Forty millenniums of cul.., p.995
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 995
He did not know the latest situation in the Star Glory Federation. It was possible that he would summon absolutely nothing after he sent the signals at the great risk of alarming everybody else.
Even if he did receive the support of powerful armed forces, thereby forcing the many Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector to surrender, such a surrender was destined to be ingenuine.
Then, it was very possible that they would be mixed in the army of the federation but stab the federation in the back brutally at a critical moment in the fierce battle between the federation and the Imperium!
Such 'allies' would be even more horrible than enemies.
Even if the Star Glory Federation directly communicated with the major sects or even the bottom class of the Ancient Sages Sector, leaving the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators alone, it was unlikely that abundant resources could be retrieved from the Sector anytime soon.
Li Yao understood the nature of the major sects very well. He would rather deal with the Immortal Cultivators of the Imperium than communicate with the selfish weasels.
Also, the general public of the Ancient Sages Sector were not educated yet. Most of the poor folks were not calm, rational, and wise experts like Meng Chixin, Han Baling, and Qi Zhongdao. It was impossible for them to accept a government of aliens in a few years!
The expedition of a fleet from the federation would only bring chaos to the Ancient Sages Sector and even turn it into a swamp of war where tremendous soldiers and resources of the federation would be mired in incessant guerilla battles.
The federation—which was about to be, if not already, engaged in the great battle against the Black Wind Fleet—could certainly not afford to establish a new battlefield in the Ancient Sages Sector.
The homeland of the federation was too far away from the dark nebula after all. If it was too greedy to let go of any planet or Sector, the overlong supply lines in the universe would certainly prove to be a military disaster.
Li Yao calculated many times and felt that the current situation was still in his favor.
Of the twelve people there, he had Long Yangjun as his half ally. He had also grasped the critical parts of each person's Colossus. As a vital part of the whole plan, he had a rather loud voice during the decision-making process, too.
At least for the time being, there was no need to recklessly change the situation.
He might as well wait three days for when everybody had made a decision!
The coming three days were both excruciating long and unbelievably fast for Li Yao.
He spent all the time studying the maintenance and modification of the Colossi.
Meng Chixin and Wu Suiyun truly stood by their word. They handed over all the information storage magical equipment such as jade chips related to the Colossi, which they had collected in the past decades, to Li Yao and allowed him to study and train with them.
The so-called 'jade chips' of the Nuwa civilization were certainly different from both the ancient chips and the modern chips. They looked like some sort of glow sticks. After they were spun softly, a few shivering synapses of spiritual energy would automatically jump up from the end and pierce into the user's temples and forehead, thereby beginning the information inputting and copying process.
The information transmission technology of such primeval jade chips was very advanced. Few instructions and illustrations were used, and most of the information was directly pasted into Li Yao's brain, including the guidance on the dissection and the maintenance of the Colossi as well as their spiritual energy circuits.
For those who had never gotten in touch with Colossi before, such complicated flow charts made of strokes as tiny as spider threads and the dynamic simulations of the mechanisms of the Colossi were definitely enigmatic.
Even their soul might be overwhelmed by the tremendous data, resulting in their mental derangement!
However, Li Yao was one of the best specialists on the Colossi in the Star Glory Federation. He had the valuable experience of studying the Colossi for five years on Kunlun.
The authentic maintenance and modification manuals from the primeval era happened to fill in the critical missing part during his studies on Kunlun. He was so fascinated that he almost felt that he was a fish who enjoyed the water for the first time in his life!
Li Yao devoured everything related to the Colossi almost crazily, almost forgetting what was happening in the world outside!
The Colossi were certainly not as simple as 'enormous metal puppets', a common misconception of the ignorant. They were similar to the notion of 'super-large biochemical crystal suits' that Li Yao had once thought of in the Blood Demon Sector.
It was like a giant that had its own bones, nerves, internal organs, and blood system, which had been integrated into a functioning whole!
The critical parts such as bones and nerves were probably refined out of the nerves and other organs of certain primeval animals in the universe before hundreds of different ferocious souls were sealed inside. They were definitely not something that the cold crystal cables and wires could be compared to!
They were more like living giants than 'enormous metal puppets'. They were living giants that lacked self-awareness and were in a vegetative state!
The users of the Colossi filled the vacancy of self-awareness perfectly. They made the 'vegetative' giant to wake up from the prolonged sleep and release furious roars!
It was exactly because they were, to some extent, 'alive' that they were extremely difficult to preserve. Few Colossi had been left to this day after hundreds of thousands of years, although they had once filled up the entire universe during the God-Sealing war.
In three days, Li Yao examined all the Colossi in the warehouse and found fourteen Colossi that could be dedicated to battles after preliminary maintenance.
Although some other Colossi were worth repairing, too, Li Yao did not intend to fix them for the time being. He was preparing to dismantle them as supply components for the fourteen Colossi.
