Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1621
"However, if the incident is about to affect our brotherhood, Brother Yao has to explain everything to you. When I asked you to crawl into the ventilation tube to distract the enemy's firepower, you went without batting an eye. If I still keep anything from you, how can I be your big brother in the future?"
"Really? Are you really going to tell me everything, Brother Yao?"
Li Jialing was merely complaining to Li Yao in the beginning. Not expecting that Li Yao was really willing to tell everything, he jumped in excitement. However, he pulled a long face after thinking carefully again. "However, what if Blackstar the Great learns it?"
"We will deal with it!"
Li Yao sniffed. "Wuying Qi is not a fool. Now, I have publicized the identity of 'Black Wind King', and the direction of the Black Wind Fleet has been within the knowledge of the Council of Elders in the first place. Even Qi Yuanbao has guessed that it was Firefly that swallowed the Black Wind Fleet. With his wisdom, do you think Wuying Qi cannot infer more things from the traces?
"I assure you that if Wuying Qi truly takes back the Imperium, he will certainly send a new expedition army toward the general direction of the Black Wind Fleet.
"All in all, the time has come for us to show our cards and swords! As long as we win the battle of Seven Seas, even if Wuying Qi learns everything, so what? He won't be able to do anything about 'Vulture Li Yao'!"
Li Yao slapped his thigh, his dominance surging out like tides, making him truly like an unparalleled expert who mastered the sea of stars—that was, ignoring the giant can of bubble juice that he chugged.
Deeply touched by Li Yao's dominance and determination, Li Jialing felt that the blood all over his body was boiling too. The magnificent picture of the universe seemed to be unfolding before his eyes. Holding back his excitement, he said, "Therefore, Brother Yao, 'Black Wind King' is still not your ultimate identity, is it? Although you have fooled the Immortal Cultivators of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors who do not know much about you, I know very well that you have boundaries however shameless and despicable you look on the surface. You are absolutely not an Immortal Cultivator but a real Cultivator!
"What's the truth exactly? Was Qi Yuanbao's guess correct that the Black Wind Fleet was taken down by Firefly? But how was it possible?"
"In the next second, I will explain my identity and the whole thing to you in the most concise way."
Solemnly, Li Yao extended one finger and said, "However, I have one condition, which is that you must believe everything I say. If you still doubt me when I'm being so honest, it will hurt me too much!"
"Of course!"
Li Jialing swore, "Brother Yao trusts me so much that you are willing to tell me the life-and-death secret. Would I still be a human being if I suspect you?"
"Alright, just prick your ears and listen up. I won't repeat my identity."
Li Yao coughed and said, "I have never lied to you since the beginning. I'm truly a Cultivator and a special representative of the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic on Firefly. I did encounter the Black Wind Fleet, fought them hard, and won the allegiance of many experts after it was defeated. However, there were more things that I have left unsaid.
"Firefly alone was naturally no match for the Black Wind Fleet. Another country was involved in the matter, which was a powerful nation of Cultivators named 'Star Glory Federation', my homeland!
"I don't need to tell you the specific coordinates, population, industrial and technological abilities, magical equipment research abilities, relic exploration records, and other secrets to you, right? The history of the country in the past several hundred years can be explained to you after the four Kurfürsten and Blackstar the Great are crushed. You only need to know that Brother Yao is the greatest living hero in the Star Glory Federation who has saved the federation three times, four times, or maybe even more. I killed 'Skeleton Dragon', the strongest demon expert at the early years of the demon dynasties. I once chopped the head of a member of the Pangu Clan and kicked it around like a ball. I also visited a world of ancient Cultivators covered in the dark nebula where time was frozen, talking and dealing with the ancient Cultivators and extraterrestrial devils in the place.
"I crushed the schemes of the Immortal Cultivators countless times, killed a 'star child' from the Imperium, and swallowed 'Blood Stripe Virus', a mysterious alien creature from billions of lightyears away. I made friends with a big shot of demons and made the largest organized force of demons in the entire universe surrender. When I burst into a fury, I even killed the director of my homeland's intelligence agency and the godfather of the Spiritual Nexus!
