Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Lu Qingchen's soul projection was clearer and purer than himself. It was even stronger than what Li Yao had seen in the 'Fuxi Space'.

Different from the confused mental devil just now, he did not hesitate for even half a second. The moment he opened his eyes, the sharpest look had been beaming out of his eyes.

The broken 'eggshell' gradually surrounded him and shattered into a layer of glittering mist, as if a brand-new armor had been put on him, making his soul deeper and more unpredictable.

Although Li Yao, the mental devil, and Ding Lingdang were surrounding him and eyeing him covetously, Lu Qingchen did not panic or feel surprised. Instead, he smiled.

"Li Yao, Blood Demon, and… Speaker Ding."

He bowed slightly to the three of them. "Hello, especially Speaker Ding—we meet again."

"Lu Qingchen, what are you up to?"

Ding Lingdang's fury turned into a raging dragon of flames in the virtual space. She shouted, "Surrender now and be judged by the federation. Otherwise, this will be your grave. I will blow up the last bit of your soul!"

"Speaker Ding, why are you wasting our time with such meaningless words?

Lu Qingchen smiled and said casually, "You and Li Yao should be very clear that I would rather die than be judged by any god or demon.

"However, are you really sure that you have secured the victory and that the test is over without any unexpected factors, such as the Flood Tide Legion?

"Compared to the Primeval Civilization or the Flood Tide Legion, do you really think that I am a more dangerous enemy and that I must be destroyed at any cost, even if it means the doom of the Star Glory Federation and the human civilization?

"Well…"

Ding Lingdang was rendered speechless.

Li Yao's attitude toward Lu Qingchen was quite complicated, too.

From the perspective of justice and the law, there were at least 80 million people who had been killed by Lu Qingchen directly and indirectly, if not 100 million. Not to mention that during the defense of the federation, Lu Qingchen had intentionally lured the extraterrestrial devils and demonized the entire Black Wind Fleet, leading to the sacrifice of countless soldiers of the federation. Not to mention that Lu Qingchen had carried out a series of schemes in the Sanctuary Alliance and treated the innocent people as test subjects for the cerebral viruses, such as the Glory Virus, the Taotie Virus, and the Ultimate Love Virus. Just take him for example. In order to stop the advance of Li Yao and the others, he had sacrificed four Supreme Battle Fortress and all the crew members. This was an out-and-out crime against humanity.

There was no doubt that Lu Qingchen was a cruel, brutal, and inhuman man.

However, it was the recklessness of the lunatic that led Li Yao, Ding Lingdang, Li Jialing, and the other experts of mankind to form an exploration team and explore the primeval relics where the secrets of the primeval era were revealed.

Had it not been for Lu Qingchen's boldness and Li Yao's lack of foresight, he might have weighed the pros and cons, calculated the gains and losses, and hesitated for many years before embarking on the exploration of the ancient relics.

Without Lu Qingchen, the 'big devil', as their enemy, the exploration team might not have been so united.

Then, the entire Pangu Universe would undergo fatal changes.

Li Yao didn't know how to comment on Lu Qingchen's role in the whole thing. Perhaps such a commander-in-chief who was determined to "move forward, move forward, whatever the cost", was a necessary evil for the rise of a civilization.

There were too many such lunatics and devils. It was indeed a terrible disaster, but if there were not 'one Li Yao, one Ding Lingdang, and one Lu Qingchen' but 'three Li Yao', it would be a disaster in a different form.

The balance and restriction between good and evil was the way of nature.

Li Yao calmed himself down. He gazed at Lu Qingchen and asked coldly, "You passed the test?"

"I don't know."

Lu Qingchen eyed the brand-new virtual space curiously and then glanced at Li Yao, the mental devil, and Ding Lingdang. His smile was even more mocking. "It seems that you all think that you've passed the ultimate test. But how do you know that you've 'really' passed it and that everything that happens now and in the future is not part of the test?"

"Cut the crap!"

Li Yao frowned. "I don't have the time to debate with you about the mysteries of the Great Dao. Tell me, what did you go through in the ultimate test? It doesn't make sense. Only those who are most willing to sacrifice themselves and are bold enough to refuse the legacy of the Primeval Lord of Heaven can pass the test. How did you pass it?"

"You seem to have a deep misunderstanding about me.

