by <unknown>
Everybody nodded. "Fair enough!"
After pondering for a moment, Meng Chixin asked. "Fine, let's say that we can find the Star Glory Federation, but how exactly are we going to get there?"
"Heiye Lan has an assault warship from the Imperium that crashed in the Ancient Sages Sector," Long Yangjun said. "The woman tried repairing the warship, but due to the lack of resources, she put the project on hold.
"If the twelve of us join hands, what materials in the entire world can we not find? Is it difficult at all to have the warship fixed?
"Look around us. This Nuwa warship cannot be repaired anytime soon, but we can certainly dismantle certain magical equipment and facilities from this warship and transfer them to Weary Tooth, the warship from the Imperium, thereby enhancing it and making it qualified as the mount for the twelve of us!
"You have been studying here for almost a hundred years, seniors. I believe that you must've figured out the features of a lot of magical equipment and facilities, didn't you? Also, Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture is Grandmaster of Great Zhou. With your extraordinary refining arts, you will certainly be able to significantly build up Weary Tooth!
"As long as we can be shipped to the border of the Star Glory Federation, won't it be more than simple for us to switch to another starship?"
"A voyage in space is not child's play," Li Yao said coldly. "Even if the warship can be repaired, who's going to pilot it?"
Long Yangjun smiled again. "Heiye Lan can teach us. If she was able to maneuver Weary Tooth on her own, how difficult can it possibly be? I assume that even in the Imperium of True Human Beings, most of the crew members on a starship should be in the Building Foundation Stage or the Core Formation Stage, right? Are Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators incapable of doing what they can do?
"Besides…"
Extraordinary brilliance suddenly beamed out of the eyes of the elite warrior of the Nuwa Clan. She said confidently, "I sensed something the moment I entered the Nuwa warship. Maybe, I am born with the wisdom to pilot a starship and can pick it up very quickly. Who knows? Hahahaha!"
Li Yao was rendered speechless, knowing that the elite warrior of the Nuwa warship could probably really be an expert pilot of starships. Thinking for a moment, he asked, "Why would Heiye Lan teach us?"
"We will tell her that we are planning to sneak into the federation to sabotage them in cooperation with the Black Wind Fleet," Long Yangjun said. "Will she refuse us?"
"If all twelve of us are away to the Star Glory Federation, what about the Ancient Sages Sector?" Meng Chixin asked.
"What about the Ancient Sages Sector?" Long Yangjun asked in return. "Right now, the Cultivators outside have all learned that deities have arrived, and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators have shown up again. They have witnessed the horror of the Cloud Qin Gold Statues, too!
"After we can pilot the twelve Colossi skillfully, we will tell them that we are going to pay a visit to the deities' realm, where we will practice the sophisticated arts of the deities, and we will return in a few years!
"Who will rebel when we are away? Will they not fear our return?
"We will seal the Nuwa warship completely. Will they ever break our barrier? Even if they can, we will not leave any Colossi for them!
"Besides, we are not alone. In the battle against 'Deity Raincloud' three days ago, some of our subordinates proved their loyalty. With those people supervising the situation, no major issues will arise in the Ancient Sages Sector!
"Unless, of course, the Black Wind Fleet discovers the Ancient Sages Sector while we are away, but the chance is very low because we are not their original target!
"I have calculated every detail. Do you have any more questions?"
No.
Meng Chixin had voiced everybody's concerns.
Long Yangjun's proposal seemed to be very feasible.
"If there is no objection, let's have a vote now!" Long Yangjun said with a smile. "The twelve locals of the Ancient Sages Sector will sneak into the unknown universe and steal a whole new world! Why don't we call our infiltration operation the 'Star Stealing Plan'?"
"No!" Meng Chixin shook his head. The 'Wolf God' from the prairies grinned. "With the capabilities of the twelve of us, do we need to 'steal' anything if we want it? We can directly take it! Star Stealing Plan? I think we can simply call it 'Star Picking Plan'. We will march out of the dark nebula and pick the most brilliant stars beyond the sky!
