Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 994
Just like Meng Chixin and Wu Suiyun said, the Tartarean Skeleton indeed posed a heavy burden on his soul and spiritual energy. Even for him, whose soul was far harder than that of general Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators, it was quite troublesome to resist the pressure.
However, it was exactly the feeling of slightly heavy pressure that made Li Yao better realize his existence and understand that he had been completely integrated into the Tartarean Skeleton!
He was the Tartarean Skeleton!
Li Yao was of a mind to maneuver the Tartarean Skeleton to perform a series of highly difficult movements immediately. However, the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators were floating in midair and staring at the Tartarean Skeleton coldly. Their deep eyes were like four black holes. There was no telling what they were thinking and feeling in their hearts.
When they saw that Li Yao had succeeded after only one try and controlled the Tartarean Skeleton to step forward smoothly, a few ripples that looked like cracks spread out of their frozen eyes. They exchanged a thoughtful look again.
However, when they were almost certain about certain 'discoveries' in their hearts, the next second, the Tartarean Skeleton suddenly wobbled and stumbled randomly in the temple of the Colossi as if it had been intoxicated!
Clang!
The Tartarean Skeleton crashed into a Colossus that was placed on another maintenance platform, raising a deafening explosion as the two metal beasts collided.
Swoosh!
The Tartarean Skeleton's long, slender arms were waving crazily like whips as it tried to maintain its balance, only to nearly tear apart Meng Chixin's ghost!
"Senior! Seniors!"
Li Yao's panicked voice was coming out from the Tartarean Skeleton.
"How—how do I stop walking the Colossus? Why can't I control it at all? I feel that some uncanny force has crawled into my body and is manipulating it for me!
"It is nothing like what is described in the notes of Yan Zhu, the sword forger of the Great Zhou Dynasty!
"Not good. My soul—my soul has been completely attracted to this weird Colossus!
"Ahhhhh!"
The Tartarean Skeleton seemed to be cramping. It was jumping, running around at the same place, releasing all the bloody thorns around its body as if they were its claws, and then sprinting forward at the maximum speed. Dozens of violet exhaust flames spurted out of its back, pushing it into a stream of brilliance as it crashed brutally into the wall of the warehouse that was carved with defense rune arrays.
After an ear-splitting boom, the Tartarean Skeleton was lying on the ground, still cramping. The defense plate outside of the spiritual residence that had already been broken before was now completely shattered. All the nerve buffer liquids inside had spurted out, wetting the ground.
As if he were escaping from the mouth of a behemothic beast, Li Yao crawled out and rolled on the ground. He could not have looked more devastated.
"Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture!"
Meng Chixin and Wu Suiyun were greatly alarmed. They were almost sweating, even though they were ghosts, and hurried to float over to check his situation.
Li Yao's face was pale. All the veins over his body had surfaced on his bright blue skin. There was not the slightest vigor in his hollow eyes at all. He cramped hysterically for a long time before he suddenly vomited a large mouthful of black mucus. He trembled even more violently than before. In the end, there was no telling whether the thick, damp fluids on his body were the nerve buffer liquids or his sweat!
After struggling for a long time like a fish that had jumped to the land, Li Yao finally said feebly, "This—this Colossus is truly dangerous! It nearly completely devoured my spiritual energy and soul!"
Shivering, he picked up a calabash from his waist and poured out a few fragrant pills into his mouth. After he chewed the pills hard and swallowed all of them, his face finally partly regained the color of blood. Embarrassed, he said, "It seems that I have acted with undue haste. You must forgive me for my incompetence, seniors!"
Meng Chixin and Wu Suiyun looked at each other in bewilderment. They could only comfort him. "The Tartarean General is indeed too tyrannical a Colossus to be used by anyone. If it is too much of a burden, Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture, you can always choose a different one!"
"No. It's not a burden at all!" Li Yao's red yet pale face put on a smile. "After I take a brief rest, I will try… Cough!"
