Faced with Di Feiwen's interrogation, Li Yao was silent for a long time, but he was still grinning. "In fact, Su Changfa and a lot of other Immortal Cultivators who were captured by us have raised similar questions before. It has occurred to me that the Immortal Cultivators have basically received the same brainwashing procedures, and you like to bewilder people with such extreme dilemmas best, don't you?
"Of course, I've thought about those questions before. I was even caught in a dilemma and felt that the Immortal Cultivators' theories did make sense. But on second thought, when such a dilemma occurs, any choice will be wrong and fall into your sophistry logic. What else is there to say?
"Therefore, I feel that the most important thing is not to make a choice in such a dilemma but to find a way to prevent such a thing from happening.
"For example, you said just now that mobs will inevitably appear when a crisis comes, and they will certainly be crazier than ever. Why? Because the Immortal Cultivators despise the ordinary people and exploit them cruelly. You do not believe in the strength of the ordinary people, and you do not promote real 'education' so that the ordinary people will awaken the awareness of 'defenders of the civilization of mankind'. Instead, you inculcate them with the philosophy that 'the strong prey on the weak'.
"You have planted the seeds of cruelty and selfishness deep inside the hearts of the ordinary people and treated them as' animals'. How can you expect them to obey or even sacrifice themselves when a crisis comes?
"Also, the guys who call themselves' elites' are selfish and arrogant in the first place. I believe that when a crisis comes, few of you will sacrifice themselves like 'Bloody Spear' Zhou Tailong, won't you? Most of the Immortal Cultivators will still run for their lives in a hurry, won't they? They will even say things like 'I'm stronger, and my life is more valuable, so I'm more qualified to live on', right?
"If the upper beam is not straight, the lower beam will be crooked too. If the ordinary people below follow your example, how can they not become 'mobs'?
"However, is it possible that, in an ideal society, everybody receives comprehensive civic education from a young age and realizes that, regardless of whether or not their spiritual root is awakened, and whether or not the strength under their control is strong, they are all the masters and defenders of the civilization of mankind. They all shoulder unshirkable responsibilities and regard 'protection' and 'sacrifice' as the highest values. Such values will be deeply etched in their subconsciousness.
"At the same time, we have to maintain a sense of crisis at all times. Even if the crisis has yet to arrive, we will carry out a lot of emergency plan training by combining the Great Illusionary Land and actual combat exercises.
"When the real crisis comes, under the leadership of the Cultivators, countless people will step forward and sacrifice themselves to block the enemy. The rest of the people have received tremendous training and can maintain the most basic order, too. They evacuate and retreat in an orderly manner, maximizing the number of people who can retreat in the end.
"This kind of ideal society is what the Xing Yao Federation and I are pursuing!"
Di Feiwen stared straight at Li Yao. "According to what you said, how high is the average moral standard of this ideal society? Won't everyone become a saint?"
"The progress of civilization naturally means that the moral standard is higher and higher, not the other way around!"
Li Yao said solemnly. "Of course, this is just our dream. To reach the level where everybody is a saint is even more difficult than destroying a world. However, we still have technology. I believe that the advancement of technology can make up for the backwardness of morals and help us avoid the dilemma as much as possible.
"For example, in the second dilemma that you proposed, whether to save the specialist of power rune arrays or the little girl?
"At first glance, it is indeed a very cruel choice. It does not seem right to save either of them.
"But on second thought, in order to make the choice so cruel, you intentionally set up a lot of prerequisites. For example, something happened to the engine compartment of the starship, the space and resources on the starship could only save one person, the time was too short to prepare a second starship, and so on.
"What if those problems did not exist?
"What if, with the advancement of technology, we were able to produce a starship that had a larger space and a higher efficiency of resource recycling, allowing us to take both of them away?
"What if our engine compartment was more stable and boasted advanced self-examination and maintenance methods?
"What if there was a mysterious technology of 'wisdom inheritance' that allowed the specialist of power rune arrays to transmit his wisdom to the little girl?
"If the technology of 'human virtualization' prevailed, when the specialist of power rune arrays could not evacuate his body, he could simply extract his soul and crawl into a ring on the little girl's finger so that they could leave together as an 'old grandpa'. Would that work?
"All in all, one of the fundamental differences between human beings and animals is tools and technology. I am a refiner, and I believe in technology. Of course, technology is not omnipotent, but the advancement of technology can indeed solve a lot of problems, allowing us to avoid countless cruel and painful choices and making the whole world more civilized and beautiful.
"This is my answer."
Li Yao's eyes were clear, but he was determined.
