Forty millenniums of cul.., p.1671
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 1671
But how was it possible?
Was the Next Sun Plan, which Blackstar the Great worked on for a thousand years, really not as good as the Virtualization Plan that this sleazy cockroach came up with after thinking for an instant? In such a case, would he be too ashamed to call himself the commander of mankind and the light that directed the future?
Wuying Qi's soul was so twisted as his confidence was seriously struck that he was bordering on collapse.
"You can vomit blood if you have to. It won't be humiliating. Few people in the whole universe can prevent themselves from vomiting blood after they hear my ideas."
With his hands behind him, Li Yao simply allowed the surging fire of the red star to gather into wings that tore the mental battlefield apart. He said casually, "Both 'Next Sun Plan' and 'Virtualization Plan' are fantasies that are not even worth disapproving. Nobody can design the future of a civilization in the next ten thousand years, and nobody is qualified to change the thoughts of the billions of individuals in a civilization. If someone claims that he has mastered the absolute truth and can foresee a perfect civilization ten thousand years later, thus asking everybody else to worship him, obey him, and sacrifice themselves for him, he'll be either a liar or a maniac, or maybe both.
"The future is never designed by a sage, a commander, or a god; it's created by all the individuals in a civilization one step after another!
"Since I've realized that, I never consider designing the future in thousands of years or proposing the seemingly magnificent but actually deeply-flawed plans. I simply try my best in settling the small issues.
"I defend the happiness of every insignificant individual at present. I hope to share more knowledge and wisdom with everyone. I try my best to build a system where everybody can think and speak freely. I work hard to alleviate intense conflicts. I hope that, because of me, the world is better than it was in the last second, and that it will be better in the next second than it is now. In the end, smarter, stronger, and more excellent new humans will be born in this wonderful new world, with more morals. They will discuss the crazy plans that we proposed in a wiser and more comprehensive way. They will figure out the advantages and disadvantages of the infinite schemes including Next Sun Plan and Virtualization Plan so that the promising plans can be realized with minimal cost.
"It's going to take very long. I may not see the fruit of my work or the bright future of mankind in my whole life, but I believe that the new generation of mankind will achieve it, and that's enough!"
"That's… not enough!"
Darkness was flashing rapidly around Wuying Qi, as if he were roaring hoarsely. "You're just leaving the problem to the new generation without trying to settle it yourself. We have no time. We have to resolve the problem that has haunted mankind on our own. It's our responsibility!"
"You're wrong again."
Li Yao declared resolutely, "Your greatest mistake is your arrogance and your lack of trust. You claim that you love mankind, but you don't. You have never loved or believed in any individuals except for yourself. You don't trust that they can think or work out problems independently. You despise them!
"It's true that we're running out of time, but several hundred years is nothing more than a snap of fingers for the evolution of the universe and the civilization. Mankind has developed for at least a hundred thousand years since the primeval war, and you can't wait for a few hundred years now?
"You know very well that the development of civilization is bound by natural laws. The magnificent plans to operate on and completely modify a whole civilization, such as the Next Sun Plan or Virtualization Plan, shouldn't and can't be realized in only a hundred years, which would lead to too many side effects, and the odds of failure would be too high.
"If you're really considering for the civilization, you should sow the seeds, scarify the soils, and wait for the future generations to realize it, just like I did.
"Yet, you have been walking on a hasty, evil path, because you've never loved mankind. What you love is the feeling of leading a civilization to glory as the commander of mankind.
"Just admit it! For you, the rise of a civilization is just a game, and the individuals in it are not living people but chess pieces. They're toys for you to satisfy your ambitions and sense of victory and achievement. You are the only player in this game!
"Since you are a player, you certainly would rather not wait thousands of years for a victory. You prefer to reduce the time length of this game no matter what the cost is. After all, it's not you who are paying!
"I have no doubt about your sincerity to lead mankind to glory, but it doesn't mean you love our civilization. You're only aiming for a quick and exhilarating victory.
