Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1606
Red Lady had escaped, and the Hanged Man was a ghost. So, the guy was either Black Flag King or Revenant Of The Dead Sea.
As one of the best Divinity Transformation Stage assassins at the edge of the Imperium, why was he interested in a female bodyguard when "Jin Yuyan" had been killed, to the point that he had to kill the unimportant female bodyguard through such brutal methods?
There could only be one answer. The guy whose head was blown up a moment ago was not Jin Yuyan but just a stand-in. The "female guard" who seemed unrefined, hideous, and like a chimpanzee was the real Jin Yuyan!
Chapter 2529: Rush! |
"Now that you've dropped your disguise, let me see who you are exactly!"
Li Yao sniffed. Protecting the female guard behind him with one hand, he snatched at the bald tycoon with the other hand. It was just a casual catch, but three overlapping giant marks of hands immediately appeared in the air. The first mark was boosted by the spiritual energy, the second mark was the surging air, and the third mark was the vivid red. It almost looked like three enormous hands reaching for the man's bald head at the same time.
The bald tycoon could never have dreamed that such an unparalleled expert like Li Yao would emerge out of nowhere when his plan was about to work out. His face color immediately changed greatly.
Sensing Li Yao's strength entailed in the attack, he had no courage to take it the hard way at all but simply crouched and crawled out of his white leather coat, throwing the coat at Li Yao's attack as his "stand-in" while he retreated quickly like a shadow!
During the moment, the man's skin was like the softest jelly, changing and transforming nonstop. He turned from a tall, strong bald man into a slim, short, mediocre-looking guy. His facial organs were so plain that they did not leave any impression at all like a mirror.
Neither Li Yao's attack nor the mental devil's harassment with Neltharion stopped the man. He was like a wisp of smoke that was now gathering and now dispersing as he dashed to a hundred meters away into the protection of dozens of guards.
At this moment, it had been three minutes since Li Yao detonated some of the grenades. The whole Seven Seas Grand Market was mired in alarms. Fully-armed defenders were flooding over from all directions.
The mirror-like man who had revealed his true self stared at Li Yao. His eyes that looked like scalpels seemed to have seen through Li Yao's identity instantly. In the next second, he pressed his ears softly and shouted, "Capture the director's personal female guard and the ugly ace assassin! They are the accomplices who contributed to the director's death!"
The mirror-looking man seemed to boast a rather high stature in the defense system of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. At his command, countless pairs of eyes were immediately focused on Li Yao and the female guard, accompanied by the aiming lights of too many guns.
Li Yao pondered for a moment who the "ugly ace assassin" was. Fury immediately beamed out of his eyes.
He was of a mind to kill the mirror-looking man, but if the guy was an ace assassin in the Divinity Transformation Stage who was now protected by so many defenders, he would not be someone that Li Yao could kill easily.
Besides, Li Yao's purpose was not to kill anyone but to keep Jin Yuyan safe and stabilize the situation in the Seven Seas Grand Market, attracting the entire Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors to take his side.
Even if he went on a killing spree and massacred the Seven Seas Grand Market, he would only be helping the four families and not himself.
"Hey!"
Li Yao spoke to the chimpanzee-like female guard behind him without looking back. "M-Miss, you are actually not a woman but Jin Yuyan, right? You have to be Jin Yuyan, or my reputation will be gone! If you are Jin Yuyan, hurry and order your men to cease fire. You've seen it just now. The bald guy spurted out dozens of daggers trying to kill you. It was me who saved you without caring about anything! He is the bad guy, and I'm the good guy. Order your subordinates to capture him!"
The chimpanzee-like female guard did not respond at all.
When Li Yao looked back, he discovered that "she" looked so devastated as if some heartbreaking thing had just happened.
It was not until Li Yao called her again that she became tough-looking again. She said in a low voice, "Let's go!"
"What?"
Li Yao was baffled.
The guy did not deny his identity as "Jin Yuyan", but if "she" was Jin Yuyan, director of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, couldn't she have instructed all the bodyguards to protect him?
