Star Gate-Chapter 1519: Emerging From Demon Summit (II)

Li Hao didn’t say anything else, he was contemplating his second request. He’d first raised the notion of the domain and a sealed off world. Those were still critical, but after witnessing the wonders of dao chess, the young man felt that randomly requesting things would be a waste.

He could experience the domain by himself.

“Senior, if I make it past three thousand and four thousand squares next time, can I raise further requests?”

“You may.”

Li Hao breathed out with relief and decided, “For my second request, I’d like a friend of mine to experience dao chess! He is within range of Skyward.”

“Has he been here before?”

“He has, but he doesn’t seem to have entered dao chess.”

“If he’s been here before, but didn’t enter the chessboard, that means he lacked sufficient fortune,” contemplated the shadow. “Of course, it can also mean that he lacked sufficient affinity with Demon Summit. But since you’ve asked it, I can agree to it. However, are you sure that you wish to give this opportunity to someone else?”

Would someone else covet the treasure if more people kept learning about it? The shadow felt that the kid was thinking too simplistically.

“He helped me a few times. I don’t like to keep owing him favors,” Li Hao laughed. “Not to mention, since the Skyward master placed the dao chess here, he also means to let everyone discuss dao. That person is a cultivator as well. Great daos must be defended against questions and debate for them to become clear!

“While we are still far away from the Skyward master’s level, later descendants have a chance to surpass our forebears when we study their accomplishments. Otherwise, improvement is hard to obtain if the great dao stagnates.”

“Alright then, I will permit this since you don’t mind!” The shadow readily agreed, mostly because Li Hao was a cultivator of time. If not, it would never have agreed to this, assuming it even agreed to the first request.

Dao chess was meant only for those that shared a destiny with it. Did Drouth count among their ranks?

He did!

First, he was a cultivator of the dao of darkness and came from Utmost Dark. The dark envoy had also come from Utmost Dark. Although the latter had shared a few grudges with the Utmost Dark master, he was willing to give some chances to Utmost Dark cultivators.

Second, Drouth had entered Demon Summit with Li Hao—that was another piece of shared destiny. Passing the first test meant that he was worthy of experiencing dao chess, but he hadn’t made good use of this opportunity.

Hence, both Drouth and Li Hao were meant to advance to the second trial. Since Void hadn’t reached the same stage on his visit, that meant he was not meant for dao chess. Destiny was also important to powerhouses at times as well.

“Didn’t you want to comprehend the domain before? Are you giving up on that?” asked the shadow.

“Hardly! I’m just not in a hurry,” laughed Li Hao. ”I’ll come to a new understanding of it next time I enter the Hall of Darkness. There’s no rush to get everything done now!”

“You might make it to sixth rank if you continue to stay here. It won’t take that long—thirty, fifty, or even one hundred years. You’ll make it to the square of extreme yin after one hundred years at best.” The shadow was puzzled by Li Hao’s choice. “Why not stay?”

“I need to take care of some business and repay some favors,” Li Hao sighed. “Debts of gratitude are the hardest to pay off. Not only that, but the senior has also sensed the mountain of debt that I carry.

“Life is carefree and easy when we are not in debt. But when we are... how can I stay here for one hundred years with peace of mind? Not to mention, I have some other things to take care of. My world may be pursued by others right now.”

“That is true, such are the troubles of being human,” smiled the shadow. “Even someone as strong as the Skyward master runs into issues at times. Being a person is not as easy as being a weapon soul.”

“Perhaps!” Li Hao chuckled. “But it’s just as well. What is the point of life when we are without desires or targets? Whether it is pursuing dao or exploring it further, we need to have some life goals and aims. We can’t really set everything aside.

“The great dao is heartless. If we become like the great dao, then what difference is there between man and dao? What will set us apart from the desolate bleakness of the chaos?”

“I don’t understand the human mind.” The shadow said nothing else. Everyone had their own thoughts and pursuits in mind. Since the young man wasn’t in a hurry to study the dao of extreme yin, then it wouldn’t push him.

Contemplating it now might not actually be a good idea. Perhaps the appropriate timing was necessary.

“Then if your friend comes here, he won’t have the right to raise a request after the first one thousand squares, because he hasn’t passed the first trial,” said the shadow. “Are you alright with that?”

“Can he try the first test again?”

“He can...” The shadow didn’t mind. “But you’ve killed all of the dark puppets for the first test. The conditions to recreate it aren’t high. You just need to return all of the dao foundation crystals and distill the first rank’s blood essence as energy for the first rank. I’ll send your friend through it then.”

“......” Pretend I didn’t say anything! That’s not happening!

I’m already being a good friend in letting him experience dao chess. I’d be a fool to return everything I gained from this trip!

“You can’t take the chessboard with you, but the seat cushion of the dark envoy is the heart of an eight rank’s dao,” the shadow couldn’t help but say. “Do you not want it?”

You don’t want even this?

“An eighth rank’s dao of darkness is not a good fit for me.” Li Hao shook his head. “Not unless I comprehended light as well, to meld darkness with light. Or unless I was on the critical cusp of the metamorphosis to seventh rank. I don’t have much use for this otherwise!”

