Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1334
He was wearing a mustard-seed combat suit that was as thin as paper but extremely tensile, which highlighted his every muscle. The combat suit also had glittering strengthening systems of crystals and rune arrays on his chest, abdomen, and joints, which covered him in a warm halo and further added to his mysteries.
His athletic clothing and the ambitions and desires in his eyes that could barely be disguised made him look like a standard young Immortal Cultivator who had just begun his career and could not wait to control the entire world in his hands.
Li Yao sent a wave inside the young man's stomach, which rose all the way to his brain along the nerves in the spine. "Hey, what's on your mind? Why are you not talking? You aren't having cold feet and thinking that you would rather stay here, right?"
Li Jialing smiled. "Why do you ask that?"
"Because I think that Li Lingfeng and Wuying Lan's words sounded rather reasonable," Li Yao said. "The conditions that they proposed were rather enticing. Turning you into a superhero that everybody in the entire Imperium knows. Tsk, tsk, tsk. I think that at least ninety-nine of a hundred hotblooded young men have dreamed of being a superhero. Are you an exception?
"Even if they are only making use of you, they would certainly not kill the egg that lays golden eggs at the very beginning. Whatever schemes they may have for you will definitely not take place until you have already been made into a superhero. So, are you really not tempted by the idea?"
"If you are worried that I will go back on our deal, you are simply overthinking it," Li Jialing said casually. "Firstly, as I told you before, I wanted to live a free, lawless life where nobody gives me any commands. I have no interest in becoming the heir of the Li family, the spokesperson of the slaughter stream platform, or a superhero.
"Secondly, even if I am truly going to be a superhero or I want anything for myself, I will earn it with my own hands. The schemes of other people are highly unnecessary.
"A fabricated hero, however awesome and popular they may appear, is simply a poor fly locked in a transparent glass jar if we get to the bottom of it. They must carry out Li Lingfeng and Wuying Lan's orders all the time, accept the styles that they set, and live in their shadows for the rest of their lives. Hehe. What kind of 'hero' is that?
"Thirdly, I can tell that their plan to make a hero is not as simple as it appears to be. Did you hear it just now? Li Lingfeng mentioned the name of his sister again. It was the second time in only half a day.
"For some reason, I vaguely feel that Li Lingfeng is trying to inculcate an idea into my head without me knowing it, which is that Li Linghai, the queen of the Imperium, poses a grave threat to my existence. He wants me to believe that Li Linghai tried to destroy me when I was still a fetus and that I will be sliced for studies if she catches me right now. Is it my imagination?"
"No, it is not," Li Yao said. "That is exactly what Li Lingfeng meant. He wants you to develop this misunderstanding, wariness, and even enmity toward Li Linghai."
"Enmity? Yes. That seems like it." Li Jialing curled his lips and narrowed his eyes. "Interesting. Why does Li Lingfeng want me to grow strong enmity toward Li Linghai? Besides, what does it matter even if someone as insignificant as me grows hostile to the almighty queen of the Imperium, and what blow can it possibly be for Li Linghai? It is really worth studying.
"In any case, however meticulous Li Lingfeng's plan is, he has made a fatal mistake—he has underestimated me too much!"
"He did not underestimate you; he underestimated the abilities of himself and Wuying Lan. Or rather, they tried too hard in your project," Li Yao said. "I'm afraid that he hasn't realized to this moment what a terrifying monster he has raised after all the refinement!
"As it happens, the little monster that is already terribly tricky to deal with by himself now has the selfless help of a Cultivator with profound wisdom, strength, and integrity! I'm afraid that his life will end before he has the opportunity to challenge Li Linghai!"
"…May I ask you a question?" Li Jialing asked.
"As I said, all the formalities are highly unnecessary. You can ask me whatever you want to know," said Li Yao frankly.
"Some descriptions of the Cultivators are involved in the education of the Li family," Li Jialing said solemnly. "The textbooks and the pamphlets all depict Cultivators as hypocritical, shameless people who always talk big but waver at the critical moment, which leads to infinite disasters and encumbers the entire civilization.
