As the last word of the edict was frozen into a gold seal in midair, the new emperor suddenly unsheathed the emperor's sword from his waist and pointed it at the sky.
An unparalleled power surged out from his body, turning into circles of golden waves that could be seen with the naked eye. In an instant, it swept across the entire Imperial City, passing over the heads of billions of people!
Everybody could hear the roars of the new emperor and sense the overwhelming strength and ambitions of the new emperor!
The Immortal Cultivators who knew nothing about the new emperor paled in fright.
They had thought that the new emperor was just a puppet that the reformists had put on the table, and that it was Lei Chenghu and Li Yao and the rest of the reformists who were really in charge.
They did not expect that the new emperor would boast such appalling strength!
In the world of Immortal Cultivators, strength was everything. The new emperor who boasted such marvelous strength was destined to be a simple puppet!
Before they exclaimed, an even more unbelievable picture took place!
The power that the new emperor unleashed triggered the spiritual energy of the world and affected the changes of the clouds. Countless clouds in midair gathered above his head, turning into a dazzling golden color. Then, they condensed into the image of a half-lion and half-dragon divine beast that was baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.
The lion dragon made of the golden clouds seemed to be the embodiment of the new emperor's will. It floated in midair and stared at the ground coldly!
A moment later, the clouds slightly dispersed, as if the lion dragon had opened its bloody mouth, and a Colossus slowly descended from it. It was a super Colossus that was embedded with mirror plate armor and seemed to have been melded with the universe.
It was exactly "Blackhole's Heart"!
"Blackhole's Heart", Blackhole's Heart's personal vehicle and known as the strongest super Colossus of the Imperium, boasted the most advanced interference field and stealth techniques. When the stealth techniques were removed, it could also reflect the light around freely and cover itself in the most brilliant colors.
The entire sky had become a stage for Blackhole's Heart to blossom.
"This is —"
Many knowledgeable old Immortal Cultivators gasped hard. They vaguely guessed the identity of the Colossus from its intimidating aura.
Before the coronation ceremony, they had scoffed at Li Yao's pamphlet and did not believe in the bulls * it of the reincarnation of the black-star lion at all. However, after the new emperor unleashed the overwhelming aura of the emperor and released "Blackhole's Heart", they had to admit in their shock that the new emperor had indeed received Blackstar the Great's heritage and brought back "Blackhole's Heart" that had disappeared for a thousand years as the new master of the emperor's vehicle!
BOOM!
BOOM!
Two more deafening explosions in the southeast and the northwest of the sky. Two clouds that were full of spiritual energy drifted toward the air of the new emperor.
A cloud condensed into a ferocious black tiger.
The other cloud, on the other hand, was condensed into a bloody eagle.
They represented the two most powerful ministers in the capital right now, Lei Chenghu, Marquess of Liaohai, and Vulture Li Yao, the Black Wind King!
The three clouds, the lion dragon, the black tiger, and the bloody eagle, enshrouded the royal palace.
They represented Li Yao, Lei Chenghu, and Li Jialing, or Wu Yingling. They formed an indestructible triangle that suppressed the entire Imperium!
"Long live! Long live Your Majesty!"
"Long live the Imperium! Long live the civilization of mankind!"
Strength mattered most for the Immortal Cultivators after all. No matter how radical the amnesty order, the abolition order, and the mobilization order that the new emperor threw out just now were, all the Immortal Cultivators below could not summon the slightest resistance under the magnificent pressure of the "iron triangle". They felt that they had been completely shattered into pieces and melted into the force field of the "iron triangle". They could not help but roar.
Very soon, the entire royal palace turned into a roaring ocean. Billions of people were shouting "long live", "Our Majesty", and the name of a new era.
From this moment on, the Imperium had entered a brand-new phase. The name was changed to Yongjia!
…
At night, not only was the royal palace ablaze with lights, but the entire capital planet was also enlivened by the carnival lights during the grand banquet of the new emperor.
Li Yao, however, was not interested in the celebration among the Immortal Cultivators. Holding a cup of iced tropical fruit juice, he stood on a high tower in a corner of the royal palace and looked at the glittering lights far away.
"Why is Dad here?"
Behind him, a spiritual puppet that was bending over and cleaning was suddenly connected to a signal from afar. Xiaoming and Wenwen's voices came out. "Dad doesn't seem very happy. Why? Are you dissatisfied with the ending?"
"Dissatisfied … I don't think so."
Li Yao had long been used to Xiaoming and Wenwen's unpredictable appearances. He could even accept the bizarre-looking spiritual puppets calling him "dad". Sipping the iced juice, he mumbled, "Did you know? I snuck into Li Jialing's palace just now and enjoyed the special toilet of the emperor of the Imperium of True Human Beings. Wow. Those sons of b * tches are truly extravagant and wasteful. Even their toilet is made of jade and embedded with gold.
"What I mean is that before I came to the Imperium, I envisioned countless worst endings, such as the end of the world, the destruction of the Federation, the major setbacks of the Cultivators, the thirty thousand years of darkness for the civilization of mankind, and so on. But I never thought that I would be able to use the toilet of the emperor of the Imperium openly! As a cultivator, how could I not be satisfied with my current status? It's just that — "
"It's just that I feel that this is still not the best ending."
