Li Yao did not know whether he should blame himself for being a jinx or if he truly had an amazing magnetic field that could attract all the schemes.
Just as he said that his half year in the Ancient Sages Sector had been peaceful and that he had not run into any schemes, a super scheme that could definitely shake the Ancient Sages Sector had popped up.
The Three Saints and the Four Rapscallions, plus the monk and the emperor who were not part of the evaluation system of the Cultivators, and the Sword Grandmaster of Great Zhou who had risen recently, were basically the 'top ten experts' of the Ancient Sages Sector.
However, the so-called 'top ten experts' were only evaluated based on their individual combat ability. In fact, the Three Saints and the Four Rapscallions were vastly different.
Ba Xiaoyu was an unaffiliated Cultivator. Yan Liren and Master Bitter Cicada could not summon all the forces of the Purple Pole Sword Sect and the Stupa Temple, either. Although Qi Zhongdao was the nominal leader of all the Cultivators, he was more like a signboard and could not control the many sects effectively. It was needless to mention Li Yao himself, who was fighting for the world on his own, too.
The five of them were basically commanders without an army, except that they were good at fighting.
The Four Rapscallions, on the other hand, were different. Han Baling, Qi Changsheng, and Wan Mingzhu were all the leaders of their own forces. Even though the latter two were often crushed and crushed, they always rose again and were undaunted.
Although Wang Xi was a stray dog right now, it was needless to mention his wisdom and leadership abilities in the past. The Ghost Character that he had established and infiltrated into the world of Cultivators had not been entirely eradicated, either. A lot of loyal warriors still disappeared mysteriously when he fled.
In other words, every one of the Four Rapscallions had tremendous resources under their control and represented a force that had the potential to change the world. They were on a completely different level from the loners such as Ba Xiaoyu, Master Bitter Cicada, Yan Liren, Qi Zhongdao, and Li Yao.
But right now, the four forces had joined hands.
What were they up to exactly?
Li Yao silently circulated the Tortoise Breathing Technique, lowering his heartbeat to the point of almost stopping. He concentrated all his attention on analyzing every single word in the cabin, not letting go of a single detail.
A slightly damp voice that seemed to come from the depths of the earth said, "Whether the world is the world or not, let's not talk so far away. Let's talk about the core. We paid such a huge price for this operation to obtain these things. Is it really the core that Lord Wang is talking about?"
This person spoke with a slight accent from the northwest. Although he tried his best to conceal it, Li Yao was still able to discern it.
The female voice that sounded like a spring breeze smiled. "Whether or not it is true, I'll show it to you when Mother White Lotus returns later. Ever since Lord Wang learned the secret, he has been planning for decades. Even the Ghost Character was established partly for the secret. Right now, we have finally collected all the intelligence and the necessary items from various channels. How can it be wrong?"
Another voice that sounded rather solemn said coldly, "Since Lord Wang has spent decades planning the exploration and collected all the intelligence and useful items from the major sects without caring about the cost, I believe that Lord Wang must have more than enough eccentric experts such as Special Agent Long under his command. Why didn't Lord Wang carry out the exploration on his own instead of sharing the great benefits with us?"
The voice sounded rather familiar. Li Yao blinked and immediately recalled that it was Han Yuantai, Han Yuantai, Han Baling's right-hand man whom he had captured in the forests of the Southland of Sorcerers and then set free.
Even Han Yuantai had come. It seemed that the secret meeting of the Four Rapscallions was of a high level.
The woman who spoke first turned out to be surnamed Long. She was a special agent sent by Wang Xi.
It seemed that Wang Xi had discovered a great secret decades ago and collected all kinds of intelligence and items before he pieced the secret together.
Perhaps, he did not intend to share the secret with other people in the first place but intended to develop it on his own with his enormous power.
It was a pity that his reputation had been ruined, and the resources at his disposal had been greatly reduced. Also, he had to take the risk of being attacked by the whole world the moment he showed up. Having no other choice, he could only gather the Four Rapscallions and develop the secret together.
As he expected, Special Agent Long said, "General Han, Lord Wang has already expressed his sincerity for the operation. The people of Cloud Qin are best known for their fearlessness. Why are you so suspicious?"
"Fearlessness doesn't mean that you are asking to be killed."
Han Yuantai was not convinced. He still said coldly, "Historically speaking, such operations to explore the primeval relics often lead to internal strife. Your Lord Wang is certainly not a saint. It is too difficult for you to be completely trusted."
"Lord Wang is not a saint, and Regent Han is not easy to deal with, either."
Special Agent Long chuckled. "Are King Qi and the Holy Mother of All Saints so easily tricked?"
