Forty millenniums of cul.., p.764
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 764
"Excellent show? That was the worst show I've ever seen!"
The storm inside Li Yao's brain concentrated into a giant foot and kicked the guy into the depths of the sulcus. "Get lost. Don't steal my thunder, and don't show up until I call you!"
Calming himself down, Li Yao walked forward. Deep in thought, he said, "Brother Guo, did you know? When I was chased by the Secret Sword Bureau, I was considering two questions. Firstly, how could I prove that I was not possessed by the Blood Devil? And, what was the difference between me and the Blood Devil Yan Xibei? I slew the Blood Devil Yan Xibei myself. So, wasn't it only reasonable that the Secret Sword Bureau and other Cultivators wanted to slay me?"
"Sure. What then?" Guo Chunfeng thought hard, too. He found that the two questions were indeed tricky in Li Yao's situation.
"I couldn't figure out the answers to the questions at all. At the darkest moment, I even thought of the word 'karma'! The Blood Devil Yan Xibei told me before his death that he was not possessed by the Blood Devil at all and that I would regret it if I killed him just like that! Was he speaking the truth? Was the karma for killing him finally happening to me?"
Li Yao clenched his fists hard. "But in the end, I thought through the questions!
"The first question does not need an answer! Why did I have to prove that I was not possessed by the Blood Devil? It was the responsibility of the guys who were chasing after me to prove that I was possessed by the Blood Devil!
"Otherwise, it would be like in parliament, where thousands of big shots were all likely to be possessed by the Blood Devil yet couldn't prove their innocence. It became a farce in the end, didn't it?
"It's like asking a random citizen to prove that they did not commit murder at a certain night three years ago. Who could remember the things that happened three years ago clearly? If it wasn't a special occasion, they wouldn't be able to provide an alibi at all. If the policemen and the judges solved and ruled cases like that, wouldn't our society be in chaos?"
Guo Chunfeng pondered for a moment and said, "You are talking about the presumption of guilt and the presumption of innocence."
"Exactly." Li Yao nodded. "It occurred to me that I was not obliged to prove that I was not possessed by the Blood Devil at all. Whoever claimed that I was, please offer undeniable proof. I shouldn't be convicted just based on a video clip I left a year ago, should I?"
"No, you shouldn't." Guo Chunfeng considered carefully and agreed.
"As for the second question, the answer was apparent," Li Yao said carefully. "Even if I was indeed possessed by the Blood Devil, Blood Devil Li Yao and Blood Devil Yan Xibei were still different creatures!
"Why did I kill Yan Xibei on Iron Plateau? Because he was possessed by the Blood Stripe Virus and turned into a Blood Devil?
"No!
"I killed him because he joined the Temple of Immortals, murdered the chief of the Burning Sun Tribe, kidnapped the college students of the Flying Star Sector, and tried to raise a civil war between Iron Plateau and the space residents!
"He had already killed thousands of innocent people in the process, and the blood of millions more would have been shed for nothing after the war began!
"It was because of his past wrongdoings and what he was about to do in the future that I killed him. It had nothing to do with whether or not he was the Blood Devil at all!
"Let's assume that the Blood Stripe Virus did not exist and Yan Xibei was still the pure qi-trainer Yan Xibei. If he planned the whole thing of his own free will and got so many people killed, would I have not killed him?
"Of course, I would've! I would've killed him, regardless of whether he was a qi-trainer, a Cultivator, an Immortal Cultivator, or a Blood Devil!
"Let's make another hypothesis. Yan Xibei was truly possessed by the Blood Stripe Virus and turned into a Blood Devil, but he did nothing wrong. He was a kind Blood Devil, a righteous Blood Devil, and an honest Blood Devil, one who would help a grandma cross the street."
His mental devil popped up again. "Who's talking about me?"
"Get out of here!"
Li Yao snapped away the mental devil again and continued talking to Guo Chunfeng, "Then, would we have any reason to kill him?