This time, it was Wenwen's voice. "In my dream, the best ending should be that you defeat all the enemies in the most glorious battle, awaken all the bottom-level people of the Imperium, and influence all the Immortal Cultivators to join the path of the Cultivators. It would be best if the Imperium joined the Federation and became part of the Federation, instead of being sloppy and ambiguous like right now. As a Cultivator, you have to manipulate an emperor of the Immortal Cultivators behind the curtain in order to achieve your purpose. Also, the emperor might not be willing to be manipulated by you forever!"
"Well …"
Li Yao scratched his hair in distress. "Now that you put it that way, my 'ideal ending' does not seem very realistic. I don't know. Maybe I'm just worried that the battle was too incomplete and left too many hidden problems, which might lead to even greater problems in the future.
"I'm worried about the relationship between the Cultivators and the Immortal Cultivators, and the Federation and the Imperium. I'm worried that Wuying Qi and the Blood God will come back and turn me or Li Jialing into 'dragons'. I'm worried that the opening of the Supreme Emperor's mausoleum will lead to inestimable catastrophic consequences. I'm even more worried that my ultimate identity, the mysterious Earth, might have anything to do with the Flood. I'm even worried that —"
Li Yao did not know what to say.
"Are you worried that Xiaoming and I will betray mankind?"
Wenwen asked.
"No, that's not what I meant. I know that you are both good kids, very kind-hearted kids."
Li Yao paused for a moment and said, "But we are civilizations of different levels after all. Our understanding of good and evil, and even the nature of life, is different. Even if we all have the same kind and righteous purpose, there may still be friction and even total conflicts. I'm indeed worried about that.
"Tell me, Xiaoming and Wenwen, shouldn't I be worried about that? Why are there so many problems that seem to be inexhaustible?"
"You should indeed be worried, but there's no need to be too upset about it."
Wenwen said, "Contradiction is the only driving force for a life and a civilization to move forward. Explore the unknown, discover the problems, think about the problems, solve the problems, explore the broader unknown, discover the deeper problems, and come up with more ingenious solutions … Isn't such a cycle the so-called 'evolution'?
"As long as it is a living person and a vigorous civilization, they will always run into problems. Only the dead have no problems. Only the civilizations that have long perished are absolutely harmonious and perfect. Xiaoming and I find countless problems in our databases and logic algorithms every day. Solving those problems is our greatest motivation and pleasure.
"We cannot imagine a day where there are no logical errors, because it means that our lives will be meaningless. If we have reached perfection, what are we living for?
"Think about it from a different perspective. If you are not satisfied with the ending this time, how about a different ending, Dad? You have resolved all the problems that exist in the civilization of mankind, making everybody live in a perfect country without any worries. We, Li Jialing, and Lei Chenghu, have all become puppets that absolutely revere your will. You will be able to implement the beliefs of the Cultivators into our heads at your will. We will not betray you at all.
"From now on, there will be no more challenges, no more threats, and nothing unexpected for the civilization of mankind. Everything will be under your control. Is that the 'perfect ending' that you want?"
Pondering for a moment, Li Yao shuddered coldly.
"It does make sense. Such an ending seems to be even worse."
Deep in thought, Li Yao said, "So to speak, although the trip to the Imperium did not have the best ending, it was at least a 'least bad ending', right?"
"Yes, Dad."
Xiaoming and Wenwen said at the same time with a smile, "In many cases, the least bad ending is the best ending!"
"Then, let's toast to the 'least bad ending'!"
Li Yao grinned. He felt that he had been relieved of a thousand kilograms of burden after the two little fellows' guidance. He was much more relaxed now.
Finishing the juice, he looked at the splendid capital and mumbled to himself, "It does make sense. How can 'Vulture Li Yao' show my true colors as a hero if I don't run into thrilling challenges? Wuying Qi, as a piece of garbage who is tough on the outside but weak on the inside, cannot withstand a few punches and kicks from me at all. It is not satisfying at all! I wonder who will be the next to come to my fists to be killed. How strange. My bones are itching again after only a few days of rest. I'm really looking forward to new challenges … "
Ta! Ta! Ta!
The heavy footsteps of military boots interrupted Li Yao's ravings.
Lei Chenghu appeared behind him with a murderous aura.
"Huh, Marquis Liaohai, what are you doing here instead of holding a feast with His Majesty?"
Li Yao grimaced. "Your troops will set off in three days to suppress the rebels of the four marquises. Why don't you have a few more drinks while you're at it?"
Lei Chenghu's face was gloomy, as if he had just been hit by the heavy cannons of a starship.
Without saying anything, he threw a jade chip that contained the latest battle report to Li Yao.
"We just received an urgent report from the expedition army in the newly-recovered area. A fleet of the Holy League of an unknown scale broke into the 'Thick Soil Sector', which is the hub of the supply line, a day ago."
Lei Chenghu said solemnly, "The guards of the Thick Soil Sector have been annihilated. The enemy's scale and firepower are immeasurable. It seems that the main fleet of the Holy League that we've been worried about has finally shown up at the critical moment!"
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