Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 982
"Exactly." Ba Xiaoyu clenched his tobacco tube so hard that he almost bent it in half. "If an extraterrestrial domain billions of times larger than our world does exist, there must be billions of times more top experts in the extraterrestrial domain. Chances are that they have more Cloud Qin Gold Statues and deities' warships, too! Should they discover the existence of the Ancient Sages Sector, it will be practically impossible for the Ancient Sages Sector to resist! So, we really can't be too prudent!"
With sweat all over his palms, he thought for a moment and added anxiously, "Right. The deities' realm, or the extraterrestrial domain, hasn't discovered the Ancient Sages Sector so far, right?"
Wu Suiyun sighed and replied, "You're wrong. There's a good chance that the extraterrestrial domain has noticed the Ancient Sages Sector."
"What!" All the super Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators jumped to their feet.
"How is it possible?" Ba Xiaoyu widened his eyes and shrieked. "How do you know that we have been discovered by the extraterrestrial domain, seniors? If they have discovered us, why did they never send—"
The Beggar's voice came to an abrupt halt because it suddenly occurred to him that the 'extraterrestrial domain' did send someone over, the 'Deity Raincloud' who had been tied up by them!
'Deity Raincloud' had been captured, but when there was a first, there would be a second. Who knew whether or not an army was marching toward the Ancient Sages Sector aggressively from the extraterrestrial domain?
For a moment, all the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators who would not change their face color even if a mountain was breaking apart in front of them experienced the sweltering feeling that they had not tasted for a long time!
"After decades of tests and studies, Meng Chixin and I worked out how to use some of the magical equipment on the warship, and we realized the vastness of the universe beyond," Wu Suiyun said. "Finally, in the seventieth year when Meng Chixin and I studied and trained on the deities' warship, we suddenly discovered that…
"A piece of large magical equipment in one of the cabins on the warship had recently been activated!
"By recently, I mean within a hundred years. More exactly, it was probably during the time when we explored the underground palace and got transformed into primeval devils!
"As for the usage of the magical equipment, after we inferred for a long time, we determined that it was used to send signals to somewhere extremely far, far away in the universe!"
Including Li Yao, all the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators shuddered.
Li Yao only held back his urge to cry out with all his strength.
After pondering for a moment, Qi Zhongdao said, "Are you suggesting that a certain signal was launched from the deities' warship a hundred years to somewhere mysterious in the depths of the universe?"
"Perhaps it is not somewhere mysterious." Wu Suiyun shook her head. "After discovering that, Meng Chixin and I dismantled the large magical equipment to study it. It took us ten years to activate a mottled map of the universe stored inside and find the locations to which the signal was sent. They were probably a few worlds similar to the Ancient Sages Sector.
"According our deduction, the deities' warship, just like the flying boats that we make use of, obviously requires a mother port and a certain number of supply ports as shelters or to load the supplies.
"The destination of the signal was probably the mother port of the deities' warship hundreds of thousands of years ago or places where it thought that it could reach out to the 'deities'!
"Therefore, fellow Cultivators, unfortunately, the Ancient Sages Sector has probably been exposed to the mysterious, magnificent deities' realm since a hundred years ago!"
Everybody felt that their head was dizzy after being blasted by the astounding news.
Li Yao even felt that his eyes were blank, and his ears were humming.
This—this—this is really bad!
Yes. The Star Glory Federation had discovered the Ancient Sages Sector, and he had locked onto the precise coordinates of the Ancient Sages Sector after the long voyage.
However, the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector had discovered the existence of the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector, too, and probably had retrieved part of the coordinates of the two Sectors. There was no telling how precise the star map that they had managed to parse was!
When old worries were not gone yet, new worries were already coming, not to mention that there was a special agent of the Imperium in between. It was truly a mess.
"It never rains; it pours."
Meng Chixin did not give the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators any time to catch their breath. As if he intended to shock some of them to death, he said, "Right when we discovered that the deities' realm had probably set their eyes on the Ancient Sages Sector, we also discovered that the barriers blocking the underground palace were gradually losing effect!
"There's no telling whether it is because the barriers have finally been worn out after hundreds of years or because they were breached by us a hundred years ago and couldn't be restored perfectly however we attempted to mend them. All in all, by our estimation, the barriers can barely survive another hundred years. There's a good chance that they will completely collapse within a hundred years!
"Once the barriers deployed by the deities collapse, the twenty or so barriers that we set up will be far from enough to hold back all the monsters!
"Also, we both vaguely have a feeling that a large batch of monsters is being woken up inside the underground palace. They are simmering impatiently, ready for action.
"Because of the tectonic movements in the past hundreds of thousands of years, chances are that the shell of the underground palace has already been broken. Maybe they don't need to break through the barriers but can find a different way to climb to the surface and savage the human world!
"Everybody, this is about the situation we are in right now.
"Above our heads, in the boundless extraterrestrial domain, it is very possible that a huge batch of ferocious deities who live there have set their eyes on our world and are rushing close as fast as possible. Deity Raincloud is one of them. That person's actions are the best clue to suggest that the deities are definitely not the kindest people in the world.
