The super Yuanying were all extraordinary people who dominated a region after all. They had another three days to digest the information. However shocked they were, they had to accept the cruel reality of the cold universe beyond the nine heavens and try their best to ensure the survival of themselves and their world!
"Amitabha. You are absolutely right, Fellow Cultivator Meng."
Master Bitter Cicada cleansed everybody's mind with a clear and melodious chant, gradually calming them down. "The safety of the millions of people in the Ancient Sages Sector depends on the decision of the twelve of us. It is true that we do not have the time to feel sorry and shocked anymore. We must come up with a plan as soon as possible!"
"Alright!"
Meng Chixin glanced around. Seeing that everybody was gradually recovering their calmness and determination, he said solemnly, "I can tell that everybody has made up their minds. So, let's cut the crap and begin the discussion immediately!
"However, before you state your opinion, I would like to reiterate that the twelve of us should abandon our previous grudges, let go of our conflicts and prejudices, and be united as one!
"We only have two enemies. One of them is the boundless, perilous sea of stars, and the other are the despicable, shameless, and greedy major sects, as well as the other ambitious forces other than the Great Qian Dynasty and Cloud Qin. Those guys can't accomplish anything, but they are good at spoiling things!"
"Only by being highly united and carrying out the same will we be able to compete with the two enemies and grasp the future of the Ancient Sages Sector in our hands!
"Therefore, if any fellow Cultivator has a different opinion later, feel free to say whatever is on your mind. It doesn't matter how whimsical your idea is. Let's discuss it slowly. We will convince everybody with reasoning. After all the fellow Cultivators are convinced, we will take action together! Don't keep it to yourself and turn into a devil! Also, don't be bothered by the seemingly absurd speech of a certain fellow Cultivator, either! It must be noted that everything we are doing is for the same purpose, which is survival, the survival of our common home!
"Does everyone agree on this point?"
The ten Yuanying looked at each other in bewilderment and nodded firmly.
"Alright, then let's make a decision right away!"
Meng Chixin cleared his throat and said, "In the past three days, you have read all the intelligence provided by Heiye Lan, the female warrior of the Imperium of True Human Beings. You have a basic understanding of the general situation in the universe, including the politics, economy, culture, military, and other aspects of the Imperium. I believe that you can make some judgments based on the information. Fellow Cultivator Wan, do you have any questions?"
"Senior Meng," Wan Mingzhu said in a high-pitched voice, "our judgment is based on Heiye Lan's intelligence. I would like to know if Heiye Lan is lying."
"What if the information she provided was false and deliberately led us to make the wrong judgment?"
"I don't think so."
Meng Chixin said casually, "All the intelligence that Heiye Lan provided was closely monitored by me and Wu Suiyun. Judging from her spiritual waves, the trembling of her soul, and the changes of her facial expressions, it was basically true.
"On the other hand, if she is truly capable of lying calmly under the surveillance of two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators, how terrifying is her Cultivation? If a female warrior of the Imperium of True Human Beings is already so dreadful, can we resist the entire Imperium?
"Therefore, there is no need for us to worry about whether or not she is lying. We can simply consider everything she said as fact!"
Pondering for a moment, Wan Mingzhu nodded and said, "Thank you for your enlightenment, senior. I have no more questions now."
"Then, let's make the first decision immediately," Meng Chixin said. "You have all learned that the universe is boundless and that there are so many unparalleled species and forces in the sea of stars. The question is, how are we going to face everything? Is it possible that the Ancient Sages Sector can compete with the forces in the universe on its own as an independent force, or at the very least, can it hide deep inside the dark nebula and never be discovered by them?
"If such a possibility exists, we will kill Heiye Lan right now and pretend that nothing happened. It doesn't matter even if we are cowards!"
The Yuanying looked at each other in bewilderment and shook their heads subconsciously, knowing that such a childish fantasy would not work out.
"That's impossible," Qi Zhongdao said bitterly.
If Heiye Lan can discover the Ancient Sages Sector, other people can, too. It is destined that we won't be able to hide for long! "
"Besides, if we lurk in the Ancient Sages Sector forever like cowards, we will be mired in the swirl of internal strife. We will be weaker and weaker with each generation. We can't hold on any longer!
"For the future of the Ancient Sages Sector, we have to walk out and integrate into the entire universe!
"It is impossible for us to resist the entire universe on our own. In order to integrate into the universe, we can only cooperate with a force or … attach ourselves to it. At the very least, that should be the case in the beginning when we knew nothing about the details of the universe."
The speech seemed to have drained all Qi Zhongdao's strength. The nominal leader of the Cultivators of the Great Qian Dynasty sat down in frustration.
Perhaps, for him, it was the most difficult decision to 'attach himself to a force'.
"You do have a point, Fellow Cultivator Qi. Great minds think alike!"
Meng Chixin did not waste any time. His eyes glittering, he stared at everybody else. "The Ancient Sages Sector has to walk out and integrate into the grand universe! Do you have any objection to that? If not, we have reached a consensus, and we can move on to the next question! "
It was obvious enough. Even the most conservative Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator would not be willing to be a coward. Besides, the deities' realm, which was also the sea of stars, was the ultimate destination of every Cultivator in the first place!
Deep down in their hearts, all of them were craving to go to the other side of the universe and see the moving scenery there!
The ten Yuanying nodded at the same time.
