Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1681
Li Yao looked at the shivering, ghastly shadow of blood and imagined the fight between the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God, so fascinated that he almost wished that he could travel back in time and experience the battle in person!
"At that time, although I was disappointed by the ordinary people and determined to seek revenge, and I had been trained as a soldier of the Human Expedition Army for three years, I still remembered the dreadfulness of the Blood God. I was highly vigilant of him."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "At first, I thought I was going to die. The Blood God summoned me to this place certainly because he was going to enjoy my body and transform my body into a container for his soul."
Li Jialing couldn't help but ask, "Like what you plan to do to Li Jialing?"
"No, it's like what Wuying Qi 2.0 planned to do to Li Jialing."
Wuying Qi 3.0 smiled and said, "However, the Blood God couldn't do it. Naturally, it was not because he was merciful, but because his soul had been shattered by the Supreme Emperor and haunted for thousands of years. It was impossible for him to possess another person.
"So, he could only give up. But he asked me to carry out a new mission, hoping that I could continue the competition of beliefs between him and the Supreme Emperor!"
Chapter 2659: The Blood God's Mutation! |
"The competition of beliefs?"
Interested, Li Yao asked, "So, the war between the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God was not for the highest power?"
"Not just for power, of course."
Wuying Qi 3.0 smiled and said, "The desire for the highest power alone was not enough to support the Blood God against the Supreme Emperor's pressure. He would've been crushed by the Supreme Emperor easily the moment he rebelled.
"No, it was not about power—at least not the insignificant power in this hopelessly depressing universe, but the power on the vast, unknown lands.
As Wuying Qi 3.0 explained, the blood that popped above the pool like fire suddenly expanded and enshrouded the whole universe, before it split into thousands of drops of blood that were in the shape of warships.
It was the Blood God's unprecedented fleet that was made of blood!
"When the Star Ocean Imperium had just been established, and the standard Type-I Humans were reclaiming the universe and crushing the Type-II Humans that were commonly known as demons, the Blood God never coveted the highest power or thought to betray the Supreme Emperor."
Wuying Qi said, "At that time, the surviving demons had indeed reached out to him, proposing that all the demons would listen to his command as long he betrayed the Supreme Emperor and initiated a civil war within the Star Ocean Imperium.
"But the Blood God was unmoved. As a clone made of the Supreme Emperor's desire for slaughter and conquest, he was already fulfilled by exploring new worlds and killing his enemies. He enjoyed slaughters and conquests and was not interested in political power at all. So, he did not plan to betray the Supreme Emperor at all.
"Just like that, the Blood God explored and destroyed worlds one after another like the most perfect slaughter machine. He found all the Type-II Humans hiding in the corners of the universe and killed them, including the newborn babies. He was satisfied and grew stronger in the carnage.
"As the demons fled, the expedition army was further and further away from the Supreme Emperor's radiance. They entered the darkest Sectors at the border of the cosmos. Due to the long supply lines and the occasional space storms that disrupted the communication of his branch fleets, the war was not as smooth as before.
"However, the Blood God was not bothered at all. Yet, something he looted from demons made him consider the significance of life, war, and civilization."
In the picture behind Wuying Qi 3.0, a human made of blood was deep in thought in the middle of countless jade chips.
Fascinated, Li Yao couldn't help but ask, "What was it exactly?"
"It's the origin and the destiny of demons."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "Who I am, where I'm from, and where I'm going to… Those Type-II Humans were interested in those questions too. Almost every monarch of the demon dynasties during the thirty thousand years of Great Darkness had been seeking the origin of the Chaos Water that created demons. Do you know that?"
"I know a thing or two."
Recalling the research products in Kunlun, Li Yao said, "The demons forty thousand years ago were created by an ancient Cultivator named Ba Yanzhi. It was Ba Yanzhi who discovered the long-sealed Chaos Water, a mysterious black liquid that could activate certain genes in the human body and turn humans into demons.
"However, Ba Yanzhi was only the discoverer of the Chaos Water, not its inventor. The Chaos Water can be traced back to the primeval war hundreds of thousands of years ago, when the Nuwa Clan created the first demons and enlisted them in a special force."
"That's correct. You're much more knowledgeable than I expected. It seems that you are destined to become the master of the Gold Crystal Pyramid."
Wuying Qi 3.0 smiled and said, "In the primeval era, the thirteen carbon-based lives gathered the essence of their genes and created a brand-new species named 'human being' for various purposes—to make a perfect tool, to unify their appearance so that the alliance would be more solid, or to preserve the embers of their civilization so that they could live through the long periods when there were few resources.
"The main designer of human beings was the Nuwa Clan.
"The human beings at the beginning certainly did not look like us right now. At that time, the perfect gene strands of the thirteen carbon-based lives hadn't been found yet, so infinite 'experimental humans' were created. Many mystical creatures we know today are actually the abnormal, experimental humans, who were the failed versions before us.
"Eventually, the genetic engineers and life designers of the Nuwa Clan, after thousands of failures, finally created two successful models.
