Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 547
Li Yao and Professor Mo Xuan waited in their own meeting room. It was perhaps the longest five minutes of their lives. The vibe inside the room could not have been more intense. It was like an icy storm had frozen each and every of them.
Nobody was talking, and nobody was breathing. Li Yao, Professor Mo Xuan, and the rest of them all gazed at the light beam in front of them.
Suddenly, ripples spread out on the light beam and condensed into Luo Xingzi's face again. He glanced down and, although trying to control the muscles on his face, could not help but beam with passion.
"The results of the voting are now out.
"11,033 votes for the motion, 1010 against it, and 950 abstentions.
"The motion has been passed by an absolute majority!
"The Flying Star Sector will assist the Heaven's Origin Sector with our best. We will defend the future of the civilization of mankind together!"
Chapter 820: Cosmic Slingshot |
Instantly, the meeting room of the six Cultivators from the Heaven's Origin Sector turned from a glacier into an erupting volcano!
"Passed!" Li Yao shouted and waved his hands crazily, leaving a deep ravine in the ground.
For a moment, despite the suffering and setbacks he had gone through in the past decade, despite the unbelievable level he had reached, and despite his immense computational ability, he had completely lost control over his emotions. Tears spurted out his eyes and flowed on his face crazily, and he seemed to have turned into a random young man in his twenties again.
Professor Mo Xuan took two steps back and sat in the chair, only to crush the seat because he had forgotten that he was in a heavy artificial body.
He sat on the ground in a daze and chuckled lightly at first before he covered his metal face and sobbed in great relief.
The other four spirits, who were the 'Four Kings' of the Refining Department of the Grand Desolate War Institution, all got out of their artificial bodies and danced happily as liquid metal.
Beep! Beep! Beep!
Countless Cultivators of the Flying Star Sector sent congratulations to them through the light beams.
"Master!"
Wu Mayan was laughing hard on the other side of the light beam with his hands on his hips, his white teeth glittering.
Xie Anan stood behind him with a smile, too.
Li Yao's two disciples seemed to always be in each other's company.
"Master, this is great!" Wu Mayan shouted. "I will get to go to the Heaven's Origin Sector with you and fight the demon beast! Hehe. I grew up on Iron Plateau. Not just the demon beasts, even the apocalyptic beasts that are tougher them are nothing in my eyes. I wonder, is the demon race of the Blood Demon Sector stronger than the apocalyptic beasts?"
"Li Yao!" Lei Dalu and Bai Kaixin started a call, too. "There's no need to say anything. Friendship is what matters most for us Cultivators! The Flying Star Sector was saved in the end only because you killed Xiao Xuance at the crucial moment and Professor Mo Xuan and the other fellow Cultivators controlled the star child.
"Cultivators of the Flying Star Sector are definitely not the ungrateful scumbags. Now that we have decided to fight side by side, we will definitely walk with you to the end. There is no way that we will abandon our comrades halfway!
"Rest assured. The Great Horn Exo Society will definitely be in the first echelon of the reinforcements to the Heaven's Origin Sector!"
"Li Yao!" After Lei Dalu and Bai Kaixin, it was Huangpu Xiaoya, the heir of the Huangpu family, one of the noble families of refining that had passed on for a thousand years.
Seven years ago, after the Skyhill Sword Seminar, she and Li Yao had both been kidnapped by Huangpu Shiyi of the Temple of Immortals. Huangpu Shiyi had even conspired to chop off her hands to replace his. It was Li Yao who had sabotaged Huangpu Shiyi's plan and saved her in the end.
For Huangpu Xiaoya, Li Yao was her life-saver. After his identity was revealed, the cooperation between the Huangpu family and the Glorious Sunlight Group had reached a new level.
"The Huangpu family is a noble family of refining. We don't have many excellent warriors. But on behalf of the Huangpu family as well as another twenty-two noble families of refining, I announce that we will try our best to facilitate the communication between the two Sectors, and we will not keep anything to ourselves in the exchange of knowledge, aiming boost each other to a higher level with the most sincerity!"
