Di Feiwen was still silent, but he did not disguise the objection and disdain in his eyes at all.
Li Yao smiled. "Do you feel that the Cultivators' ideas are a bit childish?"
"Yes," Di Feiwen said. "They can't be more childish."
"It's true that the Immortal Cultivators' ideas are perhaps more 'mature', more 'rational', and more adapted to the cruel universe, but I just don't like it. I'd rather be so silly and childish forever."
Li Yao said, "Have you ever wondered why both the Cultivators and the Immortal Cultivators call the most important phase of training 'Yuanying', and why the condensation of Yuanying is a sign of success in training? Why is it that the essence of our soul condenses into a tiny baby instead of a brawny man or a sophisticated old man?
"Perhaps, the so-called cultivation is the cultivation of the 'pure heart' that one is born with. One must not forget one's original heart in order to achieve success, right?
"What's wrong with being a little childish? At the very least, they are full of vigor and vigor. On the contrary, the 'grown-up' Immortal Cultivators like you, who have memorized all the rules in the dark universe by heart and melted them into their bones and blood, twisting and restricting themselves everywhere, may seem 'mature', but they are not far away from aging and decaying at all.
"It's only been a hundred thousand years since the civilization of mankind was born. We are still a very young 'juvenile civilization'. Why don't you show some of your determination that 'it is not your fault but the whole world' and make some earthshaking spectacles so that the thousands of universal civilizations will be dumbfounded? Don't be so lethargic so early!"
While talking, Li Yao opened his hand and patted Di Feiwen's shoulder hard.
Di Feiwen grimaced in pain from the slap. He did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Sir, sometimes I really don't know whether you're really naive, childish, reckless, and stupid, or you're as deep as the sea and wise as a fool."
"Of course," Li Yao said, "I am as wise as the ocean. Isn't it a well-known saying?"
Di Feiwen looked at his matter-of-fact face and heaved a long sigh, unable to say a single word.
Behind the two of them, Speaker Cui Lingfeng of the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic finally could not help but burst into laughter.
"Speaker Cui, you came at the right time."
Li Yao waves his hand and says, "What advice do you have for my discussion with General Di just now?"
"I wouldn't dare to give advice, but I do have my own opinions."
Cui Lingfeng hesitated for a moment and squatted next to Li Yao. Looking at the busy construction below the mountain, he remarked with mixed feelings, "The disagreement between you and General Di cannot be simply described as' right 'or' wrong '. There are not so many things that are absolutely right or absolutely wrong in the world. I can only say that, under extreme circumstances, two different choices may work out, but they may also fail.
"You know that I am the highest leader of Firefly, and I am responsible for the lives of billions of people.
"In the history of Firefly's thousand years of exile, quite a few extreme crises took place. My predecessor and I were forced to accept the interrogation of humanity and conscience time and time again, and we were forced to make all kinds of cruel and heartless choices.
"We were close to the abyss of darkness countless times. We even fell into the darkness without knowing it. We know very well the helplessness of many choices and the inevitability of our fall.
"Although I consider myself a 'bad Cultivator', if some other righteous Cultivators berate me for what I have done and treat me as an 'Immortal Cultivator', I will have nothing to say. After all, Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators are not words that are carved on the forehead. It will only take a moment to change them.
"Therefore, I understand everything that General Di said very well, and I am not qualified to comment on whether their theories are right or wrong, because faced with enough pressure, anyone can become an Immortal Cultivator. Anyone can become an Immortal Cultivator — no one knows this better than I do.
"What I'm trying to say is that your and General Di's theories may not be right or wrong, but if there are two worlds that are supported by your theories, I would rather live in your 'world of Cultivators' than in General Di's' world of Immortal Cultivators'. Also, we are willing to devote all our efforts and sacrifices to build the 'world of Cultivators' into a more beautiful and powerful one!
"Just like you said, nobody is immune to death. In many cases, ultimate destruction is unavoidable. But whether or not one can face death rationally, decently, and with dignity is the difference between a 'civilization' and a 'barbarism'.
"We have seen a lot of different ways of death on Firefly. Some of them resisted the meteoroids with the Crystal Suit resolutely and blocked the gaps on the shell of the starship with their fleshly bodies, only to be melted into the shell of the starship in the end, sacrificing themselves valiantly. Some of them killed the ordinary people in secret, stole their food rations, and cut off their flesh and blood to hide when food was scarce.
