The universe was a boundless place. The hundreds of Sectors in the Imperium of True Human Beings alone were already full of extraordinary experts. The battle-type Immortal Cultivators above the Divinity Transformation Stage were also terrifying existences who could resist a fleet on their own!
For such battle-type Immortal Cultivators, without deep grudges, it was naturally impossible for them to fight a life-and-death battle with all their trump cards. Even if they occasionally had a competition, it would be nothing more than "competition".
Therefore, the rankings and titles such as "top ten experts of the Imperium" and "best expert of a certain family" were barely tenable. They were only of some reference value at best.
According to their position in their family, their accomplishments in the past, and their training intensity, it was still possible to distinguish "super experts", "top-tier experts", and "second- or third-tier experts".
"Devilish Abyss" Li Jianyi, "Acyclic Earth" Yun Kuohai, and "Star Breaker" Song Huanzhen were all the core leaders of the four Kurfürst families as well as the elders of the Imperium. It was not a problem for them to mobilize the resources of a planet. What they counted on was their Cultivation, which was at least the high level to the peak of the Divinity Transformation Stage.
The three of them were definitely the most extraordinary people in the Imperium of True Human Beings in terms of personal combat ability. They were notorious for their brutality and ruthlessness, and they were the unparalleled experts who could tear apart a warship in the sea of stars within a breath!
Besides, other than the three experts, there were dozens of top-tier experts in the Nascent Soul Stage who were lurking in the distance, blocking every gap that could allow them to escape.
It was quiet all around. All the guards and maids in the entire Royal Palace seemed to have disappeared in an instant. It was also like there was an invisible membrane that covered the area within a radius of ten miles, forming an airtight restriction. Even if an earth-shattering battle was taking place inside, the people outside would not be able to sense anything.
The elites of the Deep Sea Fleet stationed at the northwest corner of the royal palace seemed to know nothing about what was happening there. They showed no sign of rising to the sky to "protect" the queen at all.
The three super experts looked at Li Linghai emotionlessly, showing no intention of bowing to the queen, either.
The killing intent and electric arcs around his body became even more intense and dazzling. They were so dazzling that they wanted to form an inescapable net around Li Linghai and even directly crush her.
Li Linghai slowly closed the book in his hands and stored the scroll into his Cosmos Ring. He glanced at Li Jianyi, Yun Kuohai, and Song Huanzhen, the three battle-type Divinity Transformation Stage Cultivators thoughtfully, without the slightest surprise. He simply said casually, "Elder Li, Dean Yun, and Tutor Song, shouldn't you be participating in the operation to capture Dongfang Wang in the Silver Moon Ocean? Why are you suddenly in the royal palace?
"Or is it possible that the fierce battle in the Silver Moon Ocean is just your stand-in, and your target after such a long journey to the capital is not Dongfang Wang but me?
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I didn't expect you to get rid of Dongfang Wang so quickly. You haven't even caught him yet, and you're already going to kill him? It's just that this Consort is a weak woman, yet this Consort actually had to trouble three Great Grandmasters to come together. Isn't this too much of a hassle? This Consort is somewhat … overwhelmed by this favor! "
"He who strikes first gains the upper hand, and he who strikes last suffers the consequences. Of course, everybody understands such a simple logic."
In terms of seniority, Li Jianyi was in the same generation as "Silver Fox" Li Jiande, the leader of the Li family. He was sort of Li Linghai's grandfather in the family. He was the first to speak. "Also, I'm afraid that you've misunderstood us, Your Grace. We never intended to get rid of you, nor are we here to kill you. We merely have some questions that we would like to ask Your Grace.
"For example, where did you get the resources to establish the Deep Sea Fleet in secret, Your Grace? Also, you seem to have practiced techniques that do not belong to the Li family in private, and your Cultivation has reached the beginning level or even the middle level of the Divinity Transformation Stage. Having trained yourself into a battle-type expert in the Divinity Transformation Stage in secret under the surveillance of thousands of eyes in the royal palace, you certainly cannot be called a 'weak woman'! "
Li Linghai sighed, and his smile became even more mysterious. "The elites of the Deep Sea Fleet are clearly everywhere inside and outside the royal palace. The guards and maids have been replaced by my people, too. Yet, the three elders were still able to break in without a sound and establish such an immaculate array.
"Also, you know the details of the Deep Sea Fleet and even me very well. It seems that the thing that I least want to see has indeed happened.
"General Dongfang Sheng, if you are bold enough to betray me, why are you hiding yourself? I know that you have been particularly curious about the resources to establish the Deep Sea Fleet and the sources of the starships. You have also spied on my training countless times in secret. Hehe. If you are so eager to know, just stand before me and listen to me! "
Heavy footsteps echoed behind Li Linghai.
