Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“Now that you put it that way, there is indeed something quite weird. It is what the queen said in the end.”

Out of his expectation, the mental devil did not mock Li Yao but simply sat cross-legged on the Imperial Fire Pearl. Bathed in the intense air emanating from the Imperial Fire Pearl, it held its chin and said thoughtfully, “The queen said in the end that, for the convenience of the exploration of the mausoleum of the Supreme Emperor after we seize the highest power, we’d better find and study the classics, notes, and even the ridiculous tales that the ancient adventurers left after their futile searches.

“But it is utterly meaningless!

“Ever since the Supreme Emperor was forced to escape to the Empyreal Transcendence Sector and hide himself on the Gold Throne after he was caught in the weird status of neither alive nor dead in the battle against the Blood God, countless adventurers, grave robbers, archaeologists, and ambitious schemers have been trying to find the mysterious mausoleum, but none of them succeeded.

“The notes and classics left by the ancient adventurers are either the files of the other relics and treasures that they accidentally found on the way to search for the Supreme Emperor’s mausoleum, or the exaggerated and fabricated tales. Some may even be the schemes that are carefully made up to allure other people to fall into the traps. All in all, less than 1% of the information is to be believed!

“Whoever goes to search for the Supreme Emperor’s mausoleum with the notes, classics, tales, and made-up maps will definitely be doomed for sure!

“Here comes the question. Li Linghai has clearly found the Empyreal Transcendence Sector and discovered many treasures from the Supreme Emperor’s mausoleum. She has even absorbed and shipped the treasures from the Supreme Emperor’s mausoleum with Cosmos Rings multiple times. That is how she is able to build such a strong Deep Sea Fleet and gather a bunch of ambitious, insubordinate reformists around her.

“In other words, Li Linghai is a ‘living map’ herself. Nobody knows the Supreme Emperor’s mausoleum better than she does. Then, why does she want us to study the groundless, ludicrous notes, tales, and legends?”

“Exactly. She also put it in a very strange way. She said that we must do as she said, or we will regret it.”

Li Yao’s mind seemed to have dived into a thick fog, and he was unable to drag it out at all. “What the heck did she mean by that? What is there to be regretful about?

“She clearly has the coordinates of the Supreme Emperor’s mausoleum and has traveled between the capital and the Supreme Emperor’s mausoleum many times. It shouldn’t be difficult at all. If she wants to take us there, why doesn’t she just do it?

“We also have the half key that can open the central area of the Supreme Emperor’s mausoleum. Even if she wants to trap us in a scheme, she should at least wait until the key plays its role and opens a certain gate, right?”

“Perhaps… she does not want to trap us but is only reminding us of something.”

The mental devil thought for a moment and shook its head hard. “No. I still feel that she is indeed malicious. But there is some kindness in her too. All in all, it is very self-contradictory. Perhaps, even she couldn’t tell what her attitude was.”

Li Yao and the mental devil looked at each other in confusion for a long time, unable to figure out what was going on.

The Imperial Fire Pearl, on the other hand, was still emitting brilliance that projected two shivering shadows, one large and the other small, to the wall.

“Then, are we going to use the Imperial Fire Pearl in our training?”

Li Yao mumbled to himself. Before the mental devil chimed in, he already made the decision.

“Of course we will! We are now between the middle level and the high level of the Divinity Transformation Stage at best. Even though we may be among the top tier of the Imperium of True Human Beings under the enhancement of the brand-new crystal suit and the Colossus, the chaos at the center of the cosmos is still full of dangers, and we might get killed at any moment!

“Only by challenging difficulties can we be stronger. Of course, training can be dangerous. But if we cannot take such a risk, we should’ve stayed in the Star Glory Federation comfortably and simply be respected as the founding father of the New Federation!

“Hehe. Even if Li Linghai truly has a great scheme, never would she have imagined that my soul is highly eccentric compared to that of a normal person’s, and even a terrifying ‘Earth’ is hidden inside! Will the powers of the Supreme Emperor that is hidden in the Imperial Fire Pearl and ‘Earth’ raise any amazing sparks when they collide? How I look forward to it!”

Li Yao did not forget that there was a weird gap deep inside his brain that sealed the secrets about Earth.

To this moment, although he had entered the Divinity Transformation Stage, he was still unable to completely unravel the seal and learn the truth of Earth.

If the power of the Imperial Fire Pearl could help him dig out everything about Earth that was hidden deep inside his soul, it would really be a pleasant gift!

“At the very least, we have learned part of the reasons why pop’s lover in the past transformed from an innocent little girl to such a dominating white-haired witch.”

Li Yao said with a smile, “If Li Linghai had been training herself with the magical equipment similar to the ‘Imperial Fire Pearl’ in the past hundred years, absorbing abundant soul marks of the Supreme Emperor into her brain, it would be inevitable that her personality was gradually transformed to that of a dominator under the influences. In that case, everything starts to make sense now, right?

