Chapter 1048: Dao Meridians of the Body (I)

Silver Moon province.

An ancient city sat half on the shore of the Moon Sea and half in the sea. A report was being rendered in its great hall.

An old man coughed and started speaking weakly, “This Li Hao is a descendant of the Lis and one of the leaders of this age’s human race. He has reached an agreement with Martial Alliance. It looks like he desires all cities to declare their intent as soon as possible, but has taken a very humble attitude in the process.

“He demonstrated fearsome strength when he fought the Great Li king. Although he is only twenty years old, he reminds me of the Human King’s generation in the early stages of New Martial. Great talents surge forward in each age. He is so young that if he does not die along the way, he is destined for greatness.”

“Li Hao does have a lot of potential, of that we do not deny!” rumbled a Gold Armor standing below the old man. “However, he has broken three heritage weapons—one of them which is ours. That is a treasure of our roots! Breaking it severs our connection to the inheritance behind the stone door. This action is beyond the pale!

“His words of opening the Star Gate are most likely empty platitudes after he’s broken three heritage weapons. The Lis can indeed open the Star Gate and Stellaris can do so, but how will he achieve that feat without the strength of an exalted emperor?

“Only the most premier existences in New Martial reached that cultivation level. Li Hao is situated in a minor world. While a new dao has appeared, no one knows what its future will be. Opening the Star Gate is simply words of comfort.

“Once it is confirmed that the Star Gate cannot be opened, New Martial might clash with Li Hao should we wish to reemerge in the world. Silver Moon Territory will be divided into five nations then. He shows the signs of a budding ruler. Will he permit us to further separate his world? We would’ve died long ago in the Human King’s time! If Li Hao seeks to be king... conflict with us is only a matter of time.”

These words were equally tree. The old man inclined his head. New Martial did not permit others to sleep soundly by their beds.

“But now with Battle Heaven and Martial Alliance expressing their stance one after another, won’t we be in conflict with those two if we do not do the same?” asked the old man. “Setting aside the Lis and Zhaos, the other six families are of the same breath and branches if no traitors are taken into account.”

“Hallmaster, it has been one hundred thousand years since New Martial!” answered the Gold Armor. “Are the eight main cities still the eight main cities of old? Are we really still of one heart?”

The old man was silent.

“No matter what they think, New Martial is still New Martial,” he eventually said. “I do not wish for New Martial citizens to raise weapons against each other. It is just a basic alliance of unanimity. It’s not out of the question for us to participate.”

“Then it shall be as the hallmaster wishes,” said the Gold Armor. “But the situation is unclear, so we will make our preparations as well. When it comes to the eight cities, the only ones we can trust is ourselves.”

“I understand that,” nodded the old man. “Then send word to Li Hao. I hope he is not making alliances on the surface and doing something else in private.”

“I hope not!”

......

Similar discussions flourished throughout the land on this day.

There wasn’t much wariness of Li Hao, but at the same time, no one wished to be in major conflict with him. Since Battle Heaven and Martial Alliance had expressed their intentions, there were ancient cities that chose to contact Li Hao.

No one paid much attention to the fact that Skystar might be surrounded by four hostile nations actively seeking to wage war. In their eyes, the strength of a nation wasn’t important. Individual strength was of primary importance.

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Since Li Hao was strong enough, then he was worthy of respect and partnership. If he wasn’t, then none of this was important.

......

As Li Hao traveled through the land.

Of the four cardinal directions around Skystar Dynasty, Great Li to the north had already sent out their troops.

On this day, dust clouds formed in the desert to the east. Yellow sand stretched on for thousands of kilometers and countless cavalry could be found at its end. Horses galloped with riders shrouded by black scarves. The unending army charged toward the eastern continent.

A white battle steed led the front, as if a horse of the heavens since its hooves did not touch ground. It broke through the air, leading countless troops through the desert and to the eastern continent.

An exceedingly strong golden war horse galloped next to the white horse. Both of them had riders.

Every person’s presence billowed commandingly and innumerable flags waved in the wind. One character was emblazoned on them—Barren!

It was the Barren Dynasty!

Skystar was located in the central plains. Ash Mountain separated them from Great Li in the north. There were monster spirits in the mountains, making it difficult for even birds to pass through.

To the east were thousands of kilometers of yellow sand. It was sparsely inhabited.

Ever since Skystar royalty conquered the world, ties were broken with the four nations. Only exceedingly few merchant caravans made the arduous trek between nations in search of greater profits.

The bleak desert was a natural barrier of the east. But today, endless cavalry trampled this expanse of heaven’s condemnation. The powerhouse clad in golden armor on the white horse was not the dynasty’s ruler. Another eight handsome horses flew through the air, dragging a carriage that was as large as a palace.

In fact, it

was

a palace. Maids and servants could be seen walking between various halls and august personages were situated within each hall. This was where the master of the Barren Dynasty resided.

Inside the most splendid hall, an elderly man peered through the palace and looked down to where the golden-armored general charged on the back of the white horse.

