Star Gate

Chapter 863: Observing the Characters Again (IV)

Li Hao shook as he was still caught in the throes of what he’d just witnessed. “Are exalted emperors... very strong?” he couldn’t help but ask.

“......” The others looked at him like they were gazing upon a fool.

“They are... very strong,” the old turtle said softly. “Stronger than us, in any case... After Saint comes Empyrean King. There are many levels to Empyrean King. After that comes the emperor levels, which the weakest of exalted emperors reach. We do not understand much more beyond that. They can more or less kill you with one exhale!”

“Will it require an exalted emperor’s breath to kill him?” the Ninth Division commander said coolly. “Even a Saint can accomplish that!”

“......” Li Hao smiled ruefully. Seriously?

“Did you see an exalted emperor?” asked a curious General Pagoda.

“I did, and not just one, but many!” Li Hao nodded, prompting shifts in the group’s expressions.

“You saw an exalted emperor, and multiple ones at that?” repeated a mystified old turtle. “That’s... very strange!”

“I heard them discuss a campaign to attack someplace,” Li Hao recalled. “Was this before Battle Heaven was established?”

The old turtle shook its head, it wasn’t too clear on this matter.

“I’ve heard of this occurrence,” said the commander. “Silver Moon was a training ground for the army. There were already small skirmishes at the front lines when we started training the troops. Details beyond that were not for the likes of low level officers like us.”

Low level officers!

“How big is the universe?” Li Hao asked after momentary silence.

“I don’t know.” The commander shook his head. “It is unbounded and incomparably vast! No one knows the specifics, not even the Human King. One step in chaos means the passage of one thousand years and mulberry fields changing into the seas. No one would leave their local universe unless they were forced to.

“Time is the most terrifying of all in the world. The reversal of time and disappearance of New Martial may have something to do with this. Thousands upon thousands of years can flash by if one takes one step out of their part of the universe...”

Li Hao blinked, uncomprehending of the scale. “Is Silver Moon... that important?”

The group didn’t respond—possibly out of ignorance, and possibly out of a lack of desire to explain.

Li Hao took a deep breath and closed his eyes. A faint blade intent appeared on his body moments later. The others blinked. What... was this?

The young man replayed that blade stroke in his mind, the one that had fractured heaven and earth when it swung down. That was a true powerhouse! He himself was much too weak and insignificant compared to the august personages he’d seen. To Li Hao, the world was so enormous that he could barely cover it in flight. But to these people, it was but a speck of dust. They carved up continents with one stroke and divided it into eight!

He had the general idea of what they wished to accomplish. Combined with previous conversation with the little tree, Li Hao knew that Silver Moon Territory was a new world born from strength that drifted off of the New Martial main world. The Human King set the Li clan here in order to give the world to the Li ancestor, the Sword Sovereign, to supplement a few deficiencies.

The Li ancestor hadn’t been willing to utilize the new world in such a manner. The Exalted Blood Emperor had tried to convince him otherwise, but the Sword Sovereign was still unwilling because making the new world his might weaken the main world.

It was all too complicated and far above his understanding, but Li Hao remembered one thing. The ancient Human King had gifted the world to the Lis. What belonged to the Lis belonged to him. So... this world is mine?

The young man had finally made sense of everything. So this entire world belonged to his family! So I’ve been the king of the world all along! No wonder I feel so close to Silver Moon, no wonder I feel bad when I see people suffering. This is my territory!

He didn’t want to think about anything else. It was too complicated! That was the business of the powerhouses. Now that his ancestor had disappeared and Silver Moon Territory plunged into disorder, he needed to put things back into order!

This incident strengthened Li Hao’s faith and confidence. Of course, none of this was key. The key was that he’d strengthened some of his supernatural locks. A portion of his locks seemed to have been stimulated and strengthened by a great deal. Not only that, but a lock had materialized in his head. It came with a certain sharpness.

Li Hao hadn’t absorbed any Water of Life, but the illusory realm had stimulated some of his locks into becoming mightier. Nôv(el)B\\jnn

After another indeterminate pause.

The group was still there when Li Hao opened his eyes again. “Silver Moon Territory belongs to the Lis!” he took a deep breath.

“......” Various faces stared at him.

“Therefore, I’m going to take back what is my family’s!” he declared.

“......” The rest kept staring. What was going on now?

