Li Yao had just seen the irreconcilable conflict between the Iron Plateau natives and the space residents five thousand years ago. Xiong Wuji's words stunned him. "What?"
"Iron Plateau cannot hold on any longer."
Xiong Wuji was emotionless. Every muscle on his face seemed to be made of iron. "For five thousand years, the Iron Plateau natives have been struggling to survive, reproduce, and expand. We have almost occupied the entire eastern part of the continent below our feet. We seem to be flourishing and thriving!
"But in fact, we have reached the limits of our expansion and reached the peak of our development. What's next is a straight downward, bottomless abyss!
"What matters most is resources.
"Every battle of the apocalypse consumes a lot of resources. To cope with the battle of the apocalypse this time, almost all the mother lodes near Furious Bears City have been drained. The war machines and crystal bombs that were produced have all been used up."
"The trophies from the apocalyptic beasts are far from enough to make up for the losses.
"Not just the Furious Bears Tribe, the other five tribes are in the same situation. All the mother lodes will run out in the next few decades. If we want to excavate more resources, we will have to build new mining sites and towns further away.
"But building new mining sites and towns and maintaining the supply lines on the way will consume a lot of resources. We will also have to be prepared for the scourge of demon beasts on the way. One moment of carelessness, and the losses will outweigh the gains!
"The leadership of the six tribes are all well aware of the situation. Judging from the current development pattern, we can only persist for another few decades. After seven or eight apocalypses, we will run out of resources and find it hard to continue.
"Everybody is working hard to come up with a good solution. For example, we can improve our excavation and smelting technology so that we can collect more mother lodes below the ground …
"But whatever the solution is, it will require a lot of time and resources. Technological advancement is not something that can be accomplished overnight. It often takes decades, if not centuries, and the unremitting efforts of several generations. A lot of detours and tremendous resources will be invested in countless fundamental disciplines!
"However … We don't have the time or the resources! "
"The outbreak of the eggs of apocalypse that occurs once every ten years has forced us to devote all our resources to cope with it. Together with the attacks of the demon beasts, we are too exhausted to deal with them. We don't have enough resources to carry out fundamental studies that can last a hundred years!
"Before, I couldn't figure out why the eggs of apocalypse would break out in such a weird way. But after hearing what you said, Li Yao, I understand now!
"The outbreak of the eggs of apocalypse is a targeted 'technological blockade'. It blocks the possibility of our progress in fundamental studies. It forces us to devote all our resources to the Bloodshed Land and upgrade the war pattern that the eggs of apocalypse set up!
"When the 'upgrade' lasts for almost ten thousand years, we will abandon the civilization. We will only be adept at the war of the Titan Spirits civilization. Maybe, as you said, 'we' will become 'them'! "
While speaking, Xiong Wuji's muscular body began to tremble.
Sha Yulan. She put her hands on his shoulders, but her eyes were also flashing with a trace of panic.
"I understand it. I understand everything now … "
Xiong Wuji mumbled, "Before, when I was training in the Titan Illusionary Land, I often found it strange that the Titan Warriors were a species that knew nothing about construction but slaughtering. Why did they boast such sophisticated weapons? Many of their weapons were made of special alloys, and their refining technology was much more advanced than ours. They must have a very high industrial level to make such weapons!"
"Now that I think about it, it might have something to do with the eggs of apocalypse!
"The eggs of apocalypse, as well as the insects we saw in the Titan Illusionary Land, were probably the production tools of the Titan Spirits!
"They herded the insects like we herded cows and sheep!
"They stabbed the eggs of apocalypse deep into the ground. Then, the eggs of apocalypse would grow weird 'roots' and collect the resources in the mother lodes below the ground. Then, a lot of apocalyptic beasts would be bred!
"Those apocalyptic beasts are the best 'metal processing plants'. They can remove the impurities in the minerals and extract the purest metals through amazing biochemical reactions. They can even combine multiple metals and turn them into super alloys!
"Besides, the apocalyptic beasts themselves were Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures that contained tremendous spiritual energy!
"The Titan Spirits herded the apocalyptic beasts. When the time was right, they would explode the eggs of apocalypse and kill the apocalyptic beasts. Then, they would collect the super alloys and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures inside the bodies of the apocalyptic beasts and arm themselves with them!
"I assume that this is the survival model of the Titan Spirits civilization!
"Right now, the Titan Spirits civilization is trying to guide us to abandon the survival model of human beings and walk on their path!"
Li Yao took a deep breath and nodded. "It does make sense. The eggs of apocalypse were used to collect the resources deep below the ground. The apocalyptic beasts would purify and fuse the resources. In the end, the Titan Spirits would slay all the apocalyptic beasts. On one hand, their appetite for slaughter would be satisfied, and on the other hand, a lot of resources would be obtained!
