Star Gate-Chapter 1473: Fellow Daoist (I)

Countless thoughts drifted through Big Claw’s mind. He mused over them, coming to a certain understanding.

“Senior,” he said after a while. “What... should I do? How should I respond?”

“You’re asking me?” Li Hao burst out laughing. “Just be straight with them, including my agreement to fight that one. You can speak of what you’ve seen and heard, but refrain from voicing any speculation. The more you say about that, the more mistakes you commit!”

Speak of these events? If Big Claw did, then wouldn’t Li Hao’s neutralization of the two exalted emperors with the echoes of dao be completely wasted?

The young man seemed to see right through him. “Dragon Observatory didn’t care about this before. But now that you guys are paying attention, of course you’ll be aware that I went out once. In that case, there’s no need to hide anything.

“It’s not like there’s no one around the southern gate. I and that one both set foot through it. It’s all in the records. Your doomsday will be nigh if you conceal it!”

Big Claw jerked with alarm. That was right! He’d almost forgotten about this!

“My thanks... my thanks to the senior for your pointers!” He swallowed hard.

Li Hao laughed. What pointers? What did he point out?

Big Claw quickly sprang into action and transmitted his report. His heart shook. Was it... really alright to put it this way? An exalted emperor had disappeared!

Not to mention, was the person in front of him a New Martial powerhouse or the new king of Silver Moon? Big Claw wasn’t certain either. Logically speaking, the new king of Silver Moon shouldn’t be this powerful, right?

More thoughts appeared in Big Claw’s mind. In this moment, he felt that there was an enormous gap between himself and these exalted emperors. He couldn’t read their intentions at all, but they knew full well what he was contemplating.

Li Hao looked up at the sky. Dragon Observatory... might come for me soon. A sixth rank exalted emperor! Perhaps he’ll personally send for me.

Damn, I’ve really got balls, huh! What happened to keeping a low profile?

Li Hao grinned. So what? It wasn’t that he was invincible, just that he wasn’t afraid. But not being afraid didn’t mean that he could match a sixth rank exalted emperor. He just didn’t feel any pressure.

He’d met quite a few high ranked exalted emperors in his time, whether for purposes of seeking dao or to consult with them. These high ranks either helped him or were a threat to him. Regardless, they were a rare sight in this journey of life.

Even if he turned out to be enemies with the master of Dragon Observatory—and a dangerous one considering the other was sixth rank—dangers abounded on the path of cultivation. Hadn’t he anticipated this moment when he left Silver Moon?

Whether it was Red Moon or Dragon Observatory, they were just rocks on his road of great dao. He would either move them aside or pulverize them. If the way ahead was blocked, what regrets would he have in death after witnessing the glories of life?

If an exalted emperor of life and death couldn’t see beyond life and death, how could he cultivate it?

Li Hao abruptly came to some spontaneous realizations about the dao of life and death. There was no need to fear or dread death, but one needed to respect it!

One would be perfectly fine dying in the evening if they reached enlightenment in the morning, but that was predicated on reaching enlightenment first. Death was not frightening, but a meaningless, insignificant death was horrifying.

Dying for no reason at all was not cultivation. Even the dao of life and death was not pursued in such a way.

A multitude of thoughts rose in Li Hao’s mind. He said nothing and began cultivating. Apart from the exalted emperor that he’d killed previously, there was also a Red Moon exalted emperor in his river of life and death.

A third rank exalted emperor!

Much of that one’s energy had been incorporated into Silver Moon and become the cultivation resource for several powerhouses. Quite a bit of it had also melded into Li Hao’s river of life and death. Today, the young man digested a portion of it.

Although he hadn’t risen to second rank after listening to two seventh rank lectures, he identified a more concrete direction for his own dao. Life and death was still the core of his cultivation at present!

It will take some time for life and death to metamorphose... The conversion of life and death means I am alive one second and dead the next. Everything is a function of my thoughts!

Li Hao realized clearly. He would need to undergo a metamorphosis to enter the third stage. More was needed for the fourth stage.

The conversion of life and death is best conducted through coalescing a millstone of life and death through their respective energies! They can permeate the river of life and death, integrating with yin and yang!

I will have 360 meridians of corporeal dao and 360 meridians of immaterial dao. Each of them combining with their counterparts will make for 360 bridges of life and death!

Li Hao had come to a deeper understanding of his path in a spontaneous moment of enlightenment. He walked the path of all daos being one, but for the moment, he focused on life and death.

While he’d already started blending the corporeal and immaterial daos, that fusion wasn’t strong enough to integrate with life and death. He still needed to craft 360 bridges of life and death between that dao itself, making it the foundation of the river and his body the world barrier. Only then could he swiftly set foot into the third stage of life and death for a metamorphosis.

The young man was currently lost in thought. He’d always wondered what the next steps were to be after combining the 360 dao meridians. The two Skyward exalted emperors had given him some inspiration today.

