by <unknown>
"Secondly, all things considered, there is a 90% likelihood, or even higher, that the mysterious expert is Bai Xinghe's reincarnation.
"Although Bai Xinghe was in the Nascent Soul Stage, his soul was heavily wounded five years ago. There is no way that he could have regained the capability of the Nascent Soul Stage after possessing a body for only five years.
"With that in mind, the organization is hurrying to refine a batch of magical equipment for soul attacks and summoning experts who are adept at soul attack into the Dragon Slaying Operation. We are hoping that we can kill the target and relieve all our worries in one attempt when the moment comes.
"Thirdly, the space zones that Bai Xinghe set foot in have been ascertained. Assuming that he is marching toward Heavenly Saints City without rest, the date of his arrival and the mostly likely route are both estimative.
"Millions of tourists enter Heavenly Saints City every day. Over the past few months, because of the upcoming final battle, the leadership and the high officials of the major sects of the entire Flying Star Sector have been coming to Heavenly Saints City for the rally. The population is ten times greater than usual. We cannot keep everybody on our grid.
"However, if we are sure about the time of the target's arrival and the likely route, the range of our surveillance can be greatly reduced. Chances are that we can lock onto him as soon as he shows up!
"Fourthly, Bai Xinghe is coming to Heavenly Saints City after such a long journey. There is no way that he is going to speak to a Mr. Nobody. The person he means to talk to must have high prestige and be very influential in the world of Cultivators.
"In the Flying Star Sector nowadays, only the leaders of the six sects of Heavenly Saints City, the officials of the Star Fighters' Alliance, the heads of the Glorious Sunlight Group, and the representatives of Iron Plateau meet such requirements. There are not too many of them.
"Therefore, while we are searching for Bai Xinghe, we cannot stop monitoring them!
"Fifthly, and most importantly, all the analysis and speculations we made are possibly incorrect. Everything may be a trap!"
All the Immortal Cultivators were listening attentively, only to be baffled by his statement.
Xiao Xuance patted Xiao Yushan's shoulder and gestured for the young Immortal Cultivator to sit down. "Everything we have discussed is 80% likely to be solidly grounded.
"There is another 20% likelihood that everything is incorrect. The target might not be Bai Xinghe. There might not be a Dragon King Battlesuit at all.
"The worst case-scenario is that the 'Second Imperium' has been exposed. Or at least, the Cultivators have grown suspicious about the Grand Illusionary Soldier Project. They are testing us in such a way to make us reveal our own loopholes in the haste.
"Therefore, I must repeat myself. Everybody must obey the orders. Nobody is to act on their own. Do not overreact until the last moment.
"Of course—"
Xiao Xuance paused for a moment. A dangerous, palpable aura flowed out of his every pore and formed a solid armor around his body.
"Right now, the likelihood that we will have to carry out Plan B has significantly increased.
"Everybody must be prepared. The battle might not go as well as we imagined. It is very likely to be a bitter one where many people will die, their souls perishing forever.
"However, eventually, on the land dyed red by the blood of the martyrs, a new, great nation, one that can lead the civilization of mankind to its prime again, will rise!
"Nobody can stop the rise of the Second Imperium. Not the Cultivators. Nor the 'Bai Xinghe', or whoever he is!
"This is the brief on the progress of the Dragon Slaying Operation so far. In a moment, everybody's task will be sent to your crystal processor.
"For the renaissance of our civilization, let's work hard together, Fellow Cultivators!
"Any questions?"
A slender Immortal Cultivator, who had a resolute face, stood up and asked, "According to the calculation of the organization, when will Bai Xinghe reach Heavenly Saints City?"
"In ten days, the four backup star beacons will be shipped to the periphery of the Spider Den Space Zone," Xiao Xuance replied. "After another three to five days of debugging, the space gate will be totally repaired.
