Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1454
"The evil arts that Dongfang Renxin has been studying, above all, jeopardize the interests of a large proportion of people within the Dongfang family. If the old do not die, the young will never rise. Besides, the ideas of the older generation and those of the younger generations are always in conflict. You think I am stubborn and conservative, but I think you are radical and extreme. When the old people always win the competitions, how can the young people not be angry? When their grudge is long accumulated, not just betraying the family, they will not hesitate to die together with the old people!"
Li Linghai said with a smile, "On the other hand, a confidential evil technique such as the 'cannibal training' is definitely not a privilege for everybody in the Dongfang family. I'm afraid that only a few central persons who are deeply associated with Dongfang Wang and Dongfang Renxin are entitled to it.
"Think about it. Suppose you are a rather capable middle-level manager in the Dongfang family, and you have a rather gifted son who crushed the kid of a certain big shot in the internal games of the family. You are very proud of him and believe that your son will lead your bloodline to a new altitude.
"However, unexpected changes take place in the family games this year. There is no telling what strengthening drugs he has been using, but the guy crushed by your son last year has made significant progress in only one year and broke all the bones of your son.
"You are angry, anxious, and in pain. In your curiosity, you investigate in secret, only to discover a great secret within the family. As it turns out, the central leadership of the family has mastered such an appalling evil technique. Henceforth, their bloodlines will forever dominate the family, and the secondary branches like you will forever be in their background and sidekicks!
"Hehe. Naturally, you want to join the little circle too, and get a ticket of 'cannibal training' for yourself or your offspring. But you are not qualified at all. You are even living in fear day and night, worrying that your peeping was caught and you will be killed to keep your mouth shut.
"In your anger and fear, it is almost the only option to seek help from the outside world, trying to completely expose the matter, which will at least keep the lives of your wife and children."
Everybody looked at each other and was deep in thought.
"That's not the end of it yet."
Li Linghai's smile was more and more intense. "Even the 'cannibal training' entails a certain extent of rejection reactions. Who do you think will trigger the minimal rejection reactions when they are eaten? Of course, judging from your look, you have all guessed it. The members of the Dongfang family themselves, of course. The same bloodlines mean the least reject reactions and the highest absorption efficiency!
"Therefore, Dongfang Renxin's primary targets are the low-level Immortal Cultivators of the secondary branches of the family, the cannon fodder who are destined to die for the family. But it is one thing to lead the vanguard and die in the frontline, and it is another thing to be drained as a medicinal ingredient. Somebody did not want to die just like that and escaped to the outside world in their desperation only to run into me later. Is it so hard to believe?"
"Therefore—"
Considering carefully, Lei Chenghu said, "Dongfang Renxin has established the hospital in the capital, which is not under the control of the Dongfang family, instead of the Dongfang family's own dominion, because he is worried about his own people?"
"Mostly, yes. His primary concerns are the competitors within the family. If Dongfang Wang and Dongfang Renxin run surgeries and experiments in their own nest, there will be no room of defense at all once it is disclosed."
Li Linghai said calmly, "But more importantly, it is meant to collect more varied raw materials. The low-level Immortal Cultivators of the Dongfang family are not all perfect matches. Also, they boast the same genetic deficiencies. Training with their own kin all the time is like intermarriage, which will lead to an outburst of genetic deficiencies someday.
"Therefore, a lot of fresh blood from the outside world is required as supplies. Such external experts are not easy to find in the Dongfang family's territory, and even if they are found, it won't be convenient to attack them. In the messy, murky capital that is nominally under His Majesty's command, there will be no such concerns. Countless Immortal Cultivators go missing in the lawless land below the ground every day. Who can possibly find them?
"When the Imperium's counterattack comes, many heavily wounded soldiers from the frontline had to retreat to the rear for surgeries, but they cannot suffer too many space jumps. So, they often chose to jump to the capital in one jump for treatment. The Empyreal Terminus Sector is an intersection of the universe and the easiest place to jump to after all.
