Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1486
What if they did not activate their crystal suits?
It was certainly not a joke. While crystal suits were not as monolithic as Colossi, they were metal objects that could easily weigh ten tons. How could the runners prevent their crystal suits from not sinking in the ocean with only the spiritual energy inside their bodies? If they tried to swim forward, they would only be slower than tortoises!
Now that the enemy boasted the experts including "Devilish Abyss" Li Jianyi and "Star Breaker" Song Huanzhen as well as all of their squires, it was only a matter of time that they laid a dragnet to search for the escapers. There was no chance that Li Yao and his companions could run away.
Time was running out. They had to get away before the enemy completely controlled all the troops in the Silver Moon Ocean!
"There is only one solution for us to escape right now."
Pondering for a moment, Li Yao said, "It is impossible for the three of us to escape simultaneously. We have to send a great hero who is both smart and brave to distract Blackstar the Great so that the other two people can escape through the trench. Otherwise, the three of us will be screwed together!"
After saying that, Li Yao looked at Long Yangjun.
Long Yangjun looked back at Li Yao emotionlessly.
Li Yao: "Well, judging from your face, you are not very interested in carrying out the arduous mission of distraction, are you?"
Long Yangjun: "What do you think? Whether or not Blackstar the Great is reborn, and whatever scheme he may have, why should I care about it at all? I only came to the Imperium to enjoy a new life, and I'd lived quite a few years peacefully and comfortably here. But everything changed the moment you showed up!"
Li Yao: "It does make sense. Then, do you think we should send Li Jialing… Forget it. The worst outcome is just death. I'll go! The enemy should be unaware of the situation yet. Chances are that I can deceive him and elicit even more intelligence from him. If we figure out what Blackstar the Great is up to exactly, we will be able to come up with corresponding countermeasures!"
Long Yangjun: "… What a great plan. With your wisdom, you will certainly be manipulating Blackstar the Great like a toy. My concerns are redundant. Then, we'll leave now and meet you at the agreed upon coordinates!"
Long Yangjun waved the crystal fins next to her legs and swam to Li Jialing. Snatching the young man's arm, she said, "Follow me."
"Huh?"
Before Li Jialing realized what was going on, he had already been dragged to the depths of the ocean by Long Yangjun.
Long Yangjun even cut off their communication with Li Yao, in case the enemy followed the traces and caught all the three of them.
"You are really—a fast runner!"
Looking at Long Yangjun and Li Jialing's shadows disappearing in the trench quickly, Li Yao gritted his teeth and unleashed his spiritual energy, swimming to the opposite side of the trench.
Now that he had decided to distract the enemy's attention, there was no need for any disguise. He retrieved "Gold Vulture" at the earliest chance and set all the attack magical equipment to the active state, ready to launch the weapons.
As he submerged deeper and faster, the dozens of cold winds were gradually left behind. It seemed that the top priority for "Devilish Abyss" Li Jianyi, "Star Breaker" Song Huanzhen, and Dongfang Sheng's Deep Sea Fleet was to seize the commandership of all the starships in the Silver Moon Ocean and to suppress the disobedient guys so that the fairly-large troop would be under their control. They had no time to bother with the runners for the time being.
However, the pair of eyes that were even more profound than the trench had been staring at the back of Li Yao's head the whole time. The stinging coldness went all the way down along his spine, giving him the feeling of fear and intimidation.
Finally—
He reached the end of the trench. There was no way ahead now.
He could either sink to the bottom of the trench to be buried by the water weighing billions of tons or rise to the surface of the ocean and confront the owner of the terrifying eyes.
Calculating the time, Li Yao estimated that Long Yangjun and Li Jialing should be far away now. He took a deep breath and surfaced.
Hardly had the Gold Vulture leaped out of the trench when he detected the giant iron ball that was full of tentacles that were dancing crazily like vipers.
In the gloomy water thousands of meters deep, Li Yao in his "Gold Vulture" and Li Linghai in her "Hellstar" floated and confronted each other in silence.
Chapter 2330: Li Yao Versus Blackstar! |
"It's me."