"But even if you have done all the bad things, how long can you survive when a real catastrophe comes? Even if you struggle to catch your breath in the dark venom for decades, is it really comfortable to be haunted by your mental devil day and night?
"General Di, the theories of the Immortal Cultivators may indeed be correct, but I do not want to discuss right now. I only want you to think about it carefully. If the 'world of Cultivators' that President Li described just now has a one in ten thousand chance of being established, do you want your descendants to live in such a world or in a world of Immortal Cultivators like the Imperium of True Human Beings?"
Di Feiwen's eyelids shivered for a long time. He struggled to shake his head and said, "No. It's impossible for you to succeed. The chances are too slim."
"Everything depends on effort. When we escaped from the Empyreal Terminus Sector, we did not expect that Firefly could really flee for a thousand years and pass through the three thousand Sectors before finally escaping from the clutches of the Imperium!"
Cui Lingfeng said with a smile. "You are the deputy commander of the Black Wind Fleet, and you have experienced the war between the Imperium and the Holy League. Naturally, you should know that on a battlefield, those who are scared of death will certainly die, but those who are fearless and march forward bravely have a slim chance of survival, don't they? Since the Immortal Cultivators claim to be the strongest warriors of the civilization of mankind, why are you so hesitant and cowardly? You do not have the courage and valor of the Cultivators at all?
"Besides, even if we fail and are destroyed, it will not be a big deal. Something will be left behind, which is hope.
"Human beings are truly a very strange animal. They can gather the most despicable and the most noble things together. Even if they have fallen into the darkest abyss, they will still blossom the light of hope in the stinky mud. They fail time and time again, and they will rise again and again and try again. Every time, they will be stronger, more civilized, and closer to … beauty than before.
"The Star Ocean Imperium, the Star Ocean Republic, the Imperium of True Human Beings, and the Xing Yao Federation right now have been battered and shattered time and time again, but they have sown the seeds of hope and been reborn again and again!
"I believe in the vitality of the civilization of mankind. Even if the 'naïve Cultivators' of the Xing Yao Federation fail this time, they will still leave something behind. Their successors will inherit their will and accomplish what they failed to do.
"All in all, what we are doing right now is definitely not a dream. It will affect millions of people and even the entire world in the future.
"Today, we have been building a new home from scratch and transforming Boneyard into Ultimacy. Of course, we did consider whether or not it would fall or even be destroyed one day. But please believe me, General Di, even if Ultimacy does fall a long, long time later, it will not be the end of our civilization but the beginning of another great legend!"
At this moment, an earth-shattering explosion came from the undulating mountains opposite them.
The hills that were surrounded by mountains were suddenly illuminated, as if they were suddenly enlightened.
As it turned out, it was the largest explosion that the builders had ever carried out. The folds that were dozens of kilometers long were all blown up, creating a golden avenue that led to the inland.
Dust was rising, and red flags were flapping. Countless builders were waving their tools and hats, cheering in excitement.
The scene was deeply etched in Di Feiwen's eyes. He looked at Li Yao and then at Cui Lingfeng. In the end, he narrowed his eyes and looked at the world that was slowly becoming clear behind the dust and waiting for human beings to conquer and build. He mumbled, "Then, let's wait and see!"
…
The construction troop of the Black Wind Fleet, the hundreds of millions of people on Firefly, the 'outcasts' of the Dragon Snake Space Zone … More and more new blood joined the Xing Yao Federation.
But some people of the Federation were about to leave their home for their own ideas and dreams, too.
While the new settlements on Boneyard, the Water Crystal Sector, and the Forest Ocean Sector were being built in full swing, some other people were preparing to embark on an expedition deep inside Hundred Flowers City. If there were no accidents, it would be an unstoppable, never-returnable expedition.
For various reasons, the 'expedition' this time was rather low-key and was not publicized on a large scale. But its significance was perhaps even more profound than the expedition that the Federation would launch to the center of the cosmos one day.
It was because it was an expedition of the civilization of mankind against time and a journey to the future universe billions of years later.
It was the 'Tinder Plan', the great project of the civilization of mankind to sow the seeds of billions of lightyears away.
Although Professor Mo Xuan regarded the 'Tinder Plan' as a disguise, in order to deceive all the leadership and specialists of the Federation, the plan itself was not falsified at all. The overall completion rate was quite high.
On the day that Professor Mo Xuan launched his real scheme, the first launch of the 'Tinder Plan' could indeed be carried out smoothly.
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