Forty Millenniums of Cultivation - Chapter 950

Chapter 950: Get Up and Leave!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

“How!”

The arrival of the Fire Ant King gave Lu Wuxin and the rest of them an even bigger surprise than the grand entrance of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit did.

Lu Wuxin’s eyeballs nearby bulged out of their sockets, the blood vessels nearly tearing apart.

He could not figure out how the Fire Ant King had gotten rid of the Venomous Scorpion Bone Biting Shackle at all. The so-called best confining magical equipment of the Star Glory Federation did not deserve its name!

Besides, a demon emperor had now joined hands with a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. Such a combination could not have been more dreadful!

One demon emperor plus one Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator did not equal two super experts. With the coverage of each other, they would have a huge amount of time for their rest and the cooldown of their weapons. Their combat ability would be more than tripled!

It was quite a subtle situation right now.

The Nether World Watch still had the advantage in numbers and average capability. At the south of the island, a lot of well-trained soldiers were still in battle formation and fully supplied, ready to fight.

More soldiers, on the other hand, were now trapped in the ‘Nether World’. But since the teleportation array and the lifts had been turned off by Li Yao, they had to crawl to the ground through the emergency channel like ants.

However, as time went by, they would certainly reach the ground. In the meantime, another batch of soldiers was attacking the control center in order to reactivate the teleportation array and the lifts.

On the captives’ side, after the fierce battles just now, they had suffered heavy casualties and were merely fighting with their resolution. They were running out of momentum. There was no way that they could persist for long.

However, in terms of elite warriors, the captives were now at an advantage.

Li Yao boasted an ultimate core. After he put on the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, his combat ability was higher than the middle level of the Nascent Soul Stage. The Fire Ant King remained stagnant in the demon emperor stage for decades and had abundant combat experience!

On the Nether World Watch’s side, ‘Swirl’ was merely close to the demon emperor stage by the boost of demon cores. Although Lu Wuxin was in the beginning level of the demon emperor stage, he was best at medical arts and modification, so he was nowhere near as good at fighting as the Fire Ant King.

Besides, Li Yao had also controlled a powerful warship that could provide fierce fire support at any time!

A subtle dilemma was thus created.

But in the very next second, it was broken by crazy roars!

The sky-hunting warship of the Blade of Chaos did not stop in midair. Instead, it leaned toward the ground slightly, and the captives rained down their fury, which had been suppressed for a long time.

They were not attacking Lu Wuxin but the defense line before the other captives!

The Nether World Watch, which had been traumatized by Li Yao’s stunning performance, was already frightened. The defense line that could barely hold itself together in the first place collapsed completely under the barrage of the sky-hunting warship.

The captives under Suo Chaolong and Han Tuhu’s command took the opportunity to launch a counter-charge!

Li Yao had never been a commander, and he did not know much about military tactics. The Fire Ant King did not have much experience in commanding the regular army in battle, either. Therefore, the two of them only thought to stall the Nether World Watch by themselves so that the captives could evacuate.

However, it had never occurred to them how long it would take for the thousand captives to retreat to the sky-hunting warship.

To retreat, they had to attack first!

Suo Chaolong and Han Tuhu, as two best mid-level commanders of the army in the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector respectively, knew the point clearly. They seized the timing of the battle keenly. While Li Yao was on a killing spree in midair, they asked the lightly wounded to retreat to the sky-hunting warship carrying the heavily wounded, and they gathered all the weapons and armor that they had looted and launched a suicidal counter-charge together with a hundred or so soldiers who were still able to fight!

Their situation was changed in the blink of an eye.

It never rains; it pours.

Today, luck was truly not on the Nether World Watch’s side. Right when the first defense line of the Nether World Watch was collapsing completely under the counter-charge of the captives, the devilish warship, which had crashed and broken in half because of the Frost Storm Flowers, finally exploded. The immense blast consumed almost a hundred soldiers of the Nether World Watch who were passing by. The narrow and long area in the middle of the island was entirely enshrouded by fire, blocking the north of the island from the south!

Naturally, there were a lot of experts in the Nether World Watch who were adept at flying.

However, it was difficult to keep a neat battle formation in the air.

The battle formation was of paramount importance in a battlefield. The lone soldiers without teammates and cover were merely chopping their own heads off and feeding themselves to their enemy if they were exposed to a hostile warship.

“Kill them!”

Li Yao and the Fire Ant King both had sharp eyes. Although they did not realize the importance of attack in the beginning, they soon discovered the Nether World Watch’s weakness when they saw Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong lunging forward like hungry dogs.

The two of them looked at each other and turned into two streaks of brightness simultaneously, piercing into the battle formation of the soldiers in midair!

Wave the saber, concentrate the energy, blow it out, and explode!

Li Yao triggered almost a hundred black auras of saber around him. After countless slashes, mysterious redness was flowing in the auras. It was not Li Yao’s spiritual energy but the blood and broken souls of the soldiers of the Nether World Watch that had been restricted to his weapon!

As if possessed by the god of killing, the more soldiers he killed, the crazier he became. While his spiritual energy was consumed at an unbelievable speed, he was suddenly caught in a brand-new vibe. In the end, he did not need to wave his saber at all and could freeze a soldier of the Nether World Watch with nothing except his dominating killing intent!

Shua!

Suddenly, the area in front of him was empty. His killing intent, almost tangible, could not find the next target. There were no living soldiers of the Nether World Watch and only clusters of dense blood mist in the hundreds of square meters nearby!

Lu Wuxin and Swirl did not have the courage to challenge him anymore. They escaped at the early opportunity to the south of the island where the battle formation of the Nether World Watch was still tight.

Huchi! Huchi! Huchi!

It was not until this moment that Li Yao sensed that his windpipe and lungs had been seriously torn apart because of high-speed breathing. His shoulders had also been severely worn because he had waved his saber thousands of times in only several seconds. Fractures were everywhere on his arms due to the heavy collisions. His heart was also on the verge of exploding because of overloading!

The Fire Ant King slowly stopped next to Li Yao. He was also breathing rapidly, and his limbs were trembling as hard as Li Yao’s.

After all, the Fire Ant King had been tortured by Lu Wuxin and only struggled through the battle by the boost of the strengthening drugs.

The two of them looked at each other and decided to stop chasing.

At the south of the island, the battle formation of the Nether World Watch was not disrupted, and the defense line was still flawless. A lot of biochemical beasts had been deployed, too. If they marched close recklessly, it was likely that they would be mired in combat.

Also, the captives who were in the middle of a counter-charge were displaying signs of fatigue as they moved to where the devilish warship exploded, too.

They were too tired and had been fighting too hard after all. At first, they were electrified by the super high-voltage electric arcs. Then, they fought against the longswords and iron armor of the Nether World Watch with bare fists. Some of them had multiple flying swords and battle sabers stuck in their body. When they were charging, they were leaving a path of blood behind them. Their intestines were sometimes flowing out because of the explosions, but they simply stuffed them back and continued moving forward!

Many of them collapsed while they were charging forward, never to stand up again.

Some of them grabbed the enemy’s neck after they stabbed their blade into the enemy’s chest, turning into a gray statue together with their enemy.

Besides, three devilish warships were still parked in the dock!

Li Yao’s Cosmos Rings were not bottomless, and there was only a limited number of crystal bombs that he could produce. Inside the Nether World, in order to blow his way into the control center, he had used up too many crystal bombs. After he arrived at the dock, the remaining crystal bombs had been far from enough to blow up the three devilish warships.

Therefore, he had deployed all the crystal bombs that he had left on the floating ice that was the camouflage around the dock. He detonated the ice and drowned the dock.

Such damage was only temporary. The enemy would repair the dock very soon or simply board on the devilish warships in the deep sea.

If the enemy had the powerful fire support of the devilish warships, it would be quite a disaster. The sky-hunting warship of the Blade of Chaos was no match for the devilish warships of the Nether World Watch in terms of both firepower and tonnage.

“Let’s retreat!”

Under the cover of Li Yao and the Fire Ant King, Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong commanded the survivors to board the sky-hunting warship in order.

After the sky-hunting warship took off again, the two of them still floated in the sky of the island and locked onto the enemy at the south with their sharp killing intent.

When the sky-hunting warship was a hundred kilometers away, the Fire Ant King retreated first.

He was only supported by strengthening drugs after all, and his recovery would be very difficult if he was overly exhausted.

Li Yao was faced with thousands of soldiers of the Nether World Watch at the south of the island by himself.

The red cloak that looked like furious burning fire was still jabbing at the sky like a vivid arrowhead, declaring to the Nether World Watch, I am right here!

Looking at the blood red ‘arrowhead’ in the northern sky, Swirl struggled to say, “The captives… have escaped.”

“I know.” Lu Wuxin gnashed his teeth. The world was spinning around in his head even to this moment.

Twenty minutes ago, he had received yet another piece of devastating news.

Before the enemy left the control center, they had played a dirty trick by turning off most of the defense rune arrays of the ‘Demon God Virus Research Center’, which was in the deepest part of the Nether World, allowing all the uncontrollable mutants locked inside to flee.

Right then, it was unimaginable what was happening deep below the Nether World!

Lu Wuxin had to mobilize a lot of soldiers to the Nether World to take back the control center and suppress the uncontrollable mutants.

What could he do when faced with such a mysterious yet cunning Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator?

Send several hundred soldiers to chase after him?

It would be a joke!

The only outcome by doing so would be that the enemy would kill dozens of soldiers with his high speed and then run away!

Who could follow a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator wearing a super crystal suit above the ocean where there were absolutely no obstacles?

Therefore, Lu Wuxin could only watch Li Yao flying up and leaving.

It was not until the fire-like cloak vanished over the horizon that he suddenly shuddered and vomited a mouthful of black blood.

“One person. One person has almost overturned the Nether World!

“Who is he? Who is he exactly?”

Chapter 951: Ultra-Level Federal Hero!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Li Yao lurked in the cold ocean three hundred kilometers away from the lone island for three hours.

If a devilish warship was deployed to chase after the sky-hunting warship of the Blade of Chaos, he would sneak into it and find a chance to kill commanders such as Lu Wuxin or Swirl.

The decapitation strategy had always been his favorite.

However, there was still no sign of a devilish warship after three hours. Maybe, the uncontrollable mutants below the ground were enough a headache for Lu Wuxin.

Three hours later, Li Yao summoned Black Wing and accelerated to the highest speed, catching up to the sky-hunting warship of Blade of Chaos, which was now hiding deep inside the ocean.

However, the warship was caught in a rather weird atmosphere.

The vast hold of the warship was designed to store the biochemical beasts and the debris from the Mausoleum of Chaos. It was certainly the opposite of incommodious. Even a thousand captives should not be enough to fill it.

However, the captives on-board were not in a joyful mood after surviving a disaster. Instead, intense hostility could be felt. They were divided into three groups targeting each other. It seemed a tiny spark would be enough to blow up the entire warship.

Han Tuhu, Suo Chaolong, and Yuchi Ba were even more vigilant. Every nerve in their brains was like a tightened violin string.

Li Yao’s arrival froze the anxious atmosphere for a moment.

He was still wearing the blood-stained Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit whose stink filled up the room. The captives of the federal army were eyeing the crystal suit with such envy and admiration that fire was almost spurting out.

A crystal suit, the greatest manifestation of the modern Cultivation technology. It was now the greatest pillar for the lone army in the Blood Demon Sector!

The demon captives, on the other hand, were deeply frightened and awed.

Although the master of the crystal suit had just saved them, the sharp black feathers and the crimson crystal cameras where no emotions could be seen still made them shudder.

Sensing the subtle atmosphere, Li Yao frowned. He asked the Fire Ant King without hurrying to take off the crystal suit, “What’s going on?”

There was helplessness on the Fire Ant King’s face. “What else can it be? The three forces are in conflict. None of them likes the others. Just now, they were only teaming up in order to escape from the captive camp. Now that they are out, the tension has inevitably intensified.

“Suo Chaolong is an old acquaintance of mine. We have made a lot of deals on strengthening drugs. He gave quite a few favors and… was even made use of by me several times.

“You must know the bad temper of silver-blood demons. You know that he wasn’t talking very nicely in his shock after he discovered that I was the leader of the Blade of Chaos. He is also worried that the Blade of Chaos will do bad things to the silver-blood demons. Naturally, they are defending themselves.

“Same goes for the captives of the federal army. They are scared that they have entered another cage after they just got out of one. So, they are highly wary, too. After all, the three parties hate each other’s guts. It’s a total mess now!”

“Wait!”Li Yao raised his hand. “The silver-blood demons hate the federal soldiers and you, you hate the silver-blood demons, and the federal soldiers hate the silver-blood demons. That’s easy to understand, but is there any grudge between you and the federal soldiers?”

“Of course!” The Fire Ant King sniffed. “The federal soldiers are not distinguishing high-level demons from low-level demons. In their eyes, all demons are the same.

“In the Battle of Dawn, the low-level demons, as cannon fodder in the coalition army, led the charge and fought against the federal army. The troops purely made of silver-blood demons such as Suo Chaolong’s ‘Blood Lion Battalion’, in comparison, were never deployed until the retreat phase.

“So, technically speaking, the low-level demons and the federal soldiers are old nemeses. How can they not hate each other?”

“So complicated?” Li Yao felt that his head was aching. He found that he had been too optimistic before.

Integrating the three forces who hated and distrusted each other was ten times more difficult than rescuing them from the ‘Nether World’.

“The most critical problem is that neither the federal soldiers nor the silver-blood demons know why we are rescuing them.” The Fire Ant King looked at Li Yao. “Honestly speaking, I don’t know the reason myself, either. Who are you exactly? What are you here for?”

Li Yao sighed and pointed his fingers at his forehead, starting to take off the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit.

He had thought hard for a long time about how he should explain the complicated matter to all three forces.

In the end, he decided to tell the truth.

Truth was the most powerful weapon. Faced with such a strong and frightful enemy as the ‘Imperium of True Human Beings’, he could not keep binding everybody to his tank with continuous lies. Such a tank was destined to be feeble and likely to collapse at any moment.

“Greetings, everybody.”

His facial cover split apart and vanished into his Cosmos Rings, revealing a face that was too young for his capability. Li Yao blinked and smiled. “My name is Li Yao.”

His words detonated the freezing atmosphere in the warehouse.

The name of ‘Li Yao’ made Han Tuhu’s pupils constrict violent. He stared at the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit that was disappearing from Li Yao body in suspicion, as if he was recalling something. He then observed Li Yao’s face for a long time with an ever-changing expression that was mixed with bewilderment and ecstasy. He asked in disbelief, “Li Yao? Vulture Li Yao?”

Li Yao was the dazed one now. “Do you know me?”

As he recalled, he had never dealt with the ‘Flying Tigers Legion’ ten years ago.

Han Tuhu suddenly rose up to his feet, the calmness of a commander of the federal army gone. He stood straight and saluted at Li Yao respectfully!

As the commander of the ‘Flying Tigers Legion’, Han Tuhu had a title of colonel. But now he was saluting Li Yao, perhaps not because Li Yao had just saved his life but because his name was ‘Vulture Li Yao’!

Behind Han Tuhu, all their soldiers of the federal army stood up, including the heavily wounded ones who were supported by their comrades!

Whispers were echoing among them nonstop.

“Is—is he the Li Yao?”

“That’s right. I’ve seen his 3D picture before. He does look familiar.”

“Isn’t he dead already? How did he show up in this place? Was he captured for experimentation like us? It’s rather unlikely, isn’t it?”

“Only the experts such as Major Li deserve to wear such tough a crystal suit!”

Li Yao was confused. “Wait. What do you mean by ‘Major Li’? Am I missing something?”

He was indeed a ‘veteran’ of the Star Glory Federation, but he was just a regular soldier at best and far from a major.

Han Tuhu took a deep breath and regained the serenity of a commander. Pondering for a moment, he asked, “If I may ask, did you crash into Skeleton Dragon, a ferocious demon from forty thousand years ago, with a starship left by the Star Ocean Imperium and leave the Heaven’s Origin Sector with it through a space jump?”

Li Yao nodded. “That’s right.”

The enthusiasm in Han Tuhu and the soldiers’ eyes was even hotter. Li Yao felt that he would be melted by them.

“Your story shocked the entire federation after the exploration squad brought it back to the Heaven’s Origin Sector.

“Everybody knew that, if Skeleton Dragon had recovered and teleported itself to the Heaven’s Origin Sector in a certain way, it certainly would’ve been a catastrophe. Chances were that the federation would have been destroyed!

“Therefore, after all the details were investigated, the federal government granted you the title of ‘Ultra-Level Federal Hero’. You are the first ‘Ultra-Level Federal Hero’ of the Star Glory Federation since a hundred and thirty-eight years ago! Also, the federal army announced that you were back in service again as a major.

“Major Li, you are a hero that everybody in the Star Glory Federation knows. You are the first to march out of the Heaven’s Origin Sector into the sea of stars as a representative of the Star Glory Federation!”

Li Yao felt goosebumps rising all over his body.

As he recalled, according to the tradition of the Star Glory Federation, ‘Ultra-Level Federal Hero’ was the highest honor that was always granted to the sacrificed. Even counting the years of fierce battles when the Star Glory Federation was just established, only nine people had ever received such an honor, and all of them had been granted it after they were dead.

The federal government must have thought that he was dead and decided to boost morale by publicizing his story.

A living Ultra-Level Federal Hero walking on the street? That was too scary!

As for Suo Chaolong’s silver-blood captives, after they heard ‘Vulture Li Yao’ and ‘Boneyard’, the color drained from their faces, and they shuddered after pondering for a moment.

“It’s the fiend!”

Ten years ago, it was not just Skeleton Dragon that Li Yao had killed on Boneyard.

Before that, he had already wiped out the demon squad that Wang Ji, a prince of the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, was the leader of with an Ares Extension named ‘Dragon Scale’!

The demon squad was exclusively made of experts from the younger generation of the Blood Demon Sector. It was the most fabulous team made of descendants of noble families!

As it turned out, they had all been annihilated by Li Yao; there were no survivors!

After Li Yao’s title of ‘Ultra-Level Federal Hero’ spread, the Blood Demon Sector had naturally learned of his ‘atrocities’, too.

From then on, ‘Vulture’ was like a devastating curse that haunted countless demons.

Many demons gritted their teeth and swore to avenge their family.

But more demons were secretly shocked and awed by Li Yao’s toughness.

How tough could the man be, considering that he had finished a ferocious demon from forty thousand years ago cleanly?

Today, Suo Chaolong had witnessed Li Yao’s formidability in person. He had to admit that the guy was overwhelmingly strong!

A bewildered brilliance was flashing deep inside the Fire Ant King’s eyes, too.

Skeleton Dragon was possibly one of the ultimate weapons produced by Chaos. Naturally, the Blade of Chaos had studied the things that happened on Boneyard ten years ago, too, and he had heard the name of ‘Vulture Li Yao’.

However, according to his analysis, Li Yao at the time was merely in the Building Foundation Stage. It was with the help of a crystal warship from the Star Ocean Imperium that the guy secured his victory.

The Fire Ant King did not think that Li Yao was a real expert himself.

He did not see it coming that the guy whom he had been collaborating with was the Building Foundation Stage Cultivator from ten years ago.

Ten years ago, from the Building Foundation Stage to above the Nascent Soul Stage?

Such a speed of training was too appalling. It was even more terrifying than any genetic modification!

The Fire Ant King thought of something. “Fellow Cultivator Li, it seems you must’ve experienced incredible adventures after you vanished into the sea of stars with Skeleton Dragon, right?”

Han Tuhu’s eyes glanced between the Fire Ant King and Li Yao’s face before he asked solemnly again, “Judging from the situation here, you haven’t reached out to the federation yet, have you? So, you did not come to our rescue by the order of the federation. Then, what is going on here exactly? We are totally confused.”

Suo Chaolong and all the other silver-blood demons blinked and pricked up their ears, too, waiting for Li Yao’s answer.

Chapter 952: The Hardest First Step

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Looking at the captives, who possessed all kinds of bizarre appearances but were equally wary and anxious, staring at him eagerly, Li Yao suddenly had the feeling that it was all a farce.

Silver-blood demons, the Blade of Chaos, federal soldiers… The three forces hated each other’s guts, yet he was trying to unite them?

It was crazy!

Taking a long breath in relief, Li Yao said slowly, “What I am going to say next may sound absurd and lacking evidence, but please don’t be hasty. If you have any questions, wait until I’m done. I can explain the whole thing, and I can also explain…”

His eyes stopped on Suo Chaolong, a silver-blood demon who appeared to be a brawny human being, and Han Hutu, a commander of the federal army who looked like a crazy devil. Pausing for a moment, he continued. “… everything that has happened to you!”

Han Tuhu nodded. “I’m all ears, Major Li.”

Suo Chaolong made a gesture of ‘please’, too. Whatever the grudge between them was, the guy had saved the lives of himself and his many brothers after all.

Aside from the rescue, Li Yao’s terrifying capability alone was enough to win his respect.

Li Yao scratched his messy hair and calmed himself down before he said, “The whole thing is too complicated. I have to explain from the beginning. Ten years ago, I unearthed a crystal warship from the Star Ocean Imperium on Boneyard and jumped into the depths of the sea of stars together with Skeleton Dragon. Later, I discovered a new Sector that was governed by human beings…”

“What!”

Hearing that, Han Tuhu could not help but jump to his feet, overjoyed. “A new human Sector?”

All the federal soldiers were simmering!

Everybody knew what the discovery of a new human Sector meant to the war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector!

The silver-blood demons commanded by Suo Chaolong and the low-level demons commanded by the Fire Ant King, on the other hand, looked greatly distressed.

Whatever internal conflicts they had, they belonged to the demon race after all. A new Sector of human beings was certainly not good news for the Blood Demon Sector!

Suo Chaolong opened his mouth, meaning to question Li Yao, but he lost confidence before he let his doubt out.

It had been long confirmed that Li Yao jumped to the depths of the sea of stars with Skeleton Dragon. But right now, he announced his grand return with such a leap of his capability. It was evident that he must have gone through a lot of adventures!

When Li Yao went on a rampage on the lone island, Suo Chaolong had observed his crystal suit carefully. The Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit had been completely deformed by adopting multiple materials and technologies that did not exist in the Heaven’s Origin Sector. Its overall style was vastly different from that of the crystal suits of the Star Glory Federation.

The leap in capability could have been because Li Yao discovered an ancient relic.

But a brand-new super crystal suit could only be supported by an enormous industrial system. It could never have been made by a random craftsman.

Now, the Blood Demon Sector was in great trouble!

The faces of Suo Chaolong and the Fire Ant King dimmed, but they were more and more confused.

If the Heaven’s Origin Sector had the support of another Sector of human beings, it could have attacked the Blood Demon Sector directly. They did not understand why Li Yao ran into the Blood Demon Sector by himself. Was he there to mock them?

Li Yao saw Han Tuhu’s excitement and Suo Chaolong’s frustration. With a bitter smile, he said, “It’s not as simple as you imagined. Brothers of the federal army, don’t feel happy too early. Forget it. I’ll just continue the story. You will understand everything when I finish.”

He hid part of his experience in the Flying Star Sector, but he told the stories of Iron Plateau, the Temple of Immortals, the Immortal Cultivators, the apocalypses, the Dark Forest Theory, the star child, and the Imperium of True Human Beings exactly as they happened.

His monologue did not stop until more than an hour later.

At first, Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong had a lot of questions and almost could not wait to interrupt him.

But later, they were both bewildered, covered in cold sweat.

Possession through an apocalypse? The dark forest? Immortal Cultivators who regarded ordinary people as ants? The Imperium of True Human Beings, which was in control of the prosperous area of the three thousand Sectors and thereby boasted a much higher capability than themselves?

Compared to the unimaginably large concepts, the war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector at the edge of the universe was like a fight between kindergarteners!

“That was my experience in the Flying Star Sector,” Li Yao licked his dried lips and concluded.

“At this very second, while we are taking to each other, the expedition army of the Imperium of True Human Beings is marching toward us maliciously by way of incessant, short-distance jumps. By the most optimistic estimation, they will arrive in the Heaven’s Origin Sector in two hundred years.

“By then, the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector will have completely melded, which means that neither you nor we can shun the barrage of the expedition army.

“Before that, and maybe only a few years from now, a weird ‘minor apocalypse’ will arrive. As of now, we are still unaware of the nature of the strike. Maybe, it will be an attack by an intelligent entity of energy, like the ‘star child’ in the Flying Star Sector. Maybe, it will be even more uncanny and unpredictable.

“But it is unquestionable that the minor apocalypse will reduce, if not rid, our ability to resist the expedition army of the Imperium of True Human Beings!

“That is the first thing that I wanted to tell you all.

“Now, you may think about it calmly. Is there an inconsistency in my story? Did I make it up for a certain purpose?”

The federal soldiers, the Blade of Chaos, and the silver-blood demons all fell silent.

There was too much information in Li Yao’s words. Even an hour was not enough for them to digest. Everybody remained numb for five minutes before desperate whispers echoed in the corner.

Suo Chaolong, on the other hand, was rolling his eyeballs weirdly.

Li Yao keenly sensed what he was thinking. He calmly said, “I know what some of the demons here are thinking. You think that, since the Imperium of True Human Beings is so formidable and their primary target is the Cultivators, can you make use of the Imperium of True Human Beings to destroy the Star Glory Federation?

“Of course, it is a realizable possibility.

“However, as terrifying as the Imperium of True Human Beings might be, it is a nation of human beings after all. It is not hard to infer their attitude toward demons. What will the Immortal Cultivators regard the demons as when they regard ordinary human beings as ants?

“I estimate that, after the Imperium of True Human Beings conquers the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector, if you are lucky enough to survive the battles, the best outcome you can expect is to be sent into the sunless mines and toil until you die!

“The bottom line is, in the eyes of the Immortal Cultivators, we are all the same. Insignificant bugs that are hiding at the edge of the universe. No more.”

Suo Chaolong cursed silently; he knew that Li Yao was right.

“Besides—”

Seeing that everybody was scratching their head and whispering to each other but unable to find out any inconsistencies in the horrifying story, Li Yao gritted his teeth and threw out an even bigger bomb. “Now, I’m going to tell you the second story, one that might be even more shocking for you.

“I do not know how I should comment on the story. I only want to tell it exactly as it happened. You can think about what it means exactly yourselves.”

Everybody was startled.

What could possibly be more shocking than the Imperium of True Human Beings and the cruel ‘Dark Forest Theory’?

Li Yao glanced at the Fire Ant King and took out ‘Chaos’ Ba Yanzhi’s Hidden Star Box.

He had made a simple adaptor yesterday during his spare time and connected the Hidden Star Box to his mini crystal processor.

In such a way, the picture of the key memories of Ba Yanzhi would be able to be displayed in front of everybody by means of 3D projection.

“Every one of you, regardless of whether you are a silver-blood demon or a federal soldier, has gone through brutal torment in Elder Nether Spring’s laboratory and made to look vastly different.

“I don’t know whether or not you had doubts before. How did a silver-blood commander such as Suo Chaolong ‘turn into a human being’? And why does a commander of the federal army such as Han Tuhu look like an out-and-out demon?”

Suo Chaolong and Han Tuhu both shuddered. They looked at each other and breathed fast.

They had been pondering the question in pain for the past half year but did not have the courage to face it.

Shua!

An enormous light beam was triggered to the ceiling of the warehouse. As the image and shadow fell slowly, everybody found themselves in the palace of the ‘Ultimate One Sect’, a Cultivation sect forty thousand years ago.

Ba Yanzhi’s magnificent image showed up in front of everyone!

“He is Chaos!” Li Yao said one word after another.

He clipped the most critical parts of the memory pieces to accelerate the pace, displaying the discovery of the mysterious black spring, the reason of the demon race’s birth, the process of the demons’ conquest, and the division of the Ultimate One Demons and the Chaos Demons.

All the captives were wearing a complicated expression. The mottled picture dissected their faces into different areas that were different colors, hiding their real countenance.

“This is the origin of the demon race,” Li Yao said. “Demons originated from human beings, for the purpose of living a better life in the barren world in the Era of Doom. Or rather, demons were just another form of human beings in the Era of Doom. However, the whole event got out of control in the end.”

Silence. Silence. Silence was the only response.

“You—you’ve got to be kidding me!”

Out of Li Yao’s expectations, the first one to jump to his feet was, of all people, Han Tuhu, the commander of the federal soldiers.

He took off the military hat above his head and clutched the red star medal at the center of the hat so hard that it deeply pierced into his flesh as if they were melding into one. “Human beings and demons share the same origin? It’s impossible. It’s absolutely impossible!”

Chapter 953: Your Words Against Mine

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

“Mankind boasts a great, brilliant civilization, and demons are no better than wild animals. A bunch of inhumane, insane wild animals!”

Veins were bulging out of Han Tuhu’s face like a spider web. His ugly bone tail was flapping rapidly, creating rippling sound waves in the air. Pointing at Suo Chaolong, he shouted desperately, “They can’t be human beings. They can’t be our own kind. They are just demon beasts infected by the ‘Demon God Virus’. They’ve grown a tiny bit of pathetic intelligence so that they can copy our lifestyle like monkeys in a circus! It is a fact that everybody knows!”

