by <unknown>
The locomotive that was brimming with smoke was now fully loaded. Zuo Jingyun, Han Te, Liu Li, Xiahou Wuxin, Xin Xiaoqi, and a dozen resistance warriors of Starlight crammed the narrow space like packed sardines.
Zuo Jingyun was piloting it in person and carrying out her best driving skills that she had learned in the past decades. The Fist King, on the other hand, had connected his crystal processor to the mainframe crystal processor of the earthly dragon to improve its performance. That was how the unbelievable, extreme speed was achieved. The tracks rubbed the ground hard, raising sparks and electric arcs, as if the vehicle was about to fly!
Right then, the Fist King's man-made eyes blinked. Staring at the fiery ocean where "Manjusaka, the City in the Sky" crashed, he said, one word after another, "He is back!"
Chapter 2119: Grandpa Yao's Reappearance! |
"Is… Is it Grandpa Yao?"
Han Te and Liu Li were blushing in excitement. There was no telling if their faces were dyed red by the sky that was burning furiously. Looking at each other, they finally summoned their courage and asked the question that they had been holding back for a long time, "Master Fist King, what do you think of the crash of 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky'? Is the legendary Cultivator who has been lost for a thousand years real… and is it Grandpa Yao?"
After hearing the question, everybody focused their eyes on the Fist King.
"Isn't the Cultivator who has been lost for a thousand years a lie the Immortal Cultivators fabricated?" Zuo Jingyun mumbled before she clenched her fists and asked with glowing eyes, "Does he really exist?"
"I do not have enough evidence to draw a conclusion regarding whether or not the Cultivator that has been lost for a thousand years exists."
The Fist King pointed at a crystal processor on his left shoulder that was protruding abnormally because of a careless connection with his cold finger. Then he said casually, "However, the temple of the Cultivators, or the control center of the global sword network, was a real thing, except that it collapsed a very long time ago and eventually fell to the hands of the Immortal Cultivators. It is an undeniable fact that they modified and made use of the relic, which can be proved by the mainframe crystal processor of the global sword network here.
"So, in my opinion, of the ungrounded, obscure legends that have been passed on for hundreds of years on the Land of Sins, some are the lies made up by the Immortal Cultivators, but some others may be real. Some magnificent beings who far exceed the expectations of us and the Immortal Cultivators are still active on this dark land and beyond the stars where it is even darker!"
"It's Grandpa Yao. It must be Grandpa Yao!"
Covering her eyes, Liu Li was so excited that she almost burst into tears. "Grandpa Yao is the Cultivator who has been lost for a thousand years. He has shot down 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky' on his own and saved us by the way!"
"Yes. In that case, everything starts to make sense now!"
Han Te said confidently, "Grandpa Yao's mysterious origins, his unparalleled strength, and his creative, unconventional methods! He is the Cultivator who has been lost for a thousand years. He snuck into the Land of Sins to gather intelligence in secret and to make tactical plans before the Immortal Cultivators implemented their great scheme. Finally, in a cutthroat attack, he completely sabotaged the Immortal Cultivators' plan and rescued all of us!"
"Wait a moment—"
Zuo Jingyun and the resistance warriors of Starlight looked at each other in bewilderment, still confused even to this moment. "Who is this 'Grandpa Yao' that you are talking about?"
"It is an expert who is far stronger than me."
The Fist King said casually, which made Zuo Jingyun and everybody else gasp hard when they heard it.
"Grandpa Yao is an expert who was active hundreds of years ago. He might've been through the Judgment War in person. Even the comprehensive scourge of the Immortal Cultivators failed to kill him!" Han Te said proudly.
"Grandpa Yao is very awesome. I believe that he is the one who has blown up 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky' and the expert who went on a killing spree and slaughtered the Immortal Cultivators until they were begging for mercy on the light beam a moment ago!" Liu Li held back her excitement and declared.
Zuo Jingyun and the many resistance warriors of Starlight swallowed hard.
