Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

With a smile of disdain, Li Linghai said slowly, “Our Emperor Shenwu, if put nicely, is an innocent idealist, or if put frankly, a stubborn, unexceptional man who dwells in his own illusions and really thinks that he is to be credited for the glorious triumph of the Imperium’s counterattack. He is even under the impression that he can restore the glory of Blackstar the Great and make all the soldiers and nobles kneel before him.

“All in all, that is a man who is more of a saboteur than a contributor. It doesn’t really matter even if he falls into Dongfang Wang’s hands now.”

Rolling his eyes, Li Yao asked, “Well, he is Your Grace’s husband after all… and you guys have a dozen children together.”

A hint of disgust and hate flashed on Li Linghai’s face. She said coldly, “You should know that becoming the wife of that pig is the one thing that I hate most in my life. If things could go my way, I would rather watch him die in person.

“However, considering that the Imperium of True Human Beings needs a nominal emperor in any case, as long as he does not commit any follies and get himself killed, I will still respect him as His Majesty after he is rescued. That is also my promise.

“Speaking of which, Li Yao, I’m beginning to think that you are not really asking about Emperor Shenwu but about me, right? You want to know where I will place myself after the mission to renew the Imperium is really accomplished, and whether or not I will become a dictator to some degree, some kind of ‘she-emperor’, right?”

Li Yao smiled, somewhat in embarrassment, as a way of acknowledgment.

Li Linghai sniffed, not considering it as an offense. “As I told you earlier, everything I’ve been doing is for the salvation of the Imperium but not for myself to gain the power, although I will certainly do a better job than the four Kurfürst families if I do control the supreme power someday.

“The reformists have come up with quite a few solutions to the politics of the Imperium after the four Kurfürst families partly collapsed. One of the plans is to add at least another two hundred and fifty members, who are all reformists, to the Council of Elders, which has five hundred elders right now, in order to check and balance the old interest groups.

“However, the plan is too tricky to be put into practice because it is likely to raise the vehement resistance of the old elders, which will intensify the conflicts. Therefore, a substitutional plan came forth, which proposes to divide the Council of Elders into two houses. The current Council of Elders will be the Upper House, and the prestige and privileges of the elders will stay the same. But a new agency named Lower House, which has three thousand seats, will be established. The elders in the Lower House will be elected by the broader interest groups and represent the interests of the majority to grasp the real power.

“The two plans, as well as some other plans about dividing and curbing the power and about how to establish an impartial, honorable, and effective grand government, have been discussed by the reformists for a long time. Everybody has been offering their thoughts and acknowledged the ideas. In any case, it will be much better than the oligarchy and tyranny of the four Kurfürst families. Do you think that it is possible for a brutal, powerful dictator to rise on such a philosophical foundation?”

Li Yao rolled his eyes again and again but did not say anything.

“I understand your concerns when you regard yourself as a Cultivator, but your concerns are all ungrounded.”

Li Linghai’s tone was even softer, as if she were explaining to herself, as she continued, “What are the most important factors in creating a ruthless dictator? Army and prestige. Taking the two factors into account, it means that countless experts must pledge their loyalty to myself and nobody else.

“But is it the situation right now?

“In terms of army, the Deep Sea Fleet is completely commanded by General Dongfang Sheng. I never ask about any of the details or interfere with the election and promotion of officers. It is needless to even mention General Lei Chenghu’s Astounding Thunder Fleet. It is so independent that it can only be called my ally and not my subordinate.

“In terms of prestige, I have never encouraged any personality cult in the reformists. Dongfang Sheng, Yue Wushuang, and Jin Yuyan did not join the reformists because they worshipped or were loyal to me. They all had their own reasons and agreed with the ideas of the reformists. That was how we walked together.

“This is even more so the case when it comes to you and General Lei Chenghu. Let’s be honest here. Am I ‘prestigious’ before the two of you at all?

“All in all, I am a guide of the reformists, but I am certainly not a unique leader of the reformists. If I had intended to be a dictator, or a ‘she-emperor’ like you said earlier, I wouldn’t have built the reformists into what they are today, and I would have tried to grasp the army in my hands, right?

“After all, no matter how strong my personal combat ability is, it is absolutely useless when faced with overwhelming starships and troops.

“I did not do it at the beginning, and I have even fewer reasons to do it when the reformists have expanded and boasted their own determination today. But it does not matter. It is not important whether or not I am the leader of the reformists or the Imperium. As long as a stronger and everlasting new Imperium can be created, it will be enough!”

