by <unknown>
That was the 'Tinder Plan', a great project of the civilization of mankind to spray seeds across millions of years.
Although Professor Mo Xuan had regarded the 'Tinder Plan' as a disguise of his scheme, to deceive the leadership and the experts of the federation, the plan itself was not fake at all, and the completeness of the project was quite high.
The day that Professor Mo Xuan activated his scheme, the first launch of the 'Tinder Plan' could have been conducted smoothly.
Although Professor Mo Xuan was dead, Wei Qingqing and a large batch of Spiriters who had dedicated their lifelong efforts to the Tinder Plan were still pushing the project actively. They would accomplish their original goal and allow their souls to sail into the universe millions of years later.
Chapter 1884: The Last Mission at the Edge of the Cosmos |
Wei Qingqing was the most important woman in Li Yao's life other than Ding Lingdang. She was the one who had formed his belief for him. Now that she was about to embark on a journey with no return, Li Yao naturally returned to Hundred Flowers City and bade her farewell.
However, after he did return to Hundred Flowers City after an exhausting trip and met Wei Qingqing who was running final tests in the Tinder Base, he somehow felt that his mouth was dry, and he did not know what to say.
"Sister Qingqing, do you really… have to leave?"
After thinking for a long time, Li Yao only came up with a useless question.
Wei Qingqing was still controlling a small, bird-shaped artificial body, but it shot out a vivid holograph, which was still the woman who looked like an orchid flower in an unvisited valley. She smiled and said, "Of course. It is the work that we have been dedicated to for years. How can we quit halfway?"
"But…" Li Yao blurted, somewhat recklessly. "Professor Mo Xuan only used the 'Tinder Plan' as a disguise."
"I'm afraid that you're wrong. I vaguely have a feeling that Professor Mo Xuan's heart was actually quite self-contradictory. On the surface, he did use the 'Tinder Plan' as a disguise, but it was not entirely unlikely that he wished for the plan to succeed, too," Wei Qingqing said. "Perhaps, Professor Mo Xuan was also caught in the warfare of the dual personality at that time. His personality that was corrupted by the extraterrestrial devil believed that 'human virtualization' was the correct path, but his real personality hoped that mankind could get away from the extraterrestrial devils in a certain way and establish a new world millions of years away.
"In retrospect, if everything had been a disguise, it would've been unnecessary for him to devote so many resources and so much energy to push the 'Tinder Plan' to such an extent.
"The bottom line is, I'm still willing to believe that something wonderful was hidden deep inside Professor Mo Xuan's heart even when he was most corrupted by the extraterrestrial devil. It was because of the flickering wonderfulness that he was able to break free from the extraterrestrial devil's control and regain his original self-awareness, shattering the enemy's scheme.
"Right now, I'm going to bring the 'wonderfulness' of him and all human beings to the universe a long, long way in the future on an amazing journey. Hehe. I almost can't wait anymore!"
"In that case…" Li Yao felt that his nose was itchy. He mumbled, "Sister Qingqing, safe journey. May you drift millions of years away swiftly, encounter a new life, and even create a brand-new civilization."
"Haha. I should hope so!" Wei Qingqing smiled, full of hope. "I would like to travel to the universe millions of years away right now, too. I may encounter all kinds of bizarre lives and civilizations. Some of them may be advanced, some underdeveloped. Some of them may be similar to us, and some may have entirely different life forms, which will make it practically impossible to understand and communicate with them.
"But no matter how difficult it is, I will try to tell them the stories of mankind. I will tell them that such a civilization once existed. I will describe the wonderfulness, pureness, and brightness of mankind and will not avoid the darkness, the evilness, and the ugliness. I will tell them the staggering legends and the soul-stirring heroes. For example, well, the tales of Vulture Li Yao.
"Chances are that the unknown life in millions of years will make a statue for you after hearing your story!"
"Well…" Li Yao blinked hard, finding it hard to imagine what such a picture would look like.
"However, did you know? I actually have a small, selfish dream." Wei Qingqing stared at Li Yao and said, "I hope that when I wake up again, I will not be faced with a cold, dark, and dead universe but one of liveliness and brightness where the civilization of mankind did not perish but joined the 'alliance of arsonists' that you described. I hope that it survives stubbornly on the level of both time and space.
"Of course, mankind will be vastly different from what it is today. Chances are that it will have been completely merged into the 'alliance of arsonists' and changed into bizarre forms.
"Maybe human beings will grow dozens of tentacles by then, or turn into meatballs that can expand or shrink freely, or have completely abandoned their bodies and move around in metal puppets, or have transformed into invisible waves that can travel thousands of lightyears in the blink of an eye through the four-dimensional space.
"But whatever they have become, whatever the social form and the relation between individuals are, they will remember that some of their ancestors fought for something wonderful and precious millions of years ago, and they are willing to fight for those things, too. If I can see such a universe, it will be so great!"
"We will work hard to make such a universe a reality," Li Yao said solemnly.
"Then, keep it up, little brother." Wei Qingqing suddenly extended her hand and touched Li Yao's head.
She did not have a real body, and the so-called 'head-touching' was nothing more than the shaking of some waves.
