Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“Don’t forget the multiverse, the tides, and Earth.

“Each of the targets is enough to encourage the civilization of mankind to struggle for another ten thousand years,” the mental devil said.

“Too far. These targets are too far away.”

Li Yao said, “Even the most basic part of ‘crossing the black wall’ might not be completed in five thousand years without the intervention of external forces and the accidental explosion of technology.

“Humans are lazy. When you know that all the missions have been completed, and all the threats in front of you are no more, and you will have to struggle for at least five thousand years to see the results of the next mission, and the results may not necessarily be correct, and the next threat may still be

billions of lightyears away, so far away that even ‘lightyears’ can’t measure it, will you still rack your brain and burn everything to struggle?

“The residents of Light City were also burdened with the great mission of ‘resurrecting the civilization of mankind’. But the mission was too magnificent, too far away, and too heavy. It was so heavy that they did not know how to begin. In the end, they gradually abandoned and forgot it.

“Such is human nature. It is impossible to demand that everybody give up the happiness of the modern world and pursue the hope that can only be found after thousands of years.

“Born in trouble, die in peace; born in peace, die in trouble. It is the same for both individuals and civilizations.

After he finished his speech, the mental devil suddenly smiled. “Therefore, this is the purpose of the existence of the extraterrestrial devils, especially those who love killing and destruction like me. You were against me in the beginning. But think about it carefully. What will the civilization of mankind

become if there is no killing and destruction, no knowledge of the methods and meanings of combat?

Li Yao was dazed for a long time. He stared at the residents of the City of Light, who were as clumsy as a giant balloon and had balloons tied to their waists, while they giggled and slapped each other with cakes. Somebody even asked their pet dog to ride on his back. It was hard to tell whose pet it was.

Some of their friends and family or passers-by captured their hilarious pictures and played them on the glass walls of skyscrapers or even the 3D light beams of the cabins. Everybody commented on them and offered flowers and decorations to them as if they were very proud and happy.

For some reason, Li Yao felt cold.

“Although I tried my best to stop every war in the sea of stars and hoped that peace would be eternal, you do seem to have a point. It has never occurred to me what eternal peace will do for the civilization of mankind.

Complicated and deep ripples spread out from the depths of Li Yao’s soul. He mumbled, “I suddenly understand what the Nuwa Clan did years ago.

“It must be noted that, although we objected to the Pangu Clan’s seclusion and cowardice, the way that the Nuwa Clan released their emotions and desires to the maximum and rushed out of the Pangu Universe despite the civil war seemed a bit too radical.

“The concerns of the Pangu Clan are not entirely unfounded. The sea of stars outside the Pangu Universe is too vast, the multiverse is too dark, and the enemy behind the flood is too strong, If we act hastily without making thorough preparations, it is indeed possible that we will be killed.

“Why can’t the Nuwa Clan wait patiently for thousands of years, or even ten thousand years, until the flood ebbs and the conditions are more mature? Then, they can seize the leadership of the Pangu Civilization Alliance in a more peaceful way and start a new expedition. Isn’t that better?

“In the past, when we discussed the issue with Long Yangjun, Boss Bai, and the rest of them, we all believed that the Nuwa Clan was attracted by the voices from the outside of the Pangu Universe and the ‘undead of the civilizations that had been swallowed by the flood. They fell into a frenzy and could

not free themselves.

“But today, after seeing the mental appearance and way of life of the residents of Bright City, I suddenly had a new idea.

“Maybe, the Nuwa Clan knew that they were too rash, too radical, and too risky. Their hope was slim, and they would be doomed if they failed.

“But they had no other choice.

“The growth and continuation of a civilization has a period. The growth of a civilization is like sailing against the current. If you don’t move forward, you will fall behind. There is absolutely no reason for a civilization to develop steadily for ten thousand years.

“If the Pangu Civilization Alliance had lived in seclusion in the Pangu Universe for ten thousand years, fifty thousand years, or even a hundred thousand years in accordance with the wishes of certain people of the Pangu Clan, it would have been impossible for the Pangu Civilization Alliance to maintain

the state-of-the-art technology of a hundred thousand years ago and maintain its positive and aggressive outlook. It would have ended up like the residents of Light City, a fat, pitiful worm, an adult physically and a baby mentally!

“A civilization does not have internal and external troubles. Or rather, it will not arrive until tens of thousands of years later. It will perish sooner or later. The Nuwa Clan has come to realize that. Therefore, even though they knew that the preparation work was not completed yet, they still risked their

lives and rushed out. They even started a civil war to ‘wake up’ some of their compatriots and remind them not to forget their mission!

“That’s an interesting assumption.

