Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Such quick reactions?

Li Yao retrieved a high-resolution crystal camera from his Cosmos Ring and wore it on his left eye. After adjusting the focal length and observing through the window, he finally detected the two magnificent words ‘Dragon Horse’ on the heads of the four crystal warships.

The Dragon Horse Legion was one of the sixteen crystal suit legions of the Star Glory Federation. It had just been equipped with the latest model of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit and was one of the main forces of the federal army.

More importantly, judging from a piece of intelligence that had been sent to the Blood Demon Sector twenty years ago, the only one who had access to the intelligence at that time happened to be the supreme commander of the Dragon Horse Legion right now!

The guy was likely one of the Children of the Nether World.

Is it a coincidence?

Li Yao frowned. Then he suddenly realized that it was not a coincidence at all. If the Children of the Nether World were really determined to cut off the connection between the Blood Demon Sector and the Heaven’s Origin Sector, naturally, they would try to send their forces to the frontline on the Grand Desolate Plateau so that they could block or jam the information at the earliest opportunity.

However, everything so far was just speculation. Li Yao did not have any solid evidence to prove the real identity of Duanmu Ming. Perhaps the Child of the Nether World was somebody else, and he was nothing but a loyal, dutiful general of the federal army. If so, it would be hard to explain his aggressive action later.

Even if Duanmu Ming was a real Child of the Nether World, most of the federal soldiers in the Dragon Horse Legion would still be innocent. There was no way that Li Yao would attack them.

This is tricky now. I need more information to decide what to do next!

Li Yao licked his lips and touched his cheeks, which were somewhat greasy. He then took off a thin membrane from his face. The muscles on his face bulged part after part, turning him into a much more barbaric appearance.

I knew that the trip wouldn’t be so simple. Thankfully, I came prepared. I will find out whether or not Duanmu Ming is a Child of the Nether World, and what they are up to exactly, after a minor test!

Seeing that the four crystal warships were getting closer and closer to his memorial park, Li Yao took a deep breath, retrieved the fundamental version of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, and then—

He broke out of the window and ran away!

Swoosh!

Li Yao leapt high and stomped on his own statue brutally, jumping to his own monument with the counterforce like lightning. Then, he stomped hard again and accelerated to maximum!

His rapid actions immediately attracted the attention of the four crystal warships. They flew toward Li Yao. Dozens of sharp mystic rays blocked his every path of escape!

The cabin doors on the two sides of the crystal warships were slowly opened, like sharks splitting their bloody mouths. Almost a hundred armed shuttles and Mystic Skeleton Battlesuits dashed out!

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

From the turrets on the four crystal warships, translucent spiritual waves were blowing out. Like highly condensed water balls, they raised immense blasts on the ground and smashed Li Yao like a tsunami.

They were stun grenades that did not boast much damage. The federal army was not clear of Li Yao’s identity yet. They did not know who the Cultivator in the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was exactly. Naturally, they were not planning to kill him but capture him alive.

Had he not seen his own memorial park in person, Li Yao would have decided to be captured by them and explain everything to them slowly. But right now, how could Li Yao submit to a suspected Child of the Nether World?

Like the most skilled surfer, he was moving agilely on the violent surging tides made of the blast. He looked for the tiny, volatile gaps and accelerated again and again with the impetus of the blasts!

However, the specifications of the fundamental version of the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit were too plain after all and far from his standard. After several extreme sprints and changes of direction, three power rune arrays on the back exploded abruptly after weird noises!

The Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit staggered in midair as if he had stepped on a banana skin!

BOOM! CRACK!

The four crystal warships nearby had been waiting for the opportunity. The Fiery Crow Cannons, the secondary cannons on the two sides of the warships, opened fire simultaneously. Scorching magma was tossed toward Li Yao, forming walls of fire that were thousands of degrees in temperature and further limiting his zone of activity.

On the heads of the crystal warship warships, the horn-like main guns were condensing dazzling balls of lightning. After a few thunderous noises, the balls of lightnings appeared right above Li Yao’s head as if they were teleported there. Then, they bloomed and split in thousands of electric arcs that constituted a giant net of electricity with a coverage of several square kilometers like crazily dancing silver snakes!

Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi! Zi!

Li Yao was immediately hit by an electric shock. The Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit broke apart, and his blood was spurting out.

With a roar, he injected a strengthening drug into his neck quickly. His speed did not drop but even further rose as he looked for the gap among the electric arcs. As if he were dancing in the lightning, he finally breached the electric net and rushed forward before the armed shuttles and crystal suits surrounded him!

In a moment, he had already dashed a hundred kilometers away. In front of him was a dense forest of rocks. The crevices on the rocks led to spacious, interconnecting caves underground!

