"The Xing Yao Federation is an abnormal country born in war. It has been surrounded by enemies since it was founded. Over the past five hundred years, war has been the main theme of the country. Therefore, enormous interest groups that depend on war have been born!
"To this day, hunting demon beasts and demons is still the mainstay industry of the Xing Yao Federation. Of the top five hundred sects of the Federation, 281 of them take hunting demon beasts and providing military services such as defense against the demon race as their main business. The upstream and downstream industrial chains that extend out almost cover one-fifth of the working population of the Federation.
"Among the 'Cultivators', the ruling class of the Federation, almost one third are battle-type Cultivators. Even the non-battle-type Cultivators are often engaged in work related to war.
"For example, the refiners of military magical equipment enjoy a higher position than the refiners of civil magical equipment. A culture-type Cultivator is also more interested in creating works of art related to war. They can even join the army directly and boost the morale with battle songs, becoming a warrior in a different sense.
"If you don't understand what an 'interest group' means, just think about yourself, Vulture Li Yao.
"Ten years ago, after you killed dozens of nobles of the Blood Demon Sector on Boneyard, I paid special attention to your files. Just now, I browsed through all your files again and discovered that you used to be a disabled veteran of the Xing Yao Federation.
"Since you are a disabled veteran of the Federation, you must know how many benefits and rights a veteran can enjoy in the Xing Yao Federation.
"The free use of public facilities and transportation facilities, the tax reduction for the establishment of enterprises and sects, the high monthly disability allowance and retirement allowance … In the federation, every veteran is a hidden millionaire!"
"You are very proud, very proud, and very honorable, aren't you?
"However, I would like to know something. As a disabled veteran of the Federation, you enjoyed the benefits of being a disabled veteran of the Federation. When you enjoyed all the benefits that you took for granted, did you ever think about one tiny question?
"Money does not fall from the sky. The Xing Yao Federation has been fighting for five hundred years. How many martyrs and disabled veterans have there been? The benefits and the money that you enjoyed. Where did they come from?
"It's fine for those who have been sacrificed. The pension is a one-time thing. But with the advancement of time and the rapid development of biochemistry and psionic studies, it's getting harder and harder for wounded soldiers to die. Even if they do die, there's a certain chance that they'll turn into spectral cultivators. And spectral cultivators enjoy the same rights as living people! "
"The result is that the disabled veterans and veterans of the Xing Yao Federation are getting bigger and bigger, and they are showing signs that they can't get rid of them. You have formed a huge interest group, exerting your influence everywhere in the Senate. You want to continuously raise the status of the soldiers, more money, more benefits, more respect! "
"How can the status of a soldier be raised? War. There was only war! In peacetime, all active soldiers are a bunch, not to mention disabled veterans! "
"Look, don't think that we demons are the only ones who crave war. You disabled veterans also crave and need war. Without war, you are just a pile of sh * t, a pile of sh * t that doesn't even smell! "
"This is just a small interest group within the Federation."
"There are also the Cultivation sects whose main business is to slay demon beasts and defend against the invasion of the demon race. The battle-type Cultivators who do not have any special skills, and the leaders who have devoted all the resources of their entire sect to the 'war bonds' and the 'victory fund', do you think they really want the war to come to an abrupt end just like that? "
"Let me be more straightforward. If peace is really here, what do you want so many battle-type Cultivators to do? To perform acrobatics in a circus? "
"Vulture Li Yao, you are perhaps the greatest miracle of the Xing Yao Federation in the past five hundred years. You've improved to such an unbelievable level in only ten years. It's also the only reason why I'm willing to waste so much time talking to you."
"However, no matter what level your Cultivation has reached, you are still too young."
"You know nothing about real strength. You know nothing about how the world works!"
"The Xing Yao Federation has been an out-and-out war machine since it was founded five hundred years ago. It can only function normally with the lubrication of tremendous war dividends!
"Five hundred years ago, you annihilated the Far East Demon Kingdom and looted a lot of war dividends. You prospered for only a hundred years.
"Three hundred years ago, when the war dividends ran out, you targeted the 'Alliance of Demons of the Grand Desolate Plateau' on the Grand Desolate Plateau. You launched seven expeditions and conquered the entire Grand Desolate Plateau in the end!
"With the war dividends from the conquest of the Grand Desolate Plateau, you maintained the rapid development of the Federation for another hundred years.
"But at that time, the entire Tian Yuan Realm had been conquered by you. There were no new demon kingdoms or demon cities that could be exploited for new war dividends. The interest groups that had expanded to the maximum during the hundreds of years of war couldn't die on their own, either.
"Therefore, you focused your attention on the Blood Demon Sector and prepared to lubricate the gears and tracks of the war machine with the internal organs of the Blood Demon Sector."
