Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Li Yao was emotionless. But his eyes were mincing Long Yangjun’s ‘handsome’ if not ‘charming’ face like two sabers, as he said coldly, “I have a question, Lord Wang. In your opinion, if the Star Glory Federation is indeed a promising new force like a rising sun, if it is willing to form an alliance with the Ancient Sages Sector on equal terms, and if we are satisfied about the offer they make, will we be joining the Star Glory Federation sincerely, or will our surrender be a false one just to buy us more time?”

Long Yangjun smiled, “On the federation’s side, genuine participation and false surrender are not contradictory!

“Just like Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture said in the very beginning, the Star Glory Federation’s territory can’t be too vast, and there can’t be many Sectors. So, after we join, we will certainly boast unparalleled influence. In such a case, we will be able to buy ourselves more time through open approaches. We can assume high positions in the federation to ensure the interests of the Ancient Sages Sector and even to enforce our belief and will in the federation. Why would we bother to play any tricks and schemes when we can achieve the purpose openly?

“Moreover, now that we have made such a decision, we will certainly help the federation to resist the Imperium. Chances that we will have already joined our hands and annihilated the Black Wind Fleet. In such a case, we will certainly be considered a sworn enemy by the Imperium. How can we rebel again in the future?

“We are not the greedy, shortsighted rats. Our ultimate purpose is to ensure the survival of the Ancient Sages Sector and its assimilation into the world outside! As long as the Star Glory Federation is truly promising and satisfies our conditions, why can’t we sincerely join the federation, never to betray, and help the Star Glory Federation to rise at the edge of the cosmos and even dominate the entire universe?

“Are you satisfied about my answer, Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture?”

Li Yao replied drily, “My satisfaction or dissatisfaction matters little. Let’s just wait and see!”

Long Yangjun chuckled and moved her eyes away. “What about the other fellow Cultivators?”

“I have another question.”

Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar coughed and scratched his messy hair, asking, “Sneaking into and joining the federation are certainly worth considering. However, there is one thing that is troubling me. Why can’t we infiltrate the Black Wind Fleet and investigate the situation on the Imperium’s side in exactly the same way?

“After all, the Imperium does look more powerful right now, doesn’t it?”

Long Yangjun replied. “The reason is very simple. It’s because we don’t have the ability!

“The Black Wind Fleet is sailing in the sea of stars. It is impossible for us to lock onto their coordinates. But they can figure out our location very easily!

“Moreover, no matter how enormous and complicated the ‘living area’ inside the Black Wind Fleet is, it is an army after all, and an army certainly has a set of strict rules. Those on board will be on high alert, too. It is barely possible for strangers of unknown backgrounds to sneak in!

“Also, there are too many experts in the Black Wind Fleet. Should we be exposed, we will have absolutely nowhere to run to and end up being the meat on a chopping block.

“Lastly, a fleet in the space can be gathered and also be dispersed. Even if we really control one starship, or maybe even twelve, the Black Wind Fleet can totally sacrifice the victims and blow up their own starship together with us. It is not like the central cities without tens of millions of population, which cannot be abandoned!

“It means that, when the Black Wind Fleet is highly vigilant, we in fact don’t have many methods available to threaten them. How can we expect to play a game with them if so?”

Ba Xiaoyu frowned and asked, “Are the situations in the federation any different?”

“Of course.”

Long Yangjun said, “The Star Glory Federation is a universal country. However small it is, I believe that it must have control over a plural number of Sectors. The transportation and trades among those worlds must be very frequent. A lot of cargos must be sailing in the sea of stars!

“The ‘Ghost Character’ that I established is best at the arts of disguise, camouflage, infiltration and assassination. Also, you all have a high control over your body with your Cultivation. As long as we are teleported to an appropriate space zone at the edge of the federation, where we hijack a few cargos to figure out the general situation of the federation, it will be very easy for us to sneak in with false identities. I wouldn’t say that there will be no trouble at all, but it is certainly going to be much more practical and realizable than to sneak into the Black Wind Fleet!”

“Don’t underestimate the people of the federation!”

Li Yao interjected coldly, “Having been able to crush a claw fleet of the Imperium of True Human Beings, the federation is certainly not be easy to be tricked. It’s very likely that we identities may be exposed!

“I have never underestimated the federation. But I fear that Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture and everybody else have overestimated the complexity and difficulty of the whole issue and underestimated ourselves!”

Long Yangjun stared back at Li Yao without giving in at all. “Let’s just get to the bottom of it. The one thing that is scaring all the fellow Cultivators here is that we may be seen through by the Star Glory Federation after we sneak in without any support, right?

“But have you considered this? They may see through us, but so what?

“Let’s just put aside the fact that I can help arrange a few flawless identities and stories to explain our backgrounds. Even if we don’t disguise ourselves at all but simply tell everything honestly, what can the federation do about us?

“I’ll propose a most extreme, dangerous, terrible and unlikely situation for evaluation.