"Also, the last years of the Star Ocean Republic controlled by the Cultivators were an age of corruption and decadence. That's why it suffered the intrusion of the Covenant Alliance and was crushed. As a result, the Imperium was forced to clean up the mess left by the Cultivators the moment it was established, and the job hasn't been done yet after a thousand years.
"Before, I always acknowledged such a theory. No, it seems very reasonable to me even to this moment. However, I am now getting very curious after seeing how serious Li Lingfeng and Wuying Lan were just now and how 'Starlight' emerged again after it was destroyed forty-one times.
"What are the real Cultivators, and what is their real path?"
The floating disc slightly shivered, and the three gates up ahead that looked like lotus flowers opened slowly. Greeted by overwhelming screams and roars, they had reached the beehive prison.
…
"The real Cultivators…"
In a sunless tunnel below the surface of the Land of Sins, under the dim lights in the earthly dragon, Zuo Jingyun, the one-armed female warrior of the resistance organization, was thinking the same question.
Han Te and Liu Li sat cross-legged next to her, looking at her with a thirst for knowledge.
The Fist King was sitting nearby. He was staring at a delicate little furnace. On the plate of the furnace was the synthetic meat that he was broiling for the two little fellows.
It was a hard-earned moment to catch their breath, or the last tranquility before a great war.
All the exhausted warriors had fallen asleep. The two little fellows were the only ones who were energetic enough to harass the female conduction of Cloud Penetrator, hoping to learn more about the Cultivators.
"In fact, I don't know what real Cultivators are, either. I never even thought of becoming a real Cultivator at the beginning. At first, my parents were Cultivators, so I was naturally a Cultivator. Later, I only wanted to avenge my parents. It's as simple as that. If you want to listen to great philosophies, you will have to invite Wei Longtao to teach you. He can talk about them for three days and three nights without repeating anything!"
Zuo Jingyun scratched her bald head, somewhat embarrassed. Then, as if she suddenly recalled something, she put on a sincere smile. "In fact, leaving aside my parents' identity or their revenge, I perhaps would have never thought of being a Cultivator.
"To this moment, I cannot forget the feeling when I dug out of the ground for the first time and saw the high sky and the vast land. At that time, I had a very 'great' or hilarious dream. I wanted to do nothing for the rest of my life except find a village and build a house on such a boundless land beneath the high sky, instead of being chased every day below the ground and using weapons for pillows at night. I would simply sit on the threshold of my house and stare at the sky every day. That would be my greatest gratification.
"If I could ever live such a peaceful and carefree life, only an idiot would ever think of becoming a Cultivator!"
"Ah…"
Looking at each other in bewilderment, Han Te and Liu Li sighed in mixed feelings. "That is more or less what we thought in the past. We hoped that the Village of Peace would forever be peaceful, and we could just live on the boats without worries. Swimming, fishing, and watching the sky while floating on the surface of the water. Nothing could be more enjoyable than that."
With a bitter smile, Zuo Jingyun agreed. "Yes. It is a pity that such a life will never be reality in the Land of Sins. Even the experts as strong as the Fist King and Leader Xiahou can never really be free and untroubled, can they?
"Not only is it impossible for us to live such a life, we can never even live a worried and insecure life. We are nothing more than the mice in their laboratory. We live if they want us to live, and we die when they want us to die.
"So, is there another option other than to revolt against this world?
"If you ask me what constitutes the real Cultivators, I believe that it should be 'resistance'. This world is wrong. A normal world and a normal life shouldn't be like this. Although I do not know what a 'correct' world should be like, I absolutely cannot endure the world we are living in right now. I would rather die with it than be part of its filth!"
Chapter 2086: Tomorrow Will Be Better! |
Although they were in the sunless underground world, Zuo Jingyun was still emitting vague glimmers, as if she was made of the minerals that had been condensed and compressed below the ground for billions of years.
