by <unknown>
"It is needless to say that you were a mental symbol of the Star Glory Federation in the first place and the most powerful strongman in the country. The so-called Speaker of the Federation or the leaders of the few top-ranking sects are but your puppets."
"Wait, wait, wait!" Li Yao hurried to wave his hands. "What are you talking about? 'Strongman'? 'Puppets'? The Speaker of the Federation happens to be my wife, the few top-ranking sects in the federation happen to have my shares, and the leaders of the few secret agencies in the federation happen to have some history with me!
"You know that I am a very low-profile man. The titles such as 'dominator of three sectors' are just vain names that were forced upon me. I feel quite bothered, too!"
"Yes, yes, of course. Everybody at the edge of the cosmos knows that Master Li is approachable and prefers to keep a low profile," Heiye Lan said respectfully. "Anyone who spends a few days with Master Li will know what a man of honor and integrity you are and how you despise money and power. You grew up to be one of the most powerful persons in the Star Glory Federation by sheer luck. It was absolutely not your intention.
"It is a pity that most people are ignorant and best at speculating about great men with their petty mind. They can barely understand your profoundness. In the meantime, most of the people in the Black Wind Fleet have never had the chance to communicate with Master Li deeply, and they could only look at the issue from the surface. If they are to infer everything based on their own experience, how can they believe that it's just a coincidence?
"Well, a theory seems to be prevalent among the defeated soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet right now—when the mantis is hunting the cicada, the sparrow is behind to take them both. But the sparrow is still not the final winner, because a hunter has already aimed a gun at it.
"The federation was the cicada, the Black Wind Fleet was the mantis, the extraterrestrial devils were the sparrow, and you were the hunter, Master Li. In fact, everything was within your calculations and part of your trap. The Star Glory Federation, the Black Wind Fleet, and the extraterrestrial devils were all manipulated by you like toys!"
Li Yao's eyelids were twitching rapidly. "Are you serious?"
"Yes, of course. I'm serious," Heiye Lan said solemnly. "Your grand return in the space battle was too stunning and coincidental. All the defeated soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet now regard you as a strategist whose scheme never fails and the real helmsman of the Star Glory Federation, some sort of great boss sitting behind the curtain. You don't know how much they admire you!"
Li Yao was dumbfounded. "Really? They even 'admire' me? But we are mortal enemies!"
Heiye Lan shook her head. "We indeed had a fight, but I don't think that there is really an unresolvable grudge between us, is there? After all, both the Cultivators and the Immortal Cultivators are humans who stand at the peak of evolution. We are all compatriots. When we are faced with the Pangu Civilization, the extraterrestrial devils, and the alien species, the minor contradiction between us is not a big deal at all.
"The Imperium of True Human Beings always maintains high internal competition. The friction among the Sectors is nothing unusual. However, as soon as the final victor is decided, the weak obey the strong and pledge loyalty to them, becoming part of the strong. This is our strategy of survival and development.
"After all, the purpose of competition is evolution, not dying together with the enemy. The people of the Imperium are no idiots!"
Li Yao thought for a moment and realized that it did make sense.
Heiye Lan went on. "In order to strike the morale of the defeated soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet and motivate them to surrender, quite a few versions of our 'letters of persuasion' seem to have adopted such a theory, too. They embroidered and exaggerated the adventures you had in the past hundred years and the grand return at the last moment, giving the feeling that you had everything planned out beforehand. Right. Some of the paragraphs were actually written by Master Han Baling."
"…Funny!"
"The Immortal Cultivators are very proud of our strength." Heiye Lan bit her lip. "Before you showed up, Master Li, we were suppressing the federal fleets. Had you not returned with twelve Colossi thunderously, we would've smashed the Burning Prairie Fleet into smithereens!
"Do you think that the soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet would agree to surrender to the Burning Prairie Fleet, which they thought they could've defeated? You were the key to the failure of the Black Wind Fleet. The members of the Black Wind Fleet will not complain if they are surrendering to you."
