Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 414
Trying to hold back the discomfort inside his soul, Li Yao clenched his fists and sat straight, while he roared without any hesitation, "I am not a space resident!"
BAM! BAM!
Complicated mechanical noises echoed inside the Truth Cabinet. The central component that was the polygraph was fully functioning and releasing spiritual waves in ripples nonstop.
There was nothing but silence on the spot. Everybody focused their eyes on the 'True' and 'False' in front of the Truth Cabinet.
Although Yan Chifeng was quite certain of the result, he couldn't help but bulge his eyes, his hands shaking.
A moment later—
Shua!
The left side of the Truth Cabined suddenly glittered in green. The word 'True' was shining brightly, the glow of which reached almost ten meters away and formed an identical word in the air!
"It's true!"
The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe exclaimed, "He is speaking the truth. He is not a space resident!"
"Marvelous!"
Shi Meng, Xiong Zhenzhen, and the other qi-trainers of the Furious Bears Tribe were dazed briefly, before they were so overjoyed that they were almost jumping. "Sand Scorpion is not a space resident!"
"Not a space resident?"
"Sand Scorpion is truly not a space resident?"
"What is going on? Was Yan Chifeng lying? He couldn't be! What was he lying for?"
The qi-trainers of the other tribes were all whispering to each other in confusion. Those from the Burning Sun Tribe were all scratching their faces, dumbfounded.
Yan Chifeng was wearing such an absurd expression as if Li Yao had kicked his nose to the back of his head. He was absolutely stunned and was about to dig his own eyeballs out. In bafflement, he mumbled, "How is that possible?"
Li Yao took off his hat. He rose up suddenly and stared down at Yan Chifeng, while he bashed his chest and shouted, "Yan Chifeng, I've proven myself to not be a space resident through the Truth Cabinet. What else have you got?"
"It's impossible. Definitely impossible!"
Yan Chifeng was utterly confused. He took a few steps back, his eyes shuddering nonstop. Then he shrieked, "You must have fooled the Truth Cabinet with your magical equipment. Otherwise, everything will be inexplicable! Where—where are you from? Why did you say that you were unclear whether or not you were a real Iron Plateau native just now? From whom did you learn such sophisticated armor-making technology?"
Li Yao eyed him coldly as if he was a pig about to be butchered, while he replied casually, "The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe personally checked just now and made sure that I did not carry any special magical equipment. If you are not assured, you can examine me yourself, and I'll do the test again!"
"That will be unnecessary!"
The face of the chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe was extremely awful. She glared at Yan Chifeng and said, "For thousands of years, the Truth Cabinet has been protected and operated by the Feathered Snakes Tribe. It is our greatest glory and responsibility!
"If I've examined the charged and said he is okay, he is okay. Anyone who thinks that he is not okay is indicating that they don't trust the Feathered Snakes Tribe. Is that the case?"
Yan Chifeng's face was pale. He stammered, "Chief, I didn't mean that. But Sand Scorpion's backgrounds are too mysterious. We must get to the bottom of it!"
Li Yao signed and said, gritting his teeth, "This is the biggest secret of my life. I wasn't going to tell it even if I was to be killed. But today, with everything reaching this point and a great plot looming ahead of us, I see no other options except to tell the truth!
"But I wonder, is everybody willing to believe me now?"
"Of course!"
Shi Meng was the first to jump out. He roared, "Now that you've passed the test of the Truth Cabinet and proved that you are not a space resident, what else can they say? The Furious Bears Tribe definitely believes you!"
"Yes."
The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe said, "As guardians of the Truth Cabinet, the Feathered Snakes Tribe absolutely respects the test result of the Truth Cabinet. Our promise is still valid. Sand Scorpion, you are now the most honorable guest of the Feathered Snakes Tribe. We definitely believe you!"
The qi-trainers of the other tribes were also nodding their heads. Many of them realized that they'd misunderstood Li Yao and lowered their heads in embarrassment.
"Alright!"
Moved, Li Yao continued, "Now, please listen to the story of my life and decide whether or not I am a real Iron Plateau native!
"Brother Shi Meng, I'm terribly sorry. I've indeed lied to you about many things!
