Forty Millenniums of Cultivation
chapter-749

Why?

Li Yao’s head was in an utter mess. He could not understand the situation at all.

It was not because he did not foresee that Bai Xinghe might be hiding a second crystal suit, but Bai Xinghe had no reason to attack him right now at all!

Right now, the Immortal Cultivators had invaded the underground fortress. Although Bai Xinghe had treated his wounds, the heavy injuries resulting from another Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator could not be mended so easily.

Besides, the Dragon King Battlesuit had been planted with almost twenty backdoors. Bai Xinghe must have guessed that, too.

After he put on the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit, he definitely had the strength to fight against a Nascent Soul Stage Cultivator. Bai Xinghe could certainly infer that by sensing the aura around him.

What could Bai Xinghe possibly get by slaying him right now?

The man’s second crystal suit would certainly be damaged or even destroyed during the fierce fight.

His unrecovered wounds would be even heavier.

Even though he had the Dragon King Battlesuit, the magical equipment would still be riddled with backdoors. Without Li Yao, he would not be able to crack any of them!

The conclusion was that he would gain nothing at all!

Li Yao had considered every detail over the past few days. He had thought that Bai Xinghe really did not have a second option in the scenario and could only cooperate with him. That was why he had maintained Bai Xinghe’s crystal suit without concern.

But now—

Bai Xinghe did not launch attack immediately after he put on the Blood River Battlesuit.

However, the horrifying aura of the Pirate Potentate was gradually spreading out along with the stripes on the crystal suit that were as red as blood.

When the Pirate Potentate was angry, the river of blood would flood!

Bai Xinghe said coldly, “You set up traps on the Dragon King Battlesuit.”

It was not a question but a declaration.

Li Yao thought quickly and replied, “Of course I did. Besides, many of the back doors do not need remote control and can be triggered automatically. If I’m dead, the Dragon King Battlesuit will be totally wasted!”

Bai Xinghe smiled. “Are you threatening me? Magical equipment is dead; humans are alive. With or without the Dragon King Battlesuit, I am Boss Bai all the same!

“If you are not lying, just let the Dragon King Battlesuit be buried with you, Li Yao. You deserve it.”

Li Yao was rendered speechless. He could not understand why after thinking hard for a long time. In the end, he asked honestly, “Why did you choose to end the peace between us now? What benefits can you get?”

In that moment, Bai Xinghe was like a tyrannosaur that had completely got rid of its camouflage and revealed its intimidating aura. A voice tougher than steel came over from his silver white facial cover. “You have set more than ten traps in the Dragon King Battlesuit. As soon as I put on it, I will be completely at your mercy and become your puppet, will I not?”

Li Yao was silent for one second, before he replied, “Yes. I have indeed hidden a lot of tricks, but they are all for self-protection.

“The Temple of Immortals is an enormous organization. Even if Bai Wulei, Fengyu Zhong, and the Black King are all taken down, it is unlikely that we can uproot the entire the Temple of Immortals all at once.

“Before the Temple of Immortals is demolished, you are still of value. I guarantee that I will do no harm to you.”

Bai Xinghe laughed in the most scornful way. “Value? Guarantee? Haha. Hahahaha!

“Li Yao, you are still too young. Maybe you have calculated everything, but there is no way that you can calculate what is on the mind of an old man such as myself.

“When I just began my career, it’s true that I was very ambitious. I respected a lot of people as my fathers and lowered my head before them. I was driven, enslaved, and manipulated countless times. But every time, I chose to suppress my fury and slowly gather my strength, before I got even with them in the last moment!

“Maybe, if it were seven decades ago, I would have behaved nicely and put on the Dragon King Battlesuit, and I would have tried to think of other ways to con you and beat you in the end.

“But right now, I’m too old. When one grows old, his bones become hard and vulnerable. My back cannot be bent, and my head cannot be lowered.

“Who do you really think the Pirate Potentate is? Huh?”

Bai Xinghe’s aura burst out again like a flood. Even the sea of stars swirling on the dome of diamonds was eclipsed by his proud declaration!

“I, Bai Xinghe, have roamed the sea of stars for a hundred years. What situations have I not been in? What experts have I not killed? What dangers have I not experienced? Even the leaders and elders of the six sects of Heavenly Saints City would shudder in fear if they heard that the Pirate Potentate is coming to visit them!

“And you, a junior who has barely got out of your cradle, have manipulated me, insulted me, and threatened me time and time again. And you dared to play ‘mutual deterrence’ with me? F*ck you!

“Right now, you are planning to further control me and take advantage of me with my crystal suit, and you want me to be your puppet with the string in your hands?

“How can I be expected to accept such humiliation?

“Let me tell you, brat. From the moment I became ‘Boss Bai’, nobody has ever controlled me. Not the Immortal Cultivators. Not you!

“Now.”

Bai Xinghe raised his hands and threw out a bottle, which rolled on the ground in the middle of them.

It was a weird, translucent medication container in the shape of a calabash with weird crimson ripples inside.

A strange aroma was gradually leaking out of the container and formed dozens of narrow, long red lines in midair that were twisting weirdly.

