by <unknown>
"But Cultivators like you are different. Despite all your fancy talks and camouflages, there are always some lines that you will never cross. When you have a line, you will have a weakness and can easily be shattered!
"Therefore, I'm not lying that I truly appreciate and like you. I also cannot wait to conquer you now. It's been a thousand years since I conquered a real Cultivator. How I miss that wonderful feeling! Haha. Hahahaha!"
Li Yao was almost crept out. He spat on the ground hard and shouted, "Old fart, I did not know that you were such a pervert. I will never be… conquered by you even if I die!"
"You will."
Blackstar the Great said casually, "I've seen too many Cultivators like you a thousand years ago. The more firm you are in your hypocritical beliefs, the faster you will slide to the other end after they are shattered by reality. Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators are the two sides of the same coin in the first place. The most unwavering Cultivators always tend to become the purest and most zealous Immortal Cultivators.
"The worms without beliefs and bones, on the other hand, were the corrupted MPs who were at positions that they did not deserve in the Star Ocean Republic. In the Imperium of True Human Beings, even if they became the nobles and Sector Masters, raising the banner of the Immortal Cultivators, did that mean that they really believed in the true path of immortality?
"They couldn't care less about being a Cultivator or an Immortal Cultivator. The ideas that we cherish and fight for are nothing but tools to earn money and save their lives.
"Therefore, if it weren't absolutely necessary, I wouldn't want to trust any of the people of the Kurfürst families. The Cultivators like you, on the other hand, will be my right-hand man if you are completely conquered! I… really don't want to kill you. So, do not ask to be killed, and do not fail my expectations.
"Come on, Vulture Li Yao, abandon your stupid ideas and stand by my side! I know that it is not going to be easy for you to make such a great transformation, so I'll give you plenty of time! Even if you cannot kill a whole starship of hominoid soldiers, as long as you can kill ten of them—no, only one of them, I will believe in your sincerity for now!"
Li Yao thought for a moment and asked, "Well, can I find a hominoid soldier and break his arm for a start? I guarantee that I will be very brutal!"
Blackstar the Great: "… Vulture Li Yao, I thought that you were a smart guy. It never occurred to me that you are as idiotic as other Cultivators. You are such a disappointment!
"Why do the self-righteous Cultivators like you never understand the meaning of the true path of immortality and my purpose? Everything I do is for a single purpose—to build up the civilization of mankind! Right now, the Imperium is faced with trouble both from inside and from outside. Inside, there are the four Kurfürst families fomenting trouble blatantly; outside, the army of the Covenant Alliance is coveting us and may launch a counterattack at any moment. At such a moment of life and death, who else can unite all the people of the country except me after I am reborn, and who else can save the Imperium and our civilization?
"Vulture Li Yao, are you not an open-minded Cultivator? Did you not cooperate with Li Linghai who was an Immortal Cultivator? Why are you so hostile against me and unwilling to cooperate? My purpose is exactly also to 'Honor the Majesty and Settle the Rebellions' and to renew the Imperium. Nothing more!
"Are you also deceived by the shameless vilifications of me by the four Kurfürst families in the past hundreds of years? Hehe. Those are all lies. That's the dirty water they threw on me. The establishment of the Imperium of True Human Beings a thousand years ago was nothing like that!"
"Wrong!"
Inside the Gold Vulture, Li Yao grabbed the saber tightly, with the bright gold flames dancing on the edge. He declared, one word after another, "It is true that nobody can tell what happened a thousand years ago and whether your cause was justified.
"But just look at everything you've done a thousand years later for your rebirth and to reclaim power, and it will be easy to tell your personality!
"If you had returned to the Imperium openly, declaring to the public that Blackstar the Great had been reborn with a new life and summoning all your supporters to fight for the supreme power, I would've regarded you as a real man!