"If you unluckily fail, I believe that you can accept your demise with grace, but I don't think you will consider the billions of people who have been sacrificed for you. After all, if you die as a player, the civilization of mankind doesn't have to exist anymore because nobody plays it now, right?
"This is exactly the biggest difference between us; I'm fighting for the civilization, and you're asking the civilization to fight for you!
"That's also why you can't win the support of the majority whatever shameless tricks you resort to today. Even the Immortal Cultivators won't side with you. Your only outcome will be doom when you go against the whole civilization!"
As Li Yao roared desperately, the light of the red star had illuminated the whole mental battlefield and set the dark universe on fire.
Even the black sun, which was a symbol of Wuying Qi's soul, had giant red spots popping up on the surface, as if magma were spurting out violently.
"Whatever you say, it's meaningless nonsense!"
Wuying Qi howled angrily, "Your sweet speech cannot resolve the chaos in the capital. Only I and my Next Sun Plan can do that!
"At this moment, the ace fleets of the four families are still confused and will be transformed into the Imperium's loyal soldiers, but if the Gold Crystal Pyramids are stopped right now, they will be recovered in five days and will attack Empyreal Terminus again!
"Thanks to your sabotage, my Imperial Army and the Deep Sea Fleet are disorganized; their morale is gone. They can't be regrouped in five days. How are you going to resist the ace fleets of the four families?
"Nothing can reach the capital in five days and stop the ace fleets. Also, there are the main forces of the Covenant Alliance that are lurking in the darkness!
"How are you going to settle the chaos? By moral, do you mean ruining my plan and watching the ace fleets of the four families turn the capital upside down and the Imperium to be swallowed by the Covenant Alliance?"
"Hehe, Wuying Qi, your stupidity is beyond my imagination. Haven't you noticed anything wrong at this point?"
With a mysterious smile on his face, Li Yao stabbed the thickest mental tentacle deep into Wuying Qi's soul, injecting tremendous information to his twisted mind. "To stop your evil plan, we naturally have our own plan that's much safer. Let me unravel the puzzle and shatter your belief!"
Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!
Infinite pictures and sounds were poured into Wuying Qi's soul instantly and nearly blew it up!
The person in the first picture was the last person that Wuying Qi expected—it was Lei Chenghu!
It was the negotiation between Li Yao and Lei Chenghu seven days ago in the garage on the flagship of the Astounding Thunder Fleet.
"In any case, I will not suspect His Majesty's loyalty to the Imperium and the civilization without valid evidence."
Lei Chenghu said coldly in the picture, "I find it hard to cooperate with a Cultivator like you until I see the whole truth."
"That's not a problem."
Li Yao said quickly, "I can show you the truth. I can even do a live stream. However, I think the capital will be strictly locked down, and few messages can be transmitted despite the interference.
"We have a spy to take care of the blockade on the four families' side. Look, it's Li Wuji who's standing right there. He has high clearances. However, Blackstar the Great will definitely turn Empyreal Terminus Sector into an iron fortress since his biggest secret is involved.
"The only way is to hack Blackstar the Great's central network and hijack his crystal cameras and communication devices. But for that, I'll need a critical and secret interface and time. You need to get half an hour for my crystal processor specialist!"
"That… is possible."
Lei Chenghu hesitated for a moment, but he gnashed his teeth and said, "There's a highly-confidential channel of communication between me and His Majesty. If I activate the channel and have a one-hour conversation with His Majesty, will it be enough for your crystal processor specialist to sneak into the central network and make preparations?"
"Special secret channel of communication? A one-hour conversation?"
In the picture, Li Yao put on a creepy and cunning smile. "Enough, that's more than enough!"
Chapter 2640: Two Swords Into One! |
"Lei Chenghu…"
Wuying Qi's soul was heavily struck again. He could not believe that Lei Chenghu, the "Last Immortal Cultivator of the Imperium", had betrayed him!
