Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 647
"I know that Master is too marvelous to need the help of such a burdensome disciple as myself. Also, with my stupidity, I will not be able to understand one millionth of your techniques, Master!
"However, please do give me a chance to serve you, Master. I can do all the menial work as long as I have the opportunity to admire your brilliance, Master, and I will be ecstatic!
"Besides, I have gathered quite a lot of intelligence in Void Turmoil City over the past couple of months. Right now, it is a total mess outside. The greatest war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector is coming close, but a 'Flying Star Sector' has shown up out of thin air.
"There are also mysterious forces such as the Imperium of True Human Beings. It is said that, in those place, the Core Formation Stage Cultivators are as common as clouds while the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators are like raindrops, and they are building warships as if they are making dumplings!
"It is also said that a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator from the Heaven's Origin Sector who is strong, brutal, and insane has snuck into the Blood Demon Sector. Nobody knows what he is up to or where he is. Chances are that he is right next to us!
"In such a chaotic situation, if you keep me by your side, Master, I can help you collect, sort, and analyze the intelligence and make future plans. In that case, a lot of your time can be saved and dedicated to your wholehearted training. Isn't it so, Master?"
Li Yao stared at her for a long time. It was not until Jin Xinyue felt creepy that he said slowly, "Are you really willing to be my disciple?"
Jin Xinyue was overjoyed. She nodded quickly. "Yes. Yes. I am absolutely willing to, Master!"
Li Yao pondered for a moment and said, "I have recruited two disciples so far. I recruited the first one for his talents and the second one for her tenacity. For the two disciples, I have only been teaching them things without thinking of asking for anything from them in return.
"The two of them are enough to pass on all my knowledge. Therefore, I had never thought of recruiting a third disciple before.
"If I am going to recruit a third disciple, honestly speaking, it will only be for my own convenience.
"The things that I don't have time to handle will be handled by you. The jobs that I'm not interested in but have to do nonetheless will be taken care of by you. The fundamental tasks, such as data analysis, intelligence collection, and tactical choices, will all be your responsibilities. To quote your words, all the 'menial work' will be yours. Are you willing to do them?"
Jin Xinyue was elated. "It is everything that I have dreamed for, master!"
"Although I am recruiting you for a different reason," Li Yao said, "I will treat you equally and fulfil my duty as a master now that you are my disciple. I don't care what you did in the past, but after you become my disciple, you will be restricted by my rules, which shall never be violated. Do you understand?"
"Yes, I do!" Jin Xinyue said quickly. "If you are not assured, Master, I can make a Blood Oath or take the poison and venom of your choosing as a shackle."
"That will be unnecessary," Li Yao said casually. "I never believe that any relationship, including that between a master and a disciple, can be maintained by a Blood Oath or the useless stuff such as poison or contracts.
"I once made a Blood Oath to respect a certain someone as my master, but hardly had I kneeled before him before I turned around and killed him!
"To this day, I still admit that he is my number one master. But so what? He is so dead right now that even his ashes are no more!
"Do you think a Blood Oath means anything to someone like me? Any Blood Oath or soul contract will have loopholes, and every venom and poison has a solution.
"Only the weak would trust the illusionary sense of safety that a Blood Oath and the soul contracts bring to them!"
Jin Xinyue secretly clicked her tongue, thinking to herself that he was truly an old monster. Killing his own master after only just finishing the ceremony? That was rather brutal.
Li Yao took out an ivory stone from his pocket and extended to Jin Xinyue.
"Bright Gold Stone?"
Jin Xinyue was baffled. It was a very solid material that was ten times harder than diamond, but it was not very valuable. Why was the old monster bringing out such a thing?
Li Yao held the Bright Gold Stone in his hands and rubbed it.
The tiniest powder leaked out of the gaps of his fingers without any sound.
Jin Xinyue was dumbfounded.
A moment later, Li Yao opened his hands again. The Bright Gold Stone inside his hands was only one third of its original size. It had turned into a statue the size of a thumb. It was a hideous vulture that was searching for food.
The vulture was so vividly carved that even the brutality in its eyes was fully depicted!
Jin Xinyue was utterly shocked. Her heart was beating fast. Only through the shivering and crushing of the muscles on his hands, he has carved a Bright Gold Stone into a life-like statue in only half a minute? You—you—you've got to be kidding me!
Li Yao placed the vulture statue into Jin Xinyue's hand and said, "A Blood Oath is quite superfluous. This statue is my welcome gift for you as my disciple. Take it out and play with it every now and then, and I believe you will remember my rules very well."
Jin Xinyue did not know whether she should feel fortunate or she should cry out. The vulture statue was as scorching as briquet and about to burn a hole on her hands. Calming herself down, she asked carefully, "Understood, Master. I will certainly remember all of your rules well. But I wonder… what are the rules of our school exactly?"
Li Yao was dazed.
Well, that was a good question. What were the rules that his disciples should abide by?
Chapter 978: Secret Channel! |
"Master?"
Jin Xinyue was rather confused. Why was the old monster suddenly hesitating?
