Forty millenniums of cul.., p.699
Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 699
"That's right!" Suo Chaolong slapped his thighs hard. "The one thing that Elder Nether Spring wants most right now is for the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector to attack each other furiously so that he can take advantage. Therefore, the dreadful 'Blazing Tyrannosaur' must be Abyss! If we want the peace negotiations to work out, we must stop the she-dinosaur from sabotaging everything! President Li, do you agree?"
Chapter 1061: Rekindled Ashes! |
"I remember it too now!"
Han Tuhu's eyes shone as he exclaimed, "Ding Lingdang is from the Grand Desolate War Institution, and so is President Li. Ten years ago, you must've met each other before in the Grand Desolate War Institution, didn't you?"
His eyelids twitching, Li Yao nodded slowly. "Indeed, we did."
"That will be a lot easier!" Han Tuhu said excitedly. "When we return to the Heaven's Origin Sector, you can try to sneak to Ding Lingdang's side. With your keen eyes, you will certainly be able to discover enough traces to unveil the true face of this 'Blazing Tyrannosaur'! Right, what was your relationship with Ding Lingdang in the past? Are you confident that you can get close to her and win her trust?"
Expressionlessly, Li Yao replied, "That shouldn't be a problem. We used to be in a romantic relationship. More exactly, she is my fiancée. I was planning to marry her when I'm back home."
"…" Han Tuhu.
"…" Suo Chaolong.
"Cough, cough. Cough, cough, cough, cough." The Fire Ant King was the first to recover. "As—as expected of Vulture Li Yao. Only such a great hero who has been tested by countless battles like yourself is the perfect match for the untraditional Lady Ding!"
Suo Chaolong wiped his sweat. "Ex—exactly. Now that I think about it, Ding Lingdang is not very suspicious. She is a pure battle-type Cultivator after all, and her supporters and worshippers have gathered around her because of her personal charisma. They are not well-disciplined. The real Abyss shouldn't be someone like that!"
Han Tuhu slapped the table. "Indeed. You've reminded me of yet another suspect who is more suspicious than President Li's fiancée!
"The man was the most brilliant new star before the rise of President Li and Ding Lingdang. He was also one of the youngest Core Formation Stage Cultivators in the federation.
"What is scarier is that, not only did the guy boast exceptional combat ability, he was also gifted at operation and management. He is a hybrid-type Cultivator!
"More than ten years ago, when the guy was only in his thirties, he established his own sect! In the past ten years, his sect has been expanding crazily as if it has eaten a lot of crystal bombs. Its comprehensively capability is multiplying every year! Today, his sect is attracting the most talented young Cultivators of the federation to join. As for himself, he was nominated as Celebrity of the Nation twice in a row. He is definitely the well-deserved most influential person among the young Cultivators!
"The guy is Peng Hai, also known as Fiend Blade! His enterprise—Double Dragons Union—ranks the 92nd in the top five hundred sects of the federation right now, surpassing many big sects that have a long history!"
The Fire Ant King nodded in agreement and said, "That's right. Fiend Blade Peng Hai seems much more likely than Ding Lingdang. His Double Dragons Union is a huge, meticulous organization that is involved in the development of many kinds of magical equipment in the federation army. The Demon Beast Detector, from which the sect earned the first bucket of gold, has been updated to the ninth generation. Every soldier in the federal army is equipped with one. It is one of the most important pieces of portable magical equipment for them!
"If Fiend Blade Peng Hai is Abyss, and he has hidden backdoors in the Demon Beast Detector, there might be dire consequences!"
Han Tuhu frowned. "Wait. Demon Beast Detector? I feel that I'm missing something…"
Li Yao coughed and said, "The Demon Beast Detector was my invention. Fiend Blade Peng Hai was my senior brother. He is also the one who guided me to the path of Cultivation. I have a lot of shares in the Double Dragons Union, too. In fact, the 'double dragons' refers to us."
"…" Suo Chaolong.
"…" Han Tuhu.