“Cut your bullsh*t! Who are animals?” Suo Chaolong jumped to his feet and pointed at Han Tuhu, too. His face was flushed, and his hot blood was almost spurting out of his fingertips. “The demons are the descendants of the Pangu Clan from the primeval era, and human beings are just a tool that the Pangu Clan created to mend the three thousand Sectors. But you tools forgot your mission and betrayed the Pangu Clan! You are just a bunch of traitors. Are you even qualified to accuse us of being animals?”

“Animals are animals after all. Even if you learn the language of human beings and mimic our social system, you are still animals deep down in your bones!”

Han Tuhu gnashed his teeth. “Look at what you did when you invaded the Grand Desolate Plateau? How many towns have you destroyed? How many people have lost their homes? How many innocent people were killed miserably by your claws and teeth? It’s flattery to call you animals. You are fiends. Vicious, unscrupulous fiends!”

“Invade the Grand Desolate Plateau? Burning, killing, and pillaging? Hahahaha. Han Tuhu, do you know what I hate you human beings most? Your hypocrisy!” Suo Chaolong roared. “A thousand years ago, nine tenths of the entire Heaven’s Origin Sector was home to the demons, including the entire Grand Desolate Plateau!

“My ancestors lived on the Grand Desolate Plateau for generations. They were the owners of the Grand Desolate Plateau. They farmed and hunted on the Grand Desolate Plateau and established splendid cities!

“Who first invaded the Grand Desolate Plateau? It was you, human beings!

“Who first slaughtered ruthlessly and atrociously on the Grand Desolate Plateau, burning magnificent cities to the ground and butchering millions of demons until there was no survivor? It was you, human beings!

“Do you deny it? No, you won’t. In the eyes of the evil human beings such as yourself, killing demons is not a crime but an ultimate glory!

“Right in the war museum in the Giant Blade Pass, the proof of your invasion, massacre, and destruction is still being exhibited as antiques. Even the piles of bones of the demons have been built into high towers as a demonstration of your strength!

“I am the rightful native of the Grand Desolate Plateau of the Heaven’s Origin Sector. What’s wrong with me taking back my ancestral home together with my brothers?”

Han Tuhu spat on the ground hard and said, “Do not just tell the story on your side. You said that the Grand Desolate Plateau was the land of the demon race five hundred years ago. Why didn’t you tell me how many human slaves were killed from exhaustion when you built your splendid cities?

“Besides, your ancestors were ambitious enough to join hands with the Far East Demon Kingdom, trying to suffocate the newborn Star Glory Federation while she was still in the cradle.

“Human beings love peace, but we are never scared of wars. It was a justified war. Why shouldn’t we be proud of it?”

Suo Chaolong bulged his eyes and roared with laughter, holding his belly. “You love peace? Self-defense war? You are making me laugh my ass off! When the Star Glory Federation was established, you only occupied the land the size of a palm at the center of the continent of the Heaven’s Origin Sector, but now, the entire Heaven’s Origin Sector is your territory. It has been more than multiplied!

“You are peace-lovers? Great. Was your additional territory freebie when you bought your magical equipment?”

The two of them were cursing more and more furiously. The federal soldiers and the silver-blood demons behind them were eyeing each other coldly, too. The hair, scales, and shells on their bodies were all standing up, indicating that they were ready for a fight.

Although they had no blades, their sharp claws and venomous tusks were the best weapons.

Unfortunately, many federal soldiers boasted such ‘weapons’ right now, too.

“Shut up!” the Fire Ant King roared. His demonic energy suppressed everybody on the spot.

Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong looked at each other in fury and waved their hands to stop their subordinates from taking action. They still had the last bit rationality in their minds and understood the consequence of an internal fight right now.

“Fellow Cultivator Li has offered us too much information right now. I think everybody should calm down and think everything through in order to find the best solution for yourself, your brothers, your family, and your compatriots. Do you agree?”

Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong were both breathing rapidly. They could not help but turn to their subordinates behind them, who were all heavily wounded.

Soldiers were the most tired after fierce battles. The blood of many of them was running dry, and they might not be able to open their eyes again after they closed them. They could barely hold a pair of nail scissors right now, much less a weapon.

The two of them fell silent at the same time. They looked at each other and nodded, gnashing their teeth.

“Agreed.”

Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong took their subordinates back to their respective chambers.

To avoid the intensification of the conflict, the Fire Ant King placed one group of them at the front of the warship and the other at the rear.

“Did I go off half-cocked?” Li Yao asked the Fire Ant King with complicated feelings.

The Fire Ant King eyed him for a long time with a weird expression until he felt a bit creepy. In the end, the Fire Ant King observed, “So, your real purpose is to convince the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector to let go of our hatred against each other for now and fight against the Imperium of True Human Beings together?”

Li Yao nodded. “That’s the only choice.”

The Fire Ant King sighed and said softly, “You know, I thought that you were not a lunatic.”

Li Yao was going to explain, but the Fire Ant King waved his hands and said lethargically, “Everything you’ve said is too much of a shock to me. Give me some time so that I can calm down.

“You’d better calm yourself down and carefully examine your sanity.”

Shua!

In the personal cabin that the Fire Ant King had specially prepared for him, Li Yao rubbed his face hard with clean water until his cheeks were burning.

Maybe because he had changed his appearances a lot by manipulating his facial muscles in the past ten years, the face that was appearing in the mirror was rather strange to Li Yao. So strange that it was almost no longer the Li Yao from ten years ago.

His face was still plain and did not have too many distinctive characteristics. However, below his eyebrow which was as dense as a black blade, his deep right eye and his blood red left eye were equally mysterious, as if they were leading to a black hole inside his brain.

Li Yao could not tell what was on the mind of the guy in the mirror.

Am I wrong?

The particularly young face in the mirror reminded him of himself from more than ten years ago and how he had been deeply moved by the sacrifices of the seven Cultivators when he was engaged in a beast tide on a crystal train north to the Grand Desolate War Institution.

“It is our responsibility to slay the demons and devils!”

“Don’t stand in my way while I’m busy saving the world!”

At that time, the world had been black or white. It was simple and straightforward. At that time, he had only meant to grow into a strong, unstoppable Cultivator who would sweep across the Blood Demon Sector and exterminate all the demons.

If the Li Yao at that time encountered the Li Yao right now, his reaction certainly would have been the same as Han Tuhu’s!

It was the Cultivators’ responsibility to slay demons and devils!

However, what were demons, and what were devils? And what did the real demons and devils look like?

“There is no distinction between humans and demons, deities and devils in this world. There are only winners and losers!”

“Of ten thousand people, only one can be the winner, and the remaining 9,999 are all losers!”

Those words had been replayed just now in the ceiling of the warehouse.

Along with the words was the gloating, all-under-my-control smile of the leader of the Ultimate One Sect.

Li Yao suddenly had an urge to return to the battlefield forty thousand years ago and punch the leader of the Ultimate One Sect right on his nose so hard that his nose would kiss the back of his head, exactly as he had done to Jiang Tao 1 , one of the dregs of Cultivators, in the anonymous station on the Grand Desolation Plateau after the seven Cultivators sacrificed themselves.

Maybe, people like Jiang Tao are the so-called ‘winners’?

The thought suddenly popped up in Li Yao’s head and gave him a chill.

What if the ‘winners’ had never vanished over the past forty thousand years? What if they had always stayed at the peak of the world, despite the changes of their identities and appearances, looking down upon the living creatures who were no better than ants for them from the high stance?

What if the war between the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector was nothing but the biting and mauling of two ‘losers’ who would only roll into the abyss of doom together?

Li Yao suddenly thought of the ‘bug fight’.

It was a form of entertainment popular both in the Heaven’s Origin Sector and in the Blood Demon Sector.

After locking a few brutal bugs into a transparent box and stimulating them with special drugs, the bugs would immediately start attacking each other until there was only one survivor.

Li Yao suddenly wondered, when two bugs bit each other’s critical parts at the same time, could they realize that existences that were far stronger than themselves were enjoying their battle of death with great amusement in a much greater world than the box that they were in?

We are not ants, not monkeys, and much less bugs!

Taking a deep breath, in the mirror, Li Yao saw his slightly shaking eyes gradually stabilizing again.

His eyes were as transparent as the finest jade, just like his belief, which was more determined than ever.

He knew that he was now walking on a road of fire and thorns, and he would perhaps never see the end of it.

However, he had already become used to such a way of life.

Taking another deep breath, Li Yao quickly sorted through his messy thoughts. He planned to take a brief rest and go chat with Han Tuhu after everybody calmed down.

But it did not occur to him that Han Tuhu, the commander of the federal army, would visit him before he went over.

Chapter 954: Han Tuhu’s Questions

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

After a few hours of calm consideration, Han Tuhu was wearing an entirely different expression from before. He gave Li Yao the feeling that he was trying to suppress part of his brain and forcing himself to become a precise machine without emotions.

“I’m sorry, Major Li.”

Han Tuhu held the military hat in his hand and touched the red star medal that was already glittering because of rubbing with his thumb. “I was too sentimental just now and lost the calmness that a commander of the federal army should have. Meaningless passion and fury can only lead to misjudgments and the eventual doom of the troop. I must apologize for my loss of control.”

Li Yao did not know whether Han Tuhu’s change in attitude was good or bad.

Looking at the shining red star on the medal, which turned into two sparks in his deep eyes, in a daze, Han Tuhu hesitated for a long time before he said, “In fact, many of our brothers have speculated much of what Major Li said just now. After all…”

His long tail that looked like a hammer extended to his head across his shoulder and tapped his ugly skull like a thick arm. “Who would not be suspicious after they saw what a wretched appearance they had been turned into?

“At first, we thought that it was just the enemy’s scheme and that our change resulted from a new virus.

“But we were not the only guys who mutated. Very soon, we got in touch with the silver-blood demons such as Suo Chaolong who were locked together with us.

“While we were becoming more and more like demons, Suo Chaolong was getting more and more similar to a human being. If an unknown Cultivator was faced with Suo Chaolong and me right now, could he say for sure which one of us is a human being and which is a demon?

“What was the change all about? I’m afraid that Suo Chaolong must’ve been questioning himself like I did every night. I felt as if ten thousand ants had found their way into my brain and were biting it every second!

“I wanted to find out the answer, but I was scared of the real answer. I could only fool myself by coming up with all kinds of impossible reasons. I hate Suo Chaolong so much right now not because he is an officer of the demon race but because I am jealous of him. I’m jealous of his appearance right now. I’m jealous that an evil demon possesses the face of a human being!

“I believe that he is more or less the same. I can read his eyes when he looks at me, which are exactly the same as mine!”

Han Tuhu’s countenance was indescribable. “Major Li, did you know, although you saved us, you have proposed the trickiest conundrum in the world for us?

“Before, neither I nor Suo Chaolong thought we could really escape that dark island of horror. We merely wanted to die a hero’s death before the devastating answer popped up and drove all of us mad as glorious soldiers of the federation or pure silver-blood demons!

“But you showed up and rescued us. You have also clearly displayed the answer that we were unwilling to confront before us!”

Li Yao listened quietly.

He had a feeling that Han Tuhu did not need a reply. The guy only needed to release the darkness that had filled his heart for half a year.

As he expected, after finishing everything, Han Tuhu stared at the ceiling for a long time in a daze. Then, he took a long breath and turned into a completely different person from a moment ago. “Major Li, if you want a ceasefire, or even a collaboration, with the Blood Demon Sector, technically speaking, you will have to solve a few critical issues.”

Li Yao was dazed. “Major Han, are you willing to let go of your hatred and work with the demons?”

“I am not willing to.”

Han Tuhu seemed to be crawling out of the swamp that had trapped him for half a year. An officer of the federal army that was so shrewd that it was almost cruel was waking up in himself. He shook his head and said, “Even if everything you said is true, and human beings and demons do share the same origin, so what?

“Forty thousand years is enough to make the same race evolve into two different branches. Besides, even within the same race, irreconcilable conflicts might break out, too.

“Race is never the sole reason for a war. It is never even the most important reason.

“Take the Imperium of True Human Beings, the greatest threat for us right now, for example. It is a nation of human beings and shares the same language and origin as us, but it will not show any mercy when it destroys us.

“Therefore, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid that I cannot let go of my hatred for the demon race. I believe that the other soldiers of the federal army will not let go of it in a couple of years, either.

“However—”

Han Tuhu’s eyes were sharper and sharper, as if a scalpel was ripping apart the gloomy cloud that had been covering his brain.

“I am a soldier, and it is my responsibility to defend our homeland, the Star Glory Federation, and every citizen of our nation.

“I will fulfil my duty through whatever methods possible.

“If I can achieve the purpose by destroying the Blood Demon Sector, then I will destroy it even at the cost of my life. I will kill every demon in my way, no matter who their ancestors are.

“However, if the federation can only be saved if we cooperate with the demons, I will also make the right choice without any hesitation. Even if the choice will be despised and disparaged, and even if I loathe it myself, I will still do the right thing nonetheless.

“So, please tell me something first. How good is the Flying Star Sector’s war capability?

“You mentioned that they once attacked a planet named ‘Spider Den’. Does it mean that their starships are advanced enough to bombard a planet? If we have the reinforcement of the Flying Star Sector, can we conquer the Blood Demon Sector quickly in one to two years?”

Han Tuhu added, “Believe me, every general and politician of the Star Glory Federation will ask the same question.”

Li Yao pondered for a long time before he replied.

“According to my observation, it’s very difficult.

“The Flying Star Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector are vastly different. Human beings there are basically in a ‘starship civilization’. Their troops exist in the form of ‘Exo Societies’. There is not a regular army that is large in size and directly under someone’s command. Besides, the ‘Spider Den’ that they dealt with was also just a base of disorganized space pirates.

“It was exactly because of the lack of a regular army that they had to activate such a dangerous weapon as the ‘Grand Illusionary Soldiers’.

“Besides, the Flying Star Sector has just gone through a war that lasted several years. They are still recovering from their losses.

“It is one thing to ask the Flying Star Sector to send a fleet to help the compatriots of the Heaven’s Origin Sector defend their home, but it is a whole other thing to ask them to send hundreds of starships across the universe to attack a world of demons where the environment is harsh.

“After all, the Blood Demon Sector is not a small resource planet like Spider Den, and it is not some unruly mob like the space pirates that dominate the place; it is a well-functioning, highly-efficient government with a strong regular army!

“A powerful fleet of starships can indeed suppress a planet, but ‘suppression’ and ‘conquer’ are very different. You must understand it better than I do, Colonel Han.

“More importantly, the technology to support super long-distance space jumps is not mature yet. Every starship from the Flying Star Sector must consume tremendous resources.

“To teleport the enormous fleets of the Flying Star Sector to the Heaven’s Origin Sector will be unbelievably costly, at least in the few years to come. Even if the citizens of the Flying Star Sector bring out every penny in their pockets, it might not be enough.

“On the other hand, the demons of the Blood Demon Sector, brainwashed by the ‘Four Pillars System’, believe in the Pantheon of Demons and their theories of ‘Obliteration, Rebirth, and Immortality’. Their fighting will and combat ability are both very high. If they are defending their home, they will be at an even greater advantage.

“Even if the enormous fleets of the Flying Star Sector jump to the orbit of the planet and even bombard the earth into wasteland, so what?

“Don’t forget that the environment of the Blood Demon Sector is very rough in the first place. Demons here are already used to the badlands. When that happens, they can always hide themselves below the ground or in the ocean and start a guerilla warfare. The army of the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector will be stuck in the Blood Demon Sector at the cost of tremendous resources and casualties of soldiers and Cultivators.

“Crystal suits, crystal warships, and Cultivators who are in the high-intensity battles are all money guzzlers. They will consume astronomical resources on a daily basis!

“The resources, the soldiers, and the Cultivators will all be of paramount importance for us in the war against the Imperium of True Human Beings!

“I believe that the federal army must’ve drafted plans of total attack, too, and calculated how many resources and lives we would have to pay in order to conquer the Blood Demon Sector, didn’t it?”

Han Tuhu smiled bitterly. “The General Staff of the federal army has indeed come up with several war proposals against the Blood Demon Sector. By the most optimistic estimation, the Heaven’s Origin Sector, after resisting the enemy in home defense for five to ten years, will be able to establish fifty legions fully equipped with crystal suits by exploiting all the resources in our territory. Then, we will launch a counterattack with the fifty legions as the main force and march into the Blood Demon Sector. It is predicated that we can annihilate the main force of the coalition army of the Blood Demon Sector in five years and conquer the Blood Demon Sector in twenty years!

“At that time, the General Staff estimated that all the soldiers that will be lost in the twenty years of war is…

“130 million!

“In other words, the entire federal army will be buried in the war and replaced by new soldiers!

“By the most optimistic estimation of the General Staff, the total war will set the national economy of the Star Glory Federation backwards by fifty years. It is predicated that the GDP will hit rock bottom in the eighteenth year of the war, which will be 65% of the present day. Also, after we completely occupy the Blood Demon Sector, the descending curve will not go up again until it lingered at the bottom for ten years. We will not get any positive benefits from the war until at least fifty years after.

“That is why I want to confirm with you whether or not we can significantly shorten the time with an ally who boasts a powerful fleet.”

“At the very least,” Li Yao said, “it is impossible for us to conquer the Blood Demon Sector in one year, annihilate all the rebellions in another year, and collect the resources of the Blood Demon Sector to make up for the losses in the far in yet another year, even with the help of an ally.”

Chapter 955: Giant Crab Operation!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Han Tuhu gave no reply. His glittering eyes suggested that he was quickly calculating with all of his braincells.

“I’ve got it.”

Five minutes later, when white mist was popping up from his forehead, he nodded and said solemnly, “You’re right. It is impossible to conquer the Blood Demon Sector quickly. Then, we have only one choice now.

“You’ve convinced me, Major Li. I can cooperate with the demons temporarily like we did in the Nether World.

“Of course, that is, if the demons are willing to cooperate with us, too, although I do not have high hopes for that.”

Li Yao felt excited. He had finally made the hardest first step! He said sincerely, “Thank you, Colonel Han. I thought—”

Li Yao did not know how he should express his complicated feelings.

“You thought that I would label you to be a traitor of the federation who conspires with foreigners, didn’t you?” asked Han Tuhu.

Li Yao scratched his hair and nodded. “More or less.”

Han Tuhu smiled. “I never thought that way. However, after such a choice is made, I’m afraid that many people in the federation will label us as such. But it doesn’t matter. It is perhaps the greatest glory for a soldier of the federation to be grouped together with an ‘Ultra-Level Federal Hero’!”

“I believe that people will understand us one day,” Li Yao said.

Han Tuhu smiled again. He said casually, “I want to tell you a story, Major Li, about the ‘Battle of Dawn’.

“The Battle of Dawn was the first full-scale, strategic attack against the Heaven’s Origin Sector. Different from the previous outbursts of beast tides, it was the regular army of the Blood Demon Sector that was deployed, including almost all the main forces of the Nether Spring Kingdom and the Kingdom of Lion Butchers!

“In the Battle of Dawn, the federal army was completely eclipsed. Both strategies and tactics were a mess. The troops were marching all the time, but they still suffered a series of defeats, until the entire Grand Desolate Plateau was lost in the end. Even the Grand Desolate War Institution, Major Li’s mother school, was burnt to the ground. The enemy moved forward all the way to the Giant Blade Pass, the boundary of the Grand Desolate Plateau and the heartland. It was doubtlessly the most humiliating battle in the past three hundred years.

“The entire federation was in a panic, dominated by pessimism.

“However, at that time, nobody knew that the federal army collapsed so fast partly because it was really collapsing and partly because the failures were intentional. A highly-confidential plan—code-named ‘Giant Crab Operation’—was being carried out!

“It was true that we were not well prepared for the first overwhelming attack of the Blood Demon Sector, and we suffered tremendous losses at the beginning of the battle.

“However, after ten years of groundwork, the federation had established sixteen legions that were fully equipped with crystal suits. More than 70% of the soldiers in the legions were armed with the ‘Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit’, which was partly designed by you, Major Li. The assault team and the officers were even fortified with crystal suits of more advanced models!

“With the sixteen crystal suit legions, we had the capability to stop the coalition army of demons at the north of the Grand Desolate Plateau. We could have simply driven them back into the Blood Demon Sector!

“However, after the General Staff evaluated the situation of the battle, a very risky decision was made. They planned to fake a defeat and tempt the enemy deeper so that we would be able to swallow the main force of the coalition army. Not a living soul was going back to the Blood Demon Sector!

“Many towns were abandoned by us, and many faults in our strategies were made on purpose, in order to mislead the coalition army of demons into making a wrong judgement about our capability and intentions!

“Both the soldiers and the civilians paid an extremely high price just so that the Grand Desolate Plateau would become a graveyard for the coalition army of demons!

“While the coalition army of demons marched forward unstoppably on the Grand Desolate Plateau and finally reached the Giant Blade Pass at the south of the Grand Desolate Plateau, their supply line was longer and longer, and even the toughest soldiers of the demon race were showing signs of fatigue.

“In the meantime, twelve of the sixteen crystal suit legions of the federation were moving to the rear of the coalition army of demons from their flanks quietly, like the two pinchers of a giant crab, hoping to cut off the connection between the enemy and the Blood Demon Sector and keep them in the Heaven’s Origin Sector forever!

“The plan was like a dance on a razor blade. It was highly risky. Naturally, it was a top secret.

“In order to hide the plan, and to explain why the crystal suit legions did not show up on the Grand Desolate Plateau, the General Staff and the Department of Defense made quite a good play. The federal army pretended that it was preserving the strength and merely defending passively in panic. The speaker of the Department of Defense was also asked to spread out talks such as ‘crystal suit legions are not built easily and should not be wasted’. Ostensibly, the sixteen crystal suit legions were all mobilized to the major cities in the inland, especially those around the capital, as if unwilling to be deployed.

“My Flying Tigers Legion was one of the earliest legions in the federation to be equipped with crystal suits. We were moved back to the capital city.

“But nobody knew that the real Flying Tigers Legion was marching clandestinely in the depths of the Grand Desolate Plateau. The ‘crystal suits’ that showed up around the capital city were but vivid models and 3D projections.

“The strategical deception was very successful. The coalition army of demons knew nothing about our real purpose. They thought that they could break through the Giant Blade Pass as long as they worked a little bit harder. Therefore, they continued their bombardment despite the difficulties of their supply.

“But the citizens of the federation were fooled at the same time.

“All the citizens burst into fury as the federal army continued to retreat!

“During that period, the federal army was a target for everybody. Countless furious citizens were cursing. For ten years, the nation had been in the highest warring state, and the military budget had been multiplied. Everybody was offering whatever money they had to establish the sixteen crystal suit legions. They claimed to be invincible, but where were they exactly when a real battle broke out?

“Many celebrities were posting through various social media platforms. Why were the crystal suit legions still cowering in the major cities in the heartland when the situation on the Grand Desolate Plateau was so urgent? Had the crystal suits been installed with power rune arrays or not? Were they nothing more than fixed turrets?

“A lot of citizens were mailing turtle shells and soft shrimps to the Department of Defense and the General Staff, scorning our gutlessness.

“When the soldiers in military uniform walked on the street, they were often surrounded by angry citizens, who would question what they were fighting for. Did they only care about the officials and big shots living in the capital city and around? Were the citizens on the Grand Desolate Plateau nothing to them?

“The most serious incident was that the students of the First Military Academy and the Second Military Academy, along with the students of the ‘Nine Elite Universities’, started a demonstration.

“At that time, Admiral Zhang Siqian, a speaker of the Department of Defense, declared by the order of his supervisor in the media that there were still issues regarding the performance of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit and it would be best to ask them to defend the cities to avoid unnecessary losses.

“As a result, Admiral Zhang Siqian was vilified as a capitulator. One of his personal residences was even burnt to the ground by the angry students.

“As for me, as a commander of a ‘leisure legion’ stationed in the capital city, I was naturally slandered, too. Titles such as ‘traitor of the federation’ are nothing new to me.

“Right. ‘Leisure legion’ was a nickname that the public gave the crystal suit legions at that time.

“I remember that, half a month before the ‘Giant Crab Operation’ was put into action, I appeared in the capital city to participate in the parade to celebrate the establishment of the federation.

“It was also part of the strategical deception. I was going to fly into the depths of the Grand Desolate Plateau at night and lead the Flying Tigers Legion to become the first crystal suit legion to charge at the enemy!

“According to the plan, once the two ‘pincers’ of the ‘giant crab’ closed, my Flying Tigers Legion would pierce into the feeble part of the link between the coalition army of demons and the Blood Demon Sector at quickly as possible in order to cut off their connection.

“It was not hard to imagine that the enemy would definitely try their best to reestablish the connection to their homeland. The troops from the Blood Demon Sector would reinforce them crazily, too.

“The Flying Tigers Legion would suffer attacks from both sides and endure the most pressure. It was very likely that the entire legion would be wiped out. Everybody, from me to the cook, was prepared to be sacrificed.

“At that time, my only son was studying at the First Military Academy in the capital city. The General Staff gave me half an hour’s leave so that I could meet him, who was also participating in the parade, when it was over.

“Naturally, he did not know anything about the ‘Giant Crab Operation’, nor did he know that it was going to be the last time we would meet.

“However, do you know what he did after he met me?”

Li Yao was deeply engrossed in the story. He asked, “What did he do?”

Han Tuhu seemed to be laughing. “The little brat tossed a handful of calcium tablets toward me heavily the moment he saw me. He said, ‘Why are you shameless enough to join the parade? You should grow a spine!’ Then, he left without even looking back.

“From the beginning to the end, I never had a chance to speak to him.”

Li Yao was silent for a moment before he asked softly, “Did the Giant Crab Operation work out?”

“Of course not.” Han Tuhu smiled bitterly. “However, it was not because of our problem, but because something went wrong within the coalition army of demons.

“According to our plan, as long as the coalition army of demons continued attacking the Giant Blade Pass for three days, no more, the siege would have been completed. Even if my Flying Tigers Legion was to be wiped out, I would not let a single pest of the coalition army of demons escape to the Blood Demon Sector!

“But nobody expected a mutiny of the low-level demons in the frontline!

“The mutiny of the low-level demons caused the collapse of the coalition army of demons. Their main force made the decision quickly. They abandoned all the cannon fodder in the frontline and ran back to the Blood Demon Sector as rapidly as possible.

“The incident was far beyond our expectations. We could only shift our strategy temporarily and attacked them in advance. It was why I followed Suo Chaolong for thousands of kilometers and eventually caught up to him in the Dark Desolate Domain. Then, we both ended up as captives.

“It’s funny when you think about it. We planned carefully for more than half a year. We paid countless sacrifices and shouldered the most vicious curses. We were so close to victory, but our plan failed because of the enemy’s own problem.

“But this is how a war goes. You never know what will happen next.”

Li Yao sighed. “Right now, your son must understand your reasons and feel sorry for what he did.”

“You didn’t get the point of my story, Major Li.”

Han Tuhu put the military hat on his head squarely again and soothed all the crinkles on it. He then moved the red star medal to the center of the hat. “What I’m trying to say is, I do not care whether the brat or any other people understand or feel sorry for me. It doesn’t matter even if they despise and detest me forever.

“I don’t need their sympathy.

“I only want them to live on.”

Chapter 956: Meat or Mincer!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Han Tuhu’s eyes were filled with the most freezing heat like magma frozen in frost. Intense smoke of war was leaking out of his every pore, and he marched forwardly quietly in the smoke like a black shadow by himself.

The black shadow was etched into Li Yao’s heart and made him even more determined about his belief. The road ahead of him had never been clearer.

Li Yao took a deep breath and said sincerely, “Thank you, Colonel Han. You have given me a good lesson. I know what to do now.”

Han Tuhu laughed and rose up. “You’ve convinced me, but it is far from enough. Human beings and demons are in vastly different circumstances right now.

“Time is on the Star Glory Federation’s side. The Cultivation technology of the Heaven’s Origin Sector is developing much faster than the biochemical technology of the Blood Demon Sector. Even in the past ten years of war, which were the hardest for us, we have managed to establish sixteen crystal suit legions despite the pressure. In the decades to come, we will only become stronger.

“It is needless to say that a new Sector of human beings has been discovered right now. Even though the assistance of the Flying Star Sector is merely symbolic, the exchange of knowledge between two different worlds and two different systems of Cultivators will certainly lead to the most brilliant sparks and make the technology of both worlds develop exponentially quicker!

“We have the whole future ahead of us. As long as we have a rest of five to ten years, our technology and comprehensive capability will be far higher than those of the Blood Demon Sector!

“Therefore, peace at present is in the interest of the Star Glory Federation. It is also the biggest reason I’m willing to agree with you.

“But what about the Blood Demon Sector?

“As of now, their comprehensive capability and the number of super experts are still higher than those of the Heaven’s Origin Sector, but the gap is being reduced at a visible speed. It is the greatest motivation for the Blood Demon Sector’s assault.

“They have to seize the most critical ‘window’ right now. After the precious ten years or so pass, they will stand absolutely no chance.

“Moreover, right now, with the help of the Flying Star Sector, our comprehensive capability is improving at an even higher speed. It is possible that we will surpass the Blood Demon Sector within several years!

“If you were the leader of the Blood Demon Sector, would you be willing to stop the war now?

“Let’s play a mind game. Imagine you are Jin Tuyi, the commander-in-chief of the coalition army and the incumbent leader of the Blood Demon Sector. One day, a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator named ‘Li Yao’ suddenly shows up and tells you everything about the Flying Star Sector and the Imperium of True Human Beings. What will you do?

