Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“How is that possible?”

Li Yao was greatly shocked. “The two guys who were as ugly as pigs and as despicable as dogs, who had been beaten and suppressed by me time and time again, were able to pass the test earlier than me? Are you really not lying to me?”

“I don’t have to lie to you.

The voice said, “I’ve existed for too long. Billions of years are enough for the flood tide to search every ripple and corner of the sea of the universe. It is not far away from its arrival.

“Although I cannot lower the standard of the test just because the flood is imminent, I do hope that a real heir can show up as soon as possible and complete the test that has lasted billions of years. I’m not willing to destroy more testers.

“Then—”

Li Yao’s soul was shivering violently like a torch that was about to be burnt out in a storm. “Can you tell me, if Lu Qingchen or the mental devil pass the test first, will they really receive the legacy of the Primeval Civilization? What are the so-called ‘ancient secret treasures’ exactly? Can they really command the entire Pangu Universe and dominate our civilization?”

“There are a lot of things beyond your imagination in the legacy of the Primeval Civilization.

His voice was neither too fast nor too slow. “As far as you can understand, if Lu Qingchen or one of the mental devils becomes the heir of the Primeval Civilization, they will get a new body first.

“I’ve noticed that they do not have bodies of flesh and blood. Instead, they exist in the form of special energy waves and unstable magnetic fields. Although the form has a lot of benefits, it is not very convenient for them to move in the three-dimensional universe made of materials.

“Within the technological limits of the Primeval Civilization, it is not a big problem. They can find a new body in our warehouse of war machines at their will, be it carbon-based or silicon-based, made of flesh and blood, or made of precise machines and the most powerful crystals, or even bodies of alien species such as the ‘Void Hunters’ and the ‘Mountain Giant Crab’. Together with the most advanced biochemical technology of the Primeval Civilization and the attack units made of machines and metals, they will become the most terrifying emperors of the universe. We have such technology, too.

“Other than that, we have fully-automatic military bases buried deep inside almost every habitable planet and resource planet in the Pangu Universe. They can be collected, smelted, and refined automatically. With enough energy and resources, we can produce a steady stream of battle puppets and even an army of warships. There is no need to manipulate them manually. One brainwave from the commander-in-chief is enough to run them until death.

“Of course, I believe that it won’t be a problem even if they need to recruit a lot of manpower. As long as their identity as the ‘Inheritor of the Primeval Civilization’ is made public and they arrive in the magnificent, sky-blocking bodies of the deities and devils, most of your compatriots will worship them and listen to their every command.

“What’s wrong? It seems that you don’t want the two of them to inherit the legacy of the Primeval Civilization?”

“That’s right.”

Li Yao managed to say, “However, I don’t want to see the Primeval Civilization falling into the abyss of horror, turning into the cruel butchers, or a bunch of space cockroaches!

“Your stupidity is regrettable, and your persistence is admirable.

The voice said, “Then, if I tell you that, on a certain level, the remnants of the alien species and the low-level civilizations are part of the ‘flood’ that will destroy the Primeval Civilization in the near future, will you change your mind?”

“What?”

Li Yao was greatly shocked. He grasped the key of the voice keenly. “Are you saying that the so-called flood is the coalition army of the alien species and the low-level civilizations against the Primeval Civilization? But what do you mean by ‘on a certain level’? What is the flood exactly?”

“I can’t tell you exactly what a flood is, because it is impossible for you to see its full appearance and horror with your current understanding ability. But I can guarantee that I’m not lying to you, because providing false information will make you make false judgments, which is inconsistent with the purpose of the test.

The voice said, “All in all, in the real history, the ‘Great Extinction Order’ for the alien species and the low-level civilizations, due to various objective factors, mainly because of the vastness of the sea of stars and the inefficiency of information transmission, was not implemented at 100%, and a lot of fish escaped the net. Maybe it was the fish that formed the flood tide and overthrown the reign of the Primeval Civilization.

“Therefore, in the ultimate test, if the ‘Obliteration Order’ had been issued earlier and implemented more resolutely, the fate of the Primeval Civilization might have been reversed.

“A long time later, on the road of collapse and escape, the remaining experts and wise men of the Primeval Civilization ran thousands of simulations. They all believed that the period around the issuance of the ‘Great Extinction Order’ was the most critical turning point for the Primeval Civilization. If they missed the best opportunity, there would be no power to stop the rise of the flood tide and the destruction of our race.

