<h4>Chapter 726: Project Dark Swallow!</h4>


    <strong>Trantor: </strong>As Studios <strong>Editor: </strong>As Studios


    On the forty-eighth year of the Spirit Inception Era, war had broken out between the Dao Pce and the Federation.


    Five monthster, the war had ended. The Dao Pce cultivators, led by Mie Liezi, had chosen to surrender.


    It had been a brief war, but one that had been intense and with a high casualty count. Its end had been viewed as a mystery by almost everyone.


    That was because no one had witnessed the most decisive battle. It had remained a mystery that had fueled many rumors regarding how the war had truly ended.


    Rumors spread from person to person. During this period, the postwar cleanup and rebuilding efforts continued nonstop. The first on the agenda was what to do with the Dao Pce cultivators who had surrendered. Thirty percent of the surviving cultivators were judged to havemitted grievous crimes. Their sentence was dered forcefully by Duan Muque and broadcast to the entire Federation. They were to be executed!


    It was a harsh sentence, but the people of the Federation needed this. There was no way they could allow those who had invaded Federation territory to surrender without suffering any consequences. Duan Muque was willing to bear the consequence of allowing such a massacre to happen!


    In addition, almost all of the Dao Pce’s upper echelons were nted with a Spirit Science hex—a product of Zhao Pinfang’s research. They were no longer a threat to the Federation. They were also given a five-hundred-year sentence!


    They would be released from their hexes five hundred yearster, once theypleted their sentence. Mie Liezi’s status and circumstance made him an exceptional case. While the Federation hesitated over his final sentence, he chose to make an oath and return to the Dao Pce. He would guard the Dao Pce for the rest of his life. Unless the Federation summoned him, he wouldn’t take a single step out of the Dao Pce.


    As part of the war reparations, the Dao Pce would grant the Federation full ess to their resources. That included ess to all their records and mystic techniques. The Federation would also possess unteral rights to enter and leave the Dao Pce. Federation cultivators could now enter and leave the ancient sword freely. Of course... under Feng Qiuran’s insistence, the deepest regions of the ancient sword were designated as restricted zones. Federation cultivators were forbidden from entering the area and disturbing the slumber of the Dao Pce elders.


    Next... Wang Baole’s proposal to form an alliance prior to the outbreak of the war was raised again. Duan Muque gave it the full attention it deserved, summoning the upper echelons of the Federation as well as Feng Qiuran to discuss the matter. Both parties made minor modifications to the original proposal and agreed to the setup of the alliance.


    In the forty-ninth year of the Spirit Inception Era, the Sr System Alliance was established. Its creation heralded a new era—the Sr Era!


    There were currently two members in the Sr System Alliance, the Federation civilization and the Vast Expanse Dao Pce. Alliance regtions stated that the Federation civilization was the only member to possess a longstanding, first-tier membership status in the alliance. It had the power to change or veto decisions of the alliance. The Vast Expanse Dao Pce, on the other hand, held a second-tier membership.


    These rules clearly gave the Federation a great advantage over the Dao Pce. Thetter would never have agreed to such terms in the past. Even though Feng Qiuran had always had the intention to build an alliance with the Federation, she would have pushed for the Dao Pce to be the leader of the alliance. However, the war and the power that the Federation had disyed during this war had changed her mind. Both Feng Qiuran and the Dao Pce began to view the Federation with greater respect, and they recognized its power. The key reason for their change was still... Wang Baole!


    His power and his final mysterious battle with Daoist You Ran had resulted in Feng Qiuran’s agreement to the terms of the alliance. It didn’t matter that no one had witnessed the final battle.


    The honeymoon period between the Dao Pce and the Federation officially began with the alliance’s establishment. Communications and exchanges between the two took ce with unprecedented frequency. The wealth of knowledge and mystic techniques the Dao Pce possessed were invaluable to the Federation. Spirit Science development in the Federation progressed rapidly during this period of exchange.


    The Dao Pce stood to gain as well. Extension of the Federation’s infrastructure, such as the Spirit Inte, as well as provisions of daily supplies, were a great help to the Dao Pce cultivators. As the immigrationws between the two grew more liberal, many Dao Pce cultivators and Federation cultivators on Earth chose to immigrate.


    Rebuilding efforts in the alliance were ongoing as well. With the Dao Pce’s support, rebuilding efforts on Mars progressed smoothly. Deep excavations on Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune were sesses with thebined efforts of the Dao Pce and the Federation. They became the first bases of the alliance. To a certain extent, they could even be considered as the first free cities of the alliance.


    There was Jupiter as well... After some deliberation, the Dao Pce decided not to bring the matter of the up. The Federation, on the other hand, utilized their first-tier membership status to ssify Jupiter and its surrounding asteroid belt as a restricted zone!


