Novels online

Chapter 365: Tension

"You have one year. How far can you go? I'll be watching."

After Bai Mo left behind a land covered in white light, he vanished before their eyes once more in a way neither of them understood, just as suddenly as he had appeared minutes earlier.

"What exactly is he thinking?" Chen Bo looked at the pond of light and immediately determined it was designed like a legacy site.

As long as one approached the white light, cultivation-related information would continuously be crammed into their minds. How much they could retain, however, depended on their individual aptitude.

"The upper limit of what he provides should be equivalent to our respective levels; it still holds significant meaning for both of us." Shi Huachong, who was more concerned with his own power growth, realized this after standing there for a moment.

"However, this also proves that he still possesses absolute confidence in himself, not the least bit worried that someone might catch up later."

"Does he not have enough enemies, and wishes to cultivate more? Or perhaps this area itself has a hidden trap, a sweet snare in disguise?"

All sorts of conjectures sprang forth, but the pond of light remained silent, naturally unable to answer their questions.

"What we first need to uncover is his intelligence-gathering channels, otherwise we'll be too passive." After his power's very foundation was seen through at a glance, Shi Huachong's greatest concern now was that the neural parallel network he had deployed on others would also be discovered.

The news that Bai Mo would return after a period of time quickly spread throughout the upper echelons of the Huaxia Federation. As someone who belonged to no faction yet harbored ambitions to control the entire nation, he naturally could not be tolerated by the ruling powers.

However, some individuals who were dissatisfied with their internal standing considered whether to make a colossal political gamble and pledge allegiance to him upon his return.

Because everyone knew that Bai Mo had never had many subordinates; it would be impossible for him alone to govern such a vast nation. He would inevitably need a group of capable individuals to handle the specific affairs in various departments.

Perhaps by pledging allegiance early, they could even become a powerful founding elder, an infinitely better prospect than being idled away, waiting to rot, as they were now.

Yet, everything hinged on one premise: whether he could truly suppress the frenzied counterattacks of the three major factions. Otherwise, it would merely be a re-enactment of the Tianqing Rebellion from nine years ago.

Regardless of what others thought, at least those within the highest echelons of power sprang into action, bringing about a tense atmosphere that gradually spread throughout the entire nation.

Originally, various contingency plans had been prepared due to the uncertainty of Bai Mo's return, ranging in duration from three months to twenty years. But now that the target time had been roughly determined, almost all plans needed to be revised from scratch.

A portion of the uncompressible plans were cut, and efforts were concentrated on contingency plans estimated to take between half a year and two years. They weren't certain if Bai Mo was speaking the truth, but his appearance indeed meant that time had become extraordinarily pressing.

"Zhao Feiyan, how do you explain this?" At the headquarters of the Huaxia Youth Alliance, Zhao Feiyan, who had once vehemently guaranteed Bai Mo would never return, now faced questioning from the internal opposition.

"The votive power didn't attack him simply because his main body hasn't returned yet. Even if we destroyed this projection of his, the damage caused would be negligible, merely a meaningless waste!"

"Compared to that, what good plans do you have?!" Zhao Feiyan intended to reclaim control of the meeting, so he kicked the ball back to his opponents.

Facing Zhao Feiyan's inquiry, those in the front row exchanged glances. The Huaxia Youth Alliance was precisely comprised of such a group of young people who were ambitious but lacked sufficient talent.

If their ambitions hadn't surpassed their actual capabilities, they wouldn't have been so unsuccessful in the Huaxia Federation, resorting to forming their own small circle for entertainment.

"All you do is jabber and nitpick, but when it comes to solutions, you all stammer and hem and haw. How are you any different from those rabid dogs and trolls on the internet who only bite at everyone?" As the current de facto leader, Zhao Feiyan thoroughly enjoyed this sense of superiority that came with being a leader and mentor.

"Remember, we are the elite of Huaxia. Every single one of you present is at least a third-tier superhuman. Don't be like that trash, yapping and barking without offering a single constructive idea..."

...

Just as he was reveling in his verbal battle against the masses and lecturing the other members of the Alliance, a discordant voice emerged—none other than Wei Wu Ya, Zhao Feiyan's greatest rival for leadership within the Alliance.

"Recently, did any of you notice a Chinese middle-aged man declaring himself emperor in the nation of Ethiopia?" He ignored Zhao Feiyan's self-indulgent ranting and didn't refute his points, instead posing a new question to capture everyone else's attention.

"Vice-President Wei, are you referring to Li Bida?" A Chinese expert capable of seizing supreme power in a nation like Ethiopia, which was entirely populated by other races, would naturally attract the attention of all sorts of people.

"I think he's gone mad from wanting to be emperor."

"I think so too. Could it be like Hou Zi, who enjoyed playing a real-life online version of 'Minecraft'?"

"That fellow Hou Zi couldn't keep playing; he's already quit the server."

"Hahaha!"

Compared to Zhao Feiyan's tedious lecturing, discussing such gossip was far more engaging. In the end, the Huaxia Youth Alliance was nothing more than a party for a group of upper-middle-class young people who felt frustrated with their lack of success but had absolutely no worries about their livelihoods; it was a self-indulgent gathering.

This group lacked no money, most came from privileged backgrounds, and the power they wielded granted them ample freedom of speech. Many things that couldn't be spoken elsewhere could be discussed freely here.

Within the Alliance, there were many truly ambitious individuals like Zhao Feiyan, but also a considerable number of "melon-eating masses" who simply came to meet like-minded friends, as the association boasted a large number of young people with similar status and background, and they had no interest whatsoever in the leaders' lectures.

During the Red Radiance Disturbance, Hou Zi, as the first person to directly face the attacks of the Red Radiance followers, sustained considerably heavy injuries. Coupled with the actions of the Ji Si Ti Si people after they were incited, which utterly disheartened him, he, crestfallen, ultimately chose to abandon the nation and began a life of solitary wandering.

Of course, there were also speculations within Huaxia that Hou Zi had incurred too many blood feuds back then, forcing him to leave. Many of the corrupt officials he had killed in the Huaxia Federation a decade ago still had family members holding high positions even today.

Perhaps when he was in peak condition, transforming into a swath of red mist, his enemies were helpless against him. But after suffering severe injuries, those within the nation who bore a deep blood feud against him might not be able to restrain themselves.