by <unknown>
"This is just an unofficial assembly. We can save all the formalities. Since everybody has read all the files before the meeting, let's seize the day and go to our topic now!
"First of all, I think that the one thing that everybody is eager to find out in this meeting is about the Covenant Alliance. Is the so-called 'Alliance of the Holy Covenant' real? Or maybe, is it just a trick that the Imperium of True Human Beings played and a crude strategical deception?
"The reason is simple. Before, we always considered the Imperium of True Human Beings to be our greatest enemy, and we planned to dedicate all our resources to deal with the Imperium. But right now, a Covenant Alliance, which is said to be even scarier than the Imperium, has popped up out of nowhere!
"In such a case, we will inevitably be less wary of the Imperium of True Human Beings, and we will even change our stance on the Imperium subconsciously.
"From the Imperium's perspective, the subtle change of our attitude naturally greets with their interests.
"Therefore, many fellow Cultivators might be mumbled to yourselves. Does the Covenant Alliance, which is said to be a hundred more times evil than the Imperium, really exist? Is this the Imperium of True Human Beings' plot?
"Are they using a nonexistent Covenant Alliance to intimidate the weaker forces in the universe, which are forced to seek shelter from the Imperium to avoid the aggression of the Covenant Alliance?
"If that is the case, the Imperium of True Human Beings will be able to conquer a large area of the sea of stars with no blood shed!"
In front of Li Yao, a virtual light beam was shining. It was a sign that Jiang Hailiu invited him to speak.
Li Yao was the discoverer of the Covenant Alliance. His foster father had claimed to be from the Covenant Alliance. Naturally, his opinion mattered most regarding the issue.
Li Yao had prepared his speech earlier. Therefore, gazed at by more than a hundred Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, he was not very nervous. Unhurriedly, he said, "Seniors here, nice to meet you. I am Li Yao. My foster father claims that he is from the Covenant Alliance, and I believe what he said.
"I have two reasons.
"Firstly, my foster bestowed upon me a flying sword whose materials and structure are quite unique. It is definitely not something that can be manufactured in the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, or the Blood Demon Sector. It is definitely from a force far more advanced than ours. The scraps of the flying sword are still inside my refining workshop. Everybody is free to study and analyze them!
"Secondly, assuming that it is part of the Imperium of True Human Beings' scheme, nothing makes sense.
"When my foster father passed away, I was still in high school as an ordinary person with a low Spirit Actualization Quotient. Although I'm slightly gifted at hand speed and magical equipment maintenance, it is really nothing compared to the real geniuses of training.
"The jade chip that my foster father left to me, however, was set to be openable only if I am at the peak of the Core Formation Stage or higher!
"If the Covenant Alliance does not exist, and my foster father is a spy from the Imperium of True Human Beings, how could he have been certain that I would reach the Nascent Soul Stage one day?
"For me when I was in high school, odds were lower than one billionth that I could be a Cultivator of such a high level. How could the Imperium of True Human Beings have counted their scheme on such a low chance?
"Also, if it is really a strategical deception, wouldn't my foster father have reduced everybody's wariness if he showed up as a citizen of the Covenant Alliance and reminded everybody of the evilness of the Covenant Alliance and the righteousness of the Imperium? Why would he point out, bluntly and redundantly, that the Imperium of True Human Beings was a force no more righteous?"
The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators all nodded quickly. Li Yao's analysis was clearly reasonable enough.
"There's one other thing."
With a solemn face, Li Yao said earnestly, "Although my foster father asked us to join the Imperium of True Human Beings in his last words, it was obvious that he couldn't have foreseen what would happen in the next twenty years. It must've been beyond his imagination that the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector would be collaborating!
"Then and now are different. Whatever he said, and even if the Covenant Alliance does exist, my opinion about the Imperium of True Human Beings will not be changed!
"No matter what their reason is, a force that produces one 'star child' by killing hundreds of babies is definitely the evilest force in my eyes!