"Now you should know why Lei Chenghu talked to you via the most confidential channel and even told you the intelligence about me!"
Li Yao chuckled like a thief. "It was not only meant to reduce your wariness. It was also to locate your command center through the channel so that my crystal processor specialist could sneak in, sabotage your facilities, and plant things that I needed!
"Do you know what the best part is? The best part is that the starships of the four Kurfürst families were attacking your network, including the most confidential channel of communication, incessantly. So, you did not grow suspicious at all when our cyber attacks were mixed in with the attacks from the four families!
"However flawless the defense of your core network was, the moment your secret base station that connects the capital and the Seven Seas Space Zone was compromised, a critical gap appeared on your impenetrable wall, and that was the best opportunity for my specialist!
"What happened next was a lot easier.
"When Lei Chenghu rambled on with you, my specialist snuck into your command center through the communication channel and hijacked the crystal cameras and communicators around so that you can be live streamed.
"So, when I prompted you to confess your whole plan, every word you said would be heard by Lei Chenghu in the Seven Seas Space Zone in five to ten minutes. His impression on you must've been reshaped already!"
While Li Yao laughed cunningly, the black sun condensed by Wuying Qi's soul almost turned purple.
"Even if Lei Chenghu knows the truth, so what?"
Wuying Qi roared in fury, "The Astounding Thunder Fleet is still mired in the Seven Seas Space Zone. It will take them half a month and an enormous price to defeat the coalition fleet of the four families. They can't recover or jump back to the capital in time without a couple of months' rest!"
"That's why I said you're stupid. How could Lei Chenghu have ignored that? He certainly has the confidence to quell the chaos in the Seven Seas Space Zone if he dares to betray you!"
Li Yao burst into laughter. "All the battlefield data you received in the past week are faulty and meant to mislead you. Take a look at the real battlefield now!"
Shua! Shua! Shua! Shua!
A second torrent of information flooded deep into Wuying Qi's soul.
It was a picture of a magnificent space battlefield, taken at the most intense moment in the Battle of Seven Seas!
It could be clearly seen that infinite spots of light appeared in the picture. Some of them flew randomly like headless flies, and some were as organized and indestructible as bees.
They formed a gigantic hammer that smashed the enemy's most vulnerable part.
Every distinguished general had their unique style. Lei Chenghu, as God of War, was not an exception. The battle array that was as solid and invincible as a hammer was Lei Chenghu's mark that nobody could copy.
It was a picture where the Astounding Thunder Fleet crushed Yun Xuefeng's fleet.
Wuying Qi, however, did not focus his attention on Lei Chenghu's hammer.
Another mysterious fleet on the other side of the battlefield made him feel more surprised and vigilant than the Astounding Thunder Fleet did.
Under most circumstances, it was much more difficult to command a battle in space than on the ground. When the battlefield was millions of kilometers in diameter and the network might be ruined anytime, few commanders could order every starship effectively. Most of the time, the starships were simply fighting on their own.
Only some of the commanders, like Lei Chenghu, could've created a unique battle formation so that other people could recognize it as a fleet.
Wuying Qi was certain that neither the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors nor the border warlords had a commander as excellent as Lei Chenghu. Yet, the fleet maintained its battle formation on the battlefield when dozens of Colossi were on a rampage.
The glamorous formation and tactics that were impossible to be played showed up before his eyes!
Lei Chenghu's battle formation was like a hammer, and the mysterious fleet that was both sleazy and brutal reminded Wuying Qi of an unpredictable blade.
A hundred rapid starships reduced their distance to the minimum and gathered into a thin saber that cut into the most vulnerable part of the array, blowing up the undefended starships into pieces and leaving before the reinforcements arrived. The mysterious fleet crushed the enemy without actually getting involved in a fight.
The style was light and sordid and was entirely different from that of the Astounding Thunder Fleet, but obviously, the mysterious fleet also had a remarkable commander.
Or rather…
Wuying Qi somehow felt that the commander of the mysterious fleet was even stronger than Lei Chenghu in certain aspects.
