by <unknown>
His enormous hand was raised high in the sky. As long as he closed his hand, Zhao Changlie and the hundred assassins from the six major sects would be killed immediately.
At the most critical moment, Elder Scorching Sun's face suddenly turned extremely weird. Thousands of needles seemed to have stabbed into his fingers, making it impossible to clench them into a fist.
His eyes that were burning like magma darting at beyond the sky brutally, Elder Scorching Sun was never as solemn and infuriated before.
Some of the Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector sensed the weird waves, too, and raised their heads to check.
Finally, somebody lost their calmness and shouted, "Look, Elder's image is—"
In midair, the overwhelming fiendish image of Elder Scorching Sun was releasing ripples. Because of the affection of the ripples, the three solemn and ambitious faces were twisted and stretched into the most ridiculous appearance.
Blown by the wind, the vivid fiery fiend turned into unsubstantial mist and even seemed to vanish.
The Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector who had been dwelling in Elder Scorching Sun's invincibility a moment ago all felt as if they were soaked in sweat after seeing the uncanny change. They could not have been more shocked.
"How—How is it possible?"
"Elder Scorching Sun's invincible image has been broken?"
"Who is so bold as to mess around with him? Even the experts of the six major sects will be killed if they come together!"
"Hehe!" Elder Scorching Sun snorted. He bit his tongue and smeared the blood on his palm, performing a gesture quickly to stabilize the fiery fiend, while he declared in fury, "Who is it that is bold enough to mess around in Angry Fire Mountain? Are you too timid to show yourself?"
The voice soared into the sky like an overwhelming tsunami and disappeared deep inside the clouds. The Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector felt that their souls were shaken again and could not help but be grasped by the infinite awe for Elder Scorching Sun.
"Hello. Can you hear me?"
Above the burning clouds, a rather weird voice came over. Although it was not as intimidating as Elder Scorching Sun's, it was also clearly audible to every Cultivator present.
However, the tone of the voice was rather weird, and everyone felt that it was quite unnatural as they heard it more. "Greetings, Elder Scorching Sun. Greetings, fellow Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector. Please don't be nervous. I mean you no harm and do not intend to raise an unnecessary war at all.
"Allow me to introduce myself first. My name is Li Yao. You've probably never heard the name before. In that case, I used another name when I travelled in the Ancient Sages Sector a few years ago, which was 'Master Spiritual Vulture'…"
Master Spiritual Vulture!
After hearing that, the Cultivators in the valley fell into complete chaos.
Master Spiritual Vulture, one of the ten experts of the Ancient Sages Sector who went to visit the deities' realm', had returned at such a critical moment!
Was it true or false? It was too unbelievable!
Everybody widened their eyes and pricked their ears while improving their spiritual shield to the maximum and preparing all their magical equipment, waiting for the development of the situation.
Elder Scorching Sun was slightly dazed. Then he laughed. "Is the legendary Master Spiritual Vulture such a stealthy coward?"
"Not exactly. It is mainly because the starships that have flown to the Ancient Sages Sector are all only adapted to the zero-gravity environment in the vacuum," the voice from the sky explained patiently. "To enter the high-gravity environment within the atmosphere, we have to make a lot of preparations to change the mode. All in all, it is very complicated. So, if you fellow Cultivators can wait patiently for a while, a hundred or so starships will arrive in no time."
"Nonsense!" Elder Scorching Sun turned gloomy and demanded, "I do not care whether you are impersonating anyone with evil arts or you are really Master Spiritual Vulture. Even if you are, so what?
"Master Spiritual Vulture, I've heard your name before and know that you have similar backgrounds to mine. We both have legacies from ancient dynasties. I've longed to compete with you!
"Come on. If you are the real Master Spiritual Vulture, just reveal yourself and have an open fight with me. Let all the heroes in the world be witnesses to see which is better, the legacies of the 'Great Zhou Dynasty' or the legacies of the 'Saint Fire Dynasty'!"