But Li Yao could clearly sense her temperature and her giggle.
Before Li Yao gathered himself, the light and shadow of Wei Qingqing were already gone. The delicate little bird also landed on the ground slowly and stopped moving, losing all the color that it had before.
Wei Qingqing's soul had left the artificial body and entered 'Tinder One', which was about to be launched.
When 'Tinder One' took off and its colorful exhaust flames danced vigorously inside Li Yao's eyes, Li Yao was still unable to free himself from the feeling of loss.
Touching his head where Wei Qingqing's temperature still lingered, Li Yao suddenly recalled the experience of Helian Lie's daughter.
Nobody was an island entirely of itself. Everyone's fate was like a line that joined each other and outlined the general picture of the entire civilization.
As it was the case for individuals, was it the case for civilizations, too?
The universe was a vast place, but no civilization could live on their own however powerful they might be. They were bound to be influenced by other civilizations and then influence even more civilizations, leaving their mark on the universe in such a way.
Even if the civilization of mankind was truly destroyed one day, the marks that they left behind would affect thousands of future civilizations, creating or changing the fate of countless species.
Whether Wei Qingqing was to see a dark, cold universe or a lively, comfortable one in millions of years' time perhaps truly depended on their hard work today.
So, that was all the more reason to work harder!
Looking at 'Tinder One', which had already turned into a star, Li Yao waved his fist hard.
"It never occurred to me that anyone in the real world would actually cheer themselves up by waving their fist for nothing. You are truly a narcissistic guy," Long Yangjun said from behind him.
"Huh. Why are you here?" Li Yao was rather shocked.
"Please. I've always been here, alright? Wei Qingqing and I spent such a long time in the investigation team for the extraterrestrial devils. As a friend, isn't it perfectly normal for me to see her off?"
Holding her arms an
d leaning against the wall, Long Yangjun rolled her eyes at Li Yao. "You were so attracted to the big sister that you would've neglected Ding Lingdang, too, if she were standing here. It is needless to mention unimportant small fries such as myself."
"Enough of the cr*p. What nonsense are you talking about?"
Frowning, Li Yao eyed Long Yangjun up and down and said suspiciously, "Why do I have a feeling that there is something you want to say to me and that you are not very happy about it?"
"Of course there is something I want to say, and I am not in the best mood!" Long Yangjun said. "You haven't forgotten our deal, have you?"
"Well…"
"You truly have!" Long Yangjun exclaimed.
"How is that possible? However, if you could drop me a hint…"
"I'm talking about the deal we reached in the Nuwa warship, wherein I help you get the Ancient Sages Sector and you will help me repair the Nuwa warship and find the secrets deep inside it with all the available forces of the Star Glory Federation!" Long Yangjun said. "Hey, hey, hey. You can't have forgotten all that and think that I'm here to work in the Star Glory Federation for free, right?"
Li Yao blinked quickly and coughed hard.
Speaking of which, the Nuwa warship in the Ancient Sages Sector was truly one of the most critical parts in the Star Glory Federation's grand strategy.
Although the federation had defeated the Black Wind Fleet, it was still at an absolute disadvantage faced with the two behemoths that were the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance. The only thing that could make up for the gap in the comprehensive national power was the primeval technology under their control.
The primeval technology had two sources, one being Kunlun and the other being the Nuwa warship and the Pangu laboratory deep inside the Ancient Sages Sector. The two sources could be cross-examined and studied together.
It was not hard to estimate that once the intact Nuwa warship and Pangu laboratory below the ice were fully under the federation's control, together with Kunlun, the federation's capability would certainly soar and even undergo a qualitative change.
It would be the trump card for them to compete in the universe.
However, in the past half a year, they had been occupied with the problems left by the Black Wind Fleet. Also, because of the long distance and the harsh sailing routes, the federation had never had enough time and resources to bother with the Ancient Sages Sector, which was deep inside the dark nebula. That was why the issue had been postponed for so long.
After the 'battlefield uprising' of the remaining soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet, the war that had lasted a whole year had finally ended. The federation was finally able to summon the most elite forces and the full resources to dredge the sailing routes in the dark nebula and embrace the Ancient Sages Sector!
It was also the last mission for Li Yao at the edge of the cosmos before he set off to the center of the cosmos to search for Earth.
"Rest assured. How could I possibly forget that?" Li Yao said. "An enormous fleet is being gathered in the federation. The specialists of the primeval civilizations who have spent decades on Kunlun have been summoned. Meng Chixin, Han Baling, Yan Liren, and other fellow Cultivators have dropped their work and are planning their grand return to the Ancient Sages Sector. If everything goes well, we will be able to take off within one month.
"This time, we have the precise information of the sailing routes deep inside the dark nebula and the coordinates of the Ancient Sages Sector. With the support of the advanced cruise technology and starships of the Black Wind Fleet and Firefly, we will definitely be able to return to the Ancient Sages Sector in a year and a half."
