Rise of The Demon General Chapter 816. Nature of the Creator

"I was very different back then... I was idealistic. I believed in goodness," Mo Wang declared. "After the accident that led to my death on Earth, I transmigrated into this world. I thought I was granted a second chance. A fresh start in a strange realm brimming with magic and monsters. Even then, I still held onto the belief in goodness..."

"What caused the change?" Amon inquired.

Mo Wang offered a shrug. "Survival."

"... Did Your Lordship mention that it was the Creator who brought Your Lordship to this world?"

"Myself and other transmigrators."

"Does Your Lordship know the reason why?"

Mo Wang shook his head. "The Creator never offered an explanation for his actions. He would speak to us when he saw fit, but as I mentioned, that ceased a long time ago."

"Does Your Lordship miss the Creator’s voice?" Amon asked.

A laugh escaped Mo Wang. "If anything, I felt relief."

"How so?"

Mo Wang fell silent for a few moments before replying, "What are your thoughts on this world?"

"... I find it agreeable."

"I can imagine someone like you would."

"I don’t quite understand."

A sigh escaped Mo Wang. "As I said, I was once idealistic. I truly believed I was a good and kind person. However, this world... it is not conducive to such beliefs. You can speak of our previous world however you wish, but it possessed a certain balance and fairness. Certainly, evil existed in that world, and many wicked individuals prospered. Nevertheless, everyone was afforded a reasonable opportunity. It wasn't nearly as skewed as it is here.

"For instance, no matter how formidable an individual became in our former world, their power didn't reach an insurmountable level. Even an infamous dictator could be felled by a bullet or a blade. This was because the true power in our past world didn't reside solely within individuals. Power was derived from other people. In our former world, one attained the status of king or ruler because others consented to it. When the populace withdrew their acceptance, they would revolt, and a new ruler would be chosen."

"Consequently, to maintain their position, a ruler had to cultivate goodwill towards others and engage in a degree of sharing. Perhaps not with everyone, but certainly with specific individuals who could aid in preserving their authority. The most ruthless tyrant in our old world might have been cruel to nearly everyone, but they couldn't afford to treat their immediate subordinates with the same disdain, for those very subordinates were the ones who ensured their safety. History is replete with accounts of tyrants in our past world who overlooked this crucial point. They orchestrated their own downfall by alienating the wrong people. They became too intoxicated with their own power, believing themselves untouchable, yet they never were. Such was the fairness of our old world."

"In this world, however, one can ascend to the status of a literal deity. Individuals possessing a high cultivation level can wield individual power that renders them invincible against those with lesser cultivation. Take myself, for example. With my current might, I can do as I please in this lower realm. I could enslave them all or annihilate them if I so desired. When faced with such overwhelming power, do you believe an individual is more inclined towards benevolence and wise governance, or to succumb to their baser desires and act upon every whim?"

Mo Wang paused, allowing Amon to contemplate the question. He didn't anticipate a response, as he continued shortly thereafter.

"I informed you that I was once a good person. I still aspire to be one... but residing in this world has corrupted me. To endure, I learned selfishness, for this world rewards such behavior. You acquire more resources than others, and you advance your cultivation to higher stages than your peers. Once you gain an advantage, it becomes improbable for others to close the gap. You can intimidate and obstruct weaker competitors, preventing their advancement. They remain powerless because, as I've stated, you've become vastly more potent than they are.

"Our previous world, despite its prevalence of evil, I believe its fundamental nature leaned towards good, as its inhabitants required each other for survival. They were compelled by necessity to treat one another with some degree of decency. If our past world had a Creator, I would find it more plausible to believe He was benevolent. This world, centered around cultivation and fostering selfishness, however, could only have been fashioned by a malevolent and depraved entity.

"You can now comprehend my feelings when I expressed relief at the Creator of this world ceasing communication with us? My hope is that the reason for his silence was either his departure from this world or his demise. The notion of an evil entity possessing unfathomable power observing us and influencing our lives fills me with dread."

".... I fear I must convey disappointing news, Your Lordship. The Creator has neither departed nor perished," Amon stated.

Mo Wang's brow furrowed deeply upon hearing this. "What do you mean by that?" he inquired.

"I am aware with certainty that he still communicates with a particular individual."

"A certain individual? What do you mean? Do you know someone who speaks with the Creator?" Mo Wang's face suddenly showed that he realized something. "I see... That’s why you are not surprised by his existence. You have known that he existed because you have met someone who received his messages. Who is this person?"

Amon had met two such individuals, but he told Mo Wang only about Xuan Ming. He kept Xlasstazh’s existence a secret. Otherwise, he would have to explain why he was socializing with a Hyanid.

"A mysterious woman in the surface world who received the Creator’s messages as prophecies? Hm... This is worrisome. I might have to give those three down there the instruction to look for this woman during the purge."

"The purge... I have always wondered about it. Does Your Lordship mind shedding some light on the issue?" Amon asked.

"Well, you are from the surface world, so I understand your interest in the matter. But answer me, if I tell you that the purge is the end for everyone living in the surface world, would you do something to stop it?"

"No. I have no one I care about in Aetheria. I care not if the surface world is burned to the ground," Amon answered.

"Hm, considering you are the infamous General Amon from our past world, I believe you. You were famous for having no leverage that others could use against you. Very well, I will tell you about the purge. Honestly, I never care about keeping it a secret. It was the upper world that imposed this secrecy."

"The upper world can dictate what the lower world does?"

Mo Wang paused again. This time, it was involuntary and longer. "We always answer to someone. It was true in the past world. It was true here. Actually, it was even worse here, because as I have pointed out earlier. The someone we obey might be immortal and too powerful to get rid of, which means our life might as well be an eternity of servitude. That’s how evil and unfair this world is. Nevertheless, we do what we must to survive..."

"... And the purge?" Amon tried getting Mo Wang back to the intended topic.

"Yes... The purge." Mo Wang chuckled at getting distracted. "Before I tell you that? I may need to provide you with a context. How do you compare the surface world and this lower world?"

"I hate to say it, but the lower world is evidently more chaotic than the surface world."

"No, no. I’m not talking about the inhabitants. I’m referring to its aether contents."

’Why didn’t you make the question more specific then?’ Amon complained in his mind. He answered, "It is certainly much denser. I can increase my cultivation level much faster and easier here."

Mo Wang nodded. "Do you know that, originally, Aetheria only consisted of the surface world? There were no lower world or upper world in the beginning."

"I have read a historical record that mentioned a deity-class beast sacrificed itself to create this lower world to give the infernal cultivators a safe haven to live."

Mo Wang laughed lightly. "What happened wasn’t that noble. This world is created by someone who possessed the law of space, very much like how I created this Big World Ring and that Small World Ring on your neck. Though, of course, with much more complexity. For one, the denizens of this world cannot leave anytime they want. We must use a specific gate point for that."

"Your Lordship possesses the law of space?" Amon asked.

"Of course. Normal space rings are the only limit a smith can make without understanding the Law of Space," Mo Wang answered. "Anyway, this lower world was created by an infernal cultivator before my time who understood such a law. He captured and used the life force of a deity beast to create this world. Millennia later, a divine cultivator who successfully mastered the Law of Space mimicked the same method to create the upper world. However, both the created worlds were empty in the beginning. The people who entered the created worlds toiled to make the worlds the way they were now. Do you understand what I’m getting to here?"

"... That this world’s original aether content wasn’t the way it is now?"

Mo Wang nodded. "Precisely so, and that’s what the purge is for."