Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

An hour later, it was already morning.

However, at the point of impact between the two worlds, the Dark Desolate Domain, where the sky was broken, day and night were often indistinguishable.

The thunderstorm and the hurricane were still going on. The pouring rain seemed like it would never stop. Dirty water was flowing among the hills, dividing the world into countless dying lone islands.

In the middle of the storm and the flood, tens of thousands of Exos wearing Mystic Skeleton Battlesuits were standing in silence like statues that rose up from the sky.

Behind the warriors in crystal suits, there were countless regular soldiers who were driving crystal tanks or carrying storm bolters and crystal cannons. The rainwater did not shake them at all but was vaporized the moment it hit their burning bodies, decorating them in an unstoppable aura of killing.

In front of the hundred thousand federal soldiers, Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao was standing in the middle of the pouring rain just like the rest of them. The brilliance deep inside his eyes was glittering together with the shining lightning in the sky!

“Warriors of the Star Glory Federation!” Zhou Hengdao roared. “We are all clear about our mission now, which is the most dangerous one in the history of the Star Glory Federation!

“We will pass the broken wall between the two worlds and land on the Blood Demon Sector like burning dandelions!

“Perhaps we will be surrounded by the demon beasts before we stand to our feet.

“Perhaps we will see a hundred, or even a thousand, enormous demon beasts that can be hundreds of meters tall gathering into tides and mountains smashing at us!

“Perhaps we will all die in the Blood Demon Sector. We may be shredded into pieces by the paws and teeth of the demons, or we may be captured alive and sent back to their nests for the inhumane experiments!

“Are you scared? Tell me! Are you scared?”

In the pouring rain, the hundred thousand soldiers replied with silence that was as cold as ice and iron.

“Let me tell you. I am scared. I am very scared!” Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao bashed his chest hard until it was clattering while he roared, “Same as you, I know clearly that we are not prepared to set foot in the dangerous land right now at all! We are here for a drill, not a war! We are short of ammunition and supplies. Our legs are all shaking. Our hearts are all pounding. Butterflies are flying in our stomachs! We are more than scared!

“However—

“Five hours ago, 3,113 soldiers, 3,113 of our brothers, were trapped in the Blood Demon Sector!

“We are already more than scared when we haven’t been faced with anything yet. What about them who are being faced with the nightmare right now? What about the brothers who are trapped in the Blood Demon Sector without reinforcements? Think about it. What are they feeling right now?

“Let me tell you. They will certainly be very scared. They might feel like throwing up in fear!

“But however scared they are, they will not be desperate. They will certainly summon all the courage and fight to the end!

“Because they are very clear that they are not fighting on their own. Behind them, there are hundreds of thousands of brothers from the entire Heaven’s Origin Sector who participated in the drill with them! They know that those brothers will be there to save them! Even if there is only one of them left, those brothers will be there to save him!

“Because they and us carry the same Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars emblem, wear the same black uniform, and boast the same proud name—the federal army!

“This is going to be the most perilous battle since the federation was founded. It is also going to be the greatest one! Warriors and brothers, I cannot promise you anything, except that I will move forward together with you. Every brother will be rushing forward under my lead. As long as one soldier of the federal army is still lost in the Blood Demon Sector, I will definitely be fighting with the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars until I am not breathing!

“Now, do you still feel scared?

“If you are still scared, then just shout out our name that has been irrigated with the blood of countless heroes over the past five hundred years!”

“Federal army!”

“Federal army!”

“Federal army!”

In the pouring rain, thunderous roars were echoing from the hundred thousand soldiers. The thunder on the ground was competing against that in the sky and even eclipsed it. Even the lightning was driven away by the soaring killing intent of the hundred thousand soldiers, turning into earthworm-like arcs before it struggled and perished.

Iron Commander looked at the ignorant soldiers in silence. There was a trance on his face that was mostly covered in steel and rubber.

He seemed to be embarrassed by everything that he had said just now, but he also seemed to be unwavering because of the hypnotization of a certain force.

Deep inside the crimson man-made eye, the red spot was frozen, but a drop of dirty tear flowed down from the corner of his other eye.

Due to the long distance and the pouring rain, none of the soldiers noticed it.

Right then, a lieutenant rushed close, with mud spluttering, and whispered to him, “Iron Commander, the allies of the Flying Star Sector have agreed to send Burning Prairie to the Blood Demon Sector with us. They are now landing and deploying super short-distance commutation rune arrays so that all three legions can get on board quickly!”

