by <unknown>
There was no telling what Long Yangjun thought of, but she suddenly chuckled and continued, "I estimate that Blackstar the Great couldn't have seen such a… weird Cultivator like you before, who was so sleazy in the beginning but so masculine in the end. Such a great transformation must've confused him. Otherwise, your final attack might've not been able to hit him at all.
"However, there is one thing that I'm rather curious about. After your blow of cannon, whether or not you hit the target, you would completely lose your combat ability, if you could still move at all. What were you going to do in such a case? Were you so confident that I would rescue you?"
With his eyes half-closed, Li Yao moaned and said, "It was too much of an emergency back then. I couldn't find a way to win at all except for the final blow. So, I had to turn to the last resort and take my chances!
"Besides, I didn't think that you would just watch me get caught by the enemy, would you?"
Long Yangjun slightly frowned. "Why not?"
"Because if you did not want to rescue me, you wouldn't have shown up in the first place."
Li Yao struggled to put on a smile. "We are friends. Aren't friends all about rescuing each other when either of them is in trouble? Comradery is all that matters!"
"Make no mistake. The reason why I showed up had nothing to do with comradery. I was only scared that you would be caught by Blackstar the Great alive."
Long Yangjun said coldly, "You know too many secrets. Besides those regarding the Star Glory Federation, you also know the inside information of the Ancient Sages Sector, the Nuwa warship, and my identity. Should you fall into Blackstar the Great's hands alive, giving him access to all the secrets, my identity would've been completely exposed. He would have even fewer reasons to let me go, and my odds of beating him would be even lower.
"Therefore, I snuck back not necessarily to save you but, very probably, to kill you and keep your mouth shut. However, after analyzing the situation at the time, it occurred to me that rescuing you was the more promising option. That was why I… saved you by the way."
"Is that so?"
Li Yao said in fatigue, "It doesn't matter. As long as we are still friends, it's fine."
"Friends?"
Long Yangjun sniffed and said, "I remember you said a quotation last time we met. 'Those who are not of my own kind are bound to think differently'. Can you really think of a 'foreigner' like me as a friend?"
"I was wrong to say that."
Li Yao admitted frankly without any hesitation. "You were right. 'Those who are not of my own kind are bound to think differently' is a quotation that was originally used to describe human beings living on different planets or even human beings living on different continents of the same planet. Just because of the slight difference between the latitudes and longitudes of their residences, they considered each other as foreigners and never trusted each other, which eventually led to wars and mutual destruction.
"Now that human beings are themselves able and passionate to destroy themselves, it seems that I do not need to view you in prejudice regardless of what you are. Pangu, Nuwa, extraterrestrial devils, or virtual lives, there is no difference. Those species may all be very ferocious, but human beings are not the most peaceful creature in the world either. Why can't we be friends if we are equally aggressive?"
Long Yangjun clicked her tongue. "You are rather quick to admit your mistake. Should I say that you are shameless, or should I compliment you for rectifying yourself so promptly?"
"Of course I should be complimented. Being good at making mistakes and then correcting them is my greatest shining point in the first place!"
Closing his eyes, Li Yao held back the urge of falling asleep and groaned, "Ever since I became a Cultivator, I have committed more mistakes than I can count. I may be childish and idiotic even today. But does it really matter? I'll always correct my mistakes after I find any! Isn't 'Cultivation' the repetitive process of discovering your mistakes, correcting them, gathering more information to reach higher levels, and then discovering more mistakes and correcting them?
"Perhaps I will always make mistakes, but as long as I am more 'correct' and closer to the truth today than I was yesterday, it will be enough!"
After a brief silence, Long Yangjun's voice suddenly became creepy. "Are you not scared that I have any scheme?"
Li Yao said, "If you are really onto something that violates ethics and jeopardizes the people, I will certainly stop you."
Long Yangjun scorned, "You cannot even walk on your own with your body that is no better than jumbled clothes right now if you are not clutching my leg. How can you stop me?"
