Chapter 2483: The Reason to Erase Feelings
âThe Flood and the primeval age? The Flood resulted in the ending of the Pangu and Nuwa civilizations and the rise of humanity in the three thousand Sectors, making the Cultivation world what it is today?â
Li Yao pondered for a long time. Looking at Long Yangjun whose lips were bitten and whose eyebrows were furrowed, Li Yao knew that she was not throwing out ungrounded speculation. âWhy would you think that?â
âAccording to Boss Bai, the Flood is an ultimate catastrophe that happens on the other side of the universe. Although it has destroyed thousands of civilizations including the wizardly civilization, it hasnât affected the three thousand Sectors we are in yet. Or rather, because of the high and thick âblack wallâ outside of our world, even the Flood finds it impossible to break in. However, I have different opinions.â
Looking at the black tides ahead of her rising and ebbing, Long Yangjun mumbled, âUp until now, we know very clearly that at least two extraterrestrial civilizations have crossed the âblack wallâ and come to our world. One of them is the wizardly civilization, and the other is the Blood Stripe Virus that you discovered on the Iron Plateau. Letâs call it âBlood Stripe civilizationâ for now.
âBetween them, the wizardly civilization had been developed to an extremely advanced level. Based on highly sophisticated starships and the guidance of some sort of artificial intelligence or amalgamations of remaining souls named âGHOSTâ, they crossed the black wall through the delicate, advanced technologies.
âThe Blood Stripe civilization was the exact contrary. They abandoned all the external, advanced, and civilizational forms, making them retrograde into the most simple, fundamental, and primitive form, like a germ or a virus, before they boarded on the meteorites and crossed the almost infinite black wall in billions of years through the most simple if not stupid way.
âLook, both the most advanced wizardly civilization and the most primitive Blood Stripe civilization had their own ways to cross the black wall. The many apocalyptic strikes since ancient times mustâve been from the alien civilizations from different space zones and even different dimensions. It means that the black wall is absolutely not impenetrable. In fact, it may have been riddled with holes!
âSince the wizardly civilization could pass it, the Blood Stripe civilization could pass it, and so many apocalyptic strikes could pass it, why couldnât the Flood, which was capable of destroying all of them?
âGetting to the bottom of it, the so-called âblack wallâ is not mysterious. It is just a huge vacuum around the three thousand Sectors without stars, planets, and spiritual waves. As long as your speed is high enough and you have enough resources, or if your consumption of resources is extremely little, it will be possible to cross the wall in a million years or perhaps longer, right?â
Li Yao nodded his head slowly. The âapocalyptic strikesâ had been happening since ancient times. They were undoubtedly a certain destruction or blockage imposed by the extraterrestrial powerful civilizations.
Even the highest, thickest, and safest wall could not stop someone who was determined to cross it.
Li Yao said, âI admit that the black wall may not be enough to stop the Flood, but at least for now, our world is thriving spectacularly. What do you mean when you proposed that the Flood and the primeval age were connected?â
âIt is just my guess, or a hypothesis of mine, which answers a question of critical importance for the primeval age that has baffled me for a long time.â
Long Yangjun said, âThe question is, why did the civilizations in the Panguâs alliance unanimously agree to seal the feelings and will, transforming from absolutely-free dominators of the universe to submissive, nonchalant walking dead?
âYou should know that the many clans in the Pangu civilizationsâ alliance in the beginning, including Pangu, Gonggong, Kuafu, Houyi, or even Nuwa who joined last, were made of flesh and blood and had intense feelings, right?
âHowever, at a certain point that we do not know, the alliance reached a consensus to seal their feelings and will, turning themselves into puppets and machines.
âThey had such strong fear and rejection against feelings and will that they called such notions as chaos, devils, and the evilest and most dreadful things, which they believed would destroy their civilization.
âWhat has been baffling me is, why? Why did they do that?â
âIsnât there an answer already?â
Li Yao blurted out, âBecause the resources in the three thousand Sectors were not enough, and they could not get out! The thirteen advanced carbon-based lives that the Panguâs alliance was made of, after fighting countless wars, realized that they could not destroy each other if they went on fighting but would only die with each other. So, they abandoned wars and got in touch with each other, establishing an alliance to configure the resources in a peaceful and efficient way.
âHowever, even without wars, the Panguâs alliance was still faced with problems such as population boom, shortage of resources, etc. If the individuals did not try to suppress their feelings and desires, the resources would run out soon. Besides, with feelings and desires, it would be easy for malicious schemers to instigate trouble and raise new wars.
âConsidering the technologies and the destructiveness of the Panguâs alliance, all the civilizations wouldâve been destroyed with another war!
