Forty millenniums of cul.., p.635
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 635
"I can only say that, if everything you said is true, right now is the moment when the Blood Demon Sector has the greatest odds of success. The best strategy for the Blood Demon Sector is to attack immediately!
"If I were the commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons, I would immediately gather the troops the moment I learned the news. I would have to initiate a battle by summoning all the resources of the sector to take our chances within a month and a half!"
Li Yao was slightly dazed and looked at Suo Chaolong in surprise.
He began to realize why Han Tuhu thought so highly of the opponent.
Li Yao smiled and said, "Correct, but you are not the commander-in-chief of the coalition army. You are the leader of the refugees from the Heaven's Origin Sector, and all the warriors among the refugees are the beaten soldiers standing next to you.
"Let's say that we will let you go so that you can return to the Kingdom of Lion Butchers when we are back to the continent.
"What role do you think the Blood Lion Battalion will play in the war that will cost all the resources of the Blood Demon Sector? Even if the Blood Demon Sector secures a brutal victory in the end, does any of you have a one in one thousand chance of seeing the dawn of the victory?"
Suo Chaolong was silent. Every muscle on his face was trembling, and every breath was as painful as his lung being cut open.
The silver-blood demons were all wearing devastated expressions.
The descendants of the refugees in the past had tasted the feeling of vagrancy in the Blood Demon Sector too well. They often had a clear and yet painful understanding about their future.
"Isn't this all your fault?"
Suo Chaolong suddenly burst into fury. "It was the Star Glory Federation that invaded the Grand Desolate Plateau and kicked our ancestors from their home to the Blood Demon Sector at first. That's why we lived a homeless life under someone else's roof for five hundred years! The Star Glory Federation should take all the blame!"
"Exactly," Li Yao admitted frankly. "Everything you said was done by the Star Glory Federation. It is true that the Star Glory Federation conquered the Grand Desolate Plateau at first in the name of expanding its territory and slaying the evilness. We are not scared to acknowledge now that we've done it!
"In the meantime, I happen to be a Cultivator from the Star Glory Federation. Here and now, I should be able to represent the federation!
"Therefore. Come and seek your revenge!"
"Huh?"
Suo Chaolong was dumbfounded, unable to follow Li Yao's pace.
"You have 423 soldiers here, 188 of whom are still able to fight, however feebly. You are free to charge at me and seek revenge now. I guarantee that you will be given the most superb and brilliant death in the world. If the 'Pantheon of Demons' that you believe in does exist, it will certainly place you in the VIP area when it sees how you die!"
Suo Chaolong and the silver-blood demons looked at each other in bewilderment.
If it were half a year ago, even if they were faced with a Nascent Soul Stage expert wearing a super crystal suit, they would definitely have charged forward without any hesitation and fought for the most glorious death with the firm belief of 'Obliteration, Rebirth, and Immortality'.
However, over the past half year…
They had been abandoned by the main force of the coalition army of demons first as cannon fodder. They had been asked to block three crystal suit legions although their team was not particularly strong.
They were not scared of sacrifices, but they had been the only ones to be sacrificed while other silver-demons all ran away as quickly as possible. What was the meaning of that?
Then, they had been captured for reasons they did not know and kept prisoners in the weird Nether World, where they went through all kinds of vicious experiments.
Also, those who performed modifications on them turned out to be not the wicked human beings of the Star Glory Federation but their own compatriots, the demons!
After the modifications, they had even shown all kinds of weird features. Some of them had even appeared more and more like human beings!
What was most dreadful was that a batch of federal soldiers, who went through the modifications together with them, changed into the looks of demons!
Because of the incessant shock, their previously firm belief had gradually collapsed. Many of their brothers had gone mad before their body was destroyed and killed themselves through any approach possible.
"Saint blood, silver blood, bronze blood, and black blood. Isn't that the great Four Pillars System established by the Pangu Clan in the primeval era? Why are the noble silver-blood demons turning into the appearances of the chaotic-blood demons and even the human beings?"
"Why can the wretched human beings put on our appearances and use our abilities?"
"What is the difference between human beings and demons? What are we fighting for exactly?"
The indestructible fortress of the belief cracked. For countless nights, Suo Chaolong had stared at the darkness through the cracks and questioned himself in silence.
He did not know the reason until Li Yao told him the origins of demons today.
He had already been convinced the moment he burst into fury. At that time, he had been roaring not because of his anger but because of his panic and confusion.
Right now, Li Yao had even shown up in such an appearance and broken the boundary of human beings and demons with undeniable proof.
A Cultivator was also able to unleash such intense demonic energy!
Suo Chaolong seemed to have sensed that an invisible, false world was crumbling all of a sudden while a new, real world was gradually unfolding itself in front of his eyes.
Was it possible that the legendary 'Ultimate One Demons' did exist and had been manipulating everything over the past forty thousand years and that the silver-blood demons, who had always considered themselves nobles, were merely their pawns and chess pieces?
