by <unknown>
A Cultivator from the Furious Bears Union comforted him, although he was quite worried himself.
His blood nephew had also been imprisoned with no telling of life or death.
Wan Liyun clenched his fists hard and gnashed his teeth. "According to the intelligence we collected, Iron Plateau is very likely an important base for the Temple of Immortals. Maybe the Iron Plateau natives have colluded with Immortal Cultivators since long ago!
"If that's true, I am going to turn Iron Plateau into an ocean of flames!"
…
On Iron Plateau, in the Dark Continent, not far away from the valley where the Oasis Tribe was located, a small drill protruded out of the ground and observed the surroundings cautiously like a clever marmot.
The rod below the drill carried crystal cameras and a lot of other probe magical equipment that could search for the feeble spiritual waves nearby.
Deep below the drill, fifty meters into the underground, Sparkle was hiding in the earth silently.
"Let me take a look! Let me take a look!"
"Odd. We just sensed that a bunch of Cultivators were fighting the natives hard. Why are they gone all of a sudden?
"They must be hiding somewhere nearby. Enlarge the search area. Do not overlook the feeblest spiritual waves."
Mo Xuan and the other four spectral Cultivators had snuck onto Iron Plateau three days ago.
As a multipurpose exploration starship, Sparkle was designed for missions on planets. The best stage for it was always within the atmosphere.
Since it was an exploration starship, it was very small in size and carried much magical equipment that could help it pass through dangerous areas. After treading lightly inside the planetary ring for four days, the starship had crossed treacherous zone without being damaged at all.
The previous mission of Sparkle was to explore Boneyard, which had required it to sneak thousands of meters below ground. Therefore, the main gun of the starship was replaced by a drill of mystical rays, and a lot of magical equipment suitable for digging holes below ground had been installed, too.
Over the past two months, the five spectral Cultivators had gathered a lot of files from the Spiritual Nexus, too, and were aware that Iron Plateau was a forbidden area for Cultivators. Therefore, they did not dare fly in the sky openly. Instead, they chose to dig underground with the drill of mystic rays and kept moving in stealth mode.
One day ago, they had detected the existence of the Great Horn Exo Society and found that it was engaged in a battle with the Oasis Tribe. They were quite curious and followed the newcomers.
However, they seemed to have lost the Great Horn Exo Society.
"Professor, feeble spiritual waves are coming from southwest. But the distance is too long for us to tell whether or not they are man-made. We cannot calculate the accurate distance, either."
"What else can we do? Let's go there and check!"
"Not good. Professor, several giant sandworms are coming at us. It appears that we've dug into their nest!"
"What? Prepare to fight!"
…
DUM! DUM DUM DUM DUM!
The drumming tanks of the Giant Axe Tribe were playing exciting battle hymns that were echoing in the sky.
Thousands of the best warriors of the six tribes, riding on hundreds of tanks, were charging at the valley where Li Yao was hiding, their blood so hot that it was almost burning.
"War! War! A war against the space residents!"
"The space residents are asking to be killed now that they've trespassed on our homeland!"
In the carriage of a heavy tank, Yan Xibei, the chiefs of Giant Axe, Feathered Snakes, Silver Moon, and Heaven Wolves, and an elder from the Furious Bears Tribe, as well as Xiong Zhenzhen and Shi Meng, gathered together and listened to Yan Chifeng's speech solemnly.
Shi Meng's eyeballs were about to explode. He bashed the desk and roared, "Yan Chifeng, say again!"
"Brother Shi Meng, I'm not lying to you. Sand Scorpion is truly a space resident and a spy that his compatriots sent to monitor us!"
Yan Chifeng maintained the same poker face as before, but there was grief inside his eyes while he said seriously, "A while ago, I chased after a tank of the Burning Sun Tribe with more than ten brothers and found that the driver was exactly Sand Scorpion. He opened fire mercilessly the moment he saw us. If the knights of the Burning Sun Tribe were less skilled in racing, many of them would've been killed instantly! You are free to ask anyone who went with me. They all saw it with their own eyes!