"The Heavenly Star Hospital admitted tremendous heavily wounded patients. Those people had mostly been blown into a mess by cannonballs and spiritual energy, and their death rate was extremely high in the first place. Even if some tricks were played on them, or certain patients that could've survived passed away with incomplete bodies, it would be perfectly understandable, right?"
Lei Chenghu's eyebrows were furrowed like raised sabers. "The patients that retreated to the rear for treatment included experts from the other three Kurfürst families. Dongfang Renxin was bold and insane enough to touch them?"
"That is exactly why we have chosen this matter as our 'detonator'!"
Li Linghai said with a smile, "If they had only butchered hominoids for training, it would've been perfectly normal. Nobody cares about the deaths of a few hundred hominoids.
"If they had only trained with some low-level Immortal Cultivators of unknown backgrounds, Dongfang Wang and Dongfang Renxin still could've taken care of the aftermath with their influence.
"However, what they have been training with are the experts from the other three Kurfürst families, which, once exposed with solid evidence, will definitely be a fatal blow to Dongfang Wang. Nobody can expect to save him. Then, it will be the landslide of the entire family!"
Lei Chenghu shook his head slowly. "I still find it hard to believe that Dongfang Wang and Dongfang Renxin would be unwise enough to lay fingers on experts of the other three families."
"Greed can never be satisfied. Practicing the evil arts is like doing drugs. You will only be mired deeper and deeper with greater and greater addiction, until you completely go mad in the end."
Li Linghai sighed and said, "General Lei, please imagine this. You are now a dying old man catching your last breath, and it's been a long time since you fell from your peak state. Only in your dreams can you taste the feeling of the Divinity Transformation Stage. All the juniors are watching you like voracious wolves, ready to lunge forward and bite your body. Your offspring, on the other hand, are just mediocre. Your bloodline will completely fall as soon as you die.
"At such a moment, if somebody can make you return to the peak state and your children reborn with the most excellent talents… whatever the prices may be, and even if you have to piss off the other three families, would you reject the offer?
"Such evil arts are obviously not a one-time thing but have to be practiced regularly. Also, the dosage required will be larger and larger to keep your best state. Then, addicted and unable to free yourself, will you quit halfway and degenerate into what you used to be in only a couple of days, aging and weakening?"
After a long daze, Lei Chenghu shook his head firmly. "No, I will never do that. It is the most shameless betrayal on the true path of immortality!"
Pausing for a moment, he said in frustration, "But I can understand why some people in the Dongfang family are so bold and inconsiderate."
"Now, you have all understood why I choose this matter as the 'detonator', right?"
Li Linghai concluded, "This matter also involves few people of the Dongfang family. The pressure we are faced with is not very huge. Also, the nature of the case is so ghastly that everybody will stand on our side once the truth is revealed. For their reputation, it is absolutely impossible for the other three families to negotiate and make deals with the Dongfang family.
"After we completely unveil Dongfang Wang and Dongfang Renxin, revealing the truth that they have been 'possessed by the extraterrestrial devils', we will naturally present our finding of the 'incident of the Blood Oath Alliance'. Even if all the pieces of evidence are 'created' by us, who will suspect them? In short, if a wall starts tottering, everyone will give it a shove!
"As long as Dongfang Wang's cabinet completely collapses and more and more big shots of the Dongfang family are involved, the other three families will certainly attack the Dongfang family together. In the dog-eat-dog battle of the noble families, the reformists will be able to take the most advantageous location, carry out our ideas, and realize our purpose to 'renew the Imperium'.
"This is all I want to say. Any questions?"
Chapter 2279: Li Yao's Role |
"Yes."
Thinking carefully, Lei Chenghu said, "Even if the whole thing is set to public, is it possible that Dongfang Renxin will separate his brother from him and keep the prime minister out of the issue, pretending that Dongfang Wang does not know anything about it?"
