Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1161
The guy who was commanding the Big Bai Fleet right now had computational ability and commanding ability at least in the Divinity Transformation Stage!
The highest command center was caught in dead silence again. The big shots were too shocked to feel overjoyed.
In the end, it was Wan Guqing, the Speaker of the Federation, who made the new decision.
"Right now, we still can't reach out to the Big Bai Fleet. In any case, they have disrupted the Black Wind Fleet's pace of attack and earned precious time for us!
"The first branch of the Burning Prairie Fleet must unfold into battle formation at any cost as soon as possible and enter the battlefield before the Big Bai Fleet is exhausted!
"Ask the nine Colossi at the Heaven's Artillery to be prepared to be projected into the battlefield anytime!"
Everybody was baffled by the decision.
The Colossi of the federation had not been deployed in the most perilous moment a while back. Right now, the Big Bai Fleet had come to save the day and cast the Black Wind Fleet into an organized mess. The situation of the battle had been greatly soothed. Why were the most elite and precious forces of the federation to be projected at such a moment?
"The circumstances right now are different." Staring at the light beams, Wan Guqing said, "While we can infer the capability of the Big Bai Fleet and the following changes of the battle, the Black Wind Fleet can definitely do the same.
"Right now, they are in a hurry to join the front and rear of the fleet and finish the deployment of a defensive formation before the Burning Prairie Fleet arrives, but the Big Bai Fleet has stabbed into their bones like a shining saber and is even churning hard there!
"I don't know much about the battles of fleets, but if I were the commander of the Black Wind Fleet, this is the time that I would consider deploying my Colossi!"
Chapter 1798: Didn't See This Coming! |
On 'Infinite Fire', the Big Bai Fleet's flagship, inside the immersive command capsule on the bridge, Bai Xingjian's soul was surging, and his spiritual energy was flooding out!
Commanding hundreds of starships to gallop in the vast space and cut as precisely as scalpels was highly exhausting for the computational ability and the soul. One moment of carelessness, and the highest commander might go mentally deranged, with their soul drained and their brains shattered.
The immersive command capsule was magical equipment that ensured the safety of the commander and enhanced their computation and commanding abilities as much as possible.
At first glance, the immersive commanding capsule and the general medical cabins were almost the same, except that the crystal cables that extended above the commanding capsule were denser and thicker.
Moreover, the high-energy nutrition drugs, nervous interaction liquids, and ancillary crystal processors inside the command capsule could not be found even in the medical cabin of the highest level.
Even so, when Bai Xingjian burnt his soul to the maximum and unleashed his most powerful strength, crazy bubbles were still popping up from the commanding capsule in which he was soaked, as if it were a pool of boiling magma!
Unstoppable auras were flooding out of the command capsule incessantly, straightening each and every crystal wire. His telepathic thoughts, like shivering nervous electricity, spread over the entire bridge within a moment, before they moved on to every corner of Infinite Fire and then every starship in the Big Bai Fleet. All the starships seemed to be attracted by the invisible electric arcs and performed delicate, marvelous attacks!
"Old fart, I was really fooled by you. Had I known that the mission would be so tricky, our deal wouldn't have been so simple!"
Brilliance sealed for a hundred years was blossoming inside Bai Xingjian's eyes. Arcs of light were sprawling with his eyes as the core. He did not seem to be in the middle of a perilous battlefield but enjoying the most delicious meal in the world. He smiled in great satisfaction.
"But forget it.
"After all, I was looking forward to a game with the ace troops from the center of the cosmos to see where my limits were!"
…
In the meantime, the view on the bridge of Black Swirl, the Black Wind Fleet's flagship, was completely different.
Heiye Lan stared at the Big Bai Fleet that was jumping on the light beam nonstop like an irking parasite so hard that the brilliance beaming out of his eyes was even more dazzling than the cannon fire on the battlefield.
The assault of the Big Bai Fleet was within his expectations. When he considered the three hundred and thirty-four possible changes of the battle, forty-seven involved the anomaly of the Big Bai Fleet.
