Star Gate-Chapter 1459: Skyward Major World (I)
“The Human King can kill seventh rank exalted emperors, but I’m still the weakest type of first rank. According to what Zu An says, I can wander the chaos for the rest of my life and still not have a hope of entering seventh rank...” Li Hao suddenly looked behind him. He was going to make it back one day. The Red Moon master was an eighth rank exalted emperor!
The Human King and Supreme Zhang might have their own considerations in mind for attacking the two major worlds. But in Li Hao’s eyes, they’d done so to distract everyone from Silver Moon and the reopened Star Gate.
If it wasn’t for New Martial’s actions, Red Moon might have sent more people that day. Perhaps even the Red Moon master himself might’ve come.
“I need to get back to Red Moon Region... but before that, I need to accumulate enough strength!”
Skyward, the major world renowned for housing chaos wanderers, lay up ahead. As for how unruly it was... that was for the best, wasn’t it?
Where would opportunities come from if everything was in perfect order?
Li Hao came a decision moments later.
Panther and the rest could find a place to hide first; Li Hao would run reconnaissance on Skyward and wait for Lin Hongyu and the rest to become exalted emperors. Granted, the woman would need his help to ascend. She was still accumulating her foundations at present and in no rush.
With these decisions made, Li Hao no longer hesitated. He notified Panther and transmitted a message to the Silver Moon heavyweights. After that, he left.
A broad grin stretched the young man’s lips when he was far away. Damn if this didn’t feel good!
He was reluctant to leave at first, but when he recalled that this would bring him in contact with countless exalted emperors... he was abruptly very excited.
Silver Moon would always be there, so long as it didn’t encounter any danger. It wasn’t like he would never be able to go home. There was nothing to be reluctant about!
A jubilant Li Hao tore through the void like a horse off the reins. It wasn’t possible for him to set off in the wrong direction. Someone was certainly making trouble for the Human King if he couldn’t determine the wrong way. It was clear that there was much more habitation to the north. Li Hao could smell it!
......
Skyward major world.
Its ponderous mass hovered in the void; it would take exalted emperors a month to circumnavigate it. That kind of distance was nothing in the grand scheme of the chaos, but it was unfathomable when it came to a world.
Prior to Silver Moon’s ascension, Li Hao was able to spontaneously travel from south to north when he was an exalted emperor. And yet, this major world required a month!
It was clear to see from that how big it was, and Skyward lacked a master!
It’d lacked a master since many years ago. To some exalted emperors, the Skyward master was a legend, a myth. He’d left the world countless years ago.
There was also another set of rumors that everyone in Skyward was dead.
But that didn’t seem plausible either. In its heyday, Skyward had a master that was a ninth rank exalted emperor. Its high rank exalted emperors were more than could be counted, and low rank exalted emperors were cabbages by the side of the road.
No one felt that such a world could fall apart, and soundlessly at that. That was too frightening and impossible.
With the departure of the Skyward master, the world became the base camp for chaos wanderers. Countless wanderers descended from all directions, coming from endless worlds. This locale was a picture of thriving prosperity after so many years and newcomers poured in almost every second.
There was a door set up in each of the cardinal directions, each of them bearing witness to a grand hustle and bustle. Here, one could discover that there were a lot of people in the chaos. It wasn’t as empty as Li Hao had experienced for the past month.
......
In front of a massive threshold.
Li Hao stepped up, looking slightly different from before. A current of desolate stillness circled around him, like he was a dead spirit!
It was better to keep a low profile and disguise oneself outside. Even the Zu An of before might not be a good person. He simply chose to be good for once possibly because he felt that he couldn’t take down Silver Moon. But if he grabbed a few friends in Skyward and was certain that Li Hao would come... that would be latent danger.
Despite knowing that Skyward was right ahead of him, this was as far as Li Hao could proceed for now. It was best to avoid this kind of danger as much as possible.
There are people in front of the door and even a massive dragon coiled over it. It seemed to be the guardian of this locale. Skyward may lack a master, but that didn’t mean it lacked factions. Li Hao looked around, on high alert.
A powerful presence swiftly approached him—not an exalted emperor, but an Empyrean King. It didn’t posture arrogantly as those who could travel alone through the chaos were almost certainly exalted emperors at a minimum.
“Greetings to the exalted emperor senior!” Its mental ripples pulsed politely when it saw Li Hao. “I am Big Claw of the Dragon Observatory in Skyward major world. I stand guard at Skyward’s southern gate! If I may ask, is this the senior’s first visit to Skyward, or are you a frequent guest?”
“It’s my first time here...” Li Hao inclined his head. The being welcoming him was exceedingly polite, but it didn’t seem to be human.
“Does the senior need a guide? You may not be familiar with Skyward. If you are in need, Dragon Observatory can supply you with a guide for free. All matters can be handled through the guide. If you encounter trouble, you can ask the Observatory for help at any time.
