by <unknown>
"Even if you are strong enough to take down all the enemies here, so what?
"The Great Horn Exo Society is surrounded by at least five ships on which there are not only savage space pirates but also a lot of other mysterious Immortal Cultivators!
"Not to mention that Fengyu Zhong himself is a Cultivator in the middle level, if not high level, of the Core Formation Stage!
"Are you expecting to fight all of them alone? What difference does it make for the outcome of the battle?
"Moreover, do you think that the crew members on this carrier are blind? They will simply ignore the murders here and listen to your command nicely?
"Maybe you are capable of slaying them all, but then what? Without a map, how can you locate Storm Prison in the vast sea of stars?
"Even if you miraculously find it, do you think that they don't have secure words or other safety measures? I'm afraid that you will be bombarded before you even draw close!
"What—what are you thinking exactly?"
Li Yao was not moved. He was as busy as bee for almost twenty minutes and finally finished all the decoration. He dragged whatever was left of Huangpu Shiyi into the anti-explosion room that Black Stone and White Dew were in, before he kicked him to a corner and set the defense rune arrays at the highest level.
"Shua!"
Seven layers of gold shields immediately appeared outside of the anti-explosion room.
"You said something this morning that I like very much."
Li Yao narrowed his eyes and looked outside, as he calculated the locations, angles, and after effects of the explosions that were going to take place. He said softly, "Even if this universe is truly nothing more than a brutal, bloody, shadowy forest, we Cultivators will burn all that we have just to give off a single weak flickering spark in the darkness!
"No matter how weak each spark is, how short-lived, how small… As long as the sparks flow unabated, then one day, one of those sparks will light some tinder, and that tinder shall light some fallen branches, and those branches shall set ablaze each and every last tree of the forest!
"In the end, even the smallest sparks will eventually ignite the shadowy forest and illuminate the whole world!
"Even if the odds are only one billionth, I will still summon ten thousand percent of my courage to bring about the fire!
BOOM!
With a telepathic thought, crystal bombs that had been planted in various locations of the warehouse were triggered at the same time. A series of earsplitting explosions echoed nonstop.
Although she was inside the anti-explosion room, Huangpu Xiaoya still felt that her head was dizzy, and her hearing was temporarily lost.
Huangpu Xiaoya's heart was beating fast.
She had said those exact words in the morning. But it felt totally different when they were spoken from Li Yao's mouth with a low, coarse, male voice.
Her declaration sounded groundless and just something to cheer herself up in her desperation.
However, when Li Yao spoke them, she somewhat felt that he was really going to make it. It was really possible that they could illuminate the entire universe!
"What—what is he exactly?"
Li Yao's outline was the only thing distinguishable in the darkness.
Looking at the outline, Huangpu Xiaoya was somewhat startled.
A moment later, when the fire triggered by the explosion was still sabotaging the warehouse, Li Yao dashed out.
He checked the dead bodies first. They had all been blown to pieces. Nobody would be able to tell the cause of their death without examining them carefully.
He then picked up a battle saber that had almost been melted and carried it on his shoulder. He also collected much dust and ash by the way and dyed his face grey. At last, he strode to a corner, opened the alarm on the wall and smashed it!
Alarms were ringing all over the carrier.
Three minutes later, urgent knocking sounded from the gate of the warehouse.
Taking a deep breath, Li Yao took out another crystal bomb. He weighed it and put it next to himself. Then, he gritted his teeth and triggered it!
BOOM!
He was immediately enveloped in real flames. Half of his body was burning furiously!
"Ah!"
Huangpu Xiaoya cried in shock. She had never seen anybody brutal enough to bomb themself before!
What—what was he going to do?
After a grunt, Li Yao staggered to the gate with his body on fire and opened it, summoning the last bit of his strength!
Immortal Cultivators were crammed on the doorstep. They were all crew members of the carrier. Most of them were not battle-type Immortal Cultivators. They were merely in charge of piloting the starship and analyzing the sailing route.