How was it possible?
The commander of a major fleet was even more difficult to be raised than the pilot of a Colossus. There was no such fleet commander in the Imperium. Where was he from?
To make things worse, the commander of the mysterious fleet even worked with Lei Chenghu and set up a trap for Yun Xuefeng.
The mysterious fleet seemed to be helping Yun Xuefeng to resist Lei Chenghu at first. After a few engagements, it won Yun Xuefeng's trust and entered the core of Yun Xuefeng's fleet to establish the defense.
Just like that, the mysterious fleet attacked Yun Xuefeng's fleet from the center while Lei Chenghu hammered the fleet from outside. So, a complete collapse was the only outcome for Yun Xuefeng's fleet.
The commander of the mysterious fleet and Lei Chenghu crushed the flagship of the coalition fleet of the four families after little time without paying much price.
That was not the end.
Their target was not Yun Xuefeng, who had more ambitions than abilities, but Song Yushi, who was more sophisticated. Or rather, Song Yushi was their main objective.
Through the information Li Yao transmitted, Wuying Qi understood their tactic immediately.
When they crushed Yun Xuefeng's fleet, Lei Chenghu and the commander of the mysterious fleet blocked the battlefield to prevent Yun Xuefeng from asking for help.
In the meantime, they sent a signal to Song Yushi's fleet in the name of Yun Xuefeng.
"Yun Xuefeng's fleet has encountered the Astounding Thunder Fleet and is caught in a difficult battle. Please give us a hand for the Imperium's sake."
The message and the carefully devised data were sent to Song Yushi's flagship.
It was true that Song Yushi and Yun Xuefeng were not friends. But as an ally, Song Yushi did not want the Battle of Seven Seas to fail.
Besides, now that Yun Xuefeng and Lei Chenghu were exhausted by each other in the fight, wasn't it the best opportunity for Song Yushi to take advantage?
So, Song Yushi came, fought, and failed.
He was crushed in almost exactly the same way as Yun Xuefeng did. He was convinced that the mysterious fleet was on his side, so he attacked the "worn-out" Astounding Thunder Fleet without any worries. By the time the mysterious fleet bared its fangs on his back, it was already too late.
Under the teamwork of Lei Chenghu and the commander of the mysterious fleet, they crushed and captured Yun Xuefeng and Song Yushi's fleets in only three days. Yun Xuefeng and Song Yushi were even caught alive.
The unexpected fiasco destroyed Yun Xuefeng and Song Yushi's determination of resistance. Of course, it might also be because they reached a clandestine deal with Lei Chenghu. But anyway, neither of the two Immortal Cultivators refused the surrender.
It was much easier next.
"If Song Yushi and Yun Xuefeng do not want to die, do they have other choices?"
Li Yao grimaced and said, "Our fleet did not suffer great losses after the battles. The seven Adamantine-level Super Arsenal Warships were still functional. In the following days, Lei Chenghu was busy gathering and reorganizing the warships scattered in the Seven Seas Space Zone. When I jumped to the capital, he was already ready to go!
"The most difficult part was not to defeat Yun Xuefeng and Song Yushi's fleets but to tamper with the battlefield data. It was barely possible to fabricate convincing battlefield data that were the polar opposite of reality.
"But thankfully, the four families had been blocking the capital meticulously, and we only needed to send you data every other day. Then, under the excuse that the network in the Seven Seas Space Zone was seriously disrupted, the errors and self-contradictions in the data would be explainable.
"Sometimes, when there was no time to fabricate data, we would launch empty communication ships and intentionally let the ace fleet of the four families destroy them, pretending that the valuable and detailed data were destroyed by the enemy. You didn't grow suspicious at all, did you?"
Chapter 2641: The Gate to the Capital Is Opened! |
Li Yao was even happier, and Wuying Qi became silent. He did not speak again until after a long time, "But you don't have a space gate. Lei Chenghu can't jump here however many starships he has gathered!"