"Well, it is rather hard to explain, but I'm actually not the real 'Master Spiritual Vulture', nor do I have any legacies from the 'Great Zhou Dynasty'. All in all, would you please not be so hasty? Let's just talk nicely. Is there anything that cannot be worked out through peaceful communication?"
The voice in the clouds sounded rather troubled. "You may not know this, fellow Cultivators, but I am in fact a pacifist who does not like fighting. So, I'm hoping to settle these archaic problems including the Angry Fire Army, the Red Sun Sect, and Elder Scorching Sun in a peaceful way.
"Therefore, please keep calm and hear me out quietly, Elder Scorching Sun, and let's communicate with each other well. Otherwise, there will be consequences too dire for you to bear. I'm not lying."
"…" Elder Scorching Sun.
"…" The Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector.
"…" The experts of the Angry Fire Army and the Red Sun Sect.
Everybody looked at each other in bewilderment. They looked at the sky as if it were a drunk moron who had lost his mind.
The voice from the sky coughed and went on. "First of all, I'd like to tell you a piece of exciting good news. In the July of the fourth year of Emperor Phoenix of the Great Qian Dynasty's reign, or in September of year 102 of the calendar of the New Federation, at the warm invitation of the Supreme Parliament of the Star Glory Federation, after the votes of 'Emperor Phoenix' Zhu Zongyou, 'Dark Cloud King' Han Baling, Leader Qi Zhongdao of the six major sects, and other high-level representatives of the Ancient Sages Sector, the Ancient Sages Sector officially joined the Star Glory Federation and became a glorious and sacred member of the Star Glory Federation as a 'special district'.
"From this day forth, the history of the Ancient Sages Sector has moved on to a new chapter. The world now has a new future and has crossed to become a universal civilization from a lonely planetary civilization. This is indeed a rebirth and a new life!"
Chapter 1891: You Really Are Doomed |
The voice in the sky paused for a moment, as if it were expecting cheers and applause from the valley.
But it was only greeted by cold silence.
All the Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector were looking at each other in confusion with the most amused expressions.
"What 'Star Glory Federation'? What 'special district'? What 'Supreme Parliament'? What was that all about?"
"He is not Master Spiritual Vulture. I attended Master Spiritual Vulture's lecture before. His voice was definitely not as casual as this!"
"Fake! Fake! A counterfeit!"
Hearing the complaints of the Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector, Elder Scorching Sun pulled his face even longer. He sneered and said, "What an irrational and unorganized speech. Has any fellow Cultivator grasped a certain secret technique of voice transmission and decided to make fun of me?"
"Absolutely not. Everything I spoke is true and for your sake, Fellow Cultivator Scorching Sun. You are in great trouble, but you do not know the first thing about it. I am the only person who can save you right now!" The voice in the clouds became anxious. "The whole issue is rather complicated. If I have to explain it in a way that you can understand, it probably goes like this. In fact, I was a legendary 'deity' who travelled in the Ancient Sages Sector under the identity of 'Master Spiritual Vulture' for the purpose of guiding all of you into the deities' realm. Qi Zhongdao, Han Baling, Yan Liren, and other fellow Cultivators were taken to the deities' realm by me to appreciate the view there. They are all astounded by the prosperity o
f the deities' realm and have decided to join a 'deities' country' named Star Glory Federation in the deities' realm.
"As you may know, 'Emperor Phoenix' Zhu Zongyou and Dark Cloud King Han Baling are the legitimate rulers of the Great Qian Dynasty and the Dark Cloud Prairies. There are also Qi Zhongdao and Yan Liren as representatives of the major sects in the world of Cultivators, Qi Changsheng and Wan Mingzhu as representatives of the common folk, and even Master Bitter Cicada as a representative of the clergy. Therefore, the decision they made is quite democratic, legal, and representative. The bottom line is, the Ancient Sages Sector is now a member of the Star Glory Federation, and we have returned to establish a special district.
"Of course, the deities' realm and deities' country that I mentioned are different from what you imagined. But that is a different problem. Fellow Cultivator Scorching Sun, would you please retreat your techniques first so that we can talk nicely?"
