At five o 'clock in the morning, when the sun had just risen, the entire Floating Spear City was already packed. The experts and tourists from the Tian Yuan Realm and even the neighboring Sectors were all gathered in the city, waiting for the arrival of the Floating Spear City.
At seven or eight o 'clock in the morning, the sun was as red as a painting, and the clouds were already filled with glittering light balls. They were the fruits of the Federation's independent magical equipment technology. They were the new-generation spiritual towers that carried hundreds of thousands of super-tiny crystal chips. They were very powerful information and data transmission nodes. Every light ball corresponded to thousands of netizens in various Sectors, allowing the netizens thousands of lightyears away to be' transported 'to the sky of Floating Spear City through devices such as nerve-interactive helmets and holographic game cabins so that they could participate in the festival.
Everywhere in the sky and on the ground, there were sounds of laughter, tears, and cheers.
At nine o 'clock in the morning, the magnificent national anthem was played, and the triumph ceremony officially began.
When almost a hundred starships that had been baptized by the flames of war at the center of the cosmos tore apart the clouds and descended from the sky, the sky was shivering, and the earth was roaring. The emotions of all the people were instantly triggered.
Although the starships had undergone simple maintenance and reinforcement in the docks of the Imperium, the intense tearing force in the four-dimensional space still left new wounds on their bodies. The interconnecting cracks and the dispersing flames of spiritual energy made them look like seasoned men who had been through hundreds of battles. They were filled with awe-inspiring dominance and soul-stirring charm.
Scars were a man's medals.
Weren't they the same for starships?
Although they were heavily wounded, mottled, or even incomplete, they had returned with a victory after all.
The Federation had hope again. The civilization had hope again.
It was the best ending.
"Long live the Federation! Long live the Federation! Long live the Cultivators! Long live the civilization of mankind! "
Countless virtual white doves that symbolized peace were released, turning into soft white chains that entangled the starships that were returning triumphantly, diluting the austere atmosphere of the starships and wrapping them in a layer of soft white light. Under the illumination of the sun that was getting brighter and brighter, pieces of golden scales were refracted. The golden scales, set off by the proud cheers of the people, flew to the entire Floating Spear City, the entire federation, and the entire world!
Meng Lichuan and Meng Jiang, this pair of grandfather and grandson who were born and raised in Floating Spear City, were also part of the boiling crowd.
Other than welcoming the triumphant return of the Seventh B Squadron of the Federation's expeditionary army, they also had a personal purpose — Meng Jiang's grandson and Meng Lichuan's younger brother, 'Meng Xiaolang', had returned home with the victorious team.
Meng Xiaolang had just graduated from a military school. He had not even participated in a single deep-space drill before he was dragged to the center of the cosmos to risk his life on a tank of Burning Fire.
At that time, they had no choice but to gamble on the fate of the Xing Yao Federation. In order to obtain victory, they had to gather all the forces they could.
But right now, the situation at the center of the cosmos had calmed down. A reserve officer such as Meng Xiaolang, who had distinguished achievements in military schools and battle experience, would certainly be a precious seed that would make the Union Army stronger in the future. There was no need for him to participate in the prolonged, low-intensity but extremely cruel battles to suppress bandits and maintain order. Naturally, he had to be retreated to the rear for further training.
In the bustling crowd, Meng Lichuan tried to stand on her tiptoes, and Meng Jiang tried to straighten his back, but it was impossible for them to distinguish their family from the young soldiers who were brimming with killing intent and vigor.
Or it could be said that those faces that were still childish but had incomparably firm eyes looked like their own grandsons and younger brothers.
The entire expedition army of the Federation had been forged into an inseparable whole by the enormous pressure at the center of the cosmos. How could they possibly find Meng Xiaolang?
After watching for a long time, they couldn't help but shed tears. The two of them gave up the idea of looking for Meng Xiaolang. Meng Lichuan supported Meng Jiang and squeezed out of the frenzied crowd to a corner where there were fewer people.
Meng Lichuan fanned Meng Jiang. Meng Jiang breathed heavily. Hearing the cheers around and seeing the Rising Dragon of the Nine Stars flag, the brilliance of a young man beamed out of his wrinkled face.
"I didn't expect that we would win. It's like a dream."
Looking at the flags, fireworks, and virtual ribbons in the sky and on the ground, Meng Lichuan still had disbelief on her face. "This is truly a result that we couldn't have predicted on the virtual platform. Grandpa, do you believe it?"
"Why wouldn't I believe it?"
