by <unknown>
"Moreover, the Star Glory Federation, a local force nearby, has also expanded to the proximity of the dark nebula. They are capable of cross-universe colonization, too. It's unlikely that they will stop their march of invasion!
"In any case, you will not be able to conceal yourselves any longer. Your peaceful life in the unvisited paradise as you had in the past hundreds of thousands of years is over!
"You don't have a choice. If you don't want to wait for countless starships, Exos, and Colossi to rain down from the sky like a meteor shower, you will have to move forward actively to embrace and be assimilated into the universe, a boundless, real world you belong to!
"Vast as the universe is, there are only two superpowers of human beings. You can choose either the Imperium or the Covenant Alliance. As I stated earlier, the 'demi-humans' in the Covenant Alliance are just puppets of flesh and blood that are devoid of humanity, feelings, and free will. They can't even be called real human beings. I don't suppose you would want to live such a life, do you?"
Meng Chixin and Wu Suiyun looked at each other. The two of them had more or less tasted the feeling themselves a hundred years earlier. They were obviously reluctant to become cold machines again.
Seeing that the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators were wavering, Heiye Lan bulged her eyes even wider. The blood vessels in them were also exploding out of the eyeballs. She panted and said, "Maybe the poor folks living at the bottom class of the Ancient Sages Sector will believe that, as long as they can live in safety with enough food and clothes, it doesn't matter if they throw away their feelings, self-awareness, and independent will!
"But you are all in the Nascent Soul Stage and the Divinity Transformation Stage. You are the elites that represent the direction of humanity's evolution! You can't abandon your belief, your will, and your thoughts, can you? You want to promote your belief, will, and thoughts to the entire world and universe, don't you?
"The Imperium of True Human Beings welcomes the elites such as yourselves most. Where else can you go to if not the Imperium?
"Join the Imperium and become noble and glorious Immortal Cultivators. This is the only way out for you and the only hope for the Ancient Sages Sector. Cough, cough, cough, cough!"
Anxiously, Li Yao almost could not wait to refute, but considering the subtle situation that he was in, he tried to hold back his urge.
As it turned out, somebody else spoke on his behalf. It was Long Yangjun!
Long Yangjun looked at Li Yao with a sly smile before she turned to Heiye Lan and asked, "If what you said is true, that Alliance of the Holy Covenant is certainly out of the question. However, what about the Star Glory Federation? Since they were capable of defeating your fleet, they must be reasonably strong. Why can't the Ancient Sages Sector consider asking the Star Glory Federation for help?"
"The Star Glory Federation?" Heiye Lan chuckled in great amusement. "You certainly wouldn't want to go to the Star Glory Federation. The Star Glory Federation is just a primitive country that you can find anywhere at the edge of the cosmos! Perhaps they have occupied a few planets or even a few Sectors. But so what? The Imperium of True Human Beings has shattered too many small countries like them throughout our history. The Black Wind Fleet alone has annihilated quite a few!
"Let me put it this way. If the Imperium of True Human Beings can be compared to the Great Qian Dynasty, and the Covenant Alliance to Ghost Qin, this Star Glory Federation will be the Southland of Sorcerers at best. No. It will only be a small tribe in the Southland of Sorcerers at best!
"With the world in chaos, it would be understandable if anyone wanted to join the Great Qian Dynasty or Ghost Qin to make a name for themselves, but what idiots would join the Southland of Sorcerers to compete for the world?
"If you are already willing to open up and join a certain force in the universe, of course, you should join the most powerful one! The Star Glory Federation? They can never offer as good terms as we can, nor can they ensure your safety. Chances are that after you join the Star Glory Federation today, you will be annihilated by the Black Wind Fleet tomorrow. You will just be buried together with the poor federal citizens!"
Long Yangjun glanced at Li Yao again and said with a smile, "That doesn't sound right. You don't have much contact with the Star Glory Federation. How do you know that it is just a small, insignificant country? If the federation is so weak, how could they defeat your fleet?"