"Type-I Humans kept their primeval genes deep inside their gene strands. They did not have many abilities, but they also consumed minimal resources. They could even live for almost a hundred years and pass on their genes without any spiritual energy as long as there were air, food, and water.
"However, once Type-I Humans were placed in an environment of abundant spiritual energy, they would be able to activate their potential and become as strong as the primeval experts.
"They were like some sort of… spore, which could live with or without oxygen. Their ability to survive without spiritual energy was something that the primeval clans could never achieve. So, they're a very successful model.
"After designing the basic model, the Nuwa Clan went further and designed an upgraded model, which could survive and even attack fiercely even when there were few resources. They were Type-II Humans, known as demons.
"The Nuwa Clan's design was not a complete success this time. Type-II Humans focused too much on their physical abilities that their potential was suppressed and their gene strands became unstable, resulting in malign mutations during reproduction. Obviously, it was not the best model in the long run.
"However, the shortcoming of Type-II Humans was tolerable, especially on a battlefield. Since Type-II Humans did not need much training to fight, they were much more excellent soldiers than Type-I Humans were. When the war between the Nuwa Clan and the Pangu Clan burst out, the Nuwa Clan manufactured copious Type-II Humans as their warriors.
"What I'm trying to say is that demons, or Type-II Humans, are closer to the Nuwa Clan than we, the standard Type-I Humans, are. The leaders of the demons gathered too many secrets on the Nuwa Clan during the thirty thousand years of reign, but now the Blood God obtained them.
"The Blood God read the heritages of the Nuwa Clan, including the remains of the Book of Revelation. He finally learned of the truth of the universe, or rather, the 'multiverse', as you put it."
Taking a deep breath, Li Yao said prudently, "The Blood God learned that there were universes beyond our universe and that as long as we crossed the boundless black wall outside of the three thousand Sectors, we would see an unknown but brilliant place that was the destiny of our civilization?"
"That's right."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "It was also the reason why the Nuwa Clan fought the Pangu Clan. The Nuwa Clan wanted to go out, but the Pangu Clan wanted to stay back for at least several million years. The war destroyed the primeval civilizations but not the Nuwa Clan's ambition, which somehow ended up in the Blood God's heart.
"In the meantime, while unveiling the truth of the universe with the heritages of the Nuwa Clan, the Blood God also heard the calling of the extraterritorial devils.
"As we said before, the so-called 'extraterritorial devils' are actually the last words of the destroyed civilizations beyond the black wall, which contain their precious technologies, wildest ambitions, or infinite rage. Those things crept into the Blood God's head and allured him to go beyond the black wall and claim all the treasures of the bygone civilizations for mankind!
"Most Cultivators are too weak to understand the information that the extraterritorial devils carried. They either go mad or simply execute the extraterritorial devils.
"However, with the heritages of the Nuwa Clan, the Blood God was able to understand those last words, which informed him of the vastness and prosperity of the grand universe and made him eager to explore and conquer it!"
Chapter 2660: Born for Conquest! |
"Then…"
Li Yao finally realized it. "The Blood God was lost and degenerated into the Mad Armageddon!"
"No, he was not lost. It was his nature and his setting when he was 'created'."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "You should know that the Blood God was not a natural-born human, but a clone that the Supreme Emperor made with 100% of his own genes. Then, the Supreme Emperor inculcated the need for exploration and conquest as well as the destructive part of his personality into the head of this clone.
"The Blood God was born for war. War was his destiny. He was a commander, a general, a sergeant, and a most distinguished soldier. He was destined to fight until the end of the world!
"However, the Star Ocean Imperium had already been established, and Type-II Humans were being crushed and would be eliminated soon. Nothing could stop their final failure. So, the Blood God was faced with a cruel question.
"If all the enemies were destroyed and the whole universe was explored and conquered, mankind would embrace at least thousands of years of peace. In such a case, what was the point of his life? Why should he live?
"For a soldier who was addicted to war, adept at war, and had nothing but war in his life, peace was intolerable. Before he discovered the secrets of the Nuwa Clan and the extraterritorial devils murmured to him, he was ready to be killed by the last bullet in the last battle, which would be the best ending for him.
"However, the gate to the infinite universes beyond the black wall was opened. Treasures were calling him in the fog at the end of the road. For a war maniac like the Blood God, how could he not embark on the journey?"
Li Yao took a long breath. "Then, the Blood God betrayed the Supreme Emperor."
"No, not yet."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "Since the Supreme Emperor decided to create twenty clones and appoint the strongest of them as the commander of the expedition army, he certainly had his way to control the clones and ensure their loyalty. At that time, the Blood God's ambitions hadn't corrupted his loyalty yet. He reported all his findings to the Supreme Emperor and asked the Supreme Emperor to continue the expedition toward the outer lands after the remaining demons were wiped out.
"Civilization originated from war and cannot exist without war. Eternal peace will only lead to eternal corruption. Only continuous explorations and conquests can empower and reinvigorate a civilization so that it will live forever!
