Chapter 1009: Changes at Ash Mountain (II)

Sun Hongxiu gritted her teeth and tightened her hand around the broken staff; she didn’t say a word.

So Li Hao knew they were here and sent Sky Sword with her master’s last possessions. He said that he would wait for them if they wished to take revenge. At the same time, he was only regretful of how the situation turned out, but didn’t think that he’d done anything wrong.

Had

he done anything wrong?

Sun Hongxiu closed her eyes. Perhaps... no one was wrong in this matter. Master had gone to Silver Moon also to kill Yuan Shuo. It was just... where did that little bastard get off acting like a saint??

The young woman seethed with rage and wanted to throw away the staff, but it had belonged to her master and held the essence of her master’s martial dao. How could she throw it away?

In the end, she sighed with great resignation in her eyes.

......

Sagittarius, a mountain in the wilderness.

Sky Sword landed on the ground where many were gathered, including a few senior provincial officials.

“I’ve handed the item to Qimei Staff’s disciples,” he reported.

Li Hao nodded without a word. This was all in the past. When he picked up the half of the Qimei Staff, he’d promised that he would give it to the martial master’s disciples. He hadn’t been able to find them all this time. Now that he had and completed his task today, he had fulfilled his promise.

The staff was quite a marvelous item—it contained some will from the path of the staff. If the Qimei Staff King’s disciples really could digest it, then there might be another staff expert to walk the world. At the moment, there were no powerhouses that specialized in that weapon.

“They may not thank you,” He Yong muttered.

“Is there a need for thanks?” Li Hao chuckled. “I just don’t want a martial master’s legacy to disappear from this world! Every secret art and every martial method is the loving labor, potential, and wisdom of countless seniors. Losing even one discipline means erasing a multitude of effort and hard work. As for their revenge, if they come for me and fall in battle, I will continue to preserve their discipline’s legacy...”

“Damned vicious!” He Yong murmured. The kid sounded like he wanted to wipe out all of his enemies’ descendants! Li Hao was a truly vicious fellow at times. Were the Qimei Staff disciples any sort of match for him?

Of course, Li Hao didn’t know what the old martial master was thinking of. If he did, he would shake his head at He Yong’s narrow-mindedness. Having taken care of one minor matter, Li Hao looked at the barren mountain in front of him and stomped his foot, splitting the earth open!

A stone door came into view, wreathed with faint mental strength.

“Commander Li Hao of the Skystar Commander Office is here to invite the senior to join me!” Li Hao took the initiative and introduced himself. “At present, many seniors from Battle Heaven, Skystar Town, the communications tower, and Imperial Guard have joined my side. There are only two paths ahead for the senior. Either you join the Skystar Commander Office or Battle Heaven!”

Mental strength curled around Li Hao with a hint of coolness. “You and I have stayed out of each other’s way, I know who you are! But this place is my territory...”

“No, this place belongs to the Skystar Commander Office! This place is called Sagittarius!” interrupted the young man. “Senior, I am showing you courtesy before sending in my troops. If before, I would have chosen to kill you. Today, the Ninth Division leader of the Reserve Defenders at Battle Heaven have pleaded for mercy on your behalf. Therefore, I am taking a step back.

“This is my show of sincerity and civility. If the senior does not acquiesce, then we will meet on the battlefield!”

His people soared with formidable presences and blood qi rose from an army of nearly ten thousand behind him. There were even soldiers from Battle Heaven found within its ranks; their poise was as powerful as claps of thunder!

“I am an Immortal! I am undying and indestructible! You are just hailing yourself as king before the world has fully awoken. I will show you the limits of your strength if you dare set foot inside the stone door...”

Li Hao couldn’t be bothered with further words and summoned his divine replica. He slashed outward with his word and exterminated the mental strength lingering outside. “Charge!”

A dozen people darted into the ruins in the blink of an eye. The Sagittarius officials outside shook with apprehension. This was such a demonstration of daring and resolution! Li Hao really had rushed into the ruins! Could humans of the new age really stand against these ancient existences? It wouldn’t be replicas that they faced in the ruins, but the primary bodies.

Just as the senior officials shifted uneasily, a golden fruit tree appeared with a flash of light. It was suppressed by the divine replica and enclosed by a domain of the five elements. It no longer bore its previous arrogance, just shock and despair. “This minor plant spirit is willing to surrender!”

“Now now, we wouldn’t have needed to go to all that trouble if the senior had been this polite earlier!” Li Hao smiled faintly. “As strong as Immortals are, you are no longer as strong as you once were. Immortals these days are just Apexes of New Martial. Not to mention, the senior hasn’t fully recovered. You’re about a mid or late Apex right now, so why throw down tough words?”

