Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

“What gives you the illusion that I am nothing more than a talker, Director Jin?”

Li Yao grinned and said, “How do you know that I’m merely bragging and that the Black Wind Fleet will not show up out of nowhere? Even if the Black Wind Fleet really can’t come, I’ll still have other ways to take care of the sixteen Adamantine-level Super Arsenal Warships. But of course, the best I can do is to wreak havoc upon them, disrupt their battle formation, and temporarily paralyze their fire control and command systems. The real mission of attack will have to be entrusted to your fleet.”

With brilliance beaming out of his eyes, Jin Yuyan held back his excitement and said, “It will be enough to temporarily disrupt and paralyze the enemy’s central fleet. However, are you really confident?”

“My confidence depends on Director Jin’s trust.”

Li Yao said, “To maximize the strength of my people requires one prerequisite—Director Jin, you must allocate a space gate to me, which is to be entirely controlled by me!”

Stunned, Jin Yuyan frowned and thought for a long time.

Anybody with the slightest military common sense knew what a space gate meant in such a final battle.

The coordinates and sailing routes of the Seven Seas Space Zone where the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors was at were no secrets. It was more than easy for the four families’ coalition fleet to jump over.

However, they were not in possession of the space gates of the Seven Seas Space Zone.

If they were to jump over blindly without the navigation of space gates, all the starships would be evenly distributed in the vast vacuum of the Seven Seas Space Zone, which was more than five billion kilometers in diameter.

How much coverage would it be if it had a diameter of five billion kilometers? Even if the four families’ coalition fleet had ten times more starships than the “million starships” they claimed, they would still be drops in a bucket when they were randomly distributed in such a space.

When they were just teleported over, the battle formation, grouping, and even command of the four families’ coalition fleet would be entirely gone. Every starship would be a lone island. They had to cruise at the edge of the Seven Seas Space Zone for a long time to regroup and find their own team, forming a solid shape before they marched at the central living area where the Seven Seas Grand Market was located by means of a voyage under regular power.

Obviously, attacking the enemy with the well trained and organized troops while the enemy was still unsteady, preventing the enemy from regrouping, dividing and conquering the enemy’s isolated warships and supply ships would create the only opportunity of winning for the garrison of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors with its weak defense.

Many space wars in the past, including the battle between the Black Wind Fleet and the Star Glory Federation, counted on that.

If the attackers condensed their battle formation in time and reestablished effective command, the defenders would be dead for sure.

However, if the defenders took the initiative and suppressed the attackers in the loosened state, the scales of victory would be tipped toward the defenders.

Now that Li Yao demanded the control of a space gate, it meant that he would send the most accurate jump coordinates to a certain mysterious fleet outside of the Seven Seas Space Zone randomly, allowing the fleet to jump to the Seven Seas Space Zone in effective command and organization.

If the fleet was hostile, the doom of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors would come even earlier.

No wonder Jin Yuyan was so cautious and hesitant.

“I am truly not suitable to make such important judgments right now.”

Jin Yuyan was clearly sitting still, but steam was popping up from his body, as if he were in the middle of a high-intensity physical exercise. His whole body aged at a visible speed as he rubbed his forehead and sighed. “My original body has been wasted. This body belonged to a pure warrior. Her brain is far from enough to accommodate my soul when I need to calculate and deduce for a long time. I’ll be mentally deranged sooner or later. It seems that the time has come for me to back off and let someone more appropriate to manage the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors.”

Patiently, Li Yao waited for Jin Yuyan’s answer in silence.

Jin Yuyan raised his head and looked at him. After a long hesitation, he finally said, “If I were to ask you what other trump cards you still have, you would certainly not speak the truth, would you?”

“No, I would not, at least not for now.”

Li Yao said, “Because it would put my people in unnecessary danger.”

Jin Yuyan was silent for a long time again.

His body gradually withered, but his head was glowing in an abnormal brilliance, as if his brain had turned into a most ferocious monster that was swallowing the flesh and blood all over his body.

“Fine!”

Meditating for five minutes, Jin Yuyan finally slapped his thigh and made the decision. “You will have a space gate that is enough to navigate the most elite fleet to jump to our heartland. I just hope that your trick will be worth my trust, ‘Black Wind King Li Yao’!”

After saying that, Jin Yuyan rose quickly and staggered out of the room.

Li Yao’s demand seemed to have exploited all his physical energy and brainpower. He did not even have the time to say goodbye to Li Yao and was in a hurry to go home and rest.

