Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“The Flood and the primeval age? The Flood resulted in the ending of the Pangu and Nuwa civilizations and the rise of humanity in the three thousand Sectors, making the Cultivation world what it is today?”

Li Yao pondered for a long time. Looking at Long Yangjun whose lips were bitten and whose eyebrows were furrowed, Li Yao knew that she was not throwing out ungrounded speculation. “Why would you think that?”

“According to Boss Bai, the Flood is an ultimate catastrophe that happens on the other side of the universe. Although it has destroyed thousands of civilizations including the wizardly civilization, it hasn’t affected the three thousand Sectors we are in yet. Or rather, because of the high and thick ‘black wall’ outside of our world, even the Flood finds it impossible to break in. However, I have different opinions.”

Looking at the black tides ahead of her rising and ebbing, Long Yangjun mumbled, “Up until now, we know very clearly that at least two extraterrestrial civilizations have crossed the ‘black wall’ and come to our world. One of them is the wizardly civilization, and the other is the Blood Stripe Virus that you discovered on the Iron Plateau. Let’s call it ‘Blood Stripe civilization’ for now.

“Between them, the wizardly civilization had been developed to an extremely advanced level. Based on highly sophisticated starships and the guidance of some sort of artificial intelligence or amalgamations of remaining souls named ‘GHOST’, they crossed the black wall through the delicate, advanced technologies.

“The Blood Stripe civilization was the exact contrary. They abandoned all the external, advanced, and civilizational forms, making them retrograde into the most simple, fundamental, and primitive form, like a germ or a virus, before they boarded on the meteorites and crossed the almost infinite black wall in billions of years through the most simple if not stupid way.

“Look, both the most advanced wizardly civilization and the most primitive Blood Stripe civilization had their own ways to cross the black wall. The many apocalyptic strikes since ancient times must’ve been from the alien civilizations from different space zones and even different dimensions. It means that the black wall is absolutely not impenetrable. In fact, it may have been riddled with holes!

“Since the wizardly civilization could pass it, the Blood Stripe civilization could pass it, and so many apocalyptic strikes could pass it, why couldn’t the Flood, which was capable of destroying all of them?

“Getting to the bottom of it, the so-called ‘black wall’ is not mysterious. It is just a huge vacuum around the three thousand Sectors without stars, planets, and spiritual waves. As long as your speed is high enough and you have enough resources, or if your consumption of resources is extremely little, it will be possible to cross the wall in a million years or perhaps longer, right?”

Li Yao nodded his head slowly. The “apocalyptic strikes” had been happening since ancient times. They were undoubtedly a certain destruction or blockage imposed by the extraterrestrial powerful civilizations.

Even the highest, thickest, and safest wall could not stop someone who was determined to cross it.

Li Yao said, “I admit that the black wall may not be enough to stop the Flood, but at least for now, our world is thriving spectacularly. What do you mean when you proposed that the Flood and the primeval age were connected?”

“It is just my guess, or a hypothesis of mine, which answers a question of critical importance for the primeval age that has baffled me for a long time.”

Long Yangjun said, “The question is, why did the civilizations in the Pangu’s alliance unanimously agree to seal the feelings and will, transforming from absolutely-free dominators of the universe to submissive, nonchalant walking dead?

“You should know that the many clans in the Pangu civilizations’ alliance in the beginning, including Pangu, Gonggong, Kuafu, Houyi, or even Nuwa who joined last, were made of flesh and blood and had intense feelings, right?

“However, at a certain point that we do not know, the alliance reached a consensus to seal their feelings and will, turning themselves into puppets and machines.

“They had such strong fear and rejection against feelings and will that they called such notions as chaos, devils, and the evilest and most dreadful things, which they believed would destroy their civilization.

“What has been baffling me is, why? Why did they do that?”

“Isn’t there an answer already?”

Li Yao blurted out, “Because the resources in the three thousand Sectors were not enough, and they could not get out! The thirteen advanced carbon-based lives that the Pangu’s alliance was made of, after fighting countless wars, realized that they could not destroy each other if they went on fighting but would only die with each other. So, they abandoned wars and got in touch with each other, establishing an alliance to configure the resources in a peaceful and efficient way.

“However, even without wars, the Pangu’s alliance was still faced with problems such as population boom, shortage of resources, etc. If the individuals did not try to suppress their feelings and desires, the resources would run out soon. Besides, with feelings and desires, it would be easy for malicious schemers to instigate trouble and raise new wars.

“Considering the technologies and the destructiveness of the Pangu’s alliance, all the civilizations would’ve been destroyed with another war!