The two little fellows considered her words in silence. Moved by the radiance from her body, they felt as if an unknown strength was growing inside their own bodies, too.
"The meat is ready. Eat it now."
The Fist King brought over three plates and three forks. He gave a piece of meat to Zuo Jingyun, too, besides the two little fellows.
Zuo Jingyun tilted her head and watched the Fist King and the broiled meat in his hands for a long time before she finally remarked, "I didn't know that you were such a Fist King."
"Although I do not need to refill fat and protein personally, regular human beings have to take food every day," the Fist King said casually. "Only when someone is fed will they have the strength to train and fight. The deliciousness of the food will certainly influence their combat ability. In order to set their battle state to the optimal, I must take every detail into consideration. Is it really a surprise that I am a cooking master?"
Zuo Jingyun laughed and thanked the Fist King. Then she extended her hand to the Fist King sincerely and said, "Fist King, I think you are very different from the common bandits in the Land of Sins. How about it? Are you interested in joining our organization and destroying this damn world as a Cultivator?"
"I have no interest in becoming a Cultivator." The Fist King rejected the offer without any hesitation. Pausing a moment, he said, "But I am very interested in destroying this damn world."
After a brief daze, Zuo Jingyun laughed in amusement. "It makes sense. In fact, I think I am exactly the same. I don't care what real Cultivators should look like, and my sole interest is destroying this damn world.
"Or rather, every generation of people has their generation's destiny. For our generation, it will be good enough if we can blow the Land of Sins to smithereens. As for the mission to build a new world from the ruins, that will be the concern of Han Te, Liu Li, and their generation because we will certainly have died on the battlefield to destroy the old world!"
Han Te and Liu Li were chewing the delicious meat when they heard Zuo Jingyun mention them. They both raised their heads and looked at the bald female warrior.
"No, you won't!" Waving her fork, Liu Li said in a hurry, "Sister Yun will certainly live and see a beautiful new world. Your dream will come true. You will establish your own small but beautiful house in a field where the sky is clear and the clouds are low. Then, you will do nothing but watch the sky and the earth from the threshold or the room every day, living a free and enjoyable life!"
Zuo Jingyun smiled. Azure and white colors truly flashed in her eyes that were almost transparent, as if the entire sky had floated to the bottom of her eyes.
She was almost moved to tears by the image, but the azure and white colors disappeared as quickly as they appeared. She soon regained her previous calmness and toughness.
"Judging from the elements of rocks and the forsaken tunnels we excavated today, we are getting closer and closer to the legendary temple. We are in contact with a few other earthly dragons that dispersed to escape earlier, too. At least a thousand warriors have survived. Everybody is marching toward the temple from various directions. By our estimation, we will locate the temple tomorrow and activate the global sword network."
With the underground glimmers dancing inside her eyes, Zuo Jingyun chewed the meat on her fork and said in a low voice, "However, the Immortal Cultivators are following us closely. It is very possible that they will reach the temple immediately after we do. There is bound to be a fierce battle.
"It doesn't matter whether or not I will survive the battle or ever build my own house in the future. But even if I must die, I will definitely activate the global sword network and shoot Manjusaka down!
"I really don't know what it will be like tomorrow. Tomorrow…"
Han Te and Liu Li grabbed Zuo Jingyun's warm right hand and cold left hand, declaring solemnly and piously, "Tomorrow will be better!"
The Fist King observed them in silence as his crystal processor squeaked and gathered everything he saw and heard into his database and his logic circuits.
Inside his logic circuits, a certain thing similar to a virus but much more subtle was slowly growing.
…
Gao Kangda stood on the messy bridge of Great Mountain and stared at the thousands of brilliant stars in the profound universe. The stars that dazzled his eyes reminded him of the gunshots and the sword auras that had butchered his brothers twenty years ago.
Great Mountain, maneuvered by Gao Kangda, was one of the most enormous starships in the coalition attack fleet of Starlight. However, it was not a super heavy cruiser or an expedition aircraft carrier produced in the regular military dockyard of the Imperium.