âWhat happened later did prove their concerns. A new war truly broke out later. The thirteen primeval clans, which made up the alliance, were all doomed. Only human beings, their servants and machines, survived!â
âYes, that is the standard answer. All the specialists of the primeval history believe so. But do you not feel that such a theory is too simple and rough?â
Long Yangjun looked at Li Yao, with tides rolling inside her eyes. âThis is a prejudiced opinion, an answer that human beings have found through colored glasses. You have always regarded the primeval clans as certain... condescending, unreasonable, heartless beings. Itâs almost like you think as long as some leader of the Pangu Clan gave the command, everybody from top to bottom would give up their feelings and will without any hesitation.
âBut is it possible?
âJust ask yourself. If you really regard the Pangu Clan as living people who knew love and hate, do you think it is possible to let them give up their emotions without complaints and regrets?â
After a brief silence, Li Yao struggled to reply, âBut the Panguâs alliance was trapped in the three thousand Sectors by the âblack wallâ, which they couldnât pass. They abandoned feelings and desires to reduce resource consumption...â
âItâs a highly unconvincing reason.â
Long Yangjun shook her head. âFor any civilization that has discovered that it is trapped somewhere, its first choice will be to break out of the cage and escape, wonât it?
âIt must be noted that the Panguâs alliance already mastered the technologies to absorb the stellar energy at a super high efficiency. Even if they were not as good as the wizardly civilization, how much worse could they have been? Even the wizardly civilization and the Blood Stripe civilization were able to cross the black wall. How far could the Panguâs alliance have been from it even if they were unable to achieve it? Was it really so bad that they were devastated and completely gave up the idea of breaking the black wall, darkly and desperately turning to deprive everyone of their feelings and desires?
âYou must know that even if feelings and desires were reduced to almost zero, the individuals of the Panguâs alliance would still consume resources, and as long as they could not cross the black wall, the resources in the three thousand Sectors would run out eventually someday.
âIn other words, erasing feelings only slightly delayed the eventual drought, but it completely cut out the hope of Panguâs alliance for long-term survival and prosperity. Since the moment they erased their feelings and will, the Panguâs alliance had in fact locked and frozen themselves.
âWithout the power of ambitions, the curiosity for the unknown, the infinite thoughts raised by the collision of complicated feelings, a civilization can never evolve. Itâs such a simple logic that both of us understand. Could the wise leaders of the Panguâs alliance have been unaware of it?
âHere comes the question. The wise leaders knew clearly that erasing feelings and will be chronic suicide for a civilization, but why did they insist on doing that? Also, the seemingly... coldhearted practice did not raise many objections among the people. Why?
âThe resistance of the Nuwa Clan only took place when they were enchanted by the extraterrestrial devils and realized the importance of feelings and will. In other words, even the Nuwa Clan agreed to get rid of feelings and will. It doesnât make any sense!â
Li Yao was in deep thought. âIt indeed sounds rather unreasonable.â
âIt is absolutely unreasonable. However wise, powerful, and prestigious the leaders of the Pangu Clan were, they couldnât have talked the people into erasing their feelings.â
Long Yangjun said, âTake you for example. You are admired enough in the Star Glory Federation as the âfounding father of the federation and dominator of three Sectorsâ, arenât you? If you go back to the federation and tell the people that âbecause our universe is closed and resources are limited, in case we use up our resources in our happy life, letâs suppress the feelings and erase the will with meâ. How many people do you think will answer to your call?â
âWell, I assume that I would be drowned by foul eggs and rotten tomatoes immediately.â
Li Yao said, âSpeaking of which, why on earth would I make such a stupid proposal? If our universe is closed, we should try to open it, stab it, or drill through it! If the resources are limited, we will try to create more resources or loot more resources from the outside! It is exactly because of feelings and will that we are called a âcivilizationâ. Otherwise, we will only be a collection of zombies. Would there be a âcivilizationâ at all?â
âExactly. Thatâs what any normal person would think. Even you are thinking that way. Why do you think that the leaders of the Panguâs alliance would be an exception?â
Long Yangjun said, âEven if one of the leaders went mad and decided that heartlessness was necessary, why didnât other leaders stop him, and why did all the people obey him and abandon their feelings and will docilely?
âIn conclusion, the reason that âour universe is closed and we cannot get out of here, so we must save our resourcesâ was too weak a reason for the Panguâs alliance to do such an insane thing in unity. There mustâve been a stronger, more direct, and fatal reason that forced them to give up their feelings, desires, and even the ambitions to break the black wall and explore the extraterrestrial lands!â