Forty millenniums of cul.., p.1189
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1189
He knew that the extraterrestrial devils had a scheme, one that would destroy his lifelong efforts, the mutual hope of humans and demons, and above all… his daughter!
But he could not talk. He could not even think about it because the extraterrestrial devils would perform a full physical examination on his brain and soul periodically. He could not allow the extraterrestrial devils to discover that he had the slightest will and ability to resist. Otherwise, even the slightest resistance would have been blown up like the soap bubbles in sunlight.
Then, was it possible to tell his daughter the truth without considering anything else and persuade her to abandon the Dim Moon Plan immediately?
It was not an option, either.
First of all, the invasion of the Black Wind Fleet was unavoidable. If the main force of the Black Wind Fleet was not destroyed cleanly and neatly in a space battle, the Star Glory Federation would have been dragged into a prolonged war. It would have been destroyed by a second or third expedition army from the Imperium of True Human Beings even if it were not destroyed by the Black Wind Fleet.
Seemingly catching his last breath for another few decades was certainly not the ending that Jin Tuyi wished to see.
Secondly, the extraterrestrial devils were mysterious, unpredictable, and unsubstantial. Even if their scheme was revealed, as long as they were not fundamentally hurt, they could have lurked for several more decades before they instigated trouble again when the federation was about to be destroyed.
Faced with the dual threats of the Imperium of True Human Beings and the extraterrestrial devils, not just one Vulture Li Yao, even a hundred would not be enough to save the day.
So…
Hard. Hard. This is too hard!
Li Yao realized that Jin Tuyi was like a prisoner caged in a dark, iron cell that had no doors or windows after his limbs were cut off. There was nothing he could do and nowhere he could run to. He could neither live nor die!
No. Jin Tuyi's real situation was a hundred times more upsetting and painful than that.
If he were put into a dungeon after his limbs were chopped him, it would only be himself who suffered.
However, Jin Tuyi had to watch his daughter step into the trap when he knew the existence of the scheme. He even became part of the 'trap' beyond his control.
When Jin Xinyue talked about the Dim Moon Plan delightedly before him, depicting the dream and the vision in pride and looking forward to the rise of the demons and the federation, as a father who clearly knew that his daughter was doomed to fail if not die and that she would go down in history as a symbol of infamy henceforth, how many surging waves must have been flooding inside his soul and what magnificent willpower he must have used to suppress the tides of emotions without letting the extraterrestrial devils sense any of it!
Li Yao covered his face with both hands and rubbed it hard. Still, he felt that the great horror was haunting and burning him.
It was true hell.
Just picturing it was enough to freeze his heart and stop his breath.
Glancing at the people around him, he discovered that Ding Lingdang, Bai Kaixin, and Long Yangjun were deep in thought, too, in expressions of fright and shock.
Two lines of tears even dropped from Jin Xinyue's red eyes after she was dazed for a long time, which turned her delicate makeup into a mess.
After a sigh, Han Baling observed in amazement, "Had I not seen the files and evidence in person, I would never have believed that there could be such a vicious trap in the world or such an iron-boned and visionary man!
"Later, the man's struggles and resistance in boundless darkness and loneliness were finally paid back by the best present, a most distinguished 'comrade'. It was Boss Bai, who had been reincarnated through possession and swallowed the remaining soul of Yan Xinjian, the strongest expert at the edge of the cosmos in the past five hundred years, which allowed him to ascend to the ultimate level!
"Everybody only had limited capabilities. If Jin Tuyi had been fighting on his own, no matter how determined, wise, and tenacious he was, it wouldn't have helped. The best he could expect was to delay the scheme of the extraterrestrial devils by several decades at the cost of his own death.
"But right then, he noticed the anomaly of Boss Bai.
"Nominally, Boss Bai was Jin Xinyue's most trusted general in her faction. The Big Bai Fleet was only established and expanded under the support of the funds from her, too. Under both the identity of Jin Xinyue's father and the identity of 'spy for the extraterrestrial devils', it was certain that he paid some attention to Boss Bai and the Big Bai Fleet.
