Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

by <unknown>

  Soon, the video was on. A ten-second storm of blood was begun!

  The video seemed to have been shot by the crystal camera of a crystal suit from the main perspective inside a dim cabin.

  Black smoke was spreading. Intense flames were jumping. The picture was flicking between light and dark, bringing a strong sense of mystery.

  The picture was not clear yet, but everybody could hear the screams that resembled those of a pig being butchered alive. The somewhat familiar voice made Fengyu Zhong blanch; the same went for the advisor and everyone else inside the room.

  In the very next second, Fengyu Zhong saw… Fengyu Ming, his only son!

  Fengyu Ming was crouching inside a broken crystal suit. He seemed to have endured the cruelest suffering. The bones all over his body had been fractured. He had been stuffed into a giant tube by force as if he were a fat worm.

  For a moment, Fengyu Zhong did not realize what the tube was for; he only thought that it looked familiar.

  In the top right corner of the light beam, there was a countdown as red as blood.

  Ten seconds.

  Fengyu Ming was struggling desperately like fish on a chopping block. His broken bones pierced through his skin, and his blood was flooding out. He couldn't have looked more miserable.

  He was shouting and begging as loud as he could. "No! You can't kill me! I can give you whatever you want! Anything you want!"

  Fengyu Zhong exclaimed in shocked. The expression on his face turned from confusion to abhorrence!

  Nine seconds, eight seconds.

  "I know the coordinates of quite a few other treasures. I've found the residences of ancient Cultivators in two asteroids. I also know three top secret smuggling routes. I can tell you all of them as long as you spare my life!"

  Cracking noises were bursting out of Fengyu Zhong's fists, as if several crystal bombs were exploding inside his palms simultaneously!

  Seven seconds, six seconds.

  "Who are you? Who are you exactly? We have no grudges. Why do you have to kill me? Why?"

  CRACK. CRACK.

  Below Fengyu Zhong's feet, the floor made of super alloys collapsed. A giant pit almost one meter in diameter appeared! The entire deck was almost stomped through!

  Five seconds, four seconds, three seconds.

  "Is this for those ninety ordinary people? You are crazy. You are a rabid dog, too! My father will not let go of you. Storm Prison will not let go of you. None of the pirate gangs on Spider Den will let go of you!"

  "Ah Ming!"

  Fengyu Zhong cried like a wounded animal!

  Two seconds, one second, zero seconds.

  As the countdown reached zero, it clicked and dispersed into thousands of streaks of redness.

  "NOOO! NOOO! NOOO!"

  Fengyu Ming completely went mad. He rolled over and over and uttered meaningless screams.

  The rune arrays of the wind class deep inside the fuel transmission tube grew louder and louder, motivated by the incoming spiritual energy.

  As a result, the attraction force inside the tube grew stronger and stronger, pulling Fengyu Ming, together with his shattered crystal suit, further into it.

  It was not until this moment that Fengyu Zhong finally realized what the tube was.

  As if somebody had stabbed a knife into his chest brutally, Fengyu Zhong's face did not have the slightest hint of blood. He looked like a dead person who had just climbed out of the deepest level of hell in furious desperation for revenge!

  Fengyu Zhong was like a piglet that was about to be sent into a mincer. He struggled vigorously and frantically, his right arm clinging to the wall of the tube. Five clear traces were left on the tube, but they did not help the situation. Fengyu Ming was dragged deeper and deeper into the tube.

  His screams were louder and louder, as he was pulled into the bottom of the tube.

  Before he was entirely swallowed by darkness, he raised his head and looked at his murderer for one last time.

  Misery, desperation, hatred, anger… The expression on his face was so complicated that it was beyond the description of any words.

  "Ugh!"

  Fengyu Zhong was exasperated!

  At the turn of the tube, Fengyu Ming made the last attempt.

  It could be seen clearly from the picture that the strong attraction force pulled his flesh, fractured bones, internal organs, and the scraps of his crystal suit through his wounds.

  Fengyu Ming's screams were even louder than the fulminations of four fully-functioning rune arrays of the wind class.

