Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1094
"I can declare confidently that my loyalty to the federation in the past hundred has been unquestionable!"
"However, hehe, hehehehe! How did the federation reward me? They turn a blind eye to the so many things that I did and the great sacrifices that I made, but when my methods were only slightly outrageous, they immediately caught my weakness and bit it hard without letting go!
"Or maybe, since the seven Sectors of the federation are already steady now, it is time to cook the hound now that all the hares have been caught. They think that someone like me who has blood all over her hands and is responsible for the dirty jobs can be thrown away like a filthy rag, don't they?"
Jin Xinyue's eyes grew more and more bloodshot, and her eyes became larger and larger. As her spiritual energy surged out, her hair was standing up and fluttering, making her look like a crazy person.
"I can contain myself when other people wrong me, strike me, and suppress me, but even Ding Lingdang, my dear masteress, also does not care about our bond at all and bites me like a rabid dog, just in order to crawl to the throne of the Supreme Speaker with me as her ladder!
"Hehe. Is the idiotic cow with more brawn than brains qualified to be the Speaker of the Federation at all? Does she deserve it? Can she do the job? I will be a Speaker ten times better than her if I am elected!
"Injustice calls for injustice! Since this is the way the federation treats its contributors, since people hate their hero as such, and since Ding Lingdang despises her husband's disciple like that, what should I care about?
"All in all, you were right about one thing. Those who are not my people will think differently. I am a demon after all who doesn't belong to the federation. We surrendered a hundred years ago. What's the big deal if we surrender again a hundred years later?"
"The bottom line is…"
She snapped the cigarette aside and craned her neck like a creepy cobra that was slithering toward the three leaders.
"A hundred years ago, I swore that I would become the Speaker of the Federation one day. It was a vow that I made to my father Jin Tuyi. Nobody is going to stop me, whatever the cost is and whichever methods I must adopt!
"I planned to become the Speaker of the Federation through legal approaches and lead the federation to resist the Imperium. Believe it or not, that was what I thought at the beginning.
"But the federation will not give me the opportunity. People will not give me the opportunity. Even Ding Lingdang views me as a mortal enemy! Ha. Did you notice how the news describes me nowadays? 'A second Lu Zui' and a 'traitor of the federation'! Tsk, tsk, tsk. It's high time that you look at what a real 'traitor' does, idiots!"
The three leaders looked at each other in deep thought. Flickering light was flowing vaguely inside their eyes.
But none of them were willing to talk first. They were all considering in silence.
"All in all, I have been pushed to desperation, and I'm forced to make counterattack now!"
Jin Xinyue took a deep breath to calm herself down, but her hands were still shivering slightly. She drew out another thin, long cigarette, but she simply clenched it in her hands and rubbed it subconsciously until it was rolled into broken parts.
Staring at the three big shots, she asked, "What are you hesitating for?
"Your situation is no better than mine. We have been bound to each other for decades. We are going to either live together or die together!
"Yes. With your fame and reputation, you will be able to catch your breath for a while even if you are skinned. You might not necessarily go to prison. You may even still be renowned celebrities standing at the peak of the federation on the surface.
"But you know that after the strike of the scandals, your spine has been lashed into pieces. Your sects and family are like dew before the sun comes out in the morning. You do not have much time to shine!
"I think that you are not scared of downfall, death, or prison. You are too old to care about any of that.
"However, you are scared that your sects and families that have been passed on for a thousand years will be destroyed by you. You are scared that new powers will rise and step on your face forever, making it impossible for you to seek a comeback. You are scared that your offspring will become useless, mundane people. You are scared that your power will slowly fade away until it is completely gone in the glory of the federation, just like the sects that we crushed together in the past few decades, right?
"But you can't do anything even if you are scared. With everything coming to this point, is there any way to save your sects and family, or even to make them ascend to higher places, other than surrendering to the Imperium?"
The three leaders were all blushing and breathing hastily, as if they had been filled up with the worst liquor.
Jin Xinyue smiled again, with some craziness, some aggression, and some arrogance. "Stop being pretentious, dear leaders. I have long seen through the leaders of the major sects and families such as yourselves.
"In fact, for you, the path of the Cultivators does not mean anything at all, does it? You only become Cultivators because you happen to be born in a country of Cultivators that is the Star Glory Federation. Your loyalty to the Star Glory Federation is on the premise that the Star Glory Federation will bring you tremendous benefits!
"Your belief, and the source of power that supported you to reach the level you are at right now, has nothing to do with the difference between the Cultivators and the Immortal Cultivators. It is your sect and family, right? Your sects and families are your everything. For your sects, families, and bloodlines to live long and prosper, you can sacrifice everything, including yourselves and the federation. That is the idea in the deepest part of your heart, right?"
The color of the three well-respected leaders' faces finally changed greatly.
"It's alright. It's really alright. This is totally understandable. How many people can really be loyal to their belief? Most people are still ordinary even if they have reached the Nascent Soul Stage!"
Jin Xinyue opened her hands and squinted. Sniffing the cigarette that she had just broken apart, she put on a fascinated expression and mumbled, "How fragrant."
