Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1690
The development of Skeleton Dragon and the solidarity of the seven sectors when they worked together to defend the federation made the country more united than ever.
The federal citizens had never seen the view at the center of the cosmos more clearly or known the gap between themselves and the Imperium better. All the Cultivators were filled with ever-burning fire and worked day and night for their motherland so that the Star Glory Federation could rise sooner and appear as a worthy rival for the Imperium and the Immortal Cultivators!
Chapter 2677: Good News |
At this moment, Ding Lingdang was standing in the cold wind above the Land of Eternal Night with her hands behind her back.
Her red hair was burning like fire, forming a scarlet field around her that vaporized the ice in the cold wind when it reached her into popping steam, making her look even more mysterious and magnificent.
Having been a leader for two years, Ding Lingdang's previous aggression was gone, and she seemed much more mature than before. However, her eyes that were glittering in the wild wind and the dark night were telling everyone that she was as unstoppable as before.
The ice that had been frozen for thousands of years was cracking under Ding Lingdang's passionate eyes.
Twelve Colossi were floating in the wind behind Ding Lingdang and suppressing the freezing land like twelve pillars.
These twelve Colossi looked entirely different from the models of the federation or the Imperium. They seemed more vintage and primitive.
They were exactly the Twelve Gold Statues of Cloud Qin. The Cloud Qin Dynasty, the first regime that united the Ancient Sages Sector, couldn't have made the accomplishment without the twelve Colossi.
Later, the twelve Colossi were gradually abandoned due to the exhaustion of spiritual energy and the battle damage. When it came to the Great Qian Dynasty, nobody even knew where they were anymore.
However, after the Ancient Sages Sector joined the Star Glory Federation, people of the Star Glory Federation developed the Ancient Sages Sector with brand-new scanners, exploring both the mines and relics below the ground and the dark space outside of the planet.
Countless experts of the Ancient Sages Sector had died on their way to the realm of deities because of the lack of resources in the cold and dark vacuum.
In fact, how far could they have gone without a starship even if they were in the Divinity Transformation Stage or even the Divinity Branching Stage?
Those predecessors and the treasures that they carried were mostly floating on the orbit of the planet as space junk, until they were located by the Cultivators of the federation.
Just like that, the remains and legacies of tremendous predecessors were dug out and repaired by the specialists of the federation and the Black Wind Fleet, who also recovered a lot of marvelous arts that had unique characteristics of the primeval age, thereby significantly strengthening the federation.
Besides, a Nuwa warship was deeply buried in the Land of Eternal Night, and there was a Pangu base below it. Colossi that were almost intact could be found in both the warship and the base.
If those Colossi were repaired, the federation would definitely have the most Colossi per capita, even if the total number of their Colossi was not as good as that of the Imperium or the Covenant Alliance yet…
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
Deafening explosions were rumbling in the sky.
They were the noises when the anti-gravity rune arrays on starships were fully activated.
Ding Lingdang raised her head and saw thousands of warships of the federation arriving at the Land of Eternal Night. The brilliant exhaust flames from the warships tore the dim sky apart and set it ablaze.
Hum! Hum! Hum! Hum!
The thousands of federal warships projected their force fields to the center of the Land of Eternal Night. More and more ice was cracking, and some rocks were protruding like tusks while others were collapsing into dents. As the earth trembled, the Nuwa warship was clearer and clearer. It was shivering as if it had been reinvigorated by the thousands of warships in the sky and seemed to be breaking out at any moment!
This was the reason why Ding Lingdang had to come to the Land of Eternal Night today.
After two years of prospecting and preparation, the federation was finally going to dig out the Nuwa warship that had been buried for hundreds of thousands of years!
Due to the special weather on the Land of Eternal Night, the warship had been sealed in ice and was still intact despite the passage of time.
When Long Yangjun fled a few years earlier, she only took away an escape capsule and did not destroy the overall structure of the warship.
After two years of studies, the specialists of the federation determined that the warship was still powerful and that if it was dug out and added with modules that would make it easier for human beings to control it, the warship would be the most powerful warship in the Pangu universe!
It was certainly a big thing. Also, it involved the Pangu base that was beneath the Nuwa warship, which could lead to a disaster if any accident happened. Therefore, many top experts, including Ding Lingdang herself, had arrived in person to supervise the excavation of the Nuwa warship.
Thankfully, the excavation went quite well. The ice near the Nuwa warship was heated and melted first, the hard rocks were shattered by soundwave cannons, and then the Nuwa warship was slowly pulled out by hundreds of thousands of ropes to make sure that it would not fall and cause any accident.
"Hooray! Hooray!"
As they watched the warship from hundreds of thousands of years ago be reclaimed by the federation, the specialists and workers who had been working hard for two years in the depths of the Land of Eternal Night cheered and cried with tears of joy.
Even Ding Lingdang was in a trance as she stared at the glamorous patterns on the shell of the Nuwa warship, finding it hard to believe that the federation, which had been dwarfed by the Blood Demon Sector in the past, had grown to such an extent.
"Masteress! Masteress!"
Ding Lingdang heard a feeble voice among the raging wind and the noises of the warships.