What do I want that for? It’s useless to me! Not to mention, I make further requests at three or four thousand squares. Even if I want it, it’s not now. I’d be less safe with it on me now.

If a powerhouse sees or senses it, more trouble will come for me.

Li Hao understood the complexities of taking that treasure with him.

The shadow didn’t force the issue, simply saying with amusement, “Don’t you want to try to take me down?”

“Is the senior the weapon soul of dao chess?” Li Hao asked with resignation. “If so, then your primary body is an eighth rank major world and dao universe. Being its soul, you’ll be at least sixth rank! Not to mention, the senior has also mentioned that I won’t be able to control you after I take you out.

“Won’t I immediately catch someone’s eye when you spontaneously return to being a major world? Even if I can defeat the senior and take your primary body with me, it won’t do me any good. In that case, why should I do something that doesn’t benefit me at all?

“If the senior isn’t the weapon soul of dao chess, then this is an even more futile course of action. Defeating or even killing you wouldn’t do me any good. It’d just be a waste of time and effort, no?”

“True enough!” Even the shadow was laughing. “Let us leave it at this then! Except... I’m still a little disappointed that you didn’t continue. I wanted to see if you could make it to four or five thousand squares.”

“All in due time!” Li Hao shook his head. “I’m at peak third rank—continuing forward would be a waste! I can’t absorb any more dao strength right now. I hope to comprehend extreme yin by myself in the outside world, balance yin and yang, and then combine the two.

“I might be able to skip the process of energy accumulation if I continue in dao chess, and make it to sixth rank without encountering too many barriers...”

He was indeed giving up on quite a lot by leaving now. If he comprehended extreme yin, entered fourth rank, then continued for another few thousand squares, he might be able to ascend again. This would save him so much time—he couldn’t always be killing people for energy. That would eventually lead to his downfall when he killed too many.

Li Hao’s ledger was clearly marked. Once he made it to the square of extreme yin, he might be able to deepen his understanding of yin and yang becoming one. That would prepare him more for entering seventh rank.

The shadow completely understood that the young man fully knew what he wanted, that he understood everything. He wasn’t acting on impulse, but truly wanting to prepare himself for his next attempt. Once he accumulated sufficient experience, he would reach his goals in one move upon his next passthrough of dao chess.

His direction is clear! the shadow thought approvingly.

The shadow was also blatantly practicing double standards.

Drouth had also possessed clear aims of ascending into sixth rank. His attitude had been firm and hadn’t changed in the slightest, but the shadow had thought of him as reaching beyond his means.

Meanwhile, Li Hao was only third rank, but he only talked about reaching sixth and seventh rank. And yet, the shadow found this to be a great display of resolve.

This was a massive demonstration of double standards!

It might have changed its mind if Drouth had truly been able to set foot into sixth rank and recover from all of his wounds. If he’d inherited the dao heritage of the eighth rank dark envoy, he would’ve even had a chance of setting foot into eighth rank.

Unfortunately, he failed. Therefore, the shadow didn’t think much of him.

It was time for Li Hao to move on. He had another chance at dao chess, anyhow.

“Senior, if I may be so bold to ask, why did the Skyward powerhouses leave?”

“I am unwilling to speak on that.”

Unwilling!

Not you don’t know or can’t, but unwilling!

“Then can the Skyward dao universe be revitalized?”

“Yes!” the shadow answered affirmatively. “Only dao strength was taken away that year, not the dao universe! That means to say that the dao universe has become an empty shell, but it still exists. All daos have just become silent in it, they haven’t withered away.

“The daos still exist, just that Skyward’s heritage has been broken. We are unable to recover it ourselves—the key to doing so may lie with you.”

Me?

“Ah, the heritage of the powerhouses that I’ve gained?” asked a surprised young man.

“Yes.”

“But there are many dao foundation sites on Skyward. There has to be someone who obtained some understanding. Can they not revitalize the dao universe?”

“They have obtained some knowledge... but they can’t make it to seventh rank!” the shadow answered bluntly. “They will be unable to revitalize the dao universe if they do not make it to seventh rank. The right timing is needed for this undertaking! Since they do not possess the right timing for seventh rank, they cannot accomplish this task. That is why I say our hopes may lie with you.”

Alright then! You guys think highly of me, but you’ve got a great eye. I also think I can make it to seventh rank! Li Hao grinned broadly. That’s exactly what I think!

“I’ll be taking my leave then, senior!”

“You can leave as soon as you exit!” A mark flew toward Li Hao; a chessboard seemed to float on his river a moment later. “This is the mark of dao chess. Infuse it with sufficient energy if you’d like to come here. Energy is not needed if you are within Skyward, you can outright activate it! It can be used twice. Once for your friend and once for yourself!”

“My thanks to the senior!” Li Hao readily accepted. Of course, he needed to investigate this mark to make sure it wasn’t a trap. But that can wait until I leave. It’s a bit embarrassing to do that in front of the shadow.