"Lord Wang is a man of great ambitions, and the secret concerns the future of the Ancient Sages Sector. Our joint exploration this time is not a robbery by a bunch of mobsters. I believe that none of us are shortsighted thieves. Why do we have to do things that will hurt our friends and please our enemies because of the temptation of petty profits?
"Besides, for the success of the operation, none of the four forces can be left out.
"There's no need to talk about Lord Wang's side. He was the one who discovered the secret first. It took him decades to piece together the scattered pieces of information. Then, he used all kinds of methods to collect the pieces from the major sects. In the end, he even got the core of the secret," Li Yao said.
"As for Heavenly King Qi, he has been dealing with all kinds of relics below the ground for a long time. In the entire Ancient Sages Sector, the Heaven Battering Army is definitely the best at exploring relics and excavating residences.
"As for Mother White Lotus, she is an unpredictable, traceless soul. When we really arrive at the place, there may be a lot of traps and secret tunnels that require her to infiltrate and crack.
"As for Cloud Qin, it is even simpler. The location of the secret is on the vast snowfield to the north of Cloud Qin. If we want to send a large batch of elites to explore it, we cannot avoid Cloud Qin in any case. Besides, the three of us have been besieged by the court of the Great Qian Dynasty, and we are in a relatively passive period right now. The manpower at our disposal is limited. Only Cloud Qin can mobilize a large army of well-trained Cultivators to support our exploration operation.
"That is exactly why Lord Wang invited you to join the operation. He definitely does not consider you cannon fodder.
"General Han, if we are really worried about who will burn the bridge after crossing the river and stab you in the back, we should be more worried about Cloud Qin. After all, it is Cloud Qin's rear. Don't you think so?"
Han Yuantai was dazed. "Well …"
"However, of course, we will not bother ourselves for no reason."
Special Agent Long changed the topic and completely grasped the rhythm of the conversation. She said with a smile, "We believe that Regent Han is a man of great vision who is determined to make a great cause. Right now, our greatest enemy is the court of the Great Qian Dynasty and all the Cultivators in the Great Qian Dynasty.
"Although the four of us have not been in touch before, we have been supporting each other from afar and restricting the forces of the Great Qian Dynasty in order to keep the other parties alive.
"If we really attack each other, the Great Qian Dynasty will only benefit for nothing. Who doesn't understand such a simple logic?"
There was a brief silence in the cabin. Then, the male voice with a slight northwestern accent gnashed his teeth. "Yes. Last winter, the Heaven Battering Army was reduced to less than three thousand soldiers by the army of the Great Qian Dynasty. We will avenge ourselves."
Han Yuantai also said, "As long as we are all sincere in our cooperation, Cloud Qin will certainly keep our word."
"That's right."
Special Agent Long's laughter was mixed with vague coldness, like the edge of a blade that was covered in cotton. "The pie is too big for any party. If they eat it alone, they will either choke to death or choke to death. Only when the four of us eat it together will we be able to finish it without leaving any residue."
At this moment, a cold voice said, "The Holy Mother has returned."
Li Yao was greatly alarmed. He crouched in the sand, not daring to move at all.
The temperature of the seawater seemed to have dropped by more than ten degrees all of a sudden. It was almost frozen into ice.
A large group of colorful fish, eels, and jellyfish fled in all directions in panic as if they had run into a brutal natural enemy.
A streak of vague white smoke, like a giant jellyfish dozens of meters long, swam close from afar in the shape of a translucent cloud and swam over Li Yao's head quickly, disappearing into the ghost ship.
The ghost ship shivered slightly, as if it had been injected with new energy. The speed of the ship was much higher than before.
"It's an honor to meet you, saint."
Inside the cabin, Special Agent Long, Han Yuantai, and the representative of Qi Changsheng who spoke with a northwest accent all greeted respectfully.
"You're excused. Thank you for your hard work," Li Yao said wearily.
Her voice was no longer as sharp and agitated as it had been on the battlefield a moment ago. Instead, it was deep and indifferent.
That was more like the tone of the 'mother of all ghosts'. Her attitude on the battlefield a moment ago was almost like a shrew.
"You were hunted by Qi Zhongdao, Yan Liren, Master Spiritual Vulture, and other experts. Did everything go well after you broke out of the siege?"
Special Agent Long asked concernedly.
"It doesn't matter. The five of them are far from enough to kill me. Besides, Master Spiritual Vulture did not show up at the last moment. He must've been a cowardly guy who was trying to preserve his strength."
Wan Mingzhu sighed gloomily. "However, the million soldiers that I finally gathered with the help of the natural disasters were crushed and completely collapsed. They even lost a lot of ghost generals who had followed me for years and were about to be condensed, as well as a lot of zombie soldiers that I carefully refined with a lot of capital."
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