Star Gate

“Alright!” Manager Yu breathed out softly with a nod. The day had finally arrived to return to being a martial master! She no longer used the name Yu Luocha because she had long ceased to be her. But if she successfully converted back to martial dao, then the Yu Luocha of yesteryear would be back.

“Although I’ve made some preparations, they may not be enough,” Hou Xiaochen was solemn. “If I fail...”

His supernatural abilities would fade away, his physical body would be gravely injured, and he’d be crippled if not outright dead. It wasn’t that easy for a supernatural to convert back to a martial master. The cost of failure was nearly the same as death. Succeeding would also leave a host of problems that might take an even greater opportunity to supplement.

“It will be fine!” Manager Yu didn’t mind. She wasn’t afraid of failure.

“Then go back and spend a few days in quiet training. Don’t bother yourself with minutiae over the next few days.”

“Understood.” The secretary left.

Hou Xiaochen coughed gently when she left and shook his head with a sigh. He looked out the window, wondering if someone had fully dispelled the aftereffects. Those in Silver Moon couldn’t do so. What about the central region? The royal family? The nine ministries? The premier existences within the three great organizations? How were those fellows hiding in the shadows of various provinces doing?

The first person to take a step in this field might ignite a full uproar. Equilibrium was still maintained at the moment. Who knew how many existences like him were out there? They wouldn’t be rare, and they were all waiting for the right timing.

......

At the same time in a place of darkness.

It seemed to be a mountain cave or a karst cave. The surroundings were dark; a figure suddenly appeared in the quiet surroundings.

“Pavilion Master, Li Hao seems to have left White Moon City.”

People in cloaks—Celestial. Celestial powerhouses that oversaw operations in a province were hailed as pavilion masters. Plainly, Half Mountain was present in this locale.

His voice slowly trailed out of the darkness. “Li Hao... isn’t keeping his nose down in White Moon. Red Moon members have come in large numbers to gather in Silver Moon. Yuan Shuo’s disciple is just as bold as him!”

“Do we need to do anything, Pavilion Master?”

“No, just continue to keep an eye on him! Red Moon has operated in the province for many years, Hou Xiaochen won’t uproot all of their plants that easily. He can hoodwink them for a period of time, but not forever. They’ll discover Li Hao’s movements sooner or later! Let’s keep watching for now!”

“Understood!” The cloaked person making a report vanished. Some light appeared in the mountain cave before long. There was more than Half Mountain in the darkness—there was another cloaked individual that’d been deathly silent earlier. The latter was so starkly quiet that the earlier Celestial member hadn’t discovered them.

“Elder, is Li Hao truly the only heir of the eight families?” asked Half Mountain.

Elder.

Celestial was an unusually mysterious organization that even the Night Watchers knew very little about. They were similar to an organization of assassins, killing whoever they were paid to target. Of course, they were paid in cultivation treasures instead of money.

The Night Watchers weren’t too familiar with the Celestial structure. They were the most obscure organization out of the three. The agency only knew some general details, such as the existence of an elder council that contained premier killers.

The elder’s voice was hoarse beneath the cloak. “There might be other survivors, but Li Hao is the only one out in the open! However... maybe that one from Red Moon is also from the eight families. His knowledge of them is greater than ours and Red Moon has been the one making the first move all these years. We have always been limited to following closely behind. Is Ying Hongyue’s surname really Ying?”

Half Mountain fell silent. That was right, Ying Hongyue was also of the Silver Moon martial world. Both Celestial and Yama had previously wondered if he might be of the eight families. There weren’t many clues that pointed either way, and it didn’t affect anything whether he was or not.

After Li Hao was exposed in Silver City and the eight families became widely known, Ying Hongyue no longer bothered to hide anything.

“Should we strike first then? Uncontrollable developments might result if Li Hao is taken by Red Moon. They’ve been extremely cautious and spent a dozen years setting up plans in Silver City in pursuit of the eight families. It’s obvious that they are seeking a great deal!”

“Let’s wait and see...Wwith Hou Xiaochen and the others still here, they won’t let Red Moon succeed!”

“Mmhmm.”

The conversation was over, but Celestial wouldn’t really sit on their hands. As emissaries of the dark, they would continue to keep an eye on things.

......

Two trucks slowly drove out of White Moon. The prosperous city dwindled in the rearview mirror. Li Hao looked ahead and peered around them, looking for balls of light. His departure from the city might’ve drawn some attention. Was anyone following him?

He didn’t notice any supernaturals in pursuit after a while. There were no balls of light within one thousand meters, or perhaps they were so weak that he couldn’t see them.