“You have to options.

“Firstly, you choose peace. You sign a truce with the Star Glory Federation. You wait and watch the communication between the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector getting heated and the technology to support super-long-distance space jumps growing mature, to the point that a universal bridge will be established between the two human Sectors, which leads to the boom of the Cultivation techniques and technology. In a few years, the Blood Demon Sector will be left far behind.

“Then, the demons of the Blood Demon Sector will be the meat on a chopping block, and you can only count on the integrity and mercy of human beings.

“Alas, the history of the past five hundred years tells you that mankind has never been a merciful species. In fact, we are probably not.

“Secondly, you bet everything and start a strategic war before the large-scale communication between the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector begins and the technological boom happens!

“You will try to crush the Star Glory Federation before the reinforcements of the Flying Star Sector arrive. At the very least, you will fight for better conditions for your negotiation even if there will be a ceasefire eventually, in order to maintain the mutual deterrence!

“Hehe, Jin Tuyi, commander-in-chief of the coalition army, these are your only options. Which one will you choose?”

After a brief silence, Li Yao shook his head. “The Blood Demon Sector will definitely fail if they wage a strategic war right now.”

“So what?” Han Tuhu said coldly. “You will be killed either way. It is better to make a great gamble with all the wagers you’ve got while you still have a chance than to wait and get killed!

“If I were the commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons, I would gather all the troops I have unhesitatingly the first second I learned of the existence of the Flying Star Sector and start planning the ultimate war against the Heaven’s Origin Sector!

“The future of the Blood Demon Sector depends on the war!”

Li Yao could not help but observe, “However, under the threat of the Imperium of True Human Beings, we cannot afford to consume so many resources to fight a lose-lose war! Even if we successfully annihilated all the demons of the Blood Demon Sector after decades, so what? We will still be smashed into smithereens by the Imperium of True Human Beings!”

In a mysterious smile, Han Tuhu replied unhurriedly, “As the commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons, I have every reason to believe that the so-called ‘Imperium of True Human Beings’ is nonexistent. It is a great strategical deception!”

Li Yao was dazed. “What?!”

Han Tuhu sneered. “Assume I am Jin Tuyi. I have received reliable intelligence that the Heaven’s Origin Sector has discovered a new world of human beings and that the two Sectors are about to communicate on a large scale.

“The news has been verified to be true through various sources. My think tank has also concluded, after calculation, that the Heaven’s Origin Sector will surpass the Blood Demon Sector in terms of military power and comprehensive capability within ten years should the large-scale communication be established. As time goes by, the gap will only be greater, and there is no way that I can catch up to them again.

“My only choice is to start a final and ultimate war without considering the cost!

“However, at this moment, I’ve got another piece of intelligence. It is said that a formidable force named ‘Imperium of True Human Beings’ is marching toward the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector maliciously. In order to deal with the force, I must end the war.

“The intelligence, on the other hand, is not supported by any proof. It is just the words of human beings.

“Should I believe the news?

“No, certainly not! I will never believe it!

“I’ll be highly suspicious that this is fake news that human beings are throwing out to stall the strategic war that I’m going to wage. They are trying to win temporary peace for five to ten years so that they will have enough time to surpass us!

“In short, it is a delaying tactic!

“Therefore, the only choice I have is still to start a suicidal war at any cost by exploiting the last bit of our potential!

“I will destroy you, or I will be destroyed. There is not a third option. Peace? In your dreams!”

Li Yao gnashed his teeth. “The existence of Imperium of True Human Beings can be proved. In five years, their first minor apocalypse will arrive!”

“Yes, in five years,” Han Tuhu said. “But the Blood Demon Sector cannot wait for five years. They cannot even wait five months. The Heaven’s Origin Sector is getting stronger, and the hope of victory is getting slimmer with every passing second!”

Li Yao opened his mouth, only to come up with nothing.

Han Tuhu’s conclusion was too cold, but it was flawless, like a machine that was functioning precisely.

Han Tuhu mumbled, “The Dark Forest Theory? The guy who proposed it was truly smart! Right now, the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector are like two highly nervous desperadoes who are sticking poisoned daggers to each other’s hearts in a dark forest. Not far away, another desperado named the ‘Flying Star Sector’ is bringing a powerful storm bolter to the Heaven’s Origin Sector.

“Do you think that the arrival of the Flying Star Sector will make the Blood Demon Sector concede and choose peace?

“You’re wrong. On the contrary, the arrival of the Flying Star Sector will only make the Blood Demon Sector take a wild gamble and risk danger in desperation!

“Because in the dark forest, there is no way that you can prove that, after both of them put down their daggers and move ten meters backwards, the Heaven’s Origin Sector, which is now equipped with a storm bolter, will not shoot the Blood Demon Sector all of a sudden!”

Li Yao took a long breath.

He did not realize until this moment how insignificant the first step he had made in the dark forest was and how simple-headed he had been.

“What should I do?” he asked Han Tuhu sincerely.

“I suggest you go to chat with Suo Chaolong and get him on your side,” Han Tuhu replied.

Li Yao was dazed. “Is it possible?”

“It is,” Han Tuhu remarked emotionlessly. “Suo Chaolong and I are the same. We are real soldiers. Soldiers are the most realistic people in the world because nothing in the world is colder than a war.

“Wars don’t believe in tears and slogans. Wars don’t believe in speeches and boiling blood. In a war, the most resolute fighting will is still going to be ripped apart by waving blades and burning bullets, and the most shrilling cheers will be drowned in the noises of the cannon fire.

“To secure a victory in war, you must count on your capability and your calculation that is so precise that it borders on brutality!

“Therefore, compared to the politicians and their fancy slogans, it is the soldiers on the frontline who have a clear understanding about the war between the two Sectors.

“It is especially so for Suo Chaolong, a professional soldier who ran for thousands of kilometers with three crystal suit legions on his tail.

“Suo Chaolong is certainly not an obstinate man. You also saw how he abandoned the racial prejudice and worked with me in the Nether World.

“Although we had a lot of conflict on the surface, we were both conscious enough to never cross the line. His recklessness and bluntness on the surface are just his disguise. His heart is a hundred times calmer than he appears to be.

“Moreover, his Blood Lion Battalion is rather unique, too. There’s a difference between them and the real silver-blood demons of the Blood Demon Sector.”

Li Yao was dazed. “What do you mean?”

Han Tuhu said, “Have you never found it odd? Suo Chaolong’s team was strong enough to fight against the best crystal suit legions of the federation, but why is it still an awkward ‘battalion’?”

Li Yao frowned. He did feel a bit odd when he heard the name of ‘Blood Lion Battalion’.

In the military system of the Blood Demon Sector, the biggest independent combat unit was a ‘contingent’. For a large scale, many contingents could be combined into an ‘army’.

But what was a ‘battalion’ all about? Even a mediocre army was unlikely to be given such a title. It was unlikely that they were a militia, wasn’t it?

Chapter 957: Nascent Soul? Demon Emperor?

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

“The full name of the Blood Lion Battalion is ‘Blood Lion Independent Battalion’,” Han Tuhu explained. “They added ‘Independent’ because the members of the Blood Lion Battalion are all the emigre nobles from the Heaven’s Origin Sector.”

“Emigre nobles?”

Li Yao suddenly thought of Suo Chaolong, who had claimed repetitively that his ancestors were from the Grand Desolate Plateau.

Han Tuhu nodded. “The Heaven’s Origin Sector used to be governed by the demons like the Blood Demon Sector. After the Star Glory Federation rose, in order to compete for the zone of survival, it demolished countless demon forces, the greatest two of which were the ‘Far East Demon Kingdom’ in the ocean to the east of the continent and the ‘Alliance of Thirty-Six Demon Cities’ on the Grand Desolate Plateau.

“When the two forces were destroyed, the melding of the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector had already begun, and a lot of temporary wormholes appeared.

“Some of the demons from the Heaven’s Origin Sector escaped to the Blood Demon Sector through the wormholes after their failure and became refugees.

“The demons who were capable of escape had largely been nobles when they were in the Heaven’s Origin Sector. They were the silver-blood demons and brought a lot of assets and resources with them, including the secret treasures and training techniques that had been accumulated over thousands of years. In the Blood Demon Sector, where the ‘Four Pillars System’ was implemented, considering their bloodlines and the benefits that they brought, the local demons accepted them in the end.

“For a very long time that followed, the invasion that the Blood Demon Sector launched against the Heaven’s Origin Sector was always under the banner of ‘avenge our brothers of the Heaven’s Origin Sector and help them get back their land’. Naturally, the demons had to find a justified reason for their invasion, too.

“However, the resources of the Blood Demon Sector are not endless. It is not hard to imagine that, after the honeymoon period was over, and the resources and secret arts they carried were drained, the emigre nobles from the Heaven’s Origin Sector were less popular than before.

“Some of the refugees did not know what they were doing. For example, the refugees from the Far East Demon Kingdom even established a government-in-exile of the Heaven’s Origin Sector in the Blood Demon Sector. That’s nuts.

“Very soon, they were completely swallowed by the local demons of the Blood Demon Sector with one excuse or another.

“Suo Chaolong’s ancestors were different. They were from the ‘Alliance of Thirty-Six Demon Cities’ on the Grand Desolate Plateau, whose capability was far lower than that of the Far East Demon Kingdom. Therefore, they knew exactly their position.

“After they escaped to the Blood Demon Sector, they understood the importance of maintaining a low profile very well. By way of adulation, they managed to cling to the superpowers and survive on. After generations of marriage, they finally secured their stance in the Kingdom of Lion Butchers.

“However, no matter how low-key they were, the stamp of ‘refugees’ on them was not going to die out quickly, especially at a time when the Blood Demon Sector was attacking the Heaven’s Origin Sector. How should the ‘refugees’ be arranged if the Heaven’s Origin Sector is really occupied? Offer the entire Grand Desolate Plateau to them so that they can reestablish their kingdoms? That’s hilarious!

“Even if they never had such thoughts, will others believe them?

“Therefore, the local demons of the Blood Demon Sector have never been particularly fond of the emigre nobles.

“A very simple example. At the end of the Battle of Dawn, because of the mutiny in the frontline, almost all the silver-blood demons turned around and ran away.

“But the information was not delivered to the Blood Lion Battalion led by Suo Chaolong in time. Later, since they were left behind, they were naturally given the task of covering the retreat. They were asked to resist the pressure of three crystal suit legions. It was clearly a suicidal mission.

“This is the first clue about Suo Chaolong and his Blood Lion Battalion’s standing in the eyes of leadership of the Pantheon of Demons.

“Elder Nether Spring chose to ambush the Blood Lion Battalion perhaps because he also knew that nobody in the Blood Demon Sector really cared about the refugees. If he needed silver-blood demons for his experiments, the refugees would be his best targets!

“Do you understand now? Suo Chaolong and the other ‘refugees’ have their own interests, and their interests and the interest of the Pantheon of Demons might not necessarily be the same.”

Li Yao narrowed his eyes, his bloody pupil rolling around and around. He nodded slowly. “Got it. It seems that I have to think carefully how I should ‘persuade’ Suo Chaolong and the ’emigre nobles’.”

…

In the warehouse where the Blood Lion Battalion was resting, the atmosphere was so gloomy that a cloud seemed like it would condense on the ceiling at any time.

Hundreds of heavily-wounded silver-blood demons were sitting or lying. They were coughing and vomiting blood, with devastation all over their face. They bulged their confused eyes but could not find a way ahead of them.

“Do you think that what ‘Vulture Li Yao’ said is true? Are human beings and demons really of the same origin?”

“It’s false. Certainly false. It’s an out-and-out lie!”

“Even if it is true, so what? It was forty thousand years ago. Who really gives a damn thing about it? I only want to know what we are going to do next. Are we going back to the base of the Blade of Chaos together with the rebellions obediently at their mercy?”

“Or what? Do you think that they will escort you back to the Kingdom of Lion Butchers respectfully?”

“Besides, look at what we are right now. Many brothers are showing the features of multiple kinds of demons. They are even more chaotic than the chaotic-blood demons! Some of the brothers have been deprived of all the demon features and now appear exactly like human beings!”

“Even if they let us go back to the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, do you dare return with such an appearance? Do you?”

Desperate humming sounds were hovering above everybody’s head like mosquitoes that carried a lethal virus.

Suo Chaolong was squatting in a corner of the warehouse, staring at the floor at a loss.

A tiny ant on the floor was casually crawling far away.

Suddenly agitated while he was watching, he extended his finger to crush the ant, but he held his finger for a while and could not put it down.

“Big brother!”

One of his most trusted subordinates said in a low voice, “Little Feng just passed away. Before he left, he asked us to chop off one of his fingers and bury it on the relic of the ‘Hundred Wind Demon City’ when we return to the Grand Desolate Plateau one day. It was… his hometown.

“As of now, we have 423 brothers left. Twelve are unlikely to survive today.”

“I got it,” Suo Chaolong said softly. “Do as Little Feng said. If other brothers pass away, do the same. Chop off one of their fingers and give it to me.”

His dark golden eyes suddenly glittered, as if the mission coming next was the sole significance of his life. In a low voice, Suo Chaolong gnashed his teeth. “I swear that I will bring them all back to the Grand Desolate Plateau, to their hometown, one day.”

“Big brother!”

His subordinate hesitated for a moment but could not hold it any longer. He asked, “Do you think ‘Vulture Li Yao’ was speaking the truth? Are our ancestors really human beings?”

Suo Chaolong looked at him and asked back, “Does it matter?”

His subordinate was dazed for a moment. He blurted out subconsciously, “It doesn’t?”

It concerned their origins, their identity, and who they were exactly. How could it not matter?

But on the second thought, it might not have been as important as it seemed.

Even if they figured out that they were human beings or demons, so what? Would the truth be of any help for their current situation?

His subordinate was deeply confused and murmured, “Big brother, the demons that escaped to the Blood Demon Sector from the Heaven’s Origin Sector were more than thirty thousand in the prime days. But today, after hundreds of years, there are only a thousand even including our family. The elites are only the four hundred of us here. What should we do now?”

In front of Suo Chaolong, the ant seemed to have sensed the soundwave of their talk. It shifted the direction and crawled toward him.

His finger that was supposed to crush the ant turned into a bridge and picked it up.

The ant crawled in his palm hard.

Suo Chaolong kept moving his hand so that the ant fell into the center of his palm time and time again.

The ant, running into a dead end in every direction, was not in the least frustrated. It was still crawling unhurriedly.

Suo Chaolong watched in a daze. He was suddenly envious of the ant—the ant certainly did not know what desperation was.

Right then, Suo Chaolong’s pupils constricted violently.

He had sensed a stream of demonic energy that was unimaginably strong!

It was an expert equal to the demon emperor stage!

What’s happening? The Fire Ant King was exhausted and in the middle of recovery. There is no way that he can spread out such intense demonic energy!

Have the enemies caught up?

In the moment, the frustration all over Suo Chaolong was gone. He leapt up from the ground. Baring his sharp canine teeth, he made a gesture in silence. Prepare for battle!

Shua!

The soldiers of the Blood Lion Battalion who were moaning and complaining a second ago were now crouching and bulging their eyes, with all their hair standing up, while they increased their killing intent to the maximum!

They had all sensed the tremendous almost-tangible demonic energy and made it hard for them to breathe. It was rushing in through the gate like a flood which had crumbled a dam!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The newcomer did not make a sound as he stepped forward. But a ferocious animal seemed to be stomping on their hearts brutally. The eyelids of many of them were bouncing, with cold tears dripping off their forehead. They all held their chests and panted hard.

The source of the immense demonic energy, who slowly showed up in the gate, cast all of them into bewilderment. Many of them could not help but exclaim in shock, “Vulture Li Yao!”

It was the fiend who was brutal enough to bring away an unparalleled demon from forty thousand years ago named Skeleton Dragon!

However—

Wasn’t he a Cultivator? Why could he emanate such tremendous demonic energy? Besides, his appearance was rather weird.

Li Yao was not wearing the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit at this moment. On the contrary, he activated a lot of primeval cells inside his body and put on his most hideous and ruthless appearance.

His left eye was oozing the most dangerous red brilliance, which resembled the volcanic vent that was full of magma. A row of narrow and long bone blades grew out of his left arm and extended all the way to his back like a set of glamorous armor. Intense demonic energy was also flowing in the middle of the crystal with which he launched the Cell Obliteration Cannon.

Even the air was almost twisted, placing his body in a hazy, unpredictable mist. He looked both mysterious and magnificent!

It was an out-and-out entrance of a demon emperor!

---

Chapter 958: Overwhelming Demonic Energy!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

“What is happening?”

“Isn’t—isn’t he ‘Vulture Li Yao’, a Cultivator from the Heaven’s Origin Sector? How can he release such intense demonic energy?”

“Was he lying just now? Is he in fact a demon emperor?”

“Idiot. How is it possible? We clearly saw him wearing a crystal suit and letting out intense spiritual waves. The aura of saber condensed by his spiritual energy was almost a hundred meters long!”

Li Yao smiled casually. His face looked even crueler under the illumination of the blood eye. His eyes glanced over all the silver-blood demons slowly.

Every single demon shuddered hard.

Li Yao opened his claws and turned around his palm while he burnt the cells inside his body unhurriedly, forming purple flames right above the crystal at the center of his palm.

The exotic flames interweaved and entangled into a purple red fireball that was as eye-catching as glass!

He held the fireball inside his palm softly and played with it in cracking noises. It seemed to be absorbing all the air inside the warehouse.

The silver-blood demons were having more and more trouble breathing. Everybody’s soul was deeply attracted by the fireball. There was fascination in their eyes.

The mitochondria were burning crazily, discharging a huge amount of wasted gas that covered the fireball in a hazy, furry outline like the corona and the lunar aureole 1. The fireball was displaying features that were vastly different from the spiritual fire that the Cultivators used. It was even more mysterious and eccentric.

It was… out-and-out ‘demonic fire’!

After surviving in a world where the strong preyed on the weak for thousands of years, demons almost had a natural instinct to worship their experts.

In a battlefield, the appearance of such intense demonic energy often meant the arrival of a super expert on their side. What came next would certainly be a glorious triumph!

In a trance, many silver-blood demons were shaking their legs hard. They almost could not stop themselves from kneeling down to show respect for the ‘demon emperor’!

“Are you a human being or a demon?”

Even Suo Chaolong’s expression greatly changed as he raised a hilarious question.

“What about you?” Li Yao asked back.

Suo Chaolong was lost for words for a moment.

He was often shocked by his ‘bizarre’ appearance when he looked at himself in a mirror. He had turned into one of the enemies that he hated most!

He was of a mind to hold his chest high and announce, I am a demon!

However, suppressed by Li Yao’s overwhelming demonic energy, he found it impossible to open his mouth.

Honestly speaking, Li Yao at present was ten thousand times more like a demon that he was!

Was he a victim of the weird experiments, too?

Suo Chaolong was greatly baffled. He thought hard for a while and only came up with one possibility.

He could not have but grow a subtle feeling of empathy. Softening his tone, he said, “What do you want?”

Li Yao stared at him. “What I want is irrelevant. The real question is, what do you want? This is a sky-hunting warship of the Blade of Chaos, flying to a secret base of the same organization. You are a silver-blood demon, and you are on this warship with a bunch of heavily-wounded, if not dying, brothers. Have you made clear your position and realized what you should do?

“Are you going to curse the Blade of Chaos as lowly chaotic-blood demons while enjoying their treatment and service?”

Suo Chaolong blushed.

Right now, his face was no longer covered in dense hair, so the redness was rather conspicuous.

Li Yao unleashed demonic energy to the surroundings blatantly while he looked at Suo Chaolong in the eye and said, “Captain Suo, I have come here specifically to visit you because your Blood Lion Battalion is the only troop of the demon race that was faced with three crystal suit legions of the Star Glory Federation in the Battle of Dawn.

“I can tell you frankly right now that, within the next year, the Flying Star Sector will assist the Heaven’s Origin Sector with three to five Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and ten to fifteen heavy crystal warships equal to the ‘Vast Ocean’-level ones.

“More important, the Flying Star Sector boasts a special technology named ‘skill card’. After it is inserted into a crystal suit, the ordinary soldiers, who have received preliminary training, will be able to put on crystal suits. It will be a major boost for the efficiency of combat and construction!

“I hope that you can analyze objectively based on your first-hand experience in the battles against the federal army and your expertise as a professional soldier. Tell me and your brothers around you. Does the Blood Demon Sector stand any chance of winning the war?”

Li Yao’s aggressiveness completely infuriated Suo Chaolong.

The veins on his forehead were bulging out one by one. He gritted his teeth and pushed back Li Yao’s stare by force while he said resolutely, “The outcome of a war depends on many factors. If the victory can be decided by the calculations on paper beforehand, why bother fighting the war at all?

“I can only say that, if everything you said is true, right now is the moment when the Blood Demon Sector has the greatest odds of success. The best strategy for the Blood Demon Sector is to attack immediately!

“If I were the commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons, I would immediately gather the troops the moment I learned the news. I would have to initiate a battle by summoning all the resources of the sector to take our chances within a month and a half!”

Li Yao was slightly dazed and looked at Suo Chaolong in surprise.

He began to realize why Han Tuhu thought so highly of the opponent.

Li Yao smiled and said, “Correct, but you are not the commander-in-chief of the coalition army. You are the leader of the refugees from the Heaven’s Origin Sector, and all the warriors among the refugees are the beaten soldiers standing next to you.

“Let’s say that we will let you go so that you can return to the Kingdom of Lion Butchers when we are back to the continent.

“What role do you think the Blood Lion Battalion will play in the war that will cost all the resources of the Blood Demon Sector? Even if the Blood Demon Sector secures a brutal victory in the end, does any of you have a one in one thousand chance of seeing the dawn of the victory?”

Suo Chaolong was silent. Every muscle on his face was trembling, and every breath was as painful as his lung being cut open.

The silver-blood demons were all wearing devastated expressions.

The descendants of the refugees in the past had tasted the feeling of vagrancy in the Blood Demon Sector too well. They often had a clear and yet painful understanding about their future.

“Isn’t this all your fault?”

Suo Chaolong suddenly burst into fury. “It was the Star Glory Federation that invaded the Grand Desolate Plateau and kicked our ancestors from their home to the Blood Demon Sector at first. That’s why we lived a homeless life under someone else’s roof for five hundred years! The Star Glory Federation should take all the blame!”

“Exactly,” Li Yao admitted frankly. “Everything you said was done by the Star Glory Federation. It is true that the Star Glory Federation conquered the Grand Desolate Plateau at first in the name of expanding its territory and slaying the evilness. We are not scared to acknowledge now that we’ve done it!

“In the meantime, I happen to be a Cultivator from the Star Glory Federation. Here and now, I should be able to represent the federation!

“Therefore. Come and seek your revenge!”

“Huh?”

Suo Chaolong was dumbfounded, unable to follow Li Yao’s pace.

“You have 423 soldiers here, 188 of whom are still able to fight, however feebly. You are free to charge at me and seek revenge now. I guarantee that you will be given the most superb and brilliant death in the world. If the ‘Pantheon of Demons’ that you believe in does exist, it will certainly place you in the VIP area when it sees how you die!”

Suo Chaolong and the silver-blood demons looked at each other in bewilderment.

If it were half a year ago, even if they were faced with a Nascent Soul Stage expert wearing a super crystal suit, they would definitely have charged forward without any hesitation and fought for the most glorious death with the firm belief of ‘Obliteration, Rebirth, and Immortality’.

However, over the past half year…

They had been abandoned by the main force of the coalition army of demons first as cannon fodder. They had been asked to block three crystal suit legions although their team was not particularly strong.

They were not scared of sacrifices, but they had been the only ones to be sacrificed while other silver-demons all ran away as quickly as possible. What was the meaning of that?

Then, they had been captured for reasons they did not know and kept prisoners in the weird Nether World, where they went through all kinds of vicious experiments.

Also, those who performed modifications on them turned out to be not the wicked human beings of the Star Glory Federation but their own compatriots, the demons!

After the modifications, they had even shown all kinds of weird features. Some of them had even appeared more and more like human beings!

What was most dreadful was that a batch of federal soldiers, who went through the modifications together with them, changed into the looks of demons!

Because of the incessant shock, their previously firm belief had gradually collapsed. Many of their brothers had gone mad before their body was destroyed and killed themselves through any approach possible.

“Saint blood, silver blood, bronze blood, and black blood. Isn’t that the great Four Pillars System established by the Pangu Clan in the primeval era? Why are the noble silver-blood demons turning into the appearances of the chaotic-blood demons and even the human beings?”

“Why can the wretched human beings put on our appearances and use our abilities?”

“What is the difference between human beings and demons? What are we fighting for exactly?”

The indestructible fortress of the belief cracked. For countless nights, Suo Chaolong had stared at the darkness through the cracks and questioned himself in silence.

He did not know the reason until Li Yao told him the origins of demons today.

He had already been convinced the moment he burst into fury. At that time, he had been roaring not because of his anger but because of his panic and confusion.

Right now, Li Yao had even shown up in such an appearance and broken the boundary of human beings and demons with undeniable proof.

A Cultivator was also able to unleash such intense demonic energy!

Suo Chaolong seemed to have sensed that an invisible, false world was crumbling all of a sudden while a new, real world was gradually unfolding itself in front of his eyes.

Was it possible that the legendary ‘Ultimate One Demons’ did exist and had been manipulating everything over the past forty thousand years and that the silver-blood demons, who had always considered themselves nobles, were merely their pawns and chess pieces?

Before they figured everything out, before they realized what they were fighting for exactly, should they really die a meaningless death for a groundless Pantheon of Demons?

Footnotes:

Ch 958 Footnote 1

In meteorology, an aureole is the inner disk of a corona, an optical phenomenon produced by the diffraction of light from the Sun or the Moon (or, occasionally, other bright light sources) by individual small water droplets and sometimes tiny ice crystals of a cloud or on a foggy glass surface. (Wikipedia)

---

Chapter 959: Red Tide, Break Out!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Li Yao did not push them too far. “If you are still not going to attack me, I suggest we stop wasting our precious time studying who was right and who was wrong five hundred years ago. Such questions are entirely moot because of our different stances. We might as well talk about topics that are more constructive.”

Suo Chaolong pricked his ears. “Such as…?”

“Such as—”

Li Yao glanced around slowly, again, making every silver-blood demon feel that he was talking to them. “Assuming that everything I said is true, faced with the threat of the Imperium of True Human Beings, the Star Glory Federation, having no other options, will have to choose to get in touch and cooperate with part of the demons.

“Then, the part of demons who join hands with the Star Glory Federation first will certainly have a greater voice in the Blood Demon Sector in future or even change the entire situation of the Blood Demon Sector!

“What do you think?”

Suo Chaolong narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Are you asking me to betray the Blood Demon Sector?”

Li Yao shook his head. “I’m asking you to set the Blood Demon Sector on the right track and defend the mutual interests of the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector as best you can instead of rolling off a cliff with each other. After all…”

With a bitter smile, he said, “The Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector are merging right now. In a few decades, there will be no more Blood Demon Sector or Heaven’s Origin Sector, but a brand new world that consists of two habitable galaxies! Everybody living in the new world will benefit from each other or get hurt by each other as a whole!”

Suo Chaolong lowered his head and thought hard.

Li Yao continued. “Let’s put the threat of the Imperium of True Human Beings aside and talk about Elder Nether Spring. Elder Nether Spring has been clearly planning an earthshaking scheme in secret that will possibly jeopardize the interests of both human beings and demons!

“At the very least, were you not tormented together with the federal soldiers back when you were in the Nether World?

“I think you must have someone you love in the Blood Demon Sector. Maybe you are not scared of death, but do you want your family to endure the suffering that you once endured and even be turned into terrible puppets and slaves by Elder Nether Spring?”

All the silver-blood demons were breathing fast.

They were not willing to recall anything that happened in the past half year for even half a second. They could not begin to imagine what their family would feel when they were in the same situation.

“I know that it is a very important decision,” Li Yao said, “and that your head is in chaos. You will need time to think about it carefully. That’s not a problem. I’ll give you ten seconds. In ten seconds, give me your answer. Are you going to fight, or are you going to shake hands with us?”

Suo Chaolong was rather shocked. “Ten seconds?”

Are—are you kidding me? What can I think about carefully in ten seconds?

Li Yao suddenly changed his attitude and burst out his demonic energy. After a crack, the fireball of demonic energy was suddenly extinguished. He said coldly, “Or what? Do you want to consider for a year and a half?

“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Zero!

“Alright. Time is up!

“Now, you can either come at me and get yourselves killed for the grudge between us old and new, or you can find out the truth together with me and seek revenge for whatever happened to you over the past half year. We will get to the bottom of all the secrets of the scumbag Elder Nether Spring!”

The cabin wall was screeching because of his intimidating aura. Even the scales on many silver-blood demons were also uttering rattling noises. They did not have the courage to fight at all.

Suo Chaolong was also like a nail that had been pressed into the floor. Under Li Yao’s suppression, his mind was a mess. His lips trembled for a long time, and he looked at his brothers who were vomiting blood behind him.

“By the way,” Li Yao said casually, “twelve of your brothers are already dead for sure because of internal bleeding. But seven of them might still be rescuable if they are treated with a mysterious ancient prescription.”

Suo Chaolong shuddered greatly. His stubbornness was finally broken.