"I am a warrior. I'm neither a negotiator nor a liar!" Heiye Lan gnashed her teeth. "Everything I said just now is true, including my own brutal failure and the enemy's formidability when she was in the Colossus. I talked about the whole event in the most honest way!
"Yes. It's true that we were defeated by the enemy, but it was just a claw fleet that had a bloody battle with Firefly first. It had almost been drained in the previous battle!
"Our enemy, on the other hand, was a main-force fleet of an enormous scale, well-prepared with sufficient gear and supplies. They also launched an unexpected assault from behind us. How could we not fail?
"Such a tactical setback equals to the loss of a squad of scouts before the strategic war between the Ghost Qin and the Great Qian Dynasty. Does it really matter to the big picture?
"As for my claim that the Star Glory Federation can't be too strong, it is not an ungrounded hypothesis. The reason is simple. This place is the edge of the cosmos! Ever since ten thousand years ago, few planets of abundant resources have been discovered. Even planets habitable for human beings are not large in number. The spiritual energy here is not dense, and there are few important relics!
"In the universe that mankind has already explored, this is a rough land that can be compared to the Southland of Sorcerers, which is soggy and full of venomous smoke, or the vast desert in the north. By chance, one or two experts such as 'Master Spiritual Vulture' can be born in such places, but overall, how can a powerful country emerge out of nowhere?
"Based on our past experiences, the remote countries such as the Star Glory Federation can control five to six Sectors with a few more habitable planets at best. Their worlds are of extremely low quality—thin spiritual energy, small population, and inadequate resources. How many starships and experts can they offer?
"The Black Wind Fleet, in comparison, boasts warriors not just from the Black Wind Sector but also from another four Sectors that have also been occupied by the Covenant Alliance. Our capabilities are more than ten times higher than normal Gamma troops. The magnificence of our state-of-the-art starships is beyond my description and your imagination!
"We are all rootless duckweed who desire to make great military credits so that we can march back to our hometown and reclaim our home and honor. Therefore, we are now more determined to fight than ever!
"A remote country full of bumpkins such as the Star Glory Federation will not be able to stand one strike from our main fleet. If they do not surrender obediently, they will be blown into smithereens in less than one year!"
Long Yangjun chuckled. "There's no need to brag. Your enemy has Colossi, too, and experts to use them. For example, the Blazing Tyrannosaur!"
Heiye Lan lowered her head and looked at her shadow before saying, "Colossi can be as different as flying swords. You should know much more clearly than I do about the gap between lousy swords and secret swords from the primeval era.
"I—I was too young and didn't have much experience. I wasn't qualified to use a Colossus. It's only because I was the daughter of the commander of the Black Wind Fleet that I was given a Colossus, but it was the one in the worst state with the greatest shortage of components.
"Just because the Blazing Tyrannosaur defeated me doesn't mean she can defeat the other experts in the Black Wind Fleet, especially the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators such as my father with his Colossus!
"You must believe me! You must also believe in the invincibility of the Black Wind Fleet and the Imperium of True Human Beings! You don't really have a choice. You can choose t
he Imperium, or you can choose death!"
Long Yangjun grinned, baring her sharp teeth. "Is that a threat?"
"It's not a threat but a fact." Heiye Lan's voice was both deep and hollow. It did not seem to be from her throat but from somewhere in the universe far, far away. "The Imperium is not interested in threatening anyone or any force. We are simply informing you of what will happen in the future faithfully and allowing you to choose for yourself.
"The Imperium has embraced too many Sectors and planets that are willing to cooperate and destroyed too many countries and civilizations that refused to obey. You are not the first one, nor are you going to be the last. Whatever you choose, the Imperium doesn't care about it at all. Not at all!"
Her words cast the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators into a long silence again.
