Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 637
Moreover, in the 'Skyfire Reading Club', Li Yao had been elected as the 'president' to lead the organization.
Faced with the challenge, Li Yao did not hesitate or back off.
In terms of capability, he was in the superlative height of the Core Formation Stage, and he was a master of refining. Moreover, he had grasped the ability to trigger the primeval cells freely through the mental devil. His combat ability was even higher than that of the Fire Ant King and on par with the best experts of the Blood Demon Sector such as Elder Nether Spring or Jin Tuyi!
In terms of identity, he was an Ultra-Level Federal Hero, the contactor between the Flying Star Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector, and the first to discovered 'Chaos' Ba Yanzhi's Hidden Star Box and the origins of the demon race!
In the newly founded Skyfire, of which the Fire Ant King, Han Tuhu, Suo Chaolong, and many others were members, who was more qualified to be the leader than himself?
In his heart, Li Yao was fonder of studying in seclusion, sneaking, and assassinating. He did not like, nor was he good at, being the leader of an organization.
But he was very clear that, every time he advanced into a new stage, the responsibility and challenges that befitted the stage would be waiting for him. Most of the time, the lifestyle of 'follow your heart' was hypocritical, even bordering on cowardice.
Now that he was the only one who was able to hold the longsword that could chop apart the dark forest, he would certainly try his best to be the best swordsman!
Hiu!
Li Yao fell to the ground like a meteorite, trigger a round of airwaves like a hurricane.
He eyed the warriors of Skyfire.
The 'athletes' were divided into three groups dressed in 'sportswear', all of which was design in different colors and styles but 'happened' to be very similar to combat suits. There was also the logo of Skyfire on their chest.
Under the vaporized blood and sweat, the burning fire right above the dark forest was even more dazzling.
The captives who had survived Elder Nether Spring's terrifying experiments were mostly very tough. After several days' thorough treatment, they were all back to their feet again. After the life-and-death battles in the Nether World, they were even stronger than in the past.
They were not divided according to the Blood Lion Battalion, the Flying Tigers Legion, and the Blade of Chaos. Instead, the three forces were entirely regrouped and mixed into three brand new teams. Every team was given a new name.
Furious Flame!
Wild Tide!
Electric Shock!
They were the three squads under the Skyfire. Every squad was mixed and matched by the silver-blood demons, the chaotic-blood demons, and the federal soldiers. New suits, logos, and flags had been designed, too.
A unified flag, suit, and name could trigger a new sense of honor and community as soon as possible, especially during high-intensity competitions.
It was the truth that had been proven by countless armies and forces.
The three squads were competing among themselves day and night. The losers of the competitions would receive the punitive, if not hellish, training that was devised by Li Yao and twenty percent as hard as his own training.
A federal soldier was allowed to despise the demons who were his teammates or even to attack them, as long as he could endure twenty percent of Li Yao's training difficulty.
At first, many federal soldiers of demons indeed hated each other and were unwilling to cooperate in the competitions. They were even hamstringing each other.
However, after they were disciplined by Li Yao in person several times, especially after Li Yao accidentally discovered that the sap of a certain demonic plant in the Mysterious Shadow Domain was particularly suitable to feed the Purple Ring Sword Ants… and the Purple Ring Sword Ants who got the new nutrition grew into the size of grasshoppers…
Everybody quickly came to the understanding that human beings and demons were of the same origin and that unification was better than division. They could not have tried harder in the competitions!
The survivors of the Blood Lion Battalion, the Flying Tigers Legion, and the Blade of Chaos were all one-in-ten-thousand elites. Their average capability was much higher than that of the regular army of the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector.
Li Yao did not want them to become a regular army of an enormous size, either. On the contrary, he wanted them to become a mid-sized rapid response troop and a special force that could carry out special missions.
He did not know the first thing about the military affairs, but Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong were both super experts in the regard.
He was responsible for providing training techniques and drafting training plans; Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong were responsible for supervising the new tactics and teamwork; the Fire Ant King offered various kinds of strengthening drugs to trigger their potentials.
A brand-new force that was unseen in the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Blood Demon Sector, or the Flying Star Sector was gradually taking shape.
Chapter 962: Li Yao's Formidability! |
"As I have repeatedly said, don't call me 'Chief Instructor'!"
With a gloomy face, Li Yao walked to the hideous-looking trainers. After every step he took, the ground below his feet would fluctuate like the surface of an ocean. The trainers split apart like a building being torn apart in an earthquake.
Li Yao frowned. "Skyfire is just a reading club made of civilians, a community of history fans. We are all readers here, and when we are tired of reading, we gather up and do some physical exercise. What is this Chief Instructor all about?
"I am merely helping you guys with your physical training when I'm free. You may call me 'Chief Coach'!
"However, although we are all readers, we occasionally are obliged to excavate the relics of the past forty thousand years while studying the history, some of which are quite dangerous.
"Besides, I am hoping to unearth the real relics of the Pangu Clan of the primeval era with the elites of you one day!
"Therefore, it is also important for us readers to keep our bodies healthy!
"I've been in seclusion for three days. I hope that you trained yourself like rabid dogs as per my requirement!"
