Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 463
"All the secret bases of the Immortal Cultivators have been occupied!
"More than fifty Immortal Cultivators were slain on the spot. More than a hundred were captured. Some of them are still on the run, but they are still within the siege!
"As for the Eight Blades of Black Spider. Five were killed, two were captured alive, and one escaped!
"All the liquefied Heart Gnawing Mist is now in our control. Our specialists are currently analyzing its components.
"Other than that, we have also controlled a batch of powerful explosive magical equipment!
"It has been confirmed that 'Hellsword' Zhuang Ziyou, the lone wolf on Spider Den, is the Black King and the leader of the Mist Plan. He is still on the run. It is not unlikely that he has fled out of the central area of Heavenly Saints City!"
Good news came one after another.
Although it was not a great victory, the Mist Plan had definitely been disrupted.
Hellsword had got away, but it was never going to be an easy task to capture a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator who was desperate to run away in such complicated terrain with such a great population.
But seven of the Eight Blades of Black Spider had been taken down!
Seven Core Formation Stage Cultivators adept at the arts of assassination could not be brought up by any organization easily. This operation was definitely a great blow for the Temple of Immortals!
Was my guess wrong?
Leaning against the ventilation tube, Li Yao was quite confused while he pretended to smear the ointment on his chest.
The Mist Clearing Operation was going very well. All the nests of the Immortal Cultivators had been demolished. Right now, the central area of Heavenly Saints City was packed with Cultivators whose vigilance was higher than ever.
It was safe to say that the central area of Heavenly Saints City had never been more heavily guarded in history.
Even if the Immortal Cultivators had any backup plans, the best time to activate them seemed to have already passed.
"Don't celebrate yet, everybody. It's still possible that other Immortal Cultivators are lurking in the central area of Heavenly Saints City. Besides, many ordinary people are not at ease and might get into trouble again," said Cai Qi solemnly.
"Besides, Hellsword is still on the run. If he goes on a rampage, he can turn into a human-skinned animal at any time and murder countless innocent people!
"Right now, all the connection tubes between the three internal space rings and the seven outer space rings have been cut off. All the commuting carriers have stopped running, too. The internal space ring is now fully enclosed!
"Cheer up, everybody, and fear no sacrifice. We must find Hellsword!"
Li Yao's heart was pounding. The strategies that the decision-makers of the Mist Clearing Operation adopted were proper and flawless.
Heavenly Saints City was a metropolis in space consisting of a star fortress in the center and ten super large circular space stations. There was nothing between the space rings. They were connected to each other by logistic tubes and carriers.
Now, the tubes were sealed, and the carriers had been called off. Even if Hellsword broke out of the space rings and fled into space, he would become a very conspicuous target that would be locked onto easily.
But why did he still feel vaguely ill at ease?
"Master Ye." Li Yao's eyelids suddenly twitched. He asked Ye Hongfei in a low voice, "The Mist Clearing Operation is the biggest operation that you've seen in your life, and almost all the experts in the world of Cultivators have gathered, even including many Refinement Stage Cultivators, correct?"
Ye Hongfei was dazed for a moment, before he replied, "Indeed. The central area of Heavenly Saints City is too populated and has a complicated environment. Not only do we need to annihilate all the Immortal Cultivators, we also have to protect ordinary people and avoid as many casualties as we can. Therefore, including the six sects of Heavenly Saints City, almost all the organizations in Heavenly Saints City large and small have been summoned and deployed to the three inner rings!
"Just rest assured. Although Hellsword is still running, the three inner rings have now been sealed. The vigilance in the city is now the highest in history. He won't be able to get away even if he is a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator!"
"That's true," Li Yao mumbled. "All the strength of Heavenly Saints City has been mobilized to the three inner rings whose connection to the seven outer rings has been cut off.
"Then, what about the seven outer rings?
"The defense of the seven outer rings must be the weakest in history, is it not?"
