Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Li Yao tilted his head and pondered for a moment before mumbling, “After hearing your words, Senior Jin, it suddenly occurred to me that the Blood Demon Sector and the Flying Star Sector are highly complementary, even more complementary than the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Flying Star Sector!

“The Flying Star Sector boasts a boundless territory of dozens of space zones and hundreds of resource planets, but most of the resource planets have harsh environments and are unfeasible to exploit.

“The Blood Demon Sector, on the other hand, boasts tremendous miners who are highly adaptive to the harsh environments but doesn’t have developable resources.

“The two parties have no deep grudges. If the Blood Demon Sector is attacking the Heaven’s Origin Sector aggressively, then, for the sake of humanity, the Flying Star Sector will perhaps reinforce the Heaven’s Origin Sector.

“But right now, if the Blood Demon Sector is ready to sit down and talk, is there any reason the Flying Star Sector shouldn’t?

“Once communication between the Blood Demon Sector and the Flying Star Sector begins, the Heaven’s Origin Sector will be in awkward situation. If the war continues, it will be the troublemaker of the three Sectors.

“It must be noted that the enemies that the Flying Star Sector is faced with, including the Iron Plateau rebels, the space pirates, and the Immortal Cultivators alike, are all human beings!

“Therefore, I’m afraid that the idea that ‘human beings are all kindhearted and shouldn’t attack each other’ has never entered the minds of the Cultivators of the Flying Star Sector. History tells them that mankind boasts many unpardonable criminals and many unpardonable civilizations, too!

“If the Heaven’s Origin Sector is acting aggressively all the time and never ceases to fight, the Flying Star Sector will certainly be vigilant, too, and it will be even less likely to attack the Blood Demon Sector together with the Heaven’s Origin Sector!

“Having no other choices, the Star Glory Federation will have to join the peace negotiations.

“Also, when there are two possible targets of ‘surrender’, the price of surrender can be better negotiated, too. If the Heaven’s Origin Sector is not willing to accept the Blood Demon Sector’s surrender, there’s always the Flying Star Sector.

“In the end, when the peace talks work out, the Flying Star Sector will provide boundless territory, sailing technology, and resource planets; the Blood Demon Sector will provide biochemical technology and well-trained miners; the Heaven’s Origin Sector will provide a highly coherent government and a functioning model. An iron triangle against the Imperium of True Human Beings will be formed!

“This is the future that Senior Jin wishes to see, right?”

Jin Tuyi smiled and clapped his hands. “Marvelous. Truly marvelous. As expected of Vulture Li Yao. You have depicted exactly everything on my mind! Yes. That is the future that I want to see, and I believe that it is also the future that you want to see and the only way possible to defeat the Imperium of True Human Beings and preserve the tinder of our civilizations!”

“Alright. I’ll bring all of your words to the most appropriate person.” After pausing for a moment, Li Yao said carefully, “However, I have to remind Senior Jin of something beforehand.

“I can see that Senior Jin is a great player of the chess game, but do you know when a chess game is the most perfect and flawless?”

Jin Tuyi raised his eyebrow. “When?”

“At the beginning of a chess game, before any chess piece is moved. That is the only flawless form of a chess game. Once the chess pieces are moved, so much as one single step, there will be loopholes, and the chess game will not proceed exactly as the player has calculated.”

Staring at Jin Tuyi in the eyes, Li Yao said, one word after another, “Moreover, I don’t like being a chess piece. I prefer to be a player. Not any player, but an unreasonable one who will knock over the board at any time.

“This time, Senior Jin has prepared such a large chess game, hoping to finish the Red Tide Plan through me. That’s not going to be a problem!

“However, under my influence, will the future of the Red Tide Plan be exactly the same as Senior Jin has predicted? That will be hard to say!

“The chess game between us has only just begun!”

With a bitter smile, Jin Tuyi sighed. “Do I not know what a dreadful thing it is to cooperate with such a dangerous person as ‘Vulture Li Yao’? But it is a pity that I don’t have enough time.

“Honestly speaking, if my brain could work normally for another hundred years, I would definitely try to kill you with whatever methods possible!

“But right now… I can only look toward my daughter.

“Please help me find Jin Xinyue. I will tell her the following procedures of the Red Tide Plan. Although you will certainly learn the secret later, I want her to hear it and make a choice first.”

Jin Tuyi waved his hands lethargically and struggled to stand straight. He then walked out of the room, ending the conversation.

Seeing his back, which indicated that he was exhausted, Li Yao’s left eye was rippling with circles of strange fire.

“Why did you agree on his offer so easily?”

“Because he does have a point,” the mental devil replied. “Three Sectors working together against the Imperium of True Human Beings, isn’t that our plan as well? Everyone gets what they want from the cooperation. What’s not good about it?”

“But he is clearly trying to play the peaceful evolution ¹  move on us!” Li Yao said.

