by <unknown>
"They are not just conspiring; they have been in the same gang since the very beginning! The 'Blood Demon Sector', one of the three founding Sectors of the New Federation, is a world of demons. Jin Xinyue was the queen of demons in the Sector, known as the 'Dark Lady of the Nine Heavens'.
"To think that a world of demons is now colluding with a world of human beings! Nothing can be more shameless and insane than that! Such a federation is already disgusting enough when you just look at it. How can anybody be interested in joining it?
"All in all, while the 'space patrollers' like Ding Lingdang actively pushed the 'Heavenly Path Plan' forward and launched an invasion on the outside worlds, Jin Xinyue the Venomous Witch stayed at home and suppressed the internal insurgencies.
"Yes. The cruel and brutal Jin Xinyue is best at suppressing internal insurgencies and completely taming the Sectors that have already been conquered!"
Chapter 1560: Wait, Who Is Li Yao? |
After pausing for a moment to catch his breath, Fei Qi went on. "Jin Xinyue was a queen of the demons in the beginning, but after the New Federation was established, she joined the 'Secret Sword Bureau', the intelligence and espionage agency of the New Federation, taking up the responsibility to suppress the demons that were discontent with the New Federation. To pursue her own power, the woman never hesitated, never even batted an eye, when she massacred her fellow demons. This is the first clue of her cruelty, heartlessness, and brutality!
"Based on her accomplishments in slaughtering her compatriots and her expertise in eliminating the dissidents, the woman rose to power quickly in the Secret Sword Bureau. After little more than twenty years, she was already promoted to the Deputy Director of the Secret Sword Bureau and the Chief Execution Supervisor. While Guo Chunfeng, director of the Secret Sword Bureau, stayed in the rear to command everything, Jin Xinyue led the charge in the front, responsible for the capture, suppression, and interrogation missions on the frontline.
"After the Star Glory Federation gradually conquered the four Sectors, the 'Equality and Development Ministry' was founded. Jin Xinyue became the youngest minister of the federation."
"The Equality and Development Ministry?" Li Yao queried.
"By equality and development, they mean carving and swallowing," Fei Qi said. "We all call it the 'Conquest Ministry'. It is a bloody bureau that is specifically responsible for carrying out enslaving education in the four newly-conquered worlds; colonizing the new territory; and exploiting, extorting, and suppressing the resisters such as ourselves!
"Under the leadership of the vicious Jin Xinyue, the colonization that the 'Conquest Ministry' implemented on the four new worlds went quite well. She is best at double-dealing, instigation, divide-and-conquer, and other diplomatic methods. After decades of enslaving education, most of the people in the four new worlds have already forgotten the pride and dignity of their respective civilizations of the past and really consider themselves 'federal citizens'. The few resisters whose heads were clear enough and who were too determined to surrender have also been captured, tried, and executed at Jin Xinyue's command. At this point, without the assistance of the fellow Cultivators and seniors from the Imperium, it will be absolutely impossible for us to defeat the witch!
"Jin Xinyue, the executioner whose hands are covered in blood, climbed upward on the ladder of power, stepping on the piles of bones of the resisters from the four new worlds. She continued expanding her influence in the federal government and collecting resources from the four new worlds to please the major sects and conglomerates in the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector. After a series of sordid, shameless, clandestine deals, she became one of the most important ministers in the federal government. She is now like the sun at midday, utterly unshakable!
"She is currently campaigning for the role of 'Supreme Speaker' in parliament right now. If the witch is truly elected as the Speaker of the Federation, the days of the four new worlds will only get worse!
"Nobody wants Jin Xinyue to be elected as the Speaker. However, well, Skyfire, which is under Jin Xinyue's control, is one of the most powerful forces in the Star Glory Federation. She is quite popular among the major sects in the three core Sectors and has the support of the vast majority of the demons in the federation. The odds that she will win the election are very high.
"Seniors, if possible, please try to take down Jin Xinyue first before the final battle! As long as she is taken care of, half of the plots and schemes of the federation will be gone!"
Showing neither approval nor disapproval, Long Yangjun coldly said, "It is not your place to decide our specific tactics. All you need to do is tell us everything that you know! Is there anything else you would like to say about the two she-devils? You just mentioned that the two of them are in disagreement. What, is their relationship not good? That makes sense. Two tigers cannot live on the same mountain. I can tell that neither of the two women are willing to work under somebody else. It is only natural that they are at loggerheads with each other!"
"I couldn't agree more. The two she-devils have never been in a good relationship. Skyfire and the Patriots Front under their lead have also been competing openly and in secret for almost a hundred years. It is not a big secret within the federation."
Licking his dry lips, Fei Qi added, "Although Ding Lingdang is Jin Xinyue's masteress, it's not like that Jin Xinyue would simply—"
"Wait. Excuse me?" Long Yangjun was slightly dazed. "About the two most powerful women in the federation, Ding Lingdang is Jin Xinyue's masteress? What do you mean by 'masteress'? I don't suppose it is 'master's wife', does it?"
"What else can 'masteress' mean?" Fei Qi blinked and replied, "Jin Xinyue's master and Ding Lingdang's husband are the same person."
