Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors was merely a commercial group made of the small merchants and carrier fleets at the vast space in the border of the Imperium of True Human Beings for them to communicate with and warm up each other at the beginning.

However, businesses could never be separated from politics.

Only by grasping the power in politics and the fundamental armed forces could the interests in business be claimed and defended as much as possible.

Money had the highest charm and unparalleled techniques by nature. The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors realized the logic soon after it was born. Extending its weak tentacles to the swirls of power at the peripheral worlds of the Imperium without caring about the cost, it raised distinctive representatives such as “Di Feiwen”.

But at that time, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors was still young and weak, and it was unable to compete with the monopolies under the four Kurfürst families at all.

Today, the situation was different.

When Li Linghai and the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors met, they immediately realized each other’s value.

In only decades, both parties had risen by helping each other.

The Imperium’s counterattack in the past ten years also gave the best opportunity for the explosive development of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors.

In a war, the daily consumptions could be astronomical, but it was also a great chance to make a fortune.

In the Imperium today, the local warlords were all rising. The so-called “army of the Imperium” was made of the fleets from hundreds of worlds that were highly independent of each other.

The only method through which the base of the expedition army could check the local warlords and the miscellaneous troops was the supplies.

The food, the ammunition, and the Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures formed the throat. As long as their throat was choked, even the most disobedient local warlord had to obey the orders of the base of the expedition army, not having any courage to move recklessly.

The local warlords and the miscellaneous troops, on the other hand, were certainly unwilling to be manipulated by the four Kurfürst families as sabers to attack the hardest bone that was the Covenant Alliance.

In order to achieve greater independence, they had to find a new source of supplies aside from the base of the expedition army.

At the very least, while the warlords were willing to obey the orders from the base of the expedition army 95% of the time, they wanted to be able to gather enough military facilities, ammunition, and supplies when they acted on their own and launch “active attacks” without orders from the base of the expedition army “for the glory of the Imperium”.

Of course, the warlords were not going through the trouble for nothing. After they “recovered” a planet, they would loot everything on it until nothing was left behind.

Then, there was no reason to deliver the tremendous resources that they exploited to their nest through the base of the expedition army, which would be like feeding a lamb to a tiger, right?

In that case, a carrier fleet of a fairly large scale, made up by the boldest desperadoes, which was in the same bundle of interests together with the local warlords and miscellaneous troops, was required so that the war supplies could be delivered to them from the rear in secret, and the trophies could be shipped to their home while bypassing the base of the expedition army.

Who else could play such a role except for the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors?

Therefore, during the Imperium’s counterattack in the past ten years, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the local warlords at the periphery of the Imperium were in a quite heated relationship.

To put it more simply, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors would gather the money and resources of the new businessman class at the peripheral worlds of the Imperium in the forms such as secret war bonds to support the adventures and lootings of the warlords in the frontline. The trophies after the lootings would be divided by them evenly.

It was not hard to imagine how deep their cooperation was after more than ten years.

The Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, after winning the trust of the local warlords and miscellaneous troops, even created such a business. They could help the local warlords to secretly transport the main-force warships that had the best engines, the fiercest firepower, and the thickest plate form to their hometown, while they reported to the base of the expedition army that the starship had been seriously damaged in a fierce battle and completely obliterated in an explosion.

In such a way, the local warlords would be able to preserve their strength and demand more benefits from the base of the expedition army.

Having done so many clandestine things for the local warlords, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors naturally grasped abundant secrets too, and it became an effective source of intelligence for Li Linghai.

Also, in many occasions, when the troops of the warlords from remote Sectors did not have enough supplies and did not want to beg the base of the expedition army, they would exchange the trophies they just earned with other warlords’ troops.

The business was also organized by the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors.

At first, it was only for emergencies. But as the expedition army of the Imperium recovered more and more worlds, the trophies in the pockets of the local warlords got more and more copious too, and the scale of the business grew larger and larger. Eventually, the troops were almost self-sufficient in the war.

The control of the army boiled down to the control of personnel and the control of finance.

After more than ten years of infiltration and planning, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors had partly helped the local warlords to get rid of the control of finance from the base of the expedition army and win greater independence.