"It's exactly because of my feats that I became the idol of countless young people of the Star Glory Federation, to the extent that they called me the founder of the New Federation and the 'nation's father'.
"Later, my wife became the Speaker of the federation, my senior brother and my disciple controlled the largest capital group of the federation together, my best friend managed the largest intelligence agency of the federation, and my another disciple led a different special force that ranks second but is even more secretive and brutal… Huh, why do I feel that I'm even more awesome than the four Kurfürsten now that I talk about it!
"Rest assured, I'm naturally not the same kind of people as the four Kurfürsten. Considering that I was simply too great and brilliant, and it was impossible for me to cover my infinite radiance even if I kept a low profile, the federation would've been accelerated into oligarchy if I were to stay in the Star Glory Federation, suppressing the healthy development of other forces. So, a team of close comrades left the federation with me, and we came to the center of the cosmos that is much bigger.
"After I came to the Imperium, I did not forget to continue my training but demanded myself to perform to a much higher standard. I destroyed 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky', helped the reformists to march into the capital, and beat up Blackstar the Great, severely humiliating the thousand-year-old ghost. Right. I also facilitated the birth of a brand-new virtual life by the way, who would likely make the civilization of mankind leap qualitatively in the next millennium and evolve beyond Pangu and Nuwa. In the meantime, there's also the risk that the civilization of mankind will be destroyed, and everybody either dies miserably or ends up as slaves to the crystal processors and the Spiritual Nexus.
"However, I feel that the risk is worth it, because other than the mediocre enemies such as Blackstar the Great, the Alliance of the Holy Covenant, or the Kurfürsten, we may be faced with the unfathomable, ultimate destruction that is the Flood! Indeed, the three thousand Sectors we live in are not the only universe but just a tiny pond which I have named 'Pangu universe'. Outside, there may be countless similar ponds that constitute a 'multiverse' together with us. However, a small spindrift from the Flood may be enough to wipe out the fishes, shrimps, and bacteria in several ponds.
"Of course, the existence of 'Flood' and 'multiverse' is not my own deduction. I just helped everybody solve the critical puzzle because I happened to know a thing or two about the language of the 'wizardly universe'. Why do I know the language of the 'wizardly universe'? Because I probably know the greatest secret of the multiverse, although I have accidentally forgotten it.
"Alright. Reviewing my life in the past hundred years in hindsight, I think those are some of the insignificant matters that I have done. I have become a minor celebrity because of luck. In fact, I do not feel that it is a big deal, and I'm certainly not showing off with such trivia. So, why are you looking at me with such a flabbergasted look? I am already being so honest. You wouldn't suspect that I am bragging, would you?"
Chapter 2555: This War of Mine! |
Li Jialing looked like a fish that was struggling to surface in its dream. His lips were cramping beyond his control, and he couldn't have seemed more confused, absolutely unable to follow Li Yao.
He rose abruptly, with fury all over his face, as if he were going to accuse Li Yao of bragging again.
However, the moment he stood up, he recalled what he said just now. Besides, even if Li Yao intended to trick him, he wouldn't have made up the unbelievable bulls*it like "national father", or "executing a member of the Pangu Clan", or "Pangu universe and wizardly universe and multiverse", right?
The young man sat down heavily again, dazed while grabbing his hair.
His soul and his mind seemed to have been crumbled by a hundred high-speed crystal trains repeatedly, depriving him of his thinking ability.
"Hey, hey, hey, hey!"
Li Yao glared at the young man, his cheeks puffed out and his lips rising. "You are not really suspicious of me, are you? You promised just now that you would believe every word I say!"
Li Jialing: "Well…"
"See, you are indeed suspicious of me. Every pore on your body is suspecting every word I said just now. I knew it! I knew it! That's exactly why I never told you the truth. For you mere mortals, everything that has happened to me is too shocking and farfetched. If I tell the truth, I would only be regarded as the lousiest conman!"
Li Yao grabbed the juice bottle and chugged it again.
