Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 703
Li Yao smelled the stink of a plot. A very, very intense stink.
"Tell me. How did Vulture Li Yao die?"
Li Yao raised his hands high and asked the captain of the guards coldly, "Why are you certain that Vulture Li Yao is dead? What proof have you got?"
"Don't move. Who are you exactly? How can you not know Li Yao's death? You can't find anybody in the entire Heaven's Origin Sector who doesn't know that! Where are you from? What are you here for exactly?"
The captain was shouting more and more desperately. His hand, which was holding the chainsword, was shaking. He gestured for the guards to surround the stranger, but one of the guards dashed to a cottage nearby.
Li Yao knew that he was going to ask for reinforcements from the war base.
Fulminations were already echoing from the direction of the war base. Four crystal warships had taken off and flown to the Dark Desolate Domain in search of the demon that had snuck into the Heaven's Origin Sector.
Very soon, they would learn what had happened in the memorial park and arrive to suppress him.
Li Yao's eyes were getting sharper and sharper, too.
If the soldiers' eyes were as cold as icy cones, his eyes were iron sticks that smashed all the ice.
"Tell me!" he demanded, one word after another, with a daunting aura. "How did Vulture Li Yao die? What's the evidence for his death?"
"Stop there! Stop there!"
The guards were barely able to breathe under his intimidating aura, but they did not forget their duty and shouted with their faces and necks red.
Their reaction somehow touched Li Yao. After all, they were all his compatriots and dutiful soldiers. Li Yao could not treat them as a real enemy.
Hesitating for a moment, Li Yao retreated all his aura.
However, Li Yao underestimated the fighting will of the federal army.
"Open fire!" the captain shouted the moment he withdrew his pressure. More than ten storm bolters were triggered at the same time, spurting out brilliant sparks!
"Damn it!"
Li Yao spat on the ground hard. He suddenly turned into a streak of brightness and brushed past hundreds of bullets before he extended his index finger and tapped the forehead of every guard, sinking every one of them in a deep sleep.
He glanced around. On the left side of the memorial park were a few two-floor buildings. On the gate was a sign that read 'Museum of Martyr Li Yao'.
Li Yao beamed with joy and rushed into it like a tornado.
The museum was not completed yet. It was only just taking shape. In the gallery on the first floor, items that he found very familiar with were being exhibited. They seemed to be the crystal processors and training facilities that he had once used.
It feels rather strange to visit your own museum when you are a martyr.
Li Yao saw a combat suit riddled with holes. The description below the item was 'Martyr Li Yao's combat suit for his training in college.'9
Next to the combat suit were the kettles, chairs, and some of the tools that he had used in his refining work. At the center of the gallery was the debris of a broken Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, which appeared to be the one that he had piloted before.
But none of the items were what he was looking for right now.
He searched around and very soon found a few thin brochures from the wooden boxes piled in the corner.
They were the advertisements for the museum. On the cover was his photo more than ten years ago when he was still a proud young man. The photo might have been taken after the bidding meeting of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, but he was not certain.
Opening the brochure, Li Yao read his life story with great interest.
"Li Yao, an Ultra-Level Federal Hero, was born in Floating Spear City, an important town of training in the east, in 484.
"Li Yao was born in a poor family, but even as a child, he had grand ambitions. He always worked hard for the goal of marching into the Blood Demon Sector and demolishing the Pantheon of Demons…"
Huh?
Li Yao scratched his hair and read on. But soon, he was greatly embarrassed by the adulations that described him as an ambitious, chivalrous, patriotic, selfless… or in a word, perfect human being.
Li Yao simply flipped to the end of the brochure. There, he read about the end of his life.
"In 514, after discovering the human beings of the Flying Star Sector, Li Yao returned to the Heaven's Origin Sector on a single starship, only to be caught by the space turbulence when he was teleported home. Unfortunately, his single starship crashed in the depths of the Grand Desolate Plateau because of the accident…"
Something is wrong!
Li Yao read the content three times and considered carefully.
My single starship was teleported to the Blood Demon Sector successfully and could not have left any trace in the Heaven's Origin Sector at all. How the hell did it crash in the depths of the Grand Desolate Plateau?
There's still a bigger question. According to the captain of the guards, everybody in the federation knows of my death. If so, the insiders such as Ding Lingdang, Professor Mo Xuan, and Luo Xingzi must have heard the news, too. Why didn't they stand up and question the discovery?
Right then, footsteps could be heard above the stairs.
A short-haired female soldier who was in her twenties ran down the stairs with panic written all over his face. She must have been frightened by the gunfire just now.
Judging from the emblem she was wearing, she belonged to the public relations branch of the federation. She was probably one of the workers in the museum or an interpreter.
Li Yao narrowed his eyes. He had learned his lesson. Instead of wasting his time talking to her, he simply poured a dominating telepathic thought into her head after apologizing to her in his heart.
The female soldier was just an ordinary person. Under Li Yao's guidance, she soon confessed everything.
As a regular soldier, she naturally did not know the details of the first contact between the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector or the news that Li Yao had been teleported to the Blood Demon Sector.