The trucks traveled down major roads, tossing and jolting along the way. Many people were nodding off after several hours. Only when the trucks traveled through a patch of jungle did the teams struggle back to wakefulness. Li Hao’s voice sounded in their ears before they had further time to think, “Get out of the cars!”

Martial masters quickly jumped off. Some that didn’t react swiftly enough were dragged off by a surge of strength. Two trucks worth of martial masters in black armor were all on the ground. Meanwhile, the trucks continued driving forward.

Large rocks appeared out of thin air in Li Hao’s hands. He shoved them into the carriages and closed the roofs, obscuring the view of whatever was inside. His voice rang in the drivers’ ears, “Keep driving without pause until you reach Flare City. You can alight for food then. We’ll take care of our own meal!”

These were drivers arranged by the Guards, but they weren’t particularly strong. They followed orders to the letter and wouldn’t defy ones from a centurion. The two drivers continued driving without much thought, other than the second car being quieter than before. Chatterbox Li Heng no longer seemed to be talking.

......

Li Hao looked ahead and spoke only when the trucks were far away. “Keep your movements small and don’t leave too many traces behind. We are in the forests of Sky Mountain. We will proceed on foot, reach the peak, and continue after dark!”

The group looked at each other, doubtful of the need for such an action. However, no one objected. Martial masters that knew the particulars of this forest inwardly groaned to themselves. The forest spanned a large area; it wasn’t a long distance to travel straight through it. But going over the top and continuing through it added at least fifty kilometers to the trip. As they were all wearing black armor, even martial masters would find the journey exhausting.

Moments later, a group of fifty-one moved softly and began making their way through the forest, vanishing from the road.

......

Outside the forest of Sky Mountain.

Someone held a pair of specially crafted binoculars and looked intently through them. They frowned when the trucks drove out of the forest. The roofs were open before, why were they closed now? Was it because the sun was too bright, or did the occupants seek to hide something?

Regardless, it made observation difficult. This was one of the drawbacks to martial masters. Nothing was observable if one wasn’t in close quarters, it was quite a hassle. It would be a different case if it was a truck full of supernaturals. They’d stick out like a sore thumb no matter where they went. Powerhouses would easily pick up on their traces.

......

Li Hao’s trip out of White Moon City elicited a great deal of attention. The trucks filled with martial masters were kept in many people’s line of sight. No one drew near for close inspection as they knew that Liu Long was a Dominator and Li Hao was very possibly a Dominator. The auras of Dominators were sensitive things.

It wasn’t until the trucks made it to Flare City and continued to remain still after the drivers returned from lunch that they drew further attention. However, there was still no one who dared approach for a closer look.

The sky eventually grew dark. Meanwhile, a group of rich children drove out in style in a sports car. Handsome young men and beautiful young women had a ball of a time racing to Rift Canyon. They raised some attention, but no one was overly concerned. It was just a group of youngsters seeking fresh air.

Li Hao took the Demon Hunters through several forests and evaded all spots where there were balls of light. Fifty-one people disappeared from the public eye with none the wiser.

......

The outskirts of the Sky Mountain forests.

Night was upon them. Li Hao stood unmoving on the spot like a stone sculpture. Some of the armored warriors behind him panted softly, dog-tired. They’d run all day through mountain trails while being clad in armor. This was true field training—they hadn’t had a bite to eat or a drop to drink.

What was Li Hao doing? Looking for enemies? Searching for members of the three great organizations? But... was this how one searched? They were going to reach Rift Canyon if they continued like this. In that case, it was better to ride in the trucks. It’d be an easier journey.

The Sunderers were holding up, but some of the Slayers could barely stay on their feet. They were beyond exhausted. No expressions were visible since everyone’s faces were obscured by black visors, but resentment was plainly fomenting within the team. They didn’t understand and were discontent with Li Hao’s decision because the young man didn’t offer any explanations.

“Rest here for half an hour,” Li Hao said at this time. “Eat some and drink a bit of water. Relieve yourselves if you must, but do not walk off from your team. Do your business here. We continue after half an hour!”

Someone couldn’t help themselves any longer and muttered, “Question, leader! Where are we headed to?”

“Just follow me!” Li Hao didn’t give a straight answer as he didn’t know what the destination was either. His destination was wherever there were members of the three great organizations.

Liu Long took out some rations and water to split among the team. Apart from Li Hao, he was the only one with a storage ring—the young man had given him the one he wore. After killing Yu Xiao and Huang Jie, Li Hao owned two. He’d given one to Liu Long so that the chief could also be in charge of collections.

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