Half an hour later, when Li Yao returned to the deck of his warship, he was still thinking about what Emperor Phoenix had just said.
It was obvious that Emperor Phoenix was trying to draw Li Yao to his side and establish a sect that was more inclined to the court so that it could compete with the six major sects and the many smaller sects right now.
The operation to explore the Divine Palace was an opportunity for the two parties to cooperate.
If Li Yao was really 'Master Spiritual Vulture', and he had come with the purpose of establishing his own sect, it was very likely that he would be persuaded by Emperor Phoenix.
The young emperor is indeed sophisticated and far-sighted. Also, there is a hint of intense confidence in his words. He seems to have a lot of reliance that nobody knows.
Otherwise, with his own strength, even if there were the five of us, it would not have been possible for him to control so many Yuanying from the six major sects.
If I were a spy of the Imperium of True Human Beings who had just arrived and wanted to guide the Ancient Sages Sector to join the Imperium, it would have been only natural for me to cooperate with the emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty.
"Therefore, if there must be a great villain in this exploration of the Divine Palace, it's very likely to be Emperor Phoenix."
On the other hand, Qi Zhongdao's eagerness to cooperate with Emperor Phoenix might be problematic, too. He wants to purge the world of Cultivators and establish a set of rules that belong to him. He has a strong motive to cooperate with the spies of the Imperium of True Human Beings, too.
There's also Wang Xi, the effeminate eunuch. The whole operation to explore the Divine Palace was planned by him. I feel that he has a lot of secrets that he has not disclosed to the public yet. He is not an easy person to deal with, either.
Han Baling, Wan Mingzhu, and Qi Changsheng, the three rapscallions, each have their own motives to cooperate with the Imperium of True Human Beings. Chances are that they will suddenly attack us during the operation to explore the Divine Palace. We must be wary of them.
As for Yan Liren, Ba Xiaoyu, and Master Bitter Cicada …
"I feel that the whole thing should have nothing to do with them, but that's not necessarily the case. Based on my experience, the more innocent, normal, and righteous a person looks at the beginning, the more likely he is to be the mastermind. Chances are that Master Bitter Cicada will suddenly burst into earsplitting laughter and chant 'Long live the Imperium of True Human Beings' when everybody is engaged in a life-and-death battle. Then, it will be very awkward."
"Wait. Doesn't that mean that everyone who participated in the exploration of the Divine Palace, be they teammates or enemies, could be villains with malicious intentions?"
Li Yao scratched his head desperately.
He had explored countless ancient ruins in his life, but this seemed to be the most complicated one.
"More than that."
The mental devil crawled out of the depths of his brain. "Not just everybody involved in the operation is suspicious and possibly a supervillain. Aren't we supervillains too?"
"Yes."
Li Yao was slightly startled and blinked his eyes.
"From our perspective, we naturally feel that those who are cooperating with the Imperium of True Human Beings are the villains."
The mental devil grimaced. "But from the perspective of the locals of the Ancient Sages Sector, we are the malicious alien invaders. Aren't we the out-and-out supervillains?
"I suggest you not to view the whole thing with pure righteousness and evil and analyze our friends and foes.
"Even if Ba Xiaoyu, Master Bitter Cicada, and the rest of them are truly chivalrous, righteous, and merciful, we and the Imperium of True Human Beings are both alien invaders. Why should they choose us instead of the Imperium?"
"For example, in order to protect the entire Ancient Sages Sector from the scourge of war so that all the people can live and work in peace, Ba Xiaoyu and Master Bitter Cicada had to reach a deal with the Imperium and help the Imperium deal with the Federation. Isn't it possible?"
Li Yao took a long breath and realized that the possibility was not only real but also very likely.
Getting to the bottom of it, the civilization of the Ancient Sages Sector and the civilization of the Star Glory Sector had been on different paths for hundreds of thousands of years. They were already two entirely different civilizations.
The locals of the Ancient Sages Sector had no obligation or stance to consider for the Xing Yao Federation at all.
Even a man as merciful as Master Bitter Cicada would not sacrifice thousands of compatriots in the Ancient Sages Sector or even help the Federation fight a battle that was sure to be lost at the risk of the destruction of the entire civilization.
It was indeed very difficult to persuade most of the super Yuanying people.
In any case, let's see what they do when we reach the Divine Palace.
Li Yao looked at the gray sky far away and could not wait to reach the Divine Palace.
"Tempests are coming."
"Lower the sail, lower the altitude, and raise the spiritual shield."
"All Cultivators, hold your positions. Building Foundation Stage Cultivators, Core Formation Stage Cultivators, and Yuanying, summon your spiritual energy to strengthen the defense array and resist the tempests."
"Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack."
"Ah, not good!"
