by <unknown>
"So, the evil Wuying Qi 2.0 has been replaced by you and is completely gone?"
"Not exactly. I only said that I got rid of him, not that I destroyed him."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said, "I'm his mental devil, and he is mine. How can you destroy your mental devil so easily?"
"What?"
Li Yao grew nervous again. He glanced around warily and asked, "Where is he? He's not going to suddenly jump on my back, is he?"
"Rest assured. We're alone here. I've already kicked the annoyance away."
Wuying Qi 3.0 paused for a moment and said, "To be more exact, he left voluntarily. No matter how strong he used to be, he is always a coward without belief. He's scared of you, who is shameless and sleazy, but determined. He dare not break into your brain at all, so he chose Li Jialing.
"During the moment of the self-detonation, we completely split apart. I entered your head, and he entered Li Jialing's.
"The three… The four of us have all absorbed the power of the Imperial Fire Pearl. Yes, the Imperial Fire Pearl was complete at the beginning, but I knocked down a piece and gave the rest to you so that our souls could be subconsciously coordinated when we trained with the Imperial Fire Pearl.
"People of different blood types cannot transmit blood to each other. Souls have their 'type' too, which is much more complicated than blood type. However, the Imperial Fire Pearl could reduce the differences of our souls and increase the odds of a successful possession."
"Are you kidding me?"
Greatly shocked, Li Yao meant to grab Wuying Qi 3.0's collar and shake him, but he caused nothing but ripples between the two shadows. "You waited such a long time to tell me such an important thing? What are you going to do to Jialing? Just leave him alone already!"
"It has nothing to do with me. It's only about him, the idiotic Wuying Qi 2.0."
Wuying Qi 3.0 looked at Li Yao, undisturbed. "Why so anxious? Do you have no confidence in Li Jialing at all? Do you not believe that he can resist and even swallow the remains of Wuying Qi 2.0 with his own power now that he's awakened?
"Rest assured, Li Jialing will be fine. When he was possessed, I had a close contact with his soul. His potential is greater than anyone's imagination. His soul is so brilliant and perfect, and it's nothing like your messy, jumbled, and abnormal soul.
"What about Wuying Qi 2.0? Weakling. From the beginning to the end, he has always been a hilarious and pitiful weakling. He got the Blood God's heritage by luck, which granted him enormous strength but not a powerful mind. Under the seemingly invulnerable shell, he's but a soft caterpillar deep down in his soul.
"How can such a Wuying Qi 2.0 possess Li Jialing again when he only has broken pieces of his soul? In my opinion, he will only humiliate himself again when he struggles to survive. In the end, he will still die in the most shameful way. Even his memories, experience, and strength might be swallowed by Li Jialing!"
Chapter 2655: Ultimate Benevolence Is Not Right! |
"Cut the crap!"
Li Yao was too concerned about Li Jialing to be convinced by Wuying Qi 3.0 easily. The man looked agreeable a moment ago, but Li Yao felt that his white robe was even more dreadful than the evil version with the black fog. "What are you doing exactly? Set me free!"
"Don't be hasty. Like I said, this memory palace will collapse when the moment comes."
Wuying Qi 3.0 said calmly, "Besides, what can you do even if you go out? The competition of beliefs is too dangerous. Nobody can help Li Jialing right now. Your belief is not his. He can only weather through it with his own willpower.
"As to what we're trying to do… I estimate that Wuying Qi 2.0 is only looking for an heir for himself at the end of his life, just like I am.
"So, why don't you hear me out before you make a choice? You don't strike me as such an impatient man!"
"Enough of the bulls*it. I can listen to you, but you have to answer my question first!"
Staring at Wuying Qi 3.0, Li Yao thought for a moment and asked, "What status are you in right now? Are you a Cultivator or an Immortal Cultivator?"
"While I do not agree with such an oversimplified way of classification, if I have to choose between the two…"
Wuying Qi 3.0 said with a smile, "I think I've finally returned to where I started after all the things I've been through, and I'm now a Cultivator again."
"Oh? Is that so?"
Li Yao looked at him suspiciously. "Are you sure?"
"Very positive. Probably nobody in the whole universe is as certain as me."