"However, you stealthily haunted the queen of the Imperium, stealthily built the Deep Sea Fleet and gathered the reformists, and most importantly of all, you stealthily assassinated an elder of the Dongfang family to frame other people up, creating the situation where most of the reformists, as well as General Lei Chenghu, had to join you. Such shameless methods are exactly pushing people to go to Liangshan!"
"Wait—"
Blackstar the Great frowned and asked, "What is 'pushing people to go to Liangshan'?"
Li Yao: "… It's an idiom on Firefly in the recent thousand years. All in all, my bottom line is that you are a shameless person who has resorted to any means possible, including lies, deceptions, and assassinations, in order to usurp the supreme power! I did not know that the whole thing was your plan at the beginning. That was why I was stupid enough to cooperate with Li Linghai. Now that I have learned that everything is all part of a plot, I will certainly not be your accomplice anymore regardless of whether or not you exist!"
"It's all about politics. If I had returned 'openly' like you just said, I would've been killed by the rebels of the four Kurfürst families."
Blackstar the Great sniffed and said, "Those who accomplish great things are not hindered by trivial matters. What I pursue is the rise of the Imperium and the eternality of the civilization of mankind. Any method can be adopted and anybody can be sacrificed for the two purposes!"
"Trivial matters? I'll be damned if I believe you. Your shameless tricks are likely to raise a comprehensive civil war in the Imperium, giving the Covenant Alliance an opportunity to take advantage. Is that a 'trivial matter'?"
Li Yao laughed aloud. But his eyes were suddenly frozen in the middle of his laughter. Frowning hard, he mumbled, "Wait, wait, wait. I got it now. I'm afraid that the whole Imperium's counterattack was part of your scheme, and your ultimate purpose was not to recover the lost territory but to stretch out the battle line as long as possible so that the troops of the four Kurfürst families would be diverted and exhausted. Eventually, when the Covenant Alliance initiates a powerful counterattack, the main-force fleets of the four Kurfürst families will be diminished to the most extent.
"That's right. You knew that it was impossible to crush the Covenant Alliance in only one war, which would only raise the most intense counterattack of the Covenant Alliance and push the entire Imperium to the brink of a precipice!
"If the four Kurfürst families were as powerful as before and the situation within the Imperium were steady, who would've bothered you? Those who are too old should just die. Your time had already passed a thousand years ago!
"Therefore, only by sabotaging the stability of the Imperium as much as possible and using the Covenant Alliance to weaken the four Kurfürst families could you create the illusion that everybody was dying and only the rebirth of Blackstar the Great could rescue the Imperium. That's the only way for the forces in the Imperium who had been mired in desperation as well as the remaining troops of the four Kurfürst families to listen to your command!
"In other words, the situation did not develop to what it is today 'by accident' but has been carefully planned by you the whole time. The Covenant Alliance, the reformists, the four families, the citizens of the Imperium, the true human beings, the hominoids… Everybody is your chess piece!
"A*shole, your shamelessness and brutality have indeed far exceeded my expectations. Is that any different from a firefighter who put out the fire that he started himself in order to win the cheers of the public and the copious awards?"
[ol][li data-annotation-id="3f832cd4-b259-4575-a6ee-3bf48beebe6b"]Being forced to go to Liangshan" is an idiom that means "being driven to drastic alternatives[/ol]
Ch
apter 2332: A Valiant Cultivator! |
Blackstar the Great was silent for a moment. Instead of denying it, he simply said, "I will certainly extinguish the savaging fire of the Covenant Alliance that has been on a rampage for a thousand years and save the Imperium and our civilization."
Li Yao raised his voice and said, "What if you fail? What if your calculation is wrong? It doesn't matter if you are burned by the fire that you started, but everybody else will die with you too!"
"No 'what if'!"
Blackstar the Great roared, "Without me, the Imperium would still rot and decline gradually, and there would be no future for our civilization either! With that in mind, it is better to play a wild gamble! If you are sincerely considering the civilization of mankind, you should stand by my side!"
