Li Yao could clearly sense that Cui Lingfeng's belief was shaking like the unsteady starlight in the dark universe. He couldn't help but ask in a hurry, "Lord Speaker, you have not been bewildered by the so-called 'Immortal Cultivator 2.0' that Lu Qingchen and Ding Zhengyang mentioned, have you?"
"No."
Cui Lingfeng shook his head and said, "Long before Ding Zhengyang told me everything, and even ten years ago, when we encountered the Xing Yao Federation, another civilization of Cultivators at the edge of the cosmos, I've been thinking about the questions.
"Do you know why I've been resisting the complete integration of the Xing Yao Federation? The stubborn pride of the Star Ocean Republic and the distrust of the Federation are certainly part of it, but more importantly, perhaps even more importantly, is the suspicion about … ourselves.
"The Star Ocean Republic in the past, the great country that was in the golden age and did not give birth to the monster 'Blackstar the Great', was certainly something to be proud of.
"But what about later? Was the 'rightful government' that fled in panic and wandered in the sea of stars for a thousand years still something to be proud of?
"Once our integration with the Xing Yao Federation is accelerated, all the efforts that we've made for survival in the past thousand years will certainly be exposed, and the secrets that are deeply locked in the Speaker's office might not necessarily be so blood-boiling, soul-stirring, soul-stirring, and honorable!
"I don't know what the Federation will think of us after all the files are decrypted and they learn everything that happened on Firefly in the past thousand years.
"Will they still regard us as' real Cultivators', or will they consider us to be a different form, a 'civilization of Immortal Cultivators' that is in the middle of metamorphosis, and therefore hate us, reject us, and be wary of us?
"Do you understand it now? Perhaps, from the bottom of my heart, I do not refuse to join the Federation, but I am scared that the Federation will reject us after they discover all the truth!"
Li Yao took a deep breath. He felt that Cui Lingfeng was particularly different under the reflection of the profound sea of stars.
Perhaps, this was the truest side of the Supreme Speaker of the Star Ocean Republic.
After going through so much darkness, lies, and struggles, he, as well as everybody on the starship, was only a thin line away from the Immortal Cultivators such as Ding Zhengyang and Cheng Xuansu.
Cui Lingfeng stared at the outside of the crystal dome in a daze, allowing the starlight to pierce through his old and feeble body like arrows. He said gloomily, "But we don't have a choice.
"I don't know whether or not Lu Qingchen's' Immortal Cultivator 2.0 ', as relayed by Ding Zhengyang, is a universal truth, but at the very least, it seems irrefutable on Firefly. If we had never run into the Xing Yao Federation and fled to the desolate, desolate lands in the depths of the universe, with starships more and more ragged, resources more and more scarce, and population increasing day by day, how long would the so-called path of the Cultivators have persisted? "In the end, without the corruption and bewilderment of the Imperium of True Human Beings, we would all have automatically become Immortal Cultivators, the most dreadful Immortal Cultivators!
"The resources in the universe are limited, but the explosion of life can be infinite. Extreme scarcity of resources is the norm in the universe. All of us, be it the Federation, the Imperium, the Holy League, or the Republic, are merely living on a slightly larger 'Firefly', sailing toward the darkness that we know nothing about. Therefore, the true path of immortality that conforms to the universe is the ultimate logic of a civilization. It is the real 'law of nature' that will allow our civilization to live forever. Captain Lin, what do you think of such a theory?"
Li Yao was silent for a long time under the starlight that was as cold as a cone. It was so long that Cui Lingfeng thought that he could not answer such a question at all. He waved his hands dispiritedly and was about to end the conversation when he suddenly said, "Mr. Speaker, there are cockroaches on Firefly."
Cui Lingfeng was dazed. "Of course."
"Also, there are more than one species. At the very least, when I release a few random telepathic thoughts, I can sense more than ten different alien species from every corner."
Li Yao said. "In terms of 'survival', cockroaches are truly a very successful species. Not only are they more successful than human beings, they are even more successful than our parent civilizations, both the Pangu civilization and the Nuwa civilization!
"Based on the research of the archaeologists and historians today, even for our parent civilizations, the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan, from their rise to their decline, it was only hundreds of thousands of years ago at best. The 'lifespan' of the entire civilization can't be more than one or two million years.
"But cockroaches have been around since at least 350 million years ago. To this day, the 'lifespan' of the species is three hundred times longer than that of the Pangu Clan and the Nuwa Clan!
"Over the past 350 million years, countless species and civilizations that used to be the most brilliant dominators have been destroyed. The dinosaur civilization, the Pangu Clan, the Nuwa Clan, the demon race … The experts who dominated the universe in the past, the dominators of the universe, and the glorious civilizations have all perished in the tides of time.