"Wait!" Li Yao suddenly said. "You keep saying that you are the daughter of the commander of the Black Wind Fleet. Then, won't you speak ill of us in front of the commander of the Black Wind Fleet because we have tormented and interrogated you? Will he even accept our cooperation sincerely? Chances are that he will burst into fury and destroy the entire Ancient Sages Sector to avenge his daughter!"
"Hehehehe." Heiye Lan laughed weirdly. "Master Spiritual Vulture, you don't understand how we think. Now that my plan has failed and I've fallen to your hands, it proves that I am weak. Isn't it only natural that the weak are tortured and savaged by the strong?
"Besides, you are only doing this because you want to glean valuable intelligence from me and ensure that I am not lying.
"This is pure business and nothing personal. If our roles were swapped and I was one of you, I would've interrogated the target in the exact same way! What's there to hate? If I must hate something, I should hate myself for not being strong and prudent enough!"
Li Yao secretly cursed. "Do you not hate us at all? Are you really not bothered by the suffering?"
"As long as you choose the Imperium," Heiye Lan said. "I believe that your participation is in the Imperium's favor. If it is in the Imperium's favor, it is in humanity's favor!
"For the future of humanity, I can abandon and obliterate my life and soul anytime! What's the big deal about some suffering?"
Chapter 1526: Is It Worth Gambling? |
The excited roars of the female warrior from the Imperium echoed in the hollow Nuwa warship and did not die down for a long time.
The soundwaves triggered rounds of ripples on the faces of the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators like tides.
"And you said that you are not a negotiator," Li Yao sneered. "I can tell that your speech is well-organized and very persuasive. It is not like something that a general soldier can tell!"
"It's because the Imperium has implanted a special technique into the brain of every frontier soldier who is out for exploration and colonization missions."
Heiye Lan's eyeballs were shuddered fast as she explained, "I have received professional half-hypnotization and subconsciousness-activation training. A lot of situational dialogues have been inputted into my brain, providing guidance for me in certain scenarios like the one I'm in right now. Therefore, my previous speech is not just my own opinion but to a large extent the official attitude of the Black Wind Fleet and the Imperium of True Human Beings!"
Li Yao was dazed for a long time. "I didn't know that. How—how would you know what to do in every case-scenario?"
Heiye Lan smiled.
Although she was imprisoned and almost deformed from torture, the female warrior of the Imperium was still smiling confidently as if she were sure to win.
"If your country had conquered, destroyed, and devoured countless worlds like the Imperium of True Human Beings has," Heiye Lan said unhurriedly, "you would also have accumulated abundant experience and know how to cope with any unexpected situation!"
Li Yao thought quickly but failed to come up with a counter.
Staring at Heiye Lan, Meng Chixin said, "Your offer is indeed tempting, if what you said is true. However, it is a great deal that concerns the future of our entire world, and we cannot make a decision recklessly!
"We need to know more information about the Imperium of True Human Beings and the universe to make a sensible judgement.
"I'll give you two options.
"Firstly, here are ten jade chips. I'll give you three days for you to confess the intelligence about the Imperium of True Human Beings, the Alliance of the Holy Covenant, and other forces in the universe after classifying it into different categories such as history, system, economy, culture, and so on. Also, you will need to tell us about everything that came before the Imperium of True Human Beings, such as the Star Ocean Republic, the Star Ocean Imperium, the Demon Beast Empire, the age of the ancient Cultivators, and the primeval era!
"After studying the files that you provide, we will naturally make a decision as to whether or not we surrender to the Imperium of True Human Beings and cooperate with the Black Wind Fleet!
"Secondly, if you are unwilling to confess dutifully, or if you are caught lying or concealing anything, we will have no choice but to kill you and exploit every drop of information in your head with techniques such as the soul-searching technique!
"Naturally, in such a case, we will no longer be able to trust the Black Wind Fleet, and the Black Wind Fleet will certainly not let us go. It will be very difficult for us to cooperate. Who knows what kind of crazy things the Ancient Sages Sector can do when mired in desperation?"
