Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 573
Cultivators fight their battles with spiritual energy, magical equipment, and other useful tools. Their combat ability might vary, but such a way of fighting is safe and stable. Even if they become mentally deranged, their cells would never collapse, nor would they get themselves burnt into ashes.
Li Yao pondered the advantages and disadvantages of the two different ways of fighting while he rushed almost a hundred kilometers away. He took three turns to make sure that he had no pursuers before he finally reached the top of the waterfall in the southwest.
With the Child-Mother Ring, he soon determined Jin Xinyue's location.
Jin Xinyue was lying on a giant rock on the top of the waterfall. Her body was covered in wounds, but not much blood was flowing out of her veins, a sign that she had already lost too much of her blood.
It seemed that she had experienced a fierce battle, too.
Li Yao peered over the edge and looked at the bottom of the waterfall.
The waterfall was several hundred meters high. Its bottom was covered in fog, which blocked Li Yao's vision.
Not far away, the water congregated into a zigzagging river that led to the deepest part of the forest.
Li Yao thought quickly for his escape.
Jumping off the cliff seemed to be the best route of escape right now. However, if he were one of the hunters, he would certainly not let go of such an obvious route. The long river below the waterfall would certainly be searched and heavily guarded.
After a moment, Li Yao made up his mind. Li Yao jumped off the waterfall carrying Jin Xinyue, but he charged into the waterfall after falling down dozens of meters.
Crack!
Li Yao's hand pierced deep into the rocks like a claw, supporting him in the middle of the water against the rushing water current. He then retrieved a small drill of mystic rays from his Cosmos Ring.
The drill of mystic rays was his favorite. A few years ago, he had been training in Yan Xinjian's secret residence below the surface of Spider Den. In the end, he had dug his way out of the underground with a special drill of mystic rays.
He had held onto the drill of mystic rays. It was one of the main weapons of the new Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit and had played an important role in the battle to annihilate Xiao Xuance. He did not expect that it would come in handy today again.
Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!
Li Yao dug out a narrow pathway in the hard rocks behind the waterfall.
The rocks there were all solid quartzites and basalts. Although the Insect Clan claimed to be the dominators of the underground world, they mostly lived in relatively soft soil or natural caves. It was impossible for them to live in suffocating rocks.
The drill of mystic rays was designed to explore the underground world, and Li Yao was quite familiar with the job. Very soon, he had dug the pathway deep down into the underground.
Naturally, he did not forget to dig a few additional turns behind him. But he estimated that the enemy would not discover the entrance behind the waterfall easily. Even if they did, the outmost part of the pathway had been sealed by him.
After they moved deep below the ground, they encountered a series of natural caves. However, Li Yao and Jin Xinyue, who had only just woken up, did not dare linger. For one day and one night, they kept running at the highest speed deep inside the Hundred Desolation Mountain. It was not until the dawn of the third day that they stopped to catch their breath and discuss the current situation.
"The Nether Spring Kingdom, the Kingdom of Lion Butchers and the Gold Crow Kingdom."
Li Yao scratched his chin. "Three of the four superpowers of the Blood Demon Sector have joined hands to chase after you. Why?"
"Not three. All of them." Jin Xinyue was extremely feeble due to the loss of blood. Her face was pale, and she replied dutifully, "I was assaulted by the Iron Crocodile Warriors of the Sea Dominator Kingdom on the top of the waterfall. Although I managed to kill all of them, I was heavily wounded and passed out in the end. Therefore, the Sea Dominator Kingdom is part of the scheme, too."
Li Yao glanced at her. "Being hunted by the four most powerful kingdoms of the Blood Demon Sector, you are rather calm."
Jin Xinyue smiled bitterly. "As the saintess of the Pantheon of Demons, I've seen too many of such schemes. Before, I cooperated with the assassins of the Nether Spring Kingdom, the Sea Dominator Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Lion Butchers to exterminate certain people that should not exist any longer, too. Now, it is my turn to be exterminated. What's there to be surprised at?
