One could imagine how much pain the Heaven's Equal Sword Emperor felt when he asked this question.
He was the one who led Yi Qing to join the alliance of the six Great Sages.
He was the one who watched Yi Qing stab the blade of betrayal into his own heart.
He was the one who watched Yi Qing force everyone into a desperate situation.
He had been suffering from Yi Qing's betrayal for the past 800 years. That was why Jiandi asked this question. He wanted to know why Yi Qing had betrayed her own people!
"I did not betray my people!
My heart has always been with the humans!
From the beginning to the end! "
Yi Qing was very calm in the face of Jiandi's question. It was as if he was eating and drinking.
"You liar!
You wanted to join the Heavenly Court and become the sixth Heavenly Emperor. You even wanted to join the Gods List and become the Heavenly Court's dog!
You betrayed the six of us and the entire human race.
You're just a greedy and vain woman. What right do you have to say that your heart is with us humans?! "Yi Tian practically shouted out these words from her own throat.
"I have no reason to lie to you. My heart will always be with the humans. I am doing this for them!"
Yi Qing let out a long sigh. His tone softened slightly as he asked the Heaven's Equal Sword Emperor, "Your Majesty, let me ask you. If we had really defeated the Heavenly Court 800 years ago and killed all the Heavenly Emperors in the Heavenly Court, what would we humans have gained?"
"Freedom, of course!
We would be free from the Heavenly Court's control and brainwashing. We would regain our own freedom! "Heaven's Equal Jiandi answered without hesitation.
"But if we had defeated the Heavenly Court, would we really have freedom?" Yi Qing asked.
"…" Yi Qing's question made Jiandi choke. He waited for a while before replying, "We could rebuild Beijing City. With Beijing City, we would be free!"
"Even if we defeated the Heavenly Court and rebuilt Beijing City, so what?"
Yi Qing continued to interrogate. "We've just returned to the past. All humans continue to hide in Yanjing City, watching the Yuan Kou wreaking havoc outside in fear."
"Our sword bearers will return to the past and fight the Yuan Kou endlessly for a thousand years!"
As Yi Qing spoke, he pointed to the other six non-human Great Sages. "The moment we defeat the Heavenly Court, these four people will be like the five Celestial Emperors in the past. They will turn their spears in an instant and aim their sharp blades at us, killing us completely, just like what the Heavenly Court did to me in the past!"
"No … no … how could we do that …" After listening to Yi Qing's words, the other four Great Sages quickly waved their hands and denied it.
However, from the awkward expressions on their faces, it seemed that they really did have such thoughts in their hearts.
After all, the humans and Yuan Kou had only joined forces because of the situation, and because of the existence of a colossal being like the Heavenly Court.
If the Heavenly Court fell, the humans and Yuan Kou would immediately return to being mortal enemies. There would be no friendship to speak of.
"No problem … Even if the four of them dare to make a move, with the three of us joining forces, who knows who will be eliminated!" Heaven's Equal Jiandi said unwillingly.
Indeed, Yi Qing alone could deal with six Great Sages. If Heaven's Equal Jiandi and Heaven's Equal Jiandi were by Yi Qing's side, the remaining four Great Sages would definitely not be Yi Qing's match.
"These cunning humans …" Upon hearing Heaven's Equal's words, the other four Yuan Kou Great Sages, who were feeling a little ashamed, immediately clenched their fists. At the same time, cold sweat broke out on their foreheads.
Yes, if they had dared to make a move at that time, the four of them would probably have died instead.
"Even if we killed the four of them, so what?
The dimensional rifts will continue to appear, and new Yuan Kou Great Sages will enter this world. However, our lifespans are not endless.
While we are alive, we can suppress the heavens and give humans freedom.
However, after we die, the Yuan Kou Great Sages will make a comeback, and humans will never be able to obtain true freedom! "
Yi Qing's words caused Heaven's Equal Jiandi and Heaven's Equal Jiandi to sink into deep thought. They had to admit that Yi Qing's words did make sense.
"Therefore, after I discovered the truth about humans 800 years ago, I thought hard for a long time and realized that what humans actually needed was not freedom but safety … Safety is always ranked above freedom. This is the most important thing!
If humans lost their lives, what was the point of freedom?
"After that, I discovered that, after being brainwashed by the Heavenly Court, apart from losing a certain amount of freedom, humans were actually surprisingly safe.
The Heavenly Court would no longer kill humans. Instead, they could provide humans with a relatively safe area so that humans could leave the protection of the city walls and obtain personal freedom and safety within a certain range. This was what humans truly needed.
"Later on, I understood that the Heavenly Court was actually not the enemy of humans. Instead, it could act as the protector of humans.
As long as the Heavenly Court was powerful enough to expand to the entire Earth, the freedom and safety of humans could similarly extend to the entire Earth. All humans had to pay was a meager price and faith.
