by <unknown>
The girl widened her eyes. She finally understood what the old man had mumbled.
"I—I get it now. The old grandpa's last words seemed to be—"
Puffing her cheeks, she changed into the old man's posture and looked at the infinite sky beyond, saying with great relief, "The juniors have finally destroyed the bandits!"
Chapter 1835: Pomp and Circumstance |
At the center of the Wall of Heaven's Origin, the orbital defense line, the No. 9 star fortress that had been built after hollowing an entire resource planet was the largest space stronghold and the last one to be built in the whole defense line.
The fifth space port in the star fortress was large enough to allow more than ten starships and more than a hundred shuttles to land at the same time. Countless exhaust flames flashed past every second.
The Star Glory Federation adopted a dual-track system, which appreciated both the federal army and the Cultivation sects. There were a lot of experts and even elite Exo societies among the civilians.
After the war began, the experts had gathered in the star fortresses as per the instructions on the battle network and marched to the battlefield under the collective command.
At this moment, a lot of the experts still lingered in the fifth space port, waiting to take off to chase after the fleeing fleet of the Imperium. Some of them were quite experienced warriors who knew lots of people.
A lot of war journalists had gathered in the place, too, interviewing random experts while they waited for the permission of the federal army to go to the frontlines, where they could begin the real interview.
Therefore, when the few starships in unique shapes and glamorous paint, with magnificent emblems carved on the heads, slowly landed, and dozens of daunting top-tier experts and big shots who were highly influential in their respective trades appeared, a lot of the experts in the space port immediately recognized who they were.
The few eye-catching young men among them even raised rounds of exclamations and discussions.
"Is—Is that Devilish Sword Peng Lie, son of Fiend Blade Peng Hai, one of the greatest experts in the federation today? How daunting and unstoppable. He is truly like a cold sword that can slash a starship in half! No wonder he has been appointed as the commander of Dragon's Roar, the most elite special force of the federal army!
"Who is the guy standing next to him? He is not affected by Peng Lie's aura at all, and the brilliance bursting out of his eyes is even more intense than Peng Lie's! What? He is Wu Yaxuan? Wu Mayan and Xie Anan's son, Solar Eclipse Jiang Shaoyang's true disciple, known as the strongest refiner of the younger generation in the federation, who has received the tile of Armadominus after creating a super crystal suit at such a young age?"
"There's also the guy whose long hair has reached his buttock. He's wearing a pair of large sunglasses and smiling rather evilly… Wow. Isn't—isn't—isn't he Ye Liusha? One of the most popular superstars for millions of teenage boys and girls in the whole federation!"
"He is much more than a superstar. His father is the Fire Ant King, one of the best experts in the Blood Demon Sector and even in the entire federation. Acting is just his hobby. He is in fact a Meditation Healer who boasts tremendous mental power. Not just when he is singing or dancing, he can unleash the most dominating soul power when he is walking or smiling. He is very strong!"
"So—so many experts have gathered in this place at the same time? Why?"
"Also, have you felt it? As the most distinguished persons in the younger generation of the New Federation, they have all been through many major events, and they wouldn't bother to frown even when they are surrounded by ten thousand reporters. But they are rather weird today."
"Nervous! Yes. They look rather nervous!"
"How—how is it possible? With their familial background and their own unparalleled capability, what can possibly make them so nervous? Even Ye Liusha, who is most used to being in the public eye, is so anxious that his eyelids are twitching. He even has to disguise it by wearing a pair of sunglasses intentionally. This is unbelievable!"
The reporters looked at each other in bewilderment. With their keen senses, they realized that a piece of shocking news might be hiding somewhere behind them!
Before the reporters crowded over and surrounded them, Devilish Sword Peng Lie, Wu Yaxuan, Ye Liusha, and dozens of other experts quickly got on several military shuttles and left.
The reporters were both upset and curious. The haste of the newcomers suggested that their itinerary had been improvised. They also looked so nervous that they did not even have time to calm themselves down. Where were they going, and who would they meet?
