Chapter 1238: The Apotheosis of Lists!
Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
Li Yao’s eyes bulged out as he asked in delight, “I can be an Immortal Cultivator, too?”
Before Su Changfa replied, Li Yao withdrew his gaze, and his eyes started shuddering in shrewdness and cruelty again. He shook his head and said questioningly, “Wait, wait. I don’t believe that there is such an easy thing in the world! Without paying any price, I can be an Immortal Cultivator and receive the protection from you and the force behind you.
“Whatever I can do for you, just say it straight, Senior Su. I cannot return your great favor even if I am shattered here and now, and I will not hesitate to do anything I’m asked to do as long as I’m capable of it!”
“You are indeed smart. No wonder you survived the cosmic storm!”
With a hint of praise, Su Changfa said, half for real and half faked, “I’m starting to appreciate you, Fellow Cultivator Li!
“Alright. Now that we are aware of each other’s identity, there’s no need for any further ado. Let’s just get to the topic!
“Fellow Cultivator Li, you may not know this, but the planet that we have been forced to land on is actually an ancient relic. You may have seen countless bizarre bodies and fossils on the ground, but they are just the tip of the iceberg. Many more precious secret treasures are hidden deep down the ground!
“The ancient treasures are now owned by nobody. Whoever gets them will claim them. As the saying goes, you will be punished if you refuse the gift of the heavens. Now that we have the privilege of discovering the relic, of course, we have to explore it well!
“The three of us as well as the war puppets are still a bit insufficient. Since Fellow Cultivator Li is in the Core Formation Stage, too, we can explore the relic underground and see exactly what is inside together. If any secret treasures are found, you will have your fair share, Fellow Cultivator Li!”
Li Yao swallowed hard and gnashed his teeth. “How—how do I know that you are not lying? I’ve seen too many such things. A treasure is found, but it is heavily protected by traps and guards. So, a fool will be sent first to try all the traps!
“It’s easier if the fool is killed by the traps, but if the fool passes all the traps without getting killed, he can always be killed in order to keep his mouth shut later. How is it possible that you would really give me my share?”
“Fair enough. Then, do you believe that I can kill you right now?” Tang Qianhe said coldly.
Fear spurted out of Li Yao’s eyes again. His legs were shivering beyond his control, but this time, the gloomy aura after devouring countless people of his kind leaked out of his pores, as he clenched his fists and bellowed, “I do! But I will be killed by you sooner or later. What difference does it make?
“I don’t want to die. I want to live on. Please let me live on!”
“Fellow Cultivator Li!” Su Changfa patted Li Yao’s shoulder hard and said solemnly, “Your worries are completely reasonable. However, whether or not one can live on ultimately depends on one’s own instead of mercy from others!
“It’s true that we are manipulating Fellow Cultivator Li and hoping that you can scout for us, but on the other hand, aren’t you trying to escape from this place through us, Fellow Cultivator Li? People always manipulate each other. If anybody is not of any value to be manipulated, they will be not qualified to live on!
“Therefore, if Fellow Cultivator Li really desires to live, you may think carefully about what parts of you are still of value to be taken advantage of. Dig deeper and find it out. You will survive if you can!”
Li Yao was lost for words for a long time. He stammered, “I—I—I—”
Su Changfa smiled even more hideously. “I’m going to give you a hint, Fellow Cultivator Li. What do you think we are here exactly for with such an enormous base after a journey of millions of lightyears? Are we really here for cultural communication? You are not idiotic enough to believe that, are you?”
Pondering more a moment, Li Yao was greatly enlightened. Instead of shocked or feared, he got greatly excited.
His face was flushing, and his ears seemed to be on fire. Animalistic sounds were echoing deep down his throat again, as he nodded and said, “I got it. I totally understand now! Rest assured, Senior Su. I’m very useful! I’m of much value to be taken advantage of!
“However—”
He seemed to think of something. Glimpsing at Su Changfa, he hesitated.
“There’s no need to worry!” Su Changfa guessed what was on his mind from his shivering eyebrow, and he smiled very leniently. “As you can see, we are not ferocious demons or bloodthirsty extraterrestrial devils. Just like you, we are wise, judicious human beings.
“The Flying Star Sector is a large place. In order to achieve a profound ‘communication’ with the people of the Flying Star Sector, we will have to look for a few natives as our assistants to lead the way for us. They can even be our representatives and act on behalf of us!
“Fellow Cultivator Li, you have proved yourself smart enough. If you keep your loyalty, why would we waste our time killing you and looking for a new candidate?
“After all, although the universe is a large place, it will not be easy to find a second freak such as yourself who has eaten his own kind. Haha. Hahahaha!”
All the three Immortal Cultivators laughed.
Li Yao lowered his head in embarrassment first. He thought for a moment and then laughed along with them.