Li Yao extended his finger and snatched one of the crystal balls from the facility area of the training field.
Glancing around, Li Yao said casually, "Furious Flame, Wild Tide, and Electric Shot, you may go up together. In three minutes, if anyone can touch the ball, I will be defeated, and your training will be cancelled tonight!
"Otherwise…
"You are all clear that the Fire Ant King's strongest ability is to refine ant-type demon beasts, aren't you?
"Three days ago, I gave him a batch of Purple Ring Sword Ants and asked him to refine them. It is said that they will be built into 'Super Dominating Purple Ring Sword Ants', which are ten times more poisonous than the usual Purple Ring Sword Ants. If nobody touches the ball in three minutes, you will get to taste the feeling of Super Dominating Purple Ring Sword Ants. Is there a problem?"
One of the trainers raised his hand. "Chief Coach, are weapons allowed?"
Li Yao smiled. "You can even use Taiyi Lightning Railguns if you want. Three minutes. Starting from now!"
Sha! Sha! Sha! Sha!
The crystal ball was rotating fast on Li Yao's fingertip. He kept his left hand in his back while he roamed among hundreds of ferocious trainers.
The hideous trainers, who were enough to cause a nightmare if anybody saw them, were now sweating hard and having nightmares themselves!
Damn it. Regular Purple Ring Sword Ants were already a pain in the ass, and now Super Dominating Purple Ring Sword Ants were coming?
Many of them shuddered greatly.
More people, on the other hand, were gritting their teeth viciously. They thought that, although they were certainly no match for the Chief Coach, there were hundreds of them after all. Hundreds of players versus one. It was unlikely that they could not even touch the ball, was it not?
"Let's go!"
Looking at each other in silence for a second, somebody shouted in the crowd. The members of the Furious Flame Squad, the Wild Tide Squad, and the Electric Shock Squad all bulged in size and roared thunderously. Demonic energy and spiritual energy were vibrating, and flying swords and sharp claws were all unsheathed, as they lunged at Li Yao!
"There are hundreds of us. Can't we even touch the crystal ball?"
"It is good enough as long as one of us touches the ball. Don't swarm up! Keep attacking in different waves and make best use of our advantage in numbers!
"Furious Flame Squad, compress Chief Coach's zone of activity. Block his path with your body if you must!
"Electric Shock Squad, attack remotely and drain his physical strength!
"Wild Tide Squad, engage in melee combat and try to take over the crystal ball!"
After the tutelage of Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong, two first-rate experts in tactics, the warriors of Skyfire had absorbed the classical examples of battles of both the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector. Very soon, they picked the most suitable strategy and surrounded Li Yao one layer after another. Endless wild tides seemed to be indeed flooding toward Li Yao!
However—
"Block my path with your body? Try it!"
Li Yao was rather excited. The demonic energy spurting out of his pores formed glamorous stripes around him under the interference of spiritual waves. His body suddenly split apart into nine streaks of brightness that darted toward to nine different directions like shooting stars, blowing away nine warriors of Skyfire and knocking over dozens of more.
The Skyfire warriors were quick enough to respond, too. Their battle formation was stabilized quickly after a moment of dispersion, and they tried to lock Li Yao again like an enormous shackle!
"Not bad. Come again!"
Li Yao even had the leisure to lick his lips. The crystal ball seemed to have been stuck to his fingertip. His left hand turned into a cluster of gray mist and swallowed the attacks launched by more than ten Skyfire warriors.
Pa!
A Skyfire warrior who was more than three meters tall and had a thick hide resembling that of a rhino was kicked away by Li Yao. Deep purple bruising was already emerging on his thick hide while he was still in midair. The blood seemed to be spurting out at any moment!
BOOM!
Another Skyfire warrior pressed his temples so hard that his fingers almost stabbed into his brain. He was triggering powerful telepathic thoughts and piercing a flying sword into Li Yao at more than five times the speed of sound. But Li Yao extended his left hand and grabbed the flying sword when it was some ten meters away. After a brief impasse, he clenched his fist, and the flying sword was shattered!
Hiu! Hiu! Hiu! Hiu!
The pieces of the flying sword turned into dozens of streaks of brightness and revolved briefly before they suddenly exploded and darted into the bodies of more than ten Skyfire warriors like bullets, wrecking their defense!
The training ground was enshrouded in dust, with screams and shouts everywhere, as if a clowder of lions and tigers were fighting against a tyrannosaur!
Li Yao narrowed his eyes. While he shattered the flying sword, his right index finger was still supporting the crystal ball, but his little finger snapped out, triggering an airwave that turned into a rushing blade of wind seven meters away.
After a 'bam', the tip of the saber in the hands of a Skyfire warrior was cut off.
The Skyfire warrior looked at his shortened saber in bewilderment. Before he came back to himself, he was hit right in the face by the second bullet of compressed air and did not smash the ground until he had rolled around ten times in midair!
This is what I'm talking about!
Li Yao's every cell seemed to be having a massage after a hot shower and a bottle of cold drink.
The switch between spiritual energy and demonic energy is much smoother right now, which allows me to remain engaged in a high-intensity combat for longer. The cooldown of the techniques has been significantly reduced.
