by <unknown>
Having no time to consider what he might turn into after he went mentally deranged, Li Yao focused his full attention on running, running, and running!
Hiu!
Li Yao's self-awareness dashed out of the deep, dark crack at the bottom of his soul. Moans and explosions were still echoing from the crack. Black pillars of smoke rose from the crack, trying to snatch him back, and almost caught the tail of his self-awareness many times.
However, he jerked hard, almost ripping his self-awareness apart, and jumped out of the surface of the ocean of his soul, leaving the 'internal vision state' and returning to reality!
"Not good. Fellow Cultivator Li's soul is in disorder. He is in great danger!"
"Fellow Cultivators, let's help him to stabilize his soul now!"
"How is it possible? Why is such a powerful force hidden deep inside his soul? What is it—"
Li Yao immediately heard the most astonished exclamations from Meng Chixin, Wu Suiyun, Yan Liren, and Master Bitter Cicada. He sensed that four overwhelming forces surged into his body, trying to close the crack in the deepest part of his soul, only to trigger the counterattack of the force deep inside his soul that was even more overwhelming. He also heard the high-energy nutrition liquids extracted from infinite Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures uttering bubbling sounds as if they were boiling. Even the high-pressure cabin made of seven layers of alloys that was as hard as the shell of a starship was squeaking in metal fatigue!
"Fellow Cultivators, stay away from me!" Li Yao's soul trembled violently. "I'm going to explode!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Before the shivering of the soul died down, the high-pressure cabin whose shell was half a meter thick already had a world-shaking explosion. The nutrition liquids and the spiritual energy spread out overwhelmingly, blowing away the four unparalleled experts, two in the Divinity Transformation Stage and the other two at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, as if they were kites whose strings were severed!
Li Yao was of a mind to express his apology to the four fellow Cultivators.
However, he could barely keep himself safe. While undercurrents were flowing deep inside his soul, the surface of his soul was rife with surging tides and crazy storms.
His self-awareness was like a boat riddled with holes that was struggling in the middle of the tides and the storms, shaking. All he could do was grit his teeth and keep his mind clear.
There was no telling how long passed before the tides and the storms finally died down.
Under the suppression of Li Yao himself and the four experts, the black pillars of smoke condensed by the information of the old days retreated, and the crack deep inside his soul was temporarily under control.
Li Yao could tell that his surroundings were an utter mess. The high-pressure cabin had fallen apart and turned into sharp fragments that stabbed into the walls of the room.
Some of them had even been melted into liquids and did not consolidate again into dim pearls until they were shot into the wall at a high speed.
It was truly an apocalyptic view.
Thankfully, Li Yao had known the danger of entering the Divinity Transformation Stage in the first place. He had deployed defense rune arrays of the highest level outside the cabin, and no staff other than the four unparalleled experts were inside the room offering help. Thus, the loss was kept to the minimum.
Li Yao sensed that tremendous doctors rushed into the room and carried him into the medical cabin, soaking him in cool, comforting medical liquids.
He then slowly examined his brain and the condition of his soul.
Fortunately, he had reacted in time and was not lost in the collapsed palace of his soul, avoiding the worst-case scenario where he was mentally deranged.
On the other hand, the massive blast raised by the collision of the violent force that popped out of the deep crack inside his soul and the suppressing forces from the four unparalleled experts expanded his brain a lot.
The attempt to enter the Divinity Transformation Stage was more of an incomplete success than a failure.
After the examination, Li Yao decided that he was not wounded or left with too many hidden problems. He was finally able to take a breath in relief.
As long as he wanted to, he could wake up by himself at any moment.
But he would rather stay in the medical cabin for a while long to consider some… minor issues while he was floating.
"Haha! Hahaha!"
The mental devil crawled out of a certain inconspicuous corner and pretended to be utterly shocked. Covering the mouth with its hands, it shrieked aloud, "I did not know that this would be the truth. We are actually the ultimate supervillains who will destroy Earth!"
