Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

In the suite for the high-level Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators on the top floor of the luxury hotel where the delegation of the ‘rightful government of the Star Ocean Republic’ resided, not a moment after Li Yao deployed barrier rune arrays that could block all the eavesdropping or spying magical equipment, he grunted and collapsed to the floor with an awful facial expression.

Heiye Lan was greatly shocked. “Master Spiritual Vulture, what happened to you?”

“I—I feel that my belief has been shaken!” Frowning, Li Yao held his chest and breathed hard, as if he were in quite a dilemma. “Fellow Cultivator Hei, help me consolidate it, please!”

“Huh?”

“Back when we were in the Ancient Sages Sector,” Li Yao said, “we were all convinced by your persuasive speech and decided to pledge loyalty to the Imperium of True Human Beings and join the true path of immortality. We planned to sneak into the Star Glory Federation surreptitiously to sabotage the country and cooperate with the Black Wind Fleet from the inside!

“However, Fellow Cultivator Hei, we have gotten along quite well for the past half a year. Since you are so open and sincere to us, I do not want to lie to you, either.

“We have seen a lot of things after coming to the Star Glory Federation. Not only did we see the magnificence of their army, the vastness of the seven Sectors, and the confidence and valor of the young and vigorous Cultivators, there is also this… boundless and infinite ‘grand-unified Spiritual Nexus’. Let’s be honest here. This so-called ‘barbaric country at the borderland’ really does not seem that it will be taken immediately when your army arrives!

“Therefore, my loyalty to the Imperium of True Human Beings and my belief in the true path of immortality are shaking and even sliding to the federation’s side.

“Fellow Cultivator Hei, preach the excellency of the Imperium and the true path of immortality to me now and help me consolidate my belief!”

“Well, well, about that…” Heiye Lan was greatly shocked and bewildered herself, and her belief was trembling crazily like a dry leaf being blown in a storm. She stuttered for a long time, only to come up with nothing.

Brilliance suddenly shone in Li Yao’s eyes. He furrowed his brows hard and said, “Why are you so hesitant, Fellow Cultivator Hei? Is the Star Glory Federation so impressive that even your own belief has been shaken?”

“Of course not!” Heiye Lan jumped to her feet as if her bottom had been bitten by a mouse. Every hair on her body was pricking like iron needles.

However, after feeling creepy for a long time, she had to admit, her eyes bulging and her mouth half open, that it… it appeared to be the truth!

As an elite warrior of the Imperium, a daughter of the commander of the Black Wind Fleet, and a high-level Immortal Cultivator, Heiye Lan had never thought that she would ever fall into such a… ridiculous and unreal situation.

She was a real Immortal Cultivator, a noble warrior who had sworn to strive for the future of the civilization of mankind with her entire life. The adults had inculcated into her that only the true path of immortality could save mankind since she was born, and never for a second had she doubted it!

Even after the claw fleet that she was in had been crushed by a fleet of barbarians from the edge of the cosmos and she fled to the Ancient Sages Sector all by herself, her loyalty and belief to the true path of immortality had not changed at all.

Such a firm belief drove her to concoct an enormous plan that surpassed the limits of her abilities with unbelievable passion and wisdom, when she tried to fish up the top experts of the Ancient Sages Sector once and for all.

Despite the twists, turns, and unexpected factors that popped up, the final outcome did not seem bad at all. She really convinced the twelve top experts of the Ancient Sages Sector to march to the Star Glory Federation, the homeland of the remote barbarians, together!

When they just jumped to the Dragon Snake Space Zone, she had already noticed that the Star Glory Federation seemed slightly more developed than anticipated.

But it was not a big deal. If it was only the power of the military or in the territory, the country would still be no match for the invincible Black Wind Fleet.

At the very least, according to the articles written by the refugees from the Uranian Ring Sector, the Nether World Sector, the Water Crystal Sector, and the Forest Ocean Sector that she had read in the Dragon Snake Space Zone, such as ‘Great Prophecy! The Star Glory Federation Is About to Collapse!’, it appeared that the Star Glory Federation would be overturned by its own folly without the Black Wind Fleet doing anything at all, if the critics in the articles were to be believed.

Later, everything that she had witnessed on Firefly had further firmed her belief.

Although the insurgency launched by Ding Zhengyang and Cheng Xuansu had failed, it at least suggested that a lot of Immortal Cultivators existed within the government-in-exile and the Star Glory Federation. There was even an organization of Immortal Cultivators known as the CFIA, which was disciplined, systematized, had reached deep into the capillary vessels of the Star Glory Federation, and could raise a large-scale rebellion.

Then, after the Black Wind Fleet arrived, when the CFIA took the chance to summon the Immortal Cultivators for an uprising and the twelve experts of the Ancient Sages Sector on her side launched destructive strikes in the heartland of the federation simultaneously, it would be like a bunch of tigers lunging at a lamb. Did the Star Glory Federation stand any chance of winning at all?

Before she set foot on the homeland of the federation, Heiye Lan had always believed so.