  After several seconds, he finally couldn't bear it any longer and was pulled to the end of the fuel transmission tube where the burning crystal reactor embraced him.

  That was the end of the video.

  No… It was not ended yet.

  Three bloody words appeared on the dark light beam, as if they were written by the innocent victims of Fengyu Zhong and Fengyu Ming with their blood.

  'One more time?'

  Fengyu Zhong did not have a choice. The picture jumped to the very beginning when the ten-second countdown had just begun.

  Fengyu Ming, at this moment, was still struggling hard. But everything was the past now. Fengyu Zhong could not change anything, even though he was a Core Formation Stage Cultivator. He was not even able to keep the hair of his son and could only watch him be thrown into the crystal reactor helplessly.

  Fengyu Zhong did not even know who the true murderer was!

  "Ahh! Ahh! Ahh!"

  Fengyu Zhong's eyes turned crimson. His hair grew longer and longer until it stood up in the end. Glittering spiritual energy was bursting out at the end of his hair, as if it were burning!

  "Zi zi! Zi zi zi zi!"

  Centering at Fengyu Zhong, a shining purple light ball appeared out of nowhere and quickly expanded, surrounded by lightning that was almost purely black!

  The light ball boasted tremendous attraction force and pulled many small objects inside the room over. When the objects reached the light ball, they were all torn to pieces and crushed to powder by the terrifying force!

  BAM! BAM! BAM!

  Several illumination rune arrays on the ceiling of the cockpit could not bear the intimidating strength and exploded one after another.

  The room was immediately cast into darkness.

  The purple light ball was still expanding.

  BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!

  The mini crystal processors of the crew members inside the room exploded on their wrists due to the unbearable fury from Fengyu Zhong.

  However, none of the crew members noticed that their wrists were bleeding in great pain.

  Everybody was enshrouded in sheer shock and fear.

  In their eyes, Fengyu Zhong was an invincible man who had savaged the sea of stars for decades.

  But the mysterious enemy was insane enough to transmit the video of him slaying Fengyu Zhong's only son in a plain message.

  Was he not afraid of the wrath of a Core Formation Stage Cultivator?

  On the light beam, the video had been played twice and was about to be played for the third time.

  Intimidated by Fengyu Zhong's overwhelming anger, everybody secretly retreated to the corners of the room. None of them dared turn off the light beam.

  The space pirates had been scared the heck out of!

  Finally, the purple light ball and the black electric arcs stopped expanding. They gradually shrank in size, but Fengyu Zhong's aura soared exponentially in the meantime, as if the skin covering his flesh was being torn open, revealing the true identity of a ferocious animal behind it!

  "Hehe! Hehehehe!"

  Fengyu Zhong grinned hideously. He spat a mouthful of red, burning mist!

  The video had made him lose control over his mind and caused him internal injuries. But before he vomited the blood, it had already been vaporized into steam by his fury!

  "General Feng!"

  The advisor could tell that it was not a good sign. He hesitated for a while. Bu
t in the end, he gritted his teeth and dashed forward with his spiritual shield maximized. He concentrated his voice into a narrow thread and pierced it into Fengyu Zhong's ears.

  "General Feng, don't be rash. We are going to eliminate the Great Horn Exo Society. If we change our direction now, all our endeavors will have been in vain. The neat scheme that we have prepared for such a long time, the resources that we summoned, and the spies who exposed themselves will all have been wasted!

  "General Feng, the enemy is trying to infuriate you on purpose so that we chase after him instead of the Great Horn Exo Society! We cannot be fooled by him!

  "General Feng, we are both members of the Temple of Immortals! When we embarked on the path of immortality, we all understood that the feelings of the mortals are just illusions and that immortality is the only reality!

  "The relationship of father and son, husband and wife, brothers and sisters are all mortal feelings that we Immortal Cultivators must cut off! General Feng, cut the mortal feelings, strengthen your beliefs, and seek the ultimate immortality. Don't be affected by the mundane affairs, General Feng!