He vomited a mouthful of black liquid again, which nearly rained upon the faces of the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators.
…
Li Yao's body certainly could not recover after a 'brief rest'.
Meng Chixin and Wu Suiyun had prepared independent cabins for the twelve experts as their temporary residences, which were modified from the rest area on the Nuwa warship. The cabins were separated from each other and very quiet. Also, there was only one channel in and out. Therefore, it was easy enough to check who entered and who left.
Only in this place were they allowed to think and train alone. If they left the rest area and got in touch with other people, they would have to act in groups of three.
On the cold, metal bed, Li Yao was sitting cross-legged. Vague brightness was circling around him as he was pretending to 'heal his wounds'. However, his brain was functioning quickly while he considered what his next step should be.
Judging from his progress so far, he had already managed to fake his way through the first test.
The two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators did not see through his identity. Even if they had their doubts in the beginning, they had certainly been reassured.
Also, he had been appointed as the 'technical director' for the twelve experts. He would be responsible for the maintenance of their Colossi and also supervise Heiye Lan, the female warrior of the Imperium.
In such a case, it seemed a better option to stay calm and see what happened next rather than expose his identity in a hurry.
However, could he directly activate the 'star beacons' deployed on the satellite of the planet from there and send the message back to his home?
Unless it was absolutely necessary, Li Yao did not intend to do that because it would be a wild gamble whose consequences he could not predict at all.
Still, he needed to at least guarantee that he had such abilities.
He was still in the center of the Nuwa warship, above which were raging tempests and crazy snowstorms that were highly disruptive for the transmission of signals. The control chip that was designed to activate the star beacons was like a dead fish in his palm, giving absolutely no response.
After pondering for a moment, Li Yao stood up and opened the door. He planned to see if he could find some signal-enhancing cabins on the warship so that he would be able to directly activate the star beacons.
However, somebody was leaning against the wall on the pathway outside of the door and looking at him with a fake smile.
It was his 'old acquaintance' and some sort of 'comrade'—Long Yangjun!
Chapter 1532: Dangerous Ally |
Long Yangjun crawled into Li Yao's cabin without a sound before she closed the door behind her with her heel.
Goosebumps were bulging out everywhere on Li Yao's body. His every nerve and muscle was prepared for a fight.
"Hmm… you seem to be rather wary of me. You are even more cautious than when you meet with the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators. Is it necessary?" Long Yangjun eyed him and chuckled. "I thought that we were on the same side."
"It is exactly because we are on the same side that I have to be extra cautious. At the very least, I don't worry that the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators will stab me in the back!" Li Yao snapped. "Why are you here? Are you not afraid that other people will suspect you?"
"Having learned the vastness of the 'deities' realm' all of a sudden, I am so thrilled that I must have a discussion with a fellow Cultivator. What's there to be suspicious about?" Long Yangjun said with a smile. "Besides, before I came to you, I visited Han Baling, Qi Changsheng, and Wan Mingzhu.
"As the Four Rapscallions, of course, there was a lot that we could talk about. I told them that your stance was not stable, and you were not necessarily on the Great Qian Dynasty's side. If I persuaded you, it was very possible that you could be shifted to the side of the Four Rapscallions. So, I have come to persuade you. It makes perfect sense!"
Li Yao was relieved, but he was still frowning. Keeping his voice down, he asked, "What are you here for exactly? To figure out why the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators summoned me?"
"They have already told everybody the arrangement. The two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators were outstanding enough to share the usages of the Colossi! Such generosity and ambition alone are not something that you can find in the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators! No wonder of all the great heroes and big shots a hundred years ago, they were the only two who were able to advance into the Divinity Transformation Stage!"
Long Yangjun paused for a moment. Her eyes scraped Li Yao up and down as if they were brushes that had been mixed with seasoning. Finally, she said, "I'm here because something suddenly occurred to me, and I felt obliged to give you a reminder."