…

Heavenly Path City of the Blood Demon Sector was a city in the clouds.

More than five hundred magnificent floating mountains were hidden in the colorful clouds. They suppressed the entire continent like great chess pieces. They were also like five hundred loyal soldiers who were defending a splendid airborne temple at the center.

In the Blood Demon Sector, which was short of resources and brimming with desolation, this was the only place frequented by the attractive clouds and the fresh springs. Crystals were dangling down from the pavilions like grapes. All kinds of rarely-seen, precious animals were roaming among the clear brooks and the grand waterfalls free at their will. It was truly a paradise.

This place was the center of supreme power and belief of the Blood Demon Sector and a projection of the glorious Pantheon of Demons in the real world!

Deep inside the Pantheon of Demons, inside a secret meeting room that was defended by countless elites, Jin Tuyi, commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons, was standing right in front of an enormous light beam. On the light beam were the 3D holograms of two planets. It could be clearly seen that the red planet was bigger than the blue planet. Between the two planets, countless dotted lines marked the dense, half-permanent wormholes.

As light and shadow changed, the two planets were devouring each other like cells. At first, the red planet was at an overwhelming advantage and continued corrupting the blue planet with the dazzling brilliance of blood. But soon, the blue planet gritted through the contamination and made a comeback, swallowing the red planet, which was larger than itself in the end.

Beside the enormous main light beam, hundreds of smaller light beams were blossoming like snowflakes. Streams of information were pouring down like a storm. Data and the comparison of combat ability were flashing crazily.

With his hands behind his back, Jin Tuyi studied the tiniest change of every item on the light beam wholeheartedly. He was so attentive that he did not ignore even the improvement of the power rune array of the latest derivative model of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit in the Star Glory Federation. He swallowed all the data greedily and passionately before he projected them into the library of computation deep inside his brain that was almost boundless.

Behind Jin Tuyi, eleven high-level demons, with different appearances but wearing equally glamorous clothes and sharing an equally dominating aura, were also gazing at the ever-changing data on the light beam in silence.

Everybody’s eyes were glittering like stars that were affected by a cosmic storm while they were doing the calculations crazily.

Jin Tuyi, commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons, the monarch of the Gold Crow Kingdom, which was the master of skies!

Elder Nether Spring, the controller of the Nether Spring Kingdom that was the master of the underground!

Elder Blood Robe, the overlord of the Kingdom of Lion Butchers that was the master of the earth!

Hong Yuntao, the one behind the curtain in the Sea Dominator Kingdom, the master of the ocean!

The four giants of the Blood Demon Sector had all arrived!

The other eight demon emperors next to them either controlled an enormous, well-developed city, boasted a special ability that allowed them to fight against an entire army by themselves, or was capable of deducing the changes of a battle in the coming years with their secret arts. They were all the best of the demon emperors.

They were the twelve demon emperors of the Pantheon of Demons who stood at the meridian of the Blood Demon Sector and shared the highest power of it!

“Everybody!”

The door of the meeting room was slowly closed. Jin Tuyi, commander-in-chief of the coalition army, slowly turned around. His movement was a bit sluggish, as if he was carrying an invisible burden on his shoulder. His pupils that were full of blood streaks deep inside his eyes were beaming with coldness while he said coldly, “You have all read the latest and most thorough files about the Flying Star Sector.

“According to our calculations, once the ‘universal bridge’ between the Flying Star Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector are established, it will be possible to teleport the super heavy crystal warships more than twenty kilometers long and the experts in the Nascent Soul Stage in a moment at the cost of minimal resources.

“The Flying Star Sector is a civilization based on starships. They have developed very advanced technology in the refinement of crystal warships and the popularization of crystal suits in the boundless universe.

“They and the Heaven’s Origin Sector are highly complementary. It is estimated that the Cultivation level, comprehensive capability, and military power of the Star Glory Federation will soar exponentially after one to two years of communication!

“Therefore, it is not exaggerating to say that the Blood Demon Sector is in great peril now!

“The tenacity and determination of the Star Glory Federation are already evident enough in the Battle of Dawn, and the speed of their crystal suit production is appalling for us!

“Even at the current growth rate, the Star Glory Federation will surpass us within ten years, not to mention that they now have the assistance of the Flying Star Sector!

“Right now, it is not a problem of whether or not we can conquer the Star Glory Federation anymore but a problem of how we can prevent ourselves from being annihilated and preserve the civilization of the Blood Demon Sector!

“Our world is coming to an end!

“Our only choice is to unite the demons of all species and social classes and gather all our strength in order to start a national war within a hundred days while we still have our last chance!

“The construction of the ‘universal bridge’ requires the joint effort of the two Sectors. It is also necessary that a large number of star beacons are established in the Heaven’s Origin Sector as the lighthouses in the sea of stars!

“As long as we can crush the main force of the Star Glory Federation at a lightning-like speed and threaten their prosperous area, we will be able to coerce them into a certain agreement whereby they will have to destroy all the star beacons of the Heaven’s Origin Sector. That way, we will postpone the arrival of the reinforcements of the Flying Star Sector as much as possible!

“This is our only chance for our survival!”

The other eleven demon emperors were all silent.

A demon emperor, whose purple hair were attached to his head like veins, frowned and said, “After the Battle of Dawn, although the obstacles on the Grand Desolate Plateau have been cleared, the Star Glory Federation is now also relieved of the burden and has stationed all the twelve crystal suit legions at the frontline of the Giant Blade Pass.

“The defense in the Giant Blade Pass is impregnable. How can we break through it quickly? Who can guarantee that, while our elites are being wasted before the Giant Blade Pass, the federation will not implement another ‘Giant Crab Operation’ and surround us from our flanks?

“After all, the Grand Desolate Plateau is too vast. The pressure on our logistics is too high!”

Jin Tuyi smiled confidently. “Why do we have to attack from the Grand Desolate Plateau? Allow me to introduce to you—the Red Tide Plan!”

---

Chapter 960: The Courage to Set Fire!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Li Yao’s training journal, March 12.

Ever since I came to the Blood Demon Sector, in order to conceal my identity, I have never conducted systematic training. After going to the Skeleton Island, the Mausoleum of Chaos, and the Gloomy Wind Islands of the North Pole, I have been fighting and killing all the time. There has not been time for me to catch my breath and meditate.

Today, I have finally got a stable environment where I can restart the systematic training.

The battles in the Skeleton Island, the Mausoleum of Chaos, and the North Pole gave me a deeper understanding of the mysteries of the primeval cells and the mitochondria. They also motivated me to explore a new combat pattern.

Cultivators walk on the path of pure energy and fight by triggering the spiritual energy in nature whereas demons focus more on the excavation of the strength deeply buried in the cells.

Then, is it possible to combine the two methods of training perfectly?

After all, in my eyes, there is no fundamental contradiction between them. In fact, they are quite complementary. Energy and material should be united.

After Han Tuhu, Suo Chaolong, and the Fire Ant King were convinced, I began to analyze the storage chips that we looted from the Nether World.

The storage chips were all protected by powerful barriers. I am only good at cracking the carriers by brute force instead of bypassing them. Thankfully, there are quite a few experts on barriers in Han Tuhu’s Flying Tigers Legion. We worked together for two days and retrieved a lot of useful files.

I benefited a lot from the files and developed a deeper understanding about the relationship between cells and spiritual energy later.

Now, I will try to modify the ‘ultimate core’ on the cellular level.

The so-called ‘ultimate core’, from the perspective of energy, is a cluster of highly-compressed spiritual energy that is condensed inside one’s abdomen.

But from the perspective of cells, it is a lump, or rather, the ‘second brain’, that grows out of the end of the spine.

In the past, Cultivators often considered the ‘second brain’ as an organ to manipulate the ultimate core, to form the nascent soul, and to overlook the deeper development of itself.

Since the ‘first brain’ can be developed in order to increase the brain cell activity, why can’t the second brain?

If the second brain is trained to the point that it is more developed than the first brain, what will happen?

After thinking that through, I am no longer anxious that I cannot break into the Nascent Soul Stage any time soon.

Since the very beginning, my path of Cultivation has been destined to differ from that of regular Cultivators.

If Cultivation is compared to climbing a mountain, and the ‘Nascent Soul Stage’ is a higher mountain than the ‘Core Formation Stage’, most Cultivators have been holding up their heads and climbing upwards without bothering anything. However, I have stopped temporarily and moved horizontally to the depths of the mountain named the Core Formation Stage.

Who knows whether or not any treasure is buried at the middle of the mountain?

On the other hand, I have also been pondering how to upgrade the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit.

Right now, the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit has basically reached the peak of the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector in terms of technology. There is barely any room for modification.

But it is no longer adapted to my new body and new combat pattern.

For example, the arm of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit is fully enclosed. But in my new combat pattern, I can trigger bone blade and scales on my arm at any time, and I can even summon a crystal on my right palm in order to launch the powerful Cell Obliteration Cannon!

Won’t it be awkward if my hand is covered in the crystal suit?

Will my Cell Obliteration Cannon not hit the enemy until it blows a hole on the armor of my hand?

That’s too hilarious!

Therefore, I will need to upgrade the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit now. My preliminary design is to add a series of active components on the armor of the hand and a boost system that is triggered by marrow crystals in order to maximize the performance of the Cell Obliteration Cannon!

Then, when I think more deeply, now that I have a profound understanding about both crystal suits and biochemical beasts, I have discovered that the two types of ultimate weapons have their own advantages and shortcomings.

Is it possible to combine them?

The synthesized nerves, infinitely-proliferating cells, self-circulating medication drugs, if applied to crystal suits, will significantly improve the size, the working time of the crystal suits, and the protection that they can offer to the users!

Maybe, the crystal suits in the future will be perfect combinations of the studies of spiritual energy and the biochemistry. They will be built with super-strengthened alloys as the framework, entangled by synthesized nerves, and enveloped in self-recovering muscles and mustard-seed-level liquid metal as the armor. Crystals and demon cores will be embedded into the crystal suits at the same time, and they will adopt a dual-core operation system with both crystal processors and biochemical brains. They will be terrifying existences dozens of meters tall!

If such powerful war machines can truly be invented, we will have hope to fight against the Imperium of True Human Beings!

…

Li Yao’s training journal, March 15.

After more than a month of sneaking, lurking, and evading, we have finally arrived at the Blade of Chaos’ central base, the Mysterious Shadow Domain!

Outside my expectations, the Blade of Chaos deployed their central base in a world fragment whose teleportation array to the Blood Demon Sector is in a trench more than four thousand meters deep inside the ocean!

Nobody in the Pantheon of Demons will uproot the Blade of Chaos however hard they try to!

At first glance, the Mysterious Shadow Domain is like a dense primitive forest. It is occupied by demonic plants hundreds of meters tall.

The Fire Ant King told me that all the demonic plants have been modified by him to integrate into a whole. The forest even boasts a simple thinking ability. The interconnecting roots and branches are almost like a weird biochemical brain!

There are not too many members of the Blade of Chaos in the Mysterious Shadow Domain. Only several hundred of them work in the place, but they are all the specialists that the Fire Ant King summoned and raised after decades of effort.

Their original mission was to study the legacy of Chaos that the Fire Ant King discovered and analyze the secret training arts in it in order to provide technical support for the entire Blade of Chaos.

Therefore, the most powerful biochemical brains and the most advanced training facilities have been installed in the place, too. I believe that the memory unit of the main biochemical brain of the Nether World will be cracked in no time.

In the past few days, the Fire Ant King has gradually recovered. I have chatted with him several times and learned quite a few methods to develop demonic plants from him.

The demonic plants share many similarities with several ancient divine grass strains that are recorded in the classics of the Hundred Smelting Clan.

With the sap exploited from the demonic plants, I will be able to produce more than ten kinds of precious cooling liquids. My purification of Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures will reach a whole new level!

…

Li Yao’s training journal, March 18.

Yesterday, my systematic training had to be paused. It couldn’t be helped. The Blade of Chaos, the federal soldiers, and the Blood Lion Battalion are now cramming in a small Mysterious Shadow Domain. There are a lot of complicated issues that have to be addressed.

After half a month’s communication, the Fire Ant King, Han Tuhu, Suo Chaolong, and I have agreed unanimously that, in order for us to play a great role in the unprecedented change of the Heaven’s Origin Sector, the Blood Demon Sector, and the Flying Star Sector, a new organization must be founded so that our strength can be combined!

Other than anything else, the tension and hostility among the Blade of Chaos, the federal soldiers, and the Blood Lion Battalion alone is enough to call for a new organization.

We don’t know whether or not we should feel lucky or sorry. Right now, the three forces have all ended up in the worst situation.

The supreme leader of the Blade of Chaos has been exposed, and ‘Void Turmoil City’, their most important base, is also in crisis. All the branches of the Blade of Chaos are currently being suppressed and on the verge of collapse.

The Flying Tigers Legion have suffered a lot of casualties and lost all their crystal suits and supplies. They are now in the heartland of the enemy all by themselves. Should anything go wrong, they will immediately experience a destructive strike.

The silver-blood demons of the Blood Lion Battalion, as the descendants of the refugees of the Heaven’s Origin Sector in the past, already had an awkward position in the Blood Demon Sector. Considering that they have been completely deformed because of the modifications, their outcome will not be very nice when they show up in public.

The three forces are like three hedgehogs that are shivering coldly in a snowstorm and have to hug each other to preserve the warmth. Even though they might get hurt by the thorns of hatred on each other’s bodies, they cannot let go of their opponents in the past.

In order to coordinate the members and unite them under the same banner, a new organization has to be established immediately.

However, as for the definition of the organization, it took us a long time to settle the details.

The Blade of Chaos and the silver-blood demons are unlikely to let go of their grudge easily. The federal soldiers are restrained by military laws, too, which forbid them from joining other military organizations. Their pride as Cultivators and soldiers also makes it difficult for them to regard the demons as their real comrades, even though they fought side by side and shed blood together in the Nether World.

Therefore, we have established ‘Skyfire’.

On the surface, this is a ‘reading club’, or rather, an organization of history fans, founded to explore the origins of mankind and demon race according to the legends and to unravel the truth buried in dust in the past forty thousand years or even longer.

Neither the laws of the federal army nor the rules of the silver-blood demons and the Blade of Chaos seem to prohibit their members from joining a reading club and studying history, after our analysis.

Right now, the Skyfire Reading Club also has an affiliated… sports team.

The ‘members’ of the reading club, when they are too tired of reading books, will go outdoors and exercise. It is perfectly necessary, reasonable, and not illegal at all, right?

Skyfire is a little ‘experiment’ that we are carrying out. We want to see if there is a second way out for human beings and demons except mutual destruction by founding, operating, and developing the organization.

I have designed a battle emblem for the Skyfire. No. A ‘medal of reading’.

The medal is round. The lower half of it is the shadow of three black trees which constitute a ‘dark forest’. But the crowns of the trees and above are shrouded in furiously burning fire.

The fire will rip apart the dark forest and pave a brilliant way out.

I hope ‘Skyfire’ can really burn a new road in the cold, dark forest.

Even if it can’t, at the very least, the fire will give a bit of warmth and brightness to the living creatures who are shuddering in fear in the dark forest and encourage them to set a fire, too!

Chapter 961: New Strength!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Deep inside the forest of demonic plants in the Mysterious Shadow Domain, a deep green swamp was bubbling. The air congregated into a cloud above the swamp with the scent of the primeval era.

At the center of the swamp, an enormous pink bud was standing. It shivered slightly like the immaculate heart of an ancient god.

Countless vines fell from the interconnecting branches above the bud and dripped transparent dew onto the bud. In a dance of colorful brightness, they were soon absorbed by the bud and decorated it in a translucence.

Suddenly—

The bud quivered. The layered petals stretched out in all directions like a blossoming lotus.

Li Yao was sitting at the center of the lotus. He took a deep breath and slowly woke up from a deep training of three days and three nights.

His appearance was not very different from before, yet it seemed to have been completely renewed. The sharp, aggressive demonic energy in his left eye had been concealed without a trace. Although scarlet brightness was still beaming out of the eye, it no longer gave the feeling of brutality and ruthlessness. On the contrary, there was a certain vintage and mysterious air to it.

Li Yao slowly warmed up his new body.

In the Mysterious Shadow Domain, through the tremendous research files that the Fire Ant King had on cells and strengthening drugs, and with the marvelous place of training named ‘Ancient Lotus Pond’, Li Yao spent three days in cleansing his veins and rebuilding his physical body by activating a series of primeval cells. Almost all the cells that made up his internal organs had been updated.

Right now, his internal organs were even stronger than before, and their absorption efficiency was far higher. He was now able to breathe freely in multiple kinds of lethal gas. His recovery ability had been multiplied, too.

Most importantly, his second brain had been deeply developed!

Before, human beings had often speculated what would happen if somebody’s brain was 100% developed.

But that was simply impossible. The brain was the greatest energy consumer inside the body and could only function continuously with enough rest. The only outcome of 100% development would be brain death!

Therefore, even Cultivators could not keep their computational ability at the highest point twenty-four hours a day, which would be equal to roasting their brain above a fire.

But right now, after Li Yao’s second brain was developed, it was like that a dual-core system had been installed into his body. When his first brain was cooling down because of the consumption of computational ability, he would be able to activate the second brain to continue calculating seamlessly, which allowed him to train without disruption twenty-four hours a day. His training efficiency would be greatly improved, laying a solid foundation for him to break into the Nascent Soul Stage and above!

Besides…

Li Yao smiled and extended his left hand. A transparent crystal slowly protruded out of his palm.

The mitochondria were burning crazily, making streams of demonic energy appear, jumping and condensing above the crystal.

Different from the past, his left fingers were shivering rapidly, attracting the floating spiritual energy in the air and triggering spiritual waves like ripples nearby.

The spiritual waves and the demonic energy spread out and slowly melted together.

Outside of the deep purple fire, circles of ivory spiritual waves were dancing like glamorous electric arcs. The spiritual fire and the demonic fire interweaved with each other into a double helix like a pair of gene strands. It was hard to tell whether that was a fatal weapon or a piece of stunning artwork.

I’ve made it!

I have utilized demonic energy and spiritual energy at the same time and kept them in a stable form for a long time by adjusting their vibration frequency and their magnetic field structure!

This is a classic restriction system of dual magnetic fields!

In the past, at a given moment, I could only use one type of strength. I could utilize either the spiritual waves or the vibrating demonic energy. I could use either the strength of Cultivators or that of the primeval cells!

But right now, although my absolute strength has not been improved yet, I can now wield the two types of strength at the same time, which will be a significant improvement for the abundancy of my combat patterns and the sustainable combat ability!

Although I haven’t melded the two types of strength perfectly yet, I have already figured out the basic direction to take!

Li Yao laughed and released the double helix made of demonic energy and spiritual energy. Sensing the brand-new strength slowly flowing through his body, he was filled with unparalleled confidence and unstoppable conviction!

Although there was still a long way and many obstacles ahead of him, nobody was going to stop him from walking down the path he chose!

He would slay all evil that stood in his way. Even if the Ultimate One Demons in the past had turned into deities, he would drag them down from the splendid heavens one day and blow them to smithereens!

That was his belief and determination!

Li Yao roared and dashed out of the ‘Ancient Lotus Pond’ in a streak of brightness. Floating in the sky of the Mysterious Shadow Domain, he looked down at the overwhelming forest below his feet.

At the front, on a vast ground in the middle of the forest, hundreds of members of ‘Skyfire’ were having a training session. They were divided into two teams and charging at each other in the battle formation of a regular army.

There was one other team who were sprinting at a high speed on the track with obstacles around the training ground!

Seeing that Li Yao was floating in midair and the air was rippling around him, there was reverence and admiration in everybody’s eyes.

“Chief Instructor!”

The hundreds of warriors all stopped their training and bowed to Li Yao.

In order to avoid awakening the honor and hatred of the past in the warriors, and to facilitate the communication with the leadership of the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector in the future, there were no armed forces under the organization that had been temporarily defined as a ‘reading club’. The only thing that existed was a ‘sports team’.

Of course, a ‘sports team’ where almost a thousand top-tier experts, brutal soldiers, and cruel assassins were gathered was certainly inimitable in either the Heaven’s Origin Sector, the Blood Demon Sector, or the Flying Star Sector.

Li Yao’s role in the ‘sports team’, on the other hand, was ‘fitness coach’.

His official title was ‘fitness coach’, but everybody was clear that, as the best expert of Skyfire, he was the unquestionable Chief Instructor!

Moreover, in the ‘Skyfire Reading Club’, Li Yao had been elected as the ‘president’ to lead the organization.

Faced with the challenge, Li Yao did not hesitate or back off.

In terms of capability, he was in the superlative height of the Core Formation Stage, and he was a master of refining. Moreover, he had grasped the ability to trigger the primeval cells freely through the mental devil. His combat ability was even higher than that of the Fire Ant King and on par with the best experts of the Blood Demon Sector such as Elder Nether Spring or Jin Tuyi!

In terms of identity, he was an Ultra-Level Federal Hero, the contactor between the Flying Star Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector, and the first to discovered ‘Chaos’ Ba Yanzhi’s Hidden Star Box and the origins of the demon race!

In the newly founded Skyfire, of which the Fire Ant King, Han Tuhu, Suo Chaolong, and many others were members, who was more qualified to be the leader than himself?

In his heart, Li Yao was fonder of studying in seclusion, sneaking, and assassinating. He did not like, nor was he good at, being the leader of an organization.

But he was very clear that, every time he advanced into a new stage, the responsibility and challenges that befitted the stage would be waiting for him. Most of the time, the lifestyle of ‘follow your heart’ was hypocritical, even bordering on cowardice.

Now that he was the only one who was able to hold the longsword that could chop apart the dark forest, he would certainly try his best to be the best swordsman!

Hiu!

Li Yao fell to the ground like a meteorite, trigger a round of airwaves like a hurricane.

He eyed the warriors of Skyfire.

The ‘athletes’ were divided into three groups dressed in ‘sportswear’, all of which was design in different colors and styles but ‘happened’ to be very similar to combat suits. There was also the logo of Skyfire on their chest.

Under the vaporized blood and sweat, the burning fire right above the dark forest was even more dazzling.

The captives who had survived Elder Nether Spring’s terrifying experiments were mostly very tough. After several days’ thorough treatment, they were all back to their feet again. After the life-and-death battles in the Nether World, they were even stronger than in the past.

They were not divided according to the Blood Lion Battalion, the Flying Tigers Legion, and the Blade of Chaos. Instead, the three forces were entirely regrouped and mixed into three brand new teams. Every team was given a new name.

Furious Flame!

Wild Tide!

Electric Shock!

They were the three squads under the Skyfire. Every squad was mixed and matched by the silver-blood demons, the chaotic-blood demons, and the federal soldiers. New suits, logos, and flags had been designed, too.

A unified flag, suit, and name could trigger a new sense of honor and community as soon as possible, especially during high-intensity competitions.

It was the truth that had been proven by countless armies and forces.

The three squads were competing among themselves day and night. The losers of the competitions would receive the punitive, if not hellish, training that was devised by Li Yao and twenty percent as hard as his own training.

A federal soldier was allowed to despise the demons who were his teammates or even to attack them, as long as he could endure twenty percent of Li Yao’s training difficulty.

At first, many federal soldiers of demons indeed hated each other and were unwilling to cooperate in the competitions. They were even hamstringing each other.

However, after they were disciplined by Li Yao in person several times, especially after Li Yao accidentally discovered that the sap of a certain demonic plant in the Mysterious Shadow Domain was particularly suitable to feed the Purple Ring Sword Ants… and the Purple Ring Sword Ants who got the new nutrition grew into the size of grasshoppers…

Everybody quickly came to the understanding that human beings and demons were of the same origin and that unification was better than division. They could not have tried harder in the competitions!

The survivors of the Blood Lion Battalion, the Flying Tigers Legion, and the Blade of Chaos were all one-in-ten-thousand elites. Their average capability was much higher than that of the regular army of the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector.

Li Yao did not want them to become a regular army of an enormous size, either. On the contrary, he wanted them to become a mid-sized rapid response troop and a special force that could carry out special missions.

He did not know the first thing about the military affairs, but Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong were both super experts in the regard.

He was responsible for providing training techniques and drafting training plans; Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong were responsible for supervising the new tactics and teamwork; the Fire Ant King offered various kinds of strengthening drugs to trigger their potentials.

A brand-new force that was unseen in the Heaven’s Origin Sector, the Blood Demon Sector, or the Flying Star Sector was gradually taking shape.

---

Chapter 962: Li Yao’s Formidability!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

“As I have repeatedly said, don’t call me ‘Chief Instructor’!”

With a gloomy face, Li Yao walked to the hideous-looking trainers. After every step he took, the ground below his feet would fluctuate like the surface of an ocean. The trainers split apart like a building being torn apart in an earthquake.

Li Yao frowned. “Skyfire is just a reading club made of civilians, a community of history fans. We are all readers here, and when we are tired of reading, we gather up and do some physical exercise. What is this Chief Instructor all about?

“I am merely helping you guys with your physical training when I’m free. You may call me ‘Chief Coach’!

“However, although we are all readers, we occasionally are obliged to excavate the relics of the past forty thousand years while studying the history, some of which are quite dangerous.

“Besides, I am hoping to unearth the real relics of the Pangu Clan of the primeval era with the elites of you one day!

“Therefore, it is also important for us readers to keep our bodies healthy!

“I’ve been in seclusion for three days. I hope that you trained yourself like rabid dogs as per my requirement!”

Li Yao extended his finger and snatched one of the crystal balls from the facility area of the training field.

Glancing around, Li Yao said casually, “Furious Flame, Wild Tide, and Electric Shot, you may go up together. In three minutes, if anyone can touch the ball, I will be defeated, and your training will be cancelled tonight!

“Otherwise…

“You are all clear that the Fire Ant King’s strongest ability is to refine ant-type demon beasts, aren’t you?

“Three days ago, I gave him a batch of Purple Ring Sword Ants and asked him to refine them. It is said that they will be built into ‘Super Dominating Purple Ring Sword Ants’, which are ten times more poisonous than the usual Purple Ring Sword Ants. If nobody touches the ball in three minutes, you will get to taste the feeling of Super Dominating Purple Ring Sword Ants. Is there a problem?”

One of the trainers raised his hand. “Chief Coach, are weapons allowed?”

Li Yao smiled. “You can even use Taiyi Lightning Railguns if you want. Three minutes. Starting from now!”

Sha! Sha! Sha! Sha!

The crystal ball was rotating fast on Li Yao’s fingertip. He kept his left hand in his back while he roamed among hundreds of ferocious trainers.

The hideous trainers, who were enough to cause a nightmare if anybody saw them, were now sweating hard and having nightmares themselves!

Damn it. Regular Purple Ring Sword Ants were already a pain in the ass, and now Super Dominating Purple Ring Sword Ants were coming?

Many of them shuddered greatly.

More people, on the other hand, were gritting their teeth viciously. They thought that, although they were certainly no match for the Chief Coach, there were hundreds of them after all. Hundreds of players versus one. It was unlikely that they could not even touch the ball, was it not?

“Let’s go!”

Looking at each other in silence for a second, somebody shouted in the crowd. The members of the Furious Flame Squad, the Wild Tide Squad, and the Electric Shock Squad all bulged in size and roared thunderously. Demonic energy and spiritual energy were vibrating, and flying swords and sharp claws were all unsheathed, as they lunged at Li Yao!

“There are hundreds of us. Can’t we even touch the crystal ball?”

“It is good enough as long as one of us touches the ball. Don’t swarm up! Keep attacking in different waves and make best use of our advantage in numbers!

“Furious Flame Squad, compress Chief Coach’s zone of activity. Block his path with your body if you must!

“Electric Shock Squad, attack remotely and drain his physical strength!

“Wild Tide Squad, engage in melee combat and try to take over the crystal ball!”

After the tutelage of Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong, two first-rate experts in tactics, the warriors of Skyfire had absorbed the classical examples of battles of both the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector. Very soon, they picked the most suitable strategy and surrounded Li Yao one layer after another. Endless wild tides seemed to be indeed flooding toward Li Yao!

However—

“Block my path with your body? Try it!”

Li Yao was rather excited. The demonic energy spurting out of his pores formed glamorous stripes around him under the interference of spiritual waves. His body suddenly split apart into nine streaks of brightness that darted toward to nine different directions like shooting stars, blowing away nine warriors of Skyfire and knocking over dozens of more.

The Skyfire warriors were quick enough to respond, too. Their battle formation was stabilized quickly after a moment of dispersion, and they tried to lock Li Yao again like an enormous shackle!

“Not bad. Come again!”

Li Yao even had the leisure to lick his lips. The crystal ball seemed to have been stuck to his fingertip. His left hand turned into a cluster of gray mist and swallowed the attacks launched by more than ten Skyfire warriors.

Pa!

A Skyfire warrior who was more than three meters tall and had a thick hide resembling that of a rhino was kicked away by Li Yao. Deep purple bruising was already emerging on his thick hide while he was still in midair. The blood seemed to be spurting out at any moment!

BOOM!

Another Skyfire warrior pressed his temples so hard that his fingers almost stabbed into his brain. He was triggering powerful telepathic thoughts and piercing a flying sword into Li Yao at more than five times the speed of sound. But Li Yao extended his left hand and grabbed the flying sword when it was some ten meters away. After a brief impasse, he clenched his fist, and the flying sword was shattered!