"When the hundred star beacons are gathered, the dazzling spiritual waves released will be like a lighthouse in a dark night. Every space zone in the Flying Star Sector will be illuminated.
"By then, the Cultivators, crystal warships, and Grand Illusionary Soldiers in every space zone will jump to the Spider Den Space Zone for the final battle.
"The morale-boosting rally will be held in fifteen days' time in Heavenly Saints City.
"After the rally, the strongest forces of every space zone will jump to the Spider Den Space Zone at the same time. That will be the dawn of the imperium!
"As for Bai Xinghe, he is likely to sneak into Heavenly Saints City three days before the rally, in other words, twelve days from today!"
…
Thirteen days later, in the tenth space ring of Heavenly Saints City, a middle-aged man, who was wearing a black wind coat and carrying an old suitcase, was walking slowly on the streets of the central business district, which was packed with people.
Fatigue of a long journey still lingered on his face, but his beard had been shaved clean. The fragrant jade bracelet on his wrist was emanating refreshing smell.
He looked like a commonly-seen merchant who had come to Heavenly Saints City from another space zone for business
However, when teams of Grand Illusionary Soldiers strode past him in neat formations, there was a hint of worry and anxiety in the deepest part of the plain-looking eyes.
After five years, Li Yao had finally returned to Heavenly Saints City.
Heavenly Saints City was the economical, administrational, cultural, and military center of the Flying Star Sector.
The second Battle of Spider Den to be fought very soon would be the biggest war of the Flying Star Sector in the past five hundred years. As the center of the Flying Star Sector, it was naturally the biggest rally point of the armed forces.
All the available soldiers and crystal warships of Heavenly Saints City and the few space zones nearby would congregate here and jump to the Spider Den Space Zone together.
The first impression when Li Yao returned to Heavenly Saints City was that it had become an out-and-out military camp. Soldiers and trucks could be seen everywhere, and killing intent was rising nonstop.
Before he entered the space port, he had already seen thousands of crystal warships gathering in the periphery of Heavenly Saints City through the window of his carrier.
The fleet was in such an enormous scale that even the sky and the sun were eclipsed. Even if a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator showed up in front of the fleet, they would inevitably panic and feel dwarfed.
When he entered the tenth space ring, he saw countless Cultivators and Grand Illusionary Soldiers striding toward the space ports boarding on the crystal warships, cheered and applauded by the crowds, all set to go.
During the arrival of extraterrestrial devils five years ago, the tenth space ring had ended up being a kingdom of devils. Residents here hated the space pirates' and the Immortal Cultivators' guts. They were the most enthusiastic supporters of the war.
"March to Spider Den! Blood for blood!"
On the streets and valleys of the tenth space ring, colorful light beams were flashing above the heads of the hotblooded young men, indicating their excitement and the passion of the entire city.
Chapter 781: Who's the Lotus King? Who's the Sea King? |
It had been seven years since the Temple of Immortals revealed itself. The attitude of the ordinary people in the Flying Star Sector and the Cultivators had undergone drastic changes.
In the beginning, they were stunned, confused, and hesitant. Now, they were determined and confident, to the point that they were almost arrogant.
As vic
tories were secured one after another, especially after the Grand Illusionary Soldiers were deployed to various space zones, the Temple of Immortals had began showing signs of failure. Even the space pirates, which had been quite a hazard before, were gone. Both the ordinary people and the Cultivators had a much higher sense of safety and pride now.
"The second battle of Spider Den will be the last war of the Flying Star Sector!"
"After the battle, Spider Den, the source of darkness of the Flying Star Sector, will be demolished. Also, protected by the Grand Illusionary Soldiers, none of the space towns are likely to be invaded by the extraterrestrial devils anymore."
"An eternal peace is arriving soon. No more killing, plundering, or sabotaging!"
After Li Yao travelled through almost ten space zones, he had picked up on the optimistic, and sometimes naïve, thoughts from countless people.
As to the outcome of the battle, there was no suspense at all.
