Under One Person, your rebellious life has reached the heavens?

"Oh? Thirty-four, what do you mean?" Qu Tong narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Find a perfect vessel to absorb the power of the island and replace the tree."

Thirty-four stood up; he had already thought of a suitable candidate.

“It’s dangerous here. People with weak minds will be affected. Twenty, take them away first. I’ll set up a trap here to block the tree from contact with the outside world.”

"it is good."

They acted quickly and split up to carry out their tasks.

The next morning.

The royal palace summoned all the devout islanders. Alfonso, citing the king's need to see his subjects, led them in in batches. Qu Tong altered their memories one by one, deepening her control over the island.

Chapter 280 Chen Duo's Three Choices

morning.

In the secluded conference room of Nathan Palace, four figures sat discussing who was the best container for the 'tree'.

"Currently, there are two suitable candidates: one is the young Gu Master girl from Xianhong Village, and the other is Nasen's original king."

Thirty-four provides two options for several people to choose from.

This was different from what Qu Tong had expected. She asked in confusion, "Can't Feng Baobao do it?"

“Her body was forged by our combined efforts and contains traces of various extraordinary techniques. Currently, the various forces that sustain her life are in a state of balance. If we were to let her take on the power of the tree, there might be a serious rejection reaction between the two. My advice is to be cautious.”

“Chen Duo, the vessel of the Primal Gu, has survived enough to show her strong will. She is a good candidate to be the container for the tree. In addition, the king has a close relationship with the tree. If we can control her, she would also be a good choice.”

Upon hearing his suggestion, Ma Xianhong frowned and objected:

"Senior, I cannot agree to the selection of Chen Duo as the vessel."

“I promised her freedom. The Medicine Fairy will create her and raise her like a Gu. The company will study her, restrict her, and treat her like a tool, putting her in a dog collar. I can’t do what they do, and I won’t agree to you doing it.”

Are you sure what she wants is freedom?

Qu Tong's fingers traced light circles on the table. She wasn't annoyed; she simply said calmly:

"I know a little about the Holy Child of the Medicine Immortal Society in Miao territory. Don't expect a humanoid Gu worm that has been cultivated to have normal subjective self-awareness. For her, life and death, good and evil are meaningless and unimportant."

"I've taken the time to think about the details of her betrayal that you reported to me before. Why was Liao Zhong from the company killed? The root cause lies in the three choices Chen Duo gave him. His identity... well... and his personal relationships made it impossible for him to choose any of them."

"Let her go, go with her, send her away—Liao Zhong didn't choose any of them. Since he didn't choose any of them, it conflicted with Chen Duo's core demands, and death was the inevitable result."

Ma Xianhong listened silently, his face cold. He had his own judgment, and no matter what his sister or the two seniors thought, he would not compromise in the slightest.

Qu Tong glanced at the young junior, showing no intention of blaming him. Her gaze was gentle, but her words were like a sharp knife piercing his heart.

"The world is so vast, and neither of us has ever controlled her. Her feet are part of her body; if her desire for freedom were extremely strong, she could leave at any time, but she didn't..."

"A tool is just a tool, nothing more."

"Her experiences have made it impossible for her to see herself as a normal person. You say she wants freedom, but to put it bluntly, she is like a tamed wild beast. Under the charity and strict orders of the animal trainer, having a certain range of choices is what she longs for most deep down."

"You don't need to pity her, and she doesn't need your pity. In short, everyone has their own destiny."

"Of course, we're family, and your sister cares about how you feel."

"As for your thoughts, we will respect them. After all, all we want is a result. If you don't want Chen Duo to continue to be enslaved as a tool, fine, then let King Nathan go. It makes no difference."

"......"

Ma Xianhong felt a bit uncomfortable, as if his chest was blocked. Qu Tong's words made it clear that he had the most unwilling truth to admit: Chen Duo was just a tool, and his desire to change her fate was nothing but wishful thinking and a farce.