Taking a deep breath, Li Yao replied feebly, "It is a different matter whether or not I can stop you, but I will certainly try my best. If I fail and get killed by you, whatever happens later will no longer be my concerns."
Lost for words, Long Yangjun was silent for a long time before she suddenly accelerated.
Narrowing his eyes and sensing the rapid undercurrents and deep ocean before him, Li Yao couldn't help but ask, "Where… are we going right now?"
"My secret base."
Long Yangjun gnashed her teeth. "If what you said just now was just your excellent acting skill, then I admit that I've been fooled by you. I was thinking to abandon you and Li Jialing in a random corner below the ocean, but… Forget it. I'll lead you to my nest!"
Chapter 2340: A Public Competition of Beliefs! |
"Your nest?"
Li Yao was slightly dazed. "Isn't it too dangerous to return to the base of the Association of Demon Hunters right now?"
"Wrong. The base of the Association of Demon Hunters is just a nest for 'Dongfang Mingyue'."
Long Yangjun said with a smile, "I'm about to lead you to the nest of myself, 'Long Yangjun'. I spent a couple of years there when I just snuck into the Imperium and hadn't fabricated the identity of 'Dongfang Mingyue'. I've made some preparations there."
Li Yao immediately bulged his eyes and quacked, "Some preparations? What are you up to exactly? Do you really have a scheme?"
"Of course I do. Why else do you think I've come to the Imperium? Just for sightseeing?"
Long Yangjun said casually, "However, after analyzing your life carefully through a hundred perhaps ungrounded biographies, and based on the long-time, close-up observation during the time I fought together with you, I have discovered a pattern.
"After you began your career, you encountered countless tricky enemies, starting from Yan Xibei, to Xiao Xuance, the Elder Nether Spring, to Lu Zui and Zhou Hengdao, and then to Extraterrestrial Devil Mo Xuan and Extraterrestrial Devil Lu Qingchen later…
"Those people would have all been called men of their time. They were sophisticated, brutal, determined, and powerful, and their final plans were accurate and meticulous too.
"However, no matter how sophisticated, brutal, determined, and powerful those men of the time were, and despite their thorough plans, they could not avoid their fate of being sabotaged by you in uncanny, unconventional, and even unintentional ways.
"The same thing happened to Blackstar the Great today. Such an unparalleled expert who is at least in the Divinity Branching Stage and has countless secrets with him has met a debacle when he is faced with you. Why is that?"
Pondering for a moment, Li Yao blinked his eyes and said, "Because… justice always wins, and I am a representative of justice?"
"Wrong. It's because you seem to have been born with a certain weird luck. Also, the more stealthy your enemies' schemes are, the more effective your natural-born luck will be."
Long Yangjun said, "As a dual successor of Pangu and Nuwa, I am certainly not someone who believes in supernatural powers. The so-called 'luck' is nothing more than a statistical probability or a mysterious pattern that people haven't figured out yet.
"But now that the probability and the pattern are out there, I will not follow the examples of Yan Xibei, Xiao Xuance, Elder Nether Spring, Lu Zui, Extraterrestrial Devil M
o Xuan, and Extraterrestrial Devil Lu Qingchen to act and deal with you stealthily only to be sabotaged by you in the end.
"There have already been so many lessons. I will be an idiot if I repeat their mistakes, wouldn't you agree?"
Li Yao thought for a moment. "Well, but I'm indeed weaker than ever right now. Chances are that you can kill me with only your little finger."
"This is not the first time you are weaker than ever. Didn't the great men of the time try to kill you more than once? Which of them succeeded in the end? Not only did they fail, but they also made you stronger and stronger."
Long Yangjun said, "Not that I'm being modest, but I don't think I'm smarter than Xiao Xuance, Lu Zui, or Extraterrestrial Devil Mo Xuan. Chances are that you still have certain trump cards that even you are unaware of, and that those trump cards will be activated when I decide to kill you. That is the greatest reason why I am never determined to kill you!