"That's how the Blood God pleaded with the Supreme Emperor. He requested to lead the expedition army forward after the remaining demons were eliminated. If the Star Ocean Imperium did not have enough wealth to support an enormous expedition army, he could explore the outer lands with half of the fleet, or one tenth of the fleet, or even only one starship by himself. He could sail to the splendid grand universe on a ship alone across the black wall and seek a way out for mankind!"
Even though it was the notorious Blackstar the Great telling a story of the Blood God who was even more notorious, Li Yao was still deeply shocked.
One ship to seek a way out for the civilization of mankind through the black wall!
Fight relentlessly even if doom was right ahead, until one was killed by the last bullet on the final battleground!
"Did the Supreme Emperor accept the Blood God's request?"
Li Yao asked a question whose answer he knew.
Back at the summit of the eccentrics of the Pangu Universe, he had discussed the problem with Boss Bai and Long Yangjun.
If a Flood that swallowed infinite civilizations were lurking beyond the black wall, one starship that went out was enough to expose all the information about the Pangu Universe, which would be the end for all the creatures in the Pangu Universe.
To prevent such a possibility, the Pangu Clan destroyed their advanced cyber technologies and wiped out their feelings, desires, and curiosity!
So, why would the Supreme Emperor permit the Blood God's reckless move?
"Of course not. The Blood God's demand could not be satisfied. You must consider the state of the Supreme Emperor back then."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "The Supreme Emperor is definitely a great hero. We, the Immortal Cultivators, acknowledge him as the founder of the modern civilization too. However, in his age, to overthrow the tyranny of demons, the Supreme Emperor adopted quite a lot of cruel and even extreme methods.
"The darkness in the Supreme Emperor's complicated personality corroded his heart on his way of assuming power, making him vacillate between a saint and a tyrant.
"To prevent himself from being swallowed by darkness, he split twenty different personalities with unparalleled techniques and injected the extreme and emotional ones into his clones. So, the main personality left in him was a perfect leader who was absolutely calm, rational, and considered for the big picture.
"Since the Supreme Emperor had injected all his desire for conquest and exploration into the Blood God, the Supreme Emperor certainly wouldn't be convinced by the Blood God or the extraterritorial devils so easily.
"Even if the multiverse did exist, exploring it right then was still too hasty. Hundreds if not thousands of years of preparation was necessary.
"The Supreme Emperor did not accept the Blood God's request. On the other hand, the Supreme Emperor realized that he made a great mistake. He underestimated his clone that was made of desire for conquest and slaughter. His clone was getting beyond his control and might lead a fleet to the outer lands disregarding his command.
"The Supreme Emperor would not allow it to happen. He decided to recall the Blood God and modify the Blood God again. He could even swallow the Blood God and melt with his strongest clone again."
"Huh?"
Li Yao found it hard to believe. "Swallow and melt with the Blood God? Is it really possible?"
"If personalities can be split, they can certainly be melted together. Why do you think they can't be?"
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "If you ever reach the Divinity Branching Stage someday, you will understand the marvelousness of life better.
"However, while the Supreme Emperor wanted to melt the Blood God, the Blood God was less enthusiastic.
"Maybe in the Supreme Emperor's eyes, it was natural for two personalities to melt together so that they could both be complete. However, due to the Nuwa Clan's secrets and the extraterritorial devils' whisper, the Blood God considered himself a unique, real, and complete life, who was nobody's clone or shadow. He was the Blood God, a real person!
"So, after receiving the Supreme Emperor's command asking him to return to the capital, the Blood God inherited the Nuwa Clan's legacy, listened to the extraterritorial devils, and accepted the surrender of the remaining demons, before he declared war on the Supreme Emperor!
"Even when I met him ten thousand years later, he still did not consider it a betrayal, nor was he interested in the supreme power at all. For the Blood God, our world was a dark and depressing cage, and reigning over such a cage was pointless if not absurd. His only wish had always been to break out and search for new hope!"
Li Yao had a lot of complicated feelings as he listened.
In all fairness, neither the Supreme Emperor nor the Blood God was wrong. While the Blood God had reasons to explore the outer lands, the Supreme Emperor's prudence was also understandable!
If the Blood God were less extreme, and the Supreme Emperor chose to talk to his clone instead of trying to swallow it in a hurry, the history in the following ten thousand years might have been different.
Then, Li Yao was amused by his childishness.
Talk. There were too many conflicts in this world that could've been resolved by a peaceful talk.
If only the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan had talked, if only the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God had talked, if only the Cultivators and the Immortal Cultivators had talked, and if only humans and demons had talked…
But they all chose to fight in the end!
"I don't need to bore you with the details of the war. I believe you've read the history books like Rise and Decline of the Star Ocean Imperium."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "Toward the end of the civil war, the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God had a fierce battle on the capital planet for the control of the Gold Crystal Pyramid. The Blood God learned of the Gold Crystal Pyramid from the secrets of the Nuwa Clan, so he was determined to conquer the capital planet regardless of the cost. The Supreme Emperor was unaware of the Gold Crystal Pyramid at first, but he certainly wouldn't let the Blood God seize the capital planet. So, the two of them had a huge fight and were both heavily wounded."