"Below our feet, there is a devils' palace that can break apart at any time. Should the barriers be breached, the primeval devils will reappear in the human world again, transforming the entire Ancient Sages Sector into a den of devils!
"There's no way in heaven or hell. One moment of carelessness, and our world will be destroyed by the deities or devils!
"Now, do you still feel that the grudges and contradictions between Cloud Qin and Great Qian, the sects and the homeless peasants, the crown and the powerful eunuch… and everything else really matter?"
All the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were rendered speechless.
Qi Zhongdao and Han Baling looked at each other in bewilderment. Emperor Phoenix and Long Yangjun stared at each other, lost for words. Qi Changsheng was gazing at Ba Xiaoyu, and Wan Mingzhu was gazing at Master Bitter Cicada. The hate and killing intent in their eyes gradually dimmed, like a fire being extinguished by the greatest wind.
Yes. If the Ancient Sages Sector was truly an insignificant pebble at the edge of the universe that could be crushed into powder by forces a hundred times more magnificent at any moment, what was the point of fighting over the trivial issues happening on the pebble?
Desperation!
A lot of the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were grasped by intense desperation.
However, the next moment, their intense desperation was devoured by their fighting will, which was even more intense!
As the dominating rulers in the world and the super Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators that were only one step away from the Divinity Transformation Stage, they shouldered the hope and the future of the entire Ancient Sages Sector. They were too determined to bend so easily!
Chapter 1513: Twelve Angry Men |
"Even if there are deities above and devils below, are we just going to sit here and wait to be beheaded without doing anything?" 'Heaven Battering King' Qi Changsheng grinned hideously and spat on the ground. "I don't care if they are deities and devils—they will have to prove that they are capable enough if they want to kill me!"
"Of course, we won't wait to die while doing nothing!" Wu Suiyun said. "After discovering the deities and the devils, Meng Chixin and I tried moving out of the Land of Eternal Night to deliver the message to the outside world more than once, but the tempests and the snowstorms were too ferocious, not to mention the creepy mist in the middle of the ice shell. Because our souls were not protected by functioning bodies, our endeavors all failed.
"Thankfully, there were many intact Cloud Qin Gold Statues in the deities' warship.
"In the ten years that followed, Meng Chixin and I focused most of our attention on the usage of the Cloud Qin Gold Statues, hoping to maneuver a Cloud Qin Gold Statue to break out of the snow field!
"But it's a shame that the Cloud Qin Gold Statues are designed for living people, and living people are different from ghosts after all. Also, we lacked the enlightenment of a teacher. We only tried time and time again and studied on our own. The progress was extremely slow during the ten years. Eventually, we were able to manage one Cloud Qin Gold Statue with the two of us to perform fundamental movements such as walking, jumping, or punching.
"With those movements, it seemed possible for us to rush out of the Land of Eternal Night. Meng Chixin and I planned to spend another year gathering as many crystals from the deities' warship as possible and performing a full examination on the Cloud Qin Gold Statue. Then, we would break through the snow field in the Cloud Qin Gold Statue and reappear in the human world!
"However, right then, you guys showed up!
"Your arrival was within our expectations. When we discovered that the Ancient Sages Sector was probably already exposed to the universe, we had deduced the possibility of such an event. The 'mother port' of this particular warship was very likely to send deities to trace the signal back to the Ancient Sages Sector!
"Once they did arrive in the Ancient Sages Sector, the deities' warship, as the source of the signal, would certainly be their primary target!
"So, we had long guessed that some 'deities' might be lurking among you!"
"That explains a lot!" Qi Zhongdao took a deep breath in relief. "Sister Wu and Senior Meng hid in the Cloud Qin Gold Statue intentionally because you wanted to find out who the deities were, right?"
"That's only part of the reason." Meng Chixin smiled. "At that time, we didn't know how strong the deities were. Naturally, we couldn't allow the deities to notice our existence. Should the situation have gone out of control, we would still have a shot for a last struggle!
"On the other hand, we were hiding inside the Cloud Qin Gold Statue because we intended to watch how the deities maneuvered the Cloud Qin Gold Statue. We did learn a lot of tricks during our observation, which drastically improved our piloting skills. If we had to grope in the dark on our own, we might not have been able to figure out the tricks even after another hundred years of hard work!
"Also, when using the Cloud Qin Gold Statue, the user would have to unleash most of the soul power in the moment, which could be a heavy burden. So, that would be the most vulnerable moment for the 'deity'. Only if we launched an assault at such a moment would we be certain to capture the deity alive at no risk!
"But most importantly of all, it was because we meant to investigate you in secret first!"
Qi Zhongdao was dazed for a moment. "Investigate us?"
"A hundred years have passed. We did not know the latest situation of the Ancient Sages Sector. We were unaware of the new heroes and experts that have emerged in the world of Cultivators. We did not know if your wisdom and personalities proved yourselves qualified to discuss the great plan with us," Meng Chixin admitted frankly. "Naturally, we needed to investigate you!
"With only two spectral Cultivators, it is impossible to save the entire Ancient Sages Sector. We will need the help of even more experts!
