Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“The hardcore advocates of spacers were the members of the Flying Star fleet who had been preparing for the expedition across the universe. The best elites of the Cultivation world had been gathered in the fleet, including many Core Formation Stage Cultivators and Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. Most of them were the leadership of the big sects.

“The majority of homers were made of the low-level Cultivators. Although their Cultivation was not very high, they were supported by most ordinary people.

“Space is boundless and perilous. Nobody could anticipate what the Flying Star Sector would be like after the apocalypse. It was possible that all the planets would be destroyed. If so, human beings would be floating in the sea of stars for all eternity and become a nomadic civilization.

“Core Formation Stage Cultivators and Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators might be able to live through such crisis. But faced with the endless universe, what were the odds of survival for low-level Cultivators and ordinary people?

“The entire system of Cultivation and way of life would be demolished. Without planets as bases, it would be questionable whether or not such a system could be reestablished.

“The two sides had been at loggerheads with each other since the very beginning. The homers decried spacers to be timid cowards who ran away before a fight. Even if they succeeded in escaping via starships, the torch of civilization would only diminish and eventually die down if there were no planets, no natural paradises, and no Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.

“But the spacers scorned the homers for being idiotic turtles. It seemed to be a valiant decision to stay and try to resist the apocalypse, but it was only irrational. The homers were the real cowards; they did not have the courage to explore the sea of stars. In the end, if the defense array of the homers could not resist the apocalypse, everyone would be killed in the disaster. In comparison, spacers were the real brave ones who would not only continue their civilization but also lead the human beings of the Flying Star Sector to expand their territory and explore new worlds so that the civilization would be brought to a new height!

“The debate between the two sides continued unabated, and their conflicts grew more and more intense. At the beginning, the argument was merely theoretical. But soon, when resources were going to be mobilized to implement a plan to resist the apocalypse, the theoretical argument was about to turn into blood and fire in reality!

“According to the astronomers, the apocalypse was going to arrive seventy-one years later. But both the planetary defense array and the production of thousands of starships were projects that could potentially take a hundred years. Therefore, they must seize every second and take action immediately.

“Resources of the Flying Star Sector were limited. If one of the two plans got more, the other plan would doubtlessly get less.

“Regarding the distribution of resources, the two sides almost raised a civil war!”

Li Yao couldn’t help but interject. “Wasn’t there a coalition government at that time? Besides, there were bound to be leaders and elders in the six major sects. Since most of them were spacers, why would the low-level Cultivators under their command not listen to them?”

Sha Yulan smiled bitterly. “The Flying Star government was co-established by the six sects. There was not a well-respected monarch who had enough prestige to win everyone’s support. Besides, it was not for personal gain, but for the future of the entire civilization!

“If it were for their own benefit, the low-level Cultivators would naturally follow the arrangements of their masters, elders and leaders.

“But right now, it was the lives of tens of billions of people that were at risk!

“If you were a Refinement Stage Cultivator, and you firmly believed that the planetary defense array could resist the apocalypse and that the progress of the civilization would be disrupted if everyone ran out of the planets and simply let the apocalypse destroy all the habitable planets, would you listen to the Core Formation Stage Cultivators and Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators when you believe that only your companions could save everyone, including the crying babies in the cradles?

“Not just the Core Formation Stage Cultivators and Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. At that time, a series of shocking crimes had happened.

“In the records of Iron Plateau, these crimes were known to be—god slaying!

“At the time, the Flying Star Sector had a highly developed Cultivation civilization. There were three super experts in the Divinity Transformation Stage, above the Nascent Soul Stage, who were all supporters of the ideology of spacers.

“The three Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators were all true gods of war; they had made great contributions through life and death during the development of the civilization of the Flying Star Sector. They were very respected both among the Cultivators and among the ordinary people.

“When the conflicts began, the three Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators spared no efforts in endorsing and preaching the spacers’ theories to win the ordinary people’s support.

“Under their influence, many ordinary people were convinced and willing to run away from planets together with the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators toward the sea of stars.

“Right then, an attack against one of the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators took place in a congress meeting of the coalition government!

“Yes. An attack against a Divinity Transformation Cultivator!

“The assailant was merely a Refinement Stage Cultivator, and an admin-type one at that. She was the recorder of the meeting!

“A Refinement Stage Cultivator trying to assassinate a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator!

“It was not hard to guess that no sooner had her killing intent been revealed than she was discovered.

“However, her purpose was never the assassination; she was merely taking the opportunity to root for the homers.

