by <unknown>
During the decades of his rise, even the most ferocious space pirates would cry when they heard his name. The destruction of countless pirate gangs seemed to be related to him, but every operation had been clean without any traces. Therefore, the guardians of the rules of darkness could do nothing about it.
However, when he became the Pirate Potentate, he suddenly turned into the most loyal enforcer of the rules of darkness and started talking about 'traditions' with everybody.
He collected the evidence of the pirate gang's previous crimes diligently and revealed it in public in the meetings of the Nine Dragons Union. Then, he struck the pirate gangs under the name of the Nine Dragons Union and took over their assets and manpower matter-of-factly. His forces further expanded.
As a result, not only was Bai Xinghe's personal strength getting higher and higher, other space pirates also became dutiful and obedient, intimidated by him.
It was not exaggerating to say that the recent decades were the golden era for Spider Den, when the society was most stable, and the crimes were fewest.
With so many docks and crystal suit centers, it had been a long time since the Abyss Pirate Gang went looting personally. They could lord over other pirate gangs and absorb blood from them.
It was one of the benefits of staying at the top of the food chain.
Even Fengyu Zhong, the old, cunning fox, is so wary of Bai Xinghe. It seems that he is not going to be easy to deal with.
Pondering for a moment, Li Yao meant to scratch his hair, only to touch his solid helmet. He then realized that he had been the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit all the time over the past month and had not taken it off other than when he was refilling spiritual energy.
Other than the information, Fengyu Zhong also recorded a very interesting anecdote.
It was a secret about Bai Xinghe's rise.
Even in a place where personal ability was valued and familial background was overlooked such as Spider Den, Bai Xinghe was still a living legend to have risen from a rat-like treasure hunter into the greatest king of space pirates in only a hundred years.
When people analyzed Bai Xinghe's skyrocketing rise, they found that he was always able to take out a huge amount of powerful magical equipment.
Then, word on the street was that Bai Xinghe had a 'Spider Key' in his possession.
The underground of Spider Den was a complicated fortress. Such a fortress naturally had a control center, a map, and a key to turn off all the traps.
Over the past thousand years, no space pirate had been able to locate the control center or the key.
Many space pirates suspected that Bai Xinghe had crawled into certain secret tunnels and found the center of the underground fortress with the help of his tiny body size during his early years when he was still a treasure hunter. He must have retrieved a detailed map and a key to enter every room of the underground fortress!
In such a case, the arsenals, magical equipment, and techniques buried for ten thousand years were naturally all his!
With such extensive resources, and also because he was an unparalleled genius himself, it was only reasonable that Bai Xinghe became the dominator of Spider Den!
When the rumor was out, all the space pirates were grasped by jealousy. Some planned to steal, and some planned to rob. Seven pirate gangs joined hands, hoping to annihilate the Abyss Pirate Gang and take the Spider Key.
In the end, Bai Xinghe destroyed all the seven pirate gangs and swallowed them instead!
Then, it was said that the Spider Key did not exist and that it was a false message released by Bai Xinghe's opponent so that everybody would turn against him.
But a more terrifying theory was that, although the Spider Key did not exist, it was Bai Xinghe who released the false message. His purpose was to lure other pirate gangs into attacking him so that he could launch a counterattack justifiably. In such a case, he would still be abiding by the rules of darkness on Spider Den and swallowing other pirate gangs to expand his forces at the same time.
After the seven pirate gangs were exterminated by Bai Xinghe, no more space pirates dared to mess around with him anymore.
Another point of interest was that Bai Xinghe, the Pirate Potentate, had a weird sense of humor.
He had truly refined a giant pendant that both looked like a spider and like a key and put it on his neck, showing it to everybody. The pendent was waving in front of chest wherever he went.
But no space pirates ever dared to ask him whether or not it was the Spider Key that could control the entire underground fortress of Spider Den and the countless kinds of magical equipment, techniques, and arsenals inside!
For a space pirate, his achievements could not be more remarkable.
Li Yao turned off his crystal processor and inwardly sighed.
On his journey to Spider Den, he would be faced with both Fengyu Zhong, an old, cunning fox who was now in the Nascent Soul Stage, and Bai Xinghe, the most distinguished space pirate alive.
If Hellsword was not lying, the real Black King should be at least in the Nascent Soul Stage, too.
Three Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators. And that was not counting the other experts of the Temple of Immortals such as the Lotus King.
For a moment, Li Yao had the urge to go back home immediately.
This trip to Spider Den will be different from my visit to Iron Plateau. I must change my style and focus more on investigation without alarming anyone. I should not fight unless it is absolutely necessary. I must keep a low profile! Otherwise, if three Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators are angered by me, the outcome won't be good!
Li Yao scratched the iron skull of the crystal suit and pondered. The carrier has cruised in the sea of stars for more than a month and crossed multiple stone belts. Many parts on the carrier have been damaged. When it arrives in Spider Den, it will certainly be examined in a certain dock. At that time, I will sneak out and hang around with the reserve space pirates in the bottom class who are waiting to be employed.
The questions remains, how am I going to approach the leadership of Spider Den?