"If he was lawful, dutiful, and peaceful, even if he produced the apocalyptic body in secret and transformed himself into a half-human-half-insect monster, I would believe that it was just his personal hobby which was perhaps due to his unique aesthetic view. Why would I bother to kill him? The most I would do is ask him to see a therapist.
"My conclusion is that I didn't kill Yan Xibei for his identity. I killed him not because he was the Blood Devil or a bad guy but because of the wrongdoings he had committed. It is the principle of impersonality.
"Then, even if I am truly possessed by the Blood Devil and have turned into Blood Devil Li Yao, just like you who are Abyss, which law have I broken? On what grounds are other people eradicating me?
"Yes, I am possessed by the Blood Demon because I like it and I enjoy myself by doing so. What's wrong with that? I didn't cause harm to anybody, and I didn't do anything illegal. Can't I just domesticate a Blood Devil as a pet in my brain?
"If the Blood Devil really does something bad one day, he should be punished by law. 'Abyss' Guo Chunfeng will also be punished by law mercilessly if he does something wrong in the future, too! That's the whole significance of the 'Constitution of Cultivators'!
"But until then, until our illegal activities are proven, who is qualified to decide what we should do and what we should not?
"Just because we are Abyss or a Blood Devil, and we are potential threats, must we be eradicated in advance?
"I would argue that every man on the street has a dangerous weapon in their pants that can cause serious harm to a woman at any minute. What should you do with them? Castrate all of them?"
Guo Chunfeng burst into laughter. "That's an interesting way of talking, young brother!"
A little bashful, Li Yao smiled. Scratching his messy hair, he said, "I got a bit too excited, Brother Guo.
"Speaking of which, I would like to say something else. I'm told that some people in parliament are proposing to define the Patriots Partnership as an espionage organization working for the Imperium of True Human Beings. The major suspects such as Lu Zui, on the other hand, would be the Immortal Cultivators who have been bewildered by the Imperium of True Human Beings.
"Yes, such an attempt can pacify people for now and unite them under a common foe. The federal government wouldn't be such a disappointment.
"But for me, I strongly object to such a theory!
"Such a theory seems to indicate that all the bad things ever are exclusively done by the demons, the Blood Devil, Abyss, or the Immortal Cultivators. Even if some Cultivators committed crimes, it's because they were corrupted by the bad guys. Most of the Cultivators intrinsically are pure, innocent, and righteous!
"But is that the truth?
"Why do we never dare to admit that, without the bewilderment and corruption of foreign forces, we—Cultivators and ordinary people—have a natural-born abyss in our heart, in which one, or even more, Blood Devil is residing? We don't need the corruption of the demons and devils; we can be very, very bad by ourselves!
"Even if Lu Zui is really an Immortal Cultivator, he is definitely not an Immortal Cultivator from the Imperium of True Human Beings but a local Immortal Cultivator, born and raised in the Star Glory Federation!
"Moreover, he almost successfully transformed the Star Glory Federation into a country of the Immortal Cultivators, a smaller Imperium of True Human Beings that is willing to achieve its purposes without boundary!
Chapter 1165: Stride Forward! |
Guo Chunfeng took a deep breath and mumbled, "I understand what you mean now. Over the past few months, I've been troubled by my identity as Abyss. I was even scared that Elder Nether Spring had implanted other barriers or traps inside my head that would be activated when the time was right and turn me into some evil being.
"However, you do have a point. Lu Zui is neither Abyss nor the Blood Devil. There is no evidence indicating that he has been bewildered by the Imperium of True Human Beings. He has always been a pure Cultivator, but after one wrong step, he became insane to such an extent that he nearly caused a catastrophe to all three Sectors!
"If so, why should I be troubled by my identity? Is there anything bad that can only be done by Abyss and the Blood Devil but not general Cultivators?
"I think that identity doesn't matter at all. As long as you deserve yourself, it will be enough. As for the other things, that's not our business!"
Li Yao laughed. "Exactly! Perhaps, when the news that Lu Zui was not an agent of the Imperium of True Human Beings is out, more people will be disappointed, and more people will be suspicious about the federal government and the Cultivators. There might even be a riot among the public, but I always believe that it is better than pacifying people with a lie!
