Di Feiwen's words were like a soft spring breeze that blew into Li Yao's ears, but they completely froze his train of thought.
Li Yao had analyzed all the possible schemes that Di Feiwen might have set up. He had even come to meet the No. 2 person of the Black Wind Fleet with the expectation of watching a good show. But he did not expect that the guy would propose such a shocking and absurd proposal.
"What … What do you mean?" Li Yao asked. "If this is a scheme, isn't it too clumsy?"
"Of course it is not a scheme. Faced with your unparalleled strength, our submission can't be more sincere."
Di Feiwen lowered his head again and said, "Your original plan was to support Heiye Lan as a puppet and indirectly control the Black Wind Fleet through her identity and bloodline. But you did not understand how much we despise bloodline and value strength. Heiye Lan is nothing more than your dog. If we were to submit to her, wouldn't we be the dogs of the Federation and the slaves of the Federation's slaves?
"By the same logic, even if we elect a nominal leader among ourselves, the so-called 'Black Wind King', he will be incomparable to the dominating Black Wind Kings at the center of the cosmos in the past. He will still be a puppet that is destined to lower his head and submit to the Federation. He will be closely monitored by the Federation, and the Federation will always be wary of his every move. He will not be given any real freedom.
"What's the use of such a puppet leader? Which proud expert of the Black Wind Fleet is willing to be such a puppet, smeared with bright colors, and delivered to the parliament of the Federation to bow and pretend to be happy? "
"About that …" Li Yao hesitated.
"Like you said," Di Feiwen said casually, "the Black Wind Fleet is in a terrible situation right now. After two consecutive failures in only a hundred years, not only have the Immortal Cultivators of the five Sectors lost their homes, even our backbone has been broken. There is barely any hope for us to take back our home, restore our former glory, or even stand at the peak of the universe.
"Hope. Hope is the most precious thing in the universe. Be it justice or evil, everybody has to count on hope to survive. When I said that the defeated soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet are likely to turn into space pirates, it was not a threat on my part but a helpless reality. Once the defeated soldiers truly lose their last hope, many of them will completely fall into darkness and turn into walking corpses or even some kind of terrifying nonhuman beings. Nobody, including me, can control them. It is even impossible to imagine what they will do.
"At this moment, if there is someone who can bring hope to the Black Wind Fleet and tell the dying soldiers that they can still return to the center of the cosmos one day, reclaim their home and glory, and turn from defeated soldiers into the strongest warriors in the universe, who do you think it will be, President Li? Heiye Lan? Me? Or the captains under my command who have been second-rate in the first place?
"No, we can't do it. Even the most idiotic hominoid soldier on the starships of the Imperium will not believe the lies of Heiye Lan or me.
"I am just a businessman, and Heiye Lan is a puppet who has no talents, prestige, or brains. Neither of us is capable of making other people submit to us.
"Only you, the invincible dominator at the edge of the cosmos who can slay even the Pangu and the extraterrestrial devils easily, can boast such prestige and strength. As long as you are willing to raise your arms, you will lead the remaining soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet back to their hometown one day and become the strongest fleet of the Imperium. You can even seize the entire Imperium! Only such vows, such roars, and such strength can be injected into the broken ridges of the remaining soldiers of the Black Wind Fleet and become our brand-new mental pillar!
"The true path of immortality is dominated by strength. It is an old saying that has been repeated countless times. It is an unshakable law that has been carved deep inside the soul of every Immortal Cultivator. Since you are the ultimate expert at the edge of the cosmos, isn't it only natural that we submit to you and ask you to be our new leader?"
Clarity and sincerity beamed out of Di Feiwen's small eyes. Such a look, together with his triangular face that could not have been uglier, was almost too much for Li Yao to handle. "Wait. Wait. Wait. Can an outsider be chosen as the 'Black Wind King'? Not only am I not a native of the Black Wind Fleet, but I am not even from the Imperium! "
"The Immortal Cultivators only value strength," Di Feiwen explained. "We do not have any prejudice about one's background and region. I believe that you know very well that Blackstar the Great, the founder of the Imperium of True Human Beings, was not from the center of the cosmos, either. Even when he ascended to the throne and announced that the Star Ocean Republic would be reorganized into the Imperium of True Human Beings, his hometown, the 'Martial Meritocrats Sector', was not even included in the territory of the Imperium yet.
"As the saying goes, subordinates follow the example of their superiors. Even the founding emperor was like that. Why would the lords and Sector Masters below have so many stinky rules? As long as you are strong enough, all the rules can be shattered!
"Also, after swallowing the remaining soldiers and the immigrant fleets of the Purple Fire Sector, the Fiery Spider Sector, the Hard Rock Sector, and the Wild Wolf Sector, the meaning of 'Black Wind King' has been greatly expanded. He has become the ruler of five Sectors.
"For the Immortal Cultivators of the Purple Fire Sector, the Fiery Spider Sector, the Hard Rock Sector, and the Wild Wolf Sector, what's the difference between Heiye Ming's leadership and yours? Aren't they both led by the experts of another Sector?"
"How can they be the same?"
Li Yao blurted out. "Heiye Ming and them are both from the Imperium after all!"
"You are from the Imperium, too," Di Feiwen said matter-of-factly.