“The evolution of any civilization is never done step by step,” the mental devil said. “There are many times when one has to make the most dangerous leap in the face of a bottomless abyss even though one knows that a tiger is lurking in the depths of the abyss. After the leap, the civilization will continue

and rise to a higher level. The outcome will be the same if one falls into the abyss or does not dare to jump. The only difference is that the civilization will die sooner or later.

“Yes. I thought that we would have thousands of years, if not tens of thousands of years, to develop slowly and establish an expedition army neither too fast nor too slowly. We could explore the outer domain ten thousand years later.

“But now that I think about it,” Li Yao said, “if ‘the federation, the imperium, and the Sanctuary Alliance resolve their conflicts, the great unity of the Pangu Universe will take a thousand years, and ‘building an expedition army and breaking through the black wall’ will take ten thousand years, how will the

civilization of mankind develop in the seemingly peaceful, unthreatened nine thousand years?”

“Will the new generation of human beings, who are carefree from the moment they are born, have the unique sense of crisis that we, the ‘old human beings’, developed in the war years?

“Can they understand plots, betrayals, bloodshed, cruelty, extinction, sacrifice, and devotion?

“Can they understand the destiny of the human civilization and why we have to rush out of the black wall and face the unpredictable dangers?

“Are they willing to dedicate their entire life and all their happiness to a grand plan where they will not see the outcome until ten thousand years later and the outcome is likely to be a catastrophe?

“If the flood breaks through the black wall and invades the Pangu Universe one day, will the human beings ten thousand years later welcome it with chainswords and storm bolters, or will they welcome it with flowers and cakes like the residents of Light City did?

“So”

The mental devil said, “The Nuwa Clan in the past thought exactly the same as you. They believed that a long wait would only wear down the will of all their compatriots and corrupt their most precious souls. In order to wake up their compatriots, they had to break out of the siege first!

“Even if only one starship rushes out, even if it leaves the mark of ‘intelligent life in the Pangu Universe’ in the multiverse beyond the black wall, it is still possible that the tide will detect it. If so, there will be no way out for the entire Pangu Civilization Alliance. We can only pour all our wisdom, courage,

the fire of life, and endless resources into the grand plan of ‘extraterritorial expedition’. After all, we will be stabbed in the back no matter how hard we try!

“Ha. I suddenly realized that Boss Bai probably had the same idea.

“You know, long before the truth of the ‘multiverse’ was completely discovered, he had already made up his mind to rush out alone and conquer the four-dimensional, five-dimensional, six-dimensional, and seven-dimensional universes.

“at first glance, his way of thinking is very reckless. He doesn’t care what kind of disastrous consequences he will bring to the people of the Pangu Universe if he is exposed. Don’t forget that the people who stayed here are his beloved son!

“Is it just arrogance and stupidity? I don’t think so.

“Boss Bai is the ‘Double Pirate Potentate’ who has absorbed Yan Xinjian’s remaining soul. His understanding of human nature is as deep as Jin Tuyi’s. Maybe, he has already foreseen how the civilization of mankind will degenerate once it loses its threats and rivals.

“Therefore, he rushed out at any cost, not only to realize his dream of being the strongest space pirate in the multiverse, but also to find new opponents for the civilization of mankind. New threats are enough to trigger our deepest courage and wisdom to evolve, devour, and strengthen ourselves crazily!

“Isn’t it too much?”

Li Yao said, “Are you serious?”

“Maybe, maybe not. But even if Boss Bai did not think of that, you should think about it carefully and not let the entire Pangu Universe become like Eternal Brightness.

“We are going to explore Earth anyway,” the mental devil said. “We have to get out no matter what!”

“I— don’t know.”

Li Yao wanted to scratch his head hard. “I don’t want to be hasty and go against the rules of evolution, but I also don’t want to watch the civilization of mankind lose its drive and sense of purpose and sink into the mediocre honey without knowing it.

“ah!”

‘The mental devil interrupted him. “Why are you self-proclaimed righteous guys always so wishy-washy and hesitant?”

Li Yao said, “You want to be a role model, don’t you?”

“Huh?”

The mental devil said, “How can you say that about yourself?”

“Even if I don’t say it, you will.”

Li Yao said, “It’s not up to me alone to decide such an important decision. I’d better listen to my wife’s opinion and hand it over to the parliament for a democratic decision, or even a plebiscite. Everybody will take the blame, and nobody will be blamed if we are screwed, right?”

“Makes sense. So, focus your attention and capture the puppet king—Lu Qingchen first!”

The mental devil replied, “I would like to hear Lu Qingchen’s opinion, too, and see how he plans the future of the human civilization and solves the problems in his virtual world. Since Lu Qingchen has established his nest in this place, he must’ve studied the problems very carefully.. What do you think?”