Chapter 90: Chapter 90: Who is the Branch Helmsman After All?

Translator: 549690339

As Jiang Cheng’s words were spoken, many cultivators in the room were still savoring them, trying to fathom his intentions.

And as the one with the highest cultivation level and strongest comprehension in this place, Peng Jun nearly understood the implication behind Jiang Cheng’s words in an instant.

Originally, when Lu Wang faced Lanye, he emphasized the type of Talismans to prove their innocence and thus rebutted Lanye’s accusations of “extermination” actions against the Talismans.

This strategy was defensive, lacking in offense but higher in defense. But to think it could overturn Lanye’s argument was a delusion.

Later, when Yu Hui faced Lanye, he disintegrated the “forced” responsibility on him by emphasizing his own authority.

This strategy was a self-harming one, an act of cutting off one’s limb to survive, even worse than Lu Wang’s approach.

Afterward, Sun Decai deftly used the “Wuyue Fish Care Foundation” to elevate his own worth when facing Lanye, vying with Lanye for the moral high ground and discourse power of “protecting the Aquatic Tribe.”

This strategy was like an ambush, with extremely high risks and rewards. Successful, it would completely defeat Lanye, leaving him speechless. But failure meant being suppressed by Lanye afterward, unable to retaliate.

In the end, when Jiang Cheng faced Lanye, he didn’t choose any conventional tactics but instead took a shovel and directly hit Lanye’s ancestral grave.

Jiang Cheng’s statement, boiled down to one sentence, was: “Why do you think the descendants of the Aquatic Tribe want to become demons?”

This sentence was too accurate, too fierce, and defied the heavens!

Lanye’s basis for coming to Wuyue City to question and blame was that the Human Race threatened the foundation of the Aquatic Tribe—the fish with the potential to awaken intelligence and cultivate into demons.

Jiang Cheng’s rhetorical question effectively deconstructed the legitimacy of Lanye’s actions!

Are you acting for the sake of the Aquatic Tribe’s descendants? But have you considered whether the Aquatic Tribe’s descendants themselves want to become demons? Would they be happy after becoming demons? Is it possible that being an ordinary fish is their true desire?

If this were applied to humans, it would be like: the parents say, “We’re doing this for your own good;” the child says, “I actually didn’t want to be born at all.”

Do the Aquatic Tribe’s descendants really want to become demons?

Can’t the Aquatic Tribe’s descendants just be ordinary fish?

Lanye, why do you make choices for other fish?

Good lad!

Your mouth is truly formidable!

Peng Jun, after hearing Jiang Cheng’s statement, couldn’t help but curl his lips in admiration. But he quickly realized that this was a solemn occasion, inappropriate for smiling, so he hastily composed his expression.

Lei Buxiao was obviously a bit more unrestrained.

He couldn’t contain the smirk tugging at his lips.

Had the others not frequently reminded him, Lei Buxiao might have even wanted to stand up and applaud!

Jiang Cheng was indeed still Jiang Cheng, living up to his expectations!

Well said!

So exhilarating!

Lanye’s complexion was now terrible.

He had originally thought that defeating three Foundation Establishment cultivators would render the Qi practitioners inconsequential, then he could rightfully demand the Immortal Sects stop using Talismans, and even request compensation for their Aquatic Tribe.

But who could have imagined, this young man surnamed Jiang and named Cheng, would be so formidable!

The counterattacks by the three Foundation Establishment cultivators against him seemed like child’s play in front of Jiang Cheng’s words.

However, the current situation was still not enough to cause Lanye any panic.

Lanye took a deep breath and spoke slowly, “Jiang, your words may seem reasonable at first, but they are in fact a forcible argument. Is your Human Race powerful because you are naturally favored by the Heavenly Dao? No! It’s simply because your Human Race can reproduce on a large scale, resulting in many geniuses as numerous as the stars. That’s how you suppress other races. If even your Human Race relies on population to produce geniuses to maintain combat power, why can’t we, the Aquatic Tribe, do the same?”

Jiang Cheng replied calmly, “Senior Lanye, you are conflating concepts. Regardless of how many geniuses our Human Race might have, each one is the result of their own struggle and effort. If a genius decides to slack off, no one forces them to cultivate and strive. But the Aquatic Tribe is different. You first need to awaken your sentience, then cultivate into demons.

“What you are doing, Senior, is making decisions for all sentient and non-sentient beings of the Aquatic Tribe. You force them all to awaken their intelligence, and once awakened they must become demons. This is akin to arranged marriages in our Human Race! You have completely disregarded the will of an unborn baby and planned its entire fish life for it, which is undoubtedly a backward way of thinking.”

At this point, Lanye could no longer contain his anger and exclaimed furiously, “So according to you, I should just let go and watch as your talismans lure all the outstanding young members of my tribe up to the shore! Then just observe as my tribe’s future generations disappear and we head towards extinction?”

Jiang Cheng shook his head calmly.

“Jiang Cheng has never had such thoughts. Rather, it is to prevent such a scenario from occurring that I have collaborated with the Task Hall to establish the Fish Care Foundation.”

Lanye snorted coldly and said, “Just now, you were adamantly saying that I shouldn’t interfere with the younger generation, yet now you hypocritically talk of ‘protecting fish’. Do you really believe your Human Race understands the needs of my Aquatic Tribe better than we do?”

Jiang Cheng retorted word by word, “First and foremost, I have not prevented you, Senior, from caring for your kin. My point is, if you truly care about your younger generation, you should consider their happiness from their own perspectives and truly think about whether becoming demons after cultivation will actually make them happier. Instead of considering the issue from a leader of the Aquatic Tribe’s perspective, worrying about who to fill the ranks with should there be no one left. Thinking this way clearly shows that you view your younger members not as true fish but as a resource.”

Viewing the younger members as a resource, and not as true fish…

This statement hit Lanye’s defenses hard.

A famous hero once said: Lies can’t hurt people; it’s the truth that cuts like a swift knife.

Lanye had never thought about the topic of the younger generation and resources before.

Now that Jiang Cheng brought it up and he thought deeply about it, he was startled to find that he was indeed as Jiang Cheng described: He never truly cared about an individual fish’s own thoughts, always considering issues from the perspective of the whole Aquatic Tribe.

If carps were diminishing today, he urged the carp tribe to reproduce quickly and in large numbers.

If tench decreased tomorrow, he would urge the tench tribe to try harder.

If potential descendants decreased the day after, he would find a way to increase their number.

As for the thoughts of each little fish, it seemed that no one had ever paid attention to or tried to understand them.

Lanye’s figure shook a little, and he seemed a bit unstable, gripping the arms of his chair tightly as he said sharply, “Jiang, the fate of my Aquatic Tribe and how we govern our descendants is not your place to dictate, is it?”

Jiang Cheng nodded and said, “Indeed. Our Human Race always respects the choices of other races. However, our Animal Encouragement Talisman from the Human Race is also rational, legal, and compliant, and it has nothing to do with any ‘intent to exterminate’. Please, Senior Lanye, respect the internal affairs of the Human Race as well. This is the foundation of peaceful coexistence between our races. If you persist in making things difficult, Jiang Cheng does not exclude the possibility of equivalent sanctions by the Tongtian Sect.”

Peng Jun was completely puzzled.

What is this?

Equivalent sanctions by the Tongtian Sect?

Why don’t I know about this?

How can this young guy dare to make such boastful claims in front of another race’s powerhouse?

What if he actually believes it?

Who is the real Branch Helmsman here?