Forty Millenniums of Cultivation

On the floating fortresses, thousands of cannons were unleashing the most aggressive waves of spiritual energy as if thousands of ferocious beasts were opening their bloody mouths at the same time. Even though they were thousands of meters away, Tang Ka and Chu Zhiyun could both hear the hisses in the air. There was no telling whether it was dust being shattered by electric arcs or if it was the howling of hungry animals.

The shuttles and Exos were also gathered into two swarms of locusts that came at Tang Ka and Chu Zhiyun from left and right.

Before the shuttles and the Exos arrived, the second wave of flying swords had smashed at the enemy in an impenetrable web.

Tang Ka cursed, and his hand speed increased yet again as he operated the shuttle. The shuttle did not seem to be accelerated, but it quickly dodged within limited range leaving overlapping shadows behind it while keeping the previous speed.

A hundred flying swords passed through the shadows and exploded up ahead. The blast of the explosion, as well as the direction, angle, and power of the blast, had already been calculated by Tang Ka, who used it as a propeller to further boost the shuttle on their way of escape.

“Ahhhhhhhhhhh!”

Tang Ka’s eyes were on fire, and his fingers left blood on the control panel.

“Tang Ka…”

Chu Zhiyun did not know what to say as she looked.

Boom!

Right when they broke the second wave of flying swords, the main cannon of the floating fortress was fully charged and roared.

A stream of energy as hot as magma darted through the sky unhurriedly and did not explode until it reached Tang Ka’s head. The rain of fire covered three square kilometers nearby.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

The area immediately turned into an ocean of fire, and the blast savaged the sky like an invisible army.

This time, it didn’t help no matter what a brilliant pilot Tang Ka was.

It was an impossible mission to fight a whole army and such an enormous floating fortress with only one shuttle.

The blast that the enemy released could easily blow up all the skyscrapers within three kilometers. How could this shuttle avoid this torrent of destruction?

The enemy was only showing them mercy by not firing at them directly.

If the cannon had locked onto them, Tang Ka would’ve been killed even if he were ten times more skilled at flying a shuttle.

Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!

The shell of the shuttle was completely deformed, and most of its armor had been knocked away by the blast, revealing the broken framework down below. The balance rune arrays and the anti-gravity rune arrays were wasted too. The shuttle was beyond control and spiraled all the way to the ground.

Tang Ka gritted his teeth and did his best, but he could only make sure that the shuttle hit the ground with its bottom so that the passengers on it wouldn’t be hurt.

The shuttle itself, however, was reduced to garbage and couldn’t fly again.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

When Tang Ka pulled Chu Zhiyun, who was holding Tiantian in her arms, out of the remains of the shuttle, they heard boots from the fire and smoke. Then, they saw moving coffins in front of them. The shining emblems on their chests suggested that they were the Purgers that Tang Ka and Chu Zhiyun used to dream to be!

“Why?”

Chu Zhiyun felt like crying, but a fury was arising in her heart like poisoned wine, replacing her fear and devastation.

She stared at the expressionless Purgers with bloodshot eyes.

“Why?”

Tang Ka was even more dumbfounded, unable to believe his eyes. After a long stun, he roared in his head, “Grandpa Yao, what’s going on? Didn’t you say that everything was under your control, and your plan had never gone wrong before? Didn’t you say that nothing could possibly go wrong? Why have we been caught? They even moved the floating fortress to capture us. How did they know that we were here? Grandpa Yao? Grandpa Yao!”

Tang Ka shouted for a long time but received no response. Grandpa Yao, who had been attached to him and who had been enhancing his sight, his reaction, and his computation ability until just now, had completely disappeared and couldn’t be sensed at all.

An idea suddenly popped up in Tang Ka’s head. Damn it. Has this “Grandpa Yao” escaped seeing that he can’t resolve the trouble he caused?

“Grandpa Yao? Grandpa Yao!”

Tang Ka was covered in a cold sweat. “You can’t go away just like this! What can we do without you, Grandpa Yao?”