The form of the mental devil had greatly changed. It had secreted and condensed a delicate and hideous bloody armor on the surface of its body, with six pairs of bleeding wings that were enshrouded in black auras. Even two thick, long fiendish horns had protruded out of its head. It was raging and looked ten times eviler than in the past!"
Li Yao frowned. "Why are you acting like this?"
The mental devil grinned hideously. "This is all thanks to you. Although your attempt to enter the Divinity Transformation Stage was not a complete success, it was not a failure either. Your brain has been further expanded, and your level was slightly upgraded. In the meantime, an overwhelming amount of negative emotions popped up, which were even darker than those from Mo Xuan and Lu Qingchen. After swallowing them, I am naturally stronger than before!"
"I know that," Li Yao said. "But you obviously can change your style however you want, can't you? So, even if you are indeed stronger right now, why do you have to put on six pairs of chicken wings and a pair of bull horns?"
"Well," the mental devil replied, "the change of style was mainly meant to build up the atmosphere with consideration to the revelation that we will destroy Earth."
It sniffed and retreated the horn, the wings, and the bloody armor. Sitting down in midair, it held its cheeks and looked at Li Yao solemnly before it went on to comfort him. "I know that you are in too bad a mood to accept everything. But brother, on second thought, this incident is actually quite reasonable although it is outside our expectations!"
Li Yao's eyebrows were furrowed even harder. "Hey, hey, hey. Would you care to explain why it is reasonable at all?"
"Look. Most of the crises that we have been involved in share something in common. The one who seems righteous, bright, and kind and serves as a representative of justice is always the supervillain in disguise!" the mental devil analyzed carefully. "Also, the brighter, kinder, and more justified they appear and the more enormous power they have, the greater supervillain they will be!
"Yan Xibei, Xiao Xuance, Zhou Hengdao, Lu Zui, Extraterrestrial Devil Mo Xuan… Without any exception!
"Then, here comes the question. After shattering the schemes of Mo Xuan, Lu Qingchen, and the extraterrestrial devils behind them, unifying the edge of the cosmos, and even having a wife who has been elected as the Speaker of the Federation, who else in the thousands of square lightyears around can possibly be more powerful and righteous than Vulture Li Yao, the dominator of three Sectors and the Black Wind King?
"When we entered the Pangu laboratory just now, I thought that there was something wrong with Long Yangjun and that she could prove to be a supervillain later. But on second thought, she did not meet either of the previous two standards.
"In terms of image, hers was not very bright in the beginning and had always been ambiguous.
"In terms of power, as Lead Eunuch Wang Xi on the surface, she was incomparable to you. Even your little finger was more powerful than her.
"Therefore, how could she have been the supervillain? As it turned out, after she confessed her feelings for you, she immediately ran away."
"Wait." Li Yao raised his hands to protest. "What do you mean by 'confessed her feelings'? She and I are pure friends, nothing more. Besides, she might not be a 'she' at all. Chances ar
e that an organ similar to the snake tail of the Nuwa Clan is hidden between her thighs that can be stabbed into the operation holes of the primeval magical equipment in order to activate the devices!"
"Such details are not important," the mental devil declared. "What matters is that few people today are qualified to call themselves 'supervillains' in front of you, considering your identity and position. Therefore, it should come as no surprise at all that you are the real ultimate supervillain!"
"No surprise my ass!" Li Yao snorted. Gradually recovering from the initial shock, he crossed his arms and said, "Why do I need to destroy Earth for no good reason? Just because a voice in my head tells me to? Long Yangjun was quite right. Will I simply do as the voice commands like an idiot if the voice asks me to eat sh*t?
"No. I am not going to destroy the funny Earth at all. Besides, I don't even know where Earth is or if it exists at all!"
Chapter 1921: Brainstorm |
Although he had spent more than a hundred years in the world of Cultivators, Li Yao still remembered Earth from the uncanny dream in his childhood.