Li Yao raised his wariness again. "What occurred to you?"
"It occurred to me that Heiye Lan, as a female spy of the Imperium of True Human Beings, tried everything that she could to collect resources and establish a 'sacrificial altar' so that she could communicate with the Black Wind Fleet, her home, only to be captured by us when she was just one step away from success.
"Then, if we make friends with Heiye Lan and decide to cooperate with the Imperium of True Human Beings after all the terms and conditions are settled to both sides' satisfaction, only to find an enormous fleet of a second force right above our heads, won't we become the greatest jokes ever?
"Master Spiritual Vulture, do you agree?"
Long Yangjun was wearing a sunny smile.
She was dressed as a male right now, like a handsome, middle-aged scholar.
However, compared to a real scholar, she was less vigorous and more 'feminine'.
Perhaps that was exactly what the eunuchs who served the emperor in the royal palace all looked like.
Every hair on the back of Li Yao's neck was standing on end. His eyes curved into two sabers, and his voice became both sharp and dangerous. He demanded, one word after another, "What are you getting at, 'Lord Wang'?"
Both of them had secrets that were under each other's control. Li Yao did not believe that Long Yangjun would be bold enough to expose his greatest secret.
Even if the two of them ended on bad terms, Li Yao still had a chance to offer a price on behalf of the federation, but the outcome of Long Yangjun, a creature from the primeval era whose gender was ambiguous, would certainly not be good!
"Nothing. As I said in the beginning, I'm simply here to remind Master Spiritual Vulture that you must not do anything stupid. Even if you do have magical equipment similar to the 'sacrificial altar', you'd better not act recklessly or send any messages to your hometown, which is probably not the Alliance of the Holy Covenant but the Star Glory Federation, right? The way I see it, you are not one of those 'demi-humans' who are emotionless and selfless."
Long Yangjun glanced at Li Yao again and continued smiling. "Do not send any message to your hometown. I will be watching you closely and will never allow you to do that, and it will bring no good to you and the force behind you!"
Li Yao's eyes were glittering like the edge of a saber. "Are you planning to surrender to the Imperium?"
"I haven't made a decision yet, but why shouldn't I?" Long Yangjun replied casually, as if she didn't think that it was a big deal. "The Alliance of the Holy Covenant, which worships the Pangu Clan, is certainly my archenemy. The Imperium and the federation both appear to be worshippers of the Nuwa Clan. If I am an heir of the Nuwa Clan, does it really matter whether I choose the federation or the Imperium?"
Li Yao pondered for a moment and asked, "Why did you say that sending a message to my hometown will bring no good to me?"
"It's simple." Looking at her long, narrow fingers, Long Yangjun said unhurriedly, "What can you expect to accomplish by sending a message back home? The best you can do is summon a magnificent army from your hometown and force the locals of the Ancient Sages Sector to bend with the unparalleled power, like what Heiye Lan wanted to do, right?
"However, after witnessing the demeanor of the extraordinary people such as Meng Chixin, Han Baling, Qi Zhongdao, have you ever considered this question? Even if you are truly capable of summoning a powerful fleet—and we will probably be wise enough to surrender after realizing that we cannot defeat you right now—will such a surrender be genuine? Are you really bold enough to accept our surrender?"
Li Yao was dazed for a moment, deep in thought.
Long Yangjun giggled. "As you said yourself when I first walked into your room, an 'ally' who can stab you in your back anytime is more dreadful than an open enemy! Do you wish to turn all the locals of the Ancient Sages Sector into such dangerous 'allies'?
"Let's put the extraordinary people such as Meng Chixin, Han Baling, and Qi Zhongdao aside and just focus on Emperor Phoenix, the most juvenile of us all. Do you really think that the boy will bend before your might, abandon the honor of an emperor, and be at your service dutifully?
