Chapter 779

Chapter 779: The Answer

Haigang City, Quiet Room

Lin Jiang’s calm face and voice left Xia Qingshan looking a bit dazed. After a long time, he slowly said again, "You really are the smartest person in the world."

"I’m flattered, but in terms of IQ, I wouldn’t even rank among the top thousand in Huaxia."

Lin Jiang replied, and this was not just a joke. In terms of IQ, any key member from the Spiritual Energy Research Institute would be smarter than him. Not to mention the top thousand, even adding a thousand wouldn’t help him.

"So, do you know why I came to see you?"

"I know, or maybe I don’t, but I’m really looking forward to meeting you. How about we have an honest conversation?"

"You don’t seem to have that right."

"Trying to scare me won’t work. Maybe others on this planet might be affected by you, but I won’t. You understand."

"Yes, friend from another world, you are not under my control, so my first question is, where do you come from?"

"Fair trade, how about we each answer one question?"

"I am not Yang Luo; you can’t fool me."

Xia Qingshan shook his head, and Lin Jiang smiled. Long ago, he had used this method to trick Yang Luo, and this guy actually knew.

"Being open and honest is the foundation of our agreement. If you do not agree, you will not get any answers from me, and I know you cannot trap me. Even though you tried to interfere on the spaceship, as long as I truly fly into space, you cannot stop me."

"You won’t leave."

"Is this where the zero-sum game begins, tearing apart our faces, and everyone loses face?"

Lin Jiang smiled, and Xia Qingshan across from him immediately fell into silence, not saying a word.

"I will take a step back. I will tell you that I come from Blue Star, not this Blue Star. This name is what I chose to honor my hometown."

"Where is Blue Star?"

"What kind of being are you?"

Lin Jiang said decisively that he must force him to exchange, needing to trap him into giving enough information.

"I am what you think in your heart."

After a long silence, Xia Qingshan finally gave in.

"What you think in your heart, so you are Xia Qingshan, the way of heaven, a celestial being?"

"Yes, I am Xia Qingshan, the real Xia Qingshan. At the same time, I am a cultivator like you, a celestial being. Also, I am the way of heaven. In the words of a scientist, I am also the consciousness of this planet."

"It’s very complicated."

"It is not complicated. Exchange answers, and I will give you what you want."

"Laniakea Supercluster – Virgo Cluster – Local Group – Milky Way – Lake Arm – Gould Belt – Local Bubble – Local Interstellar Cloud – Oort Cloud – the third planet of the Solar System."

"·······"

When Lin Jiang revealed the exact interstellar coordinates of the true Blue Star, Xia Qingshan fell into a death-like silence. He even called upon the artificial intelligence’s knowledge about the universe, but could not discover anything, only feeling a sense of chaos.

Lin Jiang smiled inside. Of course, he didn’t know, because the knowledge of the universe about Blue Star, including many basic names, was made by the West, using Western languages and customs for naming. Lin Jiang had not taught these things, so it was strange that he could find it.

"Where is this?"

"It’s your turn now. I have told you all the most important things."

"Alright, I am Xia Qingshan, the real Xia Qingshan. I have both human and demon race blood, which is what you call a Demon Human. Fortunately, in the world I live in, there is no discrimination against Demon Humans."

"I started my training from the Qi Refining Building Foundation, and I practiced all the way to the Transmigration Stage. After that, I faced the Heavenly Tribulation. During the tribulation, I discovered the world’s biggest secret: becoming an immortal is a scam…"

"Wait, the world you live in should not be this place, right?"

"No."

"So your world, is becoming an immortal also a trick?"

"Yes."

"What? How is that possible?"

"Nothing is impossible because on any planet where one can become an immortal, there will be beings like us."

"You continue, speak slowly, I need to sort this out."

Lin Jiang rubbed his head; the amount of information was overwhelming, and he found it hard to accept.

"Let me explain it in a different way: on every planet where one can become an immortal, there are beings like us. You can call us immortals, heavenly beings, or the will of the planet—whatever you like."

"The laws and teachings of the planet are all set by us, including the spiritual veins that we have evolved…"

"What about your food, living beings?"

"It should be called resources; the soul is our most delicious food and the source of our strength, just like the spirit stone in a cultivator’s hand."