Four hundred and fifty-five years ago, it had set sail from a civil dock for the purpose of prospecting, excavation, and exploration in deep space. In other words, it was a mining starship that was designed to perform excavation work on dangerous zones that were frequented by radiation and cosmic storms and on asteroids and stone belts where fixed mines could not be established.
Gao Kangda became the deputy manager of the mining room of 'Great Mountain' thirty years ago, which was the highest post that a hominoid could have possibly reached. From that day on, he learned every screw of Great Mountain as clearly as he knew his own fingers.
Ever since they seized Great Mountain twenty years ago in an uprising, getting out of the control of the Immortal Cultivators and joining Starlight after a long journey, he had regarded Great Mountain as his wife or even his child. Every cabin, every piece of plate armor, and every additional turret that was attached to Great Mountain had been planned in the most meticulous way after days of restless consideration.
To outsiders, Great Mountain was practically an amalgamation of garbage and an iron beast with all kinds of abnormal tumors. Cooling pads, heat-proof plates, and metal components of unknown purposes were everywhere on the surface of the starship, leaving the impression that the starship would fall apart on its own while sailing in the sea of stars before the cannons of the Imperium shot it down. It was even questionable whether or not the starship could perform a space jump.
However, Gao Kangda and his brothers whom he had fought side by side with for decades were the only ones who understood the sturdiness and reliability of the giant garbage starship. They knew how it helped them resist the most violent cosmic storms, the fiercest stone belts, and the most dangerous space ripples. They understood how it ripped the enemy's defense line against the bombardment of the army of the Imperium, shattering those high and mighty b*stards into smithereens as if they were raw minerals!
"Other than giving birth to a child, Great Mountain can do anything. Except for the capital of the Imperium, Great Mountain has the courage to barge into any place!"
It was the firmest belief of all the crew of Great Mountain, including Captain Gao Kangda.
But when he thought of the attack they were about to launch tomorrow, Gao Kangda, who had survived countless sieges, could not help but secretly gulp in fear.
After the battle, the big starship that had acted as a 'home' for him and countless other people for decades would very likely fall apart and become a piece of enormous garbage floating in the sea of stars.
But did they have any other choice?
If they had a choice, they would not have launched a great uprising twenty years ago but kept working as dutiful miners and making a living with their handicraft!
God knew that Gao Kangda and his brothers were the most diligent and trustworthy workers. None of them were sly, lazy slackers.
It was already dangerous to mine in the deep parts of the planets, and it was a hundred times more perilous to travel among the highly unstable stone belts due to the radiation, shooting stars, and cosmic storms!
For hundreds of years, their forefathers and them had gritted their teeth through everything. There was no telling how many precious minerals they had collected for their company and the Imperium with their hands and their bones. They had practiced highly painful techniques in order to increase their physical strength, their sturdiness, and their anti-radiation abilities. They had performed modifications on their organs with special gene medicines and strengthening drugs, even taking energy pills for a long time until they collapsed at their post after days and nights of work… Such things were anything but unusual for them. Nobody ever had any complaints. It was all for the country and for the civilization of mankind!
But why was the country and the civilization of mankind so difficult to satisfy? The annual ration of mining for everyone was higher and higher, but because all the places that were slightly steady and favorable for mining had been emptied, they had to step into the dangerous zones that were full of radiation, high-energy particles and extremely unstable stone belts, which naturally led to a drop in the mining efficiency and a drastic increase in the casualty rate. Could the low morale and the unsteadiness of productivity be attributed to their laziness?
Gao Kangda had explained the logic to the management of the Immortal Cultivators countless times before. His brothers had truly tried their best and were even too tired to vomit any blood. But the management did not care in the slightest. The electromagnetic whips with thorns in the hands of the foremen were brutal and excruciating. One whip was enough to blow a piece of flesh off, two whips could break a couple of bones, and three whips would blow the soul out of a miner's body.