The 'Tartarean Skeleton' was Li Yao's dream vehicle. Naturally, Li Yao would also take the opportunity to seize as many strengthening components for it as possible.
Naturally, everything that he did was behind Meng Chixin and Wu Suiyun's back.
In the eyes of the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators, Li Yao were still holding a lot of 'glow sticks' and devouring them with a gloomy face. Occasionally, he crawled onto one of the Colossi and groped for something, only to stagger down while shaking his head a moment later. He was even vomiting crazily many times because of the information dump from the primeval jade chips!
That was when Li Yao felt that time was flying.
However, when he left the warehouse of the Colossi and returned to the rest area, he immediately felt that a day was as long as a whole week because of the depressing atmosphere.
Heiye Lan, the female warrior of the Imperium, had shared a lot of knowledge. Politics, economy, culture, history, military… Information in all categories had been offered.
After every jade chip was filled, it would immediately be copied eleven times and distributed to the ten Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators for study.
The truth about the universe was blasting and savaging the previously impenetrable outlook and belief of the locals of the Ancient Sages Sector like animals and floods.
Qi Zhongdao, Han Baling, Ba Xiaoyu, Master Bitter Cicada, Qi Changsheng, Wan Mingzhu… Regardless of their morals and their stance, all the Cultivators were holding a few jade chips sitting cross-legged inside their cabins in a daze as if they were statues made of mud.
Some were at a loss, deep in thought, overjoyed, frustrated, and devastated!
During the three days, when Li Yao stayed in the rest area, he often felt as if he had entered an asylum that was teeming with lunatics.
Not just the young Emperor Phoenix whose world view had not been fixed yet, even Master Bitter Cicada, who in his eyes was the most handsome man in the Ancient Sages Sector, vomited blood and nearly went mentally deranged on the second day despite his usual calmness.
Li Yao actually understood their feelings very well.
Heiye Lan's confession included not only the introduction to the Imperium of True Human Beings but also part of the 'brainwashing tutorial' that Su Changfa had once imposed on Li Yao in the past.
Although it was just a 'text version' and not nearly as vivid and persuasive as the 'brainwashing room' that Li Yao had experienced before, the sharpness and coldness between the lines were not diminished at all but even more simple and straightforward!
In the beginning, even Li Yao, who was also from a modern Cultivation civilization and was particularly determined, was almost brainwashed, not to mention those ancient people who did not know the first thing about a modern civilization!
The confusion and chaos in the first two days and their resolution in the last day made Li Yao more and more worried.
He was of a mind to find an opportunity to gather the few righteous Cultivators including Qi Zhongdao, Ba Xiaoyu, and Master Bitter Cicada in private to give them a few vaccination shots. However, he never really had the chance.
The rest area had limited room. Whenever somebody was out, they were always in groups of three to supervise each other. Also, Li Yao was particularly appreciated by the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators, who studied the issues regarding the Colossi together with him every day.
Therefore, when the three days were up, when everything was settled and everybody seemed to have drawn their own conclusion after reading all the intelligence provided by Heiye Lan, Li Yao still had not found an opportunity to talk to them!
The meeting was conducted in the cafeteria at the end of the rest area.
The cafeteria must have been set up for human soldiers in the beginning because the long table was exactly the right size.
Meng Chixin, as the host of the meeting, was seated at the front end of the long desk, while Wu Suiyun, the other Divinity Transformation Stage, sat at the other end. The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators sat on the two sides of the table, looking at each other.
The environment was quite shabby, but the future of countless stars and planets might be decided there!
The people who were about to make a decision, however, were mostly still in a trance, not entirely recovered from the blast of the torrents of information.
"Everybody!" Meng Chixin clenched his fists and knocked the table neither too lightly nor too heavily. "I know that you must feel overwhelmed right now and find it hard to believe that such an unbelievable universe exists beyond the sky!
"However, believe it or not, accept it or not, the universe is right there! We are either going to suppress it or be devoured by it!
"This is a time of peril. We can't waste our time on hesitation!
"We are the twelve people of the highest Cultivation in the Ancient Sages Sector. The future of our world is in our hands! In any case, I want everybody to bring out the responsibility and charisma of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. Today, not tomorrow, we will come up with a solution as to exactly how we are going to save our world!"
Chapter 1534: Decide the Future! |
His words woke everybody up from their thoughts. The super Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators at the meeting were extraordinary people after all, and they had spent three days digesting all the information. However astounded they were, they had to accept the cruel, cold universe beyond the sky and try everything that they could to ensure the survival of themselves and their world!
"Of course. You are quite right, Fellow Cultivator Meng." Master Bitter Cicada recited a paragraph from the sutras to calm everybody down. "The safety of all the people of the Ancient Sages Sector depends on our decision. There is no time for us to feel shocked. We must come up with an agenda as soon as possible!"
"Well said!" Meng Chixin looked around. Seeing that everybody had regained their serenity and determination, he said solemnly, "I can tell that everybody's head is already clear now. So, let's just cut the cr*p and begin our discussion immediately!
