by <unknown>
"Wait a moment, Screwhead!" Li Yao interjected. "When we were on Firefly, we were told that the Dragon Snake Space Zone was not in a good relationship with the Star Glory Federation. Why does it not seem to be the case with you?"
"About that." Screwhead opened his hands and said uninterestedly, "The relationship can be good or bad, but that's something the celebrities and the rich should concern themselves with. Do you think I'm rich, bosses?
"Most of the people in the Dragon Snake Space Zone are ordinary people and low-level Cultivators such as myself. We have to do our best just to survive. Who has the time to care about the relationship between the Dragon Snake Space Zone and the Star Glory Federation?
"All in all, as long as we have money to earn and food to eat, who cares about the federation or the Imperium?
"Besides, my hometown is the Nether World Sector, which is a world that joined the federation rather early. There wasn't even a real war like in the Uranian Ring Sector. Who gives a damn about the grudge from decades ago?
"Alright. I think I've talked too much. Where do you want to visit, bosses? Do you want to grab dinner or go to a hotel first? Or, maybe you'd prefer casinos, arenas, or nightclubs?"
Screwhead rubbed his hands. Seeing that Yan Liren, Qi Changsheng, and Han Baling were all watching the most magnificent light beam in the sky, dwelling in the astounding picture displayed on it, he could not help but smile, "This is the seventh franchise of Young Wu Mayan, an immersive movie aired recently, which tells the story of Wu Mayan's adventures on Iron Plateau when he was young. The plot is nothing anybody doesn't know, but an immersive movie is different from the general movies in that the audience can be 'immersed' in the perspective, emotion, and even thinking pattern of any random character, which allows the audience to experience the thrilling and spectacular adventures in different identities and angles! How about it, do you want to have a try, bosses?"
"Wu Mayan…" Looking at Li Yao, Long Yangjun asked Screwhead, "Isn't he Vulture Li Yao's first disciple?"
"Exactly!" Screwhead smashed his fists in excitement. "The monstrous qi-trainer who claims to have surpassed the 1000th level of the Refinement Stage!"
"The 1000th level of the Refinement Stage!"
Qi Zhongdao, Yan Liren, Han Baling, Qi Changsheng… All the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators almost laughed out aloud.
Li Yao coughed lightly, too, and his face turned weird.
Blinking, Long Yangjun asked suspiciously, "Why are there no movies about Vulture Li Yao when his disciple already has so many?"
"There are!" Screwhead replied. "There are already more than a hundred and twenty productions in the 'Chronicles of Vulture' franchise. As for the prequels, sequels, side stories, and other kinds of cr*p, there are hundreds of them. Even the stories when Li Yao was in the magical equipment graveyard when he was young have been made into quite a few dramas. The audience already had enough of such shows decades ago. Who dares invest in such cheesy shows today? However, if you intend to appreciate the charisma of the dominator of three Sectors, I can take you to some old-fashioned theaters. I guarantee that you wouldn't watch the same series for a second time in a whole year!"
Even the wise and smart Long Yangjun was dazzled by the glittering torrents of information in midair and at a loss as to where to go next.
Right then, dozens of light beams suddenly displayed the same picture after blinking quickly for a moment.
On the picture, in a crowded meeting, a majestic-looking old man was speaking to thousands of anxious people loudly and bowing, as if he were very sorry about something.
"Breaking news!" Screwhead held his head and cried, "Su Chenzhou, the candidate from the Alliance of the Nine Sects, has officially admitted his failure and will withdraw from the election for the Supreme Speaker of the Star Glory Federation. He also asks his supporters to support the Venomous Witch Jin Xinyue! The Alliance of the Nine Sects has agreed upon a strategic cooperation with Skyfire, making them the largest force in parliament!
"We're done! We're truly done for this time! Even the well-renowned Su Chenzhou has surrendered. This election has turned from a competition of multiple candidates into a competition between two. Jin Xinyue's chances of being elected are very high. This is truly the end of the world!"
