397: Chapter 388 The Sixth Incarnation: Heavenly Venerable (Seventy-Six)

The words of the Dao Lord of Destruction were like poison-tipped ice awls, incessantly piercing into the deepest parts of Wei An's Dao Heart.

That cold truth, that seemingly 'rational' choice, that undisguised contempt and indifference, were enough to make anyone with an unsteady will waver in their conviction, or even collapse.

However, Wei An merely raised his head slowly.

There was no pain, struggle, or even confusion on his face; in their place was a kind of almost crystalline calmness, and deep within his eyes, a flame that burned even more purely and intensely.

Wei An stared straight at that formless core of the destructive will, which represented absolute finality, and spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, but it was exceptionally clear, firm, and even carried a hint of... mockery?

"My name is Wei An."

"？"

The will of the Dao Lord of Destruction paused slightly, as if it did not understand this nonsensical statement.

What was this new generation of Dao Lord saying?

A name?

At a time like this, stating one's own name?

For Dao Lords who have existed for vast stretches of time, they are the Dao itself; as for names? They are meaningless.

"Hahaha!"

Wei An, however, suddenly laughed. The laughter was not loud, but it was hearty and unrestrained, as if he had unburdened himself of a weight of a thousand jin, or as if he had seen through some kind of delusion.

The blood-colored spear in his hand no longer shone merely with sorrow and resentment; it gained a touch of something more profound and resilient—it was the will of 'Humans,' the courage to do what one knows cannot be done, and the pride to hold one's head high even when in a desperate situation!

"You, and you so-called 'Ancient Venerables' who claim to be the Dao, to be Heaven, to be the Origin," Wei An's laughter ceased, his gaze like torches, every word he spoke resonating with power, "have long forgotten your original selves. Or rather, you are now just Puppets of the Dao, appendages of the rules, and pathetic wretches who have abandoned everything in pursuit of 'Transcendence'!"

"You view all living beings as ants, view emotions as burdens, and view all joys, sorrows, loves, hatreds, and the Legacy of civilization as nothingness. What you pursue is absolute power, the eternal 'Dao,' and that ethereal opportunity for 'Soul Transformation'! For this, you can sacrifice everything, including the 'Humanity' you might have once possessed!"

The will of the Dao Lord of Destruction remained as cold as ever, but the impatience and killing intent grew more intense, like a volcano about to erupt:

"Ignorant ant, are you worthy of discussing the 'Dao' and 'Humanity'? The Dao is ruthless, Heaven and Earth are unkind; this is the eternal truth! So-called 'Humanity' is nothing more than a fantasy for you fragile beings to comfort yourselves, a shackle that hinders you from touching the Dao!"

"Shackles? A fantasy?"

A mocking arc appeared at the corner of Wei An's mouth, and the Human Dao flames around him grew brighter and brighter. "No, you are wrong. These are not shackles; this is the root! This is not a fantasy; this is reality!"

Wei An suddenly straightened his back, which had been somewhat hunched from enduring immense force. He pointed the blood-colored spear at the destructive will, his voice ringing out like a great bell, echoing through this Void Realm that was in the process of annihilation:

"I, Wei An, am first a 'Human,' and only then the 'Lord of the Human Dao'! My power originates from all living beings, and my Dao protects the existence of 'Humans,' the civilization of 'Humans,' and the hope of 'Humans'!"

"Within this, there are joys and sorrows, loves and hatreds, Legacy, sacrifice, the courage to move forward even when knowing one must die, and the persistence to keep one's heart toward the light even when dwelling in darkness!"

"All of this might seem small, ridiculous, and meaningless to you, but it is precisely these things that constitute 'Humans' and constitute these myriad worlds!"

"And you!" Wei An's voice rose sharply, filled with endless anger and disdain. "For the sake of the so-called 'Dao,' for that cold 'opportunity,' you have personally strangled all of this! You slaughter living beings, destroy civilizations, and trample on hope. You are long past being 'Humans,' not even complete 'life'—you are merely monsters driven by the 'Dao,' having lost all warmth, with nothing left but the instinct to plunder and destroy!"

"Unlike you monsters,"

Wei An took a deep breath, and his Aura did not diminish but instead rose.

"I, Wei An, stand here today precisely to block this so-called grand trend of yours."

"I stand here because I am a 'Human'! My Dao tells me that some things must be done, even when one knows they cannot be done! Some paths must be walked, even when one knows they are dead ends! This is my, Wei An's, Dao! This is what makes a 'Human' a 'Human'!"

"I may not be able to save the myriad worlds, and I may not be able to change your plans, but at least I can tell this world, tell those who have passed and those who are about to pass, and tell this ruthless Dao—that once, there was someone who, in the name of 'Humanity,' thrust the spear in his hand toward you cold Puppets of the 'Dao'! Once, there was someone who, in the abyss of despair, still chose to protect, chose to resist, and chose to... be what a human should be!"

As his voice fell, the blood-colored spear in Wei An's hand shone brilliantly!

It was no longer a mere condensation of sorrow and resentment, but had merged with his will, his Dao!

The spear seemed to transform into an undying fire protecting civilization, turning into the light of dawn that pierces the darkness, carrying an unstoppable, undying determination as it ferociously struck at the crushing giant hand of destruction!

Wei An's words were resonant, clashing like metal and stone, and rang out with power.

However, the only response to him was the even colder, more mocking, and indifferent roaring of the Dao Lord of Destruction's will.

"Human? Humanity? Protection? Resistance? Heh... Hahahahaha!"

The Dao Lord of Destruction seemed to have heard the most absurd joke in the world; its will was filled with undisguised mockery and contempt.

"The morning mushroom does not know the beginning or end of the day; the cicada does not know the spring or autumn! A mere Mortal, whose life is but a hundred years of joys and sorrows—even with the so-called Golden Core Fruit Position, it is but a few thousand years of Lifespan. Compared to this boundless Chaos and endless time, it is but a snap of the fingers, born in the morning and dead by evening!"

The crushing giant hand of destruction did not pause in the slightest because of Wei An's declaration; instead, it became even more violent, the Origin of destruction boiling, wanting to crush this ant who dared to blaspheme the concept of the "Eternal Dao," along with his ridiculous convictions.

"The vibrant world you speak of, the so-called Legacy of civilization, the loves and hatreds—in our eyes, they are but an insignificant splash in the long river of time, rising, blooming, and then immediately annihilating, repeating over and over, with no novelty, and even less meaning!"

The will of the Dao Lord of Destruction was like ten-thousand-year ice, freezing all hot blood and passion.

"Everything you cherish and protect, along with this world itself that carries them, in the billions upon billions of years of our existence, we have already witnessed countless births and destructions, prosperity and extinction!"

"The myriad worlds are all false; only the Dao is true! Only we, who pursue the Dao and transcend all shackles, can catch a glimpse of true 'reality' and 'meaning'!"

"So-called 'Humanity,' so-called 'emotions,' so-called 'civilization,' are nothing more than fantasies woven by yourselves within your brief life, shackles and delusions that hinder you from touching the Dao! Abandoning these pointless attachments and embracing the ruthlessness and eternity of the Dao is the path to Transcendence!"

"Lord of the Human Dao, you keep saying that we are monsters, that we are Puppets. Little do you know, you, who are obsessed with fleeting fantasies, enslaved by emotions, and trapped in the perspective of an ant, are the truly pathetic frog at the bottom of the well!"