"…"
Elder Scorching Sun was stunned for a long time, only to burst into great laughter. "Haha. Hahaha. Hahaha!"
After he began to laugh, the soldiers and disciples of the Angry Fire Army and the Red Sun Sect followed him. The laughter seemed to be contagious. Soon, the hundred thousand Cultivators in the entire valley were laughing hard. The hundreds of square kilometers around the Angry Fire Mountain turned into an ocean of joy and delight.
"Deities? Deities' realm? Deities' country?" Elder Scorching Sun laughed so hard that even his tears were almost dropping. He pointed at the sky and shouted, "Whoever you are, such a great scam is too ridiculous. If you are a deity who has returned from the deities' realm with countless soldiers, generals, and boats, where are your subordinates, and where are Qi Zhongdao, Yan Liren, Han Baling, and the other fellow Cultivators? Why are they hiding behind you while you brag about yourself?"
"That's why I said that you are in great trouble!" the voice in the clouds replied in a pitiful tone. "We issued the 'Divine Wrath Order' before we left, commanding all Cultivators in the world to behave and not start any wars recklessly. But you turned a blind eye to it and recruited soldiers blatantly to expand. You also swallowed the middle and small sects that disobeyed you without showing any respect for the 'top ten experts'. You were even audacious enough to attack Fellow Cultivator Qi Changsheng's Heaven Battering Army and capture 'Heaven Sweeping King' Zhao Changlie for public humiliation.
"This is serious, really. We've only been back in the Ancient Sages Sector for half a day, and so many of your atrocities have been collected. Right now, the fellow Cultivators here have no interest in talking to you but only want to throw a bunch of starships in your face. Fellow Cultivator 'Heaven Battering King' Qi Changsheng is particularly exasperated right now and shouting about cutting you into pieces and feeding you to dogs! You must thank me for holding them back and reminding them that peace is always better than war. That's why you are still alive right now, Fellow Cultivator Scorching Sun!"
The valley fell silent again.
All the Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector looked at each other in bewilderment, asking exactly the same question in silence, "Did—Did I hear what I heard?"
Elder Scorching Sun was so angry that he almost jumped to his feet. Even the fiery fiend in the sky was raging and screaming. "You want to cut me into pieces and feed me to dogs? After I locate where your real body is, I will do exactly what you described and make you beg to be killed!"
"Why can't you listen to my kind advice?" The voice from the sky could not have sounded more wronged. "I've defended you as best as I can here. I told them that while the federation is a society ruled by law, the case of the Ancient Sages Sector is special after all. It is in a different phase of development from the outside world and has all kinds of historical problems. The fellow Cultivators including Han Baling, Qi Changsheng, and some others are certainly not the most innocent people in the world, and it was their daily routine to fight and kill, was it not?
"It is exactly because we cannot treat you like we treat other people that we have to make a 'special district' in this place!
"It is true that we set up the 'Divine Wrath Order' years ago, but you only broke out of seclusion after we left and were probably not familiar with the situation at that time. Besides, we are partly responsible for your fault. We said that we would return in a year and a half, but the dark nebula was so tricky that we were lost halfway. It took us another year for us to find the sailing route again.
"All in all, while your crime cannot be pardoned, it is somewhat understandable. Considering that your hundred years of training couldn't have been easy, we should give you an opportunity to rectify your mistake and repay society and the people.
"After all the cases I made for you, Fellow Cultivator Qi Changsheng and other people finally agreed, however unwillingly. But they had one condition, too.
"If you choose to plead guilty and surrender after witnessing the toughness of the 'divine boats' and the soldiers and generals of the federation, it will not be enough to show your sincerity. We will be like bullies browbeating you.
"However, if I can convince you to let go of your magical equipment and your techniques and surrender without any proof, it will indicate that you still have hope to be educated. All the fellow Cultivators here are broadminded enough to not nitpick you for violating the 'Divine Wrath Order'.