“What happened later did prove their concerns. A new war truly broke out later. The thirteen primeval clans, which made up the alliance, were all doomed. Only human beings, their servants and machines, survived!”

“Yes, that is the standard answer. All the specialists of the primeval history believe so. But do you not feel that such a theory is too simple and rough?”

Long Yangjun looked at Li Yao, with tides rolling inside her eyes. “This is a prejudiced opinion, an answer that human beings have found through colored glasses. You have always regarded the primeval clans as certain… condescending, unreasonable, heartless beings. It’s almost like you think as long as some leader of the Pangu Clan gave the command, everybody from top to bottom would give up their feelings and will without any hesitation.

“But is it possible?

“Just ask yourself. If you really regard the Pangu Clan as living people who knew love and hate, do you think it is possible to let them give up their emotions without complaints and regrets?”

After a brief silence, Li Yao struggled to reply, “But the Pangu’s alliance was trapped in the three thousand Sectors by the ‘black wall’, which they couldn’t pass. They abandoned feelings and desires to reduce resource consumption…”

“It’s a highly unconvincing reason.”

Long Yangjun shook her head. “For any civilization that has discovered that it is trapped somewhere, its first choice will be to break out of the cage and escape, won’t it?

“It must be noted that the Pangu’s alliance already mastered the technologies to absorb the stellar energy at a super high efficiency. Even if they were not as good as the wizardly civilization, how much worse could they have been? Even the wizardly civilization and the Blood Stripe civilization were able to cross the black wall. How far could the Pangu’s alliance have been from it even if they were unable to achieve it? Was it really so bad that they were devastated and completely gave up the idea of breaking the black wall, darkly and desperately turning to deprive everyone of their feelings and desires?

“You must know that even if feelings and desires were reduced to almost zero, the individuals of the Pangu’s alliance would still consume resources, and as long as they could not cross the black wall, the resources in the three thousand Sectors would run out eventually someday.

“In other words, erasing feelings only slightly delayed the eventual drought, but it completely cut out the hope of Pangu’s alliance for long-term survival and prosperity. Since the moment they erased their feelings and will, the Pangu’s alliance had in fact locked and frozen themselves.

“Without the power of ambitions, the curiosity for the unknown, the infinite thoughts raised by the collision of complicated feelings, a civilization can never evolve. It’s such a simple logic that both of us understand. Could the wise leaders of the Pangu’s alliance have been unaware of it?

“Here comes the question. The wise leaders knew clearly that erasing feelings and will be chronic suicide for a civilization, but why did they insist on doing that? Also, the seemingly… coldhearted practice did not raise many objections among the people. Why?

“The resistance of the Nuwa Clan only took place when they were enchanted by the extraterrestrial devils and realized the importance of feelings and will. In other words, even the Nuwa Clan agreed to get rid of feelings and will. It doesn’t make any sense!”

Li Yao was in deep thought. “It indeed sounds rather unreasonable.”

“It is absolutely unreasonable. However wise, powerful, and prestigious the leaders of the Pangu Clan were, they couldn’t have talked the people into erasing their feelings.”

Long Yangjun said, “Take you for example. You are admired enough in the Star Glory Federation as the ‘founding father of the federation and dominator of three Sectors’, aren’t you? If you go back to the federation and tell the people that ‘because our universe is closed and resources are limited, in case we use up our resources in our happy life, let’s suppress the feelings and erase the will with me’. How many people do you think will answer to your call?”

“Well, I assume that I would be drowned by foul eggs and rotten tomatoes immediately.”

Li Yao said, “Speaking of which, why on earth would I make such a stupid proposal? If our universe is closed, we should try to open it, stab it, or drill through it! If the resources are limited, we will try to create more resources or loot more resources from the outside! It is exactly because of feelings and will that we are called a ‘civilization’. Otherwise, we will only be a collection of zombies. Would there be a ‘civilization’ at all?”

“Exactly. That’s what any normal person would think. Even you are thinking that way. Why do you think that the leaders of the Pangu’s alliance would be an exception?”

Long Yangjun said, “Even if one of the leaders went mad and decided that heartlessness was necessary, why didn’t other leaders stop him, and why did all the people obey him and abandon their feelings and will docilely?

“In conclusion, the reason that ‘our universe is closed and we cannot get out of here, so we must save our resources’ was too weak a reason for the Pangu’s alliance to do such an insane thing in unity. There must’ve been a stronger, more direct, and fatal reason that forced them to give up their feelings, desires, and even the ambitions to break the black wall and explore the extraterrestrial lands!”