Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1456
"With the wholehearted enlightenment of such an unparalleled expert like myself and the investment of all the ancillary drugs, his absorption of the Imperial Fire Pearl is very fast.
"The Supreme Emperor's dominating vibe contained in the Imperial Fire Pearl has been combined with the messy strengths that were injected into his body during the experiments in the past ten decades, leading to amazing chemical reactions. His combat ability has been increased by more than five times compared to when you just met him! Except for his lack of battle experience, he is now totally a top-tier expert!"
Li Linghai's body further retreated deeper into the mottled shadow, but there was no delight in her voice at all, just full of chill. "Is… Is that so? There is no hindrance at all?"
Li Yao raised his eyebrows and narrowed his eyes, trying to split the mottled shadow. He asked suspiciously, "Why do I feel that Your Grace is not particularly happy after learning the accomplishments of your son's training? If you have never considered Li Jialing as your son since the beginning, why did you give a treasure such as the Imperial Fire Pearl to him for training? Wait. Is there anything wrong with the Imperial Fire Pearl?"
Li Linghai took a deep breath and smiled bitterly. "You are a specialist both in fighting and in refining, and you have been training with the Imperial Fire Pearl too. What problem can possibly escape your attention?"
"That does make sense. I scrutinized the Imperial Fire Pearl from every aspect. It is absolutely fine."
Li Yao was more and more confused, and he was unable to see through the obscurities on Li Linghai's face. "Then, is there something wrong with you, Your Grace?"
Instead of denying it, Li Linghai suddenly changed the topic and said, "Dongfang Mingyue's strength is truly immeasurable. I believe that she is an extremely dangerous enemy. Her Association of Demon Hunters will certainly capture the reformists in the capital on a large scale in the next phase. With Li Jialing's current appearance, he can easily be accused of being a demon, no interrogation needed. He will be a problem if he stays in the capital.
"I… I have controlled a secret spaceport in the forty-seventh district, and there is a carrier that has been carefully camouflaged. Why don't you help me escort Li Jialing get aboard and ask him to lay low for a while in any peripheral world of the Imperium for now?"
"Are you serious?"
Bulging his eyes, Li Yao found it hard to believe. "Your Grace, do you not feel that your orders are self-contradictory? At first, you asked me and Li Jialing to stay right beside you, claiming that it was the only way to keep your secrets safe. Later, you asked us to work as the liaison officers in General Lei Chenghu's place, which was obviously an attempt to get Li Jialing away from you. But a few days ago, you asked us to march into the capital together with you, and you got Li Jialing back to yourself again. Right now, you are asking me to send Li Jialing to a peripheral world of the Imperium?
"You have changed your attitude three times in only two months. May I ask why?"
Although she was hiding in the mottled shadow, Li Yao still heard the gloomy sigh of the queen.
"I have to say that Your Grace's excuse is truly lousy."
Li Yao simply went on without caring for anything. "You're afraid that Li Jialing would be captured by the Association of Demon Hunters because of his current appearance? His current appearance was made by you in the first place. With your capabilities and your technologies, it should be more than easy to turn Li Jialing back into what he used to be, shouldn't it? Is it necessary to send him to a distant world?
"Also, since Dongfang Mingyue is a mysterious, dangerous enemy, why are you certain that she is unaware of the location of your secret spaceport? Chances are that she has got her eyes on you since a long time ago, and she is now simply waiting for a big fish to catch the hook. It is possible that Li Jialing will be caught by her the moment he leaves the capital, which will be even more dangerous!
"You are such a strong mother. If Li Jialing stays by your side, you can still look after him. If he does escape to a peripheral world of the Imperium, neither you nor I will be able to do anything should anything happen to him!"
Thinking for a long time, Li Linghai had to admit, "You do have a point."
"Your Grace, I've never seen you as diffident before."
Li Yao moved one step closer and raised his voice as he said, "I am just a straightforward and unsophisticated man, so I'll just ask it frankly. Is there anything that you've been keeping to yourself?"