"So, the higher your cultivation level, the more delicious it is for you and the greater the nourishment?"

Lin Jiang said coldly, "Isn’t this just Cthulhu?"

"You can understand it that way, but for me, the souls before Tao Achieving are of no use; only after Tao Achieving do they help me."

"This is because Tao Achieving cultivators have understood the Great Way, and this Great Way is not the same as the path you evolved."

"Yes, you call us the Heavenly Way, but in the world, we are not the true Heavenly Way; we have just understood more of the Great Way than you."

"What happens after the Transmigration Stage?"

"I’ve said enough; now it’s your turn. What is the real Blue Star like? How strong is it? How many have reached Tao Achieving? What is its long history?"

"Before I came here, I was just a regular person from Blue Star. I don’t know how many Tao Achievers there have been, but I can tell you, we have a very terrifying history."

"How terrifying?"

"My country has many myths and legends. I don’t know what is true and what isn’t, but among the myths, there is the Heavenly Court, where the Heavenly Emperor resides, along with the Queen Mother, the Thirty-Six Heavenly Stars, the Seventy-Two Constellations, Three Thousand Six Immortals, and over one hundred thousand Heavenly Soldiers. If these legendary immortals are what they call cultivators, then they have reached levels beyond Tao Achieving…"

Lin Jiang continued to talk, and Xia Qingshan’s face grew more and more pale, especially when he heard that the Jade Emperor must endure over one hundred thousand tribulations, each lasting many years. He felt like he would collapse; how much history does that involve?

Mainly, from Lin Jiang’s expression and some of the myths passed down on this Blue Star, it seemed that Lin Jiang was not lying. This power frightened him.

"I’ve finished speaking; now it’s your turn."

"Right now, I just want to erase you."

"If you really wanted to erase me, you would have acted already. Killing me now seems a bit late."

"Yes, it is late."

Xia Qingshan replied, knowing that Lin Jiang had lived in this world for over forty thousand years (including his sleeping time), it was indeed too late.

"Then go on, don’t you want to know more? Like the power of Blue Star."

"The lightning tribulation of the Transmigration Stage is the true evolution of heaven’s will. Even I cannot stop it, but the tribulation is very hard to pass; only one in a hundred succeeds. Every cultivator who falls in the tribulation will ultimately become our resource. So in a way, we also hope the planet becomes more prosperous and that there are more cultivators."

"What if someone accidentally makes it through?"

"Then they will become my ally…"

"Hehe, do you think I’m a three-year-old child?"

"Alright, after the Transmigration Stage, there are really no more levels. The so-called Mahayana Stage is a trick. If a cultivator successfully passes the tribulation, they will shed their mortal body and can take over a planet, becoming its ruler and the embodiment of heaven’s will, just like we are now."

"Will you let them escape?"

"Why wouldn’t we? They are all taoist friends…"

Lin Jiang listened to his nonsense. If he was truly that kind, then why did he suffer before? He was hurt and needed Demon Emperor Feng Jiu to gather forty-nine Tao Achieving to give him a strong boost.

"Now you can talk about the strength of Blue Star."

"Very weak. Back then, the people of Blue Star had just arrived in the sky. The first generation space station was built less than fifty years ago, and there were no Space Bases. They couldn’t even leave their star system."

"So weak?"

"Yes, just that weak."

Lin Jiang nodded. He didn’t mention the time because doing so would only make him doubt.

Sure enough, Xia Qingshan’s expression became serious. The Blue Star here had built its space station for about seven or eight hundred years, while Lin Jiang left that Blue Star over forty thousand years ago. That meant after Lin Jiang left, Blue Star developed for over forty thousand years. This was too terrifying.

"It’s my turn now, right?"

"What else do you want to ask?"

"You should have noticed, I have a big secret, right?"

"Yes, I can’t see through your spirit; normally, that would be impossible. Even if you are from another world, I should be able to see through you, but I can’t see through your spirit."

"This is my chance and my secret, something beyond what you could imagine. After all, you, as a being, also need to grow, right?"

"Yes, but I am very young, so I can’t reach that higher existence yet."

"That’s correct; you are not the only one in the world. Otherwise, why don’t you try to take over my body?"

Lin Jiang smiled and said to Xia Qingshan, "Aren’t you curious about the secrets of a higher existence than you?"