"Besides, I estimate that your armed forces can't be too powerful. At the very least, it can't be more powerful than the Imperium. If we surrender to you once because of your dominating army, how do you know that we will not surrender again when the Black Wind Fleet shows up the next day with an army that is even more dominating?
"Therefore, even if you can summon a fleet from your hometown, will it really help? You will simply be pushing us to the Imperium's side!"
Li Yao's eyes were cramping hard. "You don't need to trick me into admitting anything. It's meaningless. We're on the same boat right now!"
"Exactly. That's why I have come here to remind you out of good will," Long Yangjun said. "Unless the other ten super experts except us all choose to stand on the Star Glory Federation's side 'sincerely', our surrender will be entirely meaningless!"
Li Yao sniffed and said, "Sincerely? You are talking about the sincerity of a bunch of Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stages who are probably the shrewdest people in the world. How can you achieve that in such a rush?"
"I will come up with a solution to help you." Her eyes deep and dark, Long Yangjun said, "As long as you haven't forgotten your promise that you will help me repair and maneuver this warship after the job is done. You must bear in mind that this Nuwa warship is mine!"
After pondering for a moment, Li Yao nodded heavily. "Alright. I believe that I'm in a position to make such a decision. This warship is truly yours. As long as the two of us cooperate, our people will help you repair the warship and establish a crew for you that will help you sail to the end of the universe if you want to! However, what exactly are you planning to do after the warship is repaired?"
"I haven't figured it out yet." Long Yangjun sighed softly. "However, I will certainly remember my real destiny someday.
"Remember your promise. Honestly speaking, if I did not fear that the Imperium of True Human Beings will certainly steal my warship with their overwhelming power, there is no way that I would choose to cooperate with such insignificant country at the border, which seems as boring as any country can be.
"If you think that you can take advantage of me because I'm all by myself, hehe, you're welcome to try."
Long Yangjun's smile chilled Li Yao, who hurriedly shook his head and said, "We will certainly keep our promise. However, what exactly are you going to do to ensure the 'sincerity' of the other ten super experts?"
"You will know it in the gathering in three days." Long Yangjun's smile was even more mysterious than before. "However, it also depends on the situation of your Star Glory Federation. If the Star Glory Federation is merely a pile of worthless garbage, there will be nothing I can do to change the outcome even if I am omnipotent!"
"Wait!" Li Yao gnashed his teeth. "I haven't acknowledged that I am from the Star Glory Federation yet!"
"Ha. That's even better!" With a scornful smile, Long Yangjun said, "If you have absolutely nothing to do with the Star Glory Federation, you will certainly not object to my proposal in the meeting that will decide the fate of the Ancient Sages Sector!"
Long Yangjun left as quickly and unexpectedly as she had arrived.
Li Yao was dazed in the empty room for a long time. He took a deep breath and rubbed his rigid face hard.
None of the ten Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators were easy to deal with!
There were three days to go.
In those three days, everybody would study the information provided by Heiye Lan to get a general idea about the major forces in the universe and the history of the civilization of mankind.
Then, they would decide the future of the Ancient Sages Sector, and even the future of the Star Glory Federation, the Imperium of True Human Beings, and the entire universe!
What kind of conclusion would they reach?
Would they choose to surrender to the Imperium of True Human Beings immediately? Would they attack the Star Glory Federation together with the Black Wind Fleet?
What was Long Yangjun up to exactly? Did the elite warrior of the Nuwa Clan who had been reincarnated after hundreds of thousands of years really forget her destiny?
Maybe she had recalled part of her destiny, but she would rather nobody knew it…
Chapter 1533: Time of Peril! |
Li Yao scratched his hair so hard that it almost turned from a bird nest into a bush. The situation that he was in was too complicated, chaotic, and irresolvable!
However, Long Yangjun was quite right about one thing.
It would bring him no benefits even if he sent signals to the Star Glory Federation and summoned a fleet from his home.
