Chapter Seventy-Four The Buddha said: What constitutes good and evil?

I half-knelt on the ground, a surge of blood rushing to my chest. I spat out a mouthful of it with a gasp, then lay back on the cold earth, panting for breath.

Although a demon corpse like me doesn’t need to breathe like ordinary people, after more than twenty years of inhaling the fresh air of nature, I couldn’t deny that it felt rather good.

The elder reached out his hand, placing it on my wrist and sending a gentle wave of healing energy into my body. The sensation was just like the descriptions of true qi entering the body in cultivation novels.

I was already semi-conscious by then. Though Macas hadn’t struck me directly, the defensive barrier he cast had dealt me a heavy blow.

The silver-haired werewolf stood behind the elder, looking for all the world like a loyal attendant. He glanced at my battered form and spoke to the elder, “King, this boy was just helping that group of people. Why did you save him?” His tone betrayed a hint of resentment.

Had I heard correctly? The silver-haired werewolf had called the elder “King”—did that mean the elder was actually the Wolf King, Ao Yue?

What surprised me even more was that the Wolf King Ao Yue possessed the features of an Easterner: yellow skin, black hair, and the dignified presence of a Central Plains Wolf King—firm, resilient, unyielding, courageous, carrying the indomitable spirit of a true Central Plains divine wolf.

While tending to my wounds, Ao Yue replied to the silver-haired werewolf behind him, “Yinyue, our wolf clan never abandons a friend. Besides, three thousand years ago, the ancestor of the demon corpses, Jiang Chen, did us a great favor.” With that, he continued healing me. Yinyue fell silent, saying nothing more until I coughed twice and slowly opened my eyes from my half-unconscious state. It was already past three in the morning.

Wolf King Ao Yue stood before me, hands clasped behind his back. Seeing me awake, he signaled Yinyue to help me up. Then he said, “Young man, you must already know who I am. Though I am nominally one of the Three Great Evils of the West, Yinyue and I are true sons of the Central Plains wolves.” As he finished, his face rapidly transformed, turning into a wolf’s head atop a human body, just like Yinyue’s. He threw back his head and howled at the sky, “Awooooo!”

Yinyue did not howl but instead shouted skyward, “The Central Plains Wolf Dynasty—unstoppable!” Countless howls of wolves followed, echoing his words to the moon, as if in response.

I was stunned. Judging by the cacophony, there had to be no fewer than a thousand wild wolves nearby. No wonder people avoided this place—clearly, a massive wolf pack guarded the area.

When Ao Yue finished howling, he clapped me on the shoulder and laughed. “Who would have thought the demon corpse clan would produce another king? You are the eleventh under Jiang Chen, and so young, yet already a Golden Corpse King.” He gazed at the sky, a sorrowful aura drifting around him that was impossible to describe.

We stood atop the altar, each at a corner of the platform. Yinyue bowed his head in silence. I stepped forward to stand beside the Wolf King and asked, “I can see your sorrow. If you share your burden, perhaps it will lighten your heart. Speak—let someone share in it.” I looked at Ao Yue with unwavering eyes; at that moment, he seemed like a lost child.

Ao Yue continued to gaze upward, as if searching for something. Resting his hands on the altar’s railing, he began to recount the source of his grief.

It happened on this very day, three thousand years ago. The Legion of Three Great Evils and the Three Great Virtues fought their final battle in the city of Xuanyuan, in a different dimension. On that day, the chief of the Kui Ba clan, Buck Brute, and the strongest female blood warrior, Lucy, fell. It was also the day he and his twelve generals were sealed away.

The Elf Queen and her alliance, though hailed as holy before humans, had another side unseen by mankind. Their so-called “holy war” was nothing but a campaign of extermination; wherever they went, clans and sects were wiped out.

In truth, there is no real good or evil in the world. Such distinctions exist only in the eyes of humans and other blessed beings. Because humans favor the light, they deem darkness evil.

Buddha Tuo once said, “Good is evil, evil is good. In this vast world, what is true good, and what is true evil?” If even the Buddha hesitated to judge, how could ordinary people presume to know the difference?

The battle in Xuanyuan City was world-shaking. White and black supernatural powers clashed everywhere, and the land was littered with cold corpses and broken bones.

The three of us swore brotherhood in the midst of that chaos. Who would have thought that so soon after, we would be torn apart—brothers and sisters separated by death. As Ao Yue spoke, tears streamed down his cheeks. I never imagined he had survived such a cataclysmic war.

After a while, Ao Yue continued, his words flowing like a story, but I believed every one.

After Buck Brute died, his body vanished without a trace. Lucy’s soul was taken by the only Blood Emperor left among the blood clan, who fled that dimension, for it was no longer a place where our kind could survive.

Five years after the war ended, I and the generals under my command were forcibly expelled from that dimension and sealed here for nearly three thousand years by the most powerful elven mage.

Ao Yue told me he had been following me for some time. He had pretended to be drunk that day to lure me to a mysterious place and share vital information about the other dimension. But I was too impatient then, and the opportunity was lost. Now, with dawn approaching and other matters pressing, Ao Yue waved his hand and said, “Xiaodong, you have classes to attend. Why don’t you head back for now? In time, I’ll come find you myself.” With that, he and Yinyue unfolded their wings and soared away from the altar, vanishing into the night sky.

I was left alone atop the altar, watching their figures fade away. Shaking my head, I too unfurled my wings and flew toward Z City.

It was already past four in the morning, and darkness still shrouded everything. I slipped through my dorm window and dove into bed as quickly as I could, unnoticed—thanks to my roommates, who were such heavy sleepers that nothing short of noon would wake them.

Despite the Wolf King’s healing, I was still badly injured and would need time to recover. My chest felt tight and heavy. I hadn’t expected that gentle protective energy to be so powerful.

For now, I looked almost normal—just terribly pale, giving me the appearance of someone suffering from anemia.

...

(If fate has brought you here, I ask for your support, my friends! I am on .com, so come visit. If you enjoy the story, cast your vote for me. Should you have any suggestions, please leave a message in the review section. The more feedback, the more joy! I strive to create a novel that readers will find truly enjoyable.)

Brothers, sisters, dear friends—raise your votes and shower them generously! ^_^