Xue’er was silent for a moment. Then, she went on to massage her master’s shoulders, neither too heavily nor too lightly. She remarked, “Your words do make sense, master. In the competitions of wisdom and bravery with the spies of the Black Wind Fleet, most of the people that are converted by the Imperium and get caught by us later come from the noble families that have been glorious for hundreds of years.

　　“I don’t know what has gotten into those people. They can shout the slogan of the Cultivators louder than anybody else, and they are doing righteous and high-sounding things on the surface. But when it comes to filthy business, they do not hesitate at all as long as there are enough benefits!”

　　“Of course.” Jin Xinyue smiled casually and said, “The noble families are the least dependable forces. It is the truth that has been well-tested in countless changes of dynasties in the history of our civilization!

　　“The ordinary people and the low-level Cultivators won’t even find an opportunity to join the Imperium even if they want to. So, we can say that they are ‘incapable of betrayal’.

　　“But Masteress Ding Lingdang’s Patriots Front, the Glorious Sunlight Group left behind by my master, or the Double Dragons Union in the Heaven’s Origin Sector, they are all new forces that have risen together with the birth and development of the New Federation. Their interests and the interests of the New Federation are bound together tightly. Naturally, they will fight for the federation without reserve.

　　“The deeply-rooted noble families that existed in the age of the ‘Old Federation’ are not necessarily so. They are all quite independent, and they have formed their own social circles that are not open to the outsiders, making them ‘cancer’ that is living on the body of the federation. Furthermore, due to the problems accumulated in the past hundreds of years, they are gradually rotting and failing to catch up with the development of the era. Under the blast of the new powers such as the Glorious Sunlight Group, the Double Dragons Union, and the Patriots Front, they are now shaking unsteadily and can already see their doom. Therefore, they have strong motives to reverse the losing trend that they are mired in right now. In such a case, if the war pressure that the Imperium imposes on us is too heavy during the confrontation between the federation and the Imperium, isn’t it obvious who will defect to the Imperium first?

　　“Those who are too old should die. It is true for people, sects, or groups. The traditional conglomerates are too old right now to catch up with the development of the New Federation. It is time that they died and spared some room for new sects, new experts, and new groups!

　　“If they are too reluctant to die, they will be nothing more than thieves trying to steal other people’s time for themselves! Look at what they did in secret in the past hundred years. I don’t believe that they are real Cultivators who will swear to protect the federation with their life! What happened today is just further proof of my judgement.

　　“Therefore…”

　　Jin Xinyue held Xue’er’s hands and turned back to look at her disciple. “There are bound to be dark corners that sunlight cannot reach after a country develops for too long, and a lot of vermin and other filthy things will ferment in such corners. Right now, let’s take away all the darkness and filth with our efforts and leave a clean New Federation behind!

　　“The demons will rise again in the renewed federation filled with absolute brightness!”

　　When she mentioned ‘demons will rise’, sparks were bursting out of the pure and clear eyes of the demon girl ‘Xue’er’ despite her calmness so far.

　　A hundred years. It had been a hundred years!

　　According to the deduction of Jin Tuyi, the greatest strategist of the demon race a hundred years ago, this was the time that the Red Tide Plan would conclude and the demon race be reborn and rise again!

　　Xue’er was breathing fast. Her fair face that seemed to have been the result of staying underground for too long flushed with excitement.

　　Jin Xinyue read the voices in her disciple’s heart. She smiled confidently.

　　An hour ago, she had echoed with the three leaders in a different chamber, shouting the slogans of the Immortal Cultivators at the same time.

　　However, both Jin Xinyue and the three leaders were well aware that none of them truly believed in the slogans from the bottom of their hearts.

　　‘Long live the Immortal Cultivators’ and ‘long live the Imperium of True Human Beings’ for them were nothing but a yawn, or a fart that could be traded for money.

　　However, when Jin Xinyue and Xue’er, two females of the demon race, chanted another slogan that had been sealed for a hundred years softly, the master and the disciple understood their destiny perfectly and were willing to carry it out with their life.

　　“Obliteration, rebirth, immortality!”

　　“Obliteration, rebirth, immortality!”

　　It was the slogan that a million demons had once roared together when Jin Tuyi led the coalition army of demons trying to lunge at the capital city of the Star Glory Federation through the Eye of Blood Demon more than a hundred years ago.

　　Today, despite all the assimilation policies, too many demons were still unable to entirely wipe away the slogan and the belief from the deepest part of their bones!

　　“Alright. Open the door.”

　　Jin Xinyue held her disciple’s arm and transmitted a stream of mild spiritual energy into her body, pacifying her blood that was almost boiling. Then, she smiled.

　　Xue’er bit her lips softly, not entirely freed from the anxiety and excitement a moment ago. She took two deep breaths and retreated, pressing the embossment of the underground museum gently.

　　The light beam that displayed the names of the victims immediately disappeared.