"No, no, I'm not suspicious of you at all, Brother Yao!"
Li Jialing was back to himself, and his face suddenly turned red. His head in a mess, he stammered, "It's just… It's just that I find it hard to imagine or accept for the time being…"
"What is hard to imagine?"
Holding the juice bottle in his mouth, Li Yao glared at Li Jialing.
"I find it hard to imagine that there would be a country in this universe that regards Brother Yao as 'father'."
Li Jialing observed, with a look on his face that suggested he had just swallowed a large piece of deteriorated cake. He grimaced. "What is a country that regards Brother Yao as 'father' possibly like?"
"Hmm…"
Tilting his head, Li Yao thought for a long time. "What's the meaning of that? Are you implying that I am not qualified to be a 'nation's father'?"
"Perhaps I've been in the world of Immortal Cultivators for too long. The leaders I can imagine are all people like Blackstar the Great, the queen, General Lei Chenghu, or the four Kurfürst. I find it hard to understand what is on the mind of the Cultivators. Perhaps in the world of the Cultivators, it is exactly the guys like Brother Yao who are qualified to be the leaders?"
Li Jialing took a deep breath and opened a bottle of bubble juice, too. Drinking it up, he slightly calmed down and said, "Although it is… so weird that it borders on bulls*it, I am still willing to trust you out of intuition. I did not know that the truth would be like this, or that Brother Yao had such important missions and secrets on your shoulders. I-I really understand why Brother Yao couldn't say it before. Crap. Now that I have learned it, wouldn't the Star Glory Federation be in great danger if Blackstar the Great somehow learns it later?"
"Over the past seven hundred years ever since its birth, the Star Glory Federation has been in extreme danger every second. However, we have survived every seemingly unstoppable disaster. I believe it will be the same this time."
Li Yao said solemnly, "Considering the sizes of the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance, their competition is like a battle of two primeval beasts, which is supposedly not to be influenced by a tiny Star Glory Federation. However, drastic changes that have taken place inside the Imperium push the situation to a subtle junction, giving a rarely-seen great opportunity for the Cultivators to change the whole Imperium!
"If we can be the greatest winners of the battle of Seven Seas, we will have a final say about the future development of the entire civilization of mankind. On the contrary, if we continue to hide and preserve our strength, whether the four Kurfürsten defeat the reformists or the reformists' victory is stolen by Blackstar the Great after they defeat the four Kurfürsten, the enemy will be too formidable for us. I have left so many traces at the center of the cosmos that the Immortal Cultivators would notice the anomalies as time goes by. Even if the Star Glory Federation is far away at the edge of the cosmos, how long can it hide?
"This is exactly what I said just now. You have to fight when you need to fight. When the time has come for you to pick up your weapons and fight for survival, you should be bold and do it!
"That's the reason why I confessed my identity as 'Black Wind King' before all the Immortal Cultivators and why I told you the reason of everything just now. It will be inappropriate if Blackstar the Great, my enemy, has guessed everything while my brother is still kept in the dark, right?"
This time, Li Yao's eyes were truly as clear as water and as hard as marrow crystals that contained ultra-intense energy.
Li Jialing was so touched that he did not know what to say. He felt that his whole body was soaked in the ocean named "trust", which surrounded him with warmth.
"About other things…"
He recalled what Li Yao said just now and asked again, "Brother Yao said a lot just now. I managed to understand the parts about Cultivators, demons, and Pangu, but what are 'virtual lives that are entirely different from us', and what are 'Pangu universe, wizardly universe, and multiverse'?"
"It's a very, very long story, but I'm still willing to tell it to you."
Li Yao explained everything in the simplest and most straightforward way.
In the end, he concluded, "Do you understand now? Dongfang Wang, the former prime minister of the Imperium, was quite right about one thing. He said that our enemy was not a specific person or force but the entire universe itself.
"Dongfang Wang truly deserved to be a man who worked as the prime minister for decades. He saw the key keenly. However, he was unaware of 'wizardly civilization'. It was impossible for him to have imagined the vast multiverse beyond the Pangu universe.