    Few understood the strategic value of that decision. Not Li Xingwen, Duan Muque, and the other upper echelons of the Federation though, who had sought Wang Baole’s advice and understood the situation. They were prepared to cordon the region and create a ce that belonged solely to Wang Baole.


    The alliance overflowed with life and opportunity. The smooth assimtion between the Dao Pce and the Federation allowed many great things to be done. Civilization advanced without stop. At the same time, Wang Baole received the Federation’s recognition. He had not only be their hero, but everyone—from the citizen on the ground to the upper echelons of the Federation, and even the Dao Pce—knew very well that he was going to be the next Federation President. He was going to hold the highest office in the Sr System Alliance!


    That wasn’t going to happen anytime soon because the Federation and the Dao Pce had just begun their assimtion and alliance. There was still a great deal of work to be done. They had to rebuild, to set upws and rules. They needed to decide how to divide profits. There were so many tedious details to be ironed out. Most importantly, Duan Muque didn’t want Wang Baole to have to deal with such a chaotic situation immediately when thetter got into office. He wanted to get all the grunt work done. He intended to untangle the political chaos in the Federation, which was caused by the presence of the various political entities. He intended to amputate the malignant tumor hidden in the Federation. He was going to exploit the authority and power he had gained from the war and consolidate all power in the hands of the presidency. Then, he would hand over a brand new Federation to Wang Baole, one free from troubles and burdens!


    Wang Baole couldn’t wait to be made president. However, he also understood Duan Muque’s good intentions. After gaining consciousness from his battle with Daoist You Ran, he returned to Earth. He spent his time with his parents, enjoying an ordinary person’s life while burying the unresolved matter that had risen inside him after his battle with Daoist You Ran. He put it to rest silently, unwilling to touch the matter again.


    He told himself to be happy. As he kept brainwashing himself quietly, he seemed to slowly forget about the existence of this unresolved matter. He began to look forward gleefully to the announcement dering him as the Federation President.


    Wang Baole’s life with his parents became peaceful and calm. Besides staying by his parents’ side, what Wang Baole enjoyed doing the most was leading his donkey out secretly. It was then that he would eavesdrop on conversations, listen in on heated, passionate voices, and watch the looks of adoration on the speakers’ faces as they discussed him.


    COMMENT


    He even put up the asional pretense of being a wolf in sheepskin. He would pretend to be bullied, then reveal his powerful self at the end and observe the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces. The experience brightened his mood every time. But after doing that too many times, his donkey grew tired of it. He himself found it meaningless as well. After some thought, he began protesting his singlehood in his mother’s presence. Soon, his mother began setting up matchmaking sessions for him.


    His mother knew how amazing his son had be. However, no matter what, Wang Baole would always remain a child in her eyes. As she went through her selection of candidates, Wang Baole began bringing his donkey to session after session of matchmaking. The experience became a new source of fun for Wang Baole.


    Then, Bunny arrived. Wang Baole could only end the matchmaking. Still, he enjoyed his time with Bunny. The academic exploration they conducted with each other was extremely enjoyable.


    This didn’tst long. However... Li Wan’er arrived next. The feelings of happiness that Wang Baole had been experienced shifted immediately to that of absolute terror. Wang Baole’s head began to throb. Time crawled as three months passed. The alliance was running along smoothly, and rebuilding efforts were nearingpletion. After spending a great deal of effort, Duan Muque finally got the Federation into shape. Everything was pointing to a new beginning. Wang Baole was sitting on his hands, waiting in excitement. It was then that...


    Many of Wang Baole’s friends—Zhao Yameng, Liu Daobin, Li Wuchen, Jin Duoming, Lin Tianhao, and Kong Dao—came knocking on his door and bid him farewell.


    They didn’t share any details of their departure, they only informed him that they were off to carry out a secret mission. The duration of this mission might be short or very long.


    Zhao Yameng had originally not been part of the mission. She was the daughter of the Martian Colony Governor and Zhao Pinfang, so she had a bright and stable future in the Federation and in the alliance. However, she had chosen to join the mission of her own ord. No one knew why she had done so. Her tone had been cold when she had said farewell to Wang Baole. She had even red at him fiercely before her departure.


    COMMENT


    The intense hostility in her eyes had made Wang Baole shiver with guilt. He had quickly made use of his ess rights to find out the details of their mission. There was nothing he wasn’t allowed to know in the entire Federation.


    A quick search left him looking somber. Their mission was highly ssified, with only four people allowed to ess the mission details!


    They were Li Xingwen, Duan Muque, Zhao Pinfang, and Wang Baole!


    The mission was a continuation of the Hundred Seedling n and the Federation’s ns involving the Dao Pce. It had been drawn up many years ago. It had been given a name... Dark Swallow!