“The assassin gave a marvelous speech in the congress meeting in front of thousands of representatives and billions of spectators and rebuked the Divinity Transformation Cultivators for being as timid as rats when they decided to abandon their home and flee without fighting.

“She berated the spacers for leading the human beings of the Flying Star Sector to doom. Although the homers were mostly low-level Cultivators and descendants or disciples of the spacers, they would not lower their heads in front of the truth that would determine the destiny of their civilization.

“This was the greatest Dao for them. Faced with the false Dao, they would not shirk away and would rather fight until their last drop of blood was shed even if their opponents were Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators, or even real deities!

“The assailant also stated that, although she had been captured, all the low-level Cultivators of the homers had made up their mind to sacrifice themselves. From that day on, if the three Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators were still spreading propaganda for the spacers’ theories in public, then…

“Every day, three Refinement Stage Cultivators would assault the three Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators!

“No. It was not an assault; it was suicidal attack!

“At that time, many representatives of the congress meeting were homers. Due to their backing, nobody dared to stop the female assassin from completing her declaration.

“The speech of such a weak girl rendered the entire hall speechless. Even the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator who had been the target of the attempted assassination was shocked at her valor and failed to come up with a response.

“The ordinary people who were watching the live stream of the congress meeting were deeply touched, too.

“After the assassin was taken into custody, she somehow managed to kill herself the following morning despite the various barriers imposed on her. She also wrote a few words with her blood on the wall.

“Born in Iron Plateau, die in Iron Plateau!”

Li Yao was flabbergasted.

He did not know that the Cultivators of the Flying Star Sector had been so unbendable five thousand years ago. An insignificant Refinement Stage Cultivator was bold enough to attack a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator, and when she inevitably failed and was captured, she ended her own life elegantly and decisively!

This was the conflict of the great Dao. It was not about one’s capability but the firmness of one’s belief!

“Born in Iron Plateau, die in Iron Plateau,” Xiong Wuji mumbled.

He listened attentively to the valiant actions of the predecessors of the homers. Although he had heard it all a thousand times before, and he was the one who had told Sha Yulan the stories, he was still breathing fast, with brightness blinking in his eyes, as if this was the first time that he had ever heard such a story.

However, his face was somewhat grave. When he spoke the words ‘die in Iron Plateau’, there was a hint of depression in his eyes.

Sha Yulan sighed. “From that day on, the homers started fulfilling their promise. Every day, three Refinement Stage Cultivators would attempt to assassinate the three Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators in public.

“Of course, their endeavors all failed.

“But so what? There were too many homers. If the millions of Refinement Stage Cultivators were all willing to die for their decision, it was impossible to kill all of them.

“Besides, the two sides were compatriots in the first place. Many homers were the disciples and descendants of the spacers. How could they expect to clean out all of the homers?

“This was the ‘God Slaying Initiative’!

“Moved by the homers’ determination, many Cultivators who supported the spacers gradually returned to the homers’ side.

“Many low-level Cultivators of the homers were in charge of the rudimental affairs of their sects. Therefore, they had quite a lot of arsenals and magical equipment bases under their control.

“Before the apocalypse consumed them all, a civil war was about to break out!”

Li Yao found it hard to breathe. He tightly clenched his fists.

“If a civil war broke out, the spacers were naturally much stronger. But strength was of little significance, because if the war broke out, a lot of resources and time would be wasted. Even worse, the civilization might be torn apart, and the two sides would completely go against each other. If so, nobody would ever survive the apocalypse!

“Thankfully, the leadership of the two sides retained some rationality. Before the civil war broke out, they reached an agreement to divide all the resources.

“After all, the resources that the planetary defense array required and those the production of starships required were not entirely the same.

“The plan seemed simple and straightforward. But it was actually only the best of the worst choices. Everybody had to carry out the agreement, however unsatisfied they were, in order to not trigger the civil war.

“From that day on, the human beings of the Flying Star Sector were gradually separated into two groups, the homers and the spacers. They are now the Iron Plateau natives and the space residents.”

Li Yao thought for a moment and asked, “Since the agreement was reached, shouldn’t the two parties live in harmony now? I think it was a reasonable decision to divide the resources. As the saying goes, you should never put all your eggs into one basket. If some of them were staying and some leaving, the civilization would be kept alive in some form as long as either side succeeded!”

Sha Yulan smiled vaguely. She glanced at Xiong Wuji and sighed. “That was exactly what the leadership of the two sides thought when the agreement was signed. If the two plans were implemented at the same time, one of the two sides would carry on the civilization even if the other side failed. But as the agreement was proceeded, and especially when the new generations were born, the chasm between the two parties grew wider and wider, eventually becoming irreparable.”