Chapter 452: Chapter 218: Leng Yanran, Liyang Empire
Li Changâan had expected them to say as much and replied immediately, "But you never told me which faction you belong to. The fact that I could recognize youâre from the Liyang Empire by the symbols engraved on your warshipâs hullâdoesnât that prove I have a connection to Li Yang?"
The other party seemed to have anticipated his response and replied just as bluntly, "The Liyang Empire is one of the two great Empires in the Third Universe. Youâre barely an interstellar civilization now, so itâs not surprising youâve learned of the Liyang Empireâs existence from other sources."
Li Changâan smiled. "Is that so? Not only do I know of the Liyang Empireâs existence, I also know its origins and its founder..."
As he spoke, he began to recount a part of his past, framing it from a different perspective for them.
But after listening, the other party didnât react as Li Changâan had expected. Instead, they suddenly fell silent for a long time.
Suddenly, the colossal warship, which had previously relaxed its offensive posture, turned its cannons once more, aiming a muzzle nearly the size of a planet right at Li Changâan.
Li Changâan hadnât expected such a fierce reaction, and his heart sank.
After aiming its cannon at Li Changâan, a cold voice transmitted from the warship, "Who exactly are you? How do you know what you just said?"
At first, Li Changâan didnât understand why they were reacting so strongly, going so far as to aim such an absurdly large cannon at a small fly like himâhe wasnât even the size of a mosquito in comparison.
But now, after hearing their question, he finally understood.
âThe Liyang Empire has existed for who knows how many generations, for who knows how many years. Because its history is so ancient, the details of its birth and development have likely become top-secret information, unknown to the outside world.â
âAnd now Iâve just revealed some of this information that outsiders shouldnât know. No wonder theyâre so wary.â
Just as he was thinking this, a voice suddenly came from the spacecraft that made his entire body stiffen. "Changâan, is that you?"
The speakerâs voice was cold and clear.
But it was still incredibly familiar to Li Changâan.
Because the person speaking was none other than Leng Yanran, the one who had fought alongside him against the Cultivators of the Immortal Palace!
To be honest, in all the time since the interstellar spacecraft had arrived, Li Changâan had never felt that the situation was beyond his control. But at this moment, he truly felt that things were starting to slip from his grasp.
Separated by so many years and such an immense distance, Li Changâan had never imagined he would hear such a familiar, yet distant, voice again.
Taking a deep breath, Li Changâan forcibly suppressed his complex emotions and asked, "Are you Leng Yanran? Why have you suddenly appeared here?"
Hearing that Li Changâan didnât deny it, there was a distinct silence from within the warship.
After a long pause, Leng Yanran spoke again. "I havenât actually come here. In fact, the distance between us canât even be measured in light-years; youâd have to use parsecs. The reason Iâve suddenly appeared is because your replies triggered a hidden backdoor on this warship. Iâm speaking to you through a personality simulation program."
To be honest, what she said was rather difficult to understand.
Li Changâan thought for a long time before speaking again. "So the you Iâm talking to right now isnât the real you? Itâs just a simulation created by a program, a backdoor you left behind that I happened to trigger?"
Leng Yanran nodded. "You can understand it that way!"
Li Changâan voiced his next doubt. "So, you went to all this trouble... surely not just to rekindle an old flame with me, right?"
Leng Yanran laughed. "Heh, if youâre open to it, I wouldnât be against it. But youâre right. I wouldnât have gone to such lengths just to rekindle an old romance!"
Li Changâan spread his hands. "So? What is it you want from me? Also, how did you know I wasnât dead?"
The smile vanished from Leng Yanranâs face, her expression turning serious. "The Liyang Empire has grown to its current scale. You donât really think weâre unaware of the group in the universe known as âReincarnators,â do you?"
Li Changâan said nothing.
âA top-tier civilization capable of dominating the universe would, of course, know about the existence of Reincarnators.â
Leng Yanran didnât expect a direct answer and continued, "In fact, for us now, tracking the movements of Reincarnators is actually quite simple. Whenever a civilization suddenly experiences exponential growth, itâs most likely because a Reincarnator has appeared on that planet!"
"For a long time, we didnât interfere with the comings, goings, and development of Reincarnators in the universe."
"Because Yingying and I discovered that you were very likely a Reincarnator as well. And since our Liyang Empire was built with the support of a mysterious and powerful Reincarnator, our attitude toward them was naturally more gentle and friendly..."
At this point, Leng Yanranâs voice paused. A moment later, her tone shifted abruptly as she continued, "But that goodwill was limited to the past few tens of thousands of years. In truth, once we discovered a link between the emergence and spread of the Dark Tide and Reincarnators, our attitude toward them changed. Our standard procedure is now either humane elimination or dissuasion."
âThe emergence and spread of the Dark Tide are linked to Reincarnators?â
Li Changâanâs heart trembled slightly. He felt he was on the verge of discovering something monumental.
Of course, even though his mind was already racing, Li Changâan maintained a calm and steady expression as he asked, "Do you have any proof for a claim like that?"
âIt wasnât that he didnât trust Leng Yanran, but that they had been separated for too longâso long that time could have completely transformed her into a different person. Therefore, even though logic told him she was likely telling the truth, he remained skeptical without seeing concrete evidence.â
Leng Yanran didnât seem surprised by his reaction and said faintly, "I have my reasons for saying so. According to data collected by the Federation, worlds where Reincarnators have appeared are 3,775 times more likely to suffer a Dark Tide outbreak than other planets!"
"Although we donât have definitive proof yet, you should understand better than I do what a probability of over three thousand times means... Even if the appearance and outbreak of the Dark Tide isnât directly caused by Reincarnators, there must be some kind of unknown connection between the two!"
Hearing this, Li Changâan stroked his chin and thought for a moment, finally deciding not to argue further.
Leng Yanran continued, "The reason I installed this program on the ship was to search for any trace of you among the Reincarnators. Because in this vast, starry universe, the only person Yingying and I have ever been able to completely trust, from beginning to end, is you!"
Li Changâan gave a small smile. "The power you command now is far beyond anything I can compare to. Isnât this trust a little too heavy a burden?!"
Leng Yanran smiled as well. "But youâve always been like this, havenât you? We want you to find the connection between Reincarnators and the Dark Tide and eliminate this hidden threat completely. This isnât just for us; itâs for you, too. The Dark Energy is simply too terrifying and bizarre. If a high-Level planet becomes tainted by this strange Energy, it will turn into a dead wasteland in just a few thousand years. All humans and living creatures on it will perish and transform into new sources of Dark Energy, spreading it further..."
"Itâs a plague, a plague sweeping across the entire universe. If it canât be stopped, I believe we wonât be the only ones it destroys!"
Hearing this, Li Changâan felt a slight stir in his heart.
After a long moment, he sighed. "Heh, letâs be realistic. What kind of support can you give me? After all, what youâre asking me to do isnât some trivial matter we can handle casually!"