They were all astounded by the ghastly scene inside the warehouse.
"Ah!"
Li Yao screamed nonstop and rolled on the ground in front of them.
"Hurry up and put out the fire!" yelled the captain of the carrier.
A moment later, clusters of icy fog were sprayed at Li Yao, which soon suppressed the flames over his body.
At first glance, Li Yao was already half cooked. Half of his face was burnt and blackened. He couldn't look more awful.
"What happened? Was there something wrong with the crystal bombs they refined?"
The captain's head was in a mess. He was well aware of the match between Huangpu Shiyi and Li Yao. However, the two of them were both experienced experts of refining. A lot of safety measures had also been implemented inside the warehouse. There shouldn't have been any accident at all!
Judging from the damage of the warehouse, it must have been a result of a serial explosion with dozens of bombs!
"It was not a mistake. It was on purpose! It was betrayal!"
Li Yao shouted desperately, "Huangpu Shiyi betrayed the Temple of Immortals. He installed so many bombs on purpose in order to blow all of us up!"
All the crew members were dumbfounded.
The captain was even more shocked. He took a step back subconsciously and gripped the saber hanging on his waist, while he said resolutely, "That's impossible! Master Huangpu has always been loyal to the Temple of Immortals during his years of service. He has long made up his mind to walk on the path of immortality. There is no way that he would defect from our cause! What has happened? Speak now!"
"Ouch—ouch!"
Li Yao grimaced and cried, "How would I know what happened? Half way through the competition between Huangpu Shiyi and I, an intense explosion suddenly took place. A sharp-jawed old man was blown out of thin air!
"Then, the heavily wounded old man accused Huangpu Shiyi furiously, saying that he was deceiving our organization for his own good!
"After I listened for a long time, I basically figured out the whole story—
"Huangpu Shiyi had brought everyone out ostensibly for the purpose of recruiting new members for our organization. Huangpu Xiaoya was one of the candidates.
"But in fact, what he wanted was merely Huangpu Xiaoya's hands. He was simply hoping to get himself a new pair of hands!
"This trip cost the organization tremendous resources, but it turned out to be for his own benefits, which he had not explained earlier. It was strictly forbidden in our organization!
"But for some reason, the sharp-jawed old man discovered his secret!
"The two of them seemed to have made a certain clandestine deal. The old man covered it up for Huangpu Shiyi, and Huangpu Shiyi was to give him something in return.
"But as it turned out, Huangpu Shiyi was merely tricking and stalling him. He was actually making other plans to shut the old man's mouth once and forever!
"However, the old man was more vigilante than Huangpu Shiyi had expected. This explosion did not kill him but only heavily wounded him!
"In fury and embarrassment, the old man told everybody present what happened. He also said that Huangpu Shiyi was doomed for sure! When they returned to the headquarters and met the Lotus King, the Lotu
s King would make him beg to be executed!
"Huangpu Shiyi turned extremely terrifying when he heard that. He burst into laughter and said that, if he was doomed, he could use some company on his way to hell!
"In the end, I couldn't see anything for a moment. When I was back to myself again, everything had already become as it is right now."
Chapter 526: Scaring Everyone |
Li Yao's words raised a riot among the crew members.
The captain's face was gloomy, but he wasn't holding his saber as tightly as before.
In fact, he had found this recruiting mission somewhat weird long ago.
The Temple of Immortals had lurked in the shadows of the Flying Star Sector for many years. It had a standard procedure with a success rate was quite satisfactory when it came to converting Cultivators.
But this time, to recruit such an important figure like Huangpu Xiaoya, the entire process had been quite hurried.
Also, the fact that Huangpu Shiyi was in a hurry to chop off Huangpu Xiaoya's hands and take them as him own was also clear to the captain as well as the leadership of the starship.
The captain had been doubting him for a while, but he had chosen to not interfere with the renowned refiner and did not think too much of it.