“What’s wrong with peaceful evolution? Demons can evolve into human beings, and human beings can evolve into demons, too. Do you have no faith in the system and culture of the human civilization? You don’t believe that the federation can completely assimilate the ‘old demons’ in the past and transform them into ‘new human beings’ who are ideal, knowledgeable, ethical, and well-disciplined?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Li Yao muttered. “If that’s the case, were you of any help at all? The result would’ve been the same if I negotiated with him!”

“Wrong!” the mental devil denied solemnly. “When I was negotiating, my aura was much more daunting than yours! Debate is all about overwhelming your enemy. Do you not feel that the last few statements I made, all the talks about chess pieces and players, created a mysterious vibe and gave the feeling that everything was under my control and that Jin Tuyi was brutally suppressed?”

“…No, I don’t feel any of that. Also, it suddenly occurred to me that you seem to be playing the peaceful evolution move on me, too!”

“You can also change me with your integrity, your morals, and the kind and bright side of your soul! As the say goes, evil will always be defeated by righteousness in the end. If you are certain that I am evil, you will certainly defeat me in the end. What are you scared of exactly?”

“Fair enough,” LI Yao replied. “But why does it sound so weird to me?”

“What’s weird about it? Did you not notice that I haven’t stirred any trouble for a long time and even volunteered to help you! It is all because I have been moved by the bright side of our soul, and I was trying to abandon the darkness for the light! Therefore, even if you cannot let go of your stereotype and still regard me as a mental devil, would you please at least consider me as a kindhearted, harmonious and highly-moral one?”

Li Yao gnashed his teeth. “Cut the crap. I will not be fooled by you. One day, I will completely purge you until there is not even your trace left!”

“Well, brother, if I may remind you, your killing intent went out of control during your declaration and turned into negative emotions, which made my strength slightly higher than before.”

Silent, Li Yao could not come up with a response.

“Just stop being angry and think about the beautiful stuff, the bright stuff and the positive stuff. You must know that I am the dark side of your soul. How can you ever purge me when you have so many negative emotions? If you act carelessly and your negative emotions break out, I might be able to devour you, which isn’t going to be pretty, is it?”

…

When Jin Xinyue arrived, the camp of the coalition army of demons was now enshrouded in a hazy mist of confusion and uneasiness, not just because of the destruction of the Eye of Blood Demon and the reshuffle of the troops, but also because of the outbreak of spores.

Although a quarantine was prepared in advance, many soldiers still contracted the Demon God Virus in the chaotic battle and turned into terrible uncontrollable mutants. A high price was paid in order to annihilate or capture them.

The howling of the uncontrollable mutants was a hundred times more terrifying than the howling of the demon beasts. Their unbelievably abnormal appearances frightened even the most bodacious warriors, who were scared that they might end up becoming such monsters, too.

Because the number of the soldiers was too large, the few medical warships were far from enough to examine all of them. Most of the soldiers were still waiting in the weird ambiance.

They could not have been more nervous at this point, and they were eyeing each other suspiciously as if everybody was a spore that carried the Demon God Virus!

Jin Xinyue arrived at exactly such an anxious hour.

Her clothing was different from when she was in Skyfire. The black leather suit was replaced by a moon white linen cloak. Her face was clean and devoid of any makeup. Her hair dangled down like a waterfall in attractive color as if it were the smoothest silk.

She did not wear shoes. Her jade-like feet were also transparent, without nail varnish or other cosmetics. So, pink brilliance was flashing on her toes, but it did not give an inappropriate feeling.

She was both like an unworldly saintess and an angel who had come to others’ salvation. Just like that, she walked at ease among the countless panicked soldiers.

It was the standard pose for a saintess of the Pantheon of Demons when they walked in the Blood Demon Sector.

The saintesses of the Pantheon of Demons boasted dual identities. In the darkness, they were the scariest spies and assassins of the Pantheon of Demons. But on the surface, they were responsible for comfort, reconciliation, and propaganda. It was exactly what ‘saintess’ meant.

When Li Yao saw Jin Xinyue for the first time, she was still clinging to the demeanor of the ‘princess of the Gold Crow Kingdom’ and looked dominating and aggressive. Her approach had been too direct and crude at that time!

However, over the past few months, she had experienced life-changing events multiple times. Also, after the direct and indirect tutelage of Li Yao and Jin Tuyi, the potential deep inside her brain was finally unleashed. She was more and more like a real ‘saintess’ now!

Jin Xinyue’s eyes were slightly frowning, as if she felt the same as the panicked soldiers around her. But her lips were slightly curled, showing that she did not have the least doubt about the final victory. His eyes were clear and comforting. Every soldier whom she glanced at would immediately feel peace of mind.

She was alone, not bringing any guards. She did not even disguise her new identity at all. Spreading out a vague scent of spiritual energy, she walked in the middle of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the coalition army!