Ye Hongfei blinked, somewhat in confusion. "Well, I suppose. With the chaos in the three inner rings, all the Cultivators are carrying out the Mist Clearing Operation here. Naturally, few people are guarding the seven outer rings.
"However, there are not many targets worth attacking in the seven outer rings."
In Heavenly Saints City, the further a space ring was from the center, the less important it was.
The headquarters of the six sects of Heavenly Saints City, the Grand Illusionary Group, the three main crystal suit centers, Flying Star University, and Heavenly Saints Institute… Every important organization was established in the central area and within the first three space rings.
As for the space rings beyond, only the less important organizations such as smaller sects or arenas were located there.
The rings after the fourth space ring were mostly the living areas of ordinary people.
Li Yao rubbed his face so hard that it was almost smoking. He pondered for a moment and asked, "The ten space rings of Heavenly Saints City each encapsulate the last one. Therefore, the second ring is larger than the first ring, and the third ring is larger than the second ring, right?"
Ye Hongfei laughed. "Isn't it obvious?"
Li Yao continued. "So, the ninth ring is larger than the eighth ring, and the tenth ring is the largest and most populated one of all the space rings!"
Ye Hongfei nodded. "True that!"
Li Yao's voice became gloomier and gloomier. "When I came to Heavenly Saints City, I noticed that the construction of the tenth ring was not done yet. It was continuously expanding outwards.
"In other words, other than being the largest, most populated district of Heavenly Saints City, the tenth ring is also a super chaotic construction site.
"There are bound to be a lot of vulnerabilities in such a big construction site and many places that might conceal dirt. It is very easy to be infiltrated, isn't it?"
Ye Hongfei turned solemn, too. He pondered for a moment and agreed. "That's true. However, there are no targets worth attacking in the seven outer rings."
"You're quite right," Li Yao said. "With the Edge Sharpeners' Meeting that is only held once every five years, all the experts and scholars of the Flying Star Sector have gathered in the central area. Cultivators who usually live in the seven outer rings have come to the central area for the meeting, too.
"With the 'Mist Clearing Operation' this year, more Cultivators have gathered in the central area.
"Therefore, the number of Cultivators in the seven outer rings, especially the tenth ring, has hit rock bottom. Everybody's eyes are focused on the central area and the three inner rings, on the 'Mist Plan' and the 'Mist Clearing Operation', and on the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator 'Hellsword'!
"Nobody will bother to look at the tenth ring.
"After all, there are no targets worth attacking at all, only tens of millions of ordinary people!"
"Ah!"
Right then, exclamations came over in the communication channel.
Li Yao raised his head and noticed that all the Cultivators had opened their facial covers. There was shock and fury on their faces, suggesting that something important had happened.
There was chaos on the hundred light beams that Cai Qi projected. A major twist seemed to have taken place.
Li Yao felt that his heart was tightened as he asked, "What happened?"
"We have discovered Apollo's body," Cai Qi replied in anguish. "It was in 'Hellsword' Zhuang Ziyou's bed in his hotel room. Three lines of words were left on the chest of the body.
"Of the billions of paths of Cultivation,
"I only ask you this…
"Do you want to walk on the immortal one?
"This is clearly a message to all Cultivators!"
"Who is Apollo?" Li Yao asked.
Cai Qi requested permission from the command center. After he was authorized, he glanced over everybody and sighed. "Apollo is the secret code name for a Cultivator. He was the first agent of the Immortal Slayers to infiltrate the Temple of Immortals. It was through the vital intelligence provided by Apollo that we gradually grasped the general picture of the Mist Plan.
"However, Apollo has been killed by the Immortal Cultivators!
"Thus, the Immortal Cultivators have seen through Apollo's identity since long ago but kept him passing on false information to us!"
Chapter 691: Arrival |
Cai Qi's words froze every Cultivator's heart like a cold tornado.
The Cultivators who were quick-minded and had amazing computational ability had realized that, if the Immortal Cultivators revealed the entire Mist Plan to 'Apollo' when they knew his real identity, something must have been seriously wrong with the Mist Plan.