While Li Yao was thinking hard, the cooling tubes all started shivering slightly.
Li Yao was dazed. He leaned against the wall of the tube and heightened the sensitivity of his soundwave reception rune array to the maximum, only to hear earsplitting roars from every direction.
Not good!
Li Yao's pupils constricted violently. Again!
There was no telling what accident the carrier had run into, but it was zigzagging and performing the craziest dodging movements.
In such a state, all the power rune arrays were fully activated. Naturally, the hot stream inside the cooling tubes was disordered and lost all patterns!
BOOM!
In the next moment, Li Yao was blown away by a cluster of air more than two thousand degrees high and extremely corrosive!
The crystal processor of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was buzzing crazily. The damaged part on the breastplate, which had temporarily been repaired by materials from the Black Horn Battlesuit, was ripped open again. Endless flames leaked into his crystal suit through the holes. He felt that he was slashed in the chest again!
I'm going to die!
Li Yao ran forward crazily and improved his senses to the limits, looking for a shelter in the labyrinth of cooling tubes.
However, the fully-functioning power rune arrays were even more fierce than three days ago when the carrier was caught by a cosmic storm. Of all the cooling tubes, there was not one whose temperature was low enough for him to stay in briefly.
What's happening? Another cosmic storm?
It can't be! We're already in Spider Den Space Zone, and they are travelling in the sailing route that they are most familiar with. It's not likely that they are unfortunate enough to run into such a large-scale cosmic storm. Or are they?
The alarms on the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit were louder and louder. In his anxiety and finding that he had nowhere to run to, Li Yao g
ritted his teeth and blew up part of the cooling tube, crawling out!
He appeared in the maintenance room next to the engine compartment. It was empty for now.
However, dangerous red lights were blinking on the wall of the cabin.
Broadcast rune arrays were sending out hasty alarms, too.
Li Yao had chosen the starship to lurk in after full deliberation. He had examined the few starships he found and selected the most ragged-looking one.
According to the plan on Hellsword's crystal processor, there were no important people of the Temple of Immortals on this starship. It was merely transporting the trivial assets and low-level Immortal Cultivators.
The journey was very long. Li Yao did not intend to stay on the same starship with dangerous people such as the Black King for a month.
Even so, he could not be too careful.
Looking around, Li Yao removed the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit and put on a mechanic's uniform after picking one from the closet of the room.
At this moment, the carrier was shaking more and more violently, like a lonely boat at the mercy of the surging ocean, one that had a giant hole on the bottom.
Li Yao's head almost crashed into the ceiling several times.
Sticking his ear to the cabin door, Li Yao listened carefully for a while. When he was sure that there was only one person's footsteps, Li Yao opened the door suddenly.
"What—what has happened?" Li Yao stammered, pretending to panic.
There was indeed only one space pirate in the pathway who hadn't got the opportunity to put on his crystal suit. His face was even paler than that of a dead person, as he shrieked, "Bo—Boss Bai is here!"
Chapter 711: Two Tigers on One Mountain |
Li Yao was dumbfounded.
Theoretically speaking, the leader of any pirate gang could be addressed as 'Boss Bai' as long as their surname was Bai.
However, over the past few decades, there had been only one Boss Bai on Spider Den. None of the other space pirates dared to call themselves 'Boss Bai'. They did not even have the courage to call themselves 'Brother Bai'.
Li Yao did not expect that Bai Xinghe, whose legendary life had left a deep impression on him a moment ago, would attack the carrier he was on so quickly.
Confused, Li Yao blurted out, "Isn't Boss Bai on our side? We are all working for the Temple of Immortals. Why is he assaulting us?"
It was not unusual for space pirates to attack each other when they encountered in the space. But it mostly happened when a pirate gang had just finished a job and their trophies attracted other pirates' attention.
The carrier Li Yao snuck in, on the other hand, was commanded by the Temple of Immortals and had just finished the assault on Heavenly Saints City. It had been cruising in stealth mode and had not robbed anybody. Naturally, there were no valuable goods on the starship.
What was wrong with Bai Xinghe? Why did he do such a thing so close to Spider Den, everybody's home camp?
Li Yao thought that the question he raised was perfectly reasonable. But the panicked space pirate grew suspicious the moment he heard the question. He eyed Li Yao up and down and asked, "Who are you?"
Li Yao frowned. He had been seen through.
Li Yao sighed. Spiritual energy surged out of his body and condensed into an invisible giant hand, which grabbed the space pirate's throat and raised him into the air.
The space pirate was quite weak. Now that he was choked by the hand, his face immediately turned black, and his eyeballs were rolling crazily. However, he could not scream or cry for help.
Li Yao dragged him back to the maintenance room and threw him to the ground heavily.
After a click, Li Yao locked the door with his spiritual energy, and he eyed the man coldly. He did not release his throat until he was almost in a state of shock.
The space pirate squirmed and coughed loudly like a half-dead lobster.
Li Yao extended one of his fingers. Invisible spiritual energy turned into a sharp cone on his fingertip and poked the man's chest softly, as he asked, "I will ask questions, and you will answer them. If you tell the truth, I will spare your life."