As he expected, soon after Su Chenzhou announced that he would quit the election, the dozens of pictures blinked and were shifted to a hall that was large in scale and had an even more heated atmosphere.
At the center of the hall, in the middle of thousands of cheering supporters, Jin Xinyue was standing quietly and elegantly like an angel, not affected at all.
Jin Xinyue had been a 'demon king', which was equivalent to the Core Formation Stage, a hundred years ago. The passage of the hundred years had not left any marks on her at all, except for making her watery eyes even deeper and more unpredictable than before.
She was wearing a moon white linen robe, which made her appear both graceful and inviolable.
Perhaps because the new Speaker of the Federation needed to show toughness now that the army of the Imperium of True Human Beings was approaching, she had added a golden belt outside of the long robe, which carried a longsword with the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars emblem. Her figure and her stunningly long legs were even further accentuated.
Holding the longsword with one hand and extending her other hand to the people, Jin Xinyue put on a sincere smile.
In a trance, Li Yao felt that he saw someone else in the smile.
It was Jin Tuyi, the most dreadful opponent and even probably the only one whom he had failed to defeat completely!
Jin Tuyi, your Red Tide Plan is close to success after all! Li Yao thought to himself with mixed feelings. A hundred years after the Blood Demon Sector surrendered, your daughter has finally fulfilled her promise to you, to me, and to herself and stood on the stage to campaign for the position of Speaker of the Federation. She has also defeated almost all the strong rivals and is only one step away from the leadership of three… no, seven Sectors!
However, while the plan a hundred years ago is about to become reality smoothly, and Jin Xinyue should be the best candidate to resist the Imperium of True Human Beings, why do I still feel something is wrong?
The mental devil crawled out inside his head. "Are you worried that something will go wrong at the most crucial moment?"
"Exactly," Li Yao replied. "Based on the experiences in our previous adventures, Jin Xinyue can't be elected as the Speaker of the Federation so easily! Even if she does make it to the end smoothly, a soul-stirring scheme that may overturn the entire federation can still happen!
"However, it doesn't matter because we have returned in time!
"Hehe. If the scheme this time is similar to the schemes that took place in the Flying Star Sector, the Blood Demon Sector, and the Heaven's Origin Sector, the mastermind of the scheme should be obvious now!
"Jin Xinyue probably wouldn't betray me and the federation. She is loyal!
"Then, her competitor—no matter how selfless, decent, and devoted they appear to be—must be vicious despite all the illusions. They will be the planners of the scheme!
"It's like Xiao Xuance in the Flying Star Sector, Elder Nether Spring in the Blood Demon Sector, and Lu Zui and Zhou Hengdao in the Heaven's Origin Sector. The more powerful a person is, the greater damage they can possibly cause!"
"Fair point!" the mental devil replied.
Li Yao smiled confidently. He asked the tour guide, "Screwhead, you mentioned just now that the federal election has turned into a competition of two. You meant that there are only two candidates left now, right? One of them is Jin Xinyue. Who's the other guy?"
"Why, it is 'Blazing Tyrannosaur' Ding Lingdang," Screwhead replied. "Who is qualified to compete with Jin Xinyue other than her?"
"…" Li Yao.
"…" The mental devil.
Chapter 1567: Grand Entrance of Ding Lingdang! |
While the atmosphere in the picture was more he
ated than ever, the host was commenting. "Dear audience, as we can see, when Su Chenzhou, the candidate of the Alliance of Nine Sects, announced his withdrawal and his support for Jin Xinyue, almost a million of Jin Xinyue's supporters gathered at the Federal Square in the capital city to form an ocean of passion. The light banners that they projected into the sky are also displaying 'Glory and Dream', Jin Xinyue's campaign slogan. They are shouting Jin Xinyue's name aloud.
"Wait. Wait. They are shouting neither Jin Xinyue nor Minister Ji, but… Speaker Jin!
"Listen to the voice from the supporters in the capital city. Speaker Jin! Speaker Jin! Speaker Jin! It seems that Jin Xinyue and her supporters are very confident about her final victory!