"Normal people might not be enough to see through Boss Bai's disguise, but he was Jin Tuyi, who concocted the Red Tide Plan. He must've noticed some loopholes more or less.
"I think that the extraterrestrial devils' surveillance on Jin Tuyi couldn't have been constant. They might've been able to do that, but incessant surveillance could've caught Jin Xinyue's attention easily, which would render their attempts futile.
"There's another possibility. The extraterrestrial devils' surveillance was indeed thorough and flawless, but Jin Tuyi escaped from the surveillance for a while skillfully through certain secret techniques. For example, he might have 'earned' five to ten minutes of absolute freedom for himself every day.
"He couldn't use the time to contact his daughter because his daughter was monitored from different angles by other people. He couldn't have been the only 'spy' near her.
"Then, wasn't Boss Bai, who had a whole fleet and was unbelievably strong with his mysterious background, the best target of communication for Jin Tuyi?
"As for exactly how they communicated, what they talked about, and what kind of deal they reached, we certainly can't find out such details now.
"But based on the eventual outcome, the two of them must've had some sort of pact. Jin Tuyi convinced Boss Bai of the evil force that could control the Spiritual Nexus. More importantly, he made Boss Bai believe that as long as Boss Bai joined the battlefield out of nowhere, he would be able to crush the force!
"Right. You mentioned just now that Boss Bai jumped to the center of the cosmos, didn't he?
"I don't know much about the technology involved in space jumps, but I do know that it requires tremendous spiritual energy and fuel. A lot of supplies are needed on the starship, and the sailing routes as well as the coordinates of the destination at the center of the cosmos must be learned in advance, right?
"It would've been barely possible for Boss Bai to finish all the preparations of the space jump after just finishing a fierce, exhausting battle.
"But what if Jin Tuyi was involved?
"Jin Tuyi was not only the commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons in the past but also the leader of the programs of space exploration in the Blood Demon Sector for decades. Eye of Blood Demon, the most powerful teleportation array in the Blood Demon Sector, was developed under the supervision of Jin Tuyi, right? Most of the world fragments near the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector were discovered under the command of Jin Tuyi, right?
"It isn't too preposterous to assume that Jin Tuyi accumulated tremendous experience in space jumps during the process and even hid one or two unknown world fragments as his last trump cards, is it?
"Please imagine this, everybody. If Jin Tuyi reached out to Boss Bai in a very clandestine way, pointing out his real identity and convincing him of the existence of the extraterrestrial devils, and offered him a few world fragments that contained abundant resources as his gifts and the offer for the deal, would Boss Bai believe him or not?"
Chapter 1844: Child... |
Han Baling was indeed the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator with the highest deduction abilities among the twelve experts from the Ancient Sages Sector. Or maybe he was able to analyze the whole event from a higher level because he was an outsider. After only a few words, he had managed to connect the disordered clips together as if they were glittering pearls.
Although it was not entirely flawless, it was at least self-consistent and could explain the situation perfectly.
Li Yao thought for a moment but shook his head. "No. Had it not been for our sabotage in Hundred Flowers City and our unexpected arrival to demolish the Black Wind Fleet's space gate, Boss Bai wouldn't have been able to reverse the situation no matter how glamorous his sudden assault was. However, no matter how wise and meticulous Jin Tuyi was, he couldn't have foreseen our arrival, could he?"
"No. So, Jin Tuyi was taking a gamble, too. Or rather, he had no choice except to wager on the happening of a miracle," Han Baling replied. "Man proposes, God disposes. Even on the tiny, sole planet of the Ancient Sages Sector, who of the heroes competing for the hegemony of the world dare to declare that fate is in their favor and that they would surely claim the world? Didn't they just unleash all their wisdom, determination, and valor and wager on the slim hope whose odds might be only one millionth?