"Alright. We all agree that the Ancient Sages Sector must break out of the dark nebula and integrate into the grand universe. In such a case, we will have to attach ourselves to a certain force in the sea of stars!"
Meng Chixin said quickly. "Right now, the Alliance of the Holy Covenant and the Imperium of True Human Beings are competing for supremacy in the sea of stars!
"The second question. Do any of you think that we should attach ourselves to the Alliance of the Holy Covenant?"
Everybody was slightly dazed. They all shook their heads hard.
Meng Chixin smiled. "Just as I speculated. It seems that none of you want to be puppets who do not have any feelings and lose themselves. Besides, even if we want to cooperate with the Holy Alliance, the territory of the Ancient Sages Sector and the Holy Alliance are thousands of miles away from each other. We won't be able to find the temple even if we burn incense!
"Then … there seems to be only one choice left, which is to join the Imperium of True Human Beings as Heiye Lan said! What do you think, fellow Cultivators? "
It was the only focus of the meeting today.
All the Yuanying immediately straightened their backs.
Meng Chixin's eyes were both firm and clear. He switched to a more gentle and peaceful tone and said casually, "There is no need to worry about anything, everybody. Feel free to say whatever you want. I'll make my stance clear first. It does not mean that you have to agree with my opinion!
"I believe that, because the Imperium is too powerful and the Ancient Sages Sector is too weak, a head-on clash will be no different from hitting a rock with an egg. Considering the situation right now, it seems that we can only hide under the wings of the Imperium and lurk for now. After we gradually build ourselves up, we can make our next move when the situation at the center of the cosmos changes!
"Therefore, I agree with joining the Imperium of True Human Beings!
"Fellow Cultivator Qi, what do you think?"
Sitting next to Meng Chixin, Qi Zhongdao seemed to have not recovered from his frustration yet. He coughed for a moment and stared at the metal stripes at the center of the dining table. He said softly, "I've been studying the system of the Imperium of True Human Beings over the past few days. I've discovered that, although the people of this country value martial prowess, the laws are very strict, and there are rules everywhere. According to their rules, even the humblest slave, as long as their spiritual root is awakened and they practice the techniques, can be appointed as a general or even the master of a Sector!
"It is with such 'rules' that the Imperium of True Human Beings can keep the hundreds of Sectors in order!
"Rules are always better than no rules. I — I — I agree to join the Imperium of True Human Beings!"
Li Yao's heart was half frozen.
Before the meeting, he had calculated how many people in the Yuanying would choose to surrender to the Imperium.
Qi Zhongdao was a key person who might be wavering in his calculation. He did not expect that he would be the first to lower his head because of 'rules'!
Han Baling, who was behind him, said in a rough voice, "The Imperium of True Human Beings is an iron-blooded, meritorious country that dominates the sea of stars. It suits my taste very well! Let's join the Imperium first! It's better than the Holy League, isn't it? "
Han Baling was a 'classical militarist', and the Imperium of True Human Beings was a 'modern militarist'. Li Yao was not surprised by his choice at all.
"I don't like the Imperium of True Human Beings' attitude toward the civilians. Doesn't it consider the civilians to be human beings?"
'Mother White Lotus' Wan Mingzhu, who was behind Han Baling, remarked drily and coldly.
Li Yao suddenly had a glimmer of hope.
Come on, Mother White Lotus. You are the legendary leader of the peasant insurrection. You can't be so unprincipled, can you?
"However —"
Wan Mingzhu suddenly changed the topic. "According to Heiye Lan's intelligence, many remote Sectors in the Imperium of True Human Beings have adopted the approach of complete autonomy. As long as enough resources and taxes are provided to the capital, the capital will not interfere with how the local areas are governed!
"Therefore, many remote space zones have a lot of weird, messy systems.
"If we can fight for autonomy and manage the Ancient Sages Sector on our own, we will be able to do whatever we want. We won't have to be the same as the inland of the Imperium, will we?
"In that case, if the peace of the Ancient Sages Sector can be kept, it is not entirely unnegotiable.
"I agree to join the Imperium of True Human Beings, too, but we must study the clause of 'autonomy' carefully. We must not allow outsiders to meddle in the affairs of the Ancient Sages Sector or even capture the people of the Ancient Sages Sector as slaves. I will not compromise on that clause!"
Wan Mingzhu sat down righteously. Or rather, she 'drifted' down.
Li Yao's heart seemed to have fallen into a well in December, too. It was freezing cold!
-----
The sixth update is complete today.
Old Bull is not a person who likes to save manuscripts. I'll do as much as I can, won't I?
As a result, it can be quite awkward when I'm not in a good state in the past two days, and I have a lot of work to do at home. Many of my friends are not satisfied with two chapters a day. Old Bull feels sorry for that, too.
By logic, considering the situation today, I can totally deduct two chapters in case of emergencies.
However … whatever. I'll just publish it as soon as I'm done. As long as everyone is happy!
I'll repeat myself again, because I've seen some readers asking where the first version of this book is — please log in or download the relevant "Qidian app" and search for "40,000 Years of Cultivation". The original version supports Old Niu.
Your every bit of support, be it subscriptions, monthly votes, recommendations, or passionate comments in the comments section, is the greatest motivation for Old Bull to burn furiously. It is also the most precious' material 'for the continuous extension, expansion, and enrichment of the world in the forty thousand years of Cultivation!
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