Before they figured everything out, before they realized what they were fighting for exactly, should they really die a meaningless death for a groundless Pantheon of Demons?
In meteorology, an aureole is the inner disk of a corona, an optical phenomenon produced by the diffraction of light from the Sun or the Moon (or, occasionally, other bright light sources) by individual small water droplets and sometimes tiny ice crystals of a cloud or on a foggy glass surface. (Wikipedia)
Chapter 959: Red Tide, Break Out! |
Li Yao did not push them too far. "If you are still not going to attack me, I suggest we stop wasting our precious time studying who was right and who was wrong five hundred years ago. Such questions are entirely moot because of our different stances. We might as well talk about topics that are more constructive."
Suo Chaolong pricked his ears. "Such as…?"
"Such as—"
Li Yao glanced around slowly, again, making every silver-blood demon feel that he was talking to them. "Assuming that everything I said is true, faced with the threat of the Imperium of True Human Beings, the Star Glory Federation, having no other options, will have to choose to get in touch and cooperate with part of the demons.
"Then, the part of demons who join hands with the Star Glory Federation first will certainly have a greater voice in the Blood Demon Sector in future or even change the entire situation of the Blood Demon Sector!
"What do you think?"
Suo Chaolong narrowed his eyes and said coldly, "Are you asking me to betray the Blood Demon Sector?"
Li Yao shook his head. "I'm asking you to set the Blood Demon Sector on the right track and defend the mutual interests of the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector as best you can instead of rolling off a cliff with each other. After all…"
With a bitter smile, he said, "The Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector are merging right now. In a few decades, there will be no more Blood Demon Sector or Heaven's Origin Sector, but a brand new world that consists of two habitable galaxies! Everybody living in the new world will benefit from each other or get hurt by each other as a whole!"
Suo Chaolong lowered his head and thought hard.
Li Yao continued. "Let's put the threat of the Imperium of True Human Beings aside and talk about Elder Nether Spring. Elder Nether Spring has been clearly planning an earthshaking scheme in secret that will possibly jeopardize the interests of both human beings and demons!
"At the very least, were you not tormented together with the federal soldiers back when you were in the Nether World?
"I think you must have someone you love in the Blood Demon Sector. Maybe you are not scared of death, but do you want your family to endure the suffering that you once endured and even be turned into terrible puppets and slaves by Elder Nether Spring?"
All the silver-blood demons were breathing fast.
They were not willing to recall anything that happened in the past half year for even half a second. They could not begin to imagine what their family would feel when they were in the same situation.
"I know that it is a very important decision," Li Yao said, "and that your head is in chaos. You will need time to think about it carefully. That's not a problem. I'll give you ten seconds. In ten seconds, give me your answer. Are you going to fight, or are you going to shake hands with us?"
Suo Chaolong was rather shocked. "Ten seconds?"
Are—are you kidding me? What can I think about carefully in ten seconds?
Li Yao suddenly changed his attitude and burst out his demonic energy. After a crack, the fireball of demonic energy was suddenly extinguished. He said coldly, "Or what? Do you want to consider for a year and a half?
"Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven! Six! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Zero!
"Alright. Time is up!
"Now, you can either come at me and get yourselves killed for the grudge between us old and new, or you can find out the truth together with me and seek revenge for whatever happened to you over the past half year. We will get to the bottom of all the secrets of the scumbag Elder Nether Spring!"
The cabin wall was screeching because of his intimidating aura. Even the scales on many silver-blood demons were also uttering rattling noises. They did not have the courage to fight at all.
Suo Chaolong was also like a nail that had been pressed into the floor. Under Li Yao's suppression, his mind was a mess. His lips trembled for a long time, and he looked at his brothers who were vomiting blood behind him.
"By the way," Li Yao said casually, "twelve of your brothers are already dead for sure because of internal bleeding. But seven of them might still be rescuable if they are treated with a mysterious ancient prescription."
Suo Chaolong shuddered greatly. His stubbornness was finally broken.
…
Heavenly Path City of the Blood Demon Sector was a city in the clouds.
More than five hundred magnificent floating mountains were hidden in the colorful clouds. They suppressed the entire continent like great chess pieces. They were also like five hundred loyal soldiers who were defending a splendid airborne temple at the center.
In the Blood Demon Sector, which was short of resources and brimming with desolation, this was the only place frequented by the attractive clouds and the fresh springs. Crystals were dangling down from the pavilions like grapes. All kinds of rarely-seen, precious animals were roaming among the clear brooks and the grand waterfalls free at their will. It was truly a paradise.
This place was the center of supreme power and belief of the Blood Demon Sector and a projection of the glorious Pantheon of Demons in the real world!
Deep inside the Pantheon of Demons, inside a secret meeting room that was defended by countless elites, Jin Tuyi, commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons, was standing right in front of an enormous light beam. On the light beam were the 3D holograms of two planets. It could be clearly seen that the red planet was bigger than the blue planet. Between the two planets, countless dotted lines marked the dense, half-permanent wormholes.
