Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
“That’s not a problem. I’ve thought about it.
Lu Qingchen replied casually, “We can fill the corrupted bureaucracy of the Star Ocean Imperium with the members of the Star Glory Federation and replace the greedy and idiotic Immortal Cultivators in order to restore order as quickly as possible.
Li Yao felt cold. “What did you say?”
“People of the Sanctuary Alliance. We still have a lot of them. Have you forgotten?
Lu Qingchen said casually, “I admire the free will of human beings as much as you do. Therefore, I cannot deprive human beings of their emotions and will, even if they are Immortal Cultivators.
“But the brains of the people of the Star Glory Federation have been emptied a long time ago. They have become puppets of flesh and blood who can only carry out orders dutifully. To be honest, I don’t know how to treat them, either. Don’t you think that they are worth making the best use of?
“When I played the role of the ‘Puppet King’, I learned a lot of things from Fuxis, including how to implant commands on a large scale into the brains of the people of the Star Glory Federation. Now that I’ve absorbed so much information, data, and rules about Fuxis, my ability to control the people of the
Star Glory Federation has been further improved. We can write some new, special instructions and turn the people of the Star Glory Federation into the most honest officials and the most fair arbiters. Then, we can send them to the chaotic worlds of the imperium on a large scale. The deterrence of the
federal expedition army and the effective control of the bureaucracy of the Star Glory Federation will solve all the problems in the shortest amount of time.
“On the other hand, when the people of the Star Glory Federation reach the center of the ordinary people and the Immortal Cultivators who have all kinds of emotions, after a long period of contact and infiltration, perhaps their lost humanity will slowly be restored. Wouldn’t that be killing two birds with
one stone?
Lu Qingchen’s shocking proposal stunned Li Yao again. He was silent for a long time, before he smiled bitterly. “So, this is what you were planning to do. You planned to manipulate the people of the Star Glory Federation and the Star Glory Federation. Or rather, you planned to let the people of the Star
Glory Federation and the Star Glory Federation stall each other so that the Star Glory Federation could take advantage of the situation and take control of everything.
“Not a bad plan, but I would very much like to know what you are going to do if the citizens of the Star Glory Federation are not satisfied with the control of the members of the Star Glory Federation? Kill the disobedient citizens of the Star Glory Federation and send more members of the Star Glory
Federation to act as managers so that you can impose more pressure on the Star Glory Federation? What if more members of the Star Glory Federation incite more dissatisfaction and resistance? What if the Star Glory Federation sends several times more members of the Star Glory Federation to descend
from the sky and suppress the Star Glory Federation by force? In such a vicious cycle, in the end, everyone will be governed by the expressionless, hard-hearted, and emotionless members of the Star Glory Federation. They will form a so-called orderly ‘order’ on the surface, while the Star Glory Federation
will rise above the managers of the Star Glory Federation and become another privileged class?”
“Lu Qingchen, Lu Qingchen, have you really thought through every word you said? Don’t you think that such an approach will only turn the Star Glory Federation into a replica of the Alliance of Gods, and you will become another Fuxi? Or rather, your will will will still be bound and corrupted by the logic
of the Fuxi, and you will end up as their slave?”
“You just don’t believe me.
Lu Qingchen sighed in regret and loneliness and said, “I knew that thousands of soldiers were on a rampage outside, yet I took the initiative to explain everything to you at the risk of stalling for time in order to win your trust. I didn’t expect that you would still refuse to believe my flawless plan.
“Tunderstand now. It’s not about the plan. It’s about people. You just don’t trust me. Whatever I say will be like playing the lute to a cow.”
“You’re wrong, Lu Qingchen. You’re really wrong. It’s not that I don’t believe in you. I—I just—I just don’t believe in myself.”
Deep and painful ripples were spreading out on Li Yao’s body. He really wanted to dig out the darkness in the deepest part of his soul and show it to Lu Qingchen. “In fact, I’ve thought of everything that you’ve thought of, including the most extreme, rough, simple, quick, and effective approaches.
“This is not even the case right now. A long time ago, when I was in control of the Gold Crystal Tower, I was almost captured by the Gold Crystal Tower and Wu Yingqi 3.0’s remaining souls. I became their slave and turned into a dark version of Li Yao.
“At that time, I couldn’t help but wonder, since the Gold Crystal Tower could make the entire capital city hear my will with the enhancement of the star, why couldn’t I broadcast the belief of Cultivators to the entire capital city or even the entire universe and turn countless Immortal Cultivators into
Cultivators? Wouldn’t the problem be solved once and for all?
“But I pondered for a long time and tangled with my mental devil for countless days and nights. Eventually, I gave up the idea.
“Believe me, there are no shortcuts in this world. Every seemingly free gift has been marked with a price in secret. Everything born of deception, coercion, and violence will be destroyed by hundreds of times of deception, coercion, and violence.