"Swooping Eagle did not manage to lower the sail in time. The main mast has been broken and is now involved in the tempests. The ship is about to go out of control. Masters of the Yuanying Stage, please come to the rescue. Go to the rescue now."
"Be careful not to let Swooping Eagle hit Flying Tiger. Tremendous crystals of the fire class for heating are stored on Flying Tiger."
"Swooping Eagle's keel has been broken and is about to collapse. Swooping Eagle is hopeless. Swooping Eagle is hopeless."
"Everybody on Swooping Eagle, retreat to Flying Tiger, Silver Dragon, and Jade Void now. Masters of the Yuanying Stage, please try your best to control the tempests and buy time for the crew of Swooping Eagle to escape from the tempests."
The roars that were pouring spiritual energy into the ship were deafening on the deck, but the moment they left the range of the spiritual shield and were ripped apart by the overwhelming tempests, they were immediately shattered into the moans of butterflies and could not be heard at all.
It was the twentieth day since the joint exploration fleet, which represented the best forces of the entire Great Qian Dynasty, left the continent.
Above the ocean, with the help of the trade winds, they moved northward in an arc. Finally, five days ago, they bypassed the Dark Cloud Prairies and entered the desolate, barren land again.
Since then, it was no longer the trade winds that were flowing between the sky and the earth at a slow speed and in a stable direction, but the unpredictable, chaotic winds that did not follow any pattern at all.
Only the most experienced sailors could climb up and down the ropes day and night, constantly adjusting the angles of dozens of sails. Only then could they utilize every strand of wind to the fullest.
Such sailors were impossible for ordinary people to work as.
They were often Cultivators who had been raised by the major sects and the royal family since childhood and who boasted special senses about the spiritual energy of the wind class.
Such special talents were known as' Wind Riders' in the world of Cultivators.
The royal family and the six major sects boasted the best 'Wind Riders' in the entire Ancient Sages Sector. With the delicate manipulation of those people, they had traveled four thousand kilometers steadily in only three days.
But that was the end of their good luck.
Up ahead was the Land of Eternal Night in the Far North. The roaring chaotic winds in the sky had been upgraded into tempests mixed with violent spiritual energy.
They were strong winds that could tear apart the flesh and blood of Cultivators.
Li Yao had never seen such a violent wind before.
Even the sandstorms on the Grand Desolate Plateau did not seem to be as violent as the snowstorm mixed with ice cores in the Land of Eternal Night in the Far North.
It was as if all the stars in the universe had turned into hailstones the size of fists and smashed the head of the fleet. Then, under the savaging wind, the hailstones began to revolve at a high speed, mincing everything that intruded into them into pieces.
Li Yao looked into the distance, only to discover that there was nothing but a snowstorm. He could only vaguely see the shadows of the flying boats nearby.
When he listened carefully, it was filled with the cries of ghosts and howls of wolves, suppressing everything. It was as if the howling sound would never end.
It was the will of the sky and the earth. It was the fury of the entire planet.
Even the high-level Cultivators in the Yuanying Stage were unable to compete with such a force.
Under the scourge of the destructive tempests, all the flying boats were unable to move forward or backward. They could only lower the sails as quickly as possible and shoot anchor to the ground or the seemingly solid mountains nearby. Then, they anchored themselves with almost eighty chains as thick as thighs. Also, all the Cultivators worked together to activate the defense rune arrays to prevent the tempests from invading into the cabins.
If they had hesitated for a moment when they lowered the sail, just like Swooping Eagle, they would have been swallowed by the tempests and torn apart together with the dozens of Cultivators who did not have enough time to fly out. Not even their bones were left.
Even if they lowered the sails and anchored themselves, everything would not be fine.
Almost a hundred chains were straightened in the tempests, but they were soon covered in a layer of frost and shrieking.
If some of the anchors were unlucky enough to be nailed to the rocks or the ground that were relatively more vulnerable and could not resist the tempests, they would be shaken off brutally after earsplitting noises.
Without the support of a few chains, the pressure on the remaining chains was even greater. A lot of chains were breaking apart from the middle, making the flying boat shake violently in midair. After only a few shakes, it would break apart and shatter into pieces.
After an entire day and night of the tempests, other than Swooping Eagle, three other flying boats had been crushed just like that.
The only thing that a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator such as Li Yao could do was to control the tempests and buy time to escape before the other warships were about to collapse, apart from strengthening the defense rune arrays on his own warship.
Watching countless Cultivators, including several in the Core Formation Stage, being sucked into the tempests, unable to break free and eventually vanishing in the white wind and snow. Some of them were even torn apart before they disappeared. Such a cruel scene truly made Li Yao sigh with mixed feelings.
No wonder Qi Zhongdao, Ba Xiaoyu, and the rest of them had to cooperate with the court and the major sects no matter how much they disliked them.
They had well-equipped fleets that could support and protect each other, but they still suffered such heavy losses.
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