As he spoke, Li Yao was already choking with sobs and could not go on. He covered his mouth as if he were about to vomit, but what leaked out of his fingers was only thick blood.
The queen looked at him emotionlessly and continued asking, "Who do you choose, the Speaker or the captain? Kill eighty percent to save twenty percent, or everybody to die together?"
"I — I don't know. I'm not on either side."
Li Yao laughed miserably. "Crazy. They're all crazy. All the Cultivators on board attacked each other like lunatics and animals. Firefly was a ragged starship that had wandered for a thousand years in the first place. The consequences of an internal war were catastrophic.
"Starships were blown up from the inside one after another. The precious assets that were already few in the first place were obliterated in the ocean of fire or absorbed into the depths of the cold space together with the dead bodies of the Cultivators. As a result, the environment that the survivors were in was even worse. They had to continue attacking each other for the resources that were getting fewer and fewer until everybody was reduced to broken limbs and blood and meat paste.
"Although I boasted that I was the best expert on Firefly and had a Colossus that was fully maintained and had enough ammunition as my backup, so what? Even if I could suppress all the leadership, including the captain and the Speaker, could I create air, water, and food? Could I resurrect the dead? Could I bring new hope to the people who had wandered for a thousand years?
"I couldn't. Not to mention that I was only at the peak of the Yuanying Stage at that time, I couldn't have done it even if I were in the Divinity Transformation Stage right now.
"Watching my old comrades and compatriots fighting each other, the Cultivators' hideous performance was even more unbearable than the legendary Immortal Cultivators, but there was nothing I could do. Cracks appeared on my belief, and I even began to doubt the faith of the Cultivators. My soul was seriously disordered, and I was almost mentally deranged.
"While I was resisting the mental devil and stabilizing my soul, Firefly was completely destroyed. Even my pops were not spared. He told me everything at the last moment, including a small starship that had been modified in secret. He asked me not to abandon the faith of the Cultivators because of the tragedy of Firefly and asked me to come to the Imperium of True Human Beings to see how the world of the Immortal Cultivators operated. He believed that I would not change my mind after careful consideration and that I would persist in living and fighting as a Cultivator.
"Most importantly, he let me find you.
"Perhaps, my dad believed that you could save me, whose belief was on the verge of collapse and who did not know how to distinguish between Cultivators and Immortal Cultivators, and I … could save you, too!"
"What a joke."
The Empress seemed to have been stung by a poisonous thorn. "What do I need to be saved?"
"Then I don't know."
Li Yao opened his hands and said, "I'm guessing, just guessing, judging from my father's affection and the words he said when he was drunk, Li Linghai in his memories was definitely not a cruel, ruthless, or even inhuman Immortal Cultivator, but a pure, kindhearted woman who emitted the brilliance of humanity. She was even … a good wife and a good mother.
"Perhaps, he felt that the dark and cold Imperium of True Human Beings would change you beyond recognition sooner or later, but he firmly believed that something that would never change must be hidden deep inside your heart, and my arrival would help you trigger the thing and let you find your original heart, right?"
"Shut up!"
The Empress shouted at the top of her voice again. The graceful, high, and inviolable vibe at the beginning had long been thrown away. She even sounded more or less exasperated. "Who I am is not for you to judge, and I don't need you to save me!"
"Like I said, it's just a 'guess'!"
Li Yao said, "Perhaps, my dad only wanted me to give you a hand with my extraordinary combat ability and the powerful Colossus. It's as simple as that."
"Huh …"
The Empress was obviously tempted.
In any case, a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator and a Colossus were not "gifts" that would just fall from the sky randomly.
Li Yao was different from Li Lingfeng. Li Lingfeng had his own background, forces, ambitions, and complicated relationships. Even if they did cooperate, they would still be faced with a lot of trouble. Deception, intrigue, and even hindrance would be inevitable.
Therefore, Li Linghai would rather kill his own brother and settle the trouble once and for all than cooperate with him.
Li Yao, on the other hand, was different.
He was a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator who had no background, nobody to rely on, and who was "theoretically" loyal to her.
As long as it was possible, nobody would want a Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivator to be their enemy instead of their ally.
"Go on."
The Empress thought hard for a long time, but she could not find any loopholes in Li Yao's words.
The scene that Li Yao described did not contradict any known intelligence and was in line with the classic inferences made by the specialists of the Imperium.
Therefore, after pondering for a moment, she still said, "Tell me your story in the Martial Meritocrats Sector. Why did you risk destroying 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky'?"
"The Martial Meritocrats Sector was my first stop after I jumped to the Imperium of True Human Beings."
Li Yao said quickly, "The reason I chose this place was very simple. The regular tides in the Devilish Scorpion Nebula were a natural supermassive star beacon that could significantly improve the accuracy of my jump. After all, the navigation system of my tiny starship was not very reliable.