"What can I possibly be keeping to myself?"
Li Linghai finally raised her head from the shadow, but her face was more than pale. She stared at Li Yao and said, "Over the past two months, I have been fulfilling my promise all the time, realizing the maximal degree of reform with the minimal price. The Imperium is not reduced into chaos, and no innocent blood is shed, right?
"We are dealing with Dongfang Wang and Dongfang Renxin partly for my personal reasons, of course, while I pursue the supreme power, but it is also meant to remove hazards for the people. Removing such unpardonable scoundrels befits your beliefs perfectly too, right?
"Although we are all Immortal Cultivators, the reformists are more advanced than the four Kurfürst families anyway, and the new Imperium under the control of the reformists will certainly be better than the old Imperium controlled by the traditional noble families and more merciful to the ordinary people, right?
"If so, what are you worried about? I've said that I'll abide by my promise and give you a Sector that you can administer on your own as long as it obeys the authority of the Imperium on the surface. There is no need for me to go back on my words in such a trivial matter. Rest assured about that!"
Li Yao thought for a long time, only to come up with nothing wrong. He could only say, "That being said, I still vaguely feel that something is wrong. Perhaps it is because your style is too creepy and ghostly, and one inevitably feels that you have a lot of schemes the moment they see you? To be honest, have you ever considered perming or dyeing your hair, putting on some cosmetics, and smiling more sunnily? Wouldn't it be much better? After all, you will be a symbol of the Imperium one day."
"Enough."
Li Linghai retreated again, allowing the beehive-like shadows on the map of the Imperium to swallow her face. "You may leave."
"Copy that."
Thinking for a moment, Li Yao asked, "What about Li Jialing? I don't need to send him away now, do I?"
There was no response from the shadow until Li Yao almost walked to the door. That was when the queen's unpredictable voice drifted over. "No. You were quite right. No matter where he escapes to, he will be found eventually. That is… destiny!"
Chapter 2282: Try Whatever Might Work! |
After he left the relic repair center, Li Yao was still thinking about Li Linghai's last remark.
He felt that Li Linghai's attitude was rather weird.
"Last time, she did not look normal in the Godly Might Prison, and she is changing her attitudes frequently without a good reason. There must be something wrong with the queen."
Li Yao mumbled to himself. But after careful consideration, he had to admit that up until now, nothing the queen did had violated her promises at the beginning, and that the "new Imperium" would certainly be better than the "old Imperium".
She even gave the commandership of the army to the big shots of the military such as Lei Chenghu without any hesitation, which gave the feeling of the separation of military and politics. It was a rather advanced approach.
Therefore, even if she did have a scheme, what could she count on to raise a storm?
Baffled, Li Yao was of the mind to chat with Li Jialing again.
But as he looked at the window at the end of the corridor, it was not Li Jialing that he saw but "God of War" Lei Chenghu who was standing by himself with his hands behind his back!
Slightly dazed, Li Yao walked forward, only to discover that Lei Chenghu was thoughtfully observing the generals and soldiers who were paying tributes in the Emperor's Mausoleum in black uniforms not far away.
The God of War looked somewhat lost and confused.
Interested, Li Yao asked, "I thought you had left, General Lei."
"Not yet."
Lei Chenghu stared for a while longer before saying slowly, "It's not easy to come to the Emperor's Mausoleum. Although this is not my real body, I should still pay respects. I'm waiting for the people down there to be fewer so that I can bow to Blackstar the Great's statue before I go."
Li Yao knew that the heinous, inhumane crimes that Li Linghai described just now must have been a huge blow to Lei Chenghu. There was no telling how infuriated the seasoned general who was unquestionably loyal to the Imperium was.
The Imperium of True Human Beings was a country of Immortal Cultivators. Theoretically speaking, although the ordinary people were not regarded as humans but "hominoids", which was a different species from "true human beings" and could be blatantly exploited, slaughtered, and even experimented on, there were still some laws and rules within the ruling class, namely the "true human beings". The dog-eat-dog competitions, however cruel, still had the last disguise on them.
