Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

The fierce battle in White Stone Municipality represented the beginning of the full counterattack of the Dongfang family.

Despite the unpleasant episodes in the process—for example, the “Fire Blade Squad”, a rapid response troop of the family, was blown up by someone one punch after another in the metro tunnel of White Stone Municipality—the aggressive counterattacks of the Dongfang family on most of the battlegrounds defended the glory of the “First Family” of the Imperium.

Many secret bureaus of the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils were discovered and sabotaged. A lot of reformists who had been hiding surfaced and got caught by the Association of Demon Hunters. The propaganda machines of the Dongfang family also functioned at the highest efficiency, beautifying themselves while vilifying the reformists to be traitors who were trying to shake the foundation of the Imperium.

Dongfang Wang, the prime minister of the Imperium, frequently showed up on public occasions in the most approachable way, demonstrating his calmness in times of trouble. Many wavering forces that were sitting on the fence were more or less reassured and decided that they should wait for a while longer before they joined the reformists and the Li family.

When a storm was about to come, the wind would be blowing first. Even the most inert Immortal Cultivators could smell the smoke flowing beyond the atmosphere of the capital. The final battle of the two parties would begin in no time.

Nothing that happened seemed to have any influence on Li Linghai, who was commanding the missions in the Emperor’s Mausoleum.

She still worked according to the plan and simply allowed the Dongfang family and the Association of Demon Hunters to destroy the secret bureaus of the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils and capture the core members of the reformists. But through various channels in secret, the experts of the Astounding Thunder Fleet and the Deep Sea Fleet, as well as a batch of extremely powerful magical equipment, were delivered to the underground world of the capital.

At this moment, a remote video meeting was going on.

It was hosted by Li Linghai in person, and the participants were the important personnel of the reformists who were hiding in the dark corners of the entire planet.

Naturally, Li Yao was among them.

He was now neither in the Emperor’s Mausoleum nor in White Stone Municipality but had found a dark alley in the forty-seventh district below the ground. While modifying and strengthening the special gears purchased from the black market in a secret workshop, he simulated the final assault that was to be implemented soon on a similar terrain.

“In the past ten days, the Dongfang family’s counterattack was very fierce, and we have suffered great losses.”

On the 3D light beam, Li Linghai said casually, “But everything was within our expectation, if not guided by us intentionally. The dozens of arrests and all the shocking cases were all meant to cover our real targets, which are Dongfang Renxin and his secret institute!

“Right now, the Dongfang family has been tricked. At least two ‘decoys’ that we sent have distracted their attention entirely.

“Firstly, the operation in White Stone Municipality.

“Although the operation failed, it misled the Dongfang family into thinking that our target was the mayor of White Stone Municipality. Everybody knows that the mayor is the most trusted subordinate of Dongfang Tai, the fifty elders of the Dongfang family, and the CEO of the ‘Red Viper Heavy Industry Group’ which monopolizes over thirty percent of the productions of crystal suits and starships in the Dongfang family. It is not hard to imagine how important Dongfang Tai is. He cannot afford an accident.

“The operation in White Stone Municipality as well as the few subsequent arrests were all aimed at the key personnel of the Red Viper Heavy Industry Group. Plus the files that we intentionally left in the secret bureaus for the Dongfang family to pick up, they should be enough to let the Dongfang family make a wrong judgment and think that our ultimate goal is Dongfang Tai!

“With Dongfang Tai’s prestige and position, he would certainly not escape to his hometown like a loser. Instead, he has summoned tremendous strong soldiers and troops to protect his safety. As a result, the defenses of other places will inevitably be weaker.

“Secondly, all the people we arrested earlier are locked in the secret bureau we set up in Black Mountain City. The news has been learned by the Dongfang family through various sources. In the meantime, we have released messages half true and half false, claiming that we will arrest Dongfang Tai on June 10.

“The fish have bitten the bait. According to accurate intelligence, the Dongfang family is secretly planning a thunderous rescue operation. It is estimated that they will attack the secret bureau in Black Mountain City on June 10 and rescue all the prisoners.

“Both the protection of Dongfang Tai and the assault toward the bureau in Black Mountain City will require tremendous troops of the Dongfang family in the capital, weakening if not vacuuming the defenses of other areas. We have not done anything to Dongfang Renxin so far, and the enemy couldn’t have guessed that we have grasped all the evidence of Dongfang Renxin’s crimes.

“On Dongfang Renxin’s side, around June 10, he will be meeting a special guest in his secret institute. An elder of the Dongfang family, who is very close to Dongfang Wang and Dongfang Renxin, is going to perform the ‘spiritual root polishing surgery’ on his most beloved grandson. There is nothing on the detailed procedures of the surgery yet, but it is very certain that such a surgery will sacrifice a dozen if not more training geniuses who have high aptitudes. Only the deaths of dozens of geniuses can be traded for the rebirth of a mediocre man!