"Fine." Li Yao accepted Heiye Lan's theory, however reluctantly, but the details of the negotiation made him frown hard again.
The defeated soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet, commanded by General Di Feiwen, were willing to negotiate with the Star Glory Federation and even completely surrender on appropriate terms.
However, their negotiation had one prerequisite. Not only did they demand to only negotiate with Li Yao, Li Yao was also to fight three experts of the Black Wind Fleet before the negotiation started!
What the heck was that supposed to mean?
Naturally, Li Yao was not a pacifist, but he was not a barbaric warrior from the medieval age, either.
When two armies were clashing, he would not mind charging forward on his own to slay the enemy's general and cripple their morale, but the Black Wind Fleet was already at a dead end, and they were still hoping to decide the future of the fleet by personal valor?
That was ridiculous!
"Is there something wrong with General Di Feiwen's head?" Li Yao scoffed. "He thinks that he can haggle with us because he has a whole Black Wind Fleet in his hands? Our army has such a great advantage right now that we can easily win a war of attrition. Why would I go there and fight the simple warriors of the Black Wind Fleet?"
"Please don't be hasty, Master Li," Heiye Lan explained. "General Di Feiwen is the vice commander of the Black Wind Fleet after all and does not have the absolute power and prestige like my father. Besides, the Black Wind Fleet is divided, and his orders won't necessarily be carried out on every starship.
"While he sincerely plans to negotiate and even surrender to the federation, the captains and commanders of the branch fleets may think otherwise. To convince all the officers, the magnificence of the federation must be shown to the fleet near the brown dwarf that did not participate in the last battle.
"The parties could establish battle formation and have another battle, but that would result in major casualties on both sides. The starships of both the federation and the Imperium have a lot of soldiers who are ordinary people. Since the Star Glory Federation values the lives of the ordinary people, it is unnecessary for the blood of the ordinary people to be shed for nothing. The competition of the experts may seem outdated and stupid, but it will minimalize the sacrifices, won't it?"
Li Yao did not bother to blink his eyes. "What if I say no? Negotiation requires bargaining chips. Tell me about it. What bargaining chips does Di Feiwen have?"
"He does have some." Sensing Li Yao's rising fury, Heiye Lan felt chilly. She calmed herself and said, "General Di Feiwen said that if you reject his demands, Master Li, he will command the fleet near the brown dwarf to split into smaller groups and jump to the other worlds of the federation, especially the underdeveloped ones such as the Water Crystal Sector, the Nether World Sector, and the Forest Ocean Sector.
"Without the navigation of the space gate, it will be impossible for them to remain organized, but it will be unnecessary to keep organized because they will become the most brutal space pirates and flee in the vast sea of stars for the sole purposes of harassment and sabotage. It will take the federal army three to five years to annihilate them.
"Three to five years is more than enough for them to foment panic in the underdeveloped worlds, slow down the development of the federation, and create more conflicts among the Sectors."
Li Yao narrowed his eyes, with coldness beaming out.
"Beside
s…" Heiye Lan could not help but gulp. "If you decline, General Di will report everything that happened here to the Imperium dutifully and emphasize on the richness of the federation and its potential threat.
"He will even jump back to the homeland of the Imperium. Even if he has to live under somebody else's roof, he will try to facilitate the second expedition to the federation!
"In the second expedition, they will bear the lesson they learned this time in mind and will not give the federation a one percent chance of victory. That is the vow of Di Feiwen, an Immortal Cultivator!"
Li Yao's teeth rubbed softly, uttering three syllables at a fixed pace. "Di… Fei… Wen?"
Heiye Lan almost found it impossible to breathe. It was not until Li Yao slightly retracted his aura that she was able to finish. "Thirdly, right now, the fleet near the brown dwarf is basically intact. It has the most advanced comprehensive supply starships and other models of starships from the Imperium, which are invaluable treasures for the Star Glory Federation.
