Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

by <unknown>

  "Hehe. In this respect, Elder Nether Spring and I have reached the same conclusion. We are truly each other's bosom buddies!"

  His face weird, Li Yao could not help but find it absurd.

  Of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector, two firmly believed in the failure of the demon race? That was—that was too unbelievable.

  "You and Elder Nether Spring are both capitulators!" he blurted out.

  "No," Jin Tuyi said casually. "We are unwavering pessimists, but we are absolutely not capitulators."

  Li Yao did not understand. "Is there a difference?"

  "Of course they are different. Pessimists will explore a new path in another direction with their wisdom when they find that they are hitting a dead end, but capitulators will sit and do nothing, waiting for the mercy of their enemy, in the same situation.

  "Elder Nether Spring and I both firmly believe that the traditional path is not going to work out. Therefore, we were all trying our best to figure out a new path. The only difference is that Elder Nether Spring came up with the Spore Stratagem, and I developed the Red Tide Plan.

  "The failure of the demon race that I believe in does not refer to the minor struggle between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector. In the local war between the two insignificant worlds, it is quite possible for the demon race to secure a temporary victory, or even entirely conquer the Heaven's Origin Sector.

  "However, when I rolled over on my bed during countless dark nights, and when my soul flew away from the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector to the depths of the sea of stars where I could consider the future of our race in the long term, I discovered, to my depression, the victory of such a local war meant absolutely nothing.

  "The universe has changed!

  "As you said, the rise of the demon race was because the gory wars among the ancient Cultivators forty thousand years ago drained the spiritual energy in the three thousand Sectors, leading to the 'Era of Doom'.

  "In the universe, which was harsh and short of spiritual energy, demons resorted to their genetic advantages and were more adapted to the environment and more likely to survive.

  "It was the foundation for the glory of the demon race in the next thirty thousand years!

  "After forty thousand years' rest, the spiritual energy in the three thousand Sectors was getting dense again. The 'Era of Doom' slowly passed. It was the first toll of the death knell for the old demon race.

  "However, it is still not the most important reason the old demon race is destined to doom."

  Li Yao was completely baffled. "What do you mean?"

  "The key is technology. The popularization of the magical equipment, the improvement of training techniques, and the integration of Cultivators and ordinary people, while disrupting the old sociological patterns, has slowly swallowed the greatest advantage of the old demon race."

  Jin Tuyi slowly unfolded his wings and smiled. "What beautiful wings, aren't they? Do you know why demons have grown wings, shells, claws, and tusks?"

  Li Yao scratched his hair. What kind of question was that? Was it not a matter of course that demons boasted wings, claws, and shells?

  "In the era of ancient Cultivators forty thousand years ago," Jin Tuyi continued, "Cultivators were selfish and conservative. They regarded ordinary people as ants and never considered teaching advanced techniques to ordinary people. Nor had the ordinary people ever benefited from the powerful magical equipment. The only thing that the Cultivators did was fight, fight, and fight with the magical equipment and the techniques! While they were mauling each other, the precious crystals and spiritual energy were wasted blatantly!

  "Therefore, in the era of ancient Cultivators, the upper half of society and lower half were completely divided.

  "On one side, it was the high, mighty, marvelous Cultivators.

  "On the other side, it was the meager, uncared, uneducated ordinary people who were no better than primitives.

  "Powerful as the flying swords of the Cultivators were, ordinary people still had to get their food from the barren land with their broken hoes. They still had to crouch in their dark cottage, unwilling to light the candle because it was too expensive. In the meantime, Cultivators would rather practice a new skill of killing in seclusion for decades than spend several years inventing a more efficient hoes that utilized spiritual energy or a piece of popular lighting magical equipment that was cleaner and cheaper.

  "It was the era where the crevasse between ordinary people and Cultivators was biggest. In the eyes of ordinary people, Cultivators were out-and-out 'deities walking on the earth'. It was not an intact 'civilization of mankind' but a freakish mess that was a messy combination of the 'civilization of Cultivators' and the 'civilization of ordinary people'. The two civilizations had a gap of thousands of years in their development level!

  "Such a gap created the best opportunity for the rise of the old demon race.

  "After taking the Divine Water of Kunlun, the ancient demon race unleashed the forces deep inside their cells. They were bestowed gifts from the primeval era, and they grew sharp tusks, shining claws, broad wings, and strong tails.

  "Even if they didn't have flying swords, they could still fly in the sky with their wings. Even if they didn't have Water Escaping Balls, they could still swim at the bottom of an ocean with their gills!

  "Although they were still no match for the Cultivators, they were more than enough to deal with other ordinary people. Ordinary people are the foundation of the birth and growth of the Cultivators. Without a solid foundation, how could the superstructure not fall apart?

  "The demons realized the logic earlier than the Cultivators did. That was the ultimate reason for their rise later."

  Chapter 1039: Trend of the Universe! |

  "It doesn't matter whether or not somebody took advantage of the war, what the demon race became after seizing the highest power, and whether they were 'righteous' or 'evil'," Jin Tuyi said unhurriedly.

