely for your naive ideals from the very beginning.”
"It is a 'workshop' supported by our Immortal Refining Sect in this realm, used to screen and mass-produce loyal 'immortal soldiers' who can adapt to the laws of both realms."
"Within the Immortal Realm, factions are numerous and conflicts are endless, making it far more cruel than your mortal world."
We need a large number of fearless, low-level fighters to fight for resources and expand our territory for our sect.
"And those mortals who are chosen by the Body Refinement Furnace have the opportunity to become immortal soldiers of my Immortal Refinement Sect and dedicate their humble lives to the great cause of the Immortal Realm. This is already an unparalleled honor that they could not attain in several lifetimes."
"As for you..."
Jin Yangzi finally turned his gaze back to Ma Xianhong, his eyes looking at him as if he were looking at a tool that still had some use.
"Your value lies in your ability to accomplish things that are difficult for us to do directly within the rules of this world."
"Therefore, we have chosen you and are willing to provide you with resources and technology that you cannot even imagine to help you complete this 'work'."
"What we really need is your 'talent' to turn theory into reality, and all the data that this furnace has already produced!"
"This cultivation furnace itself is the most perfect experimental field and database."
Once we obtain it and the data within, we can analyze the laws of this realm and reproduce this miracle on a large scale!
"Do your job well and don't have any extra compassion."
"As for your so-called 'universal harmony'..."
Jin Yangzi chuckled lightly, his laughter filled with undisguised contempt and mockery.
"I never took it to heart, and I never thought it could come true!"
Ma Xianhong felt as if his entire world had collapsed at that moment.
Every word Jin Yangzi uttered was like a poisoned knife, piercing his heart, which was filled with the brilliance of idealism, leaving it riddled with holes and bleeding profusely.
He recalled how he had exhausted his family's savings and poured his life's blood into building the cultivation furnace.
He remembered the villagers who had followed him to Biyou Village, filled with boundless hope for the bright future he had described.
He recalled the fleeting greed and fervor in Jin Yangzi's eyes when he first met Chen Duo, the kind of greed one would show when looking at "perfect material."
He remembered everything.
It turns out that, from beginning to end, he was just a pawn.
A pathetic pawn, used up and discarded at any time.
His ideals, his ambitions, and his vision of "universal harmony" that could move countless people were nothing more than a childish and laughable joke in the eyes of the other party.
A surge of overwhelming anger—from being deceived, fooled, and trampled upon—erupted in his chest like a volcano that had been accumulating for millions of years!
"You...you've been lying to me from the very beginning?!"