"I was fortunate enough to dash to the bottom of the tank, escaping his attention while he was too concentrated on other people. He didn't notice my existence!
"I hid myself for a long time. He seemed to think that he had gotten rid of all the pursuers and laughed in great satisfaction. Then he started talking with the passengers on board.
"It was not until then that I learned that the everyone on the vehicle was a spy sent by the space residents to examine the terrain of Iron Plateau for the next step of their operations!
"Their plan was to hide in the valley in front of us. Other stronger Cultivators seem to be backing them up there. Also, before long, an enormous fleet of the space residents will arrive and invade Iron Plateau!"
Chapter 612: Let's Talk Nicely! |
"What!"
Shi Meng's face lost all color, his lips shivering, as he demanded, "Repeat every word that Sand Scorpion said. Don't leave out any!"
Yan Chifeng smiled bitterly. "Brother Shi Meng, you could've crawled to the bottom of the tank and listened yourself! Since the heavy tank floats in midair by jetting spiritual gas, the noises can be really deafening when it was rushing at a speed of hundreds of kilometers per hour with the sound of wind and that of the spurting spiritual gas combined! I only managed to eavesdrop on some of what was said by concentrating my spiritual gas in my ears. Most of the content was actually thought through by myself! It will be too much if you ask me to recite what I heard!
"I know that Sand Scorpion was a rising new star in the Furious Bears Tribe. It's perfectly normal that you cannot accept the fact that he is a spy of the space residents. However, it's very easy to prove what I said. Let's just go inside the valley and see if there are any Cultivators!
"I guarantee that a lot of fully-armed Cultivators are hiding in the valley right now!"
Shi Meng gazed at him for a long time.
Yan Chifeng's eyes were clear, his face firm. He looked as frank as anyone ever could.
Shi Meng finally lost confidence. He smashed the desk so hard that its one corner was broken off, before he cursed angrily, "Sand Scorpion! Sand Scorpion! I didn't know that you were lying to us after all! I was an idiot to have been fooled by your fancy words!"
Yan Chifeng sighed and said, "Brother Shi Meng, please don't blame yourself. It's not that we are not smart enough, but because the space residents are too cunning!
"Even I did not expect that such a distinguished warrior in the battle of the apocalypse would be a space resident!
"It was also a sign that the space residents have infiltrated Iron Plateau on a terrifying scale!
"However, if we think about the matter carefully, there are actually a lot of leads!
"You mentioned that Sand Scorpion was discovered by Wu Mayan, a space resident, in the wilderness and diagnosed with amnesia by Sha Yulan, another space resident.
"Just think about it. If Xiong Wuji, Sha Yulan, and Wu Mayan have been colluding all along, wouldn't it be more than easy for them to fake the loss of memory for their new companion?
"Right after Sand Scorpion arrived, Xiong Wuji found an 'ancient relic' and retrieved brand new structural designs of magical equipment. Was it really a coincidence?
"Sand Scorpion is an expert in magical equipment modification. The methodology and style of his refining work is completely different from Iron Plateau's traditions!
"How can you explain all that?
"When he sensed that his identity was about to b
e exposed, he decided to go big and stole the most valuable treasures earned in the battle of apocalypse from the warehouse. I cannot think of a second possibility if he is not a spy of the space residents!"
Yan Chifeng's continuous questioning cast the carriage into brief silence. Shi Meng was breathing faster and faster. Redness spread from his neck all the way to his face, making him look like a cooked crab.
Shi Meng and Xiong Zhenzhen looked at each other and gnashed their teeth. "Iron Bears Detonation Team and Fierce Storm Assault Team, prepare to fight!"
Chief of the Giant Axe Tribe slapped the table heavily, too. "Give my orders. Have the Giant Axe Tribe ready for battle!"
"The Silver Moon Tribe is ready for battle!"
"The Feathered Snakes Tribe is ready for battle!"
Yan Chifeng coughed and turned to Yan Xibei and said respectfully, "Uncle, shall we…"
Yan Xibei frowned deeply. His eyes shrank to the size of needles and were hidden in the darkness. He stared at Yan Chifeng for a long time, before he finally said, "The terrain here is complicated with too many ravines and hills. We must be careful not to fall into chaos during the battle.