On the military shuttle, Wu Yaxuan, Ye Liusha, and Devilish Sword Peng Lie nodded at each other.
Although they had known each other for a long time, they were separated in the sea of stars and distinguished themselves in their respective fields after the great development of the New Federation. As important persons who had too much business to attend to every day, they never had much time to reunite.
Today, after they met again, the three of them could not help but move close. Naturally, it was not for the old time's sake but because of the person they were about to visit!
Nervous! The reporters in the fifth space port were not wrong at all. The three most distinguished young men of the new generation of the federation, who would not blink even if a star collapsed right before their eyes, were so nervous that their hands and feet were cold. They felt as if they were sitting on needles.
"Never have I thought that we would ever really meet him one day—the legend!" Devilish Peng Lie, the commander of the 'Dragon's Roar', an elite special force in the federation army, said with a smile. "When I was a child, I considered him the idol whom I worshipped most and set it as my goal to be a man as great as him. His senior brother, and my old man, was not particularly happy."
"You're telling me," Wu Yaxuan said in mixed feelings. "Even my master, Solar Eclipse Jin Xinyue, whose pride borders on arrogance, is highly wary of him.
"I did not think that it was a big deal at the beginning. I thought that no matter how extraordinary his skills were in the old days, they were techniques from more than a hundred years ago after all. The world is developing. How strong can he be after sleeping for a hundred years?
"But as it turned out, he only performed some minor adjustments on the crystal suit that I produced, and I failed to resolve the problem after a day and a night. Dreadful. It is truly dreadful!"
"We don't need to talk about his deeds in the past. Just this time…" Ye Liusha combed his long, messy hair and smiled bitterly. "Settling the crisis in Hundred Flowers City by himself and arriving out of nowhere with eleven experts at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage and even Divinity Transformation Stage? Such a twist is too unbelievable even for a drama!"
"What kind of person do you think Vulture Li Yao is exactly?"
"Is he really brilliant, resolute, righteous, and considers the world his responsibility like the books say?"
"Not necessarily. Such propaganda is usually too exaggerated. It is rare to find one trustworthy sentence out of ten. However, while he is not necessarily brilliantly smart, he is certainly a very dominating, awesome, and probably stern man. He is the strongest old monster from the age of the Old Federation after all!"
The more they discussed, the uneasier they became. They even asked Ye Liusha to impose certain psychological hints on each other so that they would not do anything inappropriate after they met the magnificent Vulture Li Yao and were awed by the daunting aura of the unparalleled expert.
If they embarrassed themselves in front of the many seniors and experts, they would not have a chance to make things right for the rest of their lives.
Soon, the four shuttles stopped at the periphery of a secret base that had a high level of defense.
They were the latest to arrive. When they looked down from above, they could already see hundreds of experts and even more crystal suits gatherin
g inside and outside of the base like a silent forest of iron.
The massive spiritual energy from them collided, raising overwhelming tides as if it were a violent ocean.
"Dad!"
Hardly had the young people got off the shuttle when Wu Yaxuan saw his father, Wu Mayan. Although he had heard about his father's condition through the spiritual messenger earlier, he could not help but move forward and asked earnestly, "Are you alright?"
"It's just a minor injury. Nothing serious." Wu Mayan smiled and patted his son's shoulder. Then he nodded at Devilish Sword Peng Lie in greeting.
Li Yao was the junior brother of Fiend Blade Peng Hai, and Peng Hai was the first guide for Li Yao on his path of Cultivation. Thus, Li Yao had always cherished the bond between them.
As Li Yao's first disciple, Wu Mayan was technically of the same generation as Devilish Sword Peng Lie. Therefore, it was impolite for him to greet the young man the same way as he greeted the rest of them.