"Well, that is rather—" Even Long Yangjun was lost for words for a moment.
She looked back, only to discover that the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators were also dumbfounded, not knowing what was going on.
For ancient Cultivators, the title of 'master' was ten thousand heavier than it was in the modern Cultivation civilization.
It was because the gap between ordinary people and Cultivators in ancient times was larger, and it was more difficult for the former to be admitted by a Cultivation sect. The Cultivation arts and techniques were also highly confidential. It was impossible for some arts to be placed on the Spiritual Nexus where they could be downloaded by any random person.
To be accepted by a wise master meant that the possibility of learning state-of-the-art techniques, getting rid of the miserable life of an ordinary person, and turning into a brilliant and wealthy 'deity'. It was the biggest dream for everyone!
Under such circumstances, if a master was willing to recruit someone, support them and their family, and teach them all kinds of techniques, the master would essentially be giving the disciple a new life. The disciple should respect their master more than they respected their own parents!
Therefore, the formalities between master and disciple were highly valued by the ancient Cultivators. A Cultivator's master and masteress were equivalent to their birth parents in the sect. Of course, some disciples might have killed their master for various reasons, but they certainly did such things in secret.
The notoriety of 'Master Spiritual Vulture' could half be attributed to him slaughtering the many villages, but the main reason was that he had killed his master, Elder Five Despair!
Were it not for the fact that 'Master Spiritual Vulture' had been born in the Southland of Sorcerers and should not be treated with the manners and rules of the central plateaus, and if it were not the end of a dynasty where everything was in chaos and guidelines were no longer appreciated, it would not have been possible for the 'Master Spiritual Vulture' that Li Yao played to shake off the aftermath of the event.
Ding Lingdang and Jin Xinyue, the two influential she-devils in the Star Glory Federation, turned out to be in the relati
onship of masteress and disciple, and yet they were at loggerheads in public, causing such a fuss that even someone like Fei Qi knew of their conflict. It was something utterly incomprehensible for the people from the ancient times.
Should betraying one's master not be done in secret?
"How uncanny!" Long Yangjun exclaimed in surprise. "Ding Lingdang and Jin Xinyue are both critical figures in the federation. If what you said is to be believed, they are strong, resolute, wealthy, and powerful. If they joined hands, it should be more than enough for them to control half of the federation. Then, shouldn't Ding Lingdang's husband and Jin Xinyue's master be the 'king of the federation'? Why didn't you mention such a great man just now?"
"He truly deserves to be called the king of the federation, in the 'Old Federation' a hundred years ago," Fei Qi said. "Ding Lingdang's husband and Jin Xinyue's master was named Vulture Li Yao. He was an extraordinary person in the Old Federation. It was said that Vulture Li Yao made unparalleled contributions to the unification of the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector in the era of the Old Federation. Even the few major forces that support the New Federation—including Skyfire, the Glorious Sunlight Group, and so on—were actually founded by Vulture Li Yao. Even Ding Lingdang and Jin Xinyue's great power and influence in the New Federation have a lot to do with the enormous legacy of Vulture Li Yao that they inherited!"
"Vulture Li Yao?" Long Yangjun chewed on the name thoughtfully.
The many Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators behind her also frowned solemnly.
He sounded like a real badass and must have been a ferocious, treacherous person that was difficult to deal with!
"However, it was all a hundred years ago," Fei Qi said. "Vulture Li Yao went on a mission a hundred years ago. The authorities of the federation have always tried to hide the traces and never offered any explanation to his outcome. However, a lot of rumors have been spreading among the people. The most trustworthy theory is that Vulture Li Yao went mentally deranged and died a miserable death abruptly a hundred years ago because he grew famous too early and advanced into the Nascent Soul Stage too young, not to mention a certain 'superlative' technique he practiced that severely exhausted his body and soul!
"Because he was a symbolic figure in the Old Federation and the greatest legend of the Old Federation, who in the official propaganda was even praised as the 'supreme person of the three Sectors', the federal government was reluctant to acknowledge his miserable death. Therefore, they have always remained ambiguous as to his outcome.
"All in all, a hundred years have passed!
"In the past years, drastic changes have happened to the federation. From three Sectors to seven Sectors, and from the Old Federation to the New Federation, all kinds of heroes and experts have emerged. The old monsters such as Vulture Li Yao who belong to the era of the Old Federation have already become pictures in history books. Except during the College Entrance Examinations in the federation every year, and when Ding Lingdang and Jin Xinyue are mentioned, few people are interested in talking about him today.
"That's why I didn't mention the legendary old monster who has probably been dead for a hundred years when you asked me just now. He cannot become trouble for the Imperium!"
"Wait!" Long Yangjun's pupils suddenly constricted. Her nostrils slightly expanding, she touched the tip of her nose softly. "How many years? When did Vulture Li Yao die?"