It was a world without spiritual energy. So-called training and devils were nothing more than groundless tales. In other words, it was a bunch of ordinary people who resided in that world.
Although they were ordinary people who never perceived the mysteries of the spiritual energy, the earthlings had mastered techniques that could be performed without spiritual energy and the most erratic laws of nature, thereby developing a brilliant and glorious 'non-spiritual civilization'.
Like the citizens of the federation, the earthlings had their own feelings and emotions. While some of them were ambitious, unpardonable schemers, the majority of the people still lived their lives with kind, tenacious hearts, striving and struggling to protect their families and their happiness.
For Li Yao, everybody in the universe could be a friend, and the civilization of mankind was an inseparable hole. All the ordinary people were targets of his protection. He would not kill any of them for no reason, much less destroy the Earth and slaughter six billion earthlings.
Besides…
His former self in his previous life was also one of the six billion people and a common earthling. Why on earth would he destroy the home of his previous life without a good reason?
However, the voice was still echoing next to his ears:
"Run away now. You can't destroy it. It is too dark and too strong!"
If 'it' referred to Earth, that would be rather peculiar. In the solar system, a barren place without spiritual energy, nuclear weapons were the toughest 'magical equipment'. But the power of such weapons could hardly be called unbelievable. Also, due to the limited conditions of usage, without the best of luck and the determination to sacrifice millions of civilians, they could barely deal a fatal blow to a Cultivator in the Nascent Soul Stage or the Divinity Transformation Stage.
Then, what was the 'darkness' of Earth referring to? And why was it 'strong' at all?
To this moment, Li Yao could still sense his sorrow, desperation, and fury when 'he' was floating in the orbit of the blue planet.
He could tell that the 'destruction' that he intended to initiate was not of an evil nature at all. The Vulture Plan was not a foul plan but an effort of justice. Then…
The mental devil chuckled in amusement. "Of course. All evil supervillains believe from the bottom of their heart that they are saving the world as symbols of justice when they implement an evil plan or that they are forced to do what they must! Would any of them admit that they are unpardonable, despicable, and cunning bad guys?
"That was the case for Yan Xibei, Xiao Xuance, Lu Zui, and Extraterrestrial Devil Mo Xuan. Even Elder Nether Spring from the Blood Demon Sector thought that he was creating 'a third life form' for the evolution of the entire species when he carried out the Spore Stratagem, didn't he?
"Right now, it is your turn to walk on that path again. This is your destiny…"
"Damn your destiny," Li Yao snorted. "Even Long Yangjun knows the difference between 'destines other people give me' and 'my real destiny'. Am I going to be at the mercy of the uncanny 'destiny' like an idiot? Before I figure out everything and whether it is righteous or evil, I will never 'destroy the Earth' as a puppet of a certain existence!"
"I understand it now," the mental devil said. "You are looking for some psychological comfort. You are trying to figure out if 'destroying the Earth' is actually a deed of justice that is not in violation of your morals under certain extreme circumstances, right?"
Li Yao hesitated for a moment. "I guess so. In any case, I will not believe that the previous me and my companions who were involved in the Vulture Plan were crazy lunatics. Come on. Let's have a brainstorm. Is there a possibility where 'destroying the Earth' is moral, justified, and not against the interests of the weak?"
"You are too greedy." The mental devil smiled. "Morals and justice are all relative. The universe is a vast place, but there are few occasions where you can have all the best. In many cases, being weak is itself a sin. The weak are destined to be hurt by the strong. This is a law of nature. Or rather, this is an 'ecological balance' of a higher level.
"However, when it comes to a scenario where Earth has to be destroyed, we certainly can find some. For example, the classic 'kill one to save ten thousand'—the entire universe, including Earth, is in grave danger, and only the sacrifice of the Earth can save the whole universe."