But based on the data provided by the most reliable intelligence network—and even if the data was doubled—he could never have foreseen that the combat ability of the Big Bai Fleet was so high, and their tactics were so sordid, brutal, and effective!
The commander of the Black Wind Fleet finally could not help but roar, "How is it possible? Such a commanding ability and such a well-trained fleet are excellent even for the few most famous ace fleets in the Imperium! It would have been surprising if the Burning Prairie Fleet had such a commander, yet it is not the Burning Prairie Fleet but the Big Bai Fleet!
"What the heck have the barbarians been doing? Are there so many redundant high-level commanders in the Star Glory Federation that even such a monster must be stuffed into a mediocre fleet? This—this is too absurd! What kind of weird trap is this, or were the leadership of the federal army all blind?"
Heiye Ming's pace was completely disrupted by Bai Xingjian.
He was also an experienced fleet commander whose expertise was well above average.
Therefore, after he received tremendous data and files sent by his own intelligence network and 'Su Changfa', he had been able to gain an insight on the tactical styles and weaknesses of all the high-level commanders in the federation. He had even drafted more than three hundred contingency countermeasures and run almost a thousand wargame deductions before he finally decided on the assault plan.
He knew the most detailed data about every high-level commander in the federation, but never had he foreseen that he would be faced with such a Bai Xingjian!
The Big Bai Fleet did not boast the capability to have a head-on clash with the Black Wind Fleet. But if they were to continue stabbing and stalling, not only would the battle formation be cast into disarray, even the precious star beacons would risk being destroyed.
The establishment of space gates was open and free. The lack of a few star beacons would not affect the function of the entire space gate.
But if more than fifty percent of the star beacons were destroyed, the precision of navigation would be greatly reduced, which could have a terrible influence on the follow-up troops when they were performing a space jump.
In the emergency, Heiye Ming failed to find a perfect solution. Pondering for a moment, he frowned and activated two rune arrays on the control panel. When the strengthened command capsule slowly rose from the deck down below, ten tiny shadows ascended on the control light beam and revolved slowly.
They were the images of ten Colossi, like ten iron beasts that were sleeping but still scratching their claws and teeth in their dream.
Those were even not the whole storage.
I didn't expect that our side would make use of the Colossi first.
Heiye Ming, who was slowly soaking within the strengthened command capsule, ready to do his best, thought to himself gloomily.
With such changes taking place on the battlefield, we can only count on the Colossi to delay the Big Bai Fleet. As long as they are stopped for a moment, our warships will be able to besiege and slap those annoying flies!
Hehe. Despite the unexpected factor that is the Big Bai Fleet, the enemy's overall capability is too far away from ours. This war may be slightly more twisted than I expected, but the outcome is still destined.
Other than anything else, in terms of the quantity and quality of the Colossi… Do the bumpkins at the edge of the cosmos know how to maintain or pilot a Colossus?
Everything is still under control. There can't be a second 'unexpected factor'. Even if there is, it won't stop the iron hooves of the Imperium!
…
Inside District 01 space station of Hundred Flowers City, as the silver tides of liquid metal gradually ebbed, more and more people woke up from the nightmare. They were still dwelling in the ecstasy of surviving a disaster and the trance after a prolonged dream.
Of course, there was still the shock that was caused by the grand return of a renowned hero, who was the legendary…
Solemnly, Li Yao typed on the virtual keyboard of his portable crystal processor quickly, his eyes beaming with insight.
Countless streams of information poured down like a waterfall. His eyeballs were shivering at an ultra-high speed when he searched and analyzed the most important files without leaving any detail.
He was in deep thought, glaring at the light beam and hesitating over something. In the end, he narrowed his eyes and gritted his teeth to make the decision!
Long Yangjun looked at him in surprise. "What are you doing? Did Professor Mo Xuan tell you some critical intelligence and you have come up with a whole plan of attack based on it?"
"Critical intelligence, yes. A plan of attack, not yet."