"Li Yao!"
Xiong Wuji, Sha Yulan, Flying Star University, Heavenly Saints Institute, the three main crystal suit centers…
Countless Cultivators made promises to Li Yao solemnly.
In the end, it was Si Koulie, the leader of the Star Fighters' Alliance.
After the insurrection of the Immortal Cultivators, the six sects of Heavenly Saints City had become less respected than before. The Star Fighters' Alliance had basically become the biggest force of the Flying Star Sector, and Si Koulie was in effect the 'supreme leader' of all the sects of the Flying Star Sector right now.
His face red, Li Yao said, somewhat clumsily, "…Thank you."
Although his enormous computational ability could have provided a thousand flamboyant words for him to express his complicated feelings, he still chose the simplest 'thank you' in the end.
"There's no need to thank us. Just as Luo Xingzi said, we did not decide to rescue the Heaven's Origin Sector; we decided to fight side by side with our fellow Cultivators in the Heaven's Origin Sector to defend our future!
"It feels good to know that you are not alone in the universe and that some other people far away from you share the same beliefs as you."
Li Yao took a long breath and clenched his fists, before he declared determinedly, "Of course, we are not alone. Even if the universe is truly a dark forest, I believe that we will not be the only shining sparks.
"Other than the Flying Star Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector, I believe that there are still countless Sectors where the Cultivators haven't forgotten their duties and their dreams yet. They are still protecting every ordinary person and their ordinary yet happy life!
"One day, we will find them. When all the sparks are gathered together, we will be a flame that razes the dark forest to the ground!"
Si Koulie smiled. "I hope so. Maybe I won't be able to witness it, but I believe that you and the future generations will definitely make sure that it happens!
"Alright. Back to business. Now that the motion to assist the Heaven's Origin Sector has passed, we can move on to the next step of our plan.
"The biggest question right now is no longer whether or not to assist the Heaven's Origin Sector, but how.
"It is well known that a space jump across Sectors will consume tremendous spiritual energy. The starships will be damaged in the process, too.
"We have determined the coordinates of the Heaven's Origin Sector through the Star Prier's House, but teleporting a super-light starship over and teleporting an enormous fleet are completely different matters.
"To teleport a Cultivator in the Refinement Stage and one in the superlative height of the Core Formation Stage are vastly different, too."
Li Yao was silent.
The stronger a Cultivator was, the more spiritual energy would be stored in their body, and the more difficult it would be to perform a space jump.
Therefore, in the Occult Orbs Fellowship of the Heaven's Origin Sector, it was mostly the Cultivators in the Building Foundation Stage who were asked to cruise across the universe and explore the world fragments. Those in the Core Formation Stage and Nascent Soul Stage were barely summoned.
But right now, Li Yao had advanced into the superlative height of the Core Formation Stage. His spiritual energy was as abundant as that of the Nascent Soul Stage. It would not be an easy task for him to be teleported via a space jump.
Li Yao asked in a hurry, "With the technology of the Flying Star Sector, how many starships and experts can be teleported to the Heaven's Origin Sector?"
Si Koulie smiled and replied unhurriedly, "Don't be hasty. I'm here to discuss the issue with the Glorious Sunlight Group. Do you still remember the 'Ice God Project'?"
Li Yao was dazed. Of course he remembered the Ice God Project. It was the plan for a piece of planetary-level magical equipment proposed by Si Koulie six years ago to deal with the Temple of Immortals and the space pirates.
The purpose of the plan was to refine a planet named 'Ice King' into an unprecedented starship and teleport the starship to somewhere near Spider Den through the super space jump array on Ice King left by the Star Ocean Imperium. In the end, the starship would crash into the nest of the space pirates!
However, the plan, which was deeply flawed, was dwarfed by Xiao Xuance's seemingly immaculate 'Grand Illusionary Soldier Project'.
Glamorous sparks were jumping in Si Koulie's eyes, as he said solemnly, "I'm thinking of restarting the 'Ice God Project' right now!"