Experts and professors were unnecessary. Any random shop assistant, taxi driver, or middle-school student could elaborate on the subject.
"In the first battle of Spider Den five hundred years ago, the fuse was Yan Xinjian's defection and murders. The six sects of Heavenly Saints City were pissed off. But other than them, the Cultivators of the other space zones were not affected.
"The fleet of the Cultivators was formed in a hurry. Many sects were not trying their best. They were technically loose sand.
"On the space pirates' side, they had Yan Xinjian, who was familiar with the Cultivators, as the supreme commander. Besides, the connection between Spider Den and the outside world was not cut off. Other than the main battlefield, countless space pirates were still roving in the other space zones and continued bleeding the Cultivators while the defense of their homes was weak. That was one of the reasons the coalition army of the Cultivators retreated in the end.
"The second battle of Spider Den is entirely different.
"The connection between Spider Den and the outside world has basically been cut off. All the space pirates are restrained to Spider Den. They are in lack of medication, ammunition, and supplies; they are simply waiting to be killed.
"But for the Cultivators, we are more united than ever. Every Cultivator in every sect is making the greatest contributions they can.
"More importantly, during the past five years, almost every sect has produced countless Grand Illusionary Soldiers with abundant resources. When the final battle begins, all the Grand Illusionary Soldiers will be gathered in the Spider Den Space Zone as the first echelon. The Cultivators will not march forward and crush the enemy until Spider Den has already been burnt to the ground!
"The Cultivators are sure winners of the fight. The humiliation of the brutal failure five hundred years ago will be cleaned soon!"
It was the prevailing opinion nowadays. From the experts of war on the TV to the clerks at a grocery market, everybody believed that the Cultivators would win the war easily.
Among the crowds in the tenth space ring who were seeing the Cultivators off to the frontline, there was not the slightest solemnness, as if the Cultivators were joining not a battle but a parade.
In many places, festival decorations were already being prepared for the great victory soon to come.
A delighted smile was on every citizen's face.
Li Yao realized that his heavy mind was out of place compared to the elation of the city. He managed to curl his lips into a rigid smile.
In front of him was the biggest square of the tenth space ring as well as the most populated place.
For a spy who had snuck into Heavenly Saints City in secret, it was a perfectly reasonable decision to wander in the square, which was packed with people, to get rid of the potential followers.
Li Yao moved through the crowd with difficulty while he looked around at the skyscrapers around him.
The walls of the skyscrapers had been covered by a few enormous light beams, which were displaying the news about the final battle.
"This morning, the delegation made of the leaders and the elders of the Pill Cauldron Sect, the Silver Ring Guild, the Ice Cocoon Fortress, and the other four Cultivation sects in the Red Pinewood Space Zone arrived in Heavenly Saints City for the morale-boosting rally.
"Up until now, of the top five hundred Cultivation sects of the Flying Star Sector, 401 have sent their leadership to Heavenly Saints City. It is an unprecedented amalgamation in the five thousand years of history of the Flying Star Sector!
"Ahead of the final battle, the Grand Illusionary Group has publicized the latest models of the Grand Illusionary Soldiers, namely an underground type that is designed to fight in the tunnels of Spider Den, an assault type that can break into the hostile starships and detonate themselves, and a medical type that carries a lot of medical drugs and can serve as a emergency med bay on the battlefield.
"So far, the Grand Illusionary Group has introduced 43 models of the Grand Illusionary Soldiers. The application of the Grand Illusionary Soldiers will reduce the casualties of the Cultivators to the largest extent.
"Ten thousand elites of the qi-trainers will arrive in Heavenly Saints City on the carriers of the Great Horn Exo Society at one o'clock in the afternoon.
"It is well known that the qi-trainers and the Cultivators have developed on their own on with different paths of the cultivation. But in the final battle soon to come, the qi-trainers and the Cultivators will fight side by side. Our blood will be shed together and prove that we are all citizens of the Flying Star Sector!"