Li Yao scratched his hair in embarrassment and said, "Now that I think about it, I haven't set up any rules for my disciples yet."
Are you serious?
"How about this." Li Yao found a solution. "I am quite an easygoing man, and I don't have too many rigorous rules that you have to follow. But now that you have turned back into a human being and even entered the Core Formation Stage, you can follow the 'Constitution of Cultivators' for now and try to become a real Cultivator from inside to outside!"
"…Wait a second, Master. Why is this conversation getting increasingly weird for me? Isn't the Constitution of Cultivators a law of the… the Star Glory Federation?"
"Exactly. I am a citizen of the Star Glory Federation. Now that you are my disciple, naturally, you will abide by the law of the federation as a dutiful, useful person for our society. Is there a problem?"
"…..Wait. Wait wait. Master, please give me ten seconds. My head is rather befuddled right now, and I need to think about everything more carefully."
"Alright!"
Ten seconds later, Jin Xinyue swallowed hard and glanced at Li Yao. She asked cautiously, "Well, Master, I think there is a misunderstanding here. Are you not a great demon from forty thousand years ago that was resurrected recently?"
"Who said that?" Li Yao asked innocently.
"I… It… You said last time you were Elder Bloody Vulture…"
"Everybody has a lot of identities when they are out doing their training. Therefore, I did not lie to you when I said that my name was 'Bloody Vulture'. It was indeed a name that I used in the past. As for 'Elder', you added it yourself. I never acknowledged it before.
"Other than Bloody Vulture, I have quite a few names, such as Fiend Star and Sand Scorpion. But I spent most of my days in the Star Glory Federation, and when I was in the Star Glory Federation, I was 'Vulture Li Yao'."
"The 'Vulture Li Yao' who killed almost a hundred descendants of the noble families on Boneyard ten years ago and wiped out a squad of silver-blood demons, known as the most brutal Building Foundation Stage Cultivator of the Heaven's Origin Sector?"
"That's me."
Jin Xinyue stared at the vulture statue in her hands, dumbfounded.
The statue seemed to be alive and pierced into her heart, freezing her mind and soul.
"So, rumors have it that a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator has snuck into the Blood Demon Sector to instigate trouble. That's you, too, Master?"
"Probably. But I didn't instigate trouble. Fine. From the temporal point of view, I may have instigated some trouble, but it was for a good reason. Would you like to hear my explanation?"
Li Yao's intimidating aura filled the entire secret room like a quickly expanding octopus.
Jin Xinyue found it hard to breathe. Sweating hard, she smiled, but her expression looked uglier that if she had been crying. "Yes. Of course. Take all the time you need, Master. I'm all ears!"
Li Yao coughed and told Jin Xinyue everything that he had told the Fire Ant King before, including his important experiences in the Flying Star Sector and the secrets about the origins of the demon race.
At first, Jin Xinyue was both frightened and upset.
She was only thinking about how she could save her life. It never occurred to her that the old monster's real identity was so horrible, which would certainly drag her into an even dreadful swirl.
However, Li Yao's experiences attracted her, especially the formidability of the Imperium of True Human Beings, the shocking origins of the demon race, and the mysteries of Elder Nether Spring's Spore Stratagem!
"My purpose is simple. I wish to stop the mutual destruction of the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector so that we can face the threat of the Imperium of True Human Beings together!" Li Yao said. "Theory that human beings and demons share the same origin is a fact. You know it better than anybody else; you are a walking proof!
"Since we are of the same origin, the whole thing is definitely not unnegotiable.
"Besides, we face imminent peril. Leaving the Imperium of True Human Beings aside, Elder Nether Spring's Spore Stratagem, should it work out, will turned both the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector into wastelands!
"For you personally, you don't want to hide in a shelter for the rest of your life, do you? Only after the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector reach a truce, and all the demons learn of their origins and make a choice freely about their future, will you be able to show up openly in public!"
Jin Xinyue thought quickly and realized that the real identity of her 'master' was in fact better for her.
He was quite right. With her current appearance, the demon race would not embrace her, and human beings would only make use of her.
Only if the two Sectors cease fire would there be room for her survival.
Moreover—
Jin Xinyue's eyes flickered from side to side, and suddenly, she realized that she was indeed the key to the situation!
"Whoever you are, Master," she said respectfully, "you will always be my only master. As a disciple, I'm certainly loyal to my master! What are we going to do next?"
Li Yao could tell from the mysterious smile on her lips that Jin Xinyue was planning how to gain the greatest benefits from the whole thing.
But he had never expected his third disciple to be someone frank and forthright.
Perhaps, Jin Xinyue and her character would be the sharpest dagger to cut the knots that were ahead of him quickly.
"Your father is the commander-in-chief of the coalition army," Li Yao said. "By your estimation, what will he do after he learns the news about the Flying Star Sector? Will he call for a ceasefire and even work for peace because of the overwhelming capability of the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector, or will he go all in and start the final war?"
