by <unknown>
"I was wrong, Mom. I've destroyed this world. What should I do, Mom?
"If I can escape, I won't make the same mistake again. I won't trust them anymore. Mom, I won't be a Cultivator anymore. I'll be an avenger and seek revenge for you! Mom, I swear that I will kill all the people who hurt you!"
"S-Silly…"
Then, Li Yao heard the owner of the hands speak intermittently, "It's true that you made a lot of mistakes, but don't go from one extremity to the other. Cultivators and ordinary people are human beings alike, and they make as many mistakes as we do.
"The most important thing is not to lose faith in mankind and not to hate them. This world can be saved. Don't give up the path of the Cultivators however difficult it is.
"Remember, Ah Qi, there… there are no shortcuts. Anything that looks like a shortcut will lead you astray. They will…"
The warm voice came to an abrupt halt, and the rough hands slipped off from his face. Tears, mixed with the rain, made the ordinary people that were charging at him look like black tides, which swallowed him and shattered him.
"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh!"
The young Wuying Qi screamed in pain.
Li Yao quivered and realized the meaning of the memory.
It must've been when Wuying Qi was still in the Martial Meritocrats Sector before it was destroyed by a civil war.
The owner of the warm voice who died in his arms must be his mother.
Yes, what had escaped Li Yao's attention was that Wuying Qi also had a mother.
Considering what Wuying Qi did when he was young, his mother must've been a standard Cultivator, if not an overly pedantic and moralistic one.
So, had Li Yao's song raised Li Jialing's feelings for his mother, or had it awakened Wuying Qi's memories for his mother that had been buried for hundreds of years, leading to the collapse of his belief as an Immortal Cultivator?
It was truly a lucky shot.
This memory piece was particularly long and particularly blurry. It started from when Wuying Qi was caught by mobsters in a stormy night, to when he was interrogated for the Cultivators' last secrets, and ended with Wuying Qi being tied up and thrown into a burning volcano. The picture was frozen in his panic, desperation, fury, and regret when he fell from the crater.
Then, Li Yao realized something.
His consciousness had been stuck in this frozen memory palace, and he couldn't go out!
He was like an invisible shadow that flew above the crater, but there was no way he could get rid of the memory.
The mobsters around the crater and the young Wuying Qi who had fallen were all unmoving statues that couldn't offer any help.
He barely encountered such a creepy thing even when he absorbed Ou Yezi's memory pieces. Wherever he sprinted at, he would be bounced back as if he had run into cotton.
"Seriously?"
Li Yao's head was dizzy. "Have I been killed by Wuying Qi's self-detonation near his death, and we're now going to hell hand in hand?
"No wonder I'm viewing Wuying Qi's lifelong memories. You're exactly expected to reflect on your life in the moment of your death!
"Please don't! A smart and awesome superhero is dying after just saving the world? This is so unfair and unreasonable!
"I must get away from Wuying Qi's near-death reflections!"
Right when Li Yao was anxiously gritting his teeth to run out, he heard a gloomy voice from his back, which had been utterly silent until now.
"Thank you, Li Yao."
The voice made Li Yao's pupils constrict. The hair all over his body was standing up.
It was Wuying Qi's voice!
Chapter 2653: Wuying Qi 3.0 |
Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!
Li Yao's neck uttered rusty noises as he turned back inch by inch. He immediately saw another transparent person floating not far away. Who else could it have been if not the haunting Wuying Qi?
However, Wuying Qi felt like an entirely different person from a moment ago.
He was wearing a white robe, and the cruelty and domination on his face were gone. He stared at his younger self and the mobsters who were throwing him into the volcano, but his eyes were calm and clear, as if he had come to new realizations.
He was floating in the middle of the smoke above the crater. Yet he seemed to be beyond this world and in full possession of this weird memory palace.
He was giving Li Yao the same feeling as Li Linghai did when Li Yao and Li Linghai met for the first time. They were both tranquil and untainted.
It did make sense. Wuying Qi was a half teacher for Li Linghai, so Li Linghai must've learned after him. This image should always be a facet of his mind.
