Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 477
The space pirate was dazed for a moment. His eyeballs rolled to the up.
It was a micro-expression suggesting that he was recalling and counting.
It also meant that he had killed ordinary people.
Li Yao's lips curled. His eyes turned cold.
The space pirate shuddered and shouted crazily, "You said you wouldn't kill me! You said you wouldn't kill me!"
Scratching his chin, Li Yao smiled. "Do I look like someone who honors his words?"
Five minutes later, Li Yao appeared among the overlapping wires of spiritual energy above the cabin that stored the escape capsules.
Unless absolutely necessary, Li Yao did not want to run into space in an escape capsule, especially at a moment when Bai Xinghe's starships were possibly patrolling nearby.
The explosions gradually died down, and the carrier became stable again.
Li Yao hid himself and released Neltharion silently. He attached half of his telepathic thoughts to Neltharion and commanded it to fly along the pathway in stealth mode.
It was obvious that every zone of the carrier had been taken over by another group of space pirates.
The intruders were well-trained and looked sharp. Intense killing intent was flowing out of their eyes. It was not simply boldness on the surface, but a toughness deep to the bones indicating that they did not care for the lives of other people or their own.
Faced with the intruders, the space pirates on the carrier did not have the courage to fight back at all. They all sat in the corners of each cabin with their hands on their heads.
Li Yao thought of something. The intruders were likely from Bai Xinghe's Abyss Pirate Gang.
Right then, a large batch of space pirates crowded toward the bridge.
Since Neltharion was no larger than a finger and it was in the stealth mode, it followed the space pirates into the bridge easily.
In the middle of the bridge, there were two space pirates, one standing and the other on his knees.
The standing pirate was wearing colorful casual clothes. He was slightly bold, and his hawk nose protruded forward high. A blinking, eye-catching pendent in the shape of a spider was hanging on his neck.
It seemed that he was not here for a fight, but for a vacation.
He stared at the space pirate who was kneeling before him in pure boredom. There was pity and scorn in his indifferent eyes.
The space pirate who was on his knees was wearing a glamorous coat made of bear hide, with a bear head sewn onto its shoulder. He could not have looked more intimidating.
Yet, sweat and tears covered his face. He was going to move forward and hold the other person's leg, but he did not have the courage and simply cried. "Boss Bai, I was wrong. I was really wrong. Please do spare me!"
The two words 'Boss Bai' nearly made Li Yao's heart skip a beat.
He did not know that the legendary Pirate Potentate would assault the carrier in person. No wonder the bridge had been taken over so easily.
If he had known that Bai Xinghe, a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator, was in this place, Li Yao would never have dared to send Neltharion in.
However, it was easier to come in than to get out. The cabin door had been closed. Members of the Abyss Pirate Gang was everywhere. Li Yao did not dare to move at all, fearing that Bai Xinghe would discover him.
He could only hide Neltharion in a corner and eavesdropped anyway.
Li Yao knew the space pirate who was begging on the ground. He was Luo Jinhu, the owner of the carrier and the captain of the Tiger Teeth Pirate Gang.
The man was an expert in the beginning level of the Core Formation Stage. His name was on the wanted list of Heavenly Saints City for his countless crimes.
However, such a brutal bandit in the Core Formation Stage was like a stray dog whose three legs had been broken before Bai Xinghe. He was crying buckets and could not have looked more miserable!
Chapter 712: Bai Xinghe's Charisma! |
"Ah Hu, many pirate gangs answered Fengyu Zhong's call to assault Heavenly Saints City under the lead of the Temple of Immortals. Do you know why I came to talk to you instead of anybody else?" asked Bai Xinghe politely.
His voice was neither coarse or sharp. It sounded comfortable and reliable, and it made those who heard his words feel refreshed.
His smile was natural and genuine, too, as if he were really chitchatting with one of his followers.
However, for some reason, with his saber-like hawk nose, the words gave everybody a creepy feeling.
Li Yao felt scared even though he was merely observing through Neltharion, as if his spine was clenched by a pair of cold hands that he could not get rid of.
