by <unknown>
"Therefore, some of the 'patients' treated by the 'doctor' died. Some others, although they survived, suffered brain damage to varying extents.
"In the old Uranian Ring Sector, it was anything but abnormal. Even the best doctors can only treat some diseases, not all diseases, and they can certainly not bring the deceased back to life, right?
"However, after the war, the 'doctor' suddenly became unpardonable!
"Thankfully, the 'doctor' changed his name and escaped to the Dragon Snake Space Zone in disguise during the post-war chaos.
"The guys who had side effects after the procedures of the 'doctor' and the families of the patients who were dead, on the other hand, didn't give up. Once they had turned into citizens of the federation and got the invaders behind them, they grew even more insatiable and aggressive. They demanded that the 'doctor' be killed no matter what!
"They believed that the 'doctor' had not been killed in the war. Therefore, they asked some sects in the federation that specialize in investigating and tracking to look for the whereabouts of the 'doctor'. Finally, they uncovered the latest identity of the 'doctor' five years ago.
"Therefore, they hired a batch of 'headhunters' to sneak into the Dragon Snake Space Zone to carry out the 'execution' on the 'doctor'!
"It was quite a fuss a while back. The 'doctor' had known that he was a target of the headhunters for a long time. Over the past five years, he has narrowly escaped three dangerous assassinations. This was the fourth time.
"We were all hired by the 'doctor' to help him deal with the headhunters. To save his life, he spent almost every penny that he's saved in his entire life on hiring so many hands.
"This time, we were quite lucky. The 'doctor' paid for precise intelligence at a great price in advance and found out the route and vehicles of the headhunters to enter the Dragon Snake Space Zone. Therefore, we were able to prepare an ambush beforehand and caught them unprepared. It was exactly what you saw just now."
Fei Qi's words made all the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators whisper to each other in great interest. "Headhunters? Avengers? Sounds interesting. Quite interesting!"
After pondering for a moment, Long Yangjun raised a new question. "Wait. What you said doesn't add up. Both investigating on the new identity and appearance of a person who has been missing for decades and hiring experts to assassinate him in a foreign space zone would have required a lot of money, right? According to what you've described, those who hate your guts should be at the bottom level of society. Even if they did join the federation, it's impossible for them to have become rich overnight. How were they capable of hiring the investigators and headhunters?"
"This is yet another clue of the sordidness and shamelessness of the Star Glory Federation!" Fei Qi replied gloomily. "There's a good chance that those lowly miners and filthy lackeys cannot even recognize their own names. They are as destitute as can be. How could they have provided the money for the most elite assassins to carry out such a dangerous task?
"However, the few most powerful forces in the federation—including the Glorious Sunlight Group, Skyfire, the Patriots Front, and so on—have established a fund known as the 'Vengeance Fund' together, which is dedicated to providing financial support for those fellows!
"If those miners and lackeys are interested in hiring investigators and headhunters, they often only need to offer one dollar or even one nickel symbolically, and the rest of the fees will be covered by the Vengeance Fund!
"The daily operations of the Vengeance Fund are run by the Skyfire, an organization led by the witch Jin Xinyue. Also, Jin Xinyue has also trained a batch of professional headhunters, who are the most brutal and skilled assassins dedicated to resolving the grudges of the miners, lackeys, and scoundrels in the past!"
"Is that so?" With weird brilliance shining in Long Yangjun's eyes, she asked, "Why are the experts of the Star Glory Federation doing that?"
"On the surface, they have been doing everything under the pretext of the federation helping every citizen seek justice, be they wealthy or poor, powerful or weak. But in fact, everybody knows that it is just an approach to win the support of those who've recently joined. Also, it is a way to spread terror and mayhem in the Dragon Snake Space Zone so that we will bend!"
Long Yangjun, Li Yao, and the other Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators looked at each other.
The federation will help every citizen seek their justice?
Everybody saw each other's amazement and fell into deep thought.
For Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar, who liked helping the weak and the poor best, his eyes were glittering in even more interest.
