Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Li Yao stared at Di Feiwen for a long time. It was not until this moment that he finally detected certain clandestine things from the guy’s seemingly clear and honest eyes.

Li Yao smiled and bared his teeth.

“I finally understand your real goal now.” Li Yao looked at Di Feiwen carefully again and clicked his tongue. “I didn’t expect that the No. 2 person of the Black Wind Fleet would be even more terrifying than the No. 1 person. Your appetite is much greater than Heiye Ming’s. What Heiye Ming wanted to conquer was merely the Star Glory Federation, but you are hoping to claim the entire universe, including both the federation and the Imperium!”

“Oh? Why do you say that?” Di Feiwen asked, without changing his facial expression.

“Tell me. Are you only trying to build the next ‘Black Wind king’?” Li Yao stared at his opponent without letting go of the tiniest wave inside his eyes. “Or rather, are you making the next ‘Blackstar the Great’?”

The waves in Di Feiwen’s eyes were twisted, but they regained tranquility very soon. He became even more admiring when he said, “President Li, your eyes are really keen. Even what I think at the deepest part of my mind cannot escape your attention!”

Li Yao snorted softly. “There’s no need to flatter me. I feel as if you’re even more mysterious. Are you really just a member of the Black Wind Fleet and a ‘regular’ Immortal Cultivator, or do you have another identity with some other force backing you?”

“As I introduced myself in the very beginning, I am just an insignificant businessman,” Di Feiwen said. “Naturally, a businessman can hardly become a pure Immortal Cultivator.”

“Oh?” Li Yao was puzzled. “How so?”

“Business is utterly incompatible with the identity of Immortal Cultivator. They are naturally in conflict. A pure Immortal Cultivator must believe in the pureness and nobleness of ‘true human beings’ and classify human beings into a five percent class and a ninety-five percent class. Only the five percent of true human beings or their candidates matter. The other ninety-five percent are all humble, filthy, despicable, and worthless garbage.”

Di Feiwen sighed.

“But businessmen are the servants of capital. Our sole purpose in this world is to explore more markets, gain more profit, and make the capital proliferate!

“With enough profit, we are even willing to sell the most advanced weapons to alien species who have eight arms or the most ferocious extraterrestrial devils. Why would we care about the disparity between ‘true human being’ and ‘hominoid’ at all? A dollar in the Imperium is always worth a dollar, whether it is taken from the delicate purse of a ‘true human being’ or the dirty hands of a ‘hominoid’. Its value will be absolutely the same.

“The classic theory of the Immortal Cultivators believes that ‘hominoids’, who make up more than ninety-five percent of the total population, are all inferior garbage and slaves who only deserve to be exploited and looted. In that sense, we have essentially lost ninety-five percent of the market for nothing. After all, it is practically impossible to sell valuable and profitable goods to a slave, right?

“Other than the official merchants who monopolize certain trades with their connections with the royal family or the unparalleled experts, no businessman, even if they believe in the true path of immortality, is willing to tolerate the situation forever, where they have to wander in the nutshell of five percent because they are forbidden from the blue ocean of ninety-five percent.

“It is a pity that we are all strengthless dealers and touts. Faced with the emperor, nobles, warlords, and unparalleled experts, we are the most insignificant dust. Do we have the power to change the world at all? The best we can do is establish shabby chambers of commerce with other businessmen who struggle to make a living.

“Naturally, compared with the nobles in the court, the experts who train in seclusion for a couple of years easily, or the generals who are overwhelmed by arrogance, businessmen, especially those who travel among different worlds all year round, are often the most well-informed guys. If you and the Star Glory Federation are to march to the center of the cosmos one day, chances are that businessmen such as us can offer you some help, can’t we?”

Looking at the cunning little eyes, Li Yao really could not tell if the guy was speaking the truth. After pondering for a moment, he said, “Is this the conflict that you described to be more hidden and fatal than the conflict between the central government and the local places? How should I put it, the conflict between capitalism and Immortal Cultivators, or the conflict between capitalism and the Imperium? Capital is one of the most powerful forces in the universe, which is not willing to be restrained by any emperor or expert?”

Di Feiwen’s eyes beamed with joy. “Capital is genetically the most powerful force in the universe, which is not to be restrained by any emperor or expert? That is marvelously put, President Li. Since you can understand our stance so well, I believe that our cooperation in the future will be very pleasant.”

He had utterly erased the ‘one of’ part.

“Whether or not you have a second identity or any clandestine purpose, you have picked the wrong person,” Li Yao said coldly. “I am neither capable of nor interested in becoming a second ‘Black Wind King’ or ‘Blackstar the Great’. You may want to talk to somebody else!”

Di Feiwen smiled. “Fate is the most mysterious and unpredictable thing. When Wuying Qi was tied up and thrown into the active volcano, could he have foreseen that he would rule over the entire universe as ‘Blackstar the Great’ many years later?

