Absolute Choice

Chapter 465: Virtue and Vice

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There were once three sacred trees in the human world, one named "Destiny", one named "Time", and one named "The World".

The elves are special beings born from the "Holy Tree of the World". The ripening of each fruit from the Holy Tree of the World means the birth of an elf baby.

Elves have been called "the embodiment of beauty" since ancient times, not only because most elves are beautiful, but also because the moment the elves were born, they were blessed with the name "Seven Virtues" by the World's Holy Tree.

For human beings, the theory that human nature is inherently good and that human nature is inherently evil has always been a topic of endless debate. We use the behavior of infants to explore the initial good and evil of human nature, and debate whether humans learn good behavior or are contaminated during the growth process of life. Even if such a debate has been debated for thousands of years, it will never be able to come up with a clear answer, because from their respective perspectives and standpoints, the explanations obtained by both sides are reasonable and no one can completely refute it. No one can prove that they are absolutely right.

However, for the elves, there is no such embarrassing debate, because "born good and beautiful" is the greatest favor of the world's holy tree to the elves.

Elves are born with seven precious "virtues" - chastity, temperance, generosity, diligence, patience, tolerance, and humility.

It's just that although elves are born with virtues, they also have to go through the baptism of the world and gradually change as they grow. For example, a certain elf does not need to work because of her wealthy family and lives a life without worries about food and clothing. Her "diligence" virtue It will be wasted away in this kind of desolation day after day.

Elves who can maintain the seven virtues throughout their lives without losing them are extremely rare and almost do not exist. Only the "Holy Elves" recorded in legends truly retain all the seven virtues. However, the "Holy Elves" are only legends after all and cannot be judged to be fiction. It still exists.

Normally, well-educated elves can generally maintain two to three virtues, but the remaining virtues will disappear as they grow up, becoming little different from ordinary humans.

However, for elves who are born with virtue, there is one thing that is never allowed and is despised - virtue can disappear, but it must not turn into sin.

For example, "diligence" can disappear, but it must not become "lazy".

"Chastity" can be lost, but "lust" must not be indulged in...

The elves can allow the virtues bestowed by the World Holy Tree to disappear and regard it as their own incompetence, but they must not be contaminated with the seven original sins corresponding to the seven virtues, because that is the most important thing for the World Holy Tree that gave birth to them. A serious betrayal.

Whenever an elf is contaminated with any of the Seven Deadly Sins, whether he is an elf commoner, an elf noble, or even an elf queen, as long as he is contaminated with "sin", he will be regarded as a "fallen elf". kill.

"Fallen elves" are the most despised race among the elves. However, sadly, while the Holy Tree of the World bestowed upon them the seven virtues, it also planted the seeds of "fallenness".

Because as long as you destroy a certain "virtue" in yourself and actively "fall" into "evil", you can trigger the seeds hidden in the elf's body, allowing the elf to briefly gain explosive power.

"Falling" in exchange for power is the most benevolent gift the World's Holy Tree gives them when it gives birth to elves, but it is also the most malicious test.

Because even the elves who yearn for peace sometimes have to surrender to power. At that time, they have to make a choice whether to obtain the necessary power at the cost of being contaminated with "sin", especially when faced with the hunting of greedy humans. At this time, their lives, chastity, and dignity are threatened. Whether these things are more important than "virtue" becomes their most difficult choice.

The vast majority of elves will choose "fall" to resolve the crisis at the most critical moment. Even if that means betraying the Holy Tree of the World, it is always easier than betraying oneself.

This is the origin of the fallen and fallen elves. They were originally elves who were born with the seven virtues.

... ...

Ten thousand years ago, the first "Doomsday Catastrophe" came to the human world.

The most powerful destroyer of the catastrophe - the original sin of the catastrophe - first destroyed the three sacred trees that are the pillars of the human world. Naturally, the world's sacred trees cannot escape this disaster.

