Star Gate-Chapter 1520: Emerging From Demon Summit (III)

Li Hao had reaped quite a rich harvest from his venture into Demon Summit. He’d completed 360 bridges of life and death and set foot into great perfection of third rank. After two thousand squares, he had a decent understanding of a variety of daos. This was an enhancement of his foundations and would be of immense help to his future ascension into fourth rank and beyond.

Being able to experience dao chess one more time was also a great opportunity.

The young man had many dao foundation crystals of darkness on hand. Apart from the ones he’d collected himself, he gained a few more mid rank ones after killing Drouth.

Drouth had accumulated five crystals, three of them fourth rank and two of them fifth rank. He’d drained some of the energy from one of the fifth ranks, but a lot was left.

Apart from these, Li Hao also found several exalted emperor treasures that he didn’t think much of. He didn’t care about treasures anymore, even ones of fifth rank. They were just objects that he wouldn’t absorb or study the dao within. But if he sold them, they would fetch astronomical prices.

If he traded them for treasures that Silver Moon cultivators could use, then perhaps his home might produce a few more exalted emperors.

The caveat was that recipients of his largess were qualified to receive a treasure.

As the saying went, killing and looting people was the path to glory and fortune. He’d made out like a bandit from the exalted emperors that he killed. Demon Summit could stay here for now. The Dragon Observatory leader could continue to stand guard over it!

That guy would probably stop at nothing to hunt him down if he walked off with Demon Summit. The man was a peak sixth rank at the end of the day. He wasn’t someone that Li Hao could antagonize for now.

But more than a little bit of blood essence would be required next time the Dragon Observatory leader wished to access Demon Summit. So many dark puppets had died this time that the full energy of a mid rank might be required for the shadow. Otherwise, it wouldn’t let candidates study anything.

......

The outside world.

Twenty-seven days had gone by. Seeing the deadline of one month draw near, the Dragon Observatory leader was rather confused.

Why was no one out yet? What had happened after they entered the Hall of Darkness? It’d been so long!

It wasn’t that candidates couldn’t stay in the dao foundation site after a month, just that the energy he’d supplied would be completely consumed. He would need to resupply the site with energy if those within wished to emerge.

Would he do so?

It was an enormous consumption of resources.

Next to him, Void was quite unconcerned. That was in stark contrast to the faction leader. Could it be that these people really had gained something?

He’d made it into the Hall of Darkness several times, but was always chased down by too many dark puppets to see or do anything. While they couldn’t kill him, they were the height of irritation. They resurrected whenever he killed them, so he stopped after killing them a few times. It was too much of a hassle!

There were too many dark puppets as well. He usually entered the dao foundation site by himself, which meant that all of the dark puppets chased him after he was inside. It was hard to guarantee victory against several dozen exalted emperors attacking him at the same time.

Li Hao had killed so many because he’d chased down the ones targeting others. He depleted so much energy of darkness in the process that it weakened those chasing him. Otherwise, he would’ve had his hands tied against those chasing him as well.

The first trial was not that easy to pass.

The Dragon Observatory leader’s eyes flicked to the door while he rummaged through his thoughts. It’d just trembled. Someone was coming out!

He quickly focused his attention on it, looking at the figure materializing in the doorway.

Hao Moon!

After experiencing a brief transportation process, Li Hao quickly returned to Dragon Observatory. Two presences immediately appeared in front of him. One of them belonged to the Dragon Observatory leader, the other was Void.

“You’re back,” Void said before the leader had a chance to speak. “You spent a long time in there. It looks like you gained something for your troubles.”

Void ignored the faction leader and inclined his head at Li Hao with a smile. The leader was put out, but suppressed his annoyance.

“Fellow Daoist Hao Moon seems to have reaped quite the harvest!” he laughed. “I almost thought that a third rank was walking out for a moment there. But it turns out that the fellow daoist has yet to enter second rank, more’s the pity.”

Li Hao had once more withdrawn his presence. The long river circulated around him and contained his dao foundation. Regular people were unable to see through the river of life and death, but the Dragon Observatory leader could do so!

The young man was not a first rank! He was a bonafide third rank!

“It is indeed a bit of a pity, but it was so dangerous inside that I only absorbed some energy of darkness on the outside,” Li Hao smiled. “I cultivated for a few days, but it’s not that easy to set foot into third rank!”

He knew that the faction leader might be aware of his true strength, but so what? With the many facets to the man’s personality, would he unmask someone who answered to him?

He wouldn’t!

He might even think it was something that Li Hao wished to keep secret and use it to exert control over him that way.

Li Hao didn’t mind. There was already a grudge between him and the faction leader. The latter had sealed off Demon Summit on two occasions to probe his abilities. If his luck had run a little thin, he might’ve died during those instances.

I’ll give him what for when my strength grows strong enough! I’m not letting you off for this!

