Chapter 2282: 2282

After he left the relic repair center, Li Yao was still thinking about Li Linghai’s last remark .

He felt that Li Linghai’s attitude was rather weird .

“Last time, she did not look normal in the Godly Might Prison, and she is changing her attitudes frequently without a good reason . There must be something wrong with the queen . ”

Li Yao mumbled to himself . But after careful consideration, he had to admit that up until now, nothing the queen did had violated her promises at the beginning, and that the “new Imperium” would certainly be better than the “old Imperium” .

She even gave the commandership of the army to the big shots of the military such as Lei Chenghu without any hesitation, which gave the feeling of the separation of military and politics . It was a rather advanced approach .

Therefore, even if she did have a scheme, what could she count on to raise a storm?

Baffled, Li Yao was of the mind to chat with Li Jialing again .

But as he looked at the window at the end of the corridor, it was not Li Jialing that he saw but “God of War” Lei Chenghu who was standing by himself with his hands behind his back!

Slightly dazed, Li Yao walked forward, only to discover that Lei Chenghu was thoughtfully observing the generals and soldiers who were paying tributes in the Emperor’s Mausoleum in black uniforms not far away .

The God of War looked somewhat lost and confused .

Interested, Li Yao asked, “I thought you had left, General Lei . ”

“Not yet . ”

Lei Chenghu stared for a while longer before saying slowly, “It’s not easy to come to the Emperor’s Mausoleum . Although this is not my real body, I should still pay respects . I’m waiting for the people down there to be fewer so that I can bow to Blackstar the Great’s statue before I go . ”

Li Yao knew that the heinous, inhumane crimes that Li Linghai described just now must have been a huge blow to Lei Chenghu . There was no telling how infuriated the seasoned general who was unquestionably loyal to the Imperium was .

The Imperium of True Human Beings was a country of Immortal Cultivators . Theoretically speaking, although the ordinary people were not regarded as humans but “hominoids”, which was a different species from “true human beings” and could be blatantly exploited, slaughtered, and even experimented on, there were still some laws and rules within the ruling class, namely the “true human beings” . The dog-eat-dog competitions, however cruel, still had the last disguise on them .

What Dongfang Wang and Dongfang Renxin did doubtlessly stomped on all the “morals” of the Immortal Cultivators and tore the last disguise apart into pieces .

If part of the Immortal Cultivators could absorb other people’s vitality and Cultivation through “cannibal training”, occupying the pivot of the ruling class forever, Lei Chenghu’s proud belief that the true path of immortality could achieve the optimal configuration of resources would be a joke . The legitimacy and the stability of the Imperium’s reign would be gone instantly .

It was certainly not something that Lei Chenghu could tolerate .

No wonder he was moping and hesitating in this place .

As Li Yao expected, after he observed the disabled soldiers down there together with Lei Chenghu in silence for a moment, Lei Chenghu opened his mouth voluntarily . “Although I do not like wars…”

“Huh?”

Li Yao felt that everybody was abnormal today and found it hard to believe . “You are the renowned ‘God of War’, an invincible general that destroys all your enemies, and you do not like wars?”

“The most popular prostitute in a brothel is not necessarily fond of sleeping with guests every night . Why must an invincible general love wars?”

Lei Chenghu sighed and said casually, “But you are not entirely wrong . After seeing so many disguises, conspiracies, betrayals, defections, and all the other despicable things, sometimes I even feel that the relation between the prostitutes and their guests is simpler, purer, and easier . You pay money, and I open my legs . It’s a fair deal and much better than the fancy, empty talks that neither parties believe .

“Therefore, although I do not like wars, I would rather stay in the frontline than to linger in the murky rear together with the treacherous, shortsighted, and wicked Immortal Cultivators who know nothing but their selfish interests .

“At the very least, even in the coldest trenches in the frontline, the blood of most warriors is still hot .