“Excellent!” Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao’s eyes were glittering. “Ask the commanders of the three legions to take action immediately. I want everyone to board within three hours! In three hours, no matter how many soldiers have been accommodated, we will take off immediately!”

Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao looked at his beloved army for the last time and walked into the storm.

From the broken sky, the super warship Burning Prairie was landing slowly, opening to the hundred thousand federal soldiers!

…

At the same time, on the south of the Grand Desolate Plateau, a Rapid Dragon-level crystal warship, the fastest model in the federal, was rushing toward the Dark Desolate Domain at the highest speed!

On the warship were Li Yao, Ding Lingdang, and several other experts who had remained in the capital.

They were all carrying the ultimate order issued by Speaker Jiang Hailiu in person.

As the nominal commander-in-chief of the federal army, only the order from Jiang Hailiu could override Zhou Hengdao’s order, which came from the General Staff!

The order for the drill be aborted immediately had been spread to more than half of the Grand Desolate Plateau. The troops at the south of the Grand Desolate Plateau had all retreated to their garrison as per the instructions.

However, the north of the Grand Desolate Plateau and the Dark Desolate Domain seemed to be enshrouded in a thick fog that no orders could penetrate through.

Occasionally, there were responses from the Dark Desolate Domain, but it was hard to verify whether or not they had been sent by the troops under Zhou Hengdao’s control!

Several teams had been dispatched from the few war bases at the south of the Grand Desolate Plateau to the north to call back the troops in the drill.

However, after ten years of collisions between the Heaven’s Origin Sector and the Blood Demon Sector, the Dark Desolate Domain at this moment was dozens of times larger than before. It had a coverage of several million square kilometers!

It was definitely not an easy mission to locate an army that was possibly avoiding them on purpose in the super thunderstorm!

Besides, even if they did find the target, would the communication teams sent by the military be enough to stop Iron Commander Zhou Hengdao?

Therefore, Li Yao and the other experts still took off from the capital city and rushed to the Dark Desolate Domain on the fastest crystal warship.

Boom!

The crystal warship suddenly uttered fulminations. As it turned out, the power rune arrays broke down again because of prolonged overloading.

This was the third crystal warship that they had wasted on their way.

Li Yao could tell from the sound that the warship was hopeless.

But there was not a second military base in the hundreds of square meters nearby where they could get on a new warship.

All the Cultivators boarded on the armed shuttle on the warship, prepared to move on to the next military base.

After looking at the time on his portable crystal processor, Li Yao, however, gritted his teeth and summoned Black Wing.

In the battle against Diwu Jian, Black Wing had been hit by the attack of ‘Five Disintegrations of Heavens and Human’. Cracks were appearing everywhere on the body of the sword. Li Yao was both sorry and angry, but he did not know how to mend it at all.

Black Wing sensed his need. It shook in his palm, as if it were saying, “That’s alright. I’m on it!”

Seeing that he summoned the flying sword, Ding Lingdang asked in a hurry, “Li Yao, what are you going to do?”

“It’s too slow if we move from one base to another. You bring the main troop and come slowly. I’ll simply go there first and check the situation!”

Touching the cracks on Black Wing, Li Yao squinted and said, “Many guys on Burning Prairie know me. As long as I find Burning Prairie, I can at least stall them for a while until you arrive even if I cannot stop them!”

Black Wing was the fastest magical equipment within the atmosphere that Li Yao had ever seen. Even the Rapid Dragon-level crystal warship and many super shuttles were no match for it.

More than ten years ago, when Li Yao was still in the Grand Desolate War Institution, he had often galloped on the Grand Desolate Plateau with Black Wing’s speed.

Today, history was reality again!

“I’m going with you. I brought my own Furious Flame Armed Shuttle for the mission!” Ding Lingdang said without any hesitation.

“As long as you can keep up with me, just come!”

Li Yao smiled and dashed to the exit of the crystal warship. He threw Black Wing to the midair. Immediately, black fog spread out and condensed into two wings dozens of meters long!

Li Yao leapt up and landed on the sword. The black waves of spiritual energy enveloped him. Integrating with the sword, he roared and rushed north, leaving a long exhaust flame behind him!

“Wait for me!” Ding Lingdang shrieked behind him. Her Furious Flame Armed Shuttled turned into a streak of redness and went after Li Yao!