Due to the limited time, Long Yangjun did not want to pursue the question any further and changed the topic. "Tell me more about your 'CFIA'. Who is your leader? Where did you learn the 'true path of immortality'?"
"The chairman of the CFIA is named 'Lu Qingchen', a citizen of the federation born and raised there," Fei Qi replied dutifully. "Please don't feel strange, everybody. Although Chairman Lu is a native of the federation, he hates the federation's guts. Both his grandfather and his father were killed miserably by the federal government. Chairman Lu chose to stand against the federation a long time ago, too. He has caused quite a lot of damage within the federation and is now the most wanted criminal with the highest bounty in the federation.
"Also, Chairman Lu's master was an Immortal Cultivator of the Imperium true to its sense. He was also the mental pillar of the CFIA. His name was 'Su Changfa'!"
"Su Changfa!" Heiye Lan lost her calmness and shrieked, "Isn't he…"
Long Yangjun looked back and glared at her to shut her up. She then turned around and calmly said, "So, him. I didn't know that he ended up in the federation. How's he doing now?"
"Senior Su passed away more than fifty years ago," Fei Qi said. "However, all his knowledge, and the glorious ideology of the true path of immortality, have been passed on to Chairman Lu Qingchen. Chairman Lu has studied the true path of immortality for almost a hundred years. He is a tough, determined, and loyal Immortal Cultivator who has been persisting in fighting despite the harshest environment. For a very long time, he was even fighting entirely on his own while he awaited the arrival of the fellow Cultivators from the Imperium!
"After the four Sectors were conquered by the federation one after another, all the outcasts were quite confused and depressed. Our morale was lower than ever. Right when we ran into a dead end and couldn't find any light anywhere, it was Chairman Lu who showed up and brought us the true path of immortality. Finally, we were able to find a direction to walk in again. We were united and founded the 'CFIA'!"
"Lu Qingchen?" Li Yao slightly frowned. He somehow felt that something was wrong. "The very purpose of the CFIA is to wait for the arrival of the expedition army of the Imperium. Now that we are already here, where is your Chairman Lu Qingchen? Lead us to him!"
"I'm afraid that I can't do that." Fei Qi smiled bitterly. "Chairman Lu is known as the most dreadful enemy for the Star Glory Federation. More people than anybody could count hate his guts and are waiting in line to cut him into pieces and burn his bones! His traces are usually unpredictable and mysterious, and he is the most prudent person I've ever seen. That's why he is still safe and sound after being wanted and hunted by the federation for decades!
"Moreover, well, I'm in fact just a peripheral member of the CFIA. I've never seen Chairman Lu in person before. How can I know where he is right now and how to contact him?"
Long Yangjun nodded. "That's very true. Then, you certainly have a supervisor or someone you can talk to in the CFIA, right?"
"Of course!" Fei Qi replied very quickly. "I do have a contact who lives in Fish Dragon City right now. I can lead you there to him so that the news can be reported through the proper channels. With such a great piece of news, I believe that Chairman Lu will show up very soon to meet you!"
[ol][li data-annotatio
n-id="e503fd2d-e569-4d1e-b844-352d7696b86e"]In case you've forgotten, CFIA is short for 'Committee For the Imperium's Arrival'.[/ol]
Chapter 1559: Rise of the Tyrannosaur |
Long Yangjun rolled her eyes and smiled. "Naturally. Since he is Senior Su Changfa's disciple who was thought highly of, we definitely need to meet him.
"However, there is no need for us to rush into anything. We are new to this place and don't know the first thing about the Star Glory Federation yet. How about this, Fellow Cultivator Fei? From what I have heard, I can tell that you hate the federation's guts. So, you must've been spent a lot of time thinking hard on how to cope with the Star Glory Federation, mustn't you?
"From your perspective, which important people in the Star Glory Federation are most dangerous and call for the most attention from us? Or rather, if we are to attack them for real, which critical people should we take care of first?"