"But the tiny cockroaches have survived stubbornly. Also, as the prehistoric experts conquered the universe, they have expanded to every place in the three thousand Sectors and developed almost a hundred million variants. In the abandoned starships that are dark, cold, and almost vacuum, on the desert planets where the surface temperature is more than a hundred degrees, and on the frozen planets where the water drops can be frozen into ice, the cockroaches can adapt to the environment quickly and live well wherever they are.
"Although I am not certain, it is at least 99% likely that, one day, when the civilization of mankind is completely extinct, the cockroaches will not go extinct. No matter how harsh and cruel the environment is, they will continue to 'evolve' and survive for a billion years or even longer!
"From that point of view, the civilization of mankind is perhaps just a passerby in the universe, and the cockroaches are eternal."
Cui Lingfeng finally turned around and stared at Li Yao. Frowning, he asked, "Captain Lin, what are you trying to say exactly?"
"What I am saying is that, if the significance of the evolution of a civilization is only to make itself survive longer," Li Yao said, "the true path of immortality is definitely not the best choice for human beings. The path of cockroaches is the most optimal solution. We will figure out a way to abandon everything about us through gene modification or training, from the vulnerable body to the useless mercy, kindness, and morals, and turn everybody into cockroaches in a certain form. Assuming that Firefly does fall into darkness under certain circumstances, and everybody brutalizes each other, and the survivors all turn into Immortal Cultivators, you will still be no better than the cockroaches on the starship, right?"
Cui Lingfeng was silent and deep in thought.
"Do you think that I am arguing?"
Li Yao smiled and opened his arms to the sea of stars. "In fact, over the past few days, I've been thinking about what 'Master Lu' of the CFIA said, too. The so-called 'Immortal Cultivator 2.0' sounds quite good at first. It is true that darkness is the main color of the universe, and the survival of the fittest is the law of nature.
"However, it suddenly occurred to me that 'civilization' was meant to violate nature and change the universe in the first place, wasn't it? Ever since our earliest ancestors ignited the first flame on an unknown planet and set fire to the mountains, we have been changing the planet below our feet and the universe above our head step by step. Such changes are both good and bad. Sometimes, they even lead to disastrous consequences. However, we have never stopped moving forward. Bit by bit, we have gritted our teeth and persevered. Bit by bit, we have changed the universe with our will, conquered the universe, and made the universe our enemy. As the saying goes, 'Fighting Heaven and Earth is endless fun'.
"The universe is so vast and powerful that the outcome of opposing the universe is likely to be crushed into smithereens. Therefore, the Immortal Cultivators gave in and retreated. They pledged their loyalty to the dark universe and surrendered to the cruel nature, allowing the 'ultimate truth of the universe' to change them and obliterating the 'humanity' that our ancestors gathered after hundreds of thousands of years of hard work.
"Even so, what good could the civilization of the Immortal Cultivators have achieved? No matter how they groveled, compromised, abandoned everything, and changed themselves, it was impossible for them to live longer than cockroaches!
"No, that's not right. In my opinion, only the species that are bold enough to declare war on the universe with their own will are qualified to be called a 'civilization'. A 'civilization' is born to conquer the universe and spread the belief of their civilization to every corner of the sea of stars!
"Without such determination, no matter how marvelous the techniques and the strength that they have mastered, they are nothing more than pitiful playthings created by the universe, driven by their survival instincts!
"Therefore, Immortal Cultivator 2.0, 5.0, and 100.0 are all useless. In my opinion, they are not qualified to be called a 'civilization of the Immortal Cultivators' at all. They are just a bunch of iron cockroaches that are trying to survive in the sea of stars.
"Perhaps they have pointed out part of the ultimate truth of nature and the laws of the universe. In the words of the ancient Cultivators, they have realized the 'heavenly law'. The heavenly law is vast and mighty, and those who follow it will prosper and those who defy it will perish. But Cultivation is about defying the heavens in the first place! If we don't even have the courage to defy the heavens when we are Cultivators, what is the point of Cultivation at all? "
The more Li Yao talked, the more excited he became. He was waving his hands, his saliva flying everywhere.
Looking at him in a daze, Cui Lingfeng suddenly burst into laughter. He laughed so hard that his face was red, and he was out of breath. Every wrinkle on his face was shivering, as if all the darkness and haze that had accumulated in his heart over the past thousand years had been released by his laughter.
"I'm finally completely convinced that you are not an Immortal Cultivator."
Dirty tears flowed out of his eyes as he laughed. "The Immortal Cultivators can never say such a thing. They can't even pretend to be one. Here."
He handed a silver jade chip to Li Yao. "This is the key to the confidential data center of the 'rightful government'. It has been kept by Cheng Xuansu in the past. All the glories and glories of the Star Ocean Republic in the golden years and all the darkness and ugliness in the years of exile are recorded inside, including things such as the 'Rebirth Plan'. In any case, they are an inseparable part of the name of the 'Star Ocean Republic'."
Li Yao blinked. He finally understood why Cui Lingfeng wanted to talk to him.
It seemed to be a special test.
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