by <unknown>
Li Yao played with the badge and observed it carefully, only to discover that it was a scale under the background of a pair of crossed saber and sword. On the left side of the scale was a bleeding heart, and on the right side was a hideous demon's head whose eyes were wide open, implying that it was certainly not resting in peace. He asked, "This is… the emblem of the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils?"
"Exactly. The operation of the reformists is not a rebellion or a civil war. Now that everybody's fleet is here, we have to fight the battle legally, or at least legally in name."
Li Linghai smiled. "As my personal bodyguard, you do not have jurisdiction outside of the royal palace, nor can you arrest an elder of the Imperium easily. So, you are temporarily given the identity of 'Special Counsel of the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils' so that you can participate in the operation."
"Right. There's something that I've been meaning to ask Your Grace."
Holding the badge in his hand, Li Yao thought for a moment and asked, "The Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils claims to have the rights to take part in all the cases nationwide that involve the extraterrestrial devils by capturing, interrogating, and punishing all the Demonic Cultivators who are corrupted by the extraterrestrial devils. The question is, who is to judge if a person is a Demonic Cultivator, if he is corrupted by the extraterrestrial devils, and if the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils is qualified to punish him?"
Li Linghai said casually, "The Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils itself, of course."
Blinking his eyes, Li Yao said, "That is to say, the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils can totally accuse a random person on the street to be a Demonic Cultivator and capture him back to their dungeon for interrogations?"
Li Linghai said, "Yes."
Li Yao asked, "What if they discover that the poor guy is not a Demonic Cultivator after the interrogations?"
Li Linghai said, "Rest assured. It will never happen. The Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils has ten thousand ways to make a suspect admit that he is a Demonic Cultivator."
Li Yao said, "Well, what if there is no tenebrum energy on his body at all?"
Li Linghai said, "That's because they have been corrupted only recently, or they are Demonic Cultivators that are hiding themselves very well. Is there a problem?"
Chapter 2280: Mysterious and Unpredictable Dongfang Mingyue! |
After a long daze, Li Yao said, "If you put it that way, there is certainly no problem at all."
Li Linghai smiled and said, "In the first five hundred years of the Imperium, when the emperor still had the supreme power, the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils, as His Majesty's sharpest saber, indeed boasted the unquestionable, absolute power to arrest and execute anyone. At that time, a little 'devil huntress' of the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils walking on the street could make the major ministers in the court shudder in fear. If the devil huntresses knocked on their door at night, they might have been scared to death.
"However, as the royal authority declined, the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils gradually lost its resplendence too. What I said just now was only a theoretical possibility.
"Theoretically speaking, the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils can indeed accuse anyone of being a Demonic Cultivator, arrest them back to the base to interrogate them, and even coerce them into admitting guilt. However, in reality, if they want to capture anyone, it still depends on if they are capable of doing so.
"Before they earned the full support of the reformists, the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils was far from capable enough of arresting any random guy, especially in the cases where the four Kurfürst families were involved. If you are bold enough to knock on their door, they will be bold enough to beat you to death, burn you into ashes, and spray you into space. What can you do?
"To be more straightforward, not just wronging the good guys and forcing them into admitting guilt, even if somebody in the four Kurfürst families was really complicit with the extraterrestrial devils as Demonic Cultivators, what could the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils have done except turning a blind eye to it and pretend that they did not notice?"
Li Yao was greatly shocked. "There are truly people who cooperate with extraterrestrial devils?"
"Even a Cultivator and an Immortal Cultivator like you and me can cooperate. Why can't the extraterrestrial devils cooperate with humans as long as there are enough returns?"
Li Linghai said casually, "The extraterrestrial devils are also an intelligent lifeform. An intelligent lifeform means the possibilities of negotiations, concessions, deals, and ceasefire. The bottom line is, despite the full support of the reformists, the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils has not recovered back to its prime days yet. It only has the theoretical power of punishing the ungodly creatures but is actually not half as powerful as it sounds.
"But there is another organization that is different—the Association of Demon Hunters."
Li Yao thought for a moment. "Got it. The authoritative agency of the Imperium in dealing with demons and demon beasts.
"Exactly. Ever since the Star Ocean Imperium collapsed because of the joint work of demons and extraterrestrial devils, they have been the two threats of mankind. All the regimes at the center of the cosmos later established agencies and even armies to cope with the threats. In the Imperium of True Human Beings, they are the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils and the Association of Demon Hunters."
Li Linghai introduced, "After ten thousand years, the extraterrestrial devils have gone extinct despite the minor trouble they occasionally caused, and the demons have completely lost their organized, systematical country as a civilization, exiled to the edge of the cosmos. I think they are about to be annihilated, aren't they?
"The Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils and the Association of Demon Hunters, losing their targets, have gradually degenerated into the two biggest secret agencies of the Imperium. The sharp weapons that dealt with demons and extraterrestrial devils in the past are equally suitable to deal with human beings.