As light and shadow changed, the two planets were devouring each other like cells. At first, the red planet was at an overwhelming advantage and continued corrupting the blue planet with the dazzling brilliance of blood. But soon, the blue planet gritted through the contamination and made a comeback, swallowing the red planet, which was larger than itself in the end.
Beside the enormous main light beam, hundreds of smaller light beams were blossoming like snowflakes. Streams of information were pouring down like a storm. Data and the comparison of combat ability were flashing crazily.
With his hands behind his back, Jin Tuyi studied the tiniest change of every item on the light beam wholeheartedly. He was so attentive that he did not ignore even the improvement of the power rune array of the latest derivative model of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit in the Star Glory Federation. He swallowed all the data greedily and passionately before he projected them into the library of computation deep inside his brain that was almost boundless.
Behind Jin Tuyi, eleven high-level demons, with different appearances but wearing equally glamorous clothes and sharing an equally dominating aura, were also gazing at the ever-changing data on the light beam in silence.
Everybody's eyes were glittering like stars that were affected by a cosmic storm while they were doing the calculations crazily.
Jin Tuyi, commander-in-chief of the coalition army of demons, the monarch of the Gold Crow Kingdom, which was the master of skies!
Elder Nether Spring, the controller of the Nether Spring Kingdom that was the master of the underground!
Elder Blood Robe, the overlord of the Kingdom of Lion Butchers that was the master of the earth!
Hong Yuntao, the one behind the curtain in the Sea Dominator Kingdom, the master of the ocean!
The four giants of the Blood Demon Sector had all arrived!
The other eight demon emperors next to them either controlled an enormous, well-developed city, boasted a special ability that allowed them to fight against an entire army by themselves, or was capable of deducing the changes of a battle in the coming years with their secret arts. They were all the best of the demon emperors.
They were the twelve demon emperors of the Pantheon of Demons who stood at the meridian of the Blood Demon Sector and shared the highest power of it!
"Everybody!"
The door of the meeting room was slowly closed. Jin Tuyi, commander-in-chief of the coalition army, slowly turned around. His movement was a bit sluggish, as if he was carrying an invisible burden on his shoulder. His pupils that were full of blood streaks deep inside his eyes were beaming with coldness while he said coldly, "You have all read the latest and most thorough files about the Flying Star Sector.
"According to our calculations, once the 'universal bridge' between the Flying Star Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector are established, it will be possible to teleport the super heavy crystal warships more than twenty kilometers long and the experts in the Nascent Soul Stage in a moment at the cost of minimal resources.
"The Flying Star Sector is a civilization based on starships. They have developed very advanced technology in the refinement of crystal warships and the popularization of crystal suits in the boundless universe.
"They and the Heaven's Origin Sector are highly complementary. It is estimated that the Cultivation level, comprehensive capability, and military power of the Star Glory Federation will soar exponentially after one to two years of communication!
"Therefore, it is not exaggerating to say that the Blood Demon Sector is in great peril now!
"The tenacity and determination of the Star Glory Federation are already evident enough in the Battle of Dawn, and the speed of their crystal suit production is appalling for us!
"Even at the current growth rate, the Star Glory Federation will surpass us within ten years, not to mention that they now have the assistance of the Flying Star Sector!
"Right now, it is not a problem of whether or not we can conquer the Star Glory Federation anymore but a problem of how we can prevent ourselves from being annihilated and preserve the civilization of the Blood Demon Sector!
"Our world is coming to an end!
"Our only choice is to unite the demons of all species and social classes and gather all our strength in order to start a national war within a hundred days while we still have our last chance!
"The construction of the 'universal bridge' requires the joint effort of the two Sectors. It is also necessary that a large number of star beacons are established in the Heaven's Origin Sector as the lighthouses in the sea of stars!
"As long as we can crush the main force of the Star Glory Federation at a lightning-like speed and threaten their prosperous area, we will be able to coerce them into a certain agreement whereby they will have to destroy all the star beacons of the Heaven's Origin Sector. That way, we will postpone the arrival of the reinforcements of the Flying Star Sector as much as possible!
"This is our only chance for our survival!"
The other eleven demon emperors were all silent.
A demon emperor, whose purple hair were attached to his head like veins, frowned and said, "After the Battle of Dawn, although the obstacles on the Grand Desolate Plateau have been cleared, the Star Glory Federation is now also relieved of the burden and has stationed all the twelve crystal suit legions at the frontline of the Giant Blade Pass.
"The defense in the Giant Blade Pass is impregnable. How can we break through it quickly? Who can guarantee that, while our elites are being wasted before the Giant Blade Pass, the federation will not implement another 'Giant Crab Operation' and surround us from our flanks?
"After all, the Grand Desolate Plateau is too vast. The pressure on our logistics is too high!"
Jin Tuyi smiled confidently. "Why do we have to attack from the Grand Desolate Plateau? Allow me to introduce to you—the Red Tide Plan!"
Chapter 960: The Courage to Set Fire! |
Li Yao's training journal, March 12.