Before Li Yao sorted everything out, fierce firepower was already raining on the two of them like a huge storm.
Even though Li Yao was in the Divinity Transformation Stage, he could not completely ignore the barrage of hundreds of crystal suits and thousands of battle puppets.
Besides, he needed to protect Jin Yuyan. Jin Yuyan was an admin-type expert in the Divinity Transformation Stage. In terms of combat ability, he was only in the Nascent Soul Stage at best, and he would be dead for sure if he were bombarded by a thousand cannons at the same time.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of fireballs exploded outside of the spiritual shield that Li Yao had condensed in a haste, as if throwing Jin Yuyan and him into an oven to bake them. They were surrounded by walls of fire that were thousands of degrees high, which were also pressing toward the center. If Li Yao's spiritual energy hadn't been unbelievably abundant, the barrage just now would've been enough to melt every cell on the two of them.
When the fireball slightly dimmed, Li Yao released telepathic thoughts and searched again, but the mirror-like man had already disappeared.
Li Yao secretly cursed. His telepathic thoughts spread out like a tide, activating all the Cosmos Rings that he deserted in the trash cans and the corners of the street to detonate the rest of the smoke grenades, stun grenades, and shriek bombs!
Once again, the Seven Seas Grand Market was shaking as if an earthquake were happening. The whole market was enshrouded in the dense fog that was like ink. Even the searches and communications with telepathic thoughts were blocked. Both the defenders and the assassins from the four families lost their targets. They exclaimed in shock before they shot at the sources of the exclamations.
Li Yao drew a circle on the floor with the tip of his toe. Focusing his spiritual energy on his feet, he stomped on the ground and immediately left a hole on the floor.
The Seven Seas Grand Market was not established on a solid planet. The planet it had been established on was already riddled with holes because of mining and excavation a thousand years ago. Below their feet were actually layers of tubes and decks.
Dragging Jin Yuyan, Li Yao penetrated through seven layers of decks in a row. After every deck he went through, he would release even more smoke grenades from the Cosmos Ring that he carried, turning the seven decks and the ten square kilometers around into a shadowy forest.
"Hey, miss, or should I call you 'bro'?"
Behind him were the storm of bullets, and around him were the roars for killing. Unsatisfied with Jin Yuyan's speed, he simply carried Jin Yuyan on his shoulder and ran at the highest speed. "If you are really Jin Yuyan, you must know some secret tunnels or secret chambers, don't you? Where should we go?"
"… This way!"
The chimpanzee-like female bodyguard hesitated for a long time. Then, she finally made up her mind to guide the way for Li Yao.
Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!
Li Yao's spiritual energy raged out like a superstorm, destroying all the crystal cameras within ten kilometers. He then scanned the locations of all the defenders and pursuers and set a route that could perfectly dodge everyone before he pushed forward quickly.
It was not until they spent six hours zigzagging in the dilapidated streets, maintenance tubes, and abandoned living areas that were as complicated as mazes that they finally got rid of everyone and arrived at the "safe house" that Jin Yuyan said.
It was an abandoned warehouse, whose thermostatic rune arrays had something wrong. It was so cold that a drop of water would be frozen into ice instantly. Also, there was no light at all, making the dark and gloomy place look like a gigantic iron coffin.
Despite Li Yao's enormous strength, he was unable to go on a killing spree but had to flee for six hours in total under the storm of bullets. He was rather tired despite his Cultivation above the Divinity Transformation Stage. Tossing the chimpanzee-like female bodyguard aside, he breathed hard in a corner and turned on the communication with the young lion. "Jialing, what's the situation out there?"
"It's quite a mess, but the situation is getting under control."
Li Jialing said, "It is said that the four Kurfürst families hired 'Red Lady', the former ace assassin and the leader of Bloody Skull, to be one of the most useful assistants around Jin Yuyan to kill Jin Yuyan.