"The first five hundred years of the Imperium was the age of the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils. With the support of His Majesty, it stayed on the top of the Association of Demon Hunters all the time. As a result, the Association of Demon Hunters joined the four Kurfürst families at a very early stage and made great contributions in the secret war to diminish the royal authority. Then, in the second five hundred years, they were properly rewarded, and their scale and level both expanded. The organization turned into a source of horror for all the Immortal Cultivators of the Imperium!"
Thinking quickly, Li Yao nodded his head and said, "Understood. Is it completely legal for a member of the Association of Demon Hunters to claim someone they do not see eye to eye with on the street to be a demon, capture them back and force them to admit guilt?"
"Yes. If the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils is His Majesty's sharpest saber, the Association of Demon Hunters will be the most loyal hound of the four Kurfürst families. Those who dare to defy the orders of the four families and violate their interests will inevitably be accused to be 'spies of demons' or 'hybrids of demons and humans' until their reputation is gone and they are punished free at will."
Li Linghai said, "Also, as the Dongfang family's capabilities expanded in the recent hundred years, allowing them to extend their influence into all the key fields of the Imperium, the Association of Demon Hunters is naturally an important target of infiltration for them. The president that was just nominated is exactly from the Dongfang family. To be more exact, that person is Dongfang Wang's trusted subordinate.
"Right now, everybody's fleet is in a quandary, and nobody has the courage to start a civil war. So, the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils and the Association of Demon Hunters will have to restart the fire of war on the dark battlefield that they've been fighting on for a thousand years."
Li Linghai touched a rune array. The light and shadow behind her flashed, and the map of the undergr
ound blocks just now turned into the image of a young woman.
That woman…
Her black and glamorous hair poured down straight like a waterfall to her waist. Her face could almost be called cute, but it did not have enough attraction as a whole and couldn't leave a deep impression, like a few vague blots on a piece of gray paper.
After seeing the 3D picture, despite Li Yao's memory and cognitive abilities, he still couldn't tell what features the woman had apart from her long hair.
The waterfall-like long hair, however, was obviously a disguise that could be cut short, dyed, or reshaped at any moment. Focusing the attention on the hair was absolutely useless.
After Li Yao advanced into the Divinity Transformation Stage, he had never felt that a person could be so "unpredictable" before. It was truly uncanny!
"This woman's name is 'Dongfang Mingyue', the president of the Association of Demon Hunters that assumed office last month."
Li Linghai introduced, "We believe that she is head of the special agents under Dongfang Wang's command and plays a similar role to Yue Wushuang's on our side. She will be the most dangerous enemy for us in the next phase!
"Considering your performance in space and in the Emperor's Mausoleum, Dongfang Wang must've got his eyes on you. It is very likely that you will need to deal with this woman. You must be careful!"
Looking at Dongfang Mingyue's picture in great interest, Li Yao mumbled, "She looks really young. What's her level and background? Are there any detailed files that I can study?"
Li Linghai shook her head slowly and said, "No."
Li Yao was slightly stunned. "Shouldn't you have collected all the files of such an important character, like if her ancestors ever had hemorrhoids? What do you mean by 'no'?"
With a bitter smile, Li Linghai said, "Do you remember how I introduced you before? I claimed that you were a secret warrior that the reformists raised in darkness, one of the most traceless, mysterious, and unpredictable kinds.
"It is a habit of many major forces to raise such dark warriors who will participate in the most clandestine, filthy, and bloody business known as 'Ghost Warriors' or things like that.
"Naturally, you are a counterfeit, but this Dongfang Mingyue is an authentic dark warrior that Dongfang Wang has raised. There is barely any file about her before she became the president of the Association of Demon Hunters. But we have reasons to believe that she is related to dozens of shocking cases. She is an expert adept at stealth, assassination, and other secret operations!"
"So tough?"
Li Yao found it hard to believe. "There are no files about her whatsoever?"
"No. She is like a shadow that has emerged from the depths of a dark swamp. Nobody knows what level she is at exactly."
Li Linghai suddenly changed the topic. "However, one and a half years ago, I once ran into her in the royal palace. At that time, her identity was an insignificant maid."
Li Yao bulged his eyes. "What?"
"The four Kurfürst families all have spies in the royal palace. I was a spy that the Li family sent into the royal palace too. Therefore, it was not unusual that she was on a certain mission in the royal palace as a maid under Dongfang Wang's order."
Slightly frowning, Li Linghai mumbled, "What was strange was that I somehow grew a sense of wariness after just a casual glimpse at her."
"Your Grace grew wary of Dongfang Mingyue?"
Li Yao was greatly surprised.
He knew Li Linghai's terrifying combat ability better than anybody else. Even if she was not the best expert in the Imperium of True Human Beings, she certainly ranked at the top ten, if not top five.
Such an unparalleled expert, who practiced the Supreme Emperor's techniques and who were protected by the true dragons of purple flames, felt wary of Dongfang Mingyue?
In other words, even if Dongfang Mingyue was not as strong as Li Linghai, she at least posed some threat to Li Linghai!
Pondering for a moment, Li Yao asked, "Your Grace, tell me the truth, do you ever have the feeling of wariness toward me?"
Li Linghai thought for a moment and said, "I don't think so."
Li Yao found it hard to believe. "Are you serious? Not even once? Not even for a single second?"
