Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1233
"There is. A lot of details are described in the warning," Professor Wang said. "First of all, the warning told the members of the Pangu Clan in the outside world that the 'spy of the Pangu Clan' must not be allowed to touch crystals or Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that contained high energy because the 'original body' was in the most vulnerable 'fetus' state when it was just born and could not remember many things or master very powerful techniques. It would be the best opportunity to destroy her!
"However, if she got in touch with astronomical energy and resources, her growth could be most astonishing, and she might surpass the tipping point and turn into a dreadful 'mature body'. By then, even the guardians of an entire planet might not be able to stop her!"
Li Yao gulped hard. "Well…"
"Secondly," Professor Wang continued, "the warning informed the Nuwa Clan that the 'spy of the Pangu Clan' must not be allowed to touch crystal processors of high computational abilities because her evolution seemed to concern a lot of very complicated computational problems. Only with the assistance of high-level crystal processors could she surpass the most critical threshold and completely unlock the boundless strength inside her body and the memories from hundreds of thousands of years ago."
Li Yao scratched his cheeks hard, his face gloomier than ever. "Anything else?"
"Lastly, and most critically, she must not be allowed to touch the members of the Nuwa Clan outside or human beings, and she must be strictly forbidden from… Well, the symbol here has a similar meaning to our 'Spiritual Nexus'. Yes. She must be strictly forbidden from cyberspace.
"Because she obviously came with a certain destiny of the Pangu Clan and would likely seal all the members of the Nuwa Clan and human beings that she encountered by eradicating their feelings, desires, and will. She would even turn the entire world into a silent grave through cyberspace.
"Therefore, at the end of the warning, it was written in the harshest tone to remind the soldiers of the Nuwa Clan outside that the spy of the Pangu Clan was an extremely, extremely, extremely dangerous being and that she must be completely obliterated without any hesitation and at any cost, even if an entire planet had to be razed to the ground!
"President Li, it is getting serious now. We thought that the automatic alarm system on the Nuwa warship was triggered because the seals of the Pangu laboratory were broken. We didn't know that some of Pangu's forces already escaped when the seals of the laboratory were broken a hundred years ago and even corrupted a certain 'original body' of the Nuwa Clan!
"In other words, it is very possible that a spy of the Pangu Clan in the form of the Nuwa Clan has been active in the Ancient Sages Sector since more than a hundred years ago. She has lurked and grown for a hundred years, but we did not know the first thing about it and even built a universal bridge that connects the federation to the Ancient Sages Sector in our ignorance! That—That is really—"
Professor Wang coughed hard.
Li Yao was immediately soaked in sweat. The veins on his temples jumped like infuriated earthworms. He was about to inform all the starships, all the defense lines, and every Exo to raise their wariness to the highest when a new communication request was sent over.
It was from Long Yangjun.
Li Yao's pupils constricted to the minimum, and he jumped to his feet.
Managing to control his shaking hands, Li Yao approved the communication request. Long Yangjun's smiling face immediately appeared on the light beam.
However, there was nothing but silver in the background. She seemed to be crouching on an enormous egg-shaped seat. It was impossible to tell where she was.
"Huh. Why are you sweating so hard as if you just got out of a pond?" Long Yangjun approached the light beam, her face growing bigger and bigger, as she observed Li Yao carefully. Then she opened her hands and said, "Forgive me. I was occupied and did not have time to chat with you until this moment. You don't mind it, do you?"
"No, not at all." Li Yao wiped his sweat with his sleeves hard. He asked, his voice dry and sour, "Let me ask you a few questions. Well, first of all, have you been in touch with high-energy crystals, precious Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, and things like that?"
"Of course!" Long Yangjun nodded hard. "After we saved the Star Glory Federation together, everybody in the federation regarded us as heroes. I could get whatever crystals and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures I wanted. In fact, most of them were supplied by the Glorious Sunlight Group under your name. I said that it was enough, and I did not need that much for my training. But you insisted that I should keep it, claiming that I should make myself at home in the Glorious Sunlight Group and that I could take whatever I need. I was almost touched by your hospitality. Don't you remember it?"