Li Yao was so angry that he laughed. "Senior Jin, I didn't know that you were so good at distorting the truth! Even if the Xing Yao Federation is truly a war machine, it was forced by the demon race, wasn't it? Were the Far East Demon Kingdom and the Alliance of Demons of the Grand Desolate Plateau all merciful men and women? Before we annihilate them, when did they not think of annihilating us for even a second?! "
"Over the past hundred years, wasn't it the insects and the beast tides of the Blood Demon Sector that invaded the Tian Yuan Realm first? Are you the only ones who are allowed to invade and we are not allowed to fight back? "
"I don't want to discuss right or wrong," Jin Tuyi said casually. "I only want to talk about the facts with you, a special Cultivator. Who was the invader and who was the defender between the Far East Demon Kingdom and the Xing Yao Federation years ago is absolutely meaningless.
"The fact is that, no matter how innocent the Xing Yao Federation was in the beginning, it has been nurtured into a terrifying beast by blood and corpses in the two hundred-year wars!
"Yes. In the past hundred years, especially in the recent decades, the Blood Demon Sector has indeed launched countless probing attacks on the Heaven's Origin Sector, including large-scale attacks such as the 'Battle of Dawn'. If you call it 'invasion', I'll admit it."
"But do you know when the Xing Yao Federation issued the first batch of war bonds aimed at the Blood Demon Sector?
"Let me tell you, 142 years ago!
"Why? It's very simple!
"170 years ago, the war between the Xing Yao Federation and the Alliance of Demons of the Grand Desolate Plateau had just ended. The Grand Desolate Plateau was finally conquered.
"The protracted war greatly consumed the national strength of the Federation. The government's finances were on the verge of collapse.
"The development of the Grand Desolate Plateau, which was sparsely populated and had a harsh environment, required a lot of investment. The government of the Federation couldn't afford any money at all!
"To raise funds, the government of the Federation had to issue a new batch of construction bonds in exchange for the support of the major sects with the rights and interests of the resources on the Grand Desolate Plateau.
"But none of the sects were willing to do so.
"Why? Because as far as the eye could see, the entire Tian Yuan world had been conquered! In the foreseeable future, peace and development would be the mainstream of the Tian Yuan Realm. The status of the battle-type Cultivators in the Union Army and the major sects would certainly plummet.
"This is absolutely unacceptable to the interest groups that are dependent on war!"
"Therefore, they forced the government of the Federation to issue new war bonds when the government of the Federation was running short of funds and was on the verge of collapse.
"Right. 'Forced' is not the right word. In fact, in the Xing Yao Federation, which had just conquered the Grand Desolate Plateau, the battle-type Cultivators and the Union Army were at the peak of their popularity. They were supported by all the people. They controlled the entire parliament. They were the government of the Federation!
"All in all, the government of the Federation issued new bundled bonds. The development bonds for the Grand Desolate Plateau and the war bonds for the Blood Demon Sector were bundled together. They claimed that they had to launch a preemptive strike on the Blood Demon Sector, the nest of the demon race, in order to protect the safety of the Grand Desolate Plateau!
"All the Cultivators and sects who bought the bonds would be given a large area of spiritual lodes, land, and … slaves after the Blood Demon Sector was conquered!
"Maybe, in the beginning, it was just a temporary measure for the soldiers and Cultivators to consolidate their position. They didn't really want to attack the Blood Demon Sector.
"But the moment the war bonds were issued, the ferocious beast that had just hibernated was awakened. Everything was beyond their control.
"The Cultivators and sects who bought the bonds became the most enthusiastic supporters of the war. It must be noted that many of them were Yuanying Patriarchs who boasted great influence and even control in the parliament!
"Therefore, the war bonds were issued for the construction of the Grand Desolate Plateau. In order to cash in the war bonds, the Blood Demon Sector had to be conquered.
"In order to conquer the Blood Demon Sector, more funds, more resources, and a larger army had to be raised. Therefore, a second, a third, and a fourth bond had to be issued …"
Jin Tuyi's lips curled into a vague smile, but there was vague sorrow in his deep eyes. "At that time, the Xing Yao Federation knew nothing about the Blood Demon Sector. Judging us by the standards of the 'Far East Demon Kingdom' and the 'Alliance of Demons on the Grand Desolate Plateau', you thought that the Blood Demon Sector was a strengthened version of the Grand Desolate Plateau at best that could be conquered.
"It was not until you completely understood the capability of the Blood Demon Sector and realized what a formidable opponent you were faced with that your crazy behavior finally came to an end.
"But it was already too late.
"The temporary suspension of the plan to invade the Blood Demon Sector triggered the greatest economic crisis of the Xing Yao Federation 107 years ago. Fifty-five sects collapsed. Two Yuanying Patriarchs even committed suicide.
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