Half a year ago, the regular soldiers only knew that 'Vulture Li Yao' had gone missing at the periphery of the Heaven's Origin Sector, but the authorities had never confirmed his death.
Two months ago, because of the unexpected assault of the Blood Demon Sector on the capital city, which caused great losses, everybody in the Star Glory Federation was infuriated and decided to fight a final battle with the Blood Demon Sector.
Therefore, they pushed the frontline forward from the Giant Blade Pass to the edge of the Dark Desolate Domain, where they established five enormous bases for the long march to come.
When one of the war bases was being built, however, a large area of debris of a starship was found. After thorough investigations, it was found to be the starship that Li Yao had boarded.
Also, it was said that the scraps of Li Yao's body were found in the debris of the starship. Therefore, his death was confirmed.
Since the starship was already shattered and it was impossible to sew the 'scraps' into a whole body, all the remains were buried on the spot, and a memorial park was established on the crash site.
This is too uncanny!
My starship clearly crashed in the Hundred Desolation Mountain in the Blood Demon Sector. There is no way that it would show up in the depths of the Grand Desolate Plateau. As for the 'scraps of my body', that's pure nonsense!
However, the discovery has been publicized, and everybody in the federation was shocked. It is also said that a grandeur commemorative event was held in the capital city a few days ago. So, my death must've been confirmed by Ding Lingdang, Professor Mo Xuan, and Luo Xingzi!
Who was it that directed my 'death' behind the curtain and even convinced Ding Lingdang and Professor Mo Xuan of it?
Whoever the guy was, he must be a very capable man!
Right then, Li Yao felt the quakes that came from the clouds.
All four crystal warships had changed direction and were flying right toward the memorial park!
Chapter 1068: It's Him? |
Such quick reactions?
Li Yao retrieved a high-resolution crystal camera from his Cosmos Ring and wore it on his left eye. After adjusting the focal length and observing through the window, he finally detected the two magnificent words 'Dragon Horse' on the heads of the four crystal warships.
The Dragon Horse Legion was one of the sixteen crystal suit legions of the Star Glory Federation. It had just been equipped with the latest model of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit and was one of the main forces of the federal army.
More importantly, judging from a piece of intelligence that had been sent to the Blood Demon Sector twenty years ago, the only one who had access to the intelligence at that time happened to be the supreme commander of the Dragon Horse Legion right now!
The guy was likely one of the Children of the Nether World.
Is it a coincidence?
Li Yao frowned. Then he suddenly realized that it was not a coincidence at all. If the Children of the Nether World were really determined to cut off the connection between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector, naturally, they would try to send their forces to the frontline on the Grand Desolate Plateau so that they could block or jam the information at the earliest opportunity.
However, everything so far was just speculation. Li Yao did not have any solid evidence to prove the real identity of Duanmu Ming. Perhaps the Child of the Nether World was somebody else, and he was nothing but a loyal, dutiful general of the federal army. If so, it would be hard to explain his aggressive action later.
Even if Duanmu Ming was a real Child of the Nether World, most of the federal soldiers in the Dragon Horse Legion would still be innocent. There was no way that Li Yao would attack them.
This is tricky now. I need more information to decide what to do next!
Li Yao licked his lips and touched his cheeks, which were somewhat greasy. He then took off a thin membrane from his face. The muscles on his face bulged part after part, turning him into a much more barbaric appearance.
I knew that the trip wouldn't be so simple. Thankfully, I came prepared. I will find out whether or not Duanmu Ming is a Child of the Nether World, and what they are up to exactly, after a minor test!
Seeing that the four crystal warships were getting closer and closer to his memorial park, Li Yao took a deep breath, retrieved the fundamental version of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, and then—
He broke out of the window and ran away!
Swoosh!
Li Yao leapt high and stomped on his own statue brutally, jumping to his own monument with the counterforce like lightning. Then, he stomped hard again and accelerated to maximum!
His rapid actions immediately attracted the attention of the four crystal warships. They flew toward Li Yao. Dozens of sharp mystic rays blocked his every path of escape!
The cabin doors on the two sides of the crystal warships were slowly opened, like sharks splitting their bloody mouths. Almost a hundred armed shuttles and Mystic Skeleton Battlesuits dashed out!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
From the turrets on the four crystal warships, translucent spiritual waves were blowing out. Like highly condensed water balls, they raised immense blasts on the ground and smashed Li Yao like a tsunami.
They were stun grenades that did not boast much damage. The federal army was not clear of Li Yao's identity yet. They did not know who the Cultivator in the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was exactly. Naturally, they were not planning to kill him but capture him alive.
Had he not seen his own memorial park in person, Li Yao would have decided to be captured by them and explain everything to them slowly. But right now, how could Li Yao submit to a suspected Child of the Nether World?
Like the most skilled surfer, he was moving agilely on the violent surging tides made of the blast. He looked for the tiny, volatile gaps and accelerated again and again with the impetus of the blasts!