Delighted, Fei Qi thought for a while and replied, "The first two that come to my mind are definitely the two she-devils, Ding Lingdang and Jin Xinyue. The two of them are indispensable, critical figures in the Star Glory Federation and of paramount importance. As long as they are taken care of first, it will be of great help to strike the morale of the federation and paralyze the pivot of the government.
"Other than the two she-devils, they also have Guo Chunfeng, who is the director of the 'Secret Sword Bureau', an intelligence and espionage agency in the federation; Wu Mayan, who is the head of the Glorious Sunlight Group; Jiang Shaoyang the 'Solar Eclipse', who is the best refiner in the federation; Mo Xuan, the leader of the Federal Spirit Photon Research Institute; 'Fiend Blade' Peng Hai; 'Fire Ant King' Ye Wuya; and Bai Xingjian, Lei Dalu, and some other people in the federal fleet. They are also experts that are worth mentioning."
"Alright," Long Yangjun said. "You'll write down the files of those experts soon. Just write down whatever comes to mind. Don't worry that the content will be longwinded or repetitive. We will certainly find an opportunity to get rid of them after we have grasped the detailed information about them.
"Also, you seem to think very highly of the two she-devils, Ding Lingdang and Jin Xinyue. Why don't you tell us about them first? Make it simple and to the point."
Fei Qi nodded. While he was thinking, a hint of fear beamed out of his eyes again. However, the thought that a majestic army from the Imperium was right behind him to provide support made him stand straight again. "Ding Lingdang is one of the best fighters in the Star Glory Federation, known as the 'Blazing Tyrannosaur', the 'God of War', and many other nicknames. She is sort of the heart of the Star Glory Federation and a walking slogan!
"She is already quite popular among the three core Sectors of the federation. In the worlds that she has personally conquered, the idiotic, illiterate mobs among the bottom class even consider her a 'legend'.
"A hundred years ago, before the new Star Glory Federation was officially established, it had already extended the claws of invasion to the surroundings impatiently. The Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector co-implemented the 'Heavenly Path Plan', a project whose aim was to swallow space. They were hoping to explore and conquer the worlds near the three Sectors by means of cruising in hibernation and continuous jumps.
"Ding Lingdang was the first and the most important operative of the Heavenly Path Plan.
"In the most advanced hibernation exploration starship of the federation, she wandered in the universe by herself like a sleeping devil who searched for prey that she could devour ravenously.
"In the past hundred years, she has been in such a state, hibernating in the sea of stars, most of the time and only woke up three times in total.
"Although she only woke up three times, she brought incessant slaughter, damage, and destruction every time she did. She was the bane of the weak Sectors!
"The first time she woke up was seventy-two years ago, when she snuck into the Nether World Sector all by herself. She stayed there for quite a few years, instigating the internal strife of the major forces inside the Nether World Sector. She also gathered a batch of subordinates of her own and established an independent force. Rising from the chaos, she united the world in the end. All in all, according to the official publications of the federal government, which bragged about her 'brilliant achievements', it seems she completely suppressed the Nether World Sector entirely on her own, however unbelievable and ridiculous it sounds.
"But such a narrative is shameless demagogy and propaganda that I'm sure can't fool you. In general, the result is that Ding Lingdang helped the Star Glory Federation swallow the Nether World Sector!"
"The Nether World Sector? It sounds like rather a horrible world," Li Yao remarked.
"For your information, senior, it is not exactly horrible," Fei Qi explained. "The Nether World Sector is a world that belongs to the deceased. Most of the residents of the world are ghosts. It seems that a destructive super war once broke out in their world. The parties involved in the war all resorted to the calamitic magical equipment. The fatal mystic rays swept across the surface of the entire planet. Not only were most people killed at once, they were also transformed into ghosts.
"It is a world of the angry wraths and apparitions. Although they had already become ghosts, they never let go of their hatred for each other, continuing to fight as ghosts. There was nothing but gloomy wind and sorrowful cries in the entire world. Wouldn't a she-devil as brutal as Ding Lingdang feel that she was a fish in the water once she had arrived in such a world?