“Anyways, this is your only opportunity now, Fellow Cultivator Li!” Su Changfa’s smile suddenly disappeared. He moved close to Li Yao and stared at him in the eyes, declaring coldly, “The universe is vast, but you can’t find any place that you can call home now, Fellow Cultivator Li. Whether you believe us or not, you can only show your best performance and have a last try!
“If you really distinguish yourself, it is possible that you will announce your grand homecoming later. Not only will all the dirt of your past be kept a secret, you will also even boast power and position that are beyond your imagination, or set foot in the ultimate levels that you’ve never dreamt of!”
Stimulated by his scorching eyes, Li Yao’s own eyes turned from bloodshot into two abysses. He nodded hard and said, “Understood. I’m willing to be at the service of you three seniors!”
“Excellent!” Su Changfa nodded in satisfaction. “Alright. Let’s rest in our base and prepare for the exploration!”
The four of them left the cave for the war base.
Only several hours passed, but the relationship between them was greatly different now.
Li Yao rubbed his fists and jumped up and down, acting as if he did not know how he could demonstrate his value even if he meant to. Noticing that nobody paid any attention to him, he scratched his hair and approached Su Changfa, asking respectfully, “Senior Su, if I may ask, what is this ancient relic exactly? I can tell that the corpses and puppets here are quite old. Are they from the era of ancient Cultivators forty thousand years ago?”
“Forty thousand years ago?”
Su Changfa was amused. He shook his head and said, “It doesn’t hurt to tell you now, foolish boy. This relic dates back to far beyond the era of the ancient Cultivators. It is a battlefield of the God-Sealing War in the primeval age!”
“The God-Sealing War?”
This time, Li Yao was truly dazed. It was a strange word that was not mentioned at all even in the memories of Ou Yezi, the master of refining in the world of ancient Cultivators forty thousand years ago.
It appeared that there were indeed benefits to hanging around with the Immortal Cultivators. His eyeballs shuddering fast, Li Yao blurted out, “What is that?”
“As its name suggests, it was a war to seal all the deities and devils in the universe.”
Ambition was leaking out of Su Changfa’s body and interweaved into fire of spiritual energy while he scratched his long beard. “In the primeval age, when the deities were in their heyday, everything in the universe was dominated by ‘divinity’!
“However, human beings are the essence of all creatures. We are the strongest, most excellent, and most advanced species in the sea of stars. How could we accede to the reign of the deities generation after generation?
“Nothing is ever qualified to crawl over our head. It is our destiny to slay all the deities and devils should they be standing in our way!
“The God-Sealing War was a war between deities and human beings, ‘divinity’ and ‘humanity’! The outcome of the war was that all the deities in the universe were sealed. Divinity declined, and humanity thrived. That was the beginning of our dominance over the three thousand Sectors!”
Although he had made a similar judgement earlier, Li Yao still could not help but feel shocked when it was confirmed by the Immortal Cultivators.
The God-Sealing War!
Even the deities could be sealed!
How audacious, unstoppable, and magnificent human beings in the primeval age were!
Listening to their conversation, Tang Qianhe, the female Immortal Cultivator, could not help but interject. “Master Su, the planetary warship here is large and splendid enough in my eyes. Do you think it is possible to be the legendary ‘Wild Shepard’?”
“I wouldn’t go that far!” Su Changfa pondered for a moment but shook his head. “The legendary ‘Battle of Wild Shepard’ was a decisive battle at the last phase of the ‘God-Sealing War’. It was in this battle that countless human beings who were under the control of the Pangu Clan were awoken and launched a critical strike at the Pangu Clan from behind. That was why ‘humanity’ defeated ‘divinity’!
“The planetary warship here is fairly large, but it is far from qualified to be the main battlefield for the ‘Battle of Wild Shepard’!”
Glancing at Li Yao, Tang Qianhe asked rather mysteriously, “Then, do you think it is possible at all that we can discover… the thing here?”
Li Yao was rather embarrassed. He wondered whether or not he should keep listening and was worried that unexpected changes might happen if he eavesdropped on their secrets.
But Su Changfa simply smiled and said frankly, “Fellow Cultivator Li is on our side now. What must be kept a secret from him? The thing is common sense in the Imperium, and even little kids know of it! Besides, everybody will have to work hard and excavate it together. Fellow Cultivator Li strikes me as a man of luck. Chances are that he will find it for us!”
Li Yao scratched his nose and asked awkwardly, “Senior Su, Senior Tang, what are you talking about exactly?”
“It’s a thing named ‘Book of Revelation’!” Su Changfa said. “According to legend, at the end of the God-Sealing War, the experts of the Pangu Clan inferred the outcome that divinity would decline, and their reign would fall. So, with the unbelievable techniques, they condensed the essence of the civilization of the Pangu Clan, even including their genes and heritage, into an enormous treasury of information!
“They essentially saved their entire civilization into it!
“The treasury of information in which the entire civilization was saved was named Apotheosis of Lists. It was divided into eight volumes, and it has also become known as the Book of Revelation!”