“Or rather, even the most ferocious enemies, those people of the Covenant Alliance, look more agreeable to me than the scumbags in the rear do . ”

Li Yao frowned . “Are you serious? Even the people of the Covenant Alliance are more agreeable than the ‘false Immortal Cultivators’?”

“Aren’t they?”

Lei Chenghu said coldly, “At the very least, the people of the Covenant Alliance are simple, straightforward, and faithful . They express what they want frankly and never hide their real intention . So, the war between us is all about our strengths . If my saber is fast enough, you will collapse . If your sword is sharper than mine, I will die . Simple as that!

“Besides, the Covenant Alliance is very united . They are always in one piece . There is absolutely no such thing as conspiracies and schemes among themselves . They also boast the highest devotion . Every individual will not hesitate to sacrifice themself for the big picture . Although they may not be fully aware of the meaning of ‘sacrifice’, if only ten percent of their solidarity and commitment could be transplanted to the Imperium, the Imperium would never be what it is today, and no enemy would possibly stand in our way!”

“Wait—”

The more Li Yao listened, the weirder he felt . “General Lei, you are not thinking of joining the Covenant Alliance, are you?”

Lei Chenghu shook his head . “Of course, I will never join the Covenant Alliance, just like I will never be engaged in such a thing as ‘cannibal training’ .

“But considering the chaos of the Imperium today, if somebody does join the Covenant Alliance, willingly removing the selfishness and the ugliness deep down in their heart and branding themself with the Three Fundamental Laws, it will seem rather normal . ”

Li Yao was rendered speechless . He thought of “Tang Qianhe” again, who was a spy of the Covenant Alliance that he encountered in the Kunlun relic .

Tang Qianhe must have been a native of the Imperium in the beginning, or she wouldn’t have been admitted into Su Changfa’s exploration team .

What could she have possibly been through that made her transform herself into a subject of the Covenant Alliance willingly?

While he pondered, Lei Chenghu sighed again and said, “If only Blackstar the Great were still alive! He certainly would cleanse all the chaos and ugliness and revive the country!”

Li Yao couldn’t hold it back anymore but blurted out, “I hardly think so . Every person has their limits . Even if Wuying Qi were reborn, I’m afraid that he will have to be complicit with the ‘false Immortal Cultivators’ .

“Or rather, there is no such thing as ‘false Immortal Cultivators’ . Developing all the way by the principle of ‘survival of the fittest’, 99% of the Immortal Cultivators will only end up like this . The cause of the result today dated back to a thousand years ago . The chaos and corruption in the Imperium today are perhaps started by Blackstar the Great a thousand years ago in person!”

Narrowing his eyes deeply, Lei Chenghu stared at Li Yao and said, one word after another, “A while back, you said that my words sounded like what the Cultivators would say . But why do I feel that your words are more like what the Cultivators would’ve said?”

Li Yao smiled and bared his glittering teeth . “As the saying goes, a drowning man will clutch at a straw . The Imperium is too seriously sick right now to be rescued by any medication . In such an emergency, we might as well search the tomb of the Cultivators and see if we can find any pill that can treat the disease .

“Like you said earlier, General Lei, both the sabers of the Cultivators and those of the Immortal Cultivators can kill!”

Lei Chenghu sniffed and stopped talking .

The breeze outside the window gradually intensified . Soon, the sky was drowned by dark clouds, and heavy rain poured down .

The crowd paying tributes in the Emperor’s Mausoleum finally dispersed, turning hazy in the storm .

Ignoring Li Yao, Lei Chenghu dragged the heavy spiritual puppet and left the national museum, walking deep into the storm one step after another .

Li Yao stood next to the window and watched him disappear in the storm, but a name and a gender-neutral face popped up in his head .

“Dongfang Mingyue…”

…

At the south suburb of the central district of the capital, a gray, crude, and ragged-looking building, which seemed to be a common office building, was, in fact, the headquarters of the “Association of Demon Hunters” that could raise the fear of any Immortal Cultivator in the Imperium .