"Master, are you really certain that you are not Abyss sent by Elder Nether Spring?" Jin Xinyue asked.
Jin Tuyi, who had been listening quietly as a hologram, finally opened his mouth. "Alright. Stop proposing groundless hypotheses."
After only three months, he appeared much older than before. Not only was his hair pure white, wrinkles, from which dark, golden colors were beaming out, found their way onto his cheeks, too.
He was narrowing his eyes, as if he were taking a nap, all the time and seemed to be indifferent to the stimuli of the outside world.
Only on such occasions would he slightly open his eyes that were still emitting feeble brightness.
"Li Yao, Ding Lingdang, and Fiend Blade Peng Hai are all less than fifty years old. If any of them are Abyss, it means that Elder Nether Spring sent an infant, or a young child, to the Heaven's Origin Sector fifty years ago.
"If so, there would've been too many unpredictable factors. Who could guarantee that an infant, or a child, would grow into a Cultivator, and even a Core Formation Stage one so that they could influence the federation?
"Besides, children are unlikely to be absolutely loyal to Elder Nether Spring. How could Elder Nether Spring be sure that Abyss would still be loyal to him when they grew up?
"If he did send anybody over, it must be someone in their thirties or forties. After all, Cultivators can keep their faces young. If they practice special techniques, even someone in their sixties might be able to pretend to be a sixteen-year-old."
Jin Tuyi's conclusion was rather convincing. Everybody nodded in agreement.
Deep in thought, Li Yao remarked, "If that's the case, all the Cultivators between fifty and a hundred years old must be scrutinized."
Everybody looked at each other in bewilderment—the list of suspects was bordering on infinity.
Fifty to a hundred years old were the prime years for a Cultivator. Their experience and resources would have been accumulated to the maximum, and the health of their body and soul had yet to decline. It was the most precious golden years for them!
Many leaders of the key departments in the federation were Cultivators at such an age.
Also, the leaders of the key departments were almost exclusively 'rarely-seen geniuses in training' who had experienced a lot of fortuitous events and accomplished unparalleled military credit through mountains of dead bodies.
According to the criteria, the managers of the major sects, the middle-level officers of the federal army, and the directors of certain bureaus in the government would mostly have to be captured for verification!
Jin Tuyi coughed lightly. "Without any proof, we won't be able to get specific names even if we sit here until dawn. Therefore, we might as well analyze Elder Nether Spring's purpose and what the Children of the Nether World and Abyss are up to exactly."
Everybody nodded in agreement. Li Yao said, "That's right. No matter how well the Children of the Nether World and Abyss have been hiding, they will jump out very soon. If we know their purpose in advance, we will be able to adopt appropriate strategies!"
The Fire Ant King's eyes were glittering. "Have you already figured it out, commander?"
Jin Tuyi smiled and struggled to shake his head. "Elder Nether Spring is now a rabid dog grasped by desperation. Who knows how exactly he will play his last move?
"However, I'm most certain about one thing.
"For the enthusiastic hawks of the Star Glory Federation, right now is the best opportunity to attack the Blood Demon Sector in the past five hundred years!"
Everybody almost stood on their feet in shock upon hearing the words.
Jin Tuyi breathed heavily as he said, "In the past hundred years, the comprehensive capability of the Blood Demon Sector has been higher than the Heaven's Origin Sector, and we were the invaders. In the meantime, the Heaven's Origin Sector was developing faster than the Blood Demon Sector and was the defender. The Heaven's Origin Sector traded space for time and planned to counterattack when they had an overwhelming advantage after further technological advancements.
"Without the unexpected changes, the overwhelming advantage wouldn't have come into being until decades later.
"However, the situation is different today. The destruction of the Eye of Blood Demon caused the death of fourteen demon emperors and countless elite troops. The savaging of the Demon God Virus significantly wasted the fundamental forces of the Blood Demon Sector and stalled a lot of troops. Also, while we were rapidly seizing power, we were also creating countless enemies!