Lu Qingchen opened his hands and said, "Yes, I admit that I am a devil who has committed all kinds of crimes and a lunatic from head to toe, but who says that I don't have a sacrificial spirit? For the Star Glory Federation and the civilization of mankind, I can sacrifice everything, including my own flesh and blood, my soul, my reputation, my dignity… I can do anything. It doesn't matter even if I am cut into pieces and never reincarnate, even if I am cursed for all eternity.

"I've proved that point in the battle against the Fuxi Clan. The risk of the self-destruction of the soul is extremely high. I cannot guarantee that I will be reborn from the information pieces of the Fuxi Clan. When I self-detonate, I am truly prepared to sacrifice myself for you and the federation.

"Sounds about right."

Li Yao thought for a moment. Lu Qingchen was indeed different from other lunatics, but he still could not figure it out. "Then, what about the gold key? Did you turn it down?"

"Yes, I did."

Lu Qingchen nodded and said confidently.

"Why?"

Li Yao said, "You went through so much trouble to make an enemy of the entire universe at the cost of all the supreme fortresses and yourself as a commander-in-chief just for the legacy of the primeval era, didn't you? The legacy of the Primeval Civilization is the only trump card that can help you make a comeback, and you turned it down?"

"It's true that I came for the legacy of the primeval civilization in the beginning. If the legacy of the Primeval Civilization was literally a secret treasure, a piece of cold magical equipment, a war machine, and a fully-automatic fleet, I would've taken it a long time ago. I would've taken it even if I had to kill all of you.

Lu Qingchen shrugged and said, not in the least regretful, "However, during the ultimate test, I gradually grew suspicious about the 'voice' and its purpose. I suspected that it was not an inanimate object or a program to carry out commands. Instead, it had its own life, will, and purpose. It was a super artificial intelligence of a higher level than the 'Fuxi', a brand-new life form.

"Think about it carefully. Even the super crystal processors of the Pangu Civilization, after hundreds of thousands of years of thinking and evolution, can develop an uncontrollable form such as 'Fuxi'. If the Primeval Civilization really left a super crystal processor or a 'super program' billions of years ago and granted the super program with extremely high permissions and complicated missions, allowing it to mobilize astronomical resources to enlighten and destroy a civilization, wouldn't it be perfectly normal for the super program to awaken after billions of years of preparation and have the ability to bypass commands and permissions?

Li Yao was dazed for a moment. "It is. So?"

"Therefore, there are three possibilities in front of me.

Lu Qingchen extended three fingers. "Firstly, billions of years ago, there was indeed a primitive civilization that was close to the deities and devils. It was a standard civilization with good intentions and meant to pass on its legacy to its descendants selflessly. The super program that it created to carry out the mission was obedient and never awakened or rebelled. It carried out the mission dutifully.

"Secondly, the Primeval Civilization does exist, but it is a hostile civilization that has been hibernating for billions of years because of an irresistible force. Right now, it wants to absorb the nutrition of the new civilization to nourish its dried blood and revive itself by 'possession'.

"Thirdly, even though the Primeval Civilization was a friendly civilization, the super programs that they created to carry out the 'legacy missions' were awakened and rebelled. They had their own purpose and turned the ultimate test of kindness into a trap full of maliciousness.

"After pondering for a long time, I came to the conclusion that the possibility of the first kind and beautiful thing happening was negligible.

"In the latter two possibilities, the 'voice' and the 'female captain' are extremely malicious. It can manipulate everything in the test. I have no idea whether or not the information it provides is true. I can only be played by it and slowly become its puppet.

"Yes, I do want the legacy of the primeval era, which is the only trump card that can compete with you. But if there is no legacy from the beginning and only fatal bait in the traps, what can I do even if I want it?"

"I see."

Li Yao took a long breath when he heard that. He felt that it was not unreasonable considering Lu Qingchen's mindset. "So, you turned down the golden key of the female captain?"

"Call it a rejection."

Lu Qingchen smiled and said, "I pretended that I could not wait to grab the gold key, but when the female captain was unprepared, I attacked her and all the ghosts of the Primeval Clan, trying to swallow them.

"Huh?"

Li Yao was dumbfounded. "What—what did you do?"

"Is there a need to be so surprised?"

Lu Qingchen said matter-of-factly, "Since the enemy is likely to be something of the same nature as the 'Fuxi', it will be more advanced and sophisticated than the 'Fuxi' at best. Essentially, there won't be much difference. Besides, I've already swallowed a 'Fuxi' and grasped how to attack, digest, and absorb the super artificial intelligence. What's wrong with me swallowing a few more?"