Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

Li Yao was dazed and suddenly felt extremely cold.

The way he unleashed his spiritual energy was different from usual, and when he summoned the strength in the superlative height of the Building Foundation Stage, the difference would be very obvious. Therefore, it was not strange that Bai Xinghe guessed that he was Sand Scorpion.

But how did Bai Xinghe know that he was Li Yao?

Li Yao pretended to be calm. Like a leopard ready to attack, he asked suspiciously, “What are you talking about?”

Bai Xinghe smiled casually and replied, “The skillfulness of your utilization of spiritual energy in the liquidous form is one of the best of the Flying Star Sector. You are only in the Building Foundation Stage, and yet your combat ability is equal to someone in the Core Formation Stage. As far as I know, Sand Scorpion, the best warrior of the six tribes of Iron Plateau, is the only one who boasts such a technique.

“However, the universe is too vast a place. I can’t say for sure that nobody else knows such a technique.

“The most decisive proof, on the other hand, is the kick of your left leg.

“Hellsword was a unique lone wolf in the Nascent Soul Stage on Spider Den. I analyzed his techniques carefully before. Therefore, I’m very positive that what you performed was ‘Hellsword Arts’, Hellsword’s ultimate skill!

“It was said that Hellsword died together with Sand Scorpion in the battle of Heavenly Saints City. Even his crystal suit had vaporized.

“Right now, a man likely to be Sand Scorpion performed Hellsword’s ultimate skill. Isn’t the man’s identity obvious?”

Li Yao nodded his head and acknowledged, “Very marvelous deduction, Boss Bai. I am Sand Scorpion!”

“No!” Bai Xinghe suddenly raised his voice. Like a thunderclap, he yelled, “You are not Bloody Vulture. You are not Sand Scorpion. You are Li Yao!”

Every word was like a crystal bomb whose noises echoed inside the room after explosions.

Li Yao was as calm as before. “Why did you say that?”

“Firstly, the crystal suit you are in is glamorous, delicate and strong,” Bai Xinghe replied. “It is as good as the Dragon King Battlesuit, which was made based on the technology of the Star Ocean Imperium. As for the employment of precious materials, it is even better than the Dragon King Battlesuit.

“You can’t find many such excellent crystal suits in the entire Flying Star Sector.

“Li Yao fought Storm Prison and even Fengyu Zhong himself when he rescued the Great Horn Exo Society. A lot of battle videos were left. I watched some of them through secret channels.

“I found that although the appearance of your crystal suit is totally different from Li Yao’s at that time, the styles, as well as the spirits in the bones, of the two crystal suits are very similar.”

Li Yao smiled. “Maybe it is because Li Yao’s crystal suit and mine were made by the same Armadominus?”

Bai Xinghe nodded. “It is indeed a possibility. But if Sand Scorpion is not Li Yao, one thing will be inexplicable, which is your skills of using crystal suits!

“Although we only had one round of attack just now, the crystal suit skills you displayed in your move were definitely among the top of the world. Even I had to concentrate all my soul power and computational ability to deal with them!

“You are a super expert in crystal suits!

“According to the files, Sand Scorpion is an Iron Plateau native who had never touched crystal suits until a few months ago. However talented he is, it is impossible for him to have gained such an expertise in crystal suits after only a few months, isn’t it?”

Li Yao was rendered speechless.

It was indeed inexplicable for him.

Bai Xinghe continued slowly. “Li Yao went missing on Iron Plateau, and Sand Scorpion distinguished himself miraculously after Li Yao disappeared. Before, many people had linked Li Yao to Sand Scorpion. But it was said that Sand Scorpion proved his identity on the so-called Truth Cabinet. Therefore, nobody talked about it anymore.

“However, I don’t believe dead objects like the True Cabinet. I prefer to believe… this.”

Bai Xinghe raised his hands, which had been tied up, and pointed at his head.

“Based on our communication so far, I believe that you were definitely able to fool a polygraph with your cunningness.”

Li Yao was silent for a long time and reflected on all the details. Still, he failed to come up with any rebuttals.

Bai Xinghe would not buy it if he argued unreasonably anyway. Li Yao could only sigh and smiled bitterly. “Boss Bai is indeed as smart as they say. You’re right. I am Li Yao.”

Bai Xinghe’s eyes suddenly turned extremely deep and dark, like two bottomless springs. He said softly, “Thank you, Li Yao.”

Li Yao was dumbfounded. He blurted out, “For what? For killing the only son of your old nemesis Fengyu Zhong, or for the favor that I’ve done you by jumping out promptly to be your bodyguard?”

Bai Xinghe took a long breath in relief. All the hostility on him seemed to have gone. He said earnestly, “Thank you for saving a certain someone without caring about your own life a long time ago.

“Believe it or not, since you are Li Yao, I am prepared to keep you alive unless I absolutely have no reason to.”

Bai Xinghe was not wearing his crystal suit, and his hands were tied up with the toughest rope.

Yet, when he stood straight and made the declaration, he seemed to be a majestic tyrant who could have Li Yao killed any time he wanted.

“You—”

Ten thousand questions were popping up in Li Yao’s heart. He wanted to pursue further.

But Bai Xinghe had already moved to a corner of the palace. He shook his hands. Like a blossoming lotus, a wall of runes appeared on the wall, which dispersed into a door of a small cabin abruptly.

