Chapter 258: Eradicate Evil to the Very Roots

Li Shun merely skimmed through the classics of the other branches. Their contents were largely no different from what he already knew.

The only unusual thing was that the yellowed blank spaces between the pages and even the gaps between the lines of text were densely filled with detailed annotations. The ink varied in depth, while the brushwork ranged from vigorous and forceful to gentle and refined. Clearly, these annotations had not come from a single hand.

“With such extensive commentaries, combined with a Scholar personally guiding and teaching them, with resources this abundant, it would be difficult for anyone not to amount to something.”

Li Shun closed the book and sighed softly.

He then reached out and pulled out the classic of the Confucian branch known as [Sole Righteousness], The Classic of Sole Righteousness.

“The Heavenly Dao delights in restoring what is owed, and reason never allows anything to be discarded without cause. The worldly Confucians delight in speaking of repaying hatred with virtue, but what place does virtue have in the face of hatred? Thus, repay resentment with justice, and blood with blood. The vengeance of nine generations must still be carried out even after a hundred generations. This is the great safeguard of Heaven and Earth, the ultimate principle of human relations. So long as vengeance remains unfulfilled, righteousness cannot be established. So long as blood does not flow, the Dao cannot shine!”

The opening passage came at him like a blade, overflowing with a chilling killing intent.

Li Shun's eyes narrowed slightly.

“No wonder this branch has never gained prominence in the world. One must understand that Great Qian itself was founded upon the destruction of seven nations, creating countless boundless karmic debts of bloodshed. According to this doctrine, all remnants of the former nations would have every reason to openly seek revenge for the hatred of those bygone years.”

“It is destined to be something the Great Qian government can never permit.”

As his gaze moved downward, Li Shun noticed that there had originally been annotations scattered throughout The Classic of Sole Righteousness.

But those traces had seemingly been forcibly smeared over with thick ink, turning them into masses of black stains that could no longer be made out.

“Yet they didn't simply replace it with a new copy.”

“Given the foundations of the Taixue Academy, doing so would hardly be difficult. Interesting...”

Li Shun narrowed his eyes and returned his gaze to the page, continuing to read.

“The pedantic Confucians of the world delight in preaching forgiveness. Yet they fail to understand that pardoning one evil gives rise to a hundred calamities, while sparing one thief wrongs a thousand souls. To forget past kindness is to be callous. To forget past hatred is the greatest treachery. Thus, when a gentleman releases resentment, he must do so with sword and arrow. When he quells disorder, he must eradicate it completely. To cut the weeds and pull out their roots is true benevolence. To eliminate evil to the very last is the essence of the Mean.”

...

“What a fine ‘cut the weeds and pull out their roots, eliminate evil to the very last’!”

Li Shun stared at the page.

Before his eyes, a cold, towering phantom suddenly appeared.

From that phantom, he sensed an immeasurable killing intent, as though mountains of corpses and seas of blood stretched endlessly before him.

Yet unlike the frenzied killing intent of the mortal world, this killing intent actually contained a certain magnificent and indisputable righteousness, along with absolute rationality.

“Derive, deduce, and determine the legitimacy of everything one does...”

Li Shun recalled Han Qi's earlier explanation of the [Sole Righteousness] branch.

After pondering for a moment, he continued reading.

“The Great Dao is righteousness alone, without distortion or injustice. Thunder, rain, grace and wrath, all are the blessings of Heaven. Clear punishment and execution are all manifestations of the Dao's inheritance. The gentleman harbors killing intent to protect the world and wields blade and axe to preserve the bonds of human morality. If it benefits righteousness, then even the slaughter of tens of thousands is the greatest benevolence within seeming cruelty, the greatest righteousness within seeming injustice.”

“To know goodness yet refuse to proclaim it is false benevolence. To witness evil yet refuse to punish it is to share in that evil. Thus, the cultivation of our school does not lie in searching for passages within books, but in questioning the Dao through the blade's edge. The heart must be like iron, unmoved by flattering words. One's actions must be like thunder, unmoved by cries of sorrow. When confronted with injustice, do not recite empty scriptures. Draw your sword and bring it to an end. When confronted with great evil, do not preach the Way of forgiveness. Sever its head and restore righteousness. The awe-inspiring qi is not cultivated within warm chambers. It is tempered upon bones of the dead. To use killing to halt killing is true Confucianism. To destroy before establishing anew is the great principle!”