"Then, on the other hand, let's contact my colleagues in the Forest Ocean Sector right now. Ding Lingdang, the other candidate of the election and the leader of the Patriots Front, known as the 'God of War' and 'Blazing Tyrannosaur', is attending the opening ceremony of a large training stadium that has been built with her aid. She will also give a speech to her supporters. Let's see how Ding Lingdang and her supporters will respond to Su Chenzhou's withdrawal!"
The picture on the light beam trembled for a moment, like a peaceful lake into which a stone had been tossed. After the ripples spread out for a moment, it soon steadied.
However, the content of the picture had greatly changed. It was no longer a modern metropolis with crowded, coruscating skyscrapers but a boundless ocean of primitive trees that covered the entire planet.
As far as one's eyes could reach, under the green background, the whole planet was brimming with vivid, passionate colors.
There was occasionally vacant ground like 'lone islands' in the ocean of trees. Man-made architecture could only be found on those lone islands.
But it did not mean that Ding Lingdang had few supporters, because amid the ocean of trees, in and out of the 'nests' made of crowns, branches, and twigs, people were standing next to each other, cheering for Ding Lingdang's arrival.
Li Yao stared at the enormous light beam so hard that his eyeballs were almost darting into it.
No words could describe his excitement hidden under the tranquility on the surface at that moment.
He had not seen his wife for a hundred years. How exactly would she show up this time?
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
On the picture, deep inside the forests, ear-splitting explosions were echoing. The trees that towered dozens of meters tall were all uttering weird noises and falling to the ground.
The natives of the Forest Ocean Sector, who had been living in the jungles, cheered even more passionately.
Boom! Boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom! Boom, boom, boom, boom!
The deafening noises grew louder and hastier. As they drew closer, they were not just deafening but essentially world-blighting.
It could be seen clearly from the picture shot by shuttles in midair that the enormous trees deep inside the forest were leaning to the two sides like grasses that had been divided. A certain magnificent being was obviously crushing everything in its way.
It was—
Li Yao could not help but stand on his toes and slightly open his mouth. There was nothing but expectation and affection in his eyes.
Hooooo!
A super large velociraptor that was at least fifty meters tall, with iron armor and bone spurs all over the body and six rows of tusks densely grown inside the bloody mouth, leapt out of the forest of trees and crashed like a shooting star from the sky!
Centered at the landing point of the super large velociraptor, the airwaves caused by the blast spread out quickly. As if thunder had broken out on the ground, a superstorm was rising!
"Ohhhh!" Even the reporters were exclaiming in shock.
"Hooray!" The natives of the Forest Ocean Sector were dancing so excitedly that they could barely control themselves.
"…" Li Yao.
"If you want to vomit blood," the mental devil said, "do me a favor and help me vomit mine."
Li Yao gulped hard. As the picture zoomed in, he observed carefully and finally discovered that his wife was sitting steadily on a wrinkle on the back of the head of the super large velociraptor!
Like him, Ding Lingdang had been among the first participants of the Heavenly Road Plan. She had spent most of the last hundred years in hibernation and exploration.
Although she had woken up three times and been active for about twenty years, for the Cultivators close to the Divinity Transformation Stage, such a short period of time mattered little because they could mostly live up to five hundred years old if they paid attention to their health.
Even Jin Xinyue had barely changed after living for a hundred years. Naturally, Ding Lingdang had even fewer changes herself. She was exactly the same as the night they had departed.
However, it was only her appearance.
Although she was on the light beam and thousands of stars away from him, Li Yao could sense the daunting aura around his wife, as if they were back to the younger days when they first met each other. The feeling that made his blood boil and made him want to defeat and conquer her without bothering about anything was back!
Li Yao licked his burning lips, feeling that his mouth was dry and his heart was pounding.
Ding Lingdang at that moment looked more like a queen, albeit uncivilized, than Jin Xinyue.
She was wearing a seven-colored crown in the style of rainbow parrots on her head and a bright golden skirt made of best hide that was emitting hundreds of faint colors in different shades. Her healthy and powerful arms and her long, healthy legs were exposed to the air, caramel in color.