Luo Jinhu, captain of the Tiger Teeth Pirate Gang, was shuddering in fear, not knowing what to do.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
His hands on his back, Bai Xinghe started pacing. Weird sounds came from his feet while he walked.
It was then that Li Yao noticed that the Pirate Potentate was wearing a pair of slippers below his fancy beach shorts.
What an awesome man! Li Yao secretly complimented.
Casual clothes, beach shorts, and slippers. In such a next-door-neighbor style, the man had crossed the sea of stars and taken over a hostile starship. He stood before a brutal bandit in the Core Formation Stage casually, and the brutal bandit was sweating as if sitting on a thorny carpet.
That was truly the demeanor of a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator and the dominating aura of the Pirate Potentate!
Li Yao was fascinated by his attire and made up his mind that he would wear exactly the same when he advanced into the Nascent Soul Stage someday.
Roaming space in beach shorts and slippers. That was what a real expert should do!
"Thirty-one years ago, your pirate gang was ambushed by other space pirates, and you had only one starship left. Who helped you defeat your enemy?"
Bai Xinghe paced behind Luo Jinhu and patted his shoulder neither softly nor heavily, while he asked casually, "Twenty-two years ago, you killed the son of the Surpassing Cloud Sect and were hunted by three Exo Societies. Who helped you escape and rescued you?
"Seventeen years ago, who provided a lot of resources for you to advance into the Core Formation Stage?"
Luo Jinhu was shaking even more violently.
Despite the long distance, Li Yao could almost hear the trembling noises of his bones.
Bai Xinghe sighed softly and said, "Ah Hu, I know that the Temple of Immortals revealed itself and Fengyu Zhong rose up quickly over the past year. He seemed like the new king of space pirates. Therefore, many people joined his cause. It is not strange.
"However, I did not expect that you, Luo Jinhu, would betray me, too!
"Betrayal is nothing unusual on Spider Den. My heart did not hurt much, either. I merely wondered whether or not my sight had impaired because of my old age.
"Therefore, I paid a visit to your starship personally to see if you are really a traitor. Do you think you are a traitor?"
"I'm not!"
Bai Xinghe's accusation was like three burning stings that stabbed into Luo Jinhu's coccyx.
Luo Jinhu jumped to his feet after a shiver while he shouted, "Boss Bai! Brother Bai! I've always born the great favors that you did me in mind! What am I if I betray my brother?
"But you know that my business hasn't been running well over the past two years. I lost two armed carriers in the South Mouth Space Zone. One of my old brothers in the high level of the Building Foundation Stage was heavily wounded and required a lot of resources to recover. Our income failed to meet our needs.
"This time, the Temple of Immortals offered a very high price. Therefore, we agreed to be hired by them and went to Heavenly Saints City.
"It's all about business and does not hurt Boss Bai's interests. It's not betrayal at all!"
Bai Xinghe chuckled. "Right. You did not betray me. You had a deal with the Temple of Immortals and shipped some people to Heavenly Saints City. What about your journey? Was Heavenly Saints City an enjoyable place?"
Luo Jinhu was dazed for a moment. He soon realized what Bai Xinghe meant.
His face pale, cold sweat was popping up all over his body. He stammered, "Bo—Boss Bai, none of the dozens of pirate gangs knew that the Temple of Immortals would be so crazy when we signed the contract.
"We—we thought that there would be assassinations and explosions in Heavenly Saints City at best.
"Nobody knew that they would do such an inhuman thing as to attract extraterrestrial devils!
"Honest to God, we were just Mr. Nobodies and did not know their plan at all. We merely helped them transport the goods and the soldiers.
"All the goods were packed in boxes with barriers on the outside. Most of the people of the Temple of Immortals were wearing masks, too. We couldn't see their faces!
"Nobody knew what they were up to!
"Although we don't care about life and death as space pirates, everybody is scared of the devils. If we knew that they were planning an arrival of extraterrestrial devils, nobody would've gone with them!
"Everyone was shocked when the extraterrestrial devils arrived, but there was no turning back at that point. We could only struggle on to make it to the end.