"All in all, after careful thinking, it has occurred to me that those men of the time dealt with you in the wrong way. Since they all believed in their cause, there was no need for them to hide it at all. Must their beliefs be kept clandestine and away from public competitions?
"They had already lost when they decided to go stealthy and work in darkness because it meant that they were not confident in their beliefs at all. Then, your victories wouldn't be surprising at all.
"Therefore, I will bear the lessons in mind this time. It's true that I have a tiny plan, but I'm willing to show you every procedure of the entire plan clearly. Whatever details you want to see will be given to you. I will tell you the origins, the development, and the final purpose of my plan. Then, Vulture Li Yao, let's see if you can stop me!"
Hearing Long Yangjun chuckle, Li Yao could not hold on anymore but fell into a prolonged dark dream.
In the dark dream, he seemed to be experiencing a long time, from the big bang of the universe to right now, and from right now to the oblivion of the universe. It was so long that he almost forgot who he was, and his soul was gradually perishing.
But whenever his soul was about to perish, the blue planet—Earth—would always pop up deep inside his soul, sending him a feeble strength, which brought him the last hope of persistence like a blue, flickering candle in a dark night.
Li Yao knew that his body and his brain had suffered unprecedented wounds in the battle versus Blackstar the Great. It was even more dangerous than the excessive radiations he suffered in the Devilish Scorpion Nebula when he broke into the Divinity Transformation Stage.
But withering was always followed by a new life. When the old brain cells decayed, new power flowed out incessantly from the gap deep inside his soul, refreshing his soul and his brain and reestablishing a mental world that was even more magnificent!
"I will accomplish the Vulture Plan. I will destroy Earth. I will… set all of you free!"
Whenever the deepest darkness was about to completely corrupt and swallow his broken soul, the feeble but unwavering voice would resonate with his soul pieces, invigorating his brand-new mental world!
Perhaps he was in a deep coma at the beginning.
But after the reestablishment of his mental world, he seemed to be in the state of metamorphosis.
In his trance, he did not know how long he had been sneaking in the deep ocean, but he felt he entered a narrow, rugged, sunless tunnel that led straight downward.
He was in darkness for a few consecutive days. Occasionally, he saw the starry lights on the rock walls around but could not tell whether they were the brightness from the minerals or the eyes of demon beasts. Later, he found himself in a massive underground settlement, where countless people in gray capes surrounded them.
Long Yangjun seemed to boast a very high position in the underground settlement as an unquestionable authority. Vaguely, Li Yao saw countless people worshipping him. There was no telling if it was just his hallucination.
After Li Yao really broke the "mental cocoon" and woke up, he discovered that he was lying in the middle of a gigantic, square pool, surrounded by a certain ivory material that looked like paraffin wax. It was thicker than the common jelly-like gels that were used for healing. Li Yao had to tear them off from his body one piece after another.
"Brother Yao, you're finally up!"
Li Jialing was sleeping in a corner of the room, wagging his short, furry tail. Hearing the cracks from the healing pool, he immediately bulged his eyes and shouted in delight.
"Huh…"
Li Yao managed to make a sound as a reply. He struggled to stand on his feet in the healing pool before he tore off the consolidated "paraffin wax" on his body and scanned his body carefully with spiritual energy.
As he expected, his body was only generally fixed, and there were still many invisible, fatal cracks inside, like a vase that had been stuck together cautiously after it fell into pieces. Whenever his spiritual energy flowed to the cracks, it was like a waterfall running into an abyss and nowhere to be found again.
Such devastating wounds meant much more than the plunge of his level. Heaving a sigh, Li Yao scratched his puffy hair and thought, The sequela is indeed rather severe. The blow was too strong after all…
It was already unbelievably fortunate of him to have survived the disaster. He could not be too greedy. After all, there was always a solution to any difficulty. Even Long Yangjun had complimented him for his uncanny luck. So, there would always be chances for him to restore his peak combat ability or even reach a level higher!