To this moment, and probably for the remaining days of their lives, they would never forget the bloody, cruel, and flagrant scenes that they saw on the enormous light beam in the underground temple.
The mysterious crystal suit that looked like a dark God of Death while triggering haloes that were as intense as blood had reaped the lives of the seemingly magnificent Immortal Cultivators blatantly, the high and mighty "angels", as if they were chickens and dogs!
Was it the mysterious "Grandpa Yao"?
He was truly strong and deserved the title of "the Cultivator who has been lost for a thousand years"!
"He is moving toward us at a high speed."
Pressing his crystal processor softly, the Fist King received the signals that Li Yao sent over incessantly. "1,500 kilometers. 1,000 kilometers. 500 kilometers. He's here!"
Everybody felt that their heart was grabbed.
Although Li Yao hadn't arrived yet, many resistance warriors of Starlight including Zuo Jingyun already felt the urge to worship him.
A distance of several hundred kilometers was nothing but a yawn for someone in the Divinity Transformation Stage.
Had Li Yao not been flying close to the ground and devoting most of his spiritual energy covering his traces, fearing that Li Lingfeng might discover him, and if he were to bring out the most intense flames of spiritual energy, Li Yao would've covered a distance of a thousand kilometers in three seconds.
"He's here!"
Even the Fist King's voice was mixed with subtle emotions, which was quite rare.
"Should we stop?" Zuo Jingyun asked, somewhat nervously.
The other resistance warriors were even more anxious, wondering what a magnificent man—probably with three heads and six arms—would be showing up before them.
They had thought that the entrance of "Grandpa Yao" must be astonishing and impressive, leaving a blazing trail of sparks and lightning. At the very least, there should be some sonic booms that were resulted from supersonic flight.
But out of their expectation—
"Huh?"
Nobody noticed any anomalies, and even the gate of the earthly dragon was not opened, but a stranger somehow found his way into the narrow space that had already been as crammed as a can of sardines.
It almost seemed that he ripped the ripples of the space and emerged out of the void.
What an uncanny technique and what a terrifying level!
"Excuse me, everyone. Please forgive my intrusion."
The stranger said very gently, "Would you please slightly retreat your elbow? It is sticking in my groin."
Everybody turned their neck in difficulties and stared at the mysterious man in bewilderment.
The weird guy who had shown up inexplicably…
He had ragged clothes and a body that was full of bruises. His face was black and blue, and it was so swollen that his eyes were barely recognizable. He had truly been deformed. It was almost a misery to look at him!
The Fist King: "…"
Zuo Jingyun: "…"
Xiahou Wuxin and Xin Xiaoqi: "…"
Han Te and Liu Li were dazed for a long time, before they stuttered to ask at the same time, "G-Grandpa Yao, is that you?"
"Yes."
Li Yao grinned, only to stretch his swollen bruises and made him look even more awful. But delight beamed out of his eyes that had been narrowed into two gaps as he said, "I promised you that I'll be back! No, Sister Zuo, let's not stop here. Many Immortal Cultivators may be patrolling and peeking from the sky. It is safer to hide inside the vehicle until they disperse."
"It's really Grandpa Yao!"
Han Te cried in joy. He then observed L
i Yao carefully for a long time and thought hard, before he said carefully, "I understand now. This is a very sophisticated technique of 'body reincarnation', right? Grandpa Yao found a body of flesh and blood that was relatively fresh and finally returned to the human world without the boundary of metals and machines!
"However—
"If you had reincarnated yourself in a body to be reborn, why didn't you choose a body in better conditions, Grandpa Yao? This body looks like… a pig!"
"Does it matter?"
Liu Li frowned and argued, "With the magnificence of Grandpa Yao's soul, he would certainly choose a strong body if he were to reincarnate himself. As long as the body sturdiness was good enough, it would suffice. Even if the body was as ugly as a pig, so what? Grandpa Yao certainly wouldn't have cared less about that!"
Li Yao: "… Excuse me, but this is not 'body reincarnation' but exactly the body I was born with. This is what I really look like."