"More than a month ago, when I just arrived in the Furious Bears Tribe, I lost my memory briefly because of the poison of the Emperor Sand Scorpions. That is true!
"However, my body was very sturdy, and the poison did not paralyze my brain for long. A few days later, flashbacks of my previous life started occurring to me!
"Like a blind man groping to know the shape of an elephant, I picked up the episodes of my past bit by bit. With the common sense and knowledge that I learned in the Furious Bears Tribe, I sorted through everything and finally found my past!
"As it turns out, I… I…"
Li Yao's chest was heaving, up and down. He took multiple breaths and finally made up his mind and declared, "As it turns out, it is very likely that I was raised by a space resident!"
Chapter 615: Mysterious Origin |
His words turned the qi-trainers into a frozen ocean. It was not until three seconds later that gasps came over. Shi Meng was the most dumbfounded of all. He pointed at Li Yao and said, "Sand Scorpion, you—you—"
Li Yao closed his eyes, as if he was recalling the past from long ago. He said, "I grew up in a very cruel dark world where the strong prey on the weak. I was an orphan and did not know who my parents were or where I came from. I could only struggle to survive in the world of darkness like a wildling!
"World of darkness? Wildling?"
Shi Meng thought for a while, and his eyes immediately bulged. "Brother Sand Scorpion, are you a wilding from the Dark Continent? It's impossible! The natural environment of the Dark Continent is too harsh to support civilization. The human beings there have all retrograded into ignorant animals.
"Even the relatively intelligent wildings such as those in the Oasis Tribe are still quite underdeveloped. They can never talk as sensibly as you and grasp such brilliant armor technology!"
"Indeed!"
Yan Chifeng said maliciously, "Your accent is apparent different from the Iron Plateau natives. Chances are that it is the space natives' accent!"
Li Yao sighed and said slowly, "I do not know whether or not I was a wilding on the Dark Continent. I only know that I used to live like an unwitty animal and struggle in the Dark Continent until I met a heavily wounded weird man who was wearing a ragged false skin that I had never seen before.
"I didn't know that the false skin was called 'clothes' until a long time later.
"The weird man did not seem to be a local but more like a traveler from a foreign land or even a foreign space zone. He was in possession of very strange knowledge and techniques. He raised me and taught me a lot of things, including magical equipment knowledge that was entirely different from the traditions of Iron Plateau!"
Shi Meng's eyes suddenly shone. He smashed his fist and said, "Are you saying that a space resident was forced to land on the Dark Continent and taught you advanced techniques including the magical equipment skills after he found you by accident?"
Li Yao nodded and then shook his head. "It was basically the case, but I am not sure whether or not he is a space resident, because he never told me where he was from!
"Then someday, he vanished. He is probably dead. In the world of darkness, accidents and deaths couldn't be more normal.
"So, I left my home and reached the nearby of the Furious Bears Tribe after various obstacles. I happened to run into Wu Mayan, who was fighting Emperor Sand Scorpions. You all know what happened later."
Shi Meng nodded quickly. "That explained a lot. So to speak, your amazing capability and sophisticated armor crafting skills can be traced now.
"Since the space resident could for live such a long time in the Dark Continent, he must have been an expert in space. It is not strange that he taught you so many brilliant techniques. But why didn't you tell us earlier?"
Li Yao smiled bitterly. "I was new to this place and unfamiliar with everybody. How could I dare to say things like that? As it happened, I was diagnosed with amnesia because of the Emperor Sand Scorpions. So, I simply pretended that my memory was lost.
"Later, I gradually assimilated into the Furious Bears Tribe. However, I soon learned about the discord between space residents and Iron Plateau natives and figured out that my foster father was likely from somewhere else. Besides, I also knew a lot of techniques that did not belong to Iron Plateau!
"After living in solitude all my life, I quite enjoyed the Furious Bears Tribe's ambience with so many beings of my own kind around me. I considered myself to be a member of the Furious Bears Tribe, too!
"I feared that I would be banished from the Furious Bears Tribe and end up in the desert by myself again after I told anyone my secret. How could I tell such a story to you?"