"Xianhong, even now, Chen Duo is still a tool to me, a tool for your mental growth and for accepting your selfish desires;"

"Her distorted and incomplete timidity makes her unable to face the world, nor can she leave the cage of the animal trainer to gain a sense of security. You don't have to believe me, go and verify it yourself."

"The Body Refinement Furnace has been completed. As long as she goes in, she will be reborn and transformed into... well... a more efficient and stable tool."

"Or, I could erase all her memories, regenerate a new body for her, and let her live a normal life from now on."

"Of course, maintaining the status quo is also fine. Give her three options, tell her what to choose, and see if she will choose one of the three options without any resistance."

"..."

The atmosphere in the meeting room was heavy and oppressive. Ma Xianhong remained silent, then got up and left.

Thirty-four, Seventeen, and Qu Tong did not stop them. They understood that disagreements were common and then discussed preparations for capturing Nathan King.

.......

At ten o'clock in the morning, a quiet woman sat in front of the palace steps.

She suppressed the poison in her body and held the puppy in her arms. Although she was in pain all the time, every time she rubbed the puppy's head, the warm touch in her palm would soften Chen Duo's green pupils, and the curve of her lips would appear faintly.

Bathed in the sunlight, Chen Duo looked at the clear blue sky and the fresh air, and felt a sense of peace.

"Da da...."

Faint footsteps approached from behind. Ma Xianhong sat down on the ground, smiling, and asked cheerfully, "How are you adjusting, Chen Duo?"

"Mm," Chen Duo nodded gently in response.

"Village chief, have you finished talking?"

"Well, it went fairly smoothly."

Ma Xianhong didn't elaborate further and went straight to the point:

"The furnace is finished. Do you want to use it? It can help you completely control the Primal Gu, so you won't have to work so hard in the future."

"Also, I've talked to my sister, and her abilities can also help you become an ordinary person, erase those terrible memories from the past, and live freely in this world with a new identity and a new attitude."

"Hmm... If you don't like any of these, we can maintain the status quo."

"Huh? I... let me think about it."

Chen Duo's heart trembled. In less than a month, the problem that had been troubling her had been solved.

“It’s okay, you’re free to do whatever you want.” Ma Xianhong gave her an encouraging look.

"Thank you."

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Duo recalled various past events. Faced with the first and second options, she wavered and longed for them, but she still felt a strange resistance in her heart. Her physical self and her spiritual self were at odds.

The former wanted to end her current suffering, while the latter knew it was futile and couldn't fill the emptiness in her heart; it would only prolong another kind of pain. As for erasing her memories, it would destroy some precious memories, which she couldn't accept.

Ma Xianhong didn't disturb her. He simply leaned back and lay on the palace steps, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds, pondering his current situation and struggling with whether or not to make a decision for Chen Duo and interfere in her life.

Selfish?

Or is it selfless?

To let tragedy unfold, or to revise it according to one's own wishes?

Unbeknownst to him, he was waiting for the girl's answer, and in the little time he had left, he was also trying to find a reason to allow himself to interfere in Chen Duo's life.

The warm sunlight shone on the two of them, accompanied by the occasional barking of their dog, Chen Junyan. Time passed silently, yet seemed to stand still at this moment.

tool....

Humanoid Gu Insect....

These two words kept lingering in Ma Xianhong's mind. He was caught in a dilemma, his mood became extremely depressed, and even breathing felt exhausting.

He was aware of Chen Duo's physical condition. The Primal Gu would eventually become uncontrollable, and death would be the only outcome. Changing death was not difficult; what was difficult was ending her long-standing mental anguish.

Otherwise, even if they enter the cultivation furnace or transfer their consciousness into a clone, it would only be a temporary fix, turning them from humanoid worms into humanoid puppets; their tool-like nature would never be eliminated.

The Medicine Fairy would use her as a weapon to kill;

The company treated her as a research subject;

Wasn't he also using her as a tool? A tool to carry his own selfish desires, to make himself feel gratified and happy by hoping she would live freely and happily?