Hiu! Hiu! Hiu! Hiu!

The pieces of the flying sword turned into dozens of streaks of brightness and revolved briefly before they suddenly exploded and darted into the bodies of more than ten Skyfire warriors like bullets, wrecking their defense!

The training ground was enshrouded in dust, with screams and shouts everywhere, as if a clowder of lions and tigers were fighting against a tyrannosaur!

Li Yao narrowed his eyes. While he shattered the flying sword, his right index finger was still supporting the crystal ball, but his little finger snapped out, triggering an airwave that turned into a rushing blade of wind seven meters away.

After a ‘bam’, the tip of the saber in the hands of a Skyfire warrior was cut off.

The Skyfire warrior looked at his shortened saber in bewilderment. Before he came back to himself, he was hit right in the face by the second bullet of compressed air and did not smash the ground until he had rolled around ten times in midair!

This is what I’m talking about!

Li Yao’s every cell seemed to be having a massage after a hot shower and a bottle of cold drink.

The switch between spiritual energy and demonic energy is much smoother right now, which allows me to remain engaged in a high-intensity combat for longer. The cooldown of the techniques has been significantly reduced.

The high development of the second brain has improved my efficiency in calculating the situation of the battlefield by at least 34.1%. I have more tactical options in a complicated battlefield now!

If I were faced with Xiao Xuance’s Grand Illusionary Soldiers again, I might be able to take down a thousand of them by myself!

One minute… Two minutes… Two minutes and ten seconds…

As time went by, almost a hundred Skyfire warriors were lying awry on the ground.

Li Yao’s demonic energy and spiritual energy were being consumed fast. The first drop of sweat appeared on his forehead, and he was breathing more rapidly than before.

Li Yao calmly recorded the rate of the consumption of his spiritual energy and his cells, as well as the changes that happened to his internal organs, every second.

He was very satisfied about the dropping speed of his combat ability.

He was a man, not a god, after all. The Skyfire warriors were mostly above the Building Foundation Stage. A lot of them were in the Core Formation Stage, too. They had also been endowed with all kinds of weird techniques. Any Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator or demon emperor would find it tricky to deal with them.

Li Yao was most content.

Through the Skyfire warriors, he seemed to have envisioned what the brand-new federal army would look like in the war against the Imperium of True Human Beings in the future.

Shua!

Finally, Li Yao was pushed to the limits.

After fingers, tails, hairs, and other bizarre organs brushed past the crystal ball at a close distance, ten warriors who had been waiting and observing patiently in the past two minutes and fifty seconds suddenly rose up like ten venomous blades unsheathed!

The ten of them were the well-acknowledged strongest among all the Skyfire warriors!

Seven of them locked onto Li Yao’s critical parts such as eyes, abdomen, ribs, groin, and knees. One of the lizard warriors who had scales all over his body was even crouching on the ground, ready to attack his feet.

The other three warriors, on the other hand, lunged at the crystal ball from three different directions.

There was no stopping them!

Swoosh!

Having no choice, Li Yao could only snap the crystal ball high into the sky to free his right hand in order to fight the strongest ten!

However, the moment the crystal ball left his hand, two streaks of brightness suddenly jerked up from the warriors on the ground who had ‘passed out’ and shot toward the soaring ball!

The ten warriors that were lunging at Li Yao changed their direction immediately, too, and stopped over Li Yao’s head, blocking him from the crystal ball!

“Chief Coach, you’ve been fooled!”

In that moment, all the warriors were exuberant.

Regardless of whether they were human beings or demons, they were about to hug each other and cry, not just because they finally could have one night of rest, but also, and more importantly, because they had defeated the frighteningly formidable Vulture Li Yao!

BOOM! BOOM!

When the two streaks of brightness almost reached the crystal ball, two dull noises suddenly reverberated in the sky.

The crystal ball was boosted to a higher altitude by the explosion of a super tiny crystal bomb, thereby escaping the two Skyfire warriors.

The second explosion blew the crystal ball into pieces. It was instantly devoured by fire without any remains left.

“Well—”

All Skyfire warriors looked at the sky in a daze for a long time before turning to Li Yao half in wrath and half in depression.

Finally, one of Skyfire warriors summoned his courage and asked, “Isn’t—isn’t this cheating?”

“Of course it is. Any problem?”

Li Yao opened his hands. “I installed the mini crystal bombs on the ball at the very beginning. It was right in front of you for three minutes. Yet, nobody discovered them. Am I to blame?

“Remember, Super Dominating Purple Ring Sword Ants. Get yourselves prepared!”

Li Yao smiled. His face could not have been more devastating at this moment in the eyes of the Skyfire warriors.

Right then, Han Tuhu dashed onto the training ground.

“We’ve made a major breakthrough in the analysis on the memory unit of the main biochemical brain of the Nether World!”

---

Chapter 963: Uncontrollable Evolution!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

The memory unit of the main biochemical brain of the Nether World was soaked in a huge, transparent biochemical slot. Billions of bubbles were attached to it like billions of cells, corroding and analyzing it. The memory unit was shrinking like a rotten apple.

More than ten strands of synthesized nerves extended out of the bottom of the biochemical slot and connected to more than ten biochemical brains of the Blade of Chaos.

One of the biochemical brains was connected to a crystal processor. Through the light beam, the information retrieved from the memory unit was displayed in front of everyone.

In front of Li Yao, Han Tuhu, and Suo Chaolong, more than ten light beams were floating, on which a huge amount of information were surging like tides.

The Fire Ant King explained their progress. “In the past ten days, we have retrieved valuable experiment data and research files from both the memory unit and the storage chips, which has proved very helpful in cracking the secrets of the legacy of Chaos and explaining everything that happened to you.

“We have also basically figured out the details of the ‘Demon God Virus’ and Elder Nether Spring’s purpose.

“The so-called ‘Demon God Virus’ can be interpreted as a virus that targets the genetic locks. It is an ‘exhilarant’ that facilitates the high-speed evolution of cells.

“Generally speaking, the gene strands in the cells of both human beings and demons are always kept in a relatively stable state, like they are shackled by an invisible giant lock.

“Although the ‘genetic lock’ restricts part of our abilities, it ensures the steadiness of our body and prevents us from mutating too radically. We can say that it is a protective mechanism of our body.

“Both Cultivators and the experts of demons try to tear apart the genetic locks when they are training, but such attempts can be highly dangerous. Once the genetic locks are wrecked, the victims will certainly be mentally deranged. They will either turn into foam because of cellular collapse or spontaneously combust and turn to ash.

“As for ordinary people and low-level demons, they can stand the consequences of bombarding the genetic locks even less.

“However, the ‘Demon God Virus’ will completely wreck the genetic lock and awaken the gene segments deep inside the gene strands that are in charge of ‘evolution’. As a result, the creature will go through evolution that should’ve happened in a span of tens of thousands of years in only a few days, if not a few hours.

“Evolution. What is evolution?

“It is a common misunderstanding that evolution means ‘higher, faster, and stronger’. No. That’s not true.

“Evolution means the adaption to the environment for the purpose of survival. It does not necessarily mean ‘higher, faster, and stronger’. It is also possible to be smaller, slower, and weaker.

“A smaller size reduces the odds of being discovered by the natural enemy. Slower and weaker means a lower consumption rate of energy and demand on food.

“Mammals that evolved from dinosaurs lost their magnificent bodies and sharp claws.

“If a mammal on the land ‘evolves’ into the whale in the ocean, it will lose the ability to move on the land. In fact, it will be suffocated because it cannot endure its own weight when it is brought to the beach by a tide.

“In fact, such evolutions are the more successful and fortunate ones.

“The truth is, evolution has no direction. It is just a series of random choices that are screened by the cruelty of nature.

“99% of evolutions fail, and only 1% of them adapt to the new environment. When the new environment stabilizes, the genetic lock will shackle the new evolution and maintain the new form and functions.

“It has always been so for living creatures over the past billions of years.

“However, the Demon God Virus created a hole in the solid genetic change, thereby allowing human beings and demons to evolve at a crazy speed!

“Therefore, no matter how hard Elder Nether Spring tried, the success rate of his evolutions was still below 5%. The remaining 95% were either killed on the spot or turned into ‘uncontrollable mutants’!

“That is the truth of the Demon God Virus!”

The muscles on Suo Chaolong’s face were twitching violently, as if he were back to the days and nights that he would rather not recall. He gnashed his teeth. “Why was Elder Nether Spring doing that?”

“First of all,” the Fire Ant King said coldly, “he wanted to find the right direction of evolution.

“95% of the evolutions failed, and 5% did not. Then, what determined the success or failure of the evolutions? If he figured out the answer, Elder Nether Spring would be able to make himself evolve incessantly into what he claimed to be the perfect third life form that was above mankind and the demon race!

“Also, the by-products of the experiments, namely the uncontrollable mutants, were powerful weapons under certain circumstances!

“Thirdly, we have discovered that the Demon God Virus of the latest generation could edit the gene segments inside our body.

“Genes are the most mysterious things of all. Our ancestors billions of years ago can pass on certain information to us through genes.

“Many people feel scared and disgusted beyond their control when they see snakes and spiders, even though the snakes and spiders are utterly harmless.

“Experiments have also shown that even the children of snake demons are scared of snakes, too. Their fear will not go until after they slowly grow up.

“The fear beyond reason is a warning that our ancestors passed on to us through genes. It is our natural instinct.

“However, from Elder Nether Spring’s memory unit, we have discovered a group of extremely weird gene segments that can be divided into two forms. Let’s call them ‘master gene segments’ and ‘slave gene segments’ for the convenience of communication.

“Judging from the experiment data, people who had ‘slave gene segments’ would unconditionally have emotions such as fear, admiration, and subjugation toward those who had ‘master gene segments’. The emotions are beyond all reason and willpower. They are a ‘natural instinct’.

“You may understand it as a mark that is stamped to the deepest part of the cell. It is an ineffaceable curse. Whoever gets stamped with the ‘slave gene segments’ will be the peons of the owners of the ‘master gene segments’ forever!”

Han Tuhu narrowed his eyes. “So, as long as Elder Nether Spring plants the ‘master gene segments’ into his body and figures out a way to spread out the ‘slave gene segments’, everybody whose ‘slave gene segments’ are activated will become his slave and follow his commands as unconditionally as a mouse is scared of a cat?”

“Correct.” The Fire Ant King nodded. “Although we have destroyed a lot of research facilities in the ‘Nether World’, judging from the research records, the sixth generation of the Demon God Virus, which was already completed, has perfectly combined the two functions, namely the crack of genetic lock and the activation of master and slave gene segments.

“It means that, once ‘Demon God VI’ is spread out on a large scale in the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector, many creatures will die, many will lose their mind and become ‘uncontrollable mutants’ who know nothing but killing, and the few lucky dogs who evolve successfully and receive enormous strength will become the most loyal soldiers of Elder Nether Spring!

“That is the future that Elder Nether Spring looks forward to.”

There was nothing but silence.

The only sound was the bubbling memory unit inside the biochemical slot.

“Since the sixth generation of the Demon God VI is already so powerful,” Li Yao asked, “why hasn’t Elder Nether Spring released the virus and started a large-scale infection?”

The Fire Ant King managed a smile and replied, “I know that the Heaven’s Origin Sector has an uncanny fear about the biochemical technology of the Blood Demon Sector. A lot of fantasies are actually about a mysterious virus from the Blood Demon Sector spreading on a large scale in the Heaven’s Origin Sector and turning everybody into the walking dead.

“To be honest, the Blood Demon Sector has indeed done similar studies in the past, but all the projects were abandoned in the end.

“It is because the large-scale transmission of a virus is not as simple as you imagine, and the strength of the infected might not be as high as you feared them to be.

“It’s very simple. If a virus is powerful enough to kill someone very quickly, it is very likely that the patient will die before they have a chance to spread the virus!

“If a virus has a long incubation period and spreads in a mysterious way, it often infects the victim at a very low speed, and the symptoms that it can bring will not be severe, either.

“It seems to be an unresolvable contradiction.

“Faced with a highly-efficient government and army, the so-called walking dead are nothing but moving targets.

“Take the extraterrestrial devils for example. They have been old nemeses of human beings for a long time. The ‘devilized people’ who are possessed by the extraterrestrial devils are millions of time stronger than the walking dead, but haven’t they been blown to smithereens every time?

“If there is absolutely no choice, it is always possible to impose a perimeter around the infected area and blow everything inside to the ground. Any government will not hesitate to do that when they must.

“The Demon God Virus has obvious shortcomings. It is vulnerable under high and low temperature. Furthermore, the longevity of the cells of the ‘controllable mutants’ is too short. Even if no measures are taken to deal with them, a few days of hunger is more than enough to starve the ravenous cells that have just finished the evolution.

“Also, do not overestimate the power of ‘evolution’. Such evolutions are based on the body of every individual after all. An ordinary person cannot be stronger than a Cultivator even if they contract the Demon God Virus and successfully evolve. They can only cause some trouble to society. Nothing more. Only the Cultivators who are infected with the Demon God Virus and evolve successfully are the perfect warriors in Elder Nether Spring’s mind, I think.

“More importantly, any virus will be cracked very soon, with vaccines and antidotes, when it breaks out on a large scale.

“It’s true that Elder Nether Spring can throw out the virus on a large scale right now, but the best outcome he can expect is to infect a few cities of the Heaven’s Origin Sector or the Blood Demon Sector and to create an epidemic area. A large batch of ordinary people or low-level demons might become three to five times, or maybe even ten times, stronger than before. But then what? Is it really meaningful for Elder Nether Spring’s cause?”

---

Chapter 964: Spore Stratagem!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Li Yao feel into deep thought. “That is why Elder Nether Spring went through all the trouble of exploring the Mausoleum of Chaos. He wanted to get new insights from the Mausoleum of Chaos to make the Demon God Virus more powerful and perfect!

“Right now, it is the sixth generation of the Demon God Virus, which means he has already developed five generations. But the five generations must’ve been too flawed to be put into practice.

“That is why he set you up and looted the Mausoleum of Chaos!

“After analyzing the relics from the Mausoleum of Chaos, perhaps he would have been able to develop the seventh generation, the eighth, or even the ultimate version of the Demon God Virus, one that is unafraid of coldness or heat, easy to spread, and has a perfect balance between conspicuousness and destructiveness!”

The Fire Ant King took a long, slow breath. “That’s what I speculated, too. He almost succeeded, but he neglected to account for you. As a result, he went for wool and came home shorn. Not only did he fail to retrieve anything from the Mausoleum of Chaos, even his own nest had been overturned, and his most important secrets have been found by us!”

“Then, what is our problem now?” Han Tuhu asked. “The ‘Nether World’ at the North Pole is certainly Elder Nether Spring’s most important research center. We have crippled it. The research will not begin for another one to two years.

“It’s quite unlikely that Elder Nether Spring has a second research center that is of such a high level. He cannot find a second ‘Flying Tigers Legion’ or ‘Blood Lion Battalion’ for his experiments, either.

“Therefore, whatever schemes he had, they are all ruined now. The best he can do right now is stir some trouble, but it will definitely be suppressed very quickly.”

The Fire Ant King managed a smiled and replied, “I wish it were as simple as that.

“My brother is truly ten times more terrifying than I imagined.

“He learned my identity as the leader of the Blade of Chaos decades ago, and yet he kept it a secret to this day. He even manipulated me in secret so that every action I took was an implementation of his will.

“Do you think that his scheme will be disrupted so easily and that he does not have a backup plan?

“The development of a virus is similar to training. Even if you have enough money and time, success is not guaranteed. Most of the time, luck plays a vital role. If you are lucky, you might make a breakthrough in a year and a half. If you are not, you might make zero progress despite the resources and specialists you dedicate to the project and the decades you spend on it, which is nothing unusual.

“For Elder Nether Spring, even if everything went well and he had truly retrieved the knowledge of Chaos from the legacies, would it have been guaranteed that the sixth generation of the Demon God Virus could be upgraded to the seventh generation quickly?

“It was impossible. No specialists would’ve dared to make such a promise.

“Assuming that the development of the Demon God Virus doesn’t make any progress in ten years, will Elder Nether Spring simply wait ten years?

“If it were I, you, or any ambitious schemer, would we wait for such a long time?

“Absolutely not!

“He will certainly have come up with a plan with the current sixth generation of the Demon God Virus as the core while overcoming its flaws as best as he can so that the virus will spread most efficiently!

“Right now, the ‘Nether World’ has been seriously damaged. More importantly, it is no longer a secret. With Elder Nether Spring’s cautiousness, he must’ve already abandoned the ‘Nether World’ and activated the backup plan.

“The very backup plan is exactly the topic of our discussion today, which has just been parsed from the memory unit. The name of the backup plan is the Spore Stratagem!”

Li Yao and the two captains chewed on the name slowly. Perhaps because of their bias, ‘Spore Stratagem’ gave them a rather chilly feeling.

The image and shadow behind the Fire Ant King changed, and rows of additional information and data popped up, including the forms of several mutated cells and the pictures of several edited gene strands.

He pointed at the data and said, “While we were analyzing the memory unit, we occasionally ran into a code name ‘spore’. At first, we did not understand what it was exactly. Was it a drug, a cell, or a new living creature?

“But this morning, our specialists finally recovered a shattered document from the deepest part of the memory unit. The document was about a top-secret transportation plan, and the goods to be transported were ‘spores’.

“Then, it finally occurred to us that the code name ‘spore’ did not represent cells or demon beasts—spores are people who stored the Demon God Virus inside their body.”

Li Yao frowned. “Stored?”

“You may consider the ‘spores’ as the carriers of the Demon God Virus,” the Fire Ant King said. “The Demon God Virus will not show any symptoms or reactions when it is incubating inside their body. They will not look unusual from their fellows. Therefore, it is extremely difficult to find them.

“It goes without saying that the ‘awakening’ and ‘outbreak’ of the Demon God Virus are under Elder Nether Spring’s command.”

Li Yao’s eyelids twitched. “Can I understand the ‘spores’ as walking genetic bombs?”

The Fire Ant King nodded. “You can.”

There was a long silence.

Suo Chaolong was sweating hard. “How many spores are there in total? Where are they now?”

“Not a clue.” The Fire Ant King shook his head. “It is a pity that most of the transportation plan was already deleted, including the number, identity files, and destinations of the ‘spores’.

“Judging from the experiment data in the past, there should be at least a hundred ‘spores’. Before we were sent to the ‘Nether World’, they had already been shipped out. As to where they went and how they will be ‘detonated’, no records have been left.

“You see. The ‘Nether World’ is Elder Nether Spring’s secret weapon research center. The files are all about the weapons that are being developed. But there are certainly no traces as to the usage of the hundreds of kinds of weapons that have already been developed and shipped out!”

Li Yao rubbed his face until it was as burningly hot as his high-functioning brain. “Therefore, although we’ve destroyed Elder Nether Spring’s ability to develop a new generation of the Demon God Virus, he still has at least a hundred ‘genetic bombs’ in his hands, doesn’t he? Once he confirms that it is impossible to upgrade the Demon God Virus, he will activate the ‘Spore Stratagem’ and detonate the ‘genetic bombs’ at a certain critical point, right?”

The Fire Ant King’s voice was particularly cold. “Not ‘will’ but ‘has’. It’s been more than half a month since we escaped from the ‘Nether World’, The ‘Spore Stratagem’ must’ve already been activated during the time!”

Suo Chaolong gasped. “Although the sixth generation of the Demon God Virus is flawed, it might have unexpected effects if it is released to certain targets.

“For example, with Elder Nether Spring’s identity and position, he can certainly convene a meeting where all the demon emperors of the Blood Demon Sector will be gathered. By then, he will only need to ask the ‘genetic bombs’ to be his guards or servants and then detonate around the meeting room. If so, all the demon emperors will be fished up and become his slaves. He will seize the supreme power of the Blood Demon Sector!”

“It is not very likely.” Han Tuhu shook his head hard and said calmly, “The survival rate after contracting the sixth generation of the Demon God Virus is no higher than 5%. Even if dozens of demon emperors are gathered, the best outcome he can expect is that two to three live on while all the others are killed.

“Without the support of dozens of demon emperors, how can the Blood Demon Sector fight against the Heaven’s Origin Sector? Elder Nether Spring is not an idiot. He would certainly not commit such a folly.”

Suo Chaolong was dazed and deep in thought. “Fair enough. Then I really cannot figure out the answer now. Even though Elder Nether Spring has a hundred genetic bombs, where exactly is he going to plant them? How can he infect all the experts of the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector at the same time?”

They were seriously lacking the relevant information. It was impossible for them to get a general picture of the Spore Stratagem.

Li Yao calculated for a moment and then abandoned the futile attempt. He changed his way of thinking and said, “In fact, we don’t have to waste our time figuring out Elder Nether Spring’s next move. The Spore Stratagem will be a catastrophe for both the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector, and the Blood Demon Sector will suffer first! As long as we inform the Pantheon of Demons of the scheme, the Pantheon of Demons will certainly be wary of Elder Nether Spring!

“Even though the Mausoleum of Chaos has been completely ruined by Elder Nether Spring, it is unlikely that he can wipe out the ‘Nether World’ in the North Pole entirely. Besides, the Fire Ant King and Suo Chaolong are also the best eyewitnesses!

“Just tell them everything and the key files that we have already parsed. That will do!”

With a bitter smile, the Fire Ant King shook his head. “I had the same idea, but it doesn’t seem to be a possible approach.”

Li Yao was dazed. “Why not?”

The Fire Ant King sighed and pointed at the light beam. “We don’t have undeniable proof to link Elder Nether Spring to the whole scheme at all.

“Have you noticed that the logo of a pair of gene strands and a saber, which is the battle emblem of the Blade of Chaos, is in the bottom left corner of some of the files?”

Of course, Li Yao had noticed the battle emblem of the Blade of Chaos, but he thought that it was a watermark that the specialists of the Blade of Chaos left when they were parsing the memory unit. Was it not?

The Fire Ant King explained, “The logos were not added just now but already in the depths of the tremendous files.

“Besides, Elder Nether Spring never showed up during the experiments on the captives such as Suo Chaolong and Han Tuhu. We are the only ones who know the code name ‘Nether World Watch’, too.

“In fact, you will realize if you think carefully that, even if Elder Nether Spring had shown up in front of Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong, it still would have been meaningless.”

Li Yao pondered for a moment. “A faked setup?”

“Exactly!” The Fire Ant King smiled bitterly. “Even if Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong saw ‘Elder Nether Spring’, how can they prove that the ‘Elder Nether Spring’ was not impersonated by someone of the Blade of Chaos? Even if Elder Nether Spring’s personal signature were on every page of the files, how can you prove that it is not a lousy setup?”

---

Chapter 965: Most Wanted!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Han Tuhu looked at Suo Chaolong and said slowly, “It was true that the staff never revealed their identity when we went through the experiments in the Nether World. As for the soldiers of the Nether World Watch who had demon cores all over their bodies, it was not like they were holding a flag pledging their loyalty to anybody. They could be Elder Nether Spring’s subordinates or the members of the Blade of Chaos. As for the batch of members of the Blade of Chaos who were taken captive, how can you prove that it was not a trick to mislead us?”

“Also,” the Fire Ant King said coldly, “I have no doubt that Elder Nether Spring must’ve left traces that were associated with the Blade of Chaos when he retreated from the Nether World, just like the inconspicuous ‘proof’ that he had left in the memory unit.

“Since the very beginning, he has known there was a possibility of the Nether World being discovered and been prepared to let the Blade of Chaos be the scapegoat.

“Even if Suo Chaolong and I are willing to accuse Elder Nether Spring with a lot of evidence, who will believe us?”

Li Yao rubbed his fingers somewhat anxiously. He did not know that Elder Nether Spring was as cunning as a slippery loach.

Pondering for a moment, Li Yao said, “No matter what Elder Nether Spring is up to, we should reach out to the leadership of the Pantheon of Demons right now. With Elder Nether Spring’s Spore Stratagem now and the Imperium of True Human Beings’ minor apocalypse later, if the Blood Demon Sector decides to wage a total war on the Heaven’s Origin Sector right now, everything will be doomed!

“If possible, we must try to contact Jin Tuyi, the commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons, and start a dialogue!

“As for whether or not he believes us, we will figure out the question after we meet him.

“Secondly, as the Fire Ant King said, a vaccine could be developed very quickly after the virus breaks out. Then, we must begin the development of the vaccines and antidotes for the sixth generation of the Demon God Virus right now!”

The Fire Ant King frowned. “Since the day the sixth generation of the Demon God Virus was discovered, the specialists of the Blade of Chaos have already been working on the vaccines and the antidotes. However, it will still take at least a year and a half. There is no way that we can get any faster.

“Besides, judging from the experiment data in the memory unit, there are dozens of different branches of the sixth generation of the Demon God Virus. We are not clear on exactly which branch the spores are carrying.

“Viruses can mutate very rapidly. As soon as their form changes, the old vaccine will no longer be effective. It is impossible for us to develop dozens of different vaccines and antidotes in one year!

“The only possible approach right now is to get the Divine Blood of Chaos and develop an all-purpose reduction drug.

“The Divine Blood of Chaos is a gene stabilizing drug that the Chaos Demons under Ba Yanzhi’s command developed forty thousand years ago. It can restore the crazily evolving cells to their original state and stabilize them by generating a new genetic lock.

“We don’t know why Chaos Demons developed the Divine Blood of Chaos.

“Perhaps, it was because they wanted to get rid of the identity as demons and regain the appearance of human beings after they discovered the scheme of the Ultimate One Demons.

“Or perhaps, it was because only the Divine Blood of Chaos could keep Ba Yanzhi in the state of shapeless cellular mucus without getting himself killed after he overly triggered the primeval force deep inside his cells and completely broke his genetic lock.

“It is also possible that, since a lot of terrible monsters, such as Skeleton Dragon, were invented during the research of the Chaos Demons, they developed the Divine Blood of Chaos to manipulate the brutes so that they wouldn’t be too violent.

“Whatever the reason was, Elder Nether Spring got the last dosage of Divine Blood of Chaos that was still active in the world. He then conducted relative research.

“Elder Nether Spring wanted to develop a reduction drug for a simple reason. The Demon God Virus is too dangerous after all. Chances are that it might even attack him and his subordinates. Therefore, it was necessary for him to have antidotes prepared.

“Otherwise, if the genetic bombs exploded in his nest by accident and he ended up being an ‘uncontrollable mutant’ before the Spore Stratagem was implemented, wouldn’t he become the greatest joke in the history of the Blood Demon Sector?

“On the other hand, Elder Nether Spring certainly did not really want an uncontainable outbreak of the Demon God Virus. The reason is simple. What he wants are slaves. If the Demon God Virus indeed killed more than 95% of human beings and demons, who in the world could he possibly enslave?

“Therefore, I think that the most effective approach is to destroy the nucleuses of mankind and the demon race before he shows up in front of the public who are threatened by the virus as a ‘savior’ with the reduction drug!

“At that point, both human beings and low-level demons will certainly worship him as a god!”

Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong both gnashed their teeth. They looked at each other and noticed the same fire burning in their eyes.

The Fire Ant King continued. “However, the last dosage of the Divine Blood of Chaos somehow ended up in the hands of Jin Xinyue, saintess of the Pantheon of Demons and daughter of Jin Tuyi, after all kinds of coincidences.

“Faced with the Demon God Virus, the Divine Blood of Chaos is almost a silver bullet. If we can get the Divine Blood of Chaos and produce a large quantity of reduction drugs after unraveling its mysteries, we will be able to take away the firewood under the cooking pot and settle the threat of the Spore Stratagem once and for all!”

Li Yao’s eyes were glittering. “Therefore, Jin Xinyue is the key.

“She is Jin Tuyi’s daughter. Let’s take a look at our identities. The Fire Ant King is the leader of rebels. Han Tuhu and I are Cultivators. Suo Chaolong is the descendant of the refugees from the Heaven’s Origin Sector. None of us can win Jin Tuyi’s trust.

“Although Jin Xinyue might not have her father’s absolute trust, either, it is unlikely that Jin Tuyi will unsheathe his saber and slash at his daughter the moment he sees her, right?

“Therefore, if we are to start a dialogue, we will need her to facilitate the communication. Besides, she is aware of Jin Tuyi’s thought pattern and the inside information of the Pantheon of Demons. She can help us get into the headquarters of the Pantheon of Demons and infer what actions Jin Tuyi will take in the next step.

“Moreover, the Divine Blood of Chaos… is inside her body, too!

“What’s the progress of the intelligence squad sent to Void Turmoil City right now?”

After they escaped from the Nether World, Li Yao had already vaguely felt that Jin Xinyue was the key to the whole event, but they were in a rather awkward situation and had to sneak and lurk. They did not dare communicate with the outside world, nor were they aware of the situation in Void Turmoil City and whether or not it was already occupied.

Also, the three forces who hated each other’s guts had only just begun working together. They were barely a group, much less a team. A lot of urgent problems had to be addressed quickly. Li Yao had no time to leave the place and find Jin Xinyue immediately.

Therefore, he could only choose to come to the Mysterious Shadow Domain first. Then, he spent more than half a month adjusting his combat ability to the peak state. During the time, he also finished the establishment of Skyfire.

On the other hand, the Fire Ant King had already sent an intelligence squad made of smart soldiers, who were under the command of Yuchi Ba, to investigate the current situation of the outside world, especially that of Void Turmoil City.