However, the specifications of the fundamental version of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit were too plain after all and far from his standard. After several extreme sprints and changes of direction, three power rune arrays on the back exploded abruptly after weird noises!
The Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit staggered in midair as if he had stepped on a banana skin!
BOOM! CRACK!
The four crystal warships nearby had been waiting for the opportunity. The Fiery Crow Cannons, the secondary cannons on the two sides of the warships, opened fire simultaneously. Scorching magma was tossed toward Li Yao, forming walls of fire that were thousands of degrees in temperature and further limiting his zone of activity.
On the heads of the crystal warship warships, the horn-like main guns were condensing dazzling balls of lightning. After a few thunderous noises, the balls of lightnings appeared right above Li Yao's head as if they were teleported there. Then, they bloomed and split in thousands of electric arcs that constituted a giant net of electricity with a coverage of several square kilometers like crazily dancing silver snakes!
Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi!
Li Yao was immediately hit by an electric shock. The Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit broke apart, and his blood was spurting out.
With a roar, he injected a strengthening drug into his neck quickly. His speed did not drop but even further rose as he looked for the gap among the electric arcs. As if he were dancing in the lightning, he finally breached the electric net and rushed forward before the armed shuttles and crystal suits surrounded him!
In a moment, he had already dashed a hundred kilometers away. In front of him was a dense forest of rocks. The crevices on the rocks led to spacious, interconnecting caves underground!
On the Grand Desolate Plateau, there were too many such underground caves, but Li Yao had selected the shelter carefully and even surveyed it before he arrived as part of his backup plan.
Shua!
Before the second electric net—which was even more powerful—enveloped him, Li Yao sprinted into the rocks and crawled into the underground cave!
The trap had been completed.
It remained to be seen whether or not Duanmu Ming would fall into it!
…
In the sky above the forest of rocks, hundreds of elite Exos from the Dragon Horse Legion from the four crystal warships were about to charge into the underground cave to search when they were ordered to stand by and establish a perimeter.
Very soon, an assault ship that was reinforced with strengthening plates that looked like dragon scales on the shell moved to area above the forest of rocks.
Duanmu Ming, a major general of the federal army and the supreme commander of the Dragon Horse Legion, was sitting inside the assault warship and staring at all the battle videos just now as well as the picture that the guards of Li Yao's memorial part captured through their Demon Beast Detectors.
Duanmu Ming's face was fair, and he had no beard. He appeared to be a graceful advisor in the army, if not a knowledgeable scholar.
However, he was most famous for his cruel, brutal, insane, and fearless style in battle. He had rushed to the frontline to fight against the demons countless times.
Such recklessness had been criticized by many people. However, Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao, a big shot in the military, quite liked his style. Also, he seemed to have natural intuitions that allowed him to pierce into the most weakly defended sections every time, thereby laying the foundations for victory and shattering all doubts about him.
Therefore, his position had been rising without any hinderance. After only twenty years, he had grown from the deputy chief of staff of a regular troop to the supreme commander of one of the sixteen crystal suit legions in the federation!
Right now, inside the secret chamber, Duanmu Ming and an advisor of the Dragon Scale Legion were alone. Their countenance was both solemn and a little bit weird.
"The voice test has been completed."
The advisor tapped on the light beam of the mini crystal processor. Curves high and low immediately appeared, along with Li Yao's voice.
"Tell me. How did Vulture Li Yao die exactly?"
Every syllable was turned into dozens of curves and hundreds of pieces of data, which were then compared to the voiceprints in the secret database. Very soon, an almost identical voiceprint jumped out.
The identity information of the guy popped up.
Duanmu Ming's pupils shrank suddenly. Somewhat surprised, he asked, "It's him?"
"Yes. The match rate of the voiceprint comparison is 92%. They should be the same guy.
"Also, we have retrieved blood samples from the debris of the crystal suit that he threw out. The blood has been analyzed and compared just now. It is very similar to… the blood samples we got from the other side.
"The result of the Dynamical Movement Capturing and Analysis is out, too."
The advisor opened Li Yao's combat videos. In the videos, Li Yao's body gradually turned almost transparent, replaced by a series of data and lines. "We have analyzed the guy's every movement and compared them with the old videos in the database. 51% of the habitual movements are identical."
Duanmu Ming frowned. "Only 51%?"
"Yes," the advisor said. "Because the guy was trying to conceal his identity and refraining from his habits, the match rate is only 51%. But still, he gave himself away at the critical moment. The movement where he injected the strengthening drug subconsciously is 100% match with the old videos in our database!
"Voiceprint, blood, and the Dynamical Movement Capturing and Analysis have all reported high similarities. They are enough to prove his identity!
"He is Han Tuhu, the commander of the Flying Tigers Legion!"
"But his face was not Han Tuhu's," Duanmu Ming said coldly.
"We have analyzed his face carefully based on the surveillance picture captured by the soldiers. His facial expression was a bit rigid. He must've covered a membrane on his face and changed his appearance."
Duanmu Ming squinted and said, "Han Tuhu should be a half-human, half-demon monster."