...

Li Shun became completely immersed in these sharp and incisive words, occasionally nodding deeply in agreement.

When he encountered particularly brilliant passages, he could not help but slap the table and praise them aloud.

However, just as he had turned halfway through The Classic of Sole Righteousness, Li Shun suddenly felt the world spinning around him.

His sea of consciousness seemed to have been struck by a heavy hammer, and the scene before his eyes blurred repeatedly.

The principle qi circulating throughout his body within his dantian was even more like a wild horse that had broken free of its reins. It raced wildly through his meridians, crashing about until his five viscera began to ache faintly.

Li Shun's expression changed slightly, and he immediately closed the book.

He shut his eyes at once and rapidly recited the fundamental teachings of the [Spring and Autumn Brush] branch in his mind, guiding the principle qi back into position.

Only after the repeated disturbances in his consciousness had completely subsided did he stop, breathing heavily.

When he opened his eyes again, his back was already covered in a layer of cold sweat.

Li Shun naturally understood what had just happened.

Although both belonged to the Confucian lineage, the doctrines of [Sole Righteousness] were fundamentally different from those of the [Spring and Autumn Brush] branch. Some of their underlying principles could even be said to be diametrically opposed.

If that were all, it would not have mattered.

The problem was that while reading, Li Shun had unconsciously immersed his mind in the text. At a subconscious level, he had actually accepted these words that conflicted with the foundation of his cultivation.

As a result, his principle qi had turned against him, destabilizing his Dao foundation.

Li Shun stared at the classic on the table, secretly alarmed.

“By rights, my foundation is already incomparably stable. Even when faced with the corrosion of an Outer God, I shouldn't be so easily overwhelmed within moments.”

“Even texts belonging to other schools should not have such a penetrating effect.”

“It is precisely because it comes from the same Confucian lineage.”

“Sharing the same origin while standing in opposition makes the danger even greater.”

Li Shun suddenly gained a better understanding of why Ying Wuxiu had previously said that Otherworldly Celestial Demons were even more dangerous than Outer Gods and evil spirits.

The situation was remarkably similar to what had happened today.

“However, Han Qi is a Scholar of the Taixue Academy. Since he dared to show me the inheritance of the [Sole Righteousness] branch, he must have a foolproof method for dealing with it.”

“Otherwise, if a student of the Taixue Academy went mad and suffered cultivation deviation merely by studying it, how could the academy guarantee the safety of its students, let alone speak of resisting the Outer Gods?”

Li Shun did not believe that the Taixue Academy would simply list an inheritance that was fundamentally impossible to study.

“I shouldn't read The Classic of Sole Righteousness any further today. I'll ask Han Qi about it tomorrow.”

Yet as soon as this thought arose, Li Shun was somewhat astonished to discover a reluctant feeling welling up within his heart.

He could not help looking toward the now-closed Classic of Sole Righteousness.

Some instinct within him seemed to be urging him to open it immediately and continue reading the contents beyond the halfway point.

He desperately wanted to know more about the cultivation methods and teachings for saving the world of the [Sole Righteousness] branch.

Li Shun closed his eyes and held his breath, concentrating for a long while before finally suppressing all the impulses surging within his heart.

“This branch...”

“There is something sinister about it.”

Li Shun could not help frowning.

This could be said to be the most unstable his mind had been since he began cultivating.

Even when he had faced the Outer Gods several times before, he had never been in such a miserable state.

He had practically been completely defenseless!

Even when Li Shun withdrew his consciousness into Fangcun, he could not evade the influence.

“Either there is something wrong with the words of this branch, or there is something wrong with me.”

Li Shun simply returned The Classic of Sole Righteousness for the time being, deciding that what he could not see could not trouble him.

Yet throughout the remainder of the day, passages from The Classic of Sole Righteousness would still occasionally surface in his mind.

The following morning, Li Shun arrived at the Confucian Dao sanctuary grounds early.

To his surprise, there was actually another Confucian disciple present today.

Judging from his aura, he had already reached the Celestial Phenomena realm.

The man seemed to be asking Han Qi about some matter.

Li Shun could not hear what they were discussing, so he could only wait patiently to the side.