Li Yao shook his head, not entirely convinced. "Isn't that theory from Blackstar the Great? That was exactly the rhetoric he used when he destroyed Karan—only by sacrificing Karan could the invaders from the Covenant Alliance be defeated and the entire Star Ocean Republic be saved! What happened in the end? The center of the cosmos is still mired in a thousand-year war. The only thing that was 'saved' was perhaps his ambition.
"If I am to destroy Earth for no better reason than to save the universe, would I be any different from Blackstar the Great?"
"No, the situation is different," the mental devil said creepily. "Blackstar the Great destroyed Karan for his selfish interests as a 'stepping stone' for him to ascend to the highest power. From the perspective of general morals, he naturally should be criticized.
"However, his personal vileness and evilness do not mean that the choice of 'kill one to save ten thousand' is not worth discussing.
"There were mainly two problems in the event where Blackstar the Great destroyed Karan.
"Firstly, Blackstar the Great's real purpose, of course. He destroyed Karan to realize his own ambitions, to seize the highest power of the Star Ocean Republic, and to overthrow the Star Ocean Republic to establish a new dynasty, not purely for the lofty ideal of saving the Star Ocean Republic.
"Secondly, and more importantly, while the Alliance of the Holy Covenant boasted part of the relics of the Pangu Civilization and developed technology slightest more advanced than the Star Ocean Republic's, the civilization level of the two parties did not have a significant gap, and their comprehensive national powers were on par.
"Look. A thousand years later, the Imperium of True Human Beings is still able to launch a strategic counterattack at the Alliance of the Holy Covenant and secures great triumphs. It means that they are opponents of the same level. Even if the cruel choice of 'kill one to save ten thousand' is not made, there are still possibilities of victory through regular approaches.
"Assuming that Blackstar the Great had not detonated Karan, the invaders of the Covenant Alliance might've marched in and caused greater losses, but they still could've been defeated.
"Perhaps the 'greater losses' might have been several times more than the eight million victims on Karan. But no matter how great the losses might be, it was a price worth to be paid in order to maintain the morals and justice of the Star Ocean Republic.
"However, what if neither of the two conditions above existed?
"Since this is a brainstorm, let's remove all restraints and imagine such a situation. First o
f all, 'Wuying Qi' is not an ambitious, potential Immortal Cultivator who loathes ordinary people but a kindhearted, upright, and selfless Cultivator and the highest commander of the border watch of the Star Ocean Republic.
"Secondly, the aggressive Covenant Alliance is not a force on par with the Star Ocean Republic, not a member of the civilization of mankind, not the Pangu Civilization that is directly related and in line with mankind, but one weird civilization form a hundred times stronger than mankind that we cannot comprehend at all. It can barely be called a 'civilization'.
"Under such circumstances, a certain core of commanding for the weird civilization form—let's call it 'maternal brain'—happens to land on Karan, giving mankind the only opportunity to destroy the civilization.
"Wuying Qi, as the highest commander of the border watch with abundant battle experience, immediately reached the conclusion that if the 'maternal brain' is not destroyed immediately, there will be no opportunity to resist the alien invaders in the future, and the entire civilization of mankind including the Star Ocean Republic and Karan will be destroyed. They will even have an outcome even more miserable than death. In the subsequent hundreds of thousands of years, the civilization of mankind will go through a period that is a hundred times darker than the 'Great Dark Age'.
"Let me ask you. Under such circumstances, the upright, selfless Wuying Qi decides to stay on Karan to stop the 'maternal brain'. Eventually, he sacrifices himself, detonates Karan, and kills the 'maternal brain', which causes the collapse of the alien invaders and saves the entire civilization of mankind.
"In such a case, my dear Monster Li who is full of sense of justice and morals, would you tell me if the future generations are qualified to condemn such a 'Wuying Qi'?"
Li Yao frowned hard for a long time before saying, "You set up a conclusion first and then offered harsh conditions according to the conclusion. It's equivalent to shooting an arrow at a target randomly and then drawing the bullseye on where the arrow lands. How can you ever miss the target in such a case?