"There's no need to be anxious." Wu Mayan saw through what was on their minds easily. "Master trained for twelve hours in a world fragment just now. His physical strength and soul power were too greatly exhausted. He is now recovering in the medical cabin and will soon be out."
"So crazy?" Wu Yaxuan widened his eyes in amazement. "Wasn't he wounded and worn out in the series of battles against the Immortal Cultivators and the extraterrestrial devils yesterday? How come he started such high-intensity training today for… twelve hours?"
"Training is like rowing a boat against the current; you will retrograde if you are not making progress. One cannot be sluggish for one second," Devilish Sword Peng Lie said. "Perhaps it was exactly such an attitude of craziness and determination that forged the unique Vulture Li Yao!"
"Exactly!" Wu Mayan nodded solemnly. "My master is an out-and-out training maniac. His training was already so crazy more than a hundred years ago. Yesterday, after his wounds just got better, he wasted no time crawling into a world fragment with my masteress, saying that they would have a good competition and see how many new techniques they have grasped during the hundred years and how strong they are now. Both of them were heavily wounded. But they are 'Vulture' and 'Blazing Tyrannosaur'. How can we stop them as their disciples?
"We thought that they would merely have a simple competition. It never occurred to us that their training would last so long. In their fierce fight, the whole world fragment was blown apart!"
"The world fragment was blown apart?" Wu Yaxuan, Ye Liusha, and Devilish Sword Peng Lie were all dumbfounded, finding it hard to picture how magnificent the view was. "That—that is too unbelievable and insane!"
"What are 'Vulture' Li Yao and 'Blazing Tyrannosaur' Ding Lingdang if not lunatics?" Wu Mayan paused for a moment. Then his eyes suddenly shone. "They're here!"
Before Wu Yaxuan and his companions clearly saw the two shadows, which slowly rose from the training room, noises were already flooding into their ears like tides.
Almost a thousand top-tier experts from the Glorious Sunlight Group, the Double Dragons Union, Skyfire, the Patriots Front, the Secret Sword Bureau, the Dim Moon Fund, and all the other super forces bowed in respect and shouted at the same time, "Welcome home, President Li!"
Chapter 1836: It's Good to Be Home |
The swords and sabers rose like trees and mountains. The wholehearted roars from the thousand experts in the Building Foundation Stage, the Core Formation Stage, and even the Nascent Soul Stage congregated into roaring tides and spread out in all directions as fast as lightning.
The entire star fortress sensed the shocking force. Even someone on the starship that was rushing around the dark side of the fortress widened their eyes in confusion, not knowing exactly what had happened.
Li Yao had never been used to such grandiose ceremonies in the first place, not to mention that his body and mind were both greatly drained. After a brief daze, he asked Ding Lingdang in a low voice, "Didn't you say that it would be a simple welcome ceremony where I would get to know everybody? Why are there so many people?"
"It's already very simple. Otherwise, there would've been far more." Ding Lingdang lowered her voice, too. "You are the founder of the Double Dragons Union, the Glorious Sunlight Group, and Skyfire. Now that you have announced your grand return, it is only necessary for their leadership to come and visit you, isn't it? Right now, all the organizations are behemoths that cover all seven Sectors and can gather three to five million people after a slight cough. They have reduced the number of guests time and time again and finally made it slightly more than a thousand. This is already the best they can do!"
"Well…" Li Yao almost could not hold back the urge to scratch his hair.
He was not necessarily a man of low profile, but it did not mean that he could receive the homage of a thousand experts in such a way comfortably. Their eyes that were full of reverence and even 'fear' made Li Yao feel both awkward and embarrassed. He felt goosebumps all over his body.
He was not born for such occasions after all, and he was not the 'dominator of three Sectors' that they expected!
Thankfully, 'President Li' sounded more or less acceptable to him.
As for exactly how people should address him, Li Yao and Ding Lingdang had discussed for a long time, too, mainly because his case was rather special, and it was impossible to find a similar example in the entire federation.