While clearing his messy thoughts, Li Yao punched slowly, testing his speed and strength, and observed the environment.
He was in the middle of a vintage healing pool, which was established in a small medical chamber.
Judging from the texture of the wall and the precision of the joints, such a medical chamber must've been built by a rather developed civilization.
However, all the facilities around were rusted. The chamber was also in a mess and filled with garbage. All kinds of mosses and vines whose names Li Yao couldn't tell had sprawled on the wall. Everything suggested that the place had been forsaken for a long time.
The air here was suffocating, mixed with the stink of putridity. Even a deep breath could not make the lung lobes expand much.
Despite the flickering lights above his head, Li Yao still felt the thick darkness pressing over.
He sensed keenly that he should be somewhere deep below the ground.
"How long have I slept? What is this place?"
Holding back the headache that almost felt like a hungover, Li Yao glanced at the side of the medical pool. His mustard-seed combat suit had been folded neatly on the ground, next to his own Cosmos Rings.
Except for the few Cosmos Rings that he had swallowed into his body, all his Cosmos Rings were here. There were even two additional Cosmos Rings that Li Yao had never seen before. Attracting them with his spiritual energy and sensing them carefully, he discovered that the two Cosmos Rings were not installed with any barrier, and he could explore them with his telepathic thoughts freely. One of the Cosmos Rings stored the broken pieces of "Gold Vulture", while the other contained the remains of "Hellstar". It appeared that Long Yangjun had helped him collect the detritus.
Long Yangjun is really considerate enough!
Li Yao felt delighted. Then he thought of the scheme or plan that Long Yangjun talked about before he passed out. He couldn't help but frown again.
"Brother Yao, you've slept for ten days!"
Li Jialing stepped forward and said, "This is the 10,084th district, more than thirty thousand meters into the ground and almost on the border of the crust and the mantle!"
Chapter 2341: Forgotten Land |
"A five-digit district!"
Li Yao was slightly surprised. He knew that he must be well below the sea level from the dull air, but he did not expect that it would be so ridiculously deep.
The habitable planets with a stable tectonic structure that was suitable for mankind generally
boasted triple layers, namely the core, the mantle, and the crust. The capital planet of the Imperium was certainly not an exception.
Such habitable planets were like enormous eggs, where the core was the yolk, the mantle was the white, and the crust, which was thirty to fifty kilometers thick, was the thin "eggshell".
While the crust was the thinnest layer, it was the most important area for residence and resource collection for human beings.
In the mantle below the crust, magmas of high temperatures and pressure were everywhere. Any random hole that was drilled might lead to an eruption and destroy everything. There could also be rocks that were denser than the superalloys. Even the most advanced drilling magical equipment could not dig very deep after the cost of astronomical spiritual energy. The seismic energy released in earthquakes were also hundreds of times more powerful than human beings' best crystal bombs. The overwhelming squeezing and tearing forces in the tectonic movements were too much for any human expert to handle.
In short, the mantle was an area of death that was dangerous and not cost-effective. Even though the tentacles of the civilization of mankind had reached thousands of planets in the three thousand Sectors, they only stopped at the "eggshell" on the surface of those planets. They did not, nor was it necessary, to dig into the mantle yet.
On the capital planet of the Imperium of True Human Beings, according to the sea level and the development, all the towns were classified into six tiers.
The first tier was the cities on the ground that had names. For example, the central politics area where the Council of Elders was located and which was named after the founding emperor of the country, was known as "Blackstar City".
There was also the "White Stone Municipality", the heavy industry city where Li Yao and Long Yangjun had a fierce fight. All in all, the cities that had names were usually the metropolises inhabited mostly by Immortal Cultivators with a highly-developed civilization.
