Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Whet a stone for a hundred years, and cut the enemy’s throat in one attack!

Han Baling’s elaborate analysis was indeed logical and flawless!

No wonder all the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators exclaimed in shock after holding their patience and waiting for him to finish.

‘Emperor Phoenix’ Zhu Zongyou was the first to speak. The proud young emperor was Han Baling’s old nemesis. He had long grown impatient after hearing the guy talk for such a long time. “Exactly. That’s what I thought, too. Monster Li is immeasurably sophisticated. If he were in the Ancient Sages Sector, he would’ve become a devil that turned the world upside down. I fear—I fear that even the Three Saints and Four Rapscallions combined would be no match for him!”

“You don’t say.” ‘Heaven Battering King’ Qi Changsheng chuckled. “Names are sometimes given wrong, but nicknames can never be wide of the mark. Before, I was curious why the dominator of three Sectors and a great hero who once saved the federation was nicknamed after such an ill-considered creature, the vulture. It was not until today that I finally realized that nothing fits the old monster better than ‘vulture’! This is truly unbelievable. What exactly did the monster go through to make him train his wisdom and cunningness to such a high extent?”

“Fellow Cultivator Wu and I met a lot of distinguished experts a hundred years ago. Honestly speaking, we have been through many shocking things.” Meng Chixin, the spectral Cultivator in the Divinity Transformation Stage, could not help but sigh. “But even the two of us have never seen an opponent as formidable as Monster Li before! Although we raised our wariness against Monster Li the moment we reached the Dragon Snake Space Zone, speculating that he was very likely to be the most tricky opponent in the war to come, it appears that we have far underestimated him however hard we tried to overestimate him!”

Even ‘Sword Maniac’ Yan Liren, who never had any interest in schemes and planning and was only found of slashing his swords at strong opponents, also joined the discussion. “Whet the sword for a hundred years, and cut the throat in one attack! The guy is indeed persistent and sophisticated! As the saying goes, every sword takes after its master. I’m told that Monster Li was already one of the few top experts in the federation a hundred years ago. If he has been practicing his sword arts with the patience of his plan, I don’t know what terrifying attacks he can perform!

“Not bad. Not bad at all. If I ever run into him someday, I will definitely have a gratifying fight with him and have a good taste of his sword that has been whetted for a hundred years. It is the ultimate dream of a swordsman to be killed by such a sword!”

“Wait. Wait, wait!” Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar was still somewhat confused. He tapped the table and said, “Fellow Cultivators, there’s still something that is bothering me. If Monster Li is really awesome enough to have planned everything in secret in the past hundred years, why has he still not revealed himself at this point?”

“Why should he?” ‘Iron Saint’ Qi Zhongdao was the nominal leader of all the Cultivators. Naturally, he understood the logic of it quite well. “As the traditional conglomerates are swept aside, Li Yao’s group will rise unstoppably and completely dominate the New Federation. No matter who is elected as the Speaker and the leadership in the end, they will be either Li Yao’s wife, Li Yao’s disciple, or someone else among his family and friends who have life-and-death connections with Li Yao. There might be conflicts within the gang, but none of the outsiders will get access to the advantages! Monster Li will be the overlord whoever the Speaker of the Federation is!

“Hehe. ‘Speaker of the Federation’ is just a title as worthless as ’emperor’ or ‘leader of all the Cultivators’. The critical problem is, who holds the real power?

“At least from what we’ve seen so far, the plan has worked out. The helmsman of the federation in the next hundred years will doubtlessly be Vulture Li Yao, Monster Li!”

“Also,” ‘Mother White Lotus’ Wan Mingzhu shrieked, “in many cases, it is more convenient to be a dead person than to be a living one. On the surface, Monster Li has been away from the federation for a hundred years. His mysterious status, together with the propaganda of certain thoughtful guys under him, gradually deified him.

“Dominator of three Sectors, God Li Yao, Father of ‘Civilization’, and even such a shameless title as ‘Father of the Federation’ have been invented. Would it have been possible if someone hadn’t been fanning the flames in secret? If he was still present, wouldn’t it too embarrassing for him to boast about himself like that even if somebody else wanted him to? Even if he did, other people would’ve been highly vigilant of him!

“Monster Li’s moves are indeed unbelievable… My White Lotus Cult struggled for decades in the southeast of the Great Qian Dynasty, but we never recruited a million believers. Yet, the monster turned himself into a ‘god’ by only playing a false retreat, pretending that he went to travel in space, and he has reaped more than ten billion worshippers!

“Getting everything without doing anything, and deceiving other people when they do not notice. This is truly impressive!”

It was Long Yangjun’s turn to speak. She smiled and said, “In fact, I’m afraid that you overlooked something. Monster Li’s scheme is indeed delicate, but in fact, ‘Li Yao’s group’ has already risen unstoppably, and he can show up anytime if he wants.

“I carefully read the monster’s biography earlier and discovered that his favorite move is to return at the most critical moment and save the world. It is his strategy to deceive other people into thinking that he is indispensable.

