Li Jialing hesitated.
No matter how many armors and tusks were hidden in the young man's heart, and how much darkness and profundity that far exceeded his peers, he could not get rid of the limitation of age and experience after all.
Even though he was a sharp sword of darkness, he still needed time to polish himself before he could unleash the sharpness that could cut the stars apart.
Li Lingfeng's words sounded too real. Unable to tell whether they were real or not, Li Jialing's heart was in a mess. For some reason, he looked at Li Yao again, as if the "Brother Yao" who had popped up uncannily was his greatest reliance at this moment.
Little did he know that Li Yao's head was in a mess, too, and his head was in a mess.
After he advanced into the Divinity Transformation Stage, Li Yao's grasp of other people's micro-expressions, heartbeats, auras, and even the vibration of their souls had been improved to a higher level.
In other words, he was now able to tell whether other people were speaking the truth or not. He had reached the level of "keen eyes".
While Li Lingfeng was one minor level higher than him, he was heavily wounded right now, and his breathing was disordered. Even his soul was vaguely shivering. It was barely possible to fool him.
However, Li Yao clearly sensed that when Li Lingfeng was talking, neither his facial muscles, his heart, his nerve endings, nor his soul was shaken at all.
At the very least, judging from Li Yao's experience, what he said should be true.
Are you kidding me? 'Li Linghai' is so brutal that he is even willing to kill his own son?
Li Yao secretly clicked his tongue and felt that his head was about to explode again.
Ever since he uncovered the secret of his foster father's last words more than a hundred years ago, Li Yao had developed an uncanny fondness for the name "Li Linghai".
The reason was simple. Li Yao firmly believed that his foster father was a righteous and kind-hearted man, and his foster father said resolutely in his last words that if Li Yao and the Xing Yao Federation ran into trouble one day, they could go to Li Linghai in the Imperium of True Human Beings. Li Linghai would certainly protect them.
Since his foster father was a good man who trusted Li Linghai deeply and probably had feelings for Li Linghai, Li Linghai should be a good man, too. At the very least, he should be one of the "relatively decent" Immortal Cultivators.
This was Li Yao's initial logic.
His plan was to find Li Linghai through Li Jialing and see if there was any possibility of compromise or even cooperation between him and the "least bad" Immortal Cultivator.
It was even safe to say that the main reason Li Yao was bold enough to sneak into the heartland of the Imperium of True Human Beings on his own was to look for Li Linghai!
However, according to Li Lingfeng, the queen of the Imperium of True Human Beings was almost an Immortal Cultivator among Immortal Cultivators. She was a standard example of brutality, ruthlessness, and killing without blinking. She could abandon any kinship for power!
If she could kill her own son without frowning, what was a "foster son of her old lover from more than a hundred years ago"?
Li Yao's dream was very vivid, but the cruel reality was too f * cking bone-chilling!
"What's there to hesitate about? The few starships that I brought to the Sand Primitive Sector are about to be dismantled by Li Linghai. Make a decision now!"
Li Lingfeng opened his arms. His voice was low and determined, and his face couldn't have been more frank. "Yes, Jialing. I admit that I've been lying to you. In fact, I should've told you the truth earlier so that such a misunderstanding wouldn't have happened and led to your … departure!
"However, you have to think from your uncle's perspective. In the past, your nature was not fully awakened, and your uncle could not completely grasp your mental state. What if your mind was disturbed, your soul was shaken, and you were mentally deranged after I told you the truth? What should I do then?
"Also, after you learned the truth, it was inevitable that your behavior would be different from the past. Should any loophole be exposed, you would've been killed at any moment. It must be noted that the Li family's tentacles had been extending into the royal palace in the past hundreds of years, but ever since Li Linghai's wings were fully developed, the tentacles of the royal palace had penetrated into the Li family instead. Even I couldn't guarantee that she did not know of your existence!
"As a matter of fact, however cautious and vigilant I was, she still discovered your existence and came to 'destroy' you with a secret squad in person!
"Good boy. I know that you are a smart person and an out-and-out Immortal Cultivator. Let's drop the pretentious kinship between us. Let's just talk about the interests in the most simple way!
"Yes, I admit that when I saved you at the beginning, I thought that you were a rare commodity that was worth hoarding. I simply wanted to build you into a secret weapon, or rather, a priceless bargaining chip with which I could carry out the extremely dangerous game with Li Linghai.
"However, during the process of building you, I gradually discovered the infinite potential hidden below your feeble appearance. It was a strength that was inherited from Li Linghai and that made even me tremble in fear!
"Hehe. None of my own heirs, both my sons and my grandsons, is anything but promising. Even the most distinguished one among them has mediocre aptitudes and ambitions. Their future accomplishments are extremely limited. It's already the best that they can do to control a resource planet for the family. They can't even compare to one tenth of you!