However, it was unmistakable that seven Core Formation Stage Cultivators had been captured through the Mist Clearing Operation and that a large batch of Heart Gnawing Mist and crystal bombs had been found.
Everybody looked at one another in bewilderment. The area was caught in a weird silence.
In the command center of the Mist Clearing Operation, countless Cultivators were reviewing and analyzing every battle that had taken place.
In the meantime, many research-type Cultivators were seizing every second to crack the Heart Gnawing Mist, the vital poison to the Mist Plan.
A while later, shocking results came one after another.
"Of the seven members of the Eight Blades of Black Spider we slew or captured, at least four are fakes!
"By analyzing the combat videos captured by the crystal cameras dynamically, we discovered that four of the assassins never showed any ability beyond the peak of the Building Foundation Stage before their deaths as they struggled to resist.
"How could a Core Formation Stage Cultivator not burst out their best ability at a moment of life and death?
"The identities of the other three assassins are rather suspicious, too. Although two assassins showed techniques that seemed to belong to the Core Formation Stage, their veins exploded, and they all died sudden deaths after the fierce battle. It is possible that they took a lot of drugs to stimulate their veins and increase their strength.
"This means that the 'Eight Blades of Black Spider' we discovered were probably assassins of a lower level in disguise. They were 'stand-ins' for the real 'Eight Blades of Black Spider!
"It is also possible that one to two real assassins of the 'Eight Blades of Black Spider' were leading six to seven 'stand-ins'. The assassin who succeeded in getting away might be the real one!"
The news exploded like a crystal bomb in the crowd.
Before everybody recovered from the dizziness, a piece of even more shocking news crashed at them like an unstoppable tide!
"According to the preliminary analysis of the research-type Cultivators, the Heart Gnawing Mist is fake, too!
"It is not precise to call the poison false. In fact, the 'Heart Gnawing Mist' is a simple combination of nine venomous gases. It has no technological requirements whatsoever and is rather unattractive in terms of toxicity, volatility, and infectivity. With the current techniques in the world of Cultivators, it can easily be sealed, cracked, and purged. Such a poison cannot be called a piece of 'vital' magical equipment at all!"
Cai Qi was both confused and frustrated. He mumbled to himself, "Maybe, the Heart Gnawing Mist never existed in the first place. It was merely a made-up super poison to misguide our investigation and to distract our attention.
"Stay alert, everybody! Activate your spiritual energy to the maximum and turn on all your safety magical equipment!"
Cai Qi suddenly raised his voice. Thunder seemed to be breaking out in the communication channel as he shouted. "The Temple of Immortals forced us to mobilize all our strength with the nonexistent 'Mist Plan', but this can't be their ultimate goal. They must have prepared something more unpredictable and dangerous for us!
"All the Cultivators nearby, move close to me immediately. Make sure you have two companions at all times. Don't be alone. I repeat. Whatever strange things you find, don't investigate them alone and simply report back to me!"
The air seemed to be pumped away in that moment, and the atmosphere was more intense than ever. Every Cultivator had a grave countenance, as if an invisible demon was crouching in the dark depths of space, eyeing them in amusement despite the thick metal city walls.
"Senior Cai, maybe the Temple of Immortals does have other plans, but I want to make sure of something with your first."
Li Yao asked very calmly, "Is Senior Xiao Xuance the leader of the Immortal Slayers and the supervisor of the Mist Clearing Operation?"
Cai Qi was dazed for a moment. He frowned and said, "How is it possible? Xiao Xuance is the CEO of the Grand Illusionary Group. He is responsible for the expansion and maintenance of the Spiritual Nexus. He also has to participate in the 'Grand Illusionary Soldier Project'. He is occupied in all kinds of affairs from dawn to dusk every day. There's no time for him to handle the things regarding the Immortal Slayers at all.
"The Grand Illusionary Group and the Immortal Slayers are two independent systems. The former does not govern or manage the latter.