After that, the seven original sins, as "cleaners", began to slaughter the living creatures in the human world, and the elves suffered a catastrophe.

In that catastrophe of genocide, only one elf among the elves was lucky enough to survive.

The only surviving elf was Huali, who was chosen as the inheritor of the World Sacred Tree because she still retained the seven virtues in her old age.

Without the reproduction of the World Sacred Tree, Huali became the last elf in the human world.

Hua Li has been aware of her destiny and mission since then, and she secretly vowed that in order to preserve the last bloodline of the elves, she would never use the power of the "fallen seeds" and never become a "fallen elf".

Fortunately, having obtained the inheritance of the Holy Tree of the World, she has possessed near-invincible power from the beginning, and has been transformed into an "ugly old woman" when traveling in different worlds, so she has not been able to survive for 10,000 years. Encountered desperate situations that required the use of "Corrupted Seeds".

Although during her 10,000-year journey, she lost her "tolerance" because of her inhumane enemies, her "humility" because of her excessive power, and her ability to teleport across half the world without walking. Although "diligently", no degradation has occurred, and no crisis has required active degradation, it is already an incredible miracle.

However, not long ago, because she entered the Nine-turn Transcendent Tower and sealed herself, so that she was trapped by the God-killing formation arranged by the four tower lords as the formation eye. In order to save Shi Xiaobai, who almost died, she fell into The desperate situation of having to use the "Corrupted Seed".

When "sacrifice Shi Xiaobai" and "sacrifice yourself" were placed on the same scale, Hua Li chose the latter without hesitation.

She destroyed the virtue called "patience" and actively accepted the sin called "anger". In order to save Shi Xiaobai, she broke her oath, betrayed the World Sacred Tree, and became a "fallen elf".

She has no regrets about this. Even if she had to do it over again, she would make the same choice.

Although compared with ten thousand years, the time she got to know Shi Xiaobai was as short as a grain of dust in the desert, but to her, this short time was more precious than the long ten thousand years.

Because in ten thousand years, not only life is long, but also the loneliness of being alone.

In the recent short period of time, she secretly observed Shi Xiaobai's colorful adventures, watching him sometimes laughing heartily, sometimes being angry, sometimes showing sadness, sometimes being passionate, and sometimes being desperate...

Although he had never noticed her gaze that penetrated the space, although he knew nothing at all when she smiled knowingly or frowned slightly, and although she was just a lonely observer, she did not know anything about it at all. Feeling lonely.

What she got from Shi Xiaobai was much more than she imagined.

So how could she stand by and watch the life that filled her "emptiness" be destroyed

How could she let that boy, who had loftier ideals than anyone else, die at the beginning of the journey

Even if she had to deceive herself with the lie that "she is not an ordinary elf, but equal to the inheritor of the World Holy Tree. Even if she becomes a fallen elf, it is just betraying herself. This is just a trivial matter", she still It was absolutely impossible to let that young man fall into eternal sleep.

So she chose "fall" to complete his "rescue".

She doesn't regret it at all.

But what happened next made her regret it to this day.

Shi Xiaobai lived up to her efforts and even gave her unimaginable rewards.

He "robbed" her of her "fall."

Even she was a little confused as to how she was "robbed". She only remembered that she was panicked and shy because she was suddenly "pushed down" by him, and when she was worried about how to refuse, he tenderly repaid her efforts.

It's just that this "repayment" feels as heavy as "retribution" to her.

Shi Xiaobai took away the evil named "anger" from her body and turned her back into a pure elf who was not touched by evil. For this, he paid a corresponding price and could be dominated by "anger" or "fallen" at any time. “The high price of seduction.

Hua Li felt remorseful for her negligence, but was even more moved.

True love is such "selfless" giving as hers.

And being truly loved is the reward for being as "selfish" as he is.

The first thing Hua Li did after leaving the Nine Transformations Transcendent Tower was to look through all the information about "fall".