“Let’s think about it. If Monster Li really plans to reveal himself, he can always announce his grand return in the middle of the fierce war between the federation and the Imperium. How glamorous, shocking, and deceptive it will be! Hehehehehehehe…”

“Why are you laughing, Lord Wang?” Han Baling asked.

“Excuse me. When I think that the monster is so sordid and meticulous that I can do nothing about it, I can only laugh bitterly now!”

“You do have a point, Lord Wang.” Han Baling nodded. “If Monster Li really announces his grand return at a critical moment, his prestige, popularity, and standing will be more than enough for him to be elected as the Speaker of the Federation. I’m afraid that nobody will object even if he changes the Star Glory Federation into an Imperium and makes himself the founding emperor of it. He is essentially a smaller but even more shameless Blackstar the Great!”

Long Yangjun laughed ‘bitterly’ again and jabbed Li Yao with her elbow. “Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture, we never thought that Li Yao could be as terrifying as this. What about you? How do you feel right now?”

Pa!

Li Yao could not hold it back any longer. He opened his hands and slapped the table hard. His fingers were so deeply embedded into the metal table that ripples the shape of palm were even spreading out.

Blushing and excited, he rose up and glared at everyone.

“Fellow Cultivators! Everybody!

“Yes. If Monster Li’s schemes are real, he is indeed a terrifying, treacherous, and sleazy man!

“However, as Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators who have been through blood and death in the Ancient Sages Sector for a hundred years, we—we—we are certainly not so easy to be dealt with, either!

“Where is your bravery and resolution?

“Hehe. You are all so scared that your faces are turning pale. You think that he is a terrifying person. Terrifying my ass! You are simply praising the enemy and spurning yourselves. I am disappointed!

“You are all horrified by this Monster Li, but I am not! If you are too frustrated to fight him, suit yourself, but I am going to find him and fight him and see if he is as capable as he is supposed to be!

“Besides—besides, in my opinion, if he is truly so sophisticated, it is not necessarily a bad thing!”

Li Yao suddenly changed the topic. While tapping the table, he said, “We must make one thing clear. When we decide which side to take while we are on the fence, it is important for us to check which side offers better treatment, but isn’t it more important to check which side is more powerful? We should join the stronger party. Otherwise, whatever spectacular treatment we are promised, it will not be fulfilled at all if those who make the promise are crushed, in which case the Ancient Sages Sector will be collateral damage that is destroyed together. Will it help us at all?

“The general picture right now is that the Imperium is stronger than the federation. There’s no doubt about that. However, specifically in regard to the war here and now at the edge of the cosmos, if the federation is supervised by such a cunning, sophisticated, considerate Monster Li, won’t its odds of winning be greatly improved?

“The most important thing for us Cultivators is to follow a right boss. After hearing what Fellow Cultivator Han said, I am under the impression that Monster Li is not bad. Do you want the helmsman of the Star Glory Federation to be a merciful, indecisive, and cowardly man instead of him?”

His words woke everyone up. All the Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators looked at each other, feeling greatly enlightened.

“That’s quite true. Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture’s words do make sense!”

“The purpose of our journey… to put it in the urban slang here, is to cling to a thigh!”

“After hearing the analyses of Fellow Cultivator Han and Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture, wow, this particularly thigh named Monster Li is indeed thick, strong, and dependable. It is definitely worth clinging to!”

“Yes. With this monster supervising it, the federation will certainly be the winner of the war that will mark its rise!”

“But wait. This monster apparently has a huge appetite. Is it possible that he will devour us from skin to bones without giving us any advantages? I have a feeling that negotiating with such a terrifying monster will be like asking a tiger for its hide!”

Li Yao sat down angrily and focused his spiritual energy on his toes, stomping on Long Yangjun’s foot hard.

“Cough, cough. Cough, cough, cough, cough.” Long Yangjun stood up again. Taking a long breath, she finally smiled and said, “About that, I think that I have to say something for Monster Li.

“Based on the analyses of the fellow Cultivators, we can tell that Monster Li is an ambitious and ravenous man. Do you think that his appetite will be satisfied after the federation’s war of rise is won?

“No. Absolutely impossible. He will certainly march to the center of the cosmos and compete with the Imperium and the Covenant Alliance to finally become the king of the entire universe! Do you agree, everyone?”

“That sounds reasonable.” The Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators and Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators all nodded. “If we had Monster Li’s power and wisdom, we would not be content to be bound at the edge of the cosmos as a local warlord.”

“If so, since his ultimate purpose is the prosperous worlds at the center of the cosmos, will he devour the Ancient Sages Sector recklessly just for some petty benefits?” Long Yangjun smiled. “His enterprise has already been built, but the future road of conquest is still long even if the war is won. If we give him a hand at a critical moment, he will certainly return the favor ten times over, even for nothing other than showing his generosity.

“Otherwise, who would dare join him and help him realize his ambitions in the future? He will certainly not kill the goose that lays golden eggs.

“All in all… to use some local slang, if you don’t trust Monster Li’s integrity, you should at least trust his head!”