Li Yao blinked, knowing that there must be a reason for Si Koulie's proposal. He pondered for a moment. "Are you trying to make use of the super space jump array on Ice King, Leader Si?"
Si Koulie burst into laughter. "You are indeed very smart, Li Yao!"
Li Yao thought for a moment and frowned. "But the space jump array can only allow Ice King to jump among the various space zones of the Flying Star Sector. I assume that a teleportation across Sectors will be too much of a burden for the array, no?"
The space jumps within a Sector and those between different Sectors were like swimming across a river and swimming across an ocean. The difficulty was obvious.
Si Koulie smiled confidently. "Li Yao, you forgot about the weight of Ice King.
"The space jump array on Ice King was a piece of super magical equipment in the Star Ocean Imperium. The technology entailed in it is beyond our imagination.
"Yes. If we are pushing Ice King, it can only be teleported within the Flying Star Sector.
"But don't forget that we are not pushing Ice King right now but a starship that is only one millionth the weight of the planet!"
Li Yao immediately thought the whole thing through. He patted his head in delight.
If the super space jump array on Ice King was compared to a giant catapult that could throw a rock weighing ten thousand kilograms a hundred meters away, how far away could it throw a stone weighing a hundred kilograms or even ten kilograms?
Ice King was among the smallest planets in terms of size and weight, but it was far heavier than a crystal warship nonetheless.
A crystal warship was to a planet what dust was to a pebble!
Of course, the specific methods of calculation would not be so simple. Teleporting a heavy object to somewhere near and teleporting a light object to somewhere far away required different functioning mechanisms for the array, too, which meant that the array would need to be greatly modified first before it was put to use.
However, theoretically speaking, it was a feasible plan!
"In the restarted 'Ice God Project', all the combat units of Ice King will be removed," Si Koulie said excitedly. "It will be reconstructed into a base of interstellar teleportation!
"Or to put it simply, we will transform Ice King into a giant 'cosmic slingshot'!
"The super space jump array can be utilized repetitively after modification. It will fire the crystal warships to the Heaven's Origin Sector one after another!
"The first batch of starships to be launched will carry tremendous magical equipment units. After they reach the Heaven's Origin Sector, they will establish point-to-point star beacons that will emit mystic rays that are only visible to us. Such star beacons will guide the starships between the two Sectors.
"I'm told that you have a similar launch base in the Heaven's Origin Sector known as 'Heaven's Artillery', right? If so, after the Heavenly Artillery is fully upgraded with the technology of the Star Ocean Imperium left on Ice King, it will likely be transformed into another 'cosmic slingshot'.
"If so, a bridge will be established between Ice King and the Heaven's Artillery, or rather, a super high-speed crystal rail that connects two Sectors!
"The two Sectors will be closely linked after that!
"This is the brand new 'Ice God Project'. Of course, there will be a lot of difficulties when it is implemented. I need the help of the Glorious Sunlight Group, especially Professor Mo Xuan and your companions!
"After absorbing the star child and analyzing the super crystal processors in the Star Prier's House, your group's computational ability must be the highest both in the Heaven's Origin Sector and in the Flying Star Sector!
"Only with your computations and analysis can we expect to transform Ice King into a cosmic slingshot, a piece of planetary-level magical equipment!"
Professor Mo Xuan and the other four star spirits beamed with interest. They held their heads high and replied, "We would be happy to help!"
Chapter 821: New Strength |
In the Heaven's Origin Sector…
The city was an expanding corpse.
The rebars of the hollow skyscrapers were like twisted bones, the broken roads and bridges seemed to be damaged limbs, and the shuttles that were on fire resembled rotting organs. Illuminated by the setting sun, everything looked as if it had been soaked in stinky blood. There was nothing but silence in the air, except for the cackles of the crows in midair that had just finished a satisfactory meal.
More than twenty mushrooms were blossoming in the horizon far away. The crazily growing fungi had enshrouded half of the sky with the cold, hard colors.