"Bombard them with True Qi artilleries first. If Cultivators run out, strike them mercilessly!"
"Understood!"
"Understood!"
As the commands were issued, all the carriages of the heavy tanks were slowly opened. Pulled by winches and chains, True Qi artilleries more than half a meter in diameter were lifted and aimed at the valley in front one by one!
"Crystal bombs have been loaded!"
"Prepare to transmit high-pressure spiritual gas!"
"Angle and trajectory are determined!"
"Getting in the shooting range!"
Exactly at this moment, an earsplitting thunder suddenly broke out inside the valley. After an earthquake, dozens of beams of white smoke soared up to the sky and exploded!
Everybody in the carriage was shocked. Yan Chifeng almost jumped to his feet. He raised his eyebrow while he shouted, "There have indeed laid ambushes. The Cultivators have made their move first!"
Shi Meng and Xiong Zhenzhen looked at each other and left the carriage. They leapt to the top of the tank from the back.
A while later, they returned with weird expressions. There was confusion in their eyes, as they seemed unable to describe what they had seen. Dazed for a long time, they said, "Chiefs, you'd better open the cap of the carriage. There are words in the sky."
"What?"
The few chiefs looked at each other in bewilderment. Yan Chifeng was quite startled, too. He hurried to heave the ceiling of the carriage with chains so that everyone could crane their neck and observe the sky above the valley.
They saw more than ten fire balls blossoming in the sky. Somebody must've launched the crystal bombs vertically into the sky from the valley. The crystal bombs were in a patterned distribution and had been mixed with many other minerals. Exploding in midair, they were like brilliant fireworks and formed a line of enormous words.
'We surrender!'
Yan Chifeng was dumbfounded. "What is this?"
Every letter was dozens of meters long and wide. The smoke seemed to have frozen in the sky and did not disperse until a long time later. Everybody within ten kilometers was able to see them clearly.
As a result, the chiefs and elders inside the commanding tank were all stunned.
The common warriors on other vehicles were even more dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on.
Iron Plateau natives valued valiancy more than anything. It was the most despised behavior to kill the captives. Now that the opponents said that they were surrendering, they did not what to do now!
While they were hesitating, another dozen beams of white smoke rose to the sky and exploded like fireworks. The colorful smoke formed a new line.
'Let's talk nicely!'
Inside the valley, taking advantage of the time that the army of Iron Plateau natives were on the march, Li Yao had requested that everyone in the Great Horn Exo Society work together and dig hundreds of pits on the hill and flat area!
With his precisely calculation, the depth and gradient of every pit were different. As long as the crystal bombs he modified were planted in them and launched into sky by a Wolf Fang, the smoke they released would form great words in the sky!
Although the words were ugly and looked weird, they were still recognizable!
This was a means of communication that Li Yao had come up with three days ago.
The critical factor leading to the conflict between Iron Plateau natives and space residents was the failure of communication. The two parties had no opportunity to talk at all and simply fought each other the moment they met. How could the misunderstanding be resolved if so?
By the fireworks modified from crystal bombs, Li Yao was able to broadcast the messages to everyone who could see them.
"The third row, go!"
As Li Yao roared, the third row of crystal bombs rushed out and exploded in the sky. Yet another line formed from the colorful smoke.
'We are scapegoats. There is a set-up here!'
It was immediately followed by the fourth line.
'Whoever opens fire is trying to shut our mouths forever!'
The four lines of words hung in the sky. Every Iron Plateau native saw them clearly.
As a result, even the drumming of the Giant Axe Tribe was somewhat disordered.
"We are entering the shooting range of the True Qi artilleries!"
On the commanding tank, the four chiefs, the elder of the Furious Bears Tribe, Shi Meng, and Xiong Zhenzhen were all staring at Yan Xibei.
Every wrinkle on Yan Xibei's face was shining like countless cold sabers. He considered for a while and said solemnly, "Give my command. We will halt now, but keep the artilleries ready!"