She smiled. She had distinguished the master of the voice and did not expect that she would come.
When she turned back, she saw a silver super shuttle rushing to her like a crescent moon or a saber.
The pilot of the super shuttle seemed to think that she could be faster. She simply leaped out of the vehicle and jumped to Ding Lingdang with her enormous spiritual energy.
The guards from the Secret Sword Bureau, greatly shocked, tried to stop her.
"That's unnecessary. She's with me."
Ding Lingdang waved her hand with a smile. The guards immediately felt that they were pushed back to their places by a gentle force.
Speaking of which, those guards had always been awkward. They had been responsible for the safety of the Speakers, but Ding Lingdang was certainly different from any of the previous Speakers. If any accident happened, it would remain to be seen who protected whom!
The person leaped agilely in the cold wind as if she were moonlight. When she drew near, all the guards' portable crystal processors buzzed and showed her identity—Jin Xinyue, the former president of the Dim Moon Foundation and one of the two heads of special agents of the federation!
Ever since she almost made an unforgivable mistake in the battle to defend the federation because of the Dim Moon Plan she initiated, Jin Xinyue had resigned from the leadership of the federation and stopped showing up in public anymore.
However, she was certainly not a woman who would enjoy her retirement.
Over the past two years, she had been in charge of the communication with the Imperium. The intelligence from the Imperium had been analyzed and processed by the new department she established.
"Updates from Li Yao again?"
Ding Lingdang could easily tell it from Jin Xinyue's excitement.
Jin Xinyue wouldn't have passed the intelligence in person so hastily if it were only a piece of regular intelligence obtained by the Black Wind Fleet.
It must be the updates on Li Yao, who probably had caused great trouble again.
When she recalled the message that Li Yao sent last time, Ding Lingdang was amused again, wondering whether she should feel happy or angry.
She had given birth to two children without her knowing it!
"Yes, but it's 100% good news this time!"
Jin Xinyue said quickly, "My master… My master killed Blackstar the Great in person and helped the reformists occupy the heart of the Imperium!"
"W-What?"
Though Ding Lingdang had been through plenty of big events in the past two years, and Li Yao had told her a thing or two about it in his previous message, she was still dumbfounded for a long time. "Blackstar the Great? How could Li Yao have run into him? Is Li Yao fine?"
"It's true, and it's indeed rather… unbelievable. But I think my master is fine. Anyway, you'll know everything after you check this jade chip!"
Jin Xinyue gave the jade chip that stored the intelligence from the Imperium to Ding Lingdang.
"Well, well…"
Before she activated the jade chip, Ding Lingdang had started laughing. "It's good that he's fine. He's really a troublemaker anywhere he goes, but he always resolves the trouble in his own way.
"Blackstar the Great? You were truly unlucky to run into Li Yao.
"Today is really an exciting day for us. We've got a Nuwa warship and a piece of good news from Li Yao! What are you waiting for? Now, spread out all the details where Li Yao defeated Blackstar the Great to the whole Star Glory Federation so that all the Cultivators and federal citizens will be more courageous knowing what a fearless man Li Yao is!"
Chapter 2678: The First Step Into the Future! |
"Well…"
Jin Xinyue seemed rather embarrassed. "Well, Masteress, well… I think it's a bit tricky."
"Huh?"
Ding Lingdang was confused. "How could it be tricky? Aren't you best at propaganda? Years ago, Li Yao was idolized as 'dominator of three Sectors' when he hadn't done anything yet. Now, he has crushed Blackstar the Great for real with his courage and wisdom. Even if you just tell it truthfully without any exaggeration, I bet that all our citizens will still be excited and encouraged!
"Chances are that more people will awaken their spiritual roots because of the motivation of Li Yao's glorious feat. They certainly will! So, just spread out the news already!"
"Well, I don't think so…"
Jin Xinyue smiled even more bitterly. "You'd better read the intelligence on the jade chip before you reach any conclusion."
"Huh?"
Ding Lingdang blinked her eyes. "Did Li Yao use any trick? That's understandable. Blackstar the Great was too formidable an enemy. I'm sure that Li Yao had to try everything he could. Can't you cover up for him as long as he didn't cross the line of the Cultivators?"
"I'm not sure whether or not my master crossed the line, but I'm sure that my propaganda machine can't work this time."
Jin Xinyue said, "Perhaps, Masteress, you can teach me how I can edit and modify those materials so that they can be publicized to the whole federation?"
Suspiciously, Ding Lingdang unlocked the jade chip.
Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!
Infinite information streams were launched into her brain as mystic rays.
Five minutes later, her expression changed from shock to embarrassment, and from embarrassment to stupefaction.
Ding Lingdang's face was even redder than the exhaust flames on the warships in the sky.
"This is…"
She was dumbfounded. "What… What the hell?"
"You're bothered, too, right?"
Jin Xinyue said, "I've given it a lot of thought, but I don't know where I should focus. Should I telecast the videos that my master displayed to the whole universe or the part where my master sang 'Mom is the Best' toward the end?"