Han Te and Liu Li were both astonished. "Huh?"
"You—"
Interrupting the two little chatterboxes, Zuo Jingyun couldn't help but ask on behalf of all the resistance warriors who were exploding with curiosity, "Senior, are you the legendary Cultivator who has been lost for a thousand years? Were you the one who shot down 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky', performed the slaughter in the live stream, and had a battle with a Colossus in the sky just now?"
Thinking for a moment, Li Yao admitted frankly, "The crash of 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky' indeed had a lot to do with me. The one who showed up in the stream was me too. Later, I competed against Li Lingfeng in a Colossus. However, the Cultivator who has been lost for a thousand years has nothing to do with me whatsoever. A legend is perhaps only a legend after all!"
"What?"
The answer was truly out of everyone's expectations. Zuo Jingyun couldn't help but ask, "Then, if you will forgive my bluntness, senior, who are you exactly? Are you a… Cultivator too?"
"That's right."
Li Yao put on a warm smile and said firmly, one word after another, "I am a Cultivator, and I always will be."
Zuo Jingyun, Han Te, Liu Li, and all the other resistance warriors sensed the strength contained in Li Yao's words, which set their blood on fire.
"Thank you for saving our lives, senior. We… We really don't know what we should say!"
After a long daze, Zuo Jingyun finally said, "So, to speak, you are a hero from the space branch of Starlight who has been persisting in the resistance against the Imperium of True Human Beings in the sea of stars, senior?"
Li Yao pondered a moment, and deciding that it was not the best moment to reveal the great secret about the existence of "Star Glory Federation", he simply shook his head and said, "I have nothing to do with Starlight. I can only say that the universe is far vaster than your imagination. Where there is darkness, there is light. In the depths of the boundless universe lie countless resistance forces similar to Starlight, some of which are even a hundred times stronger than Starlight in terms of comprehensive capabilities and capable of competing with the Imperium of True Human Beings. I am exactly from one of such resistance forces!"
"What?"
Zuo Jingyun and the many resistance warriors were truly shocked this time.
In the boundless sea of stars, there were countless other resistance forces similar to Starlight?
They were not alone. They were not fighting on their own. Countless people who were struggling to survive in darkness only to be mired in desperation were rising up to resist when they could not hold it any longer!
"Is it true?"
Zuo Jingyun's voice was trembling hoarsely.
"Of course it is true. The universe is such a large place. Anything is possible. So, do not give up at all whatever desperate adversities you are in!"
Li Yao grinned. "However, this is not the time to explain everything yet. The most important thing right now is to get you out of this wretched planet!"
Chapter 2120: Escape From the Land of Sins! |
"Escape from the Land of Sins!"
It was what all the resistance warriors had been dreaming about.
"Tell me about it. What is your situation right now?"
Li Yao beamed with interest, but he was somewhat stunned when he saw the Fist King's abnormal look where the guy seemed to be growing two heads. "Fist King, what's with your style? Where did you find such an advanced crystal processor core?"
"We did find the temple of the Cultivators or the control center of the global sword network."
The Fist King said, "However, as you must've guessed, it was a trap set up by the Immortal Cultivators. Wei Longtao betrayed us and led abundant spiritual puppets of the Immortal Cultivators to surround us. Then, they played the battle picture outside of 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky' to make us vacillate.
"Many resistance warriors were caught in desperation. However, at the last moment, the streams all turned into the footage of your great sabotages. The Immortal Cultivators' spiritual puppets were all paralyzed too."
Li Yao nodded his head. The Immortal Cultivators' spiritual puppets were under the direct control of "Manjusaka, the City in the Sky". When he blew up the control center entirely, it was only natural that the spiritual puppets lost effect.
The Fist King continued, "The spiritual puppets were all paralyzed, and the Immortal Cultivators were all overwhelmed by the pictures of your invincible slaughters too. We immediately started to break out of the siege and had a huge battle inside the 'temple'.
