Chapter 434: Humanity’s Final Line of Defense
“Wouldn’t High Priest Ryun appear as well?” Xia Fei asked gravely.
There was no doubt that Ryun was the enemy that Xia Fei saw as the heaviest heavyweight among the insectoid and was the only one whom Xia Fei would be unwilling to be enemies with. If he were to take part in this battle, it would definitely be extremely not beneficial to Xia Fei’s side.
Qingliu paused before replying, “We don’t know yet. Several minutes ago, Uti personally went to High Priest Ryun’s place of cultivation and invited him to join him in the Silent Vale. We’ll know a bit later whether he’s joining in or not.”
Xia Fei nodded wordlessly. Qingliu continued. “If the high priest joins, will you give up on the a.s.sa.s.sination plan?”
Xia Fei folded his arms before his puffed chest. He bore a self-confident smile. “Give up? Those words don’t exist in my dictionary. Go make your preparations. I will surely head to the Silent Vale and Uti will definitely die.”
He did not speak in a heavy tone, but the words still landed impactfully when heard! He seemed like he was giving orders to Qingliu, issuing a statement of challenge.
Qingliu and Qingyan gazed at Xia Fei in shock, for he somehow radiated with calm and resolution. Qingyan eventually averted her gaze, having been momentarily dazzled.
…
To the north of the Golden Tent was the mountain ridge of everlasting blizzard where High Priest Ryun resided.
Coming here every time was a challenge, and it was no exception now.
Uti stepped into the courtyard of Ryun’s residence, patting off the snow on him as he heaved a long sigh before entering the main hall.
A hair-raising laugh came from Ryun from far away. “Congratulations! The Silent Vale has opened once more, and our race will again gain the blessing left behind by the Black and White G.o.ds.”
Mingzhu brought over Uti a chair and some hot tea so that he could warm himself up.
Uti said, “Great High Priest, I’ve come here precisely because of the Silent Vale.”
“Oh.” Ryun nodded. “I wonder just what might Uti have in mind?”
Uti held his two hands together respectfully. “High Priest Ryun, every time the Silent Value opens, a batch of top experts will be raised from among us the insectoids and plenty of products from the land will be brought back. As for how much we will be gaining, that all depends on the strength of the army raised. After all, the Vale is fraught with danger, and it will be difficult for us to extricate ourselves safely without powerful troops, not to mention bringing back any treasure of sorts.”
Ryun chuckled. “Back when the Black and White G.o.ds left the race such a secret territory, they did so for the benefit of the insectoids but also to test the strength and development of our race. With great power comes great rewards. That has always been the case.
“Now that the insectoids have been thriving under your leaders.h.i.+p, great improvements can be seen in terms of military affairs and the standards of living among the citizens. Uti need not worry. When you lead your army into the Vale this time, you’ll definitely be able to return with rewards aplenty. By no means will you lose to past monarchs.”
Uti pursed his lips. Ryun was obviously throwing courtesy words his way. He had heard the same praises in the Golden Tent countless times every day; it was so much so that his ears had been ground out.
A difficult look appeared on Uti’s face as he said, “High Priest may not be aware, but the race is presently engaged in a war with the Panhuman Alliance, all our elite warriors had been sent out, and it would be hard for them to make it back in time, while a good half of the experts that remained in the territory had practically been slaughtered by that human infiltrator. Right now, the race truly lack the manpower in both soldiers and generals; we’re very weak at present.”
“I do not care if I am not recognized as a good leader, but how much we could get out from our expedition to the SIlent Vale is a major factor that would surely affect the safety of the entire race. The Silent Vale only opens once every few thousand years. If we fail to obtain some treasures from the Vale this time, there’s no telling when we would get another chance.”
“That is why I wish to invite the High Priest to join us, no matter what. In order to ensure the continued prosperity of the insectoid, you must help us with this request.”
With that, Uti proceeded to give Ryun a deep bow. Logically speaking, Uti was the emperor while Ryun the subordinate. They were of different posts, so even if Ryun was a super expert, there was no need for Uti to bow to him like this. This made it apparent that Uti was not only smart but also someone capable of flexibility, not at all hesitating when he needed to act inferior.
Ryun showed a distasteful expression before sighing. “Uti, please sit down. It is not that I, Ryun, do not wish to help you, but that I can’t.”
Uti was shocked as he furrowed his brows. “Just what do you mean, high priest?”
From the sideline, Mingzhu suddenly interjected as he buzzed. “Emperor of the Golden Tent, you know how high my master’s cultivation is at, right? Back when the Black and White G.o.ds left the Silent Vale for the insectoids, it’s to benefit the common folks. As for my master, he can no longer be considered among the common insectoids, so even if he wants to go into the Vale, he’s not allowed. Aside from the entrance prohibiting my master, because he already possesses strength past the Silent Vale upper limit!”
Uti was shocked hearing this. Could Ryun have really transcended immortality and become an existence well beyond the common folks? In that case, why was he still staying with the insectoids and not headed off to the realm where G.o.ds resided?
Shock and suspicion rose at the same time in Uti’s heart, while Ryun was having a smug face of delight as he sat there all high and mighty. He spoke to Mingzhu with a smile. “When were you qualified to speak in front of the emperor of the Golden Tent? Quickly back down.”
Though it sounded like a reprimand, it was hard to get any sense of reproach from Ryun’s tone. Instead, he sounded pleased and proud.
Uti did not say another word and was now wearing a troubled expression. As a mortal king, he felt a deep sense of inferiority having to come here and look for Ryun. Furthermore, this was a sense of inferiority that he grew up with and hated immensely.