Li Linghai shook her head and said, "No, you are never perceived as a threat to me at all—that is, if you are not hamstringing me as my pig teammate."
Li Yao sighed. "Fine. It means that Dongfang Mingyue should be slightly stronger than me, although we are both warriors in darkness."
"Yes, but there is no need to be frustrated."
Li Linghai comforted him. "I reflected on it carefully later. Even if Dongfang Mingyue is really stronger than you, she might not be strong enough to kill you. Should the two of you be engaged in a fight, you will still have a good chance to escape."
Li Yao: "… Okay."
"All in all, the demand for magical equipment will soar when the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils declares war on the Association of Demon Hunters. You and Master Jin Tianzong will have to do more work."
Li Linghai said, "As for the files of Dongfang Mingyue, more will definitely be collected in the dark war. It will be even better if you can see how good she is yourself.
"But getting to the bottom of it, this massive dark war is only a distraction and a disguise. When the time is ripe and most of the enemy's forces are distracted, we will take down Dongfang Renxin's secret institute as quickly as a flash of lightning, locate the critical evidence, and, of course, capture him alive and bring him back to our secret base. Then, the avalanche of the entire Dongfang family will be unstoppable. Do you have any questions?"
"I do."
Li Yao raised his hands. "Can I ask why Your Grace said that I was your pig teammate? When did I hamstring you? Also, have I really, really never posed any threat to you at all?"
Chapter 2281: Self-Contradictory Queen |
Li Linghai stared at Li Yao for a long time and sighed. "Vulture Li Yao, up until so far, we have suited each other's needs very well, so I really don't want to beat you to death by accident. Leave now. I'll have a batch of materials delivered to you soon. Thirty percent of the materials will be yours, and the other seventy percent will be used to strengthen the magical equipment of the devil huntresses. As for the specific models and requirements, Yue Wushuang will talk to you later."
Li Linghai turned around and did not look at Li Yao anymore, focusing her whole attention on the map of Dongfang Renxin's secret institute.
Li Yao observed Dongfang Mingyue's panoramic picture carefully for a long time. Then, for some reason, he suddenly asked, "Wait, Your Grace, I do have a question. Last time you ran into this Dongfang Mingyue, she didn't happen to be managing the royal library in the palace or working as a cleaning lady in the library, right?"
Li Linghai turned around abruptly and stared at Li Yao's face as intimidatingly as an eagle, as if she were pecking holes on Li Yao's face—which was, of course, impossible, considering its thickness. "Why do you ask?"
"Very simple. The royal authority has declined for five hundred years. The royal palace is now heavily infiltrated by the four Kurfürst families. What secret intelligence deserves such a mysterious expert to sneak in and investigate?"
Blinking his eyes, Li Yao said without changing his face, "However, I'm told that the royal library is an information storage agency that has been passed on from thousands of years ago, in which many precious secret techniques and classics are kept. It is probably worth investigating.
"Truth be told, Your Grace, even I also feel tempted to go to the royal library and find a marvelous art to practice. So, I just assume that other people might've thought the same. How about it? Am I correct?"
"Yes, you are actually correct this time."
After a brief silence, Li Linghai nodded her head. "This mysterious Dongfang Mingyue was indeed working in the library affiliated to the royal library. Perhaps she was trying to steal the secrets in the royal library…
"However, hehe, the internal structure of the royal library is highly complicated, like a maze with ninety-nine locks. Many techniques and technologies that have been passed on for thousands of years are sealed by barriers. They will even be destroyed if they are opened by brute force.
"In the earliest years, only the emperors and the crown princes were aware of the secrets to open the seals. But during the decline of the royal authority, quite a few emperors died abruptly and did not even set up a crown prince before they died. The secrets to open the treasures are now long gone with the wind. Nobody knows them anymore.
"The four Kurfürst families naturally have been sparing no effort on cracking the secrets hidden deep inside the royal library, but they gained nothing after a hundred years of attempts. Fearing that the entire library might be ruined if their approaches were too radical, which would annihilate the techniques, arts, treasure maps, secret prescriptions, etc. from thousands of years ago, they did not dare to act too aggressively either.
"It's been decades since their last attempt on the royal library. Has Dongfang Mingyue grasped any new methods that can open the barriers in the deepest part of the library? We can't be more careful about the matter…"
Deep in thought, Li Linghai waved her hands, hinting Li Yao to leave.
Thousands of thoughts were bubbling inside Li Yao's heart too. He pondered while he walked out.
When he reached the door, however, the queen's slightly hesitant voice came from his back. "… Wait."
Li Yao turned around, somewhat in surprise. "Anything else, Your Grace?"
"The fragment of the Imperial Fire Pearl…"
Li Linghai's face was completely hidden in the mottled shadow, and there was no telling what was on her face. But her voice was hesitant as she asked, "Have you given it to Li Jialing for training? What's the progress?"
Despite her brutality on the surface, it seemed that Li Linghai cared about her son deep down in her heart. Li Yao grinned and said, "Rest assured, Your Grace. That boy Li Jialing is truly a one-in-a-hundred-year genius in training. His talents and aptitudes are extraordinary and only slightly lower than mine when I was in my younger years. How incredible!