  The words 'cut the mortal feelings' struck inside Fengyu Zhong's brain like lightning. His eyes were finally clearer. He breathed heavily and mumbled to himself, "Yes, yes. Cut the mortal feelings. I'm going to cut the mortal feelings. Only ants and monkeys which are driven by their primitive instincts value such feelings. I'm going to cut—cut—"

  The video had finished for the third time.

  This time, it was not played again. Two lines of text appeared on the light beam instead.

  'Fengyu Zhong, like I said, you would regret it.

  'Ha—Ha—Ha—'

  Hardly had Fengyu Zhong's eyes gone clear when they were wreathed in animalistic brutality again after a painful, prolonged struggle. He kicked his advisor right in the chest and yelled, "The f*ck am I cutting! That's my son you're taking about!"

  The advisor was kicked more than ten meters away. But before he hit the ground, he was pulled back by an uncanny attraction force, and his collar was clenched by Fengyu Zhong.

  Fengyu Zhong's face was as horrifying as that of the craziest devil. His coarse voice also condensed into a thread and pierced into the advisor's ears.

  "Don't forget what banner we initiated the assault under.

  "We went out for the revenge of Ah Ming!

  "Right now, the man has sent the video of him killing my son to us and every other space pirate of Storm Prison!

  "This is like sh*tting on my head! My face is being smacked in front of everyone on Spider Den!

  "If I don't capture the guy, skin him, and mince him, how am I going to lead Storm Prison in the future? How am I going to establish my authority on Spider Den?

  "Survival of the fittest is the ultimate truth of Spider Den. The winners are kings, and the strongest are emperors! If I don't defend my honor today, none of the space pirates will be awed by me again! Other bandits in the Core Formation Stage will look down upon me and even make plans to absorb Storm Prison!

  "In short, if I don't act, I will become the biggest joke of Spider Den!"

  The advisor was smart enough to quickly get what Fengyu Zhong was trying to say. He gasped when he thought everything through.

  The enemy was indeed vicious and sordid!

  Such provocation was an open trap. Even if Fengyu Zhong was determined enough to cut off the mortal feelings, he would still have to close his eyes and bite the bait, knowing that it was bait, in order to defend his honor!

  Chapter 534: Great Horn's Decision |

  Fengyu Zhong took a deep, deep breath.

  A tornado seemed to be sweeping inside the room. Many crew members saw two white lines appearing suddenly before they were absorbed into Fengyu Zhong's nostrils.

  They felt that the air in the room was thin, as if Fengyu Zhong had inhaled all the air within the room.

  The breath made Fengyu Zhong's head clear again. Cold brilliance was blinking in his murderous eyes as he asked, "Do we have any chance to catch the enemy now?"

  The advisor ran calculations quickly and answered five seconds later. "The enemy is fleeing toward the center of the Iron Plateau Space Domain. Judging from its route, he is planning to run into the circular stone belts around Iron Plateau. It will be tricky if he gets there.

  "However, the enemy is on a 'Wild Butterfly' escape capsule whose speed is not very high.

  "Red Lightning has just been compromised. Of the other four crystal warships, three have power rune arrays damaged in different levels. Their speed is relatively low, and they are in dire need of maintenance.

  "However, the engine compartment of Squid is still intact. Also, as a quick assault starship, it boasts amazing speed. If it goes at full speed, even though the escape capsule is fleeing at its top speed, Squid will still be able to catch up to it in three hours!

  "But there are not many experts on Squid. Our enemy is vicious and sordid. He might still have other backup plans. I'm afraid that Squid alone is not enough to capture him!

  "Besides, such an extreme chase will consume enormous fuel. Once it changes its direction, there is no way to turn back!"

  Steering a crystal warship thousands of meters long was totally different from steering a shuttle. Although cruising at a fixed speed did not cost much fuel, acceleration, deceleration, and alteration of the route would burn a lot of energy.

  Decelerating a crystal warship whose speed had reached its maximum to complete stop would cost astronomical fuel.

  Therefore, once Squid changed its direction to pursue the escape capsule, it was not likely to come back again to join the battle against the Great Horn Exo Society.

