"Isn't that a bit too … whimsical?"
Li Yao had considered the possibility before, but on second thought, he felt that the odds were not very high. "First of all, it is very difficult to achieve from a technical point of view. Karan was only a resource planet that was very small in size at that time, and a lot of highly-polymerizable super-energy minerals were stored deep below the ground. That was why it was able to detonate the explosion instantly and sweep across the entire space zone. Such a special resource planet is rather rare even in the three thousand Sectors.
"The capital planet, on the other hand, is a rather stable habitable planet in its prime years. Its geological structure is very stable. Other than the rocks deep inside the crust and mantle, most of the materials are iron and nickel alloys. Even though a lot of mother lodes are hidden here, it's barely possible to trigger a destructive explosion.
"When the Supreme Emperor and the Blood God had a great battle below the capital planet, the best they could've done was to split and shift the tectonic plates. It was possible that dozens of cities were destroyed, but to completely explode the entire planet and swallow all the fleets in the orbit? How is it possible? Where did such enormous energy come from?
"Secondly, the leadership of the four families and the commanders of the ace fleets are not idiots. The trick that Wuying Qi played on Karan in the past has been shown in every textbook and countless entertainment works of the Imperium. Everybody is familiar with it and even wants to copy it.
"I assume that Wuying Qi's existence is gradually known now. Will other people not be wary of him playing the same trick again?
"All in all, if I were the commander of the ace fleets of the four families, I wouldn't attack the capital planet recklessly. I would've cleared all the forces of the reformists who were bold enough to cruise in space in the Empyreal Terminus Sector and opened a space channel. Then, I would've summoned a lot of cannon fodder and asked the cannon fodder to attack the surface of the planet. The best I could've done was to launch aerial attacks. If Wuying Qi really wanted to blow himself up, so be it. He wouldn't get anything except losing part of the cannon fodder!
"Thirdly, and most importantly of all, the strategic value of the capital planet is entirely different from that of Karan in the past. Wuying Qi's greatest reliance is the members of the royal family and the Imperial Guards made of the royal family. If he does have a way to turn the capital planet into a huge bomb and play the game of mutual destruction, wouldn't his descendants, the Imperial Guards, the Deep Sea Fleet, and the Reform Committee of the Council of Elders be obliterated? Even his only base would be destroyed, wouldn't he?
"Such a 'swap' is too absurd. It must be noted that even if the four families lose all their ace fleets, they still have a lot of second- and third-rate fleets, and their autonomous territories are still intact. But if Wuying Qi loses the capital, the Imperial Guards, and the Deep Sea Fleet, he will be left with nothing. Is he going to entrust all his hopes on Lei Chenghu's Thunder Fleet? No, I don't believe it. Someone like Wuying Qi would never entrust his fate to somebody else! "
"Your analysis is very reasonable. It seems that the trap this time is different from the self-detonation on Karan. What Wuying Qi excavated below the ground of the capital planet must be something more sordid and dreadful than the 'planetary-level super crystal bomb'."
Pondering for a long time, the mental devil opened its hands and said, "However, whatever scheme Wuying Qi is up to below the ground of the capital planet, it's the same for us. Whether it's the planetary-level super crystal bomb or the 'stellar-level magical equipment' that can radiate the entire Sector, there's nothing we can do to stop it.
"Jin Yuyan is right. We are trapped in the chaotic swamp that is the Seven Seas Space Zone and cannot get out. The forces of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, the Coalition Fleet of Pyromaniacs, the Thunder Fleet, and the coalition fleet of the four families are all involved. Can you separate them by yourself, Vulture Li Yao?
"How are you going to stop Wuying Qi on your own without the support of the fleet? Don't dream about sneaking into the capital without alarming anyone and playing the decapitation strategy. Let's not talk about how heavily guarded Wuying Qi is in the capital. Even if he removes all his defenses and even sends his coordinates to you, he can simply sit on the throne and wait for you to kill him. Then, what? Can you kill him? "
"What are you talking about? Don't demean yourself by boosting other people's morale, alright?"
Frowning, Li Yao scratched his chin hard and mumbled, "Loopholes. There must be loopholes. The whole thing can't be so flawless. Otherwise, I wouldn't have vaguely felt uncomfortable. What's the problem exactly? Got it. There's something that I can't figure out!"
The mental devil asked, "What is it?"
Counting his fingers, Li Yao said, "Look, we all agree that Wuying Qi did so many things in the Seven Seas Grand Market in order to eliminate the hidden problem that was the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors in advance, in case his identity was exposed and the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors would be out of his control, right?"
The mental devil nodded. "Yes."
Li Yao continued, "Also, we all agree that Wuying Qi has set up a shocking trap in the capital, waiting for the ace fleets of the four families to crawl into it. At the very least, in Wuying Qi's perception, the trap is enough to wipe out the ace fleets of the four families in one battle!"
The mental devil nodded again. "Exactly. Is there a problem?"
"No. Those two things are not a problem, but the next thing is a big problem."