Chi—

The door of the cabin was opened. Li Yao looked inside and noticed that there were crystals, magical equipment, and food inside. A med bay was also lying in a corner of the room.

Bai Xinghe exposed his back to Li Yao without looking back. He walked into the cabin as he said, “We’ve passed through multiple traps and had a minor competition just now. A lot of spiritual energy has been wasted. Come in and refill yourself. The Immortal Cultivators will be here soon.”

Li Yao thought of something and asked, “Do you really plan to fish up all the Immortal Cultivators with the underground fortress? Isn’t it too obvious? Was Bai Wulei not suspicious when you told the secrets to him on purpose?”

“There’s nothing to be suspicious about,” Bai Xinghe replied. “Two months ago, I launched the first counterattack against the Temple of Immortals. At that time, Bai Wulei was still lurking and pretending to be loyal. I was moved and told him the map of the underground fortress, the location where the Spider Key was hidden, and the method to activate the Cosmos Ring.

“I told Bai Wulei that resisting the Temple of Immortals was perilous and life-threatening. Chances were that I would be killed by the Temple of Immortals. If I died abruptly, I hoped him to fulfil by wish my fighting until the end with the resources in the underground fortress.

“You see. Wasn’t it very logical for me to confess the location where the map and the key were hidden?”

Li Yao thought carefully and shook his head. “Even if Bai Wulei was fooled, Fengyu Zhong and the Black King are both tricky and cunning. They will not be trapped so easily.”

Bai Xinghe sneered. “They have no options right now. They made promises to so many space pirates, and now I’m ‘heavily wounded, presumably dead’. Everybody saw that the map and the key fell into their hands, so will the space pirates agree to fight for him anymore if they do not explore the underground fortress and the secret treasures as soon as possible?”

Li Yao thought hard for a long time, his eyes shining brighter and brighter. He mumbled, “So, you claimed that you would reward your subordinates with the secret treasures in the underground fortress and you convened the ‘Meeting of Heroes in Space’ because you were trying to raise the expectations of the space pirates so that Fengyu Zhong could only buy them over with better offers!

“It’s like two people bidding for the same treasure, with one of proposing absurd prices. It was not because he wanted the treasure per se, but because he was forcing his opponent to pay a higher price!

“Since you were tempting the space pirates with the secret treasures of the Star Ocean Imperium, the Temple of Immortals had to provide better offers for the greedy space pirates in order to recruit them!

“What could possibly be more valuable than the secret treasures of the Star Ocean Imperium? Of course, the chance to explore the entire underground fortress!

“Now that the Temple of Immortals has made such promises, there’s nothing they can do even if they know that there might be traps underground. They are faced with tremendous pressure from the Cultivators and require the loyalty of the space pirates. They cannot bear to lose their trust now!

“The ferocious space pirates are all selfish people who will risk their lives for one dime. Now that such a fat piece of meat is hanging right before their eyes, they will not possibly let it go!

“This is not a plot; this is an open trap. No matter what is coming for them, since you have suffered a crushing defeat, the Temple of Immortals must fulfil their promises!”

Li Yao was almost applauding for Bai Xinghe’s delicate scheme, but he realized that something was wrong on second thought. “However, what if the Temple of Immortals asks the space pirates to be cannon fodder in the vanguard and does not enter the underground fortress personally? How are you going to implement your plan if so?”

Bai Xinghe smiled. “Everything is just your assumption. What if there are no traps?

“What if endless secrets treasures and techniques are waiting for the first visitor below the surface of Spider Den? By then, the space pirates will definitely loot all their findings. Do you think they will ever hand them over to the Temple of Immortals?”

Li Yao pondered carefully and discovered that Bai Xinghe had indeed figured out what everybody else was thinking about.

Sending a batch of avaricious, fearless, brutal space pirates into the underground treasury was like sending a pack of wolves into a sheepfold. It would be a miracle if some bones were left half a day later!

Therefore, the Temple of Immortals would certainly send someone important to supervise the situation.

“Moreover, there’s a third possibility,” Bai Xinghe continued, “which is that I am not dead and ran into the center of the underground fortress where I destroy it or completely seal all the tunnels.

“Without the resources of the underground fortress, how is the Temple of Immortals going to fight against the entire world of Cultivators?

“Therefore, they have no alternatives except to march into the underground fortress as quickly as they can!”

Li Yao took a deep relief and thought through the whole plan. There was nothing but admiration in his heart.

He commented, “With the Abyss Pirate Gang as a bait, you established such a great scheme. You are indeed adventurous, Boss Bai!”

Bai Xinghe said calmly, “The Abyss Pirate Gang was doomed. Spider Den was doomed.

“Even if I successfully took down Fengyu Zhong and cooperated with the Temple of Immortals with advantageous conditions, how long would I be able to show off?

“In several years, everything will be gone when the army of Cultivators arrived.

“The Abyss Pirate Gang is destined to collapse. Spider Den is destined to be destroyed. Exploiting the last bit of their potential before their demolition is the most sensible choice. What’s there to hesitate over?”

Li Yao was silent. He recalled the pessimistic words Bai Xinghe had said to Luo Jinhu on his carrier. It seemed that the Pirate Potentate did not have high hopes for space pirates or the Immortal Cultivators, then—

“Boss Bai, what are you up to exactly?” Li Yao blurted out.