Deep inside the secret meeting room of the building, the most elite members of the Association of Demon Hunters were listening anxiously to the interpretation of Dongfang Mingyue, their new president, on the latest intelligence .

As the most dominating and ferocious secret agents of the Imperium, these demon hunters were naturally the most brutal and disobedient creatures who had killed countless people .

There were also factions within the Association of Demon Hunters . The power struggles and the secret battles were ten times gorier than those of the outside world .

However, at this moment, all the demon hunters placed their hands on their knees submissively and put their legs together, not even daring to breathe aloud . They seemed more docile than elementary school students .

It couldn’t be helped . The terrifying experience last month had told these brutal men clearly what would become of the people who showed the slightest disobedience to the new president Dongfang Mingyue!

“Li Linghai, Dongfang Sheng, Yue Wushuang, Jin Yuyan, Lei Chenghu… I have introduced the latest files of the key persons of the reformists to you in great detail just now . I’m sure you have grasped them, haven’t you? In the next second, I’m about to introduce to you ‘Vulture Li Yao’, who has been quite a hit recently . ”

With a head full of black hair and zero makeup, Dongfang Mingyue retrieved Li Yao’s 3D picture and the battle video of “Gold Vulture” . Jabbing Li Yao’s forehead, she said with a smile, “This man is a dark agent, a ghost warrior, and a shadow assassin that Li Linghai has carefully trained for at least decades for the most secretive, filthy, and dangerous missions . Therefore, except for the few public battles recently, it is difficult to collect his earlier files .

“However, I do know a thing or two about him through other sources . Listen up carefully now!

“This Vulture Li Yao is a shameless, treacherous, and sordid rat . His combat style is not half as masculine and dominating as you are seeing right now . Deep down his bones, he is like a weasel and is best at stealth and running . He can also sneak into and out of all the dark corners like cockroaches . There is not a hole that he cannot crawl into .

“His level, well, is probably the middle or high level of the Divinity Transformation Stage . He is not necessarily the toughest Divinity Transformation Stage expert in the Imperium, but he is definitely the one who is best at escaping . By my conservative estimation, it will be impossible to stop him without three battle-type Divinity Transformation Stage experts and a few dozens of battle-type Nascent Soul Stage experts .

“Therefore, should you discover the traces of this cockroach, do not take action recklessly . You will not be able to take him down however many of you there are . Just inform me as soon as possible . I very much would like to find out… how grown this weaselly cockroach is right now!”

Chapter 2283: Chapter 2283 – Dark War!

Chapter 2283 Dark War!

The dark war between the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils and the Association of Demon Hunters began!

Ever since the ancient times, as long as a country intended to set up intelligence agencies, they would at least establish two departments that checked and balanced each other .

If only one intelligence agency was set, like the Star Glory Federation with the “Secret Sword Bureau” a hundred years ago, and it held the absolute power in intelligence and secret law enforcement, dire consequences would inevitably be caused as long as its head was ambitious and tricked other people in the leadership .

The riot of patriots planned by Lu Zui with the Secret Sword Bureau was exactly the best example .

Therefore, when the age of the New Federation came, the intelligence departments of the federation split apart into Guo Chunfeng’s Secret Sword Bureau and Jin Xinyue’s Dim Moon Fund, which had both competition and cooperation in a dynamic balance like a seesaw . That was the only way to ensure that the national security would not be threatened no matter which party’s ambitions expanded .

The same applied to the Imperium of True Human Beings . Five hundred years ago, when the royal authority was still in the heyday, the emperor never thought to abolish the Association of Demon Hunters no matter how trusted the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils was . In the second five hundred years, no matter how powerful and dominating the four Kurfürst families were, and however many contributions the Association of Demon Hunters made for them in darkness, it was impossible to completely annihilate the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils .

It was all about check and balance . Whether the power holder was the emperor or the four Kurfürst families, they would never completely trust the intelligence agencies .