"If you are willing to negotiate, Master Li, General Di Feiwen promises that all the starships will be handed over to the federal government in perfect condition, without even the damage of a screw or a hominoid soldier. That's exactly what he said in the letter."
"Is it a threat?" Li Yao demanded.
Heiye Lan gritted her teeth. "General Di Feiwen prefers to view it as his sincerity for the negotiation. As you said, games require bargaining chips. Now, he has presented all his bargaining chips, and it is up to you if the game will be played."
Chapter 1862: The Gate of the Divinity Transformation Stage! |
Li Yao pondered for a long time and asked, "How exactly does he want to fight?"
"The location will be decided by the federation," Heiye Lan said. "For example, an anonymous space zone far away from the Heaven's Origin Sector. The specific arena can be a forsaken starship or a place of the Burning Prairie Fleet's choosing. They will only enter the arena at the last moment, which will ensure that they will not be able to play any tricks.
"The two parties will compete in crystal suits without using Colossi because the number of Colossi on General Di Feiwen's side have been reduced too much, and they cannot suffer any more losses. Besides, the battles where the Colossi are involved can be highly uncontrollable. It's inevitable that both parties will be heavily wounded or killed.
"The Immortal Cultivators with the highest personal combat ability from the fleet near the brown dwarf will enter the arena that the federation has prepared in their crystal suits. The number of crystal suits that they can carry is not limited. After all, 'air change' is also a very important technique. But the federation can examine all the Cosmos Rings that they bring with them to make sure that they do not carry explosives that are too dangerous for single warriors.
"The competition will have three rounds. As long as you defeat two of the strongest Immortal Cultivators from the fleet near the brown dwarf, they will be willing to surrender to the federation. Naturally, the more dominant you appear in the competition, the more reasons General Di Feiwen will have to convince the disobedient Immortal Cultivators to make the surrender and regroup.
"General Di Feiwen said that Master Li and the Star Glory Federation have great goals. If you truly mean to march to the center of the cosmos, there are a lot of places where the Black Wind Fleet will come in handy. It will be an 'important asset' of the federation. Only by showing the demeanor of an unparalleled expert will the Immortal Cultivators be wholeheartedly convinced."
Li Yao sniffed. "He has indeed made a thorough plan, but how do I know that it's not a trap?"
"General Di Feiwen is willing to jump to somewhere near the arena in a starship whose turrets have been removed with part of the leadership of the fleet near the brown dwarf," Heiye Lan said. "Then, it will lower its own spiritual shield to the minimum and invite the federation to lock onto it and send somebody to check their identities on the starship.
"Master Li, you can wait until it is verified that General Di Feiwen has been locked onto by the firepower of the federation. If you are not reassured despite such precautions, there will be nothing more he can do. Just let the fire begin, and they will fight until the last soldier dies!"
Li Yao was secretly amazed. The Immortal Cultivators were indeed quite capable to have established an enormous Imperium that governed the center of the cosmos. He did not expect that even a vice commander of the expedition army would have such valor and wisdom.
It seemed that the war between the Star Glory Federation and the Black Wind Fleet would have been more troublesome had it not been for the interruption of the extraterrestrial devils.
While raising his thumb for 'General Di Feiwen' in his heart, Li Yao showed absolutely no feeling on his face. He still coldly said, "He is rather audacious. Is he not scared that I will directly tear his starship into shreds without even showing up?"
"General Di Feiwen said that you are an extraordinary person, the likes of which he has never seen before," Heiye Lan replied dutifully. "A great hero who considers the entire sea of stars as his goal such as yourself will not play such tricks. So, he has absolute trust in your promise. As long as you agree to his conditions, he will be willing to place himself on a chopping block at your mercy.
"Besides, if the negotiation does fall apart, their strategy will be to split up into smaller groups, transforming from a regular army to ruthless, unlawful space pirates who will do the most terrible things in the universe.
"The harassment, sabotage, and killing will not require the instructions of a vice commander."