“It’s nice being young,” he sighed. “Apparently Commander Li Hao of Skystar is young too. The leader of the Great Li Dynasty is also less than thirty. The younger generation of the Barren Dynasty brings glory to our name, but it is a pity... a pity that Ah Jun is not a man...” [1]

“The great king has no need for regret.” A civil official stepped forward with a radiant smile. “Her Highness has the makings of a great ruler and is beloved by the army. The world and the central plains tremble—Skystar Dynasty is corrupt and decayed. Whether it is the Barren Dynasty or Great Li, we have all ruled our nations well.

“This is a divine opportunity from the heavens! It has held true since time immemorial that the decline of the central plains is when the four nations rise!

“The heavens have given us Her Highness—she bears the valor of ten thousand men! She has the ability to pluck the moon and stars, to capture dragons, and to fight tigers. Although she is a woman, when have we ever been concerned about these kinds of trappings?”

He looked at his liege upon the dial. “Based on what this subject knows, the ruler of the Divine Nation to the west is also a woman. Watercloud is ruled by their empress dowager. In that case, why must Barren Dynasty agonize over this matter?”

“That’s true!” the king sighed with emotion. “It’s just that...” He smiled and didn’t continue his words, instead gracing the speaker with a smile. “Enough of that. Although this king is old, I can still offer some aid to my nation and prop up Ah Jun. It’s just that neither Li Hao nor the Great Li king are easy to deal with.”

“This subject understands. After all, troubled times produce great men. But the stars are aligned for us as well! It was the Steadfast Duke administering the east of Skystar territory. Ever since Li Hao successively killed two Xu patriarchs, the east has fallen into complete chaos. Some provinces have rebelled to attack the Xus.

“The people’s hearts are gripped by uncertainty and the east is exceedingly rich. If we can conquer the eastern continent and gaze upon the Skystar Commander Office from afar, we won’t be in a rush to attack their central region. After we win over the people and find our footing, there may be a chance for us yet!”

The Barren king nodded yet again. He looked at a figure in the corner—it was quite mysterious as it was wrapped in a black robe. “What does the envoy think of Li Hao?”

“He is a genius and outstanding talent,” the black robe responded faintly. “There would be no need for the four nations to act in unison otherwise! But what Wenyue said of establishing yourself in the eastern continent and awaiting good timing... is unwise!

“What a genius like Li Hao lacks the most is time. He is certain to turn the tables if given enough time. People like him have always done so—reversing heaven and earth is as easy as turning his hand when he is given the chance to do so!

“Therefore, I feel that we must strike fast and hard. Even if we break this world and subject the people to abject misery... We can just rebuild after the dust settles! But to parlay an indecisive attitude into becoming the master of a prosperous age... is very unlikely to succeed!”

“So the envoy means to say... that we should swiftly occupy the eastern continent and enter the central region?” the king mulled thoughtfully. “That we should kill and slaughter however much we can to throw Li Hao’s side into disarray? He will find no peace if the four directions shake with chaos. Should the four of us act as one to defeat him?”

“Precisely!” the black robe said swiftly. “That is the only option! You cannot give more time to someone like Li Hao. Otherwise, the only ones defeated in the end will be the four nations!”

The official that’d spoken earlier frowned at this viewpoint. “This would place us against tens of billions of Skystar citizens. Barren Dynasty only has five hundred million people, we’re less than one-twentieth of Skystar...”

He felt that it would be difficult to conquer the world if they proceeded according to the ancient’s words. It wouldn’t matter if they defeated Li Hao, gentle policies were the key!

“We do not necessarily have to put the eastern continent to the sword,” he said swiftly. “On the contrary, we can contact the Xus and cooperate with them. We can even make him a prince of his domain! The Xus are only a duke in Skystar. If they are willing to defect to us, we can make him an inconsequential prince.

“The Xus have held sway over the eastern continent for two hundred years. If the king permits, I will visit the Xus in person and negotiate with them. We will quickly stabilize our footing in the east this way!”

The black robe envoy wanted to advise otherwise, but the Barren king coughed. “You make sense, Wenyao, but so does the envoy. If the envoy is willing to give us enough support, such as your plant spirits supplying us with army rations, your powerhouses being willing to lend a hand, and bringing us another one hundred thousand sets of armor, then we can take swift action in accordance with the envoy’s preferences.”

The ancient nearly cursed out loud! None of these leaders were easy to talk to. Thank goodness they were still willing to mobilize their army. It would be hard to explain himself to the lord if not.

“I will try to obtain as much of this as possible,” he said swiftly. “But the king also knows that the various ancient cities are in difficult circumstances...”

“This king understands, just do your best,” smiled the king. “Our losses will be too great in direct combat. Barren Dynasty is a small nation with a low population. We do not have that many powerhouses, so we would have nothing to bring to bear in a pitched battle of the central plains.”

The black robe said nothing else. Everything was up to his lord. None of these people were willing to take action unless they saw what they wanted. It would be too difficult to achieve their aims without giving these nations some benefits.

I wonder how the other nations are doing?

He was unable to contact the other directions, all he knew was that Great Li had sent out their troops. However, the situation did not look promising.

1. This Jun character is one for ‘beautiful jade’. ☜