The space pirate was quite a quick-minded guy. Feeling the throbbing pain on his chest, he knew that his kidnapper was not someone he could deal with. He quickly nodded and said, "Don't kill me. Whatever you want to know, senior, I will tell anything!"
"The situation was quite a mess when the starship left Heavenly Saints City," Li Yao said. "Other than members of the Tiger Teeth Pirate Gang, some of the space pirates from several other gangs were evacuated to this starship, too.
"It's impossible that you know the hundreds of space pirates. Why did you grow suspicious about me? Is there anything wrong with the question I asked?"
The space pirate breathed heavily for a while and felt like crying. "Everybody on Spider Den knows that Boss Bai and Fengyu Zhong, who only rose to fame recently, do not see eye to eye with each other.
"Two tigers cannot live on the same mountain, and two kings cannot rule Spider Den at the same time.
"Before, 'Hellsword' Zhuang Ziyou, the other Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator on Spider Den, had many conflicts with Boss Bai, too. They reached a deal in the end. Hellsword would be a lone wolf and never establish his own pirate gang. In return, Boss Bai would provide a huge number of resources for Hellsword every year.
"With such a deal in place, the two space pirates in the Nascent Soul Stage were at peace again.
"But it is different for Fengyu Zhong. He has always been ambitious, and now with the support of the Temple of Immortals, he has swallowed quite a few pirate gangs over the past year. His strength is ten times higher than before. Naturally, clashes between Boss Bai and him are inevitable.
"Although the two of them had not begun fighting yet when we left Spider Den, it was perfectly normal for them to lose patience and decide to attack the other party. Therefore, it is quite abnormal that you were so surprised.
"Your second question is even more weird."
Li Yao raised his eyebrow. "I said everybody was working for the Temple of Immortals. Isn't it so?"
"Of course not." The space pirate smiled miserably. "Everybody on Spider Den knows that other people work for Boss Bai. Boss Bai does not work for anybody."
Li Yao was dazed. He pondered for a moment and realized that he had been wrong about something all the time.
From the moment he first came into contact with the Immortal Cultivators, space pirates had been their accomplices. Fengyu Zhong was personally involved in the Immortal Cultivators' first scheme and was a loyal dog for them.
In the battle of Heavenly Saints City, a lot of space pirates had participated and helped with the transportation.
Therefore, Li Yao had the impression that all the space pirates were partners of the Immortal Cultivators.
But it appeared now that space pirates and Immortal Cultivators were not necessarily on the same boat.
At the very least, Bai Xinghe, the 'Pirate Potentate', did not seem to be a guy willing to bow to somebody else, according to his life experience.
Thinking for a moment, Li Yao asked, "Is Boss Bai in a bad relationship with the Temple of Immortals? What are their conflicts?"
The space pirate replied helplessly, "What can the pawns such as us know about the specific conflicts? But over the past year, there have indeed been a number of rumors saying that Boss Bai does not like the Immortal Cultivators of the Temple of Immortals, who jumped out of nowhere."
Li Yao was going to ask the reason, but he swallowed the question and realized that he was being silly.
An emperor would not allow somebody else to covet his empire. Who was Bai Xinghe? He was the underground emperor of Spider Den!
As the Pirate Potentate, Bai Xinghe suddenly discovered that an enormous organization was lurking right under his nose. It had ill intentions and concocted various evil plans.
Li Yao felt that it was alarming enough if he were Bai Xinghe.
"D
idn't the Temple of Immortals try to buy over Boss Bai?" Li Yao asked.
The space pirate quickly replied, "Maybe. But Boss Bai buys other people. How can anybody buy Boss Bai? In short, over the past year, Boss Bai has not thought highly of many things that the Temple of Immortals did. It is said that they had conflicts in secret many times. The Temple of Immortals' full support for Fengyu Zhong had a lot to do with those conflicts, too."
Li Yao pondered for a moment and thought everything through.
For such a distinguished man as Bai Xinghe, it was extremely difficult to buy him. The price would be very high, and even if he was bought, it would be hard to manipulate him. Nobody could anticipate if he would swallow the Temple of Immortals instead.
Therefore, the Temple of Immortals decided to bring up their own 'Pirate Potentate'.
In the past, Fengyu Zhong was also a well-known brutal bandit in the circle of space pirates. But he did not have his own docks or crystal suit centers. In other words, he was only among the best ones in the middle class of space pirates.
Such people were the most ambitions and the easiest to buy over. As long as he was promised Bai Xinghe's position as the new ruler of space pirates when the endeavors succeeded, he would be the most loyal warrior for the Temple of Immortals and do what he was ordered to wholeheartedly.
Naturally, it hurt the interests of Bai Xinghe, the incumbent 'Pirate Potentate'. The conflicts between the two parties were not strange at all.
Li Yao sorted through all the information in his head and asked a few more questions.
However, the man was a pawn in his pirate gang in the first place, and he had been away from Spider Den for almost half a year for the mission. Therefore, he did not know the latest situation on Spider Den. Li Yao's questions proved futile.
"Last question. Answer it honestly, and I will not kill you." Li Yao did not give him time to think. He asked straightforwardly, "How many ordinary people have you killed?"