Li Yao said, "If Wuying Qi's plan is perfect, when the coalition fleet of the four families in the Seven Seas Space Zone is destroyed, the ace fleets of the four families in the capital will be destroyed too. Losing all the available forces, it is indeed possible for the four families to collapse instantly.
"But don't you feel that Lei Chenghu's Thunder Fleet appeared too early?
"Or rather, Wuying Qi messed with the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors too miserably and weakened it too much!"
The mental devil was slightly dazed. "… Huh?"
"Look, for Wuying Qi and Lei Chenghu, if they want to reduce their losses as much as possible, they should've carried out the principle of 'watching the tigers fight' and let the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the coalition fleet of the four families fight each other as fiercely as possible. It would've been best if the two parties were both heavily wounded before the Thunder Fleet jumped out to clean up the mess. Only in such a way could the victory be maximized and the losses be minimized."
Li Yao said, "Judging from Wuying Qi's infiltration of the Seven Seas Space Zone, he was absolutely capable of doing that. There was no need for him to go so far and make the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors collapse so badly!
"Right now, the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors is almost suffocated by the coalition fleet of the four families, and it is the Thunder Fleet that is holding the fort. Even if they win in the end, the Thunder Fleet will certainly be crushed too, won't it? Why bother?
"I don't believe that Wuying Qi would've made such a rookie mistake in a hurry. All he needed to do was to control the intensity of the damage in the Seven Seas Grand Market and delay Lei Chenghu's reinforcement for a few days. Then, it would've been easier for him to claim all the fruits of victory!
"That's exactly the question that baffles me. What's your opinion?"
The mental devil pondered for a long time, its face even colder and eviler.
"Perhaps, Wuying Qi did not want Lei Chenghu to win an easy victory."
The mental devil said coldly, "He was trying to consume Lei Chenghu's forces as much as possible. What he wanted was not the mutual destruction of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the coalition fleet of the four families, but the mutual destruction of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, the coalition fleet of the four families, and the Thunder Fleet!"
"What do you mean?"
Li Yao was greatly alarmed. "Are you suggesting that Wuying Qi does not trust Lei Chenghu at all, just like he never trusted Jin Yuyan?"
"Isn't it only natural?"
The mental devil sneered, "How can a man like Blackstar the Great really trust anybody other than himself? I'm afraid that he would not trust his own father or his own son, much less Lei Chenghu.
"He is a man who is going to be the greatest emperor of all time and grasp the Imperium of True Human Beings in his palm. He will not trust the four Kurfürsten, Jin Yuyan, Lei Chenghu, or anyone else who is strong and influential enough to threaten him. He will eliminate them sooner or later."
"But Lei Chenghu is different. Lei Chenghu is a 'real Immortal Cultivator' and his most ardent admirer!"
Li Yao said, "We've talked with Lei Chenghu so many times. We know his firm belief in the true path of immortality and his admiration for Wuying Qi. It is not an exaggeration to say that Lei Chenghu is willing to die for Blackstar the Great at any time. Can't Wuying Qi tolerate such a loyal subject?
"Even if he can't tolerate him, he should at least make good use of him. There's no reason to 'slaughter' him so early, right?"
"Wrong. It suddenly occurs to me that perhaps we've been misunderstanding Lei Chenghu's admiration for Wuying Qi."
The mental devil said, "Think about it carefully. Wuying Qi is an ancient person from a thousand years ago, and Lei Chenghu has never been in touch with Wuying Qi in person before. The Wuying Qi that he knows is just a false image of the Imperium based on the highly twisted information in the textbooks, promotional materials, movies, games, and history books.
"What he worships is the bright, perfect, and selfless ancestor of the Immortal Cultivators on the altar, who is a projection of his own moral standards. Is the real, living Wuying Qi who has walked off the altar like that? Does he really deserve Lei Chenghu's admiration?"
Li Yao scratched his hair hard. "I don't understand. What do you mean?"
"You don't understand? Then, I'll give you the simplest example. "
The mental devil explained, "Let's say that in the Xing Yao Federation decades ago, there was a young Cultivator who worshipped 'Vulture Li Yao, dominator of three Sectors' in the most passionate and extreme way. He truly worshipped the father of the nation of the Federation as the greatest hero in his life. He even demanded himself strictly according to the perfect standards of the father of the nation in all kinds of promotional materials.
"In the eyes of the young Cultivator, 'Vulture Li Yao, dominator of three Sectors, father of the nation of the Federation', should be a perfect man who is free from vulgar interests. He should be a man who is both talented and kind-hearted, charismatic, and particularly handsome. He should be a wise, resolute, thoughtful, invincible, and flawless man. All in all, he should be a god-like saint. Yes, that's exactly how Jin Xinyue described you in many promotional materials back then.
"Let's say that the young Cultivator is truly convinced, but one day, he meets the real you. Well, such a … so-called 'father of the nation', what do you think the young Cultivator will do in the future?
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