"Right now, Red Lady and her assassins from Bloody Skull, as well as the other assassins sent by the four families, are on the run and putting up a desperate resistance, but I don't think they can get away."
"Alright…"
Li Yao scratched his chin. He was very clear that, whether or not the four families hired Red Lady, her previous shot had missed the target. Even Jin Yuyan's stand-in was not killed by her. "Then, who's in charge of the Seven Seas Grand Market now? Now that Jin Yuyan has been killed, somebody needs to stand out and lead everybody else, right?"
"There are two people."
Li Jialing said, "One of them is Qi Yuanbao, a senior manager of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors. He has been in charge of the businesses concerning mercenaries and weapon deals in the black market, and he is also responsible for the security of the Seven Seas Grand Market. Now that the director has been shockingly assassinated, he certainly needs to stand out and clean the mess.
"The other is Jin Yuyan's wife—well, his widow 'Wuying Qinxin'. She is a manager of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors herself, with remarkable connections and influence. After Jin Yuyan's death, all his shares will go to his widow. So, nobody has any disagreement when she stands out and sustains the situation with Qi Yuanbao."
"Jin Yuyan's… widow?"
Li Yao was stunned for a long time. Looking at the devastated female guard, he somehow felt that the person might have complicated family issues. Pausing for a moment, he complimented, "Job well done. How did you collect so much intelligence after only a few hours?"
"It's not a big deal."
Li Jialing said casually but could not hide the pride in his voice. He explained, "Just now, two assassins of the four families passed by me and tried to kill me, but I captured them instead and interrogated them. That's how I got the critical intelligence."
"Alright. Just keep staying outside. Whenever anything happens, let me know. Also, take care of yourself. The assassins in the Divinity Transformation Stage such as the four gods of death may not have the highest levels, but they are certainly adept at the arts of killing. They are not to be messed around with easily. Should you encounter them, just run away as quickly as possible. A great man knows when to yield. You can always settle the scores later!"
Li Yao reminded Li Jialing again and again before he finally cut off the communication and looked at the gloomy female guard.
He stared at the two clusters on the person's chest that looked like basketballs and scanned for a long time, but he was still not sure.
He thought to scan the person's pants, but it did not seem appropriate.
He did not remember being struck by anything when he carried the person to rush away crazily a moment ago. So, was the weird "woman" Jin Yuyan or not?
Chapter 2530: The Imprisoned Soul! |
"Well…"
Li Yao and the thick woman who looked like a chimpanzee looked at each other for a while, both feeling somewhat weird. Li Yao felt that his silver tongue was needed again to break the dilemma. "Are you Old Jin, Jin Yuyan, director of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors? You haven't been a woman the whole time, right? No, no, no, I'm not biased against women at all. I believe great women can accomplish astonishing achievements too. However, you have a wife… Right, according to the latest news, your wife is working with Qi Yuanbao, the senior manager of your conglomerate who is responsible for black market weapons, the mercenary platform, and security. They have announced your death and appear to be abandoning you so that they can monopolize the Business Alliance."
The chimpanzee-like woman stared at Li Yao. Her eyes seemed to be covered in frosted glass, making it impossible for Li Yao to tell what was on her mind.
"If my guess is correct, Qi Yuanbao was the man who pretended to be the bald tycoon in the white leather coat and who became as unpredictable as the smoke in a mirror later, right?"
Li Yao opened his hands to show his sincerity. "If you are really Jin Yuyan, even if you are not a battle-type Immortal Cultivator, you must've felt the guy's hostility and determination of killing at the critical moment, didn't you? If I hadn't taken action in time, you would've been chopped into dozens of pieces! One other thing, your stand-in was not shot remotely. That fatal bullet was disrupted by me in time and brushed past your stand-in. Also, I assure you that no external force was imposed on his head when your stand-in exploded.
"In other words, some sort of force from within his head broke it apart. What exactly was that about? I believe you can tell me the answer."
The chimpanzee-like woman was still in a trance, like a hideous black statue dwelling in her own world. Even Li Yao was not sure whether or not she had heard him.