"The Covenant Alliance and the Imperium are both our enemies, and I will not surrender to either of them!
"If one force can be called 'the last guardian of humanity', it is not going to be the Imperium of True Human Beings but us!"
Li Yao's words moved all the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and the demon emperors.
Many Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators who had not met him before observed the plain-looking young man again. They seemed to understand why he could be the youngest Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator of the three Sectors from his words now.
At the very least, his declaration was proud and straightforward enough!
Then, another Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator requested to speak. It was Zhou Yifu, a historian who studied the fall of the Star Ocean Imperium.
"I agree with Fellow Cultivator Li that the Covenant Alliance is real despite the lack of solid evidence. But I would like to illustrate a side view, which is the mutation of the Imperium of True Human Beings. How exactly did the Cultivators at the center of the cosmos degenerate into Immortal Cultivators?" Zhou Yifu said unhurriedly.
"It is well known that, after thirty thousand years of the Great Dark Era, human beings rose again and established the Star Ocean Imperium that spanned the universe.
"Although it was an Imperium, and the system it adopted was a combination of a dictatorship and feudalism, the overall social form of the Star Ocean Imperium was relatively positive, bright, and righteous.
"Cultivators of the Star Ocean Imperium, including the monarch Supreme Emperor, although still carrying the bad habits of the old days, had basically agreed that 'Cultivators are the sabers of humanity', 'Cultivators originate from ordinary people and can give birth to ordinary people', and other modern opinions.
"That is perhaps the case for any imperium at the beginning. The ruler that rose from the folk would pay attention to the feeling of the general public and know the importance of relying on them.
"Moreover, the Star Ocean Imperium justified its regime by the slogan 'overthrow the tyranny of demons and liberate all the human beings in the universe', which was the foundation of the Star Ocean Imperium. It could not be changed easily.
"Such an imperium that was relatively bright and righteous, before decaying and degrading, was already crumbled in the Armageddon Rebellion and destroyed!
"Although the Star Ocean Imperium disappeared as quickly as it rose, the pure spirit of the country was preserved without being sullied at all, encouraging all human beings in the universe.
"Today, most of the civilizations of human beings, including the Star Glory Federation, are still proud of being a successor of the Star Ocean Imperium and willing to pass on the spirit of the country!
"Here comes the question. Now that the Imperium of True Human Beings has occupied the prosperous area of the Star Ocean Imperium and considers itself to be the rightful heir to the Star Ocean Imperium, it must've more or less inherited the spirit of the Star Ocean Imperium that the ordinary people are worth fighting for.
"Why does this imperium act oppositely from that imperium, and how did the Cultivators become Immortal Cultivators?"
Chapter 1196: Deterioration of the Imperium |
All the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were deep in thought. Even Li Yao nodded quickly after a slight daze.
Yes, although it was also an Imperium, the Star Ocean Imperium ten th
ousand years ago was more complimented than criticized in modern times.
It was because, in the Great Dark Era that lasted thirty thousand years, human beings were suppressed by demons. Cultivators were even the primary targets of the demons. On many occasions, they had to count on the ordinary people to cover and even shelter them.
When the Cultivators rose again, they resisted under the banner of 'defend humanity'. It was naturally impossible for them to oppress ordinary people like the demon rulers did.
Due to the limitation of the era, there were not laws such as the Constitution of Cultivators in the Star Glory Federation, which dictated the rights and the equal status of Cultivators and ordinary people.
But the simple ideas that evil had to be executed and the weak had to be helped still entered the minds of most Cultivators of the Star Ocean Imperium.
It was so for the Star Glory Federation, a small country at the edge of the universe. How could the Imperium of True Human Beings, which was at the center of the universe, not be so?
The heritage of Cultivators was never just about the cold Cultivation arts and classics. It also included the beliefs and spirits of the predecessors!