"Now, we will have a vote on the 'Star Picking Plan' proposed by Fellow Cultivator Wang Xi."
Chapter 1543: Tricked |
As expected, the Star Picking Plan was unanimously approved by the twelve top experts of the Ancient Sages Sector.
The plan to infiltrate an unknown country on their own was still immature, with many flaws and risks.
However, faced with an unprecedented change in its hundred thousand years of history, it was impossible for the Ancient Sages Sector to survive the catastrophe safely without any danger.
Even if they did surrender to the Imperium of True Human Beings, they were still at risk of being exploited and devoured by the Black Wind Fleet. All twelve experts understood the point perfectly!
Nobody was born an expert. The twelve of them had experienced too much danger, risked too many things, and knocked at the door of hell more times than they could count, before they advanced to the level that they were at.
However high the risk was, as long as the final gains were ten times more than the rest, it would certainly be worth a try!
The Star Picking Plan was passed successfully, but not much time was left for them. Deep inside the universe, the war between the Imperium and the federation might be breaking out at any time. Or maybe, it was now being fought heatedly or even coming to an end.
They had to seize every second and immediately take action!
After repeated calculations, the twelve experts reached the same conclusion that they only had half a year to repair Weary Tooth, the warship from the Imperium, and familiarize themselves with the modern magical equipment such as crystal suits and Colossi.
They would have to take off after half a year and run to the universe beyond the darkness!
Only by doing so could they expect to jump to the Star Glory Federation within a year before the great war broke out completely!
In the three-party game between the Imperium, the federation, and the Ancient Sages Sector, the greatest trump card for the Ancient Sages Sector was the immense strength of the twelve of them.
But their strength had to be enhanced and unleashed through the Colossi, the ultimate weapons in the universe.
Therefore, the Colossi had become the most important things of all!
It was also why Meng Chixin and Wu Suiyun paid so much attention to Li Yao and even tempted him with the Tartarean General, the most powerful Colossus of all, and why Long Yangjun had said that Li Yao played an irreplaceable role in the plan.
In the few days after the Star Picking Plan was passed, Li Yao was completely devoted to the examination and testing of the Colossi.
Not only was he responsible for examining, debugging, and maintaining, he also needed to grasp the performance features of every Colossus precisely so that he could choose the most suitable Colossus for every expert as an 'advisor'.
Of course, his arduous work also included setting up 'backdoors' inside the Colossi.
As for whether or not the 'backdoors' would be noticed by the experts of the Ancient Sages Sector, Li Yao felt that it was a hundred times more likely for them to directly see through his identity than to discover the backdoors.
If a local of the Ancient Sages Sector picked up such profound knowledge about the Colossi in such a short amount of time that they could discover the backdoors that he deployed, Li Yao would admit his defeat without complaint!
Seven days later, in an independent training room on the left side of the temple of the Colossi, Li Yao and Long Yang
jun were alone in the vast virtual test field.
There was also the Colossus that Li Yao had carefully selected for Long Yangjun.
The test of the Colossus was highly private. Chances were that the tester would utilize their ultimate techniques that they would rather nobody else knew.
Therefore, the two of them had perfect reasons to lock the door of the training room and set up barriers on the door and the wall.
Even the two Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators, to show their respect, would not break the barriers and drift in to eavesdrop on their conversation.
What Li Yao had picked for Long Yangjun was a snake-shaped Colossus with light armor, a high speed, and a streamlined body.
The greatest feature of the Colossus was the long, narrow skull that could rotate to every angle like the neck of a snake, other than the black and white scales that fully covered the body of the Colossus without leaving the tiniest gap.
Above the skull that looked like the head of a cobra, more than ten twisted tentacles were growing out. They were antennas that could enhance and release telepathic thoughts.
"This is a special Colossus that highlights agility and stealth for reconnaissance and assault purposes. Its firepower and melee combat ability are not very impressive, but it boasts very powerful disguise and escape abilities."