However, hearing Li Yao's words, he thought through the whole thing and realized that it was probably true that Huangpu Shiyi was taking advantage of the organization's resources for his own good.
But even so, was it really enough to cause internal strife?
The captain was well aware that Su Jiuzhen was very smart and loyal to the Lotus King. Blackmailing Huangpu Shiyi did not seem something that he would do.
Also, the serial explosion was so powerful that everyone was blown up?
This accident reeked of suspicion.
At this moment, one of the crew members who had gone in to check on the situation yelled, "Captain, Master Huangpu is still alive!"
Li Yao paused and took a moment of rest, before he continued. "That sharp-jawed old man beat Huangpu Shiyi to the ground, but Huangpu Shiyi was not killed.
"As far as I can see, the medical equipment on board is not enough to cure him. We need to get back to Fengyu Zhong as soon as possible and treat him with the medical facilities on a large warship. You can interrogate him then, and you will know that I'm telling the truth!"
The captain squinted and hesitated. "This is only your side of the story. There is not enough evidence at all…"
"That's why I said that we must find Fengyu Zhong and treat Huangpu Shiyi in a proper medical facility!"
Li Yao was irked, his fingers trembling and pointing at his blackened body and face, while he cried, "Just look at what the explosion has done to me. Am I feigning all my wounds?"
The captain was a considerate man. He still felt that there was something wrong about the situation. Pondering for a moment, he shook his head and said, "I'm not saying that you are lying. However, the accident does carry a lot of suspicious points. Maybe there is still some backstory that neither of us know about. I suggest we drop anchor for a couple of days and give preliminary treatment to Huangpu Shiyi with whatever we have on board first.
"What's his status now? Huh, all his bones are broken? Then, in a couple of days, some of his bones can definitely be recovered. He will be able to transmit some information out by then!
"If there is nothing wrong with what you've said, we can go and catch up with Fengyu Zhong by then. We won't be late."
"That's not good enough. We will be in too much of a hurry.
"Why don't I brief everything that happened here to Fengyu Zhong and ask him to decide? It will all be fixed."
Li Yao stared at the captain for a long time, before he suddenly burst into fury and lunged at the captain, waving his saber. He shouted like a wild animal, "I joined the Temple of Immortals at the risk of being hunted by Cultivators. I haven't gotten any benefits yet, but I have nearly been blown to pieces, and you motherfu*ckers are doubting me!"
The saber was slashed forward, the aura of the blade raging.
The captain was an admin-type Immortal Cultivator; there was no way that he could resist such an insane attack.
His big head soared into the air. Blood was springing from his neck. He did not put on a shocked expression until his head fell to the ground.
"He—he has murdered the captain!"
All the crew members nearby were soaked in the shower of blood. They were all astounded and intimidated. Retreating, they looked at Li Yao fearfully. Many of them had taken out their aggressive magical equipment.
Li Yao waved the saber to clean the blood stain on it. He was wreathed in an extremely furious vibe that belonged to a Cultivator in the high level of the Building Foundation Stage. With a hideous face, he pointed his fingers at the crew members and yelled, "Where is vice-captain? Come and talk to me!"
Many of the experts on the carrier had been killed by Li Yao's 'Crystal Suit Killer' in the faked ambush of the Furious Bears Union.
Just now, a lot of them had been blown up in the warehouse, too.
Almost all the best experts and the leadership had been executed. Even the captain had died. The remaining crew members were merely small fries.
Everyone looked at one another in bewilderment, not having the first clue what was on Li Yao's mind and whether he was a friend or a foe. However, there was one thing that they were sure about: they were definitely no match for this coldblooded butcher.
For a moment, the two parties reached an impasse.
Li Yao was more than angry. He threw his saber to the floor and pointed at everyone's noses, yelling, "Are you all idiots? If I was lying just now and it was in fact me who slayed everyone inside the warehouse, why wouldn't I clean up all of you once and for all now that I have taken care of the captain?
"If I really was capable enough of finishing Black Stone and White Dew, which of you could possibly resist one of my strikes?