On the Grand Desolate Plateau, there were too many such underground caves, but Li Yao had selected the shelter carefully and even surveyed it before he arrived as part of his backup plan.

Shua!

Before the second electric net—which was even more powerful—enveloped him, Li Yao sprinted into the rocks and crawled into the underground cave!

The trap had been completed.

It remained to be seen whether or not Duanmu Ming would fall into it!

…

In the sky above the forest of rocks, hundreds of elite Exos from the Dragon Horse Legion from the four crystal warships were about to charge into the underground cave to search when they were ordered to stand by and establish a perimeter.

Very soon, an assault ship that was reinforced with strengthening plates that looked like dragon scales on the shell moved to area above the forest of rocks.

Duanmu Ming, a major general of the federal army and the supreme commander of the Dragon Horse Legion, was sitting inside the assault warship and staring at all the battle videos just now as well as the picture that the guards of Li Yao’s memorial part captured through their Demon Beast Detectors.

Duanmu Ming’s face was fair, and he had no beard. He appeared to be a graceful advisor in the army, if not a knowledgeable scholar.

However, he was most famous for his cruel, brutal, insane, and fearless style in battle. He had rushed to the frontline to fight against the demons countless times.

Such recklessness had been criticized by many people. However, Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao, a big shot in the military, quite liked his style. Also, he seemed to have natural intuitions that allowed him to pierce into the most weakly defended sections every time, thereby laying the foundations for victory and shattering all doubts about him.

Therefore, his position had been rising without any hinderance. After only twenty years, he had grown from the deputy chief of staff of a regular troop to the supreme commander of one of the sixteen crystal suit legions in the federation!

Right now, inside the secret chamber, Duanmu Ming and an advisor of the Dragon Scale Legion were alone. Their countenance was both solemn and a little bit weird.

“The voice test has been completed.”

The advisor tapped on the light beam of the mini crystal processor. Curves high and low immediately appeared, along with Li Yao’s voice.

“Tell me. How did Vulture Li Yao die exactly?”

Every syllable was turned into dozens of curves and hundreds of pieces of data, which were then compared to the voiceprints in the secret database. Very soon, an almost identical voiceprint jumped out.

The identity information of the guy popped up.

Duanmu Ming’s pupils shrank suddenly. Somewhat surprised, he asked, “It’s him?”

“Yes. The match rate of the voiceprint comparison is 92%. They should be the same guy.

“Also, we have retrieved blood samples from the debris of the crystal suit that he threw out. The blood has been analyzed and compared just now. It is very similar to… the blood samples we got from the other side.

“The result of the Dynamical Movement Capturing and Analysis is out, too.”

The advisor opened Li Yao’s combat videos. In the videos, Li Yao’s body gradually turned almost transparent, replaced by a series of data and lines. “We have analyzed the guy’s every movement and compared them with the old videos in the database. 51% of the habitual movements are identical.”

Duanmu Ming frowned. “Only 51%?”

“Yes,” the advisor said. “Because the guy was trying to conceal his identity and refraining from his habits, the match rate is only 51%. But still, he gave himself away at the critical moment. The movement where he injected the strengthening drug subconsciously is 100% match with the old videos in our database!

“Voiceprint, blood, and the Dynamical Movement Capturing and Analysis have all reported high similarities. They are enough to prove his identity!

“He is Han Tuhu, the commander of the Flying Tigers Legion!”

“But his face was not Han Tuhu’s,” Duanmu Ming said coldly.

“We have analyzed his face carefully based on the surveillance picture captured by the soldiers. His facial expression was a bit rigid. He must’ve covered a membrane on his face and changed his appearance.”

Duanmu Ming squinted and said, “Han Tuhu should be a half-human, half-demon monster.”

“That, I cannot explain. Since the Eye of Blood Demon was destroyed and the Spore Stratagem failed three months ago, our intelligence network there has suffered a heavy blow. It’s been a long time since we last received a piece of valuable information. Chances are that the Pantheon of Demons has already developed reduction drugs that can control the primeval cells satisfactorily.

“If such drugs have truly been developed, and Han Tuhu’s appearance can be restored to that of a human being, he is certainly one of the best candidates to come back. He was the commander of the Flying Tigers Legion. The military will not turn a deaf ear to what he says.”

“Alright!” Duanmu Ming suddenly rose up. “We cannot allow Han Tuhu to fall into anyone else’s hands. Let’s go capture him ourselves! But don’t attack him for now. He should be unaware of our secrets. Let me figure out a way to elicit the latest intelligence about the Blood Demon Sector from him first!

“However, Han Tuhu is an expert at the peak of the Core Formation Stage after all. In case anything goes wrong, make sure that the No. 4 Plan for Core Formation Stage Cultivators is ready in half an hour!”