"You…" Leader Pang, the fattest of the three attendants who was essentially a mountain of meat, finally could not contain himself anymore. His small eyes that were embedded in the wrinkles of his fat rolled for a long time and looked at his friends sitting next to him. In the end, he gnashed his teeth and asked, "Are you certain of victory?"
Jin Xinyue smiled. Shaking off the remains of the cigarette in her palm, she slowly said, "There are too many factors involved in a war. Of course, I am not certain of the final victory.
"However, just think about it carefully. The expedition army of the Imperium is overwhelmingly strong in the first place. Even if we don't betray but fight them united, we still may not be able to win.
"But right now, I have a batch of elite warriors from the Blood Demon Sector in my hands. A fleet in the federal army is absolutely loyal to me, too. Together with you and those behind you, how much trouble can we cause in the heartland of the federation?
"If the Black Wind Fleet attacks at such a time and loots the burning house, you can infer what the outcome will be by yourself!"
Cold sweat was popping up on the foreheads of all the three leaders.
Jin Xinyue looked at them scornfully and said, "Stop being pretentious. I don't believe that you never considered the possibility of surrendering to the Imperium of True Human Beings. The big families and sects such as you are the least dependable. To survive the change of dynasties, it is practically your natural instinct to sit on the fence. Hehe. You are pretending to be loyal and responsible right now, but I guarantee that you will be the first ones to surrender when the situation goes south!
"After all, even if the Black Wind Fleet does defeat the federation, those people are pure warriors who are unfamiliar with the local area. How can they expect to govern the region and collect resources without the big sects such as you as their helpers?
"By then, instead of being destroyed together with the federation, it is possible for you to change your face and rise to prosperity, extending the tentacles of your family and sects into the four new worlds and even more worlds beyond in the future!
"Am I saying what is on your minds, dear leaders?"
The three big shots were obviously embarrassed.
Jin Xinyue smiled and said, "Tell you what, your smart plans are not going to work out this time. You want to lead the way for the army of the Imperium? I'm sorry, but such a glorious and sacred job has already been taken by me, and the renowned sects such as yours will never have the chance to take the initiative.
"However, we have cooperated for nearly a hundred years after all, and our cooperation has generally been pleasant. You also know that I am not an ungrateful person. I always do things for my conscience, my feelings, and my friends. Besides, my own strength alone is still a bit insufficient after all. Therefore…
"Hehe. There isn't any tea today but wine. The 'Red Guts Dragon Blood Wine', the hardest liquor in the Blood Demon Sector!
"Come on, leaders, seniors, and uncles! Drink the wine, and we will be life-and-death comrades. Follow me to pledge loyalty to the Imperium, serve the true path of immortality, and lead the way for the magnificent army of the Imperium!"
Chapter 1692: Complete Suppression! |
Four wine cups made of skulls of demon beasts in a hideous and twisted shape slowly ascended from behind Jin Xinyue. Boosted by her spiritual energy, the most eccentric air was flowing out from the utensils.
Three of the cups flew toward the three big shots, like three ghostly lanterns.
The skull cups were filled with the 'Red Guts Dragon Blood Wine', which was as thick and intense as real blood. It could also be seen that a gallbladder of a demonic dragon that looked like a heart was floating inside each cup.
The wine was as dark as blood and as thick as oil. One would feel that their goosebumps rising when they saw it first. Then, they would feel that their blood was boiling, and all their emotions were stimulated to the maximum.
The three big shots looked at each other in bewilderment, their fingers shivering. None of them were willing to be the first one to drink the wine whose flavor and consequences were unknown.
The three cups of wind, however, were drawing closer and closer to their mouths, as if six invisible people were standing behind them, forcing them to drink the wine.
Jin Xinyue's voice grew colder and colder. "Drink it now. Why don't you drink it up?"
"Jin Xinyue!" Leader Tong, who had a baby face, bulged his eyes and slapped his thigh. "We didn't come here alone. A lot of our men are waiting for us outside. Don't be too outrageous!"
"Oh. So to speak, Leader Tong, you would rather not show me enough respect. You do not consider the helpless, vulnerable woman that is me a friend, and you do not want to drink that wine that I specially brewed?"
Jin Xinyue smiled casually and gestured at the door. "People of different beliefs should go different ways. I don't like forcing people to do anything. If that is the case, you may leave now, Leader Tong! You should know that the job of leading the way for the army is not a complicated one. I don't think that it really requires so many hands."
"You—" Leader Tong rose up abruptly and stared at Jin Xinyue for a long time. Then, he glanced at the other two big shots who were sitting next to him.
The two big shots lowered their eyes, as if they were two meditating monks who did not hear a word that he or Jin Xinyue said.
With a gloomy face, Leader Tong solemnly said, "Jin Xinyue, since you have told me such a clandestine plan, if we don't cooperate with you, I fear that we will never walk out of your 'Moon Palace' even if we get out of this chamber, right?"
Jin Xinyue smiled and said, "What do you think, Leader Tong!"
Leader Tong's eyes were twitching violently, and he gnashed his teeth. "Jin Xinyue, don't you dare!"