"For Jin Tuyi, he had done everything he could under such circumstances. He had burnt his entire life without any reserve and released the most splendid, tenacious, and powerful strength in the deepest part of his soul. Then, the only thing that he could do in the next was to pray… that there were indeed miracles in the universe, right?"
Han Baling put on a rare smile and said to Li Yao, "I remember that this is what you said before, quoted in multiple editions of the Chronicles of Li Yao. This time, you have indeed brought a new miracle to Jin Tuyi, to Boss Bai, and to everybody of the Star Glory Federation."
Li Yao coughed.
He was not necessarily a humble and low-profile man, and he was secretly delighted for his 'grand return' and 'miraculous appearance', too.
But right now…
Boss Bai first and then Jin Tuyi, the two old seniors taught him what a 'miracle' really was with their actions!
"Miracles do not happen because of prayers; Senior Jin Tuyi created one by himself," Li Yao said solemnly. "I did not bring a miracle to him. It was Jin Tuyi who brought the greatest miracle to me, to his daughter, to everybody of the whole federation, and to himself!"
"Yes." Han Baling nodded and said, "I believe that Jin Tuyi must've been elated when the news of victory was over and learned that Black Swirl, the Imperium's space gate, and the extraterrestrial devils had been located and destroyed.
"Perhaps nobody else in the whole federation had known the causes and consequences of the event and the dread of the extraterrestrial devils better than him. He was the one who understood how difficult and unbelievable the triumph was best, too. How could he have not roared in ecstasy for such a glorious victory?"
Jin Xinyue could not help but interject, "But he—"
"Yes. He chose death because he knew that the war was not over yet. He still needed to pour his infinite fury on the shameless extraterrestrial devils as the final closure!"
Han Baling curled his fingers and tapped his temples softly. "I believe that after all these years when he resisted the extraterrestrial devils, Jin Xinyue's soul and brain must've gotten even worse. They were more severely damaged and about to fully collapse. Jin Tuyi was merely sustaining himself with the toughest willpower.
"Most importantly of all, although the extraterrestrial devils in Hundred Flowers City and the Black Wind Fleet were all slain, some of the 'hidden problems' might still be lingering deep inside Jin Tuyi's brain.
"With the cunningness of the extraterrestrial devils, it would've been perfectly normal for them to implant something redundant into Jin Tuyi's brain when they had procedures on him, right?
"That something might not be the real extraterrestrial devil but some sort of 'seed'. Let's call it 'devil seed' for now. Perhaps, after the devil seed sensed that the mature entities of the extraterrestrial devils had all been annihilated, it would be automatically fertilized and continue bringing disasters to the human world.
"But the extraterrestrial devils could never have foreseen that Jin Tuyi's mind could be as sturdy as such. They had truly chosen the wrong 'host' this time.
"Didn't the eyewitnesses report that black flames dashed out of Jin Tuyi's brain and that a tiny shadow seemed to be struggling crazily inside the fire before it was obliterated? Chances are that Jin Tuyi took the 'devil seed' to the deepest level of hell where nothing would ever return with his last shred of life.
"This is about everything according to my deduction. There must be a lot of errors in the details. A lot of questions are not answered yet and perhaps will never be answered in the future.
"But I believe that this is the core of the whole event. Jin Tuyi was the real hero who supervised the whole situation behind the curtain and dealt a fatal blow to the extraterrestrial devils!"
"Dad…" Jin Xinyue was already weeping and unable to say anything after she heard that. She crouched on a chair, and her shoulders moved up and down. She felt as if she had returned to a hundred years ago when she saw her father's real appearance for the first time and heard all his hopes and expectations for her.
"The Red Tide Plan has succeeded."
Through the tears, she mumbled to herself, "The plan that you worked hard on for a hundred years has succeeded. You have truly saved our entire civilization and probably… the entire world!"
…
The moonlight enshrouded the hazy yard like water, with thousands of ripples spreading out.