"Since you boast such unbelievable potential and are my blood nephew, you can sort of pass on the genes of my bloodline. Is there any reason why I didn't raise you well and build you up without caring about the cost?
"So, was I making use of you? Yes! Was I using you as a bargaining chip and a weapon? Yes! Was I hoping that you could kill Li Linghai one day? Yes!
"But am I not sincerely nurturing you? Yes! Did I devote ten times more effort and resources to you than I did to my own sons and grandsons? Yes! Was I hoping that you could be my real heir and pass on my genes, power, and legacy? Yes!
"If you think about everything that I've done for you, you will know that I'm not lying at all.
"People are making use of each other in the first place. What's wrong with me making use of you and you making use of me? The value of being made use of is more reliable than any kinship!
"Let me repeat myself. Our interests are the same. We can absolutely conquer the world hand in hand and control the entire family someday so that the Li family in the next hundred years will be our era.
"But your interests and those of Li Linghai's are not the same. As the saying goes, 'for a penny, for a pound'. She already killed you once when you were still an embryo. Do you think that she will let go of you this time?"
Li Jialing's breath became fast. Clenching his fists, he gnashed his teeth. "Neither you nor Li Linghai is interested in your power struggle at all. The blood ties of 'mother' and 'uncle' mean nothing in my eyes. I only want to live a free and absolutely free life!"
"Absolutely free?"
Li Lingfeng was slightly dazed. Then, he burst into laughter. "Silly boy, the universe is a boundless place, but there are conflicts everywhere. There are rules and rules that you have to abide by everywhere. There are unparalleled experts who can blackmail, manipulate, threaten, hurt, and interfere with you everywhere! Where are you going to find a life of 'absolute freedom'?
"Let me tell you, if you really want to live a life of 'absolute freedom', it's very simple. You just have to fight for 'absolute power' by any means possible!
"Only with absolute power can there be absolute freedom!
"When you become the dominator of a planet and have absolute power over the planet, you will have 'absolute freedom' on the planet!
"By the same token, when you become the dominator of a Sector, you will have absolute freedom in the Sector. You can kill whoever you want and do whatever you want. Even if you turn the world upside down, nobody will dare to interfere with you!
"Hehe. If you can become my heir and dominate the entire Li family one day, all the Sectors will have to listen to your command, and countless starships will have to obey your will. In the territory of the Li family, you will naturally be able to do whatever you want and be absolutely free!"
The young man's breath turned from fast to heavy.
He stole a glance at Li Yao and hesitated for a long time. Then, he asked in a low voice, "After all that talk, what do you want exactly?"
"I have a tiny plan, but whether or not it will work out will depend on the mysterious man next to you."
Li Lingfeng focused his eyes on Li Yao again, but the brutality in his eyes was gone, replaced by weird and cunning ripples. "If my guess is correct, you are not a real Cultivator, are you?"
After a brief silence, Li Yao chuckled. "Of course. How can the daydreaming idiots raise a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator extravagantly enough to use him as an assault vanguard with such a well-repaired and well-maintained Colossus? Fellow Cultivator Li, you should know the pressure on the logistics department better than I do. The Colossus must be supported by a large industrial system with complete facilities, sufficient personnel, and well-trained personnel. Do the Cultivators have such conditions? Even if they sell everything they have, they will not be able to afford a leg of a Colossus! "
Li Yao had called Li Lingfeng "Lord Li" at the beginning, but he was calling him "Fellow Cultivator Li" right now. It was obvious that he was implying that they were "kindred spirits".
"That's my guess, too. The bulls * it 'a Cultivator from the sky' can only fool three-year-old children and ignorant hominoids," Li Lingfeng said coldly.
Li Lingfeng said coldly, "Then, who are you exactly? What's your purpose for venturing into the danger alone? In any case, the glamorous combination of a Colossus that is even better than the Tempest God and an expert in the Divinity Transformation Stage is definitely not something that the mobsters at the periphery of the Imperium can offer."
"Do you know how eye-catching and eye-catching your Heavenly Eye Group and your 'slaughter stream' platform have been in the past hundred years?"
Li Yao said, "As the saying goes, the bird that sticks out will be shot first. The slaughter stream is a novelty that has not been seen for a thousand years. Controlling the Imperium through the media is also a very interesting and terrifying idea. There are bound to be some old-fashioned, old-fashioned forces who do not like your 'slaughter stream' and do not want you or the Li family to grasp a brand-new, unknown force.
"Just consider me as one of those old-fashioned forces who do not like the 'slaughter stream' and do not want you to grasp the brand-new force. Then, they will take the opportunity to destroy your stream platform and swallow the Heavenly Eye Group.
"Don't be angry. This is not a personal grudge. In fact, I rather appreciate your ideas and creativity. The Imperium is too old and outdated. It's time to inject some fresh air into it. However … orders are orders, and business is business. You know that."
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Opening fire in May, the fourth update is delivered!
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