“On second thought, this is not a bad outcome at all.

“The Supreme Emperor was a great hero who considered the happiness of the people to be his responsibility. He was the ancestor of the modern Cultivators. If Li Linghai is truly moved by the soul marks of the Supreme Emperor without her knowing it, it will be possible that she can truly terminate the chaos at the center of the cosmos and make the Imperium of True Human Beings develop in the direction that is more favorable for the ordinary people. That will be great!”

Looking at Li Yao, the mental devil said gloomily, “Do you believe it yourself?”

“Well…”

Li Yao scratched his head hard. “I seem to be a bit wishful. It’s so complicated. But thankfully, we have another magnificent hero that we can count on—the legendary ‘God of War’ Lei Chenghu!

“If Li Linghai does have a scheme, General Lei will definitely resist her to the end unwaveringly, right? All we need to do is to cheer for General Lei and give him help if needed. After all, this is the internal affair of the Imperium of True Human Beings. A foreigner such as myself should not take care of their problems for them, right?

“Let’s go and appreciate how General Lei saves the Imperium from close up!”

…

In half a day, Lei Chenghu had taken care of everything in the Godly Might Prison.

He turned off the oxygen transmission in the first and the third districts at first, putting the prisoners who were worn out after the fierce battles and in dire need of oxygen into sleep and depriving them of their combat ability.

Then, he ordered the guards to enter the field and take away the prisoners who fought particularly gravely. The rest of the prisoners were simply left where they were.

As for the political criminals, after identification, most of the civil officials were transferred to Li Linghai’s Deep Sea Fleet, but part of the talents whom he thought highly of or who were of great help to him stayed with him.

The guards of the Godly Might Prison and the soldiers of the Godly Might Fleet were screened by the same principle that prioritized quality over quantity. In a ratio of 5%, the elites boarded on three starships, and the rest of the personnel and the other starships were all transferred to Li Linghai.

It was not until this moment that Warden Yun Chenghua vaguely realized that Lei Chenghu was all by himself, and that none of the starships descended from the sky so far were his direct subordinates!

However, with everything coming to this point, when he looked at the determination on Lei Chenghu’s face, Yun Chenghua, who had no retreat anymore, certainly would not point it out. Instead, he was even more loyal to Lei Chenghu, allowing the man’s control on the three starships to reach every tube and every cabin.

The news that the Godly Might Prison was conquered had probably been passed to the ears of the four Kurfürsten far away in space. It was time to evacuate.

Hundreds of starships that were filled with crystals and ammunition soared to the sky. The scorching exhaust flames they spurted out left complicated traces on the land that was covered in snow. Among them, three of the largest starships were particularly eye-catching. They tore apart the sky like three shooting stars and swooped to the infinite cosmos.

It was exactly Lei Chenghu’s latest combined team.

He was about to take back his fleet with the three starships, and then a whole country after that!

…

On “Flying Tiger”, the latest temporary flagship, Lei Chenghu stared at Li Yao, who held his head high with a resolute face like an iron-blooded soldier, as well as Li Jialing who was standing next to Li Yao, coldly.

“It seems that my guess was correct. No matter how you disguise yourself, you can’t hide the fact that you are the queen’s most trusted subordinate.”

Lei Chenghu said casually, “She trusts you so much that even the mission to monitor me has been entrusted to you, ‘Vulture Li Yao’!”

“I’m afraid that you are wrong, General Lei. I am not here just to monitor you!”

Li Yao said solemnly, “Besides monitoring you, Her Grace also instructed me that I am to ‘give you a hand’ when you lose faith and waver in the great cause of the reformists. It appeared to me that the queen wanted me to kidnap you or even threaten to kill you. But don’t be nervous, General Lei, because as I said earlier, I have been admiring General Lei since childhood. I grew up listening to your tales, and I always regard you as an idol. So, when the moment that I have to take action comes, I will certainly be unable to take action. Chances are that I will even choose your side!”

Lei Chenghu: “… Excuse me?”

Li Jialing turned around rather rigidly and looked at Li Yao in astonishment.

“Who… are you exactly? What does the queen want by putting a guy like you to my side?”

Lei Chenghu narrowed his eyes, mired in a confusion that rarely happened to him again. He mumbled, “Do you know? I have a natural-born ability or intuition. Even though one is in the Nascent Soul Stage or the Divinity Transformation Stage, I can tell the deepest desires in their heart the moment I meet them, and I know what they want exactly.

“The queen is no exception. I can see clearly her ambitions that are growing like an ever-expanding beast that will swallow the universe.

“But what about you, Vulture Li Yao? I really can’t see through you. I cannot tell what kind of soul is hidden underneath your skin.

“My intuitions tell me that you may be even more dreadful than the queen. Are you?”