Wuying Qi 3.0 heaved a long sigh. "The path of the Cultivators sometimes results in the waste of resources, but the path of the Immortal Cultivators is even more severely flawed, because my purpose when I created it was impure. It can only serve as an expedience but cannot guide a civilization to sail against the incessant tides in the universe.
"I was wrong, Li Yao. My experience in the past thousand years has made me realize how selfish and naive I was. I am truly unpardonable!"
"Well…"
Li Yao scratched his chin suspiciously. "You sound rather sincere. That's the right attitude!"
"Of course I'm sincere. This is the ultimate answer that I've reached after I dissected and analyzed my thoughts and my mind."
Wuying Qi 3.0's eyes were so clear that they were almost invisible. "Rest assured. I'm totally different from Wuying Qi 2.0. He intends to disseminate the true path of immortality to every corner of the universe with the Gold Crystal Pyramid and the enhancement of the star, thereby reigning mankind forever. Even I abhor him!
"I've truly repented and changed! Now, I'm sincere, selfless, and righteous, and I consider things for the overall interest of mankind. When I was awakened, I immediately realized how hilarious and shameless I used to be!
"The Gold Crystal Pyramid was a piece of precious stellar-level magic equipment, and the true path of immortality is a wrong, inferior thought! To launch the true path of immortality with the Gold Crystal Pyramid is a crime to mankind and to the future!"
"That's right! That's right! Well said!"
Li Yao slapped his thigh and laughed. "Look, you have truly understood a lot of things. If you had realized it earlier, we wouldn't have needed to fight at all, and we could've created a beautiful tomorrow for mankind together, didn't we?"
"You don't say! Thankfully, you and I managed to stop Wuying Qi 2.0's evil 'Next Sun Plan'."
Wuying Qi 3.0 also smiled sincerely. "Now, it's time to optimize the Next Sun Plan so that it can play a better role for mankind. The Gold Crystal Pyramid is too precious to send the evil and wrong ideas of the Immortal Cultivators to mankind. It should inoculate the righteous ideas of the Cultivators in everyone!"
Li Yao's smile was frozen, as if a heavy brick had just been smashed at his face.
"What did you say?"
Li Yao's face was twisting. "What do you want?"
"It's not about me, but you."
Wuying Qi 3.0 blinked at Li Yao and smiled. "It's now or never! You won't have a second chance! Li Yao, haven't you always wished to spread the ideas of the Cultivators to the whole universe so that mankind can share peace and prosperity under the light of Cultivators. Now is your best opportunity!
"Blackstar the Great is about to die, but the Gold Crystal Pyramid is not destroyed. If it could be used to send wrong thoughts, it can certainly be used to send correct ideas too. I'll teach you the ways to operate and even modify the Gold Crystal Pyramid. The precious knowledge will all be yours. You can benefit mankind with it and bring infinite brightness to them!"
Sacred and pure brightness beamed out of Wuying Qi's white robe.
Yet such a glorious image was even creepier than the Wuying Qi who was shrouded in blood and fog for Li Yao.
Li Yao couldn't help but step back away, and he was still terrorized. He finally realized something. Why was he so stupid enough to believe that Wuying Qi could change? This Wuying Qi 3.0 was the evilest Wuying Qi of all!
"Are you indicating that I should
inherit your cause and continue brainwashing mankind?"
Li Yao murmured, "That's impossible. I would never do that. If I really do that, would I be any different from you?"
"Of course you are different. How can this be brainwashing?"
Wuying Qi 3.0 smiled. "The true path of immortality is wrong and evil. Wuying Qi was atrocious and heinous when he tried to inculcate evil thoughts in everyone.
"However, the path of the Cultivators is correct, righteous, bright, and kind, isn't it? You admit that, don't you? You're willing to defend it with your life, aren't you?
"If so, how can sharing your correct, righteous, bright, kind, pure, great, and benevolent ideas with the public to improve the moral level of the whole civilization, finish the Immortal Cultivators with the minimal cost, and reilluminate the universe with the light of Cultivators be called brainwashing?