Li Yao came to an abrupt halt and stared at Heiye Lan.
Heiye Lan felt as if her legs were both frozen, and the freezing coldness went all the way up to her skull. Her entire spine became a cold viper.
It was too dreadful. The guy was practically getting stronger with each day. Vulture Li Yao had made significant breakthroughs compared to half a year ago. He was almost like a totally different person now.
Heiye Lan even sensed that, from certain perspectives, Li Yao was even stronger than her father when her father was at his peak!
"Please forward my reply to General Di Feiwen. Logically, I shouldn't agree to such a preposterous request."
Staring at Heiye Lan for a long time, Li Yao finally said slowly, "However, he is rather lucky. I'm now trying to break into a new level, and I'm in dire need of some experts to try my moves.
"I have practiced a lot of new techniques. It's very difficult for me to control my strength right now. If he is not scared that the three experts will be killed, bring it!"
Li Yao did not lie.
Both the enormous database from Professor Mo Xuan and the 'tenebrum energy' that the extraterrestrial devils had stuffed deep into his brain by brute force were not so easy to be digested and absorbed.
In the past six months, Li Yao had wasted no time purging the 'tenebrum energy'.
But it was a highly unsteady and violent form of energy that had been contaminated with too many negative feelings. Normal people would have gone crazy if they touched the slightest bit of it.
Despite the assistance of the mental devil and the tiny proportion he had each day, Li Yao was caught by extreme emotions now and then.
Also, the mysterious sand drawings that he had discovered in the Virtual Spirits Sector, the missing 'statue' that contained the information of his brain, and the absurd theories about 'high-dimensional virus' had planted a lot of seeds of suspicion in Li Yao's heart.
In short, after absorbing tremendous tenebrum energy, his Cultivation had soared once again, allowing him to touch the boundary of the Divinity Transformation Stage.
However, his control of his Cultivation had not been polished yet.
It was like a warrior who could wave a saber weighing eight kilograms being given a marvelous weapon of two hundred kilograms. It was inevitable that the warrior would be lightheaded upon using the new weapon and might hurt himself or those around him while practicin
g.
If the situation remained unchanged, even if he did advance into the Divinity Transformation Stage successfully, his Cultivation would still be deeply flawed.
Sensing the unsteadiness of his mind, Li Yao did not dare stay in the Heaven's Origin Sector or Hundred Flowers City for training anymore. Instead, he went deep into the space battlefield and vented his brand-new strength and killing intent on the relentless Immortal Cultivators.
But most of the Immortal Cultivators were just small fries. However many enemies he killed, it was of little use for him to improve his level.
For the experts at his level, the most troublesome thing was always finding an appropriate opponent.
The victory and failure of a competition between two experts could be very close. If they were both at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, should they let go all of their concerns and fight without reserve, it was very possible that both of them would heavily wound or even kill each other after one moment of carelessness.
But if they did not fight with their best, the training would have zero effect.
Li Yao did not dare practice with top-tier experts such as Ding Lingdang or Yan Liren because both parties would be unable to control themselves in a battle.
If Yan Liren drew out his sword of ten thousand kilometers and Li Yao counterattacked with the strongest techniques that he had recently perceived, one of them would surely be killed.
He had practiced with Long Yangjun before. It was not gratifying at all because both of them had to restrain themselves.
Now that three of the strongest Immortal Cultivators had fed themselves to him, it could not have been better. He was finally given a chance to carry out the strongest techniques that he had grasped in the recent half year.
Li Yao had a vague feeling.
As long as he defeated the strongest Immortal Cultivators in the fleet near the brown dwarf, the gate to the Divinity Transformation Stage would be before him!
…
A week later, in a desolate space zone far away from the Heaven's Origin Sector and devoid of any resources was a broken, forsaken space station, which had been moved there three days prior. It was stabilized and installed with dozens of gravity control units, which generated feeble gravity and transformed the space station into a shabby 'arena'.