Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The provocative words were surprisingly sincere when they came out of Li Jialing’s mouth. His eyes were like flowing flames, too. Wherever they went, the Immortal Cultivators could not help but feel their blood boiling. They seemed to be reminded of their ambition when they swore to rebuild their glory
when the first batch of Immortal Cultivators was born a thousand years ago.
“Long live Your Majesty! Long live the imperium! Long live the civilization of mankind!”
The tens of thousands of elites of the imperial guards in the golden phalanx roared in an earthshaking voice as if they were one person.
shua!
LiJialing unsheathed the long sword on his waist and stabbed it into the sky where the clouds and mist were surging. He shouted, “Today’s battle is not just a battle of honor, but also a battle of atonement! Do you know what a heinous crime we have committed? No. It is not deception, scheming, or
plundering. It is not the cruel and merciless law of the jungle. In the long river of human civilization, such details are insignificant.
“Itis not a sin for the Immortal Cultivators to own most of the resources. The real sin is that we failed to fulfil our promise, we failed to push the civilization of mankind to a new peak, and we failed to build an invincible imperium! We were too weak to the point that the enemy marched in and stabbed us
right in the heart. That is our only and deepest sin. We and the rest of you have committed the sin of weakness!
“Survival of the fittest and survival of the fittest are rules that we’ve been adhering to for thousands of years. But do you think that the Immortal Cultivators today are strong enough to enjoy all the resources with a clear conscience and face all the enemies inside and outside the universe fearlessly?
“Of course, we are all very clear that it was not us who caused the weakness of the Immortal Cultivators today, but the so-called ‘Four Electors’ and the corrupt nobles who corrupted the real Immortal Cultivators with cowardice, selfishness, and cheap tricks!
“But now, we are the masters of Empyrean Terminus and Empyrean Terminus. We are the founders and defenders of the new imperium. We are the true successors and pioneers of the path of immortality. It is our duty to carry the sin of weakness on our shoulders. Then, we will wash away the sin bit by
bit with our blades, our hot blood, and our soul, wiping away the gloom on the path of immortality so that the path of immortality will flourish in the next thousand, ten thousand, or even a hundred thousand years!
“Therefore, unsheathe your blades and summon your courage. Let the ugly enemies open their eyes and see clearly what a real Immortal Cultivator is. Let the senseless walking dead shiver in our roars!
“Below your feet, this is the burial place of the old imperium and the starting point of the new one and the new era. Go now, my warriors, my… Fellow Cultivators. Create the greatest era that belongs to you, the new imperium, and the civilization of mankind!
‘When Li Jialing’s roar reached its peak, he slashed the golden blade in his hand down. A streak of brightness immediately rushed out like a flood and turned into hundreds of lions that were raging in midair. Then, it tumed into glittering ‘raindrops’ and rained on the crystal suits of every elite soldier,
displaying the glamorous effect of blossoming golden scales.
Although there were no substantial changes, the splendid special effects still dazzled all the elites of the imperial guards, and their morale soared.
“Tm willing to die for Your Majesty!”
“We are the real Immortal Cultivators. The new era of the Immortal Cultivators must begin now!
“So what if the main fleet of the Sanctuary Alliance is large in number? Reinforcements are arriving soon. All we need to do is defend to the last breath. How can the strongest fortress in the center of the sea of stars fall so easily?
In the blood-boiling battle cries, the golden phalanx suddenly split apart. Some of the elites of the imperial guards rushed to the sky in short-distance assault starships to support the defense line at the periphery of the space zone, while some of the elites of the imperial guards stationed themselves in
the permanent fortresses on and below the ground, preparing to fight desperately when the enemy broke into the atmosphere and burnt the entire Empyrean Terminus Planet to the ground.
Expressionlessly, Li Jialing raised his arm and saluted the soldiers with the most honorable military salute of the imperium. It was not until the last imperial guard disappeared from his vision that he retracted his stiff arm and returned to the command center of the imperial city.
Right now, the command center of the new imperium was even more chaotic.
The intelligence from the sky and the underground, the preparation and assembly of the other planets outside of Empyreal Terminus, and the news from the rebels in the east and even the Star Glory Federation were all flooding into the thousands of super crystal processors in the command center like
hundreds of rapid rivers. Even though the crystal processors boasted the best computational ability in the entire imperium, they were still squeaking as if they could collapse at any moment.
The communication soldiers and the analysts of the commander-in-chief’s department were too busy to notice the arrival of ‘His Majesty’. Everybody’s eyes were occupied by the dense main fleet of the Sanctuary Alliance.
Li Linghai, on the other hand, noticed the appearance of his son.