Hardly had Jin Yuyan left the building when Li Jialing walked in from the next door.

“The director of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors does not appear very awesome.”

Li Jialing said, deep in thought, “I feel that the guy was tricked by Qi Yuanbao and his lot first and then by Brother Yao later. He hasn’t demonstrated the performance of an unparalleled expert at all. He’s supposed to be better than that. Is it because he is confined inside the shell of a warrior?”

“That his computational ability is hindered because of the inappropriate body is only part of the reason. However, more importantly, it’s because he’s been faking it. Be careful. This guy is not so simple.”

Li Yao said casually, “He is a businessman, not a politician, a commander, or a leader. A politician can be shameless, a commander can be brutal, a leader can be cunning and heartless, but if a businessman leaves a sleazy and untrustworthy impression on everybody, how can he possibly do any business? Naturally, only the people who seem dutiful, obedient, and even slightly clumsy can be the most excellent businessmen.”

Li Jialing was stunned. “Is that so?”

“Of course.”

Li Yao smiled. “Did you see his bitter, worried look just now? He was frowning and lamenting now and then, as if there were truly nothing he could do when he was played by us. Didn’t he look like one of the dealers on the street who sell goods to people at such great discounts that they seem to be suffering great losses?

“However, if everybody believes what they say and buys the goods with the discounted prices, who’s losing and who’s winning in the end?”

“It does seem to make sense.”

Li Yao rubbed the short black hair on his head. “Although the guy appears unassertive and pliable, he has achieved all his purposes without leaving out any!”

“There’s more to it. Do you know who he met first before he came here?”

Li Yao said, “Jin Yuyan went to Red Lady, promising to pardon her and let go of Red Lady’s assassination against himself.”

“Jin Yuyan is so lenient?”

Li Jialing was rather surprised. “Is he trying to subdue Red Lady again? That makes sense. She’s an ace assassin in the Divinity Transformation Stage after all. If he can win her over completely in such a way, it will be a rather fair deal.”

“Hehe, you are thinking too little of him if he is simply recruiting Red Lady again.”

Li Yao said, “Between Jin Yuyan’s lines, he was hoping to contact the top leaders of the four Kurfürst families through Red Lady.”

“What?!”

Li Jialing said, “That… That’s too unbelievable. I’m completely confused. The final battle between the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the four families is about to begin. Half a day ago, Jin Yuyan executed a hundred assassins from the four families right at the gate of the Commodity Market, and he is hoping to reach out to the leaders of the four families now? What… What… What does he want exactly? He’s not thinking of betraying everyone, is he? He does not have any reason to do that!”

“That’s certainly unlikely. Even if he truly wants to have a direct conversation with the top leaders of the four families through Red Lady, it will only happen after the battle of Seven Seas is won. Perhaps he has his own plans regarding the postwar Imperium. For example, he may be expecting to strike a balance among Blackstar the Great, the four Kurfürsten, and the Black Wind King. Getting to the bottom of it, businessmen will never annihilate their enemies unless it is absolutely necessary to. Killing one more person means one fewer potential customer!”

Li Yao said, “Now, you should understand why I was reluctant to tell Jin Yuyan our real trump cards, right? I told you about his visit to Red Lady because I want to remind you not to underestimate Jin Yuyan. You can cooperate with such people, but you must keep your eyes open all the time. So much as you take a nap, he may have already sold you!”

“Hehe, however cunning Jin Yuyan is, he is not as good as Brother Yao. His dialogue with Red Lady must’ve been a top secret, wasn’t it? But it still did not escape Brother Yao’s ears. You’ve learned about it after such a short amount of time.”

Pouting, Li Jialing said rather sourly, “Getting to the bottom of it, it’s Brother Yao who is the most awesome one of all!”

“Huh, why does it sound so sarcastic to me? You seem rather dissatisfied about me?”

Looking at Li Jialing, Li Yao realized what it was about. “I got it now. Are you blaming Brother Yao for using you as a decoy to crawl in the ventilation tube and distract everyone’s attention, while I went to the headquarters of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors to show off? Aya, about that, it was an opportunity to learn and practice for a young man like you. I was hoping that you could grow faster and become a talent soon!”

“I am not a three-year-old. Who would care about that?”

Li Jialing’s anger was written all over his face as he glared at Li Yao sullenly. “I only have one question. Why was I the last person to learn the great secret that you are ‘Black Wind King’ when I am your brother?”