"Don't be nervous, and there's no need to be so vigilant. Like I said, technology and tools are neutral. A blade can both be used to kill and to save people, depending on who's holding it. Isn't it the same for the Gold Crystal Pyramid? When it's in the hands of Wuying Qi, it would destroy a civilization; but if it's in the hands of a great hero like you, it will be a marvelous tool to save the civilization, isn't it?" said Wuying Qi 3.0 casually with a smile.
Li Yao, however, felt that he had been frozen. He could not say anything.
"Fine. I know that the precious 'legacy' is too unexpected. It's totally understandable that you can't accept it for the time being."
Wuying Qi 3.0 floated toward Li Yao, and Li Yao could not keep the distance between them no matter how he stepped back. Eventually, he haunted Li Yao's shadow and whispered to his ears, "Do you want to hear my life story?"
"No! Never!"
Though he was only a shadow, Li Yao was still creeped out. "Would you please go away? Two men shouldn't be so intimate, alright?
"I do not want to hear your life story. Nor am I interested in your worthless legacy. If you really consider yourself a 'righteous and kindhearted Wuying Qi', why don't you just die in peace and stop annoying me?"
"Hehe…"
Wuying Qi 3.0 did slightly separate from him. With the same casual but vicious smile on his face, he seemed to have seen through everything. "How can you learn the history between the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God, the secrets of the origin of the Covenant Alliance, the location of the Supreme Emperor's mausoleum, and the way to become the master of the Gold Crystal Pyramid if you don't want to listen to my life story?"
"Wait, I'm truly interested in the first few things, but why would I become the master of the Gold Crystal Pyramid?"
His eyes bloodshot, Li Yao breathed heavily and gnashed his teeth as he said, "The Gold Crystal Pyramid is too evil to be controlled by a human. The first thing I'm going to do after I wake up is to demolish it!
"So, just drop it! No matter how you deceive me or make deals with me with your secrets, I won't become the master of the Gold Crystal Pyramid. Never!"
"Deceive? Deals? You're wrong, Li Yao."
Wuying Qi 3.0 looked down at him, with the domination of Blackstar the Great again. "I do not need to deceive or make deals with you. In fact, if you calm down and think about it, you will volunteer to become the master of the Gold Crystal Pyramid. You'll even beg me to teach you how to control the Gold Crystal Pyramid and to give you the remainder of the Book of Revelation. But rest assured, we're both fellow Cultivators. I will tell you everything without you begging. After all, you've done me a favor, and this is for the civilization of mankind."
"It's true that old habits die hard."
Li Yao snorted and said, "You're trying to brainwash me even when you're dying? I'm rather interested in finding out how I would voluntarily become the master of the Gold Crystal Pyramid. Come on, whatever trick you may have, just bring it on!"
Chapter 2656: The Demon Within the Gold Crystal Pyramid |
"No, I'm not 'brainwashing' anybody. I'm just helping you see the fact."
Wuying Qi 3.0's lips curled. His face and his robe were full of ash, making him seem rather dirty. "Oh, maybe I do not need to help you at all. With your wisdom and your insight on the darkness of humanity, you should've foreseen your destiny, right?"
"You made use of such shameless methods, so you must have a clear understanding about the vileness of mankind. You know that you have no choice except to become the master of the Gold Crystal Pyramid. But you're unwilling to face the pathetic fact. Am I right, Li Yao?"
Li Yao's shadow was obviously shaking, like a reflection in a pond that had been just broken by a pebble.
"I have no idea what you're talking about!"
Li Yao gnashed his teeth and said, "I won't become the master of the Gold Crystal Pyramid. I will destroy it. I will… destroy it."
"No, you won't. You will seize it, study it, upgrade it, and turn it into the last defense line between the Imperium and the federation, between the Immortal Cultivators and the Cultivators, to defend your motherland and your belief."
Wuying Qi 3.0 smiled more and more brilliantly, with the volcanic ash dancing around him like butterflies. "It's your only chance, as well as your only leverage to bargain with people like Lei Chenghu. You know it. You always know it.
"You don't have a choice. You are different from Lei Chenghu, Li Linghai, Jin Yuyan, and the thousands of Immortal Cultivators at the center of the cosmos right now. When Blackstar the Great exists, you may hold back your disagreement and work together, but all of you know that your cooperation won't last. The moment Blackstar the Great collapses, the alliance of the Cultivators and the Immortal Cultivators will fall apart. You're destined to fight among yourselves!
