Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“An interesting theory.”

Li Yao remembered the body fundamentalist, a special profession among the Cultivators, who could activate their ancestral genes and change into primeval forms.

Li Yao himself had seen the primeval ancestors in his meditation and got some memories and heritages from them.

In other words, were there mud men genes in his body too? Interesting.

“It’s true, because modern people all have their own different talents.”

Zhuge Jinglun said, “Some are good at refining, some at fighting, some at math, and some are naturally interested in geology or history. They also need studying, but they can study hundreds of times faster than other people can, and they can always distinguish themselves after the same training from the same teacher!

“It cannot be simply explained with a high IQ. Actually, it’s the part of mud men genes that are still working. When the ancestors of those people were designed and created, they were intended to become the specialists of a certain field. Though hundreds of thousands of years have passed, those genes are still carrying out their original function.”

Li Yao raised an eyebrow.

So, part of the reason why he could become a refining expert was the mud men genes in his body?

“When we understand the genes of the mud men, it will be easy to solve the puzzle of the birth of the Covenant Alliance!”

Zhuge Jinglun said excitedly, “When a stubborn soldier of the Imperium or a sentimental civilian is captured by the Covenant Alliance, the captive will be sent to a place that is known as Holy Temple.

“In the first step, the connection between the limbic system and the cerebral cortex in their head will be cut off so that their emotional thinking and their rational thinking will be completely separated.

“After such a surgery, the victim might still remember the things from the past, but they’ll never have any feelings. They will be turned into absolutely heartless animals.

“The second step is to activate the mud men genes in their body, transform the modern victim into the mud men hundreds of thousands of years ago. In the meantime, their naturally-endowed techniques will be awakened so that the victim can go to work or the battlefield in no time.

“The third step. Since the mud men genes have been activated, it will be very easy to awaken the Three Fundamental Laws. After a series of hypnotization and brainwashing procedures, a loyal member of the Covenant Alliance will be produced!”

As they talked, they arrived near the town of the Covenant Alliance people.

Naturally, they did not enter the town but simply observed the Covenant Alliance people work inside through a transparent wall.

The wall had a lot of holes for air, so the Covenant Alliance people could also see them.

Li Yao found something very unusual.

Upon seeing them, many Covenant Alliance people in the farmland stopped working, and those who were enjoying the sun at the center of the town stood up and saluted them. Their eyes that were lackluster and indifferent were somehow filled with brilliance.

They were so passionate that even Li Yao almost couldn’t take it anymore. He observed for a while, only to discover that the Covenant Alliance people were staring at Long Yangjun instead of him.

“Why are they looking at you in such a way?”

Li Yao said in a low voice, “It’s creepy and terrifying!”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Long Yangjun replied with a low voice, “They’ve sensed the vibe of the Pangu Clan in me. I’m probably a ‘demigod’, or at least a higher servant of the gods, in their eyes.”

Li Yao finally realized that Long Yangjun, half Pangu and half Nuwa, was indeed a demigod for the Covenant Alliance.

“So, they worship you and follow you?”

Interested, Li Yao thought for a moment and asked, “In that case, can you command them or even more people from the Covenant Alliance?”

“I know what you mean, but it’s not as simple as that. If I could let all the Covenant Alliance people lay down their weapons with a simple word, I would’ve done it a long time ago!”

Long Yangjun glanced at Li Yao and said, “How can I explain the relationship between the Covenant Alliance people and their ‘true god’? Their absolute obedience that is based on their genes is actually not so absolute. It’s true that I can order those Covenant Alliance people to do some simple tasks, such as fetch water for me or show me the skill they’re best at. That’s not a problem.

“However, if my order is in violation of the Path of Ultimate Benevolence or will obviously harm the interests of the Pangu Clan, they will not carry out the order, and they might even turn against me.”

“Huh?”

Blinking his eyes, Li Yao asked. “I still don’t quite understand. Where exactly does the line lie?”

“It’s very subtle. Let me give you an example—”

Pondering for a moment, Long Yangjun said, “The obedience that is based on genes is something like this. Imagine that you are an eighteen-year-old young man who is boiling with libido, and your girlfriend tells you that she will sleep with you as long as you do one thing for her. I trust that you will definitely get the thing done passionately as long as it’s not against laws and morals, right?”

“About that…”

Li Yao thought for a moment and said, “I probably will do it even if it’s slightly against laws and morals.”

“That’s right. The Covenant Alliance people’s genetic instincts for the Pangu Clan is similar to an eighteen-year-old man’s genetic instincts for his girlfriend.”

Long Yangjun said solemnly, “After the Covenant Alliance people carry out the Pangu Clan’s order, their brains will secrete a special matter that makes them even more exhilarated than after having sex. So, it’s not hard to imagine how motivated they are.

“However, everything has boundaries. If this young man’s girlfriend will not sleep with him unless he kills someone for her, it’s definitely an unreasonable and outrageous request, and this young man might calm down and reevaluate his relationship with his girlfriend.

“By the same logic, if I give random commands as a ‘demigod’, those Covenant Alliance people will also suspect or hate me!”

“Now that you explained it with such a dirty metaphor…” Li Yao said, “It’s much easier for me to understand. No wonder they’re all staring at you lustfully.”

Long Yangjun grinned and pointed at a guy. “Not just me. That guy over there is staring at you lustfully too!”

Briefly stunned, Li Yao looked at where Long Yangjun was pointing, only to discover that a captive was gazing at him in a very weird way and moving his eyes between Long Yangjun and him regularly.

“Seriously?”

Crept out, Li Yao rubbed the goosebumps on his arm hard. “What’s this guy’s problem? All the other people are staring at me, but he’s the only one who’s shifting between us. He doesn’t seem very loyal!”

“It seems that Wuying Qi 3.0 was not lying, and the Sunspot Plan is a real thing.”

Long Yangjun said, “This guy is likely a ‘sunspot’. He’s attracted to the air of Wuying Qi 3.0 in you and cannot tell which between us is his ‘true god’!”

Li Yao was greatly enlightened.

Wuying Qi 3.0 did mention that a proportion of the Covenant Alliance people were the spies that were absolutely loyal to him. It was not unusual that some of them were captured and sent here.

Li Yao secretly memorized the captive’s appearance and the number on his chest. He then asked Long Yangjun to pay special attention to him so that the captive wouldn’t die.

After Li Yao completely controlled the Gold Crystal Pyramid, he could test the reliability of the Sunspot Plan with this captive.

“Director Zhuge…”

Thinking about the Sunspot Plan, Li Yao asked Zhuge Jinglun, “General Lei Chenghu suspected that the Covenant Alliance had to launch a strategic battle against the Imperium because it was bordering on collapse.

“As a specialist in Covenant Alliance, do you think it’s possible? Will the Covenant Alliance, which seems to be in order, really collapse on its own?”

“That’s definitely possible. Any high-precision system will inevitably collapse as it is scaled up!”

Zhuge Jinglun said, “To sustain a town of a thousand people and to sustain a civilization of a hundred billion people are completely different. There are too many problems for the latter.

“More importantly, the Covenant Alliance people are not 100% mud men. Most of them were transformed from the wise men. It’s in our nature to love freedom and pursue new knowledge. How can that be completely erased? The shackle of the Three Fundamental Laws is not as solid as it seems!

“However, it’s not likely that the Covenant Alliance will collapse on its own without the Imperium doing anything. After all, above Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Soil, there is another group named Ultimate Benevolence that is responsible for governance and cleansing. They will destroy all the factors that may lead to the collapse of the Covenant Alliance.”