Shi Meng opened his mouth but did not come up with anything after thinking for a long time. He lowered his voice, somewhat in embarrassment, and said, "Brother Sand Scorpion, you were overthinking. The Furious Bears Tribe is not—not—"
Li Yao continued, "Your guess is correct. In fact, the structure designs that Chief Xiong found were all authored by me. But I meant no harm for you at all. I merely wanted to fight against the apocalypse side by side with you!"
Shi Meng and Xiong Zhenzhen both exclaimed in shock.
The qi-trainers of other tribes were greatly interested, too.
In the battle of apocalypse, the new weapons of the Fierce Storm Assault Team and the Iron Bears Detonation Team had left a deep impression on them. They did not know that the designer of the weapons was standing right before them!
The man was indeed of high value!
Li Yao went on. "Since my foster father was likely a space resident, after Chief Xiong's birth was revealed, I did not grow suspicious of him. Instead, I found him closer to me than before. That is why I visited him in the dungeon without concerns.
"He said that he was set up and that there was a great plot behind all this; I believed him. That was the reason I looted the warehouse of materials and went all the way to the north!
"That is my background. My foster father is probably not an Iron Plateau native, and I do have knowledge that could not be found elsewhere on Iron Plateau. Just now on the Truth Cabinet, I was too unconfident to say I was 'a real Iron Plateau native'! Everyone, please decide. If you think that I can't be counted as an Iron Plateau native, I'll have no defense!"
Everybody was silent.
If what he said was true, there was really no way they could blame Sand Scorpion. His birth parents were possibly wildings in the Dark Continent. However, wildings lived on Iron Plateau, too!
The chief of the Giant Axe Tribe looked at him with sharp eyes and asked solemnly, "Sand Scorpion, since you mentioned that you once lived with your foster father in the Dark Continent, do you still remember where your residence was?"
Li Yao thought for a moment and replied, "There are no landmarks on the desert, and it's troublesome to recognize locations. However, I remember that I spent my last few years in a mountain cave that was very flat. The top of the mountain was like a desk, so I called it 'Desk Mountain'.
"Also, there were two rivers on the east side of Desk Mountain. The two rivers were quite weird. They were so close to each other as if somebody had torn one river into two halves."
"Twin Dragons River!" a qi-trainer of the Feathered Snakes Tribe shouted. "He's talking about Twin Dragons River! We saw the two rivers before when we were exploring the Dark Continent. There was quite a heated discussion back then!"
Li Yao said again, "There was an enormous stone arch at the foot of Desk Mountain. The cave I lived in was near the stone arch."
The chief of the Giant Axe Tribe nodded and said seriously, "Alright. We'll ask somebody to investigate Twin Dragons River after everything is over. It will be very easy to determine whether or not somebody lived there long ago!"
"What's the investigation for?" Shi Meng bellowed angrily. "Sand Scorpion has told us such a big secret. Do you still not believe him? Either way, the Furious Bears Tribe fully trusts his words. Sand Scorpion is a warrior of the Furious Bears Tribe. Always will be!"
"Investigation is indeed unnecessary."
Yan Chifeng strode forward. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was breathing heavily. "Don't be tricked, everybody! This guy is cunning and sleazy. He must've prepared in the Twin Dragons River! For—for some reason, he fooled the Truth Cabinet just now and gained your trust. Naturally, he can say whatever he wants now and tell the biggest lies in the world!"
Li Yao's eyes were deep and dark. Endless fury was brewing inside his eyes, like a seemingly tranquil ocean before a storm.
Silently, he unsheathed his saber all of a sudden and slashed at his head.
Everybody exclaimed in shock, only to find that Li Yao's messy hair was flying in the wind. He turned bald after a few seconds.
Li Yao lowered his head and slapped it, showing it to everybody. He then demanded, "Everybody, Yan Chifeng insisted that I resorted to tricks just now. Please take a look. Do I have anything on my head?"
Yan Chifeng sneered, "There is nothing right now, but there might've been. Go to the Truth Cabinet again, I dare you!"
Li Yao smiled casually. Beyond everyone's expectation, he turned around and sat back to the iron black chair, before he placed the hat on his bald head quickly.