Without even raising his head, Li Yao continued his search crazily and replied, "I am reading the quotations and famous speeches of celebrities to prepare for my blood-boiling and soul-stirring speech!"
"Why—why would you do that?"
"Haven't you noticed that a lot of people around are waking up and even moving close to the two Colossi? Colonel Luo's soldiers are eyeing me in a different way now, too!
"A lot of them learned my real identity in the Spiriters' Realm. This is the grand return of Vulture Li Yao, the dominator of three Sectors, at such a dangerous moment. Do you not feel that I should say something to boost the morale and fire up the atmosphere? It's not like I can just stare at everybody in silence, right?
"Damn it. I've lost connection again. The network here is not entirely fixed yet. Hey, do you have any experience that you want to share with me? Aren't you a Lead Eunuch? You must've been the one who drafted the speeches for the emperor, right?"
Long Yangjun took a deep breath and replied, "No. Such a practice is not popular in my hometown. But you were an expert in the Nascent Soul Stage and a renowned celebrity a hundred years ago—how are you not prepared for this?"
"That is the problem," Li Yao said as if he were greatly wronged. "I was indeed a minor celebrity a hundred years ago, but I was an Ultra-Level Federal Hero at best. The integration with the Blood Demon Sector was also quite a controversial issue in society back then. There was no telling if I did the right thing. So, my life was definitely different from right now!
"How would I know that they would adulate me as if I were dead? Dominator of three Sectors, superhero, father of Civilization, and even father of the federation. Do they have to make things so awkward?
"What—what—what can I say? It's not like I can just wave my hands at everybody shamelessly and calmly and say, 'Greetings everyone. Yes. There's no point in keeping it a secret anymore. In fact, I am the legendary dominator of three Sectors and the father of your country, and I have finally returned to save you!', right?"
Long Yangjun pondered for a moment and asked, "May I laugh?"
"You may not!" Li Yao gnashed his teeth. "Help me think about what I should say. This is truly embarrassing. Look. Everybody is crowding. Wait. The few guys there are even holding flowers in their hands. They are not offering the flowers to me, are they?"
"There is a solution." Looking at Li Yao's belly, Long Yangjun observed, "Why don't you keep your mouth shut and just continue singing with your abdomen? List all the patriotic songs of the federation from the past five hundred years and sing all of them in a row. Then, you'll have all the vibes that you want."
Li Yao glared at Long Yangjun.
Then, his eyes caught a dozen shadows that were flying in through the airtight gates, which made his face change greatly. "Cr*p. Meng Chixin, Han Baling, Qi Zhongdao, Yan Liren, and the rest of them are here!"
"It is indeed not very promising for me." Long Yangjun raised her eyebrow and remarked, unmoved, "I believe that the experts of the Ancient Sages Sector who have been tricked and kidnapped by you and who were almost killed by the extraterrestrial devil are greater trouble than your passionate, adoring fans. Although they are behind me, I can almost sense their burning fury right now. To be honest, if I were in their shoes, I would definitely feel like slashing you in half right now, too."
Li Yao grew anxious. "What do you mean by 'tricked and kidnapped by you'? Didn't we do everything together?"
"Is that so?" Long Yangjun smiled. Then she suddenly furrowed her brows and burst into fury. Grabbing Li Yao's neck, she yelled, "Well played, Monster Li! I didn't know that you were vile enough to deceive all of us!"
Chapter 1799: Monster Li's Explanation |
Li Yao bulged his eyes and asked in disbelief, "There's no need for you to be so harsh, is there?"
"What, a coincidence?" Long Yangjun shouted back in a voice ten times louder than his. "How can it be a coincidence? Do you really think that the people of the Ancient Sages Sector are all idiots? You have clearly concocted everything!
"There's no need to disguise yourself now, Monster Li. You clearly calculated everything and dug a pit for us to jump into. You pushed us into desperation so that we would become your cannon fodder!