Chapter 1885: Changes in the Ancient Sages Sector |
"That's good," Long Yangjun said. "The Ancient Sages Sector was at the critical phase where the contradictions were intensified and conflicts could break anytime. After it lost the twelve top experts and most powerful people, there is no telling what kind of world-shaking changes happened. Although the twelve of us made thorough plans before we left, if we were away for too long, some of the ambitious fellows would certainly rise to fill the vacancy. It is best that we go back as soon as possible and bring the Ancient Sages Sector into the federation's system."
"That's good. As the saying goes, among the blind, the one-eyed man is the king. There's no telling how many ambitious schemers are jumping up and down in the Ancient Sages Sector right now. While those people are as good as nothing, the civilians there will certainly suffer. So, we must seize every second to reach the Ancient Sages Sector sooner!"
Li Yao could not have agreed with Long Yangjun's opinion more. After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Right, after we really reach the Ancient Sages Sector and excavate the Nuwa warship, you will have to release your identity to the public sooner or later, won't you?
"You have witnessed what kind of country the federation is with your own eyes. My own integrity is definitely unquestionable, too. Nobody here will dissect and slice you for study. What are you still worried about?"
Long Yangjun smiled and said, "Fine. You have honored your word and never exposed my real identity all the way here. So, I can assure you now that as soon as the Nuwa warship is excavated in one piece and the problems about the Pangu laboratory are resolved, I will tell you and the world my identity and destiny.
"As of right now…"
A hint of confusion beamed out of her eyes as she mumbled, "I have recalled a lot of things, but they are all mottled pieces. I need some critical information to connect them and figure out my real… destiny."
Looking at her slightly confused face, Li Yao could not help but have a weird feeling.
Although he was the opposite of Long Yangjun in terms of appearance, background, or gender, he still felt that the elite warrior of the Nuwa civilization from hundreds of thousands of years ago was very similar to him.
Looking at her, he felt that he was looking at himself in a mirror.
Everybody had a destiny. Perhaps the aim of their life was to find and accomplish their destiny. Long Yangjun was approaching her destiny step by step. But what was his destiny exactly?
Earth. My Earth…
Li Yao shook his head hard, waving the blue planet into broken ripples.
His journey had only just begun. It was not the time to consider Earth yet. He might as well focus his attention on the Ancient Sages Sector deep inside the dark nebula first.
The war against the Black Wind Fleet had taken too much time after all. Even if they were lucky, almost two years would have passed by the time they returned to the Ancient Sages Sector again.
What kind of changes could have taken place in the Ancient Sages Sector in two years when all the dominators were gone?
…
On Angry Fire Mountain in the Mystic Sun State in the Ancient Sages Sector…
The Mystic Sun State was at the center of the Great Qian Dynasty's territory, the heart of the hundred and eight states in the world. It had been renowned as a transportation hub for a hundred counties since ancient times. It was also one of the most prosperous and wealthy agricultural areas besides the convenient transportation, which further added to its military significance. Countless dynasties had risen from this place at the beginning.
However, at the northwest border of the Mystic Sun State, Angry Fire Mountain was vastly different from the plateau that was only one river away.
Angry Fire Mountain was almost ten thousand meters high, surrounded by steep, harsh mountains that stabbed into the clouds hundreds of square kilometers around. The valleys among the mountains had bottomless cracks that seemed to be leading to the deepest level of hell.
From those cracks, surging red smoke spurted out all year around, keeping a high temperature in the local area. When people observed from the plateau, they would inevitably feel that the whole mountain was on fire. That was how the mountain got its name.
Because of the harsh environment and the various kinds of ferocious animals of the fire
class living deep inside the valleys and the fiery clouds, the place was respected as one of the most dangerous locations in the entire Ancient Sages Sector. Not only were the common folk reluctant to pass the area without a good reason, even the low-level Cultivators had also to be highly vigilant when they were in the area. One moment of carelessness, and they would be absorbed into the fiery clouds and swallowed by the ferocious beasts. Even their ashes would not be left.
However, that was all the history a few years back.
Two years ago, Angry Fire Mountain, known as one of the ten most dangerous locations of the Ancient Sages Sector, had been trespassed on. Most of the ferocious animals of the fire class had either been killed or driven away. The rest of them had been implanted with barriers and runes, turning into domesticated animals at the service of the Cultivators.
On the cracks that were shooting out the fiery spiritual energy at the bottom of the earth incessantly, countless rune arrays had been established. Not only did they lower the temperature of the local area to an acceptable level for ordinary people, such rune arrays could also absorb the fiery spiritual energy and transform it into ever-changing, mysterious fire for tempering, explosives that were invincible in wars, or various hot springs.
Even the strengthless common folk could grow into muscular fighters if they strengthened their body by soaking in the hot spring for a long time.
Ever since then, Angry Fire Mountain had become livelier with each passing day.
Flying boats shipped towers and pavilions from all directions. More than ten floating mountains were even stopped at the above of Angry Fire Mountain. A rather splendid town was almost established in the middle of the mountain.
Outside of the town, almost ten huge military camps had been set up. Brawny men from everywhere were joining the army every day. Almost ten thousand torches as thick as the thigh of a bull were consumed on a daily basis, illuminating the vast Angry Fire Mountain into a sleepless city. The clinks of blades and the roars of men could be heard every night.