What Dongfang Wang and Dongfang Renxin did doubtlessly stomped on all the "morals" of the Immortal Cultivators and tore the last disguise apart into pieces.
If part of the Immortal Cultivators could absorb other people's vitality and Cultivation through "cannibal training", occupying the pivot of the ruling class forever, Lei Chenghu's proud belief that the true path of immortality could achieve the optimal configuration of resources would be a joke. The legitimacy and the stability of the Imperium's reign would be gone instantly.
It was certainly not something that Lei Chenghu could tolerate.
No wonder he was moping and hesitating in this place.
As Li Yao expected, after he observed the disabled soldiers down there together with Lei Chenghu in silence for a moment, Lei Chenghu opened his mouth voluntarily. "Although I do not like wars…"
"Huh?"
Li Yao felt that everybody was abnormal today and found it hard to believe. "You are the renowned 'God of War', an invincible general that destroys all your enemies, and you do not like wars?"
"The most popular prostitute in a brothel is not necessarily fond of sleeping with guests every night. Why must an invincible general love wars?"
Lei Chenghu sighed and said casually, "But you are not entirely wrong. After seeing so many disguises, conspiracies, betrayals, defections, and all the other despicable things, sometimes I even feel that the relation between the prostitutes and their guests is simpler, purer, and easier. You pay money, and I open my legs. It's a fair deal and much better than the fancy, empty talks that neither parties believe.
"Therefore, although I do not like wars, I would rather stay in the frontline than to linger in the murky rear together with the treacherous, shortsighted, and wicked Immortal Cultivators who know nothing but their selfish interests.
"At the very least, even in the coldest trenches in the frontline, the blood of most warriors is still hot.
"Or rather, even the most ferocious enemies, those people of the Covenant Alliance, look more agreeable to me than the scumbags in the rear do."
Li Yao frowned. "Are you serious? Even the people of the Covenant Alliance are more agreeable than the 'false Immortal Cultivators'?"
"Aren't they?"
Lei Chenghu said coldly, "At the very least, the people of the Covenant Alliance are simple, straightforward, and faithful. They express what they want frankly and never hide their real intention. So, the war between us is all about our strengths. If my saber is fast enough, you will collapse. If your sword is sharper than mine, I will die. Simple as that!
"Besides, the Covenant Alliance is very united. They are always in one piece. There is absolutely no such thing as conspiracies and schemes among themselves. They also boast the highest devotion. Every individual will not hesitate to sacrifice themself for the big picture. Although they may not be fully aware of the meaning of 'sacrifice', if only ten percent of their solidarity and commitment could be transplanted to the Imperium, the Imperium would never be what it is today, and no enemy would possibly stand in our way!"
"Wait—"
The more Li Yao listened, the weirder he felt. "General Lei, you are not thinking of joining the Covenant Alliance, are you?"
Lei Chenghu shook his head. "Of course, I will never join the Covenant Alliance, just like I will never be engaged in such a thing as 'cannibal training'.
"But considering the chaos of the Imperium today, if somebody does join the Covenant Alliance, willingly removing the selfishness and the ugliness deep down in their heart and branding themself with the Three Fundamental Laws, it will seem rather normal."
Li Yao was rendered speechless. He thought of "Tang Qianhe" again, who was a spy of the Covenant Alliance that he encountered in the Kunlun relic.
Tang Qianhe must have been a native of the Imperium in the beginning, or she wouldn't have been admitted into Su Changfa's exploration team.
What could she have possibly been through that made her transform herself into a subject of the Covenant Alliance willingly?
While he pondered, Lei Chenghu sighed again and said, "If only Blackstar the Great were still alive! He certainly would cleanse all the chaos and ugliness and revive the country!"
Li Yao couldn't hold it back anymore but blurted out, "I hardly think so. Every person has their limits. Even if Wuying Qi were reborn, I'm afraid that he will have to be complicit with the 'false Immortal Cultivators'.