As a result, the two intelligence agencies, haunted by their dark destinies, had to fight eternally to prove to the power holder that they were the colder, sharper, and more efficient saber in the darkness!

Right now, the operation of the reformists had been pushed to the second step .

The Dongfang family had sensed the vague hostility of the other three families . They also feared that Lei Chenghu’s Astounding Thunder Fleet would charge into the Dongfang family’s heartland and die together with the enemy . Therefore, the main force of the family’s fleets had to stay where they were .

Neither Lei Chenghu nor the leadership of the other three families wanted to fight a comprehensive civil war either . Unless it was absolutely necessary, none of them were willing to wage a war in space .

Facilitated by many powerful men and prestigious elders, the four Kurfürst families and the reformists reached a temporary, tacit agreement that the table named “Imperium” must not be flipped over . Whichever force’s fleet opened fire first would mean that they were overthrowing the table, breaking the company, and smashing everybody’s cake, and they would be attacked by the rest of the players together!

Now that all the armed forces were forestalled by each other on the surface, it was time for the dark forces to show themselves .

With the support of the four Kurfürst families, especially the Dongfang family, the Association of Demon Hunters was much stronger than the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils in terms of scale and capability . By conservative estimation, the number of “demon hunters” was at least five times the number of “devil huntresses” .

But the advantage of the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils was that the enemy was in the light and they were in the dark . In the past hundred years, they had been keeping such a low profile that they almost seemed to be an unimportant and nonprofitable government agency . Nobody knew that they had been trained by the queen in secret for decades . The devil huntresses, trained with the unparalleled techniques from the Supreme Emperor’s mausoleum, were as good as the toughest demon hunters in terms of combat ability and much better than their opponents when it came to weirdness and brutality .

More importantly, the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils was the attacker, and they could choose their targets free at will .

It must be noted that, nominally, the dozens of worlds around the Empyreal Terminus Sector was administrated by the emperor in person, and all the bureaucrats of those places were supposed to be appointed directly by His Majesty .

However, as the royal authority declined today and the powerful lords took over everything, the emperor’s direct appointment was nothing but empty words anymore . The bureaucrats and administrative agencies of the dozens of worlds had long been infiltrated by the four Kurfürst families .

It also meant that a lot of Immortal Cultivators from the Dongfang family and its vassal families, who were in high places in the capital, actually lived and worked in those worlds .

With the Dongfang family as their reliance, such people were certainly not the most honorable and impartial officials . Claiming that it was for His Majesty, they exploited the Immortal Cultivators of other forces and the underclass, transmitting interests to their families while satisfying their own selfish needs in the process . It was a “convention” not to be surprised at right now .

Ever since Li Linghai made up her mind to “renew the Imperium”, she had collected tremendous evidence in secret, which she called “cannonballs” .

Before this, the Dongfang family’s position was indestructible . Those cannonballs would’ve been resolved easily even if they were shot out . Even the other three families would help cover for the Dongfang family . Not even half a piece of news would be seen on the Spiritual Nexus .

But the case was different today . The reformists had demonstrated their might and gave a heavy blow on the Dongfang family in the previous phase, showing everybody the weakness of the Dongfang family . Therefore, they won the support of the Li family and the connivance of the Yun and Song families .

Those cannonballs, once detonated, must be destructive .

Most importantly of all, the Immortal Cultivators of the Dongfang family who held high positions in the capital that they did not deserve must be captured!

There were thousands of such Immortal Cultivators, and the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils was free to arrest any of them .

As a result, the Association of Demon Hunters had to set up defenses everywhere in exhaustion, not missing out any important characters of the Dongfang family .

Despite the number of the demon hunters, and even counting the Dongfang family’s own bodyguard teams, it was still far from enough . It was not like every Immortal Cultivator of the Dongfang family could be protected by dozens of battle-type Immortal Cultivators when they went to work every day, right?

It was not an option to evacuate from the capital to the Dongfang family’s own territory either .