If possible, they would also sneak into Void Turmoil City and pick up Li Yao’s ‘sister’.

The Fire Ant King shook his head. “To ensure the absolutely security of the Mysterious Shadow Domain, I asked Yuchi Ba to reduce the long-distance communication with us as much as possible. I haven’t received any updates from them in the past couple of days.

“However, if everything goes well, they should be back in a day or two, hopefully with Jin Xinyue.”

Li Yao rubbed his temples and said, “When Jin Xinyue is here, we will make three moves simultaneously.

“Firstly, study the Divine Blood of Chaos profoundly and try to develop the reduction drug as quickly as possible.

“Secondly, contact Jin Tuyi, the commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons, through Jin Xinyue and talk to the leadership of the Pantheon of Demons directly. We will introduce the Spore Stratagem and the Imperium of True Human Beings to them and analyze the advantages and disadvantages of the decisions that they can possibly make, in the hope that the leadership of the Pantheon of Demons makes a sensible choice!

“Thirdly, Furious Flame, Wild Tide, and Electric Shock, the three Skyfire squads, must not go easy on their training. If the communication fails, they might get to play a more important role. For example… find a chance and take down Elder Nether Spring directly!”

Li Yao had always believed that talks and communication were important.

However, he did not really care whether the medium of the talks and communication was words or weapons.

Right then, the antennae on the Fire Ant King’s forehead slightly shivered. He was refreshed and said, “The intelligence squad is back!”

Yuchi Ba, the master of the Skeleton Island, appeared in front of everyone wearily.

There was no one with him. No Jin Xinyue at all.

The moment they saw Yuchi Ba, all the four of them felt their hearts turn heavy.

Yuchi Ba had the bloodlines of rhino demons. What he had been most proud of was the large horn at the center of his big face. The horn was also the most fatal weapon on his body.

But right now, the horn had been cut in half, and only part of it was still standing on his wrinkled face.

Yuchi Ba took out a few glamorous golden beetles from his pocket. He triggered a stream of demonic energy and released the golden beetles to the air.

Bo! Bo!

Strange brilliance spread out from the bellies of the golden beetles, which condensed into more than ten vivid pictures that were the 3D photos of the Fire Ant King and Suo Chaolong.

Another few pictures were just words that described the appearance of certain suspects.

The ruthless words were enough to sting Li Yao’s and Han Tuhu’s nerves.

They were all… arrest warrants.

“Our organization has experienced a destructive strike. Many bureaus that have been inactive for more than ten years have been uprooted!”

Yuchi Ba scratched the fracture of his horn while his small eyes were jumping up and down, as if he could still feel the excruciating pain. “The identities of the leader and me have been exposed, too. The Pantheon of Demons has officially issued the arrest warrants and kill orders of the highest degree!”

Suo Chaolong slapped the table and bellowed, “Why am I on the list, too?”

“Because you’ve betrayed the Blood Demon Sector, too.”

Yuchi Ba pointed at Suo Chaolong’s arrest warrant and said, “Your crime is stated very clearly here. Your Blood Lion Battalion was crushed and captured by the Star Glory Federation at the end of the Battle of Dawn, and you surrendered because you could not resist the interrogation and the allurement of benefits.”

---

Chapter 966: Immaculate Trap!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

“You’ve got to be kidding me!”

Suo Chaolong slapped the table and rose up, his neck bulging suddenly like a cobra that was about to launch an attack. His fury almost burnt a hole through the ceiling while he shouted, “Everybody in the entire Blood Demon Sector knows the grudge between the refugees and the Star Glory Federation! The Star Glory Federation destroyed our home, murdered our ancestors, and drove us to the Blood Demon Sector. Never has one second gone by without us forgetting to march back to the Grand Desolate Plateau and our hometown! How in the world will I surrender to the greedy, shameless, and hypocritical Star Glory Federation?”

In an awkward position, Li Yao and Han Tuhu remained silent.

Suo Chaolong glanced at them, his chest was still fluctuating. “I am sorry. It’s nothing personal. I meant that everybody of the federation is—”

“It doesn’t matter. We totally got it.” Li Yao hurried to interrupt him.

“That being said, it is also universally known that the descendants of the refugees of the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the locals of the Star Glory Federation haven’t always been in the best relationship,” the Fire Ant King analyzed calmly. “Although your ancestors were driven out of the Heaven’s Origin Sector by the Star Glory Federation, and it seems to be a good reason to hate them, it is also evident enough that, same as Li Yao and Han Tuhu, you are also from the Heaven’s Origin Sector, if you change your mindset. You are also a native of the Heaven’s Origin Sector, of a sort.

“As the saying goes, water and people from the hometown are the sweetest. It is not out of the question for you to work with the Star Glory Federation, is it?”

Suo Chaolong felt that his brain was exploding. “Hey. Don’t just throw out random sayings. Who comes from the same hometown as those wretched Cultivators?”

The Fire Ant King casually said, “I am just trying to understand the event from the perspective of the leadership of the Blood Demon Sector.

“The war that we are faced with is both one between the demon race and mankind and one between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector. Then, since the Star Glory Federation and you are both rooted in the Heaven’s Origin Sector, is it really hard to imagine forming an alliance driven by the mutual benefits?”

Suo Chaolong gnashed his teeth. “What ‘mutual benefits’ are you talking about?”

“For example,” the Fire Ant King said, “the federal government could promise that, as long as you help the federation demolish the Pantheon of Demons, you will be allowed to come back to the Grand Desolate Plateau after the two worlds merge.”

Suo Chaolong sneered. “You are insulting not only my loyalty to the demon race but also my wisdom! Without the demon race behind me, it would be a miracle if the sordid Star Glory Federation abided by their promise!”

“However, what if your Blood Lion Battalion was indeed crushed and captured?” the Fire Ant King said. “You don’t have a choice. You either remain loyal to the Blood Demon Sector and die with all of your brothers, or you cooperate with the Star Glory Federation for the lives of your brothers!”

Suo Chaolong was lost for words. He grinded his teeth so hard that they were cracking.

The Fire Ant King sighed and pointed at his own arrest warrant. “Am I not the same?

“According to the arrest warrant, the Blade of Chaos has also surrendered to the Star Glory Federation and become the vanguard in the federation’s invasion.

“The reason is also very simple. Since I failed to enter the center of power of the Blood Demon Sector and become one of the twelve demon emperors, I had always been discontented. Therefore, I established the Blade of Chaos in secret to get more benefits for myself.

“Fearing that my ambitions would be exposed one day, I decided to go further and joined hands with the Star Glory Federation, turning into a dog of the federation willingly!

“Look. Even the liaisons that the Star Glory Federation sent to us have been listed clearly!”

The Fire Ant King glanced over the other warrants. “It is clearly stated that the Star Glory Federation has sent a lot of liaisons to sneak into the Blood Demon Sector with Suo Chaolong’s help for the purpose of a closer communication with me. The liaisons even include an expert in the Nascent Soul Stage!

“The Nascent Soul Stage expert obviously refers to Li Yao.

“As you can see, they have assigned the perfect roles for every one of us. Suo Chaolong turned traitor after being captured, I had been ambitious all the time, and Li Yao had snuck into the Blood Demon Sector on purpose to instigate trouble!

“Now that such arrest warrants have been published, how do we explain ourselves to others when they discover that we are hanging around together? Are we really going to tell them that we are a bunch of readers who love history and we only gather to share books or play sports?”

“This is too sordid!” Cold sweat coating his forehead, Suo Chaolong gnashed his teeth. “This must be Elder Nether Spring’s scheme! Elder Nether Spring was scared that we would tell the secrets of the Nether World, the Mausoleum of Chaos, and the Spore Stratagem. Therefore, he made a move first and dug an immaculate trap for us!

“Right now, a large basin of dirty water has been poured over us. Nobody is going to believe us whatever we say!

“But it doesn’t sound right. The Fire Ant King is Elder Nether Spring’s blood brother, and the two of you had a close relationship. If the Fire Ant King is proved to be the leader of the Blade of Chaos, even if Elder Nether Spring declares that he knew nothing about it, he will certainly be at least partially blamed.

“Isn’t this like a suicidal attack?

“Where is Elder Nether Spring right now?”

Yuchi Ba hesitated for a moment and said, “According to our latest intelligence, because of his relationship with the Fire Ant King, Elder Nether Spring was impeached by Master Hollow Wind in the headquarters of the Pantheon of Demons. Suppressed by the other eleven demon emperors, he had to submit all his power ‘willingly’ while the investigation is pending.

“His control over the Nether Spring Kingdom hit rock bottom, too!”

“What!”

Li Yao, Han Tuhu, Suo Chaolong and the Fire Ant King were all dazed.

Seeing the confusion on Li Yao’s and Han Tuhu’s faces, the Fire Ant King explained, “Master Hollow Wind is another demon emperor in the Nether Spring Kingdom. He is one of the traditional nobles. His family can be traced back to more than a thousand years ago. His personal capability is only lesser than that of Elder Nether Spring.

“Elder Nether Spring and I are only from a secondary branch of a middle-sized noble family of the Nether Spring Kingdom. It was with the legacies of Chaos that we slowly rose up from the mountains of dead bodies. Naturally, our rise harmed the interests of many traditional nobles.

“Therefore, many nobles are in fact not very satisfied about Elder Nether Spring’s reign over the Nether Spring Kingdom. They have been merely restraining themselves because of Elder Nether Spring’s formidability. Of course, it is nothing unusual in the Blood Demon Sector. Every kingdom has similar cases.

“Despite Elder Nether Spring’s remarkable strength, he rose up by himself, and he does not have many loyal subordinates. Often, he also has to concede to the old nobles and cannot uproot them completely.

“Over the past few years, Elder Nether Spring has summoned the forces of the Nether Spring Kingdom and attacked the Heaven’s Origin Sector crazily. In the Battle of Dawn, the troops of the Nether Spring Kingdom were the main force, too. As a result, they suffered heavy losses, which was a major strike on the kingdom.

“Of course, we know that Elder Nether Spring did not care about the cannon fodder at all. It was merely an approach to collect more test subjects.

“But the traditional nobles got more and more dissatisfied. They thought that Elder Nether Spring had gone mad. Why did the Gold Crow Kingdom, the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, and the Sea Dominator Kingdom barely make any contributions while the Nether Spring Kingdom was the only one fighting desperately on the frontline? That was too idiotic!

“As a result, their dissatisfaction was intensified.

“Master Hollow Wind is the leader of the traditional nobles, and he has always wanted to replace Elder Nether Spring. Therefore, it is not strange at all that he took the opportunity to denounce Elder Nether Spring.

“The only strange part is, why would my clever, crafty brother allow such a thing to happen?

“Why did he expose my identity and pour all the dirty water on my head when he knew that he would invite trouble to himself and get impeached?”

…

The meeting hall in the headquarters of the Pantheon of Demons in Heavenly Path City did not have any redundant adornments. The walls were piled up by the simplest green rocks.

At the center of the hall was a black desk fifty meters long.

Generally speaking, the twelve demon emperors would have their meeting on the two sides of the desk.

However, if one of the demon emperors did something that caused widespread indignation and discontent and hurt the interests of the demon race as a whole, to the point that the other eleven demon emperors agreed unanimously that he was no longer suitable to be a leader of the Blood Demon Sector, they would inform him of a wrong time for the meeting.

When he arrived at the hall, he would discover that there was no place for him on either side of the desk. There would only be a stool that was slightly lower than everybody else’s seat at the end of the long desk.

He would have two choices.

He could burst into fury and be burnt into ash under the suppression of the other eleven demon emperors, or he could sit on the low stool and lower his head, waiting for his punishment!

At this moment, Elder Nether Spring was walking toward the stool at the end of the long desk one step after another.

His eyes were deep, and his face was emotionless. Even the tiniest muscle on his face was not revealing any of his feelings at all.

He did not stop until he reached the stool.

The other eleven demon emperors all held their breath.

It was the most dangerous moment. They were all ready to attack.

However, Elder Nether Spring only halted for one second before he sat down on the stool obediently. He even put his hands on his knees, as if he had accepted the reality and was ready to face the repercussion.

The other eleven demon emperors all took a deep breath in relief.

Master Hollow Wind, another demon emperor from the Nether Spring Kingdom who had been dwarfed by Elder Nether Spring for decades, rose up.

Master Hollow Wind tried to remain tranquil like Elder Nether Spring did, but the delight deep inside his eyes that he failed to disguise made him look like a burning torch.

“I will now brief the key information that we have collected in the past few days to all the demon emperors here.”

Master Hollow Wind coughed and glanced at Elder Nether Spring again. He tried to hold back his smile and said solemnly, “Based on the latest intelligence, the Fire Ant King, master of Void Turmoil City, is the leader of the Blade of Chaos and the mastermind of the Riot of Bloody Blade!

“Also, we thought that the Blood Lion Battalion, allegedly wiped out in the Battle of Dawn, should have some survivors, but they have surrendered to the enemy with their commander, Suo Chaolong!

“What is more dreadful is that a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator from the Heaven’s Origin Sector has snuck into the Blood Demon Sector with Suo Chaolong’s navigation!

“The Fire Ant King, who is the leader of the Blade of Chaos; Suo Chaolong, who is the commander of the Blood Lion Battalion; a mysterious Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator from the Heaven’s Origin Sector.

“One of them boasts tremendous influence among low-level demons!

“One of them is very familiar with the coalition army of demons!

“One of them represents the strength of the Star Glory Federation!

“A triangle of terror has taken shape with the conspiracy of the three forces. It is now lurking deep inside the Blood Demon Sector!”

---

Chapter 967: Double Strategical Deception!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Master Hollow Wind tapped the long desk lightly. He glanced at Elder Nether Spring, who was sitting at the end of the desk like a statue, before he solemnly said, “After days and nights of analysis and calculation, we have basically figured out the scheme of the ‘triangle’.

“It is well known that the comprehensive capability of the Heaven’s Origin Sector is lower than that of the Blood Demon Sector, but they are developing faster than us. Therefore, all along, the strategy of the Heaven’s Origin Sector has been home defense. They traded space for time, and they traded time for the overall improvement of their capability so that they can launch a thunderous counterattack when they surpass the Blood Demon Sector.

“Right now, the arrival of the Flying Star Sector has significantly boosted the development speed of the Heaven’s Origin Sector, which makes them even more desperate for a few years of peace!

“For the Heaven’s Origin Sector, their best strategy right now is to stall us at whatever cost to buy them a few years of time. To achieve the purpose, they will certainly resort to all methods possible!

“This is the reason we have decided to activate the Red Tide Plan and start a national war with all the strength of the Blood Demon Sector immediately. In a few years, when the capability of the Heaven’s Origin Sector has soared, we will certainly be doomed!

“But obviously, the Heaven’s Origin Sector does not want a strategical war at this moment. With the high-speed communication between the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector, for every day the war is delayed, the advantage of the Heaven’s Origin Sector will grow a bit, and the sacrifices they will have to pay will be reduced a little.

“Therefore, while they are building an impregnable defensive line in the Giant Blade Pass at the south of the Grand Desolate Plateau, they have also implemented an unprecedented strategical deception!

“I believe many demon emperors here have heard the rumors of the Imperium of True Human Beings, haven’t you?

“The rumors come from the Star Glory Federation. It is said that, before long, the Star Glory Federation will send out a delegation of diplomats for the prisoner swap. They will discuss a temporary ceasefire and the issues regarding the Imperium of True Human Beings.

“The purpose of our enemy is as clear as daylight. They are trying to reach a truce with us to buy themselves more time with the groundless existence named the Imperium of True Human Beings!

“Haha. A minor apocalypse from the Imperium of True Human Beings will arrive in five years? They have indeed thought the whole thing through! It is a message that can neither be proven true nor false!

“If we really cease fire now, a minor apocalypse may not come at us in five years, but a hundred crystal suit legions of the Star Glory Federation, with the help of the Flying Star Sector, certainly will!

“In conclusion, we have determined that the Imperium of True Human Beings is a strategical deception. It is the task of the ‘triangle’ made of Suo Chaolong, the Fire Ant King, and the mysterious Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator to spread rumors in the Blood Demon Sector and even to reach out to the leadership of the Blood Demon Sector, namely a few demon emperors here, trying to convince you that the Imperium of True Human Beings does exist.

“If the few demon emperors here are fooled into believing the Imperium of True Human Beings and influence the Pantheon of Demons’ decision in order to reach a truce with the Star Glory Federation, then their strategic deception will be a complete success. The entire demon race will be hopeless!”

The ten emperors were like fossils just excavated from the depths of the earth. They listened attentively. There was no telling what was on their mind.

Master Hollow Wind’s voice turned even creepier. “What is more terrifying is that…

“Do you think the so-called ‘threat of the Imperium of True Human Beings’ is their only strategical deception?

“No. We have also discovered a second plan of strategical deception during our investigation named the Spore Stratagem.

“According to the Spore Stratagem, they will announce that a mysterious force within the Blood Demon Sector boasts a frightful ‘Demon God Virus’ that will destroy both the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector should it spread out!

“Therefore, the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector should not start a total war right now. Instead, we should cease fire for now and deal with the mysterious force that boasts the ‘Demon God Virus’.

“It is not hard to tell that, although the Spore Stratagem and the ‘threat of the Imperium of True Human Beings’ appear very different, they are both for the same purpose. Our enemy is trying to assure us that the Blood Demon Sector is beset by internal and external problems and that we must stop the war and reach a peace agreement with the Heaven’s Origin Sector immediately!

“Hehe. What is the Demon God Virus all about?

“We are all clear that it is just a shameless lie that human beings made up to insult us. They claimed that the demon race originated from the demon beasts that were injected with the Demon God Virus forty thousand years ago!

“We are the descendants of the Pangu Clan from the primeval era. The primeval blood flows in our veins, which is why we possess features of the primeval era! Where does the Demon God Virus come from? It is an out-and-out lie!

“All in all, the sole purpose of the Fire Ant King, Suo Chaolong, and the mysterious Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator is to convince us that the Imperium of True Human Beings and the Spore Stratagem do exist. They are fabricating a powerful yet hostile ‘third party’ in order to mislead us into a truce, if not comprehensive peace, with the Heaven’s Origin Sector.

“After three to five years of peace, when the Heaven’s Origin Sector establishes a hundred crystal suit legions through the communication with the Flying Star Sector and receives the support of the super cosmic fleets, they will certainly tear off their mask of ‘peace’ and reveal their true face—aggression!

“How sordid and scary!

“Think about it. If we hadn’t seen through such a plot and really believed their bullsh*t, the Blood Demon Sector would have been burnt into ground in three to five years like the Grand Desolate Plateau was in the past!

“Commander Jin was right. The Blood Demon Sector is now in peril!

“In the sleazy plans of strategical deception, the Fire Ant King and his Blade of Chaos are the most threatening for us.

“The Blade of Chaos can easily incite millions of low-level demons who do not know the truth, especially the irresolute ones in the coalition army who are scared of war. If the low-level demons choose to believe the rumors about the Imperium of True Human Beings and the Spore Stratagem, their morale will certainly be lower than ever. They will certainly not able to launch the most callous attack against the Heaven’s Origin Sector if they can hold themselves from another mutiny at all.

“However, unfortunately—”

Master Hollow Wind finally bared his sharp tusks. This time, he did not glance at Elder Nether Spring but stared at the other ten demon emperors, especially Jin Tuyi, the commander-in-chief of the coalition army. “One of the demon emperors here is deeply connected to the Fire Ant King, the leader of the Blade of Chaos!

“I am not implying that the demon emperor knew the Fire Ant King’s real identity and indulged him to grow large for his own benefits, nor am I insinuating that the demon emperor betrayed the Pantheon of Demons and the demon race and embraced the Star Glory Federation! Of course, that is absolutely impossible!

“However, it was with the help of the ‘ignorant and innocent’ demon emperor that Void Turmoil City flourished, and the Blade of Chaos expanded to what it is today—influential enough to activate the ‘Riot of Bloody Blade’. That is also an undeniable fact!

“Therefore, I think that today, when we are going to activate the ‘Red Tide Plan’ to take our chances to resolve the greatest crisis for the Blood Demon Sector, the demon emperor is not suitable for the important posts in the Pantheon of Demons before the investigation regarding his relationship with the Blade of Chaos is concluded.

“The demon emperor is of the same clan as me. I believe in his innocence. This is not an impeachment but a protection in a different form. Once it is proved that he is irrelevant with the matter, his position in the Pantheon of Demons will certainly be restored, and he will get to play a greater role in the glorious ultimate war to come.”

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

While he was sitting at the end of the desk, Elder Nether Spring’s bones and shells were uttering cracking noises in his fury.

Jin Tuyi’s demonic energy suddenly burst out and covered Elder Nether Spring like a giant cloud. “Elder Nether Spring, what do you have to say for everything that Master Hollow Wind has just stated?”

“Nothing!” Elder Nether Spring’s hands stabbed deep into the solid desk, and the rock that made up the desk was scorched, producing black smoke. “Every one of you knows that there is no way I would betray the demons and mess with the Blade of Chaos!

“Every betrayal needs a reason. Why would I betray the Pantheon of Demons?

“In the Nether Spring Kingdom, I am the omnipotent ruler. In the Pantheon of Demons, I am among the strongest of the twelve demon emperors. I am already standing at the peak of the Blood Demon Sector. What benefits can I get by hooking up with the Blade of Chaos?

“It is even more absurd if you think that I conspired with the Blade of Chaos in order to eliminate every one of you so that I will be the sole master of the Pantheon of Demons.

“If that was my plan, I wouldn’t have asked my subordinates to fight so hard in the Heaven’s Origin Sector over the past few years!

“You know better than anybody that the war against the Heaven’s Origin Sector has been mostly fought by the Nether Spring Kingdom alone in the past years. It is because my forces that I accumulated for decades were wasted in the Heaven’s Origin Sector for the interest of the Blood Demon Sector that you have this opportunity to judge me pretentiously!

“He who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find his stick. What is there to say for myself? The only thing I did wrong was that I did not see through the Fire Ant King’s ambitions earlier!

“However, was it really my fault? Every one of you has a lot of deals with Void Turmoil City in terms of strengthening drugs and slaves. You are all responsible for the rise of the Fire Ant King! Did it ever occur to you ten years ago that the Fire Ant King was actually the mastermind of the Blade of Chaos?”

His words made quite a few demon emperors ill at ease.

“Elder Nether Spring, we believe in your loyalty to the demon race. You and the Fire Ant King are different,” Jin Tuyi said solemnly. “However, we are in the middle of harsh times right now. The Red Tide Plan is about to be put into action, and a national war will begin soon!

“The fate of our race will be decided by the war!

“The most important thing about the Red Tide Plan is confidentiality. If your blood brother is really working with the Star Glory Federation, we have to be prudent. It is indeed not suitable to keep you among the decision makers now.

“I believe that you would make the same decision if you were in my place. Don’t you agree?”

The ten demon emperors all gazed at Elder Nether Spring coldly.

Their eyes suppressed Elder Nether Spring like the sturdiest chains.

Chapter 968: No Choice But War!

Translator: Ash, Strivon Editor: The Enlightened Master Crouching Cow

 

Elder Nether Spring’s hands dug out two rocks that were as hard as diamond from the long desk and crushed the rocks into sand. The black sand quietly slipped through his fingers, like two hourglasses that were coming to an end.

Elder Nether Spring stared at the ‘hourglasses’ in a trance.

Nobody knew what decision he was going to make when the ‘hourglasses’ ran out.

All the demon emperors were holding their breath. Their feathers and demons were all shivering uneasily. Suppressed by their dominating aura, the long desk was uttering rattling noises. Countless scattered cracks that looked like spider webs appeared, as if many invisible animals had just crawled over the desk.

The ‘hourglasses’ continued pouring.

Elder Nether Spring suddenly shifted his gaze to Master Hollow Wind.

Master Hollow Wind shuddered and could not help but look at Jin Tuyi.

“Nether Spring!”

Jin Tuyi got to his feet. His formidable demonic energy surged out without the least disguise into unstoppable waves. He pressed down on the black desk. The cracks congregated into a sharp blades that quickly extended to the other end of the desk.

“Right now is the most dangerous moment in the thousands of years of history of the Blood Demon Sector. One misstep, and our entire race will be annihilated. You must think before you leap. Don’t do things that will satisfy your foe and hurt your friends!

“In the past five hundred years, the Blood Demon Sector possessed biochemical technology that was far more advanced than the technology of the Heaven’s Origin Sector. We also had almost a hundred strong demon emperors. But why have we never been able to destroy the small Heaven’s Origin Sector and Star Glory Federation and simply waited and watched while they rose up to a point that we can barely deal with?

“The wormholes are too small and unsteady to teleport the great army and top-tier experts… That’s just an excuse!

“The most critical reason is that we are not united!

“The Gold Crow Kingdom, the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, the Sea Dominator Kingdom, the Nether Spring Kingdom, and the other smaller forces are merely attacking each other in internal strife for their own petty benefits. We can never be truly united and fight for the interest of the Blood Demon Sector as a whole selflessly!

“Not until today, when we are forced to launch a national war that will decide the fate of our family and compatriots.

“To be honest, our strategy is too risky, too crazy, and the odds of success are too low!

“Are we going to attack each other at this critical moment before the war begins?

“Elder Nether Spring, I have no doubt about your loyalty to the Blood Demon Sector. Over the years, in the war against the Star Glory Federation, the Nether Spring Kingdom has made the greatest contribution, too. What were your endeavors for? You must think about it carefully!

“In the name of the commander-in-chief of the coalition army and the leader of the Clan race, I guarantee you that this arrangement is just temporary. After everything is settled, I will support you to come back to this place with my best!”

Elder Nether Spring took a deep, deep breath. The brutality in his eyes was gone. He suddenly appeared to be absent-minded.

He retreated his eyes from Master Hollow Wind and stared at his clenched fists. Five seconds later, he finally relaxed his hands, allowing the last bit of the sand to fly away in the wind.

The vigor deep inside his body seemed to have left with the sand, too. Losing his power and sitting in a stool that was beneath everybody, he appeared to be an empty shell.

All the demon emperors secretly took a breath in relief. Master Hollow Wind could not help but wipe off his cold sweat.

Elder Nether Spring said coarsely, “The Fire Ant King is my blood brother after all. During the rise of Void Turmoil City, I gave them a lot of aid, and we had numerous exchanges in terms of business, resources, and personnel. Therefore, I admit that I am indeed not suitable to stay among the decision makers of the Pantheon of Demons in these harsh times.

“The ‘Red Tide Plan’ will be all yours. I will spend most of my time and energy on the investigation and strike of the Blade of Chaos and the ‘triangle’!

“The Fire Ant King is my blood brother. His rise was because of my negligence. I should be the one to eliminate him!

“I have only one requirement.”

“What it is, Elder Nether Spring? I’ll see that it is done!” Jin Tuyi said solemnly.

Elder Nether Spring let out a long sigh and waved his hands lethargically. “I am willing to leave, but do not deprive the warriors under my command of the honor of fighting for the Pantheon of Demons! I hope that you will at least bring my ‘Nether Shadow Guardians’ together with the core legions into the Heaven’s Origin Sector and stab into the heart of the Star Glory Federation during the Red Tide Plan. They should be sacrificed in the most brilliant way!”

Jin Tuyi pondered for a moment and nodded. “No problem. If we do march into the capital city of the Star Glory Federation, the Nether Shadow Guardians will be the first troop to see the parliament building of the federation!”

Elder Nether Spring managed a smile and stopped talking.

Jin Tuyi tapped the long desk hard before he said solemnly, “Unification. I must repeat myself. Everybody, we must be united!

“The Red Tide Plan is perhaps the riskiest plan in the history of war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector!

“Part of the ground troops from the Kingdom of Lion Butchers and the Nether Spring Kingdom will pretend to be our entire main force and march into the Heaven’s Origin Sector through the wormholes in the Dark Desolate Domain. They will tear apart the Grand Desolate Plateau and impose pressure on the Giant Blade Pass, the most important defense line of human beings at the south of the Grand Desolate Plateau!

“This is destined to be a suicidal attack with no return. Their sole mission will be to distract the attention of most of the crystal suit legions of the Star Glory Federation so that the main force of the Star Glory Federation will be gathered around the Giant Blade Pass!

“In the meantime, our real main force, a great army with dozens of emperors, will show up in the ocean east to the Star Glory Federation through the secret channels that the Far East Demon Kingdom built for their escape five hundred years ago. After taking a brief rest in the base that the Far East Demon Kingdom left, we will march out, charge at the eastern coastline of the Star Glory Federation, sweep across the most prosperous and populated area, and stab into the heart of the federation!

“The secret channels are highly unstable. The base that the Far East Demon Kingdom left is nothing to be optimistic about, either. Such an assault is so risky that we might wind up being wiped out without any survivors!

“However, we don’t have any choice but war. Right now, the only things we can count on are the valiance of our warriors, the unification of everybody here, and the blessing of the Pangu Clan!”

Elder Nether Spring listened quietly on the opposite side of Jin Tuyi, emotionless.

When he heard ‘the Pangu Clan’, two subtle ripples finally spread out his eyes that looked like black springs.

However, the two ripples quickly faded away. When the rest of the demon emperors looked at him again, Elder Nether Spring had turned back into the empty, expressionless shell again.