Holding back his humming eardrums, Li Yao gnashed his teeth. "Just because the Covenant Alliance and the four Kurfürst families aren't anything decent does not mean that you are a savior of mankind! Old fart, I will never bend to a scumbag like you! You've been completely deranged!"
Blackstar the Great burst into laughter. "I am not deranged; I am going to lead the civilization of mankind to stomp on all the deities and devils in the entire universe!"
"In your dream."
Li Yao said brutally, "You already failed once a thousand years ago. Now, a thousand years have passed. Even if you can be splendid for a while, your enterprise will immediately fall apart after you kick the bucket one day. Your reign is consolidated purely through lies, violence, and schemes, which will only be destroyed by lies, violence, and schemes that are twice greater someday!"
With a mysterious smile, Blackstar the Great extended his tentacles at Li Yao. "I already have a perfect solution to solve the problem of insubordination in the local areas once and forever. The Imperium will only be stronger and stronger even ten thousand years later. Come on, join the side of the Immortal Cultivators, and I'll certainly tell you my 'ultimate plan'!"
Solemnly, Li Yao turned it down on the spot. "Wuying Qi, just give it up. Those of different beliefs can never cooperate. I will not take your side ever. Just leave now. I don't want to see you again!"
Blackstar the Great was slightly dazed before he burst into fury and snapped, "You don't know what you are doing. After a thousand years, you Cultivators are still as idiotic as before!"
"Hehe. Hahahahaha!"
Li Yao finally tore off all the camouflages and burst into wild laughter. "It is you who are really idiotic, old fart. It used to be 'Vulture Li Yao' who was deceived and stalled by the enemy in the past. Finally, it is my turn to buy myself enough time with empty talks!"
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Hardly had he concluded his sentence when the bright gold flames around his Colossus became a hundred times more dazzling. It was almost bursting out nonstop like gold fireworks, illuminating the dark and thick water into a splendid palace!
In the most stunning view, the Gold Vulture's feathers were erecting like unsheathed sabers and colliding with each other into the most complicated and gorgeous patterns, as if countless eyes had been opened on the broad wings.
The saber that had already ripped apart countless crystal warships, enshrouded in the gold brilliance, seemed to have expanded by ten times all of a sudden. It was even more eye-catching than the Colossus itself!
Li Yao's soul power was also increasing like a serial explosion.
All of Blackstar the Great's tentacles were straightened while he shrieked, "What exactly did you do?"
"Nothing important."
With a miserable smile, Li Yao said casually, "I just swallowed more than three hundred dosages of strengthening drugs, almost draining the goods that Li Linghai offered to me. Then, with the strengthening drugs as catalysts, I… completely unleashed my vitality and my soul power.
"It did take me some time to digest and absorb the three hundred dosages of strengthening drugs. That was why I talked to you for such a long time just now. Please do forgive me. Right now, I have been boosted in the unprecedented, strongest form. Let's fight!"
"You—"
Blackstar the Great said sullenly, "Swallowing more than three hundred strengthening drugs of the highest purity equals to completely burning up your soul. After the battle, you will be crippled if not killed immediately. Are you not scared?"
"Haha. Hahahaha. What's scary about death? Does the so-called death not mean the reunion with my family and friends who perished on Firefly?"
Li Yao laughed in the despondent way but also with some eagerness. "After the Star Ocean Republic was destroyed in the internal strife on Firefly, my family and my friends were all killed in the catastrophe in the most ghastly way. Even I did something that I terribly regretted and could barely think about later!
"Escaping from the remains of Firefly and wandering in the sea of stars like a zombie, I did not know why I was still alive. I asked myself ten thousand times why I did not die together with my family and friends, and why I did… that thing like an animal!"
While he was talking, Li Yao was choked by his sobs, as if he could not go on anymore. With the relief that almost sounded like "everything is finally over now", he chuckled and went on, "After I drifted to the Imperium and found Li Linghai, I fulfilled my last mission, and my life was no longer of any significance. But Li Linghai promised me that I could be given a world that ran according to the rules of the Cultivators. It would be a small civilization of Cultivators.