“This secret technique has a high demand for the freshness of the ‘raw materials’, which are difficult to come by. Therefore, as long as the appointment has been scheduled, it is not to be changed even if the capital is turned upside down. On June 10, Dongfang Renxin will certainly show up in his secret laboratory with all the evidence of his crimes!

“Our assault, on the other hand, will begin at 2 p.m. on June 10.

“Yue Wushuang’s elite tactical squad of the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils will be the first team, which is responsible for breaking into the secret institute, blocking the evidence, and capturing the criminals.

“The experts of the Deep Sea Fleet and the Astounding Thunder Fleet, who are now temporarily enlisted in the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils, will make up the second team, commanded by Tu Zhengdao. Your mission is to stop the warriors of the Dongfang family at the periphery of the secret institute, ensure the smoothness of the arrest operation, and cover the devil huntresses to evacuate with the targets and the pieces of evidence.

“The third team, made of Li Yao, Huang Feng, and Master Jin Tianzong, has only one mission, which is to destroy all the crystal bombs deployed inside and outside of the secret institute as fast as possible when the operation begins, terminating the self-destructing devices!

“However fierce the battles on the ground recently are, as long as we take down Dongfang Renxin, the collapse of Dongfang Wang’s cabinet will be unavoidable. It will even be barely possible for Dongfang Wang to resign in peace. His reputation will be gone, and he will be tried in a court of law. The sky of the Imperium of True Human Beings will be changed!

“Therefore, the code name for the secret arrest operation is—’Sky Changing’!”

Li Linghai introduced the details of the “Sky Changing Operation” confidently and quickly. In less than an hour, the operation that would decide the fate of the Imperium was already deployed.

After the meeting was over, everybody’s image disappeared into the darkness, but she retained the point-to-point remote communication with Li Yao.

“I’m told that you had a skirmish with Dongfang Mingyue in the secret operation in White Stone Municipality?”

Li Linghai asked straightforwardly.

Touching his neck, Li Yao replied, not entirely recovered from his fear, “Yes. That woman was truly brutal. Had Your Grace not warned me in advance, chances were that my head would’ve been cut off by her.”

“Huh…”

However smart Li Linghai was, she couldn’t have foreseen that Li Yao and “Dongfang Mingyue” were old acquaintances who had known each other for years. Pondering for a moment, she asked, “Neither of you seemed to make use of a Colossus, did you?”

“Didn’t Your Grace say that we’d better lay low in the capital and we should not use the Colossus unless it was absolutely necessary?”

Blinking his eyes, Li Yao replied innocently, “The situation was truly dangerous at that time. In the life-blighting battle, Dongfang Mingyue and I were both scared of each other’s fatal weapons, and we both disrupted each other’s movement to summon magical equipment from the Cosmos Rings.

“I assume that Dongfang Mingyue must’ve been more or less wary of me too. After all, my Gold Vulture certainly deserves its reputation. If she intended to kill me who was armed with the Gold Vulture, she would certainly have to pay a gory price!

“Therefore, neither of us used a Colossus in the end, and I managed to force the monster to retreat before I escaped.”

Li Linghai nodded her head, not too suspicious of Li Yao’s explanation.

Although he might be bragging about himself, she knew Li Yao’s bizarre, inexhaustible life-saving methods very well and had even tried some of them in person.

“Alright. I’m reassured now that you are fine.”

Li Linghai’s tone suddenly softened. “Take a good rest these days and make thorough preparations. In the ‘Sky Changing Operation’, you will play an indispensable role. If the Sky Changing Operation succeeds, we will see the light of dawn on the cause to renew the Imperium, and I will not forget your contributions.”

“Your Grace—”

Li Yao suddenly thought of something and asked, “There’s something that has confused me for a long time. Since the slogan of the reformists is ‘Honor the Majesty and Settle the Rebellions’, His Majesty Emperor Shenwu should be playing a vital role in our cause. But why have you never come up with any plan to rescue His Majesty who is now still controlled by the Dongfang family?

“What if the emperor utters voices that are not in favor of the reformists or even yourself when His Majesty is under the custody of the Dongfang family for too long?”

With a casual smile, Li Linghai said, “You have to be powerful enough yourself for the emperor to endorse you. With the desperate situation that Dongfang Wang is mired in right now, even if he had asked the emperor to speak for him, nobody will admit that it is the real emperor.

“Of course, I have a rescue plan. I am now secretly investigating where Dongfang Wang is hiding His Majesty. When the Sky Changing Operation succeeds and Dongfang Wang’s cabinet falls, we will certainly get the emperor out. By then, we will still require your help.”

Looking at Li Linghai in the eyes, Li Yao asked, “Where will His Majesty be placed after the rescue?”