Li Linghai sent a soul signature to Li Yao, proving her identity. Then, she asked Li Yao to turn on the point-to-point communication channel, "Why are you escaping as if you have done something wrong?"
"It's—It's you, Your Grace?"
Rolling his eyes crazily, Li Yao adjusted that power rune arrays and the attack units of the Gold Vulture without a sound while he detected the terrain of the undersea world and calculated every detail on the battlefield accurately. He simply said, "Why are you suddenly here, Your Grace, and equipped with such a brutal Colossus? I thought you were an expert on Dongfang Wang's side!"
"Is that so? You were fleeing because you encountered an expert on Dongfang Wang's side? That does not seem like the style of the magnificent 'Vulture Li Yao'."
Li Linghai mocked him but did not pursue the issue any further. Instead, she released a few mystic rays to scan Li Yao's surroundings. "Where is Li Jialing? Isn't he your servant? Why is he not fighting together with you?"
"About that…"
Li Yao thought quickly. Now that it was impossible to hide Li Jialing's whereabouts, he simply threw out an unexpected answer. "You must brace yourself for what I am going to say next, Your Grace. Li Jialing had just… perished!"
"What!"
Li Linghai shrieked but immediately realized what was going on. Her voice suddenly turned extremely cold and gloomy. "You dare trick me?"
"I certainly daren't. There are so many desperate experts on Dongfang Wang's side, and they could do all kinds of insane things in their hopelessness. Even I could not protect Li Jialing's safety in the chaos!"
Li Yao naturally knew that Li Linghai would never believe the bulls*it. But what he really intended to ask was the next question. "Why do I feel you are very anxious, Your Grace? Aren't you too addicted to power to care about blood bonds, and you even tried to kill Li Jialing many times in the beginning? Your wish is somewhat fulfilled now that Li Jialing is really dead, isn't it?"
After a brief silence, Li Linghai indeed calmed down. She said casually, "You're right. Then, let's go. Come back with me."
While talking, she swam to Li Yao with "Hellstar".
Intimidated, Li Yao back off nonstop. The feathers on the Gold Vulture all erected, ready to shoot at the enemy like bullets at any moment. He acted as if he were confronting a great enemy.
Li Linghai stopped and said coldly, "You seem to grow scared of me overnight."
"That can't be right."
Li Yao smiled drily. "Hahahaha. Your Grace, you are so kind and approachable, and you've brought me the warmth that I never experienced. Why would I be scared of you?"
Li Linghai said, "Then, why are you so vigilant and unwilling to return with me?"
Thinking for a long time, Li Yao said, "What if I say… that I'm tired of the bloody life and I want to live somewhere isolated and peaceful as a hermit? Well, it does not seem very convincing, does it?"
Li Linghai said, "It does not."
Li Yao swallowed, lost for words.
Li Linghai chuckled. The hundred metal tentacles seemed to be dancing as she said unhurriedly, "It seems that you have truly learned something you shouldn't have learned. Tell me about it. How much do you know, and where did you know it from?"
Li Yao had been pushed into desperation. Also, he estimated that he had bought Long Yangjun enough time for her to bring Li Jialing out of the battlefield. To find them, it would be as tricky as to fish for a needle in the ocean.
Now that he had no more concerns, he was free to make one last attempt. Roaring brutally, Li Yao declared, "Exactly. I have indeed learned everything about you. Blackstar the Great Wuying Qi, come on out now. I know that you must be hiding inside the queen's body!
"Your Grace, Li Linghai! If this is the message you intended to deliver to me, I have completely solved the puzzle! I don't know whether you are cooperating with him because you are forced by him or because you are bewildered by him, but I only want to remind you that cooperating with such a sordid, shameless, brutal, bloodthirsty, untrustworthy, nation-stealing thief like Blackstar the Great is like asking a tiger for its hide. You will certainly not end well!