"In the four demon kingdoms, there must be more traditional nobles who want to feast upon our flesh than we can count!
"Given a few years' time, the Blood Demon Sector will certainly recover from the mess, but right now is truly the moment when we have the fewest demon emperors, the most disordered army, the worst internal discord, and the most widespread plague in the history of the Blood Demon Sector!
"Do you think the firm hawks in the Star Glory Federation and those who have invested all their belongings or even the assets of their sect into the 'victory funds' will let go of the opportunity?"
Everybody gasped, and Jin Xinyue frowned. "But the Star Glory Federation doesn't know anything that is going on here."
Jin Tuyi smiled and said, "What if the Children of the Nether World tell them?"
Everybody fell silent. The atmosphere was even more depressing than before.
Jin Tuyi struggled to drink some water. He breathed for a moment and rubbed his temples softly before he continued with his eyes closed. "The key of the Spore Stratagem is to raise a world war between the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector. In the world-blighting war, the Demon God Virus will be released so that a cruel new world will be created.
"Plan A of the Spore Stratagem was to let the final battle happen in the capital city of the Star Glory Federation through the Eye of Blood Demon.
"Now, Plan A has failed.
"However, if the Children of the Nether World can convince the leadership of the Star Glory Federation that the Blood Demon Sector is at its weakest right now, that an expedition right now will be enough to completely suppress the Blood Demon Sector, and that the demons will be the perfect slaves for collecting resources for the preparation against the army of the Imperium of True Human Beings… who can be certain that the Spore Stratagem will not be rekindled?"
Li Yao rose up suddenly. "Let's go and elicit the other half of the intelligence from Lu Wuxin right now. Then, we will immediately head back to the Heaven's Origin Sector, hand over the intelligence to the leadership of the federation, and tell them the whole truth!"
BAM BAM! BAM BAM BAM BAM!
Not a moment after Li Yao concluded his declaration, somebody knocked on the door in the utmost fury. Dents were appearing on the thick, heavy planks.
All the participants looked at each other in bewilderment and raised their alert. Opening the door, they discovered that it was Wei Tianqing, the demon emperor from the wolf clan who was responsible for watching over Lu Wuxin.
"General Wei, what are you doing here?" The Fire Ant King stood up and said solemnly, "Aren't you supposed to be watching over Lu Wuxin right now? The Mad Medic is sordid and cunning. He might run away at any moment!"
Wei Tianqing's face was pale, and his furry tail was trembling crazily like a blade of grass in the blowing wind. It was not until he panted for a long time that he gnashed his teeth. "He can't escape now. He's dead!"
"What!"
Li Yao, Jin Xinyue, Han Tuhu and Suo Chaolong all jumped to their feet.
Chapter 1062: Time To Go Home! |
Lu Wuxin had died a quick death.
His body had collapsed on the iron seat, still tied up. His hands and feet were still bound by the barriers. His eyeballs, one large and one small, had turned pale white. Every scar on his ugly face had dimmed, but his lips were still in a gloating smile, as if he were mocking those who were studying his body.
Although there were not any injuries on the surface, his brain had been melted into a cluster of half-frozen venom. All of his brain cells and nerve endings had been corroded. His self-awareness and his soul had perished instantly. Nobody in the entire universe could save him right now.
In order to demonstrate his sincerity about the cooperation, after offering half of the intelligence he knew, Lu Wuxin had begun to describe the experiment files of the Demon God Virus. Many pieces of the key data that he provided had yet to be grasped by the coalition army of demons. They would be very helpful for the control of the epidemic.
Even so, nobody relaxed around him. His every finger and toe were closely bound by barriers, unable to move at all. He could only input the information he knew into a crystal processor specially modified by Li Yao through telepathic thoughts while a demon emperor was standing by and watching.
The defense was so heavy that there was no way that Lu Wuxin could escape!
However, he had died an uncanny death right in front of Wei Tianqing, a demon emperor of the wolf clan!
Half an hour later, the autopsy was completed, suggesting that Lu Wuxin had committed suicide.