Meng Jiang chuckled. "You are still too young. If you had experienced the scourge of the Xing Yao Federation a hundred years ago when it struggled to survive on a tiny planet, suffered the scourge of beast tides, and was even marched to the capital by the demon race, only to have a miraculous counterattack and a miracle reversed the situation and built the prosperity that includes the nine Sectors today, you wouldn't have doubted the new miracle at all. Of course, we would've won, because the Xing Yao Federation is a country that is born for miracles and victories in the first place!
"Besides, don't we still have Li Yao?
"Li Yao was never willing to be captured no matter what kind of adversity he encountered. Even if it was an iron wall that never saw daylight, he would still raise a ray of hope. I was very clear about that more than a hundred years ago.
"Right. Lichuan, you work in a branch of the Dim Moon Fund, which is deeply connected to Jin Xinyue, Li Yao's disciple. Do you know the truth of the battle? How did we win the battle? Right now, there are a lot of rumors and roadside news out there that are as exaggerated as they can be. They don't seem to be true at all. Do you know the truth? "
"About that …"
Pondering for a moment, Meng Lichuan said, "Because of the confidentiality regulations, I can't tell you too much, grandpa. I can only say that the process of the battle was indeed very, very sensational, unbelievable, and full of too many unexpected factors and coincidences. It can't be duplicated at all.
"In fact, one of the things that we are doing right now is to make the overly exaggerated facts less exaggerated so that my dad's old classmate, Li Yao, will not look like a 'monster'. Otherwise, if we tell everything, none of the people of the Federation will believe us.
"All in all, grandpa, if you want the truth, you'd better read the roadside news and the gossip. You can find the most irresponsible online media that likes to exaggerate and exaggerate Li Yao to the arrival of a deity and multiply it by 120%. Then, you will be the closest to the truth."
"What?"
Meng Jiang's smile was somewhat rigid.
Above their heads, an overwhelming 3D light beam was slowly unfolded. What appeared in the sky of Floating Spear City was the enormous portrait of Ding Ling Dong, the Speaker of the Federation.
Her long red hair was tied up neatly, and her impeccable conservative suit was very suitable for a politician. She even seemed to be intentionally acting like an old woman. However, one of her hairs simply refused to obey the arrangement and stood up high. Together with the stubbornness in her eyes that could not be concealed, it added to Ding Ling Dong's unique, unparalleled personal charm.
She was delivering her last public speech to the Federation before her resignation.
"… The unprecedented first space expedition of the Xing Yao Federation has secured the most glorious victory. Just like all the soldiers of the Union Army and all the citizens of the Federation, I have fulfilled my responsibility. I can take a long breath in relief and return to the identity of a common citizen of the Federation, a Cultivator, and a human warrior.
"However, although the expedition has been won, the war is far from over. In the next moment, all the soldiers, all the people, and all of you will have an arduous battle to fight.
"The war to come will not be against the Imperium, the Holy League, or any tangible enemy, but against the invisible enemy that has corrupted the civilization of mankind for a hundred thousand years. It will be a war against poverty, ignorance, superstition, famine, and oppression!
"We will declare war on the darkness of humanity and the chronic diseases of the civilization of mankind. We will shatter the old world where man eats man and man oppresses man. We will create a new world where everybody is born free, equal, and with infinite hope and possibilities!
"It will certainly be an arduous war that may last a thousand years or even ten thousand years. It may go back and forth, but I always believe that the tide of the universe is unstoppable. Those who go with it will prosper, and those who go against it will perish. Nobody can stop the civilization of mankind from marching forward. Nobody can stop us from winning the war. I am willing to fight for such a Federation, such a civilization of mankind for the rest of my life in the most sacred war. I firmly believe, just like all of you, that the final victory will belong to us, to all mankind!"
[Forty Thousand Years of Cultivation, Holy League chapter, end]
The Holy League chapter was over. Let's throw flowers to celebrate!
The Holy League chapter was not easy to write. In fact, in the second half of Cultivation 4, every chapter was not that good because there were fewer and fewer "tangible enemies" and more and more "invisible enemies". It was easy to create a specific evil villain, but it was not easy to write about the darkness in the heart of mankind and the predicament after the darkness was refracted and amplified by the vast sea of stars.
The Holy League chapter, on the other hand, was probably the most difficult one to write. The Holy League, the Imperium, and the Federation, the entanglement of the three forces, the description of several consecutive battles, the secret schemes of Fuxi, Lu Qingchen, and the rest of them, and Li Yao's efforts to turn the tide as usual … Most of Old Cow's brain cells were really dead.
It was still the same thing. If there were difficulties, he had to write. If there were no difficulties, he had to create them. After all, he had the support of so many dear brothers and sisters. The further he went, the more he had to work hard to maintain it and try not to make the mistake of "losing integrity" so that he could live up to the hardships that everyone had been through for so many years!
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