Rooms in the No. 9 Star Fortress were in high demand. Despite Li Yao and Ding Lingdang's identity and body condition, they were only allotted rooms that were slightly more luxurious than the high-level officers'. The yard that simulated a natural environment was almost their sole place of entertainment now.
Squatting in the yard, Li Yao crossed his fingers and looked at the bright, virtual moon in deep thought.
His facial expressions were erratic. He was gritting his teeth, then bursting into fury, then panicked, and then going on a rampage. But eventually, he was clutched by darkness and desperation time and time again.
Ding Lingdang walked up from behind him and pressed his shoulder. "What's on your mind? I feel that you are very anxious. Your soul is in disorder, too."
"I am standing in the shoes of Boss Bai and Jin Tuyi and studying their mindsets when they were faced with desperation." Li Yao did not look back, but he held Ding Lingdang's hand on his shoulder and felt that his wife's hand was unusually warm and soft. "In fact, I find it hard to imagine exactly how they won their respective wars. When Boss Bai challenged Yan Xinjian or Jin Tuyi resisted the extraterrestrial devils, the strength of their opponents should have been far higher than their own. If it were me, I definitely wouldn't have been able to do what they did.
"What kind of strength supported them to persist in desperation and defeat such invincible enemies like Yan Xinjian and extraterrestrial devils? It seems that… I can't find such strength!"
Ding Lingdang laughed. "Isn't it simple? They had children, but you don't. You can claim that you are fighting for your compatriots, your beliefs, your country, your civilization, or any other bright and righteous cr*p, but how could all those things combined amount to a real, living child?
"No matter how invincible their enemy was, they had to win the war because, if they failed, it would be not only them who were destroyed but also their children, Bai Kaixin and Jin Xinyue."
Li Yao was slightly dazed. He mumbled, "So, 'children' is more important than compatriots, beliefs, nation, and civilization?"
"Not exactly." Ding Lingdang thought carefully for a moment. She could not help but touch her belly and say, "I think it is more like this. Only after someone has a child, sees their bloodline being passed on in such an amazing way, touches the new life, and feels the infinite joy and trouble that the child brings to them can they better understand the concepts of compatriot, nation, civilization, and all the other concepts, right?
"Fight for your compatriots, country, and civilization, but what exactly are 'compatriots, country and civilization'? Perhaps they are not so complicated. They are just thousands of young children that are right behind you. They have infinite possibilities in their future, but you are the only one who can defend them right now. Wouldn't such an idea bring greater force to you?"
After pondering for a moment, Li Yao widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Honey, you are much more sophisticated after a hundred years. Your words are now so philosophical!"
"Huh?" Ding Lingdang squinted and pressed Li Yao's shoulder harder. "Are you implying that my words before were not philosophical at all?"
"No, no. That's not what I meant at all!" Li Yao accidentally fell into his own trap. He hurried to beg for mercy while grimacing and tried to change the subject. "What I'm trying to say is that—well, in fact, I almost disliked little kids, especially the mischievous ones that roll on the ground screaming and breaking random things.
"However, after sensing the strength that supported Boss Bai and Jin Tuyi through the event, and after hearing what you said just now, it has occurred to me that maybe one or two children are not totally unacceptable for me."
Ding Lingdang stopped her movement and bit her lips even harder. "So, you want kids now?"
Li Yao discovered, to his surprise, that he had fallen deeper into his own trap. He scratched his head so hard that his brain turned into a pot of boiling porridge. "I never really gave it any thought before. After all, we are both young, vigorous, and ambitious and have great dreams. Didn't we agree that we would beat His Majesty of the Imperium of True Human Beings into a swollen pig? Hahaha!
"For now, I am not exactly opposed to kids. If we really have one, I certainly wouldn't turn them down, but it's best that we study it carefully first. Well, we must tread lightly before we really do anything. We must consider from the long-term perspective and make thorough plans. After all, it is not a catty or a puppy but very likely a dreadfully naughty child. Should they be born, we must educate them well and be responsible for them, right?"