“The master of Dragon Observatory, Exalted Emperor Dragon, is a sixth rank exalted emperor and rivals some masters of major worlds...”
Some masters of major worlds were indeed only sixth rank, these words were not false. Li Hao, however, blinked.
Sixth rank? Hot damn! That strong??
According to his calculations, he would have to take the path of life and death to the end, then yin and yang to the end to have a chance of reaching sixth rank. And as of present, he didn’t have an inkling of a clue when it came to the dao of yin and yang.
A sixth rank exalted emperor was not someone to provoke. The Red Moon exalted emperor that he’d spent so much time and effort to almost-not-kill was only a third rank.
“There is no need for the senior to be worried about anything,” Big Claw continued. “If the senior thinks that Dragon Observatory is a good place, you can decide to join us at any time. If you do not feel the need for such an action, then let us form friendly relations.
“The chaos is vast beyond imagination and we might be able to look out for each other if there is a chance meeting elsewhere in the future!”
“Is this... Dragon Observatory territory?” Li Hao’s interest was piqued.
“Not entirely!” Big Claw quickly answered. “Skyward is a world without a master. There are domain gates at the four cardinal directions. Factions large and small abound within Skyward. Of them, four of the strongest have claimed guardianship rights over the doors!
“This primarily facilitates befriending powerhouses and aiding each other. It ensures a better life for all of us in the chaos...” Big Claw possessed a silver tongue.
Dragon Observatory had paid a steep price to obtain one of the guardianships. However, it was worth it as there were many exalted emperors within the chaos.
That didn’t mean all visitors were exalted emperors, however. It was possible for some adventurers to be Empyrean Kings or even Saints. Even though the journey was fraught with danger, that didn’t mean it was impossible. Powerhouses of major worlds sometimes brought their descendants along to broaden their horizons.
There weren’t that many exalted emperors willing to join a faction lacking a world of their own. Hence, the factions stationed at Skyward would love nothing more than to recruit every passing exalted emperor.
It was a good trade even if they had to pay a price for their new members. Each exalted emperor was a treasure. If they could utilize their guardianship of the domain gates to recruit some, then it was a worthwhile transaction of all of the factions.
The idea of a guide or anything else wasn’t worth mention to exalted emperors! As for entrance fees or whatnot, there was even less of a need for that. It would only serve to highlight how petty that particular faction was.
Those on duty weren’t guards either. They remained here for the chance to befriend exalted emperors.
Li Hao nodded with understanding. And here he thought that Big Claw was coming to collect a toll! So the other was here to strike up conversation with heavyweights.
“I’m just a newly risen, first rank exalted emperor...” smiled the young man.
“Those who are able to become an exalted emperor are the rarest of dragons and phoenixes!” Big Claw quickly refuted. “How many exalted emperors are there in the infinite chaos? Even an immense major world only hosts a hundred or so exalted emperors, yet how many beings exist in a major world? One hundred billion? One trillion? One out of ten billion... Please don’t shock us with such words, senior!”
Li Hao truly laughed this time. And here I thought exalted emperors were worthless. But it turns out that even a faction spearheaded by a sixth rank exalted emperor treats me with utmost politeness. They’re not as arrogant as I thought at all.
I’d thought I would need to scrape and bow.
There were a few more beings behind Big Claw. Some looked human, the others weren’t human. And needless to say, the dragon on top of the door was a monster spirit.
When they saw the young human look their way, even the dragon dipped its head to indicate respectful acknowledgement.
How interesting!
Based on Zu An’s sharing, he’d thought that this would be a place of utter mayhem. Perhaps he’d be embroiled in a fight as soon as he arrived!
Li Hao didn’t know much about Skyward. Although Zu An had shared some information with him, the other had also mentioned that it’d been many years since he visited. What he knew might be out of date.
A guide...
Since he was newly arrived, he could do with a guide. Li Hao wasn’t about to leap into action as soon as he arrived. There were too many exalted emperors here; he needed to be careful.
“Then I shall trouble you for a guide...”
“What do you think about me, senior?” Big Claw quickly said. “I can lead the way...”
Li Hao blinked. Don’t you need to stand guard at the door?
“We wait here for exalted emperors!” Big Claw quickly explained, guessing at Li Hao’s thoughts. “Some places might be dangerous as exalted emperors travel through Skyward. You can leave any minor matters in our hands!”
There was no point in being a guide if they were too weak. An exalted emperor would leave them behind with one step. Delaying the august one’s business might arouse the exalted emperor’s ire. Although Empyrean King seemed to be one step away from exalted emperor... some Empyrean Kings were unable to take that little step for their entire lives.
One that was luckier could receive some pointers or benefits from those they showed around. If they were too weak, they wouldn’t understand the dao that exalted emperors spoke of.
Granted, such opportunities were very rare and the one in front of Big Claw was just a first rank. There probably wouldn’t be much to gain here, but a first rank exalted emperor was a first rank nonetheless.