…

In the last base of the Blade of Chaos inside the Mysterious Shadow Domain, Li Yao, the Fire Ant King, Han Tuhu, and Suo Chaolong were all deep in thought, frowning, while they listened to Yuchi Ba introducing the whole process of Elder Nether Spring’s loss of power, part of which was public and part clandestine.

“This is impossible. It is impossible that Master Hollow Wind grasped the key information.”

Deep in thought, Han Tuhu analyzed, “Even though Master Hollow Wind caught the traces that the Fire Ant King left, there was no way that he could know that Suo Chaolong had returned to the Blood Demon Sector or anything about Li Yao.

“It is stated clearly on the arrest warrants that a ‘Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator’ has snuck into the Blood Demon Sector. The only battle in which Li Yao demonstrated the combat ability equal to the Nascent Soul Stage was the one on the island of the Nether World in the North Pole!

“Elder Nether Spring is the only party that knows of the matter other than us. It is impossible for a third party to have learned of it.”

“Master Hollow Wind can’t have uncovered my tracks,” the Fire Ant King said calmly. “He is a complete idiot. He has merely been mounting the high horse based on his background and bloodline.

“Think about it. Elder Nether Spring and I are both from a secondary branch of a middle-sized noble family. Although we had the legacies of Chaos, we were seriously short of support after all.

“But as the leader of the traditional nobles of the Nether Spring Kingdom, he failed to come up with anything useful to deal with us for decades. He missed countless opportunities where he could have suffocated us while we were still growing. In the end, he could only wait and watch us rise until we were too huge for him.

“This is your first clue about the capability and wisdom of the ‘master’.

“He is one of the old-school demons. He has been dwelling in the improvement of combat ability and considered it to be everything. He has also taken down a lot of competitors with his formidable strength.

“But he did not know that fighting and scheming are totally different. Now that he has run into Elder Nether Spring, whose combat ability is even higher than his, he is totally useless.

“In regard of combat ability, he might be only slightly weaker than Elder Nether Spring and better than me. But in terms of planning, not just Elder Nether Spring, even I can play him like a fiddle!

“How could such a guy have discovered evidence of my activities?”

Suo Chaolong narrowed his eyes and said coldly, “Therefore, somebody intentionally fed the information such as your real identity, my ‘betrayal’, and Li Yao’s ‘infiltration’ to him and lured him into unveiling a plot that did not actually exist so that Elder Nether Spring would be involved and kicked out of office?”

The Fire Ant King nodded and smiled bitterly. “Correct. The someone is obviously my big brother, Elder Nether Spring!

“I’m afraid that every word that Master Hollow Wind said was what Elder Nether Spring wanted him to say, and every action he took was manipulated by hundreds of invisible strings whose other ends were right in the hands of Elder Nether Spring!”

“But why?” Suo Chaolong scratched the back of his neck. “Why did Elder Nether Spring deliberately expose the information? Not only will he lose the decision-making role in the Pantheon of Demons, he will inevitably raise a lot of suspicion!”

Li Yao rubbed his temples softly and activated the first brain and the second brain that were at the two ends of his spine at the same time. The ‘dual-core thinking system’ boosted his computational ability to the maximum. A moment later, he smiled and said, “The reason is very simple!”

Chapter 969: Sneak into the Pantheon of Demons!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

The Fire Ant King, Yuchi Ba, Han Tuhu, and Suo Chaolong were somewhat startled. They looked at Li Yao at the same time.

Li Yao sat cross-legged so that he would be more comfortable with the lump at the end of his spine. “Perhaps Elder Nether Spring was not willing to expose the information himself, but he did not have a second option.

“Think about it. A week ago, Elder Nether Spring was forced to the edge of a cliff. His entire plan was on the brink of destruction!

“His identity and purpose were discovered. His secret force, the Nether World Watch, was known. His most important research base Nether World was almost overturned by us and lost most functions for now.

“What was scarier was that the memory unit of the main biochemical brain that stored tremendous experiment data and core secrets was stolen by us!

“Both the Fire Ant King and the Suo Chaolong are silver-blood demons and nobles on the surface. You must have a lot of connections in the Pantheon of Demons. I bet that you have a close relationship with some of the demon emperors, too.

“It would be very convenient for you to reach out to other demon emperors. As long as you went to visit them, they would at least meet you and listen to your words for a few hours patiently.

“What could Elder Nether Spring do if you went to the demon emperors with all the evidence?

“Yes. Such an attempt would get yourselves involved. The Fire Ant King would not be able to hide his identity as the leader of the Blade of Chaos anymore. But who knows what you think? Perhaps you just wanted Elder Nether Spring to be cursed even at the cost of your everything. Or maybe, you would send the evidence to the demon emperors in a special way!

“Naturally, the demon emperors are not likely to believe everything you say just based on a few simple files and experiment records, but they will certainly grow suspicious and start investigating.

“Some of the things can barely be concealed. For example, the Nether World in the North Pole. As long as a few devilish warships are deployed to the coordinates nearby and search carefully, the island will certainly be discovered.

“If so, Elder Nether Spring’s plan will definitely be seriously disrupted.

“Weren’t we discussing whether or not we should unveil Elder Nether Spring’s true face in such a way just now?

“Therefore, since it was impossible to keep everything a secret anymore, he might as well expose the information himself rather than waiting for you to accuse him.

“Do you know how to stop a forest fire?”

Everybody was dazed, not knowing why Li Yao suddenly went off the topic. They all shook their heads.

Li Yao smiled and said, “When a forest fire is burning furiously and cannot be extinguished anytime soon, the best approach is to set up a controllable new fire outside the main forest fire in order to create a ‘fire line’. That way, the forest fire will be compressed to the limited area or guided to the unimportant locations.

“It is obvious now that Elder Nether Spring has manipulated Master Hollow Wind to set up a new fire and create a ‘fire line’ for himself!

“Right now, the Fire Ant King, Suo Chaolong, and I are all on the most wanted list. No matter where we show up, we will endure storm-like attacks. It will be difficult for us to meet a demon emperor in a regular way.

“Even if we manage to meet a demon emperor through all the hindrances and tell him Elder Nether Spring’s plot along with our ‘evidence’, it will be very difficult for him to believe us because they have been brainwashed and believe that we are implementing a ‘strategical deception’.

“Half a month ago in the Mausoleum of Chaos, Elder Nether Spring brought me, an unexpected factor, back to his nest because of his negligence, which almost resulted in the unfolding of his entire plan. His greatest weakness was exposed.

“But it is safe to say that, right now, after a series of operations, he has fixed his weakness and become flawless again!”

“None of the twelve demon emperors of the Pantheon of Demons are easy to deal with,” Han Tuhu said solemnly. “Such a lie cannot work forever.”

“It doesn’t have to work forever,” Li Yao said calmly. “As long as everybody is misled until the moment the Spore Stratagem is activated, it will be good enough. I think the moment is not far away from us.”

Suo Chaolong frowned. “It’s true that Elder Nether Spring’s lie worked out, but the price is that he lost control over the Nether Spring Kingdom and even got kicked out of the decision-making circle of the Pantheon of Demons.”

“So what?” Li Yao asked back. “The real armed force that Elder Nether Spring counts on is the ‘Nether World Watch’. They are his trusted subordinates. The nobles and armies of the Nether Spring Kingdom will not listen to his command when they learn that he is not a true silver-blood demon.

“Such disloyal armies that might betray him at any minute are certainly not something that Elder Nether Spring would want.

“As for being kicked out of the decision-making circle, it is even simpler. That was exactly his purpose.”

“What?” The Fire Ant King, Suo Chaolong and Han Tuhu were all dazed. “Why would Elder Nether Spring kick himself out of the decision-making circle of the Pantheon of Demons?”

“Not kick himself out but keep his distance from them.”

Li Yao’s eyes were moving unpredictably, as if he were staring at Elder Nether Spring, who was perhaps the greatest schemer lurking in the Blood Demon Sector, through the wall from tens of thousands of kilometers away.

Li Yao pondered for a long time and shifted his eyes to Yuchi Ba. “Master Yuchi, according to your intelligence, all four demon kingdoms and cities are taking measures to recruit soldiers and collect resources to complete the unprecedented general mobilization, right?”

“Yes,” Yuchi Ba said, “I have never seen such a general mobilization before. Even for some of the silver-blood families, all the teenagers above the age of twelve have been summoned to establish the ‘Youth Guard’. Everybody in the Blood Demon Sector is braced for a great war!”

“That’s right!” Li Yao narrowed his eyes and mumbled, “After learning the existence of the Flying Star Sector, the first judgement of Suo Chaolong and Han Tuhu was that the Pantheon of Demons was likely to wager everything on a national war. Master Yuchi’s intelligence supports their prediction, too.

“Here comes the question. If the Pantheon of Demons is really going to fight a great war with all the resources of the Blood Demon Sector, as one of the four giants of the world, Elder Nether Spring will have to stay in the decision-making circle along with the other eleven demon emperors, won’t he?

“It is possible that he will be forced to stay in a top-secret command center and handle endless military affairs with other demon emperors day and night.

“Also, all the personnel, assets, and information that enter or exit the highest command center will certainly be scrutinized to ensure that nothing unusual was passing by, right?

“If Elder Nether Spring is kept in such a command center, how on earth can he carry out the Spore Stratagem?

“A great war against the Star Glory Federation is coming close. As one of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector who always appeared to be passionate about the war, Elder Nether Spring cannot disappear every other day. It would be very strange, wouldn’t it?

“We must note that his colleagues will not be random guys but the keenest and most quick-minded demon emperors! Somebody will suspect him as long as he shows the slightest irregularity!

“Therefore, Elder Nether Spring must stay away from the decision-making circle. More exactly, he must stay away from the cage named ‘highest command center’ and get out of the sight of the demon emperors.

“It is true that a series of investigations targeting him will be conducted, but right now, the attention of all the demon emperors is focused on the war against the Heaven’s Origin Sector. The investigations will not be thorough and careful at all.

“After all, he has lost his power and become a stray dog. Nobody will choose to beat a stray dog at such a moment!

“As a result, Elder Nether Spring will have time and space to carry out the Spore Stratagem without worries.

“Besides, the greatest benefit of keeping his distance from the decision-making circle is that, when the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector are fighting, Elder Nether Spring, who has been kicked out of office humiliatingly, will not be leading the charge!

“When other demon emperors are galloping in the Heaven’s Origin Sector with great armies, Elder Nether Spring, who is ‘downhearted’ because of ‘loss of power’, will be responsible for the logistics work in the rear ‘despondently’. That is perfect reasonable, isn’t it?

“It is highly unlikely that Elder Nether Spring will resign from the Pantheon of Demons himself, which would be super weird. Therefore, he exposed the Fire Ant King’s real identity through Master Hollow Wind’s mouth so that he would get involved and be kicked out of office!

“Everybody knows the grudge between Master Hollow Wind and Elder Nether Spring. There will be no suspicion at all!”

There was a long silence.

Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong both took a long breath and eyed Li Yao in a weird way.

“Elder Nether Spring is too dreadful,” Han Tuhu mumbled. “He has been manipulating everybody in the Pantheon of Demons!”

Suo Chaolong’s eyelids were twitching crazily. “Why do I feel that Li Yao is even more dreadful than him?”

“If that is the case, everything is unchangeable now. What should we do?” Yuchi Ba asked earnestly.

Li Yao thought for a moment and said, “We are more in need of Jin Xinyue now!

“If a national war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector breaks out, we must know how the war will be fought in order to stop it in advance!

“As daughter of the commander-in-chief of the coalition army, it is possible that Jin Xinyue can help us infer what her father is thinking.

“Besides, we are all wanted criminals right now. It is barely possible to reach out to any demon emperor through legal channels.

“Jin Xinyue is a saintess of the Pantheon of Demons. She must be familiar with the terrain of the headquarters of the Pantheon of Demons and know a way to sneak in and show up right in front of the faces of the demon emperors without alarming anyone!”

“Sneak into the headquarters of the Pantheon of Demons!” Everybody was completely shocked by Li Yao’s bodacious idea.

After a long daze, Yuchi Ba struggled to say, “However, when we approached Void Turmoil City, it was already surrounded by the coalition army of demons. They were apparently ready to attack the city at any moment. Chances are that it is already occupied at this moment.

“I was seriously short of hands back then and could not sneak into Void Turmoil City to look for Jin Xinyue.”

“Now that the Fire Ant King’s identity has been exposed,” Li Yao said, “it is only natural that Void Turmoil City cannot get away. It may have already been burned to the ground.

“However, I am confident in Jin Xinyue’s survival ability. She will not have been killed so easily.

“Since we need her, I will have to go to Void Turmoil City and get her out!”

Chapter 970: Rebirth of Mystic Skeleton

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Inside the Mysterious Shadow Domain, the biggest development lab of biochemical beasts for the Blade of Chaos was a hundred meters below the ground.

Li Yao looked ahead and discovered that the place was like a forest dominated by venomous fog. Standing on the fertile, red soil were enormous flowers, some of which were three to five meters tall, and some were above ten.

All the flowers were translucent. They were like weird eggs of devils. While they were fluctuating, the breathing holes that were surrounded by complicated stripes would spurt out colorful air.

If one were to examine the flowers with special mystic rays, they would clearly see that sophisticated veins and nerves were packed on the inner wall of the flowers and that biochemical beasts in the form of fetuses were taking shape quickly inside.

Every flower was connected to countless tubes of nutrition liquids and neural electricity, and the tubes further led to the biochemical brains that boasted high computational ability.

In the world of Cultivators, a refiner who was capable of creating a crystal suit on their own was known as an Armadominus, which was the highest level that every refiner dreamed of.

In the world of demons, the specialists who were adept at refining biochemical beasts were called Originators. Their job was to originate lives and to create new, strong life forms that were built for killing!

After decades of development in darkness, the Blade of Chaos naturally had a large batch of Originators. After analyzing the legacies of Chaos, they were almost as knowledgeable as their counterparts in the Pantheon of Demons.

Right now, they were manipulating the growth of the biochemical beasts precisely through the biochemical brains.

After receiving the tremendous experiment data and key files from Elder Nether Spring, the Blade of Chaos was now much better at the production of biochemical beasts. Right now, a batch of new biochemical beasts were being refined for the warriors of Skyfire.

Li Yao participated in the refinement of the biochemical beasts in person.

They were perhaps the weirdest biochemical beasts in the history of the Blood Demon Sector.

They barely shared any similarities with demon beasts. Instead, they were like fully-closed armor that enclosed the body, except that they were all built by biochemical materials.

They were specially prepared for the federal soldiers under Han Tuhu’s command.

The federal soldiers had never received training to harness biochemical beasts. They were more used to battles where they were in crystal suits.

However, due to the lack of facilities and fundamental materials, even Li Yao could not make hundreds of crystal suits out of thin air.

Li Yao had thought about a brand-new path of combining crystal suits with biochemical beasts before.

He took the opportunity and suggested it to the Fire Ant King, asking whether or not it was possible to create a crystal suit with biochemical materials so that a new ‘biochemical suit’ could be built.

The crystal processor would be replaced by the biochemical brain, the tubes of spiritual energy would be substituted for biochemical nerves, and the super alloys would turn into bones of the mutated demon beasts. The biochemical suit created in such a way might fit the definition of crystal suit when the ultimate weapon had been invented at the very beginning.

The ‘crystal suit’ at that time was also known as ‘strengthened external skeleton’!

Of course, such a biochemical suit was destined to be different from a crystal suit in terms of maneuvering and combat patterns.

However, most of the federal soldiers, including Han Tuhu, were different from before, too. After a lot of their primeval cells were activated, their limbs and internal organs had all gone through drastic mutations, and the old circulation of spiritual energy inside their bodies was already seriously twisted, making it difficult for them to wield the strength of their crystal suits like before.

In the meantime, the significant improvement in the output of their mitochondria and the formidable mutations on the outside of their body endowed them with new techniques.

There was no doubt that, after a period of familiarization, they would be perfectly able to demonstrate brand new techniques that had never seen in either the Heaven’s Origin Sector or the Blood Demon Sector with the biochemical suits.

I hope there is enough time!

Taking a deep breath, Li Yao passed through the forest of hundreds of flowers and entered a special chamber at the deepest part of the development lab of biochemical beasts.

It was a secret chamber that belonged to himself and the modification room for the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit!

At first glance, the decoration of the modification room was more or less the same as that of a regular refining room, except that the Divine Anvil and the Star Basher, two tools that were used in manual forging, were placed in a corner. A thousand components that were manually forged by Li Yao were now floating in midair through anti-gravity rune arrays, revolving and reducing the inner stress.

However, at the center of the modification room, an enormous biochemical culture tank was standing.

Looking through the transparent glass, one would see that the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was floating in the dark red culture solution quietly.

Countless tentacles were ‘pecking’ its body softly. All the tentacles were hollow. After every ‘peck’, they would spurt out high-density, mutated bone cells onto the surface of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, which would form a bone membrane that was of a high tenacity and hardness.

Above the bone membrane, nerves, flesh, and blood were piled up.

Judging from the left arm, whose modification had finished…

It was a perfect combination of a machine and a living creature. The transition from the metal part to the flesh part was so seamless that it seemed natural.

The spiritual stripes and rune arrays that were exposed to the air before were safer and more inconspicuous after being covered by the bone membrane and the flesh and blood. The biochemical nerves that entangled the tubes of spiritual energy increased the speed of signal transmission and feedback of the units. On many occasions, it was no longer necessary to calculate through the data on the retina. One would only need to count on the intuitional reaction that was triggered deep inside their brain after a fuzzy calculation.

The dark red biochemical muscles were hidden amid the black shells. Occasionally, the bone spurs in dim metal colors could be seen hibernating in the gaps of the shells. The crazily proliferating cells decorated the surface of the left arm with a layer of scattered bubbles. Li Yao suddenly had an illusion in his trance, wondering whether the object in front of his was a cold machine or a real life.

Holding his breath, Li Yao stared and communicated with the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit in silence.

A long time later, he placed his left hand on the biochemical brain that controlled the culture tank. His fingers slightly moved and gradually sank into the biochemical brain before he adjusted the direction of the propagation of the cells carefully.

“A piece of perfect artwork, isn’t it?” the mental devil observed deep inside his brain.

Li Yao’s understanding about the biochemistry was still very shallow. The modification on the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit had mostly been conducted by the mental devil. The guy was an expert in the field in the first place. With the experiment files and the knowledge of the Blade of Chaos and Elder Nether Spring, it had been exclaiming in great satisfaction and was completely dedicated to the training, having no time to bother Li Yao for a long time.

Li Yao slightly frowned. The Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was indeed impeccable. However—

“You seem to have been too obedient recently.”

The mental devil pouted and held its chest, as if it had been greatly wronged. “Why are you saying that? Is it not good that I am obedient? Would you feel better if I went on a rampage from dawn to dusk so that you can suppress me brutally?”

Li Yao blinked. “Of course not. However, I do feel that you are up to something even though you seem to be helping me wholeheartedly.”

Leaning against Ou Yezi’s memory tree, the mental devil picked a gold leaf from the tree.

It was one of Ou Yezi’s memory pieces.

The mental devil stuffed the memory piece into his mouth and chewed slowly. It shook its index finger and said, “Let me repeat. You are me, and I am you. Helping you is helping myself. Why are you always so paranoid?

“As the saying goes, an eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind. If you are always wary of me and I always plan to murder you, our mutual mistrust will not be solved until the body dies. Won’t we be turning our brain into a small dark forest?

“I know that you hate the Dark Forest Theory, but is it enough to only break the dark forest among the different civilizations in the universe? The dark forest is right in your heart. Should you break it apart too?

“Therefore, the two of us should be united instead of divided. We should be at peace instead of war. We should help each other and grow together instead of suspecting each other and dying together, right?”

“Why do I feel that you are stealing my lines?” Li Yao pondered.

The mental devil chewed apart Ou Yezi’s memory piece and devoured it. Licking its lips, not entirely satisfied, the mental devil chuckled. “Now you see how difficult it is for people to trust each other. You’ve misunderstood me greatly again!

“As I explained earlier, the Blood Stripe Virus is an extremely weird life form. Perhaps according to the standard of human beings, it is not a life form at all. It is invisible, bodiless, natural, and pollution-free. It will cause no damage to the universe whatsoever.

“All it needs are your insignificant feelings.

“Any feeling can be the energy source for the Blood Stripe Virus. Desire for slaughter, yes. Friendship, love, and earnestness to protect one’s home work, too.

“However, for most species, their most intense feelings are about slaughter and destruction. Whose fault is that?

“What if I say that the Blood Stripe Virus has been feasting upon the intense lust for killing and that it has grown tired of the feeling because it was too violent and monotonous. What if I say that it is interested in tasting some new feelings, such as love, protectiveness, friendship, and sacrifice?

“Like a glutton who has had fish and meat for billions of years and grown bored of food, it is now willing to taste porridge and see what its flavor is. Will you believe that?”

“No.”

“Hahahaha. You are truly my mental devil. You’ve seen through me so quickly. Alright. Let’s change to a different theory. If what I desire most is killing, then the more killing, the more satisfied I will be, right?”

“Yes,” Li Yao answered.

“Then what kind of killing is larger in scale? Wars, of course, especially the wars between two evenly matched Sectors that are going to destroy each other!”

“Exactly.” Li Yao frowned. “That’s why I find it odd that you’ve been behaving so dutifully. You didn’t even play any tricks on the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit. Why?

“I can feel that you are really meaning to stop the world war between the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector. Why?”

---

Chapter 971: Paving a Brilliant Path!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

The mental devil cut off a bare branch from Ou Yezi’s memory tree and scratched its back with it. It yawned and said, “I am going to formally protest regarding the matter. You pretended that you didn’t know the first thing about biochemistry and had to hand over the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit to me for modification. But in fact, it was a trap of yours to test whether or not I would play any tricks, wasn’t it?

“As a matter of fact, you have made significant progress in biochemistry recently, and you are certainly not as ignorant as you appear to be. Besides, you have made a lot of arrangements inside the modification room, waiting for me to show up, haven’t you?

“That is too outrageous of you.

“I’m not saying that you cannot ‘wipe out the mental devil’, but with our identity and position today, can you please at leasy improve the level of our competition and stop setting up traps that insult both your wisdom and mine?

“Play tricks on the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit? Do I look like such a dishonorable mental devil?”

“Alright. I apologize. I have misunderstood you. You are a metal devil of honor and integrity. So, why are you helping me exactly?”

“For the world peace of the Heaven’s Origin Sector, the Blood Demon Sector, and the Flying Star Sector, of course,” the mental devil said solemnly.

“And?”

“… And a more glorious war!” the mental devil declared.

“What do you mean?”

The mental devil smiled. “The Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector are just two barren worlds at the edge of the universe. They are utterly insignificant, even taking the Flying Star Sector into consideration. You don’t think that the fight of a few countryfolk is enough to satisfy me, do you?

“Yes. I could interfere with you right now and even hamstring you at a critical moment so that a total war between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector breaks out, leading to the destruction and ruination of both worlds.

“Then what?

“When the expedition army of the Imperium of True Human Beings arrives, the Heaven’s Origin Sector, the Blood Demon Sector, and the Flying Star Sector will be crushed thunderously into smithereens without any ability to fight back!

“A war between two evenly matched parties is the most entertaining and can trigger the most drastic feelings. If one party has no ability to fight back and is suppressed within a breath, it will be like an ant that is stomped upon by a boot. The ant does not even know how it was killed, and the guy who stomps on it has no sense of satisfaction and achievement, either. How can there be intense lust for killing?”

Li Yao was dazed. He took a deep breath in relief.

The mental devil chuckled and said, “Therefore, even if I am indeed craving for a war, it will not be a brawl between three villages. Instead, what I yearn for is a universal war that is more splendid, spectacular, and soul-stirring and will ignite all of the three thousand Sectors!

“One of the two parties in the war is the Imperium of True Human Beings, and the other party is the new federation, which is the unification of the Heaven’s Origin Sector, the Blood Demon Sector, and the Flying Star Sector!

“Just think about. How many dazzling sparks will burst out? How many blood-freezing stories will be told? How many unforgettable heroes, losers, and traitors will emerge in the universal war between the imperium and the new federation? Intense feelings are sure to be generated. Bloodthirst, betrayal, loyalty, determination, desperation, and hope!

“Such a way is the most delicious meal that anybody can expect. I am shivering in excitement just thinking about it!

“Compared to such a war, is the battle between the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector worth mentioning at all?

“Therefore, both of us share the same purpose here. We want the Heaven’s Origin Sector, the Blood Demon Sector, and the Flying Star Sector to join hands as quickly as possible so that the new federation will have a high-speed development for a hundred years to increase its capability as much as possible. Maybe, it will be qualified, however undeservedly, to be a real opponent for the Imperium of True Human Beings, won’t it?

“After all, only the evenly-matched wars are fun!

“See? I have told everything to you so frankly. You are finally assured, aren’t you?”

“… Asshole! I’m even more worried right now, alright?” Li Yao said. “How can there be such a terrible monster in the world?”

The mental devil sniffed. “The two of us are mental devils for each other. We are two sides of the same coin. In other words, I know you as much as you know me. Is it really fun to pretend to be an ignorant, innocent lily?

“Stop fooling yourself. In fact, deep down in your heart, you too yearn for wars, devastating combat, dangerous rescues, and the satisfaction of one against many, don’t you?

“You are as bloodthirsty as I am. You want as much killing, risk, and turbulence as I do. You hate a monotonous and lackluster world. From the magical equipment graveyard to this day, you have never changed at all. You are always the fatal vulture, aren’t you?

“Why did you teleport to the Blood Demon Sector by yourself instead of following the main troop when you left the Flying Star Sector?

“Right. You knew that you were contaminated by the Blood Stripe Virus. You were unwilling to affect other people and would rather sacrifice yourself!

“What an honorable reason. What a great man of integrity who will trigger tears when other people talk about him!

“However, both you and I know that it is completely bullsh*t. It was an out-and-out lie!

“Deep down in your subconsciousness, you longed for more fierce combat, more perilous battles, and more shocking adventures, and you did not want to be bound by any rules or laws. That was all!

“Subconsciously, you knew that, if you had returned to the Heaven’s Origin Sector with the main troop, you would have become a screw in the gigantic machine that is the world of Cultivators. The best you could expect is to become a relatively important unit.

“What’s the word on the Nexus of the Heaven’s Origin Sector? Every Cultivator has their responsibility!

“In the Heaven’s Origin Sector or the Flying Star Sector, even a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator cannot do anything freely. Even battles have to be arranged and circumscribed by a set of rules. If the federal government gives you a mission that you are not interested in, can you really turn it down?

“That was the reason you chose the Blood Demon Sector.

“In this place, you are the only dominator of yourself. You are no longer affected by any rules or laws. You can kill anybody or anything you want according to your own will without any hinderance!

“The bottom line is, right above the ‘Ultra-Level Federal Hero Li Yao’, there is another Li Yao, one that does not belong to the federation but only belongs to himself and the Earth!

“There’s no need to deny it. I know everything about your subconsciousness. Oh. Right. More precisely speaking, I am your subconsciousness!

“You know it. You’ve always known it.”

Li Yao was silent. A wind was suddenly raging inside his brain and blew off a gold leaf from Ou Yezi’s memory tree.

The mental devil extended its hand and picked the fallen leaf. It then folded the leaf from the two sides to the middle before it put on the leaf on its lips and blew at the leaf. Weird noises were echoing for a while before the mental devil suddenly coughed violently.

“Do excuse me. I haven’t learned how to whistle with a tree leaf yet. Sorry for my poor performance.”

“Then why are you still whistling?”

“I just feel that, while we are discussing such a profound and philosophical topic, playing the blues can significantly improve the style of our conversation.”

“…” Li Yao.

“Right.” The mental devil snapped away the memory piece and suddenly changed the topic. “Over the past few days, while you were training the body, I had a little adventure in the depths of our consciousness and discovered a lot of interesting stuff. Do you want to know what I have found?”

Li Yao raised his eyebrow. “What is it?”

The mental devil opened its mouth and spat out a little bug that was emitting vague gold colors like a firefly.

The body of the bug was like a round, transparent droplet of dew. However, when Li Yao focused his attention on it, he saw…

A blue world, Earth.

Hiu! Hiu!

A racing car that looked like black fire was drawing a burning line on a highway near the river at a speed that far exceeded the limits of any machinery. All the pointers and data on the dashboard were jumping crazily, until they were ripped apart into dancing streaks of brightness.

The whole of Earth was shaking violently.

“The Vulture Plan has failed. It is too formidable. We cannot destroy it!

“Run away!

“Run away to the edge of the universe and never come back. Forget everything about Earth!

“It is too strong and too dark. We cannot destroy it. We cannot destroy it in another thousand, million, or billion years!”

In the next second, the racing car of black fire seemed to have rushed out of the road, the troposphere, the stratosphere, Earth, and into the endless sea of stars.

Standing in the middle of the cosmic dust, Li Yao stared at the blue planet passionately. He declared in the vacuum, one world after another, “I am going to complete the Vulture Plan. I am going to destroy it!”

His soul shivered, and he was back to reality.

“That’s it?”

“What do you think? If our consciousness can be compared to a vast ocean, the information I found was all buried in the deepest trench. It is already a miracle that we can excavate some of the pieces with our current strength!”

Li Yao pondered for a moment and said, “Therefore, the purpose of the Vulture Plan is to destroy something, a being that is extremely dark and formidable. What is it exactly?”