"…I seem to have indeed done that. Then, have you touched advanced crystal processors of high computational abilities?"
"Of course I have. Why else would I go through all the trouble of joining the team to investigate 'Extraterrestrial Devil Mo Xuan' if not for the high-level crystal processors in Hundred Flowers City?" Long Yangjun admitted frankly. "Of course, it seems to be a redundant move in retrospect because the Glorious Sunlight Group has a fairly large stock of high-level crystal processors, too. Didn't you give me special permission so that I could use them unlimitedly? The computational ability of those crystal processors was more or less enough for my training.
"All in all, I have walked this far, turning from an ignorant eunuch of the Ancient Sages Sector into… whatever I am right now, all thanks to you. I should really express my gratitude for your sincere support and selfless help. Thank you very much, Li Yao!"
"You're f*cking welcome. Thirdly, have you been in touch with a lot of people or the Spiritual Nexus… Forget it. I already know the answer."
"Okay!" Long Yangjun said with a smile. "Anything else you want to ask? This is your last opportunity. I will tell you everything completely and truthfully!"
Before Li Yao realized what 'last opportunity' meant, the picture on the light beam began to shake quickly. Long Yangjun's smiling face and her body were both blurred, as if she was gradually vanishing.
At first, Li Yao thought that it was because of signal transmission, but a moment later, it suddenly occurred to him that Long Yangjun must be in the middle of a device similar to an 'escape capsule', and it was about to be launched!
In a hurry, Li Yao turned on all the surveillance pictures in the outside world. However, the Land of Eternal Night still had nothing but white snow and a gloomy sky. No other aircrafts could be spotted at all except the federation's own starships!
"You can stop wasting your time." Long Yangjun yawned lightly. "The 'teleporter' that I'm on right now is beyond the detection of the current technology of the federation, not to mention affecting me or shooting me down. Also, my signals have been delivered to you after transferring through a dozen stations. You can't trace it back to the source of the signals at all, at least not before I take off!
"Instead of sweating hard and wasting your time for nothing, why don't we sit down and talk nicely in whatever time we have left? What do you think?"
"Fair enough." Looking at Long Yangjun who was smiling lightheartedly on the picture that was gradually stabilizing, Li Yao tried his best to contain himself from crawling into the light beam and choking her. Taking a deep breath, he sat down and looked at her with a complicated expression. "What… are you exactly? Are you really a spy of the Pangu Clan in the form of the Nuwa Clan as the warning said?"
"So, you have deciphered the warning. It's a pity that even the surveillance system of the Nuwa warship did not understand what I went through in my 'embryo'. Or maybe, it was because such a thing had never happened before."
Long Yangjun was slightly dazed. Then she smiled.
"It is inaccurate to say that I am a spy of the Pangu Clan. At the very least, in my mind, the strength of the Pangu Clan does not completely suppress the strength of the Nuwa Clan. They are on par with each other and coexist in the depths of my soul, giving me two strengths, two ideologies, and two paths at the same time. So, what am I exactly? To be honest, I would like to know the answer, too!"
Li Yao found it hard to believe. "So, you are half Pangu and half Nuwa?"
"Maybe." Long Yangjun shrugged. "I really did not lie to you. I truly did not know what I was in the beginning other than being a child who was born and raised in the Ancient Sages Sector with uncanny techniques and who had bizarre nightmares since childhood. Even though I found my way into the royal library in the palace to explore everything, and after I read all the books in the world, I couldn't find an answer to the mysteries of my birth.
"It was not until we met inside the Nuwa warship that the fuzzy memories inside my brain finally turned clear. After all the battles we went through in the Star Glory Federation, and especially after I got in touch with the high-level crystal processors and the almost infinite resources, I finally began to understand who I am.