“Why are you so anxious? I’m right here.”

When the young man was about to burst into tears, Li Yao finally responded casually in his head.

“Grandpa Yao, where were you? I was so scared just now!”

Tang Ka almost shed tears.

“I’m sorry, but I just had an arduous battle with my mental devil. My mental devil was so shameless that it urged me to disconnect and escape!” Li Yao explained.

“W-What?”

Tang Ka was confused. “Are you not a mental devil? Then what’s your mental devil? A mental devil’s mental devil?”

“Well, it’s very complicated. Later, well, maybe soon enough, you will see what my mental devil is exactly.”

Li Yao said, “All in all, I solemnly scolded it and made it realize its mistakes in shame. Then, I analyzed why things were looking good and everything was under control. This game is not over yet, and we can still play it!”

“Everything is under control?”

Dumbfounded, Tang Ka watched the Exos approaching them from the ground and the shuttles blocking them in the sky. The enormous floating fortress, in particular, pressed his heart like a stone. He could not understand why Li Yao was shameless enough to say that “everything is under control”.

“Things are getting more and more interesting. To deal with two Mr. Nobodies, the Holy Light Academy and the purge troop deployed so many soldiers and even the floating fortress. Why?”

Li Yao said casually, “Have my identity been exposed? Unlikely. If my identity were exposed, those Ultimate Benevolence Masters would’ve sent a hundred times more soldiers to hunt us down—not that they could really change anything—as long as they’re smarter than preschoolers.”

“Grandpa Yao!”

Tang Ka almost really cried. “We’re in the middle of an emergency. Would you please stop bragging about yourself?”

“Those who are not familiar with me often think I’m bragging, but those who are familiar with me know what a modest person I am.”

Li Yao said, “I’m only speaking the truth and analyzing the current incident.

“For all we know, the enemy does not know my existence, so their target is either you or your monitor. If your identities are fine, something must be greatly wrong with your parents, or your ‘gene providers’.

“You’re both the Children of Holy Light. Hehe. I believe that the secrets behind this seemingly sacred and glorious name will be revealed soon, and I’ll be able to find someone of a higher level. Chances are that I can even swing to the Ultimate Benevolence Masters in one step.

“This must be what they call a silver lining, isn’t it?

“As for you, just rest assured. The current situation is just a minor accident. Since I promised that I would protect you, you will definitely reach the shelter safely. Hehe. You’re under my protection. Nobody can hurt you in front of me. Even though the stars in all the universe come at you as meteorites, I will blow them up one by one!”

“Then what are we waiting for?”

Tang Ka said in delight, “If you’re so awesome, Grandpa Yao, please unleash your full might through my body. You can eliminate this purge troop first, shoot down the armed shuttles in the sky, and then blow up the floating fortress!”

Li Yao: “…”

“Don’t worry about my body. I can take it!”

Tang Ka gritted his teeth and said, “Bring it on, Grandpa Yao. Unleash your infinite might. I’m sure it’s going to be an eye-opener for me. Come on!”

“Come on?”

Li Yao gnashed his teeth angrily, “What I said was rhetorical. Rhetorical! Do you understand? This enormous floating fortress has thousands of cannons on it. It can easily suppress a city on its way. Look at its spiritual shield. Even the air around it is being warped. Chances are that it can resist the bombardment of the main guns of a starship dozens of times! You’re asking me to fight this iron fortress bare-handedly with your body? Are you sure you’re not kidding?

“Really, just use your brain. Have you never heard the saying that ‘the hardest fortresses are always broken from within’? Do you see those armed shuttles and Exos? They’re flying into the floating fortress with captives. Look, aren’t those captives your classmates, the other ‘Children of Holy Light’ who are involved in this ultimate test?

“If my guess is correct, it’s where you and your monitor will be captured and sent to too. The floating fortress is not a common attack platform but the base of the whole scheme.. We can turn the floating fortress upside down from inside after we figure out what has been going on. Wouldn’t it be much easier than fighting the fortress the hard way from the outside?”