After much deliberation, Ma Xianhong convinced himself to cut off any unnecessary hesitation and just take charge!

So what if you're selfish? Of all things in the world, humans take the most. We're born selfish and above all things. Why pretend to be high-minded now?

Half an hour passed quickly. Examining her inner self, Chen Duo, unable to accept the new life, softly asked:

"Village chief, can I choose the third one first?"

"I can't choose the first or the second one right now. Maybe I'll know what I really want when I can't take it anymore."

"Ha, you've come up with some terms with me? Well, you're not a child anymore, you're an adult, you want it all."

Ma Xianhong smiled and sat up with a jolt, saying, "Come on, Chen Duo, I'll take you for a tour of the palace."

"OK."

Chen Duo felt relieved, smiled gently, and happily got up to follow.

"boom--"

Just then, Ma Xianhong struck swiftly, delivering a palm strike that caught Chen Duo off guard, knocking her unconscious. The puppy, startled, yelped and barked at Ma Xianhong, but was also knocked unconscious.

With Chen Duo on one shoulder and 'Chen Junyan' in the other, Ma Xianhong found his sister Qu Tong and told her his plan: to let Chen Duo's consciousness enter a new clone, erase her past memories, and leave Nathan to return to a normal life.

"...Have you thought it through?"

Qu Tong is currently in contact with the 34th and 17th officers along the coast. They have discovered that King Nathan has returned and are about to launch a capture operation.

"Yes, thank you for your help, sister."

Ma Xianhong was resolute and bowed deeply to Qu Tong in his plea.

"Alright, just a Gu Master, nothing special."

"and this."

Ma Xianhong shook the puppy in his hand.

“Okay, recently hundreds of the parasites I planted in China have been eliminated. Your little Gu Master is not suitable to go back. Go live in Tokyo. You can avoid the company's investigation there. My people will pick her up.”

Qu Tong immediately took action, taking Chen Duo's cells to re-cultivate and clone her body. During the transfer of her consciousness, she deleted and modified her memories.

Several hours later, all the surgeries were completed. Ma Xianhong, who was wanted by the company, changed his appearance with the help of Qu Tong and personally left by boat with two confidants, taking Chen Duo with him, to Tokyo.

There, Chen Duo will begin a new life, experiencing the normal life she once longed for but could not have, and she will freely enjoy every moment of happiness.

Chapter 281 Watch me tear down your palace!

Noon.

On the coastal beach of Nathan, a hired speedboat cuts through the waves.

After docking, Wang, Elena, and Mochizuki Satoru landed on the island. They had lost their identities as Wang and Wei when they paid homage to the Trinity Gate, and were no longer blessed by the tree, losing their ability to teleport throughout the island.

Not far away, a row of figures stood, including Alfonso, Anthony, Guna, and a group of islanders and elites from Biyou Village. Thirty-four and Seventeen watched their prey approach step by step, keeping their composure.

However, Mochizuki Satoru, a master of swordsmanship, sensed something was wrong. His heart rate began to rise, his skin tightened, and his eyes were fixed on the front. The group of people gave him a sense of threat, as if a blade were at his throat.

"Wu...isn't something a little off?"

Elena slowed her pace. Her sixth sense was sharp, and she felt unfamiliar with the former guards and the new king. She tentatively asked her companions for clarification.

"Your Majesty, be careful."

Mochizuki Satoru grabbed the girl's wrist, signaling her to keep a safe distance.

“…”

Wang also noticed something amiss; the hateful gazes that were gathering around her made her uneasy.

"run!"

Suddenly, Mochizuki urged Elena to hurry up, and he drew his sword to fight. Dozens of supernatural beings charged forward like wild beasts released from their cages.

"Get 'em!"

A sharp shout rang out, and Thirty-Four and Seventeen led the group in pursuit.

"Walk."

The speedboat had already returned, hundreds of meters from the beach. Elena, unable to catch up, grabbed Wang's arm and sprinted towards the other side of the island.

"clang!"

"boom!"