Patting the black and white scales that felt like oily leather, Li Yao explained to Long Yangjun, "I believe that, with your shamelessness and cunningness, and your position as the 'mastermind' in the team, you don't want to charge to the front for combat when a fierce battle takes place, do you?
"So, this agile Colossus, which is particularly convenient for stealth and escape, is definitely the most suitable for you, Lord Wang!
"Moreover, a very powerful command and communication crystal processor has been installed in its skull that looks like a snake head. With the dozens of signal-enhancing antennas, the Colossus' abilities in intelligence collection, battle surveillance, tactical processing, and information transmission are very strong. So, it can serve as half a 'commander', too. Do you understand the jargon, Lord Wang?"
Long Yangjun nodded with a smile. She looked at the Colossus as if it was her partner whom she had met again after a long separation with a smile. "Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture, you deserve to be the moniker 'Grandmaster of Great Zhou' and the best sword forger of the Ancient Sages Sector! The Colossus that you have picked for me is exactly what I wanted! What's the name of the beautiful Colossus?"
"According to the 'operation manual' inside the Colossus, its original name was 'Black White'," Li Yao said. "However, now that you have become its new master, you are certainly qualified to choose a new name for the Colossus."
"Black White?"
Long Yangjun glanced at the scales on the surface of the Colossus, which were black and white and looked like tiles on a chessboard. She immediately understood the reason for the name.
After pondering for a moment, she shook her head and said, "It is not a good name. Now that it's mine, I'm going to call it… 'Yin Yang' in the future!"
"Yin Yang?"
Li Yao eyed Long Yangjun up and down. Recalling her mysterious technique to change freely between the two identities 'Wang Xi' and 'Long Yangjun', he chuckled to himself. It's inappropriate to call your Colossus 'Yin Yang'; you should call it 'Non-Yin Non-Yang!
Emotionlessly, Li Yao said, "Now, please test the performance of the Colossus 'Yin Yang', Lord Wang. I will perform more precise adjustments according to your habits and your combat style."
Shua!
The breastplate of 'Yin Yang' divided into dozens of tentacles like a chrysanthemum before they rolled to the outside and revealed the entrance to the dark cockpit. Everything inside was obscure, making it look like the wide-open mouth of a ferocious beast.
Li Yao made a 'please' gesture with his hands.
Long Yangjun rolled her eyes and chuckled. "Why the hurry? Nobody is around. Barriers have been planted on the door and the walls. Our conversation will not be overheard by anyone."
"So?"
"So," Long Yangjun replied, "shouldn't you express your gratitude now?"
Li Yao smiled. Without changing his face color, he said in a seeming sincere tone, "Thank you, Lord Wang, for standing up for what's right in the meeting and managing to bridle the wild horses that were almost breaking free!"
"Huh?" This time, Long Yangjun was truly somewhat startled. She eyed Li Yao up and down for a long time and shook her head before she laughed in amusement. "It seems that I've underestimated you after all. I thought that you would burst into fury and curse me for not keeping my word. I didn't know that you had already thought it through. Were your reactions in the meeting all faked?"
"Not entirely. At first, I was indeed a bit surprised." Li Yao narrowed his eyes. "Lord Wang's 'Star Picking Plan' has temporarily prevented the Ancient Sages Sector from surrendering to the Imperium immediately and deprived the Black Wind Fleet of the most perfect camping place. Perhaps their full attack will be postponed for a few years. If they can't find a suitable planet as their 'frontier camp', their overall combat ability may be diminished by thirty to fifty percent. So, the two contributions you have made are already of immeasurable strategic value to the federation—"
Long Yangjun giggled. "So, you do understand my real purpose. It seems that my trouble in coming up with plans to help your federation was worth it!"
