"That's not a problem. I've thought about it for a long time," Lu Qingchen said casually.
"We can fill the people of the Holy League into the corrupted bureaucratic system of the Imperium and replace the greedy and idiotic Immortal Cultivators. The local order will be restored as quickly as possible."
Li Yao's heart was cold. "What did you say?"
"The people of the Holy League. We have a lot of people from the Holy League under our control. Have you forgotten that?"
Lu Qingchen said casually, "I admire the free will of human beings as much as you do. So, I will never deprive human beings of their feelings and will, even if they are Immortal Cultivators.
"But the brains of the people of the Holy League are empty. They have become puppets of flesh and blood that only carry out orders dutifully. To be honest, I don't know how to treat them, either. Do you not think that they are worth making good use of?
"When I played the role of 'Puppet King', I learned a lot of things from Fuxi, including how to plant instructions in the heads of the people of the Holy League on a large scale. Now that I've absorbed so much information, data, and rules from Fuxi, my ability to control the people of the Holy League has been further improved. We can totally write some new, special instructions to turn the people of the Holy League into the most honest officials and the fairest arbitrators. Then, we can project them to the Sectors of the Imperium that are in chaos. The deterrence of the expedition army of the Federation and the effective control of the bureaucratic system of the Holy League will be able to solve all the problems in the shortest amount of time.
"On the other hand, when the people of the Holy League reach the ordinary people and the Immortal Cultivators who have feelings, after a long time of contact and infiltration, it is possible that their lost humanity will gradually recover. Won't it be killing two birds with one stone?"
"…"
Lu Qingchen's astounding proposal stunned Li Yao again. After a long silence, he said with a bitter smile, "So, that's your plan. Let the people of the Federation manage the people of the Holy League, and then let the people of the Holy League manage the people of the Imperium. Or rather, let the people of the Holy League and the people of the Imperium restrain each other, and the people of the Federation will take advantage of everything.
"That's a good plan, but I want to know what you're going to do if the people of the Empire are dissatisfied with the Holy League's control. Killing those who disobeyed the orders of the Empire and sending more Holy League members to act as administrators to enforce high-handed rule? What if more people from the Holy League aroused more dissatisfaction and resistance? What if more people from the Holy League were sent, or the Federation's army would descend from the sky and directly suppress them with force? Such a vicious cycle, until in the end, everybody was under the management of the people of the Holy League who were expressionless, heartless, and emotionless, forming the so-called 'order' on the surface, while the people of the Federation were another privileged class above the managers of the Holy League?
"Lu Qingchen, oh Lu Qingchen, have you really thought about every word that you just said? Do you not feel that your approach will only turn the Xing Yao Federation into a replica of the Alliance of the Holy Covenant, and you will become another Fuxi? Or rather, your will will still be entangled and corrupted by Fuxi's logic, and you will end up as their slave in the end?"
"The bottom line is that you just don't trust me."
Lu Qingchen sighed regretfully and said, "I explained everything to you at the risk of stalling when I knew that thousands of soldiers were bombarding outside, just to win your trust. I didn't expect that you would still be unwilling to believe my flawless plan.
"I get it now. It's not about the plan but about you. You just don't trust me. Whatever I say, it's useless."
"You're wrong, Lu Qingchen. You're really wrong. It's not that I don't trust you. I … I just … I just don't trust myself."
Deep and painful waves spread out of Li Yao's body. He was almost showing the darkness in the deepest part of his soul to Lu Qingchen. "As a matter of fact, I've already thought about everything that you're thinking about, including the most extreme, violent, simple, fast, and effective approaches.
"It's not even a matter of today, but a long time ago, when I controlled the Gold Crystal Pyramid, I was almost captured by the Gold Crystal Pyramid and the remaining souls of Wuying Qi 3.0 and completely transformed into a dark version of Li Yao.
"At that time, I couldn't help but think that since the Gold Crystal Pyramid could make the entire capital hear my will with the enhancement of the stars, why couldn't I broadcast the beliefs of the Cultivators to the entire capital and even the entire universe, turning countless Immortal Cultivators into Cultivators? Wouldn't that solve the problem once and for all?
"However, after thinking for a long time and struggling with my inner demons for countless days and nights, I finally gave up the idea.
"Believe me, there are no shortcuts in this world. Every gift that seems to be free is secretly marked with a price. Everything that is born of deception, coercion, and violence will be destroyed by deception, coercion, and violence a hundred times more than that.