"In such a way, there would be no need for any industrial foundation. A lot of super metals would be obtained and indestructible weapons would be produced!"
"It is indeed the style of the Titan Spirits!"
Xiong Wuji gnashed his teeth. "More than that!
"In the Titan Illusionary Land, I turned into a Titan Spirit Warrior many times and hid in the vesicles inside creatures that were thousands of meters long that looked like giant beetles. I jumped from one planet to another and started a new battle!
"Chances are that the giant beetles that could cross the sea of stars were the 'interstellar warships' of the Titan Spirits. In such a way, they swallowed one planet after another like a swarm of locusts."
Li Yao said, "I've been there, too!"
Xiong Wuji said, "Maybe, ten thousand years later, when all the Iron Plateau natives were transformed into the new Titan Spirits, they would grasp the method to produce the 'starship beetles', too. They would collect the resources from the core of the planet through the eggs of apocalypse and produce countless starship beetles. Then …
"They would ravage the entire Flying Star Sector!"
Li Yao secretly shuddered. "Although it is just a speculation, it does make sense. The appetite of the Titan Spirits is certainly not as simple as one planet!"
Xiong Wuji smiled bitterly and said, "Now you should understand why I proposed to get in touch with the Flying Star Sector despite the universal condemnation, right?
"The legacy of the Titan Spirits' civilization is like a cluster of thick ink, and Iron Plateau is a cup of water.
"If the ink is poured into the cup of water, the whole cup of water will be polluted before long.
"But the human civilization of the Flying Star Sector, which has spread across the entire Flying Star Sector, is like this pond!
"Even the thickest cluster of ink will be diluted if it is poured into the pond.
"Then, it is not the Titan Spirits' civilization that transformed us, but the civilization of mankind that swallowed them completely!
"This is a war!"
"Maybe the Titan Spirits' civilization went extinct billions of years ago. Maybe their civilization was millions of lightyears away from us!
"But this is a war between two civilizations that transcends infinite time and space!
"If the Iron Plateau natives continue to live in seclusion and refuse to get in touch with the outside world, we will be completely transformed by the Titan Spirits' civilization sooner or later. Eventually, the entire Flying Star Sector and even the civilizations of mankind beyond the Flying Star Sector will be affected!
"However, I believe that, as long as the Iron Plateau natives and the space residents are united, we will certainly be able to solve the mysteries of the Titan Spirits' civilization and figure out the techniques of the 'eggs of apocalypse' to collect resources and refine apocalyptic beasts!
"By then, we will swallow the Titan Spirits' civilization completely. We will certainly be stronger than before!"
Xiong Wuji's eyes were glittering. Although he was just sitting on the rock, Li Yao felt that the aura spreading out of his body right now was even stronger than when he was fighting the calamity-level apocalyptic beasts!
A competition between two civilizations that transcended billions of lightyears and millions of lightyears!
Li Yao was so shocked by the magnificent conjecture that he found it hard to breathe.
He also understood why Xiong Wuji, as the best warrior of the six tribes of Iron Plateau and the strongest expert on Iron Plateau, had proposed to get in touch with the 'traitors' in the past and the space residents today.
Li Yao asked, "Chief Xiong, what are you going to do?"
Xiong Wuji pondered for a moment and smiled bitterly. "For thousands of years, the estrangement between the Iron Plateau natives and the space residents is too deep. The ice wall cannot be thawed overnight.
"In fact, two thousand years ago, the space residents sent representatives to Iron Plateau, hoping to resume the communication between the two parties.
"But at that time, the resources on Iron Plateau were relatively abundant. Also, our predecessors were making breakthroughs on the path of refinement, from the 50th level, to the 70th level, and to the 90th level.
"At that time, everybody thought that we could break through the 100th level, the 500th level, and even the 1000th level without any limit.
"Therefore, the predecessors at that time turned down the space residents' request for communication and drove them all away.
"Later, many starships of the space residents were forced to land on Iron Plateau, too.
"You know that most of the areas on Iron Plateau are turbulent oceans and dark continents, which are not under our control.
"Even the areas under the control of the six tribes of Iron Plateau are vast wastelands where demon beasts roam. We can only protect a few towns and transportation routes.
"Therefore, the passengers on the starships did not end up well. They were either swallowed by demon beasts or slaughtered by the barbarians of the dark continent.
"As a result, the rumor spread to the space residents and made them regard Iron Plateau as a forbidden area for Cultivators and us as barbarians who feast on raw meat!
"Such a view cannot be changed so quickly. My idea is to send a delegation to the depths of the sea of stars to get in touch with the space residents and show them what the Iron Plateau natives are like today.
"If possible, we can also make some deals with each other. We can use our unique techniques or resources to make an exchange!"
"It won't be too late to talk about the large-scale communication after we've made the first step and lowered our wariness.
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