  "What really matters is that the war forty thousand years ago was not one between 'demons' and 'Cultivators', but the counterattack launched toward the high and mighty ancient Cultivators by the ordinary people who had been savaged and suppressed by the ancient Cultivators until they could not hold it anymore!

  "Of course, you can say that the war was manipulated by the Ultimate One Demons, but how could the Ultimate One Demons have manipulated so many ordinary people in the three thousand Sectors? Why could they turn ordinary people into strange demons willingly? Just with lies and threats?

  "No, of course not. It was because the ancient Cultivators had destroyed the entire world and the home of the ordinary people to such an extent that even the humblest, most obedient ordinary people burst into fury, wasn't it?

  "It was an era when the technology of the ordinary people was highly underdeveloped. Compared to the Cultivators' flying swords, the ordinary people's blades were thousands of years behind them. Moreover, they could not even find such a blade easily. Most of the time, the ordinary people had to whittle bamboo into spears. How could they fight against the Cultivators?

  "This is the greatest advantage of the demon race and the foundation for the existence of demons.

  "No sabers? I will grow claws and tusks! No flying swords? I will grow wings! No shields? I will grow solid shells! It doesn't matter how appallingly ugly I am as long as I can gain the strength for revenge!

  "Maybe ordinary people after mutation were still no match for Cultivators. But at the very least, they boasted certain strength to fight back now. If one was not enough, ten would go up. If ten were not, a hundred. A hundred demons who used to be the destitute were definitely enough to drag a magnificent 'Lord Cultivator' die with them, right?

  "The demons broke the Cultivators' technological blockade in such a way. It was also the biggest reason for the demon race becoming an independent race!"

  Jin Tuyi smiled bitterly when he got to this part. "But right now, the foundation has collapsed, and t
he reason is gone."

  Li Yao thought of something and vaguely understood what Jin Tuyi meant.

  But still, he held himself back and did not interrupt.

  He suddenly had a weird feeling that Jin Tuyi was really a senior who was teaching his disciple valuable life experience.

  "Thirty thousand years of suppression prompted the Cultivators to reflect. When the modern Cultivators emerged on the stage of history again, they were completely different from the past. They considered the ordinary people to be at the same level as them and believed that they were all equal members of the 'human civilization'.

  "One might say that the modern Cultivators and the ancient Cultivators are two opposite concepts. Perhaps, the Immortal Cultivators in the Imperium of True Human Beings are more like the orthodoxic heirs of the ancient Cultivators in their worldview.

  "Influenced by the new ideology, the great revolution and outbreak in the training techniques were a matter of course.

  "In the past ten thousand years, Cultivation has entered the homes of ordinary people from the splendid palace in the clouds. It has leaked into every capillary vessel in the civilization of human beings.

  "Today, an ordinary person who doesn't have the strength to catch a chicken can drive a shuttle and fly in the sky free even without wings. They can swim at the bottom of the ocean with the help of the scuba sabs. They can protect their home and family with chainswords, vibration sabers, and high-heat axes instead of sharp tusks and claws!

  "As a result, the wings, tusks, claws on the demons… Is it necessary to keep those bizarre-looking redundancies?"

  Li Yao was rendered speechless. He was of a mind to ask, Senior Jin, which side are you on exactly? Are you really not a spy sent to the Blood Demon Sector by the federation?

  "Civilization. What is a civilization? The ability to use tools, to make tools, and to invent more advanced tools is the sign of a civilization!" Jin Tuyi flapped his wings and smiled. "The pair of wings you utilized in the Eye of Blood Demon was quite vivid and finely-made. It is more than enough to replace the wings of a normal member of the Feather Clan.

  "In the past, because of the technological blockade of the ancient Cultivators, ordinary people had no access to more advanced productivity and fighting tools. Therefore, we were forced to grow wings, claws, and shells as replacements.

  "Right now, at least in the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector, Cultivators and ordinary people have completely integrated. Ordinary people can also make use of all kinds of powerful magical equipment. Artificial wings are already good enough to take the place of natural wings. Then, isn't it a sign that our wings, claws, and shells have finished their mission and should take a bow?"

  Li Yao found it hard to believe. "Are you going to just accept that?"

  "What can I do if I don't?" Jin Tuyi sighed. "The disadvantages of demons are too obvious.

  "If we consider tools as extensions of limbs, demons have fixed the tools onto their body.

  "While we are given magnificent strength, we have also abandoned agility and the possibilities of rapid evolution.

  "You see, I have broad wings, which look quite majestic and give me advantages in an air fight within the atmosphere.

  "But what if the air fight takes place in a vacuum? What if I am fighting below the ground? What if my wings are broken? What if my wings become hindrances when I am planning to practice a new art?

  "But you are different.

  "If you are equipped with magical equipment in the shape of wings. Within the atmosphere, you can fly and fight with it. Once you enter space and go deep underground, you can abandon the redundancy immediately. If the magical equipment is broken in the fierce battle, it is very convenient for you to abandon, replace, or repair the tool.

  "Most importantly of all, evolution!