　　On the wall behind the light beam that seemed to be empty, bloody stripes were slowly popping up. Extending and interweaving, they constituted a brand-new teleportation array.

　　It was a third secret teleportation array that led to a third underground base.

　　All the chambers led to tunnels or entrances to the outside world. They were only connected to each other via teleportation arrays. Also, most of the teleportation arrays were point-to-point and one-way.

　　It meant that if someone wanted to reach the real core secret chamber, they would have to find the first secret chamber, locate all the teleportation arrays in it, and decrypt the activation code and the coordinates of the destination, before they jumped to the second chamber and repeated what they had done in the first chamber. Only in such a way would they be able to reach their final destination.

　　Jin Xinyue had enough reasons to be so cautious about the personnel and facilities in the core secret chamber.

　　Shua!

　　Consumed by the red brilliance, she vanished in the underground museum and appeared at the top of a row of stairs that extended downward.

　　The narrow stairs were barely enough for any heavy war machines to pass, but a huge dent was appearing every now and then on the two sides of the stairs. Inside every dent, a warrior of the demon race was sitting on alert.

　　In the plaza of the Ministry of Equality and Development in the downtown, the members of the Dim Moon Squad in the public office of the ‘Dim Moon Fund’ were already hideous and ferocious enough.

　　But the demon warriors there were ten times more hideous and ferocious than the members of the Dim Moon Squad!

　　“President!”

　　When Jin Xinyue walked down step by step, the ferocious demons all bowed to her respectfully, without disguising the admiration and reverence in their eyes at all.

　　At the end of the zigzagging stairs, a gate made of super alloys more than ten meters thick glided into the rocks soundlessly.

　　Behind the alloy gate, what appeared in front of Jin Xinyue’s eyes was an underground crystal processor and communication center.

　　The crystal processors there had integrated the features of the technology of spiritual energy and the biochemical technology. They appeared both like a super mainframe crystal processor had grown countless tumors and parasites, and the internal organs of a gigantic beast that had been stabbed with countless crystal processors and computational chips.

　　Dozens of specialists in crystal processors and biochemical brains were working busily in the middle of the crystal wires and synthesized nerves that were as thick as boas.

　　The whole significance of their secret work below ground day and night was to deceive and bypass the ‘grand-unified Spiritual Nexus’ of the federation, allowing Jin Xinyue to contact with a certain place beyond the federation in the depths of the universe through an absolutely clandestine route, and to perform a critical strike on the grand-unified Spiritual Nexus when it was necessary.

　　It was definitely not an easy task.

　　However, if the most professional specialists of crystal processors in the federation were invited there to dismantle all the crystal processors, they would be able to discover a lot of computational chips and analytical units that far exceeded the current technology of the federation.

　　They were all gifts from the Imperium.

　　The war had long begun.

　　It was time to decide the final outcome!

　　“Governor Jin, you’re here?”

　　A short, sticky-mouthed man who seemed rather plain greeted her. But his attitude toward Jin Xinyue was subtly different from the other people’s. He addressed Jin Xinyue in a quite weird way, too.

　　Jin Xinyue glanced at the short man and casually said, “All I want is to keep me alive and find a place for my people to survive. I am not even sure if you will burn the bridge immediately after you cross the river. Just save your ‘governor’ talk!”

　　The short man giggled even more charmingly than Jin Xinyue. His shoulder jiggled quickly as he said, “Governor Jin, rest assured. The Imperium always honors its promises. Our commander will not kill the goose that lays golden eggs, either!

　　“We have come from the center of the cosmos after a long journey. It is impossible for us to stay at the edge of the cosmos forever. March back to the center of the cosmos and reclaim our homeland and our pride. That is the ultimate goal of the Black Wind Fleet.

　　“What we desire are just elite soldiers and sufficient resources. Perhaps in-depth technological communication between each other, too. But nothing more.

　　“One day, when the Black Wind Fleet has rested enough and gathered the army to march back to the center of the cosmos, won’t we need someone most loyal and trustworthy to manage the seven Sectors here?

　　“As long as you remain as wise and loyal as today, Governor Jin, why would we bother to consider picking a second ‘proxy’ for us?

　　“By then, you will be responsible for providing the incessant Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, crystals, and manpower in the seven Sectors for us, and we will return to the center of the cosmos and take our everything back! We will be at the emperor’s court, and you will be at the frontier of the country. Our cooperation will do us both good. Why would we burn the bridge?

　　“Therefore, rest assured, Governor Jin. We never treat our friends unfairly!”

　　Jin Xinyue stared at the short man and said, “I hope so. Has the secret super remote communication route been established?”

　　“Yes.” The short man smiled. “It is ready to be activated anytime. With the crystal processor and network technology of the federation right now, it is absolutely impossible for the federation to intercept or perceive the signals.”

　　“That’s good.” Her hands behind her back, Jin Xinyue took a deep breath, and the subtlest redness beamed out of her eyes. “Let me speak to your commander directly!”