Heiye Lan hesitated for a moment and nodded. "I—I can tell you everything, but I don't know the crucial details right now, such as the specific information about our fleet, the parameters of the starships, or the coordinates of the internal worlds of the Imperium of True Human Beings, which were sealed tightly before I left for the mission. I can't tell you such things.
"I can only tell you conceptional stuff. If you are only trying to get an introduction to the current universe, it should suffice!"
"Deal," Meng Chixin said. "We don't need to know the… coordinates of your capital right now. We only want to understand the universe as quickly as possible so that we can make a final decision!"
"Then I hope that you make it soon," Heiye Lan said peacefully. "I don't know the Black Wind Fleet's status right now, but your surrender is only valuable before the Black Wind Fleet conquers the Star Glory Federation and captures Firefly. If the rebels at the edge of the cosmos have all been suppressed and shattered, I can't guarantee that the Black Wind Fleet will necessarily accept your surrender!"
Meng Chixin was silent briefly before he said, "I understand. Your soul has been exhausted. Take a rest for a moment before you input the intelligence about the universe into the jade chips!"
His hands shivered. Mystic rays flowed into Heiye Lan's temples along the spiritual threads. The female warrior of the Imperium's eyes quivered for a moment before they were covered by her eyelids, and her breath became deep and stable.
She had fallen asleep.
Conversely, the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators and the ten super Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators seemed to be caught in an unbelievable nightmare that they could not escape from.
For how many years, all the Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector had dreamed of 'ascension'. They had hoped to appreciate the vastness and splendor of the deities' realm.
However, when the real deities' realm—or rather, the whole universe—was gradually unveiled in front of them, revealing its true face of infinite cruelty, the indescribable shock and oppression put them at a loss for words for a long time. They were like frogs who had seen the boundless ocean and the sharks, whales, and octopi swimming in it for the first time after they jumped out of the dry well that they had been living in!
After a long silence, Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar took a long breath and smiled bitterly. "I didn't expect that the journey to the Divine Palace would end in such a way. The truth about the deities' re
alm is too dreadful and thrilling!"
"If the woman wasn't lying, the Imperium of True Human Beings and the Alliance of the Holy Covenant are two behemoths that we certainly cannot resist right now," Qi Zhongdao observed worriedly. "We have just one Sector that is as divided as a tray of loose sand, but they each have more than two hundred Sectors with sufficient soldiers and supplies. They are hundreds of times more powerful than us! Not considering the technological gap, they can simply drown us with their sheer advantage in numbers!"
"The enormous starships roaming through the universe, and the warriors in crystal suits and Colossi who can break the stars!" 'Heaven Battering King' Qi Changsheng licked his lips and grinned. "When you think about it, it is actually quite fun!"
"I don't like the way they treat the common folk." 'Mother White Lotus' Wan Mingzhu said coldly, "Are they any different from the shameless swine of the six major sects?"
"Enough!" Meng Chixin waved his hands and interrupted the meaningless discussion. "I believe that everybody here is as shocked at the news about the 'deities' realm' as me. Everything that the 'deity' said is too complicated, mysterious, and unbelievable!
"I think that we all need time to calm down and reflect on the issues carefully. I suggest that we consider the situation for three days and in the meantime get to know the situation of the universe. In three days, we will meet again and discuss a way out for the Ancient Sages Sector. What do you think?"
It was certainly the best option that they had right now. Naturally, there was no disagreement.
Li Yao thought of something. Perhaps he could find a chance to activate the star beacon and send the coordinates of this Sector to the Star Glory Federation within the three days.
"However," Meng Chixin said, "the issue must be kept a secret from the people of the six major sects outside. Otherwise, with the enticing terms that Heiye Lan has proposed, it's possible that the six major sects will dump us and even betray the Ancient Sages Sector to cooperate with the Black Wind Fleet directly!