After a long daze, Li Yao failed to find many loopholes in Li Linghai’s soul-stirring speech. He could only say, “It does seem to be the case.”

“Then, what are you worried about?”

With a smile, Li Linghai said, “Just drop the random thoughts and make preparations. Trust me, you are maintaining the balance and stability at the center of the cosmos by doing what you are asked to do. The lives of more people will be saved because of you!”

Li Linghai cut off the picture of communication, leaving Li Yao in the dark mist by himself.

He was even more worried than before.

The mental devil observed from his brain, “Has it occurred to you that the queen is particularly gentle today and tries very hard to defend herself, as if she is scared that we might misunderstand her, which is totally different from when we just met her?”

“Of course I have.”

Li Yao said, “Something is definitely wrong. A person who used to be as cold as ice suddenly turning so gentle is certainly not a good thing.”

However, even after Li Yao and the mental devil thought for a long time, they still could not figure out what the problem was.

Li Linghai was not wrong about one thing. Whatever schemes, ambitious plans, or insane ideas she had, they had to be put into practice by an army in the end.

But Li Linghai had indeed given the commandership of her army away. Even the Deep Sea Fleet that she founded in person had been entrusted to Dongfang Sheng, who was just an “outsider”. She couldn’t have been more frank and selfless.

Li Yao had met Dongfang Sheng several times. He was certain that the fleet commander, who was in the Divinity Transformation Stage too, did not have any absolute loyalty or admiration to Li Linghai herself.

It was needless to mention Lei Chenghu. Should Li Linghai act abnormally, it would be Lei Chenghu who would stand out first and destroy her.

The politics of the new Imperium in the design of the reformists were also much more advanced than the dark governance of the four Kurfürst families. Most of the reformists joined the cause to renew the Imperium because of the ideas. What they pledged loyalty to was the Imperium and not Li Linghai herself.

Therefore, assuming that Li Linghai truly had great ambitions, and a huge scheme was being operated in secret, on what grounds could she realize them and make the millions of soldiers in the entire universe obey her? It was absolutely impossible!

With her capabilities at the peak of the Divinity Transformation Stage—or even the Divinity Branching Stage—she was all by herself after all, and it was impossible for her to swallow the entire Imperium.

Li Yao’s brain almost exploded as he thought hard, but he couldn’t find the key to the questions. But what Long Yangjun said a few days ago seemed very reasonable too. Li Yao was truly baffled.

So, he simply called in Li Jialing. “Come on, little brother. Let Brother Yao take a look at your body. What’s your progress on the training with the Imperial Fire Pearl now?”

Li Jialing right now was still covered in gold hair, but vague flames seemed to be burning on his head, making him look both fierce and glamorous, truly like an awe-inspiring golden lion.

However, before Li Yao who was half a master and half a mentor, the golden lion was as docile as a cat. He took out the smaller fragment of the Imperial Fire Pearl and held it in his hand.

“Really, so fast?”

Li Yao was rather shocked. The part of the Imperial Fire Pearl in Li Jialing’s hands was lackluster, and the surface that used to be as smooth as a mirror had holes that looked like needles. The treasure looked nothing more than a common rock anymore. The strength that vaguely flowed inside had dried—no, it had been entirely absorbed by Li Jialing!

After a hundred years of adventures, Li Yao’s body had been tempered and reforged again and again, and it was already too sturdy to be described by any word. He thought that his training speed was already high enough, but Li Jialing turned out to be even faster than him. He had absorbed the strength of the Supreme Emperor hidden inside the fragment of the Imperial Fire Pearl in only one month!

Although Li Jialing’s fragment was smaller than Li Yao’s, such training efficiency was still too… depressing for other people!

“Come on. Let me see how good you are right now.”

Li Yao extended his hands to Li Jialing. The two of them held their hands tightly.

BOOM!

Two bright golden flames rose on their bodies at the same time, enshrouding themselves in spluttering electric arcs. Thick veins were protruding from their chests and arms too, transmitting the terrifying strength in the deepest part of cells to their hands.

Very soon, their hands all turned transparent, and the muscle fibers, the veins, the nerves, and the bones inside were all clearly visible.

After another ten seconds, their hands all became ivory, like iron that had been heated to the point of melting!

It was not until this moment that Li Jialing finally showed the look of pain and grunted, trying to loosen his hand.

Li Yao, however, did not let go of him. The strength originated from the veins on his arms flooded into Li Jialing’s arms and body, examining the guy’s internal organs, veins, and abdomen without missing out any part.

But however he groped, he failed to find any uncanny force that had invaded Li Jialing’s body.