"I was thinking of living for that purpose. It would also be repentance for what I did in the past.
"However, your appearance has completely shattered my final hope again!
"Such a reality is just a hell for me, in which I am more miserable than being dead. Now that my last hope has been broken, I only want to die a hero's death like a real Cultivator!
"Haha, speaking of which, I am truly fortunate. What befits a hero's death more than fighting against Blackstar the Great and causing him heavy wounds?"
Blackstar the Great said coldly, "How little do you know yourself and me that makes you think you can cause me heavy wounds?"
"Cut the crap!"
Li Yao laughed aloud. "Don't think that I can't tell it. Despite the performance parameters of your Colossus and the astonishing forging work, it has just been through a fierce battle, and all the magical equipment units are seriously worn out. In order to disguise it, you have covered yourself with so much ink like an octopus, turning the environment murky and creepy. But you can never fool my eyes!
"As for yourself, you are nowhere near as strong as you were in your prime days. I must've overestimated you when I said that you recovered thirty percent of your strength!
"Also, controlling Li Linghai's body as a remaining soul comes with a price, doesn't it? A fierce battle in such a state must've caused severe damage to your remaining soul, possibly even resulting in sequela, right?
"Otherwise, how could you have tolerated me talking nonsense for such a long time without cutting me into pieces? Not just you, if I were in your shoes, I would've cut myself into pieces!
"Therefore, your camouflage has been seen through, Blackstar the Great. I will let you pay the greatest price even if I must die today. Your ambitions and your schemes will all be dragged into hell together with me, to be gone with the last Cultivator!"
Li Yao's voices were like undercurrents below the ocean. They were even triggering thousands of dense bubbles in the dark gold water!
The indestructible saber inside the hands of his Colossus could not take in the explosive energy flowing in from Li Yao incessantly anymore. Thousands of cracks appeared on the surface, and it exploded entirely!
A shocking scene took place. After exploding into hundreds of thousands of gold scraps, the saber was gathered again under the envelopment of Li Yao's vitality field and smashed at "Hellstar" overwhelmingly in a gold torrent!
Blackstar the Great sniffed. The hundred metal tentacles on "Hellstar" interwoven into an arc-shaped net that completely stop
ped the gold torrent made of Li Yao's broken saber!
Even if some of the scraps did penetrate through the metal net, they were still devoured by the dark spiritual shield surrounding "Hellstar"!
The attack did not cause any damage to "Hellstar".
Li Yao did not even blink, because he had seen it coming. If Blackstar the Great could be killed so easily, he wouldn't have been qualified to be the ancestor of all Immortal Cultivators. The only reason he broke his saber to launch the attack was to buy him more time so that he could prepare for the tougher move.
When the gold aftermath of the attack gradually dispersed in the black water, all the feathers on the two wings of the Gold Vulture that had been fully stretched out dashed out in gold brilliance. Drawing mysterious and uncanny curves, they condensed into swords and sabers in different shapes in the middle of the water.
Despite the pressure of the water that weighed billions of tons, all the swords and sabers were still roaring astoundingly. Li Yao also cried out, "Old fart, don't ever forget my name. I am—Cultivator Li Yao!"
In the wild laughter, he launched the final attack with the determination of a moth darting at a fire.
The mainframe crystal processor of "Hellstar" shrieked crazily, and Blackstar the Great's eyes were also completely occupied by the furiously burning gold brilliance.
"… Unreasonable Cultivators."
Mumbling, he frowned and slightly retreated.
The Cultivators a thousand years ago and those a thousand years later were no different. They were all fond of proving themselves with death. While Li Yao's final attack that was exchanged with his life and soul was vehement, it was not aimed at the target accurately. There was no need for Blackstar the Great to have a head-on clash with such a man who was seeking death.
It was not until the hundred gold swords and sabers brushed past him that he vaguely sensed the differences between the hundred torrents and real attacks. His pupils were constricted to the minimum.