  "With the technology boom, it is very natural, and convenient, to upgrade a piece of magical equipment. Perhaps in several hundred years, the functions and power of the magical equipment will be multiplied.

  "Do you believe that your artificial wings will be added with another dozen functions and techniques after a hundred years of technological development?

  "But things are different with the wings, claws, and tusks of demons.

  "The potentials of cells are limited after all, and they must not evolve randomly. Those who evolve by force without considering anything will be walking on Elder Nether Spring's path, which is destined to fail.

  "Therefore—"

  Shua!

  Jin Tuyi's wings retreated into his body within a breath. He looked no different from a normal human being now!

  "Our ancestors grasped a technique that allows us to turn into the appearance of human beings.

  "The purpose of such a transformation is not for the convenience of sneaking into the world of human beings, not because we admire the culture of human beings, but because the shape of human beings is the handiest, the most well rounded, and the 'all-match' form.

  "Human beings without arms are certainly no match for the sharp tusks and claws. However, in the shape of human beings, it will be most easy for someone to use and switch their magical equipment according to the complicated battle and production environments.

  "It is safe to say that the shape of human beings is the most immaculate fundamental form. With the enhancement of powerful magical equipment, flaws in the shape of human beings can be overcome, but the advantages will be carried out to the largest extent!

  "In the past, the technology was not advanced enough, and the magical equipment was not popularized yet. At that time, demons were still slightly advantageous with their claws and tusks. However, as soon as human beings began a technology boom and popularized magical equipment on a large scale, thereby resisting attacks of the demon race in their prime years, the ultimate victory of the battle would have no suspense.

  "Take the Star Glory Federation for example. You have defeated many formidable enemies in only five hundred years and even occupied an entire world, competing with the Blood Demon Sector which has developed for thousands of years. What else have you been resorting to if not the technology boom?

  "I have studied the history of your magical equipment carefully. Five hundred years ago, your technology in the refinement of magical equipment was still very primitive. However, every several decades, your technology would undergo an incredible leap. Today, your blades and cannons are as impressive as the claws and acid cannons of the demon race. Some of the specifications are even better!

  "You are a magical equipment expert. You should know the logic better than I do.

  "It's true that an ordinary soldier of the federal army is still incomparable to an ordinary demon, but what will happen if you develop for another hundred years?

  "I'm told that, in the Flying Star Sector, through the 'skill cards' and the 'Grand Illusionary Battle Net', even ordinary people can make use of all types of crystal suits. Does the Blood Demon Sector stand any chance at all if such technology spreads to the Heaven's Origin Sector?"

  Li Yao gnashed his teeth. "You can still attack before it is too late. Conquer the Heaven's Origin Sector before the technology is introduced and promoted. Isn't it the purpose of the original Red Tide Plan?"

  "Don't you understand, young man?" Jin Tuyi said calmly. "The Heaven's Origin Sector might be conquered, and even the Flying Star Sector might be conquered, but so what? What I've been thinking about is not the war between two worlds but the war between two social forms and two systems!

  "Even if we conquer the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector with our tusks and claws very quickly, in the not so distant future, a stronger civilization of Cultivators will come with more advanced magical equipment, more powerful crystal suits, and more terrifying crystal warships and crush all demons as if we are ants!

  "The trend of the universe is unstoppable. If you go along with it, you thrive. If you go against it, you die! What I'm talking about is the trend of the universe that no
body can change. If we want to survive and realize the glory of the past again, we must change ourselves!"

  Chapter 1040: The Original Plan! |

  Li Yao was dumbfounded. He gestured for Jin Tuyi to stop. "Wait. Senior Jin, you are not indicating that you have been planning to turn demons into human beings since decades ago, are you? At that time, you couldn't have known the existence of the Divine Blood of Chaos at all!"

  Jin Tuyi coughed slightly and said, "First of all, I never said that I was trying to turn demons into human beings. In fact, I feel that the current 'old demons' and 'old human beings' are all deeply flawed and far from 'the best fighting species in the universe'. They cannot find a way out of the dark forest as you described.

  "In that regard, Elder Nether Spring and I thought the same again. The only difference was that the approaches he adopted were more radical.

  "If I ever have the chance, I really want to capture Elder Nether Spring alive and then have an overnight talk with him under the starry sky. That will be so much more fun than conversing with an ignorant young man such as yourself!

  "Secondly, I naturally didn't know the existence of 'Chaos' or the whole truth about the origins of the demon race decades ago. Also, I did not know that the demons could be completely transformed into human beings through the Divine Blood of Chaos.

  "However, demons are themselves a very strange race.

  "No matter how vastly different our appearances are, we all boast tremendous features of human beings. We are almost like 'upgraded' versions of human beings with all kinds of extra organs.

  "Besides, the offspring of demons are basically devoid of any features of demons. They are just like human infants.

  "For the high-level demons, after preliminary training, they will immediately grasp the ability to transform into the appearance of human beings. It seems to be not a skill but a naturally-endowed talent!

  "We are not blind. Faced with such facts, have we really never considered the relationship between demons and human beings?