"Now, you have learned everything. How do you feel? Faced with an enemy that is probably beyond the imagination of every human being, are you still willing to fight?"
Li Jialing was stunned again.
However, he was back to himself after only three seconds. Taking a long breath in relief, he said with a smile, "I didn't know that there is such a splendid thing as 'multiverse'. So, we are merely a few little frogs in a tiny pond. No, we are not even frogs. Compared to the brilliant ancient civilizations and alien civilizations, we are the immature tadpoles at best, aren't we?"
"Huh?"
Li Yao was somewhat surprised. "You seem very calm to accept such an unbelievable and unimaginable picture as 'multiverse'. You are not suspicious about it at all?"
"There's nothing to be suspicious about."
Li Jialing said calmly, "Since Brother Yao could be a father of a nation, is there anything impossible in this universe? Yes, I am still willing to fight on, because Brother Yao, Sister Long, Boss Bai, Master Fist King, Liu Li, Xiaoming, Wenwen, and even that boy Han Te are all fighting. I can't be worse than Han Te, can I?"
Li Jialing's reaction was a great relief for Li Yao.
The difficulty of the conversation was much lower than he expected. Queen Li Linghai's child and the little monster who had been refined in "Manjusaka, the City in the Sky" for twenty years truly had a strong mind.
"Brother Yao, I've been hesitating whether or not I should do one thing. I'm here partly to discuss it with you too."
Li Jialing said solemnly, "I did not know that you would trust me as much. In such a case, I will have to do that thing!"
Li Yao raised his eyebrows. "What is it?"
Li Jialing told his plan in detail.
Li Yao's eyebrows were furrowed even harder. Staring at Li Jialing for a long time, he said, "Technologically, it is possible, but the risks are extremely high. Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Yes, I'm certain that it is the best way."
Clenching his fists, Li Jialing said, "It is also the only way that I can fight Blackstar the Great to the end!"
"But you could stay away from the battle."
Li Yao said, "Boss Bai, the Fist King, Long Yangjun, and I will work something out to take care of Blackstar the Great. All you need to do is to find a safe place to hide in and stop him from finding you."
"Didn't Brother Yao say just now that hiding and backing off would not help at all?"
With a hoarse voice, Li Jialing said, "I am not as selfless as Brother Yao. Things like people of the world or the situation of the universe are not my business. However, of all people, Blackstar the Great has occupied the body of the queen.
"In any case, the queen is my birth mother. I have to confront her and Blackstar the Great and ask her why she gave birth to me years ago. Did… Did she regard me as a 'container' to accommodate Wuying Qi's soul in the very beginning, or did she have other reasons that she never talked about?
"If what she wants has always been a soulless container since the very beginning, I will be able to cut out all the hilarious thoughts and die an informed death.
"However, if what Brother Yao said before is true and she had other reasons or was even under the coercion from Blackstar the Great, I will naturally have to get her out.
"Li Linghai is my mother. So, this war is mine too. How can I watch you charge in the front while I hide in an 'absolutely safe' corner?"
While talking, Li Jialing's eyes turned red. There was no telling whether he was angry or missing someone.
"Fine, you're quite right. This war is indeed yours too. Besides, there is no corner that is absolutely safe. Speaking of which, I'm afraid that the safest spot for you will be right next to me, Long Yangjun, Boss Bai, the Fist King, Xiaoming, and Wenwen."
Li Yao rubbed his fists zestfully. "Then, let's settle the technical problems on the details!"
While they were talking, their wrist crystal processors buzzed at the same time.
Raising their wrists to check, they both beamed with interest and shouted, "Boss Bai is ready!"
Chapter 2556: Experts of Civil Wars |
The building that Li Yao had asked for from Jin Yuyan was one of the communication nodes of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors in the first place. The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors had a business network all over the center of the cosmos. Naturally, they boasted state-of-the-art communication equipment. Also, after retrieving abundant magical equipment units from the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors' warehouses, Li Yao crafted a few enhancement and blockage devices himself, finishing the modification on the super-remote secret communication system.