"Cultivators can't be brainwashed; they have to train themselves with their whole life. I can brainwash all the Immortal Cultivators in the capital into so-called 'Cultivators' with the Gold Crystal Pyramid, but I can't guarantee that they won't be awakened or think of my methods. I can't guarantee that the Immortal Cultivators in the hundreds of Sectors other than the capital will think of me after they learn my methods. What I can't guarantee the least is that I won't do more horrible things with the Gold Crystal Pyramid after I tasted the sweetness of the Gold Crystal Pyramid and inculcate more noble ideas in the public. In the end, everybody will lose themselves and their selfishness and become my slaves.
"But I'm neither omniscient nor immortal. I don't believe that I can completely control the power of the Gold Crystal Pyramid. I will be lost in the deepest darkness of the Gold Crystal Pyramid after upgrading the power of the Gold Crystal Pyramid again and again. In the end, there will only be two outcomes. Either I'll be killed by all the heroes in the entire universe who crave freedom, and my name will be ruined forever, or the 'absolute brightness' that I maintain with the Gold Crystal Pyramid will last for thousands of years, and the civilization of mankind will lose its freedom and vitality and perish together with me in the end.
"Either outcome is not what I want. So, the wisest solution is not to touch the tempting yet evil power of the Gold Crystal Pyramid in the beginning. Don't touch the things that you know you can't control!
"Really, Lu Qingchen, how can I make you understand? The federation does not rise for the sake of rising, and we do not fight for the sake of Cultivators. The reason why the Star Glory Federation is rising and why we are spreading the brilliance of the Cultivators to the entire universe is because we believe that the Star Glory Federation has the fairest, most reasonable, and most advanced system of the civilization of mankind so far. We believe that the people of the federation and the Cultivators are the kindest and best representatives of 'justice'. We are both the sharpest sabers of the civilization of mankind and the children of millions of ordinary people. We consider all mankind our compatriots and brothers and sisters. We have not come to the center of the cosmos for slaughter and destruction but to help our brothers and sisters and the folks here and bring peace, happiness, and hope to them!
"At the very least, that's why I jumped to the center of the cosmos after such a long journey and threw myself into the most dangerous places to fight at the cost of my soul and life. Not only do I want the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars flag to fly high at the center of the cosmos, I also want the people at the center of the cosmos to know the existence of the Xing Yao Federation and what the life of the people of the Federation is like. They can be just like the people of the Federation!
"Also, I believe that not just me, but also Ding Lingdang, my disciples, the millions of Cultivators, and the ordinary soldiers of the expedition army of the federation, like me, are willing to make the decision to gamble everything and create the greatest miracle in the hundred thousand years of glorious history of the civilization of mankind, not just for the survival and the bright future of the federation but also for the survival and the bright future of all mankind!
"You claim that the Federation is in the highest interest, but do you understand that the highest interest of the Federation is not that the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars flag is everywhere in the universe but that everybody in the universe is just like the people of the Federation. They are just as bright, as positive, as capable of pursuing their own happiness, as believing in justice, and as believing that the dawn of hope is right ahead even if there is still a lingering darkness before their eyes! If everybody thinks in such a way, it doesn't matter at all what the flag above their head looks like, whether it is the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars flag or the Three Stars Lightning flag! "
This time, it was Lu Qingchen's turn to be rendered speechless by Li Yao. His face was gloomy.
"Which is more important, the flag or the ideology?"
Li Yao did not relax at all. He continued earnestly, "The Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars flag is a sesame seed, and the ideology of the Federation and the path of the Cultivators are a watermelon. What you are doing is purely picking up the sesame seed and throwing away the watermelon. Or rather, you are buying the casket and returning the pearl! If the people of the Federation betray us and stab the dying heart brutally at the most vulnerable and chaotic moment at the center of the cosmos according to your plan, causing the deaths of billions of innocent people, who will trust us? Who will believe that the Cultivators stand for justice and that the path of the Cultivators stands for hope? Who will believe that the people of the Federation will be merciful, better rulers who can lead the civilization of mankind to a brighter future?
"No. By then, nobody will believe us. Not only will the Immortal Cultivators and the ordinary people who survived at the center of the cosmos not believe us, but they will only lurk and accumulate more strength so that they can overthrow us without caring about the cost. Even our own people, the Cultivators and the soldiers of the expedition army who believe that they are fighting for justice, will doubt themselves and be mentally deranged, their belief collapsing.
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