On Revenge and Letting Go

As soon as his voice fell, it wasn't just Billy Chen.

Even Liu Zheng and the other two behind him were so shocked they almost jumped.

"Holy crap! Isn't this seizing a body?! Perfected Bei Xuan actually knows this stuff?!" Old Bai couldn't hold back and blurted out, his voice trembling.

Shou Zhen's expression changed drastically. He took a sudden step forward, staring fixedly at Lin Mo.

"You can't! Body-seizing is an evil art that violates the harmony of Heaven. It will incur heavenly wrath!"

"Just a life for a life," Lin Mo replied casually, completely dismissing the so-called heavenly wrath.

Cultivating to immortality was the true violation of Heaven's harmony. Did they really think the Golden Core tribulation was easy to survive?

His gaze remained locked on Billy Chen, the one who actually needed to make the decision.

"Of course, this doesn't come without a price." Lin Mo's voice turned cold, pausing after every word to ensure Billy Chen heard everything clearly.

"Your soul can occupy this shell, but it ultimately doesn't belong to you. This body will act like a millstone, endlessly grinding away your soul day and night.

In this long and agonizing process, you will watch helplessly as you are worn down and consumed bit by bit, until finally..."

"Your soul scatters into nothingness."

Lin Mo spoke the last few words very lightly, yet they crashed down like massive mountains upon the hearts of everyone present.

"If you feel you can't do it, or if you don't want to bear this price, you can back out right now. The little Daoist Shou Zhen will perform a passing rite for your family and send you on your way."

After saying this, Lin Mo fell silent.

Everyone's eyes converged on Billy Chen, waiting for his decision.

Billy Chen turned his head and looked at the corner where his parents' bodies lay, folded into bizarre, twisted shapes. His soul trembled violently—not out of fear, but from monstrous hatred.

But in reality, relying solely on this power, Billy Chen might not necessarily become a powerful anomaly.

He took a deep breath and asked in a hoarse voice, "The passing rite... will it send us to the Underworld?"

Lin Mo stroked his chin.

In his system of immortal cultivation, there was no concept of an Underworld.

It followed the principle of the spiritual soul returning to Heaven and the physical form returning to Earth.

The so-called passing rite was merely accelerating the process of soul dispersion, turning it into the most primordial spiritual energy. Through the invisible channels of life between Heaven and Earth, it would recombine with fragments of other souls, ultimately giving birth to new life.

This was also why Lin Mo could never find his own parents again.

It wasn't that he didn't want to; he simply couldn't.

Those familiar soul imprints had long since dissipated between Heaven and Earth, becoming part of countless newborn souls.

Perhaps in the future, when he was strong enough—strong enough to reverse the laws of Heaven and Earth—there might be a sliver of possibility.

Before Lin Mo could explain, Shou Zhen spoke up first, attempting to persuade this pitiful soul to turn back.

"The passing rite helps you escape the sea of suffering and re-enter the cycle of reincarnation. Although all past events will be completely severed, it also means you can let go of all hatred and burdens, and gain a new life.

When will the cycle of vengeance ever end? Why must you bear such a heavy shackle?"

Regarding Lin Mo's horrifying method of seizing a body, although Shou Zhen didn't know the exact mechanics, just hearing about it made it sound like a torture far more cruel than death.

He couldn't bear it in his heart.

As Lin Mo listened, something felt off to him.

Why did this sound like an old Buddhist monk?

Oh right, the Quanzhen Sect was a fusion of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism.

Having a bit of a monk's flavor was normal.

Billy Chen ignored Shou Zhen. His gaze was fixed dead on the bat struggling in Lin Mo's hand. The despair and sorrow in his eyes were slowly being replaced by something frantic and pitch-black.

He suddenly asked a question.

"If I choose revenge, can I really achieve it?"

Lin Mo raised an eyebrow.

Billy Chen's voice became cold and twisted.

"I mean, can I make the people behind all this feel the pain my parents endured, but a thousand times worse?"

Hearing this, the little Daoist Shou Zhen's heart turned cold, knowing he could no longer persuade him.

The corners of Lin Mo's mouth, however, slowly curled up into a faint smile.

He looked at Billy Chen and nodded calmly.

"You can."

"But as you are now, you have enough resentment, but not enough strength. I will take you to a good place to nurture you properly. That way, you might be able to last a bit longer."

"Layman Lin! Say no more!"

Shou Zhen took a step forward, blocking the space between Lin Mo and Billy Chen.

"Billy Chen is already miserable enough. If he falls into the vortex of revenge, he will never be able to reincar..."

The rest of Shou Zhen's words caught in his throat, his voice growing weaker and weaker.

He met Lin Mo's gaze, which held absolutely no emotion. It was hollow and freezing, like a bottomless well.

Because he saw the sheer apathy in Lin Mo's eyes.

"If you're so capable, you do it."

Lin Mo's voice was very flat, as casual as asking about the weather.

"Go find the mastermind behind the scenes. Go pin him to the ground and rub his face in the dirt. Go on! Standing here flapping your lips, urging a wronged soul whose family was destroyed to lay down his butcher's knife... Little Daoist, do you think you're very noble?"

Lin Mo took a step forward.

Shou Zhen instinctively wanted to retreat, but his feet felt rooted to the spot, unable to move.

"A soul cannot deceive people."

"His hatred, his pain, his injustice—will chanting a few scriptures make them disappear? Do you think this is like wiping a table, where a swipe of a rag makes it clean?

Even if he is just a soul, he is essentially still a person. He wants to avenge his parents, which is perfectly justified by the laws of Heaven and Earth. What did he do wrong?!"

Liu Zheng's eyelid twitched. He hurriedly stepped forward, grabbed Shou Zhen's arm, and forcefully dragged him back.

Don't say any more. If he kept talking, the little Daoist might just get slapped to death by Lin Mo.

He knew better than anyone that Lin Mo's parents had also died in a tragic car accident years ago. The perpetrator had been sentenced and was currently sitting comfortably in prison, working a sewing machine.

This matter was a thorn in Lin Mo's heart that could never be pulled out.

Liu Zheng and Old Bai exchanged a glance, both seeing deep apprehension in each other's eyes.

They didn't dare add fuel to the fire.

So neither Liu Zheng nor Old Bai dared to speak. If Lin Mo's killing intent was truly roused, their Yanhuang Awakening organization would probably just have to cooperate with him.

Yes, just cooperate.

Suddenly, without any warning, Lin Mo turned his head and stared fixedly at Shou Zhen.

That gaze was no longer just cold; it was steeped in a tangible malice, like countless needles piercing into Shou Zhen's body.

"Little Daoist, let me ask you."

Lin Mo spoke word by word, his voice carrying a suffocating pressure.

"If I killed your Martial Granduncle today, would you still preach about when the cycle of vengeance will ever end?"

Boom!

Shou Zhen's mind went completely blank.

He clearly felt that if he dared to nod or say the word Yes, in seven days, he would be performing funeral rites for his Martial Granduncle.

A chill shot straight from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head, and the blood in his entire body seemed to freeze in an instant.

He opened his mouth, but his throat was too dry to make even the slightest sound.