She had always been confident and proud, and she had gone to this place with pity, thinking that she was there to bid farewell to a dying man.

However, it had never occurred to her that she would see such things in the federation.

It was a world that was the exact opposite of the lifestyle that she had been taught since childhood. It was a brand-new civilization that she had never dreamt of in her most ridiculous nightmares.

Not to mention the enormous fleets that the federation had crafted in the orbit docks of the Uranian Ring Sector; not to mention the high confidence of such a regular Cultivator as Ling Xiaole; and not to mention the easy, happy, and affluent life of the ordinary people in the cities of the circular world—the grand-unified Spiritual Nexus and ‘Civilization’ were shocking enough!

Naturally, the crystal processors of the Imperium of True Human Beings were more developed than the Star Glory Federation’s. There were also the Grand Illusionary Land and immersive virtual worlds.

In fact, the game Civilization in the federation was developed based on the ‘brainwashing system’ on the exploration starship of Su Changfa and the other Immortal Cultivators from the Imperium.

There was also a Grand Illusionary Land in the Imperium, but it was mainly for studying, training, and communication. Many restrictions had been established on its usage. Also, it was impossible to allow the idiotic and humble ‘hominoids’ to use the Spiritual Nexus, which was a privilege of the Immortal Cultivators.

Heiye Lan had never realized that the collisions in the Grand Illusionary Land could create such a vast, vibrant virtual world. She had never thought that the Grand Illusionary Land could be used to educate and edify the ‘hominoids’ that the Imperium and the Immortal Cultivators believed to be unteachable. The Grand Illusionary Land could even be used to collect the opinions of the ‘hominoids’ on national affairs, allowing the ‘hominoids’ to decide the future of a civilization!

Even the humble hominoids were allowed to discuss national affairs. Such… such a world was too dreadful!

Heiye Lan was feeling as if she had seen fish flying in the sky, birds swimming in the ocean, the sun turning square, and trees growing upside down with their roots reaching for the clouds.

The world did not seem logical or functional at all, but everything in it was ordered, organized, stable, and highly-efficient!

How is it possible?

The Cultivators of the Star Glory Federation obviously boast tremendous power and wisdom. Why are they so nice to the hominoids and even make all kinds of laws to restrain themselves and bow to the hominoids? It’s like they are intentionally giving the hominoids a chance to be arrogant and lawless!

The hominoids here do not look like the hominoids in the Imperium, either. Why do they look so peaceful and happy? Some of them are even really participating in the management of national affairs, as if they think that they are truly capable of fighting side by side with the Cultivators to protect the country!

Why? Aren’t the hominoids supposed to be an inferior race, idiotic, selfish, greedy, cowardly, short-sighted, and crazy? Giving a civilization to the hominoids is like giving a beautiful and prolific orchard to hungry monkeys; they will definitely sabotage everything inside! Why has this ‘orchard’ not been reduced to the ground by the ‘monkeys’?

Propaganda. This must be the propaganda of the federation. The federation wants to fool Firefly into joining it. It is only natural that they are presenting their best side in order to trick the delegation and the so-called ‘Team Red Lotus!

But—but can such large-scale propaganda really be fabricated? Also, they do not seem to be intentionally concealing the dark sides. It seems like they are even showing the dark sides to us on purpose!

Horrible. This is horrible! Even our loyal warriors of the Imperium and the true path of immortality who were captured ten years ago have been deceived and brainwashed by them after only a couple of years and completed transformed into Cultivators! What kind of country is the Star Glory Federation exactly? What is the path of the Cultivators?

Heiye Lan screamed crazily in her heart, and she trembled hard beyond her control.

Li Yao looked at Heiye Lan expressionlessly. “Fellow Cultivator Hei. Speak now. Why are you so quiet? Compared to everything we just saw, how is the Imperium and the true path of immortality more advanced? From what I’ve seen, people here are living a rather comfortable life. At least, a much more comfortable life than the life in the Ancient Sages Sector. Therefore, joining the federation does not look like a bad choice at all. What do you say?”

“This—this is all fake!” Heiye Lan calmed herself down and gnashed hideously. “The federation—the federation must’ve exhausted the potential of the entire civilization in a certain way to satisfy the needs of the hominoids we saw! This—this is purely superficial. There’s actually nothing behind it! After the Black Wind Fleet arrives, under the heavy pressure of the war, I don’t believe that the Cultivators and the hominoids can fight side by side for the same purpose!”

“Do you?” Li Yao smiled. “So, you do not deny that the life we have seen is fairly good, and you are just confident that such a system, such a path of the Cultivators, is not enough to handle the pressure of the war, right? In other words, if they can win the war, even you would not refuse to live in such a world, would you?”

Heiye Lan was slightly dazed. Then she shook her head hard. “Impossible. It’s absolutely impossible! Such a civilization of Cultivators that indulges the greedy hominoids naively and does not focus on the maximum exploitation of resources is no match for a civilization of Immortal Cultivators! The Imperium will surely win. The Black Wind Fleet will surely win! The Star Glory Federation is doomed to failure!”