Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Some of the cells inside my body have reverted to the form of my ancestors’ cells billions of years ago. With the help of the ‘primeval cells’, it’s only natural that I can activate more powerful techniques right now!

Li Yao had once trained with ‘Iron God’ Yan Ba, a body fundamentalist. The methodology of the body fundamentalists was to wake up the ‘primeval force’ inside one’s body!

Before, as a refiner, Li Yao had found it hard to understand why anybody would fight with their body stupidly while ignoring the powerful magical equipment.

Right now, he finally understood that the training path of the body fundamentalists was very similar to that of the demons. They were all trying to force themselves to enter a certain ‘atavism’ state so that the primeval force inside their body could be awakened.

However, the body fundamentalists paid more attention to the build-up of the soul, whereas the demons were more interested in the transformation of cells.

So, there are no ‘demonized cells’ at all. The so-called ‘demonized cells’ are just normal cells in their primeval state after going through atavism.

Here comes the questions. If the ‘demonized cells’ are actually ‘primeval cells’, then what are demons exactly?

It was stated clearly in the history books of the Star Glory Federation that the demon race was a biochemical weapon brewed based on animals during the first civil war of Cultivators at the end of the ancient Cultivation world forty thousand years ago.

Right now, Li Yao completely discarded such a theory.

The question was going to be a headache if he dug into it deeper. Li Yao felt that his head was dizzy, and fatigue swallowed him like a tide.

He knew that he could not allow himself to fall asleep under billions of tons of rocks. Gritting his teeth, he activated part of the recessive genes inside the cells of his left arm, transforming it into the form of scales and claws again, while he dug upwards.

BOOM!

After more than ten minutes, the slightly collapsed ground erupted with mud and dust like a volcano. Li Yao jumped out after a long roar, and he floated in midair as he gazed at the ground, which was now a mess.

The Blood Demon Sector had a rough environment. The air there was not suitable for human beings. A layer of dense venomous gas seemed to be flowing all the time. Before, Li Yao had constantly been dealing with it.

But now, his lungs, which had been strengthened by the primeval cells, were not uncomfortable at all when he breathed the ‘venomous gas’. If anything, he even felt that it was almost sweet.

It’s a similar smell to the primeval era!

Li Yao smiled and glanced around, only to find Jin Xinyue squatting nearby, covered in dust and shuddering in fear.

Li Yao found it odd. “What are you doing here? Didn’t I tell you to train yourself hard?”

Jin Xinyue was so scared that her face was pale. She did not even dare to complain, even in her heart, while she quickly replied, “I—I was practicing wholeheartedly a moment ago, but you made a significant breakthrough in your training, elder. Your aura was intimidating, and the earth collapsed. I was caught in the surging tide of your overwhelming demonic energy. I was suppressed by the air around you and could not even stand on my feet. Please—please do excuse me for my lack of manners, elder!”

What is this old—old—Elder Bloody Vulture practicing just now exactly? The surrounding five kilometers have collapsed!

Jin Xinyue did not have the courage to call Li Yao an ‘old monster’ anymore and began to use the courteous title obediently.

After the shock just now, she was truly intimidated by Li Yao and had no courage to defy him at all. She even thought that, since Elder Bloody Vulture seemed so strong, she might gain a lot of benefits if she truly served as his disciple.

Li Yao looked around and scratched his head somewhat in embarrassment. Naturally, he would not tell Jin Xinyue that the shocking view was only because he had lost control over himself during his training.

Thankfully, there was already a ‘mental devil’ inside Li Yao’s brain, which meant that Li Yao was already in a mentally deranged state.

A man who was mentally deranged could not be mentally deranged again.

Li Yao was very clear that his practice just now nearly destroyed all his cells. In a real battle, there was no way that he could wield such power.

However, demonic energy?

Li Yao sniffed and noticed that there was indeed a new smell on his body. It was feeble and perhaps unperceivable for ordinary people. It was not stinky and felt like a combination of fighting will and the smell of blood.

It’s truly demonic energy!

Li Yao was slightly dazed.

In the past, he had only known that the expert demons would release a lot of demonic energy when they were summoning all of their capability, just like Cultivators would release a lot of spiritual waves when they were in their peak state.

Demonic energy was one of the most important features to distinguish a demon.

Li Yao blinked. His telepathic thoughts entered his body and observed internally in search of the origin of the demonic energy. Soon, he traced it back to the mitochondria inside the primeval cells.

So, this is the case. After being strengthened, the mitochondria has an efficiency three to five times higher than normal mitochondria. Such high-intensity functioning naturally brings about a lot of waste.

The waste leaks out of the cell through the membrane and is transported to the body’s surface through capillary vessels and the lymph. In the end, it is excreted through the pores.

The so-called ‘demonic energy’ is actually waste that the primeval cells release when they are functioning at a high speed.

The mitochondria of the Cultivators certainly produces garbage, too, but the Cultivators utilize spiritual energy in a different way from the demons. They never pump the cells with spiritual energy to trigger a mutation. Therefore, the ‘waste’ that the cells of the Cultivators generate is little to none, and it is barely possible to detect it.

So, this is the mystery of demonic energy!