"With everything coming to this point, is there anything that I dare not do?" Jin Xinyue laughed miserably, sorrowfully, and crazily. She picked up the cup of 'Red Guts Dragon Blood Wine' floating in midair that belonged to her and put it next to her lips. She paused for a moment to smell the intense stink of blood before she raised her neck and drank the entire cup of wine.
She did not wipe the crimson wine that was dripping from the corner of her mouth at all but simply allowed it to sprinkle on her black suit and even her thigh that was enshrouded in the black silk stockings.
The gallbladder of the demon beast soaked in the wine was directly devoured by her, too, who chewed it slowly and carefully to squeeze more juice out of it.
The wine was as red as blood, and her skin was as fair as jade. They were a shocking contrast.
"In the past hundred years, my sole dream was to become 'Speaker of the Federation'. Leaders, you of all people should know how much I have paid for the dream and how many painful and dangerous things I have done."
Jin Xinyue swallowed the gallbladder that she had chewed up. Then she chuckled. "But after only half a month, my dream has been entirely shattered… I am universally condemned, and I will never rise again!
"Even if Ding Lingdang and the rest of them do not send me to prison because of the support of so many demons behind me, for someone like me, the feeling of losing power forever is a hundred times more insufferable than being imprisoned!
"Hehe. With that in mind, what makes you think that I dare not do this, Leader Tong? We have cooperated for a hundred years. Do you not know what kind of person I am? Do I impress you as someone who will just accept what fate has to offer?
"Alright. Enough of the nonsense. I'm going to ask you one last time, Leader Tong, Leader Pang and Leader Zhao. Are you going to drink my wine or not?
"Whoever drinks the wine today will be my life-and-death brethren. We are going to team up and negotiate with the Black Wind Fleet. I believe that we can get a good price for your disciples and family members!
"If you would rather not, the door is right over there. Be on your way and let's die together!"
Jin Xinyue finally wiped her lips with the back of her hand, but the crimson leftover of the wine was smeared even wider, as if she had just devoured a beast alive.
She smashed the skull cup to the floor hard, breaking it into pieces. Then, she bulged her eyes and glowered at the three big shots!
For a moment, the countless demon kings, demon emperors, and even demon gods of the Blood Demon Sector from the past thousand years seemed to appear behind Jin Xinyue.
Her aura was truly overwhelming!
Under her scorching eyes and her irrefutable persuasion, the big shots were all shaking before they made up their minds again soon.
Leader Pang, the mountain of meat, was the first to reach for the cup.
Leader Zhao, however, was the first to pour the wine into his mouth.
But after he drank the spicy wine, he discovered that Leader Tong, who seemed to be the most 'unwavering' one of them all, had already turned the cup upside down to show that he had finished the wine.
"Haha. Hahahahahahaha!" Her hair in a mess, Jin Xinyue laughed crazily and opened her arms, shouting, "A smart bird knows which tree it should build its nest on. With the help of the three leaders here, our great cause will certainly be completed in no time!"
"Alright. We have finished the wine. Let's get back to business!" Leader Tong wiped every last bit of the wine that was lingering on his lips. He regained his calmness and said, "If… if we are really going to do this thing, it will be much more complicated than shouting slogans. Have you communicated with the other side? What's your specific plan? I think that you can tell us now, right?"
Jin Xinyue smiled mysteriously. "Of course. I'll ask someone to introduce the real 'Dim Moon Plan' to you."
She clapped her hands three times unhurriedly.
The three big shots all changed their face color. They were still a bit ill at ease and did not want other people to learn of their defection so early.
"Rest assured." Observing their faces, Jin Xinyue smiled casually. "The few guys to come are the 'liaisons' that I carefully chose for you. I believe that you will definitely find them trustworthy."
Before the three big shots could object, the door of the secret chamber opened.
The three faces that popped up from the darkness outside of the chamber, however, flabbergasted the three big shots inside!
"Father."
"Master."
"Senior Uncle!"
Three middle-aged men in their prime years walked in and bowed to the three big shots respectfully.
Their casual countenance was a vivid contrast to the astonishment on the three big shots' faces.
Yes. Those appearing in front of them were the son and the true disciples of their respective family, whom they had always trusted and liked most. They were almost the pillars of their sects and families!
As it turned out, they had long been converted by Jin Xinyue.
The three big shots felt that their heads were dizzy, as if a hundred thousand volcanoes were erupting at the same time. There was no telling whether it was because of the shock or the attack of the wine.
"Jin Xinyue. You—you are so wicked!"
"You've wrong me again. Why has everyone been wronging me recently? Come here. You will explain to them what happened by yourselves."
"F—Father, this is not what it looks like. President Jin did not sway us. It was—it was the spies of the Imperium of True Human Beings who persuaded us to serve the Imperium. We made a poor choice back then and got caught by President Jin."
"Yes, master. At that time, we were all frustrated and thought that we were going to die in disgrace, but President Jin was lenient enough to spare us and help us to cover it up. Otherwise, we would've been sentenced to prison!"