In the deepest part of his brain, a thin shell, which was probably the debris of a certain venom gland, had been found out.
He had not been lying. It was true that he had performed many little surgeries on his head and inserted a lot of stuff into it.
The 'venom gland' could be manipulated by his telepathic thoughts. When his brain waves were strong enough, he would be able to activate the gland at will and release the venom contained inside, thereby killing himself neatly and quickly.
The autopsy report froze everyone's heart.
"We've been fooled." The Fire Ant King was rather depressed. "Since the very beginning, Lu Wuxin never planned to negotiate with us, nor did he really consider working for us. The only motivation for his quick confession was our nutrition drug, which could restore his brainwaves to an extent where he could manipulate the venom gland to kill himself."
"But—" Han Tuhu had not thought it through. "Why did he kill himself without a good reason?"
"Because he was very clear that, even if he told us everything, we still wouldn't let him walk away," Jin Xinyue said coldly. "Mad Medic Lu Wuxin has been infamous in the Blood Demon Sector for almost a hundred years. He made too many enemies. Also, as the supervisor of the laboratory of the Demon God Virus, he killed countless innocent victims and devastated their family. It was impossible for him to survive. If he fell into the hands of his enemies, he wouldn't even be able to die."
"Indeed." The Fire Ant King sighed and said, "There are too many methods in the Blood Demon Sector that can torture someone for years without killing him. Lu Wuxin was an expert in that regard himself. He knew the miserable feelings best, and he did not wish to end up like that.
"I assume that he prepared to kill himself a long time ago. However, when he was just captured, his brain was suppressed, so his brain waves were not strong enough to activate the venom gland. That was why he negotiated with us and waited for an opportunity patiently. Finally, he found a chance to get away from the excruciating torment!"
Suo Chaolong bashed the desk hard and said, "It doesn't matter whether he is alive or dead. But there is still much precious intelligence in his head. Is there any way we can dig it out?"
Jin Tuyi coughed lightly and said, "Lu Wuxin's brain has been seriously sabotaged. It's almost impossible to retrieve any valuable information from there. Moreover, I think that Lu Wuxin already confessed most of the things he knew. He couldn't have concealed much intelligence from us.
"He only started working for Elder Nether Spring ten years ago. The Children of the Nether World project and Abyss had nothing to do with him. All the information he told us was collected in secret. It is already impressive enough that he knew so much about the two projects. But how could he know more details about the two projects?
"It is exactly because he was aware that the little information that he knew about was absolutely not enough to trade for his life that he killed himself so quickly!"
Everybody pondered for a moment and had to admit that Jin Tuyi did have a point. Lu Wuxin was not directly involved in the Children of the Nether World project. What he had access to would only have been the tip of the iceberg.
"Anyway, I have to go back to the Heaven's Origin Sector as soon as possible and deliver all the intelligence to the leadership of the Star Glory Federation, to prove the existence of the Children of the Nether World and establish a channel of dialogue between the Heaven's Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector," Li Yao said.
"Right now, we don't have any clue what is going on in the Star Glory Federation. If the Children of the Nether World are truly stirring trouble or even instigating a massive attack against the Blood Demon Sector, everything will be too late!"
There had never been a smooth channel of communication between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven's Origin Sector. Before, some of the spies of the Blood Demon Sector were scattered in the Heaven's Origin Sector. However, because they could not conceal the dispersion of their demonic energy, it was impossible for them to sneak into the leadership of the federation. They could not even enter the big cities, which were usually heavily guarded. Therefore, they could only hide themselves in fear and send the most rudimental intelligence back.
Since the capital city was invaded by the demon race three months ago, the federation had raised its vigilance, too. The spies had almost all been dug out and eliminated now.
In the meantime, on the Grand Desolate Plateau, Jin Tuyi did not want more conflicts with the federation. He ordered that all the armies of demons retreat to the Blood Demon Sector. Without his command, not even a cockroach would jump to the Heaven's Origin Sector.