"However…"
Her eyes suddenly shuddered, and a guilty expression appeared on her face before she said softly, "My death is insignificant, but I accidentally dragged Elder into this disaster. It has absolutely nothing to do with Elder, but I've even put Elder into the crosshairs of the four superpowers of the Blood Demon Sector at the same time. I really feel…"
"I'm going to stop you there," Li Yao said coldly, "If there is no way out, I can always tie you up, throw you to them, and get away myself. I don't think that they will be so persistent in chasing after an expert who has the capability of a demon emperor after they get what they want. So, there is no need to feel guilty."
Jin Xinyue was dumbfounded. She had to swallow the remaining part of her speech.
Li Yao smiled and continued. "However, before I tie you up and throw you to them, there is something that I'm rather curious about. Why are the four kingdoms, including the Gold Crow Kingdom, trying to kill you?
"Logically, you know a great secret of the Nether Spring Kingdom. There is no reason for your father, Jin Tuyi, to abandon you."
Jin Xinyue smiled helplessly and said, "There are many possibilities. For example, when Elder Nether Spring saw that his secret was about to be exposed, he confessed it to my father and made a deal with my father by trading something for the secret and me, who knew the secret."
"Oh?" Li Yao narrowed his eyes. "Does Elder Nether Spring have anything that is worth trading for his daughter?"
"He does," Jin Xinyue said calmly, as if she were telling somebody else's story. "The Red Tide Plan is one of them."
"The Red Tide Plan?"
Li Yao naturally would not let go of such a good opportunity to collect the secrets of the Blood Demon Sector.
Chapter 861: So-Called Saintess |
"The Red Tide Plan is a war plan that my father has dedicated his entire life to. Hehe. If truth be told, I think the Red Tide Plan is his real 'child', and his blood descendants like me are just his tools."
Biting her lips hard, Jin Xinyue said calmly after a long sigh, "My father foresaw that a great war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector would break out a long time ago. However, both Sectors have a lot of potential. It is practically impossible for either Sector to conquer the other. The most likely outcome is that the two worlds will be burnt to the ground together.
"Therefore, decades ago, my father started studying how to conquer the Heaven's Origin Sector at the highest speed with the minimum cost. The Red Tide Plan is the result of his research.
"The details of the plan are highly classified. I'm afraid that my father is the only one who knows the whole plan, but the basic idea is, as I said to you before, to launch attack from the east side of the Star Glory Federation."
Li Yao was deep in thought. "You mentioned that the east side of the Star Glory Federation was a boundless Far East Ocean."
"Exactly." Jin Xinyue nodded and said, "The merging point of the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector is in the north of the Grand Desolate Plateau of the Star Glory Federation. Therefore, the northern frontline has always been the most solid line of defense for the Star Glory Federation. The federal army has even militarized the entire Grand Desolate Plateau, and eighty percent of the available forces are stationed on the Grand Desolate Plateau and the Giant Blade Pass.
"On the other hand, the southeast part of the Star Glory Federation near the ocean is the most prosperous and resourceful region. Ever since the 'Far East Demon Kingdom', the local demon race of the Heaven's Origin Sector, perished five hundred years ago, the Star Glory Federation has never witnessed any attack from the southeast. After such a long time of peace, the region's defense is rather sloppy.
"As far as I know, the Red Tide Plan has two parts. First, a super large-scale attack will be launched in the north of the Star Glory Federation, for the purpose of attracting the forces of the Star Glory Federation. When the soldiers of both parties are fatigued, the most elite troops of the navy and the air force of the Blood Demon Sector will pop up from the ocean to the east of the Star Glory Federation and strike the most prosperous towns near the ocean. They will even assault the capital of the Star Glory Federation directly!
"That is the Red Tide Plan!"
"Sounds good." Li Yao's pupils constricted. He tried to stop the brilliance inside his eyes from beaming out. "However, how are the elite troops of the navy and air force of the Blood Demon Sector going to sneak to the ocean to the east of the Star Glory Federation?"
