Nagashima said, “As long as we have a shared interest, there will always be a basis for cooperation.”
Li Xiaofei asked, “Then what is our shared interest?”
Nagashima replied, “Earth No. 1818.”
Li Xiaofei felt his heart stir and said, “Tell me in detail.”
Nagashima smiled in reply. “You should already know that Chongque City is preparing to open Earth No. 1818. Once it starts the formal activation process, aside from the spiritual energy tides that would be a factor of extreme interference, many balance-breaking events will occur. Events such as the release of star beasts, the unnatural advancement of technological trees and the plundering of natural resources will come in a landslide. This Earth you cherish will face a crisis of destruction... You must know at least a bit about this, don’t you?”
Li Xiaofei remained silent. Indeed, he was aware of this. It was a process of artificially accelerated evolution. What came with it was a sudden transformation in Earth’s destiny—its nations, its society and humanity itself.
Many people would die. From that moment on, the relative peace of Earth would be gone forever. Countless people would live in misery and turmoil. He had been constantly thinking about this issue for the past few days.
When Li Xiaofei didn’t respond, Nagashima continued, “You must have sensed it. The bureaucrats in Chongque City are nothing but hypocritical and despicable scoundrels. They don’t care at all about the lives of Earth’s humans, nor the development of the base planets. They simply want to seize resources to satisfy their own selfish desires. The hundred thousand base planets are nothing more than bargaining chips to them to protect their official positions and power; mere tools to fulfill their greed. They have long since strayed from the original purpose for which Heaven established Chongque City.”
Li Xiaofei took a deep breath as he asked, “I’m curious. Does this repeated artificial interference in evolution truly help in the battlefields among the stars and galaxies? The Earths I’ve visited all seem broken and in decline. The native humans can’t even save their own fate, how could they possibly support the Star Battlefield?”
Nagashima said, “The base planets you visited must have been the defective products of failed evolution.”
"Failed evolution?" Li Xiaofei was taken aback.
Nagashima explained, “If a base planet fails to produce cosmic lifeforms in batches, then it's considered a failed evolution. Chongque City basically gives up on those base planets. After extracting their last of their resources, they are sealed and reset.”
“Sealed and reset?” Li Xiaofei questioned, a bad feeling creeping into his heart as he asked, “What do you mean by that?”
Nagashima said, “I mean it in the literal sense. It means that this base planet is permanently erased from the river of time. If you want a more detailed explanation, it’s like using a two-dimensional foil to turn a once-living, breathing world into a forever-frozen image.”
Li Xiaofei asked again, “Then are there base planets where evolution succeeded?”
Nagashima nodded. “Of course there are, and quite a few, in fact. Otherwise, Heaven wouldn’t have allowed this project to continue.”
Li Xiaofei sank into thought. So the Earth he was on, and the Earth where Liu Diqiu resided, were actually defective products of failed evolution. Once all their resources were drained dry, it would only be a matter of time before they were sealed and reset.
At the same time, Li Xiaofei realized that the Hundred Thousand Base Planet Project had indeed served a purpose. If it could produce cosmic lifeforms on a large scale, then it truly could support the Star Battlefield.
“However, due to the corruption of the officials in Chongque City and the internal divisions within Heaven, successful evolution cases have become fewer and fewer. Now, all parties have gradually stopped caring about whether evolution succeeds or fails. What matters to them is how much personal gain they can extract from each newly activated base planet,” said Nagashima with a sigh.
Li Xiaofei’s thoughts gradually became clearer. He countered, “Aren’t you one of them? Lord Angrus, God General of Eden. If Chongque City is corrupt and inefficient, then you and your Eden are nothing but bloodsuckers and bone-grinders who indiscriminately slaughter the innocent. You've spent all this time criticizing others, but do you really think you're qualified to make those criticisms?”
Nagashima’s expression turned serious as he replied, “I have never done such things. So yes, I believe I am qualified.”
“Ha?” Li Xiaofei couldn’t help but laugh. “You? The God General of Eden? The very source of chaos, who instigates wars and commits atrocities. It seems to me your self-awareness is a bit skewed.”
Nagashima fell silent for a moment. Then he smiled bitterly. “Actually, just like Chongque City, Eden also has its factions and its internal conflicts. We were once a group of pitiful people, forced to unite in order to survive the relentless hunts from Chongque City... but once they managed to barely stabilize their lives, ideological disputes inevitably began to surface again...”
His face was filled with helplessness as he said, “Humans are social creatures, but whenever they gather, all sorts of opinions and conflicts emerge. I can assure you, my faction and I truly come with goodwill and seek cooperation.”
Li Xiaofei shook his head. No matter how eloquent his words were, Li Xiaofei would only believe in what he had seen, heard and judged for himself.
“Your goodwill, I do not accept it.”
As he spoke, Li Xiaofei activated an ability with a thought. The world around them instantly shifted into a blue-gray hue, as if it had been transformed into the underworld of Youming. An eerie domain stretching five hundred meters in every direction engulfed both of them.
Realm of Eternal Samsara!
Li Xiaofei opened with his ultimate move. A trace of helplessness appeared on Nagashima’s face.
“No matter what happened in the past, we truly have grounds for cooperation when it comes to protecting Earth No. 1818. I don’t know what you went through before, or what kind of grudge you hold against Eden but for adults, the rational choice is to set aside prejudice and work together, even if only temporarily.” He tried to persuade Li Xiaofei.
Li Xiaofei raised his hand. A long spear appeared in his grasp as an overwhelmingly powerful aura surged outward.
A look of surprise appeared on Nagashima’s face. He said, “Your strength...”
It was far greater than he had imagined.
The long spear tore through the air. It pierced through Nagashima’s limbs and shattered his dantian. His cultivation was crippled. He lost all ability to resist.
“I’ll hand you over to the City Lord’s Office,” Li Xiaofei said coldly. “If you have anything to say, tell it to the Military Division. I imagine they’ll be very interested in having a long conversation with you.”
Nagashima lay in a pool of blood, speaking with helpless resignation, “Just as expected... heh. But I won’t give up that easily. We’ll meet again. Next time, I will convince you.”
As he finished, the life force within him rapidly faded. His body turned to ashes and vanished into the air. Li Xiaofei studied the area carefully for a moment, then dispelled the Realm of Eternal Samsara.
From the very beginning, he had known that the man named Nagashima before him was merely an incarnation of Angrus, just like the Yiggs man he had encountered before.
He simply hadn’t expected the incarnation technique to be so refined. Even his Realm of Eternal Samsara couldn’t imprison the slightest trace of the man’s spirit. This would make things difficult to explain to the City Lord’s Office.
He knew then that he had to return to Chongque City. The message brought by Nagashima was of vital importance. The top figures in Chongque City were truly planning to activate Earth No. 1818. He had to stop it.
After making all the necessary arrangements, Li Xiaofei returned to Chongque City. No sooner had he arrived than he was summoned to the Military Division for an emergency meeting.
A piece of devastating news awaited him.