"But the more I understood, the more confused I became because I always felt that two entirely opposite strengths existed in my soul. One of them was absolute control, and the other was absolute indulgence. They were hostile to each other and attacked, swallowed, and transformed each other. It almost drove me mad!
"Take the battle against the extraterrestrial devils in Hundred Flowers City for example. There were two distinct voices in the depths of my soul. One of them asked me to wipe out the extraterrestrial devils and even everyone that got in touch with them mercilessly without leaving any hidden problem behind, even at the cost of blowing up the whole of Hundred Flowers City.
"The other voice, however, advised me to take the extraterrestrial devils' side and help them to complete the plan to virtualize mankind so that we could see what kind of interesting changes happened later.
"The two voices were equally unquestionable, filled with threat and enticement, almost irresistible. Had they not been conflicting and offsetting each other, I really don't know what kind of which I would've made at that time!"
Chapter 1916: The Real Destiny |
Li Yao recalled the fierce, soul-stirring fights with 'Extraterrestrial Devil Mo Xuan' in Hundred Flowers City and with 'Extraterrestrial Devil Lu Qingchen' in the space battle.
At that time, he had thought that the few extraterrestrial devils were the most dreadful enemies. Never did it occur to him that the greatest ticking bomb had been right next to him the whole time and could have been detonated at any moment!
Now that he thought about it, he could not help but shiver in fear.
Long Yangjun chuckled and went on, "At that time, I thought that I was 'only' the reincarnation of an elite warrior of the Nuwa Civilization; therefore, I was baffled by the two competing voices in my head. Even though I devoured tremendous resources and boasted the assistance of advanced, high-performance crystal processors with your support, the puzzles in my heart were never completely resolved.
"It was not until I returned to the Land of Eternal Night again and entered the Pangu laboratory, where I was electrocuted by the revived member of the Pangu Clan and thousands of electric currents ran through my soul, that most of the puzzles were completely shattered. I have been finally awakened and realized… who I am exactly!
"That explains a lot. I am not just the reincarnation of an elite warrior of the Nuwa Clan. I was infected with the power of the Pangu Clan when I was still in the fetus state. I am a being that carries dual destinies. Everything has started to make sense now!"
Nervously, Li Yao asked, "What kind of 'destinies'?"
Long Yangjun sniffed and said, "Reviving the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan, conquering the universe, suppressing human beings, destroying the world, or similar boring stuff."
Li Yao was dumbfounded. "In that case, you had ten thousand opportunities to achieve your purposes at the critical moments in Hundred Flowers City and in the space battle or even in the Pangu laboratory just now. The odds of your success were quite high. Why did you never take action?"
Long Yangjun was amused. Blinking her big eyes that seemed to have been covered in a thin layer of crystals, she asked back, "Why would I do such boring stuff?"
Li Yao was completely confused. "Weren't you the one who told me that the most important thing in your life was to figure out who you were and to accomplish your destiny? You have awakened right now and know what your 'destiny' is!"
"Wrong!" Long Yangjun declared matter-of-factly. "You did not get what I meant. I was going to accomplish 'my' destiny, not a destiny that was given by somebody else."
Li Yao blinked. "Is there any difference between them?"
"Of course there is. Assume that, one day, you have an uncanny dream and a solemn, unquestionable voice pops up in your head, telling you that you are a man for a great cause, and that you have been bestowed a sacred, glorious responsibility before you were born, which is to eat s*it.
"Let me ask you, would you consider such a destiny as a goal to fight for with your life and your whole significance?"
"…I don't think that's the same."
"Why not?" Narrowing her eyes and observing her narrow and sharp fingers that looked like daggers, Long Yangjun softly said, "If I do not figure out why I have to do it before I do anything, is there any difference between conquering the world, manipulating people, and destroying everything and eating s*it?"
Li Yao thought for a long time and argued, "But that is the destiny given by the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan, your creators."
"Therefore, if you parents ask you to eat s*it, you will just be a good kid and eat it obediently?" Long Yangjun asked.