"Truth be told, Boss Bai, although people of the Temple of Immortals gave us magical equipment and tools to resist the extraterrestrial devils, those things sometimes worked and sometimes didn't.
"Many space pirates were swallowed by extraterrestrial devils. It's said that an accident happened to one of the altars, and the brothers of an entire pirate gang were turned into devilized people!
"Everybody has been complaining that we were fooled by the Temple of Immortals. We were thinking that we should demand for more rewards from Black Spider Town and Fengyu Zhong. We hate their guts right now. Why would we betray Boss Bai?"
"That explains a lot. You were fooled by other people. You did not mean to betray me. You did not hurt my interest… Bullsh*t!"
Bai Xinghe suddenly burst into a rage. A hurricane seemed to have formed inside the bridge. Dozens of light beams on the control panels broke apart and perished!
Bai Xinghe jabbed Luo Jinhu's back hard and roared, "You greedy idiots haven't seen through the Temple of Immortal's intentions even to this day?
"Fooling you to assault Heavenly Saints City without telling you their real intentions was a stone that kills two birds!
"Before, space pirates were merely the skin disease for the Cultivators. We could not stir much trouble. Therefore, they could barely made up their mind to gather all the elites to destroy us at a high price!
"But now, space pirates, extraterrestrial devils, and Immortal Cultivators have been combined. We are now a fatal disease to the Cultivators! They are going to come at us for real even if they have to pawn their pants!
"From the moment the extraterrestrial devils arrived, the space pirates who were part of the battle have been labelled as 'the Temple of Immortals' and added to the must-kill list of Cultivators. You are not going to get away!
"No. Not just you. Cultivators won't care exactly which pirate gangs participated in the battle of Heavenly Saints City and which ones didn't. They will form a great army and attack Spider Den. They will slay all the space pirates and eliminate every one of us!
"Do you want me to explain the matter to the Cultivators then? I'm truly sorry, Fellow Cultivators. Although I have committed a great number of crimes, I never took part in the battle of Heavenly Saints City or the arrival of extraterrestrial devils. I am different from the Temple of Immortals. How about you letting me go, Fellow Cultivators?
"Does that explanation sound good to you? Is it good, huh?
"You idiots can always kill yourselves if you want to, but why did you have to drag me down with you? And you said you did not hurt my interest or betray me?
"Why didn't you tell me earlier if you didn't intend to betray me?
"If you had any trouble, I could've helped you. Have I never refused your request? Why did you choose to act on your own? Why!"
Luo Jinhu's spine was almost broken because of the jabbing. He collapsed to the ground like a dead dog, breathing heavily.
After the catharsis, Bai Xinghe's countenance suddenly changed. He became calm and casual again, like a totally different person, before he asked, "Ah Hu, how old are you?"
Luo Jinhu was dazed, not having any clue why Bai Xinghe was asking that. He managed to reply, "A hundred—a hundred and three."
"Oh."
Bai Xinghe smiled, as if the harangue just now had nothing to do with him. He remarked, "A hundred and three years old and in the Core Formation Stage, you can almost be called an adult now, and you still believe in bullsh*t like immortality?"
In a gloomy face, Luo Jinhu replied, "Of course I don't believe such crap like immortality; even I'm not that foolish."
"Then what was their bait?" Bai Xinghe's face turned cold again, as he asked, "If you needed money or goods, you could've asked for my help. But since you signed a contract with the Temple of Immortals without telling me, they must've offered you something more valuable, something that I could not provide. What was it?"
Luo Jinhu hesitated for a moment. He gritted his teeth and confessed, "Boss Bai, truth be told, both me and our brothers of the other pirate gangs make our living in the most dangerous way every day. Unpredictable notions such as immortality can only fool three-year-olds. We won't buy that anyway.
"Besides, the people of the Temple of Immortals do not look like seniors who have lived for hundreds of years!