"Then, when the place was reduced to smithereens in the battle, I accidentally noticed the deeper structure of the so-called 'temple'. The so-called 'global sword network' probably did exist before and even played a certain role in the Judgment War, where it dealt a heavy blow on the Immortal Cultivators. Later, after suffering destructive damages, it was buried below the ground.
"I couldn't repair the global sword network, but I found the crystal processor core. It was a piece of rather advanced computational magical equipment and a great help to boost my computational ability.
"With the enhanced combat ability after my computation ability was improved, Zuo Jingyun, Xiahou Wuxin, and I led a batch of soldiers to break out of the siege. Wei Longtao and the other Immortal Cultivators were all sealed below the ground now and would not get out anytime soon."
"Even if they can go out, there will be nothing they can do."
Li Yao smiled. "Now, 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky' has completely collapsed. The Immortal Cultivators will not be able to block the sky again without a few months. At this moment, this world is a world that belongs to the sinners of the Land of Sins. If Wei Longtao and his Immortal Cultivators are bold enough to dig to the ground, what awaits them will be the ocean of wrath from the sinners. I'm afraid that their outcome will be more than miserable!"
"But this is not a place to stay in after all."
The Fist King said, "If we sit here and do nothing, the place will be sealed by the Immortal Cultivators again sooner or later. We have to run away, whatever it takes!"
"Exactly."
Li Yao said, "I was thinking the same. The fleet of the Immortal Cultivators is in chaos. Some of the starships of the coalition fleet of Starlight are still harassing them in space. This is the most precious timing for a successful escape. But I estimate that the hope of escape will significantly drop after each day or even after each hour. A few months later, when the Immortal Cultivators reestablish their order, a ghastly price will have to be paid if somebody wants to get away!
"Therefore, in no more than forty-eight hours, you have to find a starship that boasts the ability of space jump. You need to get out of here first!"
"Grandpa Yao—"
Han Te and Liu Li were rather anxious. "But what about the Village of Peace? What about our family and friends?"
"This is a war. Weakness and hesitation are not tolerated in a war."
Looking at Han Te and Liu Li, Li Yao said solemnly, "Tell me, do you want to complet
ely save the Village of Peace, your family and friends, and even the entire Land of Sins?"
Han Te and Liu Li looked at each other and nodded their heads heavily. "Of course!"
"In that case, you must get out of here first."
Li Yao said, "You must've already realized what a vast place the universe is and how magnificent the Imperium of True Human Beings can be, right? Even if one 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky' is destroyed, the Imperium is still capable of reestablishing ten or a hundred of them! If you stay here because you are concerned about your family and your homeland, you will simply repeat your life of the past and struggle in desperation together with your family, ending up as experiment mice and puppets that do not have any hope at all!
"If you do not wish to continue such a tragic fate, to see the Martial Meritocrats Planet degenerate into 'Land of Sins' as before, or to repeat the slaughters and plunders that have been happening for hundreds of years, just run out first. Train yourselves and build yourselves up in the sea of stars, and create a real, powerful Starlight. I believe that you will return with thunder and fury someday and completely liberate the entire Land of Sins!"
His words made all the resistance warriors breathe fast.
It was quite right. In the past hundreds of years, the descendants of the resisters of Starlight were nothing more than rats hiding among the rocks here and there below the ground.
But a broken sky was right before their eyes. From this moment on, it was absolutely possible for them to roam the sea of stars and wake up the strength that had been sleeping for a thousand years!
"Can… Can we really be a member of Starlight? Can we be real warriors and real… Cultivators?"
Han Te and Liu Li asked in disbelief.
"Of course."
Zuo Jingyun couldn't help but smile, "You were very brave just now and among the few people who fought side by side with us. You are certainly qualified to be real members of Starlight!"
"Go now. If you really want to protect your homeland and save the Martial Meritocrats Sector, it is all the more important that you march to the sea of stars. The greater trouble you cause in space, the safer it will be in the Martial Meritocrats Sector. You may find the logic hard to understand for the time being, but believe me, it is absolutely correct!"