In the relics of the Star Ocean Imperium, other than the marvelous arts, there were also teachings from the Cultivators of the Imperium left for the latecomers, as well as the soul-stirring tales where they sacrificed themselves for humanity.
Such teachings and tales, of course, would reshape the beliefs of the future generations.
For example, Li Yao once discovered a multipurpose exploration ship named 'Sparkle' from the depths of the underground silver ocean of Boneyard.
In order to suppress Skeleton Dragon, Gao Xingce, the captain of Sparkle and a Cultivator of the Star Ocean Imperium, eradicated ninety-nine percent of his soul and memories, even including those about his family, just so that the remaining part of his soul could survive longer, monitor the status of Skeleton Dragon, and warn the latecomers!
Li Yao had accepted Sparkle and become its new captain. He had also accepted Gao Xingce's spirit.
That spirit was now an indispensable part of his 'belief'.
One day, if Li Yao intended to do anything that harmed the interest of the ordinary people, his belief would be shaken and caught in a self-contradictory state, which could result to a significant drop of his level!
It was so for Li Yao. Could it have been different for the Cultivators who received the legacy of the Star Ocean Imperium at the center of the universe?
This was a world where materials could be affected by spirit. It was impossible that one could just learn a senior's ultimate skill but not his benevolence!
"I believe that you've all found the subtle contradiction here, haven't you?" Zhou Yifu said. "By logic, for a country of human beings at the center of the universe, after inheriting the enormous legacy of the Star Ocean Imperium, the Cultivators should be sharing the same ideas as the Star Ocean Imperium's.
"They should consider themselves the 'sabers of humanity' and feel proud of defending the ordinary people. How on earth did they stop regarding themselves as human beings and even invent a new term, true human beings, to address themselves?
"Such a drastic change of beliefs is highly illogical. Under normal circumstances, it would certainly result in the collapse of their belief, their mental derangement, and even their abrupt death!
"The conversion of one or two Cultivators is nothing usual. The federation has such evil Cultivators, too, but all the Cultivators in an entire country have been transformed into Immortal Cultivators collectively. Such a change is barely comprehensible if there weren't external pressure!"
Li Yao's eyes shone. He turned on the public communication rune array and said, "Senior Zhou, are you saying that, when it was first established, the Imperium of True Human Beings, which absorbed the legacy and the ideology of the Star Ocean Imperium, was perhaps also a country made of Cultivators whose goal was to defend humanity, a 'smaller Star Ocean Imperium' if you will?
"Later, under certain enormous pressure, they were forced to exploit all the national capability as quickly as possible to cope with it.
"Therefore, the Cultivators of the Imperium of True Human Beings, to quote my foster father, 'abandoned humanity and the pride of Cultivators' and transformed into Immortal Cultivators?"
"Exactly!" Scratching his goatee, Zhou Yifu nodded quickly. "Everything that has happened to the federation in the past year is perhaps a replay of the transformation of the Imperium of True Human Beings.
"The Star Glory Federation was a country where the equality between Cultivators and ordinary people was highly valued. Everybody made their own contribution and fought for a better future together.
"But ever since the news of the Imperium of True Human Beings a year ago, many Cultivators changed their mindset. They believed that the current system was not enough to exploit the most war potentials within the shortest amount of time. For survival, for the civilization, and for ninety-nine percent of people, one percent of them can and should be sacrificed!
"Cultivators who held such extreme ideas, represented by Lu Zui and Zhou Hengdao, killed tens of thousands innocent civilians to achieve their goal!
"Also, they pretended that they didn't know human beings and demons were of the same origin, and they planned to send all the demons to the resource planets where the captives would slog until they died!
"It is safe to say that Lu Zui, Zhou Hengdao, and the rest of them, with everything they did, do not deserve the name 'Cultivator'. They are out-and-out 'Immortal Cultivators'!
