Star Gate-Chapter 1521: Emerging From Demon Summit (IV)

At the same time.

Void’s Hall.

Li Hao and Void returned together. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

“How many did you kill?” Void looked at Li Hao.

“Five!”

“As many as I expected,” Void laughed. “Drouth will probably piss himself with rage.”

“He’s too dead to piss himself.”

Void blinked and looked at Li Hao.

“The dark puppets got to one of the second ranks,” Li Hao explained.

“......”

The fuck!

Void didn’t say anything; he stared off into space. You killed a fifth rank?! How is that possible??

He hadn’t seen a chaos tribulation descend anywhere. Even though Li Hao had been in Demon Summit, he would’ve attracted a chaos tribulation if he borrowed strength. A chaos tribulation would’ve descended even if he’d borrowed from an eighth rank. No target would be an exception.

The absence of a chaos tribulation was how Void was certain the young man had done no such thing. Since he hadn’t, how had he killed a fifth rank?

It wasn’t possible for the young man to do so, even though he’d entered third rank! He would be too horrifying if that’d actually happened!

“He did it to himself,” Li Hao explained. “He’d already suffered enormous injuries to his great dao, but insisted on picking a fight with me. He died after I stabbed him once!”

It was a simple explanation, but Void knew that the truth was anything but.

“Amazing!” he breathed. “Fifth rank... To be honest, I can kill one too and I have the confidence that I can kill him, but it wouldn’t have been easy for me to do so! You’re something!”

“You praise me too highly!” Li Hao smiled radiantly. “Ah, does the fellow daoist know about dao chess?”

“Dao chess?” Void blinked. “I’ve heard a little about it, how the Skyward master once killed a rival and completely refined the other’s world into a chessboard. I don’t know the particulars, however. Did you come across it?”

“Yes.”

“Here?”

“Yes.”

“What an amazing opportunity!” Void was astonished. “A treasure refined from an entire dao universe is surely an incredible thing! Congratulations, fellow daoist!”

“Are you jealous?” Li Hao smirked.

“A little.” Void burst out laughing. “But sometimes, what’s yours is yours and what isn’t yours cannot be forced, no matter how hard you try. I’ve entered Demon Summit before, but did not come across it. That means I do not share a destiny with it, so that’s alright.”

“I got to know the weapon soul of dao chess and reached an agreement with it that the fellow daoist can experience it once. It’ll be fun!” Li Hao grinned. “I won’t go into specifics, but I guarantee that it will be interesting and an enormous help to you.”

Void, however, frowned slightly in response.

“The fellow daoist has helped me greatly during my visit to Skyward,” Li Hao continued. “Since we hail each other fellow daoist, a give and take is the norm! It would not be a friendship if only one side is putting forth effort all the time.

“Troubles will crop up in that kind of relationship before long. Whether you become disillusioned or I feel guilty, it would harm our friendship regardless.’

“Then, very well,” Void nodded. “I don’t know what I can gain from dao chess, but since you say that it can help me, it must be something incredible! Yet, I only helped you with trivial details during your trip...”

“Nothing is ever trivial!” Li Hao smiled. “It’s an interplay of going back and forth! You help me, I help you, which perpetuates our friendship. It would be hard to continue the exchange otherwise.”

“Very well!” Void nodded again. “So does that mean you’ll be gone while I study dao chess?”

“Yes.”

“Are you not going to come with us?”

“Your side will mostly be mid ranks.” Li Hao shook his head. “That makes things a bit inconvenient! Not to mention, it’s too hard for me to go against mid ranks at the moment. You and I may not be undertaking the same mission either. I’ll take my leave first. We can meet again in the chaos if the right opportunity presents itself!”

“We most certainly will.” Void nodded without regret. “Although the chaos is large, everything is centered on Red Moon Region these days. Our paths will cross, sooner or later! Then I’ll enter the dao chess after you leave.”

“How about you send me off when I leave? I’ll see you into the dao chess then!”

Void nodded, that worked too. This would save both of them some trouble.

The two didn’t speak of too much and neither did they discuss upcoming plans involving the Sword Sovereign. Whether or not Void would really pursue the New Martial powerhouses was also not a topic of conversation.

Those were all personal choices. The two spent their time discussing dao, rarely mentioning other topics.

If Void truly marched off to attack New Martial and was killed in return, then that was his fate. And if he killed someone from New Martial, the civilization’s heavyweights would naturally be out for his head in return.

It wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that the two might meet each other on opposing sides of combat at their next meeting.

“Then I’ll take a break for a day and see if I can trade for treasures inside the city tomorrow. I’ll go to Coiled Dragon Well the day after tomorrow and leave in a few more days.”