"After I jumped to the Martial Meritocrats Sector in the Devilish Scorpion Nebula and saw so many ordinary people struggling in pain in the Land of Sins, naturally, I was filled with indignation and wanted to help.
"In the beginning, I did not intend to make such a big scene. I was only planning to sneak into 'Manjusaka, the City in the Sky' to steal some intelligence before I made further plans. But Li Jialing's arrival disrupted my plan.
"On one hand, I was trying to create an astonishing scene to attract everybody's attention so that it would be easier for him to escape. On the other hand, of course, I was trying to save the ordinary people of the Martial Meritocrats Sector sincerely. Or, of course, there was also my selfishness. After the destruction of Firefly, my belief was on the verge of collapse, and I wanted to stabilize my belief and make up my mind as a Cultivator through a gratifying battle.
"The three reasons combined led to the battle. You should know everything that happened later. After all, you were lurking nearby at that time.
"That's the whole story. It's up to you to believe it or not. It's also up to you to kill him or not!"
After saying that, Li Yao held his head high and bulged his eyes, like a statue that was about to die valiantly.
Li Linghai was silent for a long time. There was still no expression on his face at all.
Only the drastic changes of the thunderstorm in the sky more or less revealed the conflict in her heart.
In the end, the queen took a long breath in relief and said coldly, "What are you going to do if I don't kill you?"
Li Yao beamed with joy. "Then, of course, I will follow my father's last words and follow you, Your Grace. I will protect you, be protected by you, and save you!"
"Shut up. Like I said, I don't need your protection or your rescue!"
The queen seemed to have run out of patience with Li Yao's ability to play along. Her face was immediately filled with killing intent. She glared at Li Yao for a while. Suddenly, she thought of something and managed to hold back her impulse. She said, "Right. Did he … give me anything that he asked you to bring to me?"
Li Yao blinked and nodded. "Yes. It's a weird metal stick. It looks like a piece of magical equipment like a key."
Brilliance flashed in the queen's eyes. She said in a hurry, "Give it to me!"
Li Yao, however, shook his head. "No."
"Huh?"
The queen's killing intent turned into visible wind blades and was released by the fluttering white hair on her head. "What did you say?"
"I promised my father that I would give his belongings to the 'real' Li Linghai."
After saying that, Li Yao calmed himself down and said, "But what I saw today, Your Grace, is so different from the Li Linghai that my father described. I will never give my father's most precious belongings to such a Li Linghai.
"Even though I have lost my home, compatriots, and family, and I have lost everything and have nowhere to go, even though my belief is shaking, my belief is on the verge of collapse, and I can't be more confused, I still have the slightest dignity as an expert in the Divinity Transformation Stage!
"Your Grace's level is higher than mine, and your techniques are more powerful than mine. Maybe there are more powerful magical equipment inside your Cosmos Ring. If you are determined to kill me, I will be absolutely no match for you.
"But you have to believe me. Even if I am inevitably killed by you, I can still destroy the Cosmos Ring before that happens so that you will never find the half key!"
"Are you threatening me?"
Li Linghai's white hair was standing on end, and his face couldn't have been sharper. He declared resolutely, one word after another, "The queen of the Imperium of True Human Beings will not accept any threats!"
"It's not a threat. It's just a fact."
Li Yao insisted, "There are only two ways for you to get the half key. You can either be convinced by me and become the woman that my father loved deeply again, or even a … Cultivator, or you can convince me to believe in the true path of immortality wholeheartedly and become a hardcore, pure, and real Immortal Cultivator!"
The queen stared at Li Yao gloomily.
Li Yao did not give in at all. He responded to the queen with all his spiritual energy.
Even Li Jialing was hiding behind Li Yao. Over Li Yao's shoulder, he bulged his eyes at the queen as big as possible.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Crack! Their eyes met, and dazzling sparks were raised. Every spark exploded like a crystal bomb, burning an ocean of fire between the three of them.
The confrontation between their gazes even overshadowed the storm, lightning, and thunder outside.
Suddenly, something unbelievable happened!
The queen grunted and vomited blood. She was defeated!
Just a moment ago, he was still overbearing and filled with murderous intent, but now, he was like a collapsing reservoir, draining away like a thousand li, extremely dispirited!
She could not even stand on her feet. She staggered and almost fell to the ground.
"What the hell?"
Li Yao thought to himself that he had just trained his tongue and his face, but he hadn't trained his eyes yet. His eyes couldn't be that good, could they?
"Be careful!"
The mental devil wasted no time in reminding him, "She seems to be up to something!"
-----
Yesterday and today, he had watched Guardians of the Galaxy 2 twice in a row. It was so awesome. The reckless, crazy, and hilarious vibe was exactly what it felt like!
He liked the part where the muscular guy fired the cannons on the back of the starship with a rope. It felt like he was waving a saber on the starship. It was cool enough as long as it was cool. He didn't care if it was a standard 'sci-fi'!
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