Yan Chifeng opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say despite his quick wits.
Creak!
Hundreds of armed tanks stopped outside of the valley and surrounded its entrance. The qi-trainers couldn't have been more vigilant!
A moment later, a man walked out of the valley slowly. He was wearing a heavy armor, but a saber and gun were dangling from his back. He opened his hands to show that he was carrying no weapons. His helmet had been removed, and his sharp eyes seemed to be able to flatten the tires of the heavy tanks from hundreds of meters away!
It was exactly Li Yao!
His hands up and his face peaceful, Li Yao walked toward the thousand infuriated qi-trainers one step after another all by himself!
Seeing that Li Yao appeared, the crowd was like fire that had been poured oil on. It was especially so for the Burning Sun Tribe, where countless people were already yelling.
"It's Sand Scorpion!"
"Here comes the spy of the space residents!"
"He has stolen all the most valuable trophies in the warehouse!"
"Look. His armor is made from the shells of the apocalyptic beasts, the most precious ones!"
"Shameless. That's too shameless!"
"He's in Xiong Wuji's gang. They are all spies from space. Kill him! Kill him!"
On the commanding tank, the chief of the Giant Axe Tribe observed the warriors of the Burning Sun Tribe coldly. He turned around and said to Yan Xibei, "Master Yan, please refrain your soldiers until the truth is unveiled. Even if Sand Scorpion is really a space spy, we can still find the real murderer of Chief Yan and Xiong Wuji's whereabouts from him!
"We cannot afford to be reckless and ruin the leads!"
Right then, the three lines in the above had gradually blurred, but the last few words of the last line were still persisting.
With the 'keep our mouths shut forever' hanging above their heads, the qi-trainers did not dare attack him as he approached even though they were quite outraged.
Li Yao smiled, as if the thousand angry, aggressive, and rampant qi-trainers were but meek sheep. He walked forward until he was a hundred meters away from them, before he s
aid to everyone merrily, still keeping his hands above his head, "Greetings!"
"Sand Scorpion!"
Shi Meng was more than angry; he was the first to jump out. "That day, you swore that you were not a space resident. I didn't know that you were lying to us! Your true identity has been revealed! What tricks are you planning to play now?"
"Who says I'm a space resident? I'm not!"
Li Yao glanced through the thousand qi-trainers one by one. His countenance gradually turned resolute, while he roared, "An organization named the Temple of Immortals is behind all this. They assassinated Chief Yan and let the space residents take the blame. Their purpose is to raise a war between Iron Plateau natives and space residents so that they can take advantage!"
"Shut up!"
Yan Chifeng finally couldn't help it any longer and leapt out. Tears in his eyes, he pointed his long sword at Li Yao. "Sand Scorpion, how dare you keep arguing for yourself when the truth has been revealed!
"Let me ask you!
"Are you a space resident?
"Did you steal the previous trophies from the warehouse in Furious Bears City that countless Iron Plateau warriors died for?
"Are fully-armed Cultivators hiding in the valley behind you?
"Speak now!"
Chapter 613: Truth… Is Out? |
Seeing that Yan Chifeng lunging out like a wolf all of a sudden, Li Yao was greatly surprised. His face was paler than that of a dead person, while he pointed at Yan Chifeng and stammered, "You—you—"
"You didn't see this coming, did you, Sand Scorpion?"
With tears in his eyes, Yan Chifeng roared, "Your scheme is indeed immaculate, but the heavens were merciful enough to let me hear your confession just like it let my father learn Xiong Wuji's secret! Sand Scorpion, stop struggling. You are as much a space resident as Xiong Wuji!"
Uneasiness flashed on Li Yao's face, which was soon replaced by agitation as if he were a caged beast. He replied coarsely, "I—I'm not a space resident!"
Shi Meng strode forward, unsheathing his saber. His eyes were red as he cried, "Sand Scorpion, I said that I would be the first to kill you if you lied to me! You are not a space resident? Then how can you explain Yan Chifeng's questions?"