For some reason, Li Yao was not wary of such a Wuying Qi at all, nor did he sense any danger from him.
Even so, Li Yao still freaked out. "Are you kidding me, bro? Why can't you just die? How many times have you transformed? Which between us is the undying cockroach here?"
Faced with Li Yao's aggression, Wuying Qi simply chuckled and said casually, "Li Yao, listen to my—"
Before he said "explanation", his shadow had been torn apart by Li Yao's.
"I won't! I won't! I won't!"
Li Yao cackled and said, "You're still stalling me at such a point? You can beat me and even kill me, but you can't insult my wisdom like this!"
However, however many times he tore Wuying Qi's shadow into shreds, it did not cause any substantial damage to Wuying Qi, who simply regathered again and again and still gazed at Li Yao calmly.
Nobody could win a fight between two shadows in a memory palace.
"This is impossible!"
Li Yao was dumbfounded. "What is this place? What is such a technique? What am I doing? What are you going to do, jacka*s?"
"Stop wasting your precious time and strength. You can't kill me in here, because I'm already dead, or rather, I'm in the middle of dying. Even someone as strong as Blackstar the Great can't die twice."
Wuying Qi said casually, "We're in my—no, in your brain. I'll inject some of my memories into your head with my last soul power. What you're perceiving is nothing but illusionary data. How can you expect to kill data?
"I've temporarily sealed this space, which is the last thing I could do by burning up my Divinity Branching Stage soul. How can it be broken easily? But don't worry. This seal will automatically perish when my soul is gone for good.
"I mean you no harm. I've truly lost the competition. More struggles will only mean more jokes. Dragging you to hell with me is pointless. I'm burning my soul to do this because I want to say something to you without being interrupted and to offer you my final legacy."
"Well…"
Li Yao blinked his eyes quickly and scanned Wuying Qi who was almost transparent. "Has your IQ suddenly plummeted, or has mine? Is this really not some kind of delay strategy?
"You say that you're dying. If I recall correctly, you were killed by my singing. But you're thanking me and giving me some legacies of Blackstar the Great? That's highly illogical, bro!"
"When you learn the truth in the morning, you can die in peace at night. I've understood the real truth, and my life is completed by the momentary realization. Does it really matter if I'm going to die 0.1 seconds later?"
Wuying Qi smiled at Li Yao. "My realization couldn't have been achieved without you. You also helped me get rid of Wuying Qi. I certainly have to thank you.
"Besides, my life and death are not important compared to my destiny. I need someone to pass on my belief. Is there a better candidate than you right now?"
"Hold on a second!"
Li Yao was rather stunned. No longer wondering whether or not it was another of Wuying Qi's tricks, he simply asked, "What did you say just now? I helped you get rid of Wuying Qi? Aren't you Wuying Qi?"
"Yes."
Wuying Qi nodded. "Of course I am Wuying Qi."
"You are Wuying Qi, but I helped you get rid of Wuying Qi, and you're thanking me for that?"
Li Yao was utterly
confused. "How many Wuying Qis are out there?"
"At least three."
Wuying Qi pointed at the young man in the volcano and said, "The first Wuying Qi was the person who grew up in the Martial Meritocrats Sector, who crazily believed in the path of Cultivators, and who eventually caused a civil war between Cultivators and ordinary people because he thought that Cultivators carried some sort of 'original sin'. Let's call him 'Wuying Qi 1.0'. Can you understand it?"
Li Yao rolled his eyes and nodded.
"The second one is the Wuying Qi who witnessed the destruction of the Martial Meritocrats civilization, who luckily found the Blood God's heritage in space, and who usurped the highest power of the Star Ocean Republic as Blackstar the Great."
Wuying Qi said, "He's also the Wuying Qi who intended to reign mankind forever with the Next Sun Plan and who tried to destroy the whole Empyreal Terminus Sector when he couldn't achieve his purpose. Let's call this dark and evil man 'Wuying Qi 2.0', shall we?"
"Well, of course."
Although it was not easy to understand, Li Yao grasped what he meant.
