No strange things are allowed to evolve!

The Sand Demon fell into deep thought.

Seeing this, Jiang Shu smiled slightly to himself.

Flying Thunder God Technique and Shadow Clone Technique are nothing compared to Talk-no-Jutsu.

What does "Konoha's legitimate lineage" mean?

Chapter 170 Sands of All Things (1.8 in 1)

The Sand Demon pondered for a long time.

It was as if they were comparing what they had heard and seen in the past to determine whether Jiang Shu's words were reasonable and well-founded.

He had lived a long time and had enough experience and knowledge to be sure that he could find evidence to refute Jiang Shu's claims.

He could refute Jiang Shu's judgment by finding just one example.

Embarrassingly, looking back on everything he has experienced since desertification began, he doesn't even have a single example to refute it.

Oh no, it seems Jiang Shu was right after all.

Thinking of this, the Sand Demon looked at Jiang Shu with a deep gaze.

"Even if it's not benign evolution... isn't it only right to adapt to the times and the environment and make changes? If you can't do that, then there's nothing to complain about if you struggle and then go extinct, right?"

This has always been the case throughout history. Countless former world powers have faded from the stage of history after a brief period of glory, unable to adapt to changing environments. This is not an isolated case.

If that's the case, what's so special about humans? Why is it that when it comes to humans, there's a distinction between benign and non-benign evolution? Whether it's a curse or not, as long as we can adapt, shouldn't that be enough?

"Humans are nothing special, but don't forget..."

Jiang Shu pointed to himself, then to the Sand Demon:

"We are both human beings. I'm not wrong to think from a human perspective, right? So I just feel that humans shouldn't suffer this undeserved disaster. I'm being hypocritical, so what?"

After thinking about it, the Sand Demon felt that there seemed to be no problem.

He can view the extinction of those creatures that could not adapt to the environment from an objective perspective simply because he is not them. And he thinks that humans deserve to die because they cannot adapt to the desert, simply because he has adapted to the desert and become the supreme Sand Demon.

Ultimately, it's a battle of stances, but there's no right or wrong in stances.

Having figured this out, the Sand Demon felt there was no need to continue the topic.

"Then our conversation is pointless. Even if you are right and I have been going astray all along, it's too late now. We have become two completely different lives. Whether our bloodline is a curse or something else, it has become a part of our bodies."

It's like food; whether it's good or bad, it's already in your stomach. What's the point of researching whether it's edible or not?

"What if I said..."

Jiang Shu smiled:

"Can I make you vomit up exactly what you've already eaten, just like you ate it?"

"impossible."

The Sand Demon shook his head:

"You might have a way to remove the bad parts of the desert bloodline before it has fully integrated into and transformed the human body, but for us who have been reborn, we are already intertwined with each other."

Our human nature has long been worn away by the passage of time; our lives are dependent on our bloodline. Otherwise, given the normal lifespan of humans, most of us would have died long ago. Therefore, forcibly suppressing and removing the curse you speak of will inevitably lead to our deaths, regardless of the outcome.

"I know."

Jiang Shu nodded:

"So I intend to nip the curse in the bud."

"source?"

What the desert understood:

"Is this why you asked me about the origin of the Sands of All Things?"

"Ah."

The ginger bundle was slightly adjusted:

"Although your speculation is not far from the actual situation, forcibly removing the curse that has been deeply ingrained in the bones of a person by the power of the desert will indeed cause the person's death, but there is one thing you may not know."

"What?" Jiang Shu piqued the Sand Demon's curiosity.

In the past, he would never have believed that someone's understanding of bloodlines surpassed his own, or even knew things he didn't know. But after being shocked by Jiang Shu multiple times, he really couldn't imagine what surprises Jiang Shu would bring him.

"The human part is always there and doesn't age."

Jiang Shu replied:

"Because everyone is actually a hybrid electric vehicle."

"What do you mean?" The Sand Demon didn't quite understand.

These were completely unfamiliar words to him.