Li Yao sniffed and said, "However, your plan means that those unpredictable, dangerous fellows will be sent into the federation. This game is getting bigger and bigger with more and more unexpected factors. It is almost uncontrollable! At the very least, you should've informed me in advance so that I could make preparations. That's what you should've done if you consider yourself my partner! Otherwise, next time, I'm simply reveal your identity as an 'heir of the Nuwa Clan' to everybody without any warning before I raise a series of follow-up plans with a smile when everybody whets their scalpels ready to dissect you into pieces for research. Do you want to taste what it feels like?"
"Well… I didn't know that your acting skills would be so excellent, Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture. However, on second thought, it does make sense. A spy of the federation who is bodacious enough to sneak into the Ancient Sages Sector on his own can't be somebody easy to deal with. Your position in the federation must be a hundred times higher than Heiye Lan's position in the Black Wind Fleet, right? It was my negligence to underestimate the capabilities and the acting stills of such a big shot from the federation like yourself. I can apologize to you!"
Long Yangjun was still smiling. "The game is indeed getting more and more thrilling. However, if you think about it carefully, you will realize that we actually don't have a choice. Meng Chixin, Han Baling, Qi Zhongdao, Qi Changsheng, Wan Mingzhu, Ba Xiaoyu… None of them are easy to fool and convince. How could I have talked them into action if I hadn't understated the difficulty of infiltrating the federation and exaggerated the benefits of the endeavor?
"If we don't get them to the federation, they will only be able to surrender to the Imperium. Once the Black Wind Fleet acquires such a perfect base in the rear like the Ancient Sages Sector and receives the support of manpower and resources, you will be dead for sure, won't you?
"Moreover, what are you scared of, Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture?
"The 'simpleminded' locals of the Ancient Sages Sector, however wise they are, will never understand what the modern Cultivation civilization is exactly.
"However, I have managed to get a glimpse of the enormity, complexity, and horror of the wars and armies in the universe from the mottled memory pieces deep in my head!
"Every individual only has limited strength. However powerful a Cultivator is, they cannot expect to compete with an entire modern country. You must know that very clearly. That's why you agreed on the 'Star Picking Plan' so quickly, right?
"What's more, for the Star Picking Plan to work, and if the twelve experts of the Ancien
t Sages Sector want to overturn the Star Glory Federation, they will have to depend on the Colossi. However, the critical parts of the Colossi are all in your hands. I don't believe that you won't pull any tricks.
"Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture, my proposal is essentially tying up the other ten experts, cleaning them up, and sending them into the bloody mouth of your federation. Can you just let go of the flawed details?"
[ol][li data-annotation-id="e297b6e8-7dd1-4fd1-8ea6-d51a563111d6"]Yin and Yang are two terms in Chinese philosophy that are too sophisticated to be explained here. In general, Yin is often associated with female while Yang is associated with male. For more information please see Wikipedia for entry "Yin and Yang".[/ol]
Chapter 1544: Let's Make Friends! |
Glancing at the Colossus 'Yin Yang' next to them, Li Yao did not deny that he had indeed laid some traps in the Colossi. "For an expert at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage or even in the Divinity Transformation Stage, even without a Colossus or a crystal suit, they can still be highly dangerous while barehanded!
"The most horrifying thing is not the strength of the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and the Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators right now but their shocking learning ability. Once they sneak into the Star Glory Federation, they will certainly swallow everything in the modern Cultivation civilization like a bottomless hole. With their immense deductive and computational abilities, before long, they will be assimilated into it and turn into standard modern Cultivators!
"It's impossible to control everybody just through the Colossi!"
Long Yangjun smiled. "So, are you scared after all? If the Star Glory Federation is scared of twelve locals from an 'ancient' world, why do you think you are qualified to compete with the Imperium of True Human Beings? Wouldn't it be better to surrender right now?"
Li Yao smiled, too. Confidence flowed from his face, making him look entirely different from the meeting a few days ago. "Who says that I'm scared? It will be a dangerous challenge. But the federation will never refuse any challenge, be they from the Imperium of True Human Beings, the Ancient Sages Sector, or any other forces in the sea of stars!"