“Do you have treasure to trade?” Void smiled. “You can ask me. I have channels in which to conduct trade. Since you’ve killed exalted emperors of Dragon Observatory, it would be a bit of a slap in the face if you traded your loot here.”

“True enough!” Li Hao smiled, this was just as well. As for what channels Void had access to, whether they were owned by a major world or some other faction, the young man let that be. The answers didn’t matter!

“In addition... I’d like to ask fellow daoist for a map of the chaos. It needs to depict Red Moon Region and Skyward Region at the very least. You have that, right?”

“I do!” Void nodded; such a map was comparably precious. Those with the right to roam the chaos were exalted emperors, and only premier existences could finish walking through two regions. They would possibly be seventh ranks.

Maps made by those kinds of existences were certain to be extraordinary.

But... so what if he gave Hao Moon a copy? Light major world had them, and it didn’t matter if he copied one of them.

The two conversed calmly for a while. Li Hao took out several dozen dao foundation crystals of darkness, as well as all of the treasures he’d collected from his victims. He didn’t know how much they were worth.

He had only one goal in mind with his trades—obtain items useful for those below exalted emperor.

Void was a wealthy individual; he simply scanned the loot once before throwing it all into his storage ring. Even the dao foundation crystals that everyone would flock after only drew a few more glances from him.

He would send someone to trade them all in.

Light was a major world with an eighth rank in residence; it was formidable without comparison and had too many treasures to count. Li Hao just wanted ones below exalted emperor, yet was offering exalted emperor-level treasures in return. To be honest, no one would normally seek to make this trade.

Then again, it wasn’t unusual that Li Hao was choosing to do so.

These items were hotcakes and would strengthen Light after Void took them back. Although the dao foundation crystals were of darkness, darkness and light went hand in hand, despite their opposing natures. This was a concept that everyone understood at the exalted emperor level, so there would be high demand for these dao crystals!

Li Hao didn’t mention a minor world. If he had, his loot would be sufficient to trade for several minor worlds and possibly even a mid world.

Void left after the two exchanged a few more words. He needed to go set the transactions in motion. Li Hao was going to leave soon; Void needed some time to make the trip. Thankfully, there were representatives of Light stationed on Skyward.

I just wonder if their reserves are enough?

......

On the other hand, the waiting Dragon Observatory leader had long cursed Drouth with every single insult he knew.

Why aren’t you out yet?! You piece of trash! Hao Moon went inside, but you weren’t able to kill him! Or did you not bump into him?

I’ll have to go inside and get you if you don’t show your face soon!

He cursed up a storm, but couldn’t display any of his emotions. He could only stew and sulk.

When Li Hao made a trip outside the next day, the Dragon Observatory leader didn’t stop the young man. He’d confirmed that Li Hao wasn’t the Silver Moon king, so there was no point in keeping tabs on the young man. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be that easy for Li Hao to leave.

......

Outside Skyward.

Several exalted emperors were leaving together. Many of them looked at Li Hao at the rear, then at Void sending them off.

Who the hell invited that guy?! They grumbled to themselves. This feels so stressful! He has a fifth rank seeing him off!

Indeed, Li Hao wasn’t keeping anything under wraps and so was Void being extremely forthright. He didn’t care what others thought about him sending off the young man.

What are you guys going to do about it?

Li Hao’s thoughts were even more simple. It’s no secret that I joined Dragon Observatory and that I’m on good terms with Void. In that case, it’s normal that Void is here to see me off.

But... was it normal for a fifth rank to send off a first rank?

It was incredibly abnormal!

A fifth rank... The leader of the group out to hunt Celestial Pole and the Pagoda King was only a fourth rank. Resignation had filled his face and he constantly looked behind him.

A fourth rank was an absolute powerhouse among wandering cultivators—he was a mid rank!

And yet, there was a Dragon Observatory fifth rank in his group! The man was stronger than him and while Dragon Observatory may not be worth much in the eyes of major worlds, it was far more important to wandering cultivators.

The faction had many mid ranks under its banner, so wandering cultivators could not afford to offend them! They were just chaos wanderers and this one was an exalted emperor of a legitimate faction!

In addition, Dragon Observatory’s recent moves were no secret to some Skyward exalted emperors. The faction wished to march on New Martial powerhouses!

In a way, this also saved the group from worrying over whether the first rank Hao Moon was a spy or something. He couldn’t be, since a Dragon Observatory mid rank was friends with him. Otherwise, a newly risen exalted emperor of unknown background was cause for concern.