Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

While the Immortal Cultivators were deeply shocked by the Cultivators’ fearlessness and self-sacrifice, the emperor and the empress dowager of the Imperium of True Human Beings were also observing quietly not far away. They were both dazzled by Li Yao’s craziness and Yan Liren’s impudence.

“Emperor, don’t act rashly!” A mother knows her son best. Although Li Jialing had not taken any action yet, Li Linghai already knew what the young lion was going to do. He reminded him subconsciously, “It’s very dangerous down there. Accidents can happen at any time. If the main structure of Iron Fist collapses, it is very likely that the fuel tanks and the ammunition warehouses will explode. If the Giant God Soldier is affected by the explosion and loses a lot of impetus or is pushed to the depths of the ancient planet, it will be screwed!”

“I know, I know.”

Li Jialing watched in a daze. He swallowed hard and mumbled in a voice that was barely audible, “But Empress Dowager, did you know that most of the experts and scholars on Iron Fist are from the imperium? They are all my subjects and Immortal Cultivators.

“Well—”

Li Linghai was dazed for a moment and had nothing to say.

It was only natural. The experts in astronomy and spiritual energy of the Imperium of True Human Beings in the center of the sea of stars were hundreds of times more than those in the federation, which was in a remote area. Naturally, the specialists in the exploration team were mostly from the imperium. But right now, the first, the second, and the third to the tenth were not Immortal Cultivators but Cultivators.

“Empress Dowager, haven’t you and all the other Immortal Cultivators been pondering the question? Why do you have a hundred times more capability, why do you have countless Cultivators in the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage and in the Divinity Transformation Stage, why do you have the richest planets and the most abundant resources in the sea of stars, and why do you have a fleet that is as magnificent as the stars? But in the battle to protect the imperial capital, the Imperium of True Human Beings was beaten so miserably that its nest was almost destroyed, and why do you have to rely on the Cultivators who are far weaker than us to save it? The answer is perhaps right in front of our eyes.”

Li Jialing smiled, with admiration and envy beaming out of his eyes. He continued, “Empress Dowager, honestly speaking, after seeing the performance of the Cultivators, don’t you want to have such an army, one that is willing to sacrifice everything for their beliefs?

Li Ling’s heart was beating fast.

Of course, no matter how strong the Cultivators were, their fighting will and willingness to sacrifice were unparalleled in the world. Which ambitious man wouldn’t want such an army?

If the belief of the Cultivators and the capability of the Immortal Cultivators were combined, they would definitely be an invincible, ultimate army that could march into the multiverse! “But will such an army fall from the sky for no reason?

Li Jialing’s voice suddenly turned sharp. “Should I have done nothing and simply stood by and watched? Should I have ensured that every hair on my body was safe and sound? Would such a loyal, sacrificial army have descended from the sky and pledged their loyalty to me from the bottom of their hearts?

“No. Such an army, such an unstoppable saber of the human civilization, needs to be trained and polished slowly. Only those who lead the charge and set an example by honing them in person are qualified to be the ‘saber-bearers’!

“Your Majesty—”.

Li Linghai had nothing to say. He could only dryly say, “Think before you act!”

“I’ve already ‘thought twice’.

Li Jialing said calmly, “Empress Dowager, please think carefully and go through the name list of all the Immortal Cultivators who participated in the operation in your mind. Then, tell me, if you and I are seriously wounded in the tomb of the Supreme Emperor and we need help, who do you think is most likely to rescue us at the risk of their own lives?”

“Well…”

The names and faces of all the Immortal Cultivators immediately popped up in Li Linghai’s head, but his heart suddenly constricted. All the names and faces vanished into thin air in the blink of an eye, replaced by a smiling, cunning, and somewhat cynical face.

“Is it Li Yao?”

Li Jialing smiled and said, “Empress Dowager, your first thought was Li Yao, right?”

Li Linghai was silent. “Don’t you find it ironic?”

Li Jialing said, “So many Immortal Cultivators, on average, have reached the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage or even the Divinity Transformation Stage. They boast amazing skills and unparalleled techniques, and they’ve all made vows to us and pledged their loyalty to us. But when it comes to the critical moment, the first thing that comes to your mind is not the ‘loyal subjects’ but Li Yao, who I don’t know if he is a citizen of the imperium, the reckless, the stupid, the naïve, and the naïve ‘hot-blooded high school student’. How ironic it is! Not only is it ironic for the emperor and the empress, it is also the most absurd joke in the history of the Imperium of True Human Beings!

“It’s been too long. The absurd joke has been hovering over the heads of the Immortal Cultivators of the imperium for too long. Empress Dowager, isn’t your greatest dream to revolutionize the imperium? Let’s start with crushing the joke and taking the first step of revolution!”

The dazzling brilliance of the golden lion eclipsed even the halo on its head. All the Immortal Cultivators sensed the anomaly of the emperor and were greatly shocked.

“Your Majesty!”

Li Linghai shouted, “Are you really going to save them?”

“If I don’t save him now, who will save me in the future?”