"All in all, after the she-devil woke up for the first time, the poor Nether World Sector ended up as her prey. Soon after the Nether World Sector was conquered, she set off again and traversed deeper into space, looking for fatter prey. She didn't wake up again until approximately forty years ago. This time, the Uranian Ring Sector got devoured as a whole and turned into scrumptious food in her belly.
"Swallowing two Sectors in a row in only decades, the she-devil, the she-tyrannosaur, was still not satisfied. About ten years ago, she woke up again while she was exploring the sea of stars.
"This time, it was Firefly, the last flagship of the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic, that she discovered!
"According to the official propaganda of the federal government, Ding Lingdang was once again 'innocently' involved in the internal conflict on Firefly and 'happened to' help a certain force on Firefly resolve the crisis. She also summoned a federal fleet when Firefly was under the attack of a fleet from the Imperium!
"Yes. While the seniors here were lost in the cosmic storm, there should've been a sub-fleet on your side that was unfortunately annihilated by Ding Lingdang after a battle with her during a reconnaissance mission!
"All in all, Ding Lingdang helped the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic to preserve their last flagship, thereby winning their friendship. She convinced them to dock at the border of the Star Glory Federation for trade between the two parties.
"The Star Glory Federation not only received countless marvelous techniques and technologies that originated from the center of the cosmos from Firefly but also captured a lot of Immortal Cultivators in the battle. They must've elicited tremendous intelligence about the seniors here from the captives. Ding Lingdang made great contributions yet again!
"With the three great achievements, namely 'swallowing the Nether World Sector', 'conquering the Uranian Ring Sector', and 'saving Firefly', Ding Lingdang was promoted by the federal government as a walking slogan like a superhero. She is now essentially a symbol of the Star Glory Federation, an almighty God of War! Therefore, you need to kill Ding Lingdang first, no, not just kill her, defeat her, savage her, trample on her, and torture her for ten days and ten nights, making her beg to be killed. If you broadcast that scene to the entire Star Glory Federation, hehehehe, I'm certain that the morale of the federation will collapse!"
"Thank you for your enlightenment, Fellow Cultivator Fei," Li Yao replied. "You're truly thoughtful. I
'll make sure that you are properly 'awarded' someday!"
Overjoyed, Fei Qi obsequiously said, "You are flattering me, senior. It's my greatest honor to be at the service of the Imperium!"
Long Yangjun smiled. "So to speak, this… she-tyrannosaur Ding Lingdang is indeed something. Of the seven Sectors that the federation has today, she conquered two on her own and helped the federation bridge the gap between them and the government-in-exile of the Star Ocean Republic. It seems rather appropriate to describe her as a superhero, the soul and symbol of the federation.
"But I wonder, how exactly is Jin Xinyue, the 'Venomous Witch' in your words, capable of being a match for Ding Lingdang?"
Fei Qi swallowed hard, with sweat popping up on his forehead. "On the surface, Jin Xinyue is not nearly as accomplished and dominant as Ding Lingdang. But in fact, she is a person much more dangerous than Ding Lingdang. Viper and scorpion are not enough to describe one millionth of her cruelty and cunningness!
"That's because Ding Lingdang is a simple warrior who has more brawn than brains, and all her terrorism, slaughter, and destruction are open to the public, whereas Jin Xinyue is best known for her treachery and her iron hand in the velvet glove!
"All in all, everybody in the Dragon Snake Space Zone knows that, if you piss off Ding Lingdang, she may punch you to a clean and painless death. But if Jin Xinyue has got her eyes on you, she can come up with a hundred ways in the blink of an eye to make your life as miserable as hell and force you to wonder why you were born into this world!
"Right. I don't think I've told you this just now, but this Jin Xinyue was actually born a demon!"
"A demon?" Long Yangjun was slightly dazed. The demons had ruled over the sea of stars for thirty thousand years, which were now known as the Great Dark Age. Heiye Lan had told them the relevant intelligence before. Therefore, it was impossible for Long Yangjun to give herself away just because of that. After only a brief moment of hesitation, she simply went on and asked, "Has the Star Glory Federation been conspiring with the demons?"