"A lie requires more lies as camouflage, just like Lu Zui's minor plot required more plots and killing to mend the loopholes. I believe that everybody in the Star Glory Federation, both the Cultivators and the ordinary people, will have the courage to face their heart eventually, and when they discover the dark side of their heart, they will also discover more brightness!"
"You're right. You're right. I should point it out in parliament. Without solid evidence, we should not accuse Lu Zui of being the Imperium of True Human Beings' spy because we want him to be. Otherwise, is there any real difference between us and Lu Zui?"
The two of them kept walking forward. There was no telling what Guo Chunfeng thought of, but he suddenly burst into laughter.
With a smile, Li Yao asked, "Brother Guo, what are you laughing for?"
"I just thought of an ironic thing!" Guo Chunfeng laughed so hard that he was wiping his tears. Intermittently, he went on. "The Star Glory Federation considers itself the guardian of humanity. But at the critical moment, it is an Abyss and a Blood Devil who saved the situation! Isn't it hilarious?"
Li Yao was dazed for a moment. "Brother Guo, you can look at it from a different perspective. The Star Glory Federation is such a country that even Abyss and the Blood Devil are willing to fight and be sacrificed for her. This is the source of strength for our country, and it is also the only reliance we can count on to compete with the Imperium of True Human Beings!
"In the hundred years to come, we will certainly walk out of the desolate land and the edge of the cosmos, marching to the depths of the sea of stars that are much more brilliant. We will certainly encounter all kinds of weird species and their brilliant civilizations! After ten thousand years of separation, perhaps, even the civilizations of other human beings might look vastly different from ours.
"It is impossible for the federation to absorb all those civilizations with slaughter and conquest. Even if they are truly conquered, we would not be able to digest them in only several decades!
"I think that, if we are living in a federation that even Abyss and the Blood Devil are willing to fight for, we might be able to unite all the civilizations in a different way and compete with the unparalleled Imperium of True Human Beings at the center of the universe together, mightn't we?"
Guo Chunfeng thought for a moment. Then, with an even brighter smile, he roared to the sky to express the delight in his heart.
His roar was echoed by another roar at the bottom of the mountain. It was Ding Lingdang who was shouting, "Li Yao, where are you?"
Ding Lingdang's shout was followed by a much weaker voice. "Dad! Dad! I caught two fish. Two very beautiful fish!"
Li Yao and Guo Chunfeng looked at each other, both amused.
"Young brother, thank you. I truly can't thank you enough," Guo Chunfeng said sincerely.
"For what now?" Li Yao scratched his head.
"For not letting the war take place." Guo Chunfeng's eyes pierced through the shadows of the tree. He seemed to see two vivid people jumping vigorously on the mountain path. His eyes full of affection, he said, "Did you know? When the federation was seething with fury, and the federal army was enlisting, my daughter almost joined the army because her natural talent could boost the morale.
"If she really joined the army, and the war between the two Sectors broke out, it would have been impossible for her to stay out of it. She was bound to be involved in the cruel warfare.
"There could only be two outcomes to the war.
"Either the war did not go on as smoothly as we thought, in which case the federal army and the coalition army of demons would maul each other on the barren land of the Star Glory Federation. The young people would be like ants passing through a river, swallowed by the torrent and consumed mercilessly.
"My daughter wouldn't have been an exception. She would have died on the battlefield, torn into shreds by demon beasts, perhaps not even leaving her bones.
"That would have been one of the luckier deaths. In worse scenarios, she might have been captured and tormented before she died.
"Or, if the war did go well, she might not have been killed, but she would have been forged into an iron-made, cold-hearted warrior in the terrible furnace that is called war. She might have twisted the necks of dozens of demons without batting an eye and pluck their hearts and livers out of their stomachs. When needed to, she would also have burned entire villages to the ground without hesitation and killed all the demons old and young, including the infants who were alike to the human babies!
"Believe me. I've worked in the Secret Sword Bureau for too many years, and I've seen too many Cultivators. They were all ignorant and naïve when they first joined. They had no idea what 'slaying evil' actually meant and thought that it was as cool as shown in the movies!
