âAh, you guys can go to the Sword Sect for a look. Martial Uncle Hong is of a mind to build a sacred land of sanctuary...â
âWhat sacred land?â Hong Qing blinked.
âA sacred land in the mortal world!â
Hong Qing gaped at Li Hao. What...? My dad? Creating a sacred land in the mortal world? Has the leader lost his mind today?
âYou donât understand and neither do I. But weâll understand sooner or later.â Li Hao borrowed some words from the old guys of Silver Moon. âThe gap between you guys and me is growing bigger and bigger. I need to mull over my progress, as do you. You guys need to accumulate and experience certain things. Martial uncleâs sanctuary wonât be easy to establish.
âMany of you come from the Sword Sect and should understand that itâs not difficult to create a place for a thousand people. But when it comes to ten thousand, one hundred thousand, a million...? That can be very, very hard! Iâm not sure what is required, but I know that creating such a place is beneficial to everyone. It would be a journey of tempering the heart.â
Everyone looked at Li Hao. No one was in the mood to consider Hong Yitangâs grand endeavor. Not even his daughter was thinking of her fatherâs ambitions. The only thing they knew was that their leader seemed to have made up his mind to leave.
âLeader... then weâll go find you when we become Dominators. Will you still accept us then?â
âThereâs nothing to question when it comes to acceptance,â Li Hao chuckled. âYou are all of the Demon Hunters and... of the Battle Heaven Army!â
The Battle Heaven Army!
Being equipped with the armor made them part of the cityâs army. The group turned over his words in their mouths; Hong Qing didnât say anything.
âThen weâll go find you when weâre Dominators,â Liu Yan said off to the side. âWait for us in the central region, donât proceed so far down your path that we cannot see you.â
âHahaha, I hope!â Li Hao laughed. Parting ways wasnât necessarily a sorrowful affair, but it could bring down the mood. âThen you guys should disembark when we reach White Moon City in a bit...â
âWhat about us?â Hao Lianchuan suddenly asked. They were supernaturals.
âDirector, you forget that youâre the head of the Night Watchers,â Li Hao burst out laughing. âWhat will they do if you leave?â
âSenior brother, Iâm not!â Wang Ming volunteered eagerly. âIâm a Solar now!â
âYou should stay with the director. You guys have made decent improvements and the director is almost a Nova. Iâm going to kill White Shark before I go, that will throw the White Shark Raiders into complete chaos. You can use them as training targets. Of course, we can also forget about that if I donât succeed.
âViolet Moonâs locked up in the Inspectorate. Under these circumstances, Inspector General Kong may not be willing to let me take her. They might not want to make a complete break with Ying Hongyue at the moment...â
âWho cares!â Wang Ming exclaimed. âSenior brother, Iâll go to the Inspectorate in a bit and kill that Violet Moon! It must be Red Moon creating trouble for you!â
âForget it, letâs not make things difficult for them.â Li Hao grinned. âJust one Violet Moon wonât really affect anything and thereâs no need to go against the leaders of Silver Moon. We all nurse our own thoughts, I wonât force mine on someone else. In the same vein, their thoughts wonât affect me at all.â
The young man thought for a bit, looked at the group, then at Liu Long. âChief, I leave them to you. Iâm not a very worthy leader. If anyone wants to back out, just hand in your black armor. There wonât be anything else to the process.
âI know you have a weapon soul!â He suddenly knocked his sword on the ship. âI now transfer your command to my deputy leader. The Divine Kun Ship is suited for naval battles. It would inconvenience everyone if I took it with me, so I leave it for the Demon Hunters.â
The ship trembled after a round of knocking. Li Hao shot out a ray of sword qi and pierced Liu Longâs bare arm. A drop of blood landed on the ground in short order. Moments later the man frowned and looked at Li Hao without a word. He could sense that he held control over the ship now.
They were almost at White Moon City. Li Hao looked into the distance and continued giving instructions.
âYou guys can go to Martial Uncle Hong if you find yourselves in trouble, or you can also go to Light Sword. Tell her I said so and that Iâll help her fully suppress her light energy when I return. But she needs to help you guys when you need it. She may even have to anchor the formation for you!
âWhen it comes to Kong Jie and Huang Yu... Kong Jie has a more straightforward personality and can be trusted with a thing or two. The others can be ignored! Additionally, I have a senior sister in the city whose husband is Hu Dingfang. Heâs a high ranking officer in the militaryâyou guys should all know them. Try not to have anything to do with them even if they come to you. Just ignore them!â
Li Hao gave orders in great detail. Liu Long listened silently. The young man of prior might not have said this much. He would more likely just leave without a word and not consider so many aspects. Li Hao now, however, made arrangements for everyone. He spoke of their avenues of retreat, prospects, and future...