Of course, even though she was the Empress Dowager of the Imperium of True Human Beings, she still had to call her son ‘Your Majesty’ respectfully.
Besides, Li Linghai felt from the bottom of his heart that Li Jialing had indeed grown a lot in only one month. He seemed to have been driven into a corner, but the enthronement ceremony was a change. The news that Li Yao was missing was a change, too. After the two changes, he seemed to have been
reborn. He was more and more like a real, distinguished emperor. Or rather, he was more and more like Black Star Emperor, if not Wu Yingqi.
“His Majesty spoke very well just now. Not only the elites of the imperial guards gathered in front of the imperial city, all the soldiers of the imperial guards and the Immortal Cultivators of the Empyreal Terminus Sector were inspired by His Majesty, too. Their morale was soaring.
Li Linghai smiled and said, “If we win the battle, Your Majesty’s prestige will reach an unprecedented level. It is very likely that you will make a name for yourself that is far more distinguished than the Black Star Emperor!”
“Only if we can win.”
LiJialing took a long breath in relief. The golden flames around him suddenly dimmed. Even his clear and determined eyes were blurred. He coughed and said in a low voice, “What’s the situation on the eastern front exactly? Is there any solid news about the Marquis of Liaohai? When will the last mobile
troops of the fake marquis be taken care of? When will all the remaining forces of the four families be locked down and sent back?”
“Not yet.
Li Linghai said, “The situation on the eastern front is still the same. Lei Chenhu and Bai Xingjian set up an ambush with the Jade Cauldron Sector as a trap and attacked the reinforcements with the strategy of ‘surrounding the enemy’. They took down quite a few reinforcements of the four major families
and seriously wounded the morale of the enemy. It is safe to say that the fleets of the four major families have all perished. It will be difficult for them to gather a large troop and fight against us face to face.
“But that was exactly the problem.
“As far as our army is concerned, occupying the enemy’s planet is not our goal—the territory of the four families is so large that even if we open the gate for our army to occupy, how much territory can we occupy?
“Destroying the enemy’s strength, especially the mobile forces that can perform large-scale space jumps at will, is the key.
“But right now, the last joint fleet of the four major families is still hiding in the ‘Yellow Dragon Sector’, the capital city of the Song family. No matter how critical the situation of the Jade Cauldron Sector was, they never showed up and simply watched the Jade Cauldron Sector fall. It seems that the enemy
is determined to defend it to the end.
“If so, our rebels will be caught in an awkward dilemma.
“As the capital city of the Song family, which has been established for hundreds of years, the defense of the Yellow Dragon Sector is equally impregnable. Also, the last joint fleet of the four major families is stationed there. If the rebels attack the place by force, they will suffer tremendous losses.
“However, if we leave the Yellow Dragon Sector alone and continue to attack other resource-rich areas, it is very likely that the coalition fleet will break out and cut off the path of retreat for the rebels. The rebels will be alone, and it will be difficult to get effective supplies and rest. Once the path of retreat
is cut off, everything will be over.
“Therefore… Lei Chenghu and Bai Xinghe both need time to solve the tricky problem.
“Time. Time.”
Li Jialing closed his eyes and mumbled to himself. Then he asked, “What about the Star Glory Federation? Any updates?”
“Nothing.
Li Linghai said, “Think about it from another point of view. If you are the Speaker of Parliament of Cultivators, can you make a decision to march forward in a month based on the disparity in capability, the hatred between Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators, and the chaotic parliament?
“Understood. It’s a matter of time again. It seems that the people of the Star Glory Federation have calculated the timing of the invasion to the most precise degree. They have calculated that we will never receive any help!”
The corner of Li Jialing’s mouth twitched. He lowered his voice, as if he were talking to himself. “If all the soldiers and civilians in the capital city know that I’m lying to them, we will still be engaged in a two-pronged battle, surrounded by enemies and helpless… I don’t know how angry and desperate they
will be. I’m afraid that the morale of the people will collapse in a moment!
“I won’t.”
Li Linghai said casually, “Even if reinforcements are coming, it won’t be overnight. When the situation gets serious, the entire Empyreal Terminus will be bunt to the ground. Most of the people will be dead, and the survivors will be fighting for their survival. Who will remember the… white lie? At that
time, people will be more than willing for you to continue lying and give them hope that does not exist!”
LiJialing sniffed and stared at Li Linghai.
Li Linghai accepted his anger without the least bit of shame.
Right then, the latest report of the rebel army from the Jade Cauldron Sector was sent to the command center.
The battle report marked ‘top secret’ was like a million-ton crystal bomb that exploded deep inside the eyes of the emperor and the queen mother, blowing away the last bit of blood in their eyes and their faces..