Although Jin Xinyue looked feeble, her nerves seemed to be made of steel. She recovered from Li Yao's shocking identity and reactivated her computational ability. She calmly analyzed, "He will start the final war, of course! Not just my father, any leader of the demon race would make the same choice. I would do exactly the same thing if I were the commander-in-chief!
"Let's stand in their shoes for a moment. You are the Speaker of Parliament of the Star Glory Federation, Master, and you learn the news that the Blood Demon Sector will be reinforced by another world of demons, and its capability will soar in the next couple of years. Right then, the Blood Demon Sector sends out envoys, hoping to strike a truce or even a total peace.
"What judgement will you make? Will you believe that it is not some kind of delaying tactic?"
Li Yao pondered for a moment and had to admit that it was indeed a conundrum.
If he were the Speaker of Parliament and learned such news, he would definitely not trust the envoys from the Blood Demon Sector but take a wild gamble, too!
Nobody would put their chances of survival on their mortal enemy!
"If so," Li Yao said, "can you estimate how the wild gamble will be played? How will your father launch the attack according to his personality?"
Deep in thought for a moment, Jin Xinyue suddenly exclaimed, "The Red Tide Plan!"
Li Yao had heard the name before.
It was said to be an assault plan that Jin Tuyi had dedicated his life to.
He was hoping to attack the prosperous area of the federation from the ocean to the east of the Star Glory Federation!
Jin Xinyue breathed quickly and said, "After the civilians of Void Turmoil City were captured, we were locked up and had military training quickly. We were not only taught the tricks of a long march but also the methods to survive in the desert. They seemed to be planning to drive us to march in a desert!
"Although the land of the Blood Demon Sector is barren, there are no large deserts except for the White Silver Death Desert. Besides, there are barely any resources in the deserts. They don't have any reason to send the civilians there."
Li Yao squinted. "The Grand Desolate Plateau?"
Jin Xinyue nodded. "Yes. The merging point of the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector is on the Grand Desolate Plateau. If we attack the Heaven's Origin Sector through the regular routes, the soldiers will inevitably pass through the entire Grand Desolate Plateau. The coalition army of demons is grouping the civilians and driving them to the Grand Desolate Plateau as cannon fodder!
"But it doesn't make sense!
"Although the 'Battle of Dawn' has failed, the Blood Demon Sector is still the stronger one at present. Training the regular demons into cannon fodder should not yet be necessary.
"There's a difference between advanced cannon fodder and mediocre cannon fodder. Why do they not resort to the advanced cannon fodder, namely the well-trained black-blood demons and chaotic-blood demons?
"After all, all cannon fodder will consume resources. Sending so many civilians into the Grand Desolate Plateau will be a huge pressure for our supply line. They will likely be starved before they march to the Giant Blade Pass. If so, the only thing that will be struck is their own morale instead of the federal soldiers."
Li Yao nodded. Jin Xinyue did have a point.
Approved by Li Yao, Jin Xinyue was greatly encouraged. "Unless, of course, the Grand Desolate Plateau will not be the main field, and the coalition army is not sending the main force there. It is just a fake main force consisting of a few regular soldiers and a huge amount of cannon fodder!
"So much cannon fodder is required to fake an expedition army of an unprecedented scale that the current cannon fodder they have is far from enough. That's why they are training the civilians into cannon fodder!
"After all, they do not have any demand on the combat ability for the cannon fodder. As long as they are sent into the Grand Desolate Plateau and deceive the main force of the federal army for a fortnight, it will be good enough!
"The real route of attack, on the other hand, is in the ocean east to the Star Glory Federation!
"Since hundreds of years ago when the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector first met each other, the main point of impact has always been the north of the Grand Desolate Plateau.
"Over the past few years, most of the best tides have broken out on the Grand Desolate Plateau, too. As a result, it is now assumed that the Blood Demon Sector can only attack from the north!
"But it is wrong!
"Five hundred years ago, when the Star Glory Federation was just established, the most formidable enemy for them was the 'Far East Demon Kingdom' to the east of the federation!
"The Far East Demon Kingdom was demolished in the end, but before their collapse, they built a large teleportation array in the ocean east of the federation and established a channel to the Blood Demon Sector.
"Part of the nobles fled to the Blood Demon Sector through the channel.
"After they reached the Blood Demon Sector, however, they were idiotic enough to create a party named 'Far East Freedom Front', hoping to occupy some of the land of the Blood Demon Sector and set up a government-in-exile. Very soon, they were suppressed and butchered by the local demons!
"The Gold Crow Kingdom naturally took part in the suppression of the 'Far East Freedom Front'. As a result, the secret channel leading to the ocean in the east of the Heaven's Origin Sector fell into my father's hands in the end!"
Chapter 979: Spores in the Red Tide! |
"It is said that, when the Far East Demon Kingdom collapsed, the nobles carried part of the valuable treasures and resources. But they sealed tremendous strategical resources in the deep-sea east of the continent.
"When they were building a large teleportation array to connect the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector, they had planned to march back from the Blood Demon Sector. Those resources were all prepared for their counterattack!
"It is safe to say that many 'counterattack bases' were established hundreds of years ago in the eastern ocean of the Heaven's Origin Sector!