The Seven Deadly Sins are keen on destroying living things, but do not have the habit of burning books, so she was lucky enough to retain some of the elven classics ten thousand years ago.

However, the more she read through the thick books and learned about "fall", the more confused she became.

Because all books describing "fall" are based on a premise that cannot be ignored - the identities of the fallen are elves.

Yes, there is no description of humanity’s “fall” that sowed the seeds of sin!

For humans, virtues and vices both originate from human nature. They are just the polarization of human nature, which is a normal thing. Therefore, when the "seed of sin" that belongs to elves is sown in the flower field of human souls, what will happen after all? There is no precedent for what kind of "flower of evil" will bloom.

Without any lessons learned from the past, this is the most embarrassing situation.

Shi Xiaobai took away the evil seed called "anger" from her body. It is impossible to predict what changes will occur and what changes will occur.

Until Shi Xiaobai fell into despair again, she smiled bitterly at how many times this young man who had only practiced for a short time would have to encounter fatal crises before he would give up, while nervously waiting for the last moment when he had to make a decision. .

This time was different from before, and she couldn't make decisions with an absolutely calm mind. Subject to the Queen's deliberate arrangements, she was only able to save one side. Once she rescues Shi Xiaobai, it means giving up the other seven newcomers who are in danger to save Shi Xiaobai. Even though she has no longer been in the habit of caring about "morality", such "repaying kindness with hatred" is still too unethical. "Some.

Therefore, when he and they are on the verge of danger, the only way to reach a perfect ending together is to save each other or themselves.

However, the newcomers who had their shadows captured by the ninth-level lord "Shadow Ghost" probably had no room to resist.

Shi Xiaobai, who was running desperately while holding the girl in his arms, fell down for the sixth time and seemed to have no strength to get up again.

When things have come to this point, it should be a desperate situation—if Shi Xiaobai didn't have the "angry evil seed" "snatched" from her buried in his body.

The Angry Seed exerts its reliable but hateful power.

Shi Xiaobai once again gained the power given by "Fall".

Hua Li didn't expect this at all, because this was the first change that had occurred so far.

Elves can gain power by destroying "virtue" and spawning the corruption of "sin", but they can only use it once in a lifetime.

If one can obtain power far beyond one's own countless times, then it is not a gift from the World Sacred Tree, but a "plug-in" that breaks the rules.

But it seems that with the emergence of precedents for humans to obtain evil seeds, the rules are also broken.

An elf can only gain power by falling for the first time. If the direction of the fall is "anger", it will become easier to lose control of anger in the future, which is equivalent to contracting the bad habit of being irritable.

But this was the second time that Shi Xiaobai gained power far beyond his own due to "anger"!

What's happening here

Fall after fall

After falling into anger and gaining strength again, what will be the price he pays

Hua Li was shocked and confused. She forced herself to calm down and carefully observed Shi Xiaobai, who had lost his mind due to "anger", killing monsters in the world of formations.

He is still as powerful and cold as when he killed the four tower lords, still uses the cruel method of directly tearing the prey into pieces with his hands, and still allows the blood to stain himself into a silver-haired devil...

Compared with the first "anger", there seems to be no change, but if you observe carefully, you will find that this time Shi Xiaobai is obviously more ruthless than before, and he is more decisive in tearing apart prey, more like a dog following the killing instinct. The "devil".

This means that compared to the last time, Shi Xiaobai's remaining self-awareness has become even more blurred in the "angry" state.

-It's just that although he paid a heavy price, Shi Xiaobai finally completed his "self-rescue".

Just when Hua Li comforted herself with such lame words, the story reached a desolate low point.

Because of Li Chenxi's awakening and calling, "Shi Xiaobai", who was no different from the devil, finally became aware of her existence.

The silver-haired devil, who completely followed the killing instinct, finally stretched out his blood-stained hands to the soft and warm girl's body that was close at hand.