Yan Chifeng was dumbfounded, and so were all the other qi-trainers. Shi Meng was stomping his feet. "Sand Scorpion, going to the Truth Cabinet is the biggest insult for a warrior of Iron Plateau. You've proved your innocence. You don't need to do it again!"
Then, he glared at Yan Chifeng. "What's the meaning of this? You cannot stop distrusting him, can you? Do you think you can slur a warrior of the Furious Bears Tribe repeatedly?"
The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe shrieked, "Sand Scorpion, the Truth Cabinet pries into one's soul directly. Continuous usage will deal tremendous damage to your mind! We believe you. Just get down!"
Looking around, Li Yao shook his head firmly. He said, "Yan Chifeng's suspicions are not entirely groundless. My background is indeed too unbelievable. I know that many people still have doubts. Come on. Prove my innocence with the Truth Cabinet!"
"He's being pretentious!"
His eyes blood-red, Yan Chifeng was like a gambler that had wagered all his chips in a game. He waved his arms crazily and shouted, "He knows full well that you will not run the test on him again. He is just bluffing!"
Li Yao glared and said, "Come on. Come on. Do you want me to live the rest of my life with other people's doubts?"
The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe hesitated for a while. She exchanged a look with the chief of the Giant Axe Tribe and glanced at the seething crowd. Finally, she gritted her teeth and commanded, "Activate the Truth Cabinet!"
Hum! Hum!
Overwhelming spiritual energy flooded into the Truth Cabinet. Li Yao was surrounded by mystic rays and white steam, and a dazzling sun rose up on his head again.
The chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe said solemnly, "Sand Scorpion, you may begin. Tell us your background!"
Trying to hold back the coldness to the bones, Li Yao shouted, "I was an orphan. I did not have parents. I grew up in a cruel, dark world!"
After a series of mechanical sounds inside the Truth Cabinet, the greenness on the left suddenly bloomed. The word 'True' gradually appeared!
"It's true! It's true!" everybody in the Furious Bears Tribe roared. Many other qi-trainers from the Silver Moon Tribe and the Heaven Wolves Tribe were echoing, too.
Gritting his teeth, Li Yao continued. "I was raised by a mysterious man. He was probably from a foreign world. He was definitely not an Iron Plateau native!"
The world 'True' popped up again.
People from the Giant Axe Tribe and the Feathered Snakes Tribe were all cheering for him.
"He taught me a lot of knowledge regarding the maintenance and creation of magical equipment, but the knowledge was entirely different from the traditional knowledge of Iron Plateau!"
'True'!
This time, even some qi-trainers of the Burning Sun Tribe were applauding him.
"Because of the profound knowledge in my brain that does not belong to Iron Plateau, I don't think I am a proper Iron Plateau native. However, in any case, I am definitely not a space resident!"
'True'!
"Pu!"
As if his soul was exhausted, Li Yao vomited a mouthful of blood. He couldn't hold it any longer and fell off from the iron black chair.
"Enough! Stop!" shouted the chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe.
The qi-trainers were all simmering with joy.
"It's true. Sand Scorpion was telling the truth. He did not lie to us!"
On one of his knees, Li Yao threw away the hat on his head. He did not wipe the blood on his lips, and his face was extremely pale. But he still managed to gaze at Yan Chifeng with a vague smile and say, "Now what?"
Chapter 616: One Question! |
Like a hungry wolf that had fallen into a trap, Yan Chifeng had cold droplets of sweat the size of beans all over his face. Killing intent was blinking inside his eyes, as he couldn't wait to cut Li Yao into thousands of pieces.
However, the chief of the Giant Axe Tribe and the chief of the Feathered Snakes Tribe had stopped beside the Truth Cabinet. Their cold eyes were like an iron fence that blocked his route of attack.
Yan Chifeng gulped and noticed that there was nothing but dead silence around him.
Raising his head, he found that the qi-trainers of the other five tribes were all eyeing the Burning Sun Tribe coldly and that most of the qi-trainers of the Burning Sun Tribe were eyeing himself coldly and expressionlessly.