"Let me put it this way: you can think of using the power of the desert as starting a machine, and to make it run smoothly, you need to provide a huge amount of energy."

This energy comes from two sources: human vitality and the desert itself.

Jiang Shu explained:

"Normally, a person with desert power can only choose one way to supply energy, and they have no way to choose which way to supply energy."

The type of energy this machine draws from depends on the threshold of each person's tolerance for the curse.

Under extreme conditions, humans will make up a larger proportion, while desert power will play a secondary role. At this point, the energy source will be life force, which is why the more desert power is used by the guards, the faster they age.

Beyond the limit, humans begin to move closer to sand golems, and the power source of the desert changes, becoming the desert itself. Human life force is then sealed, although it will still dissipate, but at a much slower rate than normal, almost always remaining at the state it was in when the desert power broke through the threshold.

Hmm... I'm certain of that; what follows is my speculation.

I estimate that above the threshold, there is another critical point, which is the dividing line between mutants and newborns. If they can get past it, mutants can be reborn; if they can't, they will remain mutants forever and will never be able to turn back into humans.

Just like the Silver rank, it's stuck in the middle, neither here nor there, in a very awkward position.

In short, if my speculation is correct, whether a person can complete the transformation from a human to a newborn depends on whether they can exceed their limit and reach another critical point.

"These..."

After hearing Jiang Shu's words, the Sand Demon couldn't help but feel a little puzzled:

"Where did you know that?"

Before Jiang Shu made this claim, even he had always simply thought it was the result of natural selection and had never studied it in depth or systematically.

After all, he considered it to be theology, and it couldn't be explained from a scientific perspective.

What rules or irregularities? They are all God's will.

Jiang Shu's answer was straightforward, without any concealment: "I have to thank a volunteer who dedicated himself to science. He helped me find these answers and gave me enough evidence to make reasonable inferences."

"Who?" the Sand Demon asked instinctively.

“I don’t even know his name.” Jiang Shu shrugged. “All I know is that he’s a lolicon.”

"Lolicon?"

The Sand Demon seemed utterly bewildered.

Judging from Jiang Shu's tone, he thought Jiang Shu was talking about someone he knew. However, he didn't expect that Jiang Shu's ability to talk to himself was first-rate. He often didn't care whether the other person could understand him or not.

He had never seen the lolicon sand demon he mentioned, because that guy had already died on the train.

He could have lived for a while longer if Jiang Shu hadn't tormented him.

However, Jiang Shu didn't force him to be used for research; he did ask for his opinion. The lolicon's exact words at the time were—

"If it can make my death more meaningful, and make me different from the other prisoners here who are just batteries, then go ahead and do it. I am a death row inmate, and I have the chance to leave my name in this way before I die, to atone for my past deeds. I have no regrets."

Jiang Shu and Huang Helou were both deeply moved at the time.

It was precisely because of the valuable experimental data provided by the lolicon that Jiang Shu discovered that people like him, who had broken through the threshold after being forcibly empowered by the doctor, did not experience any damage to their bodily functions after using the Great Wilderness Heart to erase the curse brought by the desert power, despite constantly using the desert power to make the Zodiac Train shine.

At this point, however, the lolicon was no different from the mutant. Because he failed to reach the dividing line between mutant and newborn, his body could not be reshaped. Therefore, he escaped the curse of survival and died not long after.

However, the luckiest thing for a lolicon was that he had a brief moment of lucidity before he died.

After Jiang Shu removed all the tubes from his body, he sat up and, in front of Jiang Shu and Huang Helou, took a long-awaited self-pleasure.

While directing, he recited with tears streaming down his face:

"Throughout my life I have never cultivated good deeds, but only loved to forget myself in the Taoist temple."

Suddenly the golden rope snapped, and the jade lock was torn apart.

A sandstorm swept across White Cloud City; only today do I realize who I truly am.

Jiang Shu couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, there's even more profound knowledge!"

