Star Gate-Chapter 1453: Setting Out (I)

“......” Li Hao was rendered speechless by Celestial Pole’s outburst. “To put it simply, let’s use offensive skill as an example. There are two main factors when it comes to the dao of life and death. First, the extraction of life force! That accelerates aging. While it looks like the passage of time, it’s different.

“The dao of life and death is applicable only to entities that are alive! It’s ineffective on items! I can cause an exalted emperor to die of old age, but I cannot make his weapon decay. Time encompasses life and death. Whether it is the living or items, they can all grow old. Even weapons can be rusted into hunks of metal given sufficient time!

“Second, if life force can be extracted, so can death force! I can force someone on the brink of death to hover on the edge of life as I continuously extract death force from them. I can also inject death force into someone and kill them that way!”

It sounded simple, but was horrifying to the group. Being able to extract life force or inject death qi into someone, causing even exalted emperors to age, was exceedingly terrifying.

It was very hard for exalted emperors to grow old. But based on Li Hao’s meaning, he should be able to do it.

“Can yin and yang not do the same?”

“No...” Li Hao shook his head. “Of course, any dao will do when you’re strong enough. If you’re strong enough, you can hack an exalted emperor into two when you grab ahold of him. There’s no difference even when death is upon you!

“Whether it is yin and yang, or life and death, each has its own unique characteristics. But for the moment, the dao of yin and yang looks to be simply the reversal of yin and yang. Being able to come back from the dead is impressive enough already!”

Celestial Pole didn’t say anything else when he heard these words. Those of New Martial didn’t understand much when it came to the great dao. They focused on their own dao when they reached the exalted emperor level and didn’t comprehend much of other daos.

“Then... do you think you’d be able to defeat the previous chaos beast if it appeared now?” Celestial Pole changed the topic. He only knew that he himself was stronger than the chaos beast, but not as strong as the Red Moon exalted emperor that came after.

He was a peak second rank exalted emperor, not yet in the third rank. That was also a very long time ago, even if only fifty years had passed in the chaos universe.

The New Martial powerhouses should’ve kept up a fast rate of improvement since they marched in all directions for their conquest. If his primary body was lucky, he wouldn’t be weaker than the Red Moon exalted emperor.

What Celestial Pole wanted to know was if Li Hao could swiftly enter this level given the fact that he’d ascended from the dao of life and death.

The young man laughed and didn’t respond.

Celestial Pole blinked, understanding the noncommittal reply and silently cursed to himself. Fucking hell! So you really can defeat it?

It was Number Two that spoke up in a barely audible grumble, “He definitely can... Li Hao could handle a regular exalted emperor before he ascended. Now that he’s officially progressed to the exalted emperor level, he most assuredly can. Not to mention, the dao of life and death is not a simple construct either!”

While the group was surprised, they were also excited. For an exalted emperor to be born in Silver Moon, and not a weak one at that, would serve to benefit the entire world!

Li Hao had quickly set foot into the exalted emperor level. He’d also done so from the very beginning of cultivation and remained in peak condition the entire time. There was no period of weakness, decline, or aging involved. His physical body was one of the youngest and most perfect specimens there were.

A Li Hao in this stage should see even greater improvement in the days to come.

“How will you increase your strength after setting foot into the exalted emperor level?” Yuan Shuo asked. “It appears that there are differences between exalted emperors, that there are weak and strong ones...”

“For now, I will continue to focus on the dao of life and death!” Li Hao said. “I’ll also strengthen the other daos at the same time and enhance my cultivation overall. But it will be difficult for a metamorphosis to take place under such circumstances. It’s best to train in more major daos if I wish to undergo a fundamental change.

“For example, I can cultivate yin and yang, thereby inducing an overall improvement in the river of dao with yin and yang as the foundation. That will facilitate my second metamorphosis...”

“Second metamorphosis?” asked Celestial Pole. “Like the one the Red Moon exalted emperor went through?”

“No, he didn’t complete his!” Li Hao shook his head. “I should be able to match the guy when I grow a bit stronger in the dao of life and death. The metamorphosis I speak of isn’t the kind he sought, but one of a more sophisticated level!”

Celestial Pole quirked his eyebrow and looked at Zhang An.

“We’re not that certain how the chaos categorizes exalted emperors either,” Zhang An mentioned. “But I once journeyed through another major world and heard that there are several major stages to exalted emperors. They’re typically divided into the limits of masters of minor worlds, mid worlds, and major worlds.

“The metamorphosis you speak of... should be the second one that occurs after one sets foot into the master of a mid world. That is the transformation of one’s limits...”

Li Hao nodded thoughtfully at these words. “Those who have reached the exalted emperor emperor level have all comprehended dao and brought it into their body. Even the chaos beast practiced a type of body dao!

“If we look at it from the perspective of a minor, mid, and major world, then we can indeed separate it into three stages. Each stage is defined by its respective powerhouses! The chaos beast and the Red Moon exalted emperor probably resided in the first stage, as did Bone Eclipse...