"I've looked up information from before the Great Calamity. During the Middle Ages, humans lived in a world where humans and gods intermingled. The gods were high and mighty and were worshipped by humans, while humans could obtain relative safety by praying for the gods' blessings. This pattern had been going on for thousands of years during the Middle Ages, and humans were already used to it. Countless humans in the Middle Ages pursued the pinnacle of life, such as ascending to immortality. Those gods did not cause any harm to humans and instead protected them. Isn't this the most suitable method for humans?
Isn't this the method that can give humans the greatest safety and freedom?
"All I'm doing is returning humans to the Middle Ages where humans and gods intermingled. Moreover, as long as I can join the Heavenly Court and become the Great Emperor of the Earth in the center of the Heavenly Court, I can obtain eternal life as well.
As long as I'm in the Heavenly Court, I can protect humans from being exploited and oppressed by the Heavenly Court. I can protect the safety of the entire human race. This is the true safety and eternal way for humans!
"Therefore, in order to realize this dream of mine, I need to join the Heavenly Court and gain its trust. I need to become one of the supreme beings in the Heavenly Court. Therefore, I need to use your lives to prove my worth … Even if I have to sacrifice the only two Jiandi, I won't hesitate!"
At this point, Yi Qing's speech finally ended. All the six Great Sages were silent. Among them, the two Jiandi were probably the most at a loss and the most confused.
They believed what Yi Qing said because deep down in their hearts, they always felt that Yi Qing was a woman who fought for the sake of humanity. She would not betray the entire human race for her own benefit. However, they could not figure out the reason for Yi Qing's betrayal.
Now that they heard Yi Qing's words, they finally understood why Yi Qing would betray them … At the same time, although they were reluctant, they vaguely felt that Yi Qing was right. She was right. What she said was indeed the best home for the human race. She had betrayed them for the sake of humanity.
At this thought, Ping Tian and Qi Tian's minds were in a mess. They did not know what to say or do. They did not know if they should treat Yi Qing as a friend or an enemy.
Therefore, the entire underground palace fell into silence. No one stood up to break the silence until Guhan spoke.
"What about now?
Qing 'er, do you still have the same idea as before? Do you want to build a theocratic society like the Middle Ages? "Guhan stood up and asked Yi Qing.
"No, I don't!
I've thought it through. I was too naive back then. I thought that building a theocratic society would allow humans to live in peace. However, I've forgotten one thing! "Yi Qing replied.
"What did you forget?" Qi Tian Jiandi raised his head and asked.
"I forgot. Back then, our ancestors put in a lot of effort to break free from the theocratic society of the Middle Ages. They obtained freedom of thought and will. In just a few hundred years, they surpassed the human race's development over thousands of years."
"A theocratic society might have its benefits, but it's also like a shackle that will firmly lock the human race down.
Although humans will be safe, they will forever lose the possibility to develop and move forward.
My actions might be beneficial for the time being. However, in the long run, after thousands or tens of thousands of years, humans will hate me as the ancestor who shackled them. "
"Be it suffering or death, these are all experiences that humans must go through. Once humans can break free from this tragic world and eliminate all their enemies, they will be able to break free from the cocoon and be reborn.
Just like the great changes that the first industrial revolution brought to mankind, mankind will step into a brand new era! "
"Yi Qing!"
After listening to Yi Qing's words, Qi Tian Jiandi and Ping Tian Jiandi's expressions instantly became extremely excited. They looked at Yi Qing with bright eyes as if they were completely convinced by Yi Qing … Yes, that's right. Qi Tian Jiandi and Ping Tian Jiandi were completely convinced by Yi Qing's words. They took the initiative to stand beside Yi Qing and stretched out their right hands to Yi Qing. Yi Qing stretched out his left hand and grasped both of their hands tightly.
"Then what should we do?
It seems like we have another powerful opponent, the human race! "
The remaining four Great Sages of Yuankou smiled wryly and said to each other warily. At the same time, they began to observe their surroundings, trying to find a way to retreat … If Yi Qing, Qi Tian, and Ping Tian were to join forces, they would be nothing more than cannon fodder!
"The four of you, don't go!
I still have something to say to you! "
Yi Qing noticed the four Great Sages' actions and took the initiative to walk in front of them. Qi Tian and Ping Tian followed behind Yi Qing silently as if they were his subordinates.
"I plan to destroy the Heavenly Court!" Yi Qing said calmly, "I need your strength.
I can swear on my sword mark that after the Heavenly Court is destroyed, as long as the four of you don't attack humans, the three of us won't attack you either.
I've said it before, the three of us will die in the end. After all, this is the world of the later generations. Let our later generations deal with the four of you! "
"What you said is true!
You really won't attack us? "Hearing Yi Qing's words, the four Great Sages immediately asked impatiently.
What they were most afraid of now was that Yi Qing would attack them … This kind of fear was even greater than the fear of the Heavenly Court.
"Of course!
As long as you are willing to join forces with us to destroy the Heavenly Court! "Yi Qing said.
"Deal!"
After looking at each other for a while, the six Great Sages finally reached a consensus again. The mission to destroy the Heavenly Court could finally be carried out. At this time, there were less than 24 hours left of the week.