With the destruction of the Martial Meritocrats Sector and the rebirth in the volcano as the boundary, Wuying Qi's life could be divided into two personalities that were the polar opposite of each other.
The first personality was an absolute fundamentalist Cultivator, and the second personality was a super Immortal Cultivator who was consumed by the darkness.
However, what was this third Wuying Qi, or Wuying Qi's third personality?
"There's also a 'Wuying Qi 3.0', who believes in the 'Next Sun Plan' and that he's fighting for mankind, and who will stop in time and even try to stop Wuying Qi 2.0 when he realizes that his crazy action will jeopardize the interest of mankind."
Wuying Qi smiled. "That will be me, a Wuying Qi that was just born but is the purest, noblest, and most selfless one."
Li Yao stared at the man for a long time, dumbfounded.
"Well, not that I'm unwilling to believe you."
Li Yao said with disbelief, "But isn't such a show of 'regret and change' too cliche? How stupid would I be if I am to believe that someone as shameless, unforgivable, and vindictive as Wuying Qi could generate a kind and noble personality? Sorry, I'm not insulting you. Well, fine, I am, because it's impossible after all!"
"That's fine. Nobody would've believed in my third personality, because Wuying Qi 2.0 is truly an unpardonable and incorrigible beast."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said peacefully, "When he escaped from the Martial Meritocrats Sector, his mind was swallowed by hatred, which turned him into a selfish demon who loathed mankind.
"Then, he met the Blood God who shared his attitude but was even eviler. How could the two demons produce a savior who fought for the civilization?
"Both 'renewing the Imperium' and 'Next Sun Plan' were excuses for him to reclaim power and reign the universe forever. He had never believed in them for one second.
"So, this third personality was not created naturally by his conscience, but created on purpose."
"Huh?"
Li Yao's mouth widened. "What do you mean by 'created on purpose'?"
"Wuying Qi 2.0 mastered the method of massive brainwashing, but to brainwash other people, he had to convince other people of his genuineness first. So, he had to brainwash himself and implant his faith for the 'Next Sun Plan' and his love for mankind and things like that in his head."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "Just like you said earlier, the best liars have to deceive themselves first. If they can't convince themselves, how can they convince other people? So, Wuying Qi specifically implanted an indestructible mark in his soul, ready to trigger the Next Sun Plan with the mark.
"He thought that he had the mark under control and that he could wipe it out after his plan worked. But he was wrong. He underestimated the power of his technique. A new personality was created by him unintentionally, which is me, Wuying Qi 3.0."
Dumbfounded, Li Yao thought for a long time and finally figured it out. "Wait, wait, I think it's too much for me to understand. Let me rephrase it in a plainer way.
"You're saying that the evil Wuying Qi intended to fool everybody in the world, but to fool them, he had to fool himself into thinking that he was truly a world savior. However, he worked too hard when he fooled himself, and he actually convinced himself of the idea. So, you were created?"
"That's a rather vulgar statement, but yes."
Wuying Qi 3.0 nodded solemnly. "That's exactly what happened. I'm not the unpardonable, selfish, and unfaithful demon. I'm the ultimate Wuying Qi who has seen the most extreme kindness and who has created the most extreme evilness in the past thousand years. I have understood everything, and my belief is unbreakable!"
Chapter 2654: The War Between 2.0 and 3.0! |
"Wow, incredible!"
Greatly enlightened, Li Yao applauded and said, "So, apart from Wuying Qi 1.0, Blackstar the Great actually has double personalities just like me, one righteous and the other evil. Or rather, one mild and the other extreme.
"All the unforgivable bad things, like detonating the sun to make the Empyreal Terminus Sector die with him, were done by the evil, extreme Wuying Qi and had nothing to do with the righteous, mild Wuying Qi. So, you do not need to be held responsible at all… Could you be more shameless?"
However tranquil Wuying Qi 3.0 was, there was still embarrassment on his face after Li Yao said that. He snorted and said, "Believe it or not, the truth is right before your eyes. Do you really think a minor cockroach and a random warrior from the primeval age could've resisted Blackstar the Great? If Wuying Qi 3.0 hadn't fought Wuying Qi 2.0 determinedly and distracted 90% of his strength and computational abilities, do you think you could've won so easily?"