“So this means to say that prior to the metamorphosis, the first stage can be divided into three phases!” Li Hao took a breath. “It looks like there’s quite a differentiation between exalted emperors! When it comes to New Martial, I can tell from what the seniors have said that Senior Celestial Pole is probably within the first stage. Those such as the Exalted Blood Emperor are in the second stage, and those such as the Human King or Ash Emperor reside within the third stage!”

New Martial really was very strong. Apart from the Ash Emperor and Human King, it was said that the Sun God had also set foot into this stage. There was also the Heavenly Emperor who’d been struck down back in the day. Who knew if he’d been part of the second or third stage?

Regardless, they weren’t people that Li Hao could stand up to for the moment. He was far removed from them!

New Martial could also be set aside for now. The key lay with Red Moon major world!

That was a major world that could rival or even eclipse New Martial. If Silver Moon encountered Red Moon, the latter wouldn’t hesitate at all before taking action.

After all, Silver Moon had already killed two Red Moon exalted emperors!

Based on their current understanding of the situation, if a powerhouse of the first stage—such as the Red Moon exalted emperor—came across them, the combination of Li Hao, Panther, the combined masters of dao, and Number Two should be sufficient to deal with him. They would stand a chance of killing the exalted emperor in return.

But if they faced a second stage powerhouse... that was different. That would probably prove beyond their capabilities again.

“We know too little about the chaos!” Li Hao frowned slightly at the unending void. “And we have no way to seek out New Martial at this moment... So our best bet is to find a wandering rogue that’s friendly enough and not too strong. We can learn a few things from them—at least the basic layout of the chaos!”

All of their knowledge now was based on speculation. They were drifting around randomly at the moment; it would be very troublesome if they floated into the territory of another major world.

“I’ve perfected the dao of life and death a bit more after the ascension of the world.” The young man turned to the rest. “Martial Uncle Hong, Hongyu, and Gan Wuliang—you guys have a great chance of swiftly progressing to exalted emperor!”

The three looked at each other. Really? How come we don’t sense it?

“Hongyu, you just need to study the star of life and death that I formed before,” Lin Hongyu continued. “You won’t have much of a problem then! You’ll be an exalted emperor of life and death once you succeed, but you’ll be a little less than me. Your foundations aren’t as deep as mine!”

Lin Hongyu didn’t mind this, something else was on her mind. “So... does that mean I need to be reborn like you?”

Was that... a good idea?

“That’s the best way to go about it!” Li Hao answered. “You’re like me and once summoned your future self. Your future self is dead, so that may have left many marks on you. Walking the path again shouldn’t be too tough. The key is, you’ll come out younger after that. You might break through quickly, just like me, and you won’t be in your thirties anymore...”

“......” Lin Hongyu jerked to a halt. I... really want to cuss you out, y’know?

The others were equally speechless. Was that really his primary concern? Was there a difference between thirty, three hundred, and even thirty thousand years old to an exalted emperor? Aren’t you asking for too much, Li Hao?

Didn’t the kid have a very open mind? So what if his wife was a little older than him?

Lin Hongyu had no idea what to say, so she ignored the topic. “If I walk the path of life or death, won’t I have to face the chaos tribulation as well? You can withstand it, but I probably can’t! You’re not only an exalted emperor of life and death, but your sword intent is very strong too. You also dabble in other daos. My comprehension of dao doesn’t run as deep as yours, so can I weather a tribulation of life and death?”

She was not Li Hao.

Not every cultivator of life and death could survive a tribulation upon their breakthrough. Then there wouldn’t be a point to a chaos tribulation. It was meant to test and kill exalted emperors of life and death.

Li Hao could easily resolve a tribulation because the strongest ace in his arsenal was not just a dao of life and death.

“You won’t have much trouble with it!” Li Hao nodded. “You dao star has entered my river of life and death, which means that we cultivate the same dao. If it comes down to it, I can lend you the strength of dao in my river when you experience your tribulation. You’ll get past the finish line, one way or another!

“There should only be nine thunderbolts to that tribulation, with the final one possibly the full strength of a chaos beast. You won’t have much of a problem after you block it!”

The group was both envious and apprehensive when they heard the analysis. The full strength of a chaos beast was also something frightful to contend with. It was possible for a newly ascended exalted emperor, one whose strength was yet to transform, to be outright pummeled to death with one blow.

This was not a path for everyone. Lin Hongyu could do it because she was part of Li Hao’s river of dao. She could utilize his foundation to forcefully endure the trial.

As the saying goes, when one person becomes an immortal, even his chickens and dogs can soar to the heavens!

Celestial Pole and the others were not surprised by this potential turn of events. When the Human King and his comrades succeeded, many forcefully ascended to exalted emperor level thanks to their association with the Human King. That was another kind of rising tide that lifted all boats. There were such opportunities in every age.