"However—
"Boss Fengyu—Ugh, the bastard Fengyu Zhong said that the Temple of Immortals was a vast organization. A lot of Immortal Cultivators were lurking in every space zone of the Flying Star Sector. When the timing was appropriate, they would strike together to overturn the rule of Cultivators. A kingdom of immortals on earth would be established!
"In the brand-new country, the Immortal Cultivators would be the dominators, and the ordinary people would be their slaves who would be driven, exploited, and incarcerated. They would do whatever they wanted!
"We space pirates are rats that everybody stomps on and have lived our lives in fear and darkness.
"But as long as we helped the Temple of Immortals' cause, when the Immortal Cultivators ruled the Flying Star Sector, we would be the regular army of the new kingdom!
"Based on the size of my Tiger Teeth Pirate Gang, if I did my part, I had a good chance of becoming the commander of the fleet of a space zone."
Bai Xinghe nodded and smiled. "That explains a lot. Kingdom of immortals. That sounds much more reasonable than an eternal life.
"How about this? Ah Hu, it's better to work with someone you are familiar with than to work with a stranger. Instead of helping the Temple of Immortals, why don't you help me to build a great Flying Star Empire? I will decree you to be the Great General of the Universe. How does that sound?"
Luo Jinhu observed Bai Xinghe's face and managed a smile. "Bo—Boss Bai, you must be joking…"
"You know I'm joking, too!"
Bai Xinghe changed his expression again and kicked right in Luo Jinhu's big pale face, his slippers embedded inside. Luo Jinhu was knocked to the ground!
Bai Xinghe stomped on him and bellowed, "You know that I can't build a Flying Star Empire. You know that an idiot like you does not deserve to be the Great General of Universe. You know that I was making fun of you.
"Why were you not so clever when you were fooled by the Temple of Immortals' bullsh*t?
"Kingdom of immortals on earth? Command of a fleet? Are they qualified? Are you qualified?"
"A bunch of cultists whose brains are all damaged and a swarm of mobs who know nothing but robbing are trying to overthrow Cultivators who have reigned for thousands of years? In your f*cking dreams!"
Chapter 713: Buy Me, Sell Me |
Luo Jinhu struggled below Bai Xinghe's slippers like a cockroach. He screamed, "I was wrong. Boss Bai, I know I was wrong!"
"Of course you were wrong."
Bai Xinghe stomped hard several times before he moved his slippers away from Luo Jinhu's face, where dozens of slipper prints had been left.
Luo Jinhu's face looked like a potato that had been thoroughly mashed.
Bai Xinghe took a breath in relief. His voice turned comforting and reliable again as he asked, "Ah Gou, what kind of criminals do you think can always go unpunished?"
Luo Jinhu had become used to Bai Xing's sudden change of topics. He thought hard for a moment and hesitated. "The real smart ones?"
"No. The most cunning fox is still no match for a hunter. Even the smartest criminal will be caught sooner or later as long as they keep doing their job," Bai Xinghe replied casually. "Only one kind of bad guys can get away from justice forever, when the damage they cause is far lower than the cost in order to capture them. Do you understand?
"Forget it. I can tell from your ignorant eyes that you don't understand.
"Let me change my question. Do you know what Senior Yan Xinjian, the supreme space pirate five hundred years ago, did after he defeated the fleet of Cultivators?"
Luo Jinhu shook his head helplessly.
Narrowing his eyes, Bai Xinghe said gravely, "The supreme space pirate Yan Xinjian rose to power during the war and gathered a bunch of soldiers who were absolutely loyal to him. After he defeated the fleet of Cultivators, he immediately swept Spider Den unstoppably!
"With consideration of the crimes that the space pirates committed, he sentenced the space pirates who were hated by a lot of people to death, those who had killed the important disciples of major sects and who were disobedient!
"Later, he sent the videos of the space pirates' executions to Cultivators through underground channels.
"Later, he summoned all the space pirates for a meeting and established ten rules, which are known as 'Ten Sword Rules' today.
"In every robbery, take away two thirds of the trophies and leave one third for the victims.
"If there's no resistance, don't hurt the ordinary people on board and the armed soldiers if they lay down their weapons and surrender.