The one who blocked the last gap was Dongfang Sheng, the core of the reformists, Li Linghai's trusted subordinate, the greatest traitor of the Dongfang family, and the highest commander of the Deep Sea Fleet!
One top expert from each of the four Kurfürst families was suppressing Li Linghai from all directions!
Dongfang Sheng did not show up alone. He was also pushing a floating medical chair. Below the translucent mask, in the middle of the high-purity oxygen, it was "Silver Fox" Li Jiande, the most respected Kurfürst in the politics of the Imperium!
Li Linghai looked at Dongfang Sheng and then at "Silver Fox" Li Jiande. He chuckled.
"Grandfather, I knew that you wouldn't 'die of old age' so easily."
Li Linghai changed the way he addressed his grandfather and said in relief, "So, it was because of your planning that you were able to gather 'Devilish Abyss', 'Acyclic Earth', and 'Star Breaker', the three super experts. I wonder, what price did you offer General Dongfang Sheng to make him betray me? Hehe. Are you going to ask him to lead the Dongfang family and clean up the mess? "
"You must be kidding, Your Grace."
Dongfang Sheng, however, bowed deeply at Li Linghai and said, "With my seniority and prestige, I am naturally not qualified to lead the entire Dongfang family. However, right now, the family is on the brink of collapse, and the foundation of a thousand years is about to be destroyed. I am a member of the Dongfang family anyway. At such a precarious moment, it is only natural that I should contribute to the family.
"Before, the highest commander of the Dongfang fleet and most of the leadership were going to die with Dongfang Wang. Right now, the family is in a mess without a leader. Now that I have the experience of commanding the Deep Sea Fleet, it is more or less within my capabilities to command the family fleet."
"That explains a lot. You were bought over by the position of the highest commander of the Dongfang fleet?"
Li Linghai was neither surprised nor infuriated. He simply shook his head and sighed. "General Dongfang, your vision is too narrow. How do you know that the Deep Sea Fleet will not develop a hundred times better than the Dongfang fleet in the future? In fact, I have always thought highly of you. If you had been loyal to me, your future would've been limitless, even beyond your imagination. What a shame! What a shame! "
"Your Grace, you're wrong again."
With a face full of determination, Dongfang Sheng said with a clear conscience, "From the beginning to the end, I have never been loyal to you personally but to the ideas of the reformists. Right now, I'm returning to the Dongfang family because I want to carry out the ideas of the reformists from a more advantageous position for the big picture of the Imperium. How can you say that I betrayed you?
"On the other hand, Your Grace, you seem to be keeping something from all the reformists. I'd like to ask you a question. Is your ambition really limited to the reform of Honor the Majesty and Settle the Rebellions?"
Li Linghai sneered. Instead of answering Dongfang Sheng's question, he turned his eyes to "Silver Fox" Li Jiande.
Li Jiande was not a battle-type expert in the Divinity Transformation Stage in the first place. Also, he had been struggling for almost a hundred years. He looked haggard and dying. No matter how many tubes were inserted into his body to inject medical drugs and nutrition drugs into his internal organs, it did not help at all.
However, the three unparalleled experts, the fleet commander who betrayed Li Linghai, the dozens of Yuanying soldiers at the periphery, and even the entire Imperium further away seemed to have been within the calculations of the old Silver Fox!
"I've made a huge mistake," he said.
Li Linghai sighed. "I underestimated you too much, grandfather. Of the four Kurfürsten today, you are even more dreadful than 'Prime Minister of Iron and Blood' Dongfang Wang. I should've killed you without bothering anything!"
"My good granddaughter, you did make a great mistake, but … but it was not my fault."
"Silver Fox" Li Jiande slowly removed the mask of vaporized drugs that covered his face. Looking at Li Linghai with complicated feelings, he struggled to say, "You and Dongfang Wang both made the same mistake. You broke the most important thing that connected the Imperium of True Human Beings, which was balance.
"The fact that the Imperium has maintained the scale of hundreds of Sectors and ten thousand resource planets without being overwhelmed by its own weight to this day is all thanks to the balance among the four Kurfürst families.
"No matter how the four families compete openly and secretly on the surface, all the leaders of the families should know that we have to maintain a balance among ourselves. The four families are like the four legs of a table. Only by maintaining a balance can we ensure that there is cake on the table to be shared.
"If the table is uneven or even collapses, the cake will either fall to the ground and become a mess, or the hands that are cutting the cake will not be able to control themselves and chop off all their fingers!
"Dongfang Wang did not understand that logic. He was ambitious enough to expand the Dongfang family into the so-called 'First Family', which greatly disrupted the balance. It equaled to extending a table leg twice as long as before so that nobody would have any cake to eat. How could he not be swallowed by the counterattack?
"Stopping someone from making money is like killing their parents. Being condemned by everybody, they will die without any disease. Dongfang Wang was asking to be killed. Nobody could save him!
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