"As for the Mist Clearing Operation, he is not in charge of it, either. However, we knew that Xiao Tianbao, his foster son, was an expert in crystal processors and, thus, invited him to supervise the monitoring work."
Li Yao blinked and pondered for a moment. Then he asked again, "Then, if my guess is correct, some of the Immortal Slayers, especially those who infiltrated the Temple of Immortals, must be Xiao Xuance's true disciples or his family members, aren't they?"
Cai Qi looked at him strangely and said, "Isn't it only reasonable?"
Ye Hongfei pulled Li Yao's sleeve and said in a low voice, "What are you trying to ask, Master Sand? Xiao Xuance is from the Feathered Snakes Brotherhood and was its leader for decades. Naturally, many of his disciples and family members are Immortal Slayers!"
Li Yao was confused. "What do you mean?"
"Did you not know?" Ye Hongfei found it odd. "The six sects of Heavenly Saints City and the six tribes of Iron Plateau should be similar. Our ancestors are all the remaining troops after the civil war of the Star Ocean Imperium ten thousand years ago.
"The soldiers belonged to different systems, and they slowed evolved into different sects according to their own features.
"For example, the Furious Bears Union originated from the 'Furious Bears Assault Team', a paratroop regiment of the Star Ocean Imperium that was particularly good at assault missions.
"As for the Burning Sun Alliance, it was based on the scout troops of the Star Ocean Imperium. Therefore, they possess a lot of speed-type secret arts and are best at guerilla warfare and reconnaissance.
"The Feathered Snakes Brotherhood can be traced back to the intelligence department of the Star Ocean Imperium. Information collection, infiltration, interrogation, anti-interrogation… Those are all their specialties!
"Therefore, when the team of Immortal Slayers was established, it was only natural that most of the participants were disciples of the Feathered Snakes Brotherhood.
"Xiao Xuance was the leader of the Feathered Snakes Brotherhood for decades. He has more disciples and grand-disciples in the sect than anybody can count. What's odd about there being several of his true disciples among the Immortal Slayers?"
Li Yao was dumbfounded and rendered speechless.
He finally understood why such a marvelous tool as the 'Truth Cabinet' was in the hands of the Feathered Snakes Tribe when he was back on Iron Plateau.
As it turned out, their ancestors were actually responsible for the intelligence work. The decision was perfectly understandable!
"However—"
Li Yao was not fully convinced and was about to open his mouth again, but Cai Qi interrupted him coldly. "Fellow Cultivator Sand, I may have guessed what you're thinking. You want to know whether or not Xiao Xuance has true disciples and family members among the Immortal Slayers. I can tell you that he does have, and that they are in quite high positions.
"Xiao Xuance's blood son Xiao Tianyang is a key member of the Immortal Slayers and of paramount importance for the infiltration plan!"
Li Yao had guessed it a long time ago. He frowned and said, "Where is Xiao Tianyang right now?"
Cai Qi gnashed his teeth, his every word dashing out like a flying sword. "Xiao Tianyang is now in Xiao Xuance's arms!
"He is Apollo, who was just killed by the Temple of Immortals as a message to us!"
"What!" As if hit by a lightning, Li Yao took a few steps back and crashed into the ventilation tube heavily.
The collision was so huge that it was echoing inside the ventilation tube. The color on Li Yao's face was entirely gone.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Hasty alarms broke out on every Cultivator's crystal processor.
The hundred light beams triggered by Cai Qi were blinking ominously red at the same time. Devastating screams each louder than the last were coming through the communication channel.
"The tenth space ring! A great explosion took place in the tenth space ring!"
"Abnormal spiritual waves are everywhere around the tenth space ring, as if it has been savaged by an unexpected cosmic storm!"
"No. Not a storm…"
"It's—it's—it's extraterrestrial devils!"
"The extraterrestrial devils have arrived in the tenth space ring!"
All the Cultivators, including Cai Qi, lost their color. Their faces were paler than a corpse's right now.