"Even if you never mean to kill Lei Chenghu, Li Linghai, or Jin Yuyan, and they will never turn against you because you've done them many favors, what about the other Immortal Cultivators?
"Now, it is no longer a secret that you are a Cultivator from a Cultivators' nation called Star Glory Federation at the border of the cosmos. No matter how you try to cover it up, more and more Immortal Cultivators will know it. How can you guarantee that those Immortal Cultivators won't invade your motherland?
"Even if people like Lei Chenghu, Li Linghai, and Jin Yuyan are rational and friendly enough, will they never change? Will they control the Imperium forever? If they change or die, how will the new-generation Immortal Cultivators view the Star Glory Federation? Will they feel that it might turn into a threat to the Imperium?
"Hehe, you know very well that your motherland can't expect to resist the Imperium of True Human Beings in a head-on clash in the next five hundred years. The resources at the border of the cosmos are limited anyway. I don't think you can keep your speed of development, can you?
"So, faced with the Imperium of True Human Beings which is gargantuan and unpredictable, what else can serve as the Star Glory Federation's first and last defense line except the Gold Crystal Pyramid, a dagger stabbed in the heart of the Imperium?
"So, only by threatening the Imperium with the Gold Crystal Pyramid to reach a certain 'balance of mutual deterrence', will peace be realized between the Imperium and the federation. If you destroy the Gold Crystal Pyramid, how are you going to 'persuade' the ferocious and cold-hearted Immortal Cultivators? With your sincerity, your kindness, or your nasty singing?"
Li Yao was lost for words and thought hard.
"Also, it's not just about the Star Glory Federation; it's also about the path of the Cultivators that is of paramount importance for you."
Wuying Qi 3.0 extended his hand and gathered a mouthful of ash before he blew the gray butterflies at Li Yao. He smiled and said, "You are a real Cultivator, a firm and determined warrior. So, you couldn't have cooperated with Lei Chenghu and Li Linghai purely to destroy Blackstar the Great, could you? That would've been one demon replacing another.
"Li Linghai's ideas to renew the Imperium and to bring justice and fairness to everyone and Lei Chenghu's faith in the honor of soldiers were the keys that moti
vated you. You were convinced that, under the leadership of Li Linghai and Lei Chenghu, the rotten Imperium will be reborn and move to a brighter future, where most ordinary people will live a better life, and the Cultivators like you can subtly change the nature of the Imperium in the process.
"That's the reason why you could keep your belief as a Cultivator while cooperating with Lei Chenghu and rescuing Li Linghai.
"It's a nice plan, but how are you going to carry it out?
"How can you guarantee that Li Linghai will fulfill her promise? How can you guarantee that Lei Chenghu will be a soldier who fights for the civilization? And how can you guarantee that their 'reform' will go as you wish?
"What if they regret later? What if they are reluctant to liberate the hominoids living below the ground on the capital planet? What if Lei Chenghu is going to sacrifice thousands of ordinary people for a certain purpose? How are you going to supervise and stop them?
"The Gold Crystal Pyramid is the only way, isn't it? You know very well that, only by controlling the Gold Crystal Pyramid, a piece of magic equipment that can destroy the capital, will you and other Cultivators be able to participate in the renewal of the Imperium as a supervisor with the highest authority.
"You can certainly destroy the Gold Crystal Pyramid under the spur of the moment, but if so, the Cultivators will lose the only weapon to contain the Immortal Cultivators. What are you going to do if the Immortal Cultivators slaughter hominoids again? Rescue them one by one?
"Just wake up, Li Yao. Stop fooling yourself and escaping from the dilemma. This is your responsibility. This is your destiny. This is the most glorious power that belongs to you! You have to let all the Immortal Cultivators know that you can destroy the whole Empyreal Terminus Sector and that you will unhesitatingly do so with a heart of iron if need be.
"Only by doing so can you intimidate all the Immortal Cultivators, secure your tiny federation under the pressure of the Imperium, ensure that the reform of the Imperium goes according to your plan, and rescue the hominoids who are still suffering!"
