Star Gate

Li Hao raised a brow and looked at Wang Ming. “Ole Wang, you can do as you see fit. I won’t order you around for the next part. You do your thing, I’ll do mine. We don’t have to be in communication,you just need to lure out large numbers of supernaturals with malevolent intent. I don’t care about the rest!”

“Then the target is...” Wang Ming nodded.

“Take the road to Rift Canyon! I’ll contact you when you reach the canyon. We might cross it, or we might stay and sweep it out. There must be supernaturals hiding there!”

“Understood!” Wang Ming hastily bobbed his head with excitement. His colleague wanted to do something big! Life had become quite boring ever since they returned to White Moon. There were’t many missions to go around and there was an absolute lack of exciting fights. Wang Ming was only one step away from mid Sunflare, but was never able to take it.

The minor missions from the Night Watchers no longer piqued his interest. Even though the agency started moving against the three great organizations a few days ago, it was a lot of fanfare for not much action. The strongest that Hao Lianchuan killed was a Sunflare—battle was over quickly.

A bunch of Night Watchers had mobilized for just a few Red Moon powerhouses. The benefits they reaped were barely enough to look at!

Li Hao turned and left without a word. Wang Ming’s sources of news worked fast, but it wasn’t like Li Hao had planned on keeping any secrets from the supernatural. If he wanted to take risks, then he could. Such was Li Hao’s attitude toward these martial masters and supernaturals.

They were all adults, they had to be responsible for themselves. Wang Ming was right, his preparations would make them seem more like rich scions out for a casual jaunt. Granted, that was also the truth.

......

Li Hao swiftly caught up to the Guards’ two cars. He jumped onto the second car instead of continuing to run. Li Heng and the others were so startled that they thought enemies had ambushed them. Sighs of relief were forthcoming when their new addition resolved itself to be Li Hao.

......

The Night Watcher headquarters.

Hou Xiaochen had returned and was caressing the Flaming Phoenix Spear. He seemed to be probing for something and laughed softly after a while, understanding certain things.

Li Hao!

So it was you!

Who would’ve thought that you’d break the mind intent behind the Broken Will Spear! That was rather unexpected.

“Li Hao’s gone out with his team,” Manager Yu murmured, entering the room after knocking. “They’re a team that formed yesterday and some of the members might still be unfamiliar with each other. He decided to take them out anyways—Li Hao’s resume didn’t mention that he’s a brash, impulsive person!”

Li Hao’s resume was clear, he was a young man who planned and strategized first before coming to a decision. He wasn’t as impetuous as he behaved. That Red Moon’s series of murders had been exposed in Silver City was all due to Li Hao. If it wasn’t for the young man’s determination and secret investigation spanning more than a year, even his death might not have been enough to prompt discovery of this connection. Red Moon had acted very covertly.

So why was the young man in such a hurry today?

“He has his own thoughts.” Hou Xiaochen gently ran his hand up the spear. “Perhaps he senses a difference in strength after seeing more of the world. He might also want to support Yuan Shuo or ease some of the pressure. Yuan Shuo is marching toward the central region with great fanfare to kill Red Moon members. Do you really think he’s that crazed?”

Manager Yu thought for a moment and said softly, “So the director means that... Yuan Shuo is so bold and cocky because he also wants to redirect Red Moon’s attention?”

“Why else?” Hou Xiaochen sighed as he looked into the distance. “His disciple is a thorn in Red Moon’s side and Silver Moon has become troubled territory. If Yuan Shuo doesn’t step forward to distract those powerhouses, the Orange and Yellow Moon hunting him might be on their way to eliminate Li Hao instead!”

If Yuan Shuo didn’t throw a wrench into the works, who would Red Moon pull out so many powerhouses for?

Only Li Hao!

Many people understood this logic, including Ying Hongyue. But compared to the nondescript young man, Yuan Shuo was a more pressing concern. Everyone was well aware of the old demon’s terrors. The man had broken his fetters; if left unchecked, he would soon turn into a general calamity!

If it wasn’t for Ying Hongyue himself being indisposed, he’d personally mobilize against Yuan Shuo. He directed the second and third strongest of his organization to set aside their affairs in the central region and focus on Yuan Shuo. The significance of the old demon was well apparent from that alone. Ying Hongyue placed extreme importance on him!

Blue Moon and Violet Moon were also in the province; they were here for Li Hao. Any talk of the ruins or Hou Xiaochen was of secondary importance. Blue Moon’s previous plan was to sneak Li Hao away when they fought Hou Xiaochen. Red Moon had sent four of their highest executives against the master and disciple duo!

“You said it yourself that Li Hao is someone who acts after working out a plan. Why does he not plan now?” Hou Xiaochen asked. “It’s only because he has no time. His master is braving the central region alone for his sake. Who would locate Yuan Shuo otherwise if he kept a low profile? Li Hao also understands this. Just because he doesn’t speak of it doesn’t mean he doesn’t understand. If you think he doesn’t, that’d be doing the young man a disservice!”