“In the business world, there is no deal that is completely profitable, but as long as the potential profits are more than three hundred percent, it is already worth fighting for even at the risk of one’s life. Besides, with the situation that the Black Wind Fleet is in right now, what other choice do we have except to make the wild gamble?”

Silent, Li Yao considered for a long time. Then he slowly said, “I can basically outline your scheme right now. Perhaps you think that after I am raised to the place of ‘Black Wind King’, when all the Immortal Cultivators submit to me and corrupt me with your theories, I will feel too good about myself and become an Immortal Cultivator. Then, I will fight for power in the Imperium of True Human Beings as a spokesperson of your interests and even overturn the Imperium to establish a new system devised by you.

“In that case, the Black Wind Fleet will appear to have failed on the surface and even given the leadership to an outsider, but in fact, you will be the final beneficiary, and I will be a puppet in a different form.”

Di Feiwen blinked and said, “Perhaps. Then, are you willing to shoulder the heavy responsibility and become the new ‘Black Wind King’?”

Li Yao stared at him hard. “I’m really curious. What makes you so confident that I will be at your mercy like a stringed marionette? Even if I become the ‘Black Wind king’, I will not believe the Immortal Cultivators’ survival-of-the-fittest theory at all. The first thing that I’m going to do is send all the leadership of the Black Wind Fleet into the captive camp and reeducate them with the ideology of the Cultivators, even if you call it ‘brainwashing’. The second thing will be to abolish all the slavery within the Black Wind Fleet and restore the freedom of all civilians. I will show them a brand-new lifestyle and civilization. I will show them the dignity and pride of mankind, and they can also be strong warriors to defend our civilization, not just… some ‘fuel’!”

“Only the fittest survive, and the winner is the king. This is not a theory but an indisputable ‘fact’,” Di Feiwen said unhurriedly. “Take the situation right now for example. It is exactly because the Star Glory Federation is stronger than the Black Wind Fleet that you are the final winner who is qualified to demonstrate your power and brainwash the losers.

“The federation won the war only because you were stronger, not because of righteousness, mercy, kindness, or any other factor.

“President Li, experts like you can do whatever you want. We are all prepared for our fate after our surrender. Although I do not approve of the childish theories of the Cultivators personally, if you are the one who demands that we accept the brainwashing, we will certainly purge ourselves solemnly without any reserve.”

Li Yao was at a loss for words when faced with such a shameless person. Dazed for a long time, he frowned and said, “If you believe that the Cultivators’ theories are wrong, how do you explain the victory of the federation? Was it not because of the Cultivators’ theories that the federation grew so strong?”

“There are no right theories or wrong theories; there are only suitable theories and those that are not suitable,” Di Feiwen said. “The Cultivators’ theories are more suitable for the simple, steady environment at the edge of the cosmos where there aren’t many changes and trouble.

“So, the theories have proved successful. But there are far more problems, variables, and enemies at the center of the cosmos, which is a place that does not have much room for kindness and leniency. In many cases, we do not have any option except to seek the tyranny of an iron-blooded monarch in order to settle all our problems quickly.

“You do not need to waste so much time preaching on how evil, ugly, and wrong the true path of immortality is. We know that very clearly. As a businessman, I am not particularly fond of the emperor, but we chose the autocratic monarchy and the true path of immortality not because the emperor and the truth path of immortality are good, brilliant, and justified, but because the other options are even worse than them.

“Perhaps, in your eyes, the collision of Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators is the competition of good and evil. It’s all about choosing between saving ten thousand people and butchering ten thousand people. But the truth is, it’s more likely to be a competition of ‘evil’ and ‘eviler’, a choice between butchering ten thousand people and butchering a hundred thousand people. As for the option to save ten thousand people, it does not exist at all.

“Of course, you won’t believe me right now. You think that I’m bluffing. But please remember that the Star Ocean Republic was a realm of Cultivators, and you know what happened to it in the end. Regarding the corruption and darkness at the last years of the Star Ocean Republic, too many secret case files must’ve been stored on Firefly. You can retrieve them and have a read.

“Naturally, after a thousand years of development and transformation, the Imperium of True Human Beings today is decaying and repeating the history of the Star Ocean Republic, too. Perhaps the time has come to inject a new force into it and revitalize the old Imperium…

“Hehe. Forget it. There’s no need for me to say such nonsense to you right now. Let the bloody facts at the center of the cosmos teach you, and let history be the final judge. At the very least, you are the most well-deserved expert. Strength is justice. Everything you say is the truth. We are all your most humble lackeys and servants who will carry out your decisions at the cost of our lives!”

Faced with Di Feiwen’s scorching eyes, Li Yao could not help but shudder.

There was one thing that was even more dreadful than Di Feiwen’s lie and scheme.

It was that Di Feiwen had neither a lie nor a scheme. Everything he said, including the zealous vow, was serious.