"If my guess is correct, Wuying Qi does not boast the abilities to take action independently. Even if he can, his combat ability is as weak as a chicken, right? That is why he has to trick and manipulate you! Once he really recovers 100% of his combat ability, you will be the first person that he kills, Li Linghai! Because such a 'Blackstar the Great' will not tolerate anyone who has seen him when he's at his most vulnerable state and who grasps his greatest secrets!"
"Shut up!"
Li Linghai's most twisted voice came from deep inside "Hellstar". "Just retreat your silver tongue. You know nothing. You know nothing at all! His Majesty is a real Immortal Cultivator and the savior of mankind. The Imperium cannot survive without His Majesty!"
"That's bulls*it! You've been fooled by him, Li Linghai! It is exactly because of the sh*tty system Wuying Qi set up a thousand years ago that the Imperium has grown awry from the root! That's the origin of all the messes and corruptions in the Imperium today! He is the ultimate culprit for everything!"
Confirming that Li Linghai was indeed stalled by Blackstar the Great, Li Yao spoke even more loudly, "He is no different from the selfish Immortal Cultivators, except that he hide better and knows how to camouflage himself with lies! Trust me. This path is not going to work out. If you really want to save yourself, Li Jialing, and everybody else, just hold him back with your best. The two of us can certainly come up with a way to skin, mince, and obliterate him after we join our hands!
"Li Linghai! Li… Your Grace? What's happening, Your Grace? Can you hear me? Hey, hey, hey. Hang in there, Your Grace. You must hold him back. You must!"
There was nothing but silence in Hellstar.
However, the eyes that looked like black holes around the Colossus were suddenly widened to the maximum, blowing a foul, violent, dark force deep into Li Yao's brain.
Huala!
For a moment, countless black bubbles were leaking out of Hellstar, and the water hundreds of meters around was completely boiled. Infinite venom seemed to have been injected into it, turning the bottom of the trench into utter darkness, making it impossible to tell whether they were in the deep ocean or in the middle of a certain mysterious but powerful "domain"!
When Li Linghai was using the Colossus, the six enormous faces on Hellstar all closed their eyes with dumb looks, as if they were sleeping.
But right now, the twelve eyes on the six fiendish faces had opened at the same time!
"What did you say?"
"Hellstar" was ten times more dominating than before, giving Li Yao the impression that a high mountain had just risen before him. The voice that came from "Hellstar' was no longer sharp and hasty either, but instead, it was a deep, soft, and thick voice, like a bottomless swamp that was spurting out venom nonstop. "What did you compare my combat ability to? And what were you going to do to me?"
He's… He's really here!
Taking a deep breath, Li Yao stared at the soaring parameters on the main interface of the Gold Vulture, all his cold sweat vaporized.
Although the enemy's Colossus was floating in the deep ocean in stillness, a few several performance parameters had already been off the limits. One bloody question mark after another popped up on the interface, which meant that the target's battle performance was beyond evaluation!
Although Li Yao had swallowed the violent strength inside the Imperial Fire Pearl, the improvement of Cultivation was never so simple. If engaged in a life-and-death battle, he could not even defeat Li Linghai in the regular state, much less her in the ultimate state enhanced by Blackstar the Great's remaining soul.
Now that he could not defeat the enemy with his strength, he could only try to beat her with his unparalleled wisdom and resolution!
"N-No, I didn't say anything!"
Rolling his eyes quickly, Li Yao hurried to put on a smile. "Are you… Blackstar the Great? Misunderstanding, it's all a misunderstanding!"
"Hellstar" fell silent for a moment again. Blackstar the Great Wuying Qi was amused. "What a flexible 'Vulture Li Yao'. You are a great eye-opener for me. I thought that all the Cultivators were mulish, stubborn idiots who would not retreat even when they hit a wall. I didn't know that there would be such interesting variants like you after a thousand years.
"I like smart people who know what's best for them. So, if you say it's a misunderstanding, so be it. I can spare your disrespect just now and give you an opportunity to serve me.
"Naturally, now that you know who I am, you should know that I will never keep a Cultivator by my side. Come on. Abandon the hypocritical, sanctimonious ideas of the Cultivators and be an Immortal Cultivator on my side!"