Also, in the frequent trades, the warlords who were scattered in different parts of the universe and not familiar with each other learned each other’s existence, established a solid bond of interests, and even vaguely realized the great power once they were united!

Therefore, Jin Yuyan, director of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, was certainly an important contributor to the “reformists”.

If Li Linghai’s ambitions of reform did come true, Jin Yuyan was even very likely to become the First Finance Minister of the Imperium of True Human Beings.

Different from “Moon Devil” Yue Wushuang, the taciturn head of special agents surrounded by black fog, the future finance minister of the Imperium simply nodded at everyone with a smile.

He showed no unnaturalness at all even though it was the first time he met Li Yao who seemed rather young, as if he had been working with Li Yao for many years. His demeanor was unquestionable and gave the feeling of comfort and ease.

Hardly had Jin Yuyan greeted everyone when another ten or so blurred and lackluster shadows appeared around, who were all the core members of the reformists in the fields of military, politics, economy, and many other fields.

Li Yao realized that the incident of the Blood Oath Alliance indeed affected the reformists greatly and pushed Li Linghai and the rest of them into such desperation that they had to take action now. Otherwise, it was impossible for the big shots of the reformists to show up and gather in the same room for a meeting.

“Alright. All the fellow Cultivators are here. We may begin now.”

Li Linghai flew to the middle of everyone, some real and some illusionary, on the floating disc. There was not the slightest panic or anxiety on her face. When she glanced around slowly, she seemed to have ignited everyone’s belief again.

She did not regard herself as the queen of the Imperium when she called the big shots of the reformists as “fellow Cultivators”. It was obvious that she considered them her comrades who shared the same purpose as her.

“I have sent detailed information about the incident of the Blood Oath Alliance to the virtual light beam before you. For us, it is indeed an unexpected event with dire consequences that has pushed our cause to the brink of a bottomless abyss.”

Li Linghai was rather straightforward and did not conceal the influence of the Blood Oath Alliance’s assassination at all. Changing the topic, she said, “However, the power of the reformists far exceeds the imagination of our enemy. We will not quit halfway or just wait to be killed!

“Great people who are determined to renew the Imperium have been joining us incessantly. Our strength grows bigger each day.

“Before our meeting officially begins, allow me to introduce Fellow Cultivator Li Yao to you.

“Fellow Cultivator Li has been fighting by my side since decades ago for the most secret and arduous missions. Not only is he in the Divinity Transformation Stage, but he also boasts rarely-seen dual talents both in fighting and creation. He is an excellent master of refining.

“Before, he has been safeguarding our cause in secret and paid a lot for that, to the point that he is never known in the Imperium although he is in the Divinity Transformation Stage.

“But today, when our cause is at the most perilous moment, I have to ask Fellow Cultivator Li to surface and work as my personal bodyguard and magical equipment consultant for now. He will work with us through the difficulties and let our enemy pay the most gory prices!”

Expressionlessly, Li Yao flew to Li Linghai’s side and nodded at everyone.

“Huh?”

Many of the big shots of the reformists who showed up last had never heard of the name Li Yao before.

However, they knew very clearly the value of an expert in the Divinity Transformation Stage who was adept at both fighting and refining.

Seeing that Li Yao was standing so close to Li Linghai, they were also fully aware that he was the queen’s trusted subordinate.

Having taken out a Divinity Transformation Stage expert from her pocket casually, the queen was truly immeasurable. Who knew if she had more spies that nobody else knew lurking at the critical parts of the Imperium?

Many of the reformists who were somewhat panicked and at a loss because of the incident of the Blood Oath Alliance found themselves calming down.

It was exactly the effect that Li Linghai wanted. With a smile, she said, “Rest assured, everybody. There are many pure Immortal Cultivators who hold infinite love for the Imperium and loyalty to His Majesty. As long as the time is ripe, they will all rise!”

Taking a deep breath, Li Yao forced himself not to burst into laughter. He found that Li Linghai did boast a quirky sense of humor.

“Then, let’s begin our discussion now.”

Li Linghai retreated her smile and bulged her eyes, with intense determination beaming out of her almost transparent pupils. “How can we rise from the hopelessly dangerous situation and fight a bloody way out of it?”