Manager Yu inclined her head, but still didn’t quite understand. “Yuan Shuo has more than one disciple and it’s only been three years since he accepted Li Hao. They might have a good relationship, but is one Li Hao worth such a hefty price?”

“That’s only part of the equation, the other part is that Yuan Shuo himself refuses to accept the situation!” A merry Hou Xiaochen seemed to understand Yuan Shuo very well. “He’s unwilling to accept that those who were less than him before can step on him now!

“He didn’t reveal what he was capable of before as he was despairing or depressed. But now that he sees a chance... People like him can bring a hundred percent of their efforts to bear if they grasp a single chance or opportunity. Yuan Shuo also wants to give himself some pressure. From the dangers of life and death stems a greater hope to catch up to those who have surpassed him.

“Sky Sword, Tyrant Blade, and the others are all still alive and doing well for themselves. Ying Hongyue is even more so. Southern Fist and Golden Spear are well off too, and some of his old friends are also in the central region. Do you think he’s willing to go down like this?”

Multiple reasons contributed to Yuan Shuo’s madness. He’d embarked on a frenzied rampage from Near River to the central region. Although he concealed his movements, he exposed himself every time he killed someone. Yuan Shuo constantly placed himself in a state of perpetual peril.

Such craziness also made those who were paying attention to him uneasy. If he didn’t die, he would eventually become their doom.

Having started off with Solars, Yuan Shuo had moved on to killing peak Solars. Jadelight Sword traveled with him and was rumored to show signs of entering Summoner of Spirit. She was barely able to withstand weaker initial Solars at first, but news soon spoke of her swiftly dispatching initial Solars. These veteran martial masters quickly grew strong whenever the opportunity presented itself.

Manager Yu was fully aware of the situation now.

“Can you not see it yourself? Why ask me?” Hou Xiaochen chuckled.

Yu Luocha was no fool. A fool could not become grand secretary of the Night Watchers. She was the one who handled the agency’s affairs. Hou Xiaochen didn’t actually oversee much of his agency.

“I can discern some of Li Hao’s plans, I’m just slightly baffled,” Manager Yu offered after some thought. “He’s very confident—or rather, very calm. He’s respectful whenever meeting Golden Spear or an even stronger existence, but he’s not terribly surprised or shocked. It doesn’t fit his identity—he comes from the small town of Silver City and didn’t visit elsewhere when he was young. How does he remain so composed?”

“One becomes this way after seeing more of the world.” Hou Xiaochen wasn’t surprised. “Perhaps he’s seen something incredible or unparalleled distances. That is why he dares wave the sword around and sever the Broken Will Spear! While his own strength is not up to par, why should he be shocked by a lower world after witnessing a higher plane?”

“Then... do we need to send people to protect him from the shadows?” Manager Yu asked thoughtfully.

Li Hao was a thorn in Red Moon’s side. The organization cared deeply about his movements. They might not know now, but they would find out sooner or later that the young man had left White Moon. That would be when danger came for him.

“It’s fine...” Hou Xiaochen smiled. “Every martial master walks their own path. He won’t die so easily. If he does, that means he lacked a bit of luck. We just need to continue exerting pressure on Red Moon and suppressing their powerhouses. It’s up to Li Hao to see if he can break through their blockade.”

“You were not this way toward Yuan Shuo back in the day...”

“Does Ying Hongyue compare to the likes of Blue Moon?” Hou Xiaochen turned solemn. “Although Yuan Shuo and his disciple regularly denounce Ying Hongyue, you are familiar with him as a person. Being able to rapidly build up Red Moon puts him far beyond trash like Blue Moon. Not to mention, Blue Moon is only the second generation of his title!”

Hou Xiaochen placed great importance on Ying Hongyue. In reality, no one dared to not do so. He led one of the three great organizations and could walk around with impunity in the central region. Whoever dared overlook Ying Hongyue did so at their own risk.

“I understand!” Manager Yu said nothing else and prepare to leave.

“You... can also make your preparations!” Hou Xiaochen decided to say when she almost left the office. The secretary’s footsteps paused.

“It’s time to give it a try,” Hou Xiaochen said softly. “Those from Nova and above can try. The drawbacks still cannot be fully resolved for now, but there’s some ways to make up for them. The blood pearls have decent effect, but they are not infinite. There aren’t many Nova level blood pearls and Red Moon will retrieve them all sooner or later...

“So let’s make our moves as fast as possible before Red Moon does so!”

The blood pearls could settle some of the drawbacks of their current situation, but there wasn’t an infinite supply of them. It addressed the symptoms, not the root cause. Only when Yuan Shuo successfully modified his Breathing Method of the Five Styles would it truly address the root cause. So many powerhouses had their eyes on him because of it. It didn’t matter if the method was slightly worse than the blood pearls so long as it was truly suited for the task.

Otherwise, what could they do after the blood pearls ran empty? Not everyone could use external objects to solve an internal problem, and neither was that the proper path!

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