"However, after being baptized in the fires of war for several years, all of them, both men and women, will be what I just described. They will be like double-edged sabers that frighten both their enemies and their companions!
"Sometimes, when I couldn't sleep at night, I even thought, even if we won the war in the end and turned all the demons into slaves, what then?
"If the slaves were sent to the Flying Star Sector for mining, a lot of guards and soldiers would be dispatched to supervise them. Would my daughter be one of them?
"After staying for several years on the dark, cold planet in a foreign world, would my daughter become a monster who waved a thorny whip and wouldn't stop until the last value of a demon slave had been exploited? Would she become a 'fiend' for all the demon slaves and even their young kids? Would she be so used to having conversations through sabers and whips after staying for too long on the foreign planet that she couldn't adapt to the normal society at all?
"You see, it would have been a dark future even if we won the war unstoppably. That is not a 'victory' that I desire!"
Li Yao scratched his head and said, "You are overthinking it, Brother Guo. With your high position, it is highly unlikely that your daughter would be assigned to such posts."
With mixed feelings, Guo Chunfeng said, "Yes, my daughter might not have been sent, but the sons and daughters of others would have been. Maybe, the children of the folk who have absolutely no power would have been sent to the resource planets light years away and transformed from innocent, carefree teenagers into ruthless, coldhearted, perverted fiends under the most glorious, most righteous slogan!"
Li Yao was silent and did not know what he should say.
"Human beings are all selfish." Guo Chunfeng continued. "We always talk big. Slay evil, defend humanity, fight and clear all the obstacles in our way… We can talk for all eternity without repeating.
"Joining the federal army and protecting our homeland is the most noble duty for every citizen. Even a three-year-old knows that!
"However, when it comes to real action, I simply can't bear to send my own daughter to the battlefield and watch her turning into what I have described!
"I hope that she can always be as she is right now. It doesn't matter even if she is simple or even stupid. As long as she lives on in peace and without worries, it is all that I want!
"That's why I must thank you, Li Yao. You prevented such a dreadful future from becoming the reality!
"Yes, in a hundred years, we will be faced with the gravest threat in history, but at the very least, in the hundred years to come, my daughter will live in a world without wars, where she can comfortably study, fall in love with someone, pursue her dreams, get married, and have children of her own!
"The iron and blood will not fall upon her until the most beautiful golden years of her life have past, and she has tasted all the happiness in the world.
"Shouldn't I, as her father, thank you for giving her the opportunity?"
Li Yao scratched his head hard.
He was not a father yet, and he did not know what the feeling was exactly.
At this moment, Ding Lingdang and Guo Xiaohe both ran up to them.
Guo Xiaohe was wet from head to toe. Even her hair was stuck to her face, but she was waving two small fish proudly.
The fish were emanating golden colors under the sun, as if she had grabbed two beams of sunlight in her hands.
"Dad! Look! Dad! Look!"
Guo Chunfeng embraced Guo Xiaohe. Li Yao picked up Ding Lingdang's hand and walked ahead.
Looking at his smiling face, Ding Lingdang found it odd. "You were just picking some water. What are you so happy about?"
"Nothing particular."
Narrowing his eyes, Li Yao stared at the red sun above the endless ridges and trees and said with a smile, "I just feel that, if even such an insane, unpardonable guy like Elder Nether Spring still had a shining part in the deepest part of his soul, is there any reason why we shouldn't believe in us and more people?
"Before, I was very uneasy about the upcoming attack of the Imperium of True Human Beings, but right now, I'm suddenly very confident about the future!
"Just stride forward. We will win. We will!"
Chapter 1166: Lu Zui's Anomaly |
Inside a long, narrow valley three hundred and fifty kilometers to the southeast of the capital city, an enormous scale of caves had been dug out on the cliff. The metal building that was constructed based on the cliff, covered in dozens of defense rune arrays, was emitting a silver color under the sunlight, giving everybody a cold, suffocating feeling.