"I have no idea." Jin Xinyue shook her head and said, "Those details are top confidential. My father did not trust me. For what it's worth, he barely trusted anybody. Why would he reveal the details? However, by my estimation, it is likely related to the relics of the 'Far East Demon Kingdom'.
"It is said that the Far East Demon Kingdom meant to build a wormhole leading to the Blood Demon Sector in order to ask for reinforcements from the Blood Demon Sector or to flee there before their doom. However, the kingdom was annihilated before the plan worked out.
"Maybe, my father has broken through the wormhole in secret and grasped a secret route leading to the rear of the Star Glory Federation. He might've established a series of undersea bases with the remaining facilities that the Far East Demon Kingdom left."
Li Yao was so shocked that he was soaked in sweat. He said coldly, "If that's the case, why didn't your father launch the 'Red Tide Plan' during the 'Battle of Dawn'?"
Jin Xinyue did not grow suspicious. She replied frankly, "Maybe it was because the wormhole was not stable yet and the undersea bases were not sufficient for the operations? It must be noted that such an assault will be conducted in the rear of the enemy. The benefits will be huge if it succeeds. But if it fails, all the troops will likely be wiped out. It concerns the future of the kingdom and the demon race. My father has to be cautious.
"More importantly, the Feather Clan and the Sea Clan hadn't reached an agreement with the Insect Clan and the Claw Clan back then.
"The rivalry of continentalism and navalism has been going on for a long time in the Blood Demon Sector. The Red Tide Plan regards the army of the Insect Clan and the Claw Clan as bait who will have to resist the immense pressure of the Star Glory Federation before the real plans works out. It is not hard to imagine that their losses will be heavy.
"Also, even if the Red Tide Plan works out in the end, it will be the Feather Clan and the Sea Clan that occupy the most prosperous areas of the Star Glory Federation. What benefits are there for the Insect Clan and the Claw Clan?
"Because of the objection of the Insect Clan and the Claw Clan, the Red Tide Plan has been put on hold.
"Although my father went to power in place of the previous commander-in-chief after the 'Battle of Dawn' suffered a brutal failure, that does not mean that he can dispatch the forces of the Insect Clan and the Claw Clan at will. He is still kept in check by the other experts.
"Elder Nether Spring and Elder Blood Robe, on the other hand, do not object to the Red Tide Plan blindly. They believed that the Red Tide Plan could be an excellent move of distraction. The assault of the Sea Clan and the Feather Clan would certain stall a lot of forces of the Star Glory Federation, but the main focus of the Blood Demon Sector, in their opinion, should still be the Giant Blade Pass where the ground force will win the war!"
Li Yao realized that the main focus of the war was about the conflict of interests.
It was not hard to guess that those who attracted the Star Glory Federation's attention would suffer heavy losses and those who were attacking for real would likely occupy the prosperous areas of the Star Glory Federation.
Jin Xinyue rubbed her cold face. There was no telling whether she was warming up her frozen muscles or covering the tears in her eyes. She mumbled, "Elder Nether Spring is a hardcore supporter of continentalism. If he is willing to concede on certain aspects of the Red Tide Plan so that it can be implemented smoothly, I believe that my father, who considers the Red Tide Plan his life, will sell an insignificant daughter without even batting an eye."
Li Yao licked his teeth and said, "So, the Red Tide Plan might have been activated already, the Blood Demon Sector has found a secret wormhole leading to the ocean in the east of the Heaven's Origin Sector, and undersea bases are being established in the relics of the Far East Demon Kingdom?"
Jin Xinyue shrugged and said, "It is only one possibility. There's another possibility. My father might not be aware of the matter, and it could be my enemies who are trying to kill me."
"Really?"
"Very likely," Jin Xinyue said. "As the new commander-in-chief of the coalition army, he is busy suppressing the Riot of Bloody Blade and trying to raise the morale of the defeated soldiers from the Battle of Battle. He cannot possibly notice every detail. It would not be surprising if somebody tricked him into making a misjudgment."
"What? You have that many enemies?" Li Yao asked.