"It's impossible."
Li Linghai shook her head reassuringly. "Dongfang Renxin is more than a hundred years older than Dongfang Wang. A hundred years ago, the two brothers were unattractive in the Dongfang family and showed no sign that they would rise to power.
"It is safe to believe that Dongfang Renxin's 'medical arts' helped him win the favor of a bunch of big shots of the Dongfang family, who formed a compressed interest group. Eventually, the little circle elected Dongfang Wang to represent their interests and endorsed him to be the prime minister of the Imperium.
"The whole circle will rise and fall together. As long as Dongfang Renxin collapses, nobody will survive. Dongfang Wang won't be an exception."
Lei Chenghu said solemnly, "Got it. Dongfang Renxin is the key. We have to take him down quickly and neatly and break into his secret institute to find unquestionable proofs, right?"
"Yes. This is the most difficult thing in the whole mission. We have to capture Dongfang Renxin alive and find critical proofs."
Narrowing his eyes, Li Linghai said coldly, "Dongfang Renxin is a renowned, prestigious elder of the Imperium after all. If we accuse him of such serious crimes but cannot capture him on the spot with concrete proofs, he will have ten thousand ways to escape and bite us back.
"We have only one shot. Right now, Dongfang Renxin has no idea that we have got our eyes on him yet. If we miss the attack and alarm him, he will definitely destroy all the traces in the secret institute and run back to the Dongfang family's territory immediately. In that case, there will be absolutely nothing we can do.
"In other words, the capture operation will be the decisive step in this war. If we catch the culprit and the evidence successfully, Dongfang Wang's cabinet will definitely collapse and raise an avalanche-like chain reaction, and nobody can prevent the fall of the Dongfang family. If we fail, the Yun family and the Song family who are on the fences, as well as the Li family who seems to be on our back, will immediately change their attitude and annihilate us without any hesitation!"
Everybody thought quickly and had to admit that it was indeed a great opportunity for the reformists if the crimes were real, but it was also a dangerous move like a dance on the edge of a saber.
Lei Chenghu looked at Dongfang Sheng and said, "What are we going to do? An assault with a fleet?"
Li Linghai shook her head. "We cannot dispatch fleets. The unspoken agreement we have reached with the other three families is that they will keep an eye on the fleets of the Dongfang family as long as we do not move our own fleets.
"If our fleets are to assault the Empyreal Terminus Sector, leaving the odds of success aside, the Dongfang family's fleet will definitely intervene. A war will be raised if we get into a huge fight in the capital. Nobody wants that to happen."
"Exactly."
Considering carefully, Lei Chenghu nodded his head slowly. "No one wants the Imperium to be caught in chaos, as that will only be in the Covenant Alliance's favor."
"Therefore, the capture operation this time will mainly be taken care of by Yue Wushuang's Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils. Theoretically speaking, as long as they are suspicious that Dongfang Renxin has been corrupted by the extraterrestrial devils, they will have the legal rights to arrest and interrogate him."
Li Linghai said, "General Lei and General Dongfang, your fleets will stand by and keep the pressure on the Li family's fleets, forcing them to stall the Dongfang family's fleet so that none of the fleets will make any bold moves.
"Director Jin, your mission is to continue lobbying in the business groups of the other three Kurfürst families to express the kindness and sincerity of the reformists. For example, they can totally have the largest share in the interests of the Dongfang family after the Dongfang family is split apart. All in all, you will reiterate the idea that the Dongfang family's collapse will be greatly beneficial for the three families, and that the business groups from the peripheral worlds of the Imperium are all shortsighted bumpkins who will be satisfied by the tiniest benefits.
"Of course, now that everybody's fleet is not moving on the surface, the dark battlefield in the capital will be very busy for a while in the future. Please dispatch all those that you can dispatch to the capital. There are many sources and informants that we need to buy over, many killers and assassins that we need to hire, and many wavering guys who can only be convinced by the coins.