"Or rather, there is no such thing as 'false Immortal Cultivators'. Developing all the way by the principle of 'survival of the fittest', 99% of the Immortal Cultivators will only end up like this. The cause of the result today dated back to a thousand years ago. The chaos and corruption in the Imperium today are perhaps started by Blackstar the Great a thousand years ago in person!"
Narrowing his eyes deeply, Lei Chenghu stared at Li Yao and said, one word after another, "A while back, you said that my words sounded like what the Cultivators would say. But why do I feel that your words are more like what the Cultivators would've said?"
Li Yao smiled and bared his glittering teeth. "As the saying goes, a drowning man will clutch at a straw. The Imperium is too seriously sick right now to be rescued by any medication. In such an emergency, we might as well search the tomb of the Cultivators and see if we can find any pill that can treat the disease.
"Like you said earlier, General Lei, both the sabers of the Cultivators and those of the Immortal Cultivators can kill!"
Lei Chenghu sniffed and stopped talking.
The breeze outside the window gradually intensified. Soon, the sky was drowned by dark clouds, and heavy rain poured down.
The crowd paying tributes in the Emperor's Mausoleum finally dispersed, turning hazy in the storm.
Ignoring Li Yao, Lei Chenghu dragged the heavy spiritual puppet and left the national museum, walking deep into the storm one step after another.
Li Yao stood next to the window and watched him disappear in the storm, but a name and a gender-neutral face popped up in his head.
"Dongfang Mingyue…"
…
At the south suburb of the central district of the capital, a gray, crude, and ragged-looking building, which seemed to be a common office building, was, in fact, the headquarters of the "Association of Demon Hunters" that could raise the fear of any Immortal Cultivator in the Imperium.
Deep inside the secret meeting room of the building, the most elite members of the Association of Demon Hunters were listening anxiously to the interpretation of Dongfang Mingyue, their new president, on the latest intelligence.
As the most dominating and ferocious secret agents of the Imperium, these demon hunters were naturally the most brutal and disobedient creatures who had killed countless people.
There were also factions within the Association of Demon Hunters. The power struggles and the secret battles were ten times gorier than those of the outside world.
However, at this moment, all the demon hunters placed their hands on their knees submissively and put their legs together, not even daring to breathe aloud. They seemed more docile than elementary school students.
It couldn't be helped. The terrifying experience last month had told these brutal men clearly what would become of the people who showed the slightest disobedience to the new president Dongfang Mingyue!
"Li Linghai, Dongfang Sheng, Yue Wushuang, Jin Yuyan, Lei Chenghu… I have introduced the latest files of the key persons of the reformists to you in great detail just now. I'm sure you have grasped them, haven't you? In the next second, I'm about to introduce to you 'Vulture Li Yao', who has been quite a hit recently."
With a head full of black hair and zero makeup, Dongfang Mingyue retrieved Li Yao's 3D picture and the battle video of "Gold Vulture". Jabbing Li Yao's forehead, she said with a smile, "This man is a dark agent, a ghost warrior, and a shadow assassin that Li Linghai has carefully trained for at least decades for the most secretive, filthy, and dangerous missions. Therefore, except for the few public battles recently, it is difficult to collect his earlier files.
"However, I do know a thing or two about him through other sources. Listen up carefully now!
"This Vulture Li Yao is a shameless, treacherous, and sordid rat. His combat style is not half as masculine and dominating as you are seeing right now. Deep down his bones, he is like a weasel and is best at stealth and running. He can also sneak into and out of all the dark corners like cockroaches. There is not a hole that he cannot crawl into.
"His level, well, is probably the middle or high level of the Divinity Transformation Stage. He is not necessarily the toughest Divinity Transformation Stage expert in the Imperium, but he is definitely the one who is best at escaping. By my conservative estimation, it will be impossible to stop him without three battle-type Divinity Transformation Stage experts and a few dozens of battle-type Nascent Soul Stage experts.