"It's great for you now. Your scheme worked out. We were played for fools. We pissed off such a formidable enemy as the extraterrestrial devils for no good reason and made them a mortal enemy by stopping their shocking plan. Most importantly of all, the secrets of the Ancient Sages Sector were exposed!
"Even if we do not want to mess with the extraterrestrial devils anymore, those haunting ghosts will not let go of us. After they seize the Star Glory Federation, the Ancient Sages Sector will definitely become the first target to be savaged by them. Neither the Great Qian Dynasty nor the Dark Cloud Prairies will not get away!
"Now, the people of the Ancient Sages Sector are left with only two choices. If we don't want to become the puppets and slaves of the extraterrestrial devils, we will have to join hands with such an ass*ole like you and eradicate the remaining forces of the extraterrestrial devils!
"This is exactly your aim, Monster Li, isn't it? You were too cunning!"
Li Yao blinked hard. "Well, I suppose so…"
"Calm down, don't be rash, and listen to your explanation?" Long Yangjun's shrieks echoed in the clouds. "Are we not calm enough right now? Had I not been telling me calmly and rationally every second not to be rash and that nothing could be helped even if you were dead, I would've cut you into pieces and boiled your dirty, filthy guts!
"Explanation? What explanation do you have for bringing such great trouble to us? What we want is not an explanation but compensation! Whatever rhetoric you may have, is it even possible for you to compensate us with the national power of the federation? Right. It seems that you are truly f*cking capable of that, but so what? Do you think that we will be fascinated? The people of the Ancient Sages Sector have our backbones!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Meng Chixin, Han Baling, Qi Zhongdao, Yan Liren, and the other experts landed near the two of them, raising undying airwaves.
Other than Yan Liren, all the experts of the Ancient Sages Sector were gloomy, apparently demanding an explanation.
'Sword Maniac' Yan Liren, on the other hand, stared at Li Yao's slightly-protruding carotid artery with great interest.
"Fellow Cultivators, you've come at the right moment!" Without looking back, Long Yangjun gnashed her teeth. "Monster Li is indeed too sordid. He planned such a great trap and lured us into it. Now, what's done is done, and regret is useless. The more I think about it, the angrier I get. We would've joined the Imperium if we'd known it in advance!"
"Well, if I may offer some correction," Li Yao said carefully. "Even if you joined the Imperium, you wouldn't have escaped from the disaster, either, because the extraterrestrial devils have also set up traps on the Black Wind Fleet's side. Also, if it weren't for us unraveling the scheme by accident, it is very likely that you would've been trapped in the Spiriters' Realm forever, unable to free yourselves.
"Technically speaking, whether you chose the federation or the Imperium, the battle against the extraterrestrial devils would've been inevitable. At least, we still have hope right now!"
"Cut the cr*p. Who are 'we'?" Long Yangjun continued shouting. "How is the battle between the federation and the Imperium, or the battle between them and the extraterrestrial devils, related to us? Do the life or death of the soldiers of the federation army and the common folk mean anything to us at all? If we are really pissed off, we will wash this place with blood, leaving no survivors behind and saving the Imperium and the extraterrestrial devils the trouble. Do you really think that we are harmless chickens? Master Bitter Cicada, don't you agree?"
Master Bitter Cicada could only step forward and say, "Lord Wang, let's be lenient wherever it is possible. Those ordinary people are all innocent. It is unnecessary to vent our fury on them. Besides, we are indeed in a subtle situation right now. Let's hear what Master Spiritual Vulture… Master Li has to say first before we make the final decision."
"Hehe!" Long Yangjun sniffed and finally released Li Yao's collar unwillingly. She then glanced around in confusion and asked, frowning, "Fellow Cultivators, why are your souls so disordered and your flames of spiritual energy mixed with a lot of impurities?"
"They are the memory pieces of the ordinary people." Master Bitter Cicada sighed and said, "Those are the fundamental materials of the 'crystal turbulence' deep inside the Spiriters' Realm. When the Spiriters' Realm collapsed, they were melded with our souls, allowing us to see, sense, and remember the lives of thousands of ordinary people of the federation.