There wasn’t only one path to dao, just as there wasn’t only one type of fire dao. Likewise, there were multiple forms of body dao. All sorts of daos in the world had their various paths. He needed to split his apart!

He would split the 360 daos into even finer components!

That way, his river of life and death would be the foundation of his dao. He would then coalesce the Hao Moon sword dao and the move of one thousand sword daos. By that point, the move would no longer be the flimsy contraption that it currently was!

Next to him, Big Claw waited silently for Dragon Observatory’s reaction. He was extremely apprehensive. What consequences would arise from these actions? Would Dragon Observatory arrest this person first, or pretend to be amenable while stalling for time?

He didn’t know what these exalted emperors were thinking of and neither did he know his guest’s name. He only knew that the young man called himself the Exalted Hao Moon Emperor!

Hao Moon... Silver Moon!

While the two names were different, that didn’t stop Big Claw’s thoughts from racing wildly. He looked at Li Hao again and saw that the young man seemed to be contemplating something. Big Claw’s unease grew.

It was then that Li Hao suddenly lifted his head. Big Claw’s expression shifted moments later as the void rippled.

A figure appeared in the air.

“This subordinate greets the Exalted Void Emperor!” Big Claw quickly called out when he recognized the person.

The Exalted Void Emperor! This was one of Dragon Observatory’s few mid rank exalted emperors, a fourth rank emperor!

Although the faction leader was sixth rank, that didn’t mean there were numerous mid rank exalted emperors within Dragon Observatory. The truth was exactly the opposite. Mid ranks would rather join the banner of a major world, if they were to join anyone at all. They wouldn’t be tempted by a sixth rank emperor without a world!

Therefore, of the mid rank exalted emperors in Dragon Observatory, there were only three apart from the leader. Two fourth ranks and one fifth rank.

This level of strength was already staggering enough. Four mid level exalted emperors!

Any one of them could call the shots in the faction. They weren’t the subordinates that answered to others. Even the faction leader treated them with respect. When he sent them out on missions, he motivated them through profit, not simply commands.

Otherwise, any major world in the vast chaos would welcome the addition of a mid rank exalted emperor. Why did they have to stay with a sixth rank exalted emperor?

And yet, Big Claw’s report had brought the presence of a fourth rank as soon as he made it. It was clear to see from this just how much Dragon Observatory valued this development.

Li Hao didn’t immediately pay attention to the newcomer. He finished rummaging through his thoughts before inclining at the waist. “Li Hao of Hao Moon world greets the exalted emperor!”

The Exalted Void Emperor appeared young. He wasn’t put out by Li Hao’s slow response. Instead, he’d spent the time probing the surroundings.

“It is I who am imposing upon you.” He nodded slightly with a smile. “I have interrupted the fellow daoist from comprehending dao!”

“The Exalted Void Emperor is too polite!”

Both sides exchanged some pleasantries. Some linger questions nagged at Void’s heart. Had there been some dao echoes here just now? They seemed very faint, but were well and truly here! And yet... the appearance of dao remnants should cause quite a commotion that stretched for a certain range.

The Dragon Observatory exalted emperor was baffled. Added to that the newcomer’s self-identification... he’d never heard of the Hao Moon world before.

Li Hao?

A Li surname... A variety of names abounded in the chaos. They could be more or less compared on a similar level when translated, but the type of name that came with a surname and given name resembled New Martial custom!

Based on what he knew, there were a lot of Li surnamed powerhouses in New Martial. The Sword Sovereign was named Li Changsheng. The Suppression King was named Li... something or another. His surname was Li, anyhow. There was also Nether King Li Zhen. He was apparently a descendent of the Suppression Sovereign. Regardless, he was a formidable sword cultivator as well.

The newcomer was named Li Hao and the Sword Sovereign had ruled over Silver Moon for a period of time.

Silver Moon. Hao Moon.

The fourth rank exalted emperor couldn’t help but assess Li Hao. This was a very young human. He could sense how young Li Hao was from his life force.

But as young as he was... dao echoes floated over him. He was not an ordinary exalted emperor!

While some exalted emperors were of the cultivation level, they didn’t have the least bit of dao foundation. They’d reached their heights through sheer, dumb luck. As such, their comprehension of dao was feeble.

Given that he was a mid rank exalted emperor, Void didn’t think much of people like that. They might be strong, but they were still worthless. If one did not comprehend the dao during their cultivation, then it all amounted to nothing in the end.

Since he truly cultivated the dao, he looked at Li Hao with a few hints more of approval. Even if the newcomer was first rank, he was better than some second and third ranks. Not to mention, if what Big Claw said was true and the young man really had killed an exalted emperor in the blink of an eye, then he was incredible.

Is he the New Martial Human King?

This was why it was Void coming and not the daoist of Dragon Observatory. According to Big Claw’s assessment, this person might be the Human King in disguise.

But it was apparent from a quick glance that the newcomer was not the Human King. They were completely different!

While Void had never seen the Human King before, he was familiar with the man’s style and personality. Li Hao was plainly far removed from that image.