"However, before everybody proposes your own opinion, let me reiterate what I said before. The twelve of us should abandon our previous prejudices and contradictions and be as united as one!
"We have only two foes ahead of us. One of them is the boundless, dangerous sea of stars, and the other is the sordid, shameless, greedy major sects and other ambitious forces who are better saboteurs than helpers apart from the Great Qian Dynasty and the Cloud Qin!
"Only if we are highly united and agree upon the same decision completely can we expect to compete with the two foes and hold the future of the Ancient Sages Sector in our hands!
"Therefore, if any fellow Cultivator has different opinions later, you will be free to say whatever is on your mind, no matter how whimsical it may be. After the disagreement is spoken, we will study it together and convince the dissident with logic. We will not start any action until everyone has been persuaded! Do not keep anything to yourself because you may be haunted by those thoughts in the future! Also, don't judge any fellow Cultivator because their speech may sound ridiculous! We must bear in mind that everything we are doing right now is for a common purpose, which is survival, the survival of our home!
"Do you agree, everybody?"
Looking at each other, the ten Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators all nodded.
"Alright. Let's start to make a decision, then!" Meng Chixin said, clearing his throat. "In the past three days, everybody has read all the intelligence provided by Heiye Lan, a female warrior of the Imperium of True Human Beings. We have gained a basic understanding of the general situation of the universe as well as the politics, economy, culture, military, and other aspects of the Imperium. I believe that we are now able to make some judgements based on the information. What's your question, Fellow Cultivator Wan?"
"Senior Meng, all the judgements we make will be based on Heiye Lan's intelligence. I wonder, is there any chance that Heiye Lan has been lying to us?" Wan Mingzhu said in a high-pitched voice. "If the intelligence that she has provided is false and intended to mislead us into wrong judgements, what should we do?"
"That's not very likely," Meng Chixin said casually. "When Heiye Lan provided the intelligence, she was under the thorough scrutiny of Wu Suiyun and me. Judging from her spiritual waves, the vibrations of her soul, and the changes of her facial expression, what she said should generally be true.
"On the other hand, if she is capable of telling lies unhurriedly under the monitoring of two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators, how terrifying must her Cultivation be? If a random warrior of the Imperium of True Human Beings is already so horrible, can we expect to resist the entire Imperium at all?
"Therefore, there is no need for us to worry about whether or not she was telling lies. Let's just consider everything that she said a fact!"
After pondering for a moment, Wan Mingzhu nodded and said, "Thank you for your enlightenment, senior. I have no further questions."
"Then, I call for the first decision of this meeting," Meng Chixin said. "We have all learned the vastness of the universe and the shocking number of species and forces in it, but the question is, how are we going to face everything? Is it possible for the Ancient Sages Sector to compete with the universal forces entire on our own, or should we simply hide inside the dark nebula, never to be discovered by them?
"If it is possible, we will kill Heiye Lan right now and pretend that nothing happened. Our life will be exactly the same as before!"
Looking at each other in bewilderment, the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators all shook their heads subconsciously, knowing that such a childish fantasy could not be true.
"It's impossible," Qi Zhongdao said bitterly. "When there is a first, there will always be a second. Now that Heiye Lan has found the Ancient Sages Sector, somebody else certainly can. It is destined that we can't stay hidden for long!
"Besides, if we hide in the Ancient Sages Sector like tortoises forever, we will be doomed to social involution. Each generation will be worse than the previous generation. We won't be able to sustain our current prosperity!
"For the future of the Ancient Sages Sector, we must walk out and embrace the entire universe!
"It is impossible for us to compete with the entire universe on our own. To assimilate with the universe, we can only find a certain force as a partner… or surrender to it. At least in the beginning, when we haven't learned the details about the universe, that's what we should do."
Qi Zhongdao's speech seemed to have drained all his strength. The nominal leader of all the Cultivators of the Great Qian Dynasty sat down in frustration.
Perhaps for him, the decision of 'surrender' was truly heartbreaking.
"Fellow Cultivator Qi does have a point. Great minds think alike!" Without further ado, Meng Chixin stared at everybody else, his eyes glittering. "The Ancient Sages Sector must walk out and embrace the grand universe! Does anyone have any objection to that? If not, we will consider it a consensus and proceed to the next topic!"
The decision was only reasonable. Even the most conservative Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator would not be content being a mouse hiding in its own hole. Besides, the deities' realm, or the universe, was the ultimate destination for every Cultivator!
Deep down their hearts, they all craved to appreciate the landscape on the other side of the universe!
The ten Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators nodded simultaneously!
"Alright. We all agree that the Ancient Sages Sector must rush out of the dark nebula and embrace the grand universe. In that case, we must depend on a superpower in the universe!
"There are two superpowers at war in the universe today, namely the Alliance of the Holy Covenant and the Imperium of True Human Beings!
"The second question. Is there anybody who believes that we should work under the Alliance of the Holy Covenant?"