"We have read a lot of files and discovered that, more than a hundred years ago, on Kunlun, Su Changfa, who was an official of the Immigration Bureau of the Imperium of True Human Beings at that time, invoked the 'Immigration Law' and the 'Overseas High-Level Talents Introduction Act' of the Imperium to grant President Li a green card of the Imperium of True Human Beings, making President Li a subject of the Imperium. At that time, President Li must've listened to the national anthem of the Imperium and swore loyalty to the 'Trident Lightning Flag' of the Imperium, right?"
Li Yao was of a mind to scratch his head. "It does seem to be true. I'm a f * cking subject of the Imperium?"
"No, no, no. Not a subject, but a citizen," Di Feiwen explained patiently.
"When Su Changfa granted you a green card, he must've introduced the 'Twenty Levels of Citizenship System' of the Imperium in detail. As long as you expand the territory of the Imperium, make contributions, and make all kinds of contributions, you will be promoted one level after another, from a civilian to a citizen, and from a citizen to a noble, right?
"The Black Wind Fleet is here to expand the territory of the Imperium. It is also safe to say that we are the flowing land of the Imperium. Naturally, we have higher permissions than Su Changfa on our starships.
"Su Changfa could've only granted you a green card and the identity of a subject of the Imperium, but we can grant you citizenship up to level twelve.
"You are an expert close to the Divinity Transformation Stage, and you have discovered the Tian Yuan Realm, the Ancient Sages Sector, and eight other Sectors for the Imperium, as well as Kunlun, a relic of the primeval war. Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such contributions are more than enough to grant you a title of nobility. We can definitely promote you to a level-thirteen citizen of the Imperium of True Human Beings reasonably and legally. As for the further advancement, you will have to go to the authorities of the Imperium in person to exchange contribution points, verify your accomplishments, and even ask His Majesty to award you in person."
"Wait!"
Li Yao bulged his eyes. "What do you mean by 'I discovered eight Sectors for the Imperium'?"
"'Discovery' is a very subtle word," Di Feiwen said. "If you acknowledge the identity of a subject of the Imperium that you acquired on Kunlun, is there anything wrong with saying that you have discovered so many Sectors at the edge of the cosmos?
"Even if you don't like such a statement, the Pangu clan and the extraterrestrial devils are the common enemies of the Imperium and the Federation. Wouldn't you have made great contributions to the Imperium by annihilating them? The contribution alone is more than enough for you to be promoted to a level-twelve citizen of the Imperium in our place.
"Alright. Now that you are a level-twelve citizen of the Imperium, you are naturally qualified to be the 'Sector Master' of a certain Sector Master under the governance of the Imperium. It is perfectly legal."
Li Yao was dazed for a long time. "Right. Su Changfa gave me a badge back then. It seems to be a green card of the Imperium of True Human Beings. I don't know what it is. It should still be hidden in a museum or a research lab of the Secret Sword Bureau."
"Excellent," Di Feiwen said. "It means that you are a very experienced citizen of the Imperium!"
Li Yao still felt that it was too chaotic. "Wait a moment. Are there no other opinions within your organization, including the ambitious, disobedient big shots of other Sectors?"
"Faced with the competition for supreme power, there are naturally different opinions. Therefore, we have finally decided to settle it in the traditional way of the Immortal Cultivators, which is fists," Di Feiwen said casually.
"'Fiery Eye' Wan Xiu, 'Heavy Cannon' Lei Long, and 'Death Shadow' Murong Wei, who fought against you just now, all represent different factions within the Black Wind Fleet. The forces behind them are all rather powerful and independent. Even I can't control them. However, I made a bet with them that you would prove with an unquestionable performance that you were the only, if not the strongest, 'Black Wind King' in history.
"As I expected, you have done it. In only twenty-two seconds, you have beaten three seasoned Nascent Soul Stage Cultivators to the brink of death. You also have the support of eight Sectors at the edge of the cosmos and a primeval relic. With such strength and power, even the most disobedient Immortal Cultivator can only bow before you."
Li Yao still found it impossible to accept the logic of the Immortal Cultivators. "Let's leave the Immortal Cultivators of the Purple Fire Sector, the Fiery Spider Sector, the Hard Rock Sector, and the Wild Wolf Sector aside, what about the authentic Cultivators of the Black Wind Fleet? I killed Heiye Ming, your previous leader! "
"That further proves your legitimacy to lead us," Di Feiwen said casually.
"The toughness and bravery of the natives of the Black Wind Fleet are well known in the entire Imperium. The battles of the Sector Masters in the Black Wind Sector have always been so brutal. It is not unusual for the new experts to kill the old Sector Masters and prove the arrival of a new era. Even Heiye Ming himself killed a lot of experts of the Di family when he ascended to the position of Sector Master. If we were to hold grudges for that, the Black Wind Sector and even the many worlds of the Imperium would've collapsed a long time ago and ceased to exist.
"All in all, this is the rule of the Immortal Cultivators. Once the power is out of balance and we enter the 'power struggle period', all the experts will be restless and try to climb up through whatever means possible. They will fight each other until their heads bleed.
"However, once an unquestionable new expert shows up, the rest of the people will immediately forget the conflicts and grudges in the past and bow to him. They will enter the new 'power stability period' as soon as possible. Led by him, they will change from internal conflicts to external development, venting all their fury and hatred on the external prey.
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