âIf youâre lucky enough to obtain sufficient mysterious power stones or origin weapons, you can return to where we just were and ask that one to help you cultivate. It should not reject you. But remember, do not reveal the existence of the ruin in case you attract unnecessary trouble!
âIf you really get into trouble, chief, or Silver Moon proves impossible to stay in, then you can bring everyone to Battle Heaven for shelter. There shouldnât be an issue since you are an official member of the army. Just head directly in after the ruins are open.â
âDonât worry, I understand.â
White Moon City was in front of them now. Liu Long looked at the city, then at Li Hao. âAre you going in?â
âI am. How else will I quietly slip away otherwise?â Li Hao laughed. âOh yeah, Iâm not leaving any treasures for you guys. You can collect them yourselves!â n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
The ship flew over the city and landed at the Silver Moon Guards base with a rumble. Li Hao led the Demon Hunters in disembarking and shoved a small flask to Liu Long as they walked. âThereâs a drop of Water of Life inside,â he transmitted. âItâs to save a life, so donât use it for cultivating. Iâm taking the rest with me.â
Liu Long inclined his head. âAre you going to the central region or other regions?â he transmitted.
âThe central region! If circumstances permit, I might go to the east first.â Indeed, he might. That was where the Steadfast Duke was! There was another Windchaser Boot to obtain.
Of course, he knew the risks associated with that endeavor. That treasure was said to rest in the dukeâs storage ring. The duke was incredibly formidable and it would be nearly impossible to seize it from him. But what if... there was a chance to?
According to what Light Sword said, the Xus conducted a worship ceremony once a year and brought out the Windchaser Boot to worship their ancestors. It wasnât time for the ceremony yet, but the dukeâs eldest son was dead. According to custom, he would be interred in the ancestral grave on the seventh day of his death. He would be laid to rest, the Hall of Ancestors would be opened, the ancestors honored...
Itâd been three days since Xu Zhenâs death and it would take some time to travel to the dukeâs manor. There was roughly five thousand kilometers to cover from Silver Moon to the Steadfast Duke. Although Li Haoâs speed was fast if he traveled at full speed, it would still take him three days to reach his destination. That might be the seventh day when he arrived, leaving him no chance to make a move because he wouldnât have enough time to gather information.
But he might as well go take a look because no one would expect that he would have designs on the boot at this very moment. How bold would he have to be to attempt such a thing? Supreme existences such as Earthturner Sword and Light Sword hadnât dared do so when he mentioned it before. In the publicâs eye, the young man should be turtling in White Moon City. He wouldnât dare venture out so easily.
However, the journey would be very tiring. The young man glanced at Panther ambling around next to him. The dog was much bigger and fatter than before. It... should be pretty fast and have good stamina. Monster spirits were more vigorous than humans. It might be faster to hitch a ride on the dog.
Thanks to the perception of a monster spirit, Panther seemed to sense something. It raised a head to look at Li Hao, confusion in its eyes. Li Hao patted it on the head with a laugh.
The group quickly entered the base lobby. Li Hao looked at everyone. âStay here and cultivate for a few days and reflect on your recent comprehensions. Letâs go out after a few days, weâre in no hurry!â
Liu Long nodded and rumbled, âWe wonât be going out for the next couple of days and wonât let anyone inside either!â
Plainly, Li Hao had some ideas in mind. The man didnât ask. Sometimes knowing too much wasnât a good thing.
âVery well!â Li Hao waited quietly for nightfall. He wanted those outside to leave. He was back at the base. Whether it was Huang Yu or Director General Zhao, would they continue keeping an eye on him?
They wouldnât. It was still very safe inside the city.
......
As Li Hao expected, Huang Yu waited only a short while after the young man returned with his people. He chose to leave upon seeing the ship continue to be parked in the plaza, conspicuous in its presence. He set other people as watchers, however. Not to keep the young man under surveillanceâhe just didnât want Li Hao to run around with the Demon Hunters any further. It was very dangerous in the outside world right now!
At the provincial government.
This was Light Swordâs first instance of openly walking into the government building. She looked around curiously. Although she was a Silver Moon martial master, this group of people had always been at odds with the provincial government. Today, she was just sauntering in.
âThis way, Miss Hu...â Deputy Zhou met her at the door.
An uncomfortable expression crossed her face as she looked at the deputy. He knew her thoughts and was equally awkward.
âItâs difficult to identify the right honorific, so this is what we settled on. If... Grandmaster Hu doesnât like it... how about I change it?â They normally called her Light Sword, but needed to address her by her proper name here.
âJust call me Swordmaster Hu!â Light Sword responded. Grandmaster... It would be fine to call her a walking god based on prior custom. But grandmaster? That was a warrior of the ancient civilization who would lay down their lives for justice, people, country, and race.
She was not someone like that, so she did not accept that title.