"Really. Please do think about it carefully, Fellow Cultivator Scorching Sun. We can only live once. Was it easy for you to advance to the level only half a step away from the Divinity Transformation Stage? This is your last opportunity. Please do grab it instead of getting killed!"
As the voice from the skin became more and more outrageous, all the Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector in the valley swallowed hard and began trembling.
They could not even imagine Elder Scorching Sun's furious look right now.
Elder Scorching Sun shuddered so hard in wrath that even his skull was almost exploding. The air within a hundred meters from him was all emitting redness like magma. But in his ultimate fury, he burst into laughter and gnashed his teeth. "Fine. Then, how do you want me to 'grasp the last opportunity', 'Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture'?"
But he hinted for the disciples of the Red Sun Sect who were standing nearby to fly into the sky and search for the source of the strange voice.
He was already certain that the guy must have grasped a certain mysterious technique to transmit his voice and was now laughing in joy in an inconspicuous corner.
The voice in the clouds, however, sounded rather delighted. "It's great that you know what is best for you. A lot of media outlets of the federation are paying close attention to our magnificent landing right now. Personally speaking, I would like to make a peaceful, friendly landing that everybody is happy about. It will be an example of the 'peaceful solution'.
"So, by the power vested in me by the 'Ancient Saints Special District Committee' and the 'Ancient Saints Temporary Special Regulations', I announce that the five hundred square kilometers around the headquarters of the 'Red Sun Sect' will be a no-fly zone in the next forty-eight hours. All Cultivators are forbidden from soaring or riding your swords. All in all, staying airborne above five meters from the ground for more than three seconds will get you shot down. This is a temporary rule to maintain order. I hope you can understand.
"Also, everybody knows the purpose of Fellow Cultivator Scorching Sun's Rising Sun Ceremony. All the fellow Cultivators who are participating in the 'Rising Sun Ceremony' today are suspects for violating the 'Divine Wrath Order'. Each and every one of you will have to be investigated and vetted.
"Rest assured. It will be just an investigation. If you have never disobeyed the Divine Wrath Order, you will be set free very soon.
"After our starships descend into the atmosphere, the identification and investigation work will immediately begin. Now, please stay where you are, fellow Cultivators. I will also have to ask Fellow Cultivator Scorching Sun to maintain the order with your disciples and army. Ju
st consider it atonement for your sins. I promise that as long as you help us complete the identification and investigation dutifully, your crimes will certainly be punished in a gentler way.
"This is all I want to say. Have I made myself clear, everyone? What about you, Fellow Cultivator Scorching Sun? Do you have any questions?"
All eyes were focused on Elder Scorching Sun, while everyone wondered how he would react to the crazy, arrogant talk.
Elder Scorching Sun's face turned from white to green, from green to red, from red to purple, from purple to black, and from black to white again. The earth below his feet was shaking violently, as if infinite magma was darting out. The fiery fiend in the sky was rolling nonstop, with shocking thunder echoing inside its body!
"B*stard, how dare you play me like that!" Elder Scorching Sun opened his hands. The light balls above the six giant hands of the fiery fiend all exploded. Thousands of arcs occupied the entire sky rampantly, making the furiously burning sky even more dazzling, until the whole valley seemed to be on fire. All the Cultivators of the Ancient Sages Sector could not help but close their eyes. They could only hear the loud roars of Elder Scorching Sun. "Show yourself, show yourself, show yourself! You stealthy b*stard, come on and show up right now!"
"You…" The voice in the clouds was not affected by the light balls and the electric arcs at all, remaining as clear as ever. It simply sighed gloomily and said, "I have been as cowardly as possible, but you are still so determined to be killed. What else can I say? You are doomed. You really are, Fellow Cultivator Scorching Sun. Even if all the deities and devils in the world come to beg me to spare you, you will not be saved."
Chapter 1892: Okay, I'm Coming |
"Hiss!"
After hearing that, everybody in the valley gasped hard. It had never occurred to them that the voice that sounded helpless and casual would make such a tough declaration after giving in so many times.