The Dragon Observatory didn’t respond to Hao Moon’s reply. He smiled and looked at the door again with confusion. “Has Fellow Daoist Drouth and the others not emerged yet?”

“I don’t know.” Li Hao shook his head. “I didn’t see them.”

He was going to stick to the strategy of not admitting to anything. I won’t admit to it even if you know that I killed all of them. They’re all dead!

Based on what he knew of the leader, dead exalted emperors were less than dogs! Would he make enemies out of Li Hao and Void on account of a few dead exalted emperors?

There were a few mid ranks among Dragon Observatory as of present. Apart from Void, there was also a fifth rank and several fourth ranks. Would the leader erupt in open hostilities with Void for a fifth rank that died as soon as he joined?

Absolutely not!

The Dragon Observatory leader frowned. Are they not out yet? He knew that Li Hao had also entered the Hall of Darkness, but Drouth was a fifth rank. Although Hao Moon was a third rank, and a strong one at that since he’d once killed another third rank...

There was still a massive gap between third and fifth rank!

Therefore, he felt that it was impossible for Drouth to fall to Hao Moon. And since it was impossible to detect anything within the Hall of Darkness, the leader couldn’t immediately determine if Drouth and the rest were still within the building. Were they dead, or were they digesting a encounter with fortune?

The energy that he’d supplied would run dry in a few days. It would be very troublesome for them to emerge then—unless he activated the site again.

“Fellow Daoist Hao Moon, did you really not see Fellow Daoist Drouth and the others?” The Dragon Observatory leader frowned and glanced at Li Hao.

“No!” Li Hao shook his head. “I was a first rank and took a spin around the perimeter. I didn’t find anything, so how could I have seen the powerhouses?”

“......” That was complete bullshit!

The Dragon Observatory leader furrowed his brows and said after a while, “Then let us wait another few days. Once a month is up and the doorway runs out of energy, it will automatically close on its own. I hope they can emerge before then. If not... then I will try to fetch them if a large disturbance rocks the dao foundation site.”

It would be a hassle either way! He would have to expend many resources to activate the doorway again. But that was a fifth rank and two third ranks inside, he couldn’t just leave them be. As for Hao Moon, there was no pretext he could use to bring the young man to heel since Drouth had not emerged yet.

If Drouth had come out as well, the Dragon Observatory leader would take advantage of the opportunity to deepen their conflict. He would drag Void into the matter as well.

But nothing could be done since one of the major players wasn’t here! He was the faction leader, so he couldn’t suppress Hao Moon for no reason at all. That would only make others think that he was a small-minded person who couldn’t tolerate others. He would be making a fool out of himself in front of the other exalted emperors!

The heights that Dragon Observatory had reached were a testament to his skills at maintaining a good facade. So he said nothing for the moment.

“What a pity that Drouth hasn’t come out yet,” Void commented with some regret. “Observatory leader, please let me know at first light when he does.”

The faction leader blinked. What do you mean by that? Let you know at first light? What are you going to do?

Void didn’t explain himself. Obviously I want to ask how he feels about Hao Moon killing some of his subordinates. If he minds, I’ll kill him. That will save us a lot of trouble.

There was no point in indefinitely staying on guard. A fifth rank didn’t amount to much, he could just kill the guy first. Nothing else was on Void’s mind. Denial, breaking his word, exchanging insults... were all courses of action that he wasn’t too familiar with. He couldn’t be bothered conducting his affairs that way either. It was too much trouble.

It was always best to resolve things in an easy and straightforward manner.

Beside him, Li Hao smiled. He understood some of Void’s mood. What an interesting person. The young man hadn’t been excited about anything regarding his visit to Skyward and neither had he met anyone interesting. Only Void was someone with a lot of depth to him, despite the man appearing quiet and withdrawn to others.

“Fellow Daoist Void, let us go. We can leave the leader to keep an eye on things here!” Li Hao smiled at the man. “Thank you for giving me this opportunity, Observatory leader. I have made some gains from it. Please greet Senior Drouth and the others when they come out. I’ll be on my way now!”

The Dragon Observatory leader raised a brow, not entirely comfortable with this exchange.

“Then Hao Moon should go back and rest.” He inclined his head. “This has been a tiring trip. Second and third rank enemies often appear in the dao foundation site. It is quite a feat to survive from the jaws of death.”

He was essentially saying to cut the nonsense, that he knew what Li Hao had done.

The young man didn’t care and merrily left with Void. When they were gone, the Dragon Observatory leader frowned at the door. Why wasn’t Drouth coming out yet? Should he take a look inside?

But it would consume another round of energy for him to enter.

“Three days... I’ll wait another three days. I have to take a look then if he’s still not out!” The operation to hunt the Sword Sovereign was about to begin. The absence of a fifth rank would throw a wrench into the works. Each fifth rank in the group was another degree of potential success.