"Can we just talk nicely instead of resorting to such metaphors?" Li Yao replied.
"I only mean to make it easier for you to understand, considering that your abilities in analysis and comprehension are rather low." Long Yangjun chuckled. "All in all, the weird voices in my head, the boring things including asking me to search for a certain base, to release the Nuwa Clan, to revive the Pangu Clan, to conquer a certain planet, to occupy a certain fortress, to bewilder people, to deprive them of their feelings… They are all destinies that other people have given me, not my own real destiny. Even if I follow the voices and do what they ask me to, I will have to figure out the significance behind the destinies first. Do you understand? I can't just do anything because a voice in my head tells me to do it!"
Li Yao nodded slowly and was almost awed by Long Yangjun. "I seem to get what you are trying to say now."
"In fact, you should feel lucky, as should the entire Star Glory Federation, that the 'original body' of the Nuwa Clan was corrupted by the power of the Pangu Clan in the beginning," Long Yangjun said gloomily. "I believe that you have also noticed that both the Pangu Civilization and the Nuwa Civilization have fatal shortcomings. They are on two different extremities. Even if they have any concept of 'morals', theirs must be vastly different from what mankind has today.
"If the Pangu Civilization can be compared to an overly-stern and coldhearted father, the Nuwa Civilization would be a wild, indulging mother. While the father's way of education is greatly wrong, the mother's approach is not entirely correct either!
"If I was a pure member of the Pangu Clan or the Nuwa Clan, nothing good would've happened after I was released.
"If I were a pure member of the Nuwa Clan, as an accomplice of chaos and a kin of the extraterrestrial devils, I would've conspired with the extraterrestrial devils in Hundred Flowers City or in the space battle. Or, I might've swallowed the new-generation extraterrestrial devils such as Mo Xuan, Lei Yuqin, and Lu Qingchen directly and reformed the Star Glory Federation in their place in the Nuwa Clan's way.
"If I were a pure member of the Pangu Clan, after we destroyed Mo Xuan, Lu Qingchen, and the rest of them, I would've tried anything possible to eradicate the feelings, emotions, and will of all the people in the federation, transforming the Star Glory Federation into a minor Alliance of the Holy Covenant. I wouldn't have felt sorry at all even if the lives of billions of people were wiped out for that purpose.
"Thankfully, I belonged to neither the Pangu Clan nor the Nuwa Clan. I was a combination of the two of them. When the two strengths, two ideologies, and two beliefs collided, offset, and swallowed each other inside my soul, they gave me room to think on my own.
"It was even luckier that you were the first one that I met when my real life began to sprout."
Pointing at himself, Li Yao asked, "What about me?"
"It seems that you haven't realized how important you were!" Long Yangjun smiled, her crystal-like eyes purer than ever. "Did you know? In the first hundred years after I was born, my mind had always been in a certain ignorant 'fetus' state and did not grow at all. Even though I was already the powerful 'Lead Eunuch Wang Xi' whose influence spread throughout the Great Qian Dynasty, it was in fact merely a role that I played, a disguise, and a false identity that was shaped based on certain animalistic instincts. Or rather, I was merely a larva that had yet to metamorphize into a butterfly.
"It was not until I entered the Nuwa warship that the shell that sealed and protected my soul cracked, allowing my real self to awaken.
"At that time, my real self was still ignorant and did not know the first thing about the entire world. The identity of the Pangu Clan, the identity of the Nuwa Clan, and the identity of 'Lead Eunuch Wang Xi' were nothing more than mottled memory pieces that were enough to form my real self-awareness, personality, and way of thinking.
"At that time, I ran into you.
"How should I describe you? You are sometimes reckless and hotblooded, sometimes ridiculously naïve, sometimes astoundingly unintelligent, and sometimes so whimsical that the only ideas you can come up with are worse than what you have already proposed. Besides, you are sloppy, lazy, and do not have the charisma of the supposed dominator of three Sectors…"