She was glittering like a sun. She was a sun that was on the neck of a velociraptor!
As for her mount…
It was obvious that the animal was not a domesticated one but a wild animal that was brutal, bad-tempered, and fearless of everything.
Judging from the size, it was possibly the king of the demon beasts in the forest nearby. Otherwise, it would not have been qualified to grow so huge.
The behemoth was covered in wounds. Dozens of the thick bone spurs had been broken apart. Even the mouthful of tusks had been half blown away.
There was no need to mention the poignant expression on the face of the animal, the discontent, helplessness, and fear, which obvious told everyone that it had only just been suppressed by Ding Lingdang!
Li Yao saw that Ding Lingdang curled one of her fingers and snapped on the head of the super large velociraptor hard.
The super large velociraptor screamed in excruciating pain before it lowered its head obediently and delivered Ding Lingdang to her supporters in an extremely uncomfortable position.
"Ohhhhh," the commenter exclaimed. "It is the most dangerous predator on the continent in the Forest Ocean Sector, the terrifying existence at the top of the food chain, the Purple-Crowned Large Velociraptor!
"No. Judging from the violent horns on its head that are rising into the sky, this is a Purple-Crowned Ultra Velociraptor that has transformed twice and evolved to maturity!
"Ding Lingdang has beaten and suppressed a Purple-Crowned Ultra Velociraptor in only half an hour barehandedly without even using a crystal suit, much less a Colossus! This is truly—truly unbelievable. As expected of the God of War in the federation and the Blazing Tyrannosaur!
"As we can see, all the citizens in the Forest Ocean Sector are deeply awed by Ding Lingdang's shocking performance. They have gone completely crazy!
"Dear audience, it is well-known that the planet of the Forest Ocean Sector, covered by primitive forests that extend from the continent to the ocean, is the most underdeveloped area in the seven Sectors of the federation.
"The forests are boundless, and the oceans are deep. There are no bountiful crystals. The underground mother lodes are hard to develop on a large scale, too!
"The one thing that the Forest Ocean Sector is not short of is demon beast. The overwhelming, ubiquitous demon beasts!
"
The brave and hardworking ancestors of the Forest Ocean Sector started learning to make use of 'demon beasts', the only resource available, thousands of years ago. After thousands of years of trial and error, they have gradually developed a unique animal-taming civilization. Everything in their life and in the development of the civilization be done by taming, hunting, domesticating, and driving the demon beasts.
"Valor and courage are highly valued by the natives of the Forest Ocean Sector. The higher the level of one's prey, and the more brutal and ruthless the prey, the more respected and complimented the hunter will be!
"Ding Lingdang has suppressed a Purple-Crowned Ultra Velociraptor, which is certainly of the highest level, barehanded in only half an hour. This is probably the best gift for the people of the Forest Ocean Sector and the best response for Su Chenzhou's withdrawal and his support for Jin Xinyue!
"Well, we have received a lot of messages from the audience, questioning if Ding Lingdang's attire and actions today have exceeded what befits a candidate for Supreme Speaker.
"Yes. In the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Flying Star Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector, many may find such a… shock unacceptable. However, I believe that Ding Lingdang must've left a very deep impression on the people of the Forest Ocean Sector and made them realize that Ding Lingdang is one of them and will fight to the end for their interests!
"Alright. According to the dynamic, real-time poll system we have implemented, after Su Chenzhou announced his withdrawal and his support for Jin Xinyue, and after Ding Lingdang showed up in public in such a 'dramatic' style, interesting changes have happened to their approval rating in the poll!
"With Su Chenzhou's endorsement, Jin Xinyue's approval rating in the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Blood Demon Sector, and the Flying Star Sector has witnessed a significant rise. Ding Lingdang, in comparison, perhaps because of her 'unconventional' performance today, has failed to keep her approval rating. Many people we interviewed suggested that they couldn't imagine the Supreme Speaker of the Federation riding a velociraptor!
