Since this man named Tang Qianyan looked composed and detached and his tone was calm, Li Mu could tell that he was not deliberately exaggerating. Also, the man’s speech and deportment exuded great confidence. When Li Mu associated this with some rumors about the immortal net that he had heard before, he was almost sure that what the man said was true.
He was once again overwhelmed by the power of the Immortal Net.
“Well, Mr. Tang, what’s the price I need to pay?” Li Mu asked.
There is no such thing as a free lunch in the world.
The other party had taken the initiative to come to him and offered him so many generous benefits. But the other party couldn’t just do all the giving with no strings attached.
Tang Qianyan smiled and said, “It’s always pleasant to talk with smart people. Our request is very simple. First, don’t make an enemy of the Immortal Net. Second, please abide by the rules of the Immortal Net when speaking or participating in any activities on the Immortal Net. Third, if the Immortal Net needs your help in the future, please lend a helping hand if you can… These three requirements are all we ask.”
Li Mu was stunned for a moment, then he exclaimed, “That simple?”
These three requirements didn’t actually change anything.
First of all, no one would go so insane as to make an enemy of the Immortal Net, unless he didn’t want to live.
Second, even for ordinary cultivators, their actions and speech on the Immortal net should strictly comply with the rules of the Immortal Net. It was not only because these rules were stipulated after many bloody fights and confrontations and those who challenged these rules were all killed, but also because these rules themselves represented justice and fairness, which were understood and accepted by all cultivators.
As for the last requirement, one needed to give a helping hand if he could. And because the scope of the help was quite fuzzy, it was still acceptable.
Li Mu hadn’t anticipated that the Immortal Net could be so nice.
“Is it simple?” Tang Qianyan gave a mysterious smile, and then said, “It’s easier said than done. You’ll understand this later… Moreover, you still have to pay the corresponding price for everything you get on the Immortal Net rather than get it for free. Therefore, we won’t ask you to pay any extra price… In this case, Your Excellency has agreed on this deal, haven’t you?”
Li Mu nodded and said, “Yes, I think there is nothing unacceptable about these three conditions.”
Tang Qianyan clapped his hands and said with a smile, “Great! You’re really decisive!”
Obviously, he admired Li Mu’s way of doing things.
Li Mu asked, “Do I need to sign a contract or something?”
Tang Qianyan shook his head and said beamingly, “For people with your cultivation and identity, a contract has little meaning. We are more willing to believe what you say in person. After all, a good man’s words are worth a thousand gold coins.”
That was a nice thing to say.
He did know the art of speech.
Privately, Li Mu abruptly had a good vibe about this man in charge of the Immortal Net in the Brilliance Immortal Star Region.
The Immortal Net could not have taken a foothold and thrived in the vast universe for all those years and gained today’s status and influence for no reason.
The Brilliance Immortal Star Region was only a small area in the Ziwei Star Zone. But the person in charge of the local business of the Immortal Net already had such a broad mind and refined bearing. It could be imagined what kind of demeanor the higher-level managers of the Immortal Net would have. Even the king-level experts were willing to cooperate with the Immortal Net. Well, they certainly wouldn’t have done so without a reason.
More often than not, power and coercion were not the only things that could make others sincerely admit one’s superiority. One’s charm and the way of doing things could also achieve that.
While thinking of this, Li Mu’s heart skipped a beat. He felt that this time he had finally met a reliable big shot in the Brilliance Immortal Star Region. There were some questions that he might consult with him on. Thus, Li Mu tentatively said, “I’d like to consult with Mr. Tang about something. I wonder if this is the right time to bring it up.”
Tang Qianyan, who was dressed in gold-rimmed white clothes, looked quite graceful and cultivated. With a smile on his face, he said, “Go ahead. As long as I can, I will tell you everything.”
“Thank you very much.” Li Mu continued, “What I want to know most is the origin of the title ‘sinners’ and the reason why people in the universe work up into a rage every time they mention the sinners. What happened in the past? I don’t know if Mr. Tang can solve my doubts on this matter.”
Tang Qianyan smiled very elegantly.
“In fact, when you receive your VIP Net Card and have more privileges, you can find that out on the Immortal Net yourself. But since you asked in advance, I can tell you that… the sinners are a general reference to the creatures on a planet within the Star Graveyard of the solar system. As far as I know, the intelligent creatures on that planet mainly belong to the Human Clan. In the past thousands of years, dozens of peerless talents have come out of that planet and made huge waves in the universe.”
After hearing that, Li Mu nodded.
What Tang Qianyan said was exactly the same as the news he had learned before.
“Could it be that these geniuses who came from Earth had done something terribly wrong and so the people of Earth have all been called sinners?” he asked.
Tang Qianyan shook his head and clarified, “That’s not the case… Well, so the so-called Sinned Star is called Earth by your people, right?” He said that because he knew Li Mu was also a sinner. Then, he continued, “The reason why it has been called Sinned Star has nothing to do with those dozens of peerless talents. On the contrary, these geniuses have also been implicated by the sins their predecessors had committed and have been looking for a way of atonement. However, their efforts are not very rewarding because it is too difficult to atone for their sins.”