The finding both startled and baffled Li Yao.

Right now, he had a lot of ‘primeval cells’ that were similar to ‘demonized cells’ inside his body. Even if he went through the blood test of the demon race, he would not worry that his real identity of a human being might be found out.

Besides, with a telepathic thought, the mitochondria inside his primeval cells would run crazily, and immense demonic energy would immediately be unleashed. There was no need for a blood test at all. Anybody would respect him as a ferocious demon!

However, with abundant primeval cells inside his body and the fact that he could trigger immense ‘demonic energy’, was he a ‘human being’ at all now?

…

Under the moonlight, amid the bamboo, a girl was wearing soft gauze, her feet bare with red paint on her nails that looked like shells. She was dancing like a deity with brilliance of a sword flashing up and down, giving the feeling that she did not belong to this world.

Nobody could possibly have imagined that the girl who looked like a goddess walking on the earth was a demon only a few days ago.

Sitting cross-legged on a giant rock not far away, Li Yao held his chin while he observed Jin Xinyue practicing her technique.

But there was a new clash inside his brain.

The mental devil launched another attack, trying to shake his belief, while he was baffled by his identity.

However, the mental devil did not look hideous and disgusting anymore. Instead, it had put on a vintage robe and looked like a pure gentleman.

Even Li Yao was greatly surprised when he saw its new appearance. He had never thought that he would look so handsome when he was dressing in an ancient style!

“Everything happening here is really interesting.” The mental devil smiled mildly. “Imagine that the soul of a human being has crawled into the body of a demon and that the soul of a demon possessed a completely authentic human body. Then, which of the two is a human being and which is a demon?”

Li Yao’s belief was not shaken. He replied quickly, “One’s mind, or rather, soul, determines whether they are a human being or a demon.

“The Star Glory Federation has granted full human rights for the ‘spectral Cultivators’, who are legally equal to human beings. Spectral Cultivators are made of the soul of a human being and a metal shell. No matter what they look like, they are human beings!”

The mental devil shook its head. “Not exactly. The thing about ‘mind’ and ‘soul’ is that it is too intangible. Who knows what they are exactly?

“Is there really much a difference between the soul of a human being and that of a demon?

“Imagine that, one day, Jin Xinyue betrayed her species and considered herself a human being wholeheartedly for a certain reason, say, realizing her mistakes, or due to her survival instincts.

“Then, is her soul still the soul of a demon? Is she still a demon?”

Li Yao thought quickly. The question bothered him and slightly shook his belief.

The mental devil immediately expanded. The bloody aura around it was like the sunlight at dawn, making the mental devil magnificent and undefeatable.

Li Yao frowned and said, “Maybe, human beings and demons are not different at all.

“I don’t know what exactly happened forty thousand years ago that led to the birth of the demon race.

“But with everything I’ve discovered, it is most certainly not because a reckless Cultivator invented the ‘Demon God Virus’.

“Maybe, the demons are body fundamentalists who have Cultivated to the peak?”

Li Yao’s eyes suddenly shone as he said that. “Yes. It is a plausible possibility. Demons are human beings that walked on a different path of training. There are no essential differences between them!

“If so, there is no reason for the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector to keep on fighting. The two parties can work together against the Imperium of True Human Beings!”

The mental devil was silent for such a long time that Li Yao suspected that it had sunk into his brain again, but out of nowhere, the mental devil burst into wild laughter.

The gentleness of the mental devil was completely ripped apart as it rolled on the ground holding its belly. He laughed so hard that bloody tears were flowing, and the edges of his mouth almost reached his ears.

Li Yao sensed intense contempt. He asked solemnly, “What are you laughing for?”

“Your childishness, of course!” Wiping his tears, the mental devil laughed hard. “Let’s say that human beings and the demon race have the same origin. So what? It’s been forty thousand years!

“A hundred thousand years ago, human beings and monkeys shared the same origin, too. But if a monkey came to you, would you think that it is your compatriot?

“Besides, even if it is a ‘compatriot’ to you, so what?

“You wouldn’t be so naïve as to believe that the war between the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector is because one party consists of human beings and the other consists of demons, would you?

“Hehe. Forty thousand years ago, there were no ‘demons’ at all. Was there not such a huge civil war that almost all the Sectors were ruined?

“At present, the Imperium of True Human Beings is governed by human beings, too, but you don’t see eye to eye with each other!

“Just admit it! Maybe human beings are just a species born for killing. For resources, for benefits, for feelings, for honor, for all kinds of weird reasons, and sometimes for no reasons at all, you will kill each other!

“Your enemy is the demon race, and you kill them. But would you be merciful if they were human beings?

“Haha. You were worried that human beings would be lustful for killing and wars when the Blood Stripe Virus spread out.

“In my opinion, the Blood Stripe Virus is truly not to blame. Over the past forty thousand years, human beings have not been infected by the Blood Strip Virus, but have they been less lustful for killing and wars?

“Wait. I’ve suddenly come up with another possibility.

“Say, is it possible that all human beings are infected by something similar to the Blood Stripe Virus when they were born?

“If that is the case, it doesn’t matter now that you are infected by me for a second time, does it?”