"Hellstar" extended a metal tentacle at Li Yao.
After a sniff, Li Yao hesitated and said, "I don't seem to have a second option right now, do I?"
Blackstar the Great replied, "What do you think?"
Li Yao heaved a long sigh. "Fine. Your Majesty is unfathomably strong. I'm absolutely no match for you. Besides, I've read a lot of classics on the true path of immortality these days and find them very reasonable. They almost opened a gate to a new world for me. Perhaps the true path of immortality is indeed more suitable for survival in this dark, cold universe than the path of the Cultivators.
"Besides, Firefly has exploded, the Star Ocean Republic is completely gone, and I am the last Cultivator in the entire universe right now. What can I possibly achieve?
"Since the true path of immortality is the inevitable, would I be asking to be killed if I do not follow it? Then, I would like to be an Immortal Cultivator and pledge loyalty to Your Majesty!"
"Enough."
Blackstar the Great scorned, "Your change is rather fast."
"You have to be fast if a knife is stuck to your neck."
Li Yao said rather in embarrassment, "Just now, I thought that Your Majesty hasn't recovered all your capabilities yet. That was why I was bold enough to make the insane proposal. I did not know that Your Majesty was so immeasurably strong that you could crumble me into pieces with only the little finger even if only thirty percent of your strength had been recovered. I managed to escape from Firefly, which was a living hell, through all difficulties, and I haven't enjoyed my new life enough yet. Wouldn't it be a great shame if it is lost for no good reason?
"All in all, I have completely thought it through. Starting from this second, no, the last second, I have become a glorious and great Immortal Cultivator. Wow. I truly feel that I have been reborn! The whole world looks different in my eyes now! Long live Your Majesty, long live the Imperium, and long live the truth path of immortality!"
Chapter 2331: Put Out the Fire that You Started! |
Blackstar the Great showed neither approval nor disapproval. "Is that so?"
"Of course it is!"
Li Yao declared resolutely and touchingly, "I have truly understood how wrong and hilarious I was in the past! From this moment on, I will not hesitate at all to sacrifice for Your Majesty and the Imperium! I know that such a change is a bit abrupt, but it doesn't matter. Please just wait and see my performance in the future, Your Majesty!"
Blackstar the Great sniffed. "I'm neither patient nor fond of the people who prefer talking to doing. You don't have to describe your loyalty at all but only need to show me. I'll give you the coordinates of a random town in the underground world, and you will slaughter each and every hominoid in the town without leaving out any. If you can do that, I will naturally believe you and regard you as a trusted subordinate like what Li Linghai did."
Li Yao immediately turned rigid, not knowing what to say anymore.
Blackstar the Great smiled casually. "Or maybe such trouble is unnecessary. If someone like you escapes to the underground districts, you may cause too much trouble.
"Right now, a thousand crystal warships are hovering above our heads, and each of them is carrying a lot of hominoid soldiers. I'll name a random warship, and you will kill all the hominoid soldiers on board. If you can do that, I'll also be convinced that you are sincerely hoping to be an Immortal Cultivator!"
Li Yao took a deep breath and managed to calm himself down before he said, "Are you serious, Your Majesty? There will be no room for negotiation at all if you are so pushy."
Blackstar the Great burst into laughter. The tentacles around him waved even more crazily, almost like the head of a demon whose hair was snakes. It was not until the water around had been boosted into violent swirls by his laughter that he said unhurriedly, "… That's why I like Cultivators like you far better than I like the 'fake Immortal Cultivators' in the four Kurfürst families.
"Those selfish, fake Immortal Cultivators do not have any pride, belief, or boundaries. They are just a bunch of worms driven by their natural instincts for survival. If they were engaged in such a situation, they would raise their weapons without any hesitation. Not just killing several hominoids that they do not know, even if I demand that they kill their parents, they will not bat an eye at all but kill them in great joy!
"With that in mind, it is hard to tell the 'fake Immortal Cultivators' from the 'real Immortal Cultivators' quickly. A thousand years ago, it was exactly because I couldn't recognize their differences that the misery of the Imperium today took its place!