"I think…"
Holding the jade chip, Ding Lingdang took a deep breath and said, "Forget it. Just ignore all the details and simply say 'Vulture Li Yao, the superhero of the federation, has defeated Blackstar the Great with his hot blood, his wisdom, and his persistence'."
"That's all?"
Jin Xinyue asked, "Wouldn't it be too simple?"
"No, it's enough."
Ding Lingdang rubbed her nose hard. "I don't know what I should say about this guy!"
The two women stared at each other for a long time and both burst into laughter.
"Only my master could've come up with such a way and defeated an enemy as powerful as Blackstar the Great!" Jin Xinyue remarked.
"That's right. In any case, he's still as alive as can be. That's good enough."
Ding Lingdang smiled, with tears of relief in her eyes.
"Then, masteress, what about that other thing that my master mentioned, about the federation's strategy next?"
Jin Xinyue said, "The civil war in the Imperium is not over yet, and Master has controlled the Gold Crystal Pyramid. I don't think the next emperor of the Imperium will be crazy enough to attack the Star Glory Federation. The safety of the federation is guaranteed in the coming decades.
"But the question remains, should we step forward and send an expedition army to join the war at the center of the cosmos?"
Ding Lingdang was deep in thought.
Things were changing too fast. A couple of years ago, the federation only wished to keep itself safe under the threat of the Black Wind Fleet, and it never thought that it could really march further into the sea of stars.
However, a rarely-seen opportunity had been presented to the Cultivators now. Should they seize it?
March to the center of the cosmos, help the reformists eliminate the four families and resist the Covenant Alliance, expand the influence of the Cultivators within the Imperium, and gradually change the nature of the Imperium… That seemed to be the best way for the Star Glory Federation to spread out its doctrine.
The powerful technology and magic equipment at the center of the cosmos had to be studied by the specialists in person too since the simple data that Li Yao sent back were not nearly enough.
Soon, the Supreme Emperor's mausoleum would be explored, and the Cultivators had to be part of it.
At the very least, Ding Lingdang, Fiend Blade Peng Hai, Jin Xinyue, and many other experts of the federation were all highly interested in the Supreme Emperor's mausoleum. They would not allow Li Yao to explore it with a bunch of Immortal Cultivators, in which case Li Yao would have nobody to help him if the Immortal Cultivators turned against him.
So, it seemed inevitable for the federation to join the rivalry at the center of the cosmos.
However, the risks were obvious too.
The federation was only as powerful as one of the four families, and the expedition army of the federation was only equal to one of the ace fleets of the four families at best.
Even four ace fleets had careened in the battle of the capital. Who knew whether or not worse battles would happen in the war between the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance?
If the expedition army of the federation entered the Imperium, it would have no trustworthy allies because the reformists could likely change their attitude.
Once the expedition army was lost, the federation would be barely able to protect itself, and it would definitely be swallowed.
But in the meantime, the federation's location was no longer a secret. After the war was settled, the final victor, be it the Imperium or the Covenant Alliance, would definitely move their eyes to the federation.
So, waiting and doing nothing would mean doom too.
It was too important a decision to make. Even Ding Lingdang was deep in thought despite her decisiveness.
"Masteress…"
Jin Xinyue smiled bitterly. "Do you think that the next step is very tricky too?"
"Yes. It's a very important decision. I have to listen to the opinions of the think tanks and the parliament. I can't make a decision by myself."
Deep in thought, Ding Lingdang stared at the Nuwa warship that was rising higher and higher and murmured, "I remember that when I was a little girl, my town was once surrounded by a beast tide. The overwhelming demon beasts drowned our town, and everybody shuddered in fear…"
Jin Xinyue blushed and said, "It was a long time ago, when we were not clear and couldn't see the future."
"That's right. Nobody can see the future. When I shivered and cried in the shadow, I couldn't have foreseen what would become of me or the federation!"
Ding Lingdang clenched her fists and said, "But everything has changed after a hundred years. Who knows whether or not the new generation of the federation will be the master of the sea of stars a hundred years later?
"Anyway, the future entails infinite possibilities, but only if we make the first step toward it!"
"So to speak…"
Jin Xinyue said delightedly, "You agree to send an expedition army to reinforce the reformists, Masteress?"
"As the Speaker, I should not express my attitude before the parliament and the staff discussed this piece of critical intelligence."
Ding Lingdang smiled. Her red hair danced in the wind, and her fists were shivering beyond her control in excitement.
She seemed to be seeing the heart of the Imperium at the center of the cosmos through the Nuwa warship and the reddened sky. "I've finally got the postwar situation under control after working as the Speaker for such a long time, and I'm not interested in reelection. You know that I never intended to become the Speaker. I only competed with you because I was hoping to help you unite the forces that can be united. Over the past years, I've almost been driven crazy by the astronomical files that I had to process every day. I wished that my term could come to an end sooner so that I could go on adventures again in the most dangerous places. I'm more used to the unrestrained lifestyle.
"So, if I'm not the Speaker, and if I'm only your masteress and Li Yao's wife, I'll definitely go to the center of the cosmos. If the parliament does not agree to send out an expedition army, I'll go find Li Yao by myself when I'm off duty. I can't let him fight on his own anymore.