Fei Qi found Long Yangjun's reactions queer, but he still confessed dutifully under the stimulation of her needles. "Probably… about a hundred years ago. The specific timing is unverifiable now. However, the old monster has not been seen or heard from since the New Federation was founded. At first, Vulture Li Yao was said to be training in seclusion. Then, he was claimed to have joined the 'space patrollers' to explore the universe with his wife, Ding Lingdang. However, when Ding Lingdang reappeared in the federation, there was no sign of Vulture Li Yao. All the departments of the federal government avoided the questions tacitly.
"According to our analysis, Vulture Li Yao must've died a long time ago. The training in seclusion and the exploration of the universe are just smoke grenades and fake news that the federal government released as buffers to ease the aftershock of the abrupt death of such a federal hero."
"That explains a lot," Long Yangjun mumbled to herself. A vague smile popped up on her face again as she glanced at Li Yao casually. "Vulture Li Yao, the strongest monster in the Old Federation, went missing a hundred years ago, presumably dead…"
Li Yao stared back at her innocently and fearlessly.
Chapter 1561: Fish and Dragons, Fish Dragon City! |
It took Fei Qi three hours to confess everything he knew, especially the intelligence about the Dragon Snake Space Zone.
The experts from the Ancient Sages Sector then realized that the Dragon Snake Space Zone was the perfect location for infiltration. The destination of their space jump proved to be much more valuable than expected.
The Dragon Snake Space Zone, as its name suggested, was a murky, lawless place where dragons were mixed with snakes.
After a hundred years of rapid development, the Star Glory Federation had greatly expanded. Besides the previous three Sectors, it had acquired four new worlds.
For the new worlds, while the revolutionary changes were passionately welcomed by most of the populace, the interests of the previously privileged would certainly be harmed, if not deprived.
In such a time of changes and development, when the federation was expanding quickly, not only had a batch of people who were highly discontent about the federation emerged in the Forest Ring Sector, the Forest Ocean Sector, the Nether World Sector, and the Water Crystal Sector, even some people in the three core Sectors had failed to keep up with the progress of the universe and had second thoughts.
The Star Glory Federation valued the freedom of entry and departure and did not force anyone to become its citizen. But naturally, not any random person could become a citizen unconditionally.
For the people who were highly resistant to the federation and unwilling to stay in the territory of the federation but had not violated any laws or committed any hostile actions, the Dragon Snake Space Zone was the new home that the federation specifically prepared for them.
With the red giant at the center of the Dragon Snake Space Zone that was relatively stable, although it was impossible for them to live their lives extravagantly any longer, they could still survive.
At the very least, it was certainly much better than wandering aimlessly in the universe on a ragged starship with few resources.
Therefore, after decades, a lot of outcasts from the four new worlds had moved to the Dragon Snake Space Zone.
Those people were mostly the top class of their respective worlds and had a rather decent amount of wealth, treasures, and confidential heritages in their hands. One way or another, they had managed to bring some of their belongings out with them. Therefore, after a while, the small Dragon Snake Space Zone had expanded, enjoying abnormal prosperity.
However, the Dragon Snake Space Zone did not have a unified government or an efficient management system. The outcasts did not see any hope or any way out, either. Except for their mutual hatred and disgust for the federation, they were not entirely on the same boat. Internal conflicts and thefts were anything but rare here.
Also, the 'headhunters' from the Star Glory Federation were often themselves the most ferocious, dangerous outlaws in the country. In many cases, they were not necessarily there to 'serve the justice' but to rob the outcasts of the secret treasures that they had brought from their hometown. The damage that the headhunters caused when they acted without bothering the consequences made the security of the Dragon Snake Space Zone even worse.
Due to the various factors, the Dragon Snake Space Zone had turned into such a bizarre, unruly, disorganized place where all kinds of devils were dancing.
Even the 'space pirat
es', which had gone extinct in the Star Glory Federation, had been brought back to life there.
However, most of them were not professional space pirates but only 'guest stars' in the Dragon Snake Space Zone.
Robbing each other during the day, drinking themselves to sleep at night, and reminiscing about their former glory in the past, that was basically the life of the people there.
"The Dragon Snake Space Zone is the most chaotic place near the Star Glory Federation. For us, it will be the best starting point!"
After finishing the interrogation on Fei Qi, the twelve experts from the Ancient Sages Sector and Heiye Lan gathered again to discuss the operations in the next step.
"First of all," Long Yangjun said, "those who have been banished or escaped to the Dragon Snake Space Zone often have blood debts in their hometown, just like the 'doctor'. Even those who do not have unresolved issues often carry precious items with them. Therefore, most of them have chosen to change their name and appearance, turning into someone entirely different.
"In the Dragon Snake Space Zone, 'identity' is never a problem. Most people prepare three to five false identities for themselves. It is a custom not to ask about other people's backgrounds, too. Whoever is too interested in other people's business will be mistaken for a 'headhunter' from the federation and attacked by everyone.
"The entire Dragon Snake Space Zone has a population of hundreds of millions. That is only a rough estimate. After all, nobody can perform a census here. Many smugglers escaped here on their starships stealthily. As long as they bring enough resources from their hometown, nobody will care who they are exactly.
"Hundreds of millions of people, and probably even more, are all hiding their names, appearances, and backgrounds. How can the federation investigate the identity of each and every one of them?