"Let me see…" Deep in thought, Jin Xinyue bit her fingernails and said, "There's no need to mention the Nether Spring Kingdom. I once killed a general of the Nether Spring Kingdom and stole top confidential information from there.
"As for the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, their two princesses received training together with me in the Pantheon of Demons, but they were poisoned by me later.
"I have no personal grudge with the Sea Dominator Kingdom, but they organized an operation to infiltrate the Heaven's Origin Sector before and I somehow got the intelligence and sold it. Later, I was told that one of their elite squads was entirely wiped out in the Heaven's Origin Sector.
"In the Gold Crow Kingdom, I have too many enemies. However, the commander of the Mirage Falcon troops is my big brother, Jin Wuxu. That's odd. My relationship with him is not bad on the surface. Didn't we work together to kill our seventh brother last time? Why was he trying to kill me? Did he find out that I was behind the attempted assassination against him last month?"
"…" Li Yao.
Jin Xinyue's eyelids were twitching violently. She mumbled, "It was not because my father discovered that I killed the b*tch, was it? If so, I'm screwed!"
"Who is the 'b*tch'?" Li Yao asked.
With a scowl, Jin Xinyue answered, "She is my father's wife."
Li Yao frowned. "Why did you kill her?"
Jin Xinyue was silent for a long time before she replied, "Because she murdered my mother and sent me to the Pantheon of Demons to be a saintess."
Before Li Yao opened his mouth, Jin Xinyue smiled bitterly and continued. "You may not know this, Elder, but saintess of the Pantheon of Demons is definitely not a good job.
"First of all, the girls who are chosen as 'saintesses' are often around five. They will be sent to the Pantheon of Demons to receive the harshest training when they are seven to eight. The elimination rate is quite high. By 'elimination', I mean 'death', not being sent home.
"In the batch I was in, the elimination rate was higher than seventy percent. most of the girls were either tortured to death during the harsh training or killed in the ever-lasting combat among ourselves.
"In such an environment, every girl is trying their best for survival. If I don't kill you, you might kill me. Of course, I poisoned a lot of people, but I was poisoned multiple times, too, and I would not be living today without luck.
"Even if you are lucky enough to pass the perilous training and become an 'intern saintess', you will have to carry out the dangerous assignments that the Pantheon of Demons issued. There's no need to talk about the outcome of those who fail. Even if you succeed, you might be killed to keep your mouth shut.
"In other words, the so-called 'saintesses' are merely just a batch of female assassins and spies that the Pantheon of Demons training. The title is just a decoration for us.
"Even if you become the 'Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens' out of the countless saintesses of the Pantheon of Demons, you will only end up as a puppet of the twelve demon emperors. You have no real power at all, and you might become a scapegoat at any moment."
Li Yao raised his eyebrow. "A scapegoat?"
"Exactly," Jin Xinyue sneered. "According to legend, the honorable Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens boasts the capability to communicate with the ancient demon clans. Therefore, whenever a catastrophe takes place in the Blood Demon Sector, the Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens is sacrificed to satisfy the unknowable gods.
"After the failure of the Battle of Dawn, a Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens was sacrificed, and the commander-in-chief who was the real guilty party only resigned. It was harmless for him after all. When everybody forgets what happened, he will rise to power in a different role!
"Hehe. That b*tch. After she killed my mother, she meant to kill me, too. But because of my father, she was not determined to kill a little kid directly. Therefore, she sent me to the Pantheon of Demons to be a saintess. She thought that I would be no more trouble for her at all, even if I was lucky enough to not get killed!"
Chapter 862: Understandable |
"She thought that I knew nothing about the real reason for my mother's death, and I'd been acting obediently, too, without showing any suspicion. But in secret, I climbed up step by step in the abyss of the Pantheon of Demons and finally crawled out of it, turning into an independent saintess.
"After I became a saintess, I was authorized to recruit my own subordinates and seek the support of those who were loyal to me. I also ran investigations in secret while carrying out the missions of the Pantheon of Demons. Finally, I discovered critical proof.