“Assuming that the moment we enter the territory of the Star Glory Federation, we are discovered by them and completely seen through—

“No. This still isn’t the most extreme and terrible situation, which should be that while we are discussing and making up the entire infiltration, or to wit, exactly at this moment, the Star Glory Federation has already noticed us!”

“Wait!”

Ba Xiaoyu the Beggar couldn’t help but shouted, “Here and now? How can the federation possibly notice us?”

“This is just an assumption.”

Long Yangjun said in a smile, “Let’s assume that an expert who is adept at the stealth arts is hiding right next to us and eavesdropping our entire plan. He knows all the operations we are to carry out and sends back the intelligence to the federal government. As a result, the moment we sneak into the federation, we will be discovered and monitored by them! Fellow Cultivator Ba, Fellow Cultivator Spiritual Vulture, this should be the worst situation possible, right? There can’t be a situation that is even more terrible than that, can there?”

Li Yao and Ba Xiaoyu looked at each other in bewilderment, before they struggled to say, “Seems so.”

Long Yangjun raised her narrow, long and slightly blue eyebrow. “Then, so what?”

“So what?”

Ba Xiaoyu bulged his eyes, “The Star Glory Federation will siege us, of course!”

“Siege us?”

Long Yangjun smiled hideously, her eyes suddenly turning sharper than ever. “Ten Cultivators at the high level and peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, two in the Divinity Transformation Stage, and each of us has a Colossus. How much price is the federation prepared to pay in order to siege us, and how much damage can they bear in their fierce battle against us, especially considering that they are faced with a war against the Imperium?

“If we run a simple calculation about the comparison of combat ability, we will realize that we are definitely not as weak as we imagine!

“According to Heiye Lan’s intelligence, there is one ‘Blazing Tyrannosaur Ding Lingdang’ in the Star Glory Federation, who is probably one step away from the Divinity Transformation Stage. It means that she is at the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage with a Colossus. And such a person is already respected as a ‘legendary expert’ of the federation!

“You can only have a handful of ‘legendary experts’ in a country. It’s not like that any random guy on the street can be given such a title, right?

“Alright. Same as her, we are at the high level or the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage, and we can also learn to use the Colossus. There are even Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators among us. How much worse than Blazing Tyrannosaur Ding Lingdang can we possibly be?”

“I don’t think that such an inference is fair!”

Li Yao couldn’t help but refute again. “I’ve been studying the Colossus in the last couple of days and even tried it in person two days ago. Such primeval treasures are definitely not something to be grasped so quickly! It is possible that Blazing Tyrannosaur Ding Lingdang has practiced hard for decades and completely melted with her Colossus. It’s impossible that we can be stronger than her after only a few months of quick learning!”

“We don’t have to be stronger than her!”

Long Yangjun snapped resolutely. “Let’s just say that Ding Lingdang is a crazy devil with three heads, six arms, a green face and a mouthful of tusks!”

Li Yao: “Well… I believe that she can’t be that unbelievable.”

Long Yangjun: “It doesn’t matter. Let’s just say that she is as awesome as that. Can we expect to kill her with three, no, six of us? If six experts attack her, even if we are not as good as the Colossus as she is, it should be enough for us to die together with her, right?

“It means that the twelve of us should be more or less enough to waste two ‘legendary experts’ of the national level such as Ding Lingdang!

“Alright. Do you think that the Star Glory Federation can bear the consequence of losing two ‘legendary experts’ of the national level now that a life-and-death war against the expedition army of the Imperium is drawing near?

“That is not counting the damages that we can possibly case when we are struggling before our death in our desperation!

“Therefore, assuming that the worst case-scenario is true, and a ‘Bro Invisible’ from the Star Glory Federation is eavesdropping our plan here and now, so what? Is he really bold enough to reveal our information to the federal government and ask the federation to siege us at the risk of the death of two legendary experts? Is he bold enough to do so? Is he?

“Hehe. If I were this ‘Bro Invisible’, chances are that I will scratch my head and try my best to cover us so that the federal government will not discovery our real identities, in case we go on a rampage and sabotage the federation after we are exposed!”

“Lord Wang’s theory is truly insightful!”

Heaven Battering King Qi Changsheng burst into laughter. “This is the simple logical of ‘those who have nothing to lose fear nothing’! In the past days, we have indeed been too worried and fretful! In fact, on second thought, we all have nothing to lose. Both the Imperium and the federation should be more scared of death than we are! Let’s just be fearless and fight a bloody path in the sea of stars!”

“Exactly!”

Long Yangjun smiled, “The twelve of us combined might not be enough to help the Star Glory Federation defeat the Imperium of True Human Beings. But we are definitely capable of dragging the federation to die with us! Such a threat that ‘I can die with you’ will be the greatest bargaining chip for us during our game with the federation. It will also be the ‘charm’ for us to live a comfortable life inside the federation. As long as the people of the federation are not entirely stupid, they wouldn’t want to reveal our identity and force us to go on a rampage!”