Ryun was silent for a good while, seeing Uti with his wounded pride was something he took much glee in. It was clear from that smile still hanging on his face that he was saying: ‘So what if you’re the emperor of the Golden Tent? Don’t you still have to prostrate at yours truly’s feet?”
When it was about time, Ryun now showed a difficult expression. “This is truly a very troublesome matter, but my hands are not completely tied.”
Uti was slightly stunned and instantly understood what he meant. Thus, he smiled, “May the high priest speak plainly. As long as you’re able to a.s.sist me, the race will naturally thank you very much for your kindness.”
Ryun had been waiting for this line. Ever since he felt the opening of the Silent Vale, he had already had this plan in mind. He was fine helping Uti, but he must get something in return for his efforts.
Ryun nodded. “I’ve recently taken in a new disciple. He’s very talented and has unbeatable courage. You’ll surely secure great success if you have him on your side!”
Uti concurred. “That’s of course good to hear.”
Ryun waved his hand, and Li Mo, already transformed into a monstrous abomination, came striding out from the dark. He was completely naked, holding a piece of raw meat as he tore a sizable chunk off it. Its fresh blood had yet to dry!
Savage! Wild! Ferocious!
These were the words to describe this half human half beast before their eyes. Uti was very shocked deep down, nearly leaping out of his seat.
Seeing how panicky Uti had gotten, Ryun was even more pleased.
“Minglie, follow the Emperor of the Golden Tent into the Silent Vale. Act in accordance with Uti’s request. Kill anyone he asks you to kill and die if he asks you to die! Do you understand?”
Limo nodded dumbly as he came to Uti’s side, the hunk of raw meat in hand. The fresh blood splashed on Uti’s luxurious clothes, and the heavy scent of blood made Uti feel slightly faint.
“Though Minglie looks ugly, he is very loyal; he wouldn’t even hesitate to give you his own head if you ordered him to. Plus, I dare guarantee that there’s no one among the insectoids that can win against his martial arts strength, excluding me,” Ryun said contentedly.
Unbeatable aside from Ryun himself? Uti was quietly surprised to learn this. Though he did not doubt the words coming from the high priest’s mouth, Uti still found Li Mo’s looks revolting.
There was nothing left to be said on Uti’s part, and no matter how ugly this creature was, this abomination was still a powerful and loyal aide to have. For someone like Uti, who placed his safety beyond that of the heavens, he would rather risk the ugliness of Li Mo than brave any degree of risk. Ryun next mentioned how he wanted to take the pick of thirty items from their expedition to the Silent Vale, which Uti agreed to as well. There was nothing more important than his life, or else Uti would not have come humbly begging this old monster.
Sighing, Uti led away Li Mo from the High Priest Ryun’s residence.
“The last time I brought back a mute, and this time I’m leaving with a monster. How ridiculous.” Uti shook his head as he muttered to himself.
…
“Tai, we’re already backed into a corner,” Chief of Staff Pine Williams said with a restrained voice.
The three men had been sitting in Tai’s office for half an hour, and Williams had only said this after all that time.
Layton’s Northern fleet had been beaten back to the western front. He had lost more than half of the wars.h.i.+ps under his command, and the military’s triumvirate had finally reconvened once more, except this time, not a single one of them was in the mood to laugh.
“I know that.” Tai stood up and strolled to the window, gazing out into the deep darkness of s.p.a.ce.
Layton stamped his foot heavily as he yelled, “Let’s fight it out with them once and for all! Now that all our s.h.i.+ps are gathered here by Westwind defense line, though we’ve taken significant losses before, our capital s.h.i.+p is still around—the Freedom Calvary is still here! Since our Westwind defense line is still intact, we can mount a counterattack and make our final stand! If we retreat any further, we’ll end up going into the Na’vi territory!”
The room was silent for a good while. Only the sound of Williams crunching down on his maple syrup candy could be heard.
Tai turned around and got back on his seat. “Thoughts, Williams?”
Williams let out a bitter laugh. “Though I’m the chief of staff, with the current situation that we’re in, there’s not much I can do as a staff officer. Seventy percent of the Panhuman Alliance territory has already fallen, so you know the score well. We’ll have to fight even if we don’t want to!”
Tai nodded, silent.
Williams continued. “If we fight here, we’ll at least still have the Westwind defense line to rely on. Our 1165 fortress planets are nothing to scoff at. If the insectoids plan to fight their way in, we’ll at least be able to maim their forces severely if not outright kill them.”
Another brief moment of silence was shared among the three before Tai slapped the table, loudly declaring, “Fine! Set the Westwind defense line as our base and gather all our fleets. Prepare to fight to the death!”
Though the decision was made, there was hardly a trace of joy or excitement inside the office.
After a pause, Tai sadly added. “Notify the ministry of civil affairs. Get ready to send the citizens into Na’vi territory to take refuge, or perhaps head off somewhere even further than the Na’vi territory. The military shall do everything we can to hold the Westwind defense line until everyone leaves.”
Tears, which had been fought back this entire time, finally began bursting forth. The ever-straightforward Naval Admiral Layton was crying like a child.
They knew that Tai’s decision was the right one. Even with the Westwind defense line included, the Freedom Calvary, the military’s intact sixty-percent combat strength, it was still not enough to prevent the continued advancement of the insectoids.
The military could only make their final stand and hold their ground, using all the remaining 168 billion soldier lives to bargain for a chance that an even greater number of civilians would succeed in fleeing.
Humanity would now give up their territory and venture out into deep s.p.a.ce again. There was no telling how long it would be until they made their way back or if they could even return.
At the same time that this was happening, amid this atmosphere of great grief and sorrow, Xia Fei, still active in the insectoid territory, had officially arrived at the imperial capital!