“If you want to continue the test, to receive our heritage, to save your people, and to defend your civilization, then make a choice... that you have no other options!”

The voice contained infinite magical power that corroded Li Yao’s soul silently.

For the first time, Li Yao was caught in such confusion and hesitation.

The vivid, immersive pictures were shuttling in his brain and interweaving into a complicated mess.

If he did not choose the ‘Great Extinction Order’, the ultimate test would most likely fail. By then, either Lu Qingchen would get the ancient secret treasures or all the human beings in the Pangu Universe would be obliterated.

However, if he chose the ‘Great Extinction Order’, what was the difference between him and Lu Qingchen? Would the gradually growing scales completely engulf him and turn him from a ‘dragon slayer’ into a ‘dragon’?

If he had received the legacy of the Primeval Civilization in such a way, would he have been able to control the legacy instead of being enslaved by it and becoming a duplicate of the Primeval Race?

No...

He was not a duplicate of the Primeval Race. He was a new human being!

However, the problem could not be solved with just a few drops of hot blood and a few roars. Ding Lingdang and the others were still taking the test. If he didn’t break through soon, sooner or later, Ding Lingdang and the others would also encounter such a difficult and dangerous choice. And with Ding Lingdang’s unyielding personality, she would absolutely not compromise with the voice.

Then, would Ding Lingdang follow in the footsteps of ‘Exterminate All’ and ‘Dragon Lotus Seed’? Would she be obliterated by the sound and turn into ten thousand burning butterflies?

The vivid scenes lingered in Li Yao’s brain, making his every brain cell shiver.

There was also the truth of the flood, as well as the biggest secret in Li Yao’s heart—the ‘Earth’ that he was born in. It seemed that all the answers could not be unlocked until he passed the ultimate test.

What should he do exactly? What should he do?

Although he had never been faced with a real, real, invincible enemy and only a seemingly simple test, Li Yao had never felt so lonely and helpless before.

He wished that he had a few comrades who could fight side by side with him. He wished that his seniors such as Jin Tuyi or Boss Bai could give him some pointers. He hoped that his bad friends such as the mental devil and Long Yangjun could ease his anxiety by chitchatting with him. It would be best if Ding Lingdang could appear next to him right now and punch his shoulder heavily so that he would not have to think about anything else and could simply follow his heart. However, he did not. His family and friends were not around. He was the only one facing the deep universe and the world inside his heart that was deeper than the universe.

Cultivators. Li Yao had once thought that he had reached the ultimate level of the best expert of the human civilization in the Pangu Universe after one to two hundred years of Cultivation. He had even practiced three thousand reincarnations in the world of mortals in the virtual space, and he had seen through his heart a long time ago. It was not until this moment that he realized that he was wrong. He was terribly wrong. The mind of a man was immeasurable. Even if he spent his entire life searching, who would dare boast that they could truly see through his heart?

Nobody knew what they would do until the ‘no other choice’ arrived.

Li Yao even regretted his choice before he made it.

But he still chose to continue the test for... everything.

Inside his brain, the slaughtering machine of the Primeval Civilization started functioning. Blood dyed the entire sea of stars red.

Such was the contradiction of human beings. A moment ago, Li Yao had been deeply awed by the magnificent army of the Primeval Civilization and the soul-stirring rise of the civilization. He felt honored and complimented them. But right now, he felt that the compatriots who looked exactly like himself were so cruel and terrifying.

Just now, when the ‘Void Hunters’ and the ‘Mountain Giant Crab’ devoured and destroyed the Primeval Lord of Heaven as if they were ants, Li Yao had felt extremely helpless and furious, too. He had been looking forward to the day when the Primeval Lord of Heaven would counterattack and soar into the sky.

But when the day came and the cubs of the alien species in space were all shivering under the bombardment of the Primeval Civilization, when their nests and all traces of their existence were obliterated, Li Yao felt pain and regret beyond description.

Many individuals of the low-level civilization looked hideous or cunning. Li Yao was wary and disgusted when he saw them. But when they were wounded, bleeding, or charging at the most advanced war machines of the Primeval Civilization in order to protect their family and home, their fearlessness aroused the surging tides in Li Yao’s heart, too. Li Yao was too ashamed to look them in the eyes.

“It... shouldn’t be like this.

Li Yao mumbled to himself, “What—what have I done exactly?”