Such an action of running before fighting would be perceived as a signal of weakness by the Li, Yun, and Song families . Once the three wavering families whose attitudes were ambiguous and completely leaned toward the reformists, it would certainly be a catastrophe for the Dongfang family .

Therefore, however difficult it was, they had to persist until Dongfang Wang finished the dispatchment in darkness and reached secret agreements with the other three families to win their support . Then, they would be the winner of the war .

Therefore, the future of the war was still rather uncertain .

As May came, the capital entered the hottest season of the year .

The series of news that shocked the entire capital, if not the entire universe, further added the air of smoke in the scorching wind .

On May 2, Dongfang Yu, the Education Director of the military who was responsible for the management of seventy-one advanced military schools of the Imperium, was arrested by the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils in a sudden assault when he was going to a meeting . The next day, one of the media of the Li family exposed the shocking corruption that involved multiple cases of unjust distribution of military credits . Then, as the cases were pursued further, hundreds of members of the military education system were afflicted . Naturally, most of the people involved in the crime had the “Dongfang” surname .

On May 5, the CEO of “Blackmountain Bank”, which ranked the top twenty in the Imperium, was arrested in his personal residence . Although he had taken precautions, and his bodyguard team whose defense and firepower had been upgraded resisted hard, the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils still managed to capture him alive and leave before the reinforcements of the Association of Demon Hunters arrived . As to exactly where the man was kept in prison? Nobody knew . The public headquarters of the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils had long been emptied . The only persons left were a few bottom-level clerks who still worked in the office . As for Yue Wushuang and her elite devil huntresses, nobody knew where they were hiding and which target they had locked onto .

May 7… May 8… May 10…

The officials from the Dongfang family and its vassal families were secretly captured almost on a daily basis, and their crimes were exposed on the media of the Li family the next day or the day they were caught . Some of the crimes were corruptions and embezzlements, and some were about the homicide cases a long time ago . Fights among the Immortal Cultivators were more than usual . Even the families of the victims often chose not to settle the issue through the law but to practice more techniques and seek personal retaliation . But of course, the criminals could be punished by law . Whether or not the crimes were invented was not important; the important thing was to show everybody in the entire universe that the Dongfang family was not invincible!

The groups of Immortal Cultivators in the Imperium large and small were like sharks that would go crazy at the scent of the Dongfang family’s blood . As long as enough blood was spilled, all the sharks would lunge at the Dongfang family without a care .

Faced with the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils’ long prepared attack, the Association of Demon Hunters naturally counterattacked vehemently .

While the officials and magnates from the Dongfang family were secretly captured and accused of being “Demonic Cultivators”, the Association of Demon Hunters took action and did exactly the same thing on the reformists and the Immortal Cultivators of the Li family . However, the Li family was never as good as the Dongfang family, and it had fewer people in the capital than the Dongfang family did . The reformists had been acting stealthily the whole time too . How could they be captured in a hurry?

The Association of Demon Hunters, in their anxiety, resorted to all the means possible without considering the possible damages to the Empyreal Terminus Sector . Despite a few setbacks, they did manage to trace a few secret bases of the Tribunal of Extraterrestrial Devils . The battles of the two parties in the darkness were a hundred times crueler than the competitions of fleets in space!

Every day, countless demon hunters and devil huntresses stabbed blades into each other’s bodies without sound in the dilapidated streets below the ground of the capital, before they dragged each other into the bottomless abyss, dying at the same time .

Every minute, the shows of schemes, deceptions, betrayals, and anti-betrayals were aired splendidly .

Every second, some humans would be marked as “demons” or “Demonic Cultivators” because of conflicts of interests and thrown into the dark dungeons .

Perhaps the slaughters humans performed on their own kind were always more brutal than their wars against demons and extraterrestrial devils…

On May 19, in White Stone Municipality on the west coast of the main continent, on the high-speed ancillary rail for shuttles in the suburb, a new assault and arrest operation was being conducted in secret .

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