The mental devil opened its hands and said, “Whatever it is, it is not something that we can destroy right now.

“Maybe, that is the reason we crave for fights, adventures, and training deep down to our bones. We’ve always wanted to be stronger subconsciously so that we will be able to implement the Vulture Plan one day!”

Li Yao took a deep breath. He seemed to envision a road leading to the blue planet named Earth in the depths of the sea of stars.

It was a road of thorns and flames that pierced through the entire universe and extended to infinity.

Leaning against the memory tree, the mental devil was also squinting, as if it had seen the same burning road in the universe, too. Staring attentively, it suddenly let go of the amusement on its face. It turned very tranquil and mumbled, “It’s a brilliant path, isn’t it?”

Li Yao smiled and nodded. He strode toward his own road.

Chapter 972: Problem of the Cosmos Ring

Translator: Ash, Strivon Editor: The Enlightened Master Crouching Cow

 

Five days later, on the ocean three hundred kilometers west of Void Turmoil City, a devilish warship that was pretending to be a gray whale slowly popped up and spurted out a giant pillar of water into the sky.

Inside the devilish warship, Li Yao was observing the situation in Void Turmoil City through the biochemical eye hidden inside the water pillar wholeheartedly.

Naturally, it was impossible to see the details due to the long distance. He could only sense the turbulent magnetic field and burning flames of demonic energy above Void Turmoil City.

Having just experienced a great battle, the city was now still heavily besieged by the coalition army of demons.

The elites of the Sea Clan in the coalition army were guarding the water in front of them. Therefore, the devilish warship of the Blade of Chaos did not dare draw any closer and simply dropped Li Yao there.

He could only count on himself for the rest of the journey.

Li Yao rejected taking any companions.

Firstly, the training of the three tactical squads of Skyfire had not been completed yet. They had to seize every second to practice in order to carry out the important missions to come soon.

Secondly, the mission of sneaking into Void Turmoil City, which had been occupied and besieged, and bringing someone out would not necessarily have a better result when there were more hands.

With Li Yao’s current capability, unless his teammates were of the same level as the Fire Ant King, others would only be adding to his trouble.

If he was not able to complete a mission, another hundred or so teammates would not help much!

“President.”

Standing behind Li Yao, Yuchi Ba said respectfully, “The overall structural design of Void Turmoil City, including the hundreds of secret channels mixed among the drainage canals when we built the city, have been saved in your crystal processor. Through the secret channels, you will be able to show up in any place inside Void Turmoil City. Of course, that is, if you pass through the undersea defense line guarded by the Sea Clan first.”

“Understood.” Li Yao nodded. “You will wait for me here and closely watch the situation in Void Turmoil City. If everything goes well, I will bring Jin Xinyue out in half a day. If there’s something wrong, meet me at the three backup rendezvous points in one day, three days, and seven days respectively. If you don’t see me in any of the rendezvous points, you will stop waiting and return to the Mysterious Shadow Domain directly. Jin Xinyue and I will figure out what to do on our own.”

Shua!

Li Yao stuck his right index finger and middle finger to the center of his eyebrow and summoned the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit.

The newborn Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit enveloped his body like a stream of thick, black liquid that consolidated instantly in a hideous form. The seemingly withered muscles and shells expanded continuously and unleashed such intense demonic energy that it condensed into black spirals around the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, making everybody on the devilish warship shake in fear.

If an ignorant Cultivator had seen such a view, he would certainly be extremely vigilant with the misconception that the greatest devil had arrived!

Li Yao inwardly frowned. This is too eye-catching. I really didn’t see this coming.

A lot of biochemical materials had been added to the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit during the modification, transforming it toward a perfect combination of a crystal suit and a biochemical beast. Such a methodology had significantly improved the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit’s performance, but it had also raised an issue that had never occurred to Li Yao before.

The Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, which was covered in tremendous living cells, could no longer be stored in a Cosmos Ring!

Generally speaking, Cosmos Rings could not be used to store living creatures.

It was because the functioning mechanism of most of Cosmos Rings was that the molecular structure of a three-dimensional object would be compressed into a ‘four-dimensional amalgamation’ of a higher density. Then, when the object was to be retrieved, the Cosmos Ring would unfold the ‘four-dimensional amalgamation’ in the three-dimensional space.

For example, if a newspaper was too large to be carried, it could be compressed hard into a cluster so that it would be able to be stuffed into a small space handily.

It was a compression from the two-dimensional space to the three-dimensional space.

When one meant to read the newspaper again, he would only need to take out the paper ball and open it, restoring it to the two-dimensional level.

It was not hard to imagine that when a newspaper was unfolded after being rolled into a ball, there would be certainly a lot of crinkles on the surface, and a lot of fibers that were invisible to the human eyes must have been fractured, too.

The storage of the Cosmos Rings was the same. The process of compression and extraction would deal a certain amount of damage to the object.

For the lifeless objects, such tiny damage could be overlooked, and their original properties and functions could be maintained, like a crinkled newspaper that could still accommodate readable information.

However, for cells that were highly competent, especially the braincells used for thinking, such damage was hardly resistible.

Countless savants among both human beings and demons had been dedicated to the project of storing living creatures with Cosmos Rings.

However, the best result after thousands of years of research was that some of the cells could maintain minimal activity inside the Cosmos Ring through the protection of special rune arrays.

Li Yao had once utilized the special preservation rune arrays to preserve a huge amount of food inside his Cosmos Rings, which could keep the freshness and the spiritual energy contained inside the food for several years. It was an application of the technology in reality.

But there was still a long distance to go from food to a living being.

It was especially so for the braincells, which were most mysterious and feeble in a living creature. After being ‘folded’ and ‘unfolded’, even if the living creature did not seem any different, their brain nerves might have been seriously damaged.

It was the reason why biochemical beasts could not be stored inside Cosmos Rings. After all, the core of a biochemical beast was the biochemical brain, which, although did not boast self-awareness, had to maintain a high activity in order to handle the computation of astronomical information.

Thankfully, the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was not entirely a biochemical beast, and its core was still a crystal processor with a tough performance.

In order to fit the brand new Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit into the Cosmos Rings, Li Yao, the Fire Ant King, and the other experts came up with all kinds of whimsical approaches that late proved to be failures without exception.

In the end, the Fire Ant King proposed a solution.

Although the Cosmos Rings could not be used to store living creatures, they were fine with dead bodies.

From ancient times to present day, Cultivators had often thrown materials such as bones or cores into their Cosmos Rings after the hunted down animals or demon beasts. If they had excavated some rarely-seen wood, they would often stuff the treasure into their Cosmos Ring casually, too. It had never been reported that the specifications of the objects were any different when they were retrieved again.

It was evidence that the storage of the Cosmos Ring would not jeopardize the intactness of cells.

Many crystal suits were directly built with tremendous Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. Even the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit had adopted a lot of materials that were ripped off from Skeleton Dragon’s body after the battle on Boneyard.

Other than the tough bones, a lot of high-extensible, soft materials had been applied. At that time, the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit had still been able to be stored in the Cosmos Rings freely.

Therefore, Li Yao and the Fire Ant King came to the conclusion that, if the braincells were not involved, as long as the activity of the cells was kept to the minimum level, it was possible that the cells would not be hurt during the ‘folding’ and ‘unfolding’ of the Cosmos Rings.

The Fire Ant King had done some research before. He had even developed a cell depressor based on the assumption, which could significantly reduce the activity of the cells and set them into the ‘hibernation’ or ‘apparent death’ state.

The Fire Ant King planned to store the biochemical beasts in Cosmos Rings in such a way so that the portability of the ultimate weapons could be greatly improved.

However, such a ‘hibernating drug’ proved to cause great damage to the braincells. The biochemical brains could not be ‘unfrozen’ after they ‘hibernated’. He could not make any progress however many experiments he conducted. Eventually, he had to abandon the project.

Since the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was not using a biochemical brain, it was not a problem. After being injected with the ‘hibernating drug’, the strengthened cells on the surface of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit all entered the ‘hibernation’ state, and the activity of the cells were lowered to the minimum, which allowed them to withstand the damage during the ‘folding’ and ‘unfolding’.

After the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was retrieved from the Cosmos Ring, it would be injected with an activation drug, which would stimulate the mitochondria inside the hibernating cells to burn furiously and restore their activity!

In such a way, the storage problem of the brand new Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was solved, although not entirely satisfactorily.

The ‘hibernation’ and ‘activation’ would both take one to two seconds, which could be quite an annoying lag in an ever-changing battlefield. However, after analyzing the pros and cons carefully, Li Yao still believed that it was acceptable to trade a few seconds for the significant improvement in performance.

After all, it was new technology and a piece of new magical equipment that had just been invented. A lot of problems would definitely occur, but the technical issues could be slowly addressed by the technical improvement. As a refiner with keen senses, Li Yao had high hopes for such a piece of new magical equipment.

What was most dissatisfying for him was that, when the activation drug was deployed to awaken the biochemical cells attached to the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, the mitochondria inside the cells would burn furiously because of the stimulation and unleash incessant demonic energy, to the point that visible black swirls would condense around his body. It was indeed too eye-catching!

Before, when I fully utilized my strength, my ultimate core would always play music loudly.

Right now, whenever I summon my crystal suit, an overwhelming wind of demonic energy is triggered!

Gloomy, haunting music along with the surging demonic energy like a volcanic eruption. This is exactly how the great villain in a movie shows up at the end. It is indeed too flamboyant and dramatic and does not befit my low-key style at all!

It was already beyond Li Yao’s expectations that the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit’s performance could be improved by so much after only half a month. Therefore, he could only deal with the minor flaw for now and dive into the depths of the undersea world in the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit.

Five hundred meters, a thousand meters, three thousand meters… He was surrounded by a world of darkness.

In front of Li Yao’s eyes, the parameters of the environment were jumping on the light beam of the crystal processor, and the cells on the surface of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit directly transmitted the outside pressure into his brain through the biochemical nerves.

The two different ways of processing told him the influence of the pressure of the seawater simultaneously.

He was both like a piece of high-precision diving magical equipment and a fish that lived in the deep sea. He was now able to analyze and process the information 30% faster than before, which allowed him to sense the effect of the feeblest current and the dangerous hunters lurking in the depths of the darkness!

Chapter 973: Catastrophe in Void Turmoil City!

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

Inside the undersea mountains on his left side, a thorny sea cucumber was lurking quietly, lying in the mud, ready to spurt out its internal organs that were packed with sharp thorns and hooks at any time.

On his right side, a shoal of Axe Fish was swaggering by. The unbridled undercurrents that they raised were demonstrating their formidability.

In the darkness ahead of him, glimmers were beaming out. They appeared to be the rotten whales from the upper level that had fallen into the deep sea, a phenomenon commonly known as ‘whale fall’.

But Li Yao knew that they were merely bait that were faked by the antennae on the forehead of the anglerfish. Should any fish think that the glimmers were food and go after them, they would certainly end up in the sharp, merciless mouth of the anglerfish.

Hunters were everywhere in the dark world, but if they were careless for one moment, they would only end up being the most miserable prey for the scarier hunters.

Li Yao observed patiently and calculated the undercurrents caused by the swimming creatures living in the deep sea while he selected his target carefully.

Eventually, he shifted his eyes to the shoal of the Axe Fish.

The Axe Fish appeared to be clusters of transparent soft meat and as harmless as shivering jelly at first glance.

However, their tongues, which were extremely tensile, could slap out with the enhancement of the pressure water and cut prey multiple times larger than themselves in half like the sharpest axes.

They were also fond of group activities. Once a large number of them gathered, they were even bold enough to challenge the most ferocious sharks. They were certainly one of the most fatal predators in the deep sea.

The size of this particular shoal of Axe Fish was similar to that of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit.

Li Yao tailed and observed them carefully for half an hour, recording all the features of the interference they caused to the undercurrents while they were swimming. Then, Li Yao turned around and moved to Void Turmoil City.

An hour later, glowing jellyfish that were floating like lanterns appeared in the darkness ahead of him. They were all in various colors and extended their tentacles to more than ten meters away. They looked like both exotic flowers and the willow branches in a breeze.

Li Yao knew that the glowing jellyfish were demon beasts tamed by the Sea Clan.

Cells with keen senses were distributed on the tentacles of the glowing jellyfish for them to detect subtle changes of the undercurrents.

In the deep sea where there were absolutely no rays of light, optical organs were the most useless of all. All the predators determined the size, species, and dangerousness of the prey near them through the changes of the undercurrents.

Every different creature would cause different interference when they were swimming in the water. The difference between a devilish warship and a demon beast was even larger.

By the sensation of the glowing jellyfish, the Sea Clan would know clearly what was swimming close.

Manipulating the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, Li Yao swam toward the glowing jellyfish.

He held his breath. Every strand of his nerves was as stable and precise as a scalpel while he carefully adjusted the power rune arrays and the activity of the muscles on the surface of the crystal suit to simulate the waves that the shoal of Axe Fish triggered when they were swimming.

In the absolute deep, dark sea, he pretended to be a shoal of Axe Fish that were looking for food voraciously.

He was even bold enough to dash toward a glowing jellyfish, pretending that the ferocious Axe Fish were planning to rip the glowing jellyfish into shreds.

The glowing jellyfish was shocked and slightly retreated, shrinking into a cluster.

But more glowing jellyfish crowded close from all directions, straightening their tentacles aggressively and releasing feeble poison.

It was not an attack but a warning.

They were the ‘sentinels’ that the Sea Clan deployed in the place. Their mission was surveillance, and they did not want to piss off a bunch of brutal Axe Fish.

Li Yao halted for a moment and swam away.

As a result, even though the Sea Clan had indeed felt an intruder through the glowing jellyfish, they would only think that it was a shoal of Axe Fish trying to attack a lone glowing jellyfish only to be intimidated by the tremendous glowing jellyfish that came later and retreat.

In such a way, Li Yao passed through the cordon that the Sea Clan deployed without alarming anyone!

He lurked in a trench not far away for half an hour in silence. Nobody came to investigate. The infiltration proved to be a success.

Even so, he was still careful enough to pretend to be a shoal of Axe Fish and swam forward at an extremely low speed.

For most of the time, he turned off all the power rune arrays and relied on the undercurrents to push him to the shore of Void Turmoil City. He only activated the power rune arrays and looked for new undercurrents when the previous ones led to the opposite direction.

After all, in the water above his head, chances were that a lot of Scattered Teeth Sharks, Tyrant Devilfish, and Abyss Whales, formidable demon beasts that the Sea Clan domesticated, were lurking and waiting for an enemy.

Being surrounded by a huge number of ferocious animals in the deep sea was a nightmare that even Li Yao would rather not be faced with.

Finally, he discovered the slope that extended to the bottom of the sea.

Void Turmoil City was right ahead of him.

According to the structural design Yuchi Ba offered to him, he soon located a secret channel that was deeply buried below the ocean.

When the Fire Ant King established Void Turmoil City, he had considered the possibility of the city being surrounded by an army when his identity was exposed. Therefore, he had built secret channels below the surface of Void Turmoil City that were as complicated as a maze.

It had been only one week since the coalition army of demon attacked Void Turmoil City. Although the city had already been razed to the ground, it was unlikely that all the secret channels had been discovered.

Like a ghost, Li Yao crawled into a twisted crevice. He injected a special drug into the seawater. A cluster of corals immediately emitted a feeble glow.

He turned the cluster of corals anticlockwise three times. A lot of bubbles suddenly popped up from the depths of the crevices, revealing a teleportation array where green moss were growing.

Shua!

Half a minute later, Li Yao took a long breath in a secret tunnel hundreds of meters below the Void Turmoil City.

In front of him, a lackluster bronze ring was floating.

He crossed his fingers and twisted them in the opposite direction of their joints, casting a weird spell and sending a telepathic thought out.

The bronze ring was humming. The vintage spiritual stripes carved on the surface of the ring were illuminated one by one, driving it to spin quickly.

The bronze ring was not fully-enclosed but had a notch. After spinning for a long time, the speed of the ring dropped. Eventually, the notch pointed in a certain direction like a compass.

Jin Xinyue’s location had been locked onto!

The bronze ring was the ‘Child-Mother Heart Connecting Ring’ that Li Yao had crafted through the ancient techniques. It was divided into the child ring and the mother ring and could be used to tell each other’s direction.

Although there were drawbacks such as the unclear coordinates and the lack of support for real-time communication, the greatest advantage was that the spiritual waves they sent out were extremely weak and much more inconspicuous than any modern communication or navigation magical equipment. Also, their signals were also highly penetrative and could hardly be blocked. They were the perfect gadgets to be used in a place as chaotic as Void Turmoil City.

Before Li Yao snuck into the Skeleton Island, he had discussed with Jin Xinyue about the methods of communication.

At that time, they had been unaware of the inside information of the Blade of Chaos and Elder Nether Spring, and they did not know when they would meet each other again.

Therefore, Li Yao had added camouflage to the child ring of the Child-Mother Heart Connecting Ring and given it to Jin Xinyue, asking her to wear it on her ankle.

According to their pact, Li Yao would sneak into the Skeleton Island and investigate the secrets of the Blade of Chaos. Meanwhile, Jin Xinyue would stay in Void Turmoil City as a chaotic-blood demon and a slave in order to collect the useful intelligence in such a place where silver-blood demons came every day.

It was Jin Xinyue’s specialty. Naturally, she found the job unchallenging.

However, as it turned out, the Blade of Chaos was completely exposed, and Void Turmoil City was attacked by a great army. Jin Xinyue was trapped in the place, too.

In the past, Jin Xinyue had been a demon king. There should not have been a problem for her to protect herself in the messy battles.

However, after absorbing a full dosage of the Divine Blood of Chaos, Jin Xinyue had been transformed into a human being from a demon, and her strength system was completely different now. It was impossible for her to perform the techniques of Cultivators in front of the coalition army of demons. Therefore, where she had been hiding herself was quite a mystery.

With the guidance of the Child-Mother Heart Connecting Ring, Li Yao rushed to Jin Xinyue’s shelter.

Half a day later, he had already moved deep into Void Turmoil City. Hiding below a collapsed building, Li Yao released Neltharion into the air for reconnaissance.

Through the crystal cameras on Neltharion, the city that was both messy and energetic in the past was now only messy.

The city was on fire. The districts at the periphery had been burnt to the ground. Large areas of demonic plants were burning at the same time, producing a rather splendid belt of smoke in the sky that was raging like a black dragon.

Deep inside the debris, explosions and the collapsing noises of the skyscrapers built on the withered trees were echoing nonstop.

The falcons and eagles of the Feather Clan were flying everywhere in the burning sky. On the cracked land, countless soldiers of the Insect Clan were waving their sharp sickles and crawling past the dilapidated streets. The burnt bones were piled up as high as a hill. Desperate screams were soaring to the heavens along with the most intense black smoke that looked like countless frozen, dark pillars.

The internal war among demons was no more merciful than those between demons and human beings.

It was as cruel as the internal war among human beings that Li Yao had participated in personally in the Flying Star Sector.

Although Void Turmoil City had been established by the Fire Ant King himself, for safety reasons, he did not tell many residents of the city about the Blade of Chaos.

However, even though they were not members of the Blade of Chaos, they were still the losers in the struggle for power in the major demon kingdoms who had been forced to escape to this place.

Naturally, the coalition army of demons would not be polite to them, nor would the brutal demons be willing to surrender obediently.

Also, in Void Turmoil City, the real members of the Blade of Chaos were also trying to break out of the siege. A war broke out in the end.

However, the majority of the elites of the Blade of Chaos had been taken to the Mausoleum of Chaos by the Fire Ant King and Yuchi Ba. The remaining members were in lack of leadership and caught unprepared. Naturally, they were no match for the well-organized coalition army of demons.

When Li Yao snuck in, Void Turmoil City had basically been occupied by the coalition army, and most of the resistance had been suppressed.

Soldiers of the coalition army were everywhere in the city, searching for suspects in every household. Even the belongings of the bronze-blood demons and the silver-blood demons were confiscated. A lot of resources were looted, and all the free citizens ended up as slaves.

The city was surrounded by biochemical beasts and devilish warships. Even a grasshopper would not have been able to jump out.

---

Chapter 974: Perfect Infiltration…

Translator: flycrane01 Editor: Millman97

 

When Neltharion finally determined the location where Jin Xinyue was hiding, Li Yao secretly cursed and spat on the wall hard.

It was a large military camp.

The military camp, which covered over five square kilometers, was established in an empty area in the middle of the debris. There was also an open field with a span of more than one kilometer where there were absolutely no shelters or obstacles.

The military camp was surrounded by iron gauze and shrilling thorns. Should anything get too close, the shrilling thorns would utter earsplitting noises.

A watch tower that was equipped with acid cannons had been established every hundred meters. Crouching inside the tower were the soldiers of the Feather Clan with keen sight who could distinguish a rabbit on the ground easily from the sky.

The watch towers were in a neat distribution and covered each other well. There was not a single blind angle.

Each of the four corners of the military camp was guarded by a patrolling team made of the Death Sickle Tarantula, which were more vigilant than the smartest hounds. They were patrolling day and night and eyeing anyone coming in and out of the military camp suspiciously.

An even larger number of more terrifying demon beasts were kept in the northwest corner of the military camp, ready for battle at any time.

What was more critical was that a ‘Ghost Eye’-level devilish warship was docked in the sky of the military camp.

Such a warship, which was more than a thousand meters long, was produced by the Sea Clan through combining and refining the genes of whale-type demon beasts and squid-type demon beasts.

The squid-type demon beasts boasted the most precise eyeball system in the world. There were more photoreceptor cells inside their eyeballs than there were in the eyes of Cultivators. Therefore, ‘Ghost Eye’-level devilish warship was best known for their scouting ability. It was now floating three hundred meters above the military camp and monitoring every corner from the high stance!

Li Yao bit his tongue hard. He had no idea why Jin Xinyue would be hiding in such a heavily guarded military camp.

What was even odder was the reason for the thorough defense of the military camp. Void Turmoil City had been completely demolished without the ability for any counterattack.

Neltharion drew slightly closer and observed the focal length of the crystal cameras. Finally, he noticed something wrong.

Most of the soldiers gathered in the military camp were not the regular army. Judging from their messy clothes and their ignorant expression, they should be the civilians of Void Turmoil City. Some of them were even chaotic-blood demons.

Under the shouting and abuse of the tutors of the coalition army, they were undergoing high-intensity training right now.

This place was more like a concentration camp or a transfer station of captives than a military camp. The captives would be transported to somewhere else after they were grouped and trained a little bit.

Li Yao recalled the scenes that Neltharion had captured on the way. The coalition army of demons were collecting tremendous resources from every part of Void Turmoil City, including crystals, strengthening drugs, and seeds of the demonic plants, and constantly shipping them to the outside world.

The coalition army of demons is draining the place. They are going to destroy Void Turmoil City and move away all the population and resources!

Damn. They are now looting all the assets of war for the great war to come, and the civilians here will become cannon fodder!

The demon emperors of the Pantheon of Demons have indeed gone mad. They are planning to take their chances and wage a national war before the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector are fully linked!

Li Yao suddenly realized what was going on.

Void Turmoil City was a metropolis with a population of more than one million. The migration of a million demons was certainly not an easy task. Therefore, a lot of regrouping camps had been established in the city. The captives would receive preliminary training in the camps before they were moved away in different batches.

The question remained, how was he going to sneak in?

Li Yao pondered for a moment. Splitting his attention apart, he maneuvered Neltharion to approach the military camp slowly to observe every guard inside the camp and their possible reinforcements. As he did that, he summoned the drill of mystic rays and started digging a hole in the secret tunnel.

The drill of mystic rays, after a full upgrade, now boasted three acid bags. Before the mystic rays shot out, a huge amount of highly-corrosive acids would be released.

Corrosion before digging significantly improved the efficiency of drilling.

Very soon, Li Yao dug the hole to a place two to three kilometers away from the military camp. Then, he extended three tunnels to the east, west, and south. He stopped digging when he was one meter from the ground and planted a special sensor chip and a lot of crystal bombs in the tunnels.

As a result, there was no anomaly on the ground. But through the crystal processor of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, he would sense the three chips very clearly. The three tunnels would be his routes of retreat.

If he was left with no choice, he could bring Jin Xinyue to the top of one of the three tunnels and blow through the one-meter-thick soil with the Cell Obliteration Cannon. After they snuck into the underground, he would detonate the crystal bombs and block the hunters.

However, that was only a last resort.

At least a hundred thousand soldiers of the coalition army of demons were stationed in Void Turmoil City right now. Should there be a massive explosion, they would certainly detect it and start a large-scale search.

More importantly, the Sea Clan would certainly increase their wariness and block the ocean completely. Even in the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, Li Yao was not confident that he could compete with the Sea Clan in terms of speed in the depths of the ocean.

He had no interest of fighting an army of a hundred thousand soldiers on his own. It would be best if he could achieve his purpose without alarming anyone.

When the three tunnels were all dug through, Neltharion had already snuck into the military camp and found rows of tents that were temporarily established.

Jin Xinyue was in one of the tents!

Excellent!

The precision of the Child-Mother Heart Connecting Ring was too low. The navigation could not have been any more precise, but it was good enough for Li Yao.

Li Yao’s eyes were glittering while he pondered carefully how he could sneak in.

The defense of the military camp is almost flawless. All the personnel getting in and out of the military camp, including the silver-blood commanders in glamorous armors, will be examined and strictly questioned. Although this silver-blood commander was only scrutinized ten minutes ago, a second sentry has appeared and verified his identity again. There is no way to fake him.

Shrilling thorns, watch towers, and the ‘Ghost Eye’-level devilish warship have almost every area under their control without any blind spots.

If I can locate the precise tent that Jin Xinyue is in, I can dig the tunnel to right below her feet with the drill of mystic rays.

However, it will be very difficult. There are almost a hundred tents here, and they are built with materials that boast anti-surveillance techniques. I cannot even see what is going on inside through Neltharion. That is really prudent!

The heavy defense of the military camp left a deep impression on Li Yao.

The toughness of the regular army of the demon race was evident from the arrangement of the military camp. It was certainly much better than the mobs such as the beast tides that infiltrated the Heaven’s Origin Sector ten years ago.

The most important problem is, even if I can sneak into the military camp, how am I going to bring Jin Xinyue out?

Mayhem. I have to wreak mayhem!

There is a warehouse of crystals in the northeast corner of the military camp. It is not very large, and the crystals stored inside are low-level, high-impurity ones, but they should be enough to make a tiny explosion and cause a brief riot.

Should I dig my way to the warehouse?

Li Yao immediately vetoed the idea.

The Insect Clan in the coalition army of demons were specialists in digging in the first place. Critical facilities such as a warehouse of crystals were certainly protected by surveillance and counterattacking measures.

Perhaps a few rock bugs that were highly sensitive to quakes were hibernating right below the warehouse at present.

It was also one of the reasons Li Yao did not dare dig the tunnel into the military camp directly.

Very soon, through Neltharion, Li Yao noticed a team of Land Whales that were wriggling toward the military camp slowly.

The fat Land Whales were responsible for shipping food and supplies to the military camp. Occasionally, they would transport the low-level crystals that the army collected and the new captives too.

Of course, the sentinels were examining the Land Whales thoroughly. They would turn every box of goods upside down to check. There were barely any gaps among the cargoes where one could hide.

However…

Half an hour later, a team consisting of nine Land Whales were riding toward the military camp with loads of goods.

When they passed through a ramshackle block, a skyscraper that was built on a giant tree suddenly collapsed. After an earsplitting explosion, the tree that had been entirely burnt fell down, raising a sandstorm.

The Land Whales were shocked and sneezing because of the overwhelming dust. They were running around and causing havoc.

In Void Turmoil City, which had turned into ruins, burnt trees were everywhere. Collapses and explosions were nothing unusual.

The well-trained riders waved electric whips and slapped the beasts below them. Very soon, they got the situation under control. The panicked Land Whales in the dust were restrained again and got back to the road.

In a moment, the Land Whales reached the gate of the military camp.

The displaced goods and the dusty and dirty riders attracted the guards’ attention.

After learning of the havoc on their way, the guards examined the trunk even more thoroughly.

For the demonic plant hay that was the food for demon beasts, they did not just stab their spears inside as they normally did. Instead, a soldier was sent into the hay and searched inch by inch.

But they found nothing in the end.

The guards waved their hands and let the newcomers in.

Ten minutes later, one of the Land Whales moved into the warehouse of crystals.

Below its fat belly, in the middle of the wrinkles that were dangling because of the gravity, Li Yao set the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit into stealth mode and slowly wriggled out.

His plan had worked out. Nobody expected that an intruder would be hiding in a wrinkle on the skin of a Land Whale without being discovered by the beasts.

It was all thanks to the highly-efficient narcotic drugs that the Fire Ant King provided!

It was a perfect infiltration.

Next, Li Yao was going to deploy a few special crystal bombs at the critical locations of the warehouse. The explosion was not the key point. He was trying to create an illusion that the crystals were going to explode in minor collisions because of their mediocre quality so that his following operation would be more convenient.

Let’s begin!

Li Yao snapped his finger in his heart and smile confidently.

He had come and gone like the wind in the most perilous places such as the Mausoleum of Chaos and the Nether World in the North Pole. Now that he had snuck into the small military camp, wasn’t he already a sure winner?

Right then—

Earsplitting alarms were ringing outside, as if ten thousand loudspeakers were shrieking at the same time. The entire military camp could hear them!