Di Feiwen, however, had a hint of pity in his eyes. He was amused and shook his head. "Morals? Technology? Is this your answer, my lord? That is … too wishful thinking.
"After coming to the edge of the cosmos for such a long time, I have gradually understood your way of life and your beliefs. Sometimes, I truly feel that the Cultivators are like ignorant, innocent children who lie in a nest that is temporarily warm and safe, unaware of the darkness of the outside world and the evilness of people's hearts. You think that your tiny bit of 'persistence' and 'strength' can solve all the problems.
"When the Immortal Cultivators such as us kindly tell you about the cruelty of the outside world and the rules of survival in the cruel world, you always cover your ears and say, 'I don't want to listen to you', thinking that as long as you persist foolishly, the dark world will vanish and the cruel rules will be reversed.
"Face the reality. Both morals and technology have their limits, but the coldness and cruelty of the dark universe do not. There will always be problems that you cannot solve, and you will always have to make the most painful and cruel choices!
"Innocent children have to grow up, develop a steel body and a cold heart, and learn how to survive in a cannibalistic universe!
"You are still staying in your nest at the edge of the cosmos that is relatively stable and safe. Naturally, you can talk about the useless things. But trust me, after you go to the center of the cosmos and experience the cruel choices that can never be resolved by morals and technology, chances are that you will become the next Blackstar the Great, and the Xing Yao Federation will become the next Imperium of True Human Beings, too.
"If the Xing Yao Federation at that time is any different from the Imperium of True Human Beings today, it will only be colder, crueler, and more dominating! Otherwise, it will not be qualified to fight in the universal slaughterhouse on behalf of the Imperium of True Human Beings! "
Looking at Di Feiwen's twisted face and intimidating performance, Li Yao suddenly burst into laughter.
His eyes were unfocused, and he was somewhat distracted.
Di Feiwen was slightly dazed. He was somewhat annoyed, which was rare for him. He asked solemnly, "Why are you laughing, my lord?"
"Nothing. Nothing. I suddenly remembered a joke that was not very funny a long, long time ago."
Li Yao shrugged. "Just ignore me. Go on."
"A joke …"
Di Feiwen frowned. "Is it related to what we are discussing right now?"
"Well. Perhaps not. I just couldn't help myself when I thought of it. My apologies."
Li Yao simply squatted on the ground and tilted his head. "The joke was about the solution when you encountered a tiger-type demon beast.
"By the way, most of the tiger-type demon beasts like to attack from the back. They bite the aorta behind the neck, which can be fatal in one strike!
"Therefore, if an ordinary person encounters a tiger-type demon beast in the wilderness by accident, they must not panic and run away. Of course, they must not kneel and beg for mercy because their legs are weak, and they must not think that they can survive the disaster by groveling before the tiger-type demon beast and turning themselves into its claws, teeth, and slaves. Those are all useless, and they will be dead for sure.
"The correct approach should be to confront the tiger-type demon beast head-on. You should widen your eyes and roar loudly. If there are any sticks or twigs around you, you should pick them up and wave them at the tiger-type demon beast. You might even poke at it brutally.
"While poking, you should also roar with the loudest voice in your life. For example, you should say 'f * ck you, stinky tiger-type demon beast. Come and eat me if you have the guts!' or something like that. Just do whatever you want."
Di Feiwen blinked in confusion for a long time, frowning harder and harder. "Wait. You just said that an 'ordinary person' who does not have the strength to truss a chicken ran into a lion-type demon beast in the wilderness, didn't you?"
Li Yao nodded. "That's right!"
Di Feiwen was greatly confused. "Then what? Will they be able to escape from the tiger's mouth in such a way? With twigs and … curses?"
"Not exactly."
Li Yao said, "But at the very least, they will die with dignity in such a way!"
"…" Di Feiwen.
"Well, isn't it a bit cold?" Li Yao asked. "I told you that it was not a very funny joke."
"Please don't be hasty, my lord," Di Feiwen said. "I'm trying to figure out the joke carefully."
"In fact, there is nothing funny," Li Yao said. "It just occurred to me that if the dark universe and all the powerful existences in it, including the Pangu civilization, the extraterrestrial devils, and other bizarre alien species, are one, no, a bunch of tiger-type demon beasts, and the civilization of mankind is the unlucky guy who unfortunately runs into them in the wilderness, then the Immortal Cultivators of the Pangu Civilization should be more concerned about the Immortal Cultivators.
"Then, what the Immortal Cultivators should consider more is how to survive in front of them. Abandon everything, twist everything, and even abandon the most fundamental things of human beings. You should change from the inside to the outside and live on as a 'servant' and 'lackey'.
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