After recalling the events, Jiang Shu looked at the Sand Demon: "It's a touching story, isn't it? Even though he made mistakes, his flaws can't overshadow the light in his humanity."

"I felt absolutely no emotion..." The Sand Demon's eyelids twitched. "You focused entirely on his Taoist temple in your story, didn't you?"

"Nonsense." Jiang Shu rolled her eyes. "Didn't I already explain the important conclusions to you? What else could I say besides about his Taoist temple?"

After a moment of silence, the Sand Demon seemed to finally acknowledge it.

He confirmed:

"So... apart from those mutants who are truly dead and cannot be reborn or become human again, the others... their bodies are still intact. If the source can be cut off, it's possible for them to become normal people again, right?"

“That’s right.” Jiang Shu nodded.

"I understand." The Sand Demon sighed, then smiled bitterly, "Besides, even if I didn't tell you the origin of the Sand of All Things, you would have found out on your own, wouldn't you?"

"Well, if you can tell me now, it should be the most peaceful solution."

Upon hearing this, the Sand Demon did not say anything more.

This certainly seems to be the best outcome.

Given Jiang Shu's methods, he could imagine the huge waves the other party would create in the desert in order to find the Sand of All Things.

Despite only having a short contact, the Sand Demon could tell that Jiang Shu was the kind of person who would stop at nothing to achieve his goals.

If it were him, wouldn't he have said something like "It's unavoidable to sacrifice the interests of a small number of people for the sake of the big picture" after causing a series of major incidents?

This is something he doesn't want to see.

So he finally gave in.

"The Sand of All Things... came from the West."

"The West?" Jiang Shu suddenly realized, then gritted his teeth: "Damn, the Americans are really bad."

"What United States of America?" The Sand Demon paused for a moment, then quickly explained, "You misunderstood. I meant the Great Western Desert, which spread here with the desertification."

"I see." Jiang Shu calmed down and nodded. "But we can't completely rule out their suspicion. Please continue."

The Sand Demon hesitated, but ultimately decided not to say anything unnecessary, and simply stated:

"At that time, the western part of the empire was all desert, and the desert was uninhabited. Countless scientific expeditions sent by the empire failed to find any trace of life in it."

If you keep going west, you will see a sea, and if you continue west by boat along the sea, you will return to the easternmost part of the empire.

Therefore, everyone believed that the continent where the empire was located was the only continent in the world.

The desert back then was not as treacherous and dangerous as it is now.

Although it is desolate, it is actually very peaceful and safe. Even children, as long as they have enough food and water, can cross the desert independently one day, even if they are moving slowly.

It's called a desert, but it's really no different from a lifeless grassland.

I was once the captain of a scientific expedition team. At that time, I led the team from Baiyun City, westwards, circumnavigating the entire world.

At this point, the Sand Demon's eyes shifted slightly, as if recalling the details of what happened back then, or perhaps reminiscing about his last days as a human:

"In addition to exploring new resources through different paths, observing changes in deserts and oceans is also of paramount importance."

Although the desert itself is not a threat, its boundaries are gradually shifting eastward, albeit slowly, at a rate of only a few centimeters per year. This is especially true after residents on the western border began planting trees to stop the desert's spread, at which point it takes only a few centimeters to expand every ten years.

The same applies to the sea. Although it is usually calm and only experiences typhoons and tsunamis once every few years, and these tsunamis are not large in scale, the empire is bordered by endless glaciers on both the north and south sides. As these glaciers melt and flow into the sea, the sea level rises, which threatens some coastal cities on the east side.

So what we actually need to do is measure the area of ​​the desert and the height of the sea level.

And it was during that time that I realized the world seemed to have undergone some kind of dramatic change in the past three years.

The Sand Demon paused for a moment and then said:

"On that occasion, we discovered that even though the sand-fixing forests and green vegetation defenses were intact, the desert boundary had actually pushed eastward by tens of meters, and the local residents hadn't noticed at all."