Bai Xinghe raised his right thumb and pointed it at his feet slowly, before he shouted, “You have two options right now!

“Firstly, you will drink all the drugs in the container and kneel before me obediently, and you will call me ‘Boss Bai’ in the most respectful way!

“Then, you will listen to my command and do whatever you are asked to. I guarantee that the bastards of the Temple of Immortals will be destroyed soon, and I will bring you out of this place safe and sound!

“After we are out, I will tell you how to resolve the barriers imposed by the drugs, and I will offer you tremendous techniques and magical equipment!

“To tell you the truth, you have done a favor for me before. So, as long as you behave nicely, I guarantee that I will not kill you, and I will give you great benefits. I will also strike the Temple of Immortals and the Immortal Cultivators together with you in the future.

“Believe it or not, this is my first offer!

“Secondly, if you don’t make a choice in ten seconds, we will fight!

“Maybe, you have more trump cards.

“Maybe, I will have to pay a high price if I want to kill you, and I might be killed by the Immortal Cultivators in the end because of that.

“But so what?

“Even the thieves who just got started declare bold bullsh*t like ‘the loss of my head is just a scar on my neck’. Do you think I’m scared of death when I’ve been working as a bandit for more than a hundred years?

“Ten!

“Nine!

“Eight!”

Bai Xinghe’s aura dominated the entire palace.

The situation had been reversed.

Seven days ago, it was Li Yao who declared the countdown to Bai Xinghe confidently and domineeringly, browbeating him into a second balance of mutual deterrence.

But right now, it was Bai Xinghe who was shouting the countdown unstoppably.

However—

When Bai Xinghe got to ‘eight’, Li Yao shook his head in a bitter smile and said, “There’s no need to count, Boss Bai. I choose the second option.”

“Oh?” Bai Xinghe was not surprised at all. “Are you not willing to kneel before me, or do you not believe my words?”

Li Yao raised his saber slowly. The unstoppable sharpness of his blade cut a gap in Bai Xinghe’s aura, as if it were paving a bloody path in a forest of swords and spears.

“It’s not because of that. It’s just that, like Boss Bai, I will not entrust my own fate to somebody else.”

A smile appeared on Bai Xinghe’s face. “Excellent. Really excellent. Li Yao, you are truly a worthy opponent deserving of me fully burning my life and soul and summoning all my capability. Bring it on!”

Bai Xinghe stepped forward.

He only moved forward less than half a meter, but in Li Yao’s perception, a fleet of hundreds of crystal warships seemed to be crashing at him overwhelmingly!

Li Yao gritted his teeth. His eyes were bloodshot, especially his left eye, which was so red that magma seemed like it would flow out at any moment!

He could almost hear the sounds of his exploding brain cells.

Li Yao only had the last half trump card left, which was an ‘Unparalleled Extension’ that had not been successfully refined yet!

This particular Unparalleled Extension that had been designed for the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit was extremely difficult to build. Li Yao had only just completed the prototype and could only actualize one third of the possible enhancement.

Besides, it would take a few seconds for him to retrieve the Unparalleled Extension from his Cosmos Ring and install it on the Mystic Skeleton Battlesuit.

Would Bai Xinghe, who had gotten serious now, give him several seconds?

Li Yao suddenly asked, “Boss Bai, can you tell me the truth of everything before we fight our last battle?

“What plans do you have in mind? Who is the someone important to you that I saved? I can’t die in peace if I don’t know the answers to these questions!”

Bai Xinghe stepped forward again and replied casually, “No.”

“Seven days ago, you were so elaborative and friendly!” Li Yao remarked gloomily.

Bai Xinghe took a third step. “It was all meant to ease your alert seven days ago, which is not necessary right now.

“I will bury the secrets deep down in my heart. Whether you die or I die, there is no way that I am going to reveal the secrets. No way!”

Li Yao smiled bitterly. All his methods were running to a dead end. Bai Xinghe, who was serious, did not leave any loopholes for him at all.

It appeared that a fight was the only solution now.

There was no way that Li Yao would drink the drug that Bai Xinghe had offered him and become a puppet no matter what.

Even if Bai Xinghe abided by his promise and let go of Li Yao in the end, Li Yao would still not do that, because he and Bai Xinghe were the same. They would never surrender their fate to somebody else!

“Let’s fight!”

There was only the last seven meters between the two of them. The air around them was so intense that it was bubbling as if it were boiling, placing the two of them in an ocean of slaughter!

Thousands of light beams were still swirling around them, displaying the situation of the space pirates and the Immortal Cultivators who were infiltrating the underground fortress like a tide.

Fengyu Zhong, Bai Wulei, and the Black King had already opened the gate to the main warehouse at the bottom level of the fortress.

The killing intent of the two of them had already engaged with each other like the vanguards of two great armies, as if thousands of grimacing vipers on both sides were charging at the other party in hissing sounds.

Li Yao eliminated all the irrelevant thoughts in his mind and triggered his fighting will to the maximum.

However, the moment before he made his move, his eyes accidentally passed Bai Xinghe and stopped at the picture on a light beam right behind Bai Xinghe.

Li Yao was suddenly dumbfounded.