From the bottom of his heart, he had never considered himself an unreachable celebrity. Except for the disciples and juniors, he would have no problem if other people directly called him 'Li Yao' or 'Brother Yao'.
Of course, that was certainly impossible.
In the federation, for the experts who had high military credits and reputation but did not work in the government or any sect, they were mostly called 'Mr.' along with their surname as a way of respect.
However, "Mr. Li' was a rather creepy title and did not even sound as comfortable as 'Monster Li'. Long Yangjun and the rest of them would certainly laugh about it for the rest of their lives.
'Senior Li' was too cheesy, and 'Master Li' sounded too old. His hometown was Floating Spear City. According to the unspoken rule, it was also possible to call him 'Li Floating Spear', but that did not sound right.
Eventually, Li Yao discovered that Ding Lingdang had established a fund with part of the assets he left behind years ago under his name to help the war orphans.
Li Yao did not hate the idea of acting as the president of the fund. Calling him 'President Li' seemed okay enough.
"Just deal with it." Ding Lingdang grabbed his arm. "I wasn't quite used to this, either, when I first returned to the federation from the Nether World Sector and the Uranian Ring Sector, but such occasions are always necessary, and we can't just be free spirits all the time.
"This is a small occasion. If I am elected the Supreme Speaker of the Federation in a couple of days, you will be the Speaker's spouse, expected to be present at big occasions where a hundred billion pairs of eyes are focused on you at the same time. What will you do then?"
"Is such a thing happening?" Li Yao blinked quickly. "I thought that you had fulfilled your destiny after the main force of the Black Wind Fleet was crushed and that you could be a hermit now!"
"How is it possible?" Ding Lingdang said. "The war is far from over. Do you think that the remaining soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet will surrender so easily? Now, there will be prolonged and even crueler battles of pursuit and annihilation. Besides, running for the Speaker is too important an issue for me to change my mind easily. Even if I want to, the Patriots Front backing me wouldn't allow me to! Forget it. Let's stop talking for now. Everybody is looking at you. Say something to them!"
The military base that was jam-packed with people was now caught in a weird silence.
Everybody held their breath and stared at Li Yao in midair quietly, who was not much taller or bigger them.
That was the legendary Vulture Li Yao, the dominator of three Sectors, and the most renowned superhero!
What would he say?
Li Yao's face was burning.
He did not know that so many people would come. The speech that he had drafted earlier seemed inappropriate now.
The scene before his eyes reminded him of the scene in Hundred Flowers City where he was surrounded by the people. He recalled the moment when everybody's soul reverberated and sang the national anthem of the federation together.
Out of everybody's expectation, he stood at attention and bowed to everyone deeply, as if he was returning their respect.
"Thank you for coming such a long way here to welcome me," Li Yao said. "I must apologize first. You may have some misunderstanding about me. After we get to know each other, you will realize that I am not 'Vulture' Li Yao, the dominator of the three Sectors as in the brochures, movies, and games. I am—how should I put it—someone who is the opposite of the propaganda.
"I did not accomplish the feat of 'saving the day at the most critical moment'. On the contrary, instead of me saving the federation, it was actually the millions of people of federation who made up the Star Glory Federation that saved me as well as themselves.
"Had it not been for the infinite strength granted by the spectral Cultivators who were caged in the virtual world after they woke up, the extraterrestrial devil in Hundred Flowers City wouldn't have been crushed so easily. Chances are that I might've ended up being its puppet.
"Had it not been for the bloody battles the Heaven's Origin Fleet, the Burning Prairie Fleet, the Big Bai Fleet, and you fought in the Heaven's Origin Sector, the Star Glory Federation wouldn't have endured to the moment we arrived. There wouldn't have been such a great opportunity for us to demolish the Imperium's space gate, either.
"Most importantly of all, had it not been for the sweat and blood and the unreserved devotion and contribution, which built the Star Glory Federation into such a magnificent country, it wouldn't have been able to attract any friends or resist any foes.