Li Yao was lurking in a collapsed building. The rebars and cement had completely buried him and blended him into the debris.
In the scope of his sniper, an Immortal Cultivator in the Nascent Soul Stage 1,730 meters away was scolding his subordinates. The battle emblem of the burning planet that belonged to the Imperium of True Human Beings was emitting a bloody brilliance on his uniform. It was perhaps the only thing that could be called 'fresh' in the gray world.
It had been five years since Li Yao returned to the Heaven's Origin Sector.
After the Ice God Project was restarted, the refinement of the 'cosmic slingshot' had gone very well. It had only taken them a year and a half to finish the modification of Ice King. Then, they had returned to the Heaven's Origin Sector through the vehicle.
However, they had been too late.
The Star Glory Federation had suffered heavy losses in the war against the Blood Demon Sector and had been on the brink of destruction. The arrival of the minor apocalypse had been an even huger catastrophe.
Bewildered by the Immortal Cultivators, many people of the Heaven's Origin Sector had given up the path of the Cultivators. They believed that only by embarking on the path of the Immortal Cultivators could they resist the Blood Demon Sector and save their home.
As a result, a space gate that was even more enormous in size than the one in the Flying Star Sector had been established in the orbit of Heaven's Origin very soon.
When the expedition army of the Imperium of True Human Beings appeared in the sky of Heaven's Origin, many people had realized that they had been fooled, but there had been no time for regret.
To this day, under the two threats of the Imperium of True Human Beings and the Blood Demon Sector, the Heaven's Origin Sector had been shattered into smithereens. 90% of the cities had been ruined, and 70% of the population had been consumed in the fire. The survivors were either catching their last breath deep down in the underground fortresses or launching futile resistances among the collapsed buildings like moths charging at the fire, leaving the last mark of the civilization of the Heaven's Origin Sector.
Nine glittering stars were swirling on the scope. As Li Yao's breath turned more and more stable, the nine stars gradually flew to the temples of the Immortal Cultivator in the Nascent Soul Stage.
Five… Six… Seven…
When all the nine stars were focused on the head of the Immortal Cultivator, the 'Seven-star Soul Stealing Nails' would be able to attack the brain and soul of the Immortal Cultivator directly. The man would have to pay a high price, if he was not killed immediately!
However—
Experts in the Nascent Soul Stage had keen senses. When six stars were locked onto his head, the temples of the Immortal Cultivator suddenly collapsed. Then, his body blurred as he lunged directly in Li Yao's direction!
The full-speed sprinting of an expert in the Nascent Soul Stage was definitely faster than a bullet. Two thousand meters was merely a footstep for them!
In the blink of an eye, the Immortal Cultivator dashed over to Li Yao. The intimidating aura around him split the cement on Li Yao's body into power. Even the rebars were screeching as if they were breaking apart!
Li Yao, on the other hand, burst into laughter. The capability of the superlative height of the Core Formation Stage fully burst out, and the unstoppable aura of the Feathered Dragon Saber slashed at the Immortal Cultivator's neck!
It was Li Yao's trap in the first place.
Long-distance shooting was not his specialty. He had intentionally let the opponent discover the gun so that the man would think that it was a sniper who was lurking in this place.
Generally speaking, the melee combat ability of a sniper was always weaker.
The Feathered Dragon Saber was Li Yao's real killing move.
Pu!
A large head soared into the sky, and a flower of blood blossomed. The headless corpse continued rushing forward until it crashed into the debris after a boom!
But Li Yao felt greatly alarmed. There was a voice in his head that told him everything was just a dream. His opponent had not been killed by him. Instead, he was a victim of his opponent's mental attack and had been trapped in illusions!
Shua!
Li Yao tried his best to move leftwards for more than three hundred meters, narrowly avoiding the bombardment of a crystal cannon, but the overwhelming airwaves still blew him away.
While he was in midair, he heard shouting from various directions.
"That is Li Yao!"
"Don't let him get away!"