Li Jialing narrowed his eyes. Thousands of streaks of golden brightness beamed out of the giant soldier god, as if ten thousand golden blades had been unfolded. “…I am the Red Son of the Universe, the dominator of the universe. I am the Immortal King of all the stars in the Pangu Universe! In all the universe, be it a black hole, a supernova, a neutron star, a white dwarf, a brown dwarf, a planet, a comet, a nebula, or a vacuum, I am their master!

“If a small planet can stop me, what kind of ‘Emperor of the Universe’ am I?

Li Jialing roared. He pointed his gold saber at the ancient star and charged at Iron Fist, slashing the scraps and the invisible magnetic field.

“Your-Your Majesty!”

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Although most of the Immortal Cultivators were shocked, they were not prepared to attack at all. They did not expect that their emperor would take the lead. They were all dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

“What are you waiting for?” Li Linghai had no other options. He roared in the communication channel, “The imperium values battle credits more than anything else. The primordial treasures inside the Mausoleum of Gods must be distributed according to your battle credits. Do you need me to teach you such a simple reason? Do you want to open your mouth and wait for the primordial treasures to fall into your mouth?

“We vow to follow Your Majesty to the end. Immortal Cultivators, move out for the final battle against the ancient giants!”

Hardly had he finished his sentence when Li Linghai accelerated to the maximum speed and followed Li Jialing.

Now that the Emperor and the Empress Dowager had set an example, what choice did the remaining Immortal Cultivators have?

It was one thing for all the Immortal Cultivators to protect themselves and watch the fire from the other side of the lake, but most of them had already sworn their loyalty to His Majesty. If the remaining Immortal Cultivators pretended that they were smart enough to stand by and watch, they would be committing suicide.

–It doesn’t matter how many people can be rescued. As long as the Emperor and the Empress Dowager can return safe and sound, they will be able to clearly see who are the first-class iron-blooded and loyal officials, and who are selfish and cowardly turtles. Would these “cowardly turtles” have a good ending?

Not only would he not be able to get anything from the ancient treasures, he might even be killed by the Emperor and the Empress Dowager without alarming anyone. In the perilous ‘secret treasure exploration’ full of traps, it was quite easy to eliminate the dissidents and clean up the team. Li Jialing might be a beginner, but Li Linghai was definitely an expert in the trade!

Just like that, with complicated feelings, the battle-type Immortal Cultivators who were best at preserving their strength had no choice but to lunge at Iron Fist one after another.

Maybe because of the appearance of human beings, or perhaps because of the intense interference of the spiritual energy brought by the surging Titan Warriors, a new storm was brewing inside the methane atmosphere of the ancient giant star. The lightning was like a volcanic eruption, which turned into the sharp claws of the devils and snatched at the sky of the gravity ring outside the atmosphere.

It was like the ancient superstar was angry!

But even the fury of a planet could not swallow the burning will of human beings.

“He’s here! He’s here! He’s here!”

Li Yao vomited blood and laughed crazily. “My wife, my senior brothers, Boss Bai, Long Yangjun, Yan Liren, the Emperor, the Empress Dowager… You are all here. Oh, I knew it. I’m not bragging, but my charisma-“.

“Cut the crap!”

Ding Lingdang frowned. “Even if you are my husband, I would like to kick you into the atmosphere of the ancient giants on behalf of everyone!”

“Well…” Li Yao stammered.

“Alright. Reckless or not, since the rescue operation has been carried out, let’s try our best to rescue Iron Fist and everyone else!”

The Fist King’s calm voice came over. He had just completed an incredible super complicated calculation with the help of the mainframe crystal processor of Iron Fist. Disregarding the fact that the mainframe crystal processor was about to burn, he sent out parameters and tasks to all the Giant God Soldiers that were crowding close. “Li Yao, you will deploy twenty-two Giant God Soldiers around the shell of Iron Fist as the temporary auxiliary power source. Remember the size and direction of your output propulsion. Make sure that everyone is moving toward the same direction so that the main structure of Iron Fist will not be damaged!”

“Understood.”

Colorful numbers were blinking inside Li Yao’s eyes, too. “I’ve calculated everything!”

“Ding Lingdang, Yan Liren, your attack ability is relatively higher. Lead 38 Giant Soldiers of Heavy Fire and block all the incoming meteoroids in the stone belt.

The boxing champion continued. “Remember, don’t let even a speck of dust break through your defense line. At such a high speed, the collision of any speck of dust is no less than the explosion of a giant cannon. Iron Fist cannot withstand such a collision right now.

“Rest assured.”

Yan Liren smiled. “Nothing can get away from my sword aura, not the electric arcs on the ancient giants nor the dust inside the rings!”

“Emperor, Empress Dowager, lead the remaining Giant God Soldiers and their crystal suit legions and keep an eye on the atmosphere of the ancient star.

The Fist King sent out new data. “I have detected that a rarely-seen high-energy reaction is raging inside the atmosphere of the ancient giants, especially the giant red spot below our feet. It seems to be a super large-scale and super intense thunderstorm. It does not seem to be a meteorological change of a common planet. Maybe there is something wrong with it. In short, we must be careful!”