"Well…"
Li Yao was rather suspicious. "Are you serious?"
"Of course. Your scheme couldn't have fooled Wuying Qi 2.0 if he were undisturbed."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said casually, "It seemed that you confessed everything honestly, including your plan and the rough coordinates of the Star Glory Federation. You even submitted the half key to the Supreme Emperor's mausoleum. However, I could've obtained them even if you did not volunteer to confess.
"The trap under the disguise of another trap on Li Jialing was the simplest trick. It was absolutely illogical that you brought Li Jialing to the capital planet. Something was definitely wrong. As long as you keep that in mind, you wouldn't be fooled at all.
"If Wuying Qi 2.0 were alone, he would've reached a reasonable conclusion in half a second and killed you and Long Yangjun mercilessly without giving you any time to talk.
"But you were lucky. Really, too lucky. The critical moment of the Next Sun Plan was also the moment when the war between Wuying Qi 2.0 and Wuying Qi 3.0 was most heated, which occupied 90% of my computational abilities. That was why I misjudged again and again and eventually got killed by you."
Li Yao was stunned again for a long time.
"You're suggesting that—"
Frowning, he said, "The Blackstar the Great we resisted had actually been in serious mental dissociation all the time, and his two split personalities were fighting. As a result, he, or you, could only wield 10% of his strength and computation ability. But even so, we were still almost defeated by you?"
"That's right."
Wuying Qi 3.0 admitted frankly, "You only managed to defeat 10% of Wuying Qi 2.0 because I distracted 90% of him."
"…"
Taking a deep breath, Li Yao said to Wuying Qi 3.0 in amazement, "I've crushed too many supervillains, and many of them made nasty remarks after their failure. But I have to say that I've never seen anyone bragging as refreshingly and creatively as you!"
"I understand your meaning, but I'm only speaking the truth without any exaggeration."
Wuying Qi 3.0 smiled. "Also, I'm not claiming all the credit. I admit that you were the key to the battle and even my lifesaver."
"Huh?"
Li Yao was baffled. "If you defeate
d 90% of Wuying Qi 2.0, why was I the key and your lifesaver?"
"It was thanks to your 'tricks' that I finally defeated Wuying Qi 2.0. It's even safe to say that I wasn't really born, transforming from a manually-made 'pseudo personality' into a real personality and even a dominating main personality, until you played your tricks!"
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "I had been subjected to Wuying Qi 2.0 and was only an ignorant existence. Although I knew his evilness and the truth of the Next Sun Plan, there was nothing I could do except harassing him now and then. It's like the occasional pain in the bad guys' hearts when they do bad things.
"However, when you tossed the two Cosmos Rings that stored the Colossi to Wuying Qi 2.0, and he clenched them to damage them, his belief completely collapsed. No, it made me realize that he was just a weakling without any belief and that I was the real Wuying Qi with pure faith. That's how I was upgraded!
"I had to say that your plan was a complete success. Although Wuying Qi 2.0 destroyed the retrieval rune arrays of your Cosmos Rings, making it impossible for you to summon your Colossi, it also exposed his weakness and his lack of confidence in his charisma and appeal. How could he have defeated me if he did not trust himself?
"So, during that moment, I completely got rid of Wuying Qi 2.0's control and gained powerful self-willing, raising Wuying Qi's soul to an unprecedented level, which is Wuying Qi 3.0!
"To some extent, you're my creator, or at the very least, you are the pusher for my birth. How can I not thank you and give part of Wuying Qi's legacy to you?"
Li Yao was rendered speechless for a long time.
"So… mysterious?" he murmured.
"Not at all."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "In the jargon of the ancient Cultivators, Wuying Qi had a new understanding during the battle against you and reached a higher level, and his soul went through drastic changes. Is it easier for you to understand now?"
"Well, maybe."
Li Yao finally closed his mouth that had been opened for a long time. He thought for a moment and said, "Fine, if this is really your delay strategy, I'll admit my failure. What you said is truly interesting.