"This is about our mission. Does anyone still have any confusion?"
This time, nobody asked any questions.
"Then, please continue fighting valiantly in your respective battlefield, fellow Cultivators!"
Li Linghai waved her hands and declared resolutely, "After we win this battle, the 'new Imperium' will succeed!"
Everybody rose abruptly, straightened their right arm, and clenched their fists, declaring at the same time, "Long live the Imperium! Long live the Immortal Cultivators! Long live the civilization of mankind!"
The secret meeting came to an end, and everybody left the room in a row except for Li Yao, who stayed under the hint of Li Linghai.
In the enormous antique repair center, Queen Li Linghai and Vulture Li Yao were left alone.
The 3D light beam behind Li Linghai rose up and down and soon displayed a brand-new graph. It looked like a translucent ant's nest that was brimming with channels and holes. If a trypophobia patient looked at it, their blood would definitely be frozen.
"I would like to hear the opinions of a magical equipment specialist on one issue."
Pointing at the graph behind her, Li Linghai said, "This is the detailed structure of the blocks two thousand meters below the twenty-seventh district of the capital. According to our intelligence, this is Dongfang Renxin's secret institute.
"All the studies that he's running in the Heavenly Star Hospital are naturally legal, open, and flawless. The real clandestine secrets, the facilities for 'cannibal training', and all the 'ingredients' are all kept here.
"What is troublesome is that Dongfang Renxin is fully aware of the importance of the location too. Therefore, not only is the entire twenty-seventh district heavily guarded by his accomplices, but a series of crystal bombs in delicate structures have also been installed around the secret institute. They are so powerful that they will blow up the secret institute and everything inside once detonated.
"Look, these are the locations and the structures of part of the crystal bombs that our spies have managed to get through after all the trouble. What's your opinion? Is it possible to dismantle the crystal bombs before the assault?"
Li Linghai zoomed in the picture. Soon, blinking red spots appeared on the translucent map that was as complicated as a maze. As the red spots were enlarged continuously, they turned out to be the most delicate crystal bombs.
"Well—"
Li Yao's pupils constricted violently, and his fingers trembled beyond his control. He mumbled, "It's not just the secret institute. The entire twenty-seventh district is essentially sitting on an active volcano. Once the crystal bombs are detonated, I'm afraid that the entire underground town will be blown to the sky. No, they will fall apart and be buried below the earth for all eternity!
"Also, if I am not mistaken, these should be only 30% of the crystal bombs, and the whole array of crystal bombs is yet to be revealed, right?"
Li Linghai's eyes were glittering as she nodded her head and said, "Exactly. You do have the keen eyes of an expert. It can't be helped. This secret institute is the lifeline of Dongfang Renxin and Dongfang Wang. It is already the best we can do to get a glimpse at 30% of its self-destruct devices. How about it? Is it possible to break them without alerting anyone?"
Li Yao frowned hard, but eagerness was beaming out of his eyes.
It had been a long time since he last encountered such an interesting challenge.
He closed his eyes, but his eyeballs were rolling quickly below his eyelids, and his fingers hummed hard as they bounced at a frequency beyond the recognition of the naked eye. After repetitive deductions and calculations, he nodded his head first but shook it later. "If the remaining 70% of the self-destruct devices are crystal bombs of the same type, I will probably be able to accomplish the task. But it is obviously an expert among experts who set up these self-destruct devices. So, I'm suspicious that he deployed more sordid traps in the remaining 70% devices. I'll have to find it out during the operation."
"I knew that you wouldn't disappoint me."
Li Linghai pushed a badge over. "This arrest operation serves the interests of the people and the cause of justice. It should fit the beliefs of a Cultivator perfectly. I don't think you need to charge for it, right?"
"Removing hazards for the people is definitely not free. If I do not have money and resources, I won't be able to strengthen myself. Then, how can I remove more hazards for the people in the future? The best I can do is to offer you a discount, Your Grace."