"Are you really a woman who pretended to be a man the whole time?"
Frowning, Li Yao scratched his chin and nodded his head cleverly. "I got it now. The real Jin Yuyan has always been a woman. However, the identity of a female was too inconvenient for you to make a living at the chaotic edge of the Imperium. That's why you pretended to be a man.
"Perhaps it was just an experience in the beginning, but as your position rose higher and higher, or for some other reason, it was impossible for you to reveal your true gender. In order to disguise yourself, you were even forced to find a fake wife—Wuying Qinxin.
"However, the seemingly unparalleled business dominator was a woman at all no matter how much money and power you had. Whatever tools and magical equipment you used, you could not satisfy your fake wife, Wuying Qinxin. We all know that women can be extremely, extremely, extremely terrible if they are not satisfied for a long time. Wuying Qinxin was unwilling to be a widow for the rest of her life. Naturally, she had other plans.
"As for Qi Yuanbao, what's his role in all this? Is he only your fake wife's lover, or is there a more complicated triangle relationship, say, he is also your lover? Otherwise, why did you trust him so much and entrusted the most important safety work to him?
"Could it be that you and your fake wife, Wuying Qinxin, fell in love with Qi Yuanbao at the same time, and the intense fire of jealousy between the two of you led to the great tragedy? Aya, what a drama…"
The frosted glass in the eyes of the chimpanzee-like woman finally broke.
If her eyes could spurt out blood, she would have shot out thousands of blood arrows and blew Li Yao apart.
"Are you done?"
The chimpanzee-like woman stared at Li Yao and gnashed her teeth hard. "What nonsense are you talking about? Lover, triangle relationship, or unsatisfied desires? Of course I am a man, an authentic man. Why do you think I am a woman pretending to be a man? What's falling in love with Qi Yuanbao at the same time about? A third-rate soap opera?"
"Ah, you're finally talking!"
Li Yao chuckled and rubbed his nose. Observing the man carefully again, he said, "I too feel that the real Jin Yuyan is unlikely to be a woman. Telling such a lie carries no benefits at all! However, judging from your… remarkable body curve, it's hard to believe that you are not a woman.
"Of course, the experts in the Divinity Transformation Stage can freely adjust the secretion of hormones inside their bodies. If you forcefully suppress your androgens and stimulate the estrogens, it is indeed possible for your body to go through drastic changes. But still, such changes are too extraordinary. I can't tell any trace of a man from the body at all!"
"You naturally can't see any trace of a man because this body is a 100% authentic woman."
The chimpanzee-like woman said sullenly, "But I, Jin Yuyan, have been a man since I was born. A real man. I've never pretended to be a woman or had any transsexual surgeries."
"Huh?"
Li Yao blinked his eyes quickly. "What do you mean? Jin Yuyan is a man. You are Jin Yuyan. Your body is a woman. Could it be—"
Li Yao thought of an unbelievable possibility, and his face immediately became weird.
"That's right. This is not my real body."
The chimpanzee-like woman—Jin Yuyan—smiled bitterly at first, before he heaved a long sigh and collapsed. He mumbled, "My soul is imprisoned inside the body of a woman, unable to get out!"
Thinking quickly, Li Yao was stunned for a long time before he replied, "So, it is possession and reincarnation? If you have possessed the body, I'd say it's a terrible choice. This is obviously the body of a pure warrior, but not the best warrior. Also, the form of the brain is more suitable for brief battles but not for steady thinking for a long time. It is utterly unfit for your soul. What happened? How were you… imprisoned or deceived into such a body?"
"It's not possession and reincarnation but a secret art named 'soul transfer'. However, it does have a lot of similarities with possession and reincarnation, except that—"
Staring at Li Yao, Jin Yuyan was like a wolf that had fallen into a trap with legs stuck inside. Mixed with brutality, desperation, paranoia, anger, and hatred, he breathed quickly and demanded, "Who are you? Why did you save me? Why should I trust you?"