“......” The little tree wanted to cry, but couldn’t find the tears to. When these people barged in, the divine replica had immediately turned into a massive mountain and came down on it so firmly that the tree nearly split apart.

It’d thought that its Immortal body was so strong that these people would be trespassing to their deaths, which is why it’d been so cocky! But in the end... it was the other who was stronger.

Now that it’d sensed the young man’s strength, it was deeply resigned. This was only the twenty-first year since this world’s awakening and Li Hao was clearly very young. Why was he so strong? His divine replica was obviously formidable, but even the young man himself had nearly severed its core origin dao with one sword stroke.

He was terrifying!

Meanwhile, the Sagittarius officials accompanying the group were so horrified that they were as white as a sheet. These premier ancient existences that’d survived to present day were defeated just like that?

They finally understood why Li Hao had requested their presence for this trip. After seeing this skirmish, the thought of rebellion would never enter their heads.

“The commander is mighty!” The senior officials abruptly lowered their heads and bowed, each of them bent in a posture of submission. The Skystar Commander Office was terrifying, as were its staff! Most shocking of all was how the commander could bring Immortals out into the world and not be expelled by heaven and earth!

As provincial senior officials, they knew a thing or two. Most ancient powerhouses were unable to leave the ruins. They were domineering in the ruins, but could only send replicas into the outside world. This tree didn’t look like a replica, but it was standing outside all the same!

Li Hao smiled at his accomplishment. It was his first time utilizing the divine replica in combat and the results were remarkable. The replica had transformed into a massive mountain to suppress his target. Even though the tree had been an Immortal, it proved unable to withstand the divine replica and was outright suppressed!

The young man further smiled to see the senior Sagittarius officials bend the knee. “There is no need for this. If this ancient senior is willing to cooperate with the Skystar Commander Office, you might hold down the fort at the Sagittarius martial academy in the future! Your primary body can be in residence once the world recovers some, or you can send a replica if it has not. Everyone here is pillars of the province. I hope that you can join hands with the senior to administer Sagittarius in tandem!”

The senior executives listened with quaking hearts, whereas the little tree was astounded. “I can... enter the outside world if I pledge fealty to the Skystar Commander Office?”

That was incredible!

“Why not?” Li Hao smiled. “I didn’t say I would limit your personal freedom, but you will have missions to complete. You will need to gather energy and protect the martial academy. You will also have to raise grain—it’s essentially the same missions that you had in New Martial.

“Plant spirits like staying in one place as opposed to moving around. Being the guardian of a locale is your best choice! This partnership is one of mutual benefit and compared to New Martial, I am willing to give you more freedom. So long as you complete your missions, you may do as you wish as long as you do not violate any laws.”

The little tree was rather taken aback. Was this... all that was being asked of it?

“Then... Water of Life...”

“We will trade ten thousand mysterious power stones for one drop,” Li Hao answered. “Senior only needs to supply one thousand drops a year to the Skystar Commander Office, which means we will provide ten million stones to you!”

The little tree was stunned. Although this meant less profit than trading with faction powerhouses, it was aware that Li Hao had subjugated many plant spirits. He certainly knew how much it cost them to produce Water of Life.

In that case, ten thousand stones per drop was preferential treatment.

“The one thousand drops is a requirement!” Li Hao continued. “If the senior has more, the Skystar Commander Office will transact for them at five thousand stones a drop. The first one thousand is a special rate, whereas any that are traded after that is up to the senior’s discretion. It is fine if you don’t wish to trade anymore! Once the martial academies are operational, you can transact directly with them as well!”

“Then if I join Battle Heaven...” The little tree struggled to take it all in.

Li Hao looked at the Ninth Division leader.

“There is nothing in it for you!” Li Daozong responded after a moment. “Just the obligation to revive Battle Heaven!”

“......” The little tree cursed to itself.

Do you take me for a fool??

It had freedom of movement with Li Hao and could receive ten million stones for one thousand drops. Seven million of that would go straight into its pockets. Not only were there no benefits if it joined Battle Heaven, but it would only be saddled with more obligations!

What a joke!

And, it would have no personal freedom! Not to mention, Battle Heaven already had numerous plant spirits within its grounds. What would it be doing there?

“This minor spirit is willing to pledge allegiance to the Skystar Commander Office.” The tree completely ignored Li Daozong. “I am willing to oversee part of your territory and protect the martial academy. I will supply Water of Life, safeguard the commander’s borders, and create a sacred land of martial dao!”

Meanwhile, Li Hao was looking at his Battle Heaven counterpart.

Damn, he drives a hard bargain! Was he helping me just now? There’s no benefits in it for the plant spirits if they go to Battle Heaven, and they’d have to work toward revitalizing the city. How many plant spirits will take him up on that?

A quick comparison between the choices made the Skystar Commander Office a no-brainer...