"The experts who are qualified to decide the future of the Ancient Sages Sector must not be simple warriors who have more brawn than brains. They can't be selfish and treacherous despite their cleverness, either. Strength, wisdom, determination, devotion. None of them are optional. We are looking for the people who really consider the world and are willing to pay everything to save the Ancient Sages Sector from destruction!"
Wu Suiyun glanced at everybody and continued with a smile. "Although the ten of you vary in your stance, position, and side, and perhaps you are pretentious, vicious guys in each other's eyes, your performance in the fierce battle just now is a hundred times better than the selfish, narrow-minded guys from the six major sects!
"It is true that the emperor was once manipulated by the deity, but that was only because he was trying to revive the Great Qian Dynasty for the sake of the people. I believe that you will not betray the Ancient Sages Sector for your selfish interests, will you?"
The young emperor was immediately moved after hearing those worlds. He was almost sobbing as he gnashed his teeth. "I… I will die before I sell the enterprise of my ancestors!"
"I have no doubt about that. If we have to select some fellow Cultivators to fight side by side with us to save the Ancient Sages Sector from destruction…" Meng Chixin's eyes suddenly turned extremely sharp. His voice became resolute, too, like a crazy wind blowing on the prairies. "Wu Suiyun and I have decided that you will be our partners!"
The ten Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators looked at each other in bewilderment. Everybody except Li Yao and Long Yangjun felt that a fiery dragon was rolling over inside their chest impatiently and irritating them!
"The twelve of us will decide the future of the Ancient Sages Sector?" Qi Zhongdao mumbled. "What about the six major sects and the other Cultivators?"
Wu Suiyun sniffed and casually said, "They are too unworthy for our cause!"
It was indeed an appropriate remark.
"What do you think?" His eyes glittering, Meng Chixin put on a weird smile. "What's your opinion on the crisis that the Ancient Sages Sector is faced with right now, Fellow Cultivators?"
"We…" Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar scratched his hair so hard that his dandruff was falling down. "As Senior Meng has pointed out, the deities' realm is a boundless place with innumerable experts. The twelve of us may be capable enough to dominate the Ancient Sages Sector, but in the infinite universe, we are nothing more than a grain of dust. How are we going to resist the massive attacks of the devils and the deities?"
Meng Chixin smiled and said unhurriedly, "Wu Suiyun and I only said that we will protect the Ancient Sages Sector. We didn't say anything about resisting the deities and devils. The future of the Ancient Sages Sector will be decided by everyone here. If you all believe that it is a better option to surrender to the deities, I will definitely accept the decision without any reluctance."
"What!" It was Ba Xiaoyu, Qi Zhongdao, and Li Yao who were dumbfounded this time. "S—Surrender to the deities?"
What kind of Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators were they? They had been speaking so inspiringly and in such a blood-boiling manner, yet they were planning to surrender without any resistance? That seemed rather gutless!
Damn it. Is this guy actually some spy of the Imperium of True Human Beings?
Although he knew that it was a highly improbable possibility, Li Yao could not help but shriek in his heart.
"Why not?" Meng Chixin pointed at the things nearby. "Look at the scale of the deities' warship and the delicacy of their magical equipment. Check how powerful the weapons that the deities and devils once used are, including the almighty Cloud Qin Gold Statues. Are we able to resist any of that? If the deities really make up their mind to lay their fingers on the Ancient Sages Sector, there is barely any way for us to fight back!
"Hitting a rock with eggs is an idiotic action. It doesn't matter if you want to kill yourself. Chances are that you will even be able to leave your name in the history books as a valiant hero who never gives up. But right now, we are talking about the entire Ancient Sages Sector and the lives of billions of people!
"Are you trying to drag billions of people to die together with you just in order to realize your 'valiance'? It doesn't seem like what a noble Cultivator would do!"
Qi Zhongdao and Ba Xiaoyu looked at each other. "But—"
"Hehehehe…" Meng Chixin chuckled in a low voice and pointed at Wu Suiyun. "The expression on your face is identical to Fellow Cultivator Wu's when I first proposed the option of 'surrender' to her!
"Getting to the bottom of it, Wu Suiyun, Qi Zhongdao, and Ba Xiaoyu, you are all Cultivators from the central plateaus. You are used to being on top of the world where you enjoy the feeling of being worshipped by the barbarians!
"For you, surrender is the greatest humiliation and an intolerable, shameless action!
"However, for those who have a hard time living in the barbaric lands such as myself, surrender and obedience to the central dynasties when they are powerful is a perfectly normal option!
"For tens of thousands of years, haven't the Cultivators from the Dark Cloud Prairies such as us, those from the Southland of Sorcerers such as Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture, and those from the mountains in the southeast, the scorching land in the northwest, and the islands on the surging east ocean been doing this all the time?
"If the barbarian Cultivators were determined to die before we surrender, the remote land would've been entirely eliminated by the central plateaus!
"Is it really humiliating to surrender temporarily when you are overwhelmed? As long as surrender means survival, there will always be a chance for you to seek a comeback one way or another!