Dearly intrigued, Li Mu inquired, “What kind of sins had they committed that even those talents found it hard to atone for?”
Tang Qianyan said, “There is no clear-cut answer for that. I only know a little about it. It’s no big deal to tell you anyway. It is said that countless eras ago, there were no Star Graveyards or Sinned Stars in the universe. Later, a great calamity broke out in the universe, causing many creatures to be plunged into misery, especially the various major species and intelligent creatures in the Ziwei Star Zone. They were affected by the calamity and suffered heavy losses. Many species were directly wiped out. In the past, the imperial court, the divine court, and the sects dominating this universe were almost annihilated in that catastrophe, which also took a toll on countless species. And this catastrophe was caused exactly by the planet in the Star Graveyard. It was said that the appearance of that planet which you call Earth brought this catastrophe to the Ziwei Star Zone. Therefore, after the calamity, the vexed cultivators hated Earth to the bone. From then on, that blue planet has been called the Sinned Star. All the creatures from that planet have also been called sinners and have been constantly chased by the forces in the entire universe.”
Li Mu didn’t quite follow what Tang Qianyan said. But upon hearing his explanation, Li Mu was extremely shocked.
He had never heard of such a history.
Earth had brought an irreversible disaster and caused irremediable losses to the entire Ziwei Star Zone?
According to the scientific research on Earth, the origin of the universe and Earth could be explained by the theory of the Big Bang. From the perspective of Li Mu’s scientific outlook of the world, Earth’s coming into being was the natural result of the evolution of the universe.
However, according to what Tang Qianyan said, Earth did not originally belong to this Star Region, did it?
According to him, countless eras ago, Earth suddenly emerged and brought about a catastrophe.
That was to say, at the very beginning, Earth was in another place, or another Star Zone, or even… another universe?
This was a piece of jaw-dropping news.
Li Mu never knew that the origin of the Sinned Star could be like this.
It was completely different from what he had imagined.
If that was true, then the cultivators of the various clans in the Ziwei Star Zone were the victims instead.
And it would be only natural that they hated Earth and tried to hunt down the creatures who came from Earth.
It was no wonder that Tang Qianyan said that the peerless geniuses who managed to leave Earth and enter the universe, such as Laozi and Li Bai, had all been looking for a way to atone for their sins.
If it were Li Mu, he would probably do the same.
However, Li Mu felt that things could not be so simple.
The so-called “way of atonement” that Lao Zi, Li Bai, and other ancient sages were pursuing was more likely the way to find out the long-forgotten truth about what really happened more than 10 million years ago.
Nonetheless, where had they gone? Had they uncovered the truth yet?
Li Mu gave a wry smile and asked, “Mr. Tang, since all the cultivators in the Ziwei Star Zone loathe these sinners so much that they would kill them the moment they see them, why is the Immortal Net willing to offer me a VIP Net Card and acknowledge my cultivation and status despite knowing that I am also a sinner? Doesn’t the Immortal Net mind this? Or does the Immortal Net itself also have something to do with sinners?”
With a smile, Tang Qianyan said, “An enormous amount of time has passed since that calamity. It has been so long that even the powerful people who luckily survived that calamity had all passed away and turned into dust. The descendants of those powerful people, as well as the legacy they left behind, have probably dispersed during the lengthy period. What they left are nothing but some myths. For this reason, even though there are many relics of those powerful people in various parts of today’s Ziwei Star Zone and their teachings are still spreading, the people who had witnessed that calamity are all gone. The later generations are only hostile toward sinners because of the myths they’ve heard. They see the sinners as great scourges, and it has kind of become a habit. They don’t really hold indelible rancor against them. Hunting sinners is more of a precaution and an expression of their respect and reverence toward disasters. When it comes to hatred against a particular person, the conflict is not entirely irreconcilable. Over the years, some large forces in the Ziwei Star Zone have continued hunting sinners. But that already has nothing to do with the calamity that occurred so long ago. It is more about the current conflict of interests. The seniors you mentioned did once amaze the world. In this universe, they have made friends as well as enemies. But the Immortal Net doesn’t want to stick with the old myths. It has more faith in handling the calamity that might befall again with its own power. It is meaningless to be fixated on the past. What’s more, the Immortal Net has also made deals with the seniors you just mentioned. And everything went quite smoothly between us. Therefore, the Immortal Net doesn’t mind doing businesses with sinners.”
“The Immortal Net has made deals with the ancient sages from Earth?” Li Mu’s eyes lit up. Then, he asked, “Mr. Tang, are you saying that the Immortal Net has ways to contact them?”
If he could make contact with Laozi, Li Bai, and the other ancient sages from Earth, things would be much easier.
Many mysteries would be unraveled at once.
And Li Mu would no longer be fighting on his own.
That was to say, he had found the home base!