Li Yao gazed at the light beams attentively. Without him knowing, he was jostled into a noisy, excited crowd.
It was a bunch of middle-school students with flowers and flags.
They seemed to have just finished the pageant. Many young men had not regained their calmness from their excitement yet. Every pimple on their faces was glittering.
They were yelling and waving their hands crazily, their saliva flying everywhere, as they discussed the final battle to come.
Nobody had any doubts about the outcome, but they were concerned whether or not all the leaders of the Temple of Immortals would be captured.
It was well known that the Temple of Immortals had four leaders, namely the Mountain King, the Sea King, the Black King, and the Lotus King.
However, after seven years of bloody battles, although the Mountain King had been confirmed to be Yan Xibei and the Black King Dark Empyrean, the real identities of the Sea King and the Lotus King remained unclear.
Over the past years, the real identities of the Sea King and the Lotus King had been a heated topic on the street and the Spiritual Nexus.
From the leaders and elders of the major sects, to the old and the weak ordinary people, they all had their opinions.
When Li Yao passed by the students, he happened to see a chubby boy waving his hands shouting excitedly. "In fact, it is not hard to guess who the Lotus King and the Sea King are. The answer is crystal clear as long as we think about it reversely.
"During the seven years of bloody battles after the Temple of Immortals showed up, who has benefited the most? The Glorious Sunlight Group, without a doubt!
"It was an unknown corporation in the beginning, but it has miraculously risen after only seven years to become the most important force except for the six sects of Heavenly Saints City and the Star Fighters' Alliance. The Glorious Sunlight Group is definitely the greatest beneficiary of the war!
"Therefore, in my opinion, Sand Scorpion, the real controller of the Glorious Sunlight Group, is the Lotus King or the Sea King. He faked his own death during the arrival of the extraterrestrial devils five years ago in order to ease everyone's alert. In fact, he has been hiding behind the curtain and manipulating everything!"
Li Yao was rendered speechless.
"Shut up!"
Many of his classmates made a gesture of despise to the little fatty. This was the tenth space ring. Sand Scorpion had died fighting for the residents here and was quite
respected by the locals.
"That's pure nonsense."
A girl who had freckles all over her face shouted, her hands on her hips, "Sand Scorpion was the best warrior of the six tribes of Iron Plateau and slayed Yan Xibei, the Mountain King, in person. He perished together with 'Hellsword' Zhuang Ziyou, a space pirate in the Nascent Soul Stage. How could he be the Sea King or the Lotus King of the Temple of Immortals?
"In my opinion, since the Cultivators have not found out who the Lotus King and the Sea King really are after seven years, they must be the last people in the word to be suspected.
"What kind of person is the least suspected in the world?
"There's a certain someone that you must've never doubted before. Li Yao, who discovered the Temple of Immortals first!
"Haha. You are all dumbfounded and did not see it coming, did you? That's right. That is exactly what the Temple of Immortals want!
"Just think about it. Wasn't the appearance of Li Yao, the big hero, quite odd? He was so young, and yet his hands could break into sonic speed. He was excellent at refining, but he was also an experienced Exo. That's too incredible!
"Therefore…"
Instead of waiting for the girl to finish her theory, Li Yao curled his lips and left them.
He was not very surprised.
This was not the first time he had heard similar assumptions.
The middle-school students were merely repeating the rumors on the Spiritual Nexus.
After Li Yao returned, he had spent quite a lot of time gathering information regarding the Temple of Immortals on the Spiritual Nexus.
He did not abandon the idea that he should post Xiao Xuance's scheme on the Spiritual Nexus so that everybody could read it.
However…
Li Yao discovered that somebody had already posted threads declaring that the Grand Illusionary Soldier Project was a big trap and that Xiao Xuance was the Lotus King of the Temple of Immortals as early as five years ago.