“Cultivators can’t be brainwashed. They have to be enlightened by themselves slowly and cultivate with their entire life. I can use the Gold Crystal Tower to brainwash all the Immortal Cultivators in the capital city into so-called ‘Cultivators’, but I can’t guarantee that they will never transform or awaken. I
cant guarantee that they won’t think of my methods, and I can’t guarantee what the Immortal Cultivators of the hundreds of Sectors outside the capital city will think when they learn of my methods. And I can’t guarantee that I won’t taste the sweetness of the Gold Crystal Tower and use the Gold Crystal
Tower to do more terrible things to instill more noble thoughts in the public, and then more noble thoughts, and then even more noble thoughts. In the end, I can’t guarantee that everyone will lose themselves and all their selfishness and become my slaves.
“But I am neither omniscient nor immortal. I don’t believe that I can completely control the power of the Gold Crystal Tower. I will certainly be lost in the darkness in the deepest part of the Gold Crystal Tower after I upgrade the power of the Gold Crystal Tower time and time again. In the end, there will
only be two outcomes. Either I will be killed by all the heroes in the sea of stars who are desperate for freedom and unite together, and I will be disgraced and disgraced for all eternity, or the ‘absolute brightness’ of the Gold Crystal Tower will last for thousands of years. The civilization of mankind will
completely lose its freedom and vitality, and eventually, it will be destroyed together with me.
“Whatever the outcome is, it is not what I want. Therefore, the wisest approach is to never touch the tempting yet evil power of the Gold Crystal Tower in the first place. Don’t touch the things that you know you cannot control!
“Really, Lu Qingchen, what can I say to make you understand that the federation did not rise for the sake of rising, and we did not cultivate for the sake of cultivating, and we did not fight for hegemony. The reason why the Star Glory Federation wants to rise and why we want to spread the brilliance of
the great daos of cultivation to the entire sea of stars is because we believe, with the most sincere belief, that the Star Glory Federation has the most just, the most reasonable, and the most advanced system of the human civilization to date. We believe that the people of the federation and the cultivators
are the kindest, and they are the most representative of the word ‘justice’. We are the sharpest saber of the human civilization, and we are also the children of thousands upon thousands of ordinary people. We regard the entire human race as our compatriots, our brothers and sisters. We did not come to
the center of the sea of stars to kill and destroy, but to help our brothers, sisters, and fellow countrymen here, to bring them peace, happiness, and hope!
“At the very least, this is the reason why I jumped to the center of the sea of stars from such a long distance away and threw myself into the most dangerous place to fight bloody battles time and time again, even at the cost of my own soul and life. Not only do I want the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars
flag to fly high in the center of the sea of stars, I also want the people in the center of the sea of stars to know that there is a Star Glory Federation, and what the life of the people of the Star Glory Federation is like. They can be the same as the people of the Star Glory Federation!
“And I believe that not just me, but also Ding Lingdang and my disciples, as well as thousands upon thousands of cultivators and ordinary soldiers of the Federation’s Expeditionary Army, are the same as me. Not only are they doing this for the survival and a better future for the Federation, but they are
also doing this for the sake of the survival and a better future for all of humanity. They are willing to make a ‘stake all in one throw decision. They are willing to gamble everything on a lonely expedition to create the greatest miracle in the 100,000 years of brilliant history of human civilization!
“You talk about the best interests of the federation, but do you understand that the best interest of the federation does not lie in planting the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars Flag all over the universe, but in the fact that everybody in the universe is as bright, as positive, and as capable of pursuing their
own happiness as the people of the federation? You believe in the existence of justice? You believe that the dawn of hope is right in front of you even though there is still darkness that you cannot get rid of? If you really think that way, it doesn’t matter whether the flag is the Rising Dragon of the Nine
Stars Flag or the Three-Star Lightning Flag!
This time, Lu Qingchen was rendered speechless by Li Yao. His face was gloomy.
“Which is more important, the flag or the ideology?
Li Yao did not relax at all. He continued speaking earnestly, “The Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars flag is a sesame seed. The ideology of the federation and the Great Dao of Cultivation are watermelons. What you are doing is purely picking up a sesame seed and throwing away a watermelon. Or rather, you
are buying the bad apple and returning the bad apple to the bad apple! If, according to your plan, the federation goes back on their word and stabs the dying heart when the sea of stars is at its weakest and most chaotic, resulting in the death of billions of innocent people, who will believe us? Who will
believe that Cultivators represent justice and the Great Dao of Cultivation represents hope? Who will believe that the federation will become a merciful, better ruler who can lead the civilization of mankind to a brighter future?
“No. By then, nobody will believe us. Not only will the surviving Immortal Cultivators and ordinary people in the center of the sea of stars not believe us, they will also keep a low profile, accumulate more strength, and try to overthrow us at any cost. Even our own people, the Cultivators and the soldiers of
the expedition army who believe that they are fighting for justice, will doubt themselves and be mentally deranged.
“By then, not only will our reign over the center of the sea of stars be unsustainable, even a small corner of the sea of stars will collapse, too. The foundation of the Star Glory Federation’s reign will collapse, because we are not a nation that is governed by violence and coercion in the first place. Instead, we
are a nation that has come together because of our common beliefs. If we don’t survive, how are we going to survive? Countless ancestors and compatriots have been extinguished by you.. How can the federation still shine with its pride?”