"Useless! Totally useless! How exactly were you trained in the Temple of Immortals? I'm really regretting my choice now!"
The crew members blinked and thought about his words; it made sense. If Li Yao was really an enemy who had slayed Black Stone, White Dew, Huangpu Shiyi, and even Su Jiuzhen, did he have any reason to keep them alive?
It was completely illogical!
Within a moment, a stout, meatball-like man ran close, breathing heavily.
The headless corpse of his captain made him exclaim in shock, anxious.
As a carrier without sufficient firepower, this starship ranked relatively low even in the Temple of Immortals. The captain and vice-captain were naturally not the best experts.
In fact, the vice-captain was merely an admin-type Immortal Cultivator in the beginning level of the Building Foundation Stage. Such a tricky situation had already soaked him in greasy sweat.
"Are you the vice-captain? Do you know who I am?" demanded Li Yao coldly, whose gloom and anger swallowed the vice-captain instantly.
The right half of his face was black and red, with steam popping up nonstop. He couldn't have looked more terrifying. Together with his fury, which seemed to constantly be on the verge of erupting again, the vice-captain was petrified. His legs shaking, he stammered, "Ma—Master Li Yao!"
Of course he knew who Li Yao was.
He had witnessed Li Yao's crazy performance in the Skyhill Sword Seminar in person. He was so astonished that his jaw nearly dropped the ground.
How could he not know such a lunatic who could carve a crystal chip with supersonic hands?
Besides, since Li Yao had been involved in the maintenance work of the starship, his loyalty must've passed the test without any problems.
Li Yao sniffed and looked at the vice-captain down his nose. The aura around him was surging like a volcanic eruption as he did not hide the immensity of the spiritual energy of a Cultivator in the high level of the Building Foundation Stage at all. He bellowed, "My Cultivation in the arts of refining has reached the high leve
l of the Building Foundation Stage! When I eat well and sleep well, it can even soar to the peak of the Building Foundation Stage! I'm an unparalleled genius and totally different from you useless craps!
"Right now, I am the one with the highest Cultivation on board, am I not? If so, you will all listen to my commands from now on!
"Hehe. So many people have been killed in the accident. Even Huangpu Shiyi has become a disabled man. How many proficient refiners does the Lotus King still have right now?
"Tell you what, when I return to the headquarters of the Temple of Immortals, I will definitely be appreciated by the Lotus King, and I will advance into the Core Formation Stage within several years!
"I may have wrongly killed the captain of a carrier in a spur of the moment, but so what? Listen to me carefully, losers. Right now, my wounds are aching, and I'm not in my best mood. Whoever pisses me off again, I'm going to kill!"
As if a cold front just blew through the pathway, the air was almost frozen. Everyone quivered uncontrollably.
Li Yao was not wrong. With his expertise in the arts of refining, if he became a member of the Temple of Immortals, he would definitely become an important figure in the organization.
Besides, different from other professions, it was particularly easy for refiners to make friends with or seek protection from other experts.
Li Yao was adept at refining sabers. Quite a few experts under the Lotus King's command used sabers as their weapons. If Li Yao spent some time crafting several incomparable sabers for them, he would definitely gain their fondness. Within several months, he would find a lot of connections in the organization and become a powerful, influential man!
The vice-captain and crew members were at the bottom of the hierarchy. Could they afford to mess around with such an irritated and deadly person?
Judging from the arrogance and narrowmindedness of the man, even if he did not slay them right on the spot, there would definitely be reprisals later.
Stared at by Li Yao's ominous eyes for more than half a minute, the vice-captain finally couldn't bear it any longer and asked hesitatingly, "What do you want?"
Li Yao gnashed his teeth. "What do I want? I want to meet Fengyu Zhong as quickly as possible! Also, toss Huangpu Shiyi into the med bay. As long as he is kept alive, it will be fine. When we meet Fengyu Zhong, we can deliver him and see how to treat him!"