"But after changing from Cultivators who guard ordinary people and humanity to Immortal Cultivators who can sacrifice random ordinary people to achieve their purpose, their belief was not caught in chaos, and their level did not decline. Before Lu Zui's death, he was even able to summon all his strength and break into a whole new level!
"Why did all that happen?
"It's simple. They did not think that they were wrong. They believed that, even if their approaches were flawed, their ideology and purpose were right. They believed that every ordinary person they killed was for the salvation of our civilization. It was with the idea of the 'greater good' that they deteriorated so quickly!"
At this moment, Luo Xingzi, the Cultivator from the Flying Star Sector, requested to speak.
"Fellow Cultivator Zhou, please allow me to add a few words.
"Based on the experience of the Flying Star Sector, a Cultivator can deteriorate really fast. Instead of a year and a half, it can be completed within several minutes if he is sent to a starship that is floating in a cosmic storm after an accident with limited food and fuel.
"To fight for the slim chance of survival, even the most righteous Cultivator in peacetime can turn into a fiend instantly. He can even develop a theory to defend himself later.
"After all, as long as he survives, excuses are always easy to find!"
Zhou Yifu nodded and smiled. "Thank you for your illustration, Fellow Cultivator Luo Xingzi. It is indeed true!
"In retrospect, it was very fortunate that the scheme of the Immortal Cultivators such as Lu Zui and Zhou Hengdao was stopped. Otherwise, in the war between the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector, they certainly would have expanded step by step and seduced more Cultivators. They would have exploited everybody through the most brutal methods until the Star Glory Federation turned into a new country of Immortal Cultivators in the end!
"Everything that didn't happen in the Star Glory Federation must've happened for real in the Imperium of True Human Beings!
"We can totally imagine that at the beginning, the Imperium of True Human Beings must've been a country of Cultivators, like the Star Ocean Imperium in the past.
"However, during its development, the Cultivators ran into a formidable enemy named the Alliance of the Holy Covenant.
"Fellow Cultivator Li Yao's foster father mentioned that the Imperium of True Human Beings was a 'traditional superpow
er'. So, it is not hard to guess that the country must've hit a bottleneck at that time, with trouble both inside and outside. In the meantime, the Alliance of the Holy Covenant was a new power that was rising unstoppably like the sun in the morning!
"Therefore, the Covenant Alliance was as much a headache to the Imperium as the Imperium is to us now. Perhaps, some of the people in the Imperium believed that they must abandon humanity for animality and exploit the value of everybody in order to defeat the Covenant Alliance and defend their civilization!
"In the beginning, maybe, they thought the same as Lu Zui and Zhou Hengdao did. They believed that sacrificing the one percent for the remaining ninety-nine percent was worthwhile. However, how could they ever stop doing such things once they began? Under the aggression of the Covenant Alliance, the Imperium of True Human Beings must've been like an athlete addicted to exhilarants. It became mired deeper and deeper until it couldn't be freed anymore. Eventually, Cultivators were completely transformed into Immortal Cultivators, and they no longer hesitated to do such a thing as kill hundreds of babies!"
Zhou Yifu's deduction was both reasonable and convincing. With only a few words, he described the degeneration of an enormous kingdom at the center of the universe and proved the existence of the Alliance of the Holy Covenant from the side. The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were all nodding in approval.
The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators were all quick-minded fellows with amazing computational ability. Thinking quickly, they all felt that the deduction was perfectly reasonable and perhaps the truth.
"It appears that we all agree that the Covenant Alliance does exist. So, we are faced with not one but two super forces now."
Jiang Hailiu, host of the meeting, glanced around and asked calmly, "Then, do you feel that, faced with two super forces that are both extremely hostile to us, our situation is now even worse than before and we should further adjust our previous strategies?
"Let me declare my opinion first. I think that it is utterly unnecessary!
"Our situation right now has not worsened. On the contrary, it has greatly improved. It will not be exaggerating to say that the next hundreds of years will be the period of strategic opportunities for the Star Glory Federation!"