The high development of the second brain has improved my efficiency in calculating the situation of the battlefield by at least 34.1%. I have more tactical options in a complicated battlefield now!
If I were faced with Xiao Xuance's Grand Illusionary Soldiers again, I might be able to take down a thousand of them by myself!
One minute… Two minutes… Two minutes and ten seconds…
As time went by, almost a hundred Skyfire warriors were lying awry on the ground.
Li Yao's demonic energy and spiritual energy were being consumed fast. The first drop of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he was breathing more rapidly than before.
Li Yao calmly recorded the rate of the consumption of his spiritual energy and his cells, as well as the changes that happened to his internal organs, every second.
He was very satisfied about the dropping speed of his combat ability.
He was a man, not a god, after all. The Skyfire warriors were mostly above the Building Foundation Stage. A lot of them were in the Core Formation Stage, too. They had also been endowed with all kinds of weird techniques. Any Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator or demon emperor would find it tricky to deal with them.
Li Yao was most content.
Through the Skyfire warriors, he seemed to have envisioned what the brand-new federal army would look like in the war against the Imperium of True Human Beings in the future.
Shua!
Finally, Li Yao was pushed to the limits.
After fingers, tails, hairs, and other bizarre organs brushed past the crystal ball at a close distance, ten warriors who had been waiting and observing patiently in the past two minutes and fifty seconds suddenly rose up like ten venomous blades unsheathed!
The ten of them were the well-acknowledged strongest among all the Skyfire warriors!
Seven of them locked onto Li Yao's critical parts such as eyes, abdomen, ribs, groin, and knees. One of the lizard warriors who had scales all over his body was even crouching on the ground, ready to attack his feet.
The other three warriors, on the other hand, lunged at the crystal ball from three different directions.
There was no stopping them!
Swoosh!
Having no choice, Li Yao could only snap the crystal ball high into the sky to free his right hand in order to fight the strongest ten!
However, the moment the crystal ball left his hand, two streaks of brightness suddenly jerked up from the warriors on the ground who had 'passed out' and shot toward the soaring ball!
The ten warriors that were lunging at Li Yao changed their direction immediately, too, and stopped over Li Yao's head, blocking him from the crystal ball!
"Chief Coach, you've been fooled!"
In that moment, all the warriors were exuberant.
Regardless of whether they were human beings or demons, they were about to hug each other and cry, not just because they finally could have one night of rest, but also, and more importantly, because they had defeated the frighteningly formidable Vulture Li Yao!
BOOM! BOOM!
When the two streaks of brightness almost reached the crystal ball, two dull noises suddenly reverberated in the sky.
The crystal ball was boosted to a higher altitude by the explosion of a super tiny crystal bomb, thereby escaping the two Skyfire warriors.
The second explosion blew the crystal ball into pieces. It was instantly devoured by fire without any remains left.
"Well—"
All Skyfire warriors looked at the sky in a daze for a long time before turning to Li Yao half in wrath and half in depression.
Finally, one of Skyfire warriors summoned his courage and asked, "Isn't—isn't this cheating?"
"Of course it is. Any problem?"
Li Yao opened his hands. "I installed the mini crystal bombs on the ball at the very beginning. It was right in front of you for three minutes. Yet, nobody discovered them. Am I to blame?
"Remember, Super Dominating Purple Ring Sword Ants. Get yourselves prepared!"
Li Yao smiled. His face could not have been more devastating at this moment in the eyes of the Skyfire warriors.
Right then, Han Tuhu dashed onto the training ground.
"We've made a major breakthrough in the analysis on the memory unit of the main biochemical brain of the Nether World!"
Chapter 963: Uncontrollable Evolution! |
The memory unit of the main biochemical brain of the Nether World was soaked in a huge, transparent biochemical slot. Billions of bubbles were attached to it like billions of cells, corroding and analyzing it. The memory unit was shrinking like a rotten apple.
More than ten strands of synthesized nerves extended out of the bottom of the biochemical slot and connected to more than ten biochemical brains of the Blade of Chaos.
One of the biochemical brains was connected to a crystal processor. Through the light beam, the information retrieved from the memory unit was displayed in front of everyone.
In front of Li Yao, Han Tuhu, and Suo Chaolong, more than ten light beams were floating, on which a huge amount of information were surging like tides.
The Fire Ant King explained their progress. "In the past ten days, we have retrieved valuable experiment data and research files from both the memory unit and the storage chips, which has proved very helpful in cracking the secrets of the legacy of Chaos and explaining everything that happened to you.
"We have also basically figured out the details of the 'Demon God Virus' and Elder Nether Spring's purpose.
"The so-called 'Demon God Virus' can be interpreted as a virus that targets the genetic locks. It is an 'exhilarant' that facilitates the high-speed evolution of cells.
"Generally speaking, the gene strands in the cells of both human beings and demons are always kept in a relatively stable state, like they are shackled by an invisible giant lock.
"Although the 'genetic lock' restricts part of our abilities, it ensures the steadiness of our body and prevents us from mutating too radically. We can say that it is a protective mechanism of our body.