  Without any hesitation, Fengyu Zhong commanded, "Not one. All the remaining four crystal warships will go after the new enemy now!

  "If Squid is sent away, the remaining three crystal warships might not be able to finish the battle within one day and a half. When the reinforcing Cultivators arrive, we will be caught in an awkward situation.

  "In the meantime, Squid is only a quick assault starship which carries no Core Formation Stage Cultivators. I'm very suspicious whether or not it is capable of capturing such a brutal, insane enemy!

  "If the enemy sets up another trap and takes down Squid, we will really be doomed.

  "If we don't do it, we don't do it; but if we do it, we do it with our best. Ask Squid to go after the escape capsule first. Remember, their task is to harass the enemy and slow him down. If the enemy charges out of the escape capsule in his crystal suit, retreat to the defense circle of the starship immediately. Don't be headstrong!

  "I have every reason to believe that the enemy is in the peak of the Building Foundation Stage or even the beginning level of the Core Formation Stage. He might put up a good fight in a crystal suit. Chances are that he is in possession of a super crystal suit. Otherwise, how could he sneak into Ah Ming's Ghost Jail without alarming anyone and murder him?

  "The other three starships will clean up the mess here and launch another raid on the Great Horn Exo Society. When the enemy is disrupted, we will retreat from the battlefield and follow Squid!

  "Blood Rain will cover the retreat later!

  "Carry out the commands!"

  …

  Two hours later, inside the broken cockpit of Gold Horn.

  Lei Dalu, Bai Kaixin, and all the other members of the Great Horn Exo Society were dumbfounded.

  The picture inside the light beam was the most unbelievable miracle in the world, which had rendered all of them speechless for a long time.

  An hour earlier, they had suffered the most intense attack since the battle started. The enemy had assaulted them belligerently as if determined to finish the battle once and for all. Almost all the hostile Exos were deployed for the assault.

  The three starships on the Great Horn Exo Society's side tried their best to hold back the attack. Their blood had almost run dry.

  Thankfully, the enemy's final attack was a bit hasty. The
defense network of the three starships still boasted abundant firepower and managed to resist the attack eventually.

  But before they were back to themselves, they suddenly noticed that the space pirates were retreating from the battlefield in an orderly manner.

  Looking at the three starships on their side, which were riddled with holes, the spiritual energy and ammunitions that was all running out, and the countless Exos who had suffered heavy wounds, everyone found it hard to believe their eyes.

  It was almost like a hungry tiger that had put down a bull and torn open its throat—the bull was bleeding, and its death was only a matter of time—but the hungry tiger then backed off without a reason.

  "What's going on?"

  Lei Dalu did not understand at all. He and the other warriors of the Great Horn Exo Society, who had more muscles than brains, looked at each other in bewilderment.

  Bai Kaixin pondered for a moment and ran some calculations on the light beam. He made the conclusion half a minute later. "They must be chasing after one of the two escape capsules."

  Lei Dalu was even more confused. "Why? Just because the one inside the escape capsule sabotaged one of Storm Prison's starships, Fengyu Zhong went mad and decided to hunt him down and let us go?

  "If Fengyu Zhong is such an emotional man, how did he secure his fame on Spider Den for decades?"

  Bai Kaixin was baffled, too. He frowned and said, "I find it very odd, too. Logically, we are Fengyu Zhong's sole target at present. For a resolute and cunning man like him, he wouldn't change his target easily, much less forgetting the big picture just because one of his starships was destroyed, unless…"

  Bai Kaixin examined the information the starship collected carefully. His eyes suddenly shone as he continued speaking. "Unless the one inside the escape capsule incited Fengyu Zhong in a way that we don't know, or the man gave Fengyu Zhong a good reason to shift his attention to him!

  "Captain, look, a few hours ago, the escape capsule had sent four precisely-oriented information streams to Blood Rain. Although we don't know the content yet, Fengyu Zhong did have a short 'conversation' with him. Maybe that is the reason Fengyu Zhong burst into fury."