The Ninth Division leader was very calm. “It is confidence if the strong voice these words. It is arrogance if you do! Don’t think too much of yourself.”

“I know.” Li Hao nodded. “But we need to have such dreams in life. What is the difference between us and lowly creatures if we don’t have a single goal? These two characters are very interesting. The exalted emperor seems to have bestowed it with certain emotion. New revelations can be discovered every time. Their stature is too great, however, making them a bit too far removed from me.”

“Naturally,” nodded the old turtle. “This august personage ranked among the top of the exalted emperors.”

“Did my family’s ancestor rank in the top five of the ancient civilization?” Li Hao was curious.

“......” The group looked at each other instead of responding. Did he? Who knew? But... probably... not? The sword of the Lis was indeed strong, but there were too many heavyweights in that era.

Li Hao suppressed an eye roll at the sight and understood their reaction. So his ancestor likely hadn’t. These people wouldn’t be responding with this attitude if he had. Was his ancestor so poorly off that he couldn’t even rank in the top five?

“What about the top ten?”

No one made a sound. Who knew? But... perhaps... still not.

Li Hao rolled his eyes this time. That bad??

“Is there a point to wondering about this?” intoned the Ninth Division commander. “You’ve been here for three days and were here three days on your last trip. That’s six days total. Aren’t you a busy person?”

Six days!

Li Hao blinked. “I’ve cultivated here for three days?”

No shit!

“Of course!”

Li Hao started with dismay. Six days was a long time! “Then I must leave immediately. General Pagoda, my Water of Life...”

The general handed over a large vat without further word. Li Hao scanned it with his consciousness upon receiving it. There were more than ten thousand drops inside. This was the most Water of Life he’d seen at any given time. There’d only been five thousand when they killed the coconut tree.

“My thanks, general!” Li Hao rose. “Then I must take my leave, seniors. There is much that awaits me in the outside world.”

The commander was displeased to see the young man prepare to storm off. “You must be calmer in your manner and still your mind when great happenings are upon you! There is no need to care about what you’ve seen, it has nothing to do with you. The world of the strong is far away from you. Also, take heed not to give up the sword aura. Remember that in this world, the sword is the master of all!”

The sword is the master of all? As in, master of everything in this world?

“Thank you, Ninth Division leader!” Li Hao vanished.

Ninth Division leader? The Gold Armor paused. Calling him by his title imparted a very different meaning. This kid was talking to him as a peer! Li Hao was the Eleventh Division leader and he was Ninth Division leader. The brat was basically saying that we’re of the same level, so let’s be nicer to each other in the future.

The commander could say nothing in response. He snorted after a long moment and asked after the young man left, “Why is it that he can see something in the exalted emperor’s words?”

That was odd!

“Perhaps the august majesty purposefully let him see it?” smiled the old turtle. “No one can see a thing if he so decides. They can if he wishes it. This world has never given birth to its own consciousness ever since the Sword Sovereign took up residence. But it has been so many years since his departure... no one can say. Li Hao has improved so rapidly—has he done so with some aura of heaven and earth? Have you seen his new abilities?”

The commander blinked and took a moment to gather his thoughts. “I have, I see! The Sword Sovereign has been gone too long and the formation is broken. A new dao is about to be born in this world, isn’t it?”

“Perhaps!”

“No wonder!” laughed the commander. “This is good timing. A powerhouse is about to rise from the humanity of the new age. Out with the old and in with the new. Losing the inhibition of New Martial means that more changes are about to take place in this world.”

“Mmhmm, but it’s fine. It has nothing to do with us.” The rest didn’t say anything as it was truly irrelevant to them. They were not of this age. Li Hao could glean something from the characters possibly because of his new abilities. But, judging from the young man’s words, he had already seen something before.

Had this fellow been blessed by the mandate of heaven long ago?

“There are countless heirs in the Li clan and he’s not of the direct line. Has this kid forgotten about that?” The Ninth Division commander was a bit jealous. The old turtle and pagoda tree didn’t respond.

“I’m going to absorb energy from the surroundings and see if I can revitalize more of Battle Heaven. Don’t disturb me for a bit!” The tree vanished, as did the old turtle. Only the Gold Armor was left. He looked into the distance for a long